Jets Sign Shamarko Thomas
The Jets have announced the signing of defensive back Shamarko Thomas. Additionally, the club has waived linebacker Jevaris Jones.
Primarily a strong safety, Thomas spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He started in two of 14 appearances as a rookie, but he came off the bench in the rest of his games (34) with the team from 2014-16.
Thomas has just 30 career tackles (none last year) and is coming off a season in which he played only five defensive snaps in eight games. The 26-year-old was a bigger part of Pittsburgh’s special teams unit in 2016, playing 126 snaps, and will likely function in an ST role if he makes a Jets club that has no shortage of defensive backs on hand.
Jones, who played his college ball at Division II Shorter University, signed with the Jets on May 9 but didn’t even last a month with the team.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/1/17
A slew of minor moves to kick off June…
- The Giants have signed wide receiver Jerome Lane, an undrafted rookie from Akron. He is the son of former Pitt basketball star Jerome Lane, whose backboard-shattering dunk in 1988 led to Bill Raftery’s famous “Send it in, Jerome!” call. The younger Jerome Lane was a standout college athlete in his own right, as he hauled in 101 receptions (on 17.8 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns with the Zips from 2015-16.
- The Browns have signed running back Terrence Magee and waived fellow RB Darius Jackson with an injury designation for his knee. Magee combined for five carries with Baltimore and Seahawks from 2015-16. Jackson didn’t see any action as an undrafted rookie in 2016, but the former Eastern Michigan standout generated some interest after the Cowboys cut him in December. Along with the Browns, who plucked Jackson off waivers, the Eagles, Giants and 49ers put in claims.
- The Chiefs have signed a pair of players – tight end Orson Charles and safety Damariay Drew – and waived receiver Jamari Staples and safety Devin Chappell. The 26-year-old Charles is the most notable member of the group, having combined for 31 games and nine catches with Cincinnati and Detroit across the 2012, ’13 and ’16 seasons. Drew went undrafted this year out of Cal, while Staples (Louisville) and Chappell (Oregon State) also went unpicked this spring.
- The Bills have added cornerback Greg Mabin and cut defensive back Jonathan Dowling. Mabin, undrafted from Iowa, spent some time with the Buccaneers earlier this spring. Dowling, who has been in and out of the Buffalo organization since 2015, hasn’t appeared in a game since 2014, when the then-Raider played in seven contests.
- The Giants have waived corner SaQwan Edwards and re-signed fellow corner Nigel Tribune, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Edwards, a 2015 undrafted free agent who hasn’t yet played a regular-season game, only spent two-plus weeks with the Giants after they added him in mid-May. Tribune, undrafted from Iowa State, first signed with Big Blue on May 11.
Eagles Sign Derek Barnett
The Eagles have signed their first-round pick, defensive end Derek Barnett, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). As the 14th selection, Barnett’s four-year contract is worth upward of $12.85MM, including a $7.49MM signing bonus.
Barnett starred in all three of his years at Tennessee, where he notched 52 tackles for loss and 32 sacks. Last season was his best, though, as Barnett made 19 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and took down opposing quarterbacks 13 times en route to first-team all-SEC honors. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com likens the 6-foot-3, 259-pound Barnett to Packers pass rusher Nick Perry, who posted 11 sacks in 2016.
With Barnett under contract, the Eagles have locked up all eight of their draft picks. Here’s a refresher on their other selections:
- 2-43: Sidney Jones, CB (Washington)
- 3-99: Rasul Douglas, CB (West Virginia)
- 4-118: Mack Hollins, WR (North Carolina)
- 4-132: Donnel Pumphrey, RB (San Diego State)
- 5-166: Shelton Gibson, WR (West Virginia)
- 5-184: Nathan Gerry, S (Nebraska)
- 6-214: Elijah Qualls, DT (Washington)
Tavon Young Suffers Torn ACL
Ravens cornerback Tavon Young suffered a torn ACL in practice on Thursday, costing the team a notable defender well before the start of the season, reports Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
A fourth-round pick last year, Young became a key part of the Ravens as a rookie, appearing in all 16 of their games (11 starts) and finishing fifth among their defenders in snaps (832). The former Temple Owl hardly looked out of place during those snaps, either, ranking an impressive 26th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified corners. Young also racked up 50 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defensed.
The loss of Young is the latest significant change to the Ravens’ secondary in advance of the upcoming season. The team added name-brand newcomers in fellow cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey, a first-round pick, as well as big-money safety Tony Jefferson. Those three figured to join Young, among others, as integral pieces of the Ravens’ defensive backfield in 2017, but Young now looks likely to miss most or all of the season. His role as Baltimore’s nickel corner will go to either Lardarius Webb or Maurice Canady, according to Hensley.
Packers Release Jake Schum
The Packers have released punter Jake Schum and signed undrafted free agent wide receiver Colby Pearson, according to a team announcement.
The 2016 campaign was the only one in Green Bay for Schum, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Browns in 2012 but didn’t see regular-season action until 2015 with the Buccaneers.
Schum, 28, joined the Packers last August via waivers, and he went on to appear in all 16 of their regular-season games and finish 27th in both yards per punt and punts inside the 20, and 24th in net average. All told, Football Outsiders gave the Packers’ special teams unit roughly league-average grades last year in the punting department. That evidently didn’t suffice for Green Bay, whose lone punter is undrafted rookie Justin Vogel, formerly with Miami.
The 6-foot, 210-pound Pearson racked up 76 catches and eight touchdowns at BYU, where he appeared in 30 games from 2014-16. He totaled career highs in receptions (38), yards (384) and scores (four) last season.
49ers To Audition Elvis Dumervil
Free agent linebacker Elvis Dumervil will work out for the 49ers within the next couple days, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
Although Dumervil’s among the most accomplished pass rushers in the NFL, the 33-year-old didn’t generate any reported interest between the Ravens releasing him March 8 and the 49ers deciding to bring him in for a workout. Injuries limited Dumervil to eight games in 2016, his fourth and final year in Baltimore, but he still totaled three sacks, two forced fumbles, and drew a strong pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus.
Prior to last season, Dumervil hadn’t missed more than two games in a campaign since his rookie year, 2006, when he sat out three as a member of the Broncos. Notably, Dumervil was a teammate of then-safety and now-49ers general manager John Lynch in his first two seasons. Between Denver and Baltimore, Dumervil racked up 99 sacks – including a personal- and league-high 17 in 2009 – 23 forced fumbles and five Pro Bowl nods over 10 seasons.
In San Francisco, Dumervil would play the role of a Leo linebacker, notes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The 49ers didn’t address the position with a high selection during the draft, and in-house Leo candidate Aaron Lynch has battled weight problems in recent months. Dumervil, it seems, would provide more of a sure thing and add a pass-rushing threat to a team that finished a below-average 19th in the league in sacks in 2016.
Extension Candidate: Kam Chancellor
Major changes could soon be on the way for Seattle’s star-studded secondary, a staple during the team’s run of five straight double-digit win seasons and an integral part of its 13-3, Super Bowl-winning 2013 campaign.
Cornerback Richard Sherman and the safety tandem of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor have consistently been the best players in Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom defensive backfield throughout the club’s half-decade of excellence, but the futures of each have either come into question recently or will over the next year. Sherman has been the subject of trade rumors of late and is reportedly at the center of a rift with key members of the organization; Thomas considered retirement after a broken tibia ended his season last December; and Chancellor is scheduled to become a free agent in a little under 10 months.
With both Sherman and Thomas signed through 2018, determining what to do with Chancellor will be general manager John Schneider‘s most pressing matter leading up to next offseason. The strong safety is set to wrap up a four-year, $28MM contract – a deal that led to earlier disharmony between him and the Seahawks. Chancellor, seeking a raise back in 2015, held out through the summer and didn’t return to the team until Week 3 of the season. That came after the Seahawks refused to upgrade Chancellor’s contract and even went so far as to dock him upward of $1MM for the time he missed.
Whatever ill will may have existed between the two sides faded, though, as Chancellor actually expressed happiness with his situation last June. Chancellor then went on to rack up 85 tackles and two interceptions over 12 games in an injury-shortened season, and though he went without a Pro Bowl nod for the first time since 2012, he did rank as Pro Football Focus’ third-best safety among 90 qualifiers. Since then, head coach Pete Carroll has suggested that the Seahawks would like to extend Chancellor, and Schneider seemed to imply the same in an interview with KJR-AM in Seattle earlier this month.
“We have several guys that we will get to,” said Schneider (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta). “We want to be able to take care of our team and he’s obviously a huge part of that.”
If the two sides do discuss an extension, the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro will seek elite money relative to his position. Chancellor, who already paces all strong safeties in cap hit (~$8.04MM) and base salary ($6.8MM), saw a similarly aged star at his position – the Dolphins’ Reshad Jones – cash in earlier this offseason. Jones, despite having missed 10 games in 2016, landed a four-year, $48MM extension with just under $20MM fully guaranteed in March.
Both Chancellor and Jones were fifth-round picks in the 2010 draft, and they’ve turned into top-caliber defensive backs with similar traditional numbers since becoming starters as NFL sophomores. Dating back to 2011, Chancellor has started in all 84 appearances, averaged 6.87 tackles per game, and totaled 12 interceptions and seven forced fumbles. Jones has started in all 78 outings over the same span, piling up fewer tackles (5.54 per game) but notching more picks (15) and returning three for touchdowns. The Dolphin also has a clear edge in sacks (eight to one), but he has forced five fewer fumbles (three).
Whether Chancellor is better than Jones is up for debate. It’s inarguable, though, that Chancellor is a premier safety who has a case for a Jones-type payday. However, forking over that type of cash to a player on the cusp of his 30s – one who hasn’t played a full season since 2013 – might give the Seahawks pause. With Sherman and Thomas also nearing their 30s and potentially their own trips to the open market, Schneider is going to have to decide soon which (if any) to commit to for the long haul. It seems unrealistic to expect all three to remain in Seattle on huge contracts as they continue to age, which means the clock is likely ticking on the team’s iconic secondary.
AFC Notes: Patriots, Ravens, Colts
The latest from the AFC:
- Eric Rowe isn’t necessarily a lock to serve as the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback in 2017, suggests Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Rather, it could be Jonathan Jones who emerges behind stars Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler, as Reiss notes that the second-year man got first-team reps as the Patriots’ nickel corner during OTAs last week. With that in mind, Rowe’s playing time during the upcoming season might depend on matchups. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the Patriots could feature Rowe as their nickel corner against teams with multiple big receivers or clubs with tight ends who function as large wideouts, relays Reiss. That was the case in Super Bowl LI when the Pats put Rowe on the Falcons’ best receiver, the 6-3, 220-pound Julio Jones.
- Now-49er Kyle Juszczyk was more of a Swiss Army knife than a fullback for the Ravens, meaning it may take multiple players to replace him, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Running backs Lorenzo Taliaferro and Danny Woodhead, fullback Ricky Ortiz and tight end Nick Boyle could try to make up for Juszczyk’s departure as a group. The versatile Juszczyk parlayed his time in Baltimore as a lead blocker/pass catcher/special teamer into a record contract for a fullback (four years, $21MM, including $10.5MM guaranteed). Although the Ravens wanted to keep Juszczyk, their offer wasn’t competitive with the 49ers’, reports Zrebiec.
- Le’Raven Clark started in just three of eight appearances as a third-round rookie in 2016, but he ended the year as the Colts’ No. 1 right tackle and looks likely to win the job this season, per Kevin Bowen of the team’s website. Joe Reitz and Joe Haeg picked up the bulk of the work at right tackle while Clark was on the bench, but the former has since retired and the latter is primarily a guard. As for Clark, he’s “got enough talent” to be a full-timer, according to Chuck Pagano, though the head coach noted that the 24-year-old must improve as a pass blocker. Pro Football Focus agrees, having assigned Clark an awful pass-blocking grade during his inaugural campaign.
Poll: Highest-Impact Rookie Quarterback?
Of the 15 quarterbacks selected in last year’s draft, seven ended up starting at least one regular-season game in 2016. The Rams’ Jared Goff and the Eagles’ Carson Wentz comprised the top two picks of the draft, but it was Cowboys fourth-round signal-caller Dak Prescott, the 135th overall choice, who ultimately emerged as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and the face of a 13-3 team.
When the Cowboys drafted Prescott, there was little expectation he’d garner significant playing time right away, let alone thrive from the get-go, with Tony Romo on the roster. But debilitating summer injuries to Romo and backup Kellen Moore opened the door for Prescott, who’s now firmly entrenched under center in Dallas. Romo, realizing he wasn’t going to start again for the Cowboys, is now working for CBS.
While it’s hard to imagine any rookie quarterback from this year’s 10-man class bursting on the scene in Prescott-like fashion, it stands to reason at least some will get opportunities to do so. Like last year, three passers went in the first round of the 2017 draft, though immediate playing time isn’t a guarantee for any. For now, Mitch Trubisky (No. 2 overall, Bears), Patrick Mahomes (No. 10, Chiefs) and Deshaun Watson (No. 12, Texans) are in understudy roles.
Trubisky, a one-year starter at North Carolina for whom Chicago somewhat controversially traded up a spot to select, reportedly won’t see the field as a rookie unless free agent investment Mike Glennon flops. Considering Glennon previously held a starting job in Tampa Bay but didn’t do enough to keep it, he very well could struggle enough for Trubisky to grab the reins in 2017.
Watson might also take the helm sooner than later, as the ex-Clemson national championship winner whom the Texans traded up 13 spots to draft is behind a veteran, Tom Savage, who’s almost completely untested. Given that the Texans have sullied quality rosters with subpar quarterbacks in recent seasons, it could behoove them to plug in Watson if Savage, he of two career starts and zero touchdown passes, looks like another Brock Osweiler this year.
An early path to playing time appears less clear for Mahomes, even though Kansas City paid a high price to go up 17 places to secure him. At the moment, the ex-Texas Tech gunslinger looks like a good bet to red shirt 2017 behind Alex Smith as the Chiefs take at least one more kick at the Super Bowl can with the steady (albeit non-elite) veteran at the helm.
Perhaps more than any other QB in this year’s class, Browns second-rounder DeShone Kizer stands out as someone who looks destined to amass playing time as a rookie. The 52nd pick and former Notre Dame dual threat has impressed in the very early going in Cleveland. Moreover, his main competitors for the Browns’ open starting job, Osweiler and Cody Kessler, aren’t exactly Otto Graham and Bernie Kosar.
As Prescott and 2012 third-rounder Russell Wilson have shown in the past half-decade, a quarterback doesn’t necessarily have to come off the board at the top of the draft to star right away. That’s surely heartening to the Giants’ Davis Webb (third round, No. 87), the 49ers’ C.J. Beathard (third round, No. 104), the Steelers’ Joshua Dobbs (fourth round, No. 135), the Bills’ Nathan Peterman (fifth round, No. 171), the Lions’ Brad Kaaya (sixth round, No. 215) and the Broncos’ Chad Kelly (seventh round, No. 253). Barring injuries, though, Webb, Dobbs and Kaaya have virtually no chance to earn starting roles at any point in 2017, as each is behind an established veteran. On the other hand, there’s no Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger or Matthew Stafford on any of the rosters of the 49ers, Bills and Broncos, which could give Beathard, Peterman and Kelly a glimmer of hope. Still, for various reasons, all three look like major long shots to break out as rookies. Then again, the same could’ve been said about Prescott 12 months ago.
Photos via USA Today Sports Images and Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
NFC Notes: Kap, Giants, Seahawks, Cards
Count the Giants among the teams that didn’t consider signing free agent Colin Kaepernick when they were in the market for a backup quarterback, co-owner John Mara told Jenny Ventras of The MMQB. Mara, whose Giants ended up signing Geno Smith and drafting Davis Webb to back up Eli Manning, revealed to Ventras that the team’s fans haven’t been shy about voicing their disdain for the polarizing Kaepernick. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” said Mara. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I’ve run into.”
More from the NFC:
- Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has reportedly been disgruntled since their February 2015 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, and Peter King of The MMQB places some of the blame for that on Pete Carroll. The head coach has created too loose an atmosphere, suggests King; in spite of that, though, King doesn’t expect any drama this year from Sherman, as he’ll have plenty of eyes on him from both the team and the media on the heels of a contentious 2016 and a trade rumor-filled offseason.
- One of Sherman’s Seahawks teammates, second-year runner C.J. Prosise, has a chance to emerge as one of the NFL’s best pass-catching backs this year, posits Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. With fellow RBs Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls in the fold, carries will be difficult to come by for Prosise, but he could break out as a 60-catch type for a team whose backs hauled in 75 passes last season, writes Kapadia. Only three RBs – Arizona’s David Johnson, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell and New England’s James White – racked up 60 or more receptions in 2016. Prosise, who missed 10 games as a third-round rookie, finished with 17 grabs on 19 targets and posted a lofty yards-per-catch average for a back (12.2).
- Cardinals third-round rookie wide receiver Chad Williams has stood out as an “athletic freak” during OTAs, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. The former Grambling State star has impressed head coach Bruce Arians, who said of the 98th overall pick: “He’s shown up a lot already. It’s a tough room to crack but he’s off [to] a good start.” Arizona’s receiving corps underwhelmed last season, thanks in part to injuries, with its second, third, fourth and fifth wideouts only combining for 10 more catches (117) than No. 1 man Larry Fitzgerald had by himself (107). Given that Fitzgerald might be entering his last season and John Brown is scheduled to hit free agency next March, Williams could soon become an integral piece of the Cardinals’ offense if his work this spring carries into game situations.