Free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby is still on the market after the NFL draft and after things were mostly quiet on the league front for him, things have started to heat up, as a number of teams are interested in signing him, including the Jets, Texans and Falcons.
According to NFL.com, Dansby has gotten interest from a number of teams, including the Jets, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons, which came after meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. Dansby was the leading tackler for the Miami Dolphins last season, but due to his high salary and age, the team decided to cut him. The Dolphins also signed linebackers Phillip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe in free agency.
NFL.com reported that there is a "a ton of interest" in the linebacker, but things have been moving slow for Dansby since at age 31, many teams see him as a role player and not a starter, while he feels he still can play three downs. Depending on the price, the Falcons and Texans may be out of play, since both have tight salary caps and if he wants starter money, he may not be able to fit in with it.
The Falcons are in better shape after released $4.5 million off the cap with Tyson Clabo, who is now with the Dolphins, while the team also may look at Richard Seymour or someone else who can come in at less money. The Texans are looking for more linebacker help after trading away Demeco Ryans last year and losing Brian Cushing to injury, but their salary cap may not allow it either.
Dansby already met with the Cardinals and said that it was a "good meeting" and said "it would be good to finish where he started" but nothing it set yet. The Bengals visited with Dansby, but after signing James Harrison it is unlikely that they will add another aging linebacker. The Bills drafted Kiko Alonso in the second round, so they might be out as well, leaving the Jets and the Cardinals as the primary landing spots.
Dansby made 134 tackles last season and he has been a very reliable player, playing in 14 games in every season he has been in the NFL, including all 16 in four of the past five seasons. In his years with the Dolphins he missed just two games over three seasons and could be a sure thing for Cardinals and Jets defenses that are rebuilding.
