HEADLINES

David Amerson

NFL Workout Updates: 9/17/18

September 17th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s of Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • TE Nick O’Leary (link)

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Lions Work Out CB David Amerson

September 10th, 2018 at 11:45am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions auditioned a host of free agents including cornerback David Amerson last week, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter links).

Amerson inked a one-year deal with the Chiefs after being cut by the Raiders, but he essentially played himself out of a roster spot on a club that needed all the help it could get in the secondary. The 26-year-old defensive back made 42 starts with Washington and Oakland from 2014-16, but injuries and ineffectiveness have limited his production since that time.

Detroit currently has five cornerbacks on its roster in Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, Teez Tabor, Jamal Agnew, and Dee Virgin, while safety Quandre Diggs also moonlights as a slot corner. Amerson could give the Lions more depth in the back end, but he hasn’t historically contributed on special teams, a problem for a reserve player.

Here’s the full list of players Detroit worked out, per Balzer:

Chiefs Cut Down To Final 53

September 1st, 2018 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to David Amerson, the Chiefs will release longtime depth cog Frank Zombo.

The outside linebacker’s been in Kansas City since the Andy Reid regime began in 2013. He started 11 games in 2016, when Justin Houston missed most of the season with knee trouble, but will not be part of the 2018 team. The Chiefs drafted Breeland Speaks in the second round and plan to use 2017 second-rounder Tanoh Kpassagnon more extensively than they did last season.

Here’s the full list of players who won’t be on Kansas City’s initial 53-man roster.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Suspended:

Chiefs Release CB David Amerson

September 1st, 2018 at 1:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs have released cornerback David Amerson, according to Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). The 2013 second-rounder was cut by the Raiders back in February. 

Originally drafted by the Redskins, he lasted only a little over two years in Washington before being waived. The Raiders claimed him off waivers and after a strong showing in 2015, signed him to a huge four-year $38MM contract extension.

He lasted just two years of that contract before the Raiders moved on. He drew significant interest this offseason, visiting with several teams before ultimately settling with Kansas City. The Chiefs signed him to a one-year $2.25MM deal.

Despite the Chiefs losing Marcus Peters in a trade to the Rams, Amerson couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. It appeared the Chiefs were counting on him to start outside when they signed him, but apparently didn’t like what they saw this summer. The fact that he couldn’t crack the weak Chiefs’ cornerback corp isn’t a good sign for Amerson, but he should resurface somewhere else due to his big-name status and strong physical attributes.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, Bortles, Ravens, Chiefs

February 26th, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins are “strongly” considering releasing offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James instead of paying his $9.341MM base salary in 2018, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. James, a former first-round pick, is under contract next season thanks to his fifth-year option, but given that his salary is non-guaranteed, Miami can get out of the deal with no penalty. While the Dolphins could speculatively be interested in retaining James at a reduced price, the 25-year-old has little incentive to accept a pay cut, as he’d immediately become one of the best tackles on the open market if he were to be released. Indeed, the top end of an extremely weak free agent tackle class includes Nate Solder, Justin Pugh, Cameron Fleming, and Chris Hubbard, so James would surely draw interest.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • Blake Bortles‘ new three-year deal with the Jaguars contains offset language, tweets Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Jacksonville inked Bortles to a $54MM extension over the weekend that includes a partially guaranteed ($6.5MM of $16MM) base salary in 2019. If the former first-round pick flops during the upcoming campaign, the Jaguars could release him next spring and still create $4.5MM worth of cap space. That figure could be even greater thanks to offset language, however, as the Jaguars would be off the hook for whatever salary Bortles hypothetically earns with his next club.
  • The Ravens and tight end-turned-offensive lineman Crockett Gillmore have mutual interest in new contract, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Reports last week indicated Gillmore would transition to offensive line, and he’s apparently begun the change by packing on “considerable bulk” to aid the move. Baltimore, understandably, wants a “better gauge” of Gillmore’s physical condition, not solely due to his upcoming position switch, but because he missed the entire 2017 with a knee injury. Gillmore, 26, was always considered an outstanding blocking tight end while playing in the 250-pound range.
  • Cornerback David Amerson inked a one-year deal with the Chiefs earlier this month, and while Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star previously reported the pact has a base value of $2.25MM, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link) has now provided the contract’s specifics. Amerson, 26, receives a $500K signing bonus, a $1MM base salary, $625K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $125K workout bonus. The deal also contains unknown incentives which, as Paylor indicated, could bring the total value of the agreement to $6MM.
  • In desperate need of offensive line depth, the Bengals recently signed ex-Giants tackle Bobby Hart, but his contract details show that he’s not a lock for Cincinnati’s roster, as Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (Facebook link). Hart got a $50K signing bonus and will collect another $200K bonus if he’s on the Bengals’ Week 1 roster. All told, Hart will be an easy cut for Cincinnati if he doesn’t prove his worth during the summer.

Chiefs Sign CB David Amerson

February 16th, 2018 at 7:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs have signed free agent cornerback David Amerson, the club announced tonight. Amerson will stay in the AFC West after being released by the Raiders earlier this week.David Amerson

Amerson agreed to a one-year deal that contains a $2.25MM base salary, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). The pact comes with escalating incentives, and can max out at $6MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

While Amerson has only been in the NFL since 2013, he’s now set to join his third team. Originally drafted in the second round by the Redskins, Amerson went to the Raiders via waiver claim in 2015. After becoming a full-time starter in Oakland, Amerson inked a four-year, $38MM extension, but only saw two years of the deal before being released.

The 2017 campaign was a frustrating one for Amerson, as a foot strain forced him to miss the final nine games of the season. The year prior, Amerson was a 15-game starter for the Raiders, but offered a middling performance. He ranked 50th among 84 qualified cornerbacks in Football Outsiders’ success rate, and 61st in yards allowed per pass.

Amerson is the second former Redskins cornerback the Chiefs have acquired this offseason, as he’ll join Kendall Fuller — part of Kansas City’s return in the Alex Smith trade — in the club’s secondary. Both Amerson and Fuller excel in man coverage, a requirement in defensive coordinator Bob Sutton‘s scheme, and will play alongside Marcus Peters in what is rapidly becoming an excellent defensive backfield.

Before agreeing to terms with the Chiefs, Amerson took free agent visits with the Bears and Texans. The 49ers also expressed some level of interest in signing the 26-year-old Amerson, but no reports of a formal meeting ever surfaced.

49ers Interested In David Amerson

February 13th, 2018 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are among the teams with interest in cornerback David Amerson, his agent tells Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. San Francisco has yet to schedule a visit, but that’s probably not far off. David Amerson (vertical)

The Niners have a clear need at cornerback as Ahkello Witherspoon and Greg Mabin are their only outside CBs signed for 2018. Dontae Johnson, who started every game for SF last year, is eligible for free agency and Barrows writes that the team is not expected to bring him back. Johnson graded out as the third worst qualified cornerback in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

So far, Amerson has visited with the Bears and Texans and he reportedly has three more visits on the horizon. If the Niners are serious about adding the veteran, they may need to move quickly before another team signs him.

It’s unusual for a quality free agent to pop up in early February, but that’s exactly what happened when the Raiders cut Amerson right after the Super Bowl. Teams that are looking to fortify their CB group could sign Amerson now and take one item off of their checklist when free agency opens up in mid-March. Signing Amerson would inhibit a club’s ability to spend on bigger fish, but that’s not a big deal for the Niners who have $74.5MM in cap room to work with.

Texans Host David Amerson On Visit

February 12th, 2018 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent cornerback David Amerson is visiting the Texans on Monday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s the start of a busy week for the former Raider as he has three more trips scheduled. David Amerson (vertical)

There aren’t many quality free agents available in February, but the Raiders gave Amerson a head start when they released him before the guarantee date on his $5.5MM base salary. Amerson is free to sign with any team and there are several with interest. Amerson’s only other confirmed visit so far was with the Bears, but Rapoport indicates that there were other meetings with teams last week.

The Texans, armed with $56MM+ in cap room, have plenty of room in the budget to accommodate someone like Amerson without sacrificing flexibility in March. They also have a clear need for CB help. In 2016, A.J. Bouye broke out for Houston and the team allowed the second-fewest passing yards to opposing teams. Without Bouye in 2017, they ranked 24th.

The Texans had hoped that former first-round pick Kevin Johnson would step into the No. 1 CB role, but injuries held him back and he finished as Pro Football Focus’ lowest-ranked corner. The Texans have Kareem Jackson under contract and pending free agent Johnathan Joseph could be re-signed, but neither player should be the best CB on the roster.

In 2015, Amerson graded out as the 14th best cornerback in the league out of 111 qualified players, according to PFF. He also had a strong 2016 before injuries slowed him down last year.

 

Bears To Meet With CB David Amerson

February 6th, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are set to meet with David Amerson on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The cornerback also has other free agent visits scheduled, Rapoport adds. David Amerson

The Raiders cut Amerson on Monday, just before his $5.5MM base salary would have become fully guaranteed. In 2016, the Raiders happily handed him a four-year, $35MM extension after he piled up 58 tackles and a career-best four interceptions in the previous season. He was solid in 2016, but he played in only six games in 2017 thanks to a concussion, shoulder injury, and a foot sprain.

If Amerson is healthy, he could be a major addition to the Bears or other cornerback-needy teams. In the aforementioned breakout campaign of 2015, he graded out as the 14th best cornerback in the league out of 111 qualified players. The 26-year-old’s next deal also figures to come in at a much lower rate than the $8.75MM average annual value of his previous pact.

Both of last year’s starting cornerbacks, Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. The Bears may look to retain both players, but that could prove to be too pricey, particularly in the case of Fuller. It’s also not a given that the Bears will be comfortable in making a major commitment to Fuller given his up-and-down career.

Raiders Cut CB David Amerson

February 5th, 2018 at 5:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Add David Amerson to the list of 2018 free agents. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders have cut the veteran cornerback. Yates notes that the defensive back’s $5.5MM base salary would have David Amersonbecome fully guaranteed this week.

The 2013 second-round pick came into the league with the Redskins before being waived during the 2015 season. He was subsequently claimed by the Raiders, where he proceeded to start 12 of his 14 appearances. Following his four-interception campaign, Amerson inked a four-year, $35MM ($17.5MM) extension with the organization.

The cornerback had another productive season in 2016, finishing the year with two interceptions and a career-high 64 tackles. However, he was limited to only six games in 2017 while dealing with a foot sprain. He ultimately finished the year with 18 tackles and four passes defended.

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