HEADLINES

Sterling Moore

NFC Links: White, Wallace, Seahawks

March 14th, 2015 at 9:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Corey White will head to Dallas after the Saints waived him Friday, reports ESPN’s Todd Archer. White had less than four years’ experience, which sent him to the waiver process where the Cowboys picked up the cornerback’s contract.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old White, a fifth-round Saints pick in 2012, started 19 games with New Orleans the past three seasons, including nine last year. The Cowboys, who did not place a tender on then-restricted free agent corner Sterling Moore last weekend, also have interest in bringing in ex-Saints corner Patrick Robinson, Archer added.

Moore rated 22nd among cornerbacks on Pro Football Focus (subscription required) last year, while the site ranked White as its third-worst corner.

White’s cap number more than doubles entering his fourth year, going from $614K to $1.6MM, per OverTheCap.

Elsewhere in free agency’s first official weekend …

  • New Vikings No. 1 receiver Mike Wallace did not agree to renegotiate his contract, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Wallace’s Dolphins deal signed in 2013 calls for him to count $9.9MM against the Vikings’ salary cap, which could be the highest figure on the team, depending on what happens with Adrian Peterson ($15.4MM).”I was traded as is, with my contract. We didn’t even discuss anything like that,” Wallace said, via Tomasson.
  • Currently the Seahawks‘ No. 2 quarterback behind Russell Wilson, B.J. Daniels figures to get competition here and may have his role expanded to non-quarterback responsibilities, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The third-stringer behind Wilson and current unrestricted free agent Tarvaris Jackson, Daniels was signed to a futures contract after the 2013 season. Pete Carroll told Condotta the athletic QB could be in line to have a role at wide receiver along with time as a return man. Daniels, a 49ers seventh-round pick in 2013, rushed for more than 2,000 yards in college at South Florida.
  • Five cornerbacks on the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks signed for a sum of $126.25MM this week, notes Condotta. Although only Byron Maxwell (six years, $63MM, Eagles) and Walter Thurmond (one year, $3.25MM, Eagles) played for the team in Super Bowl XLVIII, Brandon Browner (three years, $15MM, Saints), Perrish Cox (three years, $15MM, Titans) and Ron Parker (five years, $30MM, Chiefs) were on the roster at various points that season or in training camp.
  • OverTheCap provided an analysis of what kind of compensatory draft picks this year’s free agent class can net their former teams. It tabbed Ndamukong Suh, Darrelle Revis, Maxwell and Julius Thomas to result in picks at the end of the 2016 draft’s third round for the Lions, Patriots, Seahawks and Broncos. This year’s compensatory selections are set to be announced later this month.

FA Rumors: Ravens, Bush, Knighton

March 12th, 2015 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Look for the Ravens to be players on the receiver market once it comes into better focus, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. The Ravens could be waiting on guys like Dwayne Bowe and Mike Wallace to be cut since their preference is always to gravitate towards guys who have been released. Signing released players doesn’t hurt the team’s status for compensatory draft picks, and they generally come cheaper that way, too. More from around the NFL..

  • Free agent running back Reggie Bush is set to meet with the Patriots and 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter).
  • A head coach told Russini (on Twitter) that teams are afraid to sign Terrance Knighton because he’s out of shape.
  • Defensive back Sterling Moore is coming to Tampa for a visit with the Buccaneers, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets. The Cowboys elected not to tender a contract offer to the cornerback earlier this month. The Vikings were also said to have preliminary interest in him earlier this week.
  • Packers free agent cornerback Tramon Williams is back home thinking things over after his visit with New Orleans, but the Saints remain in play, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Vikings also reached out to Williams this week.
  • Patriots free agent linebacker Akeem Ayers is currently visiting with the Rams, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Ayers was sent from the Titans to the Pats in a mid-season trade.
  • The Giants have expressed interest in safety Darian Stewart, but no visit has been scheduled yet, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Stewart is in Denver today, then headed to Atlanta.
  • There was talk that the Dolphins were meeting with Falcons free agent cornerback Robert McClain with the intent of signing him, but that’s on hold right now, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Money is tight in Miami and they have other needs to fill, so he’ll remain on their radar while they look at other areas first.
  • The Cowboys brought in former Browns running back Ray Agnew for a workout, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). That was presumably prior to signing fullback Jed Collins, however, so there might not be a spot for Agnew in Dallas anymore.

Vikings Notes: Murray, Peterson, McCourty

March 9th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the Vikings..

  • If the Cowboys let DeMarco Murray walk, Adrian Peterson would be interested in going there, provided that Dallas would guarantee at least $25MM on a deal that amounts to a three-year pact, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. Robinson adds (link) that if the Cowboys won’t pay Murray $8MM per year and guarantee $25MM+, they’re unlikely to deal for Peterson and do the same thing.
  • The Vikings were in on Devin McCourty until the bidding reached $7MM per year, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. That could be an indication of how far they’re willing to go on free agent safeties.
  • The Vikings have also inquired about linebacker Brooks Reed, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. The Cardinals, Jets, Raiders, and Bears are interested in Reed but he’s reportedly leaning towards signing with the Falcons.
  • You can count the Vikings among the teams that are interested in cornerback Davon House, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune tweets.
  • The Vikings will likely host cornerback Brice McCain for a visit, Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN tweets.
  • The Vikings have inquired on free agent linebacker Andrew Gachkar and may bring him in for a visit later in the week, Wolfson tweets.
  • The Vikings have checked on guys like Bradley Fletcher and Sterling Moore, but everything is still preliminary with both, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets.

FA Rumors: Bulaga, McCourty, Suh, Raiders

March 7th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Packers were able to retain one of their top two free agents tonight, reaching an agreement to bring back wide receiver Randall Cobb, the team may end up losing tackle Bryan Bulaga, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Two league sources tell Silverstein that Bulaga is seeking a contract worth at least $7-8MM per year, and has a good chance of landing such a deal. Per one of Silverstein’s sources, Green Bay isn’t interested in paying $7MM+ annually for Bulaga, and would let him walk if the bidding got that high. The Buccaneers, the Jaguars, and Washington are believed to have interest in the free agent tackle.

Here’s more from around the league on what has been a busy Saturday:

  • According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), safety Devin McCourty is seeking an annual salary of $9MM per year, like what Jairus Byrd got a year ago. When I listed McCourty as 2015’s second-best free agent earlier today, I noted that if Byrd could land $9MM per year, the Pats safety should be able to do just as well on the open market.
  • Cole also has an update on Ndamukong Suh, tweeting that one high-placed source is confident that Suh will end up with the Dolphins, while a second source says the Lions are the only other team involved in the bidding. Given how rare it is for a player of Suh’s caliber to reach the open market, I’d be pretty surprised if only two teams were pursuing him, but multiple reports over the last several days have identified Miami and Detroit as the frontrunners.
  • Cobb had been high on the Raiders‘ list of wide receiver targets, but now that he’s off the market, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says the team will likely shift its focus to Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, and – if and when he becomes available – Percy Harvin.
  • The Texans have interest in quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer, and it may not be an either/or proposition for the team, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the club would like to sign both players.
  • The Cowboys have elected not to tender a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.