2018 April - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Coaches Making Push For Josh Allen

April 26th, 2018 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets coaches are making a late push for the team to draft quarterback Josh Allen, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. Thus far, there hasn’t been a lot of talk connecting the Jets to the Wyoming product, so this would represent a change of thinking in Jets headquarters.

Sitting at No. 3, the Jets have been preparing themselves for a decision between Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen. However, growing buzz about the Browns selecting Mayfield at No. 1 has thrown a wrench in those plans. If Mayfield is off the board, the Jets will have the once unexpected opportunity to select Sam Darnold at No. 3, but it sounds like Jets coaches may prefer the arm strength of Allen.

The Jets were believed to be the team that did the most work on Allen last season, being the only team to trek to Laramie, Wyo., to work out the 6-foot-5 quarterback. But as of late, they’ve been linked most to Mayfield and Rosen. Reported concerns about Allen’s accuracy issues have attached themselves to the Wyoming-honed passer, but with Mayfield possibly set to finish off a major pre-draft rise, Allen going to the Jets at No. 3 wouldn’t qualify as an earth-shattering surprise.

This comes after some tweets from Allen’s high school days paint the passer in a bad light, but it doesn’t sound like some of the teams with QB needs are going to hold that against him.

Darnold has long been a Jets target, but the organization apparently did not believe the USC passer would fall to No. 3. The signals that such a drop could occur caused the Jets to schedule more face-to-face time with Darnold, so him being there and the team still going with Allen would be a notable event.

Poll: Who Will Browns Take At No. 1 Overall?

April 26th, 2018 at 1:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

In one of the wilder lead-ups to a draft in many years, the Browns have been connected to several players with their No. 1 overall pick. The quarterback-desperate franchise is almost certain to announce its expected Tyrod Taylor successor tonight, but the buildup to that moment has been a process featuring many twists and turns.

Having bypassed Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson the past two years, the Browns have now been linked to three quarterbacks at No. 1. The latest could be one of the most unique first-overall picks in memory.

The Browns are now strongly connected to Baker Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner and a player who did not appear in the top half of the first round of Todd McShay’s first offseason mock draft. But John Dorsey brought on former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan as a consultant before the draft, and the longtime scouting guru has been an outspoken proponent of the polarizing Oklahoma-developed quarterback. The news the Browns will take Mayfield at No. 1 emerged this week, and that rumor is rapidly gaining steam.

However, the Browns’ previous debate was believed to be a two-horse race between Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. Dorsey has a history of selecting big-armed passers or being affiliated with organizations which have done so, most recently pulling the trigger on Patrick Mahomes in his final draft as Chiefs GM. Viewed as a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect, Allen would represent that kind of bold choice. A report earlier this week indicated Cleveland was down to the Wyoming prodigy or the fast-rising Mayfield.

Darnold has gone from a player viewed as arguably the best combination of production and upside to one that may fall out of the top two and be there for the Jets at No. 3. The Jets scheduled a Darnold visit once they began to sense the USC product falling to them was a legitimate possibility.

The Browns have also been linked to Saquon Barkley at No. 1. While Barkley is viewed as the top running back and possibly the No. 1 overall player in this prospect pool, it’s hard to believe the Browns would again bypass their chance at landing a possible franchise quarterback.

They have not been closely tied to Josh Rosen during this pre-draft stretch, and the latest on a trade-down occurrence is that line of thinking could transpire with the Browns’ No. 4 pick rather than their No. 1 choice.

So, which passer will be bound for northeast Ohio? Is the Mayfield surge legitimate or a massive smokescreen operation? Does Allen’s upside, the unearthing of several tweets from his high school days notwithstanding, warrant this kind of an investment? Or should the Browns take the player they’ve been most connected to in Darnold with the top pick? How about a trade-down scenario? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!

Draft Rumors: Allen, Cardinals, Broncos

April 26th, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Allen‘s camp has been doing damage control on Thursday morning, and it seems to be working thus far. Allen and his representatives have been on the phone with possible destination teams today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link) these old tweets being unearthed is not believed to be an occurrence that will cause his stock to tumble. Allen has told teams these tweets were either references to a Rick Ross song or to movies and TV shows, with Rapoport adding some were tweets to friends. Teams are hesitant to judge the Wyoming- and central California-developed quarterback based on tweets from high school, per Rapoport (on Twitter).

Here’s the latest from the draft:

Maybe a team representing Allen’s floor, the Cardinals are considering moving up for the right price, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com tweets. This is the latest out of Arizona, which has been linked to trade-up rumors this week. The Cardinals are in need of a long-term quarterback answer, and it’s possible none of the top four will be there when their No. 15 window opens.
The Browns taking Baker Mayfield at No. 1 would be a surprise and could change the Broncos‘ draft outlook. Of the big four, Mayfield and Sam Darnold are the only ones the Broncos take if they’re still on the board at No. 5, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. If Mayfield does go to the Browns, Darnold would be a consideration for the Giants — if they stick at No. 2 — and the Jets’ interest in the USC passer hasn’t been much of a secret. And it’s possible the Bills could move up to the No. 4 spot as well, so the Broncos could be set to go with a non-QB at No. 5 or trade back with a quarterback-seeking team.
While this offseason produced little to indicate the Browns would go with Mayfield, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein tweets we are hours away from that scenario unfolding. Zierlein tweets Mayfield-to-Cleveland “is happening.” He adds the Giants don’t love any of these quarterbacks, perhaps explaining the massive Saquon Barkley-to-New York buzz. Big Blue has now been connected to a trade-down scenario when it did not look like that would be the case for weeks now.
Derrius Guice indicated a team asked inappropriate questions to him at the Combine, but on Thursday, an investigation concluded that no proof of this emerged, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The questions ranged from if the running back prospect liked men or whether or not his mother was a prostitute. “The investigation did not confirm that any club made the reported inquiries,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. The LSU product is considered a late-first-round prospect.

Giants Eyeing Trade-Down Options

April 26th, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the noise about Baker Mayfield being a surprise Browns No. 1 pick increasing, the Giants could further shake up the draft Thursday night. They are exploring options about trading out of the No. 2 slot.

A Giants source informed ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (Twitter link) that the team is looking to trade down. Although Russini notes the team is “contemplating all options,” the thinking here is the Giants have many needs to fill after a disastrous 2017 season.

However, this would run counter to Dave Gettleman‘s comments this offseason. The new GM seeks a “gold jacket player” with the No. 2 pick, and buzz about Saquon Barkley being Big Apple-bound gained steam over the past few weeks. The Giants trading out of the top five could remove them from the Barkley equation.

But Big Blue does have needs on its offensive line, in the secondary, at running back and now at wide receiver after the Brandon Marshall release. The Giants have not traded down in many years, and a Giants source told Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv last week the team would be better off picking a superior prospect at No. 2 than moving down and starting its draft with a lesser-regarded one. The Giants have been linked to a possible Quenton Nelson pursuit in the event of a trade-down, but the team many expected to be in the mix for the No. 2 slot — the Bills — may not be especially interested in surrendering enough picks to move that high.

Panthers Won’t Trade Future First Rounder

April 26th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Zachary Links

In his first run as the Panthers’ GM, Marty Hurney made a habit of trading future first-round picks in order to move up the board. In this year’ s draft, he vows that there won’t be a repeat.

“I can tell you right now that you can consider next year’s first-round pick safe,” Hurney told David Mayo of The Associated Press. “… We will probably be getting calls, so if you can just tweet that out.”

In 2008, Hurney traded away the team’s 2009 first-round choice to select offensive tackle Jeff Otah with the No. 19 pick. Then, in 2009, he traded the team’s 2010 first-round selection to get defensive end Everette Brown in the second round. Neither move paid dividends for Carolina, which might explain the change in his philosophy.

“You step back and look at some of the things you have done,” Hurney said. “You look at what you did and what you can do better. You also look at what you did well.”

The Panthers own four picks in the first three rounds this year: the No. 24 overall pick, their original second round pick (No. 55 overall), a third round pick from the Bills acquired in the Kelvin Benjamin trade (No. 85), and their original third round pick (No. 88).

Odell Beckham Jr. Returns To Practice

April 26th, 2018 at 11:42am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants continue to communicate Odell Beckham Jr. won’t be traded this year, and it’s still possible they’re going to run into an impasse with their superstar wide receiver as he aims for a landscape-changing extension. But on Thursday, Beckham showed he could be ready to participate extensively in Big Blue’s offseason program.

Beckham returned to practice for the first time since his season-ending ankle injury, partaking in individual drills at the Giants’ voluntary minicamp on Thursday, Danny Abriano of SNY.tv reports.

The 25-year-old standout’s been present for each day of this three-day minicamp, which concludes today, continuing to get some early work in as Pat Shurmur installs his new system. Beckham had not practiced since early October of last year, when his season was cut short in Week 4 when he fractured his ankle against the Chargers.

While it’s possible a holdout takes place later this year, Beckham’s showing the Giants he’s on track to be full-go by the time the season begins.

Browns Shopping TE Randall Telfer

April 26th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Already reportedly inquiring about a possible Jamar Taylor trade, the Browns are also shopping one of their young tight ends.

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports the team is offering fourth-year tight end Randall Telfer to teams. A 2016 sixth-round pick, Telfer started 14 games for the Browns last season. However, he was a distant third among Cleveland’s tight end contingent in receptions, hauling in just three passes for 36 yards — numbers that came in well below David Njoku and Seth DeValve’s from 2017.

The Browns used Telfer on 300 offensive plays last season. The Browns acquired Telfer, a USC alum, during the Ray Farmer years. Now that they’re two regimes removed from their former GM, it would make sense John Dorsey is looking to bring in one of his own players at the position.

Cleveland reached an agreement with free agent Darren Fells this offseason, so Telfer’s place on the roster could be tenuous with both Njoku and DeValve expected to be in the 2018 mix as well.

Panthers Sign Greg Olsen To Extension

April 26th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen has landed a new contract. The veteran is signing a two-year extension worth $17.1MM that could be worth as much as $20.1MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. If Olsen nails his incentives, he’ll edge Jimmy Graham as the league’s highest-paid player at the position.

Olsen flirted with the idea of transitioning into TV this offseason and even auditioned for ESPN’s vacant color commentary role on Monday Night Football. His new and improved contract will keep him out of the broadcast booth, at least for now.

“My preference would be to know my future here in Carolina past this year, if I’m being honest. Whether or not that happens, we’ll see,” Olsen said earlier this month. “But that would be the ideal situation and then that would answer a lot of these unknown questions.”

Olsen has some questions of his own to answer after injuries slowed him in 2017. Olsen reeled off three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014-16 and pushed hard for a new contract before last season. In 2017, he was limited to just seven games and he totaled less than 200 yards receiving.

The Panthers retooled their receiving group a bit this year by adding Torrey Smith and Jarius Wright. Still, Olsen projects to serve as one of Cam Newton‘s favorite targets once again in 2018.

Jaguars Bid To Buy London Stadium

April 26th, 2018 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars owner Shad Khan has entered a bid of nearly $700MM to purchase London’s Wembley Stadium, according to the Evening Standard. In a statement, Khan confirmed his efforts to purchase the historic soccer venue while reaffirming his commitment to the city of Jacksonville.

“Today’s news changes none of what we envision for the long-term promise for the Jaguars here in Jax, and it changes nothing as to the goals we have for your downtown,” Khan said. ” If anything, today’s news is the embodiment of the ethos we adopted several years ago of being proud, bold and committed.”

The Jaguars have a deal in place to play at Wembley stadium through the 2020 season and today’s news will only increase speculation that Khan is eyeing a move to England. Many view London as a high-potential untapped market that could draw major dollars for an NFL franchise and the Jaguars have build a following there by playing multiple games on the other side of the pond. Still, Khan insists that the plan to purchase Wembley Stadium is not the first step towards relocation.

“If my ownership interests were to include Wembley Stadium, it would protect the Jaguars’ position in London at a time when other NFL teams are understandably becoming more interested in this great city,” Khan said. “And the stronger the Jaguars are in London, the more stable and promising the Jaguars’ future will be in Jacksonville.”

The timing of the leak is curious and one can’t help but wonder if Khan purposely wanted the news to be buried under the frenzy of tonight’s NFL Draft. But, taken at face value, the acquisition will not impact the Jaguars’ future in Jacksonville.

Saints Looking To Trade Up In NFL Draft

April 26th, 2018 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have “made plenty of calls about making a big leap up” from their No. 27 pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s not clear who the Saints are targeting, however.

Rapoport wonders aloud if the Saints might be doing due diligence in case a certain player, perhaps a quarterback, falls on draft night. Usually, an aggressive move up the board is done to secure a QB, so the Saints could be eyeing one of this year’s top QBs as a successor to Drew Brees. In any event, they’ll be well-prepared to move up if their desired target slides.

The Saints don’t have a ton of ammo to make a trade since they sent this year’s second-round choice to the 49ers last year in order to select running back Alvin Kamara. The Saints’ next pick doesn’t come until the third round (No. 91), so they may have to dip into next year’s draft in order to make an aggressive move.