2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders To Sign LB Brandon Marshall

March 28th, 2019 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have reached an agreement on a deal with linebacker Brandon Marshall, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Marshall will receive a one-year deal worth up to $4.1MM.

Marshall met with the Raiders on Thursday and, like Isaiah Crowell, quickly agreed to a deal with the club. There’s no word on his guarantees just yet, but Marshall has some decent upside in his contract with the Raiders.

Marshall, who compiled 102 tackles and three sacks in 2017, would help a linebacker group that recently added Vontaze Burfict on a low-cost deal. And, like Burfict, he could be a solid value for Oakland. Marshall battled through injuries during the 2018 season and appeared in just eleven games.

Marshall finished out 2018 with only 42 tackles, his lowest total since he became a starter during the 2014 season. Still, the former fifth-rounder proved that he can be a difference maker when he’s at full strength – Marshall finished with at least 100 tackles in each of his three healthiest seasons.

Patriots DC Greg Schiano Steps Down

March 28th, 2019 at 3:44pm CST by Zachary Links

This offseason, the Patriots thought they had their new defensive coordinator in Greg Schiano. Now, the search continues. On Thursday, Schiano and head coach Bill Belichick released a joint statement to announce that Schiano is stepping down from the role.

“I have informed Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick that I am stepping down from my position at the Patriots,” Schiano said in the statement. “This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family. I don’t want to look back years from now and wish I had done things differently. Therefore, I am taking time away from the game to recalibrate my priorities.”

Meanwhile, longtime friend Belichick offered words of support.

“I respect Coach Schiano greatly and appreciate his contributions to our staff and team,” Belichick said. “He is a friend who we support completely.”

Ironically, Schiano was never formally announced as the Patriots’ new DC. However, it was widely reported that he had accepted the job.

The Patriots have been close to hiring Schiano for key assistant roles in the past, only to see the deal fall apart at the last minute. Once again, this appears to be the case for the former Rutgers and Buccaneers head coach.

The Pats’ last DC, Brian Flores, left the club after the Super Bowl to take over as the Dolphins’ new head coach.

Eagles Re-Sign TE Richard Rodgers

March 28th, 2019 at 3:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are bringing back tight end Richard Rodgers. On Thursday, the club announced a new two-year deal for the 27-year-old.

Rodgers, a former third-round pick of the Packers, inked a one-year deal with the Eagles last year. Unfortunately, a knee injury cut his first season in Philly short. After recording just one catch for seven yards, Rodgers is eager to show what he can do in green and white.

Rodgers’ best season to date came in 2015, when he hauled in 58 receptions for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had a quietly productive 30/271/2 stat line in 2016. He never quite lived up to expectations in Green Bay, but he could make for a fine supporting TE behind Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert if healthy.

In other Eagles news, the club plans to keep Brandon Graham at defensive end, despite sometimes using him on the inside last year. The Eagles are also looking to extend Carson Wentz, despite his troubling injury history.

Raiders To Sign RB Isaiah Crowell

March 28th, 2019 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are set to sign former Jets running back Isaiah Crowell, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). When finalized, it’ll be a one-year deal worth up to $2.5MM.

Crowell visited the Raiders on Thursday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. Crowell now has an opportunity to take over as the Raiders’ top running back with Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin both in free agent limbo.

Head coach Jon Gruden has indicated that he would like to retain both Lynch and Martin, but he also said the same of tight end Jared Cook, who has since left to join the Saints. There’s also the draft to consider, so the returns of those two vets are far from guaranteed.

The Jets released Crowell earlier this offseason after his first and only campaign with the club. Crowell did well on a per-carry basis in New York, matching his career high with 4.8 yards per carry. But, the Jets gave the 2018 free agent acquisition a career-low 143 carries. Crowell, 26, finished with 685 yards and the Jets replaced him with Le’Veon Bell.

Crowell has 27 career rushing touchdowns and surpassed 850 ground yards in his final two Browns seasons, doing so despite the team often trailing in a 1-31 stretch. He might not be the sexiest name out there, but he could help to fortify the Raiders’ running game.

Latest On Oklahoma WR Marquise Brown

March 28th, 2019 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown had the boot on his foot removed and has been cleared to begin running, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Brown could still be available for mini-camp after the draft, which should help his stock.

Brown is still projected to go in the first round, despite undergoing Lisfranc foot surgery in January. The early word was that Brown would be ready for training camp in the summer, but the latest update on his health shows a faster track to recovery.

There has been buzz about Brown’s 40-yard-dash time being in the low 4.3s, or perhaps even the high 4.2s, so his speed and potential still makes him a tantalizing selection. History is on Brown’s side – Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis was also sidelined for key workouts in 2017, but he wound up going fifth overall to the Titans.

Over the last two seasons, Brown caught 132 passes for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns for Oklahoma. Those numbers and Brown’s speed, which he didn’t get to show off in Indianapolis, should lead to him coming off of the board early.

Brown put himself on the map in 2017 with 57 catches for 1,095 yards and seven touchdowns. He stepped his game up even further in 2018 when he reeled in 75 passes for 1,318 yards and ten TDs.

Cowboys Trade For Dolphins’ Robert Quinn

March 28th, 2019 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are set to acquire pass-rusher Robert Quinn from the Dolphins, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Dolphins will receive a 2020 sixth-rounder in return, tweets ESPN’s Todd Archer.

The Saints also showed interest in Quinn, but he’ll take his talents to Dallas instead. He’ll receive a new one-year deal, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets that the deal will reduce Quinn’s salary from $11.1MM to $8MM. The Dolphins also picked up the veteran’s $1.12MM roster bonus, according to Albert Breer (via Twitter).

The Cowboys tagged Demarcus Lawrence earlier this month, but the star edge defender has said in the past that he will not sign a one-year tender. Lawrence also recently upped his asking price, which further complicates matters. Meanwhile, Randy Gregory and David Irving have both been hit with indefinite suspensions, so the Cowboys badly needed someone like Quinn on the D-Line.

In 2013, Quinn earned All-Pro acclaim with 19 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He hasn’t matched that level of production in recent years, though Quinn still has a respectable 15 sacks combined over the last two seasons. He did his best work in a 4-3 scheme, so there’s reason to believe that he can thrive in Dallas.

Quinn’s 6.5 sacks in 2018 weren’t a head-turner, but he did tie for 20th among DEs with 24 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, assigned Quinn the 19th-highest pass-rush grade among 103 qualifying edge rushers. Quinn is still only entering his age-29 campaign, so he’s a player that could be in the Cowboys’ plans for years to come.

Panthers Re-Sign Cameron Artis-Payne

March 28th, 2019 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have re-signed running back Cameron Artis-Payne, according to his agents at Element Sports Group. Artis-Payne will provide support on the Panthers’ RB depth chart, behind starter Christian McCaffrey.

Artis-Payne has had some success running the ball in limited snaps with the Panthers. In 2015, his first NFL season, Payne averaged 4.1 yards per carry off of 45 tries. His reps fell off from there, but he still boasts a respectable 4.2 yards per tote average.

He might not get a ton of opportunities in 2019 either, given the way McCaffrey performed last year. As an NFL sophomore, McCaffrey nearly totaled 1,110 yards on the ground with seven touchdowns. He also added 107 catches, 867 yards, and six receiving touchdowns, positioning him as the Panthers’ bell cow.

After Kenjon Barner left for the Falcons, the Panthers have just two other RBs under contract in Elijah Hood and Reggie Bonnafon.

Bengals Open To A.J. Green Extension?

March 28th, 2019 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals sound open to an extension for wide receiver A.J. Green, as Fletcher Page of The Enquirer writes. However, that’s not the case for quarterback Andy Dalton.

“Oh, I think he’s a proven commodity, isn’t he?,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said. “The price range for him will be something we can figure out, it will come together. It’s true with anyone, if they suddenly get an injury..it reduces them. Well that changes the equation, but I never plan on that happening. I like to think that won’t happen. If A.J. is healthy, he’s as good a receiver as anybody in the league.”

Health, of course, was an issue for Green last year. The perennial Pro Bowler saw his season end in early December, marking the second time in three years that his season ended on IR. Still, Green finished out with 46 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns in nine games, numbers that put him on pace for his usually strong output across a 16-game season.

Green has one year left on the four-year, $60MM extension he inked with the Bengals in 2015. Since then, he’s watched many other receivers leapfrog him in salary. When it comes to yearly salary, seven WRs rank ahead of Green: Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, Sammy Watkins, and Jarvis Landry all earn more than Green’s $15MM/year average.

Meanwhile, a new deal for Dalton sounds unlikely to happen anytime soon.

“I think it’s a good year for (Dalton) to show like he can, like we think he will. After he re-establishes himself we would want to get together with him and see if we can extend it,” Brown said when asked about Dalton, who has two years to go on his deal. “I think Andy is a good player and that he will rebound off last year. He was hurt. We lost so many other pieces. It fell apart, but if he’s healthy and we stay healthy enough, I have confidence in him.“

Extra Points: AAF, Texans, Colts, Ravens

March 27th, 2019 at 9:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Is the Alliance of American Football in trouble? Potentially, as majority league owner Tom Dundon explains to Kevin Allen and Mike Jones of USA Today. “If the [NFL] players union is not going to give us young players, we can’t be a development league,” said Dundon. “We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league.” The AAF wants the NFLPA to allow active NFL players — especially those on practice squads — to participate in the developmental league. The union, however, is worried that not only would such an arrangement would violate the collective bargaining agreement, but put said players of in danger of being injured in non-NFL-sanctioned action.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Matt Kalil received a $2.25MM signing bonus and a $3.25MM base salary as part of his one-year deal with the Texans, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Currently projected as Houston’ starting left tackle, Kalil can also earn $125K in gameday active roster bonuses, which could add an additional $2MM to his deal. If he’s healthy and active for each of the Texans’ 16 regular season games, Kalil will take home $7.5MM for the 2019 season. Kalil’s health isn’t a sure thing, of course, given that he missed all of last year with a knee injury.
Colts owner Jim Irsay attempted to hire Peyton Manning for a front office role, first in 2016 and again in early 2017 after firing general manager Ryan Grigson, and those conversations actually went further than previously indicated. “It did get close with Peyton,” Irsay told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I wouldn’t say super serious close, but enough to kick the tires and say, ‘What are you thinking?’ Because my counsel is there for him whether he comes to the Colts or chooses to do something else. There was definitely some interest on both sides.” Manning has been loosely tied to several front office jobs since retiring after the 2015 season, but he’s thus far resisted every overture.
The Ravens are still interested in adding a “shifty, third-down, home-run-type” running back even after signing Mark Ingram, head coach John Harbaugh said this week, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Ingram received a three-year deal to leave New Orleans and is the favorite to lead Baltimore in touches, but Gus Edwards, Kenneth Dixon, Tyler Ervin, and De’Lance Turner could also factor into the club’s backfield. The draft could present the Ravens with the opportunity to bring in another back, while free agents who might Harbaugh’s criteria include Ty Montgomery (whom Baltimore traded for last season), Bilal Powell, and Corey Grant.
T.J. Weist has been named the Ravens‘ assistant special teams coach, the club announced. Weist, a longtime coach at the collegiate level, originally joined Baltimore as an offensive analyst in 2018.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Mayo, Kraft, Bills, Fins

March 27th, 2019 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Longtime Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will return to the club as linebackers coach, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. Mayo, 33, retired at the conclusion of the 2015 campaign, and expressed no interest in coaching at the time. Viewed as a cerebral player with a strong work ethic, Mayo appeared in 93 games for New England after being selected 10th overall in the 2008 draft. He’ll be replacing Brian Flores, who was not only the Patriots’ LBs coach but de facto defensive coordinator before taking the Dolphins’ head coaching position this offseason.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Bills general manager Brandon Beane denied that Buffalo was ever close to acquiring wide receiver Antonio Brown from the Steelers, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “We had productive talks with [GM] Kevin Colbert, with Pittsburgh, but one of the things I made clear with Kevin early on is we would have to be comfortable with where the compensation is going to have to be with AB’s representatives, and that was never something that we were even close on,” Beane said. Brown, of course, was subsequently traded to the Raiders for third- and fifth-round picks, and received a new contract with additional guarantees.
The NFL’s personal conduct policy will apply to Patriots owner Robert Kraft just as it applies to players, commissioner Roger Goodell told Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Goodell stopped short of declaring Kraft will be suspended, indicating a need for all the facts of Kraft’s solicitation case to come out. Kraft has rejected a plea deal from Florida prosecutors, and earlier this week pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanors.
Although the Dolphins haven’t publicly declared how they’ll use former first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019, sources tell Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins prefer to deploy Fitzpatrick as a safety. Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall selection in last year’s draft, can play both cornerback and safety, but Miami already has two safeties — Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald in place. If Fitzpatrick is deployed more in the back end, McDonald could conceivably see action as a sub-package linebacker.