Rams Sign Five Rookies, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Rams have become the latest club to lock up their 2017 draft class, as the team announced they’ve agreed to terms with fourth-round wide receiver Josh Reynolds, fourth-round linebacker Samson Ebukam, sixth-round defensive tackle Tanzel Smart, sixth-round fullback Sam Rogers, and seventh-round linebacker Ejuan Price.
Reynolds, who posted 1,039 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his final season at Texas A&M, figures to see the most playing time of the rookies signed today. The 6’3″, 195-pounder — whom Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares to NFLer Marvin Jones — will compete with fellow rookie Cooper Kupp for playing time behind Robert Woods and Tavon Austin.
Here’s a complete overview of the Rams’ 2017 rookie crop:
- 2-44: Gerald Everett, TE (South Alabama)
- 3-69: Cooper Kupp, WR (Eastern Washington)
- 3-91: John Johnson, S (Boston College)
- 4-117: Josh Reynolds, WR (Texas A&M)
- 4-125: Samson Ebukam, LB (Eastern Washington)
- 6-189: Tanzel Smart, DT (Tulane)
- 6-206: Sam Rogers, FB (Virginia Tech)
- 7-234: Ejuan Price, DE (Pitt)
Rams Unlikely To Extend Trumaine Johnson
The odds of the Rams reaching a long-term agreement with franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson are extremely slim, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Los Angeles spoke with Johnson’s representatives regarding an extension only once, and the discussions weren’t fruitful enough to warrant another round of talks.
If he’s not extended, Johnson will play under the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. As such, his fully guaranteed base salary for the 2017 campaign will be $16.742MM, a 20% raise over his 2016 salary and the highest figure among cornerbacks for the upcoming year. The 27-year-old Johnson will have earned north of $30MM for the 2016-17 seasons.
The Rams explored trading Johnson this offseason, and while the Browns and Saints reportedly expressed interest, Johnson is now expected to stay put in Los Angeles. New head coach Sean McVay recently indicated that Johnson “fits any system. You’re talking about a big corner who can run, he’s physical, he can tackle and he has great ball skills.”
The NFL has pushed back the deadline for franchise players to sign extensions to July 17, meaning the Rams and Johnson have a little less than a month to agree to a long-term deal.
Saints WR Willie Snead Changes Agents
Saints wide receiver Willie Snead is now represented by Rosenhaus Sports, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Snead’s previous agency was Off Tackle Sports Management.
At first glance, Snead’s agent change isn’t much of a story, especially given that the 24-year-old pass-catcher is a exclusive rights free agent at the moment. But despite the fact that New Orleans isn’t obligated to pay Snead more than the minimum salary in 2017, the club is reportedly working on a “more lucrative” deal for the former undrafted free agent.
“I think the guys upstairs are working on it,” Snead said last week. “I’m hopeful, and I just have to keep worrying about myself and staying healthy and doing all the right things. I know it’s going to be a handled, it’s going to take time, but I feel like we’ll get it done sooner or later.”
Snead has been a revelation for the Saints since entering the league out of Ball State in 2015. In two seasons in New Orleans, Snead has averaged 70 receptions for 940 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll return as one of the Saints’ top receivers in 2017 alongside Michael Thomas, filling the void left by the Brandin Cooks trade.
Falcons Believe Devonta Freeman Deal Will Happen Soon
The Falcons are confident that they’ll have a deal done with Devonta Freeman by the first week of training camp, a source tells ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). The Falcons will kick off training camp at the end of July, so this means a deal could be coming in the next month or so. 
Earlier today, Freeman said in a radio interview that he is willing to wait until next offseason to discuss his contract with the Falcons if the right deal does not materialize this summer. Both sides want to get a deal done, but the Falcons likely do not want to reset the running back market with a new contract for the 25-year-old.
The former fourth-round pick is slated to play out the 2017 season at a paltry $1.92MM cap number. After that, the Falcons could retain him through the costly franchise tag if they do not want to risk losing him to free agency. If Freeman continues to play at a high level and is allowed to test the open market, the bidding could quickly get crazy.
The Falcons have fellow running back Tevin Coleman under contract for two more years, but the ideal scenario would have Atlanta keeping both players in the fold. Last year, Freeman ran for 1,079 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also added 54 catches for 462 yards and two scores. Coleman, who ate into his workload, had 941 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns.
Justin Gilbert Suspended For One Year
Former top ten pick Justin Gilbert has been suspended for one year by commissioner Roger Goodell, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Gilbert, a free agent cornerback, was already facing suspension for the first four weeks of the regular season. 
Gilbert’s initial one month ban stemmed from a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. It’s not clear what the new suspension is for, but it seems likely that he has been suspended for a longer term as a repeat offender under the same policy.
This is yet another setback for Gilbert who has yet to do much in his NFL career. After being selected No. 8 by the Browns in 2014, Gilbert struggled totaled just three starts and one interception in 23 games. Later, he drew criticism from owner Jimmy Haslam for his lack of maturity.
The Browns gave up on Gilbert prior to the 2016 season, sending him to the AFC North rival Steelers for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick. Gilbert also failed to realize his potential in Pittsburgh, though, as he played just 11 defensive snaps in 12 games. The Steelers cut Gilbert in February and the only time he’s appeared on the pages of Pro Football Rumors since has been regarding his two suspensions.
At this rate, it will be an uphill battle for Gilbert to get back into football and realize his potential.
Lions DT Khyri Thornton Hit With Suspension
Lions defensive tackle Khyri Thornton has been handed a six game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s policy and program for substance abuse. The news was announced by Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. 
[RELATED: Lions “Confident” About Matthew Stafford Talks]
Thornton, 28 in November, entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Packers in 2014. It wasn’t until the next year when he finally saw live NFL action with the Lions. Last year, Thornton made 13 appearances for Detroit, including six starts. Thornton registered his first career sack and racked up 19 tackles, leading the Lions to re-sign him to a two-year, $3.3MM deal.
After appearing in 29.9 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps last year, Thornton was being counted upon as depth for Detroit on the D-Line. The Lions still have Akeem Spence as a backup DT and they’ll also use free agent pickup Jordan Hill a bit more than initially planned. Haloti Ngata, who plans to return for his age-33 campaign, and A’Shawn Robinson figure to start.
Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with Thornton in 2016, ranking him 121st among 126 qualified interior D-linemen last year.
Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry Sets Deadline
Jarvis Landry won’t hold out in an effort to get a new deal, but he is drawing a line somewhere. The agent for the Dolphins wide receiver says that he will not engage in contract talks after the season opener. 
“We want to respect the Dolphins. When the season kicks off, we want to continue to respect that,” agent Damarius Bilbo told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “We don’t want every game to be about a new contract. This is not a tactic; that is not an approach. This is who Jarvis is and what he wants out of the upcoming season.”
Bilbo added that Landry would love to spend the rest of his career as a Dolphin. And, while he would like to sign an extension this summer, he “understands the business aspect” and won’t rock the boat if he doesn’t get what he wants on the timeline that he wants.
At the moment, it sounds like the two sides have a long way to go before a new deal can get hammered out. While the Dolphins have internally discussed the idea of extending Landry, Bilbo says that he has not discussed money with team brass yet. As of this writing, Landry is slated to play out the 2017 season for less than $894K.
Jackson speculates that Bilbo may seek a deal that puts him in the top 10-12 range for wide receivers in the NFL, though the agent did not say that personally. That range would give Landry an average annual salary above $11MM.
No NFL player in league history has caught more passes in his first three years in the league than Landry. The 24-year-old (25 in November) caught 288 passes from 2014-16.
Devonta Freeman Willing To Wait For Deal
It’s no secret that running back Devonta Freeman wants a new, long-term deal with the Falcons. However, he’s also making it known that he just won’t sign anything. Freeman says that he is comfortable with playing out his current contract and picking up talks next spring. 
[RELATED: Dwight Freeney Wants To Play In 2017]
“I would love to get a contract done before the season, but I want it to be right,” Freeman told SiriusXM (Twitter links). “If I had to play the whole season I’m down for that.”
Freeman also expressed confidence in a multi-year deal getting done, but he stressed that both sides will have to be comfortable in order for it to work. It’s not immediately clear what it will take for Freeman to feel comfortable with an offer, particularly after his agent said earlier this year that he wants “elite” running back money. Something like LeSean McCoy‘s $8MM-per-year deal could be a target for Freeman and his reps may also see a potential new Le’Veon Bell contract as something that is within reach. Given his age and talent level, he should be able to at least top Doug Martin‘s five-year, $35.75MM contract with the Bucs, a deal which included $15MM in guarantees.
Recently, GM Thomas Dimitroff expressed confidence in an extension being on the horizon. And even though Freeman’s camp made waves during the playoffs last year, the running back is not planning to hold out. It remains to be seen whether a new deal can get signed this summer, but the good news is that the relationship between the team and player seems to be on solid ground.
49ers Notes: Shanahan, Lynch, Taylor
The 49ers earned a “B” grade for their offseason in the eyes of ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. The offseason, of course, saw the Niners hire a new GM in John Lynch and a new head coach in offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, two major moves that could put the organization in the right direction. Wagoner liked the fact that the Niners didn’t sell the farm to try and get a quarterback, opting instead to stockpile picks and resources for 2018. However, he wasn’t crazy about everything that went down in SF, including the five-year, $26.5MM deal for linebacker Malcolm Smith, a pact which included $11.5MM guaranteed at signing.
Here’s more on the 49ers:
- 49ers draft pick Trent Taylor was Shanahan’s favorite player in the draft, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. That’s high praise considering that the Niners grabbed the small wide receiver in the fifth round at a time when some analysts believed he’d go undrafted. Taylor’s former college offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, also sees Taylor making a mark in SF. “A lot of times you hear people say, ‘This guy is the next Wes Welker,’” said Franklin. “Every small, white kid’s been Wes Welker since Wes Welker became a star. I’m telling you, Trent Taylor really is.”
- The 49ers announced a host of promotions within the team’s personnel department. Chip Flanagan, RJ Gillen, Jacob Nierob, John Stevenson, and Josh Williams have all been elevated to new roles, as outlined in the team’s press release.
- Good news for the 49ers as linebacker Reuben Foster could be a full participant in training camp.
Jets Sign WR Marquess Wilson
The Jets have signed wide receiver Marquess Wilson, according to a tweet from his agents. Prior to today’s deal, Wilson had spent his entire career with the Bears. 
[RELATED: What Will Be The Jets’ Long-Term QB Solution?]
Wilson, a seventh round pick in the 2013 draft, showed flashes of promise in Chicago. In an admittedly small sample size, he averaged 16.6 yards per reception in the 2015 season. That campaign marked career highs in targets (51), catches (28), and receiving yards (464). It remains to be seen what he is capable of doing with further opportunity. Given the way that the Jets have stripped the team, it’s possible that he could get more chances to show his stuff this year.
Wilson was activated off of the physically unable to perform list in mid-November last year. After his return, he recorded just nine receptions in three games before suffering a season-ending foot fracture. That marked the third time in his career that he broke his left foot.
Following the release of Eric Decker, the Jets’ most notable receivers are Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson. After that, their best WRs are arguably third round pick ArDarius Stewart and fourth round pick Chad Hansen. Given the lack of depth at the position, wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wilson begin the year as the Jets’ No. 3 option at receiver.