Ravens Sign CB Justin Bethel
The Ravens announced that they’ve signed cornerback/special teamer Justin Bethel to a two-year contract. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) first reported Baltimore as nearing a deal with Bethel.
Bethel has been a starting cornerback in the past, as he played at least 25% of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps in each season from 2015-17. But he’s struggled in that capacity, and is known primarily for his work on special teams. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro as a special teamer, Bethel played zero defensive snaps for the Falcons in 2018 but saw action on two-thirds of Atlanta’s ST snaps.
Bethel will have little opportunity to play defense in a Baltimore secondary that ranks as one of the league’s best (especially after adding Earl Thomas), but the Ravens have always placed a strong emphasis on special teams play. Bethel will play under new ST coordinator Chris Horton, who replaced longtime Ravens special teams coach Jerry Rosburg earlier today.
Packers Sign WR Geronimo Allison To New One-Year Deal
Packers wideout Geronimo Allison drew enough interest as a restricted free agent that Green Bay has decided to sign him to a new one-year deal, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSports.com.
Whereas Allison’s RFA tender wouldn’t have come with any financial guarantees, Allison’s new contact will contained guaranteed money, per La Canfora. Additionally, it will have a greater base value than the $2.025MM original round tender that Allison received earlier this week, and will contain incentives.
Allison, 25, managed 20 receptions in four games last season before being placed on injured reserve with hamstring and groin issues. Despite his limited track record, Allison could be in for an expanded role next year, playing as Green Bay’s No. 3 receiver behind Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
49ers Extend RB Raheem Mostert
The 49ers and running back Raheem Mostert have agreed to a new three-year deal, as Mostert’s agent Brent Tessler tweets.
San Francisco earlier this week tendered Mostert as a restricted free agent, assigning him an original round tender that would have only given the club the right of first refusal if Mostert landed an offer sheet from another club. That tender — worth $2.025MM — wouldn’t have come with any guaranteed money. As of yet, it’s unclear if Mostert’s extension replaces his tender and locks him in through 2021, or is in addition to his tender and thus will keep him in the Bay Area through 2022.
The 49ers, of course, made a push for Le’Veon Bell earlier this week before signing former Falcons running back Tevin Coleman, crowding a running back depth chart that already had a few options. Jerick McKinnon, who signed a hefty free agent deal with San Francisco last offseason, is still on the roster, as is Matt Breida, who excelled after McKinnon went down with a torn ACL prior to the regular season.
As Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets, Mostert will be active on gamedays due to his special teams contributions. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recently said he’s never activated four running backs for a contest, meaning one of Coleman, McKinnon, or Breida either won’t be active, or won’t be on the 49ers roster (unless Shanahan changes his plans, that is).
Mostert, 26, spent time with six other NFL franchises before landing in San Francisco in 2016. In 2018, he posted 34 carries for 261 yards and one touchdown, and also played 60% of the 49ers’ special teams snaps.
Eagles Re-Sign CB Ronald Darby
Ronald Darby is returning to Philly. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old cornerback is re-signing with the Eagles. It will be a one-year deal for Darby worth $8.5MM (via Rapoport on Twitter).
The cornerback had additional suitors, including the Chiefs, with whom he met this week. Other teams were interested in Darby as well, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweeting he discussed one-year and multiyear deals as well.
However, Darby decided to opt for a one-year deal with a familiar franchise as he works his way back from an ACL tear. The former second-rounder underwent surgery in November, so there’s a chance that he won’t be ready for the start of the regular season.
Darby started all nine of his appearances in 2018, compiling 43 tackles, 12 passes defended, and one interception. However, an ACL tear ended his season prematurely, forcing him to sit out the second half of the campaign. Despite his injury, Darby still earned high marks from Pro Football Focus; the site ultimately ranked him 39th among 112 eligible cornerbacks.
If Darby is forced to miss any time, the Eagles have enough depth to get by. Rasul Douglas and Jalen Mills are currently projected as the team’s starters, while the team is also rostering Sidney Jones, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and Chandon Sullivan.
Titans To Release QB Blaine Gabbert
After acquiring Ryan Tannehill earlier today, the Titans are set to cut one of their other quarterbacks. Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com reports (via Twitter) that the team will release Blaine Gabbert.
The 29-year-old spent last season as Marcus Mariota‘s primary backup. In eight games (three starts), Gabbert completed 60.4-percent of his passes for 626 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. The 2011 first-round pick has had stints with the Jaguars, 49ers, Cardinals, and Titans during his eight-year career, and he’s presumably set to add another team to that list this offseason.
The Titans gave up a 2019 seventh-rounder and a 2020 fourth-rounder in exchange for Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-rounder earlier today. The front office subsequently reworked their acquisition’s 2019 contract, although the veteran is still set to be among the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the NFL. As a result, it’s not entirely surprising that the Titans decided to move on from Gabbert. His release will provide Tennessee with $1.5MM cap savings vs. $500K in dead cap.
Considering Mariota’s extensive injury history, it’d be surprising if the Titans don’t add another quarterback to the mix during the offseason. Even if the team rolls into the regular season with only two quarterbacks on the roster, we’ll presumably see the team give a third-stringer some reps during the preseason.
Mark Nzeocha To Re-Sign With 49ers
It sounds like Mark Nzeocha is heading back to San Francisco. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports (via Twitter) that the linebacker intends to re-sign with the 49ers.
The 29-year-old spent that past two seasons with the Niners, appearing in 26 games between two seasons. The former seventh-rounder appeared in 16 games (three starts) last season, compiling 22 tackles, one sack, one pass defended, and one forced fumble. Nzeocha also led the 49ers with seven special-teams tackle. The linebacker didn’t play enough snaps to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus‘ positional rankings, but his pass-rushing ability received some praise.
Nzeocha will likely continue to have a special teams role in San Francisco, but he may occasionally see time at linebacker. He’ll have to compete with Dekoda Watson, Ryan Delaire, and free-agent addition David Mayo for backup reps.
We learned yesterday that Nzeocha met with the Bills.
49ers Release DE Cassius Marsh
Cassius Marsh‘s 1 1/2-season run with the 49ers appears to be over. The team will release the five-year defensive end, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. Marsh confirmed he is on the way out (via Twitter).
This comes after Marsh’s 5.5 sacks were second on the team last season (and first among 49er edge rushers). The 49ers, though, added a higher-profile defensive end this week in Dee Ford. That move likely prompted the team to move on from Marsh — a player the 49ers extended barely a year ago.
Marsh, who had one season and a $3.8MM salary left on that contract, joined the 49ers via November 2017 waiver claim. He finished his 49er tenure with 7.5 sacks in 22 games.
In addition to Ford, San Francisco has been closely linked to adding yet another pass rusher with its upcoming No. 2 overall pick. The 49ers still have Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas in the fold — each first-round picks since 2015 — but still need help on the edge. With this draft featuring one of the better defensive line classes in memory, and a potential Kyler Murray No. 1 overall pick in line to push Nick Bosa off the top spot, the 49ers are expected to add a younger player to complement Ford next month.
Bears Sign WR Marvin Hall
The Bears have added another wideout. The team announced that they’ve inked receiver Marvin Hall to a deal.
The 25-year-old appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons last season. In only 185 offensive snaps, Hall hauled in 10 receptions for 149 yards and one score. He also served as Atlanta’s primary kick return, compiling 616 yards on 26 returns (good for a 23.7-yard average). The former undrafted free agent also put in some work on special teams, compiling four tackles.
The Bears have already added Cordarrelle Patterson, but they’ve lost Josh Bellamy and Kevin White. The team’s two free agent additions will be joining a receivers corps that already includes Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller.
Chargers To Bring Back Adrian Phillips
Adrian Phillips enjoyed a promising contract year, and the Chargers want to see if can build further on it. The Bolts and Williams agreed to a new contract Friday, the team announced.
The sixth-year safety played extensively as a hybrid linebacker last season, being one of the linchpins of the Chargers’ defensive back-heavy alignment that keyed their first-round win over the Ravens.
Prior to his tour de force playoff game — six tackles, three passes defensed, an interception and a fumble recovery — Phillips earned first-team All-Pro honors for his special teams work. Working as a part-time starter last season, Phillips made 94 tackles. He has played with the Chargers throughout his career.
The Bolts evidently liked what they had at linebacker, having re-signed both Phillips and Denzel Perryman. Tom Telesco identified linebacker as a place the Bolts would target for upgrades this offseason. The Bolts also signed Thomas Davis, further fortifying that unit.
With Perryman and Davis in the fold, and Kyzir White due back from injury, it’s not certain if Phillips will continue to work on the defensive second level. But it would make sense to continue the linebacker experiment — given how well it went in key spots last season. If nothing else, the Chargers have their top special-teamer back.
Raiders To Sign DL Josh Mauro
Former Cardinals and Giants defensive lineman Josh Mauro will head to Oakland. The Raiders are expected to sign the fifth-year defender, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter).
Mauro’s contract is set to be a one-year, $1.4MM pact, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He will earn $900K in base salary. The Giants were interested in bringing Mauro back, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com tweets. New York lost both Mauro and Mario Edwards, once a Raiders Round 2 pick, this afternoon.
Although Mauro is not coming off a particularly strong contract year, one that began with a suspension, he has a backer in new Raiders defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. Mauro’s Cardinals tenure overlapped with Buckner’s.
Mauro has just three sacks in five seasons but could offer the Raiders the ability to work as a defensive end or defensive tackle, having been a 3-4 end throughout his career. He graded as one of the better players against the run, among interior defenders, during his lone Giants season.