2016 May - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Release Connor Barth

May 2nd, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

2:10pm: The Buccaneers have formally confirmed the release of Barth, announcing that they’ve also cut defensive end Martin Ifedi, who had signed a futures deal in January. Per Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link), Barth requested his release from the Bucs, hoping for the opportunity to find a new home elsewhere.

11:06am: After trading up in the draft to select Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round, the Buccaneers will release veteran kicker Connor Barth today, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

The move had been expected since the moment the Buccaneers turned in their draft card for Aguayo — the team wasn’t going used a second-round pick on a kicker, only to have him compete for a job. Barth had been cut and re-signed by the Bucs multiple times in the past, but he’s unlikely to return this time, barring an injury to the team’s rookie kicker.

Last season, after opening the regular-season schedule with Kyle Brindza handling kicking duties, the Buccaneers made a change several weeks into the season, bringing back Barth to replace the struggling Brindza. The 30-year-old ultimately made 23 of 28 field goal attempts (82.1%), along with 25 of 26 extra point tries.

Barth had been in line to earn a $1.333MM salary in 2016, but that figure was non-guaranteed. Tampa Bay will clear the entire amount from its books by cutting Barth, creating a little extra cap flexibility.

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Ravens Decline Matt Elam’s 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Ravens won’t be picking up safety Matt Elam‘s fifth-year option for the 2017 season, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Elam will be eligible for free agency after the 2016 campaign, assuming Baltimore keeps him on its roster through the year.

Elam, 24, started 26 regular season contests at safety for the Ravens during his first two NFL seasons. However, having led the team in missed tackles and struggled mightily in coverage, he was bumped from Baltimore’s lineup in favor of Will Hill down the stretch in 2014.

Elam entered 2015 looking to redeem himself, but suffered a complete biceps tear in training camp, ending his season. He was also suspended one game for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse.

Heading into training camp this year, Elam figures to compete for the No. 3 safety job in Baltimore’s secondary. If he looks good, he could win that job and earn himself some playing time. However, if he keeps slipping down the depth chart, he’ll be in danger of losing his roster spot entirely. If the Ravens were to cut him, they’d remove his $1.328MM base salary from their 2016 cap.

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Raiders Won’t Exercise D.J. Hayden’s Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are not expected to use their fifth-year option for cornerback D.J. Hayden, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It was long anticipated that the Raiders would decline the option on Hayden’s 2017 season.

The Raiders probably didn’t have a hard time pondering Hayden’s $8.03MM option given his performance. However, with Hayden potentially not in the team’s plans beyond this season, it is a little surprising to see that GM Reggie McKenzie did not tap a corner in this year’s draft.

As of this writing, Hayden is likely slated to be the No. 4 cornerback on the Raiders’ depth chart in 2016. The Raiders group of corners also includes new addition Sean Smith, David Amerson, and Travis Carrie.

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Browns Decline Option On Barkevious Mingo

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will not pick up the fifth-year option on linebacker Barkevious Mingo, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Mingo is now entering his contract year in Cleveland.

Mingo, an LSU product, was taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 draft. That draft, of course, was guided by the Browns’ old regime spearheaded by former GM Michael Lombardi and assistant GM Ray Farmer. The new decision-makers would like to see more from Mingo before potentially committing to him for 2017 and beyond.

Mingo, 26 in October, has appeared in 46 games for the Browns across the last three years but started only 16 games. Last season was Mingo’s least impactful campaign to date as he notched only 18 total tackles. This year, Mingo will try to silence critics who have justifiably labeled him as a draft bust.

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Rams Pick Up Options For Ogletree, Austin

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have exercised their 2017 options for a pair of former first-round picks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that both linebacker Alec Ogletree and wide receiver Tavon Austin had their fifth-year options picked up.

[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

There was never much doubt that the Rams would exercise their 2017 option on Ogeltree, which is worth $8.369MM. Despite the fact that ankle issues cost him most of the 2015 season, the 24-year-old remains one of the more talented players on Los Angeles’ defense, particularly among non-defensive linemen. In his last full season, Ogletree recorded 111 tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defended, and four forced fumbles in 2014.

As for Austin, that decision wasn’t quite as simple. The 25-year-old enjoyed his best season in 2015, establishing new career-highs in receptions (52), receiving yards (473), rushing yards (434), and touchdowns (nine). However, as a top-10 pick, Austin will be owed a $12.268MM salary for 2017 now that his option has been exercised. That’s a significant price for a non-traditional wideout who had never topped 500 receiving yards.

We heard back in February that the Rams are interested in getting extensions done with both Ogletree and Austin, so it’s possible that neither player will actually play out the 2017 season on the terms of his current contract. Working out agreements that extend Ogletree’s and Austin’s stays in Los Angeles beyond 2017 could allow the Rams to reduce both players’ cap numbers for ’17.

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Washington Releases Chris Culliver

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After adding standout cornerback Josh Norman in free agency and selecting Virginia Tech corner Kendall Fuller on day two of the draft, Washington has parted ways with one of its incumbents at the position. According to GM Scot McCloughan (via Twitter), the team has released veteran cornerback Chris Culliver.

Culliver, 27, signed a four-year, $32MM contract with Washington just over a year ago, ultimately playing out just one season of that deal. Although Culliver’s agreement with the club called for $16MM in full guarantees, including an $8MM guaranteed salary for 2016, that guarantee was voided when the cornerback was suspended one game for a 2014 incident.

In 2014, his final season with the 49ers, Culliver limited opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 50.7% and a 66.5 passer rating when they threw into his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF’s grades placed Culliver as the 14th-best cornerback out of 108 qualified players. In 2015, however, Culliver started six games for Washington, tallying 16 tackles and one pass deflection. He was placed on injured reserve in November after tearing his ACL.

Releasing Culliver will save Washington $8MM in cash for 2016, and will open up $5.5MM in cap space, reducing his charge from $9.25MM to $3.75MM.

As a vested veteran, Culliver will be free to sign with any team upon being released, without first having to pass through waivers. Per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter links), McCoughan didn’t close the door on the possibility of Culliver returning to Washington at a reduced rate, but that sounds unlikely.

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Colts Cut Khaled Holmes, Three Others

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have waived offensive lineman Khaled Holmes and three other players, the team announced today in a press release. Tight end Cameron Clear, long snapper Forrest Hill, and tackle Mitchell Van Dyk will join Holmes on the free agent market, assuming they clear waivers.

Holmes, 26, is the most notable player in the group, having been a fourth-round pick in 2013 out of USC. The interior lineman started nine games for the Colts since joining the team, including seven in 2015. However, he played primarily at center in Indianapolis, and the club’s decision to draft Ryan Kelly in the first round on Thursday made Holmes expendable.

The salary cap impact of today’s moves will be negligible for the Colts. All four players were on minimum salary contracts, and only Holmes had any dead money left on his deal. His release will clear his non-guaranteed $675K base salary from Indianapolis’ books, leaving about $105K in dead money on the cap.

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Titans Decline Chance Warmack’s 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans will not exercise their fifth-year option on offensive lineman Chance Warmack‘s rookie contract, the team announced today (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). The move will ensure that Warmack is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2017, barring an extension with Tennessee.

“We have decided to decline the fifth-year option for G Chance Warmack,” GM Jon Robinson said in a statement (Twitter link). “At this point and time for our football team, as we manage the roster and salary cap, we believe this is in the best interest of our team. We talked to Chance and his representation this morning to inform them of our decision. We expect Chance to play well for us this year; and we are not closing the door on his long-term future with our franchise.”

Warmack, 24, has been the Titans’ full-time right guard since being selected 10th overall in the 2013 draft, starting 46 of a possible 48 games over the last three seasons. The Alabama alum has been solid but not spectacular in that role, ranking 40th out of 81 qualified guards in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades.

Even if Warmack had played consistently well during his first three years, it would have been a tough pill to swallow for the Titans to exercise his fifth-year option. As a top-10 pick, Warmack would have been in line for a higher salary than players picked between 11th and 32nd. And because offensive linemen aren’t split up by position, his projected 2017 salary ($11.902MM) would have been the same as the salary for tackles like Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel. Currently, only one guard – Kelechi Osemele – earns more than $8MM per year.

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Vikings Agree To Terms With 10 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have formally agreed to terms with 10 rookie free agents who went undrafted over the weekend, the team announced in a press release.

Minnesota’s 10 undrafted free agent signees are split evenly between offense and defense, with a focus on skill-position players on the offensive side of the ball — there are no offensive linemen in this group. Here’s the full list:

CB Keith Baxter (Marshall)
TE Kyle Carter (Penn State)
DE Theiren Cockran (Minnesota)
LB Jake Ganus (Georgia)
WR Marken Michel (UMass-Amherst)
DE Denzell Perine (Florida International)
RB Jhurell Pressley (New Mexico)
CB Eric Rawls (Kentucky State)
RB Brandon Ross (Maryland)
QB Joel Stave (Wisconsin)

James Harrison To Return In 2016

May 2nd, 2016 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

When James Harrison‘s agent suggested back in February that he expected his client to return to the Steelers in 2016, the veteran linebacker himself cautioned that he had yet to make any decisions. But two and a half months later, it seems Harrison has made up his mind.

On his Instagram account today, Harrison published a photo of himself with the caption “I’m back.” Within the post itself, the Steelers linebacker wrote: “I’ll be 38 on Wednesday and I’m feeling just like a fine wine. Getting better with age.”

Harrison, who will be the NFL’s oldest defensive player in 2016, had been expected to return. He’s under contract through the 2016 season, and in addition to agent Bill Parise expressing optimism about Harrison continuing his career, GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin indicated this weekend that they anticipated another year from their stalwart linebacker. “He’s working out awful hard for a ‘retired’ guy,” Tomlin said.

In spite of his age, Harrison remains a solid contributor on defense. Last season, the former undrafted free agent logged 40 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Pro Football Focus ranked him 14th out of 110 qualified edge defenders, assigning him strong grades as both a run defender and pass rusher.

The Steelers have Harrison on their books for 2016 for an affordable $1.25MM base salary and $1.5MM cap hit.

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