While the deal isn’t official yet, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Lions are on the verge of acquiring cornerback Chris Houston from the Falcons in exchange for their sixth round pick. In addition, the two teams would also swap selections in the fifth round.

The Falcons drafted Houston out of Arkansas with the 41st overall pick (second round) in the 2007 draft in hopes that he would pair with DeAngelo Hall to form a formidable duo in their secondary. But Hall was traded the following year and despite having the opportunity to gain extensive playing time as a starter, Houston just hasn’t been an ideal fit in Atlanta.

In Detroit, Houston will be able to play more press coverage, which should suit him better than the zone scheme that the Falcons run. He’s extremely athletic and if he can get his hands on a receiver at the line, he can be a decent cover corner. The problem is that he has massive issues trying to find the ball once it’s in the air and struggles playing in space, which is why he isn’t a fit in zone coverage. Still, he has all the athletic tools to succeed and if he winds up fulfilling his talent, he could be a solid No. 2 in the league.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Browns signed a pair of free agents over the weekend, inking deals with linebacker Scott Fujita (three years, $16 million) and right tackle Tony Pashos (three years, $10.3 million).

The signing of Fujita probably signals the end of Eric Barton’s short tenure in Cleveland. The former New Orleans outside linebacker will play inside in Eric Mangini’s 3-4 defense and should do well at that position. While he’s an unspectacular player (i.e. he’s not going to make a ton of highlight reel plays), Fujita is fundamentally sound and plays the run extremely well.

Pashos will replace John St. Clair, who struggled mightily last year. With the Browns ready to transition to a power running game under Mike Holmgren, Pashos is a good fit because he’s a mauler in the run game. He is coming off an injury-plagued 2009 season, but has been durable over his career and should be healthy by the time camp opens.

Another interesting Browns-related nugget is that Troy Smith’s agent said on Monday that his client “would crawl from Baltimore right now to be able to play in Cleveland.” The Browns are looking for quarterbacks and Smith was tendered at the low level, which means he could be had for a fifth round pick. But is he a fit for the West Coast offense? It might be worth it for Holmgren to part with a fifth rounder to find out.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Via his Twitter page, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Bengals have contemplated pursuing restricted free agent Brandon Marshall, although no visit has been arranged yet.

Despite that report, Bengals’ beat writer Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the rumors on Marshall to the Bengals are mostly a smoke screen meant to drive up the price for the Seahawks, who hosted Marshall over the weekend.

Not to discredit Reedy’s reporting, but why would the Bengals want to drive up the price for the Seahawks? Seattle plays in a completely different conference than Cincinnati and one would think that the Bengals would be concentrating on signing their own free agents instead of faking interest in Marshall just to tease the Seahawks. But who knows at this point.

Schefter also writes that his ESPN collegue Mike Tirico recently bumped into Marshall in Denver and the receiver said the visit to Seattle was “great.” Marshall apparently also told Tirico that he is still very open to saying in Denver.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Things could be heating up on the Brandon Marshall trade front. Here’s what we know so far:

– On Saturday, Marshall was reportedly in Seattle doing a meet-and-greet with the Seahawks. While they didn’t sign the restricted free agent to an offer sheet, the Seattle Times speculates that the Seahawks would send the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft to the Broncos for Marshall.

If that sounds far-fetched, it’s probably because it is. In fact, ESPN NFC West beat writer Mike Sando says that he would be shocked if the Hawks parted with their top pick, although that doesn’t mean the two sides can’t work out another trade if Marshall is signed to an offer sheet.

– Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post writes that the Seahawks could have competition for Marshall shortly, although he doesn’t say which teams could be interested. The very reliable Rotoworld.com speculates that the Patriots, Falcons and Bengals make sense.

Out of the three teams Rotoworld mentions, I think the Patriots and Bengals do make sense, although I highly doubt the Falcons would join the party. While they would love to add another big time playmaker opposite Roddy White, I doubt they’ll part with their first round pick (19th overall) to address the offensive side of the ball with holes at outside linebacker and defensive end. GM Thomas Dimitroff would like to continue his rebuilding project on defense and it makes it harder for him to do that without a first round pick. I think Dunta Robinson was the only big splash the Falcons will make this offseason.

We’ll monitor this situation next week and see if a) the Seahawks eventually sign Marshall to an offer sheet and/or b) another team joins the race.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

I get it – it’s the nature of the beast. If a team wants to improve its roster by adding a premier free agent in the offseason, then they’re going to have to overpay.

But there’s something seriously wrong with the fact that Antrel Rolle is now the highest-paid safety in the NFL after agreeing to a five-year, $37 million deal with the Giants. I never blame the player (or his agent) for going out and signing the biggest deal they possibly can. Football is a violent game and if a player is lucky, he’ll play eight years in the league and make as much money as he possibly can during that time. So, good for Rolle for cashing in on his first free agent contract.

That said, this was the same man that was once benched for Rod Hood in Arizona. Rolle is an excellent athlete with great speed and is solid when he can locate the ball and make a play on it. But he’s a poor tackler, is inconsistent in coverage and he definitely benefited from playing next to Adrian Wilson in Arizona. He will often get abused against top passing offenses, as the Packers proved last season in the playoffs. I realize the Packers will make a lot of defensive backfields look bad, but if the Giants want to be a Super Bowl contender again then they can’t be worried about Rolle getting toasted in the playoffs by teams that can throw.

The Giants needed safety help with the uncertainty of Kenny Phillips’ playing status for next season. So they went out and spent a ton of money on the best safety on the market in Rolle, who is slightly above average in his prime. In an uncapped year, I understand that they had to spend big (they’re not the only ones overpaying) in order to address a glaring need but just because I understand it, doesn’t mean I think the system makes sense. In fact, free agency in the NFL makes as much sense sometimes as the rookie salary structure.

Photo from fOTOGLIF