2021 March - Pro Football Rumors

DE Melvin Ingram To Visit Chiefs

March 20th, 2021 at 10:13am CST by Ben Levine

Melvin Ingram has his first reported visit. The veteran pass-rusher is set to visit the Chiefs, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

The 18th-overall pick of the 2012 draft had spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning three-straight Pro Bowl nods between 2017 and 2019. Ingram collected at least seven sacks per season between 2015 and 2019, and his 49 career sacks ranks fourth on the team’s all-time leader board.

However, after missing three regular season games in 2019, Ingram missed nine games in 2020 thanks to a nagging knee injury. He started the seven games he did appear in, but he didn’t show his normal burst, finishing with only 10 tackles and zero sacks. He ultimately appeared in only 35 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, his lowest percentage since an injury-riddled 2013 campaign.

The Chiefs make sense as a landing spot for the 31-year-old. The team’s currently eyeing a depleted depth chart with defensive ends Alex Okafor and Tanoh Kpassagnon sitting on the open market

Dolphins Cut OL Isaiah Wilson

March 20th, 2021 at 9:39am CST by Ben Levine

Isaiah Wilson‘s stint with the Dolphins has ended before it really began. Miami has cut the embattled offensive lineman, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

According to Beasley, the Dolphins tried to help the struggling offensive lineman following his trade to the organization. However, the player “refused team efforts to help him to get his life on track.” Wilson reportedly showed up late for his physical, was late for his orientation with the organization, and skipped a pair of workouts that he had committed to. Beasley adds that the player also recently posted videos to social media that showed him “inhaling a vape and dancing shirtless on a car.” The Dolphins decision to cut the lineman came before those videos were posted.

The 2020 first-round pick played just four snaps as a rookie, running into multifront trouble last year. He was issued a trespass warning for attending a party at Tennessee State University last summer. That preceded a September DUI arrest. The Titans suspended Wilson in December and ended his season by placing him on the reserve/NFI list days later. Wilson voiced a desire to leave the Titans, in a since-deleted tweet, earlier this year.

That led to Wilson’s trade to Miami earlier this month. The Dolphins didn’t give up a whole lot for the lineman’s services; the team sent a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Titans in exchange for Wilson and a 2022 seventh-rounder.

Now, the lineman will hit waivers, but considering both the Titans’ and Dolphins’ willingness to bail on the highly-touted prospect, there’s a good chance he’ll hit free agency.

Draft Pick Updates: Vikings, Saints, Raiders, Patriots

March 20th, 2021 at 8:10am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings are down a draft pick. Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), the Vikings have forfeited a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 242).

“A mistake was made, we take responsibility and we respect the league’s decision and will move forward,” general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement.

Per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, the punishment is regarding an infraction from 2019. There was some kind of violation of a practice squad player’s contract, but it’s uncertain who the player was or what the violation was.

Three Vikings executives were also fined $10K each, per Smith.

Some more draft notes from around the NFL:

Neither the Saints nor Raiders will lose a draft due to violations of the COVID-19 policies, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “They are not forfeiting them,” McCarthy said. “Neither team will lose those picks.” According to the reporter, there were rumblings that New Orleans would lose a seventh-round pick following a “mask-less locker room celebration,” and the Raiders were expected to lose a sixth-rounder due to multiple violations. While the NFL didn’t provide any context on their decision, Florio assumes both organizations appealed their penalties and were successful.
When the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the 2021 draft, the Patriots did not have a fifth-round pick. However, a source confirmed to PFT that New England had indeed received a fifth-rounder in the upcoming draft. According to Smith, the NFL “realized a mistake in its calculation of the complex formula for determining compensatory picks,” leading to the extra Patriots selection.
Thanks to the aforementioned compensatory-pick audit by the NFL, the Falcons are also moving two slots in the fifth round, according to Smith. Further, while the NFL only allows the addition of 32 compensatory picks each year, they’ve made an exception this time around. Thanks to the additional Patriots draft pick, the Bears normally wouldn’t have received that final compensatory pick; the NFL and NFL Players Association allowed Chicago to ultimately keep that selection.

Panthers To Sign TE Dan Arnold

March 19th, 2021 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Tight end Dan Arnold has agreed to sign with the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal reunites Arnold with his former Saints coach, Joe Brady.

Arnold’s two-year deal is worth $6MM, according to Schrager. Not bad for a UDFA out of Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. Arnold was used sparingly as a rookie in New Orleans, but he made the most of his 12 receptions by taking them for 150 yards and a touchdown. Then, last year, he reemerged with the Cardinals and finished out with 31 grabs for 438 yards and four touchdowns.

The Panthers just lost tight end Chris Manhertz to the Jaguars in free agency, so there’s an opportunity for Arnold to play. Still, even with Arnold’s pass-catching ability, the Panthers might need to replace Manhertz’s blocking on the TE depth chart.

Eagles To Meet With Adoree’ Jackson

March 19th, 2021 at 7:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Adoree’ Jackson is going on an NFC East tour. After his scheduled meeting with the Giants, the former Titans cornerback will get together with the Eagles (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). In addition, the Rams, Chiefs, Raiders and Cardinals have also shown interest, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter).

The Eagles have yet to add a cornerback this week, even though it’s one of their biggest needs. The group is headlined by Darius Slay, but they don’t have much after that. Also, Slay was less-than-stellar in 2020. With Avonte Maddox set to return to his preferred slot duties, the Eagles will need to find a CB2 one way or another. Jackson, who looked to be one of the league’s best young corners in 2019, wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Jackson would also be a good fit for the Rams, who have yet to make their mark in free agency this year. They probably won’t be able to offer him the best deal, but the USC product could be swayed by the opportunity to return home.

Browns To Sign DL Malik Jackson, LB Anthony Walker

March 19th, 2021 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After adding two members of the Rams’ starting secondary, the Browns are turning their attention to the front seven. They agreed to terms with defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Anthony Walker on Friday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (Twitter links).

Jackson’s Broncos tenure overlapped with Joe Woods‘, with the current Browns DC having coached Denver’s secondary during Jackson’s stay. The nine-year veteran will come to Cleveland after spending two seasons in Philadelphia. A four-year vet, Walker is Ohio-bound after playing out his rookie contract in Indianapolis.

While Jackson was a starter in multiple schemes in Denver — including in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 look that helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 — he has worked primarily as a 4-3 defensive tackle since joining the Jaguars in 2016. Part of the Jags’ “Sacksonville” defense that pushed the team to the Super Bowl LII precipice, Jackson made the Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in that 2017 campaign. However, the Jags made him a cap casualty ahead of their rebuild in 2019.

The Eagles signed Jackson shortly after, but he missed the ’19 season because of an injury. Jackson registered 2.5 sacks and logged 13 QB hits for the Eagles last season, returning to play in 15 games. The soon-to-be 31-year-old D-lineman will join a Browns team that just lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency. Jackson could be in line to team with Sheldon Richardson as a starter in Cleveland.

Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, Leonard’s sidekick registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy, but the former fifth-round pick brings significant experience to a Browns defense that ranked 25th in DVOA last year.

In addition to the Jackson and Walker additions, the Browns have signed John Johnson and Troy Hill this week. They also re-signed linebacker Malcolm Smith.

Texans To Sign RB Phillip Lindsay

March 19th, 2021 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after the Broncos rescinded Phillip Lindsay‘s RFA tender, the Pro Bowl running back will join another crowded backfield. The Texans are signing Lindsay to a one-year contract, according to his agent (on Twitter).

Lindsay will earn $3.25MM in 2021, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal could reach $3.75MM. This marks a bit of a bump for the productive back, who was previously tethered to a $2.13MM RFA tender salary. Lindsay will receive $1MM in guarantees, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

In Houston, Lindsay will link up with fellow former Pro Bowlers David Johnson and Mark Ingram. Had Lindsay played the 2021 season on his RFA tender, he would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2022. This Texans contract would allow him to have a chance to rebuild his value in advance of another free agency bid next year.

Despite becoming the first UDFA in NFL history to open his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Lindsay fell out of favor in Denver. The Broncos’ interesting decision to give Melvin Gordon a two-year, $16MM deal led to Lindsay splitting time with the ex-Chargers first-rounder and totaling just 502 rushing yards. The Colorado alum, however, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and continued to excel in 2019 despite playing behind a middling Denver offensive line. Lindsay averaged 5.4 yards per carry and totaled 10 TDs as a rookie.

One of the NFL’s most explosive runners over his first two seasons, Lindsay is by far the youngest of the three notable backs in Houston. Johnson will turn 30 later this year; Ingram will be 32 by season’s end. The Texans, who released Duke Johnson earlier this year, also have Dontrell Hilliard on their roster.

Seahawks To Re-Sign RB Chris Carson

March 19th, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Carson will stay in Seattle. The former seventh-round pick who beat the odds to become a long-term Seahawks starter agreed to terms on a second contract with the team Friday night.

The four-year veteran running back will sign a two-year deal worth $14.63MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Carson has worked as Seattle’s top running back for the past three seasons, and he will be expected to reprise that role in 2021. The Seahawks will use the increasingly popular void-year method to help with their cap, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, noting one void year will be added to the deal. The Seahawks entered Friday up against the cap.

Carson is believed to have received interest from the Dolphins, and the Seahawks extended an offer to Leonard Fournette. Nevertheless, the status quo in Seattle’s backfield will remain. The Seahawks lost Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars but still have Rashaad Penny attached to his rookie contract. This Carson development could point Fournette back to the Buccaneers, though it remains to be seen if there are any other known suitors for the former top-five pick.

Although the Seahawks’ initial investment in Carson doubled as a final-round flier, Carson will cash in after an injury-marred season. Prior to being limited in 2020, however, Carson eclipsed 1,100 yards in each of the previous two seasons. He totaled 16 rushing TDs from 2018-19, helping the Seahawks back to the playoffs and resurrect a ground game that had dipped in quality in between the Marshawn Lynch and Carson years.

Carson, Phillip Lindsay, Marlon Mack and Kenyan Drake are now off the market, with Aaron Jones — the top UFA running back coming into the week — choosing to avoid free agency and re-sign with the Packers. Of this group, Jones is the only player to have signed for more than two seasons or to have cleared $8MM per year. Carson, however, will receive a considerable raise from his rookie contract. Russell Wilson also endorsed the move (Twitter link).

Eagles, S Anthony Harris Agree To Deal

March 19th, 2021 at 6:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Harris‘ 2021 salary will not match what he earned on a franchise tag in 2020, and the former Vikings safety will relocate to Philadelphia. The Eagles and Harris agreed to a deal Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Eagles are signing Harris to a one-year deal worth $5MM. This represents a bargain for Philly, considering Harris played last season on an $11.4MM franchise tag.

Rodney McLeod will have a third safety tandem partner in three years, with Harris following Malcolm Jenkins and Jalen Mills in this capacity. Harris will also rejoin Jonathan Gannon. The new Eagles DC spent time coaching defensive backs with the Vikings. Gannon worked as Minnesota’s assistant DBs coach from 2015-17.

Harris, however, broke out after Gannon’s departure for Indianapolis. He joined the Vikings’ starting lineup in 2018 and emerged with a six-interception 2019, forming a top-tier safety duo with Harrison Smith. The Vikings now need to replace Harris, whom they kept off the market last year. Harris loomed in trade rumors, being connected to Cleveland, but played on the tag in 2020.

Coming off an interception-less season, the 29-year-old defender did record a career-high 104 tackles. After grading him as a top-three overall safety in 2018 and ’19, Pro Football Focus ranked the 29-year-old defender 38th at the position last season. This contract comes after Harris changed agents, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP, who notes he is now with Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link). This one-year pact will give Harris an opportunity to determine his long-term future while giving the Eagles a proven safety.

Latest On Kenny Golladay, Giants

March 19th, 2021 at 6:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants hosted Kenny Golladay on a two-day visit and remain interested in the Pro Bowl wide receiver, but the parties’ summit ended Friday evening without a contract agreement, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

However, the Giants are planning to stay in the mix for the four-year veteran. Golladay’s visit may not be finished overall, with veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweeting the sought-after receiver plans to stay in town and continue talking with the Giants. Momentum appeared to be building toward a deal earlier this afternoon, per Anderson (on Twitter), but Golladay remains a free agent.

He has received interest from a few other teams, having visited the Bears on Wednesday. The Ravens have also reached out to the two-time 1,000-yard wideout. The Dolphins expressed interest earlier this offseason, but they appear to have filled their outside-receiver need with Will Fuller.

While select other big-name receivers are still available, Golladay is the top unsigned target. The Ravens lead the two NFC suitors in cap space and missed out on JuJu Smith-Schuster, who opted to stay with the Steelers for less money than their AFC North rivals offered. The Bears still have Allen Robinson under contract but are interested in pairing him with Golladay, which would form one of the NFL’s best receiving tandems. The Giants lack a WR1-type player; Golladay would certainly fit the bill.