NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/16/23
Here are the latest 2023 draftees to sign their four-year rookie deals:
Atlanta Falcons
- DE Zach Harrison (third round, Ohio State)
Cleveland Browns
- WR Cedric Tillman Jr. (third round, Tennessee)
Houston Texans
- WR Nathaniel Dell (third round, Houston)
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Josh Downs (third round, North Carolina)
Kansas City Chiefs
- T Wanya Morris (third round, Oklahoma)
- DE BJ Thompson (fifth round, Stephen F. Austin)
- DT Keondre Coburn (sixth round, Texas)
- CB Nic Jones (seventh round, Ball State)
New Orleans Saints
- QB Jake Haener (fourth round, Fresno State)
The Browns added Tillman to a receiver room that includes Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and trade acquisition Elijah Moore. Peoples-Jones is going into a contract year. Downs joins a Colts team rostering contract-year wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and second-year talent Alec Pierce. The Colts lost Parris Campbell this offseason. Dell will stay in Houston, moving to a Texans team that traded Brandin Cooks to the Cowboys. The Texans did sign Robert Woods and are expected to have 2022 second-round pick John Metchie in uniform after a leukemia diagnosis wiped out his rookie year.
Donovan Smith‘s Chiefs signing looks set to place Morris on the developmental track. Kansas City has now added two free agent tackles — Smith and Jawaan Taylor — who have a combined 12 years of NFL starting experience. The Saints will pair Haener with their higher-profile Fresno State alum, Derek Carr, atop their quarterback depth chart. The team made Haener this draft’s sixth QB selection, at No. 127, and the move began a run on Day 3 QB picks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/23
XFL additions and other post-rookie minicamp moves led to some action on the waiver wire Tuesday. As other teams add talent from the latest XFL effort, here are the latest NFL moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on IR: RB B.J. Baylor
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Ayinde Eley, DL Antwuan Jackson, WR Gary Jennings, WR Marquez Stevenson, LB/TE Jordan Thomas
- Waived/injured: S Nico Bolden
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Chris Westry
Detroit Lions
- Signed: K John Parker Romo
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from Dolphins): T DJ Scaife
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Ian Swenson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Sammis Reyes
- Released: S Deionte Thompson
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Saints): DB Vincent Gray
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: FB Zach Ojile, OL Sam Schlueter
New York Giants
- Released from PUP (via injury settlement): S Terrell Burgess
New York Jets
- Claimed (from Falcons): CB Javelin Guidry
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Charleston Rambo
- Waived: T Jarrid Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed (from Cardinals): DL Manny Jones
- Placed on IR: DT Renell Wren
A former 60-meter dash finalist at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships, Guidry has bounced around the league. But the Jets are bringing back the young cornerback. Guidry played 28 games for the team from 2020-21. A fellow DB, Westry started two games for the Ravens in 2021; he will relocate to Cleveland.
Jackson, Jennings and Thomas all played in the XFL this season and auditioned for the Panthers at their recent rookie minicamp. The Panthers tried Thomas at both tight end and linebacker over the weekend. Although Thomas played in the most recent XFL effort, he was in Colts camp — under current Panthers HC Frank Reich — in 2021. This is Jennings’ seventh NFL stop. The former Seahawks fourth-round pick has not played in the NFL since his 2019 rookie year in Seattle.
Romo joins a Lions team carrying Michael Badgley as its incumbent kicker. The younger specialist has not yet kicked in an NFL game, but the former Virginia Tech kicker played in the XFL this season, making 17 of 19 field goal tries. This included a 57-yarder.
AFC South Rumors: Titans, Anderson, Jags
While we are more than two months away from offensive linemen working in pads, the Titans are in the process of determining first-rounder Peter Skoronski‘s position. They are cross-training the No. 11 overall pick at tackle and guard. Skoronski only played tackle at Northwestern, but plenty of pre-draft buzz pointed to a future at guard in the NFL. Arm measurements affected Skoronski’s pre-draft perception, and the Tennesseean’s Nick Suss notes the Titans were alternating possessions of the rookie at tackle and guard during their rookie minicamp.
In Nicholas Petit-Frere and free agent signing Andre Dillard, the team looks to have its two starting tackles in place. The Titans gave the ex-Eagles first-rounder a three-year, $29MM deal, despite Dillard having never commandeered an Eagles starting job, that includes $10MM fully guaranteed. For 2023, at least, this setup points to Skoronski at guard alongside Daniel Brunskill and Aaron Brewer on a new-look Titans line.
Here is the latest from the AFC South:
- Veering back toward C.J. Stroud after weeks of pre-draft reports indicated they were drifting in another direction, the Texans ended up with their coveted edge rusher (Will Anderson Jr.) via a monster trade-up with the Cardinals as well. They became the first team to make two top-three picks in a draft since Washington in 2000. The Texans held pre-draft meetings about how to obtain a quarterback and a pass rusher with their Nos. 2 and 12 picks, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Texans ownership was believed to be more involved this year, though Cal McNair denied influencing GM Nick Caserio to select a quarterback. The trade cost Houston what may well be a top-five pick in 2024, giving Cardinals fans a reason to follow this Texans season, so the AFC South team will bank on Anderson having an All-Pro future.
- Regarding Anderson, DeMeco Ryans said his top pass rusher will operate primarily out of a three-point stance on the edge. The Texans have used a 3-4 base defense for years, dating back to J.J. Watt‘s heyday, but Ryans played in a 4-3 look in Houston and used it as his base alignment in San Francisco. Anderson worked primarily as a linebacker at Alabama. “It’s not a huge position change for Will,” Ryans said, via HoustonTexans.com’s Deepi Sidhu. “Will will be an edge defender for us, and that’s what he did at Alabama. Mostly at Alabama he was standing up. We’ll have him down in a three-point stance.” As sub-packages now rule the NFL, the line between a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 4-3 defensive end has blurred over the past several years, making this a standard switch for the prized edge prospect.
- Ryan Cowden finished last season as the Titans‘ interim general manager. The veteran executive is no longer listed on the team’s website as part of the front office (h/t Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky). This marks a quiet exit for Cowden, who worked alongside Mike Vrabel atop the Titans’ decision-making structure after GM Jon Robinson‘s firing. Ran Carthon has since taken over in Tennessee. Cowden had been with the Titans since Robinson’s 2016 hire. Prior to that, he spent 16 years in the Panthers’ scouting department. Having interviewed for several GM jobs over the past few years — including the Tennessee vacancy — Cowden should have an opportunity to catch on elsewhere soon.
- The Texans have bumped Tom Hayden to their college scouting director post, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Previously the team’s college scouting coordinator, Hayden remains with the team despite arriving during the short-lived Brian Gaine GM tenure.
- Jaguars cornerback Chris Claybrooks was hit with two misdemeanor charges — domestic assault with bodily injury and vandalism under $1,000 — last month stemming from an incident in Nashville. Authorities have dropped each charge due a settlement being reached, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com notes. Claybrooks allegedly grabbed his ex-girlfriend’s arm and threw her cellphone to the ground.
Browns Pursued DE Melvin Ingram
Even as Jadeveon Clowney moved out of the picture, the Browns look to still be deeper on the edge than they were during the Clowney-Myles Garrett years. They have added two intriguing complementary rushers this offseason.
Obo Okoronkwo signed with Cleveland during free agency’s first week, and the Browns completed a pick-swap trade with the Vikings that will send Za’Darius Smith back to the AFC North. In between these moves, however, the team looked into another edge addition. The Browns pursued free agent defensive end Melvin Ingram, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
The Browns initially prioritized Smith, with Cabot noting Andrew Berry and ex-Browns staffer Kwesi Adofo-Mensah discussed the disgruntled pass rusher in March and April. With no deal materializing by the draft, the Browns checked in on Ingram, an 11-year veteran who played out his one-year Dolphins contract last season.
Eyeing an Ingram agreement similar to the pact they gave Clowney in 2022 — one year, $10MM — the Browns instead found a way to acquire Smith, who is three years younger than the former Chargers Pro Bowler. Ingram is one of many veteran edge players still in free agency, joining the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Frank Clark, Leonard Floyd and Justin Houston. The Browns’ price point may shed some light on where this market stands.
Ingram, 34, broke through for his most sacks since 2020 last season, notching six in Miami. Only Jaelan Phillips (seven) tallied more for the team. The former Bolts first-round pick has also scored two defensive touchdowns over the past two seasons, doing so in consecutive regular-season games — Week 18 in 2021 and Week 1 of last season. Ingram, who played for the Steelers and Chiefs in between time with the Bolts and Dolphins, has 57 career sacks.
Smith has 54.5 despite working as more of a rotational rusher in Baltimore. He rebounded from a lost 2021 season in ’22, recovering from his back surgery to play 16 Vikings games. The eight-year veteran finished with 10 sacks during his Minnesota one-off. Clowney totaled nine during his debut with Garrett, though the former No. 1 overall pick — amid a turbulent season — regressed in 2022, registering only two in his second Cleveland slate. The Browns will expect more from Smith, who has two years remaining on his reworked contract.
Falcons Release OL Germain Ifedi
Germain Ifedi played 17 Falcons games last season and re-signed with the team in March. But the former first-round pick is back in free agency. The Falcons released Ifedi on Tuesday.
Making room for UDFAs, the Falcons are moving on after one season. Ifedi has five seasons’ worth of full-time starter experience, working in that capacity for the Seahawks and Bears during his seven-year career. The Falcons had guaranteed Ifedi $153K on a one-year, $1.3MM deal. As a vested veteran, Ifedi will avoid the waiver wire.
The Falcons initially signed Ifedi last year, adding him during the same offseason in which fellow ex-Bears Eddie Goldman and Damien Williams joined the team. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot formed a Bears pipeline of sorts, having added longtime Chicago GM Ryan Pace to his front office. Both Williams and Ifedi are now gone.
Falcons OC Dave Ragone also worked with Ifedi in Chicago. The four-year Seahawks right tackle starter ended up with the Bears in 2020 and worked as a 16-game starter for the playoff-bound team that season. The Bears gave Ifedi two one-year contracts. After his full-year starter run in 2020, Ifedi started seven games in 2021 but missed eight contests due to injury. With a new Bears regime taking over in 2022, Ifedi headed elsewhere.
Ifedi, 28, did not see a major role with the Falcons. Despite suiting up for every Atlanta game, he only logged eight offensive snaps. Neither Jake Matthews nor Kaleb McGary missed a game. The Falcons have brought back McGary, re-signing the former first-round pick in March, but the team is lighter on swing-tackle options with Ifedi off the roster. Ifedi has 83 career starts on his resume and has lined up as a first-stringer — at both guard and right tackle — for four playoff teams. Like ex-Texas A&M teammate Cedric Ogbuehi, who signed with the Dolphins a week after a Jets release, Ifedi should be expected he will have another opportunity soon.
After adding UDFAs on Monday, the Falcons announced the addition of quarterback Austin Aune. A North Texas product, Aune will join QBs Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke and Logan Woodside on Atlanta’s offseason roster.
QB Notes: Ravens, Levis, Colts, Richardson, Rams, Bennett, Hurts, 49ers
The Ravens hosted Anthony Richardson on a pre-draft visit, and GM Eric DeCosta did not shoot down the idea of taking a first-round quarterback. Of course, the Ravens squashed any such contingency plan by agreeing to terms with Lamar Jackson on his record-setting extension. Had that not happened, the team is believed to have been intrigued by Will Levis. The Ravens would have considered Levis with their first-round pick had Jackson not signed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Baltimore had pursued Baker Mayfield as well and entered draft week with neither of its top QBs signed beyond 2023. Tyler Huntley is on an RFA tender.
Selecting a quarterback at No. 22 would have both been a leverage play and certainly would have cost the team its best opportunity to add weaponry around Jackson, thus weakening the 2023 Ravens edition. A number of teams were connected to Levis coming into the draft, and trade rumors — centered around teams eyeing a move up for the falling Kentucky prospect — emerged in the late first round and early second. The Ravens now loom as a Levis “what if?” Though, they will probably not be the first team mentioned as a near-miss regarding the strong-armed prospect. Considering Jackson’s contract, Levis may barely be a footnote for the team.
Here is the latest news from the quarterback position:
- Seeing as the Colts and Titans are in the same division, Indianapolis will probably be the top Levis “what if?” team. The Colts were tied to Levis for weeks ahead of the draft, but they successfully masked their Richardson interest. Even though Richardson’s ceiling enamored Colts brass, Fowler adds Levis had a few fans in Indy’s building. The Penn State transfer might be readier to play compared to Richardson, a one-year Florida starter, though Ryan Tannehill‘s presence in Tennessee may ensure Richardson begins his QB1 run first. Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds was a Richardson skeptic at first, but fellow seventh-year Indy front office staffer Morocco Brown — who primarily scouted the Gators talent for the Colts — made near-weekly trips to Gainesville to chart the athletic prospect’s progress. Ex-Shane Steichen Eagles coworker Brian Johnson, Florida’s OC during Richardson’s freshman year (2020), also vouched for Richardson, per Fowler.
- The Rams did not consider Levis, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, who notes they came into the draft with a goal of landing a Day 3 passer (subscription required). Despite Levis having played for 2022 Rams OC Liam Coen in 2021, team brass was split on the prospect. Los Angeles ended up with Stetson Bennett via the No. 128 overall pick. This came after the Rams hired one of their former QBs, Kellen Clemens, as a consultant to evaluate Bennett and other arms, Rodrigue adds. Clemens met with Bennett in Georgia before the draft, but even though Bennett is a 26-year-old rookie, ex-Broncos backup Brett Rypien may begin as Matthew Stafford‘s backup.
- The Eagles‘ Jalen Hurts extension (five years, $255MM) laid the groundwork for Jackson’s, and the Ravens QB scored more fully guaranteed money ($135MM to $110MM). But Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the Hurts deal jumps to $157.3MM fully guaranteed by 2025. This is because Hurts’ 2026 option bonus ($49.8MM) becomes guaranteed in stages. Hurts will see $16.5MM of that bonus become guaranteed in 2024, and $30MM of that payout locks in by 2025. These guarantees vest in March 2024 and ’25, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. The Eagles ditched Carson Wentz‘s contract less than two years after authorizing it, but they moved back into the QB-paying business with this megadeal.
- Former Detroit and Washington practice squad QB Steven Montez spent the weekend in San Francisco auditioning at the 49ers‘ rookie minicamp, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Colorado alum served as the Seattle Sea Dragons’ backup, behind Ben DiNucci, who has since signed with the Broncos. The 49ers have four QBs rostered and have not signed Montez.
Saints Sign Round 1 DT Bryan Bresee
After David Onyemata followed former position coach Ryan Nielsen to Atlanta early in free agency, the Saints addressed their defensive tackle need with their first draft choice. They now have their top pick under contract.
The Saints agreed to terms with first-round pick Bryan Bresee on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Clemson product will be tied to a four-year, $12.26MM deal, one that will include a fifth-year option for the 2027 season. The Saints do not have to decide on Bresee’s option until May 2026. Bresee’s contract is fully guaranteed, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.
New Orleans gave Derek Carr a four-year, $150MM deal, tying up its free agency funds. The team let Onyemata, Marcus Davenport and Kentavius Street walk but moved to restock its D-line this offseason. Prior to drafting Bresee at No. 29 — the pick the team obtained from the Broncos in the Sean Payton trade — the Saints signed DTs Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. These two will work with Bresee alongside Cam Jordan along New Orleans’ front.
Arriving at Clemson as 2020’s top overall recruit, Bresee did not deliver the dominant college career his high school profile suggested. A 2021 ACL tear sidetracked Bresee’s progress, but he returned to action last year and did not see his draft stock fall too far. He started as a true freshman in 2020 and rallied back from his sophomore knee injury to earn second-team All-ACC acclaim last season. Nearly two years removed from his setback, the powerful interior defender should be better positioned to develop in New Orleans.
The Saints have now drafted five first-round defensive linemen since 2011, with Bresee following Jordan (2011), Sheldon Rankins (2016), Davenport (2018) and Payton Turner (2021). The team also used its second-round pick on a defensive end, taking Isaiah Foskey 40th overall out of Notre Dame. Foskey remains unsigned.
Vikings Trade Za’Darius Smith To Browns
MAY 16: Further details on Smith’s re-worked contract are in, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Field Yates. The Vikings will be on the hook for the $1.177MM signing bonus included in his deal. As for the Browns, they will see a cap charge of only $3.032M this season before Smith hits the open market. He will be able to earn a maximum of nearly $13MM in cashflow, however, meaning this swap could still prove to be a rather lucrative one.
With Smith having passed a physical, both teams have announced that the trade is now official.
MAY 12: The Vikings have come to an agreement with the Browns that will send pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The deal finally happens for Smith after he requested his release two months ago. The Browns will receive Smith, a 2025 sixth-round pick, and a 2025 seventh-round pick, while the Vikings will receive a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. 
Originally, Smith was under a three-year, $42MM contract through the 2024 season. He had a base salary this year of $9.45MM with only $5MM of it guaranteed. After changing agents and requesting a release, Smith was able to get a reworked deal that would guarantee him $11.75MM in 2023 and allow him to hit free agency a year earlier, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The new deal presumably made Smith a bit easier to trade, negating the cap hits of $15.49MM in 2023 and $21.67MM in 2024. The Browns should inherit this new contract from Minnesota, giving Smith a one-year tryout in Cleveland. The former Ravens and Packers edge defender will turn 31 just before the season begins.
In Smith, the Browns are obtaining a productive pass rusher to pair with Myles Garrett. The Browns tied for 27th in the league in sacks last year after failing to find any pressure outside of what Garrett provided. Garrett had his usual strong outing, matching his career-high of 16 sacks in 2022. The team’s second-leading pass rusher was defensive tackle Taven Bryan, who tallied only three.
Smith provides that missing fire support. Since leaving Baltimore as a prime free agent in 2019, Smith has had double-digit sack seasons in any year in which he started multiple games (he only made one appearance in 2021 due to a back injury), making the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons. In those four years (essentially three seasons), Smith has 36 sacks, 44 tackles for loss, and 84 quarterback hits, forcing six forced fumbles and deflecting seven passes for good measure.
Smith immediately stands to slot in as a starter opposite Garrett, though the Browns also signed free agent edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo from the Texans. He, Garrett and Smith will present an interesting trio. The Browns used Jadeveon Clowney as Garrett’s top sidekick for the past two years, but clashes with the coaching staff will almost definitely nix a third Garrett-Browns contract agreement. As for the Vikings, they signed one of this year’s top defensive free agents — Marcus Davenport — and the former Cameron Jordan Saints wingman now has a clear path to start opposite Danielle Hunter.
The Browns have all they can handle facing Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson twice a year. With Smith meeting Garrett at the quarterback, Cleveland has retooled itself, setting it up well for the challenges ahead while not needing to give up too much draft capital to do so.
Saints, Cam Jordan In Extension Talks
Cam Jordan is likely nearing the end of his Saints tenure, but at least one more contract could be agreed to in the near future. The franchise mainstay is in talks on an extension, as detailed by Brett Martel of the Associated Press. 
The 33-year-old has one year remaining on the $52.5MM extension he signed in 2019. That deal has been restructured (along with many others amongst Saints veterans in recent years), leaving Jordan with a 2023 cap hit of $15.1MM. During the first of several void years after that, however, his cap hit is set to spike to $23.3MM.
Jordan represents a logical extension candidate given his continued production deep into his career. He posted a team-leading 8.5 sacks in 2022, which helped earn him a sixth consecutive (and eighth overall) Pro Bowl nod. It also gave the 2010s All-Decade team member a career sack total of 115.5, moving him past Rickey Jackson for the all-time franchise lead in that department.
Doug Hendrickson, Jordan’s agent, commented on his desire to get a deal of “at least” two years in length completed before training camp. Failing that, he added, contract talks would likely be tabled until after the season, where the prospect of free agency would loom over negotiations. The Saints are one of many teams projected to be well over the cap in 2024 as things currently stand, something which could provide incentive for the team to solidify Jordan’s financial future for the next few years.
Jordan should once again be in line for a starting role next season, with fellow defensive end Marcus Davenport having departed in free agency. New Orleans has focused on their edge rushing corps in recent years, though, using a first-round pick in 2022 on Payton Turner and a second-rounder this past draft on Isaiah Foskey. Those two will look to grow into significant contributors under the tutelage of Jordan, who acknowledged that this upcoming contract will likely be his last.
“If we get a deal done, that’ll be probably the final years of my career here,” he said, adding that he does not envision himself transitioning to a rotational role later in his career. “Whatever happens, happens. In terms of how we play, how we want to attack offenses, that’s what I’m here for.”
Dolphins Agree To Terms With T Isaiah Wynn
MAY 16: Terms of the deal are in, courtesy of ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Wynn will earn a base salary of $2.3MM, while incentives could push the value to $2.7MM. As expected, those figures fall well short of what he received on the fifth-year option last year. A strong performance in whatever role Wynn ends up playing could help rebuild his value on the open market heading into next offseason, though yesterday’s addition of Cedric Ogbuehi will add further to the competition for playing time along Miami’s O-line.
MAY 14: As expected, Isaiah Wynn has departed the Patriots in free agency, but he will still be in the AFC East next season. The veteran tackle has signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
A 2018 first-round pick, Wynn didn’t make his New England debut until the following season. Injuries have been a constant in much of his career, which has seen him play in 43 games (40 starts) with the Patriots. Primarily a left tackle for three seasons, he has seen time at guard and operated as a right tackle in 2022.
The 27-year-old saw his stock drop considerably last season, however, finding himself being benched midway through the campaign. He was mentioned in trade talks leading up to the deadline, but no teams elected to add him as depth for the stretch run. Wynn was charged with nine penalties committed and four sacks allowed by PFF in nine games played last season, leading to a career-worst grade of 54.6.
The Georgia alum made $10.4MM on the fifth-year option last season, but this Dolphins pact will surely come in at a much lower rate. Wynn – a native of St. Petersburg, Florida – will give Miami experienced depth on the right side of their offensive line, a unit which has remained a work in progress this offseason. Austin Jackson is in line to start at right tackle, despite his fifth-round option being declined.
Wynn will look to compete for the RT role (which involves protecting the blindside for left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) during training camp. Neither he nor Jackson are under contract beyond 2023, but the pair will provide options for a unit tasked with better protecting Tagovailoa moving forward. The Dolphins had previously made only one addition to their offensive line in free agency (Dan Feeney), but this deal could include upside if Wynn can stay healthy and play to his potential. At a minimum, their offensive front will be deeper this season at the tackle spot.