Minor NFL Transactions: 4/26/19
Today’s minor moves:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: QB Joe Callahan
Rams Trade No. 31 To Falcons
The Rams have traded the No. 31 pick to the Falcons. Los Angeles will get picks No. 45 and No. 79, while Atlanta will receive No. 31 and No. 203.
Atlanta will select Washington offensive tackle Kaleb McGary. For the second time in the first round, the Falcons will use a first-round pick on a position that they’d already fortified in free agency. Atlanta signed guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter but used their initial first-round pick on fellow interior lineman Chris Lindstrom. After extending right tackle Ty Sambrailo, the Falcons will now add competition in McGary.
Eagles Acquire No. 22 Pick From Ravens
The Eagles have acquired the No. 22 pick from the Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Baltimore will pick up No. 25, No. 127, and No. 197, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
Philadelphia will use the selection to draft Washington State Andre Dillard. Given that the offensive-line needy Texans were sitting at No. 23, the Eagles made the move up the board to find a left tackle of the future.
Dillard, whom many observers ranked as the best pass-blocking tackle in the draft, will now become the long-term replacement for blinside protector Jason Peters. Until Peters hangs up his cleats, Dillard will slide in either as a swing tackle or guard.
Cardinals Select Kyler Murray No. 1 Overall
The Cardinals have selected Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall selection of the 2019 NFL draft.
Murray, who won the 2018 Heisman Trophy as the NCAA’s best football player, had long been the favorite to go to Arizona at No. 1, but reports in recent weeks — and even recent hours — had suggested other players such as Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams or Ohio State edge defender Nick Bosa could be in contention for the pick. But the Cardinals opted to go with Murray in a franchise-altering move.
Arizona, of course, used a top-10 selection on a quarterback just one year ago, moving up in the first round in order to acquire UCLA’s Josh Rosen. Rosen went on to post one of the worst rookie quarterback seasons of all time, but a porous offensive line, questionable coaching, and a lack of offensive weapons were at least partly to blame. He now appears to be trade bait, although the Cardinals may be in no rush to move him if they don’t find the right deal.
Murray becoming the NFL’s first overall pick would have been unthinkable as recently as the winter, as he’d already been drafted ninth overall by MLB’s Oakland Athletics. After hemming and hawing about his future, Murray in February fully committed to football, and returned the majority of his baseball signing bonus with the hope he’d recoup those lost funds via the NFL. Murray’s first NFL contract should have a total value north of $35MM and will be fully guaranteed.
At 5’10”, Murray becomes the shortest signal-caller drafted in the first round in more than 60 years, but his height was no obstacle during his lone season as the Sooners’ starter. Last year, Murray completed 69% of his passes for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and added another 1,001 yards and 12 scores on the ground.
After adding Murray, the Cardinals now face the tall task of building up their roster around their rookie passer. Offensive line, pass-catcher, and defensive line are just a few areas general manager Steve Keim and new head coach Kliff Kingsbury could target over the remainder of the draft.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/25/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Ishmael Hyman
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed original round restricted free agent tender: OL Evan Boehm
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: TE Bucky Hodges
5 Key NFL Stories: 4/14/19 – 4/21/19
Seahawks extend Russell Wilson. As former NFL executive Andrew Brandt likes to say, deadlines spur action. Wilson laid out an April 15 deadline for extension negotiations, and may have indicated he wouldn’t sign any new deal — not in 2019, not next year, never — with the Seahawks had that date passed. The tactic worked, as Wilson and Seattle agreed to a four-year, $140MM extension that makes the veteran signal-caller the highest-paid player in NFL history. Wilson received a full no-trade clause and an NFL-record $65MM signing bonus.
Latest on Frank Clark. Wilson will be in Seattle for the foreseeable future, but the same might not be able to said for Clark, whom the Seahawks assigned the franchise tag earlier this offseason. Trade rumors have swirled around Clark for weeks, but they’ve recently become more pronounced. Several teams are reportedly interested in Clark, and while Seattle may consider trading him, general manager John Schneider & Co. want a first-round pick in exchange. Clark’s fate is expected to be resolved by or during the draft.
Patriots add Demaryius Thomas. Lacking in offensive weapons given the departures of Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, and Cordarrelle Patterson, plus the uncertain status of Josh Gordon, New England added the veteran Thomas on a one-year deal. It’s an exceptionally risk-averse contract, as most of Thomas’ potential earnings are tied up in per-game roster bonuses and incentives. The Patriots reportedly pursued Thomas at the trade deadline, but he was instead shipped from the Broncos to the Texans. The 31-year-old Thomas is recovering from an Achilles tear but is hoping to be available for training camp.
Draft rumors heat up. We’ve made it! The draft gets underway on Thursday night, and news/speculation is coming in rapidly. The Giants may be zeroing in on Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, while the Bengals could also consider taking a signal-caller in the first round. Meanwhile, the Raiders might be in line to take Kyler Murray if the Cardinals pass. And Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat is now off some NFL teams’ draft boards following the revelation of a heart condition.
Zach Miller announces retirement. Miller, of course, suffered a devastating knee injury during the 2017 season, and doctors at one point told him he was at risk for losing his leg after he severely dislocated his left knee and tore his popliteal artery. The 34-year-old has undergone nine surgeries and, as of earlier this year, hadn’t ruled out an NFL return. But he’s now decided to hang up his cleats, and PFR wishes Miller the best in retirement.
Memphis RB Darrell Henderson Met With Four Teams
Memphis running back Darrell Henderson is now considered a possibility to sneak into the back end of the first round of the draft, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Henderson has recently met with the Rams, Eagles, Raiders, and Cardinals.
Henderson (5’9″, 200) topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons and averaged an astounding 8.9 yards per carry in both campaigns. He ranks fourth behind Josh Jacobs (Alabama), Miles Sanders (Penn State), and Devin Singletary (FAU) on The Draft Network‘s running back rankings, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Henderson a “home run hitter” while comparing him to now-49er Tevin Coleman.
Henderson is exceptional at running out of the shotgun formation: over the last four college seasons, Henderson ranks third in Graham Barfield’s Yards Created metric — which attempts to identify production a running back generated on his own, independent of offensive line play — out of shotgun. Circling back to the the four clubs Henderson has recently visited, the Eagles ranked fifth league-wide in shotgun run rate, per Warren Sharp. The Raiders finished 11th, the Cardinal 23rd, and the Rams dead last (just 4%).
PFR Originals: 4/14/19 – 4/21/19
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- PFR’s 2020 Fifth-Year Option Tracker will keep a record of every 2016 first-round pick’s option status. So far, seven clubs have indicated they’ll exercise fifth-year options over their players. Teams have until May 2 to make final decisions.
- In the latest entry in our This Date In Transactions History series, Ben Levine looked back at Tim Tebow‘s final NFL contract, which came with the Eagles in 2015. Although Philadelphia hoped Tebow could compete for its third quarterback role, he was eventually released prior to the regular season.
Giants WR Corey Coleman Signed New Deal
Although original reports indicated Giants wide receiver Corey Coleman had signed his original round restricted free agent tender for the 2019 season, he actually agreed to a new one-year deal worth only $720K, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, despite the fact that his RFA tender would have been worth $2.025MM, Coleman won’t end up losing any money.
As a former first-round pick, Coleman’s rookie deal was fully guaranteed. The Bills, who acquired Coleman from the Browns last year before subsequently releasing him, are still responsible for the $2.039MM that Coleman has guaranteed for the 2019 campaign. Therefore, Coleman will now collect $720K from New York and roughly $1.3MM from Buffalo, per Duggan,
Here’s where things get interesting: Coleman’s new pact with the Giants also contains approximately $1.7MM in incentives, reports Duggan. Thus, the 24-year-old pass-catcher can actually earn more than $2.4MM if he maxes out his incentive-based pay. If the Giants release Coleman before the regular season begins, they won’t owe him any money, and the Bills would be responsible for the totality of his remaining guarantees ($2.039MM).
The 15th overall selection in the 2016 draft, Coleman appeared in eight games for the Giants in 2018. While he managed only five receptions on eight targets, Coleman could have a path to playing time next season on a New York depth wide receiver depth chart that is relatively barren behind Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.
Broncos Worked Out Ex-Packers CB Quinten Rollins
Former Packers second-round corner Quinten Rollins took part in the Broncos’ minicamp on a tryout basis, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Also in attendance were defensive linemen Mike Purcell and Marcus Hardison, offensive linemen Jake Brendel and Jake Rodgers, and cornerback Trey Johnson. Brendel and Johnson were signed following the audition.
Green Bay used the 62nd overall selection on Rollins in the 2015 draft, but the Miami (OH) product struggled over three seasons and 33 games with the club. A torn Achilles ended his 2017 campaign prematurely, and he was waived during final cutdowns the following September. Rollins hit the workout circuit and eventually latched on with the Cardinals’ practice squad, but was cut loose in December.
Rollins clearly hasn’t posted NFL-caliber performances thus far in his career. In 2016, the only year in which he saw enough snaps to qualify, Football Outsiders ranked Rollins dead last among 84 corners in success rate and second-to-last in yards allowed per pass. In Denver, Rollins would be working with an experienced defensive staff that includes Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell, but also facing an uphill climb on a cornerback depth chart that already includes Chris Harris, Kareem Jackson, and Bryce Callahan.
Before he was released by the Packers, Green Bay coaches expressed an interest in playing Rollins at safety, something he was open to even before entering the NFL. But the Broncos have depth at safety, as well, with Will Parks, Justin Simmons, and Su’a Cravens all on the club’s depth chart.