HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chargers Sign Matt Slauson

May 9th, 2016 at 1:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

MONDAY, 1:24pm: The Chargers have officially confirmed their two-year agreement with Slauson in an announcement on their website.

SATURDAY, 3:08pm: The first of Matt Slauson‘s two visits has turned into his new NFL home, with the Chargers and the free agent interior lineman agreeing to terms on a two-year deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

Released by the Bears on Sunday, Slauson also visited the Bills’ headquarters this week, but left without a contract. The 30-year-old lineman vacillated between his usual left guard spot and the center position in 2015, with Pro Football Focus giving the newest Charger its fifth-best grade among snappers last season.

The Chargers have highly paid Orlando Franklin at left guard and D.J. Fluker at right guard, and the team just picked up Fluker’s fifth-year option. Slauson’s temporary position of center could be a longer-term project for the former Jets draft chioce. Chris Watt resides there in San Diego and is probably the most vulnerable of the Chargers’ starters right now.

Caplan confirms (on Twitter) that Slauson, who played half of last season as the Bears’ center, is being brought in to play the same position in San Diego. The Bills, interestingly, also didn’t want Slauson to play at this customary guard spot either. Buffalo sought him as a right tackle option, Caplan reports (on Twitter).

The Bears signed Manny Ramirez and Ted Larsen before drafting Cody Whitehair in the second round. They decided to cut ties with Slauson despite the productive lineman having two years left on his deal. He assumed snapping duties to start last season due to rookie Hroniss Grasu‘s injury. Once Grasu returned, Slauson shuttled back to left guard, where he’d played since signing with Chicago in 2013.

A 6-foot-5, 320-pound performer, Slauson worked with new Chargers offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo with the Jets in 2012.

Pro Football Focus rated the Chargers as having the NFL’s worst offensive front last season. Franklin, Fluker, Watt and left tackle King Dunlap suffered through injuries to limit their effectiveness, and the group’s regression mirrored the team’s descent into last place in the AFC West. Many experts expected the Chargers to select a tackle with their No. 3 overall pick that emerged out of last season’s mess, but San Diego selected Joey Bosa instead and left the line unchanged, likely hoping health would provide enough of an upgrade.

Concussion and shoulder troubles resulted in Watt spending the second half of last season on IR, with replacement Trevor Robinson rating as PFF’s worst overall offensive lineman among regulars. The Chargers have a lot of money tied up in their offensive line after agreeing to long-term deals with Franklin and Joe Barksdale the past two offseasons, along with extending Dunlap and triggering Fluker’s fifth-year option. They now look to have supplied that group with a quality center to belatedly replace the retired Nick Hardwick.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Bears Sign Several Draftees, UDFAs

May 9th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears announced 17 signings today, confirming several previously-reported moves and revealing some new ones (Twitter links). The team has signed seven of its 2016 draft picks and 10 undrafted free agents to fill out its offseason roster.

Of Chicago’s nine draftees, only one – fourth-round defensive back Deiondre’ Hall – had reportedly agreed to terms prior to day. However, the Bears have now locked up six more of their picks to go along with Hall. Here’s the full list of draft picks signed by the club:

A pair of front-seven players – first-rounder Leonard Floyd and third-rounder Jonathan Bullard – have yet to sign their rookie contracts with the Bears, but the team has otherwise secured its draft class.

Meanwhile, in addition to confirming the eight undrafted free agent signings we passed along on Friday, the Bears added two more rookies – Liberty wide receiver Darrin Peterson and Oklahoma State cornerback Kevin Peterson – to their roster. The former received a $6K signing bonus from the team, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Panthers, Kawann Short Begin Talking Extension

May 9th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have opened contract extension negotiations with standout defensive tackle Kawann Short, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Because he was a second-round pick in 2013, Short’s rookie deal doesn’t include a fifth-year option for 2017, so he’s set to enter the last year of his contract if he doesn’t sign an extension.Kawann Short

Short, 27, enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod and starting all 16 of the Panthers’ games for the first time. The Purdue product racked up 11 sacks to go along with 55 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. He also added two more sacks and a forced fumble in the postseason.

As PFR’s Dallas Robinson observed in his preview of the Panthers’ offseason, the negotiations between Short’s camp and the team will be interesting. On one hand, the Pro Bowl defender has really only produced at an elite level for one season. However, there’s no reason to think Short’s reps won’t make the case that their client deserves to be paid like Marcell Dareus or Gerald McCoy — those players inked long-term pacts worth $95MM+, making them the highest-paid 4-3 defensive tackles in the NFL not named Ndamukong Suh.

With Josh Norman no longer in the mix in Carolina, the Panthers will have a little extra flexibility to commit to a long-term deal for Short, though the team likely wouldn’t have had a problem making an extension work anyway, given its comfortable amount of cap room.

If the two sides can’t work out a multiyear extension at some point in 2016, Short figures to be a candidate for the franchise tag next offseason. This year, the franchise salary for a defensive tackle was $13.615MM, and that figure will likely get a modest bump in 2017, so Short and the Panthers will both keep that number in mind during contract discussions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Titans Cut Damaris Johnson, Add 11 UDFAs

May 9th, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Titans, one of the last teams in the NFL to formally announce their undrafted free agent class, have done so today, confirming in a press release that they’ve agreed to terms with 11 rookies who weren’t selected in the 2016 draft. The team announced that it has reached deals with six members of its ’16 draft class as well.

In addition to bringing in 11 undrafted free agents and locking up six draftees, the team also announced that it has waived two veteran players — wide receiver Damaris Johnson and cornerback Steven Clarke. A former Vanderbilt CB, Clarke spent last summer with the Dolphins but has never appeared in an NFL regular season game. Johnson, on the other hand, has played in 44 career contests, most notably catching 31 balls for 331 yards and a touchdown during the 2014 season for the Texans.

Here’s the complete list of the Titans’ 11 incoming UDFAs:

And here’s the list of Titans draft picks who have agreed to terms with the team so far:

First-round tackle Jack Conklin and second-round edge defender Kevin Dodd are among the draftees who have yet to finalize contracts with the club.

 

Steelers Sign Four Players, Cut Four

May 9th, 2016 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Following their rookie minicamp, the Steelers have announced a handful of changes to their 90-man roster, signing four tryout players from the minicamp and cutting four veterans. According to the team, running backs Brandon Brown-Dukes and Cameron Stingily, wide receiver Marcus Tucker, and cornerback Donald Washington have been signed.

To open up roster spots for the incoming players, the Steelers parted ways with running backs Christian Powell and Rajion Neal, wide receiver Tobais Palmer, and cornerback Isaiah Frey. Of those players, Frey is the most notable name — although he hasn’t actually seen any action for Pittsburgh, he has appeared in 27 career NFL games, making seven starts, during parts of three seasons with the Bears and Buccaneers.

Out of the four newly-signed players, Washington has the most interesting story, and took the longest path to get to the Steelers. The former Ohio State Buckeye was drafted in the fourth round by the Chiefs in 2009, and appeared in 32 games for Kansas City over the next three seasons. However, he hasn’t appeared in an NFL contest since the 2011 campaign. Washington, who is now 29 years old, spoke to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about his comeback attempt.

“I am going to leave it out there and see what they do,” Washington said, before he earned a spot on the Steelers’ 90-man roster. “I am having the time of my life, man. The main key is to have fun and run around and have a good attitude and a good effort. Any chance I can get to play football, I want it, no matter where it is at. I just love the game and love being around the guys. No matter how the opportunity comes, I am taking it.”

Washington Signs Josh Doctson, Others

May 9th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Washington has locked up all but one of its seven draft picks, the team announced today, as detailed by Stephen Czarda at Redskins.com. The list of draftees locked up by the club includes first-round wideout Josh Doctson, whose four-year rookie contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2020. Here’s the full list of draft picks who have officially signed with Washington:Josh Doctson

With six picks locked up, Washington just needs to finalize a deal with third-round cornerback Kendall Fuller to secure its entire draft class. Contracts for third-rounders can often be the trickiest to get done, since there’s a little more wiggle room to negotiate, whereas terms are fairly rigid throughout most of the rest of the draft.

Per Over The Cap’s data, Doctson’s four-year pact will be worth about $10.05MM, with a $5.509MM signing bonus. Cravens’ deal features a signing bonus of $1.423MM, while the rest of the team’s rookie contracts will be far more modest, with bonuses of less than $250K apiece for the late-round picks.

In addition to signing several draftees, Washington also added a pair of undrafted free agents – cornerback Lloyd Carrington and linebacker Reggie Northrup – to the roster, reaching the 90-man limit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sam Bradford Reports To Eagles

May 9th, 2016 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

9:24am: While the Eagles’ offseason activities aren’t currently open to the media, Bradford issued a statement today upon returning, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com:

“I’m excited to be back on the field today with my teammates and coaches. The business-side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. My attention and efforts are focused on the participation in and preparation for a championship season: I am committed to my teammates and the Eagles organization for nothing less.”

8:41am: Appearing on Sports Radio 94WIP in Philadelphia today, Eagles defensive end Connor Barwin said that quarterback Sam Bradford would be reporting to the Eagles’ offseason activities today (Twitter link via Howard Eskin). And it seems Barwin was right — Bradford has indeed reported to the club and is in the building this morning, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.Jan 3, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

According to Tom Condon – Bradford’s agent, who spoke to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN – the signal-caller has rescinded his trade request in addition to rejoining the team (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). Condon reportedly said during an appearance on Mike & Mike today that Bradford’s camp thought a trade to Denver was a viable possibility until the Broncos drafted Paxton Lynch in the first round.

As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the Eagles are in the second phase of their offseason conditioning — Bradford missed just two of 10 weeks. The team’s offense will take the field for workouts today, and the former No. 1 overall pick will join the unit.

While Bradford may still be unhappy about his situation in Philadelphia, the Eagles had been insistent that they didn’t want to trade him, and public sentiment wasn’t exactly in favor of the player who just received an $11MM signing bonus from the team two months ago. Bradford continues to be on track to open the 2016 season as the Eagles’ starter. With rookie Carson Wentz looming, it remains to be seen how long Bradford will keep that job, and how long he’ll stick in Philadelphia.

Bradford’s new two-year deal calls for most of its guarantees to be paid in 2016, so the Eagles could move on from him in 2017 if they deem him expendable – and Wentz ready – a year from now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Locke, Seahawks, Cardinals, Bucs

May 8th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

A fifth-round pick in 2013, Jeff Locke looks to be set to face some competition to finish out his contract with the Vikings. Minnesota is expected to add rookie punter Taylor Symmank on Monday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Vikings brought in Symmank and Nick O’Toole to compete at their rookie minicamp this weekend, but O’Toole left the Twin Cities on Sunday, while Symmank looks to be staying. Symmank averaged 46 yards per punt last season at Texas Tech. After Locke’s per-punt figure hovered at 44.2 yards in each of his first two seasons, it slunk to an NFL-worst 41.6 in 2015.

Symmank told Tomasson he’s been asked to take a physical with the Vikings, who currently have 89 players on their roster. Locke has a nonguaranteed $721K due this season.

Check out the latest from around the league as teams continue to assemble their 90-man rosters.

  • The Seahawks envision former Notre Dame running back/wide receiver C.J. Prosise becoming a potential replacement for Fred Jackson as the team’s third-down back, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Seattle initially placed the third-round pick with the running backs to start its rookie minicamp but shuttled him into receiver drills on Sunday. Converted to running back before the 2015 season, Prosise totaled 1,337 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 2015. “I’ve never had anyone that was a receiver that went to running back that could do both. You commit one way or the other,” Pete Carroll told media, including Condotta. “… It’s a real prize for us. I don’t really have a guy to compare him to at this point.”
  • Also from Condotta: Rees Odhiambo will compete with Mark Glowinski for the Seahawks‘ starting left guard position, and Carroll plans to use Jarran Reed at both nose tackle and 3-technique. “It’s just such a crucial pick for us,” Carroll said. “Jarran can really jump right in and give us the stout play, he’s just got a great savvy for the running game. He’ll play both spots, for sure.”
  • The Cardinals are planning to replace the still-unsigned Jerraud Powers with Justin Bethel, but given that third-round pick Brandon Williams has only played the position for one season after playing running back from 2011-14, Arizona could use a veteran corner to help lead Patrick Peterson‘s cadre of sidekicks, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic writes. Beyond Bethel and Peterson, no Cardinal cornerback has more than one year of NFL experience. Joining Powers among the top unattached corners right now are fellow former Cardinal Antonio Cromartie, Leon Hall and Phillip Adams.
  • Although Ryan Smith lined up at cornerback in 2015 for North Carolina Central, he’s expected to work at safety for the Buccaneers, Roy Cummings of Today’s Pigskin writes. The Bucs added Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round after signing Brent Grimes in an attempt to fortify a cornerback corps that helped yield 31 touchdown passes last season and allow the second-highest quarterback rating in the league. The 5-foot-11, 198-pound Smith arrived in Tampa as the No. 108 overall pick and will compete with the likes of Chris Conte and Keith Tandy for playing time on the Bucs’ back line. Cummings identifies Bradley McDougald as a starter at either the free or strong safety spots, with his complement undecided. Pro Football Focus graded Conte as the Bucs’ best safety last season and tabbed the now-27-year-old veteran as its No. 32 safety.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/16

May 8th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • Former Washington Husky defensive lineman Taniela Tupou worked as a fullback with the Seahawks during their rookie minicamp and did so well enough to earn an extended look from the team. The Seahawks are expected to sign Tupou, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). Tupou played in 28 games as a defensive lineman with the Huskies from 2013-15.
  • The Giants will sign Lafayette cornerback Matt Smalley after his weekend tryout, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets.
  • The Giants have agreed to sign former Brooklyn and Lincoln High School star Ishaq Williams, as Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News writes. The linebacker has not played football since 2013 since a suspension over academics knocked him off the team at Notre Dame.
  • The Lions signed undrafted rookie free agent offensive lineman Darius Johnson and waived tackle Tyrus Thompson, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
  • The Bengals announced that they have signed Louisville kicker Jonathan Brown, Utah linebacker Gionni Paul, Florida guard/center Trip Thurman, and Marshall cornerback Corey Tindal, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. All four players took part in the team’s weekend minicamp and outshined the other 15 UDFAs in attendance.

AFC Rumors: Luck, Raiders, Taylor, Gilmore

May 8th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Andrew Luck currently attached to a $16.155MM salary due to the Colts exercising their quarterback’s fifth-year option in 2014, the negotiation’s for Luck’s second contract will be the most interesting in the league this summer. In surveying almost 10 NFL personnel sources, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler said the consensus for Luck’s per-year total is between $23-$25MM.

Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers are the league’s only $22MM-AAV players, but it’s expected Indianapolis’ 26-year-old passer will surpass this mark and set a new standard for NFL salaries. Jim Irsay has already boasted about the number this contract will produce, and the owner remains committed to finishing this extension before the season starts.

Considering the supply-and-demand issue affecting the quarterback market right now, Fowler notes Luck has the leverage in this negotiation despite coming off his worst season as a pro.

Here’s the latest from around the AFC.

  • Rookie UDFA linebacker Curt Maggitt chose the Colts over other suitors because of their need at the position and a rapport with outside linebackers coach Brad White at the Combine, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports. The former Tennessee ‘backer has veterans nearing the end in front of him in Robert Mathis and Trent Cole, along with Erik Walden and seventh-round rookie Trevor Bates. Maggitt finished the 2014 season with 11 sacks for the Vols, but injury issues limited him to two games last season.
  • Not exactly known as a savvy drafting organization at the dawn of this decade, the Raiders were apparently ahead of the curve on the player who may be the best offensive talent in the game today. An Oakland scout called Rob Gronkowski the “best all-around player” in that draft class, as a Reddit user, /u/Mattyuh, obtained the Raiders’ 2010 draft binder (h/t USAToday.com). The Raiders, who don’t have anyone left from a draft that included Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, took McClain in the first round but saw the then-injury-prone Arizona tight end go to the Patriots at No. 42 — two spots before their selected Houston. The Raiders’ scouting reports on Dez Bryant, Earl Thomas and Demaryius Thomas are also included in this interesting unearthing.
  • After signing Cordy Glenn to a long-term deal earlier this week, Tyrod Taylor and Stephon Gilmore are next in the Bills‘ extension queue. Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes that the Bills want to sign their bargain-buy quarterback and standout corner to keep them in Buffalo. Glenn’s extension brought his cap number down to $6.2MM for 2016, leaving the Bills with more than $13.7MM in cap space. The No. 10 pick in 2012, Gilmore’s $11.08MM salary for ’16 is considerably higher than Taylor’s ($3.13MM cap hold). Taylor, who Carucci thinks should hold out for Brock Osweiler money ($18MM AAV) in the forthcoming negotiations, will be a free agent after this season.
  • Although the Bills‘ financial attention is now on new deals for Gilmore and Taylor, they would look to add help at wide receiver more than any other position in the late stages of free agency, Carucci writes. Percy Harvin‘s retirement and the Patriots signing Chris Hogan to an offer sheet that went unmatched leave the Bills thin behind Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. Marquise Goodwin may miss some of training camp should he qualify for the Rio Summer Olympic Games in the long jump — the top three long jumpers at the U.S. Trials advance — and the Bills only drafted Kolby Listenbee in the sixth round. Beyond the obvious veterans available — Marques Colston, Roddy White — James Jones and Jason Avant loom as slightly younger veteran alternatives.
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