Kris Durham - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Cowboys, 49ers, Cardinals

March 16th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Ben Levine

A couple of notes from around the National Football Conference to end your weekend…

After having visited the Seahawks today, it appears that Jared Allen will also visit the Cowboys, tweets Sean Jensen of Thrive Sports.
After losing out on Julian Edelman and Emmanuel Sanders, the 49ers‘ list of potential receivers is shrinking, says ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson. The writer throws out James Jones, Santonio Holmes and Sidney Rice as potential options for the team.
Paying Daryl Washington the first installment of his bonus was a “good risk” by the Cardinals, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Despite the linebacker’s inability to stay out of trouble, his Pro Bowl-like talent and production makes the relatively low monetary risk worth it.
While the team certainly has depth at receiver after inking Golden Tate, don’t expect the Lions to drop a wideout, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. He identifies Ryan Broyles and Kris Durham as being on the bottom of the depth chart, but believes that both players could still stick around. Rothstein guesses that Broyles could start the season on the PUP list.
It’ll likely be a while before Corey Wootton signs anywhere, but ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright thinks the Bears should bring back the defensive lineman.

Extra Points: Phillips, Lions, Tate, Ducasse

March 12th, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent defensive end Shaun Phillips tells Josina Anderson of ESPN (on Twitter) that as much as he wants to return to the Broncos, he knows it’s not in the cards with the signing of DeMarcus Ware. “It’s definitely not mutual now just because they found a baller and we play the same position. DeMarcus (Ware) is a baller. He’s a great player and a great pick-up for them. More than likely I won’t be back there. You never know, but more than likely I will not be there.,” the veteran said. More from around the NFL…

The Lions officially signed unrestricted free agent Kevin Ogletree and exclusive rights free agents Kris Durham, Julian Stanford, and Matt Veldman, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
Golden Tate took to KJR Sports Radio in Seattle to discuss free agency and his decision not to return to the Seahawks (via Todd Dybas of the Tacoma News Tribune on Twitter). He spoke fondly of his time with Seattle, but also mentioned that the team “didn’t reward (him) enough.” He said that he gave the team an opportunity to offer a lesser contract, but the team didn’t bite. He also mentioned the 49ers interest, but claimed he “couldn’t do that to Seattle right after winning.” Tate signed with the Lions earlier today.
Free agent cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who is meeting with the Vikings today, also has visits scheduled with the Jets and Buccaneers, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
Free agent offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse is expected to visit with the Vikings next week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Ducasse started off his Jets career as a skilled athlete with little polish, but he was able to round out his game over time.
Antoine Bethea told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that the interest between himself and the Colts “wasn’t mutual.” Before he signed with the 49ers, he says that he got some contact from the Packers, Chiefs, and Lions.
Cornerback Chris Cook will visit the 49ers tomorrow, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (on Twitter).

Contract Tenders: Monday

March 10th, 2014 at 5:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys punter Chris Jones signed his exclusive rights tender of $645K, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The move locks down Dallas’ punter situation but eats up about $150K of the ~$2MM salary cap space the club had to work with. Jones averaged 45 yards per punt in his first full season with the Cowboys. The latest contract tenders from around the NFL..

Restricted free agent tackle Byron Bell has received a second-round tender worth $2.187MM from the Panthers, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The club also tendered exclusive rights free agent Chris Scott, tweets ESPN.com’s David Newton.
The Chargers have only two exclusive rights free agents in linebacker Bront Bird and guard Stephen Schilling and they won’t be tendering either one, tweets Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
Jets linebacker Nick Bellore got the low restricted free agent tender, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Bellore led Gang Green in special teams kickoff tackles last season.
The Ravens won’t extend an RFA tender to wide receiver Tandon Doss, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team could still bring Doss back on a smaller deal though.
Lions wide receiver Kris Durham confirmed via Twitter that he inked his tender with the club. Durham, a fourth-round pick in 2011, became a more significant part of the Lions’ offense in 2013, racking up 38 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns while starting 13 games. He didn’t perform well based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which ranked him 109th out of 111 qualified receivers, but he’s still just 25 years old, and may not be relied upon for quite as large a role in 2014 if the team adds a receiver or two.
Joe Morgan and Jed Collins won’t receive RFA tenders from the Saints, but the club still has interest in re-signing the two free agents, says Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune.
The Rams won’t tender tight end Mike McNeill, who was eligible for restricted free agency, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Linebacker Justin Hickman has signed his ERFA tender from the Colts, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Contract Tenders: 49ers, Jaguars, Broncos

March 7th, 2014 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Players who have three years or less of NFL experience and no contract for 2014 continue to receive contract tenders from their current teams. For exclusive rights free agents, these tenders essentially represent the contracts they’ll be playing under in 2014, since ERFAs aren’t permitted to negotiate with any of the league’s other 31 teams. Restricted free agents, on the other hand, can accept these one-year contract offers, but will also have the freedom to negotiate with other suitors and perhaps sign an offer sheet once the free agent period begins.

Here are some of the latest ERFA and RFA contract tenders:

The 49ers extended a contract tender worth $1.431MM to restricted free agent Demarcus Dobbs, reports Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The team also tendered ERFA linebacker Michael Wilhoite, says Pelissero.

Earlier updates:

The Falcons tendered cornerback Robert McClain with a $1.431MM offer, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. McClain was the team’s only restricted free agent this offseason.
The Jaguars tendered offers to wide receivers Mike Brown ($495K) and Kerry Taylor ($495K), offensive tackle Austin Pasztor ($570K), fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou ($570K), and tailback Jordan Todman ($645K), according to Pelissero (Twitter links). Todman, a former UConn notable, had only practice squad experience before making his on-field debut with the Jags in 2012. He had 256 yards and two scores on the ground with 14 catches, 116 receiving yards, and a touchdown through the air.
The Dolphins tendered offers to wide receiver Armon Binns ($495K) and linebacker Jonathan Freeny ($570K), Pelissero tweets.
More from Pelissero, who tweets that the Broncos have tendered offers to defensive end Mitch Unrein ($1.431M) and Brandon Marshall ($495K). Of course, that’s the Marshall who plays linebacker, not the star receiver.
The Lions have tendered offers to kick returner Jeremy Ross ($570K), linebacker Julian Stanford ($570K), cornerback Chris Greenwood ($570K), and tight end Matt Veldman ($420K), tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter) adds that wide receiver Kris Durham was also tendered an offer. Durham had an opportunity to shine when the Lions lost Nate Burleson to injury early in the season but he wasn’t able to break out even with double coverage on Calvin Johnson.
The Buccaneers are on the verge of tendering exclusive rights free agents Eric Page and Deveron Carr, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Lions To Retain Kris Durham, Jeremy Ross

February 21st, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions will bring back exclusive rights free agents Kris Durham and Jeremy Ross, GM Martin Mayhew confirmed to reporters in Indianapolis today (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). The two receivers have fewer than three accrued NFL seasons, meaning re-upping with the Lions is essentially their only option this offseason.

Durham, a fourth-round pick in 2011, became a more significant part of the Lions’ offense in 2013, racking up 38 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns while starting 13 games. He didn’t perform well based on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which ranked him 109th out of 111 qualified receivers, but he’s still just 25 years old, and may not be relied upon for quite as large a role in 2014 if the team adds a receiver or two.

As for Ross, the 25-year-old caught five passes for the Lions after being waived by the Packers earlier in the 2013 season. However, most of his value stemmed from his production as a return man. Ross brought back 17 punts (15.5 AVG, one TD) and 21 kicks (24.5 AVG, one TD) for the club in 10 contests.

Neither player appears to have officially inked a contract yet, but considering they have minimal leverage, minimum-salary contracts seem likely, perhaps with modest signing bonuses.