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Month: November 2024

Bengals Sign Carlos Dunlap To Extension

August 28th, 2018 at 3:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have signed defensive end Carlos Dunlap to a three-year, $45MM extension, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The new deal will keep him in place through the 2021 season. 

Word of Dunlap’s deal broke just moments after the Bengals reached agreement on a four-year deal with defensive tackle Geno Atkins. In one fell swoop, the Bengals have locked down two pillars of their defensive line.

Dunlap was set to enter the final year of the six-year, $40MM extension he signed in 2013. The 29-year-old will earn a base salary of $7MM (well below his true value) before starting the new deal.

Dunlap, 29, has been tremendous in Cincinnati, particularly in the second half of games. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have routinely rated him as a top-30 edge defender over the past seven seasons and he has been equally strong against the pass and the run.

Earlier this offseason, we estimated that Dunlap would have to play out the 2018 season at a high level in order to secure a $15MM/year deal. Instead, Dunlap has landed that deal without risking injury or regression, so his camp did quite well in these negotiations.

With Dunlap and Atkins squared away, the Bengals can shift their focus to other extension candidates such as cornerback Darqueze Dennard. The Bengals also have a trio of tight ends to consider in Tyler Kroft, Tyler Eifert, and C.J. Uzomah, and they may want to leave some money in the coffers to re-sign defensive end Michael Johnson after the 2018 season.

Bengals Sign DT Geno Atkins To Extension

August 28th, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have signed defensive tackle Geno Atkins to a four-year extension, according to his agency. The new pact is worth $65.3M, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The 30-year-old is among the best players on the Bengals’ defense, so the deal was a high priority for the front office. The club’s recent release of safety George Iloka likely freed up the room necessary to make the deal happen.

Atkins will receive $25.5MM in the first year of the new deal and more than half of the contract ($37.5MM) will be paid in the first two years. His $16.3MM yearly average is highest yearly average ever obtained by a 30+ year old non-quarterback in NFL history.

The defensive tackle inked a five-year, $53.3MM extension with the Bengals back in 2013, which meant that his deal was set to expire after the 2018 season. That contract proved to be a winner for both sides. For the Bengals, the deal allowed them to keep a top performer under contract at roughly $10.6MM per year while the market advanced at a sharp rate. Atkins, meanwhile, made more cash than he could ever hope to spend. And, since he’s still in the prime of his career, he was able to do it all again.

Atkins finished out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked interior defender last year, putting him behind only Aaron Donald of the Rams. Like Donald, Atkins is a stout run defender with the ability to also disrupt opposing quarterbacks from the interior. Atkins has notched at least nine sacks in each of the last three seasons, and, save for the 2013 season cut short by an ACL tear, he has never missed a game. Donald is still three years younger and in a class of his own, but Atkins has been far more dominant than many outside of Cincinnati realize.

Lions Release DE Robert Ayers

August 28th, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Well, that was fast. After signing defensive end Robert Ayers on Monday, the Lions announced on Tuesday that he has been released. 

Ayers, 33 on Sept. 6, was expected to help the Lions as a pass rush specialist. While he posted only two sacks a season ago, he managed 28 pressures (a better indication of production) and graded as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 10 edge defender. Ayers’ experience in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes made him a logical fit for defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, but something went awry in Detroit.

Ayers has played in only ten games in each of the past two seasons for the Bucs, so his health may have been an issue.

Dez Bryant Willing To Wait For Deal

August 28th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

With Week 1 just around the corner, Dez Bryant has seemingly made peace with knowing that he will not be on the field for the start of the season. The free agent wide receiver indicates that he’ll remain patient until he receives the right offer. 

“I just have to take care of me first,” Bryant said on Twitter. “I will play ball this year just might be a lil bit later in the year.. we will see.”

Bryant has rejected at least two deals this offseason that would have had him in uniform for the start of the season. The Ravens pitched him on a three-year deal worth approximately $21MM, but Bryant turned them down because he wanted a one-year deal instead. The Browns offered him a one-year deal in August, but it was for less than $5MM and, apparently, not to his liking.

A potential landing spot opened up this week when the Jaguars lost Marqise Lee for the season, but they’re content with their current group of receivers. Many of you are in agreement with the Jags’ stance as Monday night’s poll on the subject is roughly split down the middle.

Right now, there’s no team in the NFL that is willing to meet Bryant’s asking price – whatever that may be. But, instead of settling for less, the former Cowboys star is willing to wait, even if it means missing out on part of the 2018 season.

Latest On Cowboys C Travis Frederick

August 28th, 2018 at 1:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are cautiously optimistic about center Travis Frederick‘s outlook, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s too early to say whether he’ll be placed on injured reserve, but one source tells Rapoport that his recovery will be measured in weeks rather than months. A formal decision on Frederick will come next week, so they will not place the lineman on IR before Saturday’s roster deadline. 

[RELATED: Cowboys Move Tyrone Crawford To DT]

Frederick, one of the league’s best centers, was recently diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease. For however long he’s out, the Cowboys will use third-year pro Joe Looney in the middle.

Under the league’s revised rules for the injured reserve, each team is permitted to bring two players back from IR each season. The player does not have to be earmarked for return in advance, but the player must spend at least eight weeks on the inactive list. If the Cowboys feel that Frederick is unlikely to be ready before November, they may place Frederick on IR in order to free up a roster spot.

Browns To Sign OL Earl Watford

August 28th, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have signed offensive lineman Earl Watford, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Watford was released by the Bears earlier this week, making him a free agent. 

The former fourth-round Cardinals pick signed with the Bears in April and was expected to have a shot at the starting lineup. Unfortunately, things did not pan out that way for him, despite Kyle Long‘s injury history and the departure of Josh Sitton.

Watford started nine games for the Cards last season and eleven in 2016. Pro Football Focus has graded Watford as one of the worst full-time blockers in the game over the past two seasons, but the 28-year-old has made 22 starts over the past three years in spite his so-so performance.

The Browns’ need for depth on the offensive line has been well documented, especially in light of Spencer Drango‘s preseason struggles. Watford can also fill in for rookie Austin Corbett if he struggles to adapt to the pro game.

Raiders’ Khalil Mack Likely To Miss Games

August 28th, 2018 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders and Khalil Mack have made no progress in contract talks and the All-Pro defensive end is likely to miss regular-season games as a result, sources familiar with the standoff tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. The Raiders open their season on Sept. 10 against the Rams, so the two sides have less than two weeks to turn things around before Mack abstains from meaningful games. 

The Raiders have yet to make an offer to Mack, despite his prolonged holdout this offseason. Technically, the fifth-year veteran is tied to his $13.8MM fifth-year option, but Mack is willing to miss out on game checks that are worth more than $800K in order to make a point and force the Raiders into giving him a lucrative extension. Meanwhile, GM Reggie McKenzie does not expect Mack to report to the club until he has a contract in hand.

Because of the impasse, the Raiders have not ruled out trading Mack. There are at least four clubs seriously interested in making a deal for the defensive dynamo, and the Jets may be among those teams.

Apparently, things haven’t improved much since talks first stalled back in February. There have been no meaningful talks between the two sides in months, Robinson hears, and Mack’s side has taken a “pay him or trade him” stance with the Raiders.

Coach Jon Gruden has final say over the matter, but he has not been directly involved with the talks either. Robinson also hears that owner Mark Davis has the flexibility needed to give Mack a lucrative deal with guarantees, despite speculation about the Raiders’ finances. And, the two sides aren’t waiting on Rams star Aaron Donald to sign a deal. Still, with the season fast approaching, the lack of progress between the Raiders and Mack is troubling.

Ravens Trade LB Kamalei Correa To Titans

August 28th, 2018 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have left traded linebacker Kamalei Correa to the Titans, accoridng to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The Ravens will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick in return. 

Correa was a second round pick of the Ravens in the 2016 draft. Although the Ravens had high hopes for him at the time, Correa hasn’t done much at the NFL level. In 25 games over the last two years, Correa has totaled just eleven tackles.

This summer, Correa was given an opportunity to play at his preferred outside linebacker position as well as inside linebacker. Although he flashed at times, the Ravens still had Terrell Suggs, Matthew Judon, Za’Darius Smith, Tim Williams, Tyus Bowser ahead of him on the LB depth chart.

Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees is obviously a fan of Correa, so he should be in for an uptick in playing time now that the two are reunited. In Tennessee, Correa will have an opportunity to back up Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan and he may get even more chances to play if Harold Landry misses time with his ankle injury.

In his three-year career at Boise State, Correa totaled 110 tackles, 20 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.

East Notes: Dolphins, Carroo, Giants, Jones, Jets, Eagles, Adams

August 27th, 2018 at 9:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins traded three picks for the right to move up and draft receiver Leonte Carroo back in 2016, but his run in Miami may be over after just two seasons. Carroo faces “mounting odds” to make the team, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Although the team apparently loves the “urgency” he’s shown this year, the crowded receiver depth chart seems likely to push him off the roster. Five receivers are already locked into roster spots, and Carroo is competing with a slew of other players for a potential sixth spot. With just ten catches to his name through two seasons, it looks like it could be the end of the line for the oft-injured former 86th overall pick.

Here’s more from the league’s Eastern divisions:

  • The pick the Vikings traded to the Giants for center Brett Jones is conditional, according to longtime NFL writer Howard Balzer (Twitter link). The pick, a 2019 seventh-rounder, was previously reported to be guaranteed.
  • The Jets will have a few tough calls to make when they have to trim their roster down. Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com took a stab at projecting the roster, and had a few interesting predictions. He thinks it “doesn’t make sense for the Jets to trade” Teddy Bridgewater, and that the Jets will keep all three of their signal callers. He also predicts running backs Thomas Rawls, Charcandrick West, and tight end Clive Walford to be cut.
  • Meanwhile, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com took a look at key decisions the Eagles will have to make on cutdown day. He thinks there “is reason to think” rookie running back Josh Adams won’t make it through waivers to the team’s practice squad if they cut him. Adams has impressed and been electric at times this preseason, and Shorr-Parks thinks teams might put in a claim on him as he received “plenty of interest” as an undrafted free agent.
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