NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21
The Colts have now officially signed every member of their draft class. We’ll keep track of all the new draftees signing their rookie deals today here:
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Kylen Granson (fourth-round; SMU), QB Sam Ehlinger (sixth-round; Texas)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Janarius Robinson (fourth-round; Florida State)
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (fourth-round; Oklahoma)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Jaelon Darden (fourth-round; North Texas)
Washington Signs Joe Walker, Cuts Josh Harvey-Clemons
Washington is shuffling their linebacking depth chart. They’ve signed free agent linebacker Joe Walker and cut Josh Harvey-Clemons, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
Walker spent 2020 with the 49ers where he was a core special teamer and reserve, playing over 60 percent of the special teams snaps. He didn’t play much on defense, but the year before in 2019 he started 11 games for the Cardinals. That year in Arizona, he finished with 65 tackles, five for a loss, and a forced fumble.
He was originally a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2016, and started three games for Philly in 2017. Washington drafted Harvey-Clemons in the seventh-round back in 2017. He played a real role in 2018, when he had a sack and three passes defended, but his playing time was reduced in 2019.
Harvey-Clemons then opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Linebacker was a weakness for Washington’s strong defense last season, and they just used their first-round pick on Jamin Davis from Kentucky.
Antonio Brown Has Knee Surgery, Bucs Not Concerned
There was some brief concern earlier this morning when it was reported that Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown hadn’t actually signed his contract yet. Head coach Bruce Arians said Brown still needed to pass his physical, and it appeared for a second his return to Tampa could be in some doubt.
That doesn’t appear to be the case. The oft-embattled wideout did in fact have knee surgery on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Rapsheet says the procedure was a success, and that it was just “a clean-out after some issues last season.” Fortunately for the friend of Tom Brady, it’ll apparently only be “a few weeks of recovery, then he’ll be ready to go.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht also confirmed that it’s no big deal. “No, not concerned. The plan all along is to have him come in — I think he is coming in Monday to sign,” Licht told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com.
Brown attracts drama like a magnet, but it doesn’t seem like this is going to be a lingering issue. He might be more concerned about the new lawsuit he just got hit with a few days ago.
Eagles To Sign Le’Raven Clark
Nick Sirianni is reuniting with a familiar face. The Eagles are signing free agent offensive lineman Le’Raven Clark, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed, but it’s safe to assume it’s a cheap short-term deal. It is in fact a one-year pact, Tim McManus of ESPN tweets. The Colts drafted Clark 82nd overall back in 2016, and Sirianni was his offensive coordinator in Indianapolis the past three seasons.
Philly wasn’t the only team to express interest, as we heard that Clark met with the Bills back in early April. Clark was never a full-time starter with the Colts, but usually ended up starting at least a few games per year. He was inserted into the starting lineup at tackle last year, but unfortunately went down with an Achilles tear himself in December after starting three games.
With the injury coming so late in the season, it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Week 1 this year. Clark started at least three games in four of his five seasons with the Colts, but never more than five. He started five at guard in 2017, so he’s got some versatility.
The Eagles’ offensive line was really banged up last year, so it’s not surprising they’re looking for additional insurance. Andre Dillard and Lane Johnson currently project as the two starting tackles.
Dolphins LB Elandon Roberts Had Knee Surgery, Week 1 In Doubt?
Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts landed on injured reserve late last season with a knee injury, but the team never said exactly what it was, only that it was “significant.” We still don’t know the exact injury, but significant may have been an understatement.
Speaking to the Miami media today, Roberts said he underwent surgery on the knee, and declined to say if he’ll be ready for Week 1, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Given those context clues, it seems quite possible Roberts tore an ACL.
Whatever the case, the Dolphins felt comfortable enough in his status to give him a $650K signing bonus on the one-year, $2MM contract they gave him back in March. He also has $750K available in incentives for 2021.
It was a tough break for Roberts to get seriously hurt right before entering free agency, and he likely would’ve cashed in more had he not got down in late December. The former Patriot who followed Brian Flores to Miami started 11 games for the Dolphins last year, finishing with 61 tackles (eight for a loss).
Saints Re-Sign CB Ken Crawley
The Saints are bringing back a familiar face for 2021. New Orleans has re-signed cornerback Ken Crawley, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s presumably a cheap one-year deal.
Crawley entered the league as an UDFA with the Saints back in 2016, and became a real contributor in New Orleans. He started five games as a rookie, 13 the following year, and then five again in 2018. He had 17 passes defended in 2017 but his play was often inconsistent, and Crawley was cut midway through the 2019 campaign.
He was claimed by the Dolphins and ended up starting a couple of games for them. The Colorado product signed with the Raiders last offseason, and was cut over the summer. He latched on with the Cardinals, but was then let go by them too at final cuts.
All that led him back to New Orleans, when he signed with their practice squad midway through the year. He was elevated for a handful of games, but played sparingly. The 28-year-old obviously has an extensive history with Sean Payton now, but won’t be guaranteed a roster spot.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/21
The Bengals were busy on Monday, inking all seven of their Day 3 picks to their rookie deals. We’ll keep track of all of today’s draft pick signings below:
Cincinnati Bengals
- DE Cameron Sample (fourth-round; Tulane), OT D’Ante Smith (fourth-round; East Carolina), DT Tyler Shelvin (fourth-round; LSU), K Evan McPherson (fifth-round; Florida), C Trey Hill (sixth-round; Georgia), RB Chris Evans (sixth-round; Michigan), DE Wyatt Hubert (seventh-round; Kansas State)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jalen Camp (sixth-round; Georgia Tech)
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Tyree Gillespie (fourth-round; Missouri), CB Nate Hobbs (fifth-round; Illinois), C Jimmy Morrissey (seventh-round; Pittsburgh)
Jaguars Cut Ryquell Armstead
Ryquell Armstead will have to bounce back from his tough 2020 with a different team. The Jaguars announced they waived the running back on Monday.
A fifth-round pick out of Temple in 2019, Armstead garnered headlines last season as one of the pro athletes to be most effected by COVID-19. The young rusher spent the entire 2020 campaign on the COVID list. It was a scary situation, as Armstead reportedly dealt with serious respiratory issues and had to be hospitalized twice.
Fortunately most NFL players who tested positive were able to return to play relatively quickly, but Armstead wasn’t as lucky. Now with the Jags drafting Travis Etitenne in the first-round and the presence of breakout 2020 rookie James Robinson, the running backs room had gotten a bit crowded.
Armstead was able to make a real impact as a rookie in 2019, and got a start in Week 17. Overall he finished his only pro season to date carrying the ball 35 times for 108 yards and adding another 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Here’s to hoping he’s made a full recovery and is able to sign with somebody for 2021.
Zach Ertz Won’t Report For Eagles Offseason
The last update we had on Zach Ertz was a couple of weeks ago, when it looked like things might be headed in the right direction between him and the Eagles. That apparently wasn’t the case.
Philadelphia passed on adding a tight end in the draft, and the chances were starting to look better that he’d stay with the Eagles for 2021. However, Ertz was not among the players who showed up for the start of Phase 2 of Philly’s offseason program, a source told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
Further, McLane writes that Ertz “isn’t expected to report for the remainder of the offseason program or until his situation is resolved,” which he says means either being “traded or released.” Ertz was given permission to seek a trade about two months ago, but nothing has materialized.
Although there has reportedly been some interest, no one has been willing to meet GM Howie Roseman’s apparent asking price of a third or fourth-round pick. We’re now in the middle of a stalemate. Ertz, who will turn 31 in November and is coming off a down year, is entering the final year of his contract.
2020 was a big disappointment, but he made three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19 and has consistently been one of the league’s better tight ends for a while now. We should have another update on him soon, and as of right now it appears unlikely he’ll be catching passes from Jalen Hurts this season.
Cowboys Won’t Sign J.T. Barrett, Brady Davis
The Cowboys brought in a pair of young free agent quarterbacks for tryouts this past week, but it doesn’t sound like either will be getting a contract.
Dallas is not planning on signing either J.T. Barrett or Brady Davis as of right now, veteran beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. tweets. Hill writes they had “less than stellar showings” at the team’s rookie minicamp. Barrett, of course, is well known to college football fans for his long tenure under center at Ohio State. He set many records for the Buckeyes, and was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
He’s bounced around practice squads and offseason rosters since going undrafted in 2018. The Cowboys currently don’t have much behind Dak Prescott on the depth chart after Andy Dalton left in free agency, so they may continue kicking the tires on veteran backup options.
As of right now, former AAF star Garrett Gilbert would seem to be the favorite to hold Prescott’s clipboard. Davis is a 2020 UDFA from Illinois State.