2015 March - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Welker, Colts, Jaguars, Draft

March 31st, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes, there haven’t been any reports linking Wes Welker to any teams, which suggests the veteran free agent isn’t drawing much interest on the open market. Welker indicated earlier in the offseason that he has no plans to retire, despite a history of head injuries, but the Broncos don’t seem to be all that enthusiastic about a reunion, and the receiver’s injury history may be scaring off other potential suitors.

While we wait to see if April brings better news for Welker, let’s round up a few more items out of the AFC….

Although they locked up veteran safety Mike Adams at the start of this year’s free agent period, the Colts remain on the lookout for more help at the position, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. According to Bowen, the club is still “actively pursuing” another safety to help fortify the secondary.
It’s only been a little more than two years since general manager Dave Caldwell assumed control of the Jaguars, but just seven players remain from the roster that he inherited in 2013, writes Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.
Speaking of those Jaguars, they likely won’t be all that active in free agency in the weeks leading up to next month’s draft, but Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union points to a few positions where the team may still consider veteran options, including center and wide receiver.
Memphis cornerback Bobby McCain has had private workouts for the Patriots and the Colts, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. McCain projects as a probable late-round pick.
Wilson also passes along an update on Indiana wide receiver Shane Wynn, reporting that Wynn has visits lined up with the Browns and Raiders. The Cleveland native ran the 40-yard dash in 4.23 seconds, making him one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class.

Stevan Ridley Visiting Dolphins

March 31st, 2015 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

Having already seen one of their free agent running backs – Shane Vereen – join a Giants team that has denied them multiple Super Bowl victories within the last decade, the Patriots may now see their other notable free agent back head to a division rival. According to James Walker of ESPN.com, Stevan Ridley is paying a visit to the Dolphins today.

Miami is in the market for some backfield help, with veteran back Knowshon Moreno facing free agency and unlikely to return to the team. Lamar Miller, who ran for nearly 1,100 yards in 2014, is expected to head into the coming season as the team’s No. 1 back, but Ridley would provide a nice complement to Miller, assuming he can stay healthy and avoid the fumbling problems that have occasionally plagued him in the past.

Ridley, 26, is returning from a season-ending knee injury, so a physical exam will likely be a significant part of his visit to Miami, assuming the Dolphins are interested in signing him. Ridley’s best season in New England came in 2012, when he rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns as the team’s feature back. Fumbling problems, injuries, and Bill Belichick‘s habit of rotating running backs limited Ridley’s production over the last two seasons.

Ridley has reportedly received some interest from the Vikings and Cowboys this month, but Minnesota’s interest hinges on whether or not Adrian Peterson will return to the club, and Dallas was linked to Ridley before the team signed Darren McFadden. A report last week indicated that Ridley would likely sign a deal fairly soon with a team besides New England.

Extra Points: Connolly, Foster, Titans

March 30th, 2015 at 10:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Within a span of a week earlier this month, four prominent NFL players walked away from lucrative salaries. There are split opinions on whether this is the start of a trend, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. “It’s the flavor of the month. It is a hot topic,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Patrick Willis, Jake Locker, Jason Worilds, and Chris Borland retiring. “I imagine it’s been going on since the beginning of time, guys choosing to walk away from the game seemingly at an inopportune time when they had youth and health.”

The Bucs are bringing former Patriots guard Dan Connolly for a visit tomorrow, Ross Jones of FOX Sports tweets. On Sunday, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reported that Connolly wasn’t receiving a ton of interest from other clubs, leaving him in a holding pattern with New England. At one point, the 32-year-old was receiving interest from the Seahawks and Bears as a center and from the Dolphins as a guard. The Bucs reportedly saw Connolly as a guard as well.
The Bears‘ contract for linebacker Mason Foster is a one-year, minimum salary deal, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The pact carries a $745K base with an $80K signing bonus, good for a total value of $825K.
Titans offensive lineman Chance Warmack told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that he believes in both quarterback Zach Mettenberger and the direction that the Titans’ front office is going in.
Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com broke down the specifics on Kenny Britt‘s two-year deal with the Rams. While the reported total value was $14MM, it’s really more like a $9.15MM pact when considering that he’d have to accomplish feats in the NFL that he never has before in order to achieve the total value.
Washington‘s pursuit of Marcus Mariota doesn’t make a great deal of sense given the team’s recent decisions, Zac Boyer of The Washington Times writes.

Draft Notes: Lions, Goldman, Holliman

March 30th, 2015 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions hosted Texas A&M offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi for a pre-draft visit at their training facility, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes. Ogbuehi was an All-SEC performer last season, but he tore his ACL in the team’s bowl game against West Virginia. Even though he could have jumped ship early and been a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, he says that he doesn’t regret his decision to return to campus for his senior year. Here’s more draft news..

Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman has pre-draft visits with the Browns, 49ers, Colts, Lions, Panthers, and Patriots, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). In his junior year with the Seminoles, Goldman recorded four sacks to go along with 51 tackles and a forced fumble.
The Lions canceled a meeting with safety Gerod Holliman, according to Miller (on Twitter). The Louisville star already met with the Bucs and will meet with the Dolphins prior to the draft.
Of the presumptive seventh-round cornerbacks, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) would rather take a gamble on De’Vante Bausby than most of the players he’s competing with at his position.

Washington Signs Michael Hill

March 30th, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of tonight’s minor moves here..

Washington announced the signing of running back Michael Hill. The Missouri Western State product has played in eight career games, all in 2013 with the Packers (two games) and Buccaneers (six games). He originally signed with the Chargers as a UDFA in 2013 and spent time on Washington’s taxi squad in 2014. Washington is looking for a leading candidate to take over backup running back duties after the departure of free agent Roy Helu, who signed with the Raiders.

East Notes: Dareus, Bills, Eagles

March 30th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills‘ top priority at this point would probably be hammering out an extension with defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, but the timetable on that isn’t 100% clear, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. “In the near future,” GM Doug Whaley said when asked about when Dareus could get his new deal. “He will be priority No. 1 once the dust settles post-draft, maybe even before then, just to get the ball rolling.” The defensive tackle is one of the game’s best players at his position and after Ndamukong Suh‘s massive deal with the Dolphins, Buffalo will have to bring some serious bucks to the table. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

The Bills could find that space to accommodate a deal for Dareus by restructuring their deal with defensive end Mario Williams. Williams is due to earn $19.4MM this year, $19.9 million next year, and $16.5 million in 2017. “He could free up the most and make it the most logical, because what we would do is not only restructure, but extend him similar to [what we did recently with defensive end] Kyle Williams, so these guys retire as Buffalo Bills,” Whaley said. “We want to set a precedent that we retain our own and we have them retire as Buffalo Bills. I think that’s a sentiment we’re trying to show the players on our roster now.”
While some have said that Miles Austin will be taking the spot of Brad Smith on the Eagles, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) doesn’t feel that’s really the case. The versatile Smith was a key special teams contributor while Austin is likely being signed to be more of a pure wide receiver.
Sam Bradford‘s former coach Josh Heupel helped talk him out of quitting football, as Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Meanwhile, Heupel is confident that Bradford will shine with the Eagles. “If he’s 100 percent healthy,” Heupel said, “he’ll be able to perform at an elite level.”

Rolando McClain Visiting Patriots

March 30th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

7:10pm: Rolando McClain’s visit with the Patriots ended without a contract, though his meeting with them was a positive one, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The incumbent Cowboys, meanwhile, are still very much in the mix.

1:30pm: As they consider potential linebacker options, the Patriots are hosting linebacker Rolando McClain for a visit today, according to a report from Field Yates and Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It appears to be the first visit McClain has taken as a free agent this month.

McClain, 25, racked up 87 tackles and a sack to go along with two interceptions in 13 games for the Cowboys in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked McClain eighth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers, and he excelled in every aspect of the game — PFF’s grades placed him eighth as a pass rusher, seventh as a cover man, and 11th as a run defender, among inside linebackers.

Despite his impressive on-field showing, McClain still has some off-field question marks. He came back from retirement less than a year ago, and has failed multiple drug tests, making him a potential suspension risk. When I examined his free agent stock last week, I speculated that he may have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal.

Although I didn’t name the Patriots as an ideal fit for McClain, their interest makes sense — Jerod Mayo is coming off a torn patellar tendon, and Dont’a Hightower is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, so it’s important that the team has some depth at the linebacker position.

Still, the Pats aren’t the only club with interest in McClain. Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that the Cowboys have remained in active negotiations with the linebacker, so his trip to New England could create some urgency on Dallas’ part.

Saints Down To $850K In Cap Space

March 30th, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are down to $850K in cap space now that they have to pick up the bill on linebacker Dannell Ellerbe’s roster bonus, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes.

It was originally believed that a $2.1MM roster bonus due April 1st would count against the Dolphins’ salary cap. Instead, it will count against the Saints’ cap at $700K per year from 2015-17. The Saints acquired Ellerbe and a third-round pick from Miami earlier this month in exchange for young wide receiver Kenny Stills. Ellerbe later agreed to a pay cut with New Orleans.

While $700K in cap space doesn’t mean a whole lot on the surface, every dollar counts for New Orleans because of their tight financial situation. Triplett estimated that they’ll have to create $2MM more in cap space to fit in their draft picks and they’ll need even more if they want to shoe in any free agents above the minimum salary.

The Saints can still carve out space elsewhere with moves like reworking guard Jahri Evans‘ contract or extending defensive end Cameron Jordan‘s deal. However, the news on Ellerbe gives them a little less wiggle room as they try to work some accounting magic this spring.

Rams To Re-Sign Tim Barnes

March 30th, 2015 at 5:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have re-signed free agent Tim Barnes, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The guard/center took a trip to Kansas City on Monday, but he quickly decided to stay put in St. Louis.

Barnes, 27 in May, has spent his entire four-year career with the Rams. His new deal will carry a maximum value of $1MM, according to Thomas (via Twitter), and he could wind up competing for a starting job this year on the offensive line. Even though the Rams did not extend a tender to Barnes when he was a restricted free agent earlier this month, they apparently wanted to retain him, just at a lower salary.

The Chiefs already fortified their interior offensive line by acquiring Ben Grubbs from the Saints, but they were looking for additional pieces, having lost a big one in center Rodney Hudson. Now that Barnes is going back to the Rams, they’ll have to look elsewhere for reinforcements.

West Notes: D. Thomas, Wheeler, Tate

March 30th, 2015 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few Monday afternoon updates from out of the AFC and NFC West divisions….

Demaryius Thomas, who has yet to sign his franchise tender, won’t take part in Peyton Manning‘s annual workouts at Duke or attend the Broncos‘ offseason program, the star wideout said today, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. It’s not unusual for a player who receives the franchise tag to skip his team’s spring workouts, and Thomas is still hoping that he and the team can work out a longer-term deal. “My agent is dealing with that right now,” Thomas said. “I’m in the loop, but I’m letting [GM John] Elway and my agent handle that, come up with something.”
Former Dolphins linebacker Philip Wheeler is visiting the 49ers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Wheeler saw most of his 384 defensive snaps last season as an outside linebacker in Miami’s 4-3 scheme, but presumably the Niners are viewing him as an inside linebacker, after Patrick Willis and Chris Borland retired.
Rapoport also passes along word of another visit, tweeting that former Bengals receiver and return man Brandon Tate visited the Chiefs. Tate caught just 31 passes during his four years in Cincinnati, but returned more than 250 combined punts and kicks during that stretch.