Seahawks’ GM, HC Discuss Byron Murphy Pick; Team Not Expected To Trade From DL Group

MAY 8: The Rams also made an offer for the Seahawks’ No. 16 pick, according to Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline. Los Angeles, which also attempted to trade up higher for Brock Bowers, is believed to have been targeting Murphy. The Eagles’ interest stemmed from a fear they would lose Quinyon Mitchell had they not traded up. Mitchell ended up falling to Philly at No. 22, while the Rams went with Florida State D-lineman Jared Verse at No. 19.

MAY 5: Going into this year’s draft, guard was arguably the Seahawks’ biggest need. And as ESPN’s Brady Henderson writes, Seattle had targeted Alabama’s JC Latham, who was selected by the Titans with the No. 7 overall pick (the ‘Hawks would have slid Latham, a collegiate tackle, to the interior of their O-line, at least in the early stages of his pro career).

[RELATED: Murphy Signs Rookie Deal]

A number of this year’s top defensive prospects fell lower than expected due to an unprecedented run on offensive talent. When the Seahawks were on the clock with the No. 16 pick, only one defensive player, UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu, was off the board, and he went to the Colts at No. 15. That left Texas DT Byron Murphy II available for Seattle, whom the team saw as the best defender in the 2024 class. The ‘Hawks ultimately turned in the card for the former Longhorn.

As offensive players were flying off the board, the Seahawks — who did not have a second-round choice — were fielding trade offers that would have allowed them to move down the board and pick up additional draft capital in the process. Per Henderson, the ‘Hawks received offers from the Steelers, Eagles, Vikings, and Falcons (who were trying to trade back into the first round after surprisingly drafting QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 choice). The Packers were also interested in acquiring Seattle’s No. 16 selection, but Green Bay ultimately did not make an offer.

With Murphy still available but with Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones, Johnathan Hankins, and several recent draftees already on the roster, GM John Schneider was tempted to trade back. However, Seattle is not in rebuild mode, and Schneider felt that Murphy was too good to pass up.

“I’d be lying to you if I said we didn’t think about [trading back],” Schneider said. “But [Murphy], he was just too good. He influences the game, like a lot. He’s got that ability to jump off the ball and get up field. He can play edges, he can play square, he can rush the passer inside, he gets up and down the line of scrimmage.”

New head coach Mike Macdonald added, “he just plays our style of football, really. And then he’s so talented. Versatility along the front, such an aggressive player, plays violently, heavy hands for a guy [of] shorter stature, flexible, pass-rush flexibility — you name it. Yeah, just really excited to have him.”

With all of the D-linemen on the roster and the Seahawks’ shortage of cap space — per OverTheCap.com, Seattle is the only team in the red as of the time of this writing — it would be fair to expect the club to deal from its DL surplus. However, Henderson said the team has no such plans, especially since Macdonald intends to rotate his players more frequently than his predecessor, Pete Carroll.

In related news, the team is expected to have outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu back for training camp, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Nwosu, who recorded 9.5 sacks in his first Seattle slate in 2022, suffered a pectoral strain in October and missed the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He is under contract through 2026 by virtue of the three-year, $45MM extension he signed in July.

Cowboys, Giants Had RB MarShawn Lloyd On Day 2 Radar

Linked to running backs during the pre-draft process, the Cowboys instead passed on drafting one and followed through with what became a much-discussed reunion with Ezekiel Elliott. The Giants waited until the fifth round to add a back to their group.

This RB class did not generate too much hype, with only one player — Texas’ Jonathon Brooks — going off the board in the first two rounds. Closely connected to Brooks, the Cowboys also did plenty of work on one of this class’ second-tier options. MarShawn Lloyd‘s camp viewed Dallas as one of the teams that could take the former USC and South Carolina back, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes, adding the Giants also carried interest in the recent Pac-12 RB.

Lloyd ended up going 88th overall to the Packers, making him an intriguing backup in a contingent housing free agency pickup Josh Jacobs and the recently re-signed AJ Dillon. Both the Giants and Cowboys carry more questions at the position, seeing as each team refrained from high-end investments this offseason.

The Giants were not willing to go near where the Eagles did for Saquon Barkley, failing to make an offer despite having submitted a proposal that included more than $20MM fully guaranteed last summer. They gave Devin Singletary a three-year, $16.5MM deal ($9.5MM guaranteed at signing) to replace Barkley, and the team has 2023 fifth-rounder Eric Gray and rookie fifth-rounder Tyrone Tracy Jr. as Singletary’s top backups. The Giants eyed Lloyd, per Fowler, but he landed between the team’s third- (No. 71) and fourth-round (No. 106) picks. Before the draft, a report indicated the Giants were eyeing veteran RB help. They may, however, be content once again to roll with an experienced starter and unseasoned backups.

Passing on Derrick Henry and other available RBs early in free agency, the Cowboys re-signed Elliott to a one-year, $3MM deal. Dallas has Royce Freeman and 2023 Tony Pollard backups Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn among its backfield options. This plan (as it stands now, that is) has generated some scrutiny. The team showed interest in Lloyd, doing plenty of pre-draft work on him, and Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Fowler adds. The Cowboys, however, did not carry a fourth-round pick. Wright went to the Dolphins, who traded up to acquire the SEC product at No. 120.

Lloyd transferred from South Carolina to USC in 2023, totaling a career-high 820 rushing yards (7.1 per carry) last season. Lloyd tallied nine rushing touchdowns with the Gamecocks in 2022. He will be among the rookie RBs attempting to prove teams wrong for their pre-draft outlook on this class.

WR/TE Devin Funchess Signs Deal With Colombian Basketball Team

It does not appear Devin Funchess is attempting a return to the NFL. The former wide receiver/tight end is currently in Colombia, having signed with a professional basketball team there.

Funchess agreed to a deal to join Caribbean Storm Llaneros, who are part of the Professional Colombia Basketball League. He made his debut with the team earlier this month, according to Panthers.com’s Kassidy Hill.

The former Panthers second-round pick last played in a regular-season game back in 2019, but he was with a team as recently as 2022. The Lions added the Detroit native but released him upon setting their initial 53-man roster that summer. Funchess, 29, went to camp with the Packers in 2021 and spent a short time on the 49ers’ practice squad during that season.

Funchess’ NFL career stalled once he signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Colts in 2019. A Week 1 injury that year looks to have been his final act in an NFL game. While the Colts designated Funchess for return — back when only three players could be activated off IR in-season — they did not end up moving him back onto their active roster. Funchess signed with the Packers in 2020 but opted out of that season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Funchess did not play basketball at Michigan, having last played organized hoops in high school. That certainly creates a steep degree of difficulty for the 6-foot-4 performer. The Professional Colombia Basketball League’s season spans 28 games; Funchess will attempt to impress, eyeing a hopeful deal with an NBA G League team. A meeting with the GM of the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League team, per Hill, spurred Funchess to try and build some momentum in a lower-profile league. Funchess is eyeing open G League tryouts in September.

I really want to play with the [Greensboro] Swarm just because it’s like so much, it was so much love,” Funchess said of the Charlotte Hornets’ G League team. “When I look at my life and I go back to my life, yeah, Detroit gave me a lot of love, a ton of love. But Charlotte opened so many doors for me. My whole family is from North Carolina anyway. So, it’d just be dope just to get my fam to the games.”

If this is it for Funchess in the NFL, he will be best remembered for his Panthers contributions. The 2015 No. 41 overall pick served as a key Cam Newton target for the Panthers’ 15-1 team that ventured, without an injured Kelvin Benjamin, to Super Bowl 50. Funchess totaled 21 touchdown receptions as a Panther, delivering his best season — an 840-yard, eight-TD slate — in 2017 to help Carolina book its most recent playoff berth.

Latest On Odell Beckham Jr., Dolphins

Making the No. 3 wide receiver post a priority, the Dolphins made an offer to Odell Beckham Jr. weeks ago and finalized an agreement last week. The former superstar’s terms with Miami reflect a value drop, as the deal brings a $12MM reduction from his base Ravens payment.

After Beckham drove Baltimore to guarantee him $15MM, he will land on Miami’s books at $3MM. The wideout is believed to have turned down more money elsewhere, via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, though no connection between the nine-year vet and another team emerged this offseason.

Beckham’s Dolphins contract can max out at $8MM; this comes a year after his Ravens deal featured an $18MM max value. Beckham used the leverage of Lamar Jackson‘s holdout in 2023, with SI.com’s Albert Breer noting the now-two-time MVP — then near the end of a long-running negotiation that involved an 11th-hour trade request — wanted the well-traveled wide receiver on the roster. (When Beckham signed, the Ravens officially gave him no assurances Jackson was coming back.) The Ravens obliged, but the outcome fell short of the team’s hopes.

The Ravens used Beckham as a part-timer last season, giving him a 60% snap rate on offense during just one of the 16 games he played. The 31-year-old target totaled 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Clubs understandably view Beckham as in decline, with one exec whose team looked into signing the WR it was clear the gear he had once displayed is not there anymore. Another exec did not go that far, viewing Beckham’s form as improving as last season progressed.

OBJ’s 16.1 yards per catch represented a career-high mark, coming in 12th in the NFL; his yards per route run (1.92) and yards per target (8.8.) each ranked in the top 35 last season. The former Giants Pro Bowler has likely submitted his final 1,000-yard season — he has five — but the Dolphins appear fine with the version of Beckham the Ravens received.

A No. 1 wideout essentially from the start of his Giants career through the point he was traded, Beckham added two more 1,000-yard years in Cleveland. OBJ played a 1-A role alongside Jarvis Landry with the Browns. The three-time Pro Bowler lined up as the Rams’ WR2 during his short but memorable stint in Los Angeles, and the Ravens ended up placing him as their No. 2 pass catcher — behind Zay Flowers — following Mark Andrews‘ injury. The Dolphins, however, will slot Beckham as their clear WR3 behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This will be new territory for the former top-10 pick.

A wide gap formed between Miami’s second- and third-leading pass catchers last season. Waddle’s 1,014 yards (in 14 games). Tight end Durham Smythe checked in as Miami’s third-leading target last year; he totaled 366 yards. The Dolphins’ nominal No. 3 wideout — Cedrick Wilson Jr. — tallied 296 yards. The team will hope Beckham can bridge the gap between the two speed merchants and the rest of their receiving cadre.

The team released Wilson, who later caught on with the Saints, and used a sixth-round pick on a wideout (5-foot-8 Virginia prospect Malik Washington). Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft remain on the team, as does ex-Browns third-rounder Anthony Schwartz. But the Dolphins will expect Beckham to deliver better WR3 work than the team received last season.

Cowboys To Release WR Martavis Bryant

Bringing in Martavis Bryant as a flier who could potentially help as a supporting-caster late last season, the Cowboys never ended up activating the ex-Steelers starter.

Despite signing the formerly suspended wideout in early November, the Cowboys ultimately did not view Bryant as ready to contribute. The team gave Bryant a reserve/futures contract in January, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes the team is releasing him Wednesday.

[RELATED: Cowboys To Meet With WR Zay Jones]

Bryant’s stock has not approached the level that once featured him being traded for a third-round pick, as the 6-foot-4 weapon has not played in a regular-season game since 2018. But Pelissero adds other teams have shown interest. While it would not necessarily surprise to see Bryant given another opportunity, he is running out of time to reignite his NFL career at age 32.

The NFL reinstated Bryant from a yearslong suspension on November 4, 2023. This came years after the NFL loosened its drug policy — which led Bryant out of the league in the late 2010s — to cut down on suspensions for non-PED offenses. The 2010s featured harsher punishments for substance abuse, and Bryant ran afoul of these standards at multiple points during his initial NFL run. He missed four games in 2015 due to substance-abuse ban and was sidelined throughout the 2016 season. Bryant’s subsequent penalty — levied in December 2018 — ended up lasting for nearly five years. The ex-Ben Roethlisberger target scored 17 touchdowns from 2014-17 as a Steeler, adding a spectacular TD grab in the 2015 wild-card round.

Bryant remained in redevelopment mode as of late November of last year, and the Cowboys went with other options as CeeDee Lamb wingmen. The team released Bryant from its practice squad in early January but circled back via the futures deal. The Titans also had Bryant on their radar last year. It will be interesting to see if the Clemson alum — who also stopped through the CFL, XFL and Fan Controlled Football League — receives another NFL opportunity.

This move clears a spot for Jones, who is visiting the Cowboys today. The son of Robert Jones — a former Super Bowl starter for the Cowboys in the 1990s — Zay is a Dallas native who has seen one of his free agency doors (the Titans) seemingly close due to the Brian CallahanTyler Boyd reunion. The Cowboys still have Brandin Cooks in place as their top Lamb complement, but they remain on the hunt for more help.

Steelers To Sign WR Scotty Miller

Another former Arthur Smith Falcons charge is coming to Pittsburgh. Following Cordarrelle Patterson, MyCole Pruitt and Van Jefferson‘s Steelers signings, Scotty Miller will be en route to Pennsylvania.

The Steelers and Miller agreed to terms Wednesday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. It is a one-year deal. Miller played one season under Smith in Atlanta; he remains best known for his contributions in Tampa.

Miller, 26, worked as an auxiliary wideout for a Falcons team that struggled through the air. The former Bucs draftee caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns last season. That number bettered Jefferson’s Atlanta production, though the latter arrived during the season via trade, but still ranked fourth among Atlanta wide receivers.

It is clear the Steelers are giving Smith input when it comes to acquisitions, as three of his tertiary Falcons targets and a key blocking tight end are in the mix. Granted, only Patterson appears a lock to be on Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster come Week 1. But each will bring scheme familiarity. The 5-foot-9 weapon could offer Pittsburgh another slot option in addition to Calvin Austin.

Miller made steady contributions to the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV-winning team but did not factor into the final two Tom Brady-piloted passing attacks much. In 2020, however, the Bowling Green alum worked alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to give Brady a nice receiving trio in his first Tampa Bay season. Miller caught 33 passes for 501 yards and three touchdowns that year. He eclipsed 70 receiving yards four times from Week 1 to Week 7. The Bucs’ turbulent Antonio Brown partnership led to Miller’s role being reduced, though the latter’s first-half-ending deep TD grab helped Tampa Bay hold off Green Bay in the 2020 NFC championship game.

A 2019 sixth-rounder, Miller has not eclipsed 200 yards in a season since that 2020 campaign. That season doubles as the most recent slate in which Miller topped 275 offensive snaps. A turf toe bout limited him in 2021. The Falcons did use Miller as a kick returner last season, though the Steelers — barring what would be a shocking Justin Fields experiment — are all but set to use Patterson there to take advantage of the recent NFL rule change.

Following their Diontae Johnson trade, the Steelers have George Pickens anchoring their receiver group and third-round pick Roman Wilson having a clear path to becoming his top sidekick. Beyond that, the team has taken a quantity-based approach. In addition to ex-Falcons, the likes of Quez Watkins, Denzel Mims and Marquez Callaway are on the Steelers’ 90-man offseason roster. This will create an interesting competition for roster spots, as this setup will require a few veterans to be denied roster spots come September.

49ers Notes: Cousins, Deebo, Gipson, Green

No matter how successful the 49ers become, we cannot seem to move past “what if?” scenarios involving bigger-name QBs. Although Tom Brady is retired (for the time being, at least), Kirk Cousins made a second free agency defection. The former Kyle Shanahan Washington pupil received a $100MM practical guarantee from the Falcons, tying him to the team for at least two seasons. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. pick raised the most eyebrows of any in the draft (and stunned Cousins), and one GM said (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) the Falcons do not choose Penix at No. 8 if they do not believe a Cousins trade destination will emerge. Another GM viewed the Penix pick as a path for Cousins to, at long last, reunite with Shanahan in San Francisco.

It would cost the Falcons $37.5MM in dead money to trade Cousins before June 1 next year, and while one of the GMs who spoke to La Canfora the NFC South team would likely be willing to eat dead money to move the high-priced starter (presuming Penix is ready), the 49ers passing on a Brock Purdy extension to bring in a QB ahead of his age-37 season would be quite the development. Jed York has spoken of a Purdy extension, though La Canfora posits the former Mr. Irrelevant’s asking price could point Shanahan back to Cousins.

The 49ers made early preparations to sign Cousins in 2018, before their Jimmy Garoppolo extension, but Shanahan has long been a fan — to the point the 49ers were willing to offer No. 2 overall for the then-Washington QB in 2017. While dot connecting makes sense after the surprising Penix pick, several hurdles appear in the path to Cousins joining the 49ers this late in the game. Here is the latest out of San Francisco:

Broncos To Waive QB Ben DiNucci

Ben DiNucci‘s season back in the NFL came in Denver, with the Broncos giving the former Cowboys backup-turned-XFL starter another shot. A 2024 overhaul of the team’s QB room will change its plans regarding DiNucci.

The team will waive the reserve passer, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. The Broncos added both Zach Wilson and Bo Nix to their QB room during draft week, and Jarrett Stidham remains on the roster. DiNucci’s exit will leave three QBs on Denver’s 90-man roster.

Catching on with the Broncos in May 2023, DiNucci came over after a season in the third XFL incarnation. A member of the Seattle Sea Dragons, DiNucci led XFL 3.0 in passing yards (2,671) while throwing 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over 10 starts. The spring-league opportunity created NFL interest, and the Broncos kept DiNucci around throughout last season. Denver gave DiNucci a reserve/futures contract in January.

The Broncos had taken care of DiNucci, 27, after he made the decision to stay with the team rather than move to the Saints’ active roster. New Orleans had attempted to poach DiNucci off Denver’s P-squad following a Derek Carr injury last season, but DiNucci opted to remain the AFC West team’s emergency third-stringer behind Russell Wilson and Stidham. The Broncos ended up elevating DiNucci to their active roster three times, covering the QB, as he would have been required to remain on the Saints’ active roster (and see game checks that come with that status) for at least three weeks had he left for New Orleans.

Last seeing regular-season action in 2020 with the Cowboys, DiNucci saw preseason time for the Broncos last year. While the Broncos could need a fourth QB at some point this offseason, each of their three options are healthy. Nix’s development will define Denver’s spring and summer, and the coaching staff will also need to focus on training Wilson in Sean Payton‘s system. This move will leave Stidham as the only Denver QB with previous experience in the current scheme.

A former seventh-round Cowboys pick out of James Madison, DiNucci spent the 2022 season out of football after being a Dallas cut that summer. The former Pittsburgh recruit would profile as a player of interest to the newly formed United Football League, but that season is more than halfway over. Not being claimed on the waiver wire could stall DiNucci’s career.

Patriots To Interview Samir Suleiman

A fifth confirmed candidate for the Patriots’ lead front office executive position has emerged. While three of the first four options declined an audience with the team, former Panthers staffer Samir Suleiman will meet about the job.

The Pats are interviewing Suleiman — most recently the Panthers’ VP of football administration — on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Suleiman was part of this year’s January GM interview cycle, meeting about the Panthers’ position.

[RELATED: 2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]

Carolina parted ways with Suleiman after promoting assistant GM Dan Morgan to the GM post. This interview represented Suleiman’s second meeting about a GM position. He also met about the Panthers’ 2021 GM vacancy, but while the team retained the salary cap expert after Scott Fitterer landed the gig three years ago, the sides parted ways once Morgan stepped in as Fitterer’s replacement.

Three execs — Trey Brown, Terrance Gray, Quentin Harristurned down the Patriots, who are still viewed as likely to give this position to Eliot Wolf, who has been in charge of the team’s roster for several weeks post-Bill Belichick. The two staffers who have not rejected interviews worked together in Pittsburgh. Brandon Hunt, who is currently an Eagles exec, worked alongside Suleiman from 2013-19 with the Steelers. As Hunt served as the team’s director of pro scouting, Suleiman was in place as the AFC North franchise’s football administration coordinator.

Suleiman debuted on NFL staffs in the late 1990s, beginning his run with the Jaguars. He then spent the 2000s with the Rams, operating as the director of football administration for the then-St. Louis-based franchise. The Panthers hired Suleiman in 2020, and he became the team’s primary contract negotiator.

Hunt is continuing his interview today, Schefter adds. Once Suleiman completes his interview, the Patriots would stand to have satisfied their Rooney Rule requirements. Like Hunt, Suleiman is a minority exec. Teams are required to interview at least two external minority candidates to comply with the updated Rooney Rule.

Cowboys To Meet With WR Zay Jones

The Jaguars’ Zay Jones release moved an experienced wide receiver to the market post-draft, and teams have taken notice. Jones is set to log a third free agency visit this week.

Already meeting with the Titans and Cardinals, Jones is now heading to Dallas. The Cowboys are bringing in the veteran pass catcher for a Wednesday meeting, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. The Titans have since signed Tyler Boyd, seemingly removing them from this mid-offseason derby.

Jones, 29, would stand to provide Dallas some insurance against 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert not being ready to become a regular. The Cowboys cut Michael Gallup just before part of his 2024 salary was to become guaranteed, and the NFC East team did not address the receiver position early in the draft. The Cowboys waited until Round 6 to add a wideout, selecting Ryan Flournoy out of Division I-FCS Southeast Missouri State.

[RELATED: Raiders Sign WR Michael Gallup]

This fit certainly seems like it would appeal to Jones, who is a Dallas native. The son of former Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones — a starter on each of Dallas’ three 1990s Super Bowl-winning teams — Zay played at Stephen F. Austin High and trekked to East Carolina for college before becoming a Bills second-round pick in 2017. Zay Jones played a regular role for the Jaguars over the past two seasons, but after the team added Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round, it moved on from the two-year starter’s $8MM-per-year contract.

The 6-foot-2 target fared much better in 2022 compared to last season. After fetching a somewhat surprising three-year, $24MM deal from a Jags team committed to upgrading its roster talent in free agency that year, Jones tallied 823 receiving yards and five touchdowns to help the team win the AFC South. Jones then became a key part of the Jags’ 27-point wild-card comeback, catching eight passes for 74 yards and a score against the Chargers. The seven-year vet then led the Jags with 83 receiving yards in a narrow divisional-round loss to the Chiefs. Last season, however, Jones produced just 34 catches for 321 yards. He played in only nine games.

Jones did not make any trips to IR last season but missed six games in a seven-week span over the campaign’s first half. These absences came about because of a PCL issue and femur damage, Jones later admitted. This affected Calvin Ridley‘s season as well, as the veteran’s biggest games came when Jones was on the field. All four of Ridley’s 100-plus-yard showings came in games Jones played. Ridley defected to the Titans, leaving Christian Kirk as the only piece of the team’s previous WR trio left.

The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks in place as their top two wideouts. Lamb’s slot capabilities would stand to pair with Jones’ outside game. Tolbert has not shown too much since becoming a 2022 third-round pick, though he did make progress last season by hauling in 22 passes for 268 yards and two scores. A Jones addition would probably cut into the South Alabama alum’s time.

It can be argued the Cardinals need more help by comparison, despite Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s arrival, but Jones being from Dallas adds some intrigue here. Barring the former Bills and Raiders target setting an unrealistic asking price, it seems he will have a new home soon.

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