Saints CB Ken Crawley Signs RFA Tender
Saints CB Ken Crawley has signed his original round RFA tender, as veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. We learned last week that Crawley would be signing the tender, as he had not garnered any interest from rival clubs.
The lack of interest is not surprising, even though a team that signed Crawley to an offer sheet would not have needed to send any draft compensation to the Saints (since Crawley entered the league as an undrafted free agent). Crawley was demoted from his starting role prior to New Orleans’ Week 3 matchup last year, and although he was reinstated as a starter for the next three contests, he wound up appearing in only ten games and did not return to the starting lineup.
That was quite a contrast from his 2017 campaign, when he started all 13 games that he appeared in. But in 2018, Crawley finished as a bottom-three cornerback, per Pro Football Focus‘ advanced metrics, and although he is now under contract for 2019, his $2.025MM salary is not guaranteed, so he could be cut without any cap repercussions.
For his career, Crawley has 128 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and 31 passes defensed.
49ers Sign OL Ben Garland
The 49ers have signed veteran offensive lineman Ben Garland, per Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). The team later announced the deal, which will be a one-year pact. Garland will provide depth at both guard positions, and he could theoretically push starters Laken Tomlinson and Mike Person for playing time.
Garland spent the last three seasons with the Falcons, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was Atlanta’s OC in 2016, the first of those seasons. We heard back in February that the Falcons would not re-sign Garland.
Garland first entered the league as a defensive lineman, but he later transitioned to the O-Line. Last season, the Falcons retained him via the $2.9MM second-round tender for restricted free agents, but he was not in the club’s plans for the 2019 campaign.
He has never been a full-time starter, having started just seven games in his career (three in 2017 and four in 2018). But despite the limited action, Pro Football Focus’s advanced analytics were fond of his 2018 performance, rating him as an above-average guard.
Josh Gordon Signs RFA Tender
Patriots WR Josh Gordon has signed his original round RFA tender, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. Although Gordon is uncertain to play in 2019, if he does suit up, it will be for the Pats.
The last we heard from Gordon, he was considering applying for reinstatement by the league this spring. Gordon was traded from the Browns to the Patriots last season, and he had some initial success before suddenly stepping away from the team. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that the league was suspending him indefinitely for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement.
Another report also said Gordon could be back by training camp, although that’s obviously far from a guarantee. Gordon has always been ultra-talented, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. In 11 games with the Patriots last year, he caught 40 passes fro 720 yards and three touchdowns.
The original round tender will pay Gordon $2.025MM in 2019, assuming he’s able to play.
Rams Exercise Jared Goff’s Option
The Rams have exercised Jared Goff‘s fifth-year option, according to a team announcement. With that move, the quarterback is now under contract through the 2020 season.
Some of this year’s fifth-year option calls may be tricky, but this one goes in the no-brainer category. After a rough start to his professional career, Goff has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two years under the tutelage of head coach Sean McVay. He of course led the Rams to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance in 2018, and his stat line from last season — 32 TDs against 12 interceptions, a 64.9% completion percentage, and a 101.1 QB rating — indicate that he will be the club’s signal-caller for a long time.
Los Angeles has not yet broached a re-up with Goff, but given that he is now under club control through 2020, there’s not a ton of urgency on that front just yet. When asked about an extension recently, Goff said, “Not on my mind at all. I know the deal and understand that I hired an agent for that reason, and things always work out. You continue to play well, it will work itself out.”
Goff will earn a little over $4.2MM this year, and the fifth-year option will pay him $22.783MM in 2020 if the two sides do not work out a long-term deal before then. His 2020 salary is guaranteed for injury only, but McVay indicated recently he is pleased with Goff’s career track, despite Goff’s shaky Super Bowl outing, so it is hard to imagine Goff and the Rams parting ways anytime soon.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jonathan Stewart Retires From NFL
Jonathan Stewart is calling it a career. On Tuesday, the longtime NFL running back announced his retirement and signed a one-day deal with Carolina so that he could leave the game as a member of the Panthers. 
Stewart pretty much spent his whole career with the Panthers, save for six carries with the Giants in 2018 before being placed on IR. In ten years with the Panthers, he amassed 7,318 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He also logged 162 catches for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stewart was an immediate difference-maker for the Panthers after being selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2008. Paired with DeAngelo Williams as one half of the “Double Trouble” tandem, J-Stew compiled 836 yards in his rookie season. Stewart would go on to top 1,100 yards in his sophomore season as a pro and flirt with the 1,000-yard mark in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl season.
Stewart, 32, will now be able to focus on other endeavors while spending more time with his family.
Seahawks Trade Frank Clark To Chiefs
On Tuesday, the Seahawks agreed to trade Frank Clark to the Chiefs. When finalized, the deal will send Clark and a third-round choice (No. 84 overall) to the Seahawks for their first-round pick (No. 29), third-round pick (No. 92), and the lower of the Chiefs’ 2020 second-rounders. 
The Seahawks originally cuffed Clark with a franchise tag for 2019, but the defensive end said he was unwilling to play under the terms of the one-year tender. Ultimately, Clark got his way with a massive long-term extension. The Chiefs have agreed to sign Clark to a five-year, $105.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact includes $63.5MM guaranteed and gives him a potentially larger total intake than Cowboys standout Demarcus Lawrence. Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets that the $105.5MM figure is a maximum value, and that the actual contract is a five-year, $104MM pact. The additional $1.5MM stems from $300K incentives that Clark could earn in each year of the deal for posting 11.5 sacks or more.
However, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that Clark may have been unwilling to ink that same deal with the Seahawks if Seattle had extended it to him. Instead, he was, despite his statements to the contrary, willing to hold out until September and then sign his franchise tender before the regular season started.
In a perfect world, the Seahawks would have liked to keep Clark for the long haul. However, after making Russell Wilson the highest-paid player in NFL history, space was rather limited. But now, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets, the team can shift its focus to extending Bobby Wagner this offseason, and if the Seahawks can’t get a deal done, they will have enough cap space in 2020 to put the franchise tag on Wagner if it so chooses.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have made another major change to their defense. After ranking 31st in yards allowed in 2018, they’ve swapped defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for Steve Spagnuolo, moved to a 4-3 scheme, traded Dee Ford, and released Justin Houston and Eric Berry. Now, it’s out with the old and in with the new for KC. The Chiefs have landed one of the game’s best young edge rushers in clark, bringing him to a front seven that also includes new pickups Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Damien Wilson.
Clark, 26 in June, entered the league as a second-round pick in 2015, but truly broke out as an NFL sophomore with ten sacks in 2016. After a nine-sack effort in 2017, he exploded for 13 sacks last year, his first full season as a starter.
Clearly, the Chiefs are all-in on fixing their defense, but it has come at the expense of draft capital and future flexibility. The Chiefs no longer have a first-round pick for Thursday, nor do they have a ton of wiggle room in future years after locking up Clark through his prime seasons.
Bengals Waive Adolphus Washington
The Bengals have waived Adolphus Washington, according to a team announcement. The Bengals signed the defensive tackle off of the Cowboys’ taxi squad last season, but he won’t be a part of the club for 2019. 
[RELATED: Bengals Work Out RB Rod Smith]
Washington had six tackles and a sack for the Bengals across four appearances last year. Prior to that, his only in-game experience came with the Bills across two seasons and change. The third-round pick hasn’t really met expectations, though he did have 3.5 sacks across his two full seasons in Buffalo.
Ultimately, Washington was somewhat redundant for the Bengals. The club is set to roll with Geno Atkins, Andrew Billings, Ryan Glasgow, Josh Tupou, Christian Ringo, and Niles Scott on the interior line this offseason.
Chargers Exercise Joey Bosa’s Option
This is the definition of a no-brainer. The Chargers have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Joey Bosa, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: 2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
In his first two NFL seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. Last year, Bosa missed the bulk of the season with a bone bruise, but still managed 5.5 sacks and 23 tackles in seven games.
It took a while for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft to put pen to paper, but he has blossomed into one of the league’s most terrifying edge rushers. He also serves as the signal caller of the Bolts’ defense. Simply put, Bosa is indispensable.
In 2020, Bosa will earn $14.360MM. After that, the Chargers will have to give Bosa a long-term deal at the top of the market or use the pricey franchise tag to stall. The Bolts, in theory, could use three consecutive franchise tags on Bosa, but it seems unlikely that he’d cooperate with a second tag and, even if he were willing to go with the flow, a third tag would be wildly expensive (assuming the tag system remains in place under the next collective bargaining agreement).
Speaking of the Bosa family, it sounds like Nick Bosa is a real possibility for the Cardinals at No. 1 overall. Even if Arizona passes on Bosa with the top choice, it’s unlikely that he’ll last long on Thursday.
Ravens Exercise Ronnie Stanley’s Option
The Ravens have exercised the fifth-year option on starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, Stanley is now under contract through the 2020 season. 
[RELATED: 2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
There was little doubt that the Ravens would pick up the fifth-year option on the 2016 first-round pick. Stanley has been a starter for the Ravens in all three of his NFL seasons and, last year, he graded out as the No. 17 ranked tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
The additional year will cost the Ravens $13MM in 2020 after his initial four-year deal wraps up. It’s not chump change, but it’s well worth it for the Ravens to lock down one of the best young tackles in the NFL.
The Ravens had until May 3 to make the call, but they didn’t need to take it down to the wire. Stanley’s $13MM sum will be guaranteed for injury only, so the club can easily get out of the deal if there’s an unexpected regression in his performance.
Broncos Sign Billy Winn, Mike Purcell
Two defensive linemen who have not seen regular-season action since the 2016 season will join the Broncos, one a familiar face. The Broncos signed Billy Winn and Mike Purcell on Monday, the team announced.
Winn played in 16 games, starting two, for the 2016 Broncos. The team re-signed Winn in 2017, but prior to Vance Joseph’s first season, Winn went down with an ACL tear. He did not play last season. But Vic Fangio will give the 30-year-old lineman another chance.
Winn started 18 games with the Browns from 2012-14. With three career sacks (and none since 2014), Winn would profile as depth if he makes the Broncos’ roster. Purcell would as well.
The former UDFA, though, has a history with Fangio. Purcell entered the NFL as a 49ers UDFA when Fangio was still San Francisco’s defensive coordinator. Having attended the Broncos’ voluntary minicamp last week, Purcell would be entering his age-28 season. Purcell spent the 2018 offseason with the Chiefs but did not make their 53-man roster. He started five games for the 2016 49ers but has not played since.
Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Shelby Harris and Zach Kerr are almost certain to be back in the Broncos’ D-line rotation. Former second-round pick DeMarcus Walker has played sparingly but remains on the team as well. The Broncos may also address this position in the draft.
Denver also added offensive lineman Jake Rodgers, another attendee at the team’s voluntary minicamp. Rodgers, a seventh-round Falcons pick in 2015, has spent time on five teams’ practice squads.