Minor NFL Transactions: 5/31/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Nick Keizer
AFC Notes: Patriots, Harry, Dolphins, Mills, Ravens, Snead
There was a lot of talk this offseason about how the Patriots’ receiving corp was looking a little thin. Chris Hogan left in free agency and Rob Gronkowski retired, so Tom Brady‘s group of pass-catchers was a bit depleted. New England moved swiftly to address the issue, taking N’Keal Harry out of Arizona State in the first round of last month’s draft. They nabbed Harry at 32nd overall, but they apparently would’ve been willing to take him much higher.
Bill Belichick told Todd Graham, one of Harry’s former college coaches, that the team “had him graded a lot higher than where he was taken in the first round,” per Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Graham spoke to Belichick the night of the draft, and the Patriots coach told him they “were so fortunate that he was still there.” It’s the first time in Belichick’s 19 years at the helm in New England that they’ve taken a receiver in the first round, so they clearly had to be very high on him.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Dolphins are rebuilding, whether they want to admit it or not. We still don’t know whether Josh Rosen or Ryan Fitzpatrick will win the starting quarterback job, but we do have a bit more clarity as to who will be one of their starting tackles. Jordan Mills “has come on in the past week and the job is clearly his to lose,” at right tackle, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins let Ja’Wuan James walk in free agency, meaning they need a new starter opposite Laremy Tunsil, and it looks like Mills is going to be the guy. Mills started all 16 games each of the last three seasons for the Bills, but Buffalo didn’t have much interest in retaining him. He had a poor season last year, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 70th-best tackle. He signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Miami just a few weeks ago.
- The Ravens’ receiving corp is going to look a lot different in 2019, as they made a lot of changes in preparation for Lamar Jackson‘s first full season as the starter. They let John Brown and Michael Crabtree walk in free agency, and drafted two new receivers in the first three rounds last month. They’ll need some veterans to provide some stability with all the young guys around, and one of the vets they’re reportedly counting on to step up this year is Willie Snead. Unfortunately Snead hasn’t been able to be a full-go this offseason, as he had surgery on his finger after the season ended, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link). Zrebiec writes that the Ravens are “taking it easy with him.” Snead had a productive year last season, finishing with 62 catches for 651 yards and a touchdown.
Ravens Sign Third Round DE Jaylon Ferguson
The Ravens locked up a key member of their draft class Friday. The team signed third round pick edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson to his rookie deal, they announced on Twitter.
Ferguson is more high profile than your typical third round pick. He was one of the most productive pass-rushers in recent college football history, and put up absurd numbers at Louisiana Tech. For a while there was talk that Ferguson would go as high as the first round, but he ended up tumbling to 85th overall. In his senior season with the Bulldogs Ferguson racked up an eye-popping 26.5 tackles for loss, including 17.5 sacks.
Ferguson was at the center of some controversy a few months back when he had his invitation to the combine rescinded. Ferguson was banned from the combine after a background check revealed he was convicted of simple battery during his freshman year. It was reported at the time that teams didn’t view his incident as particularly serious, and he was eventually allowed to participate in interviews at the combine, although he wasn’t allowed to do any drills or on-field work.
With Ferguson now in the fold, the Ravens now have only two unsigned draft picks left. First round pick Marquise Brown and third-rounder Miles Boykin still have yet to agree to terms. The Ravens lost Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in free agency, so they have a lot of pass-rushing production to replace. They’ll be counting on Ferguson to help fill some of that void.
Colts QB Chad Kelly Suspended Two Games
Chad Kelly is back in the NFL, but he won’t be eligible to play for a little bit. The recently signed Colts quarterback has been suspended for the first two games of the season, per Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).
Kelly signed with the team a couple of weeks ago. We heard right after that he could be facing a suspension, so this isn’t too big of a surprise. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network points out in a tweet, the suspension is the result of his infamous arrest while he was a member of the Broncos last year.
The Colts obviously weren’t planning on Kelly playing anytime soon anyway, so this suspension likely won’t have too big of an effect on his status with the team. They signed him as a developmental option, to potentially one day take over as Andrew Luck‘s backup. It’s been speculated for a while now that current Colts backup Jacoby Brissett, an impending free agent, could be a candidate for a starting job next offseason, so Indy might be in the market for a new clipboard holder soon.
Kelly has always been talented, but has never been able to keep it together in his personal life. He had numerous off-field incidents in college, which caused him to slip to the last pick in the draft in 2017. He missed his entire rookie season due to injury, but made the Broncos last year as Case Keenum‘s backup.
Things were going well for a while after he impressed in the preseason, and at one point it looked like he was about to be inserted for a slumping Keenum. Then he was arrested in a bizarre incident following Von Miller‘s Halloween party, where he wandered into a random family’s home and plopped down on the couch. It’ll be interesting to see if he ends up making the final 53 with the Colts.
Latest On Jets’ GM Search
We have another update on the Jets’ search for a general manager as you’re hopefully enjoying Memorial Day, this time courtesy of Albert Breer of SI.com. So far, the Jets have requested interviews with four candidates. While the request part is often a formality, it sounds like the Jets might not actually get everybody on their list.
Breer was told that “it remains unclear if Minnesota exec George Paton will accept” his interview request. Paton has been a hot GM candidate in the past, though he has pulled his name from consideration multiple times, so it’s not too surprising he’s being selective here. Paton is clearly comfortably with the Vikings, and will only leave for the perfect opportunity.
While they might not end up interviewing Paton, Chicago’s Champ Kelly and Seattle’s Scott Fitterer are both going to meet with Jets brass. Breer reports that Fitterer’s interview is scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Breer reiterates that Eagles exec Joe Douglas “remains the favorite,” and he writes that he’s “the one hire the Jets can make that could mitigate the public relations mess of the last few weeks,” citing his “sterling reputation as an evaluator” and “ability to assemble a loaded scouting staff.”
If the Jets do end up hiring Douglas, who has a longstanding relationship with Jets coach and interim GM Adam Gase, that doesn’t mean none of the other candidates will be joining the new front office. Breer notes that “there’s a belief in scouting circles that if Kelly doesn’t get the GM job, he could still land in Jersey working under Douglas.”
As of now, Douglas seems like a strong favorite. Gase has insisted that Jets owner/CEO Christopher Johnson will have final say, but everybody seems to believe Gase is calling the shots. Douglas was the Bears’ director of college scouting when Gase was the offensive coordinator in Chicago in 2015.
Extra Points: Packers, Jets, Chargers, Lions
The Packers have a huge season ahead of them. After an outstanding run of success, things got stale in Green Bay under Mike McCarthy, which resulted in his firing. The team desperately needs a boost of energy, and they’re hoping they found it in new coach Matt LaFleur. The 39-year-old is apparently wasting no time taking charge in his first offseason at the helm, as Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette writes that the young coach is “taking on an enormous load” during OTAs. Dougherty says that LaFleur is hovering around the quarterbacks and coaching them up at every opportunity, which he describes as a notable departure from McCarthy, who left that up to his quarterbacks coach.
LaFleur is apparently sitting in on all the quarterbacks meetings, and Aaron Rodgers importantly is happy with the way he’s being coached up. Dougherty writes that Rodgers “appears to be embracing” LaFleur’s hands-on approach. That’s surely music to the ears of Packers fans, but Dougherty does caution that there’s some level of concern about everything he’s putting on his own plate and how much his devotion to the quarterbacks “will take away from LaFleur’s panoramic view of the team once camp and the season start.” That being said, a reinvigorated Rodgers is by far the most important thing to the team right now, so it certainly doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
Here’s more from around the league on a quiet holiday weekend:
- The Jets have had a drama-filled offseason, to say the least. Immediately after Mike Maccagnan was fired, reports began trickling out that Adam Gase didn’t want either of the Jets’ pricey free agent acquisitions, running back Le’Veon Bell and linebacker C.J. Mosley. While the reports that Gase didn’t want the team to sign Bell have more or less been confirmed, it’s apparently not true that he didn’t want Mosley, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini writes that Gase “was a strong proponent of signing Mosley,” and notes that Gase and Mosley even share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. It sounds like the Jets have one less headache to worry about.
- Chargers pass-rusher Joey Bosa has been a star ever since he entered the league. As a rookie he had 10.5 sacks despite missing the first four games of the season due to a contract holdout, and he’s been dominant off the edge ever since. But the Ohio State product was hobbled by a foot injury that cost him the nine games of last season, and he wasn’t quite the same after he returned. Speaking to the media recently after practice, Bosa conceded that the injury is still bothering him. “It’s just there. It’s just something I notice. It’s been getting better all offseason, so I could definitely see by camp or maybe even next year where it kind of starts fading away,” Bosa said, per Adam Maya of NFL.com. Foot injuries can be tricky, so it’s somewhat alarming that Bosa is still feeling soreness in his foot after this long, but Maya notes he did say it’s feeling “well enough for him to avoid a Lisfranc-type surgery.” This will be a situation to monitor this offseason.
- Rookie tight ends often don’t play much right away. Tight end is widely regarded as the position that’s hardest to transition to from college to the pros, other than quarterback, and many take time to develop even if they’re drafted highly. It sounds like Lions rookie T.J. Hockenson could be an exception to that rule. Hockenson has looked good during OTAs, according to Tim Twentyman of the team’s official site, who notes that Detroit isn’t going to treat him with kid gloves, writing Hockenson will “see the field early and often.” The Lions got virtually nothing from their tight ends last season so they made it a priority to upgrade this offseason, signing Jesse James and drafting Hockenson eighth overall. It sounds like Hockenson is in line to start in his first season.
5 Key NFL Stories: 5/19/19-5/26/19
Reuben Foster tears ACL: The Redskins linebacker went down in a heap during a recent OTA practice, and it was clear right away something was very wrong. Not long after, it was confirmed that Foster had torn his ACL and suffered additional damage to his leg as well. The Redskins claimed to oft-embattled Alabama product off waivers late last season after he was cut by the 49ers following another arrest. Charges were ultimately dropped and the league announced he wouldn’t be suspended, so the Redskins were counting on him playing a huge role on defense in 2019. He’ll now miss the entire season, leaving a huge hole on a Redskins team that has been the league’s most injury-riddled the past couple of seasons.
Buccaneers release Gerald McCoy: The longtime Bucs defensive tackle saw his time in Tampa Bay come to an end earlier this week when the team released him. Things had been heading toward a split for a while now, and the Buccaneers were reportedly shopping him. They were ultimately unable to find a trade partner, so they opted to release him to avoid paying him his $13MM salary. McCoy is now the biggest name left on the free agent market, and is drawing interest from a bunch of contenders. He’s already visited with the Browns, and will reportedly meet with the Ravens soon. One team already offered him a pact worth $11MM annually.
Buccaneers sign Ndamukong Suh: The Bucs didn’t waste much time replacing McCoy. While McCoy became the biggest name left available on the free agent market, Tampa Bay scooped up the previous biggest name. Suh landed a one-year deal worth $9.25MM, with incentives that can push it to $10MM. Suh signed with the Rams on a one-year deal last offseason, and didn’t quite play up to his standards in Los Angeles during the regular season. He turned it on in the postseason, and was a force during their playoff run. Suh is actually older than McCoy is at 32 now, but he showed during the playoffs he still has plenty left in the tank.
Patriots Extend Julian Edelman: New England locked up a key piece, signing Edelman to a two-year extension. Edelman had been entering the final year of his current deal, so he’ll now be locked up through the 2021 season. The veteran receiver got $18MM in new money over the course of the two years. It’s been speculated that the deal will run to the end of Edelman’s career, and allow him to retire as a Patriot. Edelman, 33, was a huge part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl winning offense after he returned from his four-game suspension last year, racking up 850 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.
Adam Jones retires: Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones decided to hang up his cleats earlier this week, ending an always interesting twelve-year career. Jones will perhaps best be remembered for his string of off-field incidents, but he was a dynamic player at his peak. The West Virginia product was drafted sixth overall by the Titans back in 2005. He missed the entire 2007 and 2009 seasons due to his off-field issues, but he was able to battle back each time. He was a quality starter for periods with both the Titans and Bengals, and was also an electric punt returner at times. He appeared in seven games and made two starts with the Broncos last year, which will end up being the last top of his career.
Benjamin Watson To Be Suspended 4 Games
The Patriots’ new tight end, Ben Watson, won’t be able to suit up right away. The veteran, who recently came out of retirement to join New England, announced in a Facebook post that he’ll be suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season, per Mike Reiss of ESPN (Twitter link).
In the post, Watson explains that he thought for sure he was retiring for good after the 2018 season, so he wasn’t quite as careful with the treatment he received. He was given Bio Identical Testosterone Cypionate by a doctor, which is banned by the league. Only after he made the decision to return to the league did he realize the implications, and he ended up failing a drug test.
While it’s obviously not a welcome development, the news isn’t blindsiding the Patriots. Watson says in his post that he discussed the failed drug test with teams before signing, so New England was prepared for this suspension. Watson won’t be appealing the ban, as he writes that he wants to”respect the regulations that have been collectively bargained to promote fairness on the field of play and accept the discipline associated with my infraction.”
While the Patriots should be just fine in the first month of the season without him, it will leave them quite thin once again at tight end. Rob Gronkowski‘s retirement this offseason left them with very few proven options at the position, although they have signed a few guys like Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Matt LaCosse.
Watson is 38 now but he remained reliable in 2018, appearing in all 16 games for the Saints. He finished the season with 35 catches for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Just a few years ago he was a huge part of the Saints’ offense and racked up 825 yards and six touchdowns, so he’s a capable receiver. Just yesterday we heard that Watson only considered coming out of retirement for the Patriots and the Saints, despite interest from at least a handful of teams.
PFR Originals: 5/19/19-5/26/19
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- As part of our ‘this date in transactions history’ series, Ben Levine took a look at the Dolphins’ decision to sign cornerback Will Allen to a two-year, $16.2MM extension in 2009. His promising career was quickly derailed due to an arrest and an ACL tear, and he ended up not playing a single game under the terms of his new extension.
- After his recent release, the biggest name left on the free agent market is Gerald McCoy. In a quiet period for the league, all eyes are on McCoy and where he will sign. Micah Powell ran through some of the options and asked readers in a poll where they think McCoy will end up signing. As of right now the Browns are in first place, with 22.49 percent of the vote.
- Speaking of polls, Ben also examined the known candidates for the Jets’ GM job, the other big developing story in the NFL right now. The Jets have been taking their time with Adam Gase currently installed as the interim GM, and Eagles executive Joe Douglas won the vote with 36.4 percent.
- Also as part of our ‘this date in transactions history’ series, Zach Links looked back on the Broncos’ signing of Jerry Rice. Rice’s career is so legendary, that people often forget he briefly spent some time in Denver. He signed with them back in 2005, but ended up retiring before the season started after realizing he wouldn’t have a huge role with the team.
- Zach also wrote about the Cowboys’ signing of Randy Gregory to his first contract, and reflected on his tumultuous career. Gregory was viewed as a top-ten talent, but fell to the second round due to off-field concerns. Those concerns turned out to be valid, as Gregory has been suspended several times. He most recently was banned indefinitely after this past season, although the Cowboys are sticking by him.
- Another big story around the league right now is the standoff between Chris Harris and the Broncos. The star cornerback is demanding a new contract and staying away from the team, and there’s been a lot of buzz about a potential trade. Sam Robinson asked readers how the situation will play out in a poll, and despite all the trade talk readers seem to think an extension will be reached at some point.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Vikings
Legendary Packers quarterback Bart Starr sadly passed away earlier this morning. Not long after the news broke, fellow legendary Packers quarterback Brett Favre posted a touching tribute to Twitter. “Bart Starr was the most kind, thoughtful and classiest person you could ever know. I consider myself extremely lucky to have called him friend and to have been mentioned in the same breath. Deanna and I are praying for Cherry and the Starr family,” his tweet read. Both Starr and Favre started in Green Bay for 16 seasons, and each etched their names in the record books. Current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also shared a photo of Starr on his Instagram account. From everyone at PFR, all of our thoughts are with the Starr family.
Here’s the latest from the NFC North:
- The Lions were dealt a pretty big blow when starting guard T.J. Lang retired earlier this offseason. Lang only started six games this past season because of injury, but he was usually one of the league’s better guards when healthy. The Lions are looking to replace him next to left tackle Taylor Decker, and they have few options. While it’ll still be a competition, Tim Twentyman of the team’s official site thinks it’s Kenny Wiggins‘ “job to lose,” noting that Wiggins was taking the first-team reps during the first batch of OTAs. Wiggins started all 16 games for the Chargers in 2017, but was signed by Detroit initially to be a backup last year. He took over the starting gig once Lang went down, and it looks like he’s the favorite to retain the job on a full-time basis. He received poor grades from Pro Football Focus last season, grading out as their 59th-best guard, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone pushes him in camp.
- Anthony Barr is back in Minnesota, and he won’t be changing positions either. Barr famously agreed to a contract with the Jets back in March, before spurning them and returning to the Vikings. There was talk that he’d be moved to defensive end for the 2019 season, but Vikings coach Mike Zimmer declared “he’ll be a linebacker” when addressing the media recently, per Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. Hartman writes there was some buzz about moving him to end in order to turn him into more of a pass-rusher, but it turned out not to be the case. Barr doesn’t usually get after the passer all that much, although he did have three sacks last season. If the Vikings really want their outside rush bolstered, they’ll need a strong return campaign from Everson Griffen, who had his 2018 season derailed by a bizarre off-field incident.
- In case you missed it the Bears are doing some shuffling around of players, including moving James Daniels from guard to center, and Cody Whitehair from center to guard. Both players were starters last season.