2017 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: September 2024

AFC Notes: Bengals, Raiders, Broncos

July 6th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Zachary Links

You’re not likely to see the Bengals drop Brandon LaFell from the roster, Katherine Terrelle of ESPN.com tweets. While there is lots of young talent at wide receiver, cutting LaFell would require a $3MM+ dead money hit just after re-signing him this year. He also has a strong mentor/mentee relationship with A.J. Green that coaches do not want to bust up. The Bengals have Green, speedy rookie John Ross, Tyler Boyd, LaFell, and fourth-round pick Josh Malone as their top five receivers. Youngsters Cody Core, Alex Erickson, Jake Kumerow, and Chris Brown are left to fight for a spot that may or may not be available.

Chiefs Waive Marqueston Huff

July 6th, 2017 at 5:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs have made their fourth roster move of the day, waiving safety Marqueston Huff with a non-football injury designation, reports Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Earlier Thursday, the Chiefs signed two players, linebacker Josh Mauga and safety Steven Terrell, and waived punter Josh Monday.

Huff wasn’t long for Kansas City, which signed the three-year veteran in March. The Chiefs were the fourth NFL team for the 25-year-old Huff, who entered the league in 2014 as a fourth-round pick of the Titans. Huff spent the first two years of his career in Tennessee, where he totaled 30 appearances and one start, before logging time with the Jaguars and Ravens in 2016.

Huff only saw action in Baltimore last year, when he appeared in 11 games and served almost exclusively as a special teamer, tallying 223 snaps with that unit. He played a meager 11 defensive snaps with the Ravens, who issued a tender to the then-restricted free agent in early March but withdrew the offer a week later.

Ravens Haven’t Contacted Gary Barnidge

July 6th, 2017 at 5:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was upheaval at tight end last month in Baltimore, which released Dennis Pitta after he suffered yet another hip injury and saw the NFL hand a one-year suspension to Darren Waller. Consequently, the Ravens could stand to acquire help at the position, but it doesn’t look as though that aid will come in the form of free agent Gary Barnidge, the top tight end on the market.

Barnidge told Glenn Clark Radio on Thursday that the Ravens haven’t reached out to him, saying (via Callie Caplan of the Baltimore Sun): “They know who to contact, who to call. I just know we haven’t heard anything yet, which is fine.”

PFR’s Dallas Robinson made a compelling case earlier this week for the Ravens to sign Barnidge, noting that their current tight ends carry significant risk.

Ben Watson, whom the Ravens signed as a free agent last offseason, missed all of 2016 after suffering a torn Achilles. That’s a difficult injury to come back from for anyone, let alone a 36-year-old. Injuries have also troubled Crockett Gillmore, who sat out 15 of the Ravens’ 32 games from 2015-16 and then missed minicamp last month on account of a hamstring issue. Maxx Williams isn’t the picture of health, either, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reported last week that knee trouble could force him to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. And then there’s a pair of unproven options in Nick Boyle, who has already racked up a couple PED suspensions during his two-year career, and undrafted rookie Ryan Malleck.

Considering both the lack of certainty among the Ravens’ tight ends and Barnidge’s quality production in recent years, it’s fair to suggest he’d be an upgrade for the club. Barnidge made light of his solid output Thursday.

“In the last two years with eight different quarterbacks, I was able to still put up really good numbers,” Barnidge said. “I was still one of the top tight ends in the NFL over a two-year period … I don’t think there’s any other guy that can say they’ve done that.”

While it’s concerning that the 31-year-old Barnidge has been on the open market since April – when one of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals, the youth-oriented Browns, released him – his numbers were indeed impressive over the previous two seasons. Barnidge broke out in 2015 with 79 receptions, 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, and though he didn’t come close to replicating those stats last year, he still posted respectable totals (55 grabs, 612 yards and two scores). Additionally, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Barnidge graded as Pro Football Focus’ best pass-blocking tight end in 2016. As Robinson pointed out, that aspect of his game could be especially useful to a Baltimore team that lost standout right tackle Ricky Wagner to the Lions in free agency.

Although the Ravens and Barnidge look like a logical match, it doesn’t appear there will be a union between the two. The Ravens could still use some of their nearly $6MM in cap space on another free agent tight end, though, with Ladarius Green, Jacob Tamme and Larry Donnell representing other notable unsigned options.

Chiefs Sign Josh Mauga, Steven Terrell

July 6th, 2017 at 4:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After an injury kept Josh Mauga off the field in 2016, the linebacker re-signed with the Chiefs on Thursday, his agent, Michael Hoffman, announced (on Twitter).

Mauga, who made his NFL debut with the Jets in 2010, joined the Chiefs after the 2013 campaign and played a prominent role with the team from 2014-15. The 250-pounder started in all 30 regular-season appearances during that span, piling up a career-high 103 tackles in 2014 and then notching 57 more stops and a pair of interceptions in 2015. Mauga’s performance ranked an impressive 34th among Pro Football Focus’ qualified linebackers in ’15, but he wasn’t able to build on that last year after suffering a labral tear in his hip during the summer.

Now, the 30-year-old Mauga will rejoin a Chiefs inside linebacker corps that includes Derrick Johnson and Ramik Wilson in starting positions. Mauga, who filled in well for an injured Johnson two years ago, brings more experience than fellow reserves Justin March-Lillard, Terrance Smith and D.J. Alexander.

In other moves, the Chiefs signed safety Steven Terrell and waived punter Will Monday, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Terrell, a three-year veteran, was a notable contributor as a role player in Seattle last season. He appeared in each of the Seahawks’ regular-season contests, combined for 560 snaps (384 on defense, 176 on special teams), tallied the first five starts of his career and totaled a personal-high 23 tackles. He’s now among four reserve safeties in Kansas City, which also has Daniel Sorensen, Eric Murray and sixth-round rookie Leon McQuay III behind starters Eric Berry and Ron Parker.

The Chiefs added Monday back in May. He spent some of last offseason with the Steelers after signing with them as an undrafted free agent from Duke. Monday hasn’t appeared in an NFL game.

Two Players Eligible For Supplemental Draft

July 6th, 2017 at 4:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL’s annual supplemental draft will take place July 12. Only two prospects, Georgia Military College defensive end Tavares Bingham and Western New Mexico running back Marques Rodgers, are eligible this year, as Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout first reported (on Twitter).

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Bingham divided his amateur career between Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and GMC, and he collected 12 tackles and three sacks at the latter institution in six games in 2015. Bingham didn’t play last season because he had exhausted his junior college eligibility and, according to GMC head coach Bert Williams, didn’t have the grades to transfer to a four-year school (via Chase Goodbread of NFL.com).

Like Bingham, Rodgers didn’t take the field last season because of academic ineligibility. Rodgers was a standout the previous year, though, as he picked up 1,283 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rusher and added 61 catches.

Using a supplemental pick on either of these players would cost a team a corresponding selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. For instance, because the Rams used a supplemental fifth-rounder on offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in 2015, they had to give up a fifth-rounder in the ensuing NFL draft. While there were six prospects in last year’s supplemental draft, none came off the board. Those players immediately became unrestricted free agents.

Jets Notes: Revis, McLendon, Skrine

July 6th, 2017 at 3:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis should wait until the postseason to sign with a team, Mike Florio of PFT opines. Revis, as you probably know by now, is reluctant or unwilling to sign with a team for less than the $6MM owed to him by the Jets in 2017. However, he can still collect on that paycheck while going for a ring if he holds off until January. In theory, the Jets could argue that they are entitled to Revis’ playoff share, but whatever they’d get for that would still be a drop in the bucket compared to the $352K per game he is owed from Gang Green.

If Revis follows this plan and recaptures some of his old form in the playoffs, he could set himself up for a nice payday in March 2018. Revis looked like he lost a step or three in 2016, but teams will be quick to forget about that if he plays like a top defender when it counts the most.

Here’s today’s look at the Jets:

Steve McLendon‘s fate is out of his hands, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. If Deon Simon and Mike Pennel perform well in training camp, the nose tackle could lose his job even if he looks good in practice. The veteran, signed to a three-year, $10.5MM pact just last year, has no guaranteed money on his $2.8MM salary for the coming season. Pro Football Focus ranked McLendon No. 64 out of 127 qualified interior linemen they graded. He ranked 45th against the run as he tried to fill the void left by Damon Harrison.
Cornerback Buster Skrine can’t afford a repeat of last season, or else he might not get the opportunity to finish out his four-year, $25MM contract inked back in 2015, Costello writes. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked Skrine the 87th cornerback out of the 111 they graded. He also committed a number of penalties, with six of them coming in one game. If Skrine doesn’t shine as the No. 2 cornerback behind Morris Claiborne, he’ll been seeking work somewhere else in 2018.
Former Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist could be cleared for football activities early next month. After the Jets released him in the spring, coach Todd Bowles left the door open to a reunion, so we could see him in green and white again.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Rams

July 6th, 2017 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

You only get to make one first impression and the Rams’ Los Angeles debut was less than impressive. The Rams got uneven performances out of rookie quarterback Jared Goff (to put it mildly), finished 4-12, and wound up sacking coach Jeff Fisher before the season was through. Now, the Rams are sharing the L.A. market with another team and they hope to set themselves apart with a better showing in 2017.

Notable signings:

Trumaine Johnson, CB: One year, $16.742MM. Fully guaranteed. Signed franchise tag.
Andrew Whitworth, T: Three years, $33.75MM. $15MM guaranteed.
Robert Woods, WR: Five years, $34MM. $10MM guaranteed.
Kayvon Webster, CB: Two years, $8MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $4MM available via incentives.
Greg Zuerlein, K: Three years, $6.75MM. $2.375MM guaranteed.
Lance Dunbar, RB: One year, $1.5MM. $1.375MM guaranteed. $1.5MM available via incentives.
John Sullivan, C: One year, $1MM. $100K guaranteed.
Nickell Robey-Coleman, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
Connor Barwin, LB: One year, $3.5MM. $3MM available via incentives.
Dominique Easley, DT: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
Ethan Westbrooks, DE: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.

Last year, the Rams had two standout cornerbacks set to hit the open market and only one franchise tag to use. They opted to retain Trumaine Johnson while allowing Janoris Jenkins to test free agency. The Rams were apparently close to keeping Jenkins, but he ultimately left to sign a big money deal with the Giants. After watching the 2016 season play out, the decision to roll with Johnson over Jenkins doesn’t look so great. Determined to not lose a star cornerback two years in a row, the Rams used the tag on Johnson for the second year in a row, resulting in a hefty one-year, $16.742MM tender.

Now, the two sides have until July 17th (not July 15th) to hammer out an extension. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like we will see a new deal struck in the coming days. Unless things change, Johnson will play out the year with the highest yearly salary of any cornerback in the NFL. Johnson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 26th-best cornerback last season, indicating that he is starting caliber, but far from elite. Los Angeles would like to tamp down that bloated cap number and lock Johnson up through his prime years, but he seems willing to bet on himself.

The Rams landed this year’s most talented free agent tackle when they signed veteran Andrew Whitworth. A three-year deal with strong cash flow in the first two years may not seem ideal for a 35-year-old, but that’s the cost of doing business when trying to add top offensive tackles. In 2016, PFF rated him as the second-best tackle in the entire NFL and he’s been a Top 5/Top 10 guy for the last five years in a row. The Rams are hoping that the addition of Whitworth will help to give Goff extra time in the pocket, allowing him to make better throws when he’s not under duress. Last year, the Rams finished out with the sixth-worst offensive line in the NFL, according to PFF’s metrics.

Goff will have some new mouths to feed this year, including free agent Robert Woods. Woods made a name for himself in Buffalo as a solid stand-in for Sammy Watkins when he dealt with injury. Now, he’s being counted upon as the WR1 in Los Angeles. Even though he signed a five-year deal, it should be noted that he won’t be long for Los Angeles if he can’t handle his new responsibilities. Woods is due $5MM on the third day of the 2018 league year and nothing is guaranteed for the former Bills complementary target past Year 2.

Kayvon Webster was blocked by corners Chris Harris, Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby and safeties Justin Simmons and Will Parks in Denver. He was vocal about wanting playing time in 2017 and he’ll get his shot with the Rams. Wade Phillips imported Webster to serve as a starting CB opposite Johnson and we’ll soon find out whether he’s top 60 at the position or simply a talented special teams guy.

The Rams may have found two of the offseason’s best values by signing Connor Barwin (one-year, $3.5MM deal) and slot specialist Nickell Robey-Coleman (one-year, minimum salary deal). Barwin played for Phillips with the Texans from 2011-12, and the 30-year-old chose L.A. in part because of the lovable defensive coordinator.

“Wade did a lot for me in the two years I was with Houston,” said Barwin. “He taught me so much about being a pro, enjoying being around the game every single day, and he really elevated my game as a pass rusher.”

Barwin now joins a talented linebacker group which includes Robert Quinn, Alec Ogletree, and Mark Barron. Coupled with the great potential of the defensive line, Phillips has one heck of a front seven to work with.

Robey-Coleman’s release from the Bills was a surprised rivaled only by the low price tag on his deal with the Rams. Last year, the corner earned a higher grade from PFF than former Buffalo teammates Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. It would be a surprise if he bested both of them again in 2017, but there’s no question that there is great potential for Robey-Coleman to outperform his contract.

Notable losses:

Tim Barnes, C: Released
Kenny Britt, WR
Benny Cunningham, RB
Case Keenum, QB
Lance Kendricks, TE: Released
T.J. McDonald, S
Brian Quick, WR
Chase Reynolds, RB
Demetrius Rhaney, C: Waived
Eugene Sims, DE: Released
Cam Thomas, DT

This offseason, the Rams said adios to Kenny Britt. The highly talented Rutgers product was never able to put it all together at the NFL level until last year when he had managed to turn in his first career 1,000+ yard campaign, despite playing in the league’s worst offense. Britt’s work ethic frequently came into question during his college days and it’s possible that the Rams had questions about his maturity when it came time to pay him. It’s also possible that they just saw a four-year deal worth $32.5MM with $17MM guaranteed (the deal he got from the Browns) as too rich of a price tag. Ultimately, they’re betting on better production out of Woods than Britt and you won’t find many talent evaluators willing to support that choice. The Rams will also forge ahead without Brian Quick, who projects to be the WR4 in Washington.

A couple other familiar faces are gone on the offensive side. The Rams’ old regime had high hopes for Lance Kendricks, signing him to a four-year, $18.5MM pact some time ago. The new regime wasn’t as crazy about him. The Rams got out of the deal two years early, even though he had a career-high 50 receptions last year for 499 yards and two scores. There’s now a youth movement going down at tight end, something that we’ll explore a little further down the page.

In two years with St. Louis/Los Angeles, Keenum appeared in ten games with nine starts. The results were less than spectacular and it didn’t seem like the team made much of an attempt to retain him. Now that he’s gone, Sean Mannion will be the primary backup for Goff.

McDonald was the Rams’ starting safety since entering the league in 2013 all the way through 2016. This spring, however, the Rams made no attempt to retain him. The safety is facing an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but that will be a headache for another team (the Dolphins) in 2017.

Sims, 31, appeared in all 16 games for the Rams last season and made eight starts. The advanced numbers at PFF have never been high on Sims and neither was Phillips, apparently. Sims was dropped during a major player purge around the start of free agency and we haven’t heard any word of teams being interested in him in the last four months. That’s a sign that Sims is still not healthy enough to play (he was cut with a failed physical designation) or that teams no longer see him as a quality defensive end.

Trades:

Acquired a 2017 sixth-round pick (No. 206) from the Dolphins in exchange for DE William Hayes and a 2017 seventh-round pick (No. 223).
Acquired a 2017 second-round pick (No. 44; TE Gerald Everett) and a 2017 third-round pick (No. 91; S John Johnson) from the Bills in exchange for a 2017 second-round pick (No. 37; WR Zay Jones) and a 2017 fifth-round pick (No. 149).
Acquired a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 117; WR Josh Reynolds) and a 2017 sixth-round pick (No. 197) from the Bears in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 112; S Eddie Jackson).
Acquired a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 125; LB Samson Ebukam) from the Jets in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick (No. 141; WR Chad Hansen) and a 2017 sixth-round pick (No. 197; CB Jeremy Clark).
Acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick from the Lions in exchange for T Greg Robinson.

It’s hard to find fault with the William Hayes deal from the Dolphins’ perspective. From the Rams’ side, however, the deal is a bit perplexing. Hayes had two years to go on his three-year, $17.5MM contract, a good value considering the way that lesser pass rushers have gotten paid since then. It seems that Phillips didn’t like his chances of transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. If Hayes (and McDonald, for that matter) breaks out in Miami, there will be a lot of second guessing going on in L.A. On a related note, Hayes’ deal was shortened to allow him to reach the free agent market after the 2017 season.

The Rams moved back in the second round and got themselves a new starting tight end seven spots down. Gerald Everett will now take the place of Kendricks in the offense and the Rams are hoping for better results. Interestingly, the Rams’ failsafe for Everett is also a relative youngster. Tyler Higbee, who slid down draft boards in 2016 thanks to his off-field behavior, is expected to see significant snaps behind the rookie. Beyond them, there’s Cory Harkey – a relatively unknown holdover from the old regime – and 2016 sixth-round choice Temarrick Hemingway. If the Rams don’t like what they see from the TE group in August, don’t be surprised if they look at external options.

Rams fans were tired of waiting for Greg Robinson to do something at the professional level and so were the Rams. When Taylor Decker went down with an injury, the Rams pawned the former No. 2 overall pick off on the Lions in exchange for a sixth-round choice. Maybe a change of scenery will do Robinson good, but it was abundantly clear that things were just not going to work for him with the Rams. In each of the last three seasons, the advanced numbers have pegged Robinson as one of the league’s worst tackles.

Draft picks:

2-44: Gerald Everett, TE (South Alabama)
3-69: Cooper Kupp, WR (Eastern Washington)
3-91: John Johnson, S (Boston College)
4-117: Josh Reynolds, WR (Texas A&M)
4-125: Samson Ebukam, LB (Eastern Washington)
6-189: Tanzel Smart, DT (Tulane)
6-206: Sam Rogers, FB (Virginia Tech)
7-234: Ejuan Price, DE (Pitt)

The Rams did not have a first-round choice in this year’s draft thanks to the Jared Goff trade of 2016. After this year, we might have a better handle on whether that was a smart trade for L.A.

Other:

Hired Sean McVay to replace Jeff Fisher / John Fassel (interim).
Hired Matt LaFleur as offensive coordinator to replace Rob Boras. Hired former Jaguars OC Greg Olson as quarterbacks coach.
Hired Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator to replace Gregg Williams. Hired former Redskins DC Joe Barry as assistant head coach/linebackers.
Exercised 2018 fifth-year option for DT Aaron Donald ($6.892MM).
Claimed C Austin Blythe off waivers from the Rams.
Claimed DT Mike Purcell off waivers from the 49ers.
Learned CB Troy Hill was suspended two games (substance abuse).
Signed RFA OL Ryan Groy to two-year, $5MM offer sheet. Bills matched the offer.
Signed, then released, DT Tyrunn Walker following rape allegations.
Signed 11 undrafted rookie free agents.

This offseason, the Rams made Sean McVay the youngest coach in the NFL’s modern era. He might not have as much experience as other candidates, but his fresh perspective is exciting to GM Les Snead.

“Exciting, because you see the young head coach but you also see him bring this unbelievable energy and passion to the job with that thought of how he wants to put together his staff and the puzzle there and what he’s trying to accomplish,” the GM said. “You’re working together to problem-solve, come up with solutions, come up with decisions and try to come up with what’s best for the Rams…. You can feel the chemistry developing based on just rolling up your sleeves and going to work and making your first decisions together.”

The former Redskins offensive coordinator has developed a reputation as a quarterback whisperer after helping to turn Kirk Cousins into a top signal caller. Goff was inconsistent under center last year and the Rams are hoping that McVay will be able to get him on the right track. Ultimately, the fates of the young quarterback and the young coach may be tied together.

McVay is not daunted by the challenge of being a 31-year-old head coach and he’ll even be calling the plays on offense. On the other side of the ball, veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is calling the shots. The Broncos effectively let Phillips skip town this offseason and the Rams were thrilled to give him a new home.

Top 10 cap charges for 2017:

Trumaine Johnson, CB: $16,742,400
Tavon Austin, WR: $14,977,116
Mark Barron, LB: $11,000,000
Michael Brockers, DT: $11,000,000
Robert Quinn, LB $10,750,334
Andrew Whitworth, T: $9,166,666
Alec Ogletree, LB: $8,369,000
Robert Woods, WR: $7,000,000
Jared Goff, QB: $6,349,471
Rodger Saffold, G: $6,190,983

The worst contract in this bunch probably belongs to Tavon Austin, and he inked his extension less than one year ago. Austin, 26, hasn’t done a whole lot to justify being taken No. 8 overall in 2013. Now, he has a deal that averages $10.5MM through the 2021 season. Last year, Austin set a career high with 58 catches, but he averaged only 8.8 yards per grab. Next year, the Rams can drop Austin if they’re willing to take on $5MM in dead money while saving $3MM against the cap. If he can’t take a step forward, don’t be surprised if McVay & Co. cut ties.

Information from Over the Cap and Roster Resource was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Safety Marcus Gilchrist To Be Cleared Soon

July 6th, 2017 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Soon, Marcus Gilchrist will be ready to audition for NFL teams. The free agent safety will be cleared for action in early August, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.co (on Twitter).

Gilchrist, a six-year vet, tore his patellar tendon last season and wound up on the injured reserve in mid-December. The safety has started in all of his appearances for Gang Green all the way back to 2013 and coach Todd Bowles says he’s open to a reunion once Gilchrist’s knee heals up. If he winds up back with the Jets, it will probably be as a reserve behind rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.

In his injury-shortened season, Gilchrist graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 53 ranked safety out of 90 qualified players. His overall score of 77.1 roughly matched his work across the previous three seasons. Gilchrist might not find another starting job for 2017, but he’s clearly deserving of a roster spot if he’s back to full health.

Redskins Notes: Moses, Williams, Cousins

July 6th, 2017 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

New Redskins senior vice president of personnel Doug Williams indicated in a recent interview that he will be on equal footing with coach Jay Gruden when it comes to personnel decisions rather than having full authority. Still, Williams says he will not simply bend to the whim of Gruden, team president Bruce Allen, or anyone else in D.C.

“I’ve never been a ‘yes guy,’ ” Williams told Liz Clarke of The Washington Post. “Now, can I be someone who can talk things over and work it out? Yes. I know Jay well and Bruce well. And I know there are going to be times when we may not agree. That’s a good thing; that’s what scouting is all about.”

While we wait to see how the revamped front office structure pans out, here’s more on the Redskins:

Tackle Morgan Moses, who signed a lucrative five-year, $40MM+ extension with the Redskins this offseason, is the team’s secret superstar, according to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus. Per PFF’s stats, Moses had three perfect games of pass protection in 2016 and finished with the eighth-highest grade of any right tackle in the NFL last year. The 26-year-old now has the third-richest deal among RTs league-wide and it’s easy to understand why when examining the advanced metrics.
The Redskins presently have nine inside linebackers on the roster and are likely to only keep four or five. With Will Compton, Zach Brown, and Mason Foster as locks to make the 53-man roster, Martrell Spaight, Chris Carter, and Zach Vigil find themselves on the bubble, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. If Spaight, Carter, and Vigil are competing for one spot, then Spaight might have the inside track based on what he was able to do as a fill-in for Compton last season. Meanwhile, Pete Robertson, seventh-round pick Josh Harvey-Clemons, and Nico Marley appear to be longshots. Harvey-Clemons may need a year on the practice squad to get seasoning and Marley is lacking size at 5’8″.
Kirk Cousins could make a difference for all NFL players by pushing for a deal with unprecedented guarantees, Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post. As we all know, NFL deals will often sound more impressive than they are due to paltry guarantees. Meanwhile, contracts for players in the NBA and MLB come fully guaranteed. Cousins is seeking to get maximum value on his new deal, but he would really move the needle for his brethren by getting a completely guaranteed pact, or something close to it. A long-term deal for the Redskins and the quarterback coming together this month is currently viewed as a longshot. There are also rumblings that Cousins is not happy with the organization in general, meaning that he might not be willing to sign an extension of any size with the team.

AFC East Notes: Taylor, Bills, Patriots

July 6th, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

Will Tyrod Taylor be the Bills‘ starting quarterback in 2018? That’s not happening unless he guides Buffalo to the playoffs, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com argues, and that appears to be a longshot. The Bills are already armed with two first-round picks in 2018 and that could give them the needed ammunition to get a top talent in the 2018 draft class like Sam Darnold or Josh Allen.

Taylor agreed to a restructured deal with the Bills this offseason, giving him a two-year, $30.5MM pact. However, the structure of the new deal guarantees him little beyond 2017. Only $1MM of his $10MM salary in 2018 is guaranteed and he’ll be due a $6MM roster bonus early on in the 2018 league year. If the Bills want to go in a new direction after this season, they can cut ties with him without much financial penalty.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Aside from Stephon Gilmore, Mike Gillislee could have the highest impact of any Patriots free agent this year, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss opines. However, he’s not sure as to whether the former Bills running back will be a clear upgrade over LeGarrette Blount. He’ll have support from Rex Burkhead (a fellow free agent addition), James White, Dion Lewis, and maybe D.J. Foster, but Gillislee will be the running back charged with replacing Blount’s production.
The Dolphins are considering sixth round pick Vincent Taylor as an option for the No. 3 defensive tackle role, but there are doubts about whether he is ready for such responsibilities. “I think [fifth-round pick Davon] Godchaux will be a solid rotational guy. But I thought Taylor stunk,” one AFC executive tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I gave him a free agent grade. Stiff as hell. Just wasn’t that good a player.” Jackson continues to indicate that the No. 3 DT spot is a problem area for Miami, though they have yet to make a play for any of the available veterans at the position. If they can’t find a clear winner among journeyman Nick Williams, Lawrence Okoye, Godchaux, or Taylor, they might rethink that stance.
Beyond receiver, the Dolphins‘ best bottom of the roster competition is at defensive back, Jackson writes. Walt Aikens, who can play both safety and corner, is the frontrunner for a spot. After him, there’s Jordan Lucas, undrafted rookie Maurice Smith, Lafayette Pitts, and A.J. Hendy competing for either one job or two jobs. It will be two jobs up for grabs if the Dolphins opt for ten defensive backs in total during T.J. McDonald’s eight-game suspension.

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