NFC Notes: Panthers, Redskins, Lions, Giants
Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin showed up to voluntary workouts overweight, which is concerning to head coach Ron Rivera (via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). Rivera did say that he has spoken with Benjamin and that the wideout is doing everything he has been asked to do to lose weight. Benjamin has battled weight problems throughout his collegiate and professional career, and Rivera believes Benjamin’s previous hamstring issues can be at least partially attributed to his poor conditioning and extra pounds.
More on Carolina and a few other NFC teams:
- Redskins right tackle Morgan Moses‘ five-year extension contains a $40MM base value and a $42.5MM maximum worth, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It also features $20MM in guarantees. Moses now has the third-richest deal among RTs, trailing only the Eagles’ Lane Johnson and the Lions’ Rick Wagner, and is second to Johnson in guaranteed money.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that Lions GM Bob Quinn has been in contact with free agent wideout Anquan Boldin. Quinn said that the “door is open” should Boldin wish to return to Detroit. The 36-year-old does want to play next season, which would be his 15th in the NFL, but he’s unlikely to sign until training camp nears. Boldin took that approach last year, when he didn’t ink a deal with the Lions until July 30. He went on to haul in 67 passes and eight touchdowns, though he also posted a career-worst yards-per-catch average (8.7).
- Giants GM Jerry Reese revealed Monday that he wants to add a veteran kicker (Twitter link via James Kratch of NJ.com). Considering the only kicker on the Giants’ roster is Aldrick Rosas, who has never played an NFL game, Reese’s desire to bolster the position isn’t surprising. Free agency isn’t exactly teeming with options, though, with Dan Carpenter and Zach Hocker representing the most experienced unsigned kickers.
- The Panthers withdrew an offer to Washington State defensive tackle Robert Barber, an undrafted free agent, after learning that he’s facing a trial on second-degree felony assault charges, reports Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer. Barber accepted Carolina’s offer Saturday, but the team pulled it off the table Sunday.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/17
Monday’s minor moves…
- The Giants have waived running George Winn and quarterback Keith Wenning, per a club announcement. Winn has been a member of seven organizations since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2013, though he has only seen action with one (Detroit). As a Lion from 2014-15, he rushed for 74 yards on 23 attempts. Wenning, who went to Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, signed with the Giants’ practice squad in late December. They retained him on a reserve/futures deal in January, but he’s now out of the organization roughly five months later.
- The Bears have waived running backs Bralon Addison and David Cobb; cornerbacks De’Vante Bausby and Jacoby Glenn; wide receiver Dres Anderson; and tight end Justin Perillo. Of those six players, only three (Addison, Bausby and Glenn) took the field for the Bears last season. Glenn made the biggest impact, logging three starts and an interception in seven games. The biggest name of the bunch is Cobb, a fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2015 who ran for 146 yards on 52 carries as a rookie.
- The Bears did make one addition to their roster Monday, signing center Taylor Boggs, according to his agency, Schwartz & Feinsod (Twitter link). Boggs was a Bear from 2013-14, appearing in five games, before moving on to the Lions and Cardinals. With Arizona last year, he picked up the first two starts of his career.
- The Saints have waived defensive end D.J. Pettway with a non-football injury designation and defensive back Jimmy Pruitt with a failed physical designation, tweets Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate.
- The Rams have cut offensive lineman David Arkin, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Last season was the four-year veteran’s only campaign with the Rams. Arkin appeared in two games.
Colts Cut 10 Players
There was a house cleaning Monday in Indianapolis, which rid itself of 10 players. In addition to releasing long snapper Matt Overton, safety Duke Williams and cornerback Charles James, the Colts waived linebackers Alex Bazzie and Deon King, punter Devon Bell, long snapper Joe Fortunato, safety Stefan McClure, cornerback Larry Scott and wide receiver Devin Street.
Overton was the longest-tenured and most successful Colt of the group, as he became their long snapper in 2012, made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and posted five straight 16-game seasons. After his release, the 31-year-old took to Twitter to express his gratitude toward the Colts and a desire to continue his career.
Williams and James only played one game apiece with the Colts last year, but they previously logged extensive action with other teams. Williams appeared in all 48 of the Bills’ games from 2013-15 and another nine last year, accumulating 10 starts during that span. James took the field for 12 of the Giants’ contests as a rookie in 2013 and another 21 with the Texans from 2015-16, including 12 last season.
Like Overton, Williams and James, King and Street have also accrued NFL experience. King, undrafted from Norfolk State last year, suited up for six games as a rookie – four with the Chargers, two with the Colts – though he managed only one tackle. Street was also involved in six contests last season, all with Indy, and caught one pass on six targets. He hauled in nine throws with the Cowboys from 2014-15.
Troy Hill Gets Two-Game Suspension
The NFL has suspended Rams cornerback Troy Hill two games for a violation of its substance abuse policy, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The ban stems from Hill’s arrest on a DUI charge in November.
Although Hill graded as one of Pro Football Focus’ 10 worst corners last year, his second season in the league, the former Bengal saw action in the majority of the Rams’ games (12) and made four starts. The 25-year-old may have played a full season had he avoided off-field trouble, but the Rams cut him shortly after his arrest. The club re-signed Hill to its practice squad the next day, though, and added him back to its active roster in mid-December.
If Hill remains with Los Angeles through the summer, he’ll be eligible to participate in training camp and the team’s preseason games. His reinstatement would come prior to the Rams’ Week 3 trek to San Francisco.
Saints, 12 UDFAs Reach Deals
The Saints have agreed to deals with 12 undrafted free agents, all of whom are listed below.
- Colin Buchanan, G (Miami)
- Chase Dominguez, LS (Utah)
- Travin Dural, WR (LSU)
- Ahmad Fulwood, WR (Florida)
- Devaroe Lawrence, DT (Auburn)
- Andrew Lauderdale, OL (New Hampshire)
- Cameron Lee, G (Illinois State)
- Arthur Maulet, CB (Memphis)
- John Robinson-Woodgett, FB (Massachusetts)
- Sae Tautu, LB (BYU)
- Cameron Tom, C (Southern Mississippi)
- Clint Van Horn, G (Marshall)
Falcons Add 21 UDFAs
The Falcons have announced deals with 21 undrafted free agents. Here they are:
- Travis Averill, C (Boise State)
- Marcelis Branch, S (Robert Morris)
- Daniel Brunskill, OL (San Diego State)
- Deante Burton, WR (Kansas State)
- Reginald Davis III, WR (Texas Tech)
- Darius English, LB (South Carolina)
- Wil Freeman, OT (Southern Mississippi)
- Jarnor Jones, CB (Iowa State)
- J’terius Jones, DE (Miami of Ohio)
- Cam Keizur, C (Portland State)
- Andreas Knappe, OT (UConn)
- Robert Leff, OG (Auburn)
- Josh Magee, WR (South Alabama)
- Quincy Mauger, S (Georgia)
- Jordan Moore, S (University of Texas at San Antonio)
- Chris Odom, DE (Arkansas State)
- Tyler Renew, FB (Citadel)
- Taylor Reynolds, CB (James Madison)
- Christian Tago, LB (San Jose State)
- Alek Torgerson, QB (Penn)
- Deron Washington, S (Pittsburg State)
Buccaneers Sign 14 UDFAs, Cut Two Players
The Buccaneers have announced agreements with 14 undrafted free agents. Here’s the group:
- Anthony Auclair, TE (Laval)
- Deondre Barnett, DE (Southern Illinois)
- Richie Brown, LB (Mississippi State)
- Riley Bullough, LB (Michigan Stte)
- Maurice Fleming, CB (West Virginia)
- Cole Gardner, OT (Eastern Michigan)
- Alex Gray, S, (Appalachian State)
- Korren Kirven, OT (Alabama)
- Sefo Liufau, QB (Colorado)
- Greg Mabin, CB (Iowa)
- Paul Magloire, LB (Arizona)
- Jonathan Moxey, CB (Boise State)
- Thomas Sperbeck, WR (Boise State)
- Bobo Wilson, WR (Florida State)
To clear room on their 90-man roster for those players, the Buccaneers cut offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk and tight end Kivon Cartwright on Monday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Both Gottschalk (2014) and Cartwright (2016) went unpicked in their respective draft years. Gottschalk is the only of the two who has seen NFL action, having appeared in two of the Bucs’ games last season.
Eagles To Decline Marcus Smith’s Option
The Eagles will not exercise defensive end Marcus Smith‘s option for 2018, reports Zach Berman of Philly.com.
Fifth-year options are guaranteed for injury only, meaning the Eagles would not have necessarily committed themselves to Smith had they picked it up. Nevertheless, they didn’t want to take an $8.718MM risk on a player who has disappointed since going 26th overall in the 2014 draft.
Smith, a former Louisville Cardinal, hasn’t started in any of his 37 professional appearances, and he has totaled just four sacks. The 25-year-old is coming off his first 16-game season, in which he put up 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 268 defensive snaps. He was a bigger factor on special teams, playing over 40 percent of the unit’s snaps. That’s clearly not what the Eagles had in mind when they invested a first-round pick in him.
Looking to next season, potentially Smith’s last in Philadelphia, he could face even more of an uphill battle to make a defensive impact, as Berman notes. With two new additions – first-rounder Derek Barnett and free agent pickup Chris Long – joining Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry, the Eagles have plenty of non-Smith options at defensive end.
Seahawks Sign QB Jake Heaps
The Seahawks have signed quarterback Jake Heaps, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Heaps will now rejoin the organization he spent time with last season.
Heaps, who played college football at three different schools (BYU, Kansas and Miami), went undrafted in 2015. He then served on the Jets’ practice squad and played in the now-defunct Fall Experimental Football League before signing with Seattle last May. Heaps didn’t make the Seahawks’ season-opening roster in 2016, but they quickly brought him back as a member of their practice squad. However, Seattle cut him again in October, and he didn’t catch on anywhere else.
Now, the 25-year-old Heaps once again joins Trevone Boykin to comprise the Seahawks’ contingent of signal-callers behind starter Russell Wilson. Although Heaps is probably a long shot to stick with the club, it’s worth noting that Boykin was arrested twice in an 11-day span earlier this offseason – perhaps putting his roster spot in jeopardy.
After Boykin’s first arrest, which led to charges for marijuana possession and public intoxication, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll indicated the team would go forward with him. Police in Texas later picked up Boykin on a possible parole violation, but there hasn’t been any word from the Seahawks regarding his status since then.
Vikings Add 13 UDFAs
The Vikings have agreed to contracts with 13 undrafted free agents, reports Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Here’s the list:
- Tashawn Bower, DE (LSU)
- Dylan Bradley, DT (Southern Mississippi)
- Aviante Collins, OT (TCU)
- Nick Fett, OT (Iowa State)
- Caleb Kidder, DE (Montana)
- Wes Lunt, QB (Illinois)
- Sam McCaskill, DE (Boise State)
- Terrell Newby, RB (Nebraska)
- Josiah Price, TE (Michigan State)
- Horace Richardson, CB (Southern Methodist)
- R.J. Shelton, WR (Michigan State)
- Shaan Washington, LB (Texas A&M)
- Eric Wilson, LB (Cincinnati)
Bower ($45K) and Bradley ($40K) received the largest financial commitments of the bunch, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Bower set personal bests in tackles (34), tackles for loss (5.5) and sacks (four) last season. Bradley was more productive than Bower, albeit against inferior competition, with 64 tackles, 15.5 for loss, and 8.5 sacks in 2016.