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Brandon Bolden

Patriots, RB Brandon Bolden Agree To Extension

February 24th, 2018 at 8:49am CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots are bringing back one of their special teams aces for another season. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed running back Brandon Bolden to a one-year, $880K deal. The contract has $170K in guaranteed money, including a $60K signing bonus and $110K of the $790K salary (via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin). His cap number will be at $720K.

Brandon Bolden (vertical)The 2012 undrafted free agent out of Mississippi has spent his entire six-year career in New England, appearing in at least 10 games each season. Recently, Bolden’s contributed mostly on special teams, as ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes (via Twitter) that the running back only played 42 offensive snaps this past season (including 34 in the regular season finale). The 28-year-old ultimately finished the campaign with a career-high eight tackles to along with 67 rushing yards. His best offensive season came during his sophomore campaign, when he rushed for 271 yards and three scores on 55 carries while also hauling in 21 receptions for 152 yards.

While the Patriots have locked up Bolden, Volin points out that the team still has a handful of “key special teamers” who are hitting free agency. The grouping includes Pro Bowler Matt Slater, Nate Ebner, Brandon King, Marquis Flowers and Johnson Bademosi.

Patriots To Place LB Shea McClellin On IR

September 4th, 2017 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are placing linebacker Shea McClellin on injured reserve, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. The nature of his injury is currently unknown. Shea McClellin (vertical)

McClellin missed most of the preseason with his mystery ailment. Whatever the issue is, it won’t rule him out for the year as he remains a candidate for one of the team’s IR-DTR spots.

McClellin, a former first-round pick of the Bears, signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Patriots in 2016. He appeared in 441 snaps for New England last year and made some athletic plays, including his memorable leap over the line of scrimmage to block a field goal against the Ravens in December.

To fill his spot on the roster, the Patriots re-signed running back Brandon Bolden. He had just just one carry last season and spent the bulk of his time on special teams.

Patriots To Cut RB Brandon Bolden

September 2nd, 2017 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

When the Patriots finally release their initial 53-man roster, Brandon Bolden won’t be on it. The running back has been released, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brandon Bolden (vertical)

Bolden re-signed with the Patriots in April, but his spot was shaky from the get-go. The Patriots added Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee to the fold this year, giving him an uphill climb as he battled with a group including fellow incumbents James White and Dion Lewis.

Bolden had just one carry last season with four targets. He was more of a special teams guy in New England and it seems possible that he could return at some point.

AFC Notes: Texans, Patriots, Jets

July 21st, 2017 at 7:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After Texans running back D’Onta Foreman‘s arrest on charges of marijuana and unlawful gun possession last Sunday, his attorney, Chip Lewis, claimed that the rookie didn’t “use or possess” the drug. To help clear himself of wrongdoing, Foreman was voluntarily tested for marijuana, and the results came back negative, according to Lewis (via Mark Berman of FOX 26). “It makes it clear that he was telling the truth,” Lewis said of the outcome. “He was not using marijuana.” Foreman has a July 31 court date, though there’s reportedly a strong likelihood of a postponement because the Texans will be at training camp in West Virginia then.

  • Patriots running back Dion Lewis may have to fight for a roster spot this summer, Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com points out, but colleague Tom Curran says it would be a mistake for the team to cut him if he’s healthy (video link). Fellow back Brandon Bolden should be in greater jeopardy, as he offers little offensively, opines Curran. Lewis has provided solid production as both a runner and pass catcher when on the field during his two-year New England stint, having averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 113 attempts and totaled 53 receptions, but he hasn’t appeared much. A torn ACL in 2015 and the subsequent recovery process kept Lewis out of action for nine games in each of the previous two regular seasons. Releasing Lewis would save the Pats all but $200K of his $1.49MM cap hit, and they’d still have a capable group of backs with Mike Gillislee, James White and Rex Burkhead leading the way.
  • Having moved on from a cavalcade of veterans in recent months, it may look as though the Jets are tanking, but it’s just a full-scale rebuild, contends Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Tanking is “almost impossible” to pull off in the NFL, argues Vacchiano, who writes that a top 10 to 15 selection in next year’s draft may be the best-case scenario for the club. Picking that late could mean the Jets found an answer at quarterback in Christian Hackenberg, a second-rounder in 2016 who didn’t take the field as a rookie, and saw a slew of other young players emerge as legitimate building blocks. It’s more likely, though, that they’ll end up with a top five pick, potentially putting them in position to find a franchise QB, observes Vacchiano.
  • More on the Jets, whose deal with first-round pick Jamal Adams contains offsets, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

East Notes: Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Pats

April 7th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have until May 2 to pick up the 2018 fifth-year option on right tackle Ja’Wuan James, and the decision is not clear-cut, as James Walker of ESPN.com writes. James, 24, has started 39 games since being selected with the 19th overall pick in 2014, and he was solid last season, grading as the league’s No. 32 tackle, per Pro Football Focus. However, because the fifth-year option salary is based on both left and right tackle contracts, it’s expected to be worth approximately $8MM, a figure that would make James the third-highest-paid right tackle in the league on an annual basis. The deal would only be for a single season, however, and is guaranteed for injury only until the first day of the 2018 league year.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Defensive end Owa Odighizuwa is still a member of the Giants, as franchise owner John Mara told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link). Mara added he “doesn’t think” Odighizuwa will follow through on his apparent retirement plans. The 25-year-old defender has posted a cryptic series of tweets in recent days, first indicating that he’d step away from the NFL, then saying he’s “grateful to be part of Big Blue.” Fellow Giants players aren’t sure exactly what’s going on with Odighizuwa, although some observers believe he’s dealing with “personal” problems.
  • Although free agent signing Stacy McGee may fit better as a nose tackle given that he’s doesn’t rush the passer well, the Redskins intend to use him as a defensive end in their 3-4 scheme, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post. Either way, Washington could still use another lineman or two, even after inking McGee and Terrell McClain last month. Johnathan Hankins is still available on the open market, as are fellow free agents Jared Odrick and Vance Walker. Draft options for the Redskins could include Malik McDowell (Michigan State), Chris Wormley (Michigan), and Caleb Brantley (Florida).
  • Brandon Bolden‘s new deal with the Patriots is worth $855K and comes with a $50K signing bonus, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The pact also includes a $30K workout bonus. As Volin notes, this contract certainly doesn’t mean Bolden is a lock to earn a spot on the New England roster, especially given the club’s crowded backfield. At present, the Pats boast Dion Lewis, James White, Rex Burkhead, D.J. Foster, and are also in contact with free agents Adrian Peterson and LeGarrette Blount. If Bolden does make New England’s squad, it will be on the basis of his special teams work.
  • Safety T.J. McDonald‘s one-year contract with the Dolphins has a value of $1.344MM, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The deal will include a base salary of roughly $945K, $213K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $200K workout bonus. Of course, McDonald will only earn half of those totals, as he’s suspended for the first eight games of the season .

Patriots Re-Sign RB Brandon Bolden

April 5th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots re-signed running back Brandon Bolden, according to the league’s transactions wire. The signing could impact a pair of high-profile free agent backs previously connected to the team. Brandon Bolden (vertical)

LeGarrette Blount remains in free agent limbo and Bolden’s return could be a sign that Blount’s time in New England is through. The Pats now have five running backs under contract – Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White, D.J. Foster, and Bolden – so there might not be room for Blount. Bolden isn’t a high-profile player like Adrian Peterson, but the Pats might not be especially motivated to add to this already crowded RB group.

Bolden had just one carry last season with four targets. He probably won’t do much on offense in 2017, but he figures to be a key special teams piece.

Patriots Still Interested In Blount, Bolden

April 4th, 2017 at 5:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although they’ve signed Rex Burkhead and taken a meeting with Adrian Peterson, the Patriots still have interest in re-signing LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.LeGarrette Blount (vertical)

Blount, 30, hasn’t seen his market develop during the first month of free agency, as the only team that’s expressed any interest in him is the Seahawks, who were reportedly “monitoring” Blount before signing Eddie Lacy. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated earlier this week, it’s entirely possible New England’s hosting of Peterson was intended to send a message to Blount. Blount, who led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016, has negotiated with the Patriots since the free agent period opened, but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms.

Bolden, meanwhile, didn’t play much of an offensive role last season (one carry, four targets), and would likely see that burden reduced even further given the arrival of Burkhead in New England. Bolden’s primary role would remain in special teams, where he played nearly 60% of the Patriots snaps in 2016.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 3.0: Offense

March 17th, 2017 at 12:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The initial wave of NFL free agency is now complete, and while many of the league’s top available players are now off the board, there are still plenty of quality options still on the open market.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each offensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Quarterback:

  1. Jay Cutler
  2. Chase Daniel
  3. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  4. Colin Kaepernick
  5. Josh McCown
  6. Robert Griffin III
  7. Case Keenum
  8. Matt McGloin
  9. Mark Sanchez
  10. Christian Ponder
  11. Blaine Gabbert
  12. Ryan Nassib
  13. Shaun Hill
  14. Kellen Moore
  15. Austin Davis

Tony Romo is not a free agent…at least not yet. If the Cowboys do not find a suitable trade and release him, you’ll find him at the top of this list.

Laugh if you must, but Cutler is far and away the best quarterback available on the open market. While most of this year’s QB-needy teams are done with their free agent shopping, the Jets are still searching for their 2017 starter and no one would make more sense for them than Cutler. He’s not all that far removed from playing solid football and he’s a logical transitional option for the Jets until they can isolate a better, younger option for 2018. Jay Cutler (Vertical)

Kaepernick’s reps wisely told the press that he will be standing for the National Anthem this year. Still, Kaepernick is an outspoken guy who wants to use his platform to discuss hot button issues, so there’s no guarantee that the media circus around him will cease. Jets owner Woody Johnson loves seeing his team on the back pages of the New York tabloids, but even he has to have more sense than to entertain Kaepernick. McCown, who has been contact with the team, would be an okay choice if they can’t get something done with Cutler. Chase Daniel could be an option too, but there isn’t much game film on him.

Needless to say, the No. 3 ranked player on this list isn’t an option in New York.

Running back:

  1. Adrian Peterson
  2. LeGarrette Blount
  3. Jamaal Charles
  4. Rashad Jennings
  5. Tim Hightower
  6. DeAngelo Williams
  7. Chris Johnson
  8. Christine Michael
  9. Benny Cunningham
  10. Bobby Rainey
  11. Brandon Bolden
  12. Denard Robinson
  13. James Starks
  14. Matt Asiata
  15. Kenjon Barner

Honorable mention: DuJuan Harris, Antonio Andrews, Khiry Robinson

Adrian Peterson (vertical)The Vikings have moved on and Peterson will not be back in Minnesota. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. When Peterson’s option was declined by the Vikings earlier this month, there were tons of stories (likely sourced by Peterson’s camp) about interest from a litany of contenders. Since then, each team – through anonymous sources – has denied being in the mix for the veteran. It would be easy to doubt Peterson at this juncture, but he has come back from serious injuries multiple times in his career and he is only one year removed from his stellar 2015 campaign. He gets the top spot over the bruising Blount as well as Charles, who hasn’t been healthy in a long while.

Jennings was brought to New York with the idea that he would be the team’s workhorse. Unfortunately, two of his three seasons with the G-Men were marred by injury. Jennings is currently putting his agility to good use on Dancing With The Stars and it remains to be seen how committed he is to football. After that, we have a trio of vets (Hightower, Williams, CJ2K) who could still advance the ball in limited spurts.

In case you’re wondering – Mike Gillislee is not listed here because he is a restricted free agent.

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Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 2.0: Offense

March 6th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL free agency is right around the corner! The legal tampering period starts on Tuesday and free agency officially starts on Thursday. The list of available free agents will change between now and then as players re-sign with teams or get cut loose, but we have a pretty good idea of who will be available right now. After looking at the top defensive players, we now shift our attention to the other side of the ball.

Here are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each position. The rankings aren’t determined by earning power, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with a combination of short- and long-term value taken into account. You won’t find restricted free agents or franchise tagged guys here since they are unlikely to go leave their current clubs.

Player evaluation is always subjective, so we encourage you to make your voices heard in the comments section in cases where you disagree with us.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Updated 3-7-2017, 2:55pm CT

Quarterback:

  1. Mike Glennon
  2. Nick Foles
  3. Brian Hoyer (story)
  4. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  5. Colin Kaepernick
  6. Josh McCown
  7. Case Keenum
  8. Matt McGloin
  9. Mark Sanchez
  10. Ryan Mallett
  11. Christian Ponder
  12. Blaine Gabbert
  13. Geno Smith
  14. Matt Schaub (story)
  15. EJ Manuel

Honorable mention: Ryan Nassib, Landry Jones, Shaun Hill Mike Glennon (vertical)

Colin Kaepernick’s agents have (wisely) let everyone know that their client will stand for the National Anthem in 2017. That may seem like a minor point, but teams say they would have automatically removed him from consideration if he continued his attention-grabbing protest. He grabbed headlines for his actions on the sidelines last year, but he actually turned in an OK season. From a football standpoint, Kaepernick would make sense for a lot of teams as a QB2 with upside.

Interestingly, this list includes three quarterbacks who couldn’t cut it as the Jets’ starter and three rejects from the 49ers. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all six of those players (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kaepernick, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert) come with varying degrees of potential and proven effectiveness. Smith, somehow, could reportedly be retained by the Jets and installed as the starter in 2017.

Ryan Nassib is just outside of the top 15 here with EJ Manuel getting the final spot. Despite positive word about his play in practice, Nassib is unproven and the Giants’ apparent lack of interest in re-signing him says a lot. It’s also possible that he might not be 100% after ending the 2016 season on IR with an elbow injury. Manuel, for all his warts, has shown potential in small bursts.

Running back:

  1. Eddie Lacy
  2. Adrian Peterson
  3. LeGarrette Blount
  4. Latavius Murray
  5. Jamaal Charles
  6. Darren McFadden
  7. Jacquizz Rodgers
  8. Rex Burkhead
  9. Rashad Jennings
  10. Danny Woodhead
  11. Tim Hightower
  12. DeAngelo Williams
  13. Andre Ellington
  14. Chris Johnson
  15. Christine Michael

Honorable mention: Robert Turbin, Travaris Cadet, Benny Cunningham, Lance Dunbar, Bobby Rainey, Brandon Bolden, Denard Robinson, James Starks

Adrian Peterson (vertical)As expected, the Vikings have cut Adrian Peterson loose and he is expected to garner interest from contending clubs this week. Some might peg Peterson as the most talented running back in this year’s free agent class, but it all comes down to how you weigh his age and injury history. Peterson has shocked the football world in the past with an incredible comeback, but I’m a little skeptical of his ability to do it again in his age-32 season. Eddie Lacy, who has injury question marks of his own, takes the top spot at the position.

The Patriots believe they won’t be able to match the offers that come in LeGarrette Blount‘s direction. Latavius Murray could circle back to the Raiders, but he won’t be agreeing to a deal with them before free agency opens on Thursday.

Jamaal Charles has the most impressive resume of anyone on this list, with the exception of Peterson. However, no one knows exactly what he can do after playing eight games in the last two years. He’ll turn 31 in December and that’s usually not an indicator of success for running backs.

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Patriots Extend Brandon Bolden Through 2016

January 9th, 2015 at 9:16am CST by Ben Levine

Following news that the Patriots extended safety Patrick Chung, the team has locked up another complimentary member of the squad. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots have signed running back Brandon Bolden to a two-year, $2.32MM deal. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets the specific details: Bolden will receive a $660K salary (first season) and $760K salary (second season), roster bonuses of $200K and $350K, a $300K signing bonus and a $25K annual workout bonus.

Bolden was set to hit restricted free agency this offseason, but the 24-year-old will now compete with at least four other running backs for a spot on next season’s roster. Via Volin (on Twitter), the team currently has Bolden, LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, James White and Tyler Gaffney signed for next year, and he notes that Blount will be the highest paid among the group with a $750K salary. Meanwhile, both Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen are set to become free agents, and it’s uncertain whether the Patriots will bring back both of their young, talented backs.

Bolden joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2012, and the former Mississippi standout quickly made a name for himself. In only his third career game, the running back rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown against the Bills. Since then, he hasn’t produced much on the ground, and he only compiled 28 carries for 98 yards and a score in 2014.

Bolden makes most of his impact on special teams, where he forced a pair of fumbles and blocked a kick this past season. The running back ranked among the team’s ten-best special teamers, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he joined Logan Ryan and Danny Amendola as the only players to receive positive rankings on both the kicking and punting units.