Latest On 49ers’ Reuben Foster
49ers linebacker Reuben Foster pled no contest to his last remaining charge, a misdemeanor assault rifle possession count (Twitter link via Robert Salonga of the Mercury News). Foster will serve 232 hours of community service and two years probation, during which he’ll be prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition. 
Legally speaking, this ties up the final loose end from Foster’s Feb. 11 domestic violence arrest. In May, the court dismissed the more serious felony charges against Foster after his ex-girlfriend recanted her allegations.
In terms of his standing with the league, however, much is left to be determined. Foster was faced with four charges in all and the league is still mulling a multi-game suspension for him, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Foster, who has been running with the first-team since returning to practice, is in line to start for the Niners in 2018. However, it seems likely that his season will be interrupted by a ban from the league office.
On the field, Foster has been a solid contributor for the Niners. As a rookie in 2017, he recorded 72 total tackles in ten games (all starts). In November, he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors.
Chuck Pagano Wants To Coach Again
Chuck Pagano wants to get back in the game. Pagano says that he hopes to return to the NFL sidelines, one year after going 4-12 in his final year with the Colts. 
[RELATED: Colts DE Chris McCain Arrested]
“Absolutely. I’m young. I’m 57 years old,” Pagano said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). “I’ve got a couple years left in me. I’ve got unfinished business. I’d love to have another opportunity, I just love being around the guys, being on grass and competing.”
Things didn’t go as planned for Pagano and the Colts in 2017 (particularly since they were without the services of Andrew Luck), but he did coach the team to three consecutive 11-5 campaigns from 2012-2014. In 2014, the Colts advanced to the AFC Championship game but were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl-champion Patriots.
All in all, Pagano owns a career 53-43 regular season record as an NFL head coach. Before the Luck-less ’17 season, Pagano was 49-31 over five years.
Jets’ Rontez Miles Suffers Torn Meniscus
Jets safety Rontez Miles underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will be out for 3-4 months, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Miles is a possible Injured Reserve/to return candidate (IR-DTR) for the team, but in the meantime, it’s a blow to their depth in the secondary. 
The Miles injury would help to explain the Jets’ signing of safety J.J. Wilcox. Wilcox initially agreed to join the 49ers, but had a change of heart at the last minute and flew to New York to sign with the Jets. Wilcox won’t flip again as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears it’s a done deal. It was unclear as to whether Wilcox would have made the 49ers’ cut, but his odds look good with the Jets given Miles’ injury.
Miles, retained via the original round tender this offseason, was slated to be the top backup to starting safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye this offseason. Doug Middleton, Terrence Brooks, and Wilcox will now push for that job, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Jets add another veteran option.
Sam Beal To Enter Supplemental Draft
Former Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal and Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant are set to apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Beal, in particular, will be of interest to NFL teams as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that he could become highest player selected since Browns used a second-round supplemental pick on Josh Gordon in 2012. 
[RELATED: Virginia Tech CB Adonis Alexander To Enter Supplemental Draft]
Beal was already projected to be taken high in the 2019 NFL draft and NFL personnel people believe he’s likely to fall somewhere in the first three rounds, according to Schefter. In the last decade, only Gordon and Terrelle Pryor have been selected in the top three rounds of the supplemental draft.
Bryant isn’t as big of a name as Beal in draft circles, but he also offers potential. At Mississippi State, he was said to have posted a team-high 4.24-second time in the 40-yard dash.
The supplemental draft allows teams to select players who, for one reason or another, were barred from entering the regular draft in the spring. When a team selects a player in the supplemental draft, they forfeit the corresponding pick in the regular draft next year.
Since the supplemental draft was created in 1977 only 43 players have been selected. Beal seems to be a lock to become the next player tapped, while Bryant and Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander also have a chance at being selected.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions
The Falcons have had a relatively quiet offseason in terms of additions. They’ve chosen to focus instead on developing their own players and locking them up. They tied up a lot of money on last month’s long awaited Matt Ryan mega-extension. Last month it was reported that Julio Jones wanted an “adjustment” made to his contract. Ricardo Allen is also pushing for a new multi-year deal. To top it all off, GM Thomas Dimitroff recently said the team hopes to sign offensive tackle Jake Matthews to a new contract soon.
Overall, there’s a lot of deals for the Falcons to get done. But despite the long list of Falcons waiting their turn, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett appears to be “next in line” for an extension writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jarrett, a fifth round pick back in 2015, is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Jarrett made an immediate impact as a rookie, and sacked Tom Brady three times during Super Bowl LI. He started all 16 games this past season and is a key component of the Falcons’ defense, even more so now that the Falcons let Dontari Poe walk in free agency. Jarrett says he’s not worrying about a new deal and that “at the end of the day, that will work itself out.” Jarrett might not be focused on his contract, but if Ledbetter is right, he should have a new one soon.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The Seahawks currently have a crowded running backs room full of well-known names. First round rookie Rashaad Penny seems like the only lock to make the team. Although it’s been speculated that one or more could be cut, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times thinks all five of Penny, Chris Carson, Mike Davis, C.J. Prosise, and J.D. McKissic will make the team.
- Lions star defensive end Ezekiel Ansah reportedly “dodged” questions about his contract, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. Ansah was franchise tagged back in April, and little progress has been made on a longterm deal since. Lions GM Bob Quinn seemed to hint back in March that the team wasn’t interested in locking Ansah up longterm, and would like to see him play out the year under the franchise tag and prove he can stay healthy. Given the Lions’ reluctance to give him a multi-year deal, it makes sense that Ansah had no interest in discussing his frustration’s with the media.
- The Cardinals could bring in a veteran wide receiver to be the number two behind Larry Fitzgerald, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Fitzgerald is entrenched as the number one receiving option, but there’s currently a wide-open competition behind him between Brice Butler, rookie second-rounder Christian Kirk, and potentially J.J. Nelson. Kirk would seem to have the most upside, but if he’s not ready for such a large role as a rookie, the Cardinals could sign a free agent during training camp Urban believes.
Vikings Notes: Robison, Hughes, Carlson
Last month, it was announced that Vikings defensive end Brian Robison was taking a pay cut to stay with the team in the final year of his contract. The longtime Viking was scheduled to make $3.5MM initially, but his pay cut reduced his base salary to $1.015MM plus a $90K workout bonus.
Now Robison, who has been with the Vikings since being drafted by the team in the fourth round back in 2007, appears ready to hang up his cleats. He recently told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he’ll “more than likely” retire after the 2018 season.
If the 2018 season is indeed Robison’s last in the NFL, it will be the end to an unusually long run with a single team for a role player. Normally only a star player would wind up playing for the same team for 12 seasons, but Robison has carved out a similar situational pass-rushing role with the Vikings year after year through multiple coaching staffs and front offices. He has 60 sacks, 19 passes defended, and 13 forced fumbles throughout his career, only missing three of a possible 176 games since entering the league.
Here’s more on the Vikings:
- Vikings first-round cornerback Mike Hughes is “pretty close” to signing his rookie deal, Hughes told Tomasson. Hughes, the only Vikings draft pick yet to sign, was taken with the 30th overall pick in April’s draft out of Central Florida.
- Tomasson reports that rookie kicker Daniel Carlson “has looked better than Kai Forbath in the battle to be Minnesota’s kicker.” Since the Vikings used a fifth-rounder on Carlson, they likely have every intention of having him be their kicker. Forbath, the incumbent, was underwhelming last year and appears likely to be cut.
- Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph is working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, and recently returned to the field. Tomasson notes that Rudolph is ahead of schedule in his recovery and wasn’t supposed to get back to work for a few more weeks.
No Contract Talks Between Seahawks, Frank Clark
While Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark continues to skip OTAs, it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting the contract extension he’s hoping for anytime soon. The Seahawks “have not had any substantive discussions with Clark and his representatives yet and it’s possible they are willing to play this one out a little bit” according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Clark has stayed away from the voluntary portions of the team’s offseason program while he angles for a new deal. He’s currently heading into the final year of his rookie contract and is slated to make just over $900K. After being taken with the 63rd overall pick in 2015, Clark has put up solid numbers each of the past two seasons. He had 10 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2016 and followed it up with nine sacks and two forced fumbles in 2017.
While Clark’s production has been very good, Condotta points out that a lot of it might have been due to Clark lining up alongside fellow edge rushers Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril who would take a lot of the offensive line’s attention away. With Bennett and Avril both no longer with the team, Condotta says “The Seahawks might want to see how he handles being the main man on a re-tooled defensive line before committing” to him longterm.
Despite Clark making it clear he wants a new contract and Condotta’s reporting that the Seahawks haven’t even reached out to his representatives, Condotta says “the expectation is Clark will show up for mandatory mini-camp.” After a tumultuous offseason in which veterans like Richard Sherman, Bennett, and Avril were all let go in one form or another, the Seahawks are suddenly faced with a lack of experience on defense. They’ll be counting heavily on Clark to get to the quarterback in 2018, and despite the lack of talks it won’t be at all surprising if the Seahawks decide to lock him up before the season starts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/5/18
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: OT Matt McCants
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: OT Michael Dunn
Colts DE Chris McCain Arrested
[UPDATE: The Colts have issued a statement regarding McCain.]
Colts defensive end Chris McCain was charged with battery stemming from an incident that occurred in January, according to TMZ. McCain is accused of spitting on a woman and “forcefully grabbing her neck.” The incident happened in Los Angeles.
Details on the situation are scarce, but McCain certainly could be looking at a suspension here. If he’s punished under the league’s new domestic violence policy, it would be for a minimum of six games. It could help explain the puzzling situation earlier this offseason when the Chargers tendered McCain, who was a restricted free agent of theirs, and then mysteriously rescinded the offer without much explanation. It was odd at the time because McCain was coming off a productive season, but perhaps the Chargers learned about the incident.
McCain was then on the open market for a couple of weeks and drew little known interest before he was eventually picked up by the Colts. Pass-rush was a weakness for the Colts last season, and they were certainly counting on McCain to help them there.
Initially signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, McCain spent the past two seasons with the Chargers. He got the first real meaningful playing time of his career last year and played well, racking up 17 tackles and five sacks with two forced fumbles in a limited rotational role behind Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
Shane Ray To Get Another Wrist Surgery?
Broncos outside linebacker Shane Ray has been dealing with wrist issues for around a year now, and may now require a new surgery that could jeopardize his 2018 season, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Ray, the Broncos’ first-round pick in 2015, played in just eight games last year while dealing with the injury. Klis says that Ray and the team are seeking a second opinion but that “as of now, it appears he’s headed for surgery.”
Ray showed promise in 2016, racking up eight sacks in just a rotational role. Injuries and a lack of consistent play derailed his 2017 season, and caused the Broncos to decline his fifth-year option last month. With his option declined, Ray is now set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and continued medical red flags will certainly hurt his value on the open market.
According to Klis, Ray seems likely to miss at least some of the regular season and likely all of what was supposed to be a crucial offseason for him. The Broncos might now be forced to pursue a veteran pass-rusher to complement a unit that already had its fair share of question marks outside of Von Miller.
As Klis points out, it’s the second recent linebacker injury for the Broncos after Deiontrez Mount was lost for the season with a torn achilles just last week. Klis notes that the injuries to Ray and Mount could “increase the chances of undrafted rookie Jeff Holland making the 53-man roster.”