Titans Add Monti Ossenfort As Director Of Player Personnel
The Patriots’ organizational makeover doesn’t only apply to their roster. Albert Breer reports (via Twitter) that New England’s college scouting director, Monti Ossenfort, has been hired as the Titans’ new director of player personnel.
Ossenfort has been in contention for several GM gigs over the past few years, and he interviewed with the Browns this offseason. The Patriots blocked him from joining the Texans in 2018, and New England wouldn’t let Ossenfort or Nick Caserio head to Houston (following Brian Gaine‘s dismissal) in 2019.
While Caserio’s expiring contract was extended in February, it seemed that Ossenfort was inevitably going to switch teams. His contract was set to expire this month.
Ossenfort had held his role as college scouting director since 2014, and he had been with the organization since the early-2000s. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the executive is already familiar with Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who spent almost a decade in New England. Ossenfort was also working for the Patriots during Mike Vrabel‘s playing days.
Latest On QB Andy Dalton, Bengals
Before he was released earlier this week, there was some optimism that Andy Dalton would land in Chicago. As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes, the Bengals “were very close” to trading the veteran quarterback to the Bears back in March, and Dalton himself believed that’d be his ultimate landing spot.
Instead, Chicago shifted focus to Nick Foles, sending a fourth-rounder to the Jaguars for the former Super Bowl MVP. When the Bengals/Bears trade broke down, Cincy’s front office quickly discovered that they didn’t have any trade options for Dalton. As Dehner writes, two potential suitors, the Colts and Buccaneers, solved their quarterback issues via free agency, and rival front offices soon realized that the Bengals weren’t going to retain Dalton’s pricey cap hit.
Dalton believes the waiting game ended up hurting his chances of finding an ideal landing spot.
“There were several different factors,” Dalton told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “This year there were a good amount of quarterbacks that were available. I think it would have worked out differently if I had been a free agent when the new league year started. I was still under contact and that hurt me. I’m sure teams knew they were going to take a quarterback No. 1 and they would release me and there was no reason to rush into anything.”
With the Bengals zeroing in on LSU’s Joe Burrow with the first-overall pick, Dalton recently approached president Mike Brown, director of player personnel Duke Tobin, and head coach Zac Taylor for clarity. Ultimately, the organization decided to simply release the 32-year-old.
While Dalton opines that the waiting game impacted his ability to find a new team, it sounds like he may still have some options. We heard earlier this week that the Jaguars and Patriots could be among the teams interested in the veteran quarterback.
49ers QB Nick Mullens Signs ERFA Tender
Unsurprisingly, Nick Mullens will be back in San Francisco next season. The quarterback has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender, according to the 49ers website. It’s a one-year deal worth around $750K. Mullens was tendered as a ERFA back in March.
The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss has spent his entire career with the 49ers, including a 2018 campaign where he started eight games. That season, he led San Francisco to a 3-5 record as a starter, completing 64.2-percent of his passes for 2,277 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
With Jimmy Garoppolo fully healthy for the 2019 campaign, Mullens settled into a backup role and ultimately appeared in one game. The 25-year-old will compete with C.J. Beathard and undrafted rookie Broc Rutter for the same role in 2020.
Meanwhile, after signing nine undrafted rookies earlier this week, the 49ers have added another player to their roster, as the organization announced the signing of University of Washington running back Salvon Ahmed. As a junior, the running back ran for 1,020 yards and 11 scores.
Lions Expected To Decline LB Jarrad Davis’ Fifth-Year Option
It sounds like Jarrad Davis will be hitting free agency sooner than expected. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Lions won’t be picking up the linebacker’s fifth-year option. Davis will now become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Detroit selected the Florida product with the 21st-overall pick in the 2017 draft, making him the second linebacker off the board (Haason Reddick). Davis has been relatively productive during his three seasons in Detroit, compiling 259 tackles, 10 sacks, and five forced fumbles in 41 games (41 starts).
That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled a career-high three forced fumbles to go along with two sacks and 63 tackles. However, Davis was limited to only 11 games thanks to an ankle injury, and before landing on the IR, Pro Football Focus listed him as the lowest-rated linebacker in the NFL. The Lions front office apparently agreed with that assessment, leading to them declining his fifth-year option.
The Lions have been busy revamping their linebacker depth chart this offseason, bringing in Jamie Collins Sr., Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee. Detroit also selected Notre Dame linebacker Julian Okwara in the third round of last week’s draft.
Chiefs Sign DE Taco Charlton
Taco Charlton has found a new home. The defensive lineman is signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs, reports Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo (via Twitter).
Charlton’s brief stint with Miami came to an end earlier this week, as the Dolphins waived the 25-year-old. Of course, that’s not to say that the lineman’s lone season in Miami wasn’t a success; despite appearing in only 10 games (five starts), Charlton still managed to compile a career-high five sacks and two forced fumbles.
The 2017 first-round pick out of Michigan spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Cowboys. He wasn’t particularly productive when he saw the field, as he combined for only 46 tackles and four sacks between the 2017 and 2018 seasons (27 games). He missed five games during the 2018 campaign thanks to a shoulder injury, and he later underwent ankle surgery. Those ailments lingered into the early parts of the 2019 season, and the Cowboys cut the lineman in mid-September.
In Kansas City, Charlton will have another shot to rehabilitate his image. Of course, that might be easier said than done, as he’ll be inserted into a depth chart that already includes the likes of Alex Okafor, Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel, and Breeland Speaks.
Bears Agree To Terms With 11 UDFAs
The Bears announced this morning that they’ve agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents, including the brother of one of their star players:
- Lee Autry, DT (Mississippi State)
- Dieter Eiselen, OG (Yale)
- Keandre Jones, LB (Maryland)
- LaCale London, LB (Western Illinois)
- Ledarius Mack, LB (Buffalo)
- Napoleon Maxwell, RB (Florida International)
- Trevor McSwain, DT (Duke)
- Artavis Pierce, RB (Oregon State)
- Rashad Smith, LB (Florida Atlantic)
- Badara Traore, OT (LSU)
- Ahmad Wagner, WR (Kentucky)
Mack is the most notable name on the list, as he’s the younger brother of Bears Pro Bowler Khalil Mack. The Buffalo product finished his senior season with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss. The younger Mack is one of four linebackers signed by Chicago, and that’s after the organization added a linebacker (Trevis Gipson) in the fifth round of the draft.
Autry also has some NFL pedigree, as his brother, cornerback Denico Autry, plays for the Colts.
Wagner is perhaps the most interesting prospect in the group. The six-foot-five receiver spent three seasons playing basketball at Iowa before transferring to Kentucky to play football. He hauled in 15 receptions for 254 yards and two scores during his lone season with the Wildcats.
Panthers Agree To Terms With 17 UDFAs
The Panthers have been busy adding undrafted free agents, as the organization announced that they’ve agreed to terms with 17 rookies:
- Myles Adams, DE (Rice)
- Omar Bayless, WR (Arkansas State)
- Branden Bowen, OT (Ohio State)
- Jason Ferris, LB (Montana Western)
- Sam Franklin, LB (Temple)
- Myles Hartsfield, DB (Mississippi)
- TreVontae Hights, WR (TCU)
- Mike Horton, G (Auburn)
- Jordan Mack, LB (Virginia)
- Frederick Mauigoa, C (Washington State)
- Chris Orr, LB (Wisconsin)
- David Reese, LB (Florida)
- Giovanni Ricci, TE (Western Michigan)
- Austrian Robinson, DT (Mississippi)
- Rodney Smith, RB (Minnesota)
- Cam Sutton, TE (Fresno State)
- Sam Tecklenburg, OL (Baylor)
As the press release notes, three of those free agents (Mack, Sutton, Thompson) officially signed with the Panthers on Monday.
The front office was clearly looking to plug a hole at linebacker, as the organization added five undrafted rookies at the position. While the front office used each of their seven draft picks on defensive players, all those rookies are either defensive backs or defensive linemen.
The Panthers are also making a relatively large investment in Bayless. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the wideout will earn $100K in guaranteed money. The Arkansas State product finished last season with 93 receptions for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Ravens Agree To Terms With OL D.J. Fluker
It didn’t take long for D.J. Fluker to find a new home. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman has signed with the Ravens. The deal is pending a physical.
Fluker was released by the Seahawks on Sunday after spending two seasons with the organization. Last offseason, the lineman signed a two-year, $9MM extension with Seattle, and he proceeded to start 14 games during the 2019 campaign (his highest total since 2016).
The 2013 first-round pick out of Alabama spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers before spending the 2017 campaign with the Giants. In total, the 29-year-old has appeared in 92 career games, including 88 starts.
The Ravens are naturally putting an emphasis on protecting Lamar Jackson, with the organization selecting a pair of rookies in the 2020 Draft (third-round lineman Tyre Phillips and fourth-round guard Ben Bredeson). The team is eyeing several holes on their offensive line, as Marshal Yanda retired and Matt Skura continues to recover from a knee injury.
Broncos Sign DL Christian Covington
Christian Covington is heading to Denver. The defensive lineman is signing with the Broncos, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
It’ll be a one-year deal worth $1.75MM for the 26-year-old. The deal includes $625K in guaranteed money.
Following a four-year stint with the Texans, the former sixth-rounder signed with the Cowboys last offseason. He ended up having one of the most productive seasons of his career, compiling a career-high 28 tackles to go with one sack and one pass defended in 16 games (six starts).
In total, Covington has made 66 regular season appearances (15 starts) during his career, collecting 8.5 sacks.
Covington will be competing with rookie third-rounder McTelvin Agim for snaps behind starter Mike Purcell.
Jaguars OL Andrew Norwell Reworks Contract
Andrew Norwell has reworked his deal. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Jaguars agreed to a renegotiated contracts with the offensive lineman.
Previously, Norwell was on the books for $11.5MM in non-guaranteed money next season. Now, the offensive guard will earn $9MM guaranteed, and he has an additional $2.5M in realistic incentives. The 28-year-old gets the security he’s presumably seeking, while the Jaguars have the opportunity to save a chunk of cash.
Norwell joined Jacksonville back in 2018, signing a five-year, $66.5MM contract ($30MM guaranteed). His $13.3MM average annual value currently ranks fifth among offensive guards, although he led the position when he initially signed his contract.
The veteran was limited to 11 games in 2018 as he dealt with an ankle injury. He returned fully healthy in 2019 and managed to start all 16 games for the Jaguars.