2017 February - Pro Football Rumors

FA Notes: Cowboys, Williams, Church, Gabriel

February 15th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The free agent period opens in less than one month, but at least front office staff isn’t enthralled by the prospect of adding players from the 2017 open market. “It’s a brutal free agent class,” an AFC executive tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. “You’ve got to hope some guys get cut who can fill a role at a decent price. We’re more interested in seeing who gets released than where these free agents sign.” While this year’s crop of players may not feature the depth of other free agent classes, there is still some intriguing talent at the top of the market, as exhibited in the latest edition of PFR’s Free Agent Power Rankings.

NFL front offices are more willing than ever to employ the franchise tag, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who notes that the franchise tender allows clubs to retain elite-level talent without worrying about large signing bonuses. Those bonuses become prorated onto teams’ salary caps, making it difficult to release players down the road, while the franchise tag — while expensive — only ties a club to a player for a single season. PFR’s Zach Links examined candidates for the 2017 franchise tag earlier today.
The Cowboys coaching staff is “much higher” on free agent Terrance Williams than the rest of the league, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who notes Dallas’ decision-makers respect Williams’ consistency and availability. Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones has already expressed an interest in re-signing Williams, who finished the 2016 campaign with 44 receptions for 594 yards and four touchdowns, but Archer believes another club with more financial wiggle room will likely swoop in and steal Williams away from Dallas.
Pending free agent safety Barry Church sounds open to giving the Cowboys some sort of hometown discount, but like most players reaching the open market for the first time, Church wants to capitalize on his next contract. “It’s definitely a business decision, but … the Cowboys … were the team that gave me that gave me the opportunity coming out of the draft, being undrafted,” Church told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Everybody else kind of passed up on me. But it’s definitely a business decision.” Church, 29, managed two interceptions and four passes defensed in 12 games with Dallas last season, and now joins a free agent safety class that includes Eric Berry and Tony Jefferson.
The Falcons will likely place a second-round restricted free agent tender on wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, and a first-round offer isn’t out of the question, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The second-round tender should be worth roughly $2.8MM in 2017, while a first-round tender will come in around $4MM. Using a high tender would dissuade a club like the 49ers, which now employs former Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, from stealing Gabriel. In his first season with the Falcons, the 25-year-old Gabriel posted 35 receptions for 579 yards and six scores.

Dolphins Expected To Target Defensive Ends

February 15th, 2017 at 6:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins are expected to cut ties with Mario Williams and Dion Jordan in the near future, and as such, defensive end is expected to be the club’s “highest priority” this offseason, one source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Indeed, head coach Adam Gase has reportedly told associates that he expects Miami’s draft to focus almost entirely on the defensive side of the ball, per Salguero.

With Williams and Jordan gone, the Dolphins’ depth chart at defensive end will be comprised of only two players, Cameron Wake and Terrence Fede, the latter of whom saw less than 200 snaps in 2016. Miami is said to be prioritizing a new deal for free agent Andre Branch, but it’s possible that he’ll find a better contract on the open market. The Dolphins, then, could look not only to the draft (where they hold the 22nd overall pick), but to free agency and/or the trade market in order to acquire new edge defenders.

Miami, which ranks in the middle of the pack with nearly $30MM in cap space, ranked just 22nd in DVOA and 31st in adjusted sack rate last season. I recently identified several potential defensive line targets for the Dolphins when assessing the club’s top offseason needs.

Jaguars Decline LT Kelvin Beachum’s Option

February 15th, 2017 at 6:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jaguars have declined their option on left tackle Kelvin Beachum, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Beachum will become a free agent on March 9.

Last offseason, Jacksonville signed Beachum to a unique contract which included a $5MM option bonus for 2017-2020. The option, which would have fully guaranteed Beachum an additional $13MM in base salary, had to be exercised or declined 22 days prior to the start of the new league year, which meant the Jaguars had to make a decision by today.

Beachum, 27, was an elite left tackle during the 2014 with the Steelers, but an ACL injury during the 2015 campaign ended his season and torpedoed his free agent value. Like fellow injury-affected left tackle Russell Okung, Beachum agreed to an oddly-structured contract that fully guaranteed him only $1.5MM, but contained the aforementioned option bonus, option years, and $11MM in incentives and escalators.

Perhaps still recovering from his knee injury, Beachum struggled in 2016, grading as the league’s No. 63 tackle among 78 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, the same organization that rated him as the NFL’s fifth-best OT in 2014. As such, it’s fair to wonder how much the ACL is/was still bothering Beachum, even though he was able to remain on the field for 15 games.

The Jaguars could attempt to re-sign Beachum at a lower price, but if they fail, the club will essentially have to start over at the left tackle position. The free agent market includes Andrew Whitworth, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and not much else, while the draft doesn’t feature any prospects that would make sense at the top of the first round.

Jets Working To Re-Sign OT Ben Ijalana

February 15th, 2017 at 6:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Having declined Ryan Clady‘s 2017 option, the Jets are in need of a starting left tackle, and the club may look internally to fill the void on the blindside. New York is trying to re-sign pending free agent offensive lineman Ben Ijalana, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Ijalana, 27, was slated to act as a backup during the 2017 campaign, but injuries along Gang Green’s offensive line forced him into the starting lineup. Over the course of 13 starts, Ijalana graded out as the league’s No. 60 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked Ijalana just two spots higher than Clady.

A former second-round pick, Ijalana had never started a contest before 2016. Two ACL tears wrecked his time with the Colts, who eventually waived him in 2012. Ijalana has been under New York’s control ever since, but didn’t factor into the club’s plans until this past year.

The Jets could still theoretically re-sign Clady at a lower salary, but otherwise the team’s options at left tackle are limited. The draft doesn’t feature any high-end prospects at the position, while free agency offers Andrew Whitworth, Riley Reiff, and a cavalcade of unsurprising options.

Jets Decline LT Ryan Clady’s 2017 Option

February 15th, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets have informed Ryan Clady that they will not exercise his 2017 option, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Clady will become a free agent when the new league year begins on March 9.

The Jets restructured Clady’s contract at the end of last month, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk subsequently reported, the alteration didn’t do much to change Clady’s status. New York was still faced with a $1MM decision on Clady thanks to a roster bonus, and Clady’s $10MM non-guaranteed base salary remained in play. As Florio speculated, the Jets could have paid the roster bonus and then attempt to talk Clady into a pay reduction, but that would have been an unnecessary risk and a potential waste of $1MM.

Clady, 30, played in only eight games last season before suffering a season-ending rotator cuff injury, the latest in a long line of health issues that Clady has dealt with throughout his career. In that half-season of play, Clady wasn’t all that effective, as Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 62 tackle among 78 qualifiers. Clady’s replacement, Ben Ijalana, wasn’t much better (No. 60), and is now also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Jets cleared $10MM in 2017 cap space by declining Clady’s option, but the club is now in need of a starting left tackle, and the free agent market isn’t exactly flush with options. Clady joins a barren left tackle group that includes Andrew Whitworth, Riley Reiff, Matt Kalil, and Mike Remmers, among others.

Bears Sign OL Eric Kush To Two-Year Deal

February 15th, 2017 at 5:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears announced that they’ve reached agreement on a two-year deal with offensive lineman Eric Kush. Kush, who had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month, is now locked up through the 2018 campaign.

The 27-year-old Kush just wrapped his first season with the Bears after the club claimed off waivers before last season began. Originally slated to serve as a reserve interior lineman, Kush ended up starting four games and appearing in eight total contests after injuries hit Chicago’s front five. Overall, Kush played on 279 offensive snaps for the Bears in 2016, and even chipped in with 27 special teams snaps.

Kush, a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft, has bounced around during his NFL career, spending time with the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Panthers, Texans, and Rams before landing with the Bears. All told, Kush has played in 18 games and picked up five starts.

Chicago has 26 other free agents on its board this offseason, but only one of those players is another offensive lineman like Kush: veteran guard/center Ted Larsen.

Broncos Showing Interest In Victor Cruz?

February 15th, 2017 at 4:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos started working towards setting up a meeting with Victor Cruz shortly after he was cut by the Giants on Monday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com writes. Meanwhile, Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter) hears that the Broncos have yet to discuss signing Cruz.

The Broncos are expected to be flush with cap room and Cruz is the kind of signing that wouldn’t eat up a lot of that space. As of this writing, the Broncos are projected to have more than $40MM to work with in March. Cruz, 31 in November, could serve as a third option in the passing game behind stars Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Cruz has said that he would like to get back to playing in the slot and that’s presumably how the Broncos would use him.

Cruz was a beloved figure in New York as he eclipsed 1,000 yards in both 2011 and 2012 and came two yards shy of that mark in 2013. Unfortunately, he has been slowed by injuries since then. He missed the 2015 season and finished 2016 with 39 receptions for 586 yards and one touchdown.

Chad Henne, Jaguars Restructure Deal

February 15th, 2017 at 2:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Last year, Chad Henne agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal to stay in Jacksonville. The Jaguars wanted to keep Henne on the roster for 2017, but that price was apparently too rich for their blood. Today, the Jaguars and Henne agreed to a restructured deal for the coming season, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. The team has since confirmed the deal via press release.

Under the terms of his previous deal, Henne was slated to carry a $3.25MM cap number in ’17. Terms of the new deal have not yet been disclosed, but it will almost certainly be at a lower number. The QB’s previous deal also included incentives and it’s not clear if the new deal will grant him extra cash for playing time. Regardless, he’s slated to once again hold the clipboard for starter Blake Bortles.

In other Jaguars news, the team has also re-signed wide receiver Arrelious Benn.

Jaguars Re-Sign WR Arrelious Benn

February 15th, 2017 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars re-signed wide receiver Arrelious Benn, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). The deal will be a one year pact with an option for second year.

Last year, Benn appeared in five games for Jacksonville, but mainly in a special teams role. In the past, Benn had a more active role while he was a member of the Buccaneers. In 2010 and 2011, Benn totalled 55 catches for 836 yards and five touchdowns. In between then and now, Benn had an unsuccessful injury-marred stint with the Eagles. The Jaguars’ early re-signing of him could be an indication that they are hoping to use him more as a wide receiver in 2017. Or, this could be a simple low-risk move by Jacksonville that comes without a fiscal guarantee.

Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the Jaguars’ top offseason needs.

Chad Kelly Not Invited To Draft Combine

February 15th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL invited upwards of 300 players to this year’s draft combine in Indianapolis, but Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly and Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon were not among those on the list. Kelly was not invited to the NFL combine based on off-field issues, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets. The same presumably goes for Mixon after video surfaced of him striking a woman.

In accordance with rules passed by the NFL last year, players with felony or misdemeanor convictions are not permitted to attend the combine. All players who wish to participate must submit to a background check. If a player’s background check unearths any conviction involving violence, he is turned away.

After suffering a a torn ACL and lateral meniscus in the fall, it’s not certain that Kelly would have been able to participate in combine drills even if he was invited. If Kelly is healthy enough to work out between now and late April, it’s a good bet that he’ll be able to get interested teams to watch him up close. That will go a long way towards dictating where Kelly might go in the draft. Recently, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller wrote that Kelly is “still an intriguing quarterback prospect in a bad overall class.” Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report heard back in November that the Ole Miss product was being viewed by evaluators as a Day 3 prospect.

We also have conflicting reports on Mixon. One area scout assigned to the Sooners told Albert Breer of The MMQB recently that he’s confident some team will weather the PR storm and draft him. Hours later, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted that Mixon is still undraftable in the eyes of many teams.

Other notable prospects left without invites include Kansas State linebacker Elijah Lee, Ole Miss wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, Michigan offensive linemen Erik Magnuson and Kyle Kalis, Baylor receiver Ishmael Zamora, and Houston linebacker Steven Taylor.