Month: November 2024

Week In Review: 3/10/14 – 3/16/14

The onset of free agency brought a flurry of news this past week:

You can view the rest of the week’s many moves at the PFR Transactions Page.

Bucs Sign Dane Fletcher

The Buccaneers have signed linebacker Dane Fletcher, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The deal is for one year (via Twitter). The team has also confirmed the transaction (Twitter link). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the contract contains $1.2MM guaranteed, and Mike Garafolo of FoxSports1 tweets that the deal has a maximum value of over $2MM.

Fletcher, 27, signed with the Patriots in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State. He started just one game last season, but his value comes in the form of depth and special teams prowess. He will likely act as a backup to an impressive Bucs linebacking unit that includes Lavonte David and Mason Foster.

Broncos Sign Emmanuel Sanders

1:57pm: The Broncos have officially announced the transaction.

12:20pm: After he allegedly accepted a deal with the Chiefs, the Broncos officially announced that they have signed former Steelers wideout Emmanuel Sanders, tweets ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Schefter reports that it is a three-year, $15MM deal, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that it is worth a maximum of $18MM with escalators.

Assuming he passes his physical, a press conference is scheduled for 1:30 MST, tweets Lindsay Jones of USA Today.

FA Rumors: Montgomery, Cotchery, Jones

A few free agent notes from around the league:

Giants Sign Quintin Demps

1:08pm: The team has officially announced the transaction.

8:20am: The Giants have agreed to sign free safety and return specialist Quintin Demps. Demps tweeted the news himself late Saturday night, and the signing has since been confirmed by multiple sources. Demps provides New York with the quality return skills they were seeking from Jacoby Jones and Ted Ginn, Jr. before those players signed elsewhere.

Demps returned 33 kickoffs for 992 yards last season, and he also performed well in the defensive backfield. He saw the field a great deal in the Chiefs’ subpackages, and he tallied a career-high four interceptions. His presence will add quality depth to the Giants’ secondary, who have concerns about Will Hill and Stevie Brown.

As for the Chiefs, the team will now have to replace their top kick returner and their top punt returner following the departures of Demps and Dexter McCluster. Husain Abdullah and 2013 fifth-round pick Sanders Commings will get the first crack to take Demps’ place at safety, though Kansas City could of course address the position via free agency–where the number of safeties available has rapidly diminished–or the draft.

Giants Sign Walter Thurmond

1:06pm: The team has officially announced the transaction.

8:48am: The deal is worth $3.5MM, tweets CBSSports’ Jason La Canfora.

8:41am:The Giants have agreed to a one-year deal with former Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It was a very busy Saturday night and early Sunday morning for the Giants, as they added both Thurmond and Quintin Demps to their defensive backfield over the course of a few short hours.

Thurmond was a valuable part of Seattle’s tremendous secondary last season, and he visited with the 49ers, Jaguars, and Redskins before agreeing to terms with the Giants. He missed four games in 2013 due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, but he did record 24 tackles to go along with one interception and one sack, and he could fill the slot corner role vacated by Terrell Thomas.

Even after acquiring Thurmond and Demps, New York may not be done adding to its secondary. The team still has a visit scheduled with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie later today (Twitter link), and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Giants “want him badly” but that any potential deal would of course depend on the length and terms of the contract.

AFC West Notes: LBs, Watson, Wilfork, Chiefs

The Broncos have responded to their Super Bowl loss by attempting to win the offseason Super Bowl, signing DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and (controversially) Emmanuel Sanders. However, they still have a gaping hole at middle linebacker, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The Broncos missed out on D’Qwell Jackson and also had interest in Karlos Dansby, Jon Beason, Perry Riley and Daryl Smith before those players signed elsewhere.

If the season started today, the talented but oft-injured Nate Irving and the unproven Steven Johnson would be battling for the “Mike” linebacker position. As a result, Klis writes, the Broncos will be forced to compile a “Plan B” list of free agent linebackers and/or find a gem in the draft. Klis suggests Michigan State’s Max Bullough would be an intriguing option in the third round.

More from the AFC West:

  • After the Rodger Saffold debacle, the Raiders‘ offensive line is still in flux. ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez writes that the team would love it if Menelik Watson won the job and was healthy enough to keep it, but if Auburn’s Greg Robinson is still available when Oakland is on the clock with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft, he would be very difficult to pass up.
  • Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes that Vince Wilfork, assuming he is released by New England, would fill a major need for the Chargers as a run-stuffer in the interior of their defensive line. However, Williams also notes that San Diego has little cap room and would have to release someone in order to bring Wilfork in.
  • The Chiefs thought they had a deal in place with Emmanuel Sanders, but Sanders ultimately signed with Denver instead. But even if the Chiefs had landed Sanders, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com writes that wide receiver would have remained a top priority for Kansas City. The team signed CFL veteran Weston Dressler and has expressed an interest in Devin Hester and Jason Avant, but all of those players are complementary pieces and the Chiefs may be looking at Hester solely as a return man. Given that the Sanders deal fell through, Kansas City will almost certainly address their dearth of receivers in the very deep 2014 draft.

 

Buccaneers Sign Oniel Cousins

The Buccaneers have signed offensive guard Oniel Cousins to a one-year deal, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Cousins was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 draft out of UTEP, and he never performed up to expectations.

Baltimore released him prior to the 2011 season, and he was claimed by the Browns several days later. He made just one start for Cleveland in 2011 and no starts in 2012, but he did start four games for the Browns in 2013. Although he has played right tackle in his career, Cousins will likely compete for time at right guard given the recent signing of Anthony Collins. Presumably, however, this is simply a depth signing for Tampa Bay.

Anthony Spencer Rumors: Sunday

We learned earlier that free agent defensive end Anthony Spencer was set to visit the Rams today. However, that report turned out to be incorrect, as Spencer is in fact scheduled to visit the Giants today, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). New York has already signed Quintin Demps and Walter Thurmond over the course of the past 12 hours, and they are apparently now interested in bolstering their pass rush after the departure of Justin Tuck.

Although Rapoport suggests Spencer would be an “intriguing fit” for the Giants, others seem less convinced. ESPN’s Dan Graziano tweets that Spencer is a “poor fit” in the Giants’ 4-3 defense, and he cites Spencer’s age and recent microfracture surgery to conclude that New York should only sign Spencer if the cost is very low. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com also tweets that it may take time for Spencer to fully recover from his surgery.

 

Broncos Expected To Sign Emmanuel Sanders

SUNDAY, 10:48am: The Broncos intend to proceed with the Sanders deal, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweeted that Sanders will take his physical at Dove Valley this morning and is expected to sign a three-year deal.

SUNDAY, 9:08am: In an interesting twist to the Sanders saga, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport writes that Sanders’ agent, Steve Weinberg, had originally accepted a deal with the Chiefs on his client’s behalf. However, Weinberg then shopped Kansas City’s offer to Tampa Bay without telling the Buccaneers that the offer had already been accepted. Ultimately, of course, Sanders agreed to sign with Denver.

Weinberg declined to comment, but there will undoubtedly be more fallout from this development in the coming days. For instance, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star wonders (via Twitter) who the Chiefs might have missed out on because they thought they had Sanders locked up. Paylor notes that Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell both signed with New England on Saturday.

SATURDAY, 8:34pm: A source has confirmed to FOX Sports 1 that the Broncos agreed to contract terms with Sanders, Alex Marvez reports (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 8:18pm: After losing Eric Decker to the Jets in free agency, the Broncos are expected to fill the void by signing former Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders, league sources tell ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The ESPN article notes that Sanders is looking for a contract similar to the one Golden Tate signed with the Lions (five years, $31.5MM, $13.25MM guaranteed).

Denver has been the biggest newsmaker in free agency thus far, with high-profile signings of Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and T.J. Ward. Now it seems that general manager John Elway is setting his sights on the offense, and Sanders brings a skill set that figures to be well-utilized by Peyton Manning. The fourth-year receiver from Southern Methodist set career highs in receptions (67), yards (740) and touchdowns (six) in 2013 with the Steelers, starting 11 games.

Sanders’ name had been associated with a multitude of teams since free agency began. Schefter reported that the 49ers were to host Sanders today after being hosted by the Chiefs yesterday. Before that, he’d been linked to or visited with the Jets, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Ravens and Browns.

The Broncos appear to have just under $12MM in cap room before the Sanders signing, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.