Tag: 2021 NFL Free Agency

Colts hosted CB Stephon Gilmore for free-agent visit

The Colts hosted CB Stephon Gilmore on a free-agent visit.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted cornerback Stephon Gilmore on a free-agent visit Wednesday, per the league’s transaction wire.

This is some big news out of what has been a pretty slow offseason for the Colts over the last few weeks. Gilmore is still one of the top cornerbacks in the game, and his value is certainly going to be up there.

The Colts have a bigger need at cornerback now after trading away Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue earlier in the offseason.

Gilmore would immediately step into the role as the No. 1 cornerback on the boundary for the Colts. His game may be better suited for a heavy man-coverage defense, but it’s clear the Colts have at least some interest in getting him to convert to a more zone-heavy approach.

Gilmore only appeared in eight games for the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 season. He allowed an 80.2 passer rating in coverage, per Pro Football Focus.

The former No. 10 overall pick (2012) is a five-time Pro Bowler (2016, 2018-2021) and two-time All-Pro First Team (2018, 2019). He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

It will be interesting to see if anything comes from this visit, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye out for.

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Lions options for replacing Ifeatu Melifonwu at cornerback

It’s not a good time to need CB help around the NFL, but the Lions are in need with injuries to Melifonwu and OIkudah

Already down one starting cornerback, the Detroit Lions suffered another significant blow in the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Rookie CB Ifeatu Melifonwu left Monday night’s game with a lower-body injury that head coach Dan Campbell deemed significant enough to keep Melifonwu out for some time.

Melifonwu rose up to the starting lineup to replace the injured Jeff Okudah, who is out for the year with a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1. Now the Lions are faced with replacing the replacement, no easy task.

Internal options

Bobby Price took over on Monday night in Green Bay. He’s a work in progress, still converting from safety in his second NFL season. Undrafted rookie Jerry Jacobs saw limited action as well and notably committed an obvious defensive pass interference penalty.

Another rookie, AJ Parker, was the bright spot in the secondary in both games so far. He has primarily been in the slot but could kick outside. The Lions do have veteran slot CB Nickell Robey-Coleman on the practice squad. Signing him to the active 53-man roster seems a foregone conclusion.

The Lions did bring in veteran Daryl Worley to the practice squad late last week. He’s another option to get called up to the active roster now that Worley has had time to settle in a little bit. Detroit also has youngster Parnell Motley on the practice squad at CB.

Quinton Dunbar

The Lions acknowledged they were looking at bringing Dunbar back into the den last week, but nothing has materialized to this point. Dunbar signed with the Lions in the offseason and was a projected starter at outside CB before a personal issue forced him away from the team.

Dunbar has a workout scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, so if the Lions are going to act here, it needs to happen swiftly.

External options

The current crop of unsigned veteran free agent CBs isn’t great, but there are a few who merit at least a workout to see if they might fit.

Richard Sherman has made it known he’s ready to return to action. His offseason legal issues complicate matters for the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell’s “no turd” policy, and Sherman, now 33, has battled injury issues for several seasons as well.

Darqueze Dennard carries some name-value recognition as a former first-round pick (Bengals in 2014) from Michigan State. He’s not played like a first-round talent but does have experience and can play either inside or outside.

Another former first-round pick, Gareon Conley, is also still out there. Conley hasn’t played since 2019, spending 2020 on injured reserve. If the 26-year-old is healthy, and that’s a big “if”, he could help in a pinch like the Lions find themselves in right now.

Damarious Randall is yet another former first-rounder (Green Bay in 2015) who could help. He’s primarily played safety in his NFL career but played CB while with Seattle over the summer and has a cornerback background.

Report: Lions have reached out to CB Quinton Dunbar

A report from the NFL Network indicates the Lions have reached out to CB Quinton Dunbar about a possible return to Detroit

The Detroit Lions are painfully thin at cornerback after losing top CB Jeff Okudah for the season. They’re even thinner on experience at the position.

The Lions could be looking to remedy both ills with one move. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the team has approached veteran Quinton Dunbar about a possible return to Detroit.

Dunbar was with the team at the start of training camp but left for personal reasons. After several days away that were excused by head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions released Dunbar. He had been signed as a free agent and penciled in as one of the team’s starters at outside CB.

It’s interesting to note that Garafolo reports the team had already reached out to Dunbar before Okudah’s injury.

KJ Wright talks about his role with Raiders and being ‘angry’ right now

KJ Wright talks about his role with Raiders and being ‘angry’ right now

The Raiders made it official on Monday. In one of the more hoped and anticipated moves of the Raiders offseason, they signed free-agent veteran linebacker KJ Wright.

Even at the age of 32, a player of Wright’s caliber still being on the market at this point is a bit surprising. After all, just last season he put up 11 tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups. Wright had every reason to believe teams would be lining up to sign him and that he would’ve been on a team long ago.

“Listen, this offseason I’ve been pissed off all offseason,” Wright said Monday. “I’ve been very, very angry. I’ve been at peace, but I’ve been mad at the same time, if that makes sense. I had a lot of people down on me this offseason and I’m still keeping it going. I’m thankful to be here, but that burning desire you’re talking about, it’s on a hundred right now.”

Ultimately, it took the Raiders finding themselves in desperation mode to finally clear some cap room and pull the trigger on signing Wright to the type of deal he feels his talent is worth.

Where the desperation came was in losing starting linebacker Nicholas Morrow. But even with Morrow, they didn’t have a linebacker who could bring the skillset that Wright brings and be an ideal fit for the SAM linebacker spot. Throughout camp, they had Tanner Muse lining up there with the first team, but he was just a placeholder. And he was waived with the announcement Wright had been added.

Gus Bradley’s defense doesn’t deploy a standard traditional SAM. It’s similar but goes by a different name. And to hear Wright tell it, his job will be a bit of everything.

“I would say to play the OTTO position and if he needs me at any other positions or nickel to know it, and play the hell out of it,” Wright said of his role.

“OTTO position is a guy that’s on the ball, off the ball, buzzing to the flats, setting the edge, making plays in the open field, communicating, helping the MIKE out, setting the front. He’s just the guy that just does everything — blitzes, coming off the edge — so he’s a guy that does a lot. A lot of dirty work, lot of open-field tackles, and so you got to be a baller out there.”

Wright added that he prides himself in knowing all three positions. And being that he and Gus Bradley worked together in Seattle, Wright should have no problem picking things up quickly and fitting right in. He and Cory Littleton should get the bulk of the snaps with Nick Kwiatkoski and Denzel Perryman available to start or play significant snaps at the third linebacker spot.

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Keeping track of where former Lions landed around the league

Keeping up with where recent former Detroit Lions players are at now around the NFL

Now that the roster cutdowns are settled in, it’s time to take a look around the NFL and see where some old friends who used to play in Detroit are now. Everyone knows Matthew Stafford is in Los Angeles, but how is he faring in his new Rams uniform? We’ll check on the guy who left early in free agency too.

Stafford: The new Rams starting QB did not play in the preseason. Stafford is even getting some fringe MVP buzz in his new home.

Kenny Golladay: Golladay signed with the New York Giants as a big-ticket free agent, but there is already some uneasiness and buyer’s remorse as Golladay continues to deal with injuries that kept him out of the preseason.

Marvin Jones: Jones followed former Lions offensive coordinator and interim head coach Darrell Bevell to Jacksonville. Jones will start at WR for the new-look Jaguars, though he suffered a shoulder injury in the final preseason game that could sideline him for a bit.

Jamal Agnew: Like Jones, Agnew headed to Jacksonville. As was the case in Detroit, Agnew will primarily be the Jaguars’ return specialist. He will also serve as the backup slot WR and occasional gadget player.

Mike Ford: The cornerback was the only Lions player cut in the last two weeks who was added to another team’s active roster right away. Ford was claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos.

Duron Harmon: The veteran safety signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He’s earned a starting role but is also mentoring the young secondary around him in Atlanta too.

Kerryon Johnson: The Lions let Johnson go earlier this offseason out of concerns over the running back’s ability to stay healthy. That proved prescient; Johnson was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles with injury designation. He has not been signed elsewhere as of Sept. 6th.

Mohamed Sanu: He had but a brief run in Detroit in 2020. Now the veteran wideout is in San Francisco. Sanu will be the No. 3 receiver, and perhaps the punt returner, for the 49ers when they visit Ford Field in Week 1.

Chase Daniel: The Los Angeles Chargers signed Daniel to be their “in case of emergency, break glass” backup quarterback.

Oday Aboushi: Aboushi also found his way to the Chargers. The veteran offensive lineman is penciled in as the starting right guard after a decent summer. As a bonus, one-time Lions OT Storm Norton is the Chargers’ swing tackle.

Jahlani Tavai: As nearly the entire football universe predicted, Tavai found his way to New England after the Lions dumped the 2019 second-round linebacker. He’s on the Patriots practice squad to start 2021.

Jesse James: After fizzling as a free agent TE signing in Detroit over two years, James took his talents to Chicago. James is the Bears’ backup tight end.

Jayron Kearse: After starting seven games in Detroit in 2020, Kearse is now the No. 3 safety in Dallas and was also a fixture on special teams in preseason.

Breshad Perriman: While he’s not officially been added to the Bears roster just yet, Perriman has agreed to sign with Chicago. The Bears are still in the process of figuring who to cut to add Detroit’s biggest free agent disappointment of 2021.

Jake Hausmann: One of the first cuts by the Lions this summer, Hausmann is now on the Giants practiced squad. The rookie tight end from Ohio State was also one of the Giants quick cuts.

Miles Killebrew: The hybrid LB/S is now the top backup safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Danny Shelton: One of Detroit’s starting defensive tackles in 2020, Shelton is now the No. 3 DT in the rotation with the Giants.

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Raiders make series of roster moves heading into weekend

Raiders make series of roster moves heading into weekend

It was a busy week for the Raiders. Early in the week they had to make their roster cuts to get down to 53 players. The next day (Wednesday) they needed to see about putting together a 16-man practice squad, which they did and making a few more moves official.

With the practice squad in place, the team went about placing several players on partial season injured reserve. And with those moves, they added players to fill their vacant roster spots.

Heading to partial season IR were linebacker Nicholas Morrow (foot) and Javin White (knee), RB Jalen Richard (foot), and CB Keisean Nixon (leg).

Corresponding moves saw the return of TE Derek Carrier and S Dallin Leavitt along with the addition of OL Jermaine Eluemunor.

Eluemunor was originally a round five draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2017. The 6-4, 345-pounder has played at guard and tackle in his career. He has appeared in 39 games with 11 starts over his career with the Ravens and Patriots. He was most recently in camp with the Dolphins.

If you’re wondering if the math isn’t working out, you’re right. They placed four players on IR and added three. There is one spot open, officially, though reports have it filled with LB KJ Wright who was signed to a one-year deal.

In order to scrounge up the money to afford Wright, the team restructured the contract of DE Yannick Ngakoue, saving $8 million on this year’s cap.

The team made one last move on Friday and it was bringing back former 5th round LB Marquel Lee to the practice squad and releasing undrafted rookie LB Max Richardson from the practice squad.

Browns sign free agent LB Tegray Scales

Scales has experience on special teams with the Steelers in 2020

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The Cleveland Browns added a healthy body to the battered linebacking corps on Wednesday. The team signed free agent LB Tegray Scales to the roster.

Scales comes to Cleveland hoping to stick on a roster. He’s bounced around the NFL since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana in the 2018 NFL draft. He saw his only regular season action with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, playing almost exclusively on special teams in four games.

In college, Scales was an inside backer with good tackling power and quick play recognition. He stood out in Shrine Bowl practices following his senior season with the Hoosiers. He also had a stint in the XFL.

Scales takes the roster spot of CB Robert Jackson, who was waived on Tuesday.

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Raiders sign former Rams DT Ethan Westbrooks

Raiders sign former Rams DT Ethan Westbrooks

For the second time in a week, the Raiders have added some competition to their interior defensive line. Last week it was veteran former Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. Now joining the group is former Rams defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks.

An Oakland native, he attended Franklin High School in Elk Grove California.

The 30-year-old defensive lineman entered the league in 2014 and spent five seasons with the Rams.  The last season he played was 2018.

Signing defensive tackles who didn’t play in the league last season is also a bit of a theme. Darius Philon signed on with the team this offseason after being out of the league the past two years due to a suspension. McCoy was also out of football last season after an injury in camp with the Cowboys.

Westbrooks is listed at 6-4, 287 pounds. He has nine career sacks and 26 QB hits in five NFL seasons. His best season was in 2016 when he started nine games and put up four sacks.

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Lions sign free agent kicker Zane Gonzalez

Lions sign free agent kicker Zane Gonzalez and waive PK Matthew Wright

The Detroit Lions have added some needed competition for Randy Bullock at placekicker. The Lions have signed veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez, per his agent Mike McCartney.

In a corresponding move, the Lions waived kicker Matthew Wright just hours after he badly missed on a field goal in Tuesday’s practice.

Gonzalez spent the last two seasons as the primary kicker for the Arizona Cardinals. He did not have a good 2020 season, converting just 72 percent of his field goal attempts. Gonzalez also kicked for the Cleveland Browns as that team’s seventh-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL draft out of Arizona. He has recently tried out with the Titans.

Bullock, signed as a free agent this offseason, has also had some issues on field goals throughout camp. Gonzalez offers a bigger leg with longer range, though his accuracy has been iffy throughout his career.

Browns try out 7 players including two quarterbacks

The Browns welcomed 7 free agents in for tryouts including a pair of former Ole Miss QBs

The Cleveland Browns welcomed seven NFL free agents to try out for the team on Monday. It’s an interesting mix of players that includes a pair of quarterbacks.

The quarterbacks who tried out are both from Ole Miss, Jordan Ta’amu and Chad Kelly. They couldn’t be more divergent stylistically, however. Kelly is a strong-armed pocket passer and Ta’amu is a smaller, mobile, rhythm type of QB.

Among the others, former Texans linebacker Dylan Cole stands out. Cole thrived on special teams in Houston and had some decent work at inside LB for the Texans before injuries slowed his career. Wideout Darvin Kidsy is a speedster who has spent time with the Football Team.

The full septet who tried out, per the NFL’s transaction wire:

  • Dylan Cole, LB
  • Jonathon Johnson, WR
  • Chad Kelly, QB
  • Darvin Kidsy, WR
  • T.J. Morrison, CB
  • Jordan Ta’amu, QB
  • Kerrith Whyte, RB

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