NFL Rumors: Evan Engram, Calvin Ridley, Bobby Wagner

Welcome to the Friday edition of NFL Rumors on Full Press Coverage.

It has been a wild week in the NFL that saw a flurry of stars get traded. On Thursday, the Chicago Bears shipped star defensive lineman, Khalil Mack, to the Chargers to pair him with Joey Bosa in Los Angeles. Further adding to the AFC West makeover that has taken place over the last three weeks.

Additionally, the trade market for quarterback Deshaun Watson seems to be heating up as more veteran quarterbacks are taken off the board.

Free Agent – TE Evan Engram

Rumor: The Buffalo Bills are seen as the top suitor for tight end Evan Engram, according to Dan Duggan.

Evan Engram is one of the top free-agent tight ends on the market as several received the franchise tag this offseason. The Buffalo Bills were maybe a possession away from going to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, however, over the course of this offseason, the Bills have watched several AFC teams improve their roster, most notably in the AFC West. Now, that doesn’t mean they have caught the Bills but the gap seems to be getting smaller so if Buffalo is looking to get over that Super Bowl hump, it’ll likely be easier to do it now than to wait. The Bills don’t have many glaring weaknesses so adding a dynamic tight end to an already potent offense should be a big win for Buffalo.

Could Evan Engram get WR money and a new role during free agency? #FPC #NFL #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/FBO8D9vUjQ

— Full Press NFL (@FullPressNFL) March 9, 2022

Philadelphia Eagles – WR Calvin Ridley

Rumor: The Eagles and Falcons were working towards a trade that would send Calvin Ridley to the Eagles prior to the suspension, per Jay Glazer.

Boy, that is a tough pill to swallow if you’re the Eagles and you are desperately trying to upgrade your offense. Ridley would certainly give Jalen Hurts or whoever plays quarterback for the Eagles in 2022 a dynamic receiving threat. However, given the one-year suspension handed out by the NFL, Ridley will most definitely not be making an impact on the football field in 2022.

“It was actually funny because they were one of the teams, they were close to a deal with Atlanta for Calvin Ridley and Atlanta backed out at the last second,” Glazer said. “And Philly was like, ‘What’s going on?’ They couldn’t really tell them. So Philly wasn’t too happy and then after, looked at it like, ‘Alright, Atlanta, thanks.’ Atlanta did business the right way. They weren’t allowed to say anything, again, the legalities of it, couldn’t say a word. They just had to pull out.”

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Free Agent – LB Bobby Wagner

Rumor: A “massive market” is developing for for Seahawks linebacker, Bobby Wagner. Among the teams expected to be involved are the Dolphins, Ravens, Chargers, Broncos, Rams, Cardinals, Steelers, 49ers, and Cowboys, per Jordan Schultz.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the market would be buzzing for the seven-time All-Pro linebacker. Wagner was released on the same day that the franchise shipped quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver, a team that has also been connected to the linebacker. Wagner will be 32 at the start of the season but he is coming off six straight seasons of at least 133 total tackles. He had a career-best 170 in 2021. Schultz added that the Jets, Lions, and Patriots could also get involved. So, pretty much half the league should be competing for his services.