HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

P Shane Lechler Retires From NFL

March 30th, 2019 at 9:57am CST by Ben Levine

Shane Lechler is hanging up his cleats. The veteran punter held a “retirement party” last night to celebrate the end of his career, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Former NFL punter Pat McAfee also tweeted the news.

Following a standout career at Texas A&M, the punter entered the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2000 draft. He spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Raiders before moving on to the Texans.

The punter spent five years with Houston before signing a one-year, $2MM extension with the organization last offseason. The team ended up releasing Lechler towards the end of the preseason, but the veteran made it clear that he wasn’t planning on immediately retiring. However, the 18-year veteran didn’t end up generating any reported interest as a free agent.

Either way, the 42-year-old will retire as one of the top punters in NFL history. Lechler’s accolades speak for themselves: he was a seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro, three-time second-team All-Pro, and the 2009 Golden Toe Award winner (via Pro Football Weekly). Lechler was also named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team (along with former Bills standout Brian Moorman).

Statistically, Lechler led the NFL in average punt distance five times, and he led the NFL in punting yards four times. He owns the all-time record for yards-per-punt, while his 1,444 career punts ranks second behind Jeff Feagles.

Dolphins Eyeing Defensive Ends Via Draft?

March 30th, 2019 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins have moved on from Robert Quinn, Cameron Wake, and Andre Branch this offseason, so the team is predictably in the market for defensive ends. It sounds like the organization may try to fill those holes via the draft, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that the Dolphins have scheduled workouts with a number of prospects.

Jackson writes that Dolphins defensive line coach Marion Hobby recently gave a private workout to Louisiana Tech lineman Jaylon Ferguson, who has been graded as a second-round pick. The Dolphins have also scheduled visits with TCU’s L.J. Collier and Old Dominion’s Oshane Ximines, a pair of players who are also expected to be selected in the second or third round. Miami is currently armed with one second-rounder and one third-rounder: the 48th-overall pick and 78th-overall pick, respectively.

It sounds like the Dolphins may even consider opting for a defensive end in the first round, where they’re currently holding the 13th pick. Jackson notes that the team has also shown interest in Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell, FSU’s Brian Burns, and Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat. If the Dolphins want Sweat, it might require a trade, as the lineman is currently projected to go in the top-10.

The Dolphins are currently only rostering four defensive ends with any NFL experience. That grouping includes Charles Harris, Tank Carradine, Jonathan Woodard, and Jeremiah Valoaga.

DeMarcus Lawrence, Cowboys At ‘Impasse’ In Negotiations?

March 29th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It doesn’t sound like DeMarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys are going to reach an agreement on a longterm deal any time soon. The pass-rusher was franchise-tagged by Dallas earlier this month, and the two sides have been negotiating ever since. 

But the Cowboys’ front office and Lawrence’s agent , David Canter, have “reached an impasse in negotiations,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). We heard a couple of days ago that Lawrence was upping his asking price from $20MM annually to around $22.5MM annually, so this news isn’t shocking. The Cowboys are reportedly offering Lawrence a deal that would make him the league’s highest-paid 4-3 defensive end, but Lawrence wants something more in the area of what Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack are making.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said earlier this week that the team was “motivated” to get a longterm deal done, but that they weren’t inclined to pay him Donald money. In addition to salary demands, Rapoport reports there’s another issue holding up a deal. We heard back in January that Lawrence would undergo surgery this offseason, as he had been dealing with a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Rapoport says the Cowboys want Lawrence to get surgery right away to ensure he’s fully healthy for the start of next season, but Lawrence is going to wait until he gets a new contract to get the shoulder surgery. It appears he’s using the needed surgery as leverage in negotiations. According to Rapoport, the surgery Lawrence needs has around a four month recovery period, so there’s somewhat of a deadline here.

Rapsheet says Lawrence will need to go under the knife by April or May at the latest if he wants to be ready for the start of the 2019 season. That’s well before the July 15th deadline to agree on an extension, and it’ll be interesting to see which side blinks first. Lawrence has been one of the better pass-rushers in the league the past two years, and had 10.5 sacks last year.

Extra Points: Bosa, Cardinals, Mount, CBA

March 29th, 2019 at 8:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

For a long time toward the end of the college season, Ohio State pass-rusher Nick Bosa was the favorite to go first overall in the 2019 draft. But ever since Kliff Kingsbury got the head coaching job with the Cardinals, momentum has steadily shifted toward Kyler Murray. The current conventional wisdom is that Arizona is leaning toward taking Murray with the first pick, and shopping Josh Rosen. But they won’t admit it publicly, and there are reasons to believe they haven’t actually made up their minds yet.

The Cardinals are having dinner with Bosa tonight, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bosa, the younger brother of Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, dominated in the Big Ten. The Cardinals have been not so subtle with their interest in Murray, but it’s still possible that it’s all been a smokescreen to try and distract from their true intentions with the pick. If the Cardinals pass on him, Bosa is still a lock to go within the first couple of picks. We heard earlier this week that the 49ers were targeting him at second overall.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Free agent linebacker Deiontrez Mount has been accused of assaulting an Uber driver, as Stephanie Butzer of The Denver Channel writes. The incident, which took place early Sunday morning, left Mount with a bloodied nose when the Uber driver fought back. Mount was cited for simple assault and released, but this may not bode well for his stock on the open market. Mount missed the entire 2018 season with a torn Achilles and has just 12 career appearances to his credit between the Broncos, Colts and Titans.
  • Another day, more confirmation that we could be headed for a work stoppage or prolonged battle when a new CBA needs to be negotiated between the league and the NFLPA. There are “plenty of issues that will need to be resolved before a new labor deal can be finalized,” a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, who writes that it’s “highly unlikely” there will be a quick deal. In addition to the widely-known issues about contracts and player compensation, Florio writes that there are other more under the radar issues that will be sticking points, like “the extent to which the NFL wants to expand stadium credits under the current league-union revenue split, with the new Rams’ stadium expected to be” hotly debated. Florio also thinks it’ll be the owners, not necessarily the players, wielding the threat of a lockout in order to try and get a better deal.
  • In case you missed it, Bill Belichick could take over as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator after Greg Schiano stepped down.

Raiders Sign Luke Willson

March 29th, 2019 at 7:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Raiders are making another move. Jon Gruden’s squad is signing tight end Luke Willson, the team announced in a release. 

Willson visited with the team earlier today, and they apparently liked what they saw. The Raiders just lost Jared Cook to the Saints, so they had a big need at tight end. Willson comes to Oakland from the Lions, after having a disappointing 2018 season in Detroit. He had spent the previous five years of his career with the Seahawks. Willson had been a solid if not spectacular option behind Jimmy Graham in Seattle, and landed a one-year, $2.5MM deal from the Lions last offseason.

Even though Detroit had very little at tight end after Eric Ebron left in free agency, Willson didn’t have much of a role on offense. He ended up catching just 13 passes for 87 scoreless yards. The Rice product was originally drafted in the fifth round back in 2013. His best season receiving-wise came in 2014, when he had 362 yards and three touchdowns.

Willson’s true impact has usually been as a blocker. He’s received solid marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their No. 17 ranked run-blocking tight end last season. The Raiders have been active in the second wave of free agency, signing linebacker Brandon Marshall and running back Isaiah Crowell yesterday, and now adding Willson today.

Jaguars Re-Sign Tyler Shatley

March 29th, 2019 at 4:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jacksonville is bringing back some depth on their offensive line. The Jaguars are re-signing interior lineman Tyler Shatley, the team announced on Twitter.

Shatley was drawing some interest on the open market, as he recently met with the Vikings. That visit ended without a deal, and Shatley ultimately opted to return home. A 2014 undrafted free agent from Clemson, Shatley has spent the first five years of his career with the Jags. Shatley is capable of playing both guard and center, so he’ll provide some valuable versatility.

Shatley has never been a full-time starter, but he’s been called upon often the past few years. He’s started at least four games in each of the past three seasons, including notching seven starts at center last year after Brandon Linder went down with a season-ending injury. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately announced, although it’s probably safe to assume the Jaguars didn’t have to break the bank for him.

Shatley received average grades from Pro Football Focus last year, grading out as their 26th-best center. He won’t go into 2019 as a starter, but if recent history is any indication, he’ll find himself in the lineup at some point.

 

Seahawks Host Earl Mitchell, Nick Bellore

March 29th, 2019 at 4:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Seahawks are sniffing around some of the players left over from the first wave of free agency. Seattle hosted defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and fullback Nick Bellore for visits, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Mitchell spent the past two seasons as a division rival with the 49ers, while Bellore was with the Lions the last two years. Mitchell, an Arizona product, was drafted by the Texans in the third round back in 2010. He played well enough with the Texans to earn a four-year, $16MM deal from the Dolphins back in 2014. After three years of that deal, he was cut and signed in San Francisco.

Mitchell appeared in 14 games with 12 starts last season, filling a rotational role as a run-stuffing piece in the middle. Overall, he logged 33.8% of the defensive snaps for the 49ers. Pro Football Focus gave him average grades for his work.

Bellore is an interesting case, as he can play both linebacker and fullback. An inside linebacker coming out of Central Michigan, Bellore spent the first six seasons of his career as a linebacker with the Jets and 49ers. Prior to the 2017 season, he signed with Detroit and was converted to a fullback. He played just 11 percent of the offensive snaps as a lead blocker, but was a major contributor on special teams.

It’s unclear if he’d have any interest in moving back to linebacker with the Seahawks or if they view him strictly as a fullback. The Seahawks haven’t been the biggest spenders so far in free agency, so it makes sense they’d take a look at some more under the radar guys. According to Overthecap.com, the Seahawks have the seventh-least cap space left with $11.57MM.

Raiders To Meet With Luke Willson

March 29th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders will meet with tight end Luke Willson on Friday, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The former Lions and Seahawks receiver could help the Raiders replace Jared Cook, who left in free agency to sign with the Saints. 

Willson, 29, hooked on with the Lions last year on a one-year, $2.5MM deal. Unfortunately, the contract was not the platform to free agent riches that he envisioned. Willson finished out with just 13 catches for 87 yards and no touchdowns, a dropoff from his already modest offensive numbers.

Blocking is Willson’s true calling card and he placed as the league’s No. 17 ranked run-blocking tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus. All in all, he had 424 snaps on offense and 124 on special teams.

Buccaneers, Mike Evans Revise Deal

March 29th, 2019 at 1:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bucs converted $3MM of Mike Evans‘ $20MM base salary in to a roster bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move will not create additional cap space for the Buccaneers in 2019, Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter) notes, which is unfortunate given the team’s present situation. 

The Buccaneers have a league-low $2.74MM in cap space, so they could use some relief. There’s still more work to be done as the Buccaneers will want to explore the second and third waves of free agency while leaving adequate room to sign their incoming rookie class.

Evans, 26 in August, inked a five-year, $82.5MM extension with the Bucs last offseason. With incentives, Evans has the ability to earn nearly $96MM over the course of the pact.

Even with a fat new contract in hand, Evans did not rest on his laurels in 2018. The wide receiver earned his second career Pro Bowl nod as he hauled in 86 catches with a career-high 1,524 yards. He also set a new career best in yards-per-catch with 17.7 per reception and scored eight touchdowns.

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