2016 April - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Sign Jeff Heath To Four-Year Deal

April 13th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent Jeff Heath will be sticking with the Cowboys, as expected, but rather than simply signing his RFA tender, the veteran safety has agreed to a long-term deal with the club. According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, the Cowboys have signed Heath to a four-year contract, locking him up through the 2019 season.

An undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State, Heath started nine games during his first season with the Cowboys in 2013, compiling 60 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He has seen less time on defense in recent years, serving primarily as a special teams contributor, but he did grab a pair of INTs in his 206 defensive snaps in 2015.

Having spent three years in Dallas, Heath was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, and the Cowboys tendered him a one-year offer worth $1.671MM. Had he signed that tender, he would have been on track to reach the open market in 2017, but his salary for 2016 would have been non-guaranteed.

Financial terms of Heath’s new four-year contract aren’t yet known, but there’s a good chance he exceeded that $1.671MM in guarantees alone, and his average annual salary may very well top that figure too.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jerraud Powers Visiting Cardinals

April 13th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Still without a new contract for the 2016 season, free agent cornerback Jerraud Powers is checking in with a familiar team today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Powers is visiting Arizona. He has played for the Cardinals for the last three seasons.

Powers, 28, spent the first four years of his NFL career in Indianapolis before making the move to Arizona. Having started 82 of his 87 career regular-season games, the former third-round pick is one of the more accomplished cornerbacks still available on the free agent market.

In 2015, Powers started 13 games for the Cardinals, picking up an interception to go along with 50 tackles, nine passes defended, and a pair of fumble recoveries. However, Pro Football Focus wasn’t overly high on his play, ranking him 79th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, assigning him mediocre grades for both his pass coverage and run defense.

It’s not clear why Powers would need to make a visit to meet with the Cardinals, considering the team’s brain-trust hasn’t undergone any real changes this offseason. It’s possible that the club wants to get an idea of what sort of shape he’s in, perhaps conducting a physical, before making any decision on whether or not to bring him back.

During the legal tampering period earlier last month, Powers told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that he’d like to sign a three- or four-year deal, and hoped to join a title contender. While he visited the Giants during the free agent period, Powers didn’t see his market develop as he hoped, and is very unlikely to land a long-term contract at this point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Washington, Rams, Greenway, Giants

April 13th, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Although Washington didn’t have a ton of cap flexibility this offseason, the team could have made a bigger splash in free agency if GM Scot McCloughan had been interested in doing so. However, as John Keim of ESPN.com details, Washington’s players have faith in the front office and don’t mind the more patient approach to roster building.

“I’m excited about what he’s doing,” said Washington defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. “I understand a lot of people say he didn’t bring in a lot of big names. You’ve got to know Scot McCloughan; he doesn’t like big name guys. As you can see with our [defensive backs], we got guys off the street and he brought them in and they did a wonderful job for us. I can only imagine what he’s going to do with the draft. I understand he [wants] 12 picks. I believe that first and second pick are up for grabs to get what he wants.”

As we wait to see what McCloughan has up his sleeve for draft day, let’s round up several more items from around the NFC….

Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas will work out on Friday in Los Angeles for a Rams contingent that includes GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
The Vikings‘ new one-year deal with linebacker Chad Greenway is worth $2.75MM, with $750K in guaranteed money, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Ben Goessling of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that the guarantee comes in the form of a $400K roster bonus and a $350K guarantee on Greenway’s $2.3MM base salary.
Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links) has the details on three recently signed Giants contracts, reporting that the deals for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, running back Bobby Rainey, and offensive tackle Byron Stingily are all one-year, minimum salary benefit pacts. Sheppard gets an $80K signing bonus, Rainey gets a $40K signing bonus (plus $40K in additional bonuses), and Stingily gets a $20K first-game, 53-man roster bonus.
Maryland safety/corner Sean Davis will visit the Buccaneers next week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Aaron Wilson had reported over the weekend that Davis met – or will meet – with over half the teams in the NFL.
Aaron Wilson passes along word of a couple more pre-draft meetings, reporting (via Twitter) that Incarnate Word linebacker Myke Tavarres has a private workout this Friday with the Eagles, and tweeting that Sam Houston State punter Lachlan Edwards is privately working out for the Cardinals today.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Greg Toler Visiting Washington

April 13th, 2016 at 8:34am CST by Luke Adams

Most players visiting teams this month are prospects hoping to be drafted a couple weeks from now, but there are still a handful of free agent visits taking place as well. One such visit, taking place today, involves veteran cornerback Greg Toler, who is heading to D.C. to meet with Washington, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Toler, 31, was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Cardinals, and spent the first four years of his NFL career in Arizona. Since 2013, he has been a Colt, starting 32 of the 34 regular-season games he played for the club, plus four postseason contests.

In 2015, Toler failed to grab an interception for the first time in his career, recording 51 tackles and 10 passes defended in 10 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance, placing him 106th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks.

Still, it’s possible that Toler will find a roster spot in Washington, depending on how his visit goes. The club employs his former defensive coordinator in Indianapolis — Greg Manusky, fired by the Colts in January now coaches linebackers in Washington.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/16

April 12th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Mike Remmers has signed his restricted free agent tender with the Panthers, agent Brett Tessler tweets. The Panthers first acquired Remmers when they signed him off St. Louis’ taxi squad in October of 2014. Looking at how he has improved his value since that point, they might regret keeping him on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster. Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) rated Remmers as the 43rd best tackle in the league last season, giving him significantly higher marks for his run blocking than his pass blocking.
The Ravens (on Twitter) announced that they have waived tight end Chase Ford. Ford inked his restricted free agent tender just a few weeks ago but his $1.671MM salary was non-guaranteed. It’s possible that Ford has been removed from the roster to make room for Dennis Pitta, who is attempting to return to football in 2016. Pitta and Baltimore agreed to a restructured deal earlier today.
The Patriots announced that cornerback Justin Coleman has signed his ERFA tender, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Coleman made 21 tackles in 10 games (two starts) last season.
Giants running back Orleans Darkwa signed his ERFA tender, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Giants cut linebacker Nico Johnson with a failed physical designation, according to Wilson (Twitter link). New York had elevated Johnson off its practice squad at the tail end of last season.

Draft Rumors: Higbee, Boehringer, Miller

April 12th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee plead not guilty to charges stemming from his alleged altercation on Sunday, as Peter Schrager of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Higbee, considered to be one of the top tight ends in this year’s class, contends that the other man involved in the skirmish put his hands on his girlfriend, prompting Higbee to intervene. The other participant in the fight has been booked five times since 2014.

As Schrager notes, Higbee’s court date is on May 5th, days after the draft on April 28th-30th. Prior to the incident, teams were viewing Higbee as a Day 2 or Day 3 player, so they’ll be interested to hear his side of the story.

Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:

German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer had team visits with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings last week, as Andy Fenelon of NFL.com writes. On Monday and Tuesday, he met with the Rams, on Wednesday he’ll visit the Seahawks, and next week he’ll visit the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. Boehringer started turning heads in the NFL last month and one scout estimated in March that he could go in the fourth round. Based on the number of teams interested in him, one has to wonder if Boehringer could go even earlier.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Ohio State receiver Braxton Miller said 10 clubs ventured to Columbus to work him out, and while a few have had do drills in the slot (where’s expected to play in the NFL), many had him work outside. The Titans, Bengals, and Ravens are just three of the teams known to have interest in Miller.
Like Miller, Michigan State defensive tackle Joel Heath also appeared on SiriusXM (Twitter link), and also discussed his specific NFL position, saying he’d be willing to move to the offensive line if that helped his pro prospects.
Washington, on the lookout for possible pass rushing help, is hosting Eastern Kentucky outside linebacker Noah Spence for a pre-draft visit today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Vikings met with McNeese State running back Derrick Milton last week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who adds that Milton impressed Minnesota at their regional combine. Milton began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transferring prior to the 2014 season.
Florida defensive end Alex McCalister met with the Eagles, as McAlister himself reported on Twitter. McCalister posted 12.5 sacks for the Gators over the past two seasons.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Browns Willing To Trade No. 2 Pick?

April 12th, 2016 at 7:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The idea of the Browns dealing away the second overall pick is gaining steam, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com (Twitter link), who reports that there is “more and more smoke” around the concept of Cleveland trading down in the draft. The club’s intention would be to select a quarterback in the second round, per Zierlein, who adds that “something big” is likely to happen involving the top five picks.

The Browns, of course, have already added Robert Griffin III this offseason, signing the reclamation project to a two-year deal, and also have veteran Josh McCown under contract. The overwhelming majority of mock drafts have Cleveland selecting either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz second overall, but the Browns have a lot of holes elsewhere on the roster, and trading back could give the team the extra ammunition it needs to fill out their squad. Just this March, the Browns saw a ton of talent walk out the door via free agency, as Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Travis Benjamin, and Tashaun Gipson all found contracts elsewhere.

Depending on how far back the Browns trade in the first round, they could still have a shot at someone like Paxton Lynch, but Zierlein’s report indicates that Cleveland would instead target a quarterback in Round 2, where it currently holds pick no. 32, the first selection of Day 2. Lynch (possibly), Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, and Cardale Jones are among the signal-callers that could be available at that juncture, or even later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Leon Hall Underwent Offseason Back Surgery

April 12th, 2016 at 6:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent cornerback Leon Hall underwent offseason back surgery to repair a disc injury, Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham told ESPN 1530’s James Rapien today (link via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). Hall, whose contract with Cincinnati expired in March, has yet to sign with another club despite drawing some interest.

The severity of the surgery isn’t known, but back issues aren’t the only health questions that the 31-year-old Hall has dealt with over the past few years. He’s suffered two torn Achilles since 2011, and though he’s been pretty durable otherwise (only five missed games outside of those two lost seasons), Hall has played through other ailments that have limited his effectiveness.

Nevertheless, Hall can still play — especially in the slot — and he’s the best free agent corner remaining on the market. Both the Cardinals and Cowboys have expressed interest earlier this offseason, and as Wesseling notes, the Dolphins could make sense as a destination given the presence of Vance Joseph (formerly the Bengals’ secondary coach and now Miami’s defensive coordinator). Hall, however, is thus far thought to have priced himself out of the Dolphins’ range.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Franchise Tag Notes: Mo, Cousins, Norman

April 12th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The asking price for Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a first-round pick, and perhaps even more, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Wilkerson is still on the trade block. One club that won’t be bidding for Wilkerson is the Bears, per Robinson, because Chicago doesn’t want to sacrifice the No. 11 pick and likes the depth of this year’s defensive line draft class.

Let’s take a deep dive into Robinson’s article (which is well worth a full read), as he passes along updates on the top franchise-tagged players…

Kirk Cousins wants a “legitimate” franchise quarterback offer before he considers signing a long-term deal with Washington, sources tell Robinson. In other words, Cousins, who is set to earn more than $19MM in 2016, isn’t interested in a “pay-as-you-go” extension signed by the likes of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. At the moment, Washington doesn’t view Cousins as the centerpiece of its team.
The Panthers aren’t interested in paying cornerback Josh Norman‘s asking price, which Robinson reports is around $15-16MM (a number that jibes with earlier reports). Carolina is fine with letting Norman play out the year under the franchise tag, which, at nearly $14MM, pays him like an elite corner.
Von Miller‘s price has gone up this offseason following Olivier Vernon‘s massive deal with the Giants, but the Broncos want to pay him somewhere between Ndamukong Suh and Justin Houston money, which would be around $18MM. Recent reports have indicated that Denver offered Miller more than $17MM annually.
The Bills have made left tackle Cordy Glenn their top priority, and because they view him as an “ascending cornerstone,” they’re willing to pay him elite tackle money, writes Robinson. The deal could be delayed, but Anthony Castonzo‘s deal with the Colts is a starting point in talks, per Robinson.
The Chiefs expect to get a deal done with Eric Berry, but probably not until after the draft, according to Robinson. Berry and Kansas City have a great relationship which should make negotiations easier, and Robinson opines that Berry should be able to top Devin McCourty‘s deal.
Alshon Jeffery is in the same boat as Berry, per Robinson, as the Bears are largely focused on the draft at the moment. Jeffery is not worried about reaching a long-term deal, especially since the franchise tag is paying him nearly $15MM, but the two sides are expected to knock out an extension later in the offseason.
The Rams might have a hard time getting cornerback Trumaine Johnson to agree to a reasonable deal, especially because they picked Johnson over fellow CB Janoris Jenkins, who went on to score a large contract with the Giants. If the two sides do work out an extension, says Robinson, it will be late in the offseason.

49ers Expected To Meet With Amini Silatolu

April 12th, 2016 at 5:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Having already signed veteran guard Zane Beadles earlier this offseason, the 49ers are still on the hunt for more interior line depth, and they’re expected to meet with free agent guard Amini Silatolu, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Silatolu, 27, spent the past four seasons with the Panthers.

A second-round pick in 2012, Silatolu started 15 games during his rookie season and looked to be a mainstay along Carolina’s offensive line for years to come. But he’s been hampered by injuries ever since — torn ACLs ended both his 2013 and 2015 seasons, and he was similarly calf and knee injuries in 2014. Silatolu has largely been relegated to backup duty with the Panthers, having been usurped at guard by Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell.

San Francisco isn’t the first club to express interest in Silatolu this offseason, as he’s also met with the division rival Seahawks and Cardinals during the past month. In the Bay Area, Silatolu would likely compete with the aforementioned Beadles, Brandon Thomas, and Ian Silberman for playing time at left guard opposite Andrew Tiller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.