Bills Sign LB Carl Bradford
The Bills announced that they’ve free agent linebacker Carl Bradford after hosting him on a visit earlier today.
Bradford, a former draft choice of the Packers, never lived up to his fourth-round billing in Green Bay, as he didn’t appear in a regular season game until his third year in the NFL. After spending his first two campaigns on the inactive list and the practice squad, Bradford finally played in four games for the Packers in 2016 before being waived. The 24-year-old was claimed by the 49ers, with whom he finished out the 2016 campaign.
While Buffalo didn’t add any free agent linebackers to a group that already includes Reggie Ragland, Preston Brown, and Ramon Humber, it did select two ‘backers — Matt Milano (Boston College) and Tanner Vallejo (Boise State) — on Day 3 of the draft. Bradford will likely present the primary competition for those draft picks as the Bills seek to replace some of the production void left by Zach Brown‘s absence.
Because Bradford has only accrued one NFL season, the Bills would hold his rights for the next several years if he makes the roster and plays well. Assuming he sticks for most of the year, Bradford would become a restricted free agent in 2019 and a unrestricted free agent in 2020.
Colts To Add Front Office Staff Members
New Colts general manager Chris Ballard is initiating a revamp of the club’s front office by hiring former Jets senior director of college scouting Rex Hogan, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Hogan and former Seahawks senior personnel executive Ed Dodds — who is also expected to be hired soon — will be named co-vice presidents of player personnel, per Breer. Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday (Twitter link) reported earlier today that Indianapolis would likely add Hogan and Dodds.
Indianapolis had been expected to make several changes to its personnel department, and those alterations began last week when the club parted ways with scouting director T.J. McCreight and several other members of that department. Given his title in New York, Hogan would seem to be a natural fit to take over McCreight’s duties, and he offers familiarity with Ballard, as well, as the pair previously worked together in Chicago.
Dodds, meanwhile, has been linked to the Colts since March, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported at the time that Ballard was interested in bringing Dodds to Indianapolis. He’d been expected to land a promotion over his current role in Seattle, and he could help fill the void left by former vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III, who was let go earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Colts have also hired Brian Decker, a former Green Beret, as player personnel strategist, tweets Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com. As Wickersham detailed in a fascinating piece last summer, Decker previously worked for the Browns’ front office, creating character assessments under former Cleveland decision-makers Joe Banner, Michael Lombardi, and Ray Farmer.
Falcons Sign Two Draft Picks
Today’s draft pick signings:
- The Falcons have agreed to terms with fourth-round guard Sean Harlow and fifth-round safety Damontae Kazee, the club announced today. Harlow, an Oregon State product, started 37 games at offensive tackle during his career with the Beavers. He’ll move to guard in the NFL, however, and he could conceivably have a shot to take Atlanta’s starting right guard job, especially after veteran Hugh Thornton announced his retirement earlier today. Kazee, meanwhile, holds the San Diego State record for career interceptions with 17, and will compete for time at nickelback with 2016 undrafted free agent Brian Poole.
Cardinals Sign CB Jumal Rolle
The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent cornerback Jumal Rolle, the club announced today. Rolle was originally tendered by the Ravens as a restricted free agent in March, but Baltimore quickly rescinded its original round offer, making Rolle a free agent.
Despite the fact that finding a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson was a glaring need for the Cardinals this offseason, Arizona surprisingly didn’t add a corner during the free agent period or during the draft. Additionally, only two of the Cards’ 17 undrafted free agent signings were cornerbacks. Having lost free agent Marcus Cooper to the Bears, Arizona’s options at cornerback behind Peterson now include Justin Bethel, Harlan Miller, Brandon Williams, Eli Bouke, and Trevon Hartfield.
Rolle, admittedly, probably isn’t the top-notch starting option the Cardinals may be looking for, as he’s never started a contest during his three-year NFL career. But Rolle does offer experience (18 career games) and can also to Arizona’s depth on special teams, where the club ranked a paltry 30th in DVOA last season.
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Catawba, the 26-year-old Rolle bounced around the league before landing in a stable reserve role for the Texans in 2014. After joining the Ravens late in the 2015 campaign, Rolle tore his Achilles during the following offseason and missed the entirety of the 2016 season.
Bills Hire Brandon Beane As GM
The Bills have announced former Panthers executive Brandon Beane as their new general manager. Beane’s contract will run concurrent with that of head coach Sean McDermott, meaning Beane is signed through the 2021 campaign, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Landing on Beane was always considered a likely outcome for Buffalo, especially given Beane’s ties with McDermott. The duo spent time together in Carolina, and will now form a tandem decision-making squad after Buffalo fired general manager Doug Whaley last week.
While it’s unclear who will have the final say over personnel choices and the makeup of the 53-man roster, there’s little doubt that McDermott is now firmly in place as a key operative in the Bills’ structure. Even with Whaley still in place during the draft, McDermott was reportedly essential as Buffalo made its picks. But McDermott’s familiarity with Beane should enable the club to quickly establish a new paradigm as it moves past the Whaley regime.
Beane wasn’t the only candidate for the Bills general manager position, as Buffalo also interviewed three other executives for the vacancy. Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown, and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine were also considered for the position.
Jets Claim WR K.D. Cannon Off Waivers
The Jets have claimed former Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon off waivers from the 49ers, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. 
Cannon signed with San Francisco for an uncharacteristically high $45K bonus only to get cut days later. Now that the Jets have claimed him, they have assumed the burden.
Cannon, 21, declared for the draft after only three years at Baylor. In his final season with the Bears, Cannon posted 87 receptions for 1,215 yards and 13 touchdowns.
It was said that Cannon did not show a whole lot of hustle in rookie minicamp with the Niners and his weak showing led to a quick pink slip. Now, he’ll try to stick with the Jets. The Jets parted ways with Brandon Marshall this offseason and Robby Anderson could be in legal trouble, so they are covering their bases by taking a closer look at this young wide receiver.
Patriots Host LB Andrew Gachkar On Visit
The Patriots hosted free agent linebacker Andrew Gachkar on a visit Tuesday, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. The seven-year veteran has played with Chargers and Cowboys. 
[RELATED: Patriots Won’t Re-Sign WR Michael Floyd]
Gachkar, 28, saw time in every possible regular season game for the Cowboys over the last two years. However, he has played primarily on special teams. In 2016, he saw only 76 snaps on defense with 45 of those reps coming in Week 17. The Patriots are likely looking at him as a special teamer and a depth option.
The Patriots had only four draft picks this year and they did not take a linebacker with any of those selections.
Seahawks Release CB Perrish Cox
The Seahawks have released the following players: 
- Chris Briggs, TE
- Ross Burbank, C
- Rodney Coe, DT
- Perrish Cox, CB
- George Farmer, RB
- Jamel Johnson, WR
- John Lunsford, K
- Terrence Magee, RB
Cox, 30, joined the Seahawks in January as insurance in the wake of DeShawn Shead‘s knee injury. Shead is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but the Seahawks do not feel that Cox is worth keeping around as an alternative. Before signing with Seattle, Cox was with the Titans. He intercepted three passes in 11 games for Tennessee in 2016.
With Lunsford out of the way, Blair Walsh stands as the only place kicker on Seattle’s roster.
Even after releasing Farmer and Magee, the Seahawks still have nine running backs under contract.
Guard Hugh Thornton Retires From NFL
Former Colts guard Hugh Thornton is retiring from the NFL. He signed a free agent deal with the Falcons in March, but he has decided to walk away from the game less than two months later. 
Thornton, 26 in June, started 32 games for the Colts from 2013-2015. The former third-round pick was held back by injuries and had not seen regular season action since December 2015. The reason for his retirement is not immediately known, but it’s safe to assume that his recovery has not gone according to plan.
The former third round pick was slated to be one of the top guard backups for Atlanta this year, offering support to Andy Levitre and Ryan Schraeder. Now, the Falcons will look to 2016 sixth round pick Wes Schweitzer and 2017 fourth round pick as the top reserves at the position.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
There are some within the 49ers organization that believe Colin Kaepernick may focus on social justice issues on a full-time basis rather than play football, Peter King of The MMQB writes. However, Dave Zirin of The Nation (on Twitter) has personally spoken to Kaepernick and the quarterback says that he is not moving on from football. He adds that the controversial QB is working out every day with the hope of landing a camp invite. 
[RELATED: 49ers Release RB DuJuan Harris]
So far, there has been no real interest in Kaepernick’s services this offseason. If Kaepernick has not even received an offer for a non-guaranteed deal enabling him to compete in training camp, then one has to imagine that his polarizing politics are keeping him out of the NFL. On top of that, some teams are apparently concerned about his vegan diet and his commitment to football, It’s not clear if Kaepernick has managed to bulk up this offseason or if he’s even looking to add pounds to his thinned out frame.
In 2016, Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions. He also averaged 7.2 yards per passing attempt (up from 6.2 in 2015) and finished second among QBs in rushing yards (468, on a lofty 6.8 per carry).