Broncos Claim Marcel Jensen
The Broncos have been awarded tight end Marcel Jensen off waivers from the Jaguars, a source tells Mike Klis of 9News (via Twitter). Denver has been on the lookout for a tight end after rookie tight end Jeff Heuerman tore his ACL, ruling him out for the season.
Tight ends Owen Daniels and Virgil Green remain the team’s presumptive starters this season, but Jensen will add depth at what is a critical position for the Broncos. On Monday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com accurately predicted that Denver would add a tight end early in the week.
Jensen, 25, only saw time in one game last season and caught one pass for eight yards.
Bucs Claim Khaseem Greene, Waive Jennings
The Bucs weren’t satisfied with adding just one player off waivers today. After grabbing D.J. Swearinger, the Bucs also plucked former Bears fourth round pick Khaseem Greene, Rick Stroud of WDAE tweets. To make room, safety M.D. Jennings has been shown the door.
Greene, 26, was a favorite of Rutgers coaches but never broke out as a major contributor in Chicago. Greene saw time in 25 games between 2013 and 2014 and made six starts in that time. Ironically, it was former Bucs coach Greg Schiano who recruited Greene to New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The Bucs’ total roster count is now at 89 players,one below the present league maximum.
Bucs Claim D.J. Swearinger
The Buccaneers have claimed safety D.J. Swearinger off waivers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Tampa Bay had No. 1 waiver priority and used it to grab the 23-year-old after he was discarded by the Texans.
It was reported last month that Houston was trying to trade Swearinger, on whom it used a second-round pick in 2013. Swearinger, who totaled 145 tackles and three interceptions in 22 starts during the first two years of his career, struggled mightily last season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 78th out of 87 qualifying safeties after he allowed opposing quarterbacks a 99.2 passer rating against him.
Swearinger’s old contract included roughly $460k in dead money and cap numbers under $1MM for the next two seasons. That was a price tag too rich for Houston, but Tampa Bay is happy to welcome him into the fold.
Steelers Sign Senquez Golson
The Steelers have signed second-round pick Senquez Golson, according to Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). Golson is the highest draft picked signed by Pittsburgh so far.
Golson, an Ole Miss product, was selected with the No. 56 overall pick in the draft. The 5’9″ athlete started 33-of-49 of his games in college and recorded 136 tackles and 16 interceptions. His 16 picks led all NCAA active defensive players and tied for third most in school history. Golson led the SEC with ten interceptions in 2014, second-most in the NCAA, and tied an Ole Miss single-season record.
With Golson signed, the Steelers have four of eight draft selections still to go.
Draft Signings: Browns, Bucs, Titans
With less room for negotiations on rookie contracts under the new CBA, draft picks are coming to terms with their teams quicker than ever, and a few more have struck deals already today. Here are the latest updates on mid-to-late rounders reaching agreements with their respective clubs, with contract information provided by Over The Cap….
- The Browns have officially brought a pair of draftees into the fold, announcing today in a press release that they’ve formally signed third-round defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and sixth-round fullback Malcolm Johnson. Their signing bonuses will be worth about $592K and $119K respectively.
- Sixth-round wideout Kaelin Clay has signed his rookie deal with the Buccaneers, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets. Clay, the second Tampa Bay pick to sign his deal, after Jameis Winston, will get a $130K+ signing bonus.
- The Titans have started to lock up their draft picks, agreeing to terms today with sixth-round outside linebacker Deiontrez Mount, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Mount’s four-year contract will have a total value of $2.428MM, including a signing bonus of about $148K, and a 2015 cap hit of approximately $472K.
- Saints third-round draft pick P.J. Williams signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, according to a post on his Instagram account. New Orleans has now inked all of its picks with the exception of Stephone Anthony and Andrus Peat.
- The Eagles and sixth round draft pick JaCorey Shepherd have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Ted Wells Responds To Tom Brady’s Agent
Hours after the NFL levied sanctions against Tom Brady and the Patriots for their alleged role in the doctoring of footballs, Brady’s agent Don Yee went on the offensive and heavily criticized the findings of Ted Wells’ report. This afternoon, Wells held a conference call with reporters to offer his rebuttal to Yee’s comments. Here are some of the highlights from what proved to be an entertaining Q&A session..
- Wells said that no one from Brady’s camp raised any issue with his impartiality and noted that owner Bob Kraft welcomed his appointment, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- The team led by Wells only asked Brady for printouts of his text messages and not for his actual phone, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweets. This is an important distinction because the quarterback cited privacy concerns with regard to handing over his phone.
- Outside of that, Brady was “totally cooperative” in the investigation, Wells said, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter).
- Wells said the Pats declined his request for a second interview with Jim McNally (per SiriusXM NFL Radio on Twitter). The second interview was requested, and denied, after Wells discovered the now famed “Deflator” text, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets. Wells said NFL security talked with McNally three times, but he only personally interviewed him once, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Wells strongly rejected the notion that the text messages are circumstantial evidence, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.
- Yee says that he took copious notes throughout the questioning of his client and Wells says he has no issue with the agent publishing those notes, Rapoport tweets.
- The investigator rejected the notion that his fact finding mission was a “sting operation,” Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
- NFL executive VP Jeff Pash, whom the league tabbed to co-lead the investigation, was just “a facilitator” and didn’t participate in interviews, according to Wells (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today on Twitter).
- The investigation cost the NFL “millions,” Wells said, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ll use this space to round up Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Ravens have waived quarterback Keith Wenning, tight end Phillip Supernaw, and outside linebacker Darius Allen, the team announced today in a press release. Wenning, a sixth-round pick in 2014, became expendable when Baltimore signed Matt Schaub to be Joe Flacco‘s backup. Meanwhile, the Ravens added three players to their roster, signing undrafted rookies Leon Brown (G), Daniel Brown (WR), and Andrew Bose (ILB).
- The Seahawks announced that they have signed Seahawks have signed defensive end Julius Warmsley and guard Kona Schwenke. Both players tried out for Seattle during the team’s rookie minicamp this past weekend. Schwenke, a Notre Dame product, signed as a UDFA around this time last year with the Chiefs and also saw time with the Pats, Jets, and Raiders.
- The Lions are signing former Wayne State running back Desmond Martin, who participated in the club’s rookie minicamp, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
- In addition to confirming the previously reported signings of tight end Will Tye and defensive tackle Carlif Taylor, the Giants also announced deals for running back Kenneth Harper and wide receiver Ben Edwards.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Lions To Sign Lance Moore
The Lions have added a veteran wide receiver to their roster, agreeing to terms on with former Saint and Steeler Lance Moore, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Moore’s deal with the Lions will be for one year, and while financial terms weren’t disclosed, I’d be surprised if it’s worth much more than the minimum after the wideout’s down year in 2014.
Moore, 31, caught just 14 balls for the Steelers last year, matching his lowest total since his rookie season. While Moore was never the focal point of New Orleans’ pass game, he had three seasons of 65+ receptions with the Saints, but saw his usage decline significantly in Pittsburgh. With Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton all ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, Moore played just 264 offensive snaps in 2014.
The veteran wideout hinted at season’s end that he’d like to join a club that would give him more playing time, and a report suggested he was seeking his release from the Steelers, despite having signed a two-year deal with the team last spring. Pittsburgh granted that request in early March.
Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate are firmly cemented at the top of the wide receiver depth chart in Detroit, but Moore should have an opportunity to compete for snaps and targets with players like Corey Fuller, Jeremy Ross, and Ryan Broyles.
Washington Signs Brandon Scherff
Another team has made quick work of locking up its 2015 draft class, as Washington announced today in a press release that fifth overall pick Brandon Scherff has officially inked his rookie contract with the club.
While Washington’s announcement didn’t mention terms of Scherff’s deal, Over The Cap’s data shows that the former Iowa offensive lineman will receive a four-year pact worth about $21.216MM, with a signing bonus of approximately $13.69MM. As a top-five pick, Scherff will have that salary fully guaranteed, and his contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2019.
Scherff was a bit of a surprise pick for Washington at No. 5 overall, since many experts and observers believed the team would select a pass rusher. However, he should be a nice addition to an offensive line that has had its share of ups and downs in recent years. Scherff is expected to start his NFL career at the right tackle position, across from Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams.
After reaching a deal with Scherff, Washington has now signed all 10 of its draftees, making the club the eight franchise to finish signing its 2015 draft class. The Jets, Vikings, Texans, Dolphins, Bears, Panthers, and Ravens have also taken care of all their draft picks.
Jaguars, Dante Fowler Jr. Agree To Deal
The Jaguars have reached an agreement with pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. on his rookie contract, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). As Garafolo notes in a second tweet, Fowler’s deal is fully guaranteed and doesn’t include offset language.
Fowler, the third overall pick last month, saw his NFL career get off to a devastating start last week when he suffered a torn ACL during the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp. The injury will sideline the Florida product for the entire 2015 season, but the fact that it happened prior to the two sides officially reaching an agreement on Fowler’s rookie contract didn’t affect the terms of the deal.
As Over The Cap details, Fowler’s four-year deal will have an overall value of $23.49MM, with a $15.344MM signing bonus. The contract, which includes a cap hit of about $4.27MM for Fowler’s rookie season, will feature a fifth-year option, allowing Jacksonville to retain the pass rusher through at least the 2019 season.
Fowler is the first of eight Jacksonville draft picks to strike a deal with the team, but the rest should follow suit shortly.