Ravens, Tavon Young Agree To Extension
The Ravens and cornerback Tavon Young have agreed to an extension, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). It’s a three-year, $25.8MM extension with a max value of $29MM, making him the NFL’s highest-paid nickel back, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Young was already signed through the 2019 season, but GM Eric DeCosta has made it a priority is to lock up some of the Ravens’ young players before they reach their walk years. Young is a rising star at slot cornerback and inking him to a new deal this week may prevent them from a much larger expenditure before the 2020 season.
The cornerback already had approximately $2MM on the books for 2019, so the “new money” for this deal comes in at $25MM+, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. All in all, that gives him a new money average of $8.6MM per year.
Young played much of last season with a sports hernia injury, but managed to gut it out and appear in 15 of the Ravens’ 16 regular season games. He proved to have a nose for the ball with three fumble recoveries, two of which were taken the other way for touchdowns. He also recorded an interception, giving him three in total for his career.
The former fourth-round pick graded out as the No. 75 cornerback in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The advanced metrics weren’t necessarily wild about him, but that ranking did place him above the likes of Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/20/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB Thurston Armbrister
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Artavis Scott (was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent)
Browns Sign WR Jaelen Strong
The Browns have signed wide receiver Jaelen Strong, according to a team announcement. Strong, a former third-round pick, did not play in the 2018 season. 
Strong spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the Texans, but was released by Houston in September of 2017 and landed with the Jaguars as a depth signing. He was activated in the wake of injuries to starters Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns and responded by catching a touchdown pass in the first half. Unfortunately, he went down with a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee in that game. In April of 2018, the Jaguars cut him loose.
If Strong has fully recovered, he could be an intriguing weapon for quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Browns could use some fortification in their receiver group anyway – Jarvis Landry led the way with 81 catches last year, but no other Browns receiver topped 45 grabs.
Strong, an Arizona State product, has played in 20 career games with just three starts. Overall, he’s tallied 31 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns.
Bears To Release TE Dion Sims
The Bears are expected to release tight end Dion Sims, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Sims was due $6MM in 2019, but the Bears will cut him instead of carrying that cap number. 
It’s not an ideal outcome for Sims but, on the plus side, the early release before the start of the league year will give him an early jump on free agency. Sims, 28, is known more for his blocking than his pass catching. In 2017, his first season with the Bears, he reeled in 15 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown. Last year, injuries limited him to just eight games (four starts), and he finished out with two catches for nine yards.
For what it’s worth, Sims’ blocking wasn’t all that exceptional according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. His 68.6 pass blocking score was solid, but his 47.5 run blocking number leaves a bit to be desired. In any case, his 195 snaps were not enough to qualify for PFF’s positional rankings.
By discontinuing Sims’ three-year, $18MM deal a year early, the Bears will carry a dead cap charge of $333K in 2019.
Falcons Won’t Re-Sign OL Ben Garland
Offensive lineman Ben Garland won’t return to the Falcons in 2019, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Garland played in 14 games and made four starts at right guard for Atlanta last season. 
Garland first entered the league as a defensive lineman, but later transitioned to the O-Line. Last season, the Falcons retained him via the $2.9MM second-round tender for restricted free agents. This time around, they’re looking to revamp the offense line, and Garland is not in their plans.
The Falcons reached an extension with offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo on Tuesday, keeping him under club control through the 2021 season. Meanwhile, there will be more O-Line moves on the way. Ryan Schraeder, who lost his tackle job to Sambrailo down the stretch, could be on the outs despite having three years and $18.8MM left on his deal.
Jets To Decline Kevin Pierre-Louis’ Option
The Jets will not exercise Kevin Pierre-Louis‘ 2019 option, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). The move will create another $2MM in cap space for Gang Green, which is already near the top of the league in that department, with over $100MM to spend in free agency this year.
The 27-year-old Pierre-Louis is a linebacker by trade but has seen his most action as a special teams contributor. In the games in which he suited up in 2018, he appeared in the majority of the Jets’ special teams snaps. He saw a little more burn on the defense towards the end of the season and recorded his only sack on December 12.
He was suspended for Week 1 of the 2018 campaign as a result of a January 2018 arrest that resulted in various marijuana drug and traffic charges. Those charges were dropped several months later, contingent on the completion of one year of probation.
He was something of a sought-after commodity last offseason, having visited multiple teams before agreeing to a two-year, $5.25MM deal with the Jets. His special teams value will almost certainly result in another contract this time around.
Pierre-Louis was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and parlayed a strong 2017 season with the Chiefs into his deal with New York. He is the third player whose 2019 option was declined by the Jets today, joining Terrence Brooks and Mike Pennel.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/19/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Justin Senior
New York Giants
- Re-signed: TE Scott Simonson
Buccaneers Sign RB Andre Ellington
The Buccaneers signed running back Andre Ellington, according to a team announcement. The deal reunites the former Cardinals tailback with Bruce Arians, who has taken over as the Bucs’ head coach. 
Ellington may have a chance to compete for the club’s third-down back role, a spot that is up for grabs as Jacquizz Rodgers approaches free agency. Ellington was once a regular in Arizona’s backfield, but he was not in football in 2018.
The 30-year-old has a reputation as a solid pass catcher and, at one point, the Cardinals considered transitioning him to the wide receiver position. In 2014, Ellington collected a career-high 46 catches. In 2017, his last NFL season, he had a total of 39 grabs for the Cardinals and Texans.
Ellington was largely overshadowed during his Arizona tenure, but he did average 4.2 yards per carry under Arians. If he can prove that he still has something left, he may have an opportunity to get his career back on track in Tampa.
Jaguars Cut Kai Forbath
No surprise here, but the Jaguars have released kicker Kai Forbath, according to a team announcement. The move was expected after the Jags re-upped Josh Lambo on a four-year, $15.5MM extension. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Re-Sign Lambo]
Forbath, was signed in December when Lambo went down with a groin injury. Over the course of a few games, Lambo connected on 4-of-5 field goal tries, including a long of 41 yards. His only miss came from 50+ yards in the team’s Week 17 loss to the Texans.
Forbath, 32 in September, spent part of 2016 and all of 2017 with the Vikings, but he was released in August of 2018 after losing the kicking competition to Daniel Carlson. Forbath connected on 88.7% of his field goal tries in Minnesota, but his 84.9% extra point conversion rate left much to be desired.
Saints Re-Sign OL Michael Ola
Michael Ola is set to return for another season with the Saints. On Tuesday, New Orleans agreed to re-sign the offensive lineman on a one-year deal, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
Ola, 31 in April, appeared in seven games for the Saints last year, including one start. Signed in October to add depth behind injured left tackle Terron Armstead and left guard Andrus Peat, Ola suffered a season-ending ankle injury of his own in December and had to be placed on IR.
Terms of Ola’s deal are not yet known, but it’s likely an inexpensive deal of the low/no guarantee variety. If he sticks on the final roster, he’ll avoid putting on the fifth jersey of his NFL career. Previously, Ola suited up for the Chargers, Bills, Lions, and Bears. He’s also had camp/taxi squad deals with the the Dolphins, Seahawks, and Giants.