Ryan Poles

West Notes: 49ers, Hawks, Raiders, Chiefs

Before signing Mike Person earlier today, the 49ers also worked out veteran offensive linemen Oday Aboushi, Josh LeRibeus, and Brian Schwenke, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco was clearly on the lookout for an experienced lineman capable of playing multiple spots along the interior, and Person won the job. Each of Aboushi, LeRibeus, and Schwenke boast at least one season of regular starting work, but none have generated any known interest to this point in the offseason. If the 49ers are in need of more center/guard as the year progresses, however, it’s fair to assume they’ll circle back to these same candidates.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll have both denied that Seattle is entering a full-scale rebuild, and the club’s meeting with veteran wideout Brandon Marshall only verifies that stance, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. While the Seahawks have shed a mass of talent this offseason by releasing or trading stalwarts such as Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril, the club doesn’t intend to sacrifice its intention to compete. Marshall, of course, hasn’t been productive since 2015, but he’d add a physical element to a wide receiving depth chart that includes Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Jaron Brown.
  • Linebacker Derrick Johnson rebuffed offers from two-to-three other clubs in order to sign with the Raiders, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Johnson, 35, reiterated that the opportunity to play for head coach Jon Gruden played a large role in his decision to join Oakland’s squad, where he is expected to play middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme for the first time in his career. The Raiders have made multiple additions to the second level of their defense, adding Tahir Whitehead, Emmanuel Lamur, and Kyle Wilber in addition to Johnson. As such, it’s becoming clear that fellow linebacker NaVorro Bowman is unlikely to return to the Bay Area.
  • Byron Maxwell‘s new deal with the Seahawks has a base value of $2MM, reports Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The veteran cornerback, who is now in his second stint with Seattle, will collect a $950K base salary, a $500K signing bonus, a $100K roster bonus paid if he makes the Seahawks’ 53-man roster, and up to $450K in per-game roster bonuses. Maxwell looks like the clear favorite to start at outside corner opposite Shaquill Griffin, but he’ll be pushed by Justin Coleman and free agent addition Dontae Johnson.
  • The Chiefs announced that they’ve promoted Mike Borgonzi to director of football operations. As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com points out (Twitter link), Borgonzi will now take over the position manned by Chris Ballard before he became the Colts’ general manager, meaning the former should now be viewed as a future GM candidate. Kansas City also promoted Ryan Poles to assistant director of player personnel and named Ryne Nutt director of college scouting.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Browns, Kap, Bills

The latest news and notes from the AFC:

  • The Chiefs have announced several changes to their front office, including the hiring of Tim Terry as director of pro personnel and the promotion of Ryan Poles from college scouting coordinator to director of college scouting. Terry is joining his second NFL organization after spending the first 13 years of his career in Green Bay, where he was most recently the team’s assistant director of pro personnel. General manager John Dorsey was in the Packers’ front office before the Chiefs hired him in 2013, so he’s already familiar with Terry. Kansas City’s Dorsey-led front office also pried Chris Shea away from Philadelphia. Shea, the Chiefs’ new salary cap and legal executive, previously served as the Eagles’ director of scouting administration.
  • Former NFL head coach and current 49ers assistant Eric Mangini believes that Colin Kaepernick would be a great fit for the Browns.  “I think as the market settles and people start looking at these young quarterbacks they brought in and start evaluating the quarterback situation, they might realize it may not look as good as they hoped it would be,” Mangini told PFT. “I always thought he would be a good fit for the Browns. Hue [Jackson’s] system is multiple shifts and motions, and that’s what he did in San Francisco. Hue has an element of quarterback-driven runs, I think Colin is excellent as that. As a candidate, him vs. RGIII a year ago, I’d take Colin 10 times out of 10.” So far, the Browns have shown no interest in Kaepernick. To date, only Seattle has given him a real look.
  • Currently, the Bills are not projected to receive any 2018 compensatory picks because they signed more unrestricted free agents (seven) to qualifying contracts than they lost to other teams (five). However, the Bills can change that, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. By releasing a total of four of their seven signed free agents between now and Week 10, the Bills would be projected to tack on two compensatory picks – one being a third-rounder for losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore plus a fourth-rounder for losing wide receiver Robert Woods. The most likely UFAs to go, in Rodak’s estimation, are defensive end Ryan Davis, offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, and wide receiver Andre Holmes. To secure that fourth-round pick, they could also cut fullback Patrick DiMarco or kicker Steven Hauschka.