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Rashaan Melvin

Panthers Release CB Rashaan Melvin

August 31st, 2021 at 12:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rashaan Melvin‘s path back to a regular-season game took a detour Tuesday. The Panthers made the veteran cornerback part of their final cuts as they move closer to a 53-man roster.

The Panthers signed Melvin in March, adding the well-traveled cover man shortly after the Jaguars cut him. Jacksonville’s new regime released Melvin after he opted out of the 2020 season, and Carolina represented a chance for the six-year vet to return to action.

Not counting the Jaguars or Panthers, Melvin has been with five teams — the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders and Lions — but has yet to be on the same team three years running. After playing well with the Colts in 2017, Melvin bounced off the Raiders and Lions’ rosters after one season.

Carolina added A.J. Bouye this offseason and has Donte Jackson returning for his fourth season. Otherwise, this is a young Panthers corner group. Bouye is also set to begin this season late due to a suspension.

Panthers To Sign Rashaan Melvin

March 18th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Rashaan Melvin‘s jersey collection has grown even larger. On Thursday, the veteran cornerback agreed to join the Panthers on a one-year deal, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. 

Melvin has now signed deals with more than 25% of the NFL. His last stop with the Jaguars came to an end on Wednesday. Melvin’s $2.25MM salary for 2020 tolled into 2021 due to his COVID-19 opt out, but Jacksonville wanted to put those resources elsewhere.

Melvin’s best seasons came with the Colts. After his breakout year in 2016, Melvin delivered 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended in 2017. Pro Football Focus ranked him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks that year. He’ll try to get back to his old form — or closer to it — in Carolina.

He originally signed with the Bucs as an UDFA in 2013, but had only started two career games when he suddenly found himself a starter with Indy in 2016. His play with the Colts landed him a one-year, $5.5MM deal from the Raiders in 2018.

The journeyman has now spent various amounts of time with the Bucs, Dolphins, Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders, Lions, and Jags. Despite that, he’s still only 31.

Jaguars Cut Rashaan Melvin

March 17th, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are releasing Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via PFT). The veteran cornerback opted out of last season, so he’ll look to suit up for the first time since 2019. 

[RELATED: Jaguars Sign Shaq Griffin]

Melvin has spent time with eight different NFL teams. He joined the Jaguars in free agency after spending 2019 with the Lions. His one-year deal – worth $2.25MM – tolled into 2021, before it was shredded.

The former UDFA started 12 games for Detroit in 2019. The Jaguars could have used him last year to support D.J. Hayden and first-round pick C.J. Henderson. This year, they’ve got ex-Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin to bolster the secondary.

Melvin’s best seasons came with the Colts. After his breakout year in 2016, Melvin delivered 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks that year, but he’s now years removed from his best work, or even suiting up.

Jaguars’ Rashaan Melvin Opts Out

August 6th, 2020 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars cornerback Rashaan Melvin has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With three hours to go before the NFL’s deadline, more than 60 players have opted out.

Melvin, a veteran who has spent time with eight different teams, joined the Jaguars in free agency after spending 2019 with the Lions. His one-year deal – worth $2.25MM – will toll in 2021.

The former UDFA started 12 games for Detroit last year. In Jacksonville, he was set to start opposite of D.J. Hayden in the club’s new-look secondary. With Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye playing elsewhere, the Jaguars will need first-round pick C.J. Henderson to get up to speed fast.

Melvin’s best season came with the Colts in 2017 and some weren’t sold on the Jaguars’ signing of him in March. Still, they’ll be worse off without him, and they only have a matter of weeks to explore out-of-house options.

2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker

August 5th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.

Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.

Here’s the rundown, so far:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • T Brad Seaton

Tennessee Titans

  • OL Anthony McKinney

Washington Football Team

Free agents

Jaguars To Sign CB Rashaan Melvin

March 24th, 2020 at 1:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rashaan Melvin will soon join an eighth NFL team. The veteran cornerback agreed to terms with the Jaguars on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Melvin spent last season with the Lions and played the 2018 campaign with the Raiders. This will mark another one-year deal for the 30-year-old corner, per agent Drew Rosenhaus, with Schefter adding it’s worth $2.25MM.

The former UDFA started 12 games for the Lions last season and will join Darqueze Dennard as members of a new-look Jaguars cornerback crew, one that will be without both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in 2020. D.J. Hayden resides as the Jags’ top incumbent. He, Dennard and Melvin have a combined 19 years of NFL experience.

Perhaps Melvin’s top season came with the Colts in 2017. He graded well in the view of Pro Football Focus and attracted a better free agency deal from the Raiders. He signed for north of $5MM in Oakland and received north of $3MM in Detroit. Overall, Melvin has been employed by the Buccaneers, Ravens, Patriots, Dolphins, Colts, Raiders and Lions since 2013.

Last season, Melvin played 870 snaps and graded as PFF’s No. 88 overall corner. While the Jaguars could well make a move in the draft to upgrade, Melvin has a path to a starting role in 2020.

Lions To Sign Rashaan Melvin

March 22nd, 2019 at 7:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions have been active in free agency, and they’re making another move. Detroit is signing cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Lions brought Melvin in for a visit on Wednesday, and apparently liked what they saw. Per Schefter, the deal will pay Melvin $3.5MM. Melvin comes to the Lions after spending the 2018 season with the Raiders. He began the year as a starter, but didn’t play well and was benched. He ended up making 14 appearances for Oakland, with seven starts.

His down year with the Raiders was somewhat surprising, since he was coming off a couple of strong years with the Colts. In 2017 he appeared in ten games, starting all ten, and had three interceptions with 13 passes defended. He got $5.5MM from the Raiders last offseason, so his most recent campaign clearly hurt his market value.

The Northern Illinois product will now get a much-needed fresh start. Overall, it’s a nice low-risk signing for a Lions team that is in the middle of rebuilding their defense in Matt Patricia’s vision. If Melvin can get back to his pre-2018 form, he could be a nice addition to Detroit’s secondary alongside Darius Slay.

Rashaan Melvin To Visit Lions

March 18th, 2019 at 6:26pm CST by Rory Parks

Well-traveled cornerback Rashaan Melvin will visit the Lions on Wednesday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Melvin started seven games for the Raiders last season, and he was a solid regular with the Colts in his two seasons in Indianapolis prior to that.

He did not have an impressive 2018 campaign with Oakland after signing a one-year, $5.5MM pact with the club last March, but he is certainly a capable CB. Following a breakout season in 2016, Melvin was just as productive in 2017, finishing with 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his performance that year, ranking him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks.

The fact that he butted heads with Raiders head coach Jon Gruden last season is unlikely to be held against him. In Detroit, Melvin could start on the outside opposite Pro Bowler Darius Slay.

The Lions have already addressed their defensive backfield in free agency by adding slot corner Justin Coleman last week, and they’re obviously not done.

AFC Notes: Gordon, Melvin, Marshall, Bosa

October 29th, 2018 at 5:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Gordon has run afoul with a new team. The Patriots plan to discipline the oft-embattled wide receiver during tonight’s Bills game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), with tardiness at the root of the trade acquisition’s latest issue. New England will play without Gordon for a period of time tonight, around a quarter or “several series,” per Rapoport. Gordon showed up late to the Patriots’ facility on Sunday before the team left for Buffalo, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets. After Gordon rides the bench to start the game, Rapoport adds he’ll return to his normal workload tonight. This benching is part of the team’s effort to manage and work with the 27-year-old wideout, one who had rampant trouble in Cleveland on this and other off-field fronts. If Gordon was on a low-tolerance policy with the Patriots, this doesn’t help his cause.

Here’s the latest from the AFC on trade deadline eve:

  • Bruce Irvin and Karl Joseph are believed to be on the trade block during the Raiders‘ rebuild, and, perhaps unsurprisingly based on the way his season’s gone, so is cornerback Rashaan Melvin. The recently signed corner was a healthy scratch against the Colts on Sunday, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link) Melvin is available for a trade. Melvin signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal but drew Jon Gruden‘s public scrutiny after complaining about his role on the Raiders and the coaching staff’s style earlier this season. Melvin, 29, was a well-regarded Colts starter at this point last season and almost certainly will not be part of the 2019 Raiders.
  • Broncos plans to trade Brandon Marshall, if that was ever the case, look to have hit a snag. The longtime Denver starting linebacker now has a bone bruise in one of his knees and will likely miss time because of it, Denver7’s Troy Renck tweets. Marshall, whose contract makes him far from a lock he’ll be on next year’s Broncos, surfaced in trade rumors over the weekend. One of the handful of Denver starting defenders left over from Super Bowl 50, Marshall has been a full-time starter since 2014. He signed an extension in 2016, but that deal includes a $9MM cap number next year. Rookie Josey Jewell has played well in part-time duty as well, and the Broncos could get an early look at the fifth-round pick as a starter if Marshall is forced to miss time.
  • Joey Bosa could make his season debut on Sunday. At least, the Chargers haven’t ruled it out. Anthony Lynn said it was possible Bosa plays in Week 9, per Eric Williams of ESPN.com. Lynn said Bosa was getting closer. He’s missed seven Bolts games this season because of a bruised left foot, an injury he aggravated before Week 1. Lynn added he’s not ruling Melvin Gordon out, either.
  • The Texans followed through with their scheduled Brice Butler workout on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In addition, Houston auditioned quarterback Brogan Roback, cornerback Craig Mager and wide receivers Amba Etta-Tawo and Steven Mitchell.

Raiders Rumors: Trades, Melvin, Lynch

October 16th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Stability’s been elusive during Jon Gruden‘s first months in Oakland, and Rashaan Melvin found himself as the centerpiece of a recent chapter in a complicated Raiders year. The Raiders limited the free agent addition to just seven snaps Sunday in London, and Melvin expressed his frustration with a reduced role. The Raiders have wanted Melvin to add a new technique to his repertoire, one he wasn’t familiar with during his previous NFL seasons, and internally prefer mid-offseason pickup Daryl Worley to Melvin, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes. After a more diplomatic response Sunday, Melvin tweeted, “I’m done trying to change my style. It’s not me. Back to what I know and what got me here!!” Gruden then used another opportunity to take issue with one of his players through the press.

“Melvin is on his seventh team. Maybe he is confused about what technique he is using,” Gruden said Tuesday, via Vic Vafur of The Athletic (on Twitter). “He is frustrated. I can’t blame him. … He is a good kid.”

Melvin signed a one-year, $5.5MM contract with the Raiders after delivering a strong season, prior to an injury, in 2017. Like most aspects of the 2018 Raiders, Melvin’s contract year is not going well. Projected starting corners Melvin and Gareon Conley are now on the bench.

Here’s the latest out of Oakland:

  • Trade rumors continue to hit Reggie McKenzie-era draft picks, with Amari Cooper, Karl Joseph and even Derek Carr surfacing in them. Although Carr’s status appears secure in 2018, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com writes some NFL execs are receiving the impression no other non-rookie Raider is untouchable at this year’s trade deadline. While little’s going right for the Raiders, they do have a solid offensive line interior (Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson) and have proven pass rusher Bruce Irvin. All arrived under McKenzie’s watch and helped lead Oakland to a 12-4 2016 season. Cooper’s availability stems from the Raiders, like they were with Khalil Mack, appearing unready to authorize a top-market second contract, per Robinson. It’s a tough time for a franchise that’s endured many of them this century.
  • Marshawn Lynch is one Raider who’s having a decent season, but his campaign may need to be paused. The 32-year-old back is battling a groin strain, and Gruden is concerned this could be a long-term problem (Twitter link via Tafur). Lynch is receiving medical input on the issue this week. Lynch scored touchdowns during the first three games of the season but has averaged fewer than four yards per carry in five of his six games. He rushed for 45 yards on 13 carries in London. The Raiders exercised their post-London bye option, so Lynch has additional time to recover.
  • Having cut Derrick Johnson earlier Tuesday, the Raiders worked out former Broncos linebacker Corey Nelson, veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. Nelson’s been on the workout circuit for a bit now and hasn’t been able to stick on a team since his Broncos rookie contract expired.
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