HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Browns To Trade Corey Coleman To Bills

August 5th, 2018 at 8:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns are cutting bait on their 2016 first-round pick, and the Bills will take a chance on a young wide receiver with two years remaining on his contract.

Cleveland agreed to trade Corey Coleman to Buffalo in exchange for a draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns will receive a late-round pick for Coleman, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The Browns announced the trade.

Coleman’s shown intermittent promise with the Browns, but for the most part, his first two NFL seasons have not gone well. The Baylor product’s struggled with injuries — most notably, two hand breaks — and saw the GM who drafted him ousted last year. And this offseason, Coleman’s been mentioned as either a trade candidate or a player who needed a strong training camp to have a key role with the Browns this season. He’ll now have to learn a new offense to make an impact in Year 3.

This also continues a Browns/Bills trade pipeline. The sides most notably agreed on a deal that sent the Browns Tyrod Taylor in exchange for a third-round pick, and John Dorsey dealt with the Bills during the 2017 draft as well (albeit with former GM Doug Whaley) in a trade that routed Patrick Mahomes to Kansas City.

This is also interesting because Coleman appears as a starter on the Browns’ first 2018 depth chart. Josh Gordon is away from the team, and Coleman’s name is listed with the first-stringers alongside Jarvis Landry. With the 2016 No. 15 overall pick now Buffalo-bound, players like Rashard Higgins and Antonio Callaway will have clearer paths to playing time. Dorsey also expects Gordon to return to the Browns at some point, and it’s believed the former All-Pro pass-catcher is getting closer to rejoining his team.

Just 24, Coleman is signed through the 2019 season and could be under Bills control through 2020 via the fifth-year option. That decision is due in May, making Coleman’s 2018 season pivotal.

The first wideout chosen in the 2016 draft, Coleman played well early in his career — posting a 104-yard, two-touchdown day in his second NFL game — before breaking his hand in September 2016. He has yet to record another 100-yard game and was not much of a factor for an abysmal Browns passing offense last season.

For his career, Coleman has 56 catches for 718 yards and five touchdowns. He’ll join a Bills receiving corps fronted by Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones. Beyond those two, and Benjamin is only signed through 2018, there isn’t much clarity. The Bills’ activated Jones off their NFI list earlier Sunday.

This trade also comes on the same day the Eagles extended the power structure responsible for trading up to draft Carson Wentz. The Browns traded down out of that No. 2 spot and ended up at No. 15, selecting Coleman. None of Cleveland’s eight first-round picks from 2012-16 is still with the franchise.

Broncos, Matt Paradis Discussing Deal

August 5th, 2018 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering a season with an interesting collection of contract-year players, the Broncos have begun discussing a long-term future with one of them.

The Broncos have opened extension talks with Matt Paradis, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Paradis will begin his fourth season as Denver’s starting center next month. These talks will likely intensify toward the end of camp, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets.

Paradis, Bradley Roby, Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray comprise the notable sect of walk-year Broncos, and the team extended second-round RFA tenders to Paradis and Barrett. Both are attached to that $2.9MM amount this season. Paradis, though, has been the Bronco who’s seen the most snaps over the past three seasons. He’s started all 48 games since debuting as Denver’s top snapper in 2015, the former sixth-round pick doing so in 2016 despite pain in both hips — requiring two surgeries last year.

Now able to train regularly this offseason, Paradis could set himself up to be a prime free agent on the 2019 market. Though, the Broncos will surely not want to let their offensive line’s centerpiece walk. Considering the Bradley Chubb selection could cloud the futures of Barrett and Ray in Denver, and no known Roby re-up talks having taken place yet, Paradis may be the team’s top extension priority this year.

The Broncos negotiated extensions for RFAs given second-round tenders in the recent past, signing Brandon Marshall long-term in 2016 and Brandon McManus last year. Six centers earn at least $9MM per year, and Paradis being convinced to bypass free agency will likely mean his team making him the seventh such snapper. Two centers — Ryan Jensen and Brandon Linder — are $10MM-AAV players.

Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 center in 2017, Paradis is a bit older than others from his 2014 draft class. He’s set to turn 29 this season. So, the Broncos will be signing up for his early-30s campaigns if they agree to extend him.

North Notes: Vikings, Bakhtiari, Dupree

August 5th, 2018 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to Teddy Bridgewater‘s career-defining injury at Vikings practice two Augusts ago, Mike Zimmer assumed the 2014 first-round pick would be his quarterback for the remainder of his head-coaching tenure. But the gruesome leg injuries Bridgewater suffered eventually led him out of the Twin Cities and to the Big Apple. Now, the 62-year-old head coach envisions Kirk Cousins, attached to a three-year contract, as the quarterback for the rest of his run as Vikings HC.

“I always thought Teddy was going to be my quarterback for my career and these are the way things go,” Zimmer said during a Sirius XM Radio interview. “Now, I hope that Kirk is the quarterback for my career … and it’s long, too. Not one year.”

Zimmer expanded a bit on what drew him to Cousins, though Minnesota certainly wasn’t alone in the rare pursuit of a franchise-level quarterback on the market. But the Vikings weren’t viewed as the obvious choice from the outset, given Case Keenum‘s success in 2017.

“Part of it was his accuracy,” Zimmer said of the Cousins pursuit during the interview. “He threw the ball into a lot of tight windows, and we’re seeing that here in camp. Very consistent in the things he was able to do. So I think that was part of it. You know, not too many times is a quarterback that’s really entering his prime at 28 (Cousins turns 30 later this month) get out on the free agency market that’s thrown for 4,000 (yards) for three straight years. I think he’s my fifth quarterback in five years, so I’m hoping we’ve stabilized the quarterback position.”

Here’s the latest from a Vikings rival and the AFC North.

  • The Packers received a scare when a cart transported cornerstone left tackle David Bakhtiari from the practice field Saturday night, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter) Bakhtiari suffered a sprained left ankle. He won’t return to action immediately, but at this point, it doesn’t look like the sixth-year lineman will miss regular-season time.
  • Bud Dupree suffered a setback this weekend and is in concussion protocol, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Steelers will be without their starting right outside linebacker for a bit, per Fowler, after seeing the fourth-year player start camp strong. Anthony Chickillo and Keion Adams reside as the top backups, per Pittsburgh’s first 2018 depth chart, and will see more time while Dupree is sidelined. Adams was a 2017 seventh-round pick who did not play last season.
  • Jabrill Peppers kept his starting spot after the Browns released their first depth chart, but Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets the battle between the 2017 first-rounder and Derrick Kindred is not over. Both continue to receive first-team reps opposite Damarious Randall, and Ulrich adds each will play plenty in three-safety looks this season (Twitter link). It would, however, be notable if Peppers couldn’t keep his starting job considering what the Browns invested in him. A 2016 fourth-rounder, Kindred’s started 15 NFL games.

Steelers, Chris Boswell Talking Extension

August 5th, 2018 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers applied a second-round RFA tender to Chris Boswell in March but don’t appear to want their kicker back under that arrangement this season.

Boswell said negotiations between his camp and the Steelers began this week, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The fourth-year kicker’s only played for the Steelers, and he stands to be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

A report last week tabbed Boswell as an extension priority, and the Steelers are following through in hopes of keeping their kicker in the fold long-term. Boswell’s coming off a Pro Bowl season, having made 35 of 38 field goal attempts (including four game-winning tries). He saw all four of his 50-plus-yard attempts sail through the uprights as well.

It will probably take a $4MM-per-year deal (or close to it) for Pittsburgh to lock up the 27-year-old Boswell. Five kickers earn $4MM annually, and the most recent member of that club — the Panthers’ Graham Gano — signed a deal in March that came in above Justin Tucker‘s 2015 contract.

Boswell is attached to that $2.9MM RFA tender price presently. The Steelers, who couldn’t agree to an extension with Le’Veon Bell to reduce his $14.5MM 2018 cap hold, currently have just more than $4MM in cap space.

Eagles Extend Roseman, Pederson

August 5th, 2018 at 5:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

In two years as a decision-making duo, Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson lifted the Eagles to never-before-seen heights. And ownership wants no part of a near-future breakup.

The Eagles extended both the GM and their third-year head coach on Sunday, with these new deals running through the 2022 season.

“We are thrilled to solidify continuity in our organization’s leadership with the extensions of Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman, whose collaborative partnership helped deliver our city its first Super Bowl championship,” Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said. “Doug and Howie are committed to the success of our franchise by ensuring that we remain competitive, both in the short and long term. That unified vision for the future of our team is what gives us the best chance to win moving forward.”

Pederson’s initial Eagles contract ran through the 2020 season, and the team picked up the HC’s fifth-year option recently (per Jeff McLane of Philly.com, on Twitter). So it’s not a big surprise to see the franchise extend that for two more years. In his second season as a head coach, Pederson guided Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl championship and first NFL title since 1960. And he did so after the team’s starting quarterback was lost for the season in December.

Roseman’s path may be even more stunning. Demoted in 2015 in order to give Chip Kelly decision-making power, Roseman returned in 2016 and set out to fortify the team’s core with a slew of extensions that year. That helped lead to the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, and Roseman’s 2016 deal to move into position to draft Carson Wentz has the franchise set up long-term at sports’ premier position. Roseman earned multiple executive of the year honors for his 2017 work.

Pederson, 50, rejoined the Eagles after three years as Andy Reid‘s offensive coordinator with the Chiefs. And after a 7-9 season in Wentz’s rookie year, the Eagles stormed to the NFC’s No. 1 seed and notched three upset (by point spread) victories to secure the Super Bowl LII championship. Roseman, 43, has been with the Eagles since 2000 as a salary cap staffer. He ascended to the GM role in 2010 and was reinstated in that position after Kelly’s ouster late in 2015.

With Wentz back and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles serving as the NFL’s top insurance policy, Roseman and Pederson have the Eagles positioned as a top threat to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the 2003-04 Patriots.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Decker, Bills, Fins, Jets

August 5th, 2018 at 4:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots signed veteran wideout Eric Decker to a one-year deal last week, but New England actually had its eyes on Decker as early as the 2010 draft, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com explains. Decker was “squarely in [the Patriots’] sights” at pick No. 90 in that draft, but the Minnesota product ended up going off the board three picks earlier to the Broncos, who at that time were lead by now-New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. After recording 54 receptions for 563 yards a season ago, Decker has effectively replaced Jordan Matthews as the Patriots’ slot receiver, at least until Julian Edelman returns from suspension. Decker received only $75K in guaranteed money, however, so he’s far from a roster lock in New England.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Bills receiver Zay Jones has been activated off the active/non-football injury list, but was wearing a red contact jersey during his first day back at practice, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. Jones underwent knee surgery in May and missed Buffalo’s offseason program, but the club has expressed hope that Jones — who was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft — will be ready for the regular season. After an offseason which included not only an operation but a bizarre arrest, the Bills have been adamant that Jones won’t be handed a starting spot. Buffalo’s wideout depth chart is among the worst in the league, though, so it will be surprising if Jones isn’t lining up opposite Kelvin Benjamin as the Bills’ No. 2 pass-catcher.
  • After being traded from the Saints to the Dolphins last season, linebacker Stephone Anthony appears set to open the 2018 campaign as a starting outside linebacker, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald writes. Anthony has disappointed in four NFL seasons after being chosen as a first-round pick, and the Dolphins subsequently declined his fifth-year option for the 2019 season. That would have paid Anthony nearly $10MM next year, but as Fernandez details, Miami could conceivably extend Anthony if he succeeds this season.
  • Veteran Thomas Rawls is now a legitimate candidate for the Jets‘ third running back job after Elijah McGuire suffered a broken foot, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. McGuire is expected to be sidelined for three-to-six weeks, so Rawls is now competing with Trenton Cannon and George Atkinson for the right to play behind Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell. Rawls, of course, was a revelation in limited duty during the 2015 season, averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 147 rushes. In the years since, however, Rawls has been beset by injuries, and wasn’t tendered as a Seahawks restricted free agent earlier this year.
  • The Jets recently expanded their analytics department by hiring former scout Brian Shields as a senior manager of football research, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. That’s a new role within the New York front office, per Cimini, who indicates general manager Mike Maccagnan is becoming more open to the use of analytics in the NFL.

Saints To Release WR Brandon Coleman

August 5th, 2018 at 4:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints will release wide receiver Brandon Coleman with a failed physical designation, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Coleman had been sidelined by an unspecified injury in recent weeks, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

New Orleans declined to tender Coleman as a restricted free agent earlier this year, failing to bring him back on an original round tender that would have cost $1.9MM. Instead, the Saints re-signed Coleman in April to a deal that had a maximum value of $1MM.

Exactly how often Coleman was to contribute during the upcoming season had been unclear, as the Saints improved their wide receiving corps over the offseason. New Orleans landed Cameron Meredith after inking the former Bear to a restricted offer sheet, one which Chicago declined to match. He’ll likely act as the Saints’ slot receiver between Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr., so Coleman was — at best — the club’s fourth wideout.

Coleman, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2014, has never been all that productive while catching passes from Drew Brees. His target share and overall reception total decreased in each of his three full seasons with the Saints, and he was never able to top 30 receptions or 500 receiving yards during his tenure wit the team.

But there are reasons to be somewhat optimistic about Coleman’s future, and his large stature is one of them. Coleman stands 6’6″ and 225 pounds, meaning he nearly has the frame of a tight end. That size hasn’t contributed to production out of the slot thus far, but Coleman is still only 26 years old. Coleman also fared well in Football Outsiders’ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement-level player — among the 71 wideouts with fewer than 50 receptions in 2017, Coleman ranked a respectable 13th in DYAR.

5 Key NFL Stories: 7/29/18 – 8/5/18

August 5th, 2018 at 3:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings extend Stefon Diggs. Diggs is just the latest would-be free agent to receive a new deal from Minnesota, joining the likes of defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Eric Kendricks. After averaging 67 receptions, 824 yards, and five touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons, Diggs received a five-year, $72MM extension that contains $16.907MM in full guarantees, including a $15MM signing bonus. On an annual basis, Diggs is now the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid wideout, and his new deal makes fellow receiver Adam Thielen‘s three-year, $19.246MM pact look especially affordable.

Safeties get signed. Kenny Vaccaro finally landed a contract last week, although it unfortunately took a season-ending injury to fellow defensive back Johnathan Cyprien for a deal to get done. The Titans searched for safety help after losing Cyprien to a torn ACL, and Vaccaro led a workout session that also included Mike Mitchell, Lardarius Webb, and Steven Terrell. Former 49ers safety Eric Reid was also supposed to audition for Tennessee, but a delayed flight forced him to cancel his Titans visit. Vaccaro, meanwhile, inked a one-year contract and will presumably start opposite Kevin Byard in Tennessee’s secondary. He wasn’t the only safety who found a new deal last week, as veteran Corey Graham re-upped with the Eagles.

Patriots make a change at wide receiver. Jordan Matthews has been considered something near a lock for New England’s 53-man roster, but an injury forced him off the squad. Indeed, while there was initially some confusion as to whether Matthews was released or placed on injured reserve, the Patriots later announced that he’d officially been cut. In his stead, New England signed former Bronco/Jet/Titan Eric Decker, who figures to see action in the slot, at least until Julian Edelman returns from suspension.

Packers lose a defender. Green Bay got bad news last week, as the club learned starting linebacker Jake Ryan will miss the 2018 campaign with a torn ACL. Ryan, who had started 27 games over three seasons after the Packers selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, was expected to play inside next to Blake Martinez. After Ryan went down, Green Bay reportedly considered adding a veteran such as NaVorro Bowman, but no appear set to give youngsters like third-round rookie Oren Burks more playing time.

Brandon LaFell hits free agency. The Bengals rarely release veterans before their contracts expire (they currently have the fourth-least dead money in the league), but LaFell was standing in the way of younger and cheaper options on Cincinnati’s wide receiver depth chart. With LaFell out of the picture, the Bengals have moved 2017 No. 9 overall pick John Ross into the starting lineup opposite A.J. Green, while Tyler Boyd will man the slot. Josh Malone, Auden Tate, and Cody Core are among the other Cincinnati pass-catchers vying for opportunities.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/18

August 5th, 2018 at 2:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Claimed off waivers: C Jack Allen
  • Waived/injured: C Tejan Koroma

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Julius Peppers Comes Off PUP List

August 5th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers has passed his physical and has been removed from the PUP list, as David Newton of ESPN.com reports. The team has a practice at 3:15 this afternoon, and Peppers will participate.

Peppers reunited with the Panthers last offseason after a four-year run with the Bears and a three-year stint with the Packers. The former No. 2 overall pick turned back the clock, as he posted 11 sacks for Carolina in 2017, his highest total since the 2012 campaign. His efforts made him the best pass rusher on this year’s free agent market in our eyes, despite the fact that he is now 38 years old.

Sack totals are not necessarily indicative of overall performance, but Pro Football Focus graded Peppers as a league-average defensive end last year, ranking him 63rd among 110 qualifying edge defenders. He played 50% of Carolina’s defensive snaps in 2017, and he’ll likely continue in a rotational role during the upcoming season.

The surefire Hall-of-Famer will earn $5MM in 2018, which represents a nice raise from the $3.5MM he made last year. He has accumulated a whopping 154.5 sacks in his career, the fourth-most in league history, and he could pass Kevin Greene‘s 160 mark this season. He also has nine Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections to his credit, but he is still chasing that elusive Super Bowl ring. He is hoping to achieve that last milestone with the team that drafted him over 16 years ago.

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