HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bills Sign Jordan Phillips To Extension

March 5th, 2019 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills signed defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to a one-year contract extension worth $4.5MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The new deal will give Phillips a sizable bump over his $1.029MM base salary from one year ago. 

Phillips, 27 in September, managed to get his career back on track after an ugly exit from Miami. The Dolphins cut Phillips on in October, days after he blew up on the sidelines due to his lack of playing time. They first attempted to trade Phillips first, but they were unable to find a suitable deal. The Bills used their waiver priority to snag him, beating out the Steelers, Patriots, and Saints.

The former second-round pick started most of his games in 2016 and 2017, but was relegated to a reserve role last year in Miami. Upon joining the Bills, Phillips managed 19 tackles and three passes defensed, though he graded out as the 108th ranked defensive tackle in the NFL on the entire year out of 112 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.

Texans Release CB Kevin Johnson

March 5th, 2019 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have released former first-round cornerback Kevin Johnson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the expected move after the Texans shopped Johnson but were unable to find a suitable deal. 

Johnson, a talented corner, was due $9.069MM on his fifth-year option. The option was guaranteed for injury until the start of the league year next week, so it appears that Johnson has received a clean bill of health. He’ll now have an opportunity to shop his services before the start of free agency on March 13.

Johnson’s 2018 season was mostly lost due to concussions. In September, the Texans parked him on IR and he was unable to return.

Before the move, the Texans still had plenty of cap space with $80.9MM available. Their total, good for third-most in the league, inches up a bit after cutting Johnson. Some of that money will probably go towards fortifying a cornerback group that has clear issues: Johnathan Joseph will turn 35 this year,Aaron Colvin missed extensive time last season, and Shareece Wright is set for free agency next week.

Rams Decline John Sullivan’s Option

March 5th, 2019 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Rams did not exercise center John Sullivan’s 2019 option, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The news comes as a surprise since Sullivan has not missed a start in the past two seasons and is one of the league’s most respected centers. 

[RELATED: Rams’ Todd Gurley Dealing With Arthritis In Knee]

Sullivan, 34 in August, graded out as the tenth-best center in the NFL in his first season with the Rams, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2018, Sullivan slipped all the way down to No. 31 with a career-low 52.7 mark. The Rams, apparently, agree with the advanced metrics, which indicate that the veteran’s pass blocking and run blocking have both declined.

Without Sullivan and his veteran guidance, the Rams will likely be in the market for a center. By letting Sullivan walk, the Rams will avoid a $6.25MM cap charge for the lineman, according to Over The Cap.

Cowboys Won’t Give Up On Randy Gregory

March 5th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

Randy Gregory has been banned from the NFL yet again, but the Cowboys aren’t giving up on the troubled defensive end. In a radio interview, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained that he still believes in Gregory, both as a player and as a person. 

“He’s a pure soul first and foremost, the proof of that is how he’s thought of everybody around him, teammates coaches everyone,” Jones said when asked why the Cowboys continue to support Gregory (via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). “He’s genuinely afflicted, genuinely. It’s real. He has to work through, just as you would many things as human beings. He has to work through this, the way and the way he works through it, the way he deals with his circumstances. It’s impressive. It may not look that impressive when you say look at the penalties that he’s endured but it is impressive. He’s trying to work through it. Everybody on this team knows that he is. He’s an outstanding player by instincts, mentally, physically, he’s outstanding. He doesn’t pretend to be anything that he isn’t.”

Gregory was indeed outstanding last season, finishing out with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles in just 522 snaps. Although the length of Gregory’s ban is indefinite, Jones believes that he may be able to play in Week 1 of the 2019 season.

“I am by no means, in any way, weary, discouraged. As a matter of fact with his contribution that he made last year, all be we’d like to have more,” Jones said. “But what we did get, the impact he made was there. He did nothing but would encourage me to help him in any way we can to have a career. He’s a relatively young guy. He’s in excellent, relatively speaking for what he plays and what he’s been through as his position, he’s relatively healthy. He’s a guy we can invest some of our time in to help him get here and it will help us win.”

Falcons, Deion Jones Discussing Extension

March 5th, 2019 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and inside linebacker Deion Jones have begun extension talks, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones still has a year left on his rookie deal, but Atlanta is looking to lock him down ahead of time. 

[RELATED: Falcons Use Franchise Tag On Grady Jarrett]

Jones is scheduled to make just $1.07MM in 2019 and is due for a serious pay bump. The 2016 second-round pick made an immediate impact as a rookie, registering three interceptions, two pick sixes, and 106 tackles. He followed that up with three more interceptions, 138 tackles, and a sack in 2017, leading to his first Pro Bowl selection. Last year, Jones missed the majority of the season thanks to a broken foot suffered in Week 1, but still managed two INTs, a pick six, 53 tackles, and a sack.

Currently, Panthers star Luke Kuechly leads all inside linebackers in compensation at $12.4MM per year. By locking up Jones now, the Falcons can avoid forking over similar cash to the 24-year-old.

AFC Notes: Texans, Broncos, Jets, Bell

March 5th, 2019 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are expected to release cornerback Kevin Johnson, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. As previously reported, the Texans have discussed trading Johnson, but it’s much more likely that he’ll be cut given his contract (due $9.1MM in 2019) and recent concussion issues (played only one game in 2018). Still, releasing Johnson will leave the Texans extra thin at cornerback, so the position figures to be a priority for them in March and April.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • The Broncos are expected to have interest in linebacker C.J. Mosley, according to Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). This week, we learned that the Ravens will not use the franchise tag on Mosley and the expectation is that he will be an unrestricted free agent later this month. Mosley, 27 in June, is a perennial Pro Bowler and anchored Baltimore’s linebacking corps for several years.
  • The Jets are expected to target second-tier running backs during free agency, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, which signals that Le’Veon Bell is not the team’s focus. The Jets could theoretically sign Bell, Pauline hears, but only if they do not come away with a big-time pass rusher. Speaking of the pass rush, the Jets have been connected to Dante Fowler, but people at the combine told Pauline that contract length may be a sticking point for Gang Green. Fowler probably wants something in the four-year range while the Jets are hesitant about such a commitment.
  • The Dolphins haven’t told Minkah Fitzpatrick whether they want him to play safety or cornerback in 2019, but they want him to be a safety in the long run, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. He could get a head start on the safety plan this year, but that will depend on what happens with incumbents T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones. Right now, it seems unlikely that the Dolphins would move on from either safety. Cutting McDonald would save only $1.4MM versus $4.6MM in dead money. Meanwhile, Jones is already guaranteed $11MM for 2019.

Bears Release Sam Acho

March 5th, 2019 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have released linebacker Sam Acho, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The move was expected after Acho missed the bulk of 2018 with a pectoral injury. 

[RELATED: Bears Shopping Jordan Howard]

Without Acho, the Bears will have to search for quality linebacker depth and special teams help elsewhere. They’ll also have to replace his locker room presence – Acho was a respected leader in the Bears’ locker room and the 30-year-old (31 in September) provided the club with veteran leadership.

In 2017, Acho started 12 games and played on 60% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. In that time, he posted 27 tackles, three sacks, and one pass defensed. Last year, he had just two tackles across his four games.

NFC Notes: Saints, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys

March 4th, 2019 at 9:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints have had a relatively quiet offseason ever since their season ended in devastating fashion in the NFC Championship game. That’s about to change though, as they have several big decisions to make in the coming days and weeks. Mark Ingram is set to be a free agent, and there’s been a lot of talk that the Saints might move on and choose to give Alvin Kamara more of a featured role. Ingram “wants nothing more than to strike a deal to stay in New Orleans,” writes Larry Holder of The Athletic. Holder also writes that head coach Sean Payton wants to keep him around. Holder points out that Ingram doesn’t have the typical wear and tear a 30-year-old running back usually has, because he’s usually split time in whatever backfield the Saints have put together throughout his career.

The Saints also lacked consistent options in the passing game beyond Michael Thomas last year, and could be looking to add a receiver. Sources told Holder that “Someone like Adam Humphries intrigues the Saints.” Holder thinks Humphries might get priced out of their range though, and that New Orleans might end up turning to the draft to add receiver help. Multiple sources also told Holder the Saints aren’t interested in adding Antonio Brown.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • There’s been a ton of discussion about the Giants’ quarterback situation, but not a lot has been written about Kyle Lauletta. Lauletta was the Giants’ highly-touted fourth round pick last year, but was relegated to third-string duties behind Manning and Alex Tanney for much of the season. The Giants re-signed Tanney earlier today, which could bode poorly for Lauletta. Lauletta also underwent knee surgery this offseason, sources told Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. Dunleavy isn’t bullish on Lauletta’s future with the team, and writes that he’s already shown he isn’t “capable of challenging Manning.” Lauletta only attempted five passes this past year, completing zero and throwing an interception. With the Giants a definitely possibility to draft a quarterback high in this April’s draft, Lauletta could prove to be a one-and-done in the Big Apple.
  •  The Eagles extended guard Isaac Seumalo earlier today, and they might not be done locking up offensive linemen. The “expectation” is that Philly “will attempt to extend OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai this offseason”, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Vaitai was the Eagles’ fifth round pick in 2016, and has been a backup tackle for them ever since. In 2017, he filled in for Jason Peters at left tackle and started the entire second half of the season plus the playoffs. Peters is 37 now, and his status for 2019 is still unclear. It’s very possible that the Eagles view Vaitai as the successor to Peters on Carson Wentz‘s blindside.
  • “When the 2018 season ended there was an expectation that Sean Lee would not return to Dallas,” writes Calvin Watkins of The Athletic. But now things appear to be shifting in the direction of the veteran linebacker returning for one more season in a reduced role, Watkins notes. Lee wants to play again and is willing to accept less playing time, according to Watkins, and Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones sounded open to the idea of bringing him back. “When he has played, he has played really well. He’s had a big impact on our football team, not only what he’s doing on the field, but off the field with his leadership,” Jones said. In the same piece, Watkins also took a look at the looming contract negotiations between Dallas and Ezekiel Elliott. Watkins thinks that Elliott “will probably get at least $50 million guaranteed”, topping the $45MM guaranteed Todd Gurley received from the Rams.

Antonio Brown Notes: Steelers, Broncos, Eagles, Contract

March 4th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Antonio Brown saga rages on, as the Steelers continue to look for a trade partner for the All-Pro receiver. Brown made recent comments to ESPN that indicated he wouldn’t be accepting anything other than complete control over his situation, saying “I don’t even have to play football if I don’t want. I don’t even need the game, I don’t need to prove nothing to anyone. If they wanna play, they going to play by my rules. If not, I don’t need to play.” Brown’s threats to no longer play come on the heels of a report that quarterback play is a strong factor on where Brown wants to be dealt.

Brown’s latest comments are a ploy to get the Steelers to release him, opines Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Following up on additional speculation that the Steelers may be forced to just release Brown, Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Steelers “will never cut him,” and would rather trade him for a conditional seventh round pick than let Brown win. The latest report has the Eagles and Raiders as strong players in a potential Brown trade.

Here’s the latest on Brown from around the league:

  • The Broncos have been connected to Brown in the press, but the team isn’t interested in trading for him, according to Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). A source close to Denver GM John Elway gave Klis an “emphatic no” when he asked about the possibility of adding Brown. Klis writes that Browns is not “worth the price.” The Broncos recently announced Emmanuel Sanders would be back in 2019, and given that Sanders and Brown have feuded publicly in recent months, it makes sense why they wouldn’t be involved in Brown discussions.
  • Add the Eagles to the list of teams that won’t be trading for Brown, according to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). A league source told Berman the Eagles “do not have interest.” The Eagles aren’t in the AFC and have shown a willingness to make bold, splashy moves so it seemed like a potential fit, but they apparently aren’t interested. Philly has also been linked to another soon-to-be former Steeler, Le’Veon Bell.
  • There was a report yesterday from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that said the Steelers don’t have to pay Brown’s $2.5MM roster bonus until Week 1 of the regular season. Florio seemed to indicate that meant the Steelers aren’t in the rush to trade Brown by March 17th, when the roster bonus is earned, that many have assumed. But Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com pushed back on that in a tweet, saying he’s “never heard of not having to account” for a roster bonus in a trade, even when the bonus isn’t due until later. Based on Fitzgerald’s reporting, it sounds like the Steelers will still be on the hook for the $2.5MM cap hit if he’s on the roster on March 17th, even if they don’t have to pay it until later.
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