Brice McCain - Pro Football Rumors

Titans, Brice McCain Agree To Deal

March 2nd, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Brice McCain, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that McCain will be signing a two-year, $5MM contract with Tennessee.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. He started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. However, McCain lasted just one season with the team, as Miami opted to part ways with him last week in order to create $2.5MM in cap savings.

As PFR’s Dallas Robinson wrote in his preview of the Titans’ offseason last month, cornerback will be an area the team figures to prioritize this winter. Dallas suggested that it might be worthwhile for Tennessee to spend big at the position in free agency, and while McCain is hardly the big-money signing we envisioned, his addition doesn’t preclude the club from pursuing other corners next week.

Prior to agreeing to a deal with the Titans, McCain paid a visit to Tennessee, and also met with the Buccaneers. The Steelers were said to have interest in hosting McCain for a visit as well, though it doesn’t appear that he made it to Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quinton Coples, Brice McCain Making FA Visits

March 1st, 2016 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of free agents who hit the open market early are set to pay visits to interested teams today. Per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), defensive end Quinton Coples is visiting the Panthers, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that cornerback Brice McCain is paying a visit to the Titans.

Both Coples and McCain were cut by the Dolphins at the same time last month due to their increasing cap hits and Miami’s need to clear some space. While the moves cost the two veterans their spots on the Dolphins’ roster, they were afforded the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency nearly a month before this year’s crop of pending free agents. McCain took advantage of that opportunity by visiting the Buccaneers prior to the combine, with reports at the time suggesting the Steelers and Titans also wanted to bring him in.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. The veteran corner started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. He would provide some veteran depth in Tennessee if he signs with the Titans, though the team probably won’t want to pencil him in as a starter right away.

As for Coples, the 16th overall pick from the 2012 draft had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in the fall, and had a brief cup of coffee with the Dolphins before being cut again.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Coples will take a physical in Carolina today as part of his visit with the Panthers. The defending NFC champions could be in the market for some help at defensive end, with increasingly expensive veteran Charles Johnson a candidate to be released this offseason, but the club does have some depth at the position behind Johnson and fellow starter Kony Ealy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Brice McCain

February 23rd, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Dolphins cornerback Brice McCain is mulling offers from multiple teams, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). McCain is now expected to make a decision after the Combine.

McCain was cut by Miami on February 12th and, apparently, it didn’t take long for his phone to start ringing. The veteran visited the Buccaneers day later, so Tampa Bay could be among his potential landing spots. The Steelers also want to bring in McCain for a visit, though it may not happen until March. The Titans would also reportedly like to host McCain sometime after the draft combine.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. However, he lasted just one season with the team, as Miami opted to part ways with him last week in order to create $2.5MM in cap savings. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles.

Coples and McCain were both among the potential Dolphins cap casualties mentioned by PFR’s Connor Byrne when he previewed the club’s offseason earlier this month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brice McCain To Visit Buccaneers

February 18th, 2016 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent cornerback Brice McCain is scheduled to a pay a visit to the Buccaneers today, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Because McCain was cut last week by the Dolphins, he’s eligible to sign with another team right away, rather than having to wait for the 2016 league year to begin.

Although it appears the Buccaneers will get the first look at McCain, Tampa Bay isn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Steelers also want to bring in McCain for a visit, though it may not happen until March. Rand Getlin of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that the Titans would also like to host McCain sometime after next week’s draft combine.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. However, he lasted just one season with the team, as Miami opted to part ways with him last week in order to create $2.5MM in cap savings. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles.

Since the Steelers previously employed McCain, their interest makes some sense, as does the Titans’ interest, since former Steelers DC Dick LeBeau is currently running Tennessee’s defense. There’s no obvious coaching connection for the veteran cornerback in Tampa Bay – though new linebackers coach Mark Duffner was on the Dolphins’ staff last year – but the club could use some help in the secondary, as we detailed in our Bucs offseason preview earlier this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Kuechly, Osemele, Sweezy, McCain, Geno

February 17th, 2016 at 9:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly will undergo surgery on a partially torn left labrum, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. The injury occurred in Week 17 against Tampa Bay, but it didn’t hamper Kuechly’s ability to play during the postseason. The timetable to recover from Kuechly’s injury ranges from three to six months, per Newton. Although Kuechly could miss the Panthers’ offseason workouts, the three-time first-team All-Pro will be ready for training camp in July, a source told Newton.

The latest from around the NFL…

The Ravens want to keep pending free agent offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, but they won’t franchise tag him and will likely find him too pricey to re-sign, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Brown lists the Saints, Seahawks and Vikings as potential fits for the 26-year-old.
Speaking of the Seahawks, guard J.R. Sweezy – who has started 45 games over the last three seasons – will encounter “an active market” for his services if he hits free agency March 9, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Cornerback Brice McCain, whom the Dolphins cut last week, will visit with two unnamed teams in the coming days, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
The Jets will try to trade Geno Smith if they pick a quarterback on the first or second day of the draft this year, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Smith carries a ~$1.6MM cap hit this year and could interest a team in need of a backup.
Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was cut by the Bears on Tuesday with a failed physical, has a tear in his shoulder that likely needs surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, he’ll be ready for 2016.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Dolphins Cut Quinton Coples, Brice McCain

February 12th, 2016 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

4:40pm: The Dolphins confirmed that they have terminated the contracts for Coples and McCain (Twitter link).

3:31pm: The Dolphins will soon release a former first-round pick, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is parting ways with defensive end Quinton Coples. Coples didn’t last long in Miami, with the Dolphins having claimed him off waivers from the Jets in November.

According to agent David Canter (Twitter link), the Dolphins are also releasing cornerback Brice McCain, who spent one season with the team.

Neither Coples nor McCain had more than one year remaining on his contract with the team, and cutting both players will create more than $10MM in cap savings for the Dolphins for the 2016 season. Coples’ $7.751MM salary, the amount of the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, isn’t fully guaranteed, so Miami will wipe that entire amount from its books. As for McCain, the team will eat $1MM in dead money, but clears his $2.5MM salary from the cap.

Coples, selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher. When Todd Bowles took over as the Jets’ head coach a year ago, Coples was further marginalized in New York. Due to his poor fit in Bowles’ defense – and perhaps an alleged incident on a team flight, though Bowles denied that – the 25-year-old was waived by the club in the fall, and has now been cut for a second time in the last three months.

As for McCain, the veteran cornerback signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. However, it appears he didn’t show the team enough to be brought back for the second year of his contract.

Coples and McCain were both among the potential Dolphins cap casualties mentioned by PFR’s Connor Byrne when he previewed the club’s offseason last weekend.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Brady, Branch

August 31st, 2015 at 9:11am CST by Rory Parks

Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News certainly doesn’t believe Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Jets‘ long-awaited savior at quarterback, but given Fitzpatrick’s performance in the team’s preseason win over the Giants on Saturday night, along with the Jets’ corps of talented wideouts and loaded defense, Mehta does think the Harvard grad could keep Gang Green in playoff contention all season.

Now for some more links from the AFC East:

Judge Richard Berman is set to meet with NFL and NFLPA reps in court again today regarding the Tom Brady case, and a source in the Patriots quarterback’s camp tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) that, barring a settlement, a decision is expected by week’s end. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Giants owner John Mara is attending today’s hearing.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe wonders if the Patriots regret signing Alan Branch to a two-year deal worth as much as $6.6MM this offseason. Branch played well for New England in 2014, but he skipped the team’s offseason workout program this year and arrived to training camp overweight and out of shape. Branch has a history of similar behavior, and since the Pats have some defensive line depth and only gave Branch $700K in guaranteed money, it would not be hard for the team to move on.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald would not be surprised if the Dolphins made the somewhat unorthodox decision to try and sign kicker Andrew Franks to the team’s practice squad. Salguero notes that Franks has tremendous upside. (Twitter link).
The Dolphins have their starting lineup mostly set as the regular season approaches, but the one exception is who will start at corner opposite Brent Grimes, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Jamar Taylor was the leader before injuring his quadriceps, and Brice McCain hasn’t locked up the spot in his absence. Beasley writes that the great pressure the defense has gotten on the quarterback has made it difficult to evaluate the cornerback depth chart with the starting unit.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Dolphins Sign Brice McCain

March 11th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent cornerback Brice McCain has signed with the Dolphins, according to agent David Canter (Twitter links). The deal is official, as Canter posted a picture of McCain inking his contract.

McCain, 28, was released by the Texans on this date exactly one year ago after ranking dead last among 110 qualified cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades in 2013 (subscription required). McCain went on to join up with the Steelers and after an improved season, he found himself garnering interest from teams, including the Vikings. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he canceled his visit with the team at the last minute as he was taking a physical with a mystery team. That mystery team, we can now surmise, was Miami.

McCain appeared in 14 games for the Steelers last season, including nine starts. In total, he racked up 31 tackles and a career-high three interceptions. McCain didn’t grade out as a superstar in 2014, according to PFF, but he did improve, coming in as the 65th best cornerback out of 108 qualified players. His grade was below average, but at -2.8, it wasn’t atrocious.

East Notes: Bills, Hoyer, Cromartie, Jets, Fins

March 10th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Bills spent some time today weighing quarterback alternatives in case they weren’t comfortable with Matt Cassel‘s physical. Brian Hoyer and Matt Moore were among the potential options considered, sources tell Caplan. Ultimately, the Bills passed Cassel on his physical and the swap with the Vikings became official.

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

In Darrelle Revis and Buster Skrine, the Jets have already added two corners today, but they might not be finished. The club is still talking with Antonio Cromartie, who is known to be interested in playing for New York, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Manish Mehta of the New York Daily news classifies the discussions as “serious,” suggesting a Revis-Cromartie reunion may be in the cards (Twitter links).
While admitting that he talked to Frank Gore during the past few days, LeSean McCoy denied that he told the former 49er to back out of his deal with the Eagles and sign with the Colts instead, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. McCoy, rather, says he told Gore that he’d handle the ball a lot and called Chip Kelly a “mastermind.”
Updating a previous item, the Dolphins have put an offer in to free agent cornerback Brice McCain, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. We heard earlier tonight McCain was in Miami, and it sounds like something could get done.
Free agent quarterback Tyrod Taylor is paying a visit to the Bills, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Taylor, who has been the Ravens’ backup in recent years, would be in the mix with Cassel and E.J. Manuel if he were to sign with Buffalo.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Revis, Cameron, Lofton, Parker

March 10th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Allowing that it could just be a rumor, the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe says (Twitter links) says he’s heard that the Patriots dropped out of the running for Darrelle Revis last night, forcing the Jets to bid against themselves. If so, it doesn’t seem to have lowered the CB’s price, as Revis secured a three-year, $48MM deal from New York.