Bengals To Release Cordy Glenn
After failed attempts to trade Cordy Glenn, the Bengals will release him Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bengals efforts to move Glenn surfaced last week, but predictably, Cincinnati could not find a taker for the tackle’s contract.
When the Bills traded Glenn to the Bengals in 2018, he was still attached to the deal he signed in 2016 after being franchise-tagged. While Glenn was only set to make $7.5MM in 2020 base salary, he missed most of last season and has seen his value drop in recent years.
The Bengals’ 2019 first-round selection of Jonah Williams prompted the team to move Glenn to guard. However, that became a short-term transition. Williams’ season-nullifying injury slid Glenn back to left tackle. But Glenn did not end up taking his place in the Bengals’ starting lineup until November. A severe concussion that led to a lengthy Glenn absence preceded a disagreement between player and team over the handling of the head injury. Glenn’s argument with a Bengals coach led to the team suspending him for a game.
Cincinnati will attempt to move on with Williams at left tackle. This will mark a reboot, with Williams likely set to protect Joe Burrow next season. Glenn, 30, will join a suddenly populated contingent of available left tackles. Both Jason Peters and Trent Williams are now on the market, via free agency or trade. Glenn was once a highly regarded tackle in Buffalo and would seemingly be a candidate for a prove-it deal.
Titans To Release K Ryan Succop
Ryan Succop‘s six-season Titans run will wrap up with a release. The Titans will move on from their longtime specialist, according to TitansOnline.com’s Terry McCormick (on Twitter).
This move will produce more dead money than cap savings ($2.1MM/$2MM), but Succop struggled last season for a Titans team that largely made its late-season push without the assistance of the field goal component.
Succop, 33, made just 1 of 6 field goal tries after coming off IR midway through last season. He did not kick in the playoffs for the Titans, who were set to pay him $3.4MM in 2020. The Titans placed Succop on IR for a second time in 2019, ending his season in December.
Tennessee signed ex-Cleveland kicker Greg Joseph to a three-year extension and used him in the playoffs, so some large writing was on the wall for Succop with the Titans. A knee injury initially sent Succop to IR in August, and he never re-established his usual form prior to IR trip No. 2.
The former Chief, however, made at least 86% of his field goal tries in four of his six Titans seasons and has 10 years’ experience. This will be Succop’s second stay in free agency. The Chiefs cut him 2014, pivoting to Cairo Santos. Succop quickly landed with the Titans, with whom he signed two contracts.
Bears, Danny Trevathan Agree To Three-Year Deal
The Bears have signed linebacker Danny Trevathan to a new three-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Trevathan had been scheduled to become a free agent when the market opens.
Trevathan turns 30 years old later this month and missed time in 2019 due to an elbow injury, so there was no guarantee Chicago would re-sign the veteran ‘backer. Indeed, Trevathan has missed 19 of 64 games since inking a four-year, $28MM deal prior with the Bears to the 2016 campaign. But he’s shown enough when on the field — and as a locker room presence — to warrant a new deal from general manager Ryan Pace.
There’s no word as of yet on Trevathan’s new annual salary or guaranteed money. His $7MM yearly average now pales in comparison to the top of the off-ball linebacker market, where Bobby Wagner and C.J. Mosley currently top the list at $18MM and $17MM, respectively. Trevathan clearly won’t come close to those figures, but it’s possible he sees a bump on his previous per-year commitment.
A former sixth-round pick, Trevathan spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos before Denver allowed him to leave for Chicago. In 2018, Trevathan played all 16 games for just the second time in his career before missing seven contests in 2019. Last year, he posted 70 tackles and one sack while grading as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 39 linebacker among 89 qualifiers.
With Trevathan back in the fold, the Bears are almost assuredly prepared to let fellow linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski walk in free agency. Kwiatkoski, a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, played the most defensive snaps (512) of his career last season, and could be a candidate for a surprisingly large free agent contract from another club.
Bills Extend G Quinton Spain
The Bills have extended guard Quinton Spain on a three-year, $15MM deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Spain would have reached the open market next week, but he likely would have been viewed as a second-tier option behind other guards such as Brandon Scherff and Joe Thuney. Instead, the 28-year-old will take immediate financial security in order to commit to three more years in Buffalo.
A former undrafted free agent, Spain spent the first four years and 48 starts of his career with the Titans before signing a one-year, $2.05MM pact with the Bills last offseason. In 2019, Spain started all 16 games for the first time in his NFL tenure, grading as the league’s No. 59 guard among 80 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus.
Buffalo made its offensive line a priority last offseason, adding free agents Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe, and Spencer Long and second-round draft pick Cody Ford in addition to Spain. Those reinforcements helped the Bills’ running game, as Buffalo improved from 30th in Football Outsiders‘ 2018 run-blocking metrics to 16th last season.
Bills Restructure Tyler Kroft’s Deal
The Bills have restructured Tyler Kroft‘s contract, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Under the new deal, Kroft is set to earn $4MM in 2020, with $3.4MM of that sum being guaranteed. In exchange, the last year of his contract was wiped out. 
If Kroft stays healthy and plays well, he’ll now have a chance to cash in as a free agent in 2021. In that scenario, he’d also stand to benefit from a new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to increase the players’ share of revenue.
Kroft came to the Bills last offseason on a three-year deal worth $18.75MM. The tight end missed a big chunk of his last Bengals season thanks to a foot injury and, unfortunately, injured it again as he prepared for his first year with the Bills.
This year, Kroft will aim to get back towards his 42/404/7 stat line from 2017. The Bills won’t necessarily bank on that, though. Before the restructuring, the Bills made a play for veteran tight end Greg Olsen. Olsen ultimately opted to sign with the Seahawks, but it was a sign that the Bills are willing to spend in order to fortify the position.
In 2019, rookie Dawson Knox featured as the Bills’ top TE.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Giants
- Waived/failed physical: T George Asafo-Adjei
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Chris Milton
Titans Release Cameron Wake
The Titans have released outside linebacker Cameron Wake, per a club announcement. In the same press release, the Titans also made official the release of running back Dion Lewis. 
Wake, who turned 38 in January, has previously said that he plans to continue playing in 2020.
“I don’t have any plans of giving it up,” Wake said late last year. “As long as there is a mutual desire from myself and the organization obviously as well, I’d look forward (to playing here again). It is not even a ‘like’ it here – I love it here. In the past I knew of guys who had passed through this organization, and now having come here myself, it’s an understatement to say how much I enjoy it. I’ve kind of had the appetizer version of what it is.”
“This place checks all the boxes for me,” Wake continued. “I am blessed to have been given the opportunity and I appreciate every minute of it. And I look forward to whatever the future brings.”
Last year, Wake missed the final stretch of the season with a back injury. Many expected the Titans to drop him this offseason, a move that saves the club $5.6MM against the cap. Combined with the Lewis release, the Titans have saved $9.6MM in total.
Titans To Release Dion Lewis
The Titans are moving on from Dion Lewis. The running back has been released from his contract, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Titans Prioritizing Tannehill Deal?]
This was an expected move. The Titans are intent on bringing Derrick Henry back, either with a tag or a brand new deal to keep him from free agency.
Lewis, meanwhile, is no longer worth the remainder of the four-year, $20MM deal he signed with the team in the 2018 offseason. After averaging 5.0 yards per carry in the Patriots’ varied backfield, he’s averaged just 3.5 yards per tote for the Titans across the last two seasons with an increasingly smaller role. Last year, he appeared in every game, but carried the ball just 54 times for 209 yards.
Henry, meanwhile, has been sensational. Last year, he turned in a 1,540-yard season – that’s not counting his 446 postseason rushing yards, the most by any player whose team did not reach the a Super Bowl.
Dolphins To Decline Daniel Kilgore’s Option
The Dolphins won’t pick up the option on center Daniel Kilgore, as Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets. With that, the veteran will become a free agent when the league year begins on March 18. 
[RELATED: Dolphins To Release S Reshad Jones]
Kilgore has made 17 starts in the middle since joining the Dolphins in 2018. By turning down the option on the final year in his contract, the Dolphins will save $4MM against the 2020 cap.
The Dolphins have been exploring Kilgore alternatives throughout the offseason and their replacement could come in either free agency or the draft. They’re well-stocked with both cash and picks, so there will be plenty of avenues to explore.
After dropping Kilgore, the Dolphins have about $127.9MM in committments for the coming year. They could trim that number even further, too. If they stand pat, they’ll enter free agency with upwards of $91.5MM to burn.
Patriots Pick Up Jason McCourty’s Option
The Patriots have officially exercised Jason McCourty‘s option for the 2020 season, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The cornerback will earn nearly $4MM as a result and the move may help the Patriots retain his twin brother Devin McCourty. 
The twins, 33 in August, previously said that they plan to continue playing in the NFL. However, Devin is slated to reach free agency in a couple of weeks, where he could fetch some big money offers. The Patriots want to keep him, but they’re also not inclined to pay open market money to their own FAs.
Last year, Jason appeared in 12 games (ten starts) and registered 39 tackles and one interception. His performance earned him a 74.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking him 17th among all qualified cornerbacks. Despite his advanced age, that makes his 2020 salary a tremendous value for the Pats. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick & Co. are hoping that this leads to a new deal with Devin, who has been a mainstay in their secondary at multiple spots since 2010.
Devin, for his part, has voiced concern about quarterback Tom Brady potentially leaving the team. But regardless of where Brady and the standout safety wind up, the Patriots will hold the rights to Jason.