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Texans LB Dylan Cole Signs RFA Tender

April 6th, 2020 at 6:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Dylan Cole has signed his restricted free agent tender. The linebacker announced on Twitter that he’s inked his new deal with the Texans.

“Done deal,” Cole said. “Absolutely blessed to be in Houston another year! Time to earn it. Let’s make it out of 2020 healthy! That’s to all of us.”

Cole was tendered at an original-round level back in March. He’s set to earn $2.144MM next season.

The former undrafted free agent out of Missouri State has spend his entire career with the Texans organization. He actually put up his best numbers during his rookie year, compiling 32 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions in 12 games (one start).

This past year, Cole appeared in 11 games for the Texans, compiling 16 tackles and one pass defended. The 25-year-old landed on the injured reserve in late November after suffering a torn ACL. That injury will likely knock him out of part of the 2020 campaign.

49ers WR Kendrick Bourne Signs RFA Tender

April 6th, 2020 at 6:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Kendrick Bourne is heading back to San Francisco. The restricted free agent wideout signed his tender with the 49ers today.

Back in March, Bourne was slapped with a second-round tender, an indication that the organization was serious about retaining him. Thanks to today’s official signing, the receiver will earn around $3.27MM next season.

Bourne spent the past three seasons with San Francisco, but he was especially productive between 2018 and 2019. Over the past two years, the receiver has hauled in a total of 72 receptions for 845 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also appeared in 16 games in each of the past two seasons.

This past year, Bourne appeared in all three playoff games for San Francisco, hauling in a total of six receptions. That included a pair of catches for 42 yards during the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss.

Bourne could have a chance to take on a bigger role in 2020. With Deebo Samuel atop the receiver depth chart, Bourne will compete with the likes of Dante Pettis and free agent addition Travis Benjamin for snaps.

Dolphins LB Vince Biegel Signs RFA Tender

April 6th, 2020 at 6:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Vince Biegel will play next season under the RFA tender. The restricted free agent linebacker signed his deal with the Dolphins today (per the team’s Twitter account). Biegel will earn around $2.13MM next season.

We heard back in January that the two sides were working on a long-term, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that that was indeed the case. However, the two sides couldn’t agree to terms, resulting in today’s transaction. Biegel was initially tendered at his original-round level by the Dolphins back in March.

The 2017 fourth-round pick spent his first two professional seasons in a backup role for the Packers and Saints. Prior to the start of the 2019 regular season, he was traded to Miami for Kiko Alonso, and he proceeded to have the best season of his career. The 26-year-old established career-highs across the board, finishing with 59 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception in 15 games (10 starts).

Biegel isn’t the first restricted free agent to sign his tender with the Dolphins. Last week, punter Matt Haack inked his new deal with Miami.

Jaguars Re-Sign Carl Davis

April 6th, 2020 at 2:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars announced that they’ll bring back Carl Davis for another year. However, the defensive tackle will not be available for the first month of the season thanks to his four-game ban. 

Davis violated the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, resulting in a suspension to start the year. Naturally, that inhibited Davis’ market as he talked with clubs in March.

The 2015 third-round pick spent his first three seasons with the Ravens, tallying 30 tackles, half-a-sack, and three passes defended in 28 games (12 starts). His 2016 season was derailed by a knee injury, and he was limited down the stretch of the 2017 campaign with a hamstring issue.

After being released by the Ravens before the 2018 campaign, he hooked on with the Browns. Despite re-signing with the squad the following offseason, he was released by Cleveland following the 2019 preseason. He ultimately appeared in three total games for the Colts and Jaguars last year, collecting a single tackle.

Michael Brockers Re-Signs With Rams; Ravens Deal Nixed

April 4th, 2020 at 3:03pm CST by Zachary Links

APRIL 4, 3:03pm: Brockers’ deal with the Rams is now official. This marks his third contract with the team that drafted him.

MARCH 27, 1:48pm: Brockers’ three-year deal carries a base value of $24MM and could be worth up to $31.5MM via incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A good chunk of the incentive package – $4.5MM – is based on realistic playing time milestones that he should bank, so long as he stays healthy. Brockers, as Rapoport notes, has not missed a game in the last three years.

MARCH 27, 9:24am: Michael Brockers isn’t going to the Ravens after all. On Friday, the Ravens announced that the deal is off. Then, Brockers did a U-Turn – he’ll return to the Rams on a three-year deal worth up to $31.5MM, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 

It’s a similar deal to his would-be Ravens contract, which was reported to be worth $30MM over the course of three years. However, it’s worth noting that the Ravens were set to give him $21MM fully guaranteed and the locked-in dollar amount of Brockers’ new Rams deal is not yet known.

Brockers was set to join forces with newcomer Calais Campbell and incumbent interior force Brandon Williams in Baltimore. Then, earlier this week, the Ravens got skittish about his medical situation. Unable to examine him with their own team doctors due to the coronavirus epidemic, they had Brockers examined by an outside doctor. The exam raised potential issues with Brockers’ ankle, the same one he injured late last year.

Even though he doesn’t have gaudy sack totals, Brockers has been a solid defender against the run for L.A. For the Rams, it’s a significant item crossed off their to-do list. The Ravens, meanwhile, are in a bit of a tough spot. Before deciding on Brockers, the Ravens were in the mix for Ndamukong Suh and other notable D-Lineman, but Suh and most of this year’s impact free agents are already spoken for.

Chiefs To Sign Ricky Seals-Jones

April 3rd, 2020 at 5:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chiefs are adding a tight end behind Travis Kelce. Kansas City has agreed to terms with free agent Ricky Seals-Jones, a source told Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

In a follow-up tweet, Paylor notes it’s a one-year deal. It’s an interesting developmental pickup for the Chiefs, as Seals-Jones only turned 25 last month. He signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and made some noise down the stretch of his rookie season. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the Texas A&M product heading into his second season, but he was arrested that summer and ended up underwhelming.

In 15 games and five starts in 2018, he caught 34 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown. He was waived at final cuts in 2019, and claimed by the Browns. The Steelers put in a claim as well. He ended up with 229 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games with Cleveland last year. He’s flashed plenty of potential in the past and the Chiefs don’t have much else behind Kelce, so he should be in line to be Kansas City’s number two in 2020.

Bengals “Officially” Sign D.J. Reader

April 3rd, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have officially signed D.J. Reader, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The two sides agreed to a deal weeks ago, but the pandemic threw a wrench into their plans.

The deal, at long last, is done after Reader agreed to additional language that has been popping up more and more as of late. In essence, Reader’s deal is done, though he still must pass a physical in order for the deal to take effect. If he doesn’t pass, the Bengals will have the option of cutting him immediately or keeping the contract as-is. It adds an extra layer of protection for the Bengals, of course, but also ensures that Reader will not be left in a holding pattern.

As previously reported, Reader’s four-deal is set to pay him $53MM with a favorable cash flow. He’ll get $22.25MM in Year 1 and $31.75MM over the first two years of the contract. It’s a big commitment, but the Bengals believe that it’s a worthwhile one – Reader is fantastic against the run and he’ll be downright scary when lined up next to Geno Atkins on the interior line.

“I know we’re in a good spot with the mix of young and experienced players that know what they’re doing. You’ve got guys like Geno and Carlos Dunlap that have played a lot of ball,” Reader told the team website recently. “They’re great leaders and everybody in the back end. And we’ve got some new guys coming in now. It’s a revamped team, but a lot of their standard pieces are in place. It wasn’t like you needed that much to come. You’ve got young guys like (right end) Sam Hubbard, the receivers are good. Running back Joe Mixon is good; the offensive line is good and has a lot of guys that have been there. I knew the record didn’t reflect what the team had last year.”

The Broncos, Bills, and Titans were among the clubs looking at Reader last month. Ultimately, the Bengals came out on top to land one of the league’s best young 3-4 NTs.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Blaine Gabbert

April 3rd, 2020 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have made it official: Blaine Gabbert is headed back to Tampa to serve as the backup to Tom Brady. His one-year deal is “guaranteed,” according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

[RELATED: Bucs GM Jason Licht On Landing Tom Brady]

Gabbert, 31 in October, joined the Bucs this time last year. Unfortunately, his season ended before it could even begin, thanks to a dislocated shoulder suffered in the preseason.

Before that, Gabbert saw time in eight games (including three starts) for the Titans. As the QB2 to Marcus Mariota, he completed 60.4% of his passes for 626 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Now, he’ll serve as Brady’s clipboard holder while continuing his relationship with head coach Bruce Arians. Arians coached Gabbert in Arizona, including the 2017 season in which he started five games.

Gabbert, the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has 49 career starts with a career 13-35 record and a 56.2% completion percentage. He also has a nearly 1:1 TD-INT ratio.

Raiders To Sign Damarious Randall

April 3rd, 2020 at 8:31am CST by Zachary Links

Damarious Randall is headed to Las Vegas. On Friday, the safety agreed to a one-year deal to join up with Jon Gruden & Co., according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that the pact will be worth up to $3.25MM (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Raiders Call Off Deal With Eli Apple]

Randall, 28 in August, spent the first three years of his career with the Packers before moving on to the Browns in 2018. Last year, he was limited to just eleven games, though he still managed 2.5 sacks, 61 total stops, and six passes defensed. All in all, he’s got 56 career starts and 14 interceptions to his credit across five NFL seasons.

Randall clashed with head coach Freddie Kitchens at times last year, but he wasn’t the only player in Cleveland to get into it with the since-fired coach. Besides, Gruden likes to see a little bit of fire in his veteran players.

The Redskins and Seahawks also expressed interest in Randall in March, but the Raiders stayed patient and landed him on a short-term deal in April. Luckily for them, Randall was still available to help fortify the secondary after their deal with Eli Apple fell through.

One way or another, the Raiders will have to improve their pass defense in order to contend in 2020. Last year, they surrendered 256.7 passing yards per game, the eighth-highest total in the league.

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