2018 May - Pro Football Rumors

Matt Moore May Wait To Sign

May 17th, 2018 at 2:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent quarterback Matt Moore is willing to wait for the right deal. The former Dolphins signal caller had conversations with the Chiefs and Texans earlier this offseason, but is now considering waiting until after the season begins to sign anywhere, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.

Moore, 34 in August, may survey the QB landscape to see which team needs help. That probably means that Moore is waiting to see if another quarterback gets injured in camp, giving him an opportunity to jump on board and stick on a roster.

It’s not clear whether the Dolphins had much interest in re-signing Moore this year, but he apparently felt betrayed by the team last year when they signed Jay Cutler to replace Ryan Tannehill after his injury. In January, Moore resolved to sign elsewhere. Since then, the Dolphins have added Brock Osweiler and Bryce Petty to the mix. David Fales is also under contract and pushing to make the final cut.

The Chiefs’ interest in Moore was previously reported, but word of the Texans’ inquiry is new. However, after Houston signed Brandon Weeden and Joe Webb in free agency in the spring and claimed Stephen Morris off of waivers earlier this month, there’s no longer a clear fit for Moore.

Moore appeared in four games last year, including two starts. He completed 61.4% of his throws with four touchdowns against five interceptions. The veteran has 30 career starts on his resume, but all but five of those came between 2007-2011.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Solder, Dolphins, Jets

May 17th, 2018 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Last month, the Patriots drafted Georgia tackle Isaiah Wynn in the first round to help replace Nate Solder. Former Patriots lineman Matt Light believes filling the void will be a tall task.

“As far as fans, and how they view this season with respect to the loss to a guy like Nate, Nate’s not a guy you can just replace. No. 1, because he’s a ridiculously large mammal,” Light said of the 6’8″, 325-pound Solder, who is now with the Giants (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss). “From the first time I met him, I thought, ‘Man, this just shouldn’t be right that big guys like this are designed the way they are.’ No fat. Runs like a deer. Got the reach and wingspan of a vulture. The guy is just unbelievably talented in so many ways, and he’s smart, a cerebral player. You don’t replace a guy like that overnight.”

In addition to Wynn, the Patriots also have veteran Trent Brown after their trade with the Niners as well as veterans LaAdrian Waddle and Matt Tobin to try at left tackle. Marcus Cannon remains with the squad, but offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia says he’ll continue to man the right side. Those four players have their work cut out for them, but Light feels that they might be able to do an adequate job.

“Its been done before. They survived me going through that first year of being lost in so many ways and trying to figure out things on the run,” said Light. “I would say this, for all the fans out there, it’s been documented but I’m not sure it’s been appreciated as it should be, but the work Dante does and the work he puts into the offseason — and the work he puts into the young guys that are coming into the organization and how he motivates those guys and pushes them to be in the best position possible to play the game — I’ve got a lot of confidence in his ability to prepare the guys he thinks are the best to take the field….Definitely something to watch, but I feel as those guys will be ready to roll and be prepared.”

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Next week marks a big milestone for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Dolphins doctors, coaches and the QB will meet soon to decide how much work the quarterback will do during OTA sessions that begin on Tuesday and run into mid-June. The expectation is Tannehill, who missed the last month of the 2016 season with a partially ACL tear and all of last season with a complete tear, will be able to participate with little or no limitations, sources tell Salguero. But, even if doctors give him the go-ahead, coaches could still opt to take it easy with Tannehill in an effort to keep him healthy and get extra reps for backups Brock Osweiler and David Fales.
After the draft, there was some speculation that the Jets were hoping to land Baker Mayfield at No. 3 overall rather than Sam Darnold. A detailed look at the Jets’ path to Darnold by Albert Breer of The MMQB paints a different picture. After watching Darnold throw in April, Jets VP of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger told boss Mike Maccagnan “If he’s there [at 3], take him.” On draft night, Maccagnan was in disbelief when Mayfield went No. 1 to the Browns and the Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2, allowing the Jets to select Darnold. Early on in the draft process, few would have guessed that Darnold would be available at No. 3, and the Jets feel lucky to have him. On draft night, Heimerdinger turned to Maccagnan and said, “You have a horseshoe up your ass.”

Reuben Foster’s Accuser Says She Lied

May 17th, 2018 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Reuben Foster’s accuser recanted her claims in court on Thursday, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The ex-girlfriend of the 49ers linebacker says he did not hit her once and adds that she actually struck him.

“I was threatening Reuben. … that I was going to [expletive] up his career,” Foster’s ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis said.

When asked about why she dialed 911 three times, she responded, “I wanted to be extra. I wanted him to go down. I was pissed.” She went on to explain that she falsified claims about Foster as a part of “a money scheme.”

“It was all a money scheme. I didn’t want to get this far in the news. It was about money,” said Ennis on the stand.

After Foster’s arrest in February, Ennis says she bolted home for Louisiana and took Foster’s money and jewelry with her. Ennis’ injuries from around that same time were submitted as a part of the prosecution’s case against Foster, but she now says those were caused by a fight with another woman or two women in a road rage incident in San Francisco (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). A portion of the road rage fight was posted on Instagram, but has since been flagged and deleted.

Recently, 49ers GM John Lynch said that Foster would be released if it was found that he struck Ennis. However, if Foster is cleared of the charges without conclusive evidence of abuse, he’ll remain in SF. Right now, the odds of a conviction are looking slim.

“We do feel like patience is the right approach right now, that we are going to learn things through this legal process,” Lynch said. “But I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear, that if these charges are proven true, that if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be part of our organization going forward.”

Bills To Meet With Russell Shepard

May 17th, 2018 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are scheduled to host wide receiver Russell Shepard on a visit this week, according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News (on Twitter). Shepard was released by the Panthers on Monday, making him a free agent.

The Bills have made a habit of targeting ex-Panthers players under the guidance of head coach Sean McDermott (former Panthers defensive coordinator) and GM Brandon Beane (former Panthers executive). Since McDermott came on board in 2017, the Panthers have brought in wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, running back Mike Tolbert, quarterback Joe Webb, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, and cornerback Leonard Johnson (Webb is no longer with the team and Tolbert and Johnson remain in free agent limbo).

Beane was with the Panthers in March of 2017 when they inked Shepard to a three-year free agent contract. Two months later, he agreed to follow McDermott to Buffalo.

Shepard appeared in 15 games for the Panthers last year but didn’t quite live up to expectations. He finished out with 17 catches for 202 yards and one touchdown. This week, the Panthers cut ties with him in order to save $2MM+ against the cap.

Before signing with Carolina, Shepard had 23 catches for 341 yards and two touchdowns in his final year with the Bucs.

Packers Sign CB Josh Jackson

May 17th, 2018 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have signed second-round cornerback Joshua Jackson, per a team announcement. The team has now inked ten of its eleven draft picks with third-round linebacker Oren Burks as the last remaining unsigned selection.

Jackson was widely projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick heading into the draft. Fortunately for the Packers, the Big Ten defensive back of the year slipped to the middle of the second round, where they were about to pounce on him at No. 45.

The Iowa cornerback positioned himself as one of the best cornerbacks in this year’s draft with a breakout 2017 season. Jackson made a play on one out of every four targets in his direction and allowed zero touchdowns after Week 4 of the season. He finished out with eight interceptions, including three picks against Ohio State and two pick-sixes against Wisconsin. Jackson clearly thrives in pressure situations, though it’s possible that some teams cooled on him due to this being his only real big year in college.

The Packers project to start first-round cornerback Jaire Alexander and free agent addition Tramon Williams at cornerback. Jackson figures to be in the rotation behind them, along with veteran Davon House and second-year corner Kevin King.

Extra Points: Cards, Texans, Colts, Redskins

May 16th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the NFL world this week learned Cardinals second-round rookie Christian Kirk was arrested for disorderly conduct and property damage in February, prosecutors may not have a strong case against the former Texas A&M wideout. The main witness cited by police was lying on a bench and not watching while a van window was allegedly broken by Kirk and his friends, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That same witness claims he saw Kirk and a friend throwing rocks at other cars, but no damage was reported on any other vehicle. The case against Kirk is still pending, but Arizona knew about the arrest before making him the 47th overall pick in the draft. It’s unlikely Kirk ever faces any legal ramifications from the incident, while the league has avoided suspending players involved in pre-NFL off-field trouble.

Here’s more from around the league:

Tyrann Mathieu was famously versatile during five seasons with the Cardinals, but the Texans — Mathieu’s new football home — have a more fixed set of objectives for the Honey Badger, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “We talked about that when we were speaking to him during the process,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. “We told him that we really do value – as you know – we value versatility, but we also understand that a guy needs to have basically one home. He needs to understand and master that one home, which is safety for Tyrann. Then, in different packages that are played less of the time, maybe he does something else.” Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston earlier this year, and that figure has surprisingly stood as the highest annual value for any non-franchised free agent safety contract this offseason.
Free agent quarterback Cody Keith is working out for the Colts on Wednesday, and previously auditioned for the Chargers and Rams, per Rapoport (Twitter link). A former four-star recruit, Keith was limited by injuries during his collegiate career at East Carolina, and was only attempted just 11 passes before moving to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Since that time, Keith has spent time in the Canadian Football League and in the Spring League, working on Johnny Manziel‘s team in the latter venture.
The Redskins announced that they’ve hired Brian Lafemina as their new president of business operations and chief operating officer. While the hiring doesn’t involve football operations on its face, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculates that Lafemina’s addition could be a precursor the Washington parting ways with much-maligned team president Bruce Allen. However, the Redskins’ press release states Allen will continue in his current role, while John Keim of ESPN.com hears Twitter link) Lafemina will focus mainly on stadium development.
Speaking of business operations, new Panthers owner David Tepper may look to hire former Browns president and CFO Mike Keenan, tweets Rapoport. Keenan, who was team president in Cleveland from 2008-10, has recently worked in consulting, per Rapoport, and working with clubs in multiple sports. While Tepper may make changes on the business end once he takes over in Carolina, he’s not expected to revamp the Panthers’ football staff.

Texans Work Out Jon Condo, Kevin Bowen

May 16th, 2018 at 9:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans auditioned long snapper Jon Condo and offensive lineman Kevin Bowen on Tuesday, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes in a pair of articles.

Houston already employs Jon Weeks — who made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2015 — so it’s unclear if the club is seeking to replace Weeks, or simply taking a look at Condo for possible depth down the line. Weeks, who has been with the Texans since 2010, signed a four-year, $3.9MM extension in 2015 that will keep him under contract through 2019. Houston could conceivably release Weeks, as it would only incur a $100K dead money charge for doing so.

Condo, for his part, reached free agency in March after spending 11 seasons with the Raiders. Oakland opted to sign Andrew DePaola to replace Condo, who ranked just 28th among 33 qualified long snappers in accuracy, per Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus (Twitter link). Condo has earned two Pro Bowl nods during his career, although the most recent came back in 2011.

Bowen, meanwhile, was an undrafted free agent out of Division II East Central in 2016. While Bowen was with the Redskins from 2016-17, he never actually saw the field, as health issues forced to him injured reserve in each season. Clearly, an injury-prone UDFA lineman from a small school is a long shot, but the Texans have little depth at offensive tackle.

Crockett Gillmore Had Offseason Surgery

May 16th, 2018 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent tight end-turned-offensive lineman Crockett Gillmore is not only attempting to work through a position switch, but recovering from offseason surgery, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports. Gillmore, who underwent an August procedure to repair a torn MCL, also had another knee operation done at some point earlier this year.

Gillmore, 26, spent the first four years of his career as a tight end for the Ravens, but multiple injuries repeatedly kept him off the field. After posting a career-best season in 2015 (33 receptions, 412 yards, four touchdowns), Gillmore managed only seven games in 2016 before going down with the aforementioned MCL injury.

As Zrebiec has indicated at various points this offseason, Baltimore still has interest in re-signing Gillmore, who has been on the open market since March. The Ravens are largely set across their offensive line after re-signing James Hurst and using a third-round pick on Orlando Brown, but the club could still have room for Gillmore as a reserve. Baltimore, theoretically, should have the most recent and accurate information regarding Gillmore’s health.

Whether any other team will be willing to consider Gillmore is unclear. Clearly, his injury history will limit his overall market and earning capacity, at least in the near term. But Gillmore’s positional change is the more intriguing matter at hand, and just how many clubs are open to signing him as an offensive lineman is an open question.

Seahwks Sign LB/DE Dadi Nicolas

May 16th, 2018 at 8:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have added a bit of depth along the edge by agreeing to terms with former Chief Dadi Nicolas, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Nicolas, 25, joined Kansas City as a sixth-round pick in 2016, and the Chiefs soon announced their intention to move him from defensive end to linebacker. The position switch never quite off the ground, however, as Nicolas appeared sparingly in 11 games during his rookie campaign before a ruptured patellar ended his season. He hasn’t seen the field since.

The Chiefs actually completed a trade involving Nicolas earlier this year, sending him to the Browns in exchange for tight end Randall Telfer. That deal was later voided, however, and though no specific reason was given, failed physicals are known to regularly cancel transactions. Cleveland and Kansas City subsequently waived their respective players, and Telfer failed a physical upon being claimed by the Colts.

At 6″3, 225 pounds, Nicolas could conceivably see time at either linebacker or defensive end, but given his collegiate work, it’s seems likely Nicolas will play on the edge in one way or another. He joins a Seahawks edge rushing crew that also includes Frank Clark, Dion Jordan, Marcus Smith, plus rookies Rasheem Green and Shaquem Griffin.

Rams Optimistic On Aaron Donald Extension

May 16th, 2018 at 7:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams are remaining optimistic in regard to a potential extension for All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, but there is “still a ways to go” before an agreement is reached, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay has been texting with Donald, and the results have been positive, as he relayed to Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com (Twitter link). “He’s responding more than he was at this time last year, so that’s what I feel good about,” said McVay.

Donald, 26, is heading into the final year of his contract, during which he will earn just $6.892MM under the terms of his fifth-year option. After staging a holdout in 2017, Donald has not indicated whether he’ll employ the same strategy this season. But talks between Donald and the Rams don’t seem to be tinged by any sort of acrimony, as evidenced both by McVay’s recent comments and Los Angeles’ admission that Donald will likely become the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

At present, the highest-paid defender in the league is Broncos edge rusher Von Miller, who collects $19.083MM annually. Among interior defenders, the Eagles’ Fletcher Cox leads the way at $17.1MM per season, but Donald figures to blow by that mark and instead target Miller’s annual value. Indeed, it’s entirely possible — and perhaps even likely — that Donald will become the first defensive player to cross the $20MM/year threshold.

Donald, of course, has made a strong argument for his next contract by playing as the league’s best defender for some time. Donald, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, has earned Pro Bowl nods in each of his four pro campaigns, and was named a first-team All-Pro from 2015-17. Last season, Donald not only led the league in total pressures, but also tied for the best rate of pressure on a per-rate basis, tweets Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, indicating Donald’s incredible level of efficiency.