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Melvin Frazier Jersey

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    The Jacksonville Jaguars will open free agency by adding two offensive pieces and re-signing another.

     

    The Jaguars are poised to sign All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell and speedy receiver Donte Moncrief in free agency Thursday http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/clay-matthews-jersey , according to two people familiar with negotiations. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because NFL teams are prohibited from announcing signings until free agency officially begins Wednesday afternoon.

    Norwell is expected to sign a five-year, $66.5 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed, one of the people said. That would make him one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league.

    Another person with knowledge of contract talks with receiver Marqise Lee says the team has agreed to terms with Lee on a four-year deal worth $38 million. It includes $18 million guaranteed.

    Lee and Moncrief will be counted on to try to fill the void left by losing former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, who is headed to Chicago. Lee led the Jaguars in receiving in 2017, catching 56 balls for 702 yards and three touchdowns. Moncrief had 26 receptions for 391 yards and two scores with Indianapolis.

    Moncrief has the speed to loosen up eight- and nine-man defensive fronts.

    The Jaguars made the ground game a priority when coach Doug Marrone and top executive Tom Coughlin took over in January 2017. They selected bruising running back Leonard Fournette and left tackle Cam Robinson in the first two rounds of the NFL draft last year and dedicated the offseason to becoming a more physical team up front. They also made Brandon Linder one of the NFL's highest-paid centers.

    Norwell is expected to slide into Jacksonville's offensive line at left guard, between Robinson and Linder. The Jaguars have used five different starters at the position the last two seasons.

    Although Jacksonville led the NFL in rushing in 2017, the running game stalled late in the season and barely was a factor in the playoffs. The Jaguars averaged 141.4 yards a game last season, but they topped 100 yards just twice in the final six games.

    Norwell should help make Jacksonville's line, especially the left side, one of the best in the AFC.

    He was the No. 1 offensive lineman available in free agency, a first-team All-Pro selection who didn't allow a sack or a quarterback hit in 2017 Brett Favre Jersey , according to Pro Football Focus. He started 45 of 48 games over the past three seasons and helped the Panthers finished fourth, 10th, and second, respectively, in rushing.

    Moncrief and Lee have shown big-play ability despite a slew of injuries.

    But neither looks like the go-to guy Robinson was expected to be. The Jags likely will end up relying on those two along with promising youngsters Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole and Rashad Greene in 2018.

    Matt Ryan once again worked without his favorite target Wednesday on the second day of the Atlanta Falcons' "mandatory" mini-camp, yet the quarterback said he's not worried about wide receiver Julio Jones being absent and plans to work out with him soon.

     

    Jones appears to be seeking a contract adjustment to bump his pay grade up into the neighborhood of the NFL's top receivers. Multiple wideouts have received new contracts, leaving him ranked No. 7 at the position with a salary cap charge this season of $12.9 million.

    Ryan wasn't in the mood to talk shop after practice.

    "I understand that there's a business side to this sport, too, and I don't like to get involved in other people's business and I don't like speaking about my business," he said. "It's not my place to get into . . .

    "He's such a incredible player Ryan Grant Jersey , such a talented player, and he's been working hard. He's in great shape, so I think he'll pick those new things up really quickly."

    The question is when?

    After logging 88 receptions last season for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns, Jones, 29, was tabbed for his fifth Pro Bowl in seven seasons, including four consecutive.

    He has three years left, however, on the five-year, $71.256 million extension he signed in 2015 Derrius Guice Jersey , and NFL teams rarely amend contracts with so much time left.

    Ryan, by contrast, recently signed a five-year, $150 million extension ahead of what would have been the final season of his previous deal.

    Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn have said that the team has been in contact with Jones and his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

    Appeasing Jones would be tricky for reasons that go beyond giving him more money. Team officials have to be mindful of allocations.

    The Falcons are about $9 million under the NFL's projected $177 million salary cap with more than $107 million of that committed to offensive players, according to Sportrac.

    That 64 percent is the third-highest offensive ratio in the league. Eight of the team's 10 highest cap charges are offensive, including wide receiver Mohamed Sanu ($7.525 million).

    A little more than $61 million is committed to defensive players. That 36.4 percent ranks 31st in the 32-team NFL, and the team has several talented, young defenders whose contracts are coming up.

    The contracts of starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, safety Ricardo Allen and nickel back Bryan Poole run only through this season, and so do those of left tackle Jake Matthews http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/sean-lee-jersey , guard Andy Levitre and running back Tevin Coleman.

    Linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell and edge rusher Vic Beasley are up next season.

    Ryan's cap hit of $17.7 million this season will rise to $22.8 million next season and $31.8 million in 2020, when Jones' current contract calls for cap charges of $14.9 million and $11.426 million.

    Together, the two make up more than 16 percent of the Falcons' cap charges now, and to give Julio more money might lower his charge in 2018, but the numbers would likely rise in the future.

    Ryan's looking forward to working with Jones between the Falcons' minicamp, which ends Thursday, and the start of training camp in late July.

    "We'll have a group of guys, probably about 12 of us, that are going to get together and he'll certainly be a part of that ... " Ryan said. "As far as drama or anything, (Jones) is one of the best teammates you could ever be around."

     

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