2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Lamar Jackson

March 29th, 2018 at 12:18pm CST by Ryan Posner

In a fairly surprising move, quarterback Lamar Jackson elected not to run a 40-yard dash at Louisville’s pro day workout Thursday morning. The former Heisman Trophy winner came equipped with a reason for his decision, though. Jackson also decided to not run the 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

“Game speed is going to tell it all,” Jackson told Mike Mayock during an NFL Network broadcast of Louisville’s pro day. “You got to catch me first.”

All 32 teams in the league were represented at Louisville’s pro day. Some notable coaches and executives in attendance, noted by NFL.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter), included Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen, Patriots vice president of player personnel Nick Caserio and Titans general manager Jon Robinson.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was in attendance as well, according to Mark Caboly of The Athletic (on Twitter), while the Dolphins didn’t feel the need to show up in full force as he’s eligible to work out at the teams’ facility because he lives in the Miami metro area, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter).

Jackson, who has yet to hire an agent, is widely considered to go in either the first or second round of the upcoming draft. He’s amongst a talented class of quarterbacks that includes Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and the reigning Heisman winner, Baker Mayfield.

There’s been speculation that teams would look to shift Jackson to wide receiver once in the NFL and multiple teams had asked him to work out at the position earlier this month. That speculation certainly could’ve driven Jackson’s decision to not run the 40-yard dash at the combine or his pro day.

Bills To Sign WR/PR Kaelin Clay

March 29th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Ryan Posner

The Bills have signed wide receiver and return specialist Kaelin Clay, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Clay spent part of last season with the Bills before being waived and picked up by the Panthers.

Buffalo announced the signing Thursday afternoon.

The Utah alum was drafted by the Buccanneers in the sixth round of the 2015 draft but was released in September of that season. He spent time on the Lions’ practice squad before latching on with the Ravens toward the end of his rookie season. He helped turn some heads by collecting an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown in his first game with the Ravens.

Clay, 26, spent 2016 on injured reserve and was signed to a one-year deal by the Panthers prior to the 2017 season. He was then traded to the Bills for cornerback Kevon Seymour before eventually ending up back in Carolina. In nine appearances with the Panthers last season, Clay returned another punt for a touchdown and also had five catches for 56 yards receiving.

The Bills are currently projected to have Micah Hyde return punts next season. They also have Marcus Murphy projected to return kickoffs. Clay’s addition also adds depth to the team’s receiving corps with the status of Zay Jones to open the season uncertain following an arrest earlier this month on suspicion of felony vandalism.

NFC North Notes: Tate, Ansah, Vikings

March 29th, 2018 at 11:12am CST by Ryan Posner

The Lions have yet to discuss an extension with wide receiver Golden Tate as he enters the final year of his deal, but GM Bob Quinn left the door open to that possibility.

“I think all those things in my time here have happened in the summer,” Quinn said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “I think our concentration and our focus right now is on the draft. Things that come down the road after that, they’ll come and go and we’ll talk through it.”

Tate has at least 90 catches in all four of his seasons in Detroit and he has topped 1,000 yards receiving in each of those years except for 2015. Tate’s asking price could be higher than initially expected given the boom of the slot receiver market, but he won’t cost anywhere near as much as Jarvis Landry with his 30th birthday coming up in August. The Lions initially signed the 29-year-old to a five-year, $31MM deal back in 2014.

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

Sticking with the Lions, Quinn said he “hopes” Ezekiel Ansah signs his franchise tender prior to training camp and that he never gave the team any reason to believe he wouldn’t, via Birkett. Ansah is expected to play under a franchise of $17.14MM this season. Birkett also noted that the team had hoped Ansah and new head coach Matt Patricia would develop a relationship before they began working on any long-term deal. The former top-10 pick logged 12 sacks last season, which was the second-most in his five-year career.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer expressed interest in continuing to call the team’s defensive plays, rather than hand the duties over to defensive coordinator George Edwards. This could certainly impact any future head-coaching opportunities for Edwards after the Vikings boasted the top-ranked defense in last year’s regular season. Zimmer said in December he was considering letting Edwards calling the plays. Zimmer also spoke on the matter to Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf in a post-season meeting. “I think it’s something I do good,” Zimmer said at the NFL owner’s meetings, via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “I don’t want to be a second-guess coach; when George calls something, I don’t want to say, ‘Oh, I hate that call.’ I’ve had that in the past. It’s not good for that.
On Wednesday, we learned that the Vikings re-signed cornerback and punt returner Marcus Sherels

Zach Links contributed to this report

Latest On 49ers, Reuben Foster

March 29th, 2018 at 10:31am CST by Ryan Posner

While speaking at the NFL owners meetings, 49ers CEO Jed York seemed to indicate that linebacker Reuben Foster‘s spot on the team was safe following a pair of offseason arrests. But York also suggested that Foster is on thin ice with the organization.

“From my conversations with John (Lynch) and Kyle (Shanahan), I know Reuben is very cognizant of where his position is right now,” York said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “And his time with the 49ers could potentially be over if he continues to do things outside of the team that aren’t what we want him to be a part of.”

There is still a decision to be made as to whether Foster will face criminal charges from the Santa Clara County District Attorney stemming from his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence in February.

“We have to wait until that happens but that will obviously be something that we get together and discuss whatever comes down when those issues come up and figure out where we move from there,” York continued.

Foster was also arrested in January in Alabama for possession of marijuana.

“We’d love Reuben to be on this team,” York said Wednesday, per Branch. “And we’d love him to participate for us, but if he’s not doing things off the field that allow us to be able to rely on him — or he’s doing something that we’re not comfortable with off the field and it’s proven that’s what’s going on — I think the guys have said then you’re just going to have to move on.”

Foster had a productive rookie season for San Francisco after being selected with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Alabama. He started 10 games, collecting 59 tackles, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the top rookie linebacker in the NFL.

Bears GM Ryan Pace On Fuller, Draft

March 29th, 2018 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

Bears GM Ryan Pace touched on a wide range of topics in an exclusive interview with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune on Thursday. Here’s a look at the highlights:

On matching cornerback Kyle Fuller’s offer sheet:

We didn’t have a lot of heads up on it. We found out very close to receiving the offer sheet that he was in Green Bay. When he was coming back from that trip he was connecting in Chicago on a layover and he stayed in Chicago.

On announcing the plan to match the sheet hours later:

We could have waited and dragged it out. Hey, we know we like the player. Once we understood the contract and we knew it was a fair contract, let’s just be decisive and go.

On whether he wanted Fuller to sign an offer sheet elsewhere so that another team would work out the long-term deal for him:

We talked about that and the difficulty of negotiating off the franchise tag. So with the transition tag it allowed us a greater possibility (he would sign an offer sheet) and it allowed us the flexibility with the transition tag you can negotiate all the way through the season.

On his ideal scenario for the top seven picks in the draft:

Four quarterbacks go…I don’t know [if that’s realistic]. I think three might be realistic but you never know. We have to prepare for all of those scenarios. We’ll prepare for best case and we’ll prepare for worst case. That’s what is fun this time of year. You have all of your evaluations in. Now we prepare for all of those different things that can transpire.

On whether teams have called about the No. 8 pick:

We haven’t [received inquiries] yet. I’m not surprised. I think that will heat up as you get a little closer. When the Jets came up (from No. 6 to No. 3), they were putting themselves in a position where they know they can (get a player they want) where maybe No. 8 is a little too far back for that. It’s hard to predict.

Lions Sign C Wesley Johnson

March 29th, 2018 at 9:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have signed center Wesley Johnson. He may wind up as the team’s new starter in the middle of the offensive line.

Last year’s starter, Travis Swanson, remains in free agent limbo. Things have been remarkably quiet around Swanson and it’s not clear if the Lions have expressed interest in re-signing him or if any team has reached out with serious interest.

Johnson entered the league a fifth-round pick of the Steelers in 2014. When he was cut by Pittsburgh, the Jets quickly jumped on him and he has been with the team ever since. Although he started 15 games for the Jets last year and made 24 starts in total, Gang Green opted to go in a different (and pricier) direction this month by signing former Redskins lineman Spencer Long.

As shown on Roster Resource, the Lions will start Taylor Decker at left tackle, T.J. Lang at right guard, and Ricky Wagner at right tackle. The Johnson signing should allow Graham Glasgow to remain at his natural position at left guard, though new addition Kenny Wiggins may be given an opportunity to battle for the top job.

Contract Details: Gore, Osweiler, Waddle

March 28th, 2018 at 9:28pm CST by Micah Powell

Some details on recent free agent deals:

Brock Osweiler, QB (Dolphins): One year, $880K ($790K base salary + $90K signing bonus). $630K guaranteed (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9 News Denver).
Frank Gore, RB (Dolphins): One year, $1.105MM. $90K signing bonus (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
LaAdrian Waddle, OT (Patriots): One year, $1.5MM. Includes $800K base salary, $200K signing bonus, $50K workout bonus and $450K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN).
Tom Johnson, DT (Seahawks): One year, $2.1MM. Includes $950K base salary, $900K signing bonus, $250K in per-game active roster bonuses (Link Via Brady Henderson of ESPN).
Shamar Stephen, DT (Seahawks): One year, $2.1MM. Includes $800K base salary, $1MM signing bonus and $300K in per-game active roster bonuses (Link Via Brady Henderson of ESPN).

Trevone Boykin Arrested For Aggravated Assault

March 28th, 2018 at 7:51pm CST by Micah Powell

Former Seahawks quarterback Trevone Boykin was arrested and booked into the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center in Mansfield, Texas on charges of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, WFAA in Dallas reports (Twitter link).

The charges stem from a March 21 incident during which Boykin allegedly assaulted his girlfriend Shabrika Bailey. She claims that an extremely violent incident with Boykin left her with a broken jaw and a constricted airway, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay. She also says that this was not a one-time event.

According to the police report, Mansfield Police Officers responded to a call at Parkland Hospital in Dallas about the alleged incident on March 21. The following day, detectives executed a search warrant at the location of the offense and gathered items of evidence. During the investigation, the detectives observed cameras inside the residence that may have captured the assault and removed a recording device that was connected to the cameras. After obtaining a search warrant for the contents of the camera, the detectives reviewed the footage on Wednesday which appeared to detail an assault. Boykin was arrested later that day and his bond has yet to be set.

The Seahawks released the quarterback on Tuesday after the allegations surfaced. Boykin responded to the allegations on Tuesday:

“I understand the Seahawks’ decision to release me. The story that was reported casts a bad light on the organization and on me. I want to be clear that the story is false,” Boykin said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). “The police have taken statements from the accuser, another witness, and me. All of these statements confirm that I was not involved in the physical altercation. This woman has lied about me and it has cost my job. I know guilt by association is real. This person has fabricated a story and I am suffering the consequences. I will let the legal system run its course and I know I will be vindicated.”

This marks the third arrest for Boykin in a little over a year. On March 27, 2017, he was arrested for suspicion of public intoxication and marijuana possession. On April 6, authorities picked up Boykin on a possible parole violation.

Boykin was with the Seahawks for his entire NFL career and was slated to return for another season as Russell Wilson‘s backup. He won’t be doing that now and, if the allegations are proven to be true, it is extremely unlikely that he’ll ever play in the league again.

Seahawks CB Justin Coleman Signs RFA Tender

March 28th, 2018 at 6:24pm CST by Micah Powell

Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

Coleman was one of 14 NFL restricted free agents to be tendered at the second-round level, and he’s the third — following Falcons guard Ben Garland and Jaguars running back Corey Grant — to officially sign his tender. There was no rush for Coleman to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 20 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Coleman.

After spending two seasons in New England, Coleman was traded to Seattle in the 2017 offseason for a seventh-round pick in 2018. Mainly serving as a nickel back with the Seahawks, Coleman impressed when he was on the field, recording two interceptions and returning both of them for touchdowns.

Coleman is expected to slot back as the nickel in 2018, despite the release of veterans Richard Sherman and DeShawn Shead earlier in free agency.

Thomas Rawls To Visit Jets

March 28th, 2018 at 5:38pm CST by Micah Powell

Former Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls is set to visit the Jets on Thursday, a source told Brian Costello of the New York (Twitter link).

At the outset of the period, Rawls was not tendered by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent.

The visit marks the second stop in free agency for the third-year running back, who also met with the Chiefs earlier this month. The Jets have recently added former Browns running back Isaiah Crowell to their backfield, pairing him with Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire.

Undrafted coming out of Central Michigan in 2015, Rawls enjoyed a strong start to his career as a fill-in for Marshawn Lynch, posting 830 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie. That season he also led the league in yards per attempts with 5.6. He has yet to replicate that success, however, gaining just 506 yards in 21 games over the last two seasons. In 2017, he featured in a revolving-door backfield in Seattle with Eddie Lacy, Chris Carson and J.D. McKissic.