Eagles Sign Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
Corey Clement‘s red flags left him undrafted last week, but the Eagles apparently believe they can get him on the right track. The Wisconsin running back has signed with Philly as a UDFA and will receive a $35K package, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). Clement gets $10K in the form of a bonus plus a $25K guaranteed base. 
In 2015, Clement was ticketed to take over for Melvin Gordon as Wisconsin’s starting running back. Instead, he was shut down by a hernia injury. Later, he injured his hand in a fight and was not initially forthcoming about it with university officials. Last year, however, he turned in a solid season, rushing for 1,375 yards off of 314 carries with 15 touchdowns. Before the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com‘s scouting report praised him for his lightning quick jump cut and impressive conditioning.
According to Pelissero, the Eagles also gave significant deals to Richmond defensive lineman Winston Craig ($20K), Shepherd wide receiver Billy Brown ($17.5K), and Shepherd safety Tre’Vaughn Sullivan ($15K).
49ers To Sign G Brandon Fusco
Veteran guard Brandon Fusco is on his way to San Francisco and is expected to sign with the 49ers, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Minnesota offensive lineman will serve as interior depth. 
[RELATED: 49ers Give Colorado LB Jimmie Gilbert $62K To Sign]
Fusco, 29 this summer, appeared in 14 games for Minnesota in 2016 and started in each of those contests. He visited the Patriots in late April, but he ultimately found his match with the Niners.
The Niners have shaken things up a bit on the offensive line this offseason after trading for center Jeremy Zuttah and signing former Seahawks tackle Garry Gilliam. The Fusco signing makes sense for SF after no offensive linemen were selected with the team’s ten picks last week.
Last year, Fusco had one of the worst scores of any qualified guard in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus. His only quality season, according to PFF, came in 2013 when he made 15 starts at right guard for Minnesota.
Jaguars Pick Up Blake Bortles’ Option
The Jaguars announced that they have exercised quarterback Blake Bortles‘ fifth-year option. Bortles will now have the 2018 season tacked on to his contract, but it’s guaranteed for injury only. 
[RELATED: 2018 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
“This is a smart business decision for the team for several reasons,” said Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin. “It makes sense for us going forward and it’s good for Blake and for the Jaguars.”
The Jaguars used the No. 3 overall pick to select Bortles in 2014 and things have not gone according to plan. Last year, Bortles was horrendous, but he reportedly was playing through a shoulder injury that hampered his production. Those taking the half-glass-full approach can point to the 2015 season as proof that Bortles can turn things around. In that sophomore campaign, Bortles threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. Pro Football Focus gave him an 80.3 overall score that year, a mark which painted him as a quality starter.
Earlier this year, before the team reorganized the front office, GM Dave Caldwell said the next coach wouldn’t have to start Bortles this season. Later, after Doug Marrone was hired as head coach and Coughlin was appointed as a top decision maker, he backtracked on that statement, saying the fourth-year player was going to be the team’s main quarterback.
Bortles is scheduled to earn upwards of $19MM in the additional season.
49ers Sign Colorado LB Jimmie Gilbert
The 49ers added ten rookies via the draft but they also see big potential in at least a couple of their UDFAs. In addition to giving Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon $45K to sign, they have also shelled out $62K guaranteed to ink Colorado outside linebacker Jimmie Gilbert, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. 
[RELATED: 49ers Sign Baylor WR K.D. Cannon]
Gilbert’s $50K in base pay and $12K bonus gives him the highest reported bonus total of any UDFA this year, so far. It’s no surprise that Gilbert was highly sought after by teams after he earned third-team Associated Press All-American honors and first-team All-Pac-12 honors in his final season on campus. in 2016, Gilbert recorded 51 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles.
Gilbert’s wingspan enabled him to be a disruptive pass rusher while at CU, but the general knock on him is that he’s not particularly strong and hasn’t shown much in running situations. He’ll look to hook on in SF as a situational pass rusher.
Teams have $98,340 to spend on UDFA signing bonuses this year, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. Already, the Niners have invested a decent chunk of that space in a pair of players.
49ers Sign Baylor WR K.D. Cannon
Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon did not get drafted last week, but he apparently had plenty of teams interested in him. The 49ers have signed him as an undrafted free agent and they gave him a $45K bonus to join the team, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. 
Typically, teams will give a bonus of $5K or less to UDFAs to get them to join the offseason roster. The fact that Cannon is getting nine times that is a good indication that he had several teams looking to sign him.
The Niners clearly like Cannon, but he’ll have to impress in order to make the final 53-man roster. The addition of the 5’11”, 182-pound athlete gives San Francisco eleven receivers in total and the first four spots might already be locked down. Pierre Garcon, Jeremy Kerley, Marquise Goodwin, and Aldrick Robinson are SF’s projected top receivers. Former CFL star Eric Rogers is also among those looking to make the final cut and many believed that he was poised to make an impact last year before suffering a torn ACL in camp.
Jaguars Refuse To Rework Branden Albert’s Deal
Branden Albert is staying away from the Jaguars as he pushes for a new deal, but it doesn’t sound like he’s going to get his way. Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell says the team won’t negotiate a new deal with Albert or release him. 
“We have his rights, and we expect him to show up when he has to,” Caldwell said (via ESPN.com). “This is all voluntary, so it’s his decision to not be here. He’s got that right to do that. As long as he comes in shape when it’s mandatory and comes in and does the things he’s supposed to do, we’ll welcome him with open arms.”
The Jags drafted Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson over the weekend and they say that they’ll give him a shot at the left tackle job. The ideal scenario for Jacksonville would be for Albert to start at left tackle with Robinson playing on the inside, but they won’t adjust the veteran’s contract in order to make that happen. The pre-existing deal Albert had with the Dolphins calls for him to earn $8.9MM in 2017 and $9.6MM in ’18, but none of it is guaranteed.
Bills Sign CB Shareece Wright
The Bills announced the signing of free agent cornerback Shareece Wright. Wright visited with Buffalo in early April, but the team waited until after the draft to add him to the roster. 
Wright, 30, has been on the open market since the Ravens cut him loose on March 7. Even though he has 42 career starts to his name, the Bills were the only team known to have real interest in him this offseason. Wright has not recorded an interception since 2013 and last year he ranked 75th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Bills made a big-time upgrade at cornerback on Thursday when they seleted LSU’s Tre’Davious White with the No. 27 overall pick. White and Ronald Darby will hold down the starting spots, but Wright could find his way to the roster as a reserve.
Wright is now the fourth third offseason addition to their cornerback corps, joining White and free agent pickups Marcus Cromartie and Leonard Johnson. It remains to be seen how this group will perform as a whole following the losses of Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
Dolphins Pick Up Ja’Wuan James’ Option
The Dolphins will pick up Ja’Wuan James‘ fifth-year option, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Now, the right tackle will be under team control through the 2018 season. 
[RELATED: 2018 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Over the weekend, Dolphins executive vice president and GM Chris Grier said that the team was still deliberating on what to do with James. Now, however, they’ll guarantee James’ 2018 salary for an estimated $9.341MM. The Dolphins project to start Laremy Tunsil and James at the tackle spots with Ted Larsen, Mike Pouncey, and Kraig Urbik in between in 2017. If all goes well, we’ll see Tunsil/James for the next two seasons in Miami, at minimum.
Last year, James graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 tackle in the NFL. While his pass blocking score left something to be desired, his run blocking score put him in the top 20 league-wide. Per PFF, 2016 was James’ best season to date.
As shown in PFR’s 2018 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker, teams have already decided on the majority of players in the 2014 first round. Clubs have until Wednesday to formally decide.