Jamar Taylor Restructures Contract
The trade that will send Jamar Taylor to his third NFL team will come with an adjusted contract. Taylor will make less for the Cardinals this year than he was supposed with the Browns, with Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reporting (on Twitter) the veteran cornerback will earn $3.5MM in base salary — down from $4.25MM. The additional $750K will be pushed onto the Cards’ 2019 balance sheet. The Cardinals and Browns have been discussing a Taylor deal since the draft, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com tweets, adding that the Bashaud Breeland avenue is likely closed after this trade. Taylor is under contract for two more seasons. Finding a capable Patrick Peterson counterpart has been a problem in Arizona for a while, and Taylor will have a decent chance to earn that No. 2 job. Now-well-traveled Bene Benwikere, former Jets corner Marcus Williams and one-time third-round pick Brandon Williams represent the top competition.
Browns To Trade Jamar Taylor To Cardinals
The Cardinals are finalizing a trade for Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals have long had a glaring need at cornerback and Taylor figures to step in as the team’s new No. 2 CB alongside Patrick Peterson. Arizona will send a 2020 sixth-round pick to Cleveland in the deal, according to Nate Ulrich of the Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). The deal is expected to be finalized after 4pm ET/3pm CT on Friday. 
The belief before the draft was that the Browns would look to unload Taylor if they selected a cornerback early on. After the Browns selected Ohio State’s Denzel Ward with the No. 4 overall pick, his fate was all but sealed. The Browns have moved on from both of their starting cornerbacks from last year after trading Jason McCourty to the Patriots for a late draft pick. The Browns’ revamped secondary will see free agent pickup T.J. Carrie start opposite of Ward with newcomers E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell among those in support at cornerback.
Taylor had the best year of his career in 2016 as he hauled in three interceptions and 57 total tackles, but he was not quite as sharp in 2017. If he can revert to his old form, then the Cardinals will be getting a quality starter in the trade. In ’16, Taylor ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 ranked overall cornerback in the NFL and excelled in the slot, where he played 32% of his snaps.
The acquisition of Taylor could impact the Cardinals’ pursuit of free agent Bashaud Breeland. Then again, the Cardinals have signed the majority of their draft class and they still have upwards of $16MM in cap room, so there could be room for both players. Theoretically, Breeland could be signed to start at outside corner while Taylor mans the slot with occasional snaps on the outside.
Taylor restructured his contract in order to make a trade more palatable for the Cardinals, Rapoport hears (Twitter link), so there should still be plenty of breathing room for GM Steve Keim & Co. Originally, Taylor was slated to take up $5.25MM in cap space this year and $5.1MM in 2019. The revised terms of his deal are not yet known.
The Cardinals’ release of Tyrann Mathieu left them with a glaring need for slot help this offseason. The acquisitions of cornerbacks Bene Benwikere, Marcus Williams, Louis Young, and sixth-round pick Chris Campbell may provide depth, but that leaves much to be desired in Arizona’s secondary.
Latest On Rookie WR Christian Kirk
While the NFL world this week learned Cardinals second-round rookie Christian Kirk was arrested for disorderly conduct and property damage in February, prosecutors may not have a strong case against the former Texas A&M wideout. The main witness cited by police was lying on a bench and not watching while a van window was allegedly broken by Kirk and his friends, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That same witness claims he saw Kirk and a friend throwing rocks at other cars, but no damage was reported on any other vehicle. The case against Kirk is still pending, but Arizona knew about the arrest before making him the 47th overall pick in the draft. It’s unlikely Kirk ever faces any legal ramifications from the incident, while the league has avoided suspending players involved in pre-NFL off-field trouble.
- Tyrann Mathieu was famously versatile during five seasons with the Cardinals, but the Texans — Mathieu’s new football home — have a more fixed set of objectives for the Honey Badger, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “We talked about that when we were speaking to him during the process,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. “We told him that we really do value – as you know – we value versatility, but we also understand that a guy needs to have basically one home. He needs to understand and master that one home, which is safety for Tyrann. Then, in different packages that are played less of the time, maybe he does something else.” Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston earlier this year, and that figure has surprisingly stood as the highest annual value for any non-franchised free agent safety contract this offseason.
Breeland To Meet With Colts, Cardinals
Free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland will visit the Colts on Wednesday and the Cardinals on Thursday, a source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Demovsky hears his foot issue is healed and he is expected to be able to pass all medical tests. 
Breeland was one of the top cornerbacks on the market this offseason and agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with the Panthers in March. Days later, the Panthers 86’d the deal due to an infected cut on his foot that prevented him from passing a physical.
Freak accident aside, Breeland has been largely healthy over the course of his four-year NFL career. The 26-year-old appeared in all but one of the Redskins’ games last season and has missed just four possible regular season games since entering the league in 2014.
Last year, Breeland tallied 47 tackles and one interception, which was returned 96 yards for a touchdown against the Chargers. Pro Football Focus bestowed a middling grade on Breeland as he played opposite of star Josh Norman, but he did improve from 2016 to ’17, per the advanced metrics.
The Cardinals’ need for a quality partner alongside Patrick Peterson has been well documented. This offseason, the Cardinals brought in free agents Bene Benwikere and Marcus Williams to compete with Brandon Williams for the second starting role. If healthy, Breeland would be their clear CB2.
The Colts, meanwhile, project to start Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore at cornerback after losing Rashaan Melvin to free agency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/18
Today’s minor moves (so far):
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Siupeli Anau, WR C.J. Duncan, LB Airius Moore, OL Greg Pyke
- Waived: CB Elijah Battle, LB Mike Needham, OL Austin Olsen, WR Jonah Trinnaman
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Da’Sean Downey
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: FB Zach Olstad
- Waived/Injured: RB Aaron Green
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Bug Howard, C Kyle Friend, T/G Quinterrius Eatmon, DE Karter Schult
- Waived/Injured: CB Zack Sanchez
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Matt Fleming, DB John Franklin, DB Tyrin Holloway, OL Jeremi Hall, OL Matt McCants
- Waived: OL Travis Averill, OL Cameron Lee, LB Howard Jones, LB Nyles Morgan
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Chris Okoye, C Brand Lundblade, S Tyrice Beverette
- Waived: LB Oni Omoile, TE Scott Orndoff, CB Robenson Therezie
Cleveland Browns
- Signed DB Tigie Sankoh, QB Brogan Roback
Denver Broncos
- Waived: NT Lowell Lotulelei (Lotulelei is retiring, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, on Twitter)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Deontez Alexander, TE Marcus Lucas, CB Josh Okonye
- Waived: WR Kyle Lewis
- Waived/Injured: TE Brandon Barnes
Houston Texans
- Placed on Reserve-Retired list: K.J. Malone
- Signed: T Kendell Calhoun, DE Nick Thurman
- Waived: WR Montay Crockett
- Waived/failure to disclose physical condition designation: DE Jalen Wilkerson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OT Jared Machorro
- Waived: C Anthony Fabiano
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Zach Conque, LB Manase Hungalu, OL Brandon Smith
- Waived: OL Avery Gennesy
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB Luis Perez
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corey Bojorquez
- Waived/NFI: WR Darren Andrews
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OT Michael Ola
- Waived: LB Adam Bighill, OL Daronte Bouldin, S Rickey Jefferson, Bradley Sylve
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Dallin Leavitt, LS Drew Scott
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR/KR Tim Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: G/T R.J. Prince
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Clayton Wilson
Washington Redskins
- Signed: C Casey Dunn, LB Vontae Diggs, WR Darvin Kidsy
- Waived: WR Mikah Holder, C Sean Welsh
Cardinals Rookie WR Christian Kirk Arrested
Cardinals second-round wide receiver Christian Kirk will come into the NFL with a recent arrest on his record.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports the Texas A&M product was arrested for disorderly conduct and property damage in February. Kirk and some friends were seen throwing rocks at cars at the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. The police report indicates Kirk and the others were intoxicated leaving the golf tournament and throwing rocks at cars in the parking lot.
The Cardinals knew about this arrest before the draft, and Somers adds the case is still pending. Kirk attended Arizona’s minicamp and is expected to attend OTAs, which begin Tuesday.
“We spoke with Christian about it at length and also looked into it independently,” the team said in a statement. “Our understanding is that the process will be resolved in the near future but while it remains an active legal matter, we won’t comment further.”
Kirk, who is not believed to have been in trouble in high school or college, per Somers, is expected to play a key role for the Cardinals this season. The team lost both John Brown and Jaron Brown in free agency but used a second-round pick on Kirk, who starred at A&M.
Poll: Will Josh Rosen Log The Most Playing Time Of Rookie QBs in 2018?
Though teams spent high-value picks on quarterbacks in 2018, not every quarterback will be in a position to take over a starting role in 2018, though each seemingly has a decent possibility at finding the field in their rookie year. Along with the Browns selecting Mayfield, the Jets selected Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick, the Bills took Josh Allen with the No. 7 overall pick, the Cardinals took Josh Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick and the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson with the No. 32 overall pick. The Steelers also selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the draft.
Each quarterback has a roadblock to finding playing time in 2018. The Browns acquired quarterback Tyrod Taylor via trade, the Jets re-signed Josh McCown and added Teddy Bridgewater, the Cardinals signed Sam Bradford and the Bills traded for A.J. McCarron. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger entrenched in the starting role, though he’s missed eight games over the last three seasons.
Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/2018
Here are the rest of Friday’s draft-pick signings:
- In addition to signing Marcus Davenport, the Saints also inked Florida State offensive tackle Rick Leonard (Round 4, pick 127), Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson (Round 5, pick 164), Boston College cornerback Karmin Moore (Round 6, pick 189), Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott (Round 6, pick 201), and LSU center Will Clapp (Round 7, pick 245), The Advocate’s Nick Underhill tweets.
- The Cardinals continued to ink their draft picks to deals, signing Fordham running back Chase Edmonds (Round 4, pick 134), cornerback Christian Campbell (Round 6, pick 182), and offensive tackle Korey Cunningham (Round 7, pick 254).
- The Giants followed suit, signing UTEP guard Will Hernandez (Round 2, pick 34), Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter (Round 3, pick 66) and Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta (Round 4, pick 108).
- The Panthers also inked cornerback Rashaan Gaulden (Round 3, pick 85) and linebacker Andre Smith (Round 7, pick 234).
- The Bills added another signing in Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson (Round 4, pick 121).
- The Bengals were also busy, tabbing cornerback Davontae Harris (Round 5, pick 151), defensive end Andrew Brown (Round 5, pick 158), quarterback Logan Woodside (Round 7, pick 249) and guard Rod Taylor (Round 7, pick 252).
- The 49ers signed their fifth pick so far in the offseason, inking Kansas State defensive back D.J. Reed (Round 5, pick 142).
- The Patriots added a slew of draft picks to the ranks, signing linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (Round 5, pick 143), linebacker Christian Sam (Round 6, pick 178), wide receiver Braxton Berrios (Round 6, pick 210), quarterback Danny Etling (Round 7, pick 219), cornerback Keiron Crossen (Round 7, pick 243), and tight end Ryan Izzo (Round 7, pick 250).
Veteran WR Greg Little In For Rookie Minicamp
- Former Browns receiver Greg Little appeared at the Cardinals rookie minicamp, Kyle Odegard of azcardinals.com writes. Little, who hasn’t played a game since the 2014 season, was a promising second-round pick who flamed out after three seasons. The Cardinals offered the 28-year-old wideout a tryout this weekend and impressed new head coach Steve Wilks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/18
Here are Thursday’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB Bronson Hill
Detroit Lions
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/Injured: CB Tracy Howard
New England Patriots
- Waived: OL Jason King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Matthew Thomas