HEADLINES

Shamar Stephen

Seahawks Host DT Shamar Stephen

March 21st, 2018 at 9:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings poached one of the Seahawks’ defensive tackles last week by signing Sheldon Richardson to a one-year deal, and now Seattle may do the same to Minnesota. The Seahawks have met with free agent lineman and ex-Viking Shamar Stephen, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).

With Richardson now longer in town, Seattle is attempting to fortify an interior defensive line that is now led by Jarran Reed, Nazair Jones, and Garrison Smith. The Seahawks have met with free agents Bennie Logan and Tom Johnson, and have reportedly reached out to a number of available defensive tackles, including Ndamukong Suh and Quinton Dial.

Stephen, 27, started all 16 games for the Vikings as recently as 2016, but his snap percentage drop by 15% in 2017. In 15 appearances, Stephen posted nine tackles and one sack, also saw action on roughly a third of Minnesota’s special teams snaps. Seattle isn’t the only that’s expressed interest in Stephen, as he’s also taken a visit with the Lions.

Extra Points: Meredith, Curry, Ravens, Vikes

March 20th, 2018 at 9:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bears restricted free agent wide receiver Cameron Meredith took a visit with the Colts today, and he’s expected to meet with at least one more (unidentified) team, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago somewhat surprisingly used an original round tender on Meredith, so it won’t receive any compensation if it decides not to match an offer sheet for the former undrafted free agent. Meredith, 25, is coming off a torn ACL, so the Colts (and the mystery club) likely want to check the condition of his affected knee. In 2016, Meredith posted 66 receptions and 888 yards in only 10 starts, so he could potentially be a bargain if he gets away from the Bears.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Defensive lineman Vinny Curry confirmed he had the chance to stick with the Eagles (almost assuredly at a reduced rate), but he ultimately secured interest from as many as seven teams before signing with the Buccaneers, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Curry joined fellow former Philadelphia defender Beau Allen in inking three-year deals with Tampa Bay, and their respective signings led the Bucs to cut ties with veteran defensive end Robert Ayers. The Eagles reportedly attempted both to trade Curry or lower his 2018 salary before releasing him, as his presence was made superfluous by Philadelphia’s acquisition of Michael Bennett.
  • New Ravens wide receiver John Brown was diagnosed with the sickle cell trait back in 2016, but he claims that’s not impacting his health. “I’m healthy. I’m feeling good,” said Brown, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal with Baltimore (link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “Sickle cell was never part of the problem.” Brown set career highs with 65 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns for Arizona in 2015, but has not reprised that performance in the last two years. Brown will team with fellow free agent addition Michael Crabtree to give Baltimore a new-look wide receiver corps in 2018.
  • The Broncos are still searching the free agent market for a tight end, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link), who suggests the recently-released Marcedes Lewis could get a look from John Elway & Co. Denver lost blocking tight end Virgil Green to the Chargers last week, and didn’t pursue any of the market’s top tight ends such as Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, or Tyler Eifert. At present, the Broncos’ TE depth chart is topped by Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt, but free agents that could speculatively be of interest may include Martellus Bennett, Antonio Gates, Luke Willson, or Brent Celek.
  • Kicker Kai Forbath became the first Vikings unrestricted free agent to re-sign with the club earlier today, and Minnesota still has interest in retaining a number of UFAs, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Cornerbacks Terence Newman and Marcus Sherels are on the Vikings’ radar, as are offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles and defensive lineman Shamar Stephen. Minnesota could have competition for the latter two, as Sirles has taken a visit with the Panthers, while Stephen was hosted by the division-rival Lions.

Lions Host DT Shamar Stephen

March 17th, 2018 at 8:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions are looking at a defensive rival’s castoff for defensive help, as the club has met with former Vikings defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, tweets veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer.

While Detroit has been active in revamping its defense through free agency, it’s mostly focused on linebackers and defensive backs. The Lions have signed veterans such as Devon Kennard, Christian Jones, and DeShawn Shead over the past week, but they’ve yet to address their front four even after losing defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the Eagles.

Stephen, 27, started all 16 games for the Vikings as recently as 2016, but his snap percentage drop by 15% in 2017. In 15 appearances, Stephen posted nine tackles and one sack, also saw action on roughly a third of Minnesota’s special teams snaps. Unlikely to return to the Vikings given that they’ve signed Sheldon Richardson, Stephen would join A’Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence on Detroit’s defensive line.

2017 Proven Performance Escalators

January 17th, 2017 at 6:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.Donte Moncrief (Vertical)

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.8MM in 2017. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2017 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:

49ers: Aaron Lynch, LB; Marcus Martin, OL

Bears: Charles Leno, T; Will Sutton, DT

Bengals: Russell Bodine, C

Bills: Preston Brown, LB; Seantrel Henderson, T

Broncos: Michael Schofield, OL

Browns: Christian Kirksey, LB

Buccaneers: Kevin Pamphile, G

Cardinals: John Brown, WR

Chiefs: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G; Zach Fulton, G; Phillip Gaines, CB

Colts: Donte Moncrief, WR

Cowboys: Anthony Hitchens, LB

Falcons: Devonta Freeman, RB

Giants: Devon Kennard, LB

Jaguars: Aaron Colvin, CB; Brandon Linder, G; Telvin Smith, LB

Lions: Nevin Lawson, CB; Travis Swanson, C

Packers: Corey Linsley, C; Richard Rodgers, TE

Panthers: Tre Boston, S; Trai Turner, G

Raiders: T.J. Carrie, CB; Justin Ellis, DT; Gabe Jackson, G

Rams: Maurice Alexander, S; E.J. Gaines, CB

Redskins: Bashaud Breeland, CB; Spencer Long, G; Morgan Moses, T

Texans: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE; Andre Hal, S

Titans: DaQuan Jones, DL; Avery Williamson, LB

Vikings: Shamar Stephen, DT

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/15

October 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

Earlier today:

  • The Browns are signing linebacker Jayson DiManche off the Chiefs‘ taxi squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. DiManche will take the roster spot previously filled by running back Shaun Draughn, who has been waived, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound DiManche has appeared in 28 regular-season games with one start, all with the Bengals. Draughn appeared in five games this season for Cleveland with two carries for 10 yards.
  • The Falcons signed linebacker Philip Wheeler and released safety Charles Godfrey, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Lions have claimed guard/tackle Michael Ola off waivers from the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. Ola has yo-yo’d between the Chargers’ 53-man roster and the taxi squad all season long.
  • The Colts promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star tweets. The Colts also cut Amarlo Herrera and cornerback Shaun Prater, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed Lemuel Jeanpierre and cut Crezdon Butler, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
  • The Seahawks also placed linebacker Brock Coyle on IR-DTR, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune tweets.
  • The Chargers will sign safety Adrian Phillips from the practice squad as early as today, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
  • The Raiders re-signed strong safety Taylor Mays, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints have signed wide receiver T.J. Graham, according to a source who spoke with Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings signed Kenrick Ellis and placed Shamar Stephen on IR, Wilson tweets.
  • The Jaguars moved wide receiver Neal Sterling to the active roster and signed safety Craig Loston, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

Vikings, Anthony Barr Agree To Terms

May 20th, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have reached an agreement with the first of their 2014 first-round picks, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that linebacker Anthony Barr has agreed to terms with the club. In addition to reaching a deal with Barr, Minnesota has also agreed to a contract with seventh-rounder Shamar Stephen, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

According to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com, Barr, the ninth overall pick this year, is in line for a signing bonus of about $7.588MM. Barr’s four-year should have an overall base value of about $12.744MM, and will include a fifth-year option for 2018. As for Stephen, the 220th overall pick should receive a signing bonus worth about $65K and a four-year contract worth around $2.285MM in total.

With Barr and Stephen set to sign their deals, the Vikings will have secured half of their 10 draftees. The team’s second first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater, is among the five players who still need to be locked up.