2018 February - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Cowboys WR Dez Bryant

February 28th, 2018 at 3:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have yet to make a decision on whether veteran wideout Dez Bryant will be with the club in 2018, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

“I don’t have a time frame just yet,” said Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones. “Obviously, it’s going to happen sooner than later. … We have to continue to work on our end and see where we are gonna end up on it.”

Bryant is due a $12.5MM base salary in 2018, and will count for $16.5MM on Dallas’ salary cap. If he’s released, the Cowboys would save $8.5MM but still be on the hook for $8MM in dead money. Dallas could designate the 29-year-old Bryant as a post-June 1 release and in turn save $12.5MM in 2018 space, but that extra room wouldn’t be available until June. As such, it wouldn’t help the Cowboys sign free agents in March.

Bryant has managed to get into the end zone 14 times over the past two seasons, but he hasn’t topped 1,000 yards since the 2014 season. 2017 also marked the first year that Bryant was able to stay healthy for all 16 games since that 2014 season. Bryant only posted 69 receptions and 838 yards, however, which isn’t in line with a salary that makes him the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid wideout.

Speaking at the scouting combine today, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett also sidestepped the issue of Bryant’s roster status. “We have a tremendous amount of love for Dez Bryant,” said Garrett, who indicated Dallas has yet to discuss personnel decisions (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). “He’s been a great player for us for a long time.”

Broncos Rumors: Thomas, Sanders, Wolfe

February 28th, 2018 at 3:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s a quick look at the latest out of Denver:

As had been previously reported, the Broncos plan to retain wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, general manager John Elway told reporters, including Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Specifically, Denver will exercise its $4MM option on Thomas, which will lock the 30-year-old pass-catcher into a $8.5MM base salary for the 2018 season. Sanders, meanwhile, is due an $8.15MM base salary next year. While neither receiver performed up to expectations in 2017, the Broncos likely want to keep both veterans around as they search for a new quarterback.
Similarly, the Broncos will bring back defensive end Derek Wolfe, who’d been mentioned as a possible cap casualty, tweets Jhabvala. Wolf, 28, signed a four-year, $36.7MM extension prior to the 2016 campaign, forgoing free agency in order to re-sign with Denver. Since that time, Wolfe has been limited by minor injuries, and played on fewer than half of the Broncos’ defensive snaps a season ago. Pro Football Focus ranked Wolfe — who managed two sacks in 2017 — as the No. 58 interior defender among 122 qualifiers. He’ll collect a base salary of $8MM and count for ~$10.769MM on Denver’s cap in 2018.
While Thomas, Sanders, and Wolfe appear safe, Elway refused to give the same declaration on cornerback Aqib Talib or running back C.J. Anderson, per Jhabvala (Twitter link). Denver is reportedly attempting to trade Talib (and his $11MM salary), but the club could release the veteran defensive back if no interest is found. Anderson, meanwhile, may also be cut, and the Dolphins — who signed Anderson to a restricted free agent offer sheet in 2016 — are expected to pursue him.

Cardinals Undecided On Tyrann Mathieu’s 2018 Option

February 28th, 2018 at 3:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals are evaluating the contract status of defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, general manager Steve Keim told reporters today, but the Arizona decision-maker sounded “very non-committal” about picking up Mathieu’s 2018 option, tweets Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

Mathieu, 25, inked a five-year, $62.5MM extension with the Cardinals prior to the 2016 campaign. That deal, on its face, locked the former third-round pick in Arizona through 2021, but the deal contains a roster bonus that will determine Mathieu’s fate with the club. Mathieu will collect a $5MM bonus if he’s on the Arizona roster on March 14. Not only that, but Mathieu’s entire 2018 base salary ($5.75MM) and $8MM of his $10.75MM 2019 base salary would become fully guaranteed.

The Cardinals could release Mathieu before mid-March and not be forced to make those payments, but the club would still be on the hook for $9.3MM in dead money. Arizona would create $4.8MM in cap space by cutting Mathieu, but it’s possible the two sides could work out a pay reduction or contract restructuring, allowing Mathieu to stay in the desert while the Cardinals save cash and cap space.

Mathieu was a Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s best defensive backs as recently as 2015, but he’s struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness over the past two seasons. Last year, Mathieu managed to start all 16 games, but only graded as the league’s No. 61 cornerback among 121 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Falcons To Exercise Vic Beasley’s Option

February 28th, 2018 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons will exercise their fifth-year option on Vic Beasley, GM Thomas Dimitroff told reporters (Twitter link via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The Falcons had until May to make the call, but they did not need the extra time to mull it over.

The fifth-year option will keep Beasley under contract through the 2019 season. He’s already signed through the upcoming season at a $4.6MM cap number, the fourth year of his rookie contract. The figures for the fifth-year option are not yet known, but it will likely be in excess of $13MM.

The Falcons experimented with using Beasley as an outside linebacker in the past, but he’ll return to playing defensive end full time in 2018, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Despite his up-and-down campaign, his previous work and potential made the fifth-year option decision an easy call.

In 2016, Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a First Team All-Pro selection. Last year, he had just five sacks and his reassignment to linebacker resulted in a career-worst 55.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus.

The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Falcons will have an opportunity to change course if necessary.

Redskins, Broncos Discussing Cravens Trade

February 28th, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Su’a Cravens could be on the move. The Broncos and the Redskins are discussing a trade to send the safety to the Denver, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). No deal is done yet, but the Broncos are showing the most interest of any team and appear to be the most likely landing spot for the former second-round pick.

Cravens decided late in the 2016 offseason to retire from football. The news caught the Redskins completely off guard as they were banking on Cravens to start at one of their safety spots. The youngster reversed his decision hours later, but the Redskins were still skeptical about his desire to continue playing. After a short stay on the NFI list, the Redskins parked him on the reserve/left squad list, barring him from playing in 2017.

The versatile defender was diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome, according to a statement released by his agent late last year, but he is now “asymptomatic and cleared to return back to all things football.”

The Broncos currently project to start some combination of Darian Stewart, Will Parks, and Justin Simmons at safety. Cravens could step in as a first-stringer while also contributing at outside linebacker. In his first season, the Redskins used Cravens at multiple positions, though they were planning on having him focus on safety in his sophomore campaign.

Redskins Exec: No Discussions About Cousins Tag

February 28th, 2018 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Maybe the Redskins aren’t giving serious thought to using the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins after all. Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the team has not had a meeting about franchising the quarterback (Twitter links via NBC Sports Washington).

Placing the franchise tag on Cousins would be crazy, reckless, and petty, which is exactly why folks in the football world have speculated that the Redskins could go through with it. Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly spoke to rival executives about the possibility, but if Williams is to be believed, that move is no longer on the table.

If he is not tagged between now and the March 6 deadline, Cousins will enter free agency on March 14 as an unrestricted free agent. The legal tampering period kicks off on March 12, but Cousins’ plan is to take his time and likely not agree to terms with a club until things officially get underway. Cousins is expected to set a new watermark as the league’s highest-paid player, though he won’t hold that title for long with Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and other QBs in line for lucrative extensions.

Latest On Johnny Manziel

February 28th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Johnny Manziel is getting ready to suit up in the Spring League, but his focus remains on an NFL comeback. With that in mind, Manziel’s camp has informed teams that he is willing to sign a minimum salary deal with no guaranteed money and would even be willing to accept a practice squad contract in order to prove that he belongs in the league (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).

Garafolo seems optimistic about Manziel’s chances of landing a practice squad deal, but it stands to reason that many teams will be against giving Manziel another opportunity given his history of substance abuse and partying. For what it’s worth, Manziel says that he has worked on his issues and has re-dedicated himself to football.

“I was self medicating with alcohol because that’s what I thought was making me happy to help me get out of that depression to a point where I felt like I had some sense of happiness,” Manziel said recently. “But at the end of the day, when you wake up the next day after a night like that or after going on a trip like that, and you wake up the next day and that’s all gone.”

Manziel, 25, has not played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. Although he showed flashes of impressive play, his stat line of seven touchdowns against seven picks with a 57% completion rate leaves much to be desired.

Colts To Move On From Frank Gore

February 28th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Frank Gore wants to continue playing in 2018. However, it will not be with the Colts. Colts GM Chris Ballard had a conversation with Gore and told him that they are planning on going in a different direction in order to get younger at the running back position, according to coach Frank Reich (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells).

Gore will turn 35 in May, which is well past the expiration date for most running backs. However, he was still reasonably productive last year, running for 961 yards with three touchdowns plus 29 catches for 245 receiving yards. Gore has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in all but four of his NFL seasons and topped 1,000 all-purpose yards in every campaign but his rookie year.

Here’s the bad news: Gore’s yards per carry average has dipped as of late and he has not had more than 4.0 yards per tote since he left San Francisco after the 2014 season. In 2017, Gore matched a career worst with 3.7 yards per attempt.

It’s hard to see Gore getting a shot as a Week 1 starter, but teams will reach out with the idea of having him on the lower end of a timeshare. Chris Ivory, who is coming off of a rough couple of years in Jacksonville, is already picking up interest, so that’s a good indicator that Gore’s phone will be ringing in March.

Rob Gronkowski Expected To Return

February 28th, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

After pondering retirement, Rob Gronkowski is expected to continue playing in the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reports. Agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to comment on the tight end’s status, but the belief is that he’ll be back with the Patriots in 2018.

Rumors have been swirling about Gronkowski’s future for quite some time, particularly after he suffered a concussion during the AFC Championship game. The tight end has pondered a future in movies and even the WWE, but he’ll put acting and wrasslin’ on hold for the time being.

The lovable Gronk has caught 76 touchdowns through eight seasons in the NFL. This past season, he turned in another productive campaign with 69 grabs for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.

After the Super Bowl, Patriots coach Bill Belichick did his best to quell talk of Gronkowski moving on to something else.

“At the end of every season, every person goes through somewhat of a process at the end of the season and then the following season,” Belichick said. “I think everyone that is involved in a NFL season, you get pretty drained especially after a season like this. [You] go through the end of the year process. The following year is the following year. It’s the same for everybody. I certainly can’t speak for anybody else…You’d have to ask any individual for every situation, but I would say five minutes after the game, or the day after the game is not really the time to make those decisions.”

Falcons G Andy Levitre To Return In 2018

February 28th, 2018 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Guard Andy Levitre will be back and ready to go next season, according to Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure). Levitre missed time at the end of the 2017 regular season and was unable to suit up for their playoff games against the Rams and Eagles.

Levitre, 32 in May, is under contract with the team for one more season. He is slated to carry an $8.375MM cap hit and it’s conceivable that the Falcons will seek a cap smoothing extension with him in the coming weeks. As of this writing, the Falcons have roughly $11.5MM in cap room to work with and they’re hoping to extend quarterback Matt Ryan while addressing other needs.

Levitre had never missed a regular season game in his NFL career until he suffered a partially torn triceps in Week 13. He attempted to play through the pain in a late season contest against the Panthers, but he was forced out after only five plays. Last year, Levitre graded out as the 17th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.