2018 May - Pro Football Rumors

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Rosen, 49ers

May 25th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

Sam Bradford is slated to be the Cardinals‘ starting quarterback..for now. Between now and September, rookie Josh Rosen could very well beat him out for the top job, coach Steve Wilks says.

“Smart, this guy is extremely smart,” Wilks said of Rosen, the No. 10 overall pick (via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic). “His ability to see certain things from the defense and pick it up quickly and execute … I don’t want to say this, but he has the mindset of a vet, the way he sees the game. He’s not playing like a vet. Make sure you guys understand that. He’s still a rookie, OK? But he sees things from a different lens.”

So far, Bradford is healthy “and when he’s healthy, he’s great,” Wilks said. Still, Wilks believes in competition and is not ready to hand him the job here in May.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

Meanwhile, Wilks acknowledges that new Cardinals cornerback Jamar Taylor is the leading candidate to start opposite of Patrick Peterson (via The Associated Press). For his part, Taylor says he’s excited about the opportunity. “It’s just more plays for whoever’s over there,” Taylor said. “More plays, that’s how you’ve got to look at it. More opportunities for you to get picks. When I went to Cleveland, I played opposite Joe Haden. That meant more plays that year. I made a lot of plays on the ball. Playing opposite from a guy like Pat, it’s a huge deal, you’ve got to hold your own.” Taylor must be enthused about the opportunity after accepting a drastic pay cut to facilitate the trade with the Browns.
The 49ers have a glut of inside linebackers after building a contingency plan for Reuben Foster, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The Niners will still have use for Brock Coyle, free agent pickup Korey Toomer, and third-round pick Fred Warner this year, but the numbers game could affect former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. The 28-year-old joined the Niners on a five-year, $26.5MM contract last year, but his deal doesn’t include any guaranteed money in 2019. After that, the final two seasons on his pact are option years.
Rams defensive end Morgan Fox suffered a torn ACL that will keep him off of the field in 2018.

Packers Sign TE Marcedes Lewis

May 25th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have officially signed free agent tight end Marcedes Lewis. Lewis first made the agreement public via Instagram on Thursday following his visit to Green Bay’s facilities.

Green Bay, of course, already inked fellow tight end Jimmy Graham earlier this offseason, but Graham is far more likely to be placed in the slot than actually line up and block. While he’ll likely compete for backup tight end snaps with incumbent Lance Kendricks, Lewis may have the advantage, especially in the run game. Indeed, Pro Football Focus graded Lewis as the single-best run-blocking tight end in the NFL in 2017.

Lewis, who turned 34 years old last week, hasn’t been a prolific receiving threat in roughly a half-dozen years, but he won’t be asked to work much in the passing game given the presence of Graham and starting receivers Davante Adams and Randall Cobb. Last season, Lewis posted numbers roughly in line with his age-30+ production, managing 24 receptions for 318 yards and five touchdowns, three of which came in a single Week 3 contest against the Ravens.

The Packers were the only club known to have expressed interest in Lewis, who was released by the Jaguars in late March. Jacksonville’s decision to part ways with Lewis came as a surprise, especially given that the club had exercised his 2018 option just a month prior. Lewis had been set to earn a base salary of $3.5MM for the upcoming campaign, but the Jaguars cleared that entire total by releasing the veteran tight end.

Green Bay won’t have to worry about sacrificing a compensatory pick in exchange for signing Lewis, as the May 8 deadline for free agents to factor into the comp pick formula has already passed. That may have been a more important consideration for former Packers general manager Ted Thompson, as new GM Brian Gutekunst has shown a willingness to explore free agency.

Rams’ Morgan Fox Suffers Torn ACL

May 25th, 2018 at 8:02am CST by Zachary Links

Rams defensive end Morgan Fox tore his ACL on Thursday, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Naturally, the injury will rule him out for the entire 2018 season.

Fox appeared in all 16 games (376 snaps) for the Rams last season and tallied 2.5 sacks and 19 total tackles. Fox, 24 in September, was set to offer support off of the bench this season for L.A., behind the likes of Michael Brockers, Ndamukong Suh, and Aaron Donald.

The Rams may bring in another defensive lineman to compete for a job, but they could be able to get by with what they have in-house. Ethan Westbrooks and Dominique Easley figure to be heavy in the rotation while Day 3 picks John Franklin-Myers and Sebastian Joseph probably have improved odds of seeing the field this fall.

This week’s round of OTAs have been costly for teams as Fox is the third player to succumb to serious injury in recent days. Eagles linebacker Paul Worrilow and Chargers tight end Hunter Henry will also miss the entire season with ACL tears.

Latest On Cowboys WR Terrance Williams

May 24th, 2018 at 9:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The recent incident involving Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams continues to get more and more bizarre as the story unfolds. First, Williams was arrested this past Saturday and charged with public intoxication and leaving the scene of an accident. What’s undisputed is that Williams’ Lamborghini crashed and he was detained while riding an electric scooter near the scene.

Williams then released a statement the day after accepting responsibility for the accident, saying that a car slammed on its brakes in front of him and he swerved to avoid it, but denied he was intoxicated. A wrinkle was thrown into the case when police released a video this morning of Williams the night of the accident contradicting his initial public account. Williams is shown telling officers that it wasn’t him who was driving the car that night, and that it was actually his friend and fellow wide receiver Kendall Wright of the Vikings.

The officers didn’t buy Williams’ claim that he wasn’t even in the car that night, as his phone was inside the vehicle. They arrested him, but the details about Wright’s alleged involvement stayed under wraps until today.

Williams’ lawyer then clarified earlier today once the video blew up online that Wright was not involved after all (Twitter link via Dallas Morning News’ Brandon George). Vikings general manager Rick Spielman then followed up and said the Vikings were standing by Wright and that Wright and his agent both assured him there was no truth to Williams’ accusation (Twitter link via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin).

Williams was already in a good amount of trouble, but his puzzling and now apparently false explanation that it was Wright who crashed his car could make matters even worse. He could be looking at a possible suspension from the league.

Working as the Cowboys’ number two receiver the past few years, Williams was theoretically in line for an increased workload after the release of Dez Bryant. The Cowboys signed Allen Hurns in free agency, but Williams was thought to have the inside track at being the team’s number one receiving option. It’s unclear if this arrest or possible suspension will change the Cowboys’ plans.

Last season, Williams caught 53 passes for 568 yards. He caught zero touchdowns for the first time in his career. Whatever happens, it’s a headache that the Cowboys absolutely don’t need in the midst of an already tumultuous offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/18

May 24th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s minor moves:

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: LB Kyle Wilson

Draft Pick Signings: 5/24/18

May 24th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are today’s second-tier draft signings:

The Buccaneers signed their second-round pick, cornerback Carlton Davis from Auburn. Davis was a three-year starter for the Tigers, earning a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior. An average athlete with good size, Davis will slide in behind Brent Grimes, Ryan Smith, and Vernon Hargreaves on the depth chart. The Bucs likely see Davis as the eventual successor to the now 34-year old Grimes.
Second-round linebacker Breeland Speaks signed his rookie deal with the Chiefs. Left without a first-round pick in the 2018 draft due to last year’s Patrick Mahomes trade, Speaks was the team’s first selection. Speaks played defensive tackle and defensive end in college, but the Chiefs plan to line him up at outside linebacker. Playing at Mississippi last year, Speaks generated seven sacks. He’ll initially be competing for playing time behind veterans Justin Houston and Dee Ford.
The Jaguars agreed to terms with third-round safety Ronnie Harrison on his rookie deal. Harrison was one of a slew of Alabama players selected in last year’s draft, and is looking to be the latest in a long line of Crimson Tide defenders to become stars in the NFL. Harrison was always a great player in college, but underwhelmed athletically with his testing at the combine. Harrison will play strong safety for the Jaguars, and is yet another piece added to their already dominant defense.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Incognito, Steelers

May 24th, 2018 at 6:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After the NFL recently announced their new national anthem policy, more details about the owners’ process are trickling out. There apparently was no official vote on the new anthem policy, only an informal polling of owners by league executives, according to Seth Wickersham of ESPN (Twitter links). Wickersham added that Raiders owner Mark Davis abstained from the vote and was “one of the most eloquent speakers on the social justice issues.” Davis joined 49ers owner Jed York, who made his abstention public yesterday, in abstaining from the vote.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Free agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito apparently believed he was being followed by FBI agents and was in the possession of secret NSA documents when he was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold yesterday (Twitter link via USA Today’s A.J. Perez). Incognito recently announced his retirement from the league, but has since wavered and indicated he’d like to continue playing with a team other than the Bills, who he played the last three seasons with. Incidents like this certainly won’t help Incognito’s quest to latch on with another team.
Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt played with a torn bicep during the 2017 season, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (Twitter link). Tuitt made clear that he’s fully healthy now, saying the injury “is back healed again and strong and I can’t wait to stick people in the mouth with it.” Tuitt was signed to a $60MM extension before last season, and will be counted on to play a big role this year.
Bengals star defensive end Carlos Dunlap missed the beginning of OTAs, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Although Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called it “not a big deal,” Dunlap will miss out on a $300K workout bonus. Dunlap, a two-time Pro-Bowler, is entering the final year of his contract and is apparently angling for an extension.

Packers Meet With TE Marcedes Lewis

May 24th, 2018 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent tight end Marcedes Lewis is met with the Packers on Thursday, a source tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Silverstein notes that the Packers’ level of interest is unclear at this time.

Lewis, 34, would be a logical fit for the Packers since they could use a quality blocking tight end. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the league’s best run blocker, ahead of Patriots star Rob Gronkowski.

The Packers will rely on Jimmy Graham heavily in the passing game while using Lance Kendricks as an H-Back but they’ll need some blockers at the tight end position. They could get what they need out of a group including Robert Tonyan, Ryan Smith, and Kevin Rader, but no one in that trio offers a resume like Lewis’.

Although he has not put up big numbers since 2012, Lewis still managed to appear in all 16 games as he reeled in 24 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns. Offensively, his best season came in 2010 when he had 58 caches for 700 yards and ten touchdowns en route to his first and only Pro Bowl selection.

Cardinals Sign WR Christian Kirk

May 24th, 2018 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals signed second-round pick Christian Kirk to his rookie contract, the team announced. Per the terms of his slot, Kirk will earn roughly $5.9MM over the course of his four-year deal.

Heading into the draft, Kirk had some buzz as a potential first-round selection. The Cardinals, who needed to fortify their wide receiver group after selecting quarterback Josh Rosen in the first round, were delighted to land Kirk at No. 47 overall.

Kirk certainly performed like a top-flight talent in his three years at Texas A&M as he amassed nearly 2,976 all-purpose yards across three seasons. With a solid work ethic and tough on-field playing style, the Cardinals believe that Kirk can be molded into a reliable threat, even though he does not possess the same top-end speed as other wide receivers in his class.

The Cardinals project to use Kirk as a supporting piece behind No. 1 wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald this year. J.J. Nelson and free agent addition Brice Butler also figure to see a significant number of targets in Sam Bradford‘s offense.

Saints’ Mark Ingram Reports To Minicamp

May 24th, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints running back Mark Ingram has stayed away from the team so far this offseason has he angles for a new contract. However, he plans on being in attendance for the team’s mandatory minicamp in mid-June, according to coach Sean Payton (via Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune).

Offseason Team Activities (OTAs) are voluntary and some players choose not to attend, whether it be because of contract issues or personal preference. In Ingram’s case, he is sitting out OTAs to try and push the Saints to give him a new contract. A holdout during mandatory minicamp would be costly, so it only makes sense for Ingram to report to New Orleans in June.

In light of Ingram’s four-game PED suspension to start the year, it seems unlikely that the Saints will give him a new deal right now. His best bet might be to perform at a high level starting in Week 5 to compel the team to give him an extension, but the Saints may only be willing to go so far with young star Alvin Kamara and a cast of quality backups in the mix. The Saints were also open to dealing Ingram this offseason, though a pre-Halloween midseason trade could be a possibility.

Last year, Ingram posted career-highs in carries (230), yards (1,124), rushing touchdowns (12), and receptions (58). He’ll turn 29 in December.