2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bengals Sign Pat Sims

March 26th, 2015 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

2:54pm: It’s a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal for Sims, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).

2:03pm: After spending two seasons with the Raiders, veteran defensive tackle Pat Sims is returning to the team with which he spent the first five years of his NFL career. The Bengals announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve brought back Sims, officially signing him to a new contract.

Sims, 29, was selected by the third round of the 2008 draft by the Bengals, and played 60 regular season contests for the team during his first five years in the league. The big defensive lineman left for Oakland after the 2012 season, and spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, starting 18 of the 32 games he played for the club. With seven career sacks, Sims doesn’t get to the quarterback too often, but he’s very solid against the run.

By re-signing Sims, the Bengals have brought back one of their former defensive players for the third time so far this offseason. The team also re-signed defensive end Michael Johnson and cornerback Brandon Ghee, former Cincinnati draftees who played elsewhere in 2014.

Colts Unlikely To Extend Pagano Before Season

March 26th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

2:48pm: According to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 in Washington (Twitter link), the Colts have offered Pagano a one-year extension that includes a “very modest” increase in salary, which isn’t of interest to the head coach at this point. It sounds like he’d rather bet on himself for 2015, potentially aiming for more longer-term security.

12:45pm: The Colts intend to wait until 2016 to address a new contract for star quarterback Andrew Luck, and it sounds as if they’ll take the same approach for head coach Chuck Pagano. Multiple sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that the team isn’t expected to lock up Pagano to an extension before the 2015 season gets underway.

In Luck’s case, waiting another year to work out a long-term deal makes sense, since the Colts hold a fifth-year option for the 2016 on the young signal-caller. So even if he plays out the 2015 season under his current deal, Luck won’t be facing the prospect of free agency for another year.

For Pagano, however, his contract expires at the end of the 2015 season, meaning he’ll head into the year as a “lame duck” of sorts — as Rapoport puts it, the Colts head coach will be without a financial safety net. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the team is considering moving on, or that Pagano won’t be back in Indianapolis for 2016. Last year, for instance, Jason Garrett coached the last year of his contract without having received an extension, and he parlayed the Cowboys’ success into a new five-year deal earlier this offseason.

Pagano’s track record with the Colts so far has been excellent. Since he assumed the job in 2012, he has led the team to three consecutive 11-5 seasons, winning a playoff game in his second year, and two more in his third year. Of course, Pagano’s first year in Indianapolis was affected by his battle with cancer, so Bruce Arians spent most of that season coaching the club.

Unless the Colts have a disaster of a 2015 season and miss the playoffs, I expect Pagano to sign a new deal with the team eventually. However, the upcoming year could go a long way toward determining his value as his contract nears its end.

Dolphins Re-Sign Derrick Shelby

March 26th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby, one of several restricted free agents to receive a second-round RFA tender from his team, has signed that contract offer, and will officially return to Miami for the 2015 season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

By placing the second-round tender on Shelby, the Dolphins ensured that any other team hoping to sign the 26-year-old to an offer sheet would have to give up a second-round pick to land him. That decision essentially guaranteed that Shelby would return to the Fins. The one-year contract he signed today is worth $2.356MM, and will expire at season’s end, making him eligible for unrestricted free agency next March.

Shelby, a former undrafted free agent out of Utah, had 26 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception in part-time action for the Dolphins last season. Miami’s depth chart at defensive end features Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, and Dion Jordan, so Shelby likely won’t become a full-time contributor anytime soon, but managed to see nearly 400 defensive snaps last year.

Back in October, Shelby was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest, prompting the Dolphins to suspend him. However, the team reinstated him just a week later, and Shelby presented a much different account of the night’s events than authorities did.

Steelers Re-Sign Darrius Heyward-Bey

March 26th, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Having been quiet for most of free agency, the Steelers made a move today, announcing in a press release that they’ve re-signed free agent wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. According to the club, it’s a one-year contract for Heyward-Bey.

Heyward-Bey, 28, was active for all 16 games for the Steelers last season, but didn’t see much action, earning just five targets on the year. He grabbed three balls for 33 yards, both career-worst marks. It was also Heyward-Bey’s first year without a receiving touchdown. Still, the veteran wideout was enthusiastic about returning to Pittsburgh.

“It’s great to be back,” Heyward-Bey said. “I just wanted to stay here and be a part of a great organization and play for a great coach. That is what Coach [Mike] Tomlin is. I wanted to be back. For most guys free agency is tough, but I knew what I wanted. I knew the timing would take a little bit. For some guys it’s tough dealing with the unknown, but I knew what I wanted. I wanted to come back here.”

Having spent a year getting comfortable with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offense, perhaps the former seventh overall pick will see his role expanded a little for 2015, but he’ll still fall behind Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, and perhaps others on the team’s depth chart. In all likelihood, Heyward-Bey will contribute primarily on special teams, as he did in 2014.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but I’d expect a minimum salary benefit contract for Heyward-Bey.

Poll: How Should NFL Adjust Extra Point?

March 26th, 2015 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL announced a number of rule changes at this week’s league meetings in Phoenix, but one issue which inspired a lively discussion has been tabled for a few weeks. According to Falcons president Rich McKay, who is the co-chairman of the competition committee, a number of ideas related to the extra point after touchdowns are being considered, and will likely be put to a vote in May.

Here are a few of the ideas that appear to be receiving serious consideration from the league:

Placing the ball on the 1.5-yard line rather than the two-yard line, to encourage more frequent two-point tries.
Moving the line of scrimmage for all extra-point attempts back to the 15-yard line.
Moving the line of scrimmage for a PAT attempt back to the 15-yard line, unless the team wants to go for two, in which case the line of scrimmage would be the 1.5-yard line.
Eliminating the extra-point kick entirely, requiring teams to run a play from scrimmage. My understanding of this proposal is that a touchdown would automatically be worth seven points, and a team could get the eighth point by converting the extra play from scrimmage.
Allowing the defense to score when the ball is fumbled or intercepted on a two-point try, as in college football.

That last item could be implemented into a number of different solutions for the extra point, but the preceding proposals would create a variety of challenges and decisions for teams. In general, team owners are in favor of having the extra point become more of a football play, rather than the afterthought it has become as kicking accuracy has improved.

What do you think? Does it make more sense to move the line of scrimmage closer to the end zone, or further away? Should that line of scrimmage be the same whether a team intends to go for one point or two? Or are you in favor of abolishing the kicking aspect of the extra point entirely? Feel free to expand on your vote in the comments section below.

Randy Gregory Failed Combine Drug Test

March 26th, 2015 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory projects as a potential top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, but his stock may take a hit after he revealed to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com that he failed the drug test at this year’s combine. According to Gregory, he tested positive for marijuana.

Based on talent alone, Gregory appears to be a lock to come off the board early next month. Todd McShay’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link) has Washington selecting Gregory fifth overall, while Mel Kiper’s latest mock (Insider link) has Gregory landing with the Bears at No. 7. Now, there’s no guarantee that the former Cornhusker will be a top-10 selection.

“Am I worried? Yeah, I’m worried,” Gregory told Jones. “At the same time, I’m confident. I know I’m going to be all right in the end.”

As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes (Twitter links), most NFL teams aren’t too worried about a player smoking marijuana. However, failing a drug test that had been scheduled for months is a cause for concern. Still, it’s hard to say exactly how the failed test will affect Gregory’s stock, since some teams will care a lot and other might care very little, says Miller.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network points out (via Twitter) that Timmy Jernigan and Zach Mettenberger had their stock plummet last year after producing diluted samples at the combine — neither player even failed his drug test. Miller also identifies Justin Houston as one impact player who failed the combine drug test (Twitter link). Houston, ultimately a third-round pick, has turned into one of the league’s best pass rushers.

Josh Gordon provides one case study for how quickly suspensions can pile up for a player if he continues to fail drug tests once he enters the NFL, so teams figure to take an extra long look at Gregory when considering whether to draft him. It’ll be interesting to see what club decides that his talent is worth the potential risk.

Cowboys Notes: Hardy, Secondary

March 25th, 2015 at 10:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones are awaiting news regarding the NFL’s oncoming disciplinary action against newly signed defensive end Greg Hardy, who missed almost all of last season because of domestic violence issues. According to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Jones spoke to NFL Network on Wednesday and touched on the subject of Hardy, stating that the team signed Hardy with the belief that he’ll stay out of trouble going forward.

“When the Dallas Cowboys made this decision, we knew there was going to be a ton of awareness and a ton of debate,” said Jones. “That’s just what happens when we get involved. So in that sense, I think that Greg won’t do this again and that’s why we signed him to the team.”

If Jones is right and Hardy is able to clean up his act, the Cowboys should benefit greatly on the field. The 26-year-old Hardy is an elite pass-rushing talent who’s likely to boost a Cowboys defense that was just 21st in the league in sacks last season. Hardy combined for 26 sacks from 2012-13, his last two full seasons, as a member of the Panthers.

Here’s more on Hardy and the Cowboys:

David Moore, also of the Dallas Morning News, writes that Hardy will line up at right defensive end for the Cowboys, per head coach Jason Garrett. “From a position standpoint he is a right defensive end for us,’’ said Garrett. “But if you watch him play in Carolina, he plays 3-technique (defensive tackle). He plays the nose tackle. He plays left end. He rushes outside on third down. He rushes inside on third down. He has great versatility as a player, a lot of different skills.”
Garrett and the Cowboys are under the assumption that the league will suspend Hardy for some of 2015, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Tim Cowlishaw, who speculates that Hardy might be forced to sit for six games. Garrett indicated that Dallas isn’t tied to Hardy if he doesn’t fit in with the team, saying, “If at any point we don’t like what he’s doing as a player or a person, we can move on without any salary cap consequences.” Garrett went on to state that the Cowboys are “going to approach this on a day-to-day basis.”
The Morning News’ Rick Gosselin addressed the Cowboys’ defense, largely the secondary, in a mailbag. Gosselin believes the team’s ‘D’ needs pass-rush help on the interior, a playmaking safety, a cornerback with size and a linebacker. Per Gosselin, Brandon Carr should continue to play cornerback – not move to safety, as a fan asked – and the team should look to add an outside corner via the draft and leave its top cover man, Orlando Scandrick, on the inside.

Extra Points: Revis, Chargers, Colts, Giants

March 25th, 2015 at 9:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 2014 season, Darrelle Revis‘ lone campaign with the Patriots, was a hugely successful one for the 29-year-old. He took home his first Super Bowl ring in helping lead the Pats to a championship, also earning his sixth Pro Bowl invitation and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection, respectively. After New England declined Revis’ $20MM option for 2015 earlier this month, Revis returned to the Jets, with whom he spent 2007-12. It was believed the Pats made a strong effort to retain Revis long term, but the corner told a different story Wednesday to Michael Kay of ESPN Radio. According to Phil Perry of CSNNewEngland.com, Revis said New England’s offer “wasn’t in the ballpark” of the mega-deal to which the Jets ultimately signed him.

In a separate interview Wednesday, Revis listed the teams that pursued him to SiriusXM’s Adam Schein, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “(It) was the Packers, Steelers, Baltimore as well as Cleveland, the Chiefs, the Jets, and also the Pats, so there was a number of teams there,” said Revis.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune expects the Chargers to add another member to their backfield before the offseason is out. The team lost running back Ryan Mathews to free agency after only offering him a one-year deal, and is now looking for a replacement – one with a “physical, downhill” style – to join Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver and Donald Brown. Per Gehlken, it’s unlikely they’ll swing a trade for the disgruntled Adrian Peterson, leaving the draft as the probable route. Gehlken speculates that Georgia’s Todd Gurley could be an option if the Chargers use the 17th overall pick on a runner.
Mike Wells of ESPN tweets that free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw is unlikely to return to the Colts next season. Bradshaw was highly effective for Indianapolis the last two years, but he missed 19 of 32 regular-season games with various injuries. Further, the Colts signed Frank Gore earlier this month to anchor their backfield.
Head coach Tom Coughlin admitted this morning that safety is “definitely” an area of concern for the Giants, and identified Chykie Brown and Bennett Jackson as cornerbacks who may be able to switch positions, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The Giants pursued a number of free agent safeties, including Devin McCourty, but missed out on their top targets, and don’t have many viable starting options still in play.

Raiders Sign C.J. Wilson

March 25th, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent defensive lineman C.J. Wilson has signed with the Raiders, the player tweeted. Wilson’s deal is for two years and $4.6MM, according to Patrick Quinn of WNCT (Twitter link).

Wilson, who will turn 28 later this month, accrued 23 tackles and two sacks in 16 games (seven starts) with the Raiders last season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Wilson 27th out of 57 qualifying 4-3 defensive ends for his work, and he recently drew interest from the Seahawks.

The five-year veteran entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Packers in 2010 and spent his first four seasons in Green Bay, with which he appeared in 50 games and made 11 starts.

AFC Notes: Browns, Titans, Steelers, Raiders

March 25th, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

ESPN reports that Browns officials were told at this week’s owners meetings that the team will face “severe” discipline for violating an NFL policy. Cleveland will be punished for the actions of general manager Ray Farmer, who admitted to sending text messages (reportedly to members of the club’s sideline) during games last season. That violates the league’s electronic device policy, and it could cost the Browns in the form of fines or the loss of draft picks. The extent of the Browns’ punishment will be announced next week.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that the odds of the Steelers extending the contract of defensive end Cameron Heyward prior to the season are “100%.” Heyward will make just under $7MM in 2015, the last year of his deal, and could hit free agency in 2016. The four-year veteran finished last season with a career-high 7.5 sacks, giving him 15 since entering the league in 2011. The former first-round pick has appeared in all 64 of Pittsburgh’s regular-season games since he joined the club, and has finished in the top 20 of Pro Football Focus’ ranking system (subscription required) for 3-4 defensive ends three straight years.
Linebacker James Harrison seems to regard his recent decision to re-sign with the Steelers as bittersweet. The Titans were also vying for Harrison’s services, and choosing Pittsburgh over Tennessee means he won’t get to continue working under defensive guru Dick LeBeau. The 77-year-old left the Steelers after 11 seasons and joined the Titans’ staff in February. “You don’t want to let (coach LeBeau) down, you want to be loyal to him to a fault,” Harrison said on the “Ike Taylor Show,” according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “It came down to I had to take a step back and look at it and it was a business. Both offers being the same, it wasn’t a good business move to go to Tennessee because I would have to uproot everything and I already had everything in Pittsburgh combined with the fact my legacy is in Pittsburgh.”
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie isn’t content with his team’s offensive line. “I don’t have enough offensive linemen on the roster. I want to bring some good ones in,” McKenzie said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. The Raiders’ biggest O-line need is at right guard, an area they could address in the upcoming draft. “Right guard is going to be a competitive situation in camp,” said new head coach Jack Del Rio.