Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Marquis Lucas
- Waived: LB Christian Tago
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Harvey Binford, WR Fred Brown, LB Jeremiah George
- Waived: WR Marcus Leak, WR Al-Damion Riles, DT Kristjan Sokoli
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers: CB Taurean Nixon (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Trevon Hartfield, T Donald Hawkins
- Waived: OL Corin Brooks, CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: QB Dylan Thompson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LS Thomas Gafford (Twitter link via Joel Erickson of the Advocate)
- Waived: OL Cameron Lee (Twitter link via Erickson), LS Jesse Schmitt (Twitter link via Herbie Teope of NOLA.com)
- Waived/injured: WR Dan Arnold
NFC Notes: Rams, Cowboys, Eagles, Vikes
The Rams had been holding off on extension talks with franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson because they wanted to see how he fit in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme during their offseason program. Well, Johnson and Phillips are apparently a match, as head coach Sean McVay said Thursday (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com) that he “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 Rams have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal with Johnson, who’s currently scheduled to rake in $16.742MM this year. The same deadline doesn’t apply to superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald, as he’s still under control for two more years. The sides have discussed an extension, though, and McVay is “optimistic that something’s going to work out.”
More from the NFC:
- One reason the Cowboys are uninterested in free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis is because they view him as a “progress-stopper,” according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. The Cowboys used three picks this year on corners, including Chidobe Awuzie in Round 2 and Jourdan Lewis in Round 3, and seem content to lean on a group that includes those youngsters, second-year man Anthony Brown (whom they’re bullish on, per Williams) and the established twosome of Orlando Scandrick and Nolan Carroll.
- After playing just 27 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in 2016, linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason. For now, Kendricks is still in Philadelphia, and if he remains an Eagle this year, his role is unlikely to change, writes Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. The Eagles used their nickel package over 70 percent of the time last season, and they’ll probably rely on it heavily again; if so, Kendricks will continue to watch from the sideline as fellow linebackers Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham receive the majority of snaps. The 26-year-old Kendricks still has three years left on his contract, but releasing him would cost the Eagles $9.15MM in dead cap this summer. Barring a trade, then, he figures to spend the sixth year of his career with his only NFL employer to date.
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is finally poised to put his nagging right eye issues behind him. “We’re just about out of the woods,” said Zimmer, who has undergone eight separate surgeries over the past year to repair a detached retina. A checkup on Wednesday revealed that “the retina is perfect, the pressure [in my eye] is great,” Zimmer informed reporters, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. The 61-year-old’s doctor told him he’d be “absolutely shocked if anything else happened in this eye.” Zimmer’s eye problems led to his absence from the Vikings’ Week 13 loss to Dallas last season and forced him to miss the first two weeks of organized team activities this spring.
Giants Sign Evan Engram
The Giants have signed their first-round pick, tight end Evan Engram, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter). The team’s entire six-player draft class is now under contract.
Engram, whom the Giants chose 23rd overall, played the previous four years at Ole Miss, where he combined for 162 receptions and 15 touchdowns. He pulled in career highs in catches (65), yards (926) and scores (eight) last year en route to First-Team All-America honors and a high selection in the draft. Now, the field-stretching Engram (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) should take over as the Giants’ top tight end, supplanting Will Tye, who caught 48 passes for a paltry 8.2 yards per reception last season.
Here’s a refresher on the rest of Big Blue’s picks:
- 2-55: Dalvin Tomlinson, DT (Alabama)
- 3-87: Davis Webb, QB (California)
- 4-140: Wayne Gallman, RB (Clemson)
- 5-167: Avery Moss, DE (Youngstown State)
- 6-200: Adam Bisnowaty, T (Pittsburgh)
AFC West Notes: Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, set to enter his age-35 season and his 14th in the NFL, doesn’t see retirement on the horizon. “I don’t want to hang on at the end and just be a guy that’s hanging on,” Rivers told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “But if I still feel like I can help a team and I enjoy it the way I do and more importantly, if the team feels that I can help them. … I don’t see myself shutting it down any time real soon.” Rivers, who still has three years remaining on his contract, posted the fifth 30-touchdown and eighth 4,000-yard campaign of his career last season, though he also tossed a personal-worst 21 interceptions as a member of an injury-plagued, five-win team.
- Like Rivers, Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski would like to continue his career into the foreseeable future. One key difference between the two is that Janikowski is already on the cusp of his 40s. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old’s aiming to remain the Raiders’ kicker when they relocate to Las Vegas in 2020. “I hope so, that’s my goal,” he said, via the Associated Press. “That’s not my decision.” Janikowski will be 42 when the Raiders move, which isn’t an unprecedented age for a kicker to play at (the Colts’ Adam Vinatieri is 44, and ex-Raider George Blanda lasted until he was 48, notes the AP), but it would make for a remarkable run with one franchise. Janikowski is entering his 18th year with the Raiders, who raised eyebrows when the then-Al Davis-led organization chose him 17th overall in the 2000 draft. The ex-Florida State Seminole has generally been effective for the Raiders since, including when he made 29 of 35 field goals last year.
- One of Janikowski’s Raiders teammates, quarterback Derek Carr, is a candidate to receive a record contract worth $25MM-plus per year prior to the season. But Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com is somewhat skeptical of Carr and the Raiders, arguing that it will be tough for either to replicate their 2016 performances this year. Carr will have difficulty avoiding negative regression on both his paltry interception rate (1.1 percent) and lofty fourth-quarter comeback total (seven) from last season, while the Raiders probably won’t win 12 games again unless they dramatically improve their point differential, Barnwell contends. Oakland only outscored its opposition by 31 points last season, leading to a Pythagorean Expectation of 8.7 wins. Additionally, the club went a hard-to-sustain 8-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points.
- Ravens wide receiver Jeremy Maclin told PFT Live on Thursday that the manner in which the Chiefs notified him of his release earlier this month left him “upset” and “shocked.” Chiefs general manager John Dorsey informed Maclin via voicemail that the team was moving on from him after two years, 131 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Maclin also confirmed that the Chiefs tried to trade him and never asked him to take a pay cut, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported two weeks ago.
Browns Sign David Njoku
The Browns have announced the signing of first-round tight end David Njoku, the 29th pick in this year’s draft. His four-year deal is worth approximately $9.53MM, including a $5.07MM signing bonus.
Njoku was the third tight end to come off the board this spring, going after the Buccaneers’ O.J. Howard and the Giants’ Evan Engram, and is coming off a breakout year at Miami. The 6-foot-4, 246-pounder hauled in 43 receptions for 698 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016 as a member of the Hurricanes, with whom he only played two seasons. The Greg Olsen comparable should step into the starting lineup right away for Cleveland, which immediately released veteran tight end Gary Barnidge after it drafted Njoku.
With Njoku under contract, the only unsigned player remaining in the Browns’ 10-player draft class is another of their first-rounders, safety Jabrill Peppers – the 25th pick. Cleveland had three No. 1s, including top overall selection Myles Garrett.
Sheldon Richardson Wants To Stay With Jets
Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson is entering a contract year, meaning he could be a season away from potentially leaving a rebuilding outfit for a contender. But Richardson, who has been a Jet since they used a first-round pick on him in 2013, wants to stay where he is.
“I got drafted here … me and New York got a little edge to us both,” Richardson told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I hate losing. They hate losing. I hate it. I hate it with a passion. But I want to turn it around here. That’s it for me, man. I started here. I want to finish here. That’s how I think about it. It ain’t in my power as far as that (happening) though.”
The problem for Richardson is that, while he’d like to continue with the Jets, the feeling might not be mutual. The Jets have tried to trade the twice-suspended Richardson since at least last season, when both the Broncos and Cowboys expressed interest in him. More recently, Gang Green offered the 26-year-old to the Buccaneers, Colts and Seahawks, but none bit on New York’s asking price. Now, the Jets – who look bound for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft and have two other high-profile D-linemen in Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson – remain “amenable” to moving Richardson, according to Mehta.
In the event Richardson stays put and doesn’t ink an extension, he’ll play 2017 for $8.069MM – his fifth-year option salary. Despite his past off-field troubles, including suspensions for substance abuse and personal conduct policy violations, Richardson would perhaps put himself in line for a substantial long-term payday by staying out of trouble and bouncing back from a somewhat disappointing 2016. Across 15 games and 14 starts, Richardson posted a career-low sack total (1.5, down from five in 2015 and eight in 2014), though he still ranked 31st among Pro Football Focus’ 109 qualified edge defenders.
Richardson isn’t going to stay in New York for less than he believes he’s worth, as he told Mehta: “Hometown discount? I’m from St. Louis. … There’s no team in St. Louis. Kansas City is close. But not them either.”
Saints Sign Tony McDaniel
Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel has signed with the Saints, his agency announced Thursday (on Twitter).
The 32-year-old McDaniel could end up in a prominent role for the Saints, who are awaiting word on whether starting defensive tackle Nick Fairley will be able to overcome heart problems to continue his career. Like Fairley, McDaniel brings plenty of experience, having logged 141 appearances and 48 starts with the Jaguars, Dolphins, Buccaneers and Seahawks since entering the NFL in 2006.
McDaniel is coming off the fourth 16-game season of his career, in which he started 11 contests, totaled 43 tackles and finished a respectable 52nd in performance among 127 qualified interior defensive linemen at Pro Football Focus. In New Orleans, he’ll join a D-tackle contingent that includes Fairley (for now, at least), 2016 first-rounder Sheldon Rankins, Tyeler Davison and David Onyemata.
North Notes: Browns, Ravens, Lions, Vikings
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, the first pick in this year’s draft, suffered a left foot injury Wednesday that left him in “obvious pain,” reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland. A day later, Garrett sat out practice as team doctors evaluated his foot, a club spokesman announced. The Browns won’t provide further details on Garrett’s ailment, per Cabot, who relays that the injury likely isn’t serious. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Garrett should be “fine.” Foot issues are nothing new for Garrett, who dealt with soreness throughout organized team activities and battled a high ankle sprain during his final year at Texas A&M last season. Fortunately, though, it looks as if he and the Browns will escape relatively unscathed in this instance.
More from the NFL’s North divisions:
- Unsurprisingly, it appears injured tight end Dennis Pitta‘s release from the Ravens last week will bring an end to his career. When speaking with reporters Thursday, Pitta didn’t announce his retirement, but he conceded, “I’m not delusional” (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). Hip problems limited Pitta to seven games from 2013-15, but he returned last season to post a 16-game campaign and catch a team-high 86 passes. The soon-to-be 32-year-old suffered a hip dislocation earlier this month, though, leading the Ravens to cut ties after seven seasons.
- In his first meeting with the Detroit media on Thursday, newly acquired Lions offensive tackle Greg Robinson called the trade that sent him from Los Angeles to the Motor City “a big surprise,” per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Robinson busted with the Rams, who selected him second overall in 2014, and acknowledged that things “haven’t really went the way I would like” to this point. The 24-year-old expects to jump-start his career in Detroit, however. “I plan on benefiting from (my fresh start) tremendously,” Robinson declared. “It’s really refreshing and I plan to make the most out of it.”
- Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler has been “very happy” with his performance this spring, and the ex-Texan explained Wednesday why his play has improved from his disastrous 2016 in Houston. “The best part is I’m getting coached hard on my fundamentals,” Osweiler said, via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “And I believe firmly that when your fundamentals and your feet are right as a quarterback, you’re going to make great decisions and you’re going to throw accurate footballs.” Osweiler added that his “fundamentals slid” last year, but he declined “to go into great detail” on why. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk interprets Osweiler’s remarks as a shot at the Texans’ coaching staff, particularly Bill O’Brien, who didn’t get along well with the signal-caller last season.
- Defensive back Lardarius Webb experienced a “tepid market” during his month of unemployment before re-signing with the Ravens in May, as Zrebiec details. The only club known to have expressed interest in the 31-year-old Webb was the Vikings, although Baltimore reportedly had interest in bringing Webb back almost instantly after releasing him. The Ravens saved $5.5MM in cap space by originally cutting ties with Webb, who has since inked a new three-year deal worth $6.3MM (with another $1.4MM available annually via incentives).
- Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer indicated Wednesday that both kicker Kai Forbath and punter Ryan Quigley will have to fight for their jobs this summer, telling reporters that “there’s an open competition” at both spots (via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune). Forbath, whom the Vikings signed last November after releasing Blair Walsh, made all 15 of his field goal attempts with Minnesota in 2016 but will battle second-year man Marshall Koehn to stay with the club. “He’s got the stronger leg,” Priefer said of Koehn. “This kid is coming on strong. It’s a great competition.” Quigley, an April signing, will try to fend off another second-year player, Taylor Symmank, after averaging a career-worst 41.6 yards per punt on 34 attempts with the Cardinals last season.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Dwight Freeney Wants To Play In 2017
Just over a week ago, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn wasn’t sure if free agent defensive end Dwight Freeney wanted to continue his career. Now he has an answer.
“He wants to play,” Quinn told reporters, including Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, on Wednesday. “I’d say he’s further along in the decision than he was last year.”
Freeney took until last August to ink a $2MM deal with the Falcons, and he went on to appear in 15 games and rack up three sacks with the NFC champions in 2016. The 37-year-old also ranked an impressive 39th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 109 qualified edge defenders, even outdoing 15.5-sack teammate Vic Beasley (48th), but the Falcons aren’t committed to re-signing him.
“He knows I’m going down the line of looking at our team here,” said Quinn, who McClure notes wants to develop his team’s young pass rushers, including Beasley (last year’s sack champion) and first-round pick Takkarist McKinley. Both McKinley (shoulder) and Adrian Clayborn (biceps) come with injury concerns, McClure points out, which could eventually lead to a reunion with Freeney. Indeed, Quinn will consider Freeney “no matter what” while he evaluates his current options.
If the Falcons ultimately don’t re-up Freeney, it stands to reason another contender in need of a pass rusher could ink the seven-time Pro Bowler. Freeney provided a boost to the Cardinals’ defense the year before he joined the Falcons, notching eight sacks and three forced fumbles in 2015 for a club that went to the NFC title game, and won’t come at a bank-breaking cost. Also a former Colt and Charger, the 15-year veteran has totaled 122.5 sacks – good for 18th all-time.
NFC Notes: Lions, Eagles, 49ers
Lions contract-year quarterback Matthew Stafford could be on the verge of becoming the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback, but he told reporters Wednesday that there’s still “no timetable” on an extension (per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). And while it’s possible Stafford will wait for the Raiders’ Derek Carr and/or the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins to sign before talks between him and the Lions ramp up, he insists their situations have no bearing on his. “I’m not too worried about what those guys do,” Stafford said.
More from Detroit and two other NFC cities:
- The Eagles handed Jason Peters a one-year extension Wednesday, and the club could move the veteran offensive lineman from tackle to guard at some point in the future, as head coach Doug Pederson told reporters, including Matt Lombardo of NJ.com (Twitter link). The switch would make some sense, especially from a contractual standpoint, as Philadelphia has already locked up its left tackle of the future — incumbent right tackle Lane Johnson. Johnson is earning $11.25MM annually, far and away the highest salary among right tackles, a sure sign the Eagles envision the former first-round pick eventually transitioning to the blindside.
- Kyle Shanahan cautioned last month that 49ers first-round linebacker Reuben Foster‘s shoulder issues could keep him out of action as a rookie, but the head coach is now singing a different tune. Shanahan expressed confidence Wednesday that Foster will be a full participant when training camp opens in July, saying (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle): “He’s been doing great with his rehab. Really have no concerns. I think he’ll be more than ready to go by training camp. That’s my feeling. Can’t promise that, but I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.” Foster underwent right shoulder surgery before the combine, which played a part in the former Alabama All-American’s fall from a potential top 10 pick to the 31st overall selection.
- Asked Thursday if it’s possible the Lions will re-sign free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin, head coach Jim Caldwell said, “Never say never.” But it’s unlikely the Lions will bring back Boldin unless one of their current receivers suffers an injury, tweets Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. Boldin, 36, led all Lions wideouts in touchdown catches (eight) and finished second in receptions (61) in 2016, though he only averaged 8.7 yards per grab.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.