2019 July - Pro Football Rumors

Ricky Jean-Francois Visits Lions

July 23rd, 2019 at 6:18pm CST by Rory Parks

Free agent defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is visiting the Lions today, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Of course, the two parties know each other quite well, as RJF played in all 16 games for Detroit in 2018 after signing a one-year deal with the club last July.

The Lions traded for Damon Harrison last October and also return A’Shawn Robinson, but they are apparently still on the lookout for experienced depth. Jean-Francois provides just that.

The 32-year-old LSU product entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the 49ers in 2009, and he has managed to carve out a career that most seventh-rounders would envy. Although he has started just 48 of the 137 games he has appeared in, he has established himself as a quality part of a defensive line rotation who can at least hold his own when given meaningful snaps.

This marks the first reported visit that Jean-Francois has taken this offseason. He compiled 30 tackles and two sacks for the Lions last year.

Contract Talks Between Jaguars, Yannick Ngakoue Break Down

July 23rd, 2019 at 5:52pm CST by Rory Parks

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue skipped minicamp as part of his efforts to land a new contract, and now it appears he will hold out of at least a portion of training camp as well.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that negotiations between player and team have broken down, and that Ngakoue will likely continue to stay away as a result.

Ngakoue is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and there’s no denying that he is criminally underpaid, given his performance. For now, he’s slated to earn just $2.025MM in 2019 after racking up 29.5 sacks across three seasons.

The Jaguars would, presumably, love to lock down the Maryland product for years to come. However, the continued explosion of the edge rushing market makes this an extremely costly proposition for Jacksonville. The Maryland product, who just turned 24 in March, is undoubtedly looking to meet or exceed the five-year, ~$105MM deals that fellow pass rushers Demarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark signed this year, both of which came with over $60MM in guarantees.

Ngakoue does have to report to camp by August 6 to earn an accrued season towards free agency, so he may choose to not hold out beyond that date.

Texans Sign P Bryan Anger

July 23rd, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Rory Parks

The Texans have signed veteran punter Bryan Anger, according to a team announcement, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets that it is a one-year, $1MM pact. In a related move, Houston waived UDFA linebacker Drew Lewis.

The Buccaneers cut Anger in May, thereby saving $3MM against the cap. At the end of the 2016 season, Anger signed an extension with Tampa Bay that would have kept him under club control through 2021, but the Bucs elected to move forward with Bradley Pinion instead.

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle makes it sound as if Anger was signed merely for camp depth, as he suggests that second-year player Trevor Daniel will remain the starter. However, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com tweets that Anger and Daniel will compete for the job.

Anger, a former third-round pick of the Jaguars who was selected ahead of players like Russell Wilson and T.Y. Hilton, spent the first four years of his career in Jacksonville before signing with Tampa Bay in March 2016. He has a net average of 40.6 yards per kick for his career.

Packers, Dean Lowry Agree To Extension

July 23rd, 2019 at 4:40pm CST by Rory Parks

The Packers have agreed to a contract extension with DE Dean Lowry, according to a team announcement. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports that it will be a three-year, $20.325MM extension (Twitter link).

Lowry, a fourth-round pick out of Northwestern in 2016, was heading into the last year of his rookie deal and was scheduled to earn $2.025MM this year. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the $20.325MM (which includes a $6MM signing bonus) will be new money on top of that $2.025MM.

Lowry has quietly put together a very strong start to his professional career, and 2018 was his best season to date, as he recorded 57 tackles (seven for loss), three sacks, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two QB hits, and 14 QB pressures in 16 games (eight starts).

He is, at the very least, a solid piece of the club’s D-line, and now that he is in the fold for the foreseeable future, Green Bay may turn its attention to fellow DE Mike Daniels, who is also entering the last year of his current contract.

Vikings’ Holton Hill Suspended (Again)

July 23rd, 2019 at 2:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings cornerback Holton Hill has been suspended, once again. This time around, it’s a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

Hill, 22, made the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Texas and wound up appearing in all 16 games for the Vikings last year, including three starts. He finished out with 36 tackles in total and made his first career interception in the Vikings’ October romp over the Jets.

This year, he was slated for a significant role in the secondary, but a pair of four-game bans will keep him sidelined until the midway point of the season. In April, the Vikings learned that they would be without Hill for a quarter of the season thanks to a PED policy violation.

The team will not be releasing a statement, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter).

Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner To Report To Camp

July 23rd, 2019 at 2:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks star linebacker Bobby Wagner is expected to show up for training camp on Wednesday, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Wagner doesn’t have a new deal in hand yet, but Rapoport hears that he wants to continue to be a leader in the locker room and set an example.

Wagner might take the cautious approach and avoid putting himself in harm’s way, Rapoport hears, but he’ll be there with his teammates. Ultimately, it’s believed that the two sides will come to an accord before the season gets underway in September.

Wagner is likely looking to top the $17MM payout that C.J. Mosley landed from the Jets in free agency, which is understandable. Mosley is a good player in his own right, but Wagner is a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time First Team All-Pro, and a bonafide tackling machine.

Interestingly, Wagner is representing himself as he guns for his next big payday.

Cowboys Rumors: Cooper, Hurns, Gregory

July 23rd, 2019 at 2:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest on the Cowboys:

Amari Cooper is in no rush to get his extension done and he’ll report to Cowboys camp on time, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears. Cooper, in all likelihood, is waiting out new deals for Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Tyreek Hill before putting pen to paper.
The Cowboys offered Allen Hurns a pay reduction and he declined, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets. That’s what we suspected when the Cowboys released the veteran on Tuesday afternoon.
As he works his way back from indefinite suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has made an agent change (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Gregory is now repped by agent Peter Schaffer after parting ways with Steve Weinberg.

Broncos Waive K Taylor Bertolet

July 23rd, 2019 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have ended their kicking competition, while starting a new battle at punter. On Tuesday, the Broncos waived kicker Taylor Bertolet and signed punter Justin Vogel.

This effectively means that Brandon McManus will be the Broncos’ starting kicker this year. A cursory look at McManus’ stats shows a so-so 80% field goal conversion rate last year, but all five of his misses came from 50 yards or more. Within reasonable range, McManus was a perfect 18-18 and nailed all of his extra point tries.

Vogel, meanwhile, will duke it out with Colby Wadman for the punting gig. Wadman, a rising NFL sophomore, averaged 44.7 yards per punt in 2018.

Cowboys’ Frederick To Be Ready For Camp

July 23rd, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys All-Pro center Travis Frederick, who dealt with Guillain-Barré syndrome last year, is expected to be active for the start of training camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that, he’ll avoid the NFI list and will be ready to go for team activities.

Frederick missed the entire 2018 season as he battled his condition, but all signs have been pointing to a full return in 2019. Before the illness, Frederick started 80 straight games for the Cowboys.

Frederick had another productive season in 2017, as Pro Football Focus ranked him third among eligible centers. With his limp gone and his overall condition vastly improved, he should be on track for a strong season in ’19.

Saints To Work Out DeShawn Shead

July 23rd, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead will work out for the Saints on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This marks Shead’s first known workout of the offseason.

Shead spent the first six seasons of his career with the Seahawks, making 22 starts across 54 appearances. Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered in the 2016 playoffs altered the trajectory of his career. After appearing in just two games for Seattle in ’17, Shead hooked on with the Lions in March of last year. After missing the final cut, he was re-signed to a lower cost deal and appeared in 12 games before landing on IR once again.

The 30-year-old, who once played opposite of Richard Sherman, could serve as a valued backup behind Eli Apple and Marshon Lattimore.