Josh Allen (QB) - Pro Football Rumors

Josh Allen Visited Cardinals

April 20th, 2018 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the draft less than a week away, visit season has concluded. But Josh Allen said in a recent interview he’d visited seven teams — one more than previously reported. During an appearance on the Pro Football Talk PM Podcast (via ArizonaSports.com’s Mike Jurecki, on Twitter), Allen revealed he visited the Cardinals.

Allen confirmed his previously reported itinerary of meetings with the Browns, Giants, Jets, Broncos, Dolphins and Bills. Holding the No. 15 selection, the Cardinals pick lowest of any team that hosted the Wyoming passer. However, they lack a long-term answer at quarterback.

The Cardinals also met with Baker Mayfield during the visit window but are not believed to have brought in Josh Rosen, who may be set to be the fourth quarterback chosen in this draft and thus at a juncture where the Cardinals would be in reasonable trade range to acquire him. Allen, conversely, has a decent chance of being the No. 1 overall pick. At this point, it could be assumed it would take more trade ammo to move up to land Allen than it would for Rosen.

Arizona signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon in March while also submitting April waiver claims for Brandon Doughty and Alek Torgersen. None of these players figure to be in the long-term starter mix, however.

NFL Draft Rumors: Guice, Redskins, Patriots, Bills, Giants, Darnold

April 16th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Derrius Guice visited the Redskins at their team facility on Monday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been public about their desire to add a pass-catching running back and Guice, with 18 catches last year at LSU, would fit the bill.

With needs to address on the other side of the ball, many believe that the Redskins will take a defensive player at No. 13 overall. However, the Redskins could probably trade back into the early 20s to take Guice and address their defensive holes later on.

Here’s the latest round of NFL draft news:

The Patriots hosted UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller on a pre-draft visit, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen met with the Bills on Monday and will travel to the Giants on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, USC QB Sam Darnold met with the Giants on Monday and will meet with the Jets on Tuesday.
Linebacker Rashaan Evans visited the Bengals on Monday, Rapoport tweets. The Bengals own the No. 21 pick in the draft, which could allow them to snag the Alabama standout.
Speaking of Alabama, Rapoport also notes that standout defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne met with the Redskins on Monday. Payne has shot up draft boards in recent weeks thanks to his remarkable strength. “He’s the best. He’s the best I’ve seen,”Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran said earlier this year. “I’ve never seen a guy hit 385 on the power clean every single year. His first year he hit 365 on the power clean and it was like wow, freshman, that’s incredible.”
USC running back Ronald Jones visited the Patriots on Monday, Rapoport tweets. Within the same tweet, he notes that Stanford safety Justin Reid visited the Panthers before heading off to his Steelers visit.
Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson took a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers on Monday, a league source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 49ers have the ninth pick in the first round and Jackson is projected to come off the board as a middle-to-late first-round pick.
LSU pass-rusher Arden Key visited the Bears on Monday, Rapoport tweets. He also notes Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller visited the Redskins on Monday and Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson visited the Raiders.

Dolphins To Host Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield

April 11th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen will have a Top 30 visit with the Dolphins on Thursday and Friday, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. The Dolphins will also meet with Oklahoma signal caller Baker Mayfield on Thursday.

The Broncos, who hold the No. 5 overall pick, recently became the latest team to meet with Allen. Opinions are split on the 6’5″, 230-pounder, but he is almost universally regarded as one of the four best QB prospects in this year’s draft.

Mayfield, also a member of this year’s big four along with Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, has also proven to be a divisive prospect. The Oklahoma product has been knocked for potential character issues and his lack of size, but his on-field performance has been strong as a whole.

Currently slated to pick at No. 11, the Dolphins and head coach Adam Gase have been heavily linked to this year’s quarterback prospects. Miami, of course, deployed Jay Cutler as its starting signal-caller in 2017 after Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury. Tannehill should be available for the upcoming campaign, but the Dolphins still seem interested in adding a potential upgrade.

Broncos Meet With Wyoming QB Josh Allen

April 9th, 2018 at 10:23am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos will meet with Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen on Monday, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). This will mark the third time Denver has visited with Allen following summits at the Senior Bowl and the scouting combine.

Given that the Broncos hold the fifth overall pick, they could look to secure a franchise quarterback even after signing veteran Case Keenum last month. It’s not a given that one of the top four signal-callers will still be on the board at No. 5, but Denver has now met or plans to meet with Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Baker Mayfield.

In addition to adding Keenum this offseason, the Broncos also traded former starter Trevor Siemian to the Vikings, leaving at least one void on the club’s quarterback depth chart. 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch is still on the roster, but he’s failed to produce despite numerous opportunities and doesn’t figure to factor into Denver’s long-term plans. Allen, or another one of the draft’s top signal-callers, would give the Broncos another option given that Keenum’s contract only runs through the 2019 campaign.

Allen is among the most divisive prospects in the 2018 draft, as the 6’5″, 230-pounder offers tantalizing physical tools but is short on results. During his final seasons at Wyoming, Allen completed only 56.3% of his passes for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Josh Allen To Visit Jets?

April 8th, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Rory Parks

Will Josh Allen visit the Jets at their Florham Park facility, or won’t he? There are conflicting reports on that front, as we heard from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com earlier this week that Allen would indeed be making the trek to New Jersey, but last night Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggested that would not be the case.

However, Mehta tweeted this morning that Allen will, in fact, meet with the Jets at Florham Park, so we still do not really know if the two sides will summit again. The Jets did recently go to Wyoming to have a private workout with Allen, so it could be that they have enough intel on the signal-caller to make an informed decision. After all, as of last season, the Jets were believed to have done more work on Allen than any other club.

At the very least, New York may not be considering Sam Darnold as strongly as Allen, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Rosen. The Jets are not planning to meet privately with the USC product, either at their facility or elsewhere. They did attend Darnold’s Pro Day, and GM Mike Maccagnan was in attendance when Darnold’s Trojans battled Rosen’s Bruins in November, but they may not view him as highly as the other three top prospects (though they could just believe Darnold will be off the board by the time they are on the clock with the No. 3 overall selection and do not want to waste their time).

And although the Jets do plan to meet with Rosen, there has been more buzz connecting Gang Green to Mayfield and Allen than the UCLA QB. Mayfield is slated to meet with the Giants today and tomorrow before heading off for his visit with the Jets immediately thereafter.

AFC Notes: Browns, Allen, Ravens, Broncos

April 7th, 2018 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quarterbacks have justifiably dominated draft-centric Browns conversations this offseason, but Joe Thomas‘ retirement has left a hole the franchise hasn’t had to worry about since the Romeo Crennel regime. And as of now, the Browns have shifted Shon Coleman from right to left tackle, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com notes. With Chris Hubbard having been signed to play right tackle, the 6-foot-6 Coleman — a 2016 third-round pick who started all 16 games at right tackle last season — Coleman finds himself with either an opportunity to replace a legend or on the verge of being demoted. An anonymous NFL exec, per Pluto, does not believe John Dorsey will go into training camp with Coleman stationed atop the Browns’ depth chart at left tackle. Pro Football Focus preferred Coleman’s pass-blocking work to his ability to open running lanes, bestowing a middling overall grade upon the young blocker, but Coleman’s 14 penalties were the most among tackles last year.

Thomas replacement Spencer Drango, a 2016 fifth-rounder, gave up 11 sacks — most in the league in 2017. The exec floated the idea of the Browns trading down from No. 4 and selecting a tackle, but the team holds the Nos. 33 and 35 overall picks that could be used on a tackle without sacrificing prime first-round real estate.

Here’s the latest from the AFC:

Contrary to a previous report, the Jets do not have a Josh Allen visit scheduled, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. However, Gang Green brass did trek to Wyoming this week to observe a private workout. The Jets have been linked to Allen for months, and several team officials “love” the 6-foot-5 quarterback’s skill set. Allen has also been connected to the Browns and is among the four passers visiting the Giants next week.
As he did for Texans owner Bob McNair‘s deposition in his collusion lawsuit, Colin Kaepernick attended those of Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. The Ravens duo’s depositions have been completed. The team was linked to Kaepernick in 2017 but did not end up signing him. Conflicting reports came out over the past several months regarding Harbaugh’s interest in Kaepernick, who led two of Jim Harbaugh‘s best 49ers teams. The Ravens signed Robert Griffin III, who also did not play football in 2017, this week.
The Broncos cut ties with Britton Colquitt before the 2016 season because his salary was escalating out of the franchise’s comfort zone, but now they’ve landed Marquette King. He will make $2MM per year on average. King also confirmed there was a bit of a revenge measure associated with his signing with perhaps the Raiders’ biggest rivals. “I just wanted to find the best place that I thought I would fit,” King said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “I think there is somewhat of a revenge factor in there, too.” King punted for Dennis Allen– and Jack Del Rio-coached teams from 2012-17, but unlike the former Denver defensive coordinators, new Oakland HC Jon Gruden wasn’t a fan of the punter’s personality. King said the Broncos did not ask him to tame down his antics.
Expect the Broncos to try and get what they can for incumbent punter Riley Dixon, Klis notes. The Syracuse product selected in the seventh round in 2016 has two years remaining on his rookie deal, but being a punter coming off a down season, it’s possible the Broncos may simply have to waive Dixon. Klis observes a trend in Denver ditching or demoting core members of its 2017 special teams units, which struggled. ST coordinator Brock Olivo was fired after one season, Dixon has now been replaced and ex-UDFAs have been brought in to compete with Brandon McManus and long snapper Casey Kreiter.

Chargers Meeting With Top QBs In Draft

April 4th, 2018 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers have not needed to worry about a starting quarterback for most of this century, and Philip Rivers has not given indications he’s eyeing near-future retirement. But the team is going to continue to look at passing prospects.

Having already been linked to a Josh Rosen meeting, the Chargers have already met with — or are planning to visit with — the top five quarterbacks in this draft. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), the Bolts are planning visits for Rosen and Sam Darnold, which won’t count toward their 30 prospect summits because they are Los Angeles-based.

Los Angeles, per Rapoport (on Twitter), also recently worked out or met with the other three — Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson. But quarterback meetings took place between Bolts brass and recent drafts’ higher-end passing prospects in the past, only for the Rivers-Kellen Clemens setup to remain in place for years. Now, the Chargers are going with Geno Smith behind Rivers. With only Cardale Jones also in the picture, the team does not have an obvious succession plan.

But the Chargers aren’t exactly in position to select one of the top four passers, and Jackson and Rivers possess wildly disparate skill sets. And with the 36-year-old Rivers possibly set to play out his through-2019 contract and pursue another extension, it’s possible these visits will continue the recent pattern. The Chargers hold the No. 17 pick in the first round.

Jets Divided On Rookie QB Class

April 4th, 2018 at 1:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2018 draft will bring one of the more unique quarterback pools in memory, with four passers likely going in the top 10 and possibly all coming off the board in the top five. Only with less than a month until the draft, the pecking order remains wildly uncertain.

One team with a decision to make will be the Jets, and they’re divided about this quarterback class at the current juncture, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. They are not the only team going through the deliberation process, with the Browns — who are visiting with all four of the top prospects this week — finalizing their preference as well.

But Gang Green surrendered a bounty of picks to move up to the No. 3 spot, so some pressure is on Mike Maccagnan to get this pick right. Mehta notes that when the team made the move from No. 6 to No. 3, Baker Mayfield lagged behind the three other high-profile passers. Now, there’s been plenty of buzz about the Jets being ready to pull the trigger on the Oklahoma product.

Several Jets officials “love” Josh Allen‘s skill set, and the team has been connected to the Wyoming signal-caller since before its draft standing was established. The Jets were believed to have done the most work on Allen as of last season. Others in the organization, per Mehta, aren’t certain the Mountain West quarterback is right for New York.

Mayfield’s intangibles continue to impress many Jets officials, but his 6-foot frame and smaller hands are providing concerns, Mehta writes, adding that Mayfield’s footwork has even drawn scrutiny for some. Others point to his dominance in college — 70.8 completion percentage from 2016-17 — as reasons the footwork won’t be an issue. A consensus of sorts, though, points to the Jets preferring Sam Darnold over Mayfield. Although, Darnold is not expected to make it past both the Browns and Giants. Execs expect the Giants, who are not certain to take a quarterback, to pull the trigger on Darnold if the Browns go with Allen.

Additionally, Mehta notes the Patriots are fans of Mayfield. And after their Brandin Cooks trade, they have a major additional resource — the Rams’ No. 23 overall pick — to attempt a possible trade-up to acquire a quarterback. Said passer, investment-wise, would be the franchise’s most significant effort to appoint a Tom Brady successor. Mehta adds the Bills remain in hot pursuit of a trade into the franchise-quarterback sector of the draft. And Buffalo’s stockpile of picks may be enough to outflank the Patriots, whom Mehta does not expect to be able to strike a deal with the Giants for the No. 2 selection.

Giants Schedule Pre-Draft Visits With QBs, RB Saquon Barkley

April 4th, 2018 at 11:42am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants plan to meet with the draft’s top four quarterbacks — USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Wyoming’s Josh Allen — next week, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, New York will also used one of its 30 allotted pre-draft visits on Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Provided the Browns select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, the Giants will have their choice of three signal-callers, Barkley, offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, or edge rusher Bradley Chubb with the second pick. While New York intends to deploy veteran Eli Manning as its starting quarterback once again in 2018, the club could use this opportunity to find its passer of the future.

But Barkley would likely give the Giants a better chance to win in the near-term, as Big Blue’s running back depth chart is currently uninspiring. At present, New York has veteran Jonathan Stewart, plus recent draft picks Wayne Gallman and Paul Perkins, at running back, but Barkley would immediately take over as the club’s starter if drafted.

Draft Rumors: Browns, Allen, Jets, Giants

April 2nd, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Baker Mayfield will be the first of the big four passers to visit the Browns. The Oklahoma product is flying into Cleveland on Monday night to begin his visit, one that will last through Tuesday as well, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Josh Allen‘s meeting at Browns headquarters in Berea, Ohio, will commence on Wednesday, Cabot reports, and Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold are coming in shortly after that. Three of these powwows are expected to be completed by the end of this week, with Cabot reporting one may occur early next week. Hue Jackson said last week he is “very close” to determining which of these QBs will be his preference going into the draft. The Browns are widely expected to select a quarterback at No. 1 overall. John Dorsey said he wants these QBs to visit consecutively to allow for easier comparisons between them.

Mayfield will visit the Giants and Jets next week, and both he and Rosen are meeting with seven teams. The only difference between these prospects’ schedules thus far is the Dolphins have not arranged a Rosen meetup, while the Chargers have, and the Bolts are not known to have set up a Mayfield summit.

Here’s more out of Cleveland and some other NFL cities as draft month begins.

Jets representatives will fly to Wyoming to work out Allen this week, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), before the 6-foot-5 signal-caller visits their Florham Park, N.J., facility shortly after. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the Jets meeting will take place early this week as well. The Jets have been connected to Allen for months and were rumored to be planning a workout soon.
The Allen/Browns connection should not be dismissed, Rapoport notes (video link). Citing a source who’s known Dorsey for a long time, the new Cleveland GM has long preferred big-armed passers. Patrick Mahomes qualifies as the latest such investment, and although the former NFL linebacker was not a high-ranking Packers exec when they traded for Brett Favre in 1992, Dorsey was a scout for Green Bay at the time. He was with the Packers as their director of college scouting when the team made the Aaron Rodgers pick in 2005. Alex Smith is the outlier, but the Chiefs held the No. 1 pick in a 2013 draft that was not flush with quarterback upside. Allen is viewed as the top arm talent in this draft.
Should the Browns make this decision and bring Allen to northeast Ohio, the expectation is the Giants will draft Darnold. Surveying various executives and scouts, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller tweets every one of them said the Giants would take Darnold if Allen goes to the Browns. Dave Gettleman has not been as direct as Dorsey and Jackson have about the position his team is targeting in Round 1, and it’s not certain the Giants are going to draft a quarterback despite theirs having recently turned 37.
Lamar Jackson will not count toward one of the Dolphins‘ 30 visits since he went to high school in the Miami area, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. The Dolphins have not been linked to a Jackson meeting just yet, but they were on hand at the Louisville phenom’s pro day. And since a meeting will be fairly easy to set up, it’s likely the Fins will host the dual-threat passer.
Hayden Hurst will visit the Jaguars on Tuesday, Rapoport tweets. Rated by many as the top tight end in this year’s class, the South Carolina product will meet with a team that just released one of its cornerstone players in Marcedes Lewis. Jacksonville has been busy at this position this offseason, agreeing to deals with Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Niles Paul. But the team looks to be exploring the notion of further investing at tight end with the No. 29 overall pick.