2019 February - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Ravens Want Terrell Suggs Back

February 27th, 2019 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are interested in bringing Terrell Suggs back for the 2019 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Suggs is intent on playing for a 17th season, so it could be a matter of time before the two sides agree to a new deal.

Suggs is 36, but he has plenty left in the tank. Last year, Suggs recorded seven sacks, bringing his career total to 132.5. In the previous year, Suggs finished out with eleven sacks, leading to his seventh-career Pro Bowl nod.

Down the stretch of the season, Suggs claimed he wasn’t dwelling on his future in Baltimore. Still, it’s hard to picture him in any other uniform.

“Nah, there’s a lot of things that are always a possibility,” Suggs said. “You can’t really harp on the negative. It possibly could but that hasn’t crossed my mind like, ‘Oh my God.’ We’ve got business to handle. We’ll cross every bridge when it’s time to come there.”

The time to handle that business will likely be this week at the combine.

Jaguars, Marcell Dareus Restructure Deal

February 27th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus agreed to a restructuring of his contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The new deal will allow Dareus to remain in Jacksonville for at least one more year.

Initially, was set to make $8.335MM in base salary, but the new deal will call for a base of just $2.835MM. Instead, he’ll get a $5MM bonus up front with a revised deal that eliminates the 2021 season. The Jaguars will save $5MM against the cap and Dareus will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season.

Dareus, 29 in March, came to the Jaguars in a midseason trade with the Bills in 2017. For a late draft pick, the Jaguars acquired Dareus and the remainder of his whopping six-year, $95.1MM contract.

Unfortunately, the former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t quite lived up to that contract. Dareus compiled ten sacks en route to a Pro Bowl nod and a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2014, but he has just 8.5 sacks over the last four seasons. Last year, Dareus had only one sack and a forced fumble, though he earned a solid 80.9 score from Pro Football Focus for his solid run defense.

Extra Points: 49ers, Coaching Staffs, Zorn

February 26th, 2019 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Parks

Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes the 49ers would jump at the chance to trade for Odell Beckham Jr. if the Giants actually make him available, but Barrows is more skeptical about San Francisco’s interest in Antonio Brown. It has been rumored that Brown’s preferred destination is the 49ers, but Barrows says San Francisco would only be a serious suitor for Brown if the Steelers’ trade demands are modest. Of course, we recently heard that Pittsburgh may not get more than a third-round pick for AB, so maybe that is modest enough for the Niners to take the plunge.

Now for more from around the NFL (and XFL):

In the same piece linked above, Barrows writes that the 49ers must re-sign guard Mike Person, and he says the club plans to meet with Person’s agent at the Scouting Combine this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Giants are expected to hire Everett Withers as their new DBs coach. Withers spent the last three seasons as the head coach of Texas State and had previously agreed to become the defensive coordinator for Florida International in 2019. He will take over for Lou Anarumo, who left Big Blue to become the Bengals’ DC.
Former Bengals RBs coach Kyle Caskey will join the Lions in the same capacity, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network (via Twitter). It is a logical hire for Detroit, as Caskey did good work in his five years coaching Cincinnati’s running backs.
Colts WR Marcus Johnson, an exclusive rights free agent, has been cleared to resume football activities, Johnson himself tweeted. Johnson was placed on IR in October.
Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is not at this week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis due to his surgery to repair a torn ACL (plus, while he would have been permitted to participate in limited interviews and undergo medical testing, he was banned from participating in drills). However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that Simmons will attend the medical recheck in Indianapolis in April, which will give interested clubs the chance to see how his recovery is progressing.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out an odd quirk in the league’s rule concerning a prospect’s eligibility to fully participate in the Scouting Combine. Since the ban on drills that players like Simmons have faced only encompasses convictions, that means that players who have not been convicted of a crime but who are still facing potentially serious charges — like Wyoming DE Carl Granderson — are allowed to participate in all aspects of the Combine. Of course, current NFL players may face league discipline even if they avoid legal repercussions for their misdeeds, so Florio believes the rule banning prospects only if they have been convicted of a crime should be eliminated.
Appearing on The Mighty 1090 (audio link), draft guru Tony Pauline expressed his belief that Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray will definitely be drafted in the first round; it is merely a question of where in the first round he will fall.
Former Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, who also served as the quarterbacks coach for five different NFL clubs, has been named the head coach and GM of the XFL’s Seattle franchise, the league announced via Twitter.

Falcons Plan To Retain Vic Beasley

February 26th, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by Rory Parks

Vic Beasley is under contract with the Falcons through 2019 since the club picked up his fifth-year option last year. However, Atlanta could cut Beasley before March 13 and clear his entire $12.81MM salary from the books, and given his underwhelming performance over the past two seasons, there has been speculation that the club will do exactly that.

But head coach Dan Quinn threw some cold water on those rumors, saying that the Falcons plan to keep Beasley in the fold. Quinn said (via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com), “I’m very excited about where I think [Beasley] can go to, and we’ve had good conversations about the impact that he can make. The biggest impact that he can make is doing it really consistently.”

Beasley, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft, had what appeared to be a breakout campaign in 2016, racking up a league-leading 15.5 sacks to go along with his only Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro selections. But he has regressed considerably since then, recording just five sacks in each of the past two seasons and grading out as a below-average edge defender per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.

Beasley was actually Quinn’s first draft choice after Quinn became Atlanta’s head coach, and now that Quinn is set to take over defensive play-calling duties, he believes Beasley is due for a resurgence. Of course, Quinn would not comment on Beasley’s future with the club beyond 2019, and he acknowledged that Beasley would need to return to his earlier level of performance if he wants to land a long-term deal with the Falcons.

It stands to reason that the Falcons would be willing to give Beasley one more shot, as the team rebuffed trade offers for the Clemson product before the 2018 trade deadline.

Raiders Not Expected To Pick Up Karl Joseph’s Fifth-Year Option?

February 26th, 2019 at 8:50pm CST by Rory Parks

It seems like every player on the Raiders’ roster was on the trading block at some point last year, and safety Karl Joseph was no exception. It was reported that Oakland was willing to move Joseph at the trade deadline in exchange for a third-round pick, but no one stepped up to meet that asking price.

At the end of December, though, we heard that the team had done something of an about-face on Joseph and viewed him as a long-term building block. His play certainly improved down the stretch, and he has proven himself to be a talented pass rusher and in-the-box safety while still being competent in coverage. Plus, he will only be 26 when the regular season starts, and he was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 draft.

However, Vic Tafur of The Athletic does not believe the team is sold on Joseph just yet. The West Virginia product is controllable through 2020 via the fifth-year option, but the option must be exercised next month, and if the Raiders do not exercise it, Joseph would be eligible for free agency after the 2019 campaign. Tafur expects that the Raiders will take that chance, as he believes Oakland would like to see how Joseph performs in a prove-it year before committing to him beyond this season (although the fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so as long as Joseph does not suffer a major injury, the Raiders could cut him after 2019 without incurring any dead money).

Either way, Joseph will have a new running mate in the Raiders’ defensive backfield in 2019. Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist are not expected to return, so either another veteran FA or a rookie will be manning the free safety spot alongside Joseph, the club’s strong safety.

AFC Notes: Tomlin, Bengals, Dolphins

February 26th, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Parks

Michael Lombardi of The Athletic takes a deep dive into the Antonio Brown saga, and he is pretty straightforward with his thoughts on the entire situation. He certainly puts much of the blame for the acrimonious relationship between Brown and the Steelers on Brown himself, saying that the talented wideout has a tremendous combination of selfishness, all-about-me attitude, and hostility towards the only team he has ever known. As one GM recently said, Brown is a a “[g]reat talent, but a huge pain in the ass.”

However, Lombardi also says that while Brown’s behavior has driven down his price on the trade market, interested teams are doing their homework to get to the true essence of the problem. Lombardi believes the Steelers’ culture is lost, and that head coach Mike Tomlin, despite his impressive 57-29-1 record over the last five seasons, loses critical games because he and his teams fail to handle small details and do not exhibit the physical and mental toughness they need in key situations. The Rooney family does not overreact, but Lombardi suggests the imminent departures of Brown and Le’Veon Bell will lead to a thorough evaluation of Tomlin, who will need to fix his team’s culture in order to secure his future in Pittsburgh.

Now for more out of the AFC:

Linebacker Jon Bostic would like to return to the Steelers, but Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the club has no interest in re-signing Bostic. The Steelers could look to the draft to fortify their inside linebacker position, but this year’s collegiate crop of ILBs is a bit thin. Pittsburgh also needs to address its cornerback depth chart, but Dulac suggests the free agent market could be a better option in that regard given the club’s poor history of drafting CBs under Tomlin. Of course, the Steelers will use much of their time at this week’s Scouting Combine to explore the trade market for Brown.
The Bengals have historically been pretty conservative on the free agent market under owner Mike Brown, and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com does not believe that will change going forward, even though Cincinnati has a new head coach for the first time in 16 years (Twitter link). That is in keeping with a piece that the Cincinnati Enquirer published several days ago.
The Dolphins have plenty of holes to fill during this year’s draft, and as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes, Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell could be a perfect fit for the team’s pass rush if the Fins do not use their first-round pick on a QB. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, citing the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, says Miami should be able to build its O-line throughout the draft, and that the team was not particularly impressed by West Virginia signal-caller Will Grier. Jackson also explores the Dolphins’ other options for their No. 13 overall pick, including trade-back scenarios.
Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com expects the Titans to sign a wideout and an interior lineman in free agency and to address those positions in the draft as well. The team may be getting Delanie Walker back in time for OTAs, but Wyatt also believes the Titans will add at least one TE to the mix, and he expects Tennessee will try to re-sign Luke Stocker.

NFL Evaluating David Irving, Could Suspend Him Again

February 26th, 2019 at 5:39pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys are apparently willing to let defensive tackle David Irving hit free agency, and there are a number of reasons for that, as we explored earlier this month. Today, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported that the league is evaluating Irving and could hit him with a suspension, which could be another reason why Dallas is content to let Irving walk.

Irving was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 campaign for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, and he missed the last four games of that season due to a concussion. In between, though, he was terrific, as he registered seven sacks in eight games and earned a second-round RFA tender last offseason.

Things went south for Irving after that, though, as he was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Between the suspension, injury, and personal matters, he played in only two games last season, which did not make for an ideal platform year.

Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys were not expected to re-sign Irving anyway. The 25-year-old, who signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2015, will doubtlessly get another shot in the league, but he will first have to concentrate on avoiding or limiting a third suspension.

That potential suspension, though, may not be related to PEDs or recreational drugs. Per Calvin Watkins of The Athletic, Irving’s ex-girlfriend, Angela Sanchez, has spoken with NFL senior vice president of investigations, Lisa Friel, about numerous alleged domestic violence incidents. We learned back in April that Sanchez accused Irving of domestic violence, but the police investigation into those allegations was closed because Sanchez recanted her claims.

Sanchez and Irving have a daughter together, and Irving has sole custody of her. However, Sanchez claims Irving has denied her court-ordered visitation, and that she has not seen her daughter since December 6. That is why, after rebuffing Friel’s attempts to speak with her in the past, Sanchez is willing to open up now. One of Watkins’ sources says that Friel has spoken with both Irving and Sanchez, and that both parties have credibility issues.

Irving’s recent Instagram post is not likely to help his cause. In the post, he wrote, “I’m in the NFl [sic] because I’m great at what I do. I’m not in the NFL because I’m an Eagle Scout , or the perfect model citizen. I didn’t put on a mask or kiss ass to be where I am. Im here on natural ability . This is God’s plan. Not mine. Trust me , I’m adjusting to it as well. Once I step on the field and stop performing , THEN we have a problem .. . So does anyone have anything to say about my play?”

It’s been a tough day for Cowboys pass rushers, as we learned earlier this afternoon that Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely.

ESPN, Fox Pursuing Panthers TE Greg Olsen

February 26th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by Rory Parks

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen has already begun preparing for his post-playing career, having auditioned to be an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football last March. At the time, it was also reported that Olsen could be in the mix for FOX’s Thursday Night Football.

Instead, Olsen signed a two-year extension with the Panthers that keeps him under club control through the 2020 campaign. However, his 2018 season was derailed by a foot injury for the second year in a row, and both ESPN and FOX are once again attempting to bring him on board.

Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, both networks have extended multi-million dollar offers to Olsen. Neither offer would match the $3.4MM that Olsen could earn from the Panthers this year if he continues playing, and Marchand suggests that the soon-to-be 34-year-old is presently leaning towards putting retirement on hold. But that could change if the networks increase their offers a bit or if they present him with a clear path to even more opportunities. For instance, Marchand reports that FOX is prepared to put Olsen in the booth as a color commentator, but it would probably need to put him on the No. 2 or No. 3 broadcast team to convince him to sign on.

Olsen’s prospective role with ESPN is less clear, though the worldwide leader did recently drop Charles Woodson from its “Sunday NFL Countdown” program and could be looking at Olsen as a replacement. Marchand also says that CBS met with Olsen but is not pursuing him at this time.

Olsen suited up for only nine games last year after playing in just seven in 2017, and the injuries are doubtlessly taking a toll on him. But he appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Bears and Panthers from 2008-16, and he can still be a productive player when healthy. The three-time Pro Bowler has been one of the best tight ends in the league since joining Carolina via trade in 2011, and he topped 100 targets every year from 2012-16.

He finished the 2018 season with 27 catches for 291 yards and four touchdowns.

Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Banned Indefinitely

February 26th, 2019 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys edge defender Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and the terms of his conditional reinstatement, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Unfortunately, this is not the first rodeo for the 26-year-old.

Last year, Gregory returned from another ban to appear in 14 games for the Cowboys. In a mostly reserve capacity, the Nebraska product showed why the Cowboys invested a second-round pick in him back in 2015. Gregory finished out the year with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles, giving the Cowboys reason to be excited for his 2019 campaign.

“The expectation for Randy is the exact same: to get him back on the field playing as soon as possible,”said Gregory’s attorney Daniel Moskowitz (via USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein). “Our personal confidence in him has not wavered. This is about more than football. We appreciate the public recognizing this is a private matter and thank the Jones (family) and Cowboys for their continued support.”

The ban marks Gregory’s fourth career suspension for substance abuse. The league has relaxed its stance on repeat offenders of the policy, but the road back to the field is tough when a player violates the policy while under conditional reinstatement. With that in mind, Gregory’s case probably won’t be revisited until 2020, at the earliest. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets, Gregory is no longer subject to the standard reinstatement process, which means that it is unclear exactly what he has to do to work his way back onto the field. His fate is entirely in the hands of Roger Goodell, who simply decides if and when Gregory will be permitted to return.

The Cowboys may look to fortify their pass rush in the draft now that Gregory’s status is in doubt. Team VP Stephen Jones said he has known that the indefinite ban was coming for some time, but he obviously declined to comment on how it would impact the club’s draft strategy (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).

Gregory’s suspension may also ramp up the pressure on Dallas to get a deal done with DeMarcus Lawrence, who has threatened to hold out if tagged for a second consecutive year. The Cowboys recently made an offer to Lawrence, and they’ll wait up until the March 5 deadline before pulling the trigger on the tag.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Jets Want To Re-Sign Henry Anderson

February 26th, 2019 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are interested in bringing back free agent Henry Anderson, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. The defensive lineman’s seven sacks tied for the team lead last season, even though he played in only 59.7% of the snaps.

The Jets plan to meet with Anderson’s camp during Combine week, at which point they’ll discuss a new deal. Anderson earned just $1.9MM last year, so it’s safe to say he’s in line for a pay bump.

The Colts traded him to the Jets in April of last year for a seventh-round pick and he has proven to be a tremendous value for Gang Green. Anderson was a poor fit for their 3-4 scheme, but he was solid in the Jets’ 4-3 front.

The Jets probably won’t retain most of their 23 unrestricted free agents, but Anderson appears to be a priority for them. With upwards of $102MM in cap room, the Jets should have ample space to re-sign Anderson and pursue some of this year’s biggest difference makers on the open market. They may use some of that available cash to add Jaguars wide receiver Donte Moncrief, who stands out in an otherwise iffy WR class.

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