HEADLINES

Kellen Davis

Giants Sign Kellen Davis, Travis Harvey

April 4th, 2014 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

1:26pm: The Giants have officially announced the signing of Davis, as well as a deal with former Florida A&M receiver Travis Harvey, according to a team release. Harvey signed with the Titans last spring and was cut during training camp.

11:49am: The Giants have signed a tight end, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports (via Twitter) that the team agreed to terms on a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent Kellen Davis. New York has been extremely active in free agency this offseason, but Davis is the first addition at tight end for a club that lost Brandon Myers to the Bucs.

Davis, 28, played for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks last season, acting primarily as a blocker rather than a pass-catcher. After recording a career-high 19 receptions during his final season with the Bears in 2012, Davis hauled in just three passes in Seattle in 2013.

A former fifth-round pick, Davis likely isn’t being brought in to be the Giants’ answer at tight end. The club could address the position in the draft, and may still be keeping an eye on Jermichael Finley, who was linked to New York earlier in the offseason and is recovering from a spinal injury. The Giants also reportedly had interest last month in Brandon Pettigrew and Andrew Quarless, though those players and others have since come off the market.

NFC North Notes: Tillman, Bell, Keisel, Lions

January 30th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

Charles Tillman earned about $8MM in 2013, the last year of his contract with the Bears. Although he had another solid season when he was healthy, recording three INTs and forcing three fumbles in eight games, Tillman likely won’t be offered a similar salary by the Bears in free agency, given his age and the team’s limited flexibility. Still, as Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times details, the 32-year-old defensive back appeared on 670 The Score in Chicago on Wednesday and didn’t sound like someone eager to play elsewhere.

“In perfect world, I will finish as a Bear,” Tillman told Laurence Holmes. “I guarantee I will retire a Chicago Bear. I guarantee that.”

While we wait to see if the two sides can work out a deal that will keep Tillman in a Bears uniform, let’s round up a few other notes from out of the NFC North….

  • “I would like to just bypass all this and sign a long-term deal,” Joique Bell said of his impending free agency, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Since he only has three years of experience, Bell will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Lions will have the ability to match any offers he receives. Still, it sounds as if the running back would rather negotiate a multiyear contract directly with the Lions, rather than hoping they match.
  • While longtime Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel hopes to re-sign with Pittsburgh, he would definitely consider joining the Lions this spring, as he tells 105.1FM in Detroit (quotes via Justin Rogers of MLive.com). “They’ve got a great team,” Keisel said. “I really like their quarterback. They’ve got Megatron. Who wouldn’t want to play with those guys?”
  • Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com takes a closer look at the Bears‘ situation at cornerback, where Tillman isn’t the only player facing free agency.
  • Kellen Davis, who will play for the Seahawks in this weekend’s Super Bowl, tells Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times that he felt “a little bit slighted” by the Bears when Chicago cut him last March.