D.J. Fluker - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Not Done Adding Offensive Linemen

March 12th, 2017 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants signed former Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker to one-year deal yesterday, but the club is still expected to add more pieces to its front five, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com details.

Fluker, who agreed to a pact worth roughly $3MM, is likely to remain at guard rather than shift back to tackle (where he began his career). But Fluker is not guaranteed a starting job, nor is any other Giants offensive lineman outside of Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, according to Raanan. New York is still considering where to play incumbent left tackle Ereck Flowers, leaving the rest of the line in flux.

Free agent guard John Jerry could return to Big Blue, as Raanan reports the “door is not believed to be closed” on a potential reunion. Jerry, 30, started all 16 games for the Giants last season, lining up at right guard. Elsewhere among internal free agents, New York has already seen Marshall Newhouse sign with Oakland, while Will Beatty is not expected to return, per Raanan.

As PFR’s list of the Top 2017 Offensive Free Agents shows, starting options remain unsigned on the open market. At tackle, Ryan Clady, Austin Pasztor, and Andre Smith are still on the board, while T.J. Lang, Jahri Evans, and Tim Lelito are up for grabs on the interior.

Contract Details: Britt, Wagner, Broncos

March 11th, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently signed free agent contracts:

Kenny Britt‘s four-year Browns deal will provide the ninth-year wide receiver with $10.5MM fully guaranteed at signing, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Britt will collect $17MM over the first two seasons of this deal, Caplan reports.
The Lions‘ lavish accord for Ricky Wagner raises the right tackle ceiling, although the base salaries in this contract don’t reflect that early. Wagner will see $3MM in base salary in 2017 and ’18 before those figures spike to $9MM per year from 2019-21, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. Wagner’s deal provides $17.5MM in true guarantees, with his 2018 salary being fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the ’18 league year, per Birkett. Wagner’s 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury. He received a $14.5MM signing bonus, while the former Raven’s cap hits will be $5.9MM in each of the next two seasons.
D.J. Fluker‘s one-year Giants pact is expected to be worth $3MM, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. That’s quite a bit lower than what the Chargers would have paid him ($8.82MM) if they kept him after picking up his fifth-year option.
Menelik Watson‘s three-year, $18.75MM Broncos accord will give the British blocker $5.375MM in fully guaranteed money at signing, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Watson received a $4MM signing bonus. The former Raider will have a $5.5MM guaranteed-against-injury salary in 2018 and is due a nonguaranteed $5.5MM amount in 2019.
Ronald Leary‘s four-year contract with the Broncos also comes with a fully guaranteed 2018 salary, which will pay former Cowboy $7.65MM for his age-29 season, per Klis. Leary is slated to make $8.15MM in 2019 and ’20, respectively. His 2019 base salary is guaranteed against injury only, with the ’20 slate being nonguaranteed.
Russell Shepard‘s three-year Panthers deal will be worth $10.5MM, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. The contract includes a $2MM signing bonus and $2.5MM guaranteed. Laine notes the former Bucs wideout will make $4MM in 2017.
Sealver Siliga‘s one-year Buccaneers deal can max out at $1.5MM, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The contract contains a $200K signing bonus and a $100K roster bonus for the nomadic defensive lineman.

Giants To Sign D.J. Fluker

March 11th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will add former first-round pick D.J. Fluker on a one-year deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Fluker visited the team this weekend after seeing the Chargers release him.

New York will add a guard who saw Los Angeles backtrack on its fifth-year option decision from 2016, while Fluker will have a chance to re-establish his value on a team that had a vacancy at right guard. Both the Giants and Patriots expressed interest in Fluker, who started for four seasons in San Diego, but New York’s offensive line had a more obvious hole than did New England’s.

Fluker will likely slide into the right guard slot John Jerry occupied for most of the past three seasons. Jerry is now a UFA. Fluker began his career as the Chargers’ right tackle before moving inside to guard for the 2015 and ’16 seasons. He has not flashed the form the Bolts hoped he would when they drafted him 11th overall in 2013, but he will only be 26 this season.

The Bolts backed out of Fluker’s option, worth $8.82MM, since it was nonguaranteed. The former Alabama blocker will now join a line that saw Justin Pugh make the transition from first-round tackle to standout guard. Fluker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 54 guard last season — 38 spots behind Pugh — but he made it through 16 games after injuries cost him four in 2015. Fluker has otherwise proven to be durable, playing in 31 of a possible 32 regular-season games during his first two seasons.

It’s not a guarantee just yet the Giants want Fluker at guard. They also have an opening at right tackle after Marshall Newhouse agreed to terms with the Raiders on Friday night.

Giants, Patriots Interested In OL D.J. Fluker

March 10th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Free agent offensive lineman D.J. Fluker had scheduled a visit with the Giants, reports ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter). The reporter notes that the Patriots also have “strong interest” in the guard. The Chargers released the former first-round pick earlier this week.

Instead of comitting $8.82MM to the lineman, the Chargers decided to release the four-year veteran. Fluker only missed five games in four seasons with the organization, starting each of his 59 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his 2016 performance, ranking him 54th out of 72 qualified guards.

The website had rated Fluker more favorably when he was a tackle, a position he played during the first two seasons of his career. The rumored teams may be enticed by the 25-year-old’s versatility.

Fluker was listed as an honorable mention in our positional free agent rankings. ESPN’s Josina Anderson previously listed the Saints, Lions, Seahawks, Colts, Vikings, Giants, Cardinals, and Falcons as teams to watch when it came to the lineman.

Extra Points: Raiders, Holmes, Whitworth

March 9th, 2017 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest from around the NFL:

The Raiders are still in the mix for wide receiver Andre Holmes, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. At least five other teams have shown interest in signing him this week.
Left tackle Andrew Whitworth left the Bengals for the Rams because of his desire for long-term security, agent Pat Dye tells Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Whitworth’s deal with L.A. is a three-year, $36MM pact with $15MM guaranteed. The Bengals refused to go past one-year at $10MM.
Jairus Byrd will be designated a June 1 cut, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. The Saints informed Byrd of his release earlier this week.
The Bengals are not interested in offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer tweets.
Kevin Zeitler says his best contract offers came from the Saints and Browns, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. His agent recommended Cleveland based on the money offered and that’s the direction he ultimately went in.

Free Agency Rumors: Charles, Peterson

March 7th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors:

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that players in need of medical clearance (Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, T.J. Lang) will take visits but won’t sign quickly. The reporter also notes that Peterson could ultimately stay with the Vikings.
When it comes to offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, the Saints, Lions, Seahawks, Colts, Vikings, Giants, Cardinals, and Falcons are among the potential teams to watch, according to Josina Anderson on Twitter.
The Jets have expressed interest in re-signing linebacker Josh Martin, a source tells Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter), but he’s poised to hit the open market. Martin stands as the team’s top special teams player.
The Giants have expressed some initial interest in tight end Anthony Fasano, an NFL source tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Jets also have some interest in the blocking specialist.
The Steelers have interest in re-signing veteran tight end David Johnson, reports ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Johnson played in 16 games (five starts) during his first season in Pittsburgh, collecting seven receptions for 80 yards.

Chargers To Release OL D.J. Fluker

March 7th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers will release offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Fluker was selected No. 11 overall in the 2013 draft.

The Bolts exercised Fluker’s fifth-year option last spring, but that option is guaranteed for injury only. Rather than pay him $8.821MM this season, the Chargers have decided to cut bait and apply that money elsewhere. Fluker was never able to live up to his potential with the Chargers, but he should draw interest in free agency this week thanks to his ability to play on the inside or outside of the O-Line.

After spending most of his first two years at right tackle, Fluker moved to right guard in 2015 and ’16. Pro Football Focus gave Fluker a so-so 63.7 overall score, ranking him 54th out of 72 qualified guards. According to PFF, he did his best work at tackle as he had a 74.2 average score between his first two NFL seasons. The best fit for Fluker would probably be a scenario where he is slotted in as a reserve tackle but also used on the interior in the event of an injury.

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:

Honorable mention: Ryan Nassib, Landry Jones, Shaun Hill

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:

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

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.

Fullback:

Kyle Juszczyk graded out as the best fullback in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The Ravens would be wise to keep him, but if they don’t, he’ll draw interest from teams all over the league. Juszczyk earned his first career Pro Bowl nod as he caught 37 passes for 266 yards. His exceptional 92.1 pass blocking score from PFF led all other fullbacks by a wide margin.

Mike Tolbert is ranked lower than you might expect due to his age and diminished blocking skills. He’ll turn 32 in November and it’s not guaranteed that he’ll find another job after getting released by the Panthers, though the Jets are said to have interest in him. Gang Green could also look into signing Patrick DiMarco and Marcel Reece. If you ask me, they should target DiMarco if they want to truly emphasize the running game. DiMarco finished the year with the best run blocking score in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wide receiver:

Honorable mention: Brian Quick, Brandon LaFell, Anquan Boldin, Ted Ginn, Vincent Jackson

Brandon Marshall, welcome to the free agent pool. Marshall is just two years removed from a year in which he had 109 catches, 1,502 yards, and 14 touchdowns. However, his numbers dipped significantly last season as the entire Jets offense slumped. The veteran will get tons of interest this week and his suitors may include the Giants, Patriots, and Ravens.

Kenny Britt managed to put up big numbers in the midst of the Rams’ offensive quagmire last season. He now hits free agency at a great time and the WR-needy Eagles are the latest team to be connected to him. The South Jersey contingent of the Eagles fanbase will appreciate the homecoming of the Rutgers product. At the same time, they should hope he exhibits a better attitude than he did on the banks of the old Raritan.

The talent is definitely there with Markus Wheaton and the team that takes a chance on him could wind up very, very happy. Robert Woods, historically, thrived in games where Sammy Watkins was unavailable or limited. Woods doesn’t turn 25 in until April and there’s a case to be made that he should be higher on this list. Cordarrelle Patterson has turned out to be a very capable returner, but there are definitely ambitious coaches out there who think they can still mold him into a great receiver. Michael Floyd is now years removed from his best work in Arizona, so one has to wonder what he can contribute even if he has turned over a new leaf.

Victor Cruz is an exceptionally hard-worker and a team-first kind of guy. He’ll be a great addition to any locker room, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what he’ll do in 2017. We’ll say this: a return to the slot would greatly benefit him.

Anquan Boldin just missed the top 15 and I don’t necessarily feel great about it. Brian Quick also missed the cut and it was a toss-up between him and Cruz for that last spot.

Tight end:

Honorable mention: Larry Donnell

Martellus Bennett is eager to cash in this month. There’s a “real possibility” he winds up elsewhere and he’ll get a monster deal if that happens. The Raiders and Jaguars are expected to be among the teams in pursuit. Filling in for Rob Gronkowski, Bennett caught 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. You can never tell what the Patriots are thinking, but it sure feels like he’ll be leaving New England.

In his first season with the Packers, Jared Cook appeared in ten regular season games and caught 30 of 51 targets for 377 yards and a touchdown. In the Packers’ two-game playoff run, he really turned it on with a total of 13 receptions for 181 yards and two scores. Cook will be a priority for the Packers to re-sign, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll get a deal done between now and March 9.

Anthony Fasano finds himself ranked higher than some bigger names due to his blocking ability. PFF gave Fasano an 88.1 score for run blocking, which was the best of any tight end last year. His 72.9 pass blocking score was fourth-best among TEs. The Titans will make a real effort to keep him.

Offensive tackle:

Andrew Whitworth spent some time at guard last season but his best (and most profitable) position is on the outside. He’s 35, so he won’t lead all FA tackles in total money this year despite being our top-ranked free at the position.

That mantle, by all indications, will belong to Ricky Wagner who could reportedly fetch around $10MM/year. The former fifth-round pick put it all together this past season in Baltimore and he won’t turn 28 until October.

Russell Okung was thrust into the free agent market in February when the Broncos declined his option. This time around, it will be interesting to see whether he hires an agent. His previous deal was effectively a one-year pact with a club option for a four-year, $48MM deal with $20.5MM in guaranteed cash. After a so-so year, the Broncos wisely turned it down.

Austin Pasztor is listed as a tackle here, though it’s quite possible he reverts to the interior line in 2017. Mike Adams, a former second-round pick, makes the cut for his natural talent, even though he hasn’t shown much at the professional level. Will Beatty also found his way to the Top 15, but his market will be capped after two injury-ridden years.

Interior offensive line (guard/center):

Honorable mention: D.J. Fluker, A.Q. Shipley (C), Brian Schwenke (C)

Kevin Zeitler was the only offensive lineman to crack our Top 50 Free Agents list last week. Zeitler, 27 in March, was PFF’s No. 7 ranked guard in the NFL this year. After three consecutive strong seasons, he is going to get big bucks.

Ronald Leary, who once pushed for the Cowboys to trade him, recognizes that a return probably isn’t in the cards. The Cowboys will go with La’el Collins in 2017 and beyond, but don’t cry for Leary. After making 12 starts in Collins’ place and ranking No. 25 among Pro Football Focus’ 76 qualified guards, Leary will find an eager market this week.

J.C. Tretter graded out as a top 10 center last year, according to PFF, and he just turned 26. Stefen Wisniewski offers experience at both guard and center and there should be at least a few teams looking at him as a potential starter.

Nick Mangold‘s injury woes are holding him back here. Apparently, some teams are asking him to play guard.

West Notes: Robinson, Broncos, Bolts, 49ers

February 11th, 2017 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

A new Rams coaching staff seems ready to give Greg Robinson another chance. Despite being benched late in a woeful third season, the underwhelming tackle remains a “big part” of the Rams’ plans going forward, Sean McVay said.

“When you see some of the things he’s able to do, you see the athleticism in space when he’s pulling around and using some of those perimeter schemes that they did offensively last year,” McVay said, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. “He’s a guy that we’re excited to get around.”

Gonzalez notes a possible course of action prior to McVay’s vote of confidence was simply moving on from Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2014. Cutting Robinson, though, would not make much sense financially given that the team would not save any money — while incurring $6.77MM in dead money — by doing so. McVay did not specify whether he wants Robinson to remain at tackle or move to guard, a topic broached during interim HC John Fassel‘s stewardship. Robinson himself wasn’t eager to make a move to guard when asked about doing so in January.

Robinson committed a league-high 31 penalties between the 2015-16 seasons. The former Auburn tackle is entering the final season of his rookie deal, and the Rams have a fifth-year option decision coming on him soon.

Here’s more from some teams out west.

New Broncos quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave turned down offensive coordinator jobs to reunite with Mike McCoy in Denver, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post notes. Musgrave and McCoy each interviewed for the Broncos’ OC job. The pair coached together briefly with the Panthers in the early 2000s and spent the 1995 preseason together as backups to John Elway before the Broncos cut McCoy. Supplanted as the Raiders’ OC after two seasons, Musgrave was only previously connected to the Broncos’ OC job during the hiring period.
Elway probably would not have allowed Adam Peters to interview anywhere besides San Francisco, where he’s now the 49ers‘ VP of player personnel. The Broncos GM said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) he would have restricted a move elsewhere, but since he was going to help John Lynch as a first-time GM, Elway gave the go-ahead.
Despite using him as an evaluator during the 2013 draft process, Elway did not attempt to hire Lynch full-time with the Broncos due to his interest in staying as a television analyst, the Denver GM told Branch.
Matt Slauson figures to return for a second Chargers season, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes, before adding that D.J. Fluker‘s future is less certain. Despite the Bolts picking up Fluker’s fifth-year option last year, Tom Telesco is unlikely to bring the converted guard back at the $8.8MM option price. Fluker’s 2017 salary is guaranteed against injury only, so the Chargers could cut him and save that money.
Gehlken also expects the newly relocated team to at least restructure King Dunlap‘s contract if not outright release the veteran left tackle. Dunlap, 31, is due to make $5.25MM and take up $8.125MM of Los Angeles’ cap. He’s due a $500K bonus if on the roster by March 18. The Chargers reworked Dunlap’s contract last year, converting $1.2MM of his $4.5MM salary into availability-based bonus payments. He earned back $800K of that $1.2MM last season. It would cost the Bolts $3.25MM in dead money to cut Dunlap.

Chargers To Exercise 2017 Option On D.J. Fluker

April 22nd, 2016 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers are picking up their 2017 option on offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, a source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The move, which was confirmed today by GM Tom Telesco (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune), extends Fluker’s rookie contract from four years to five, delaying his potential free agency until 2018.

After spending most of his first two years at right tackle, Fluker slid inside for the 2015 campaign, serving as the Chargers’ starting right guard for the majority of the season. Pro Football Focus wasn’t all that impressed with his play at the new position, however, ranking him 67th out of 81 qualified guards. His teammates, Kenny Wiggins and Orlando Franklin, placed 71st and 78th respectively.

Although Fluker perhaps hasn’t developed into the sort of dominant lineman the Chargers had hoped for, the 25-year-old has started 43 of 48 regular-season games for the team since entering the league, and figures to start again in 2016.

Because he was selected 11th overall in the 2013 draft, Fluker’s 2017 option salary is $8.821MM, $3MM+ less than it would have been if he had come off the board in the top 10. That salary also doesn’t become fully guaranteed until the first day of the 2017 league year. It’s guaranteed for injury only for now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.