Panthers Cut Frank Herron, Sign Two UDFAs
Frank Herron‘s stint with the Panthers lasted less than a month. The Panthers waived the defensive tackle today, per the NFL’s transaction report.
The 26-year-old has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of LSU in 2018, spending time with the (inhales) the Patriots, Seahawks, Patriots (second stint), Titans, Lions, Dolphins, Lions (second stint), and Panthers (exhales). Herron has seen time in seven career games, collecting 11 tackles and one tackle for loss.
After spending much of the 2020 season bouncing on and off the Lions active roster (he ultimately saw time in four games), he was let go a final time in early January. Then, in mid-April, he ended up finding his next gig with the Panthers, although he didn’t even make it to training camp with his new squad.
The Panthers likely made this move to carve out some extra roster space, especially after they added two undrafted free agents today. Per the league’s transaction report, the team signed Alabama-Birmingham running back Spencer Brown and Northwestern linebacker Paddy Fisher.
WR Davante Adams Discusses Future With Packers
Don’t worry, Packers fans…Davante Adams isn’t pushing for a trade out of Green Bay. However, when asked about the Aaron Rodgers rumors during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the star receiver admitted that a Rodgers trade would certainly make him rethink his own future in Green Bay.
[RELATED: Latest On Packers, Aaron Rodgers]
“That’s the only [quarterback] that I’ve played with, and we’ve built up a special connection over the years that has put us both in really good positions in our careers,” Adams said (video via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman on Twitter). “We’ve established a lot together. It would change a lot. It doesn’t mean potentially I’d be gone, but I’d definitely have to do some extra thinking if my guy wasn’t here.”
For starters, it’s not a huge surprise that Adams would be so supportive of his quarterback; other than the 2017 season where Brett Hundley had to briefly fill in, the wideout’s only received passes from Rodgers since he entered the NFL in 2014. Since that time, Adams has made four Pro Bowls, he’s twice exceeded 1,300 yards in a season, and he’s hauled in 62 touchdowns (including 58 scores since 2016). In other words, it’d be a little weird if Adams wasn’t wary of a Rodgers trade.
On the other side, it’s not necessarily a ringing endorsement for the Packers organization (or, if you want to dig a bit deeper, 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love). Unfortunately for Green Bay, they won’t have much of a say in the matter, as Adams is set to hit free agency following the 2021 season (the team could obviously retain the wideout for an additional season or two via the franchise tag, but drama would soon prevail). In the hypothetical world where the Packers do indeed trade Rodgers, it could make sense for the front office to shop Adams even if the receiver doesn’t explicitly ask for a trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/21
Monday’s minor moves
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: S Saquan Hampton
Washington Football Team
- Waived: TE Marcus Baugh
Chiefs Release OL Bryan Witzmann
The Chiefs carved out a few roster spots today by letting go of three players. Per the NFL’s transactions report, the team released offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann and tight end Sean Culkin. The team also waived quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
Witzmann, 30, has managed to stick around the NFL for seven years despite going undrafted out of South Dakota State in 2014. The lineman made a name for himself with the Chiefs, appearing in 26 games (with 20 starts) between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He appeared in 10 games (seven starts) for the Bears in 2018 before he was limited to only a pair of games with the Panthers in 2019.
The veteran spent much of the 2020 season as a free agent before catching on with the Chiefs practice squad in October. He ultimately saw time in only one game for Kansas City, although he did enough to get a new contract from the team back in February. The Chiefs have been active revamping their offensive line this offseason, and Witzmann is just the latest casualty.
Culkin has started 12 of his 19 games since entering the NFL in 2017, but he’s only hauled in a pair of catches. He spent the majority of the 2020 season with the Ravens, and he inked a reserve/futures contract with the Chiefs back in February.
Ta’amu has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2019, spending time with the Texans, Lions, and Chiefs (two stints). He joined Kansas City’s practice squad in January and later inked a reserve/futures contract with the organization. The quarterback also spent time in the XFL, earning a Player of the Week award.
Titans Cut LB Nate Orchard
Nate Orchard‘s stint with the Titans has come to an end. The Titans released the veteran linebacker today, per the NFL ‘s official transactions report. Tennessee also waived tight end Parker Hesse and long snapper Matt Orzech.
The 2015 second-round pick lived up to his draft stock during his rookie season, finishing with three sacks and four QB hits. After spending most of his sophomore campaign on the IR, Orchard settled into a backup role with the Browns in 2017, but he was cut by Cleveland prior to the 2018 campaign. Since that time, the veteran has bounced around the NFL, spending time with the Bills, Chiefs, Seahawks, Dolphins, Washington, and Texans. He saw time in three games for WFT last season, collecting a pair of tackles.
After getting cut by Washington in November, Orchard caught on with the Titans practice squad. He inked a futures contract with the organization in January. Ultimately, the 28-year-old won’t make it to training camp with the organization.
Orzech, a 2019 undrafted free agent, got into 16 games as a rookie with the Jaguars. In 2020, he had stints with the Jaguars and Dolphins before landing with the Titans practice squad.
Hesse, a former University of Iowa standout, spent most of the 2020 season on Tennessee’s practice squad.
Panthers Hire Former LB Dan Morgan As Assistant GM
Dan Morgan is heading back to Carolina, this time in a front office role. The Panthers announced that they’ve hired the former Pro Bowl linebacker as their new assistant general manager.
The 2001 first-round pick spent the first seven seasons of his career with Carolina, including a 2004 campaign where he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance. He ranks 12th all-time in Panthers history in solo tackles, finishing his Panthers career with 284. Morgan also had a standout performance in Super Bowl XXXVIII, finishing with a game-high 18 tackles in a three-point loss to the Patriots.
Following his playing career, Morgan joined the Seahawks front office, where he had an opportunity to work alongside current Panthers GM Scott Fitterer. As Morgan told the team website, Fitterer served as a pseudo-mentor as Morgan became acclimated with his front office gig.
“He was very helpful to me when I first got there,” Morgan said. “All those guys were really good with me early on, but he took me under his wing when I was new and was willing to let me pick his brain about college scouting and what he did.”
Morgan eventually moved on to Buffalo, and he had served as the Bills’ director of player personnel (alongside former Panthers assistant GM and current Bills GM Brandon Beane) since 2018. Ultimately, Morgan’s familiarity with the Panthers organization probably gave him an advantage during the hiring process.
Fitterer had recently been ramping up his search for an assistant GM. Eagles director of player personnel Ian Cunningham, former Colts interim GM Jimmy Raye III, and former Panthers tight end tight end Jeff King were also considered for the role.
Latest On Ryan Kerrigan, Potential Return To WFT
While Washington may have selected a pair of seventh-round edge rushers, they still lack reliable depth behind Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Thanks to the shallow depth chart, plenty of pundits have wondered whether Ryan Kerrigan would re-sign with the team. When asked about the chances of signing the franchise sack leader, GM Martin Mayhew refused to explicitly mention anyone by name. However, he did hint that the team could look to add a veteran in the coming weeks.
“There will be guys who are released and we’ll keep an eye out for guys on the streets,” Mayhew said (via NBC Sports Washington). “We’ll probably have some try-out guys during our mini camps. We definitely plan to upgrade that position through the offseason.”
Kerrigan would be a natural fit for the role; he already served as a backup in 2020, so it’s not like the fan favorite would put up a stink about not starting. Despite only starting one game last season, the the 32-year-old still had a productive season, finishing with 5.5 sacks and six QB hits. It’s obviously been a while since Kerrigan was a Pro Bowl-caliber player, but his pass-rushing prowess and versatility would still be an asset to any defense.
Of course, Mayhew doesn’t have any true connection to Kerrigan, so it wouldn’t be a shock if he looks elsewhere for reinforcement. The GM also seemed to be a fan of his two late-round picks, Baylor’s William Bradley-King and Penn State’s Shaka Toney.
“We drafted these guys with the idea that these guys can contribute this year,” Mayhew said.
This Date In Transactions History: 2014 NFL Draft
The first-round of the 2014 NFL Draft took place seven years ago today. While there was plenty of hype heading into the first day of the draft, surely no one expected the first round to produce so many accomplished players. Among the 32 individuals who heard their name called on May 8, 2014, 17 of those players eventually earned Pro Bowl nods. That’s not shabby.
From a transactions standpoint, there were five trades completed on that Thursday evening, with the Browns and Vikings starring in a handful of the deals. While there were whispers that the first-overall pick could get traded from Houston, the Texans ultimately kept the selection and drafted Jadeveon Clowney at No. 1.
The first trade of the evening was between the Browns and Bills. Cleveland wanted to move back to select a cornerback, so they sent No. 4 to Buffalo for No. 9, a future first, and a future fourth. The Bills ended up selecting wideout Sammy Watkins. As the first round continued to progress, the Browns apparently didn’t feel comfortable staying at No. 9. So, they packaged that selection and a future fifth-round pick to the Vikings for the No. 8 pick, and they proceeded to select cornerback Justin Gilbert. The Vikings selected linebacker Anthony Barr with their new selection.
The Saints later got into the action, acquiring the No. 20 pick from the Cardinals to select receiver Brandin Cooks. New Orleans sent Arizona No. 27 and No. 91, with the Cards selecting safety Deone Bucannon with that first-round selection.
The Browns made another trade later in the night, this time in pursuit of a quarterback. Cleveland traded No. 26 and No. 83 to Philly in exchange for No.22…and the Browns ultimately selected quarterback Johnny Manziel. Really, the writing was on the wall with that selection; the team had previously drafted two other QB busts (Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn) at that same spot in the draft.
The last trade of the evening once again featured the Vikings. Minnesota acquired the No. 32 pick from the Seahawks for picks No. 40 and No. 108. The Vikings used their new selection on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
It was surely an entertaining evening, with Cleveland serving as the star of the show. However, fast forward to today, and Browns fans are surely still shaking their head at how everything unfolded.
Texans Host LB Neville Hewitt
Neville Hewitt could be heading west. The free agent linebacker visited with the Texans today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Despite going undrafted out of Marshall, Hewitt has had a consistent NFL gig since 2015. After spending his first three seasons in Miami, Hewitt joined the Jets back in 2018, and he’s been a staple of their defense ever since.
Following a 2019 campaign that saw him finish with a career-high three sacks, Hewitt arguably had his best NFL campaign in 2020. He ultimately finished the season with 134 tackles (the eighth-highest mark in the league), six tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Hewitt also finished the year having appeared in 99-percent of his team’s defensive snaps, while his previous career-high saw him appear in only 69-percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
Hewitt is a bit of a curious fit in Houston; the Texans have already added seven free agent linebackers, and they added TCU’s Garret Wallow in the fifth-round of last week’s draft. In total, the team currently has 15 linebackers on their roster.
Patriots Sign UDFA K Quinn Nordin
The Patriots have finally added an undrafted free agent. The team announced today that they’ve signed rookie kicker Quinn Nordin.
Nordin appeared in 37 games during his four years at Michigan, connecting on 42 of his 58 field goal attempts and 119 of his 124 extra point attempts. This included a 2017 campaign where he led the Big Ten in field goals made (19) while finishing fifth in points (92). Nordin didn’t have many opportunities to show off his skills in 2020, as he was limited to only four games. He connected on two of his five field goal attempts this past year, although he did convert each of his 12 extra point tries.
The Patriots were already rostering a pair of kickers, including incumbent Nick Folk. The team also picked up former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo late last season. The team used a fifth-round pick last season on Justin Rohrwasser, but he was waived by the team back in March.
For a front office that seems to love their hidden gems, it’s a bit of a surprise that the Patriots have been so inactive following the draft. However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss provides a potential explanation, noting that the team could still be operating on 2020 rules as they await final word on 2021 rules. Specifically, teams were allowed to carry up to 90 players if they went with the “split-squad set-up” in 2020, but they were only allowed to keep 80 players if they went with the full-team route. The Patriots fell into the latter category, and as a result, the Patriots were forced to cut bait with a handful of undrafted free agents (including some with guaranteed money) to get to the limit. The team is currently rostering 83 players (including Nordin), so the team may be awaiting clarity on rules before they add a handful of players.
Reiss also wonders if a shallow group of UDFAs could be an explanation for the lack of moves, and the reporter also notes that Bill Belichick and co. may be more interested in bringing in players on a tryout basis.
If precedent tells us anything, the Patriots will probably add at least a couple more UDFAs. If any of them (or Nodin) make the active roster, it will be the 18th straight season that an undrafted free agent has made the team, the third-longest streak in the NFL behind the Chargers and Colts (per Reiss).