Draft Rumors: Williams, Colts, Cardinals, Texans, Broncos
After breaking out in his lone Alabama season, Jameson Williams encountered a significant hurdle to close his junior year. The ACL tear Williams suffered in the national championship game damaged his pre-draft stock, but it appears to be rebounding. Williams is now expected to be taken in the top 10, Chris Mortensen of ESPN said recently (h/t Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com; Twitter link). ESPN ranks Williams as its No. 4 wideout prospect, at No. 19 overall, behind ex-Ohio State teammates Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave and USC’s Drake London. When available in 2021, the slender Crimson Tide wideout showed game-breaking speed in a monster statistical season. The 6-foot-1 transfer get totaled 1,572 yards (19.9 per catch) and 15 touchdowns. That total surpasses other first-round Tide wideout draftees like Julio Jones, Jerry Jeudy and Jaylen Waddle‘s final-season production at the SEC powerhouse. ACL tears are obviously not the deterrents they once were, and teams eyeing Williams through a long-range lens would make sense.
Here is the latest from the draft:
- In what would seemingly be a meet-and-greet, as opposed to something indicating a potential draft choice, the Colts scheduled a Malik Willis visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). Indianapolis traded its 2022 first-round pick to Philadelphia for Carson Wentz last year and acquired Matt Ryan to be its starter for at least the next two seasons. Willis would profile as a developmental prospect behind Ryan, but the Colts not having a pick until No. 42 makes a partnership unrealistic. The Liberty prospect has visited the Falcons and Panthers, and the Steelers have been linked to the Group of 5 passing prospect as well. The Colts could acquire another potential Ryan heir apparent in Round 2, but they make more sense as a QB suitor in 2023.
- The Texans have another veteran stable of running backs, having added Marlon Mack to a group that includes Rex Burkhead and Royce Freeman, but the rebuilding team could use younger talent here. Iowa State’s Breece Hall is viewed by some as this draft’s top back, and he visited the Texans on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. After its two first-round picks, Houston holds the No. 37 overall selection. That would be the most logical window for Hall to become a Texan, barring a trade. The Bills, Commanders and Giants have also met with Hall.
- Losing Chandler Jones in free agency after seeing J.J. Watt battle more major injury trouble, the Cardinals could use pass-rushing help. They met with a first-round talent recently, hosting Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis, Pelissero tweets. The 266-pound rusher did not post eye-popping stats (14 sacks in three seasons) but is viewed as a solid all-around prospect, whom NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah compares to fellow ex-Boilermaker Ryan Kerrigan.
- Russell Wilson‘s Denver arrival ensured the Broncos do not hold a draft choice until No. 64, but they are meeting with a higher-end tackle prospect. Tulsa’s Tyler Smith visited the Broncos recently, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The Broncos signed Billy Turner and Tom Compton; one is likely to become Denver’s 10th Week 1 right tackle in 10 years. But the team has long needed a young answer at this position. Smith rates as Jeremiah’s No. 41 overall prospect but sits 58th on ESPN’s big board.
Cardinals, Kyler Murray Yet To Begin Negotiations
Quarterback drama has persisted throughout the offseason’s early months, and one of the early contributors here is back in the mix. Kyler Murray is seeking a Cardinals extension before the draft, but two weeks ahead of the event, nothing is on the horizon.
The Cardinals have not made Murray an offer, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The team still wants to keep Murray long-term, but the sides are not negotiating. This has understandably led other teams to monitor this situation, which ties into Murray’s camp wanting an extension by the draft (Twitter links). The 24-year-old standout became extension-eligible in January, and his side has ramped up the pressure on the Cardinals to hammer out a deal. Team Murray still views the draft as a deadline, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.
Murray’s agent pulled his extension offer weeks ago, Pelissero adds. The market has undoubtedly changed, with Deshaun Watson signing a fully guaranteed $230MM deal with the Browns and Aaron Rodgers raising the per-year bar beyond $50MM. Murray has established himself as one of the league’s top young quarterbacks, though the two-time Pro Bowler has seen his play tail off after hot starts in each of the past two seasons.
A report of the Cardinals being annoyed by Murray started the drama in Arizona, and Murray had issues of his own with the organization. Murray soon scrubbed the Cards from his social media accounts, and his agent sent out a much-discussed statement regarding his client’s extension pursuit. This led to the start of a peacemaking effort, but it is clear the sides have work to do to complete that.
The former No. 1 overall pick is under contract for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option the Cardinals plan to pick up, but it has not been uncommon to see teams extend franchise quarterbacks after their third seasons. Watson, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes received monster re-ups after their third years. Of course, the post-Year 3 deals the Rams and Eagles gave Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively, might factor into the Cards’ decision-making here. Both extensions led to trades that saddled those teams with record-setting dead-money sums.
The draft plays a role here due to Murray’s camp believing more teams would be interested ahead of the event. Even though this year’s quarterback crop has not been highly praised, teams will undoubtedly make big investments at the position, thus narrowing potential Murray destinations and reducing his leverage. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill called Murray’s extension process “complicated” and did not seem to be on the same page regarding a pre-draft extension. The team holds considerable leverage here anyway, but it will be interesting to see how Murray’s side operates in the coming days.
Cardinals Re-Sign WR A.J. Green
After bouncing back to contribute for the first playoff-qualifying Cardinals team in six years, A.J. Green is staying put. The 12th-year veteran agreed to re-sign with the Cards on a one-year deal, according to the team. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that the contract is worth up to $3.5MM, with $3MM of that total guaranteed (Twitter link). Green can earn the remaining $500K in per-game active roster bonuses, and the deal also includes two voidable years for cap purposes.
This will give Green a chance to play an age-34 season; the former perennial Pro Bowler will turn 34 in July. Green is coming off a season in which he played 16 games, helping a Cardinals club that was without DeAndre Hopkins for much of the year. With Christian Kirk now out of the picture, Green again stands to be a key factor for Arizona’s Hopkins-led receiving corps.
Although Green’s days of 1,000-yard seasons appear to have passed, the 6-foot-4 wideout did re-emerge after a rough close to his Bengals career. After missing the 2019 season, Green posted just 523 receiving yards in 2020. This led him to the desert, but the former top-five pick caught 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns. The Georgia alum posted two 100-yard games last season.
Green’s historic run of Pro Bowls to start his career (seven) stopped after the 2017 season, with injuries causing him to miss 23 games at the end of the 2010s. And he was not connected to any other teams in free agency this offseason. Thus, it is certainly interesting to see this Green-Cards partnership continue for another year.
The Cards might still be interested in wideout help, considering they will have two 30-somethings at receiver this year — Hopkins turns 30 in June — they still have Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley rostered. Former second-round pick Andy Isabella remains on the team, but the Cardinals gave him permission to seek a trade last month. Green’s injury past and Hopkins’ 2021 setbacks should still make this a relative need, but the former’s return should certainly help the Kyler Murray-centered offense.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/11/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Signed:
- Broncos: LB Malik Reed
- Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard
ERFAs
Signed:
- Cardinals: RB Jonathan Ward
- Broncos: S P.J. Locke, QB Brett Rypien
- Chargers: TE Donald Parham
- Jaguars: LB Jamir Jones
- Lions: P Jack Fox
- Raiders: TE Nick Bowers, S Roderic Teamer
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Antoine Wesley
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: T Brandon Kemp
Steve Wilks, Ray Horton Join Brian Flores’ Lawsuit; Allegations Made Against Cardinals, Titans
Two additions have been made to the class-action lawsuit filed by Brian Flores. Panthers secondary coach Steve Wilks and former NFL staffer Ray Horton have joined the suit, making allegations against the league, but also the Cardinals and Titans, respectively. 
As first reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Wilks’ allegations stem from his time as head coach of the Cardinals. The 52-year-old held that title for one year, the 2018 season. As the new complaint details, Wilks “was hired as a ‘bridge coach’ and was not given any meaningful chance to succeed” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). It adds that Wilks “was unfairly and discriminatorily” fired after the team went 3-13.
Central to that point is the fact that general manager Steve Keim was away from the team during the preseason leading up to that campaign as a result of a DUI, and has since been given a contract extension. As Florio notes, Wilks also preferred the team trade up to draft Josh Allen that year; it was with the Cardinals’ ultimate selection, Josh Rosen, that Arizona and Wilks had that losing season. The allegation details how his replacement, Kliff Kingsbury, “has been given a much longer leash” during his tenure alongside Kyler Murray, despite the former’s lack of NFL experience and college success.
Horton, 61, alleges that in 2016 he participated in a “sham interview” for the Titans’ head coaching position. He had previously been the defensive coordinator of the team for two seasons, but they hired Mike Mularkey. As noted by the complaint, the latter had already been told he would be hired before the “fake” process of interviews (including with Horton, to satisfy the Rooney Rule) began, and stated as much in a recent podcast interview (audio link via Pro Football Focus’ Ari Meirov). Horton most recently coached in Washington in 2019.
In the aftermath of these developments, Flores (who has himself made changes to his complaint), Wilks and Horton have made brief statements (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler). Both the Cardinals and Titans have rebuffed the assertion that their respective decisions were discriminatory.
Darrel Williams Visits Cardinals
With room on the roster for another running back, the Cardinals are exploring one of the top remaining free agent options at the position. Arizona hosted Darrel Williams on a visit, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 
Williams, who will turn 27 later this month, had been with the Chiefs for the past four seasons. His role was relatively minor in the first three of those years, but he had a breakout campaign in 2021. Playing nearly half of the team’s offensive snaps (by far a career high), he turned 144 carries into 558 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He added 47 catches for 452 yards and another two scores in the passing game.
Given that production, it didn’t come as a surprise that Williams was going to test the open market. With other free agent priorities and a difficult cap situation (at least, before trading away Tyreek Hill), Kansas City didn’t have much of a chance to retain him at the kind of rate he will likely be seeking.
Still in need of a tailback to split time with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs added Ronald Jones last month. With Williams’ old position now filled, the LSU alum still has any number of potential destinations. Arizona would be a logical one, since the Cardinals lost Chase Edmonds to the Dolphins in free agency. Williams could step into a high-end backup role behind James Conner, who had a resurgent season in 2021.
The Cardinals currently rank near the bottom of the league in terms of cap space. Between that, and the fact that some would point to WR as a more glaring need in the absence of Christian Kirk, Williams could still look elsewhere. If he does end up in the desert, though, he would provide productive depth for the team’s offense.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/4/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Nik Needham (second-round RFA tender)
Cardinals Host WR Malik Turner
The Cardinals receivers corps is questionable at best, so the team is looking to add some reinforcement. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Cardinals hosted wideout Malik Turner today.
The former undrafted free agent spent the past two seasons in Dallas, seeing time in 20 games. All of his offensive production came in 14 games this past year, when he collected 149 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 12 touches. Turner also had a consistent role on special teams.
The receiver spent the first two seasons of his career in Seattle, collecting 265 yards and one touchdown. He also got into one playoff game for the Seahawks, dropping a critical pass in a loss to the Packers. In an ironic twist, Turner had a brief stint with the Packers organization the following season.
DeAndre Hopkins remains atop the depth chart, but he was limited to only 10 games and 572 receiving yards last season. With Christian Kirk out of the picture, the team will need one of their other receivers to step up. The team is rostering the likes of Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch, Antoine Wesley, and Andy Isabella.
Cardinals To Sign OL Will Hernandez
Will Hernandez has reportedly found his second home in the NFL. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the guard is signing with the Cardinals (Twitter link). A team announcement has confirmed that it is a one-year contract.
Hernandez, 26, was a second-round pick of the Giants in 2018. He started right away, and remained the team’s top left guard throughout the majority of his time there. Durability generally wasn’t a concern, as he only missed three games, all of which were in 2020.
Hernandez’s performances didn’t live up to his draft stock, however. His 67.9 PFF grade during his rookie season was the highest of his career. Of his 15 total sacks allowed, seven came this season. 2021 also saw him commit six penalties, again the worst mark in a single season during his NFL tenure.
The Giants have made a number of changes to their offensive line this offseason, after the unit continued its recent struggles in 2021. They signed former Colt Mark Glowinski and brought in Jon Feliciano following his release from the Bills. Projected to be starters along the interior of the line, that left Hernandez in need of a new team.
Last week, the Cardinals hosted Hernandez on a free agent visit. Between that, and the reported loss of starting guard Max Garcia to the Giants, this move doesn’t come as a surprise. Hernandez will now look to rebuild his value while joining not only his former positional coach in Sean Kugler, but one of the NFC’s top teams in general.