2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Sign Bradley Pinion, Release Bryan Anger

March 12th, 2019 at 4:42pm CST by Rory Parks

The Buccaneers will release punter Bryan Anger, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Anger was the fourth highest-paid punter in the league and was due $3MM in 2019. There was no guaranteed money left on the five-year extension he signed at the end of 2016, so Tampa Bay will shave the full $3MM from its cap.

Tampa Bay will replace Anger with Bradley Pinion, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Pinion spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers after being selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.

Both Pinion and Anger were near the bottom of the league in terms of net yards per punt in 2018. Pinion was marginally more effective in pinning opponents inside their 20, but not demonstrably so. Neither player has received a Pro Bowl nod in their careers.

Cardinals To Sign G J.R. Sweezy

March 12th, 2019 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

J.R. Sweezy will again leave Seattle, this time being set to sign a two-year deal with the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This marks another Cardinals move to bolster their offensive line. Sweezy will follow longtime Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert to Arizona. Sweezy’s last stay away from the Seahawks did not turn out well, with injuries dooming his short Buccaneers tenure. But he bounced back to recreate a market for himself.

The Seahawks reinstalled Sweezy as a full-time starter. He was a key blocker for a rejuvenated Seattle ground attack, one that morphed from one of the NFL’s worst over a three-year period to its best in 2018. Both Seahawks starting guards, Sweezy and D.J. Fluker, saw their contracts expire after the ’18 season.

Sweezy is entering his age-30 season. The Cardinals appear likely to plug him in opposite Justin Pugh, who last year suffered another season-ending injury. Arizona’s offensive line has struggled for multiple seasons now, and by the end of last season, backups were seeing almost all of the action, making it more difficult to evaluate Josh Rosen. The Cardinals finished with the No. 32 scoring offense and were the league’s worst team in total yardage.

Giants To Re-Sign Zak DeOssie

March 12th, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Rory Parks

Zak DeOssie and the Giants can’t seem to get enough of each other. Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com tweets that Big Blue is re-signing its long-time long snapper, though he does not pass along any other contract details.

DeOssie has been with the Giants since New York selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, which makes him the second-longest-tenured member of the roster (behind only Eli Manning). He has been named to the Pro Bowl twice (in 2008 and 2010) and has only missed four games in his career, all in the 2015 season.

The 34-year-old Ivy Leaguer just finished a two-year pact worth $2.315MM.

Contract Details: Joyner, Titans, Rams, Hart

March 12th, 2019 at 4:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL. Twitter links courtesy of Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, unless otherwise noted.

Lamarcus Joyner, S (Raiders): Four years, $42MM. $16.7MM in full guarantees — all due next week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Adam Humphries, WR (Titans): Four years, $36MM. 2019 salary of $12.5MM fully guaranteed. Beyond that, it’s a pay-as-you-go structure for Tennessee. Humphries is due base salaries of $7.5MM in 2020, $7.25MM in ’21 and $8.75MM in ’22, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).
Dante Fowler Jr., OLB (Rams): One year, $12MM fully guaranteed. Another $2MM is available through incentives (Twitter link).
Bobby Hart, T (Bengals): Three years, $16.15MM. $7.4MM is coming Hart’s way in the first year of the deal. With incentives and escalators, the deal can reach a max value of $21.15MM (Twitter link).
Shamar Stephen, DT (Vikings): Three years, $12.45MM. Stephen gets $5MM in the first year of the pact (Twitter link).

Buccaneers To Sign LB Deone Bucannon

March 12th, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deone Bucannon and Bruce Arians will reunite in Tampa Bay. The sixth-year linebacker intends to sign with the Buccaneers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This will be a one-year agreement, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), which makes sense given Bucannon’s struggles during his platform year. The 2014 first-round pick finished as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst-graded linebackers last season, though he only played only 389 snaps in Steve Wilks‘ defense.

The Giants, who employ former Cardinals DC James Bettcher, showed interest in Bucannon, but the Bucs and their gang of ex-Cardinals staffers will attempt to rehabilitate Bucannon’s career.

Bucannon started his pro career as a hybrid linebacker/safety and offers strong coverage skills. Thanks in part to injury problems, he has not been able to replicate his 2015 breakout campaign, when he tallied 109 tackles, three sacks, and an interception. However, he is just 26, and he will attempt to reestablish himself in the middle of a Tampa Bay defense that is now without stalwart Kwon Alexander.

Jets To Re-Sign DL Henry Anderson

March 12th, 2019 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Henry Anderson may not be relocating this offseason. The Jets are close to an agreement that would keep the defensive end in the Big Apple, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. It is a three-year, $25.2MM deal for Anderson, with a maximum value of $33MM. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets that Anderson will net a hefty $17MM guarantee.

Acquired for a seventh-round pick on 2018 draft weekend, Anderson produced in his first Jets season, registering a career-high seven sacks. This tied for the Jets’ team-high mark, despite Anderson playing in fewer than 60 percent of New York’s snaps. He stands to rejoin Leonard Williams, who was once viewed as a trade candidate, on Gang Green’s 2019 defensive line.

The Colts traded Anderson because they were moving to a 4-3 defense. While most assumed Gregg Williams coming aboard as Jets DC would mean they would use that look, they are staying as a 3-4 base team for now. This helps Anderson, who stands to receive a considerable raise from his rookie deal.

While this unit will not be backed by both C.J. Mosley and Anthony Barr, with the latter spurning the Jets to return to the Vikings, the Jets have made a concerted effort to improve their front seven this week.

Browns Re-Sign Breshad Perriman

March 12th, 2019 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Breshad Perriman is staying with the Browns. On Tuesday, the two sides agreed to a one-year, $4MM deal, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter).

The former first-round pick and draft bust with the Ravens revitalized his career in Cleveland last year and the Browns did not want him to get away as an unrestricted free agent. John Dorsey said at the Combine he’d had multiple conversations with the UFA wideout, and it appears the Browns were serious about bringing back the 2015 first-rounder.

After joining the Browns midseason, Perriman had 233 yards and two touchdowns the final four weeks of the year. He clicked right away with quarterback Baker Mayfield and the 2018 No. 1 pick has one of his best weapons back in the fold.

Considering Perriman’s upside and this year’s lack of firepower in the free agent WR market, this appears to be a strong value for the Browns. Cleveland’s 2019 receiving corps could look quite similar to its previous contingent, with Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway coming back. The Browns also tendered wideout Rashard Higgins at the original-round level.

It’s possible Cleveland will add a big name via trade or through free agency, but it appears to like its most recent group.

Panthers To Sign C Matt Paradis

March 12th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Broncos center Matt Paradis agreed to terms with the Panthers on a three-year deal worth $27.03MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Panthers were not previously believed to be in the running for Paradis, but the free agent season is full of surprises.

The Panthers will guarantee Paradis $13.5MM, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). It’s a top-10 center pact.

Paradis drew interest from the Bills on Monday, but they preferred Mitch Morse, who is now the NFL’s highest-paid center. The Jets were also in on Paradis, and the Broncos had re-engaged in talks with their well-regarded starter Monday night.

But the Panthers came out of nowhere and will install the former sixth-round pick as Ryan Kalil‘s replacement. Kalil recently retired after 12 NFL seasons. Paradis is only four years younger than Kalil, despite coming into the league seven season later. He will turn 30 this year. But the older-than-usual first-time UFA was consistently viewed as one of the NFL’s best centers for the past three seasons.

Paradis had not missed a game until his fibula break ended his 2018 season in November. The Broncos authorized a right tackle-record contract for Ja’Wuan James on Monday night, so their ability to keep Paradis on a near-top-market deal became more difficult. The Panthers are getting Paradis for more than $2MM less than the Bills’ Morse deal, and with the veteran snapper moving along in his rehab, Carolina may not miss much of a beat from Kalil to Paradis.

The Broncos may now turn to Connor McGovern as their center. A guard to open last season, McGovern moved to the snapping role following Paradis’ injury.

Falcons To Sign G Jamon Brown

March 12th, 2019 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons added another piece to their offensive line this afternoon, coming to terms with Jamon Brown, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Brown joins James Carpenter in being a Georgia-bound guard. A Rams starter, Brown saw a suspension derail his run with the team. He landed soon as a Giants starter, however, and will make a run to crack the Falcons’ starting lineup or be a top swing man.

Atlanta still has Brandon Fusco under contract, so the plan may be to play Carpenter opposite the incumbent veteran and have Brown work as a swing backup. Brown, though, has started 38 games in his career.

The former third-round pick’s path back to a Giants starter spot became blocked when New York traded for Kevin Zeitler. Brown rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 62 guard last season.

Falcons To Sign G James Carpenter

March 12th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets left guard James Carpenter will sign a four-year deal with the Falcons, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carpenter will celebrate his 30th birthday later this month, so the four-year pact could take him through the end of his career.

Carpenter first entered the league as a first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011. After finishing out his original four-year rookie deal, he hooked on wiht the Jets, where he spent the last four years. Carpenter stayed healthy between 2013-2017, but his 58-game starting streak ended in November when he underwent shoulder surgery.

Carpenter’s anchored the Jets’ offensive line following the departures of stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. With Atlanta, he’ll help open up running lates for Devonta Freeman and protect quarterback Matt Ryan, who just restructured his deal to free up cap space for the team.