Andrew Norwell - Pro Football Rumors

Pauline’s Latest: Giants, Jets, Colts, Cowboys

January 26th, 2018 at 9:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants are expected to make a run at pending free agent guard Andrew Norwell, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman originally signed Norwell as an undrafted free agent when he was still Panthers GM, so there is an obvious connection and familiarity level between the two. Additionally, the G-Men have a clear need to improve an offensive line which could theoretically lose guard/tackle Justin Pugh to free agency. Norwell is not only young (26 years old), but extremely talented, as Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s third-best guard in 2017. Fellow guards such as Kelechi Osemele and Kevin Zeitler have recently inked contracts with $11.5MM+ annual values, and Norwell should meet or exceed that threshold.

Here’s more from Pauline:

If the Giants push hard to sign Norwell, they likely won’t have the funds available to sign free agent center Weston Richburg. That doesn’t mean Richburg will necessarily leave New York, however, as the Jets reportedly have interest in pursuing the 26-year-old pivot, per Pauline. Gang Green is in need of a new center given that Wesley Johnson — who started 15 games a season ago — is set to hit the open market in March. Football Outsiders ranked the Jets 29th in adjusted line yards when running towards the guard/center gaps in 2017, so Richburg would offer clear improvement. Richburg appeared in only four games last season (after missing only two contests during his first three years in the league), but he’s been cleared of any ongoing concussion concerns.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard could be active during his second offseason at the helm, as Pauline hears Indianapolis is hoping to acquire as many as three new linebackers plus several cornerbacks during the free agent period. Former Cowboys linebackers coach Matt Eberflus is expected to become the Colts’ next defensive coordinator under presumptive head coach Josh McDaniels, so any additions will likely be made with Eberflus’ scheme in mind. At cornerback, specifically, Indianapolis could seek to re-sign 2017 breakout star Rashaan Melvin, who will hit free agency coming off the best campaign of his career.
The Cowboys, too, have potential need areas in mind that could be addressed over the coming months, and linebacker and edge rusher are among them, reports Pauline. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is the top free agent defender on the market, and Dallas will almost certainly retain him via the franchise tag if a long-term deal can’t be arranged. Meanwhile, the Cowboys could express interest in Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, per Pauline, who is expected to “blow up” the scouting combine with an athletic performance.

Panthers Want To Extend OL Andrew Norwell

August 13th, 2017 at 1:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Having already agreed to a long-term deal with right guard Trai Turner last month, the Panthers are now aiming to extend left guard Andrew Norwell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, general manager Marty Hurney says the club isn’t in ongoing negotiations with Norwell, tweets Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer.

Norwell, 25, recently indicated to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he’d prefer to remain in Carolina for the long haul, and has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus with that goal in mind. A restricted free agent, Norwell was tendered at the second-round level this offseason, meaning he’ll earn $2.746MM in 2017.

If he reaches unrestricted free agency next spring, Norwell could conceivably collect nearly four times that amount annually, as the guard market has recently exploded. Kevin Zeitler, Turner, Gabe Jackson, and Joel Bitonio have all signed long-term pacts with an annual value north of $10MM in the past six months, meaning Norwell will have a clear threshold in mind.

Turner, for his part, received $45MM on a four-year deal that includes $15.797MM in fully guaranteed money. It’s unclear if Norwell will be able to surpass either of those barriers: while he’s been a more consistent player as of late (No. 11 guard in 2016 versus Turner’s No. 39 ranking, per Pro Football Focus), he’s also nearly two years older than his interior line counterpart.

If the Panthers can’t strike an agreement with Norwell, the franchise tag will not be an option in 2018. Because the offensive linemen tender amount includes tackles, it’s projected cost (in excess of $15MM) isn’t palatable for a guard.

NFC Notes: Bucs, Norwell, Cowboys

August 13th, 2017 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers nickel corner Jude Adjei-Barimah will have surgery to repair the patellar fracture in his right knee and will be placed on IR, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. When we first learned of the injury, we heard that it could sideline Adjei-Barimah for roughly four months, meaning he would miss most of the 2017 campaign. Stroud’s report suggests that the 25-year-old DB will in fact miss the entire season.

In other bad news for the Bucs, linebacker Devante Bond, who was expected to open the season as the starting strongside linebacker, has a sprained PCL in his right knee, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Bond could still be ready for Week 1, but it may be four to six weeks before he plays again. Meanwhile, Laine adds that QB Ryan Griffin has a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that will take a few weeks to heal. The team is not expected to sign another quarterback, which means that Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely win the backup job.

Now let’s take a look at a few more NFC rumors:

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to bring in another kicker in the wake of Roberto Aguayo‘s dismissal, but the new signing will be used for camp/preseason reps. That suggests that Nick Folk, and not a new acquisition, will be the team’s starting kicker.
Panthers guard Andrew Norwell is playing under a one-year RFA tender worth $2.75MM this year, but he hopes to get a long-term deal before the end of the season, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Norwell graded out as the league’s No. 11 guard in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, and has started 29 games over the past two seasons, firmly entrenching himself at left guard opposite Trai Turner. Turner, of course, recently received a lucrative extension from Carolina, and Norwell wants in on the action. He has even hired Turner’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to help him get paid.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot has until Wednesday to appeal his six-game suspension, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Elliott will likely file the necessary paperwork on Tuesday.
Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers was hugely impressive in Dallas’ preseason game against the Rams last night, posting four catches and a touchdown. That builds upon the solid showing he had in the team’s first preseason matchup last week, and it is clear that he is the most explosive tight end on the roster. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Gathers has come a long way in a short time — the Cowboys selected Gathers, a collegiate basketball player, in the sixth round of the 2016 draft — and makes the fairly obvious point that Gathers has a legitimate shot to make the team.
The Redskins are very thin at outside linebacker following Trent Murphy‘s season-ending ACL tear, so they are moving ILB Pete Robertson outside to give themselves another pass-rusher, as Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post writes. Robertson, a UDFA in 2016 who has yet to play a regular season snap, did lead the Big 12 with 13 sacks as an outside linebacker for Texas Tech in 2014.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/17

April 17th, 2017 at 7:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest minor moves…

Raiders defensive end Denico Autry has signed his RFA tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). The Raiders gave the 2014 undrafted free agent an original-round tender, leading to speculation that he could draw interest from elsewhere. Instead, Autry will return to the Raiders on the heels of back-to-back three-sack seasons. ERFAs Seth Roberts (WR) and Denver Kirkland (G) are also back in the fold, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter).
The Seahawks have re-signed linebacker Kache Palacio, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Palacio, a former fullback who went undrafted out of Washington State last year, spent most of 2016 on Seattle’s practice squad.
Lions ERFAs Brandon Copeland (DE), Kerry Hyder (DT) and T.J. Jones (WR) have signed their tenders, tweets Birkett. Dolphins ERFAs Mike Hull (LB) and Anthony Steen (C) did the same earlier Monday, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Panthers have re-upped restricted free agent guard Andrew Norwell and a pair of exclusive rights free agents – center Tyler Larsen and punter Michael Palardy – writes Bryan Strickland of their website. Carolina used a second-round tender on Norwell, who will earn $2.746MM in 2017. Norwell combined for 29 starts over the previous two seasons and ranked 11th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified guards last year.
Steelers RFA cornerback Ross Cockrell has inked his original-round tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Cockrell went in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, so the Steelers would have been entitled to a fourth-rounder had Cockrell signed elsewhere and they elected against matching the offer. The 25-year-old caught on with the Steelers in 2015 and has since totaled 31 appearances, 23 starts and two interceptions. Cockrell started in every Steelers game last year, and his performance ranked an improve 28th among 111 qualified corners at PFF.
Chiefs RFA kicker Cairo Santos has signed his tender, per Schefter (on Twitter). Santos, undrafted in 2014, received a low tender; as such, Kansas City wouldn’t have been entitled to compensation had he gone elsewhere. The three-year veteran has connected on 84.3 percent of field goal attempts, including 88.6 percent last season (good for fifth in the league).
Lions offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas has signed his RFA tender, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions assigned Lucas an original-rounder tender last month, so they wouldn’t have gotten a pick had the 2014 undrafted free agent signed elsewhere and they chose not to match. Lucas is now slated to make $1.797MM this year in Detroit, where he has started in six of 35 career appearances.
The Buccaneers have re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin, cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah, tight end Cameron Brate, linebacker Adarius Glanton, and wide receivers Adam Humphries and Freddie Martino, per Scott Smith of the team’s website. As a restricted free agent, Griffin is the only one of the bunch who could have potentially gone elsewhere (the rest were exclusive rights free agents). The Bucs tendered the 2013 undrafted free agent at an original-round level last month, and he’ll now try to win the No. 2 role behind Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay’s previous second-stringer, Mike Glennon, is now the Bears’ starter.
RFA defensive back Marcus Burley and ERFA running back George Atkinson III are returning to the Browns, per a team announcement. Burley, undrafted in 2013, received an original-round tender. The former Seahawk is coming off his first year in Cleveland, where he appeared in 12 games and played just under 40 percent of the Browns’ special teams snaps.
Fullback Tommy Bohanon and receiver Larry Pinkard have signed with the Jaguars, tweets the team’s account. Bohanon is the only with NFL experience, having logged 36 appearances and 14 starts as a Jet from 2013-15.
Speaking of the Jets, they have re-signed linebacker Julian Stanford (via Randy Lange of the team’s site). The Jets could Stanford on Friday, but both sides knew that was only a procedural move. Last season was the first as a Jet for the 26-year-old Stanford, who appeared in nine games (two starts) and played about a quarter of their defensive snaps and a third of their special teams snaps.

Panthers To Tender RFA OL Andrew Norwell

March 7th, 2017 at 3:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers will use a second-round tender on restricted free agent offensive lineman Andrew Norwell, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. That tender will be worth $2.746MM.

Carolina has now created a significant impediment to other clubs poaching Norwell, as rival teams would have to submit an (unmatched) offer sheet to the Panthers and sacrifice a second-round pick. That’s a steep price to pay even for Norwell, who last year graded out as the league’s No. 11 guard, per Pro Football Focus. Norwell, 25, has started 29 games over the past two seasons, firmly entrenching himself at left guard opposite Trai Turner.

Norwell is now the sixth restricted free agent to be tendered at the second-round level, joining Brandon McManus and Todd Davis (Broncos), Isaiah Crowell (Browns), Taylor Gabriel (Falcons), and Trey Burton (Eagles). No RFA has yet been offered a first-round tender.

In other Panthers news, the club announced that it’s reached a new one-year deal with wide receiver Brenton Bersin. Bersin, 26, wasn’t tendered as a restricted free agent yesterday, but he’s now back with Carolina on a presumably cheaper contract.

NFC South Rumors: Falcons, Panthers, Bucs

March 6th, 2017 at 8:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Wide receiver Julio Jones underwent surgery to remove a bunion from his foot and is expected to be sidelined four-to-five months, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. That timeline won’t affect Jones’ availability for the regular season, as he’s expected to ready for Falcons training camp in late July.

Here’s more from the NFC South:

The Panthers plan to tender restricted free agent guard Andrew Norwell before Thursday’s deadline, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Norwell has started 38 games for Carolina dating back to 2014 and started in all 16 contests last year. The 25-year-old Norwell graded as the league’s No. 11 guard in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, so the Panthers aren’t going to be able to assign him an original round tender if they hope to dissuade other clubs from stealing their starting guard. The second-round tender, with a price tag of $2.746MM, is the more likely route.
Clubs interested in free agent quarterback Mike Glennon were reportedly unclear on who was acting as the Buccaneers‘ backup’s agent, but as teams assumed, David Dunn of Athletes First is officially serving as Glennon’s counsel, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Glennon, now the top quarterback on the open market after Washington franchised Kirk Cousins, is expected to garner $14-15MM annually, and has received interest from the Jets, Bears, and 49ers.
Although mutual interest exists between the Saints and Sterling Moore, the veteran cornerback is expected to reach free agency before possibly agreeing to a new deal with New Orleans, reports Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link). Moore, 27, ended up starting 12 games for the Saints in 2016 after signing a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.

Panthers Links: Benjamin, Gettleman, Cuts

August 31st, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Rob DiRe

Two of the three position groups on the Panthers that were the most uncertain heading into the offseason remain that way as the regular season is only a week away. The offensive line and the secondary could struggle in 2014, but the team had questions at those spots last year and found ways to patch up the holes, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. Hopefully rookie first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin can do his part to sure up the lack of receiving threats on the team.

Here are some other links from around the Panthers as the season draws near:

General manager David Gettleman made a few gambles this offseason, and the future of the team depends on how these moves pay off, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Gettleman completely revamped the secondary and the receivers, and also franchising Greg Hardy will go a long way to determining his legacy as a general manager.
Person also breaks down the team’s final roster, going through all the cuts and surprising keepers, as the team looks to build on a strong 2013.
The Panthers have not repeated as division champions in the NFC South since the NFL realigned divisions in 2002, but has high hopes to do so for the first time in 2014, after going from worst-to-first in 2013, according to Person.
While Person is optimistic, his colleague Tom Sorensen notes that it will be hard to replicate their success in 2013. He sees their records in close games will be hard to keep up, and it would be unlikely to see them go 5-1 in the division again.
Part of the reason the Panthers are optimistic about making it back to the playoffs is their impressive draft record as of late. Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer notes that the team believes it has hit big on their last four first-round picks, with Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Star Lotulelei and Benjamin.
Jones also writes that no matter what problems the team has on offense and in the secondary, the team is built with the front seven. He compares the team to a bucket of rocks, while they fill it with the pebble at receiver and corner, with free agents, the team has drafted big rocks and boulders along their defensive line and with their linebackers.
Two surprises to make the team were Andrew Norwell and David Focault, offensive linemen who were on the outside looking in a few months ago, writes Bill Voth of the BlackAndBlueReview.com. Norwell is a former Ohio State Buckeye who played well in the preseason. Focault comes from the University of Montreal, and while he was outmatched at times in the NFL, the team was worried he would not clear waivers.

Panthers To Sign Nine Undrafted FAs

May 12th, 2014 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have agreed to terms with nine free agents who went undrafted this weekend, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the list of the nine new additions who will be competing for roster spots:

Denicos Allen, LB, Michigan State
Corey “Philly” Brown, WR, Ohio State ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
Carrington Byndom, CB, Texas
Adarius Glanton, LB, Florida Atlantic
Marcus Lucas, WR, Missouri
Andrew Norwell, G, Ohio State
Darrin Reaves, RB, Alabama-Birmingham
Shaq Rowell, DT, West Virginia
Jared Wheeler, C, Miami (FL) ($7,500 bonus, per Wilson)