2017 June - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks Haven’t Discussed Extension With Kam Chancellor

June 14th, 2017 at 8:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although head coach Pete Carroll yesterday indicated the Seahawks are inclined to work out an extension with safety Kam Chancellor, Seattle has not formally reached out to Chancellor regarding a new contract, as Chancellor explained to reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).

“We would very much like to work something out,” Carroll said Tuesday. “We’re working at it. And that’s really all we’ll say. But we are working at it with every intention of taking care of business. It takes awhile. Things take awhile. His frame of mind and our frame of mind are in a really good place. And we’re going to work hard to get something done. We’ll see if we can.”

Chancellor, who notably held out until Week 3 of the 2015 campaign in the (ultimately failed) hopes of landing a new contract, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $6.8MM and count for ~$8.125MM against the cap in 2017 before becoming a free agent next spring. The 29-year-old Chancellor started 12 games a season ago, playing on roughly two-thirds of Seattle’s defensive snaps while grading as the league’s No. 3 safety, per Pro Football Focus.

Jets Working Out Bobby Rainey, Dexter McCluster

June 14th, 2017 at 7:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are continuing to look at free agent offensive players, as running back Bobby Rainey and RB/WR Dexter McCluster are working out for New York during the club’s minicamp session, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Rainey and McCluster will join Denard Robinson and Kenbrell Thompkins as notable Jets tryout players this week.

Rainey, 29, spent the 2016 campaign with the Giants, managing 17 carries and 20 receptions in a reserve role. He also played a role on special teams, averaging 6.5 yards per punt return and 25.5 yards per kick return. A five-year NFL veteran, Rainey’s most notable pro seasons came with the Buccaneers in 2013 and 2014, as he rushed for more than 400 yards in each year.

McCluster, meanwhile, signed with the Chargers last September after the club lost fellow back Danny Woodhead for the season. The 27-year-old McCluster appeared in six games before he went down with his own injury, a broken arm suffered during an in-home accident. McCluster didn’t contribute much to the Chargers’ offense, but did post 17 total returns during his short time with the team.

Clearly, the Jets are attempting to upgrade their special teams unit which ranked 31st in DVOA last season. Rainey, McCluster, Robinson, Thompkins, and recent signee Jordan Todman all have experience in the return game. Jalin Marshall, one of New York’s primary return men in 2016, is suspended for the first four games of the 2017 campaign.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/17

June 14th, 2017 at 7:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Signed: WR Cameron Posey
Waived: S Brian Blechen

Denver Broncos

Signed: CB Chris Lewis-Harris (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post)
Waived: CB Taurean Nixon

Green Bay Packers

Signed: T Robert Leff
Waived: C Jacob Flores
Waived off IR with injury settlement: CB David Rivers (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Waived off IR with injury settlement: DE Deondre Barnett (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)

Washington Redskins

Waived: DB Shakiel Randolph

Ravens Unlikely To Sign Another WR

June 14th, 2017 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After signing Jeremy Maclin this week, the Ravens are focused on upgrading their offensive line rather than adding another wide receiver such as Eric Decker or Anquan Boldin, franchise owner Steve Bisciotti told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

“If I don’t get an offensive lineman, somebody is going to start shooting at me. If I have one bullet left in that gun, I better save it for an offensive lineman,” Bisciotti said. “I think right now, we have a lot of confidence in Chris Moore to be our fourth wideout and let the competition begin with the fifth and sixth wideout. [Michael] Campanaro, as you know, has to stay healthy and Keenan Reynolds is developing. Chris Matthews is doing some nice things in camp and did nice things last year in camp.

I’d say that I don’t think that we have room for a starter at wide receiver now and I do think there’s going to be some talent out there that could challenge for a starting position on our offensive line. I think I’m going to save that last punch for an offensive lineman.”

Baltimore currently boasts Maclin, Mike Wallace, and former first-round pick Breshad Perriman as its top three wideouts, but that group certainly comes with question marks. Before releasing him, the Chiefs were reportedly concerned Maclin, who signed a two-year deal with the Ravens, had “lost a step”, as Zrebiec writes in a separate piece. Like Maclin, Perriman has dealt with injuries in the recent past, as he missed his entire rookie campaign before posting 33 receptions a season ago.

As Bisciotti alludes to, Baltimore could use another lineman (especially on the interior), and one free agent to whom the club has been linked — former Jets center Nick Mangold — is still available. The two sides are reportedly in a holding pattern, and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com suggested last month that Mangold may want more money than the Ravens are willing to offer.

Jets LB Demario Davis Accepts Pay Cut

June 14th, 2017 at 5:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Linebacker Demario Davis accepted a pay cut upon being traded to the Jets earlier this month, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reported in early June that New York was likely to reduce Davis’ salary after re-acquiring him.

Davis, 28, had been due a base salary of $3.7MM for the upcoming season, but none of that total was guaranteed. Now, Davis will earn a $100K signing bonus, a $900K base salary, and can bring in an additional $1.225MM via incentives. All told, Davis’ new salary cap charge is $2.225MM, meaning Gang Green has shaved $1.475MM off its 2017 cap.

A full-time starter for the Jets from 2013-15, Davis spent the 2016 campaign with the Browns. In 15 starts, Davis racked up 99 tackles, two sacks, and graded as the league’s No. 59 linebacker among 87 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Dealt back to the Jets in exchange for safety Calvin Pryor, Davis figures to start next to Darron Lee now that veteran ‘backer David Harris has been released.

Redskins’ DeAngelo Hall Takes Pay Cut

June 14th, 2017 at 5:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Redskins safety DeAngelo Hall told reporters today that he is accepting a pay cut for the 2017 season. The move was pretty much expected in order for Hall to remain with the team.

Initially, Hall was set to earn a base salary of $4.25MM with a cap number above $5MM. Now, Hall will bring in a $2.3MM base salary, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link), who adds Hall can earn back another $250K if he earns a Pro Bowl nod.

Hall appeared in just 17 of 48 possible regular season games over the past three seasons. Thanks to the torn ACL he suffered last year, it’s possible that he could begin the 2017 season on the physically unable to perform list. All things considered, the 33-year-old didn’t have a ton of leverage on his side when the Redskins pushed for a hair cut.

If Hall is unable to stay healthy this year, they do have safety nets in place. Utility man Su’a Cravens is expected to play at safety more than at linebacker and the team also added free agent D.J. Swearinger as a free agent. Fourth round pick Montae Nicholson will also be competing for time and could see significant reps if he is not overly green. Our friends at Roster Resource have Swearinger and Cravens as the projected starting safeties.

Broncos K Brandon McManus Signs Tender

June 14th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus has signed his restricted free agent tender, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will pay him $2.746MM. Schefter adds that a long-term deal is still possible between the two sides.

The Broncos opted to tender McManus at the second round level this offseason. McManus waited to put pen to paper, however, as he was hoping for a long-term deal instead.

“There’s really no rush for me to sign the tender because it could go through June 15,” McManus said back in May. “I’d love to be here as long as I can and be on a long-term deal here that gives me security. I love Denver. I love the fan base here. I would love to be here four more years so why not see what I can do?”

McManus has appeared in 47 games with the Broncos over the past three seasons, converting 82.9-percent of his field goal attempts. He’s also one of the better kickers in the league for kickoffs, which adds to his overall value. The Broncos would probably like to keep him in the fold beyond 2017, but there’s also no real reason for them to commit right now.

Matt Jones’ Agent Asks Redskins To Cut Him

June 14th, 2017 at 1:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Matt Jones is not a key part of the Redskins’ plans for 2017, so he is (understandably) looking to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Jones’ agent asked the team to release his client, as Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes.

“Let’s move on,” agent Hadley Engelhard said. “We’re hoping [team president Bruce Allen] sees the light and does the gentleman thing and release Matt.”

Reading between the lines, Engelhard’s decision to go on record with the media on this matter might not be a good sign for his effort to get Jones on the open market. Odds are, Engelhard has been pushing Allen behind the scenes for several weeks to cut the running back but has so far been unsuccessful. Eventually, however, something has to give. The Redskins tried to find a suitable trade for Jones in the spring but did not find much of a market.

Jones was once the Redskins’ starting back but he has been bypassed by Robert Kelley. This year, Oklahoma product Samaje Perine figures to see a good percentage of the carries and Chris Thompson will return as the team’s pass-catching specialist out of the backfield. That leaves little-to-zero room for the talented but fumble-prone Jones.

Steelers Sign First-Round Pick T.J. Watt

June 14th, 2017 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers signed first-round linebacker T.J. Watt, according to a team announcement. After also inking third-round cornerback Cameron Sutton this week, Pittsburgh has become the latest team to wrap up its 2017 draft class.

“T.J. is a rock solid young man who has a lot of upside,” said Coach Mike Tomlin in a press release. “He doesn’t have a lot of experience at the position, but at the same time we saw some things that were exciting to us. His hand usage in particular for a guy with his short resume at the position was exciting. His production speaks for itself. He’s just a quality guy and a quality pick for us. We’re excited about continuing his development not only as a football player, but as an outside linebacker. That’s probably the most exciting element of the T.J. discussion. We are excited about the potential upside and growth given the short length of time he’s played the position.”

Watt, a Wisconsin product, finished the 2016 season with 17 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Last year was his first campaign as a starter and just his second season playing defense after switching from tight end. But, of course, hard-nosed defense runs in Watt’s blood.

“I am a lunch pail kind of guy who yeah, I just got picked in the first round, but I am here to prove that I am worth that pick and I am worth much more than that as well,” said Watt, the younger brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt. “I think some things come easy for me, like the transition over to defense. It came naturally to me, but at the same time there was so much work behind the scenes that no one ever saw. That’s what it’s so hard to put it into words. It is a lot of God-given ability, but it is so much work that no one will ever see. No one will ever know. It’s an insurmountable amount of work. That is how you get to places like this and get the opportunity to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It all pays off. It really does.”

Watt may wind up starting at one of the Steelers’ outside linebackers pots, putting him opposite of James Harrison with Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams in between. Former first-round pick Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats will also be pushing for playing time at OLB.

Browns Sign Rookie QB DeShone Kizer

June 14th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

DeShone Kizer is officially in the fold. The Browns announced that they have signed the rookie quarterback.

The Notre Dame product has reportedly impressed in practice, leading some to wonder whether he could see significant time on the field in his rookie season. Brock Osweiler – who has also been looking good in camp – and Cody Kessler are also pushing for the starting job. In a recent poll asking PFR readers which rookie quarterback will make the highest impact, Kizer came in second place with 17.36% of the vote. Texans signal caller Deshaun Watson took first place with 44% of the vote.

Kizer was viewed as one of the better quarterbacks in this year’s class and the Browns were excited to land him at No. 52 overall. However, not everyone is sold on him. The dual-threat QB was excellent in 2015, posting 21 touchdowns and completing nearly 63% of his passes while averaging 8.5 adjusted yards per target. Unfortunately, in 2016, his completion percentage dropped by more than four points. Soon enough, we’ll know whether Kizer has what it takes to succeed at the next level.

With Kizer signed, the Browns now have eight of their ten draft picks officially under contract. First round safety Jabrill Peppers and first round tight end David Njoku are now the only stragglers in the class.