2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bucs’ Beau Allen Takes Pay Cut

March 14th, 2019 at 10:00am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers are clearing up a little cap space. Defensive tackle Beau Allen took a $1MM pay cut, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Pelissero writes that the new agreement will further guarantee what’s left of his salary “solidify his spot on the roster” in exchange for taking the pay cut. In a follow up tweet, Pelissero notes that the $4MM remaining for this year is now fully guaranteed. He’ll also have the opportunity to earn the $1MM back through incentives.

In addition, the final year of his contract, which was supposed to run through the 2020 season, has been removed, meaning Allen will hit the open market next offseason. Tampa Bay has some of the least cap space in the league, so moves like this are crucial for them if they want to have a chance at signing anybody.

They inked Allen, formerly of the Eagles, to a three-year $15MM deal last March. In fourteen games and eight starts last season, Allen had 20 tackles while working as a run-stuffer eating up blocks. He had previously spent the first four years of his career in Philadelphia, after entering the league as a seventh round pick in 2014.

Lions To Host Andrew Adams

March 14th, 2019 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions will host former Tampa Bay safety Andrew Adams on a free agent visit on Thursday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Adams had four interceptions last season, but he did not receive a restricted free agent tender from the Bucs.

Adams played for Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni at UConn, so he could be a natural fit in Detroit. The addition of Adams could also help replace Glover Quin, who was released in February.

Adams, a former undrafted free agent, compiled nine passes defended and 38 tackles in 2018, giving him his third-straight season with at least 30 tackles. On the flip side, he ultimately ranked 78th in Pro Football Focus‘ safety rankings, and he earned his worst score in three years.

Patriots Host Ellington, Harris, LaCosse

March 14th, 2019 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots will meet with wide receivers Bruce Ellington and Maurice Harris on Thursday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The club will also meet with tight end Matt LaCosse, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Ellington and Harris aren’t exactly start players, but they both profile as quality depth options. Last year, Ellington had 23 catches for 132 yards in just four games for the Lions, showing what he could do when healthy. Earlier in the season he caught eight balls for 92 yards and a touchdown in less than three full games with the Texans, before Houston waived him with an injury settlement.

He latched on in Detroit, but unfortunately the hamstring injury that hampered him in Houston re-emerged while he was with the Lions, landing Ellington on IR in December. Harris, meanwhile, had 28 grabs for 304 yards in 12 games for the Redskins.

The Patriots are clearly focused on filling out their receiving corp, re-signing Phillip Dorsett on a one-year deal last night. LaCosse had 24 catches and 250 yards while filling in as the Broncos’ starting tight end for a period last year, but Denver non-tendered him this offseason. With Rob Gronkowski‘s status for next year still up in the air, it makes sense why New England is digging into the free agent tight ends. LaCaosse appears to have legit interest on the open market.

Eagles To Sign L.J. Fort

March 14th, 2019 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

Steelers inside linebacker L.J. Fort has agreed to sign a three-year deal with the Eagles, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Fort can earn up to $10MM in the deal through playing time incentives and will receive a guarantee of $1.9MM.

The Steelers made efforts to re-sign Fort, Fowler hears, but they were unable to retain him. Instead, he joins a revised front seven that added Malik Jackson after losing Michael Bennett via trade.

We heard as of yesterday that Pittsburgh was looking to re-sign Fort, but their efforts were unsuccessful and it sounds like the Eagles were able to beat their offer. Fort played in 15 games and made two starts last season, racking up 48 tackles, three for loss, and adding one sack.

Before settling in Pittsburgh for the last four seasons, Fort had bounced between Cleveland, Seattle, and Cincinnati, but had never been able to establish himself anywhere. It’s a significant chunk of change for a player who played less than 30% of the defensive snaps last season, but Fort is also a major contributor on special teams.

Jets Release RB Isaiah Crowell

March 14th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have released running back Isaiah Crowell, according to a team announcement. This was the expected move after the club inked Le’Veon Bell to be the new lead back.

We heard this was the plan back in February, and now the Jets are following through. Crowell, 26, matched a career watermark with 4.8 yards per carry last season. He also had six touchdowns on the ground plus 21 catches for 152 yards. While his season was fine on paper, it was a relative disappointment after the Jets signed him to a three-year, $12MM deal last offseason.

His numbers were somewhat inflated by one standout game, as 219 of Crowell’s 685 yards came against the Broncos in a brilliant Week 5 performance. New York ended up placing him on injured reserve with a few weeks to go last season, as he battled a toe injury.

Crowell will now enter a market without too many big-name running backs on it, and he should be able to find a new home relatively easily, although he likely won’t be receiving the $4MM per year he got from the Jets.

An undrafted free agent from Alabama State, Crowell started his career with the Browns and spent his first four years in Cleveland. He was always pretty productive, rushing for at least 600 yards in all four seasons, but for whatever reason the Browns never wanted to commit to him as their full-time running back.

Shaquil Barrett To Visit Bengals

March 14th, 2019 at 9:13am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bengals are looking for pass-rushing help. Cincinnati is hosting outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett on a visit later today, a source told Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com.

Barrett is testing the open market for the first time since entering the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2014. He signed with the Broncs originally, and has spent the last five years in Denver. The last we heard was that the Broncos “have had good conversations” with Barrett’s agent, so it certainly seems like he isn’t ruling out a return to Denver.

But Barrett has made it clear he’s looking for more playing time, and he might be able to find it in Cincinnati. At the end of last season, Barrett publicly declared he wanted to be a full-time starter in 2019.

“I want to start. I want to be a guy somewhere. I don’t want to just be a role player,” Barrett said. “I can’t do it. … Reserve role is done for me, unless that’s the only role I got after this year. But that’s not what I’m looking for going into free agency,” Barrett said at the time.

Barrett spent his rookie season on the Broncos’ practice squad, then burst onto the scene in 2015 with 5.5 sacks. He hasn’t been able to replicate that production since, mostly due to lack of playing time, but the Broncos thought highly enough of him to put a second round tender on him last offseason. With the Broncos’ staple of pass-rushers, Barrett was never going to be an every down player in Denver. Last year Barrett played right around 25% of the defensive snaps, and was also a key player on special teams.

Saints Restructure Drew Brees’ Contract

March 14th, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are clearing up some cap space. New Orleans is restructuring Drew Brees‘ contract to give them some added flexibility in free agency, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Pelissero writes that the procedural move will clear up $10.8MM in cap space. Pelissero notes that the Saints needed to free up some immediate cash as they attempt to re-sign Teddy Bridgewater and prepare to host tight end Jared Cook. Pelissero also notes that it’s not going to effect Brees’ compensation, as he’ll still be due $23MM cash in 2019.

Instead, New Orleans just appears to be deferring a cap hit to the future. In a follow-up tweet, Pelissero explains that Brees’ contract is set to void after this season, and that the Saints will be left with $21.3MM in dead money, whether Brees returns for the 2020 season or not. Before this restructure, it was going to be $10.5MM in dead money.

It’s a big hit to take next season, but the Saints have move to makes. Bridgewater is having second thoughts about re-signing with the Saints, and met with the Dolphins yesterday. He appears to be leveraging the Dolphins to get more money from the Saints, and it’s working if this restructure is any indication. If the Saints are serious about signing Cook he isn’t going to come cheaply, which also helps explain this move.

Jets Re-Sign DT Steve McLendon

March 14th, 2019 at 8:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have re-signed defensive tackle Steve McLendon, according to a team announcement. It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $2.5MM, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). McLendon can earn up to $1MM with incentives, bringing the maximum value of the contract to $3.5MM.

McLendon, 33, did not record a sack last year, though he did appear in all 16 games (including 14 starts). He logged 34 tackles in total and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked interior defender. That score, buoyed by his strong run defense, actually put him one slot ahead of teammate Leonard Williams and several places above Henry Anderson. All three players are set to return to the Jets following Anderson’s reported three-year, $25.2MM agreement.

The Jets’ D-Line went from sixth in adjusted line yards in 2017 to 13th in 2018. In 2019, they’ll have to reverse that trend if they want to get back on track.

Steelers Re-Sign WR Eli Rogers

March 14th, 2019 at 8:40am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are keeping one of their own. Pittsburgh is re-signing receiver Eli Rogers, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).

Per Florio, it’s a one-year deal for Rogers. It’s the latest move the Steelers are making to try and help replace Antonio Brown. The team also signed former Colts and Jaguars receiver Donte Moncrief to a two-year deal earlier. This news comes after the Steelers’ failed pursuit of Tyrell Williams. Rogers was an undrafted free agent in 2015, and missed his entire rookie season with an injury.

He came out of nowhere and had a breakout season in 2016, catching 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns in just 13 games. It was a promising debut, but he took a pretty big step backwards the next season when he had just 149 yards and 18 catches. Then in the playoffs, he suffered a torn ACL. The ACL took a long time to recover from, and Rogers didn’t end up making it back until Week 15 of last year.

He did get pretty involved in the offense at the end of the year, catching seven passes for 57 yards in Week 17, which could be a good sign for him moving forward. The Steelers will have JuJu Smith-Schuster as their undisputed number one receiver next year, but after him the situation is up in the air. Rogers, Moncrief, and second-year player James Washington will all be competing for targets behind Smith-Schuster, and any one of them could break out.

Patriots To Meet With Allen Bailey

March 14th, 2019 at 8:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are set to meet with defensive end Allen Bailey on Thursday, according to Mike Florio of PFT. Bailey, a 2011 third-round pick, has spent his entire career with the Chiefs.

Bailey cracked the starting lineup in 2014 and has started in virtually all of his games over the last five years. Last year, he registered six sacks, 38 tackles, and two forced fumbles across 16 games. The advanced metrics weren’t high on Bailey (No. 91 ranked interior defender out of 112 players), but the sacks and game film show that he is an effective lineman.

Bailey’s season ended in the AFC title game when the Patriots topped the Chiefs. After he couldn’t beat ’em, he just might join ’em.

The Patriots’ defensive line has been overhauled significantly in the past week. Standout Trey Flowers agreed to a colossal deal with the Lions, though they’ve added defensive end Michael Bennett and re-signed linebacker John Simon.