Giants Sign Devin Taylor
The Giants have signed defensive end Devin Taylor to a one-year contract, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The addition of Taylor is the second of the evening for New York, which reached a deal with safety Duke Ihenacho earlier Wednesday.
[RELATED: Updated Giants Depth Chart]
The 27-year-old Taylor went to Detroit in the fourth round of the 2013 draft and ended up spending his first four seasons there, appearing in 61 of a possible 64 games and totaling 18 starts. Taylor also registered a respectable 15 sacks, 11.5 of which came from 2015-16 (four last year), and is coming off his first 16-start campaign. But Pro Football Focus wasn’t exactly enamored of Taylor’s output in 2016, as it ranked his performance 108th among 109 qualified defensive ends, and he drew no known interest in free agency before his meeting with the Giants this week.
Unlike the Lions, the Giants won’t lean on Taylor as a starter. Big Blue already has an elite defensive end duo in Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul, so Taylor will give the club further depth behind those two. Taylor offers the most proven track record among a group of backup Giants DEs that includes Romeo Okwara, Owa Odighizuwa and fifth-round rookie Avery Moss, among others.
Giants To Sign Duke Ihenacho
The Giants have agreed to a deal with free agent safety Duke Ihenacho, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
A five-year veteran, Ihenacho spent the previous three seasons as a member of one of the Giants’ NFC East rivals, the Redskins, with whom he appeared in 19 games and started 11. The majority of those appearances (15) and starts (10) came in 2016 for the 27-year-old Ihenacho, who amassed 60 tackles and ranked 78th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
The Giants have one of the premier strong safeties in the NFL, Landon Collins, as well as a prospective starter at free safety in Darian Thompson. With Thompson on the shelf for the majority of 2016, his rookie year, on account of a Lisfranc injury, Andrew Adams started in 13 games and graded as PFF’s 39th-best safety. Now, he and Ihenacho figure to serve as the Giants’ top reserves at the back of their defense.
Browns Add Ryan Grigson To Front Office
The Browns have announced the hiring of former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson as a senior personnel executive. Grigson will report to vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry, who worked under Grigson in Indianapolis from 2012-15.
“Ryan brings valuable experience to our personnel group,” said Browns GM Sashi Brown. “He was raised as a road-scout and has been evaluating talent in this league for almost 20 years. We place a premium on that experience and on his passion for football. Ryan has much to offer to any personnel department and we are pleased that he chose to join our staff.”
Grigson had been out of work since the Colts fired him in January, which ended a five-year run atop their football department. Grigson’s tenure in Indianapolis began with a flourish, as his first draft included the likes of Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen – all of whom helped the Colts win 11 games each year from 2012-14 and earn playoff berths. However, Grigson ultimately struggled to put enough talent around Luck, the crown jewel of the franchise, and had difficulty coexisting with head coach Chuck Pagano. Thanks in part to those factors, particularly the inability to support Luck, the Colts went .500 in each of the previous two seasons and owner Jim Irsay elected to part with Grigson.
Prior to his hiring in Indy, Grigson worked in scouting capacities with the Rams and Eagles from 1999-2011. He’ll return to that type of role with the Browns.
Brock Osweiler To Compete For No. 1 Job
Oft-derided quarterback Brock Osweiler raised eyebrows Wednesday when he said he showed enough on film over the past two years to continue as a starter, but he might actually have a shot to earn the No. 1 job in Cleveland, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Since Cleveland acquired Osweiler and a second-round pick from the Texans in a stunning trade in March, the 26-year-old’s existence on the Browns “has changed dramatically,” reports Rapoport. Osweiler is a “far, far different quarterback” than he was with the Texans last season, says Rapoport, who expects the 6-foot-8, 235-pounder to compete for a starting role with the Browns.
When Cleveland landed Osweiler, the early belief was that they did so just to acquire second-rounder at the cost of his $16MM salary, and that he wouldn’t be on the Browns come September. It remains possible Osweiler won’t make the Browns, but it could help his cause that they didn’t address the quarterback position via free agency or another trade, nor did they use one of their two first-round picks on a signal-caller. The Browns instead waited until the second round, selecting former Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer at No. 52 overall. Like Osweiler, Kizer will compete to start, though he’s certainly not a lock to take the reins immediately.
As Rapoport notes, Osweiler intrigued enough in Denver two years ago to have both the Broncos and Texans offer him sizable contracts in free agency the ensuing offseason. Osweiler was hardly spectacular with the Broncos in 2015, but if he resembles that version of himself more than his disastrous 2016 form in the coming months, he could beat out the inexperienced trio of Kizer, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan to emerge as the Browns’ season-opening starter.
Dolphins Sign Charles Harris
The Dolphins have signed their first-round pick, former Missouri defensive end Charles Harris, according to a team announcement. As the 22nd overall selection, Harris will receive a four-year deal worth upward of $10.84MM, including a $6MM-plus signing bonus.
The 6-foot-3, 253-pound Harris debuted at Missouri in 2014 and developed into a force for the Tigers from 2015-16, combining for 30.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks en route to a pair of second-team all-SEC selections over those two seasons. Now Harris, whom Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares to Rams edge defender Connor Barwin, will give Miami another pass-rushing threat to join Cameron Wake, Andre Branch and William Hayes.
With Harris under contract, the Dolphins have now signed their entire seven-player draft class. After finishing last season 19th in the NFL in defensive DVOA, the Dolphins addressed that side of the ball with their first- through third-round choices, grabbing Harris, ex-Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan and former Clemson cornerback Cordrea Tankersley.
Patriots To Waive WR Devin Street
Andrew Hawkins‘ chances of making the 53-man roster just got a bit better. The Patriots will waive wide receiver Devin Street, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Patriots Sign WR Andrew Hawkins]
Street, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Colts earlier this month. He hasn’t done much since entering the league as a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2014, but he was thought to have a shot at making the Patriots’ final cut. Now, the team’s WR group is headlined by Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Hawkins, and special teams ace Matthew Slater.
Rival teams will have 24 hours to put a claim in on Street from the time his officially waived. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team.
AFC East Rumors: Jets, Richardson, Patriots
Tell us what you really think, Sheldon Richardson. On Tuesday, the Jets defensive lineman ripped former teammate Brandon Marshall. He says the Jets’ locker room atmosphere is better than it was last year. He elaborated by saying, “Let’s just say there are 15 reasons why it’s better” (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News). The mention of “15” was a clear reference to Marshall’s jersey number.
The locker room may be better, but it’s not clear if the team will be any better than it was last year. As it stands, the rebuilding Jets might have the least talented roster in the NFL.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Andrew Hawkins declined four other offers so that he could play with the Patriots and catch passes from Tom Brady, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hawkins inked a one-year deal with New England, but his place on the 53-man roster is not a sure thing given all of the talent New England has.
- Jets offensive coordinator John Morton says quarterbacks Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg will all get first team reps, as Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets. It seems that the Jets have an open competition going for the starting job, though I personally view McCown as the odds-on favorite.
- Jets safety Calvin Pryor, who has been the subject of trade talk, showed up for OTAs on Wednesday (Twitter link via Mehta).
Bills Sign Rookie QB Nathan Peterman
The Bills have signed rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman, according to a team announcement. The Pittsburgh product was taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft. 
[RELATED: Bills Sign WR Rod Streater, Cut OT Cyrus Kouandijo]
Peterman was seen as a likely Day 2 pick heading into the draft, but for one reason or another, he fell to the Bills on Day 3. Peterman came into the draft as a two-year full-time starter for Pitt and he had his best season to date in 2016. Peterman threw for 2,855 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing more than 60% of his passes.
The Bills’ quarterback depth chart is a bit crowded at the moment with starter Tyrod Taylor, rising sophomore Cardale Jones, Peterman, and T.J. Yates all under contract. Jones is a safe bet to go into the year as Taylor’s primary backup, so Yates and Peterman are jockeying for one spot on the 53-man roster.
The Bills have now signed all of their draft picks. Here’s a complete look at their 2017 class:
- 1-27: Tre’Davious White, CB (LSU)
- 2-37: Zay Jones, WR (East Carolina)
- 2-63: Dion Dawkins, OL (Temple)
- 5-163: Matt Milano, LB (Boston College)
- 5-171: Nathan Peterman, QB (Pittsburgh)
- 6-195: Tanner Vallejo, LB (Boise State)
Patriots Sign WR Andrew Hawkins
The Patriots have signed Andrew Hawkins, the wide receiver announced via the Twitter account for FS1’s Undisputed. It’s a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Patriots, Gronk Restructure Contract]
Hawkins becomes the latest veteran addition to the Patriots this offseason, joining Brandin Cooks, Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, and Dwayne Allen. Still, his spot on the 53-man roster is anything but a certainty since the Pats already have wide receivers Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, and special teams ace Matthew Slater under contract. Hawkins’ contract likely doesn’t have much in the way of guaranteed cash and perhaps has no guarantees, so there probably won’t be any real fiscal consequences for New England if they cut ties.
Until today, the 31-year-old had spent his entire career to date in the AFC North. After playing for the Bengals from 2011-2013, he hooked on with the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. Hawkins was initially a focal part of the offense in Cleveland, racking up 63 catches for 824 yards and two scores in his first season there. After that, however, his role shrank. Last year, he had just 33 catches for 324 yards and three scores.
QB Austin Davis To Work Out For Seahawks
Free agent quarterback Austin Davis will be visiting the Seahawks today alongside Colin Kaepernick, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether there are other QBs involved. 
[RELATED: Seahawks To Work Out Colin Kaepernick]
Davis, 28 in June, didn’t throw a single pass for the Broncos during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club. Before he was holding the clipboard duty for Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, he did have significant starting experience in 2014 with the Rams. In that season, he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts. In between, he appeared in three games for the Browns. Earlier this year, Davis auditioned for the Giants and Ravens, but he did not get signed after either workout.
It doesn’t sound like the Seahawks will be signing Kaepernick or Davis or any other backup quarterback right away. Seattle doing background work on QBs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and no move is expected to take place today.