HEADLINES

Kendall Langford

AFC Rumors: Cameron, Bulaga, Langford, Raiders

March 8th, 2015 at 11:16pm CST by Rob DiRe

Tight end Jordan Cameron has become one of the most sought after free agents in the league during this “legal tampering” period, drawing interest from the Browns, Raiders, Broncos, and Seahawks, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Jaguars would also be in the mix if they are unable to sign Julius Thomas.

Here are some other rumors from around the AFC:

  • One name the Bills could target heavily in free agency is versatile offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Graham writes there will be plenty of competition for his services.
  • The Broncos have scheduled a visit with defensive tackle Kendall Langford, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The 29-year old veteran would provide a stout body for either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense.
  • In addition to Denver, Langford is scheduled to visit the Colts, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). Langford already met with the Lions, Jets, and Saints.
  • The Raiders are interested in Cameron to fill their tight end woes, but are also targeting Jermaine Gresham, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The team is trying to work out a deal with the former Bengal by Tuesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Williamson also wrote an overview of the Raiders’ free agent options after top targets Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb agreed to deals this Sunday.
  • With Cobb and Jeremy Maclin signing big money deals, and Torrey Smith leaning towards the 49ers, the Raiders will have to look at veterans released to fill their wide receiver woes, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com (via Twitter). Percy Harvin, Andre Johnson, and Dwayne Bowe could all be options for the Raiders.
  • The Titans have expressed interest in pass rusher Brandon Graham, reports Paul Kuharsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Titans are also targeting a number of players, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean dives into ten topics the team will address this offseason. Among other things, Wyatt mentions the team needs to continue to pursue cornerbacks, writing that the team has expressed interest in Cary Williams, and could also chase Tramon Williams and Buster Skrine.

North Notes: Webb, Peterson, Langford

March 3rd, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The question was never whether the Ravens would approach Lardarius Webb about a pay reduction, it was whether he would take one, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. Hensley runs through the different compromises the two sides could reach and ultimately concludes that the Ravens’ best outcome will be for the two sides to find some middle ground. Even if Webb agrees to a pay cut, however, his contract will be an issue next offseason. Baltimore can gain $6MM of cap room by releasing the cornerback in 2016. More from the North divisions..

  • Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is scheduled to fly to Houston on Wednesday to meet with Adrian Peterson to discuss the embattled superstar’s future with the team, two people with knowledge of the plan told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Vikings GM Rick Spielman is also expected to make the trip to participate in what would be the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides in months.
  • Kendall Langford‘s visit with the Lions went well but he’ll continue visiting other teams, according to Nick Wagoner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). The former Rams defensive lineman will visit the Jets next, followed by the Saints. Langford, who turned 29 last month, inked a four-year, $22MM deal with the Rams in 2012 but was cut late last month.
  • Vikings linemen Tom Johnson and Joe Berger both played for the minimum salary last season and both are seeking raises this offseason, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Johnson’s agent says that the Vikings are his client’s first choice, but he’ll be seeking a three- or four-year deal in “the right situation and right system.” Johnson, 30, finished second on the team last season with 6.5 sacks.

FA Rumors: Orakpo, Worilds, Dockett, Murray

March 2nd, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After franchising him last year, Washington won’t use a tag on edge defender Brian Orakpo this time around, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (via Twitter). However, Russini does add that the two sides are trying to work out a new agreement before next week’s free agent period.

Here are a few more updates on free agents and free-agents-to-be around the league:

  • Outside linebacker Jason Worilds, who received the transition tag last year from the Steelers, was the team’s only real candidate to be tagged this year, but Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the club will allow Worilds to reach the open market (Twitter link).
  • Defensive lineman Darnell Dockett has a visit scheduled with the 49ers tonight, reports Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We heard earlier today from agent Drew Rosenhaus that there’s a strong market for Dockett, who will likely have a new deal in place by the end of the week.
  • Werder also provides an update on Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, tweeting that the team intends to make a “respectable” offer to the NFL’s leading rusher. The Cowboys are hoping that Murray will give them a chance to match any offer he receives in free agency, but he’ll have no obligation to do so, and Dallas’ flexibility may be limited.
  • Former Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who is looking for a new NFL home, said today on PFT Live that he’d like to join a contender and win a Super Bowl ring before he retires (Twitter link).
  • In addition to his reported visit with the Lions, free agent defensive tackle Kendall Langford has “several” more meetings on his schedule, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

FA Rumors: Pats, Dockett, Langford, Freeney

March 2nd, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a few Monday rumors on current free agents, as well as free-agents-to-be….

  • With this afternoon’s franchise and transition tag deadline looming, the Patriots are more likely to use their tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski than safety Devin McCourty, sources tell Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston. Reiss cautions that the situation is “fluid” and that things could change by 3:00pm central time. However, if the Pats do decide to trade Gostkowski, it would mean McCourty could potentially hit the open market next week, as far and away the best safety available. It would be surprising if the Pats let McCourty get away, but that would at least seem to bode well for the return of Darrelle Revis.
  • According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, free agent defensive lineman Darnell Dockett is generating “a lot of interest” on the free agent market, writes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Rosenhaus is expecting Dockett to have a new home by the end of the week. As for the Cardinals, who released Dockett last week, they’re still hoping to bring the veteran defender back — Somers reports that they’ve offered a one-year deal worth up to $4MM through incentives, with a base value of $2.5MM.
  • Former Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford, cut by St. Louis last week, is visiting the Lions today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). It’s an interesting tidbit of news, as Detroit attempts to lock up its own free agent defensive tackles, such as Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. For now, we should probably assume that Langford is just a Plan B, or a potential depth piece, but we heard earlier today that the team won’t franchise Suh, so there’s no guarantee he returns to Detroit.
  • After mulling the possibility of retiring, veteran Chargers pass rusher Dwight Freeney has decided to continue his playing career and return for a 14th season, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Freeney doesn’t have a contract for 2015, so he’ll have to find a taker, but I imagine he’ll still draw plenty of interest — despite recording only 3.5 sacks in 2014, the 35-year-old recorded 53 overall quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).
  • Linebacker Brad Jones, who was released by the Packers last month, recently visited the Titans and has a visit lined up today with the Eagles, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Of the two veteran linebackers cut this offseason by Green Bay, A.J. Hawk received most of the headlines, but Jones is another player who could still contribute elsewhere.

Rams Cut Kendall Langford

February 26th, 2015 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing his starting job to standout rookie Aaron Donald this past season, Kendall Langford has now lost his spot on the Rams’ roster. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link), the Rams have released Langford, making him an unrestricted free agent a year before his contract was set to expire.

Langford, who turned 29 last month, inked a four-year, $22MM deal with the Rams in 2012 after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Dolphins. The former third-round pick started all 32 games for the Rams during his first two seasons in St. Louis, but his grip on the starting defensive tackle job became tenuous after the club drafted Donald in the first round in 2014.

After starting the first four games of the season, Langford took a back seat to Donald, who had such a strong rookie campaign that Pro Football Focus’ grades ranked him first among DTs, just ahead of Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh (subscription required). While Langford wasn’t bad, his upcoming $7MM cap hit for 2015 – combined with Donald’s emergence – made it easy for the Rams to decide to cut him. The team will clear his $6MM base salary from its ’15 books, leaving just $1MM in dead money on the cap.

Langford, who racked up 49 tackles and five sacks as a starter in 2013, figures to draw interest around the league in advance of this year’s free agent period.

Poll: Who Is Most Likely To Be Traded?

October 27th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Rory Parks

The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4pm eastern time, and a number of prominent players have been the subject of swirling trade rumors over the past several weeks. After a nightmarish start to the season, the Buccaneers may be entertaining the idea of a fire sale, with Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, and Dashon Goldson all potentially on the trading block.

The Titans, meanwhile, appear ready to usher in a new era with the insertion of Zach Mettenberger into the starting lineup, and they are reportedly taking calls on veterans Nate Washington, Michael Griffin, and Wesley Woodyard. The Bengals, who have regained control over the AFC North without much help from Jermaine Gresham, may be waiting for someone to meet what should be a fairly low price for Gresham’s services. And the Rams, who suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Chiefs yesterday after a surprising upset of the Seahawks in Week 7, could be shopping players like Kendall Langford and Zac Stacy.

We also learned yesterday that the Vikings could be taking calls on Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings. However, all of those players, for various reasons, are probably less likely to be on the move than some of the other names mentioned above.

Indeed, given the level of interest in his services, the struggles of his current team, and his potential impact on a new club, the player who may be the most likely to be dealt is Jackson. This is despite NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport’s belief that Tampa Bay would not settle for less than a second-round pick in exchange for its top wideout.

But that’s just one person’s opinion. Odds are, of course, that no one will be traded; that’s simply the status quo when it comes to the NFL trade deadline. And several head coaches whose teams were rumored to be active participants in the trade market said today that they did not expect their clubs to pull the trigger on a deal. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, even though he lays out a number of trades that he thinks would be beneficial for teams who appear destined for losing records in 2014, acknowledges that seeing one of those trades come to fruition would be very surprising.

However, reality is not always exciting. So, with that in mind, which of the above players do you think are mostly likely to be traded? Do you think a different player will be on the move? Or do you live so relentlessly in the real world that you think all of this smoke will fail to give rise to a single fire?

Trade Buzz: V-Jax, Rams, Vikings

October 26th, 2014 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

There seems to be more buzz surrounding this year’s NFL trade deadline than in years past, and Michael Fensom of the National Desk points out that Week 8 will be the final “audition” for those players who have generated the most interest, including the Buccaneers‘ Vincent Jackson and the Bengals‘ Jermaine Gresham. Fensom also observes that, since January 2012, the teams that have made the most trades are also among the most successful clubs on the field.

Of course, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes, the odds that a major trade comes to fruition are pretty slim, especially since so few teams are clearly out of the hunt at this point in the season. That does not mean, however, that it is not worth your while to take a look at some of the latest trade buzz. The trade deadline is Tuesday, October 28:

  • NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Eagles, Patriots, and Seahawks are among the teams calling about Jackson. He adds (via Twitter) that the Chiefs are also involved. He points out, however, that the Buccaneers are looking for real value in any trade involving Jackson, and Rapoport defines “real value” as a second-round pick (Twitter link).
  • Rapoport tweets that another player that could be on the move is Rams DT Kendall Langford, who has generated some interest. La Canfora believes that St. Louis may have also fielded some calls on RB Zac Stacy.
  • La Canfora writes that the Raiders are willing to deal Matt Schaub, but there is unsurprisingly not much of a market for him.
  • La Canfora adds that players who had previously been discussed as trade possibilities, like the Eagles‘ Brandon Graham, have since been taken off the table.
  • Fensom reasons that, given the Seahawks‘ reported interest in tight ends, Seattle is a potential landing spot for Gresham.
  • Our Zach Links recently wrote that Titans WR Nate Washington has been made available via trade, but Fensom writes that other Tennessee players like Wesley Woodyard and Michael Griffin are also rumored to be available.
  • There is also speculation that the Vikings are looking to sell, and Fensom lists Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings as potential trade chips.