NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/23
Teams are moving quickly on inking their Day 3 draftees to their four-year rookie deals, with this process involving a slot system that does not feature many complications for late-round players. Here are the latest such agreements to commence:
Atlanta Falcons
- S DeMarcco Hellams (seventh round, Alabama)
Buffalo Bills
- LB Dorian Williams (third round, Tulane)
- WR Justin Shorter (fifth round, Florida)
Carolina Panthers
- OLB D.J. Johnson (third round, Oregon)
Detroit Lions
- WR Antoine Green (seventh round, North Carolina)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- FB Derek Parish, (seventh round, Houston)
New England Patriots
- P Bryce Baringer (sixth round, Michigan State)
- WR Demario Douglas (sixth round, Liberty)
San Francisco 49ers
- K Jake Moody (third round, Michigan)
- CB Darrell Luter Jr. (fifth round, South Alabama)
Washington Commanders
- DE Andre Jones Jr. (seventh round, Louisiana)
Johnson transferred back to the west coast after a freshman year at Miami (FL). He established himself as one of the most versatile players in the country while in Eugene, contributing for the Ducks on defense as an edge rusher and on offense as a tight end. Carolina drafted him for his defensive potential.
Moody is the expected replacement for Robbie Gould, who departed in free agency this spring after six years with San Francisco. Likewise, New England moved on from punter Jake Bailey after a couple of internal disagreements. Baringer is expected to take over for the one-time All-Pro punter.
Falcons Sign CB Tre Flowers
The Falcons have made another veteran addition to their defense. The team announced on Monday that cornerback Tre Flowers has signed a one-year deal. 
The 27-year-old received interest from the Panthers prior to the draft, but he will now head elsewhere in the NFC South. Flowers has logged 41 starts in his career, all but one of which came during his tenure in Seattle. A Seahawks fifth-rounder in 2018, he saw his workload change dramatically after his first two campaigns.
Flowers’ playing time dropped in 2020 and ’21 as Sidney Jones moved ahead of him on the depth chart. That led to the Seahawks’ decision to place the former on waivers in October 2021. The Bengals took advantage of that decision by claiming him and using him in a rotational capacity during their run to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati was sufficiently impressed with the Oklahoma State alum that they re-signed him last offseason.
Flowers played primarily on special teams during his first and only full Bengals campaign. He did add one interception and three pass deflections, though, and has considerable first-team experience dating back to his time in Seattle. It comes as little surprise that Flowers will not be returning to Cincinnati, though, as the Bengals have added Jones in free agency and fellow corner DJ Turner in the second round of the draft.
In Atlanta, Flowers will join a secondary which has seen a number of additions this offseason. The Falcons signed Mike Hughes and traded for Jeff Okudah prior to the draft, moves which came after the big-ticket deal given to safety Jessie Bates. Atlanta also selected corner Clark Phillips III in the fourth round of the draft, giving them a number of options to compliment AJ Terrell. Flowers will look to carve out a role in the team’s new-look CB room, one which should enter the 2023 season with heightened expectations.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/23
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Penny Hart
Houston Texans
- Waived/injured: WR Drew Estrada
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DE Kameron Cline, TE Nikola Kalinic, LB Forrest Rhyne, DT Chris Williams, TE Jalen Wydermyer
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers (from Falcons): CB John Reid
Hart got into 39 games for the Seahawks over the past three years. The majority of his work came on special teams, but he did manage to haul in 11 receptions during his limited snaps on offense. More notably, Hart had 17 special teams tackles over the past two years, including 11 last season.
Meanwhile, the Vikings made a move on a Falcons castoff. Reid got into 24 games for the Texans and Seahawks between 2020 and 2021, but he bounced around the league a bit in 2022. He appeared in three games (one start) with the Titans before catching on with Atlanta’s practice squad late in the season.
Titans To Hire Anthony Robinson As Assistant GM
The Titans will structure their front office to include two assistant general managers. Months after Ran Carthon named Chad Brinker to that position, the rookie GM will add another exec to that rung on the front office ladder.
Falcons director of college scouting Anthony Robinson will join the Titans as assistant GM, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Robinson had been with the Falcons since 2008.
Hired during Thomas Dimitroff‘s first year as Atlanta GM, Robinson moved up to the college scouting director post in 2019. Breaking into the business as a Ravens staffer nearly 20 years ago, Robinson became a full-time Falcons scout in 2011. Helping scout the likes of Devonta Freeman, Grady Jarrett and Calvin Ridley, Robinson moved into position to where a GM interview may not be too far off. The Falcons interviewed Robinson for their GM job ahead of Terry Fontenot‘s 2021 hire.
Carthon, who joined the Titans after spending several years as a top John Lynch lieutenant with the 49ers, will structure his front office the same way the Browns and Eagles did last year. Brinker, who came over from the Packers, will oversee the Titans’ football operations department; Robinson will run the team’s scouting operation, Breer adds.
Browns GM Andrew Berry organized his FO structure this way in 2022, promoting Glenn Cook to assistant GM to work alongside ex-Eagles staffer Catherine Raiche. After the Eagles lost several staffers — many to assistant GM roles — last year, Howie Roseman named Jon Ferrari and Alec Halaby as co-assistant GMs.
The Falcons kept Robinson in his college scouting director post despite changing GMs in 2021, with Fontenot taking over after Dimitroff’s lengthy run atop the NFC South team’s front office. Atlanta will now need to make an adjustment to replace Robinson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/23
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: CB John Reid
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Colby Gossett
Gossett returns to Cleveland after two years in Atlanta. During his time with the Falcons, Gossett appeared in 31 games, including all 17 in 2022, and five starts, with four of those coming last year.
Falcons Sign Six UDFAs
The Falcons kept their UDFA class small this year. Here are the six players Atlanta brought in as post-draft priority signings:
- DL Ikenna Enechukwu (Rice)
- WR Keilahn Harris (Oklahoma Baptist)
- LB Mike Jones Jr. (LSU)
- WR Xavier Malone (Henderson State)
- WR Justin Marshall (Buffalo)
- RB Carlos Washington Jr. (Southeastern Louisiana)
Only one of these prospects comes from a Power 5 program. The Falcons reached to the mid-major level in Division I-FBS (Enechukwu, Marshall), Division I-FCS (Washington) and Division II (Harris, Malone) for their UDFAs this year.
The Commanders also pursued Harris, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes the NFC East team offered the small-school wideout an $80K guarantee (Twitter link). It is unclear what the Falcons are guaranteeing Harris, but it is likely in that ballpark. Harris posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Oklahoma Baptist; he caught 16 touchdown passes in 2021 and combined for 172 catches in that span. He also excelled as the Bison’s kick returner.
Atlanta lost Olamide Zaccheaus and Damiere Byrd in free agency and did not draft a wide receiver, opening a door for this UDFA class. The team did add Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller to its equation. Malone joined Harris as a Division II All-American last season. The former JUCO transfer caught 67 passes for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022. The Falcons certainly placed a premium on production with this receiver duo, which both produced out of the Great American Conference. That said, Harris and Malone will obviously be set for quite the competition level jump this offseason.
2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2020 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position.
With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:
- QB Joe Burrow, Bengals ($29.5MM): Exercised
- DE Chase Young, Commanders ($17.45MM): Declined
- CB Jeff Okudah, Falcons* ($11.51MM): N/A
- T Andrew Thomas, Giants ($14.18MM): Exercised
- QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins ($23.2MM): Exercised
- QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($29.5MM): Exercised
- DT Derrick Brown, Panthers ($11.67MM): Exercised
- LB Isaiah Simmons, Cardinals ($12.72MM): Declined
- CB C.J. Henderson, Jaguars** ($11.51MM): Declined
- T Jedrick Wills, Browns ($14.18MM): Exercised
- T Mekhi Becton, Jets ($12.57MM): Declined
- WR Henry Ruggs, Raiders: N/A
- T Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers ($18.24MM): Exercised
- DT Javon Kinlaw, 49ers ($10.46MM): Declined
- WR Jerry Jeudy, Broncos ($14.12MM): Exercised
- CB AJ Terrell, Falcons ($12.34MM): Exercised
- WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($17.99MM): Exercised
- OL Austin Jackson, Dolphins ($14.18MM): Declined
- CB Damon Arnette, Raiders: N/A
- DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Jaguars ($12.14MM): Declined
- WR Jalen Reagor, Vikings*** ($12.99MM): To decline
- WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($19.74MM): Exercised
- LB Kenneth Murray, Chargers ($11.73MM): Declined
- G Cesar Ruiz, Saints ($14.18MM): Declined
- WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($14.12MM): Exercised
- QB Jordan Love, Packers ($20.27MM): Extended through 2024
- LB Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks ($12.72MM): Declined
- LB Patrick Queen, Ravens ($12.72MM): Declined
- T Isaiah Wilson, Titans: N/A
- CB Noah Igbinoghene, Dolphins ($11.51MM): Declined
- CB Jeff Gladney, Vikings: N/A
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($5.46MM): To decline
* = Lions traded Okudah on April 11, 2023
** = Jaguars traded Henderson on Sept. 27, 2021
*** = Eagles traded Reagor on August 31, 2022
2023 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
As the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway, we will keep track of each team’s haul here:
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1, No. 6 (from Rams through Lions): Paris Johnson, OT (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 2, No. 41 (from Titans): BJ Ojulari, DE (LSU) (signed)
Round 3, No. 72 (from Titans): Garrett Williams, CB (Syracuse) (signed)
Round 3, No. 94 (from Eagles): Michael Wilson, WR (Stanford) (signed)
Round 4, No. 122 (from Dolphins through Chiefs and Lions): Jon Gaines II, G (UCLA) (signed)
Round 5, No. 139 (from Broncos through Lions): Clayton Tune, QB (Houston) (signed)
Round 5, No. 168 (from Cardinals through Lions): Owen Pappoe, LB (Auburn) (signed)
Round 5, No. 180: Kei’Trel Clark, CB (Louisville) (signed)
Round 6, No. 213: Dante Stills, DT (West Virginia) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1, No. 8: Bijan Robinson, RB (Texas) (signed)
Round 2, No. 38 (from Colts): Matthew Bergeron, T (Syracuse) (signed)
Round 3, No. 75: Zach Harrison, DE (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 4, No. 113: Clark Phillips III, CB (Utah) (signed)
Round 7, No. 224 (from Raiders): DeMarcco Hellams, S (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7, No. 225: Jovaughn Gwyn, G (South Carolina) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1, No. 22: Zay Flowers, WR (Boston College) (signed)
Round 3, No. 86: Trenton Simpson, LB (Clemson) (signed)
Round 4, No. 124: Tavius Robinson, LB (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 5, No. 157: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB (Stanford) (signed)
Round 6, No. 199: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OT (Oregon) (signed)
Round 7, No. 229 (from Browns): Andrew Vorhees, G (USC) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1, No. 25 (from Giants through Jaguars): Dalton Kincaid, TE (Utah) (signed)
Round 2, No. 59: O’Cyrus Torrence, G (Florida) (signed)
Round 3, No, 91: Dorian Williams, LB (Tulane) (signed)
Round 5, No. 150 (from Commanders): Justin Shorter, WR (Florida) (signed)
Round 7, No. 230 (from Buccaneers through Jets, Texans, Eagles and Bills): Nick Broeker, G (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 7, No. 252 (from Buccaneers through Rams): Alex Austin, CB (Oregon State) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1, No. 1 (from Bears): Bryce Young, QB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 2, No. 39: Jonathan Mingo, WR (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 3, No. 80 (from Steelers): D.J. Johnson, DE (Oregon) (signed)
Round 4, No. 114: Chandler Zavala, G (North Carolina State) (signed)
Round 5, No. 145: Jammie Robinson, S (Florida State) (signed)
Chicago Bears
Round 1, No. 10 (from Saints through Eagles): Darnell Wright, OT (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 2, No. 53 (from Ravens): Gervon Dexter, DT (Florida) (signed)
Round 2, No. 56 (from Jaguars): Tyrique Stevenson, CB (Miami) (signed)
Round 3, No. 64: Zacch Pickens, DT (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 4, No. 115 (from Saints): Roschon Johnson, RB (Texas) (signed)
Round 4, No. 133 (from Eagles): Tyler Scott, WR (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 5, No. 148 (from Patriots through Ravens): Noah Sewell, LB (Oregon) (signed)
Round 5, No. 165 (from Saints through Eagles): Terell Smith, CB (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 7, No. 218: Travis Bell, DT (Kennesaw State) (signed)
Round 7, No. 258: Kendall Williamson, S (Stanford) (signed)
Cincinnati Bengals
Round 1, No. 28: Myles Murphy, DE (Clemson) (signed)
Round 2, No. 60: DJ Turner, CB (Michigan) (signed)
Round 3, No. 95 (from Chiefs): Jordan Battle, S (Alabama) (signed)
Round 4, No. 131: Charlie Jones, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 5, No. 163: Chase Brown, RB (Illinois) (signed)
Round 6, No. 206: Andrei Iosivas, WR (Princeton) (signed)
Round 6, No. 217 (from Chiefs): Brad Robbins, P (Michigan) (signed)
Round 7, No. 246: DJ Ivey, CB (Miami) (signed)
Colts Trade No. 38 To Falcons
Rumored as a team interested in trading up earlier Friday, the Falcons are joining the Titans and Raiders in following through early in Round 2.
Atlanta sent Indianapolis Nos. 44 and 110 for the right to move into the No. 38 slot. The Falcons are taking Syracuse tackle Matthew Bergeron. This move comes shortly after the Colts sent the Raiders No. 35 overall. Indianapolis is stockpiling picks to start the second round.
The first of a number of Canadians expected to hear their names called in this year’s draft, Bergeron established himself as one of the top members of a top-heavy tackle class. Notably, Bergeron was announced as a guard, and he could be a candidate to move inside for at least the early part of his pro career.
It was reported not long ago that Atlanta was interested in adding a lineman capable of doing just that with their first pick. The team went a much different direction, of course, selecting running back Bijan Robinson at No. 8. He will boost their rushing game, something also made possible by an offensive line which has few openings at the moment. Bergeron will look to establish a role for himself as at least a backup along the interior.
Atlanta has left tackle Jake Matthews under contract through 2026, but Bergeron could been seen as a potential long-term successor on the blindside depending on his development path. The Falcons’ RG situation is shored up with Chris Lindstrom, who became the league’s highest-paid guard earlier this offseason. Bergeron’s run blocking strength could allow him to compete for snaps opposite him in the short- and long-term future if he is to remain on the interior.
Falcons To Exercise CB AJ Terrell’s Fifth-Year Option
Non-draft news is transpiring as we move closer to the second round. The Falcons will make their top 2020 draftee’s contract run through 2024. They are picking up AJ Terrell‘s fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
This will guarantee Terrell a $12.34MM salary for 2024, though the Falcons now have an additional year to work out an extension. Terrell has a second-team All-Pro honor on his resume, but since the Atlanta cornerback does not have a Pro Bowl honor, he checks in on the third tier of the option structure.
Terrell, 24, has been an anchor of the team’s secondary since his arrival in Atlanta. The 16th overall pick in 2020, he has started all 44 of his games with the Falcons, establishing himself as one of the top young corners in the league during that span. Terrell has posted four interceptions and 32 pass defections, ball skills which will likely be rewarded with a long-term deal at some point.
The Clemson product will be joined by another former notable draftee in 2023. Atlanta traded for former Lions third overall pick Jeff Okudah earlier this month, a buy-low gamble which could prove to be highly fruitful if he is able to remain healthy and live up to his potential. That move also marked another addition on the Falcons’ part to their backend, as part of their investments on defense.
The likes of Okudah and free agent safety Jessie Bates should help improve the team’s underwhelming ranks in a number of defensive categories from 2022. Terrell took a sizeable step back last season in terms of PFF grade (earning an overall rating of 63.9, compared to 82.6 in 2021). A bounce-back campaign would help both team and player, but in any event, Terrell is set to remain in the fold for at least the next two years as he looks to continue his career ascent.