2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Re-Sign James O’Shaughnessy

March 21st, 2019 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have re-signed tight end James O’Shaughnessy, according to a team announcement. O’Shaughnessy, 27, set new career highs with 24 catches for 214 yards last season and he could be in for a larger role this season.

The Jaguars currently have four tight ends on the roster in O’Shaughnessy, Geoff Swaim, Ben Koyack, and Pharoah McKever. More TE help could be on the way, but for now, O’Shaughnessy seems primed for a decent chunk of playing time.

Before re-signing with the Jags, O’Shaughnessy paid a visit to the Steelers, where he would have backed up starter Vance McDonald. The Steelers will have to find their own backup TE elsewhere, either in these later stages of free agency or in next month’s draft.

Broncos To Re-Sign QB Kevin Hogan

March 21st, 2019 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Kevin Hogan is back with the Broncos. After being non-tendered by Denver earlier this month, the Broncos have agreed to re-sign the quarterback, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets.

Hogan, 26, first entered the league as a sixth-round choice of the Chiefs in 2016. He didn’t catch on there, but he hooked on with the Browns’ practice squad as a rookie and eventually worked his way on to the varsity squad. In 2017, he had a brief stay as the Browns’ starting quarterback – one game, to be exact – before being pushed down to No. 3 on the team’s QB depth chart.

Hogan is still looking for his next opportunity to start. Last April, he pushed the Browns to trade him to the Redskins, but he was unable to make their final cut. The Broncos scooped him up off waivers, but he did not see the field as he backed up Case Keenum.

This year, he’ll push to make the Broncos’ final cut and battle it out with Garrett Grayson to back up Joe Flacco.

Bills Remain Interested In Ziggy Ansah

March 21st, 2019 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have three defensive ends set to return from last year’s team, but there’s still room for more help on the edge. The Bills recently met with Ezekiel Ansah and GM Brandon Beane says they’re still interested.

“We had a great visit with Ziggy and he’s a great young man,” Beane said on WGR 550 (via Matt Parrino of New York Upstate). “He had a tough shoulder injury last year and he’s still rehabbing that. I know he went on a couple other visits, or at least one other that I’m aware of. We had great talks with him and his agent. It’s kind of just at a standstill right now but it doesn’t mean it will or it won’t happen. We’ll see going forward and we’ll stay in touch with him and his representatives.”

Whether Ansah signs with the Bills or not, Beane seems to be leaning toward adding more talent on the d-line either in free agency or the NFL Draft next month.

Ansah has talent and question marks in equal measure. After shoulder surgery, Ansah appeared in just seven games for the Lions last year. However, he has two 12+ sack seasons to his credit, with the most recent one coming in 2017.

The Bills’ interest makes sense, though it’ll likely come down to cost. More specifically, the Bills would probably aim for a deal that has a modest base salary, affording them some protection in the event of another injury.

Regardless of what happens with Ansah, it sounds like the Bills are keen on adding edge rushers in April’s draft.

“There’s a couple guys out there (on the free agent market) but we’re mainly in a holding pattern there,” Beane said. “I don’t know that there’s a guy out there that we would probably jump on before the draft. But depending on what we land in the draft maybe there’s some guys that we pursue after that separate of Ziggy, whether we go after him or not.”

Cardinals To Sign DT Darius Philon

March 21st, 2019 at 10:44am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals are signing former Chargers defensive tackle Darius Philon to a two-year, $10MM deal (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Philon will receive $5MM fully guaranteed and can earn a maximum of $12MM through incentives.

Philon, 25, has appeared in 54 career games since entering the league as a sixth-round pick in 2015. Over the last two years, he’s taken a big step forward in his career. In 2017, he notched a career high 4.5 sacks, playing mostly as a reserve. Last year, he started in 13 of his 16 games and notched four sacks plus 33 tackles overall.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus indicate that 2018 was Philon’s best season yet. He could have an opportunity to build on that as a key contributor in Arizona.

Texans Re-Sign QB Joe Webb

March 21st, 2019 at 10:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are re-signing quarterback/special teamer Joe Webb, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll return to the club on a one-year deal worth $1MM.

Webb’s status for 2019 was up in the air after the Texans made plans to add A.J. McCarron as Deshaun Watson‘s backup. Instead, it appears that veteran Brandon Weeden is on the outs.

Webb, 32, offers unique versatility as a QB, special teams player, and receiver. Last year, he saw just 35 snaps on offense, but took part in 312 special teams plays.

Webb’s unique skill set has kept him in the league for a long while and 2019 will be his tenth year in the NFL. Before joining the Texans last year, Webb spent four years with the Vikings, three years with the Panthers, and one year with the Bills.

Giants Notes: Collins, Rosen, Draft

March 21st, 2019 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this month, the Giants lost Landon Collins to the rival Redskins in free agency, meaning that they will get nothing more than a 2020 compensatory pick in exchange for one of the game’s best young safeties. Meanwhile, they had an opportunity to trade him prior to last year’s deadline, when they probably could have gotten something in the 2019 draft.

That leaves GM Dave Gettleman with some explaining to do, though he downplayed the previously received trade offers when speaking with reporters this week.

“The rumor that we were offered a first-round draft pick isn’t even remotely accurate. … Did we have teams call? Yes. But at that point in time I didn’t think (the offers we got were) what he was worth,” Gettleman said (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).

We don’t recall hearing that the Giants were offered a first-round pick for Collins last year, but we did recently learn that the Buccaneers offered a third-rounder before the deadline. The difference between a third-round pick in 2019 and a compensatory pick in 2020 might not sound like much, but there is definitely a value gap between a surefire pick in the immediate draft and a chance to receive a similarly slotted pick one year later.

Here’s more from New York:

Some in the Giants organization liked Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen in the draft last year, but it sounds like he ranked third or fourth out of five first-round QBs on their board, Vacchiano hears. They could explore a trade for Rosen now, but their concern remains the same: Would Rosen’s personality play well in New York? Rosen has been known to be outspoken whereas Eli Manning has survived in the country’s No. 1 media market by staying controversy-free.
The Giants could take a QB at No. 6 overall, but Gettleman is not locked in on any signal caller the way in the same he was focused on Saquon Barkley in last year’s draft, according to Vacchiano. Instead, the Giants could target one of this year’s pass rushers with their first pick.

Lions’ Tavon Wilson Takes Pay Cut

March 21st, 2019 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

Lions cornerback Tavon Wilson has accepted a pay cut to stay on board, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Instead of earning $2.15MM this year, he’ll make just $1MM.

Last year, the Lions re-signed Wilson to a two-year, $7MM contract. In the first year of his new pact, Wilson was used mostly as a reserve and also saw some time on special teams.

Under the previous terms of his deal, the Lions could have released Wilson to save $2.9MM against $875K in dead money. Instead, Wilson will stay put with increased odds of making the final cut.

In other Lions news, the club met with free agent linebacker Manti Te’o this week.

Eagles To Sign Vinny Curry

March 21st, 2019 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

Vinny Curry is on his way back to Philadelphia. The Eagles are nearing a deal with the defensive end, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth $2.25M with an additional $1.25M of upside based on incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (via Twitter).

Up until last year, Curry spent his whole career (2012-2017) with the Eagles. Last year, he joined the Bucs on three-year deal, but that contract was terminated when he became a cap casualty in February.

Last year, Curry tallied 21 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, and five tackles for a loss, numbers that don’t exactly jump off of the page. However, he was effective at generating pressure with the Eagles in 2017 and started in every game, including the team’s Super Bowl victory, so he could be a difference-maker in Philly.

This time around, Curry projects to come off of the bench in support of starters Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett. He’ll be especially important to the rotation if Chris Long opts to retire.

Before agreeing to sign with the Eagles, Curry visited the Bengals and drew interest from the Giants.

Saints’ Cameron Meredith Takes Pay Cut

March 21st, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith has agreed to a pay cut, reducing his base salary from $3.4MM to $1.3MM for 2019, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Meredith missed ten games due to a knee issue last season, so it was a logical move for both sides.

With that, Meredith’s cap number will decrease from $6.45MM to $4.15M, creating additional cap room for New Orleans. This will, in part, help to offset the expense of adding tight end Jared Cook.

Meredith was not involved in the Saints’ offense outside of Weeks 3-5 last year, though he dressed in the weeks leading up to his injury. When he was on the field, Meredith had nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in total.

Meredith, 27 in September, exploded in 2016 with 66 catches for 888 yards and four touchdowns. He was primed for an even bigger 2017 with the Bears, but a torn ACL and MCL in the preseason wiped out the entire year. The Saints still saw plenty of upside in Meredith, however, and inked him to a two-year offer sheet as a restricted free agent.

Drew Brees tends to spread the ball around, but Meredith will have an opportunity to assert himself in one of the league’s most potent offenses in 2019. If he can stay healthy and produce, he’ll have an opportunity to cash in next March as an unrestricted free agent.

Extra Points: Steelers, Patriots, Seahawks

March 20th, 2019 at 10:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Cornerback Mike Hilton doesn’t plan to immediately sign his exclusive rights free agent tender as he waits for a new, long-term deal from the Steelers, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As an exclusive rights free agent, Hilton has no leverage with Pittsburgh: he can either accept a minimum salary pact from the Steelers, or decide not to play football in 2019. ERFAs and restricted free agents do hold one advantage over other young players who were drafted, however, as they can receive extensions after only two seasons (drafted players must wait at least three years). One of the better slot corners in the league, Hilton has appeared in 31 games over the past two seasons, posting three interceptions and five sacks during that span. He doesn’t plan to miss any offseason work as he pushes for a new contract, per Fowler.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Running back James White and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy each missed out on playtime/performance bonus thresholds in 2018, but the Patriots have decided to pay each player his bonus anyway, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. White will collect a $250K bonus, which he would have earned by reaching 1,200 total yards (he managed 1,176), per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Meanwhile, Guy needed to play 50% of New England’s defensive snaps for his own $250K bonus, but fell three snaps short. Together, the bonuses will add $500K to the Patriots’ salary cap, but New England can feel secure in rewarding its players. The Pats did the same thing for Guy in 2018 when he barely failed to earn a $500K bonus.
Doug Baldwin has already had knee and shoulder surgeries this offseason, and the veteran Seahawks receiver may have to go under the knife yet again. Appearing on Sports Radio KJR, Baldwin indicated he’s likely to require another operation in the coming months (Twitter link via Curtis Crabtree of KJR). In April, Baldwin is expected to travel to Philadelphia to meet with a specialist regarding a possible sports hernia, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Baldwin, 30, missed three games with a knee issue in 2018 and didn’t appear fully healthy once he returned to action.
Free agent Jake Fisher will work out as a tight end for the Redskins on Thursday, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. A second-round pick of the Bengals as an offensive tackle in 2015, Fisher is now attempting to convert to a skill position, and is reportedly down to 285 pounds. Fisher, who played tight end in high school, has been limited by injuries and ineffectiveness throughout his career, and has started just 12 games in four years. He auditioned for the Texans last week.