HEADLINES

Transactions News & Rumors

Bears To Sign S Tashaun Gipson

April 30th, 2020 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tashaun Gipson did not spend much time in free agency. Three days after his Texans release, the veteran safety agreed to a deal with the Bears, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

The former Browns, Jaguars and Texans safety agreed to a one-year Bears contract. Chicago did not re-sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix this offseason, with the now-well-traveled defender opting to sign with Dallas. And the Bears did not draft a safety, opening the door for Gipson to crack another team’s starting lineup.

In All-Pro Eddie Jackson, the Bears employ one of the game’s best safeties. They have fifth-year player Deon Bush, former Chief Jordan Lucas and ex-Packer Kentrell Brice as well. Gipson is more accomplished than all of Chicago’s non-Jackson safeties, having made 104 starts in eight seasons.

This will be Gipson’s age-30 season. The former Browns UDFA spent just one season with the Texans. He was with the Jaguars for three years and played a key role on two dominant defenses. Last season in Houston, Gipson intercepted three passes and took one back for a touchdown. He has 23 career INTs.

Gipson graded outside Pro Football Focus’ top 60 at the position, however, so his Bears deal is unlikely to approach the three-year, $22.5MM deal he inked with the Texans.

Dolphins Waive DE Taco Charlton

April 30th, 2020 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins will move on from one of its first-round defensive linemen. They waived Taco Charlton on Thursday. Miami initially claimed Charlton off waivers from Dallas last season.

Charlton did not live up to expectations with the Cowboys, who used a first-round pick on him in 2017, but did lead the 2019 Dolphins in sacks with five despite playing in only 10 games with Miami. No other Dolphin totaled more than 3.5 last season.

Miami signed multiple defensive ends this offseason — Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah — and added hybrid player Kyle Van Noy but did not make a substantial investment in the position during the draft. The Dolphins used a fifth-round pick on defensive end Jason Strowbridge.

Given Charlton’s draft pedigree and production in limited Dolphins time last season, he will be a tempting waiver claim — especially when teams can carry 90 players on their respective rosters. Charlton, though, recorded just four sacks in two seasons with the Cowboys. Dallas waived him in September of last year.

Packers Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

April 30th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have become the latest team to bring in a class of undrafted free agents. Green Bay announced that it’s agreed to terms with the following UDFAs:

As you may have heard, the Packers didn’t select a wide receiver at any point during the 2020 draft. Instead, Stewart will represent the only collegiate wideout added to Green Bay’s roster. In his senior season, the 6’2″, 216-pound Stewart posted 49 receptions for 697 yards and two touchdowns. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com praised Stewart’s size and willingness to block, but noted the ex-Spartan’s “catch technique may need to be stripped and rebuilt.”

Bears To Sign Ted Ginn Jr.

April 30th, 2020 at 12:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran wideout Ted Ginn Jr., according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Ginn, 35, indicated earlier this month that he didn’t plan to retire. A return to New Orleans never seemed likely after the Saints signed Emmanuel Sanders, but Ginn has now landed in Chicago where the Bears were in need of another pass-catcher.

While the Bears have Allen Robinson at one outside receiver position, and Anthony Miller in the slot, they were looking for a speed option to compete with Javon Wims for their third receiver role. Ginn has played between 55-65% of his club’s offensive snaps in recent seasons, and he figures to settle in at that rate Chicago in 2020.

Last season, Ginn caught 30 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns. While he was once a prolific return man, Ginn hasn’t played a special teams role in the past few years. That shouldn’t be an issue in Chicago, where the Bears already employ Cordarrelle Patterson.

Panthers To Sign Michael Schofield

April 30th, 2020 at 12:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have reached agreement on a one-year deal with offensive lineman Michael Schofield, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

A third-round pick of the Broncos in 2014, Schofield spent three seasons in Denver before latching on with the division rival Chargers via a waiver claim. Schofield became a full-time starter for Los Angeles in 2018, and went on to start 32 consecutive games.

Although he was drafted as a tackle, Schofield now plays guard, and that’s an area of need in Carolina. The Panthers traded Trai Turner to the Chargers earlier this year in exchange for tackle Russell Okung, and while they’ve already added free agent John Miller to play on the right side, Carolina could use help on the left, where Dennis Daley is currently projected to start.

Schofield’s last deal with the Chargers paid him $2.5MM annually on a two-year term. After two seasons as a full-time starter, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he sees a pay bump as he moves to the Panthers.

Redskins To Decline Reuben Foster’s Option

April 30th, 2020 at 11:41am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins will decline their 2021 fifth-year option on linebacker Reuben Foster, according to Les Carpenter of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

Washington’s decision isn’t much of a surprise, as there’s no clear indication that Foster will be able to play the 2020 season. Foster suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL in his first practice as a Redskin in May 2019, and while he’s seen recent improvements, he’s also dealt with nerve damage, so his health status is up in the air.

Foster’s 2021 option would have been guaranteed for injury, meaning the Redskins wouldn’t have been able to cut him after the 2020 season if he was dealing with medical question marks. Clearly, Washington didn’t to take that risk.

One of the NFL’s most talented linebackers, Foster was cut by the 49ers in November 2018 following multiple arrests and domestic violence accusations. The Redskins surprisingly claimed him off waivers, and while he was initially placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, Foster was soon reinstated.

Chargers To Exercise Mike Williams’ 2021 Option

April 30th, 2020 at 10:54am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers will exercise their 2021 fifth-year option on wide receiver Mike Williams, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).

Because Williams was a top-10 pick in the 2017 draft, his fifth-year option salary will be equal to that of the 2020 transition tag number for wideouts. That figure comes out $15.68MM, so Williams will see quite an increase over his 2019 cap charge of $6.374MM.

Williams’ fifth-year option will be guaranteed for injury only, so the Chargers will have the option to release him at the end of the 2020 campaign, provided he’s not dealing with medical questions. Starting in 2022, fifth-year options will become fully guaranteed, but Williams is part of the last draft class without that level of financial protection.

After barely contributing as a rookie, Williams posted 43 receptions for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2018. While his receiving yardage (barely) cleared the 1,000-yard threshold in 2019, Williams was hit by touchdown regression, and only found the end zone twice.

Depending on how Los Angeles handles’ its quarterback situation, Williams will be catching passes from either Tyrod Taylor or first-round pick Justin Herbert in 2020. He’ll be part of a pass-catching group that also includes Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, and Austin Ekeler.

Bengals To Release Andy Dalton

April 30th, 2020 at 8:11am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals are releasing veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dalton asked the Bengals to release him, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Dalton had been on the trade block for the entirety of the offseason, as Cincinnati knew it would be replacing the nine-year starter with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, whom the Bengals officially drafted last week. While the Bengals discussed a Dalton deal with the Bears in February (and may have spoken with other clubs), they were never able to unload the 32-year-old in exchange for draft capital.

Although Dalton indicated earlier this month that a “scenario” existed in which he’d return to Cincinnati, it never seemed likely that the Bengals would carry his $17.7MM salary for 2020. And that salary likely halted any potential trade talks, as well. The Bengals could have — and may — offered to pay down some of Dalton’s salary before trading him, but that may not have been enticing enough to other clubs to facilitate a deal.

Now that he’s on the free agent market, Dalton enters an NFL landscape without many starting quarterback jobs available. Looking around the league, the two teams that still may have somewhat open quarterback competitions are the Jaguars (who employ one of Dalton’s former offensive coordinators in Jay Gruden) and the Patriots. Of course, other veterans such as Cam Newton and Joe Flacco are also still available and could compete for those same roles.

A second-round pick in the 2011 draft, Dalton led the Bengals to five consecutive playoff appearances to begin his career. However, Cincinnati never won a postseason game in any of those five seasons, and the club hasn’t returned to the playoffs since. In 2015, Dalton was playing at a near-MVP level before fracturing his thumb in a December game against the Steelers, but he didn’t match that pace in any of the next four years.

For the Bengals, releasing Dalton not only affirms Burrow’s position as the club’s Week 1 starter, but gives them $17.7MM in additional cap space. The free agent market is largely picked over at this point, but Cincinnati now has extra cash on hand for extensions for A.J. Green and/or Joe Mixon.

Giants Pick Up 2021 Options For Evan Engram, Jabrill Peppers

April 29th, 2020 at 8:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will extend the contracts of 2017 first-rounders Evan Engram and Jabrill Peppers through the 2021 season, the team announced.

This marks the final year fifth-year options will be guaranteed for injury only. Beginning in 2018, teams must fully guarantee players fifth-year salaries if they pick up options. The injury component will be key for Engram.

The fourth-year tight end is coming off a second straight injury-marred season. Engram underwent foot surgery in December. While the Giants would obviously prefer he stay healthy and earn the 2021 salary coming to him, they would only be able to cut Engram free of charge if he can pass a physical by the start of the ’21 league year. Engram has missed 13 games between the 2018-19 seasons.

Engram, however, has given Eli Manning and Daniel Jones an intriguing weapon when healthy. He averaged a career-high 58.4 yards per game last season but only played in eight contests. Engram’s 722 yards as a rookie were the most of any rookie tight end during the 2010s.

Drafted two spots after Engram three years ago — at No. 25 overall — Peppers came over in last year’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade. The former Browns draftee started 11 Giants games last season before suffering a transverse process fracture in his back. Pro Football Focus graded the Michigan product as a middle-of-the-pack safety in 2019. Peppers registered 76 tackles, which were only three shy of his career-high figure despite an injury-shortened season, and intercepted one pass — which he took back for a touchdown.

Dolphins Add 10 UDFAs

April 29th, 2020 at 8:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins announced a 10-man UDFA class Wednesday. Here is the full list:

The Dolphins saw 2019 UDFA Preston Williams make an impact as a rookie and will give two more a shot. A Washington transfer, Sterk recorded a Division I-FCS-best 15 sacks last season. Cole averaged 21.8 yards per catch for his Division II program last season. Merritt, who also played at Oregon, caught 153 passes for 1,811 yards and 19 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons at the FCS level.

Jones started three seasons for Ole Miss and led SEC nose tackles with 30 stops last season. He finished with 10.5 career sacks as well. Staley started three seasons for the Gamecocks, making 23 starts at center and 11 at left guard. The Dolphins will guarantee $65K of Render’s salary, with $15K coming via signing bonus, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Render forced two fumbles and recorded 3.5 sacks last season.

Load More Posts