HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Lions Cut QB Chase Daniel, DT Danny Shelton

March 16th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions couldn’t find a taker for quarterback Chase Daniel. The backup has been released, along with defensive tackle Danny Shelton (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

The Lions kicked off their offseason by trading Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff plus draft picks. Daniel, they thought, could have fetched them some later round capital, but no one wanted to take on the remainder of his three-year, $13.05MM deal.

Daniel has hardly played, but coaches still love him as a veteran backup. He has just five career starts under his belt, and just three since the 2014 season. The most recent of those came in a 2019 spot start with Chicago. The Missouri product has also spent time with the Saints, Chiefs, Eagles, and Bears. Now, a team looking to groom a young QB could add Daniel as a mentor.

Shelton — who entered the league as the No. 12 pick in the 2015 draft — never lived up to his draft status, but he’s built a solid career as a run-stuffer. The 345-pound lineman played a key role with the Pats in 2019 and found a home as the Lions starter this past season. Unfortunately, after eleven starts, his season was ended by a knee injury.

Together, the cuts will save the Lions over $4MM with $4.25MM in dead money.

Buccaneers’ Leonard Fournette Considering Seahawks Offer

March 16th, 2021 at 10:03am CST by Zachary Links

So far, the Buccaneers have kept most of the band together. Meanwhile, running back Leonard Fournette is considering a competitive offer from the Seahawks, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). 

The former fourth-overall pick was unceremoniously let go by the Jaguars at the end of the 2020 preseason. He ultimately had to settle for a one-year, $2MM deal with Tampa Bay, and he served as Ronald Jones‘ backup during the early parts of the season. Fournette filled in as starter in Week 15, and he didn’t let go of that role through the rest of the season and playoffs. He brought his best during the postseason, collecting four scores and 448 yards from scrimmage in four games.

“We’ll see,” Fournette said of his Bucs future in a recent interview. “Right now, I’m just enjoying the process right now with this W with this organization and my team. You never know what the future holds for me right now, you know? I wound up ending on a great note. I’d love to be back. We’ll have to talk to my agent and see what they’re talking about.”

The Seahawks recently decided against franchise tagging Chris Carson, which would put them in the market for help at running back. Of course, quarterback Russell Wilson would probably prefer the team to put more of their resources towards building a stronger offensive line.

Dolphins To Re-Sign LB Vince Biegel

March 16th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins will re-sign linebacker Vince Biegel, as Josh Tolentino of The Athletic tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran as he looks to rebound from a lost season. 

[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Shaq Lawson To Texans For Benardrick McKinney]

Biegel suffered an Achilles’ tendon tear last August, stopping his 2020 campaign before it even began. Previous to that, the former Packers draftee started ten games for the Dolphins in 2019 and led the team with 13 quarterback hits. It was a big step forward — Biegel had zero QB hits in 2017 or 2018. He finished 2019 with 59 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception.

Biegel bounced from the Packers, to the Saints, to the Dolphins, but he now seems to have made a home for himself in Miami. If Biegel performs on his one-year, prove-it deal, he could be in line for a much larger pay day next March.

Jaguars To Re-Sign Sidney Jones

March 16th, 2021 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are re-signing cornerback Sidney Jones (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Terms of the deal are not yet known.

Jones was on track to be a first-round pick in 2017 before an Achilles tear at Washington’s pro day. The Eagles nabbed him at No. 43 overall, but he’s struggled to stay healthy ever since. After three seasons with the Birds, Jones joined the Jaguars last year.

Jones became one of the early standouts of Jacksonville’s secondary before injuries got in the way. Unfortunately, he’s yet to play a full pro season.

\Still, new head coach Urban Meyer sees Jones as a part of the solution in 2021 and possibly beyond. Through the first four weeks of the 2020 season, Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the very best cornerback in the NFL. He also enjoyed one of his best performances against the Texans in Week 5, including an interception off of Deshaun Watson. Then, he notched another INT against Aaron Rodgers.

All in all, Jones finished 2020 with 26 stops, two INTs, and nine passes defensed.

Broncos Pick Up Von Miller’s Option

March 16th, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos will exercise Von Miller‘s option for the 2021 season, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. By picking up the edge rusher’s option, the Broncos will lock in $7MM of Miller’s $18MM total payout for 2021.

Broncos GM George Paton indicated that he wanted to keep Miller, though the team was hoping to negotiate a new deal at a lesser rate. Instead, Miller held his ground, so he’ll play out the final year of his six-year, $114.5MM contract.

Miller missed all of 2020 while replacement Malik Reed enjoyed a breakout year with eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Along with Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb (7.5 sacks, 19 QB hits), the Broncos got a preview of what their pass rush could look like without Miller. Still, Vic Fangio & Co. felt that the defense would be even better with Miller and Chubb playing alongside each other. To date, they’ve lined up together just four times. It’s also worth noting that Denver placed 13th in DVOA in the 2019 and ’20 seasons — good, but not great. With Miller healthy and back on board, the Broncos have the potential to rank much higher.

Patriots To Sign Hunter Henry

March 16th, 2021 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots will sign tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5MM deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The former Chargers tight end will receive $25MM guaranteed as a part of the deal.

Henry will join the newly-acquired Jonnu Smith, giving the Patriots the top two tight ends in free agency. Together, they’ll help to fill the long-standing void left by Rob Gronkowski‘s departure.

Henry missed the entire 2018 campaign with a torn ACL, and although he’s played at least 12 games in his other four seasons, he’s also never played a full 16. Still, the Chargers’ decision to let Henry test the open market came as a surprise. This past season he had 60 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. The tag would have cost them ~$13MM for one year.

The Patriots revamped offense will also feature former 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne and ex-Raiders WR Nelson Agholor.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/21

March 16th, 2021 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of the latest “minor” moves here:

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Vikings To Sign LB Nick Vigil

March 15th, 2021 at 10:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Nick Vigil is joining the Vikings. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the free agent linebacker is signing with Minnesota. It will be a one-year deal that includes $1MM in guaranteed money. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the deal is worth $1.75MM, and that total could increase to as much as $2.3MM.

The 2016 third-round pick out of Utah State spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals, including a 2019 campaign where he started 16 games and compiled a career-high 111 tackles. Vigil had to settle for a one-year deal with the Chargers last offseason, and he also had to settle into more of a backup role with his new team. The 27-year-old ultimately started only two of his 15 games in 2020, finishing with 50 tackles and a pair of sacks.

In Minnesota, Vigil will be reunited with senior defensive assistant Paul Guenther; the veteran coach was the Bengals defensive coordinator during Vigil’s first two seasons in the NFL. This is the second notable linebacker move the Vikings have made today; the team also made major adjustments to Anthony Barr‘s contract.

Washington To Sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

March 15th, 2021 at 10:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Ryan Fitzpatrick is heading to Washington. The veteran quarterback has reached an agreement with Washington, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $10MM, but the deal could grow to $12MM with incentives.

Despite having turned 38 years old in November and completing his 16th NFL season, it never really looked like the veteran was going to hang up his cleats. We heard earlier this week that Fitzpatrick intended to play in 2021, and it sounded like the quarterback would have plenty of suitors.

“For me, personally, I have to take every offseason and reassess,” Fitzpatrick said recently. “These last two years have really re-lit that fire under me. I still want to play, and I enjoy being out there playing.”

Those past two years saw Fitzmagic lead the Dolphins to a 9-11 record in his 20 starts with the organization. He completed 64.2-percent of his passes over those two campaigns, throwing for 5,620 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. He also continued to produce on the ground, finishing with 150 rushing yards for the 10th time in the past 13 seasons.

Washington was looking for a quarterback after letting go of Alex Smith earlier this month. The team entered the offseason rostering both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.

Vikings To Sign NT Dalvin Tomlinson

March 15th, 2021 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings are adding to their defensive line. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Minnesota is signing nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $22MM, including $20MM in total guarantees.

Tomlinson has been a consistent starter since joining the Giants in 2017. The defensive lineman has started each of the Giants’ 64 games over the past four years, averaging 26.6 tackles and two sacks per season. He had another solid season in 2020, finishing with career-highs in tackles for loss (eight) and QB hits (10). Pro Football Focus ranked Tomlinson as the 25th-best interior defender out of 126 qualified players in 2020.

While there were reports that the Giants wanted to retain Tomlinson, there were also rumblings that the organization was shopping the defensive lineman during last year’s trade deadline; the Packers were mentioned as a potential suitor for the nose tackle.

The Vikings have apparently been in the market for defensive linemen. We heard whispers earlier today that they were a potential suitor for Trey Hendrickson, who ultimately signed with the Bengals. Despite the Tomlinson signing, it sounds like Minnesota is still prepared to roll with defensive tackle Michael Pierce next season.

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