Top 8 Fits For RB LeGarrette Blount
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen veteran running backs Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and Marshawn Lynch find new homes. However, LeGarrette Blount is still without a job. 
The Lions and Giants are known to be in on Blount, but we can’t help but wonder if there could be other potential fits out there for the player who I consider to be the best running back currently on the market. The PFR staff huddled up on Wednesday to run down possible landing spots for the power back:
- Giants – The Giants have been connected to Blount for some time now and the interest is said to be mutual. The Giants are looking for a bruising running back to complement Paul Perkins and Blount, presumably, wants to join a potential contender, so it’s a solid match. Eli Manning‘s 2016 struggles are well documented, but a well-balanced offense would help him find Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall as much as possible.
- Lions – On paper, the Lions should have had a strong running game with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick leading the way. Unfortunately, injuries cost both players significant time last year and rookie Dwayne Washington didn’t set the world on fire when given the opportunity. Zach Zenner had some flashes of brilliance, but the lesson learned here is that you can never have enough depth. Blount would be a great counter balance to Abdullah’s speed and Riddick’s reception focused game and he could be called on as the No. 1 guy if the injury bug strikes again.
- Packers – Running back was a clear need for the Packers heading into the draft, but they did not select a top RB from this year’s deep pool of talent. Now, they need running backs even more after releasing Christine Michael and Don Jackson earlier this week. WR-turned-RB Ty Montgomery figures to be the lead guy in Green Bay, but the Packers could use some experience behind him. It’s not clear if the Packers have reached out to Blount’s reps yet, but they should.
- Ravens – You might have missed it in the midst of the free agency frenzy, but the league suspended Kenneth Dixon for the first four games of the season after a PED policy violation. The Ravens can use free agent pickup Danny Woodhead as their lead back in the opening month, but it would make sense to add some depth along with Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro, and Terrance West, particularly since Woodhead missed the majority of last season.
- Dolphins – The Dolphins aren’t an obvious fit, but it’s possible that they could be in the market for a running back if Damien Williams continues to stay away from the team. The downside here is that Jay Ajayi is the clear No. 1 guy and Blount would have to fight Kenyan Drake for carries. In a scenario where Miami signs Blount and Williams is eventually brought back into the fold, there would be even less work to go around.
- Chiefs – After moving on from Charles, the Chiefs might want to add some veteran help to a depth chart featuring Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, and rookie Kareem Hunt. C.J. Spiller currently projects as the RB4, but he hasn’t been able to stick with a team in some time.
- Redskins – The Redskins are shopping Matt Jones and that could free up a spot for someone like Blount. The Redskins have four other backs in Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, Keith Marshall, and Mack Brown, but there are no superstars in the bunch.
- Eagles – Ryan Mathews is scheduled to carry a $5MM cap number in 2017 and the Eagles can wipe $4MM of that off of the books by cutting him. Releasing the speedy but aging Darren Sproles would also yield $4MM in savings with zero dead money. At this stage of the offseason, Blount would represent a much cheaper option than either guy. Beyond Sproles and Mathews, there’s not much experience between Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall, Terrell Watson, and fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey.
Connor Byrne and Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Brian Dixon
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Cavellis Luckett
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: CB Tyler Patmon
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: K Brett Maher
Detroit Lions
- Waived: CB Ian Wells (failed physical)
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers: WR Devin Street
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived/injured: DT Aziz Shittu, WR Dom Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes, RB Gus Johnson, WR Canaan Severin, CB Al-Hajj Shabazz
Washington Redskins
- Waived LB Steven Daniels,WR Reggie Diggs, LB Rufus Johnson, OL Quinton Schooley
Redskins Likely To Hire GM From Within?
The Redskins have now tackled both free agency and the draft without a formal general manager in place, as Scot McCloughan‘s departure left a vacancy atop Washington’s decision-making structure. Having maneuvered the two primary avenues of player acquisition sans GM, the “most likely course” for the Redskins is to promote incumbent executive Doug Williams into a more critical position that supervises football operations, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Williams, who has worked for the Redskins since 2014 and also has experience with the Buccaneers and Jaguars, has been linked to a possible ascension in the nation’s capital previously, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post indicated earlier in March that Williams could be a candidate to take over as general manager. Other known quantities such as former Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik, ex-Chargers GM A.J. Smith, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock have also been linked to the job, but La Canfora reports Washington “never really wanted” to make an external hire.
Even if Williams is promoted to general manager, team president Bruce Allen would effectively remain in charge, per La Canfora. But new roles could also be in store for employees such as scout Alex Santos and or contract negotiator Eric Schaffer, according to the CBS scribe.
Details On Morgan Moses' Extension
- Redskins right tackle Morgan Moses‘ five-year extension contains a $40MM base value and a $42.5MM maximum worth, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It also features $20MM in guarantees. Moses now has the third-richest deal among RTs, trailing only the Eagles’ Lane Johnson and the Lions’ Rick Wagner, and is second to Johnson in guaranteed money.
“50-50 Chance” Jets Trade Sheldon Richardson
The Jets were trying to trade Sheldon Richardson during the draft, and now that the draft is over, they are still trying to move the big defensive lineman. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that New York had conversations with several teams over the past couple of days about a potential trade, and that the Redskins were one of those teams (the Cowboys also expressed some interest in Richardson before last year’s trade deadline).
Of course, the Jets have been trying to deal Richardson for some time, but one of the major roadblocks to a trade is Richardson’s salary. He is owed a a fully-guaranteed $8.1MM this season, and no one wants to absorb that hit for a player who, for all his promise, has seen his production slip over the past two seasons and who has two separate suspensions to his name. Mehta says that, if Richardson were amenable to a pay cut, he would have been traded during the draft.
Nonetheless, one of Mehta’s sources said that there is a “50-50” chance that Richardson is traded over the coming months, and Mehta reports that the team’s asking price has dropped. After all, the Jets don’t have a ton of leverage, as rival clubs know that New York has already committed major dollars to Muhammad Wilkerson and has a rising star in Leonard Williams at the other bookend, so keeping Richardson long-term isn’t really viable.
Whether or not the asking price has dropped enough for another team to pull the trigger is unclear, but a change of scenery is clearly best for both Richardson and the Jets. Even though Richardson does not have a great deal of incentive to accept a pay cut at this point, perhaps he will concede to enough of a reduction to force someone to take on the former Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Redskins Trade For Vikings’ No. 199 Pick
The Vikings and Redskins made a sixth-round deal, with Minnesota trading the No. 199 selection to Washington, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets. Minnesota also sent a seventh-round choice, pick No. 230, to Washington and will receive the Redskins’ seventh-rounder (No. 220), Goessling notes (on Twitter).
Washington moved up two spots to select Wyoming center Chase Roullier, Master Tefatsion of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). The Redskins have former third-round pick Spencer Long entering a contract year, doing so as former longtime snapper Kory Lichtensteiger retired.
Fabian Moreau's Pec Is "Looking Great"
- UCLA cornerback Fabian Moreau‘s pectoral muscle is “looking great,” tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This reassurance probably convinced the Redskins to take the defensive back with the 81st-overall pick.
[SOURCE LINK]
Redskins Not Looking To Draft QB In Day 2
The Redskins, it seems, have rebuffed advances for their starting quarterback. With that in mind, they are not looking to draft a quarterback on Day 2, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link).
Instead, the Redskins will only look into a quarterback on Day 3, which would indicate that they are more interested in taking a developmental type of player. It’s an interesting play for the Redskins when considering that they have yet to make a long-term commitment to Kirk Cousins. Despite proving himself across multiple seasons, Washington has so far been unwilling to pay him like a top quarterback. If Cousins turns in another strong season, the Redskins will either have to give him the monster multi-year deal he is seeking or give him a third franchise tag which would upwards of $34MM.
The Redskins have plenty of non-QB needs to address in the pivotal second and third rounds, but they’re also doing themselves a disservice if they do not consider some of the top arms available. If they cannot retain Cousins in 2018, they could be left scrambling.
The Redskins own the No. 49 and No. 81 picks in tonight’s section of the draft.
Redskins Shopping RB Matt Jones
The Redskins are shopping running back Matt Jones, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins are likely to add another running back this weekend and that would squeeze Jones out of the picture. 
The former third round pick has had flashes of brilliance in the past, but he has not been able to produce consistently. Jones’ struggles with ball security turned him from a rising star to an afterthought and he’s now likely on his way out of D.C. Still, another team might want to kick the tires on Jones based on his potential and inexpensive salary. He’s signed through the 2018 campaign with base salaries under $800K.
Last year, Jones had a pair of 100+ yard games. On October 2, Jones had 22 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown against Cleveland. Then, on October 16, he had 135 yards off of 16 carries and also added a rushing touchdown. The following week, he suffered a knee injury and that opened the door for Robert Kelley to take his starting gig. Even though he returned to full health, he did not see the field for the rest of the season.
Four Teams Call Redskins About Kirk Cousins
“At least four teams” have called the Redskins about quarterback Kirk Cousins, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. It’s not immediately clear whether the Redskins are listening with an open mind. Earlier tonight, we learned that the Browns called to inquire on Cousins, but we don’t know who the other three teams are. 
Cousins has been in trade rumors this offseason as the Redskins still have yet to make a long-term commitment to him. For the time being, Cousins is slated to play out the 2017 season on an expensive repeat franchise tag. The Redskins might not be ready to pay him like a top 12 quarterback, but another team likely would be.
I would imagine that any package for Cousins would include a high 2017 draft pick that would allow the Redskins to add a promising young quarterback. With Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes already off of the board, it’s not clear which available QB, if any, would allow the Redskins to part with Cousins.