Free agent safety Kendrick Lewis appears to have signed with the Texans, according to a tweet from Lewis himself. “Thanks KC for 4 good years!” Lewis said. “Now on to the next chapter of my life and my new home Houston Texas!” Lewis also retweeted a photo of himself signing his new contract.
Lewis has started 50 games in the Chiefs’ secondary since the team drafted him in the fifth round in 2010, primarily playing at free safety. In 2013, he logged 61 tackles to go along with five passes defended and an interception.
Shiloh Keo saw the majority of the snaps at free safety in 2013 for the Texans, so it’s not clear whether or not Lewis will take over the starting job from him. Danieal Manning and 2013 second-round pick D.J. Swearinger figure to be squarely in the safety mix as well, unless the team decides to cut Manning to create $4.5MM in cap savings.
The Giants are close to agreeing to terms with free agent cornerback Zackary Bowman on a one-year deal, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Despite a limited amount of leftover cap space, the Giants continue to be active in free agency, having already signed offensive lineman John Jerry today.
Bowman, 29, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the first six years of his NFL career with the Bears. After starting 12 of 16 games for the team in 2009, Bowman has mostly played a part-time role since then, though he did see seven more starts in 2013. The former fifth-round pick recorded 48 tackles and three interceptions in 2013, and received a slightly negative grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), in large part due to a poor showing against the run. Bowman’s -3.6 grade as a run stopper ranked in the bottom 10 among qualified cornerbacks.
While the Colts aren’t necessarily done adding free agents, the team’s major moves have likely already been made, as GM Ryan Grigson told reporters today, including Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.
“You never say you’re done,” Grigson said. “We had a plan and we feel really good about it. We feel real good where we’re at right now. We’re going to look toward the draft. You never say never and we’re always trying to get better. If somebody pops up and they make sense from a roster standpoint and they kind of fit the specs – age and money, big picture – then I’ll look at it.”
As the Colts shift their free agent focus to the bargain bin, let’s check in on a few other afternoon items related to the open market:
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link) doesn’t see the Colts pursuing center Alex Mack any further, suggesting it always would have been a long shot to sign him away from the Browns.
Free agent running back LeGarrette Blount, who continues to draw interest from the Patriots, is scheduled to visit the Steelers on Sunday night, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Pittsburgh also met with veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew this week.
As Jared Allen continues to mull his options, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitterlinks) weighs in with a couple tidbits: The veteran defensive end is considering three teams, with retirement also still an option, and should make a decision this weekend. As for Allen’s second visit with the Seahawks, it happened because key members of the organization weren’t at the first meeting, says Rapoport.
Wide receiver Kenny Britt has visited the Rams, Patriots, Redskins, and Bills, and has also garnered interest from the Seahawks and Panthers, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, Britt will decide his next move this weekend, whether that means taking more visits or agreeing to sign with a team.
Jermichael Finley may still be a few more months from being in position to sign with an NFL club, a source tells Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The free agent tight end continues to recover from a spinal injury, and hasn’t yet received medical clearance.
At this point, the Panthers aren’t expected to sign Kevin Cone, Lestar Jean, or C.J. Akins, the three receivers they worked out today, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
The Giants have officially signed offensive lineman John Jerry, the team announced today in a press release. Jerry represents the second notable free agent guard signed this offseason by the Giants, who also added former Chief Geoff Schwartz.
Jerry, 27, was notably implicated in the bullying scandal that surrounded the Dolphins last season, with the Ted Wells report suggesting that he was among the players who harassed Jonathan Martin. Given Jerry’s status as an unrestricted free agent, it made sense for the Dolphins to simply part ways with him.
As for his track record on the field, Jerry has typically performed better as a pass blocker than a run blocker, posting slightly below-average overall grades in each of the last two seasons at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). That will still represent an upgrade for the Giants, considering last year’s guards, Kevin Boothe, David Diehl, and James Brewer, all ranked below Jerry, according to PFF.
The Bengals have officially signed offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, the team announced today (Twitter link). An unrestricted free agent, Newhouse met with the Bengals earlier this week.
Newhouse, 25, is coming off his four-year rookie contract with the Packers, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. While he was a full-time player in 2011 and 2012, Newhouse saw his playing time reduced in 2013, appearing in just 250 offensive snaps for Green Bay during the regular season.
Although Newhouse was ranked dead last among 76 qualified tackles during the 2011 season by Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), he has shown some signs of improvement since then, particularly as a pass blocker.
The Ravens have agreed to terms on a contract for free agent safety Darian Stewart, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll be a one-year deal for the former Ram, who also met with the Panthers earlier this week.
Stewart, 25, was an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the first four years of his NFL career in St. Louis. The South Carolina product started six games at strong safety for the Rams in 2013, recording 36 tackles, breaking up five tackles, and recovering a fumble. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) graded his performance as about average, placing him 41st among 86 qualified safeties, he was the highest-ranked safety for the Rams.
Steve Spagnuolo was the head coach in St. Louis in 2011, when Stewart started 13 games for the Rams, so the current Ravens secondary coach likely played a role in bringing the free agent to Baltimore. Stewart represents a less expensive option than James Ihedigbo, who we heard earlier today was no longer on the club’s radar. Still, the Ravens likely won’t want to rely on Stewart as a full-time starter alongside Matt Elam, so the team may target a safety in the draft.
The Eagles were at the center of one of the NFL’s most notable trades of the month, acquiringDarren Sproles from the Saints for a fifth-round draft pick. But with plenty of time still remaining in the offseason, it’s possible that the Eagles could still be involved in a bigger deal, trading away an offensive playmaker of their own.
DeSean Jackson has been the subject of trade speculation for the last several weeks, and the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, with multiple reports suggesting the Eagles were willing to listen to inquires about their star receiver, even if they weren’t necessarily shopping him. Since then, the 49ers, Patriots, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers have been listed among the teams that called Philadelphia to ask about Jackson.
While it may not be news that a club would simply field calls about a player, there are signals that the Eagles are actually considering the possibility of moving Jackson, who has a cap number of $12MM+ in each of the next three seasons. The team has stayed strangely silent about the numerous reports suggesting Jackson may be available, and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports today that the talks with the Panthers actually began when the Eagles “informally” reach out to gauge Carolina’s interest. While the Panthers don’t have the cap flexibility to be real suitors for Jackson, Person’s report suggests that the Eagles aren’t necessarily just sitting back and letting other teams call them.
The Eagles locked up a pair of solid receivers earlier in the offseason, re-signing Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper to new deals. Additionally, Jackson has made a few off-the-field headlines, and moving his contract would free up some cap room. Still, the explosive 27-year-old receiver is coming off a season in which he established new career-highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,332), to go along with his nine touchdowns. He’d be sorely missed by the Eagles’ offense, and it may not be worth it to move him if the club can only acquire something like a third-round pick in return.
What do you think? Will Jackson still be an Eagle in Week 1 of the 2014 season, or will he be playing for another team by then?
1:33pm: The Panthers have officially signed Cason, according to the team (Twitter link).
1:04pm: The Panthers have agreed to terms with cornerback Antoine Cason on a one-year contract, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link) first reported earlier this week that Cason was expected to ink a deal with the Panthers soon.
Cason, a former first-round pick, saw just 169 defensive snaps for Arizona last season after playing as a full-time starter for the Chargers from 2010 to 2012. Even in limited action for the Cardinals though, the 27-year-old made a number of big plays, recovering three fumbles and grabbing a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cason has been on the Panthers’ radar “for weeks” and is a good fit for their defensive scheme. The two sides were scheduled to meet earlier this week, but the visit had to be rescheduled amid Cason’s decision to switch to agent Drew Rosenhaus. The 27-year-old eventually met with the team last night.
The Panthers had been eyeing free agent cornerbacks to help replace two of their top three players at the position in 2013. Captain Munnerlyn agreed to sign with the Vikings last week, while Drayton Florence isn’t expected to return to Carolina.
1:32pm: The Panthers have officially announced their deal with Underwood (Twitter link).
11:34am: It’s a two-year deal for Underwood, according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
11:18am: A day after signingJerricho Cotchery, the Panthers are set to add another free agent wide receiver to their roster. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that Carolina has agreed to terms on a new contract with Tiquan Underwood.
Underwood, who had stints with the Jaguars and Patriots early in his NFL career, spent the last two seasons in Tampa Bay, catching a total of 52 balls for 865 yards and six touchdowns over the course of 2012 and 2013. With Cotchery under contract as more of a possession receiver, Underwood looks like he’ll assume the role of the Panthers’ top deep threat.
FRIDAY, 1:06pm: The Charles have officially announced the signing of Woodson (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm:Charles Woodson has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Raiders, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.
Late last month, the veteran said that he would walk away from the game if he wasn’t paid appropriately.
“If the right numbers don’t come across, for myself and from the team’s standpoint, then it is a serious consideration at this point that I could have played my last season in the NFL,” Woodson said. “So that’s definitely something that I think about. I do plan on playing another year. Hopefully something can get done with the Raiders but if not then I’ve got to take a real hard look at this last year being the last one.”
Ultimately, the Raiders and the cornerback-turned-safety were able to hammer out a new contract. Woodson, 38 in October, earned $3.4MM with Oakland in 2013 when counting his incentives for performance and playing time. Woodson started all 16 games for the Raiders last season in the secondary and finished with 75 tackles, one interception, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.