Free agent cornerback Coty Sensabaugh will visit the Saints on Wednesday, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The seven-year veteran started ten games last season for the Steelers.
Sensabaugh, 30, has 43 career starts to his credit, including ten starts with the Steelers last season. He earned a decent 65.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus last season, positioning him among the top 65 players at the position. And, for what it’s worth, Sensabaugh shined in the Steelers’ regular season finale against the Bengals.
Free agent cornerback Kayvon Webster will visit the Saints on Wednesday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 49ers and Bears also have expressed interest in Webster recently and it might not be long before he finds a new NFL home.
Webster garnered buzz early in his career as a talented cornerback with the Broncos who was buried on the depth chart behind more established names. Many expected him to break out upon signing with the Rams in 2017 and reuniting with Wade Phillips, but he didn’t do much in his injury-shortened season. In 2018, injuries hampered him yet again as he tried to reestablish himself with the Texans.
The Ravens announced that they’ve verbally agreed to a deal with first-round pick Marquise Brown. In accordance with his slot, the wide receiver will receive a four-year, $11.8MM deal with a $6.6MM signing bonus.
The Ravens have yet to get Brown on the field, but he’s expected to have a big role in the offense once he heals up from his February foot surgery. After the Oklahoma product cracked 1,000 yards receiving with an average of 19.2 yards per catch last year, the Ravens are expecting big things from the man they call “Hollywood.”
There are some concerns about Brown’s durability due to his aforementioned foot malady and his skinny frame, but his speed should allow him to excel from the jump. There was no true consensus on the draft’s top wide receiver this year, but Brown could easily prove to be the best of the bunch.
With Brown (effectively) under contract, that leaves third-round wide receiver Miles Boykin as the lone unsigned player from the Ravens’ draft class.
Calvin Johnson was famously required to pay back a seven-figure portion of his $16MM signing bonus after retiring from the NFL in 2016, and he says his strained relationship with the Lions won’t improve unless he’s returned that money. “They already know what they got to do,” Johnson told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “The only way they’re going to get me back is they put that money back in my pocket. Nah, you don’t do that. I don’t care what they say. They can put it back, then they can have me back. That’s the bottom line.” As recently as 2017, NFL teams were reportedly interested in luring Megatron out of retirement, but he’s said he has no interest in returning to the league.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
While Johnson may not be mending fences with the Lions any time soon, the show must go on in Detroit, and Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com has passed along a few interesting nuggets from the second week of organized team activities. While it’s certainly early, Tom Savage reportedly looks like the favorite for the Lions’ backup quarterback job, per Twentyman. Savage has been taking most of the club’s second-team snaps, and he boasts far more experience than his competition (Connor Cook). Meanwhile, second-round linebacker Jahlani Tavai was viewed as something of an over-draft, but he’s already seeing some time with Detroit’s first-team defense.
Although Laquon Treadwell has struggled mightily during his first three seasons in a Vikings uniform, now is not the time to release the former first-round wide receiver, argues Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. Treadwell, 24 later this month, posted the best season of his career in 2018, but that only entailed 35 receptions and 302 yards as he played behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Minnesota would incur $2.5MM in dead money by cutting Treadwell, but the club would open up roughly $654K in cap space by doing so. As Cronin indicates, the Vikings could be hoping Treadwell flashes during the preseason and increases his trade value.
Vikings chief operating office Kevin Warren was today officially named as the new commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com indicated Monday (Twitter link). Warren will become the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference. As Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said in a statement, Warren plans to assist Minnesota in a transition phase over the next three months.
The Buccaneers are hosting a group of free agents at their minicamp this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay is working out offensive linemen Cyrus Kouandjio and Josh LeRibeus and wide receivers Malachi Dupre, Nehari Crawford, and Jamarius Way.
Of the group, LeRibeus has played in the most total NFL games (50). An 11-game starter at center for the 2015 Redskins, LeRibeus appeared in 19 games (three starts) for the Saints over the past two seasons. LeRibeus, 29, earned positive grades from Pro Football Focus earlier in his career, but that wasn’t the case in 2018. Among the 153 interior linemen who played at least 100 offensive snaps a season ago, LeRibeus ranked dead last in PFF grade.
Kouandjio, 25, has the highest draft pedigree of any player working out for the Bucs, as he was chosen in the second round (44th overall) of the 2014 draft. The Alabama product has had trouble staying healthy throughout his NFL career, and thus has only appeared in 30 games over five years. Kouandjio has spent the past two years bouncing on-and-off the Broncos’ roster, playing only 80 offensive snaps during that time.
Dupre was once considered the best high school wide receiver recruit in the country, and was — at one point — viewed as a potential first-round pick. Heading into the 2017 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed Dupre as a third- or fourth-round selection, but the LSU alum ultimately fell to the Packers in the seventh round. He’s already spent time with five teams in his brief NFL career.
The Jaguars have agreed to sign free agent defensive tackle Datone Jones, according to his agents at DEC Management (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Jacksonville has waived defensive end Shane Bowman, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The club has since confirmed the transaction.
Jones, 28, was selected by the Packers with the 26th overall pick of the 2013 draft, but he’s never been able to put it all together at the NFL level. In four seasons with Green Bay, Jones appeared in 60 games, but made only seven starts and never topped 600 snaps in any individual campaign. Jones posted just nine total sacks with the Packers, who subsequently declined his fifth-year option and allowed him to hit free agency in 2017.
After reaching the open market, Jones signed a one-year deal with the Vikings, but didn’t make Minnesota’s final roster. He bounced around the NFL, spending time with the Lions and 49ers before landing with the Cowboys midway through the 2017 season. Jones played Dallas’ season opener last year, but a hamstring injury ended his season in early September.
Jones will face an uphill battle to make the Jaguars’ roster. Fellow defensive tackles Marcell Dareus, Abry Jones, and Taven Bryan are locks for Jacksonville’s 53, so Jones will likely compete with rookie seventh-rounder Dontavius Russell for a roster spot.
Harris, the 87th overall selection in April’s draft, will sign a four-year deal worth roughly $3.6MM. He’ll join the Patriots’ roster following a four-year career at Alabama, during which he won two National Championships and earned second-team All-SEC honors during his senior season. Harris came off the board 63 picks after fellow Tide running back Josh Jacobs, but Harris actually surpassed Jacobs in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and receptions in 2018.
Harris, who stands 5’10”, 216 pounds, topped 1,000 yards rushing in both his sophomore and junior seasons, averaging more than seven yards per carry in each campaign. In a pre-draft scouting report, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Harris to former Bears/Bengals back Cedric Benson, noting Harris’ “no-nonsense” running style but identifying his lack of burst.
The Patriots already have a roster full of running backs with defined roles, including 2018 first-rounder Sony Michel, receiving back James White, and do-it-all Rex Burkhead. Harris will likely start out with a heavy role on special teams, but he could carve out a niche slot as the season progresses.
In 2018, three first-place teams from the previous season did not earn postseason berths. Those clubs — the Steelers, Jaguars, and Vikings — each missed the playoffs for different reasons. Injuries, poor luck, off-field issues, and plain old regression to the mean all contributed in certain instances, and 2019 doesn’t figure to be any different for the 2018 first-place teams.
You don’t need me to tell you the Patriots have dominated the AFC East for the better part of two decades. They’ve won 10 consecutive division titles, and have finished first in 16 of the last 18 campaigns. New England is still considered the favorites to win the 2020 Super Bowl, despite losing players like Rob Gronkowski, Trey Flowers, Trent Brown, and Malcom Brown during the offseason. While the Jets and Bills have each improved and built around young quarterbacks, the AFC East is still unquestionably the Patriots’ to lose.
Baltimore Ravens
After turning over their offense to rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson against the Bengals in Week 11, the Ravens managed to rebound from a 4-5 start to win six of their final seven games, edging out the Steelers for the AFC North crown in the process. Pittsburgh should still contend in 2019 despite trading Antonio Brown and allowing Le’Veon Bell to walk in free agency, but Baltimore’s real competition is the Browns, who are now favored to win the division after adding Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, and others over the past several months.
Houston Texans
The Texans have quietly won the AFC South in three of the past four seasons under head coach Bill O’Brien, but their path will be extremely difficult next season. The Colts are building for long-term success and are the division favorites in 2019, while the Jaguars and Titans could also be in the running. Wide receiver Will Fuller‘s return from a torn ACL should help quarterback Deshaun Watson, but if the third-year signal-caller can’t stay upright behind what is still a sub-par offensive line, Houston may not have a chance.
Kansas City Chiefs
After nearly advancing to the Super Bowl a season ago, the Chiefs enter the 2019 season with change in the air. Not only did Kansas City make two separate franchise edge defender trades (shipping Dee Ford to the 49ers while acquiring Frank Clark from the Seahawks), it also added key defensive players like Tyrann Mathieu, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Alex Okafor. The Chiefs’ biggest outstanding question, of course, revolves around wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is still being investigated after being accused of child abuse. At present, it’s unclear if Hill will be suspended or even be on Kansas City’s roster once the regular gets underway.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas won seven of its final eight games down the stretch after acquiring wideout Amari Cooper from the Raiders, taking the division from the Eagles in the process. As has become the norm, the Cowboys didn’t do much during the offseason. Jerry Jones & Co. re-signed defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, brought tight end Jason Witten out of retirement, and added slot receiver Randall Cobb, but otherwise kept his club intact. Given that the Giants and Redskins don’t look like serious contenders, Dallas will likely battle Philadelphia for the NFC East crown again.
Chicago Bears
The Bears seem to be the current pick for regression in 2019, and it’s not difficult to see why. Chicago was buoyed by its league-best defense last season, and defensive success is historically less stable and less predictive than production on offense. Not only did the Bears lose key defenders like Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan, but star defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is also gone. Chicago will likely need to rely on improvement from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky if it wants to hold off the Packers and Vikings next year.
New Orleans Saints
After posting three consecutive 7-9 seasons from 2014-16, the Saints have manged 24 regular season victories and two NFC South titles over the last two years. New Orleans added two new weapons — tight end Jared Cook and running back Latavius Murray — for Drew Brees, and found both a short-term (Nick Easton) and long-term (Erik McCoy) replacement for recently-retired center Max Unger. On paper, the Saints still look like an incredibly strong team, but their division is one of the toughest in the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams
Fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, the Rams added two free agent defenders in edge rusher Clay Matthews and safety Eric Weddle, but also lost key contributors like Ndamukong Suh, Rodger Saffold, and Lamarcus Joyner. Additionally, Todd Gurley‘s knee condition isn’t likely to allow him to be a bell-cow in 2019, meaning more responsibility will be placed on Jared Goff. Luckily for Los Angeles, none of the other clubs in the NFC West appear ready to dethrone the Rams just yet.
So, what do you think? Which 2018 first place team is likeliest to miss the playoffs in 2019? Vote below! (Link for app users).
Longtime NFL linebacker NaVorro Bowman will retire as a member of the 49ers, San Francisco announced today. Bowman spent seven-plus seasons with the 49ers, but didn’t play in the NFL last year.
Bowman, now 31 years old, was a third-round selection in the 2010 draft. After serving primarily as a special-teamer during his rookie campaign, Bowman became a starter in 2011 and didn’t look back. Pairing with Patrick Willis to create the league’s best linebacker tandem, Bowman earned first-team All-Pro honors 2011-13, posting at least 140 combined tackles in each season.
Unfortunately, in what likely became the defining moment of his career, Bowman suffered a brutal knee injury in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, tearing both his ACL and MCL in the process. The Penn State product missed the entirety of the 2014 season, and while he returned in 2015 and was again named first-team All-Pro, he never quite regained his pre-injury form.
A torn Achilles tendon prematurely ended Bowman’s 2016 season, and spelled the near end of his 49ers career. Five games into the 2017 campaign, San Francisco released Bowman after he voiced displeasure at a nearly-completed trade to the Saints. Bowman latched on with the Raiders, and put up 89 tackles over the final 10 games of the year.
Bowman was expected to draw interest during the 2018 offseason, and PFR had him ranked as the second-best off-ball linebacker on the market. The Packers reportedly considered adding Bowman following an injury to their linebacker corps, and he scheduled a workout with the Browns in October 2018, but no deal was ever reached.
Bowman will end his career with more than $44MM in earnings. PFR wishes him well as he enters retirement.
Free agent wide receiver Leonte Carroo has been suspended for the first four weeks of the 2019 season, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carroo, a 2016 third-round pick, was non-tendered by Miami this offseason.
Carroo had some hype behind him coming out of Rutgers, but never produced at the pro level. After three seasons in South Beach, Carroo has just 12 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns to his credit. More than one-third of those yards came on a 74-yard TD against the Colts last season in which he wrestled a defender to the ground and waltzed into the end zone.
The exact reason for Carroo’s ban is not yet known, but it is likely for a violation of the substance abuse policy or the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
