Texans Sign Deshaun Watson
The Texans have signed the bulk of their 2017 draft class. Only third round running back D’Onta Foreman remains unsigned. Here’s the full list of every Houston draft pick who is now under contract: 
- 1-12: Deshaun Watson, QB (Clemson)
- 2-57: Zach Cunningham, LB (Vanderbilt)
- 4-130: Julien Davenport, OL (Bucknell)
- 4-142: Carlos Watkins, DL (Clemson)
- 5-169: Treston Decoud, S (Oregon State)
- 7-243: Kyle Fuller, C (Baylor)
The Texans were said to be targeting Watson for several weeks and we learned on draft night that it wasn’t just a smokescreen. Houston traded this year’s No. 25 overall pick and its 2018 first round choice to get the No. 12 selection from the Browns in order to take the Clemson QB. Watson was universally regarded as one of the top QBs in this year’s class and some might argue that the athletic signal caller has more upside than any of his peers. Now, the rookie might have a chance at wrestling the starting job away from Tom Savage.
Cunningham was projected by some as a first round pick and he almost went No. 23 overall when the Giants were on the clock. Luckily for Houston, the Giants wound up taking Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram at No. 23 and passed on him again at No. 55, allowing them to grab the Vanderbilt product all the way down at No. 57.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Extra Points: Gordon, Cowboys, Ansah
Suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is currently without an agent, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Joby Branion terminated their relationship “a couple weeks ago,” a source told Florio. Branion succeeded Drew Rosenhaus, who parted ways with Gordon several months back, as Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes (on Twitter). Branion had been working to help get Gordon reinstated, a bid the NFL denied Thursday. The league’s decision came on the heels of a recent conversation between Gordon and commissioner Roger Goodell, per Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who adds that Gordon is working out in Gainesville, Fla., and seems to be in good shape physically (Twitter links).
More from around the league:
- Before the Cowboys chose Michigan defensive Taco Charlton with the 28th pick in the draft, they spoke with the Ravens about trading up to No. 16 for Missouri DE Charles Harris, reports Charean Williams of the Star Telegram. However, the teams’ discussions died when the Ravens’ target, Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, was still on the board for their pick. Harris ended up going 22nd overall to the Dolphins.
- The Cardinals released Daryl Washington on Thursday, but the linebacker told Mike Jurecki he’d have wanted to stay with the team had it been willing to pay him a salary higher than the league minimum (Twitter link). Understandably, Arizona wasn’t interested in making any kind of a real investment in Washington, who hasn’t played a down since 2013 because of repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The league reinstated Washington last month.
- Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah says that he will ask Ndamukong Suh for advice on contract talks, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but I will,” Ansah said. The Lions are hoping to lock Ansah down with a contract extension, despite a down year in 2016.
- Wide receiver Eddie Royal, whom the Bears released Thursday, is still recovering from the turf toe that ended his 2016 campaign early, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While Royal is making progress from December surgery, he’s not ready to return to the field, per Rapoport.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Patriots, David Andrews Agree To Extension
The Patriots and center David Andrews have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2020 season, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Michael Giardi of CSNNE first reported (on Twitter) that an extension was on the way for Andrews, who had been slated to become a restricted free agent next offseason. The three-year extension will be worth up to $11MM with a base value of $9MM, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, Giardi, and Reiss (Twitter link).
The 24-year-old Andrews is one of seemingly countless under-the-radar pickups that have worked out well for the Bill Belichick-led Patriots, who signed the ex-Georgia Bulldog as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Andrews ousted Bryan Stork to become the Patriots’ primary option at center as a rookie, starting 11 of 14 games, and then served as the Super Bowl champions’ No. 1 for all of last season. Appearing in each of the Patriots’ 16 regular-season games, Andrews earned solid marks from Pro Football Focus, which ranked his performance 22nd among 38 qualified centers.
Thanks in part to Andrews’ extension, 80 percent of New England’s starting offensive line is under contract for at least the next two seasons. The lone exception is left tackle Nate Solder, who’s scheduled to become a free agent next March.
Giants Sign Three Picks, 14 UDFAs
The Giants have signed three draft picks, second-round defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama; previously reported), third-round quarterback Davis Webb (California) and fifth-round defensive end Avery Moss (Youngstown State), per a team announcement. Additionally, the club has added 14 undrafted free agents, all of whom are listed below:
- Josh Banks, DT (Wake Forest)
- Jessamen Dunker, OT (Tennessee State)
- DaShaun Amos, CB (East Carolina)
- Jadar Johnson, S (Clemson)
- Keeon Johnson, WR (Virginia)
- Jarron Jones, DT (Notre Dame)
- Calvin Munson, LB (San Diego State)
- Travis Rudolph, WR (Florida State)
- Evan Schwan, DE (Penn State)
- Shane Smith, RB (San Jose State)
- Colin Thompson, TE (Temple)
- Nigel Tribune, CB (Iowa State)
- Rob Wheelwright, WR (Wisconsin)
- Jalen Williams, WR (Umass)
Bears To Try Out Denard Robinson
Free agent running back Denard Robinson will be among the Bears’ tryout players at rookie minicamp, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
The 26-year-old Robinson, formerly a quarterback at Michigan, spent the first four seasons of his career in Jacksonville after it selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. Robinson appeared in 55 of the Jaguars’ 64 games in that span and made 13 starts, with the lion’s share of his 263 carries coming in 2014. That season, Robinson piled up 135 rushes for 582 yards – good for a quality YPC of 4.3 – scored four touchdowns and totaled a personal-high 23 catches. Robinson’s production has waned since then, as he posted the second-worst YPC (3.5) of his career last year on 41 attempts and hauled in only three receptions.
As was the case in Jacksonville, Robinson would be a backup in Chicago if he were to improbably make the team. Starter Jordan Howard was quietly among the best backs in the NFL as a rookie last year, but neither Jeremy Langford nor Ka’Deem Carey did much behind him. They remain in the fold, while free agent pickup Benny Cunningham is aboard as a newcomer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/17
Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Cut: S Christian Bryant
Detroit Lions
- Cut: TE Kennard Backman, WR Andrew Turzill
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: FB Malcolm Johnson (Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN)
- Signed: TE Bryce Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Evan Panfil (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
Cowboys Sign Seven Draft Picks
The Cowboys have agreed to pacts with seven draft picks, leaving third-round cornerback Jourdan Lewis as the only member of their nine-rookie class without a contract, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Dallas, which reached a deal with first-round defensive end Taco Charlton on Thursday afternoon, signed this group in the evening:
- Round 2-60: Chidobe Awuzie, CB (Colorado)
- 4-133: Ryan Switzer, WR (North Carolina)
- 6-191: Xavier Woods, S (Louisiana Tech)
- 6-216: Marquez White, CB (Florida State)
- 7-228: Joey Ivie, DT (Florida)
- 7-239: Noah Brown, WR (Ohio State)
- 7-246: Jordan Carrell, DE (Colorado)
Awuzie was reportedly gaining momentum as a potential first-rounder in the weeks leading up to the draft, but he ultimately come off the board late in the second. The four-year starter at Colorado had his most productive seasons from 2015-16, combining for 150 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions, and should see plenty of playing time as a rookie in Dallas. The Cowboys, who ranked a mediocre-at-best 18th in DVOA against the pass last year, lost cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to free agency. The club will try to make up for the veterans’ departures with a corner group consisting of Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown, Awuzie and Nolan Carroll, among others.
Bears Pick Up 13 UDFAs
The Bears have inked 13 undrafted free agents to deals, including…
- Joel Bouagnon, RB (Northern Illinois)
- Rashaad Coward, DL (Old Dominion)
- Hendrick Ekpe, LB (Minnesota)
- Tanner Gentry, WR (Wyoming)
- Franko House, TE (Ball State)
- Isaiah Irving, LB (San Jose State)
- Dieugot Joseph, OL (Florida International)
- Mitch Kirsch, OL (James Madison)
- Andy Phillips, K (Utah)
- Alex Scearce, LB (Coastal Carolina)
- Jhajuan Seales, WR (Oklahoma State)
- Freddie Stevenson, FB (Florida State)
- Levonte Whitfield, WR (Florida State)
Titans Add 12 UDFAs
The Titans have signed 12 undrafted free agents, per a team announcement. The list:
- Jeremy Boykins, CB (Central Florida)
- DeAngelo Brown, NT (Louisville)
- Bra’Lon Cherry, WR (North Carolina State)
- Tyler Ferguson, QB (Western Kentucky)
- John Green, CB (Connecticut)
- Roderick Henderson, NT (Alabama State)
- Denzel Johnson, LB (Texas Christian)
- Akeem Judd, RB (Mississippi)
- KeVonn Mabon, WR (Ball State)
- Steven Moore, OT (California)
- Giovanni Pascascio, WR (Louisville)
- Jonah Pirsig, OT (Minnesota)
Chargers Sign Forrest Lamp, Three Others
After locking up their top draft pick, first-round wide receiver Mike Williams, earlier Thursday, the Chargers went to work on signing a few other selections, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. The club inked four more rookies to deals, including second-round pick and former Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp. Here are the others:
- Round 5 (No. 151 overall) Desmond King, DB (Iowa)
- Round 6 (No. 190) Sam Tevi, T (Utah)
- Round 7 (No. 225): Isaac Rochell, DT (Notre Dame)
Lamp drew plenty of first-round buzz entering the draft, but the team that seemed to like him more than anyone else, Miami, cooled on him at the 11th hour. The Chargers ended up selecting Lamp 38th overall, and he could be an immediate factor – perhaps at right guard – on a line that Football Outsiders ranked among the NFL’s worst last season.
With Lamp, King, Tevi and Rochell now under contract, only two of the Chargers’ seven picks are without deals.