Since being released by the Eagles yesterday, Trent Cole has garnered a decent amount of free agent interest, as he was scheduled to meet with the Buccaneers today. Two more NFC teams could be interested in signing the 32-year-old edge rusher, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports that both the 49ers and the Seahawks have inquired about Cole. As PFR’s Luke Adams notes in the link above, Cole is viewed as a better fit for a 4-3 defense (which both Tampa Bay and Seattle utilize). San Francisco, though, fields a 3-4 look, so it presumably believes Cole is still an option at outside linebacker.
Let’s take a look at some more notes from San Francisco and the rest of the West divisions…
- With Jerome Simpson now in the fold, the 49ers might not have a role for fellow receiver Stevie Johnson. Indeed, Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 tweets that the 28-year-old Johnson is expected to be released in the coming days. With no remaining guarantees on the books, Johnson would leave no dead money on San Francisco’s cap, and his release would save the club more than $6MM.
- Whereas Johnson hasn’t yet been released, former Texans center Chris Myers has already been handed his walking papers, officially being cut by Houston yesterday. But Myers could stay in the AFC, where the Raiders are set to lose free agent Stefen Wisniewski, as Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports (Twitter link) that Oakland does have interest in bringing in the 33-year-old Myers. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that he senses the Raiders will target Chiefs center Rodney Hudson, with Myers serving as backup option.
- After being released by Arizona, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett signed with the 49ers earlier today, but he insists that staying with the Cardinals was initially possible. “I was willing to restructure my contract,” Dockett said on FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). “I was willing to take less money than what SF was offering.” Dockett ultimately inked a two-year, $7.5MM deal with San Francisco.