2019 March - Pro Football Rumors

OSU CB Kendall Sheffield Tears Pectoral

March 3rd, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield suffered a torn left pectoral while performing the bench press at the NFL scouting combine on Sunday, according to Eric Edholm (Twitter link).

As Edholm notes, another Ohio State product — center Billy Price — also tore his pectoral during the 2018 combine, but he was still selected in the first round by the Bengals. Sheffield, though, isn’t quite the prospect that was Price, and is expected to be drafted at some point between Round 3 and Round 5.

Sheffield, who stands 6’0″, 193 pounds, appeared in 27 games for the Buckeyes over the past two seasons, posting 75 total tackles and two interceptions during that time. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Sheffield as an “explosive athlete” who lacks refinement and ball skills, while Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network says Sheffield can succeed as a zone-based cornerback but must add strength.

Raiders Likely To Pursue Tyrell Williams

March 3rd, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders are expected to target Chargers free agent wide receiver Tyrell Williams this offseason, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Oakland, of course, traded pass-catcher Amari Cooper to the Cowboys at midseason, collecting a 2019 first-round pick in the process but depriving quarterback Derek Carr of an offensive weapon. Jordy Nelson led the Raiders with 41 receptions after Cooper was dealt, and he’ll return next season alongside Seth Roberts, Marcell Ateman, Keon Hatcher. But Brandon LaFell, Dwayne Harris, and the suspended Martavis Bryant are all set to reach unrestricted free agency next month.

Williams, 27, first emerged as a legitimate NFL wideout in 2015. With Keenan Allen injured, Williams stepped in as Philip Rivers‘ No. 1 target, hauling in 69 receptions for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns. Over the past two years, Williams’ volume declined as Allen re-entered the lineup and 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams began taking snaps, but he’s still remained effective. In 2018, Williams ranked 24th among 84 qualifying receivers in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, meaning he was productive on a per-play basis.

While Williams may not have the numbers of a traditional No. 1 wide receiver, he’s arguably in line to become the highest-paid wideout among 2019 free agents. This year’s crop of available pass-catchers isn’t special, with options such as Golden Tate, Adam Humphries, John Brown, and Jamison Crowder expected to be among the most-coveted at the position

Buccaneers Won’t Tender S Andrew Adams

March 3rd, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers have decided to move on from one of their top safeties. Greg Auman of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team won’t be tendering restricted free agent safety Andrew Adams.

It’s a bit of a surprising development for the 26-year-old, who led the Buccaneers with four interceptions last season. The former undrafted free agent also compiled nine passes defended and 38 tackles, 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

Ultimately, the team decided that the $2.05MM tender value was too much. However, Auman cautions that the organization could look to bring Adams back at a lesser value. That could be a good decision for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers coaching staff, as former starter Chris Conte is set to his free agency.

The Buccaneers currently have three safeties under contract for the 2019 season: Jordan Whitehead, Justin Evans, and M.J. Stewart.

Tender Updates: Broncos, Giants, Jets

March 3rd, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams have until March 13th to place tenders on their impending restricted free agents, but we’ve already seen some teams make their decisions. We’ve compiled some of the players who will not be tendered by their current teams, making them unrestricted free agents:

The Broncos aren’t expected to tender wideout Jordan Taylor, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The former undrafted free agent out of Rice spent four seasons with the organization, and he hauled in 29 receptions, 351 yards, and two scores between 2016 and 2017. The 27-year-old sat out all of last season as he recovered from offseason hip surgery.
ProFootballTalk.com reports (via Twitter) that the Giants won’t be tendering cornerback Antonio Hamilton. The 2016 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State spent the first two seasons of his career with the Raiders, and he was claimed by New York prior to the 2018 season. He proceeded to appear in 13 games as a special teamer for the Giants, compiling six tackles. He was placed on the injured reserve in mid-December after suffering a quad injury.
ProFootballTalk.com also reports (via Twitter) that Jets tight end Clive Walford won’t be tendered. The 27-year-old has 70 career receptions, although 61 of those catches came during his first two seasons in the league with the Raiders. His final season in Oakland saw him catch only nine passes, and he was released by the organization last offseason. Walford had two stints with the Jets and one stint with the Colts in 2018, appearing in only a single game.

Falcons, DT Grady Jarrett Not Close To Deal

March 3rd, 2019 at 10:51am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons may be forced to use the franchise tag on Grady Jarrett. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the defensive tackle and the organization are “not close to reaching a new contract deal.”

The deadline to place the franchise tag on a player is March 5th. If the Falcons don’t agree to an extension with Jarrett by that time, the team may have no choice but to tag the defensive lineman. Otherwise, the team would have to let the 25-year-old hit free agency, at which time he could garner a number of lucrative offers.

As Ledbetter notes, the team may struggle to afford Jarrett’s franchise value. The franchise tag for defensive tackles is $15.21MM, and that would take up the majority of the Falcons’ $22.3MM in cap space.

The Falcons have made it clear that they want to retain Jarrett, with general manager Thomas Dimitroff telling Ledbetter that the organization is focused on getting a deal done. Head coach Dan Quinn had similar thoughts, and he indicated that the team may be willing to franchise the lineman.

“I would say it’s definitely on the table to discuss really thoroughly, but we’ll have to wait until to then to see if a deal can be done first,” Quinn said. “The good news is…that our team and Grady’s team can have good conversations about things that hopefully we can keep working towards some common ground that would be right for both sides.”

The 2015 fifth-round pick has established himself as one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. Despite playing in only 14 games in 2018, he still had his best statistical season, compiling 52 tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus ranked Jarrett fifth among 112 eligible interior defenders.

Cowboys WR Cole Beasley Seeking $20MM Guaranteed

March 3rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys want to retain wideout Cole Beasley, but it’s going to cost them a pretty penny to do so. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets that receiver is seeking a deal that will pay him at least $20MM in guaranteed money.

The team has made it very clear that they’d welcome back the 29-year-old with open arms, but coach Jason Garrett acknowledged that it might be difficult to meet the receiver’s monetary demands.

“Oh, we love Cole Beasley,” Garrett told Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. “If you followed our football team the last few years you know the impact that he’s made on our team…We want him with our team as we go forward for a long, long time, but business will creep into that on both sides. Hopefully we can get to a point where we can make a deal with him and some of these other guys where it works well for everybody and we keep moving forward.”

$20MM in guaranteed money isn’t some unprecedented number, but it’s debatable whether Beasley deserves to be on that tier of wideouts. For comparison’s sake, DeSean Jackson and Emmanuel Sanders both earned $20MM guaranteed when they signed their previous deals, and those two players had shown a whole lot more than Beasley up to that point of their careers.

Despite only starting four games for the Cowboys last season, Beasley still played more than 66-percent of the team’s offensive snaps. He lead Dallas with 65 receptions, and he hauled in 672 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Beasley has also contributed on special teams during his seven-year career.

Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence Not Close To Extension

March 3rd, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Ben Levine

With two days to go until the franchise-tag deadline, the Cowboys have not made any progress on a DeMarcus Lawrence deal. Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets that the two sides are not close to finalizing a long-term deal. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram echoes that sentiment, noting that a deal isn’t expected by the March 5th deadline “barring [an] unexpected miracle offer.”

Unless the Cowboys are willing to risk Lawrence reaching unrestricted free agency, the team’s only logical course is to slap the defensive end with the franchise tag. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, this may be Lawrence’s preferred route. After being tagged in 2018, Lawrence would earn $20.56MM if he was tagged for a second-straight season. His franchise number in 2020 would balloon to $29.6MM, meaning Lawrence would technically be eyeing $50MM over the next two years.

Ultimately, Florio opines that the Pro Bowler could be seeking a deal that pays him close to that amount of money through the first two years of the contract. If he doesn’t sign a deal, he’ll either earn a lucrative franchise tag in 2020 or he’ll finally hit unrestricted free agency. Lawrence could also follow Le’Veon Bell and sit out the entire 2019 campaign, although that probably wouldn’t increase his worth.

Further complicating matters is Lawrence’s impending shoulder surgery. Florio writes that the 26-year-old refuses to have the operation until he’s inked a long-term deal. This could merely be leverage by Lawrence’s camp to get a deal completed before the July 15 deadline, but it complicates matters nonetheless.

In 2017, Lawrence compiled 14.5 sacks, 58 total tackles, and four forced fumbles. Instead of doing a long-term deal last year, the Cowboys asked him to prove himself once more. He answered with 10.5 sacks, 39 quarterback pressures, and a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod.

Broncos Won’t Tender Matt LaCosse

March 2nd, 2019 at 9:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Teams are starting to have make decisions on tendering their restricted free agents, and the Broncos made a big one late Saturday night. The team won’t be tendering tight end Matt LaCosse, a source told Mike Klis (Twitter link).

LaCosse became the team’s starter down the stretch this past season, and showed some promise. The lowest tender option will be $2.025MM this year, which Denver apparently thinks is too expensive. Klis posted a followup tweet new Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello’s offense “needs tight ends who are plus blockers”, and that while LaCosse is “a nice receiving tight end and willing blocker”, he’s “just not built like other TEs.”

Klis expects the team to add a blocking tight end. Troy Renck of ABC Denver tweeted in response that the team is expected to draft a tight end. The Broncos haven’t had a reliable tight end option in recent years, and getting a consistent one would be a huge boost for new quarterback Joe Flacco.

LaCosse entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and spent the next few years bouncing on and off of the Giants’ roster before landing in Denver in late 2017. Last season he had 24 catches for 250 yards and one touchdown.

Panthers Re-Sign LB Jared Norris

March 2nd, 2019 at 9:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just before the start of free agency, the Panthers are locking up one of their own. Carolina is re-signing linebacker Jared Norris to a two-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but it’s likely pretty close to the minimum. Rapoport notes that the team gave him a $150K signing bonus, which would seem to indicate they plan on him making the team out of training camp. Norris was a standout linebacker at Utah, but went undrafted in 2016. He latched on with the Panthers, and was able to make the team as a rookie.

He appeared in just three games this past year after he was placed on injured reserve in October with a toe injury. Norris hasn’t played a single snap on defense in his three years with the team, but has been a key special teamer when healthy. An inside linebacker, Norris will provide emergency depth on defense and should be making plays on special teams again next year.

Extra Points: Brown, Packers, Seahawks, Combine, Cardinals

March 2nd, 2019 at 8:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another day, another update in the Antonio Brown saga. The All-Pro Steelers receiver is still demanding a trade, and now we have an update on his preferences of where he’d like to land. Brown has been loosely connected to a handful of teams, but they apparently aren’t all equal in Brown’s eyes. “Quality of quarterback play will be a factor” in determining whether Brown will agree to play for a potential trade partner, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

We heard earlier today that the Titans, Raiders, and Redskins had been expressing the most interest in Brown so far. It’s unclear if any of those three teams would meet Brown’s apparent standards for quarterback play. The trade market has been relatively quiet for Brown thus far, and his public demands have seemingly reduced the Steelers’ leverage in negotiations. Brown has played his entire career with one of the league’s top quarterbacks throwing him the ball, so it makes sense why he wouldn’t want to downgrade.

Here’s more from around the league on combine Saturday:

The Packers could really use some extra pass-rushing help, and they might already have their eyes set on someone in this year’s draft class. The Packers “really like” Florida edge rusher Jachai Polite, according to Tony Pauline of Draftanalyst.com. Green Bay owns the 12th pick in the draft, and that’s right around where Polite is slated to go in most mock drafts as of right now, so it could be a good fit. Polite racked up 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss this past season with the Gators.
Doug Baldwin never looked 100 percent right for the Seahawks this past season, and we now have confirmation he was dealing with multiple serious injuries. The receiver underwent surgery on his knee and his shoulder after the season ended, Pete Carroll revealed from the combine this week, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Carroll did say that Baldwin, 30, will be fine for the start of the regular season. Baldwin missed three games in 2018 with a knee injury, and was clearly not fully healthy during the 13 games he was on the field. He finished with just 614 yards, by far his lowest total since he became a starter in 2013.
Former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley was asked to workout as a defensive back at the combine this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Schefter notes that McSorley declined the request, citing a desire to concentrate on being a quarterback. McSorely played defensive back in high school, so it’s not entirely out of nowhere. Teams sometimes do things like this, like when Lamar Jackson was controversially asked to workout as a wide receiver at last year’s combine. McSorley set records at Penn State, but isn’t thought of as one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.
The Cardinals will be non-tendering defensive tackle Olsen Pierre, a source told Florio (Twitter link). Pierre, a 2015 undrafted free agent, made his first NFL appearance with Arizona in 2017. He ended up starting seven games for them that year and was very productive, racking up 5.5 sacks. He appeared in ten games for them last year with one start, but the new coaching staff apparently wants to move on. He should be able to latch on somewhere when the market opens in a couple of weeks.