Washington Waives LB Jackson Jeffcoat
Raiders restricted free agent Neiko Thorpe signed his tender today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The 26-year-old defensive back had a career season in 2015, compiling career-highs in tackles (40), passes defended (six), and interceptions (one) while starting two of his 14 games.
The rest of today’s minor moves:
- The Patriots re-signed running back Tyler Gaffney, as Wilson tweets. .Gaffney was injured throughout his two seasons with New England
- The Seahawks have signed ERFA cornerback DeShawn Shead, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Colts announced that restricted free agent tight end Jack Doyle has signed his qualifying offer. Doyle has spent the last three seasons with the Colts after being claimed off waivers from Tennessee in September 2013. The Western Kentucky product has played in 47 career games (seven starts) and caught 35 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
- Washington announced the waiving of outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.
- The Broncos cut tight end Nick Kasa with a non-football injury designation, Wilson tweets.
- The Giants signed ERFA punter Brad Wing, Wilson tweets.
- The Broncos signed exclusive-rights free agent center Matt Paradis, as Wilson tweets.
- The Patriots have waived linebacker/special teamer Eric Martin, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tweets.
Washington Signs Greg Toler
4:26pm: Washington has officially announced the deal, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
3:47pm: After hosting him for a visit today, Washington has agreed to sign cornerback Greg Toler to a one-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Mike Jones of the Washington Post first reported (via Twitter) that Toler was expected to sign with the club.
Toler, 31, was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Cardinals, and spent the first four years of his NFL career in Arizona. Since 2013, he has been a Colt, starting 32 of the 34 regular-season games he played for the club, as well as four playoff contests.
In 2015, Toler failed to grab an interception for the first time in his career, recording 51 tackles and 10 passes defended in 10 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance, placing him 106th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks.
In D.C., Toler will be joining a Washington squad that projects to have Bashaud Breeland and Chris Culliver as its starting cornerbacks. Will Blackmon, Quinton Dunbar, Jeremy Harris, and Dashaun Phillips are among the other corners in the mix for the team.
For Toler, it’s also a reunion of sorts with former Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. After being fired by Indianapolis in January, Manusky headed to Washington, where he’ll coach the club’s outside linebackers in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Players Have Faith In McCloughan
Although Washington didn’t have a ton of cap flexibility this offseason, the team could have made a bigger splash in free agency if GM Scot McCloughan had been interested in doing so. However, as John Keim of ESPN.com details, Washington’s players have faith in the front office and don’t mind the more patient approach to roster building.
“I’m excited about what he’s doing,” said Washington defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. “I understand a lot of people say he didn’t bring in a lot of big names. You’ve got to know Scot McCloughan; he doesn’t like big name guys. As you can see with our [defensive backs], we got guys off the street and he brought them in and they did a wonderful job for us. I can only imagine what he’s going to do with the draft. I understand he [wants] 12 picks. I believe that first and second pick are up for grabs to get what he wants.”
As we wait to see what McCloughan has up his sleeve for draft day, let’s round up several more items from around the NFC….
- Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas will work out on Friday in Los Angeles for a Rams contingent that includes GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Vikings‘ new one-year deal with linebacker Chad Greenway is worth $2.75MM, with $750K in guaranteed money, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Ben Goessling of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that the guarantee comes in the form of a $400K roster bonus and a $350K guarantee on Greenway’s $2.3MM base salary.
- Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links) has the details on three recently signed Giants contracts, reporting that the deals for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, running back Bobby Rainey, and offensive tackle Byron Stingily are all one-year, minimum salary benefit pacts. Sheppard gets an $80K signing bonus, Rainey gets a $40K signing bonus (plus $40K in additional bonuses), and Stingily gets a $20K first-game, 53-man roster bonus.
- Maryland safety/corner Sean Davis will visit the Buccaneers next week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Aaron Wilson had reported over the weekend that Davis met – or will meet – with over half the teams in the NFL.
- Aaron Wilson passes along word of a couple more pre-draft meetings, reporting (via Twitter) that Incarnate Word linebacker Myke Tavarres has a private workout this Friday with the Eagles, and tweeting that Sam Houston State punter Lachlan Edwards is privately working out for the Cardinals today.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Greg Toler Visiting Washington
Most players visiting teams this month are prospects hoping to be drafted a couple weeks from now, but there are still a handful of free agent visits taking place as well. One such visit, taking place today, involves veteran cornerback Greg Toler, who is heading to D.C. to meet with Washington, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Toler, 31, was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Cardinals, and spent the first four years of his NFL career in Arizona. Since 2013, he has been a Colt, starting 32 of the 34 regular-season games he played for the club, plus four postseason contests.
In 2015, Toler failed to grab an interception for the first time in his career, recording 51 tackles and 10 passes defended in 10 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance, placing him 106th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks.
Still, it’s possible that Toler will find a roster spot in Washington, depending on how his visit goes. The club employs his former defensive coordinator in Indianapolis — Greg Manusky, fired by the Colts in January now coaches linebackers in Washington.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Hosts Noah Spence
Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee plead not guilty to charges stemming from his alleged altercation on Sunday, as Peter Schrager of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Higbee, considered to be one of the top tight ends in this year’s class, contends that the other man involved in the skirmish put his hands on his girlfriend, prompting Higbee to intervene. The other participant in the fight has been booked five times since 2014.
As Schrager notes, Higbee’s court date is on May 5th, days after the draft on April 28th-30th. Prior to the incident, teams were viewing Higbee as a Day 2 or Day 3 player, so they’ll be interested to hear his side of the story.
Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:
- German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer had team visits with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings last week, as Andy Fenelon of NFL.com writes. On Monday and Tuesday, he met with the Rams, on Wednesday he’ll visit the Seahawks, and next week he’ll visit the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. Boehringer started turning heads in the NFL last month and one scout estimated in March that he could go in the fourth round. Based on the number of teams interested in him, one has to wonder if Boehringer could go even earlier.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Ohio State receiver Braxton Miller said 10 clubs ventured to Columbus to work him out, and while a few have had do drills in the slot (where’s expected to play in the NFL), many had him work outside. The Titans, Bengals, and Ravens are just three of the teams known to have interest in Miller.
- Like Miller, Michigan State defensive tackle Joel Heath also appeared on SiriusXM (Twitter link), and also discussed his specific NFL position, saying he’d be willing to move to the offensive line if that helped his pro prospects.
- Washington, on the lookout for possible pass rushing help, is hosting Eastern Kentucky outside linebacker Noah Spence for a pre-draft visit today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Vikings met with McNeese State running back Derrick Milton last week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who adds that Milton impressed Minnesota at their regional combine. Milton began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transferring prior to the 2014 season.
- Florida defensive end Alex McCalister met with the Eagles, as McAlister himself reported on Twitter. McCalister posted 12.5 sacks for the Gators over the past two seasons.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Kirk Cousins Wants "Legitimate" Long-Term Deal
The asking price for Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a first-round pick, and perhaps even more, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Wilkerson is still on the trade block. One club that won’t be bidding for Wilkerson is the Bears, per Robinson, because Chicago doesn’t want to sacrifice the No. 11 pick and likes the depth of this year’s defensive line draft class.
Let’s take a deep dive into Robinson’s article (which is well worth a full read), as he passes along updates on the top franchise-tagged players…
- Kirk Cousins wants a “legitimate” franchise quarterback offer before he considers signing a long-term deal with Washington, sources tell Robinson. In other words, Cousins, who is set to earn more than $19MM in 2016, isn’t interested in a “pay-as-you-go” extension signed by the likes of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. At the moment, Washington doesn’t view Cousins as the centerpiece of its team.
- The Panthers aren’t interested in paying cornerback Josh Norman‘s asking price, which Robinson reports is around $15-16MM (a number that jibes with earlier reports). Carolina is fine with letting Norman play out the year under the franchise tag, which, at nearly $14MM, pays him like an elite corner.
- Von Miller‘s price has gone up this offseason following Olivier Vernon‘s massive deal with the Giants, but the Broncos want to pay him somewhere between Ndamukong Suh and Justin Houston money, which would be around $18MM. Recent reports have indicated that Denver offered Miller more than $17MM annually.
- The Bills have made left tackle Cordy Glenn their top priority, and because they view him as an “ascending cornerstone,” they’re willing to pay him elite tackle money, writes Robinson. The deal could be delayed, but Anthony Castonzo‘s deal with the Colts is a starting point in talks, per Robinson.
- The Chiefs expect to get a deal done with Eric Berry, but probably not until after the draft, according to Robinson. Berry and Kansas City have a great relationship which should make negotiations easier, and Robinson opines that Berry should be able to top Devin McCourty‘s deal.
- Alshon Jeffery is in the same boat as Berry, per Robinson, as the Bears are largely focused on the draft at the moment. Jeffery is not worried about reaching a long-term deal, especially since the franchise tag is paying him nearly $15MM, but the two sides are expected to knock out an extension later in the offseason.
- The Rams might have a hard time getting cornerback Trumaine Johnson to agree to a reasonable deal, especially because they picked Johnson over fellow CB Janoris Jenkins, who went on to score a large contract with the Giants. If the two sides do work out an extension, says Robinson, it will be late in the offseason.
Washington Interested In David Hedelin
A previous report had indicated the Broncos were expected to bring in Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch this week, and Troy Renck of the Denver Post confirms (via Twitter) that visit is taking place on Tuesday. The Broncos, of course, continue to consider all their options at QB in the wake of Peyton Manning‘s retirement and Brock Osweiler‘s departure.
- UCLA guard Alex Redmond, who is drawing plenty of attention leading up to the draft, visited the Bengals on Monday, per Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- Florida wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is paying a visit to the Raiders on Tuesday, tweets Mike Kaye of First Coast News.
- Houston offensive lineman Alex Cooper also visited the Raiders on Tuesday, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. Cooper participated in Houston’s local prospect workout on Saturday. Cooper started every game for UH at three different positions (left tackle, right tackle, and right guard) and served as a team captain.
- The Colts are working out William & Mary middle linebacker Luke Rhodes, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- Purdue offensive lineman David Hedelin is drawing interest from the Chiefs, Lions, Falcons, Broncos, Patriots, Washington, and Dolphins, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
Silas Redd Suspended Indefinitely
Washington running back Silas Redd has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse, tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post. While Redd may be reinstated sometime down the line, the decision appears to rule him out for the 2016 season.
Redd, 24, joined Washington as an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2014, and totaled 182 yards from scrimmage on just 24 touches (16 carries, eight receptions) over the course of 15 games for the team.
As John Keim of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), Redd wasn’t a lock to earn a regular-season roster spot in 2015, but ultimately tore his ACL in the summer, before roster decisions had to be made.
Since then, Redd has been suspended multiple times by the NFL. In November, a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy cost him four games — while he wouldn’t have been able to play in those games anyway, he lost the pay checks as well due to the ban. Now, faced with an indefinite suspension, Redd likely won’t be a part of Washington’s plans going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chris Baker Will Be Patient On Extension
Washington defensive end Chris Baker is entering the final year of his contract and is extension-eligible, but he’s not clamoring for a new deal, as he tells John Keim of ESPN.com. As Keim details, Baker also hopes to stick at left end rather than sliding over to nose tackle for just 10 plays per game.
“I’ve solidified myself as a good left end,” Baker said. “So I’d like to stay at my position and use my athleticism to make plays. I’m willing to do what it takes to make sure the team wins, but hopefully they leave me at left end and use the other noses we have or some of the younger guys we’re going to draft.”
Washington saw last year’s starting nose tackle, Terrance Knighton, depart in free agency, signing a new deal with the Patriots, so the club will likely look to address the position in the draft.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Even though they hold the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Panthers are more likely to move out of the first round than they are to trade up, writes David Newton of ESPN.com.
- Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez visited with the Panthers on Monday, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Sanchez, a two-time All-Big 12 selection, has started 37 games over the past three seasons. In 2015, Sanchez hauled in seven interceptions, 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and seven pass breakups. Last month it was reported that Sanchez was moving up draft boards around the league, potentially putting him in position to be a late first-round pick.
- Florida State linebacker Reggie Northrup traveled to D.C. to meet with Washington on Monday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
- Defensive back Blake Countess, who played his final college season at Auburn after several years at Michigan, has a visit on tap with the Giants, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The 49ers have done their homework on defensive lineman Vernon Butler, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The former Louisiana Tech standout measured in with the fourth-highest arm length and hand size of any defensive lineman in this year’s class. Branch notes that head coach Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke are both fans of bigger defensive linemen, and Butler fits the bill at 323 pounds.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Washington Interested In Sean Davis
Maryland corner Sean Davis is attracting a ton of interest around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Davis has met or will meet with 16 clubs, including the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, Ravens, Washington, Raiders, 49ers, Steelers, Bengals, Bills, and Titans. Wilson also confirms previous reports that Davis has met with the Patriots and Ravens.
Let’s dive into the latest draft news…
- Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith has started running again, which is a good sign as he recovers from his ACL injury, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Smith, once a surefire top-15 pick, but with some clubs now reportedly worried about possible nerve damage, Smith could be in danger of tumbling down the board.
- Like Smith, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is also recovering from a torn ACL, and he won’t be able to run before the draft, per Brandt (Twitter link). But Joseph, who suffered his injury in early October, should be ready to go by training camp.
- In a piece for the Houston Chronicle, Wilson reports that Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was the highest-rated prospect to participate in the Texans‘ local prospect workout on Saturday morning. University of Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts was also in attendance, and has also met with the Steelers, per Wilson. The lengthy list of attendees is available via the link.
- Georgia Southern safety Antonio Glover met with the Lions and Titans after his Wednesday pro day, and was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- The Browns and Bears have spent a “significant amount of time” with Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil, who will also take a meeting with the Falcons, per Pauline. Vigil’s teammate, defensive tackle David Moala, met with the Browns and Chiefs.