Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/24
Wednesday’s minor transactions in the NFL:
Green Bay Packers
- Waived from injured reserve (with injury settlement): WR Thyrick Pitts
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DT Spencer Waege
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: QB Chevan Cordeiro
Cowboys Expected To Sign 12-Man UDFA Class
The Cowboys were able to address some big needs in the 2024 NFL Draft, adding to both the offensive and defensive fronts with an eight-man draft class. Thanks to 12 undrafted free agents expected to sign with Dallas on Thursday, the Cowboys anticipate heading into the summer with a rookie class of 20 players. Here are the undrafted additions:
- Corey Crooms, WR (Minnesota)
- Denzel Daxon, DT (Illinois)
- Josh DeBerry, S (Texas A&M)
- Alec Holler, TE (UCF)
- Cam Johnson, WR (Northwestern)
- Emany Johnson, S (Nevada)
- Jason Johnson, LB (UCF)
- Brock Mogensen, LB (South Dakota)
- Nathaniel Peat, RB (Missouri)
- Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE (Minnesota)
- Byron Vaughns, DE (Baylor)
- Julius Wood, S (East Carolina)
On offense, Peat brings some serious speed to the table. After three years at Stanford and a season at Missouri, the son of two college track athletes posted a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Two receivers join on offense, as well. Johnson finally found the best place for his production with the Wildcats after four years at Vanderbilt and one at Arizona State, catching for 715 yards and six touchdowns in Evanston. Crooms transferred to Minnesota after two impressive years at Western Michigan, in which he combined for 1,582 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he failed to match that production with the Golden Gophers.
Croom’s teammate, Spann-Ford, comes out of free agency as one of the top run-blocking tight ends in the draft class. The Cowboys had to spend a bit to ink him, promising a $20K signing bonus and fully guaranteeing his base salary of $225K, per Aaron Williams of KPRC 2. He didn’t add much to the receiving game in Minneapolis, though. Neither did Holler in Orlando, but he did have some circus catches here and there to go along with his strong blocking profile.
Some productive players could contribute on defense, as well. Vaughns didn’t get a chance to shine at Texas but showed how disruptive he could be at Utah State and Baylor, combining for 27.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in three seasons at the two schools. At linebacker, Johnson was a tackling machine, recording three straight 100-plus-tackle seasons at Eastern Illinois in 2021 and UCF the past two years. He was one of the top undrafted linebacker options following the draft. Mogensen contributed back-to-back 100-plus-tackle seasons himself for the Coyotes.
The team also adds three capable safety options. DeBerry was one of the top secondary players in the ACC at Boston College before transferring to College Station. Johnson spent six years at Nevada but only got to start in 2023 for the Wolf Pack. He made the most of the opportunity with 99 tackles, three picks, and four passes defensed. Lastly, Wood was a menace for the Pirates in two years as a starter, delivering bone-crunching hits and showing a strong nose for the football at East Carolina.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/8/24
Today’s draft pick signings:
Denver Broncos
- RB Audric Estime (fifth round, Notre Dame)
- WR Devaughn Vele (seventh round, Utah)
- C Nick Gargiulo (seventh round, South Carolina)
Estime spent three years with the Fighting Irish. Though he only started 14 games, he combined in his last two seasons to accumulate 2,261 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns. He joins a backfield that featured Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Samaje Perine in 2023 and returns all three.
Vele comes to the NFL after reeling in 98 catches for 1,288 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his final two years with the Utes. He led Utah in receiving yards this past season and was second on the team in 2022, coming in behind tight end Dalton Kincaid. He helps replenish a wide receiving corps in Denver that lost Jerry Jeudy and still might see Courtland Sutton traded away.
Gargiulo arrived in Columbia after earning his degree in four years at Yale. Gargiulo was a versatile lineman for both the Bulldogs and Gamecocks, spending time at both guard and center for both schools. Much won’t be asked of Gargiulo as a rookie, but he adds versatile depth to the Broncos offensive line.
Saints Waive QB Kellen Mond, OL Tommy Kraemer
The Saints have started culling the roster a bit as the ebb and flow of roster spots continues in the wake of the NFL Draft. Today’s adjustments came with the waivings of backup quarterback Kellen Mond and backup lineman Tommy Kraemer, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Mond was a third-round selection for the Vikings out of Texas A&M. He was the seventh passer taken in a draft that led off with a franchise QB in Trevor Lawrence but otherwise stumbled out of the gates with Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, and Mond following. As the third-string passer in Minnesota as a rookie behind Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion, Mond made one appearance in garbage time during a late-season loss to the Packers, completing two of three passes for five yards. He has failed to appear in an NFL game since, spending time on rosters or practice squads for the Browns, the Colts, and, most recently, the Saints since then.
Kraemer was an undrafted lineman out of Notre Dame in 2021, initially signing with the Lions. He started the year on the practice squad in Detroit but would eventually get promoted to the active roster and start three of nine game appearances as a rookie. Thanks to a back injury, Kraemer didn’t end up seeing the field at all in 2022, and he signed with the Saints during camp last year. He went back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster in 2023, appearing in four games for the Saints, mostly playing on special teams.
Mond became superfluous with fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler joining last year’s fourth-round pick Jake Haener on the depth chart behind starter Derek Carr. The team also has utility man Taysom Hill still under contract, as well. Likewise, the team’s recent additions of depth linemen like Shane Lemieux, Justin Herron, and Oli Udoh meant less space on the roster for Kraemer.
NFC Contract Details: Saints, Sewell, Elliott
The Saints made a couple of roster moves in recent weeks that we’re finally getting to some details on. These include the deals to sign guard Shane Lemieux, offensive lineman Justin Herron, and defensive back Will Harris and the retirement of offensive lineman James Hurst.
Lemieux and Herron were both signed shortly after the NFL Draft. According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Lemieux signed a one-year deal at the veteran minimum of $1.06MM, all of which will count against the salary cap. Herron’s deal is also for one year at the league minimum of $1.13MM. Due to the veteran salary benefit, his contract will only count $985K against the cap.
Harris signed at the turn of the month earlier this week. After five years with the Lions, Terrell tells us that Harris is joining the Saints on a one-year deal worth $1.29MM with a base salary of $1.13MM and a signing bonus of $167.5K. The guaranteed amount of his deal will include the signing bonus and $324K of his base salary. Harris’ contract will count for $1.15MM against the salary cap.
Lastly, Terrell tells us that Hurst, who announced his retirement back in April, will still count against the salary cap. He will count as $2.28MM in dead money, including a $1.5MM roster bonus.
Here are details on a couple other deals reached around the NFC in recent weeks:
- We already knew some details on Penei Sewell‘s extension with the Lions, but thanks to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, we now have a bit more detail. The deal includes a fully guaranteed amount of $42.99MM consisting of a $15MM signing bonus, a $25MM option bonus in 2025, full base salaries from 2024 to 2026 of $1.45MM, $1.54MM, and $19.9MM, and $12.11MM of the 2027 base salary (worth $23.9MM total). He’ll receive $100K workout bonuses in each offseason after 2025 and a potential $2.5MM roster bonus in 2029.
- We had some details on Ezekiel Elliott‘s reunion with the Cowboys, but ESPN’s Todd Archer provided some additional detail. We now know that the deal includes a fully guaranteed base salary of $1.25MM and signing bonus of $375K. Elliott can earn an active roster bonus of $375K and will count for $2MM against the cap. He can earn an additional $1MM in incentives, all of which require a playoff berth ($250K for 1,100 scrimmage yards, $250K for 10 touchdowns, and $500K for over 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps).
NFL Front Office Updates: Titans, Browns, Eagles, Cardinals, Bears
We mentioned yesterday how a number of teams who have seen changes in the leadership of their front office may be making changes following the NFL Draft. These teams needed their staff at the time, with only weeks leading up to the draft, but with that process now over, the new leadership has started making changes.
The Titans are one such team making changes in recent days. One change is the apparent departure of college scout Tom Roth, who no longer appears on the team’s website, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Roth had spent the last six years in Tennessee after serving 14 years as a college scout for the Bills.
It’s not all departures, like yesterday. Stratton noticed two promotions in Tennessee’s front office, as well. Previously the team’s pro scouting coordinator, Rob Riederer now appears on the team’s website as assistant director of football strategy. Likewise, Bryce Wasserman has been promoted from manager of football strategy to chief of staff of football strategy.
Here are a few other updates in player personnel offices around the league:
- The Browns also see a departure, per Stratton, with Joe Dever reportedly not returning to the team for 2024. Joining the team as a scouting intern in 2019, Dever had spent five years with Cleveland. He had risen to the position of mid-Atlantic scout before his departure.
- The Eagles are also losing a longtime staffer, according to Stratton. A 15-year veteran of the NFL, Brad Obee will use the expiration of his contract with Philadelphia as a reason to pursue new opportunities in the NFL. Obee began his scouting career on the personnel staff of the Eagles in 2009, working his way up the ladder for six years. He left to serve as a pro scout for the Bears for the next six years before ultimately returning to Philadelphia as a college/pro scout for the past three.
- The Cardinals, who we noted lost a personnel staffer in yesterday’s post, will also part ways with area scout Darius Vinnett, per Stratton. Vinnett’s contract was expiring, as well, and though Arizona offered him an extension to return in 2024, Vinnett has declined and will seek other opportunities.
- Lastly, the Bears are moving forward without area scouts Drew Raucina and Sam Summerville, according to Stratton. Raucina is a holdover from the Ryan Pace-era, serving the last six years with the team. He had previously been a combine scout for the NFL. Summerville’s departure is a bit more surprising. He had been with Chicago since 2012 and was voted the BART List as one of the NFC’s best scouts in 2022, per Stratton. He was also named NFC Scout of the Year in 2019. Regardless, general manager Ryan Poles is making changes for the 2024 NFL season.
RB Duke Johnson Announces Retirement
Boasting an eight-year career spanning time with five NFL franchises, running back Duke Johnson is now known as one of the league’s best receiving backs in recent history. Having not appeared on an NFL roster since the end of the 2022 season, the now 30-year-old Johnson has made the decision to officially hang up his cleats, announcing this retirement decision on Instagram. 
Johnson came to the league after a storied career at the University of Miami. A five-star recruit, Johnson became an immediate factor as a true freshman, rushing for 947 yards for 10 touchdowns and adding one score through the air and two more on kickoff returns. After a junior season that saw him rush for 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns and receive for 421 yards and three touchdowns, Johnson announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the draft.
Johnson left Coral Gables as the Hurricanes’ all-time leader in career rushing yards, despite only playing for three seasons. The school has produced such NFL rushers as Chuck Foreman, Ottis Anderson, Cleveland Gary, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, and Lamar Miller. Johnson outgained them all at the collegiate level and holds that record to this day.
Johnson was selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the sixth rusher taken off the board behind Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, T.J. Yeldon, Ameer Abdullah, and Tevin Coleman and was taken just nine picks before David Johnson.
As a rookie, Duke split starting duties with second-year back Isaiah Crowell while also serving as the team’s primary receiving back. The two would continue in those roles for the next two years. Johnson made the most with the carries he was granted, averaging 4.3 yards per carry over his years in Cleveland, but he truly shined as a receiver for the Browns.
During that 2015 season, Johnson finished third on the team in receiving yards behind only tight end Gary Barnidge and wide receiver (and fellow Hurricane) Travis Benjamin. He was third on the team in 2016, as well. In 2017, though, Johnson was actually the Browns’ leading receiver with 74 catches for 693 yards. His 348 rushing yards that year helped him to lead the team in scrimmage yards, and his seven total touchdowns were the most on Cleveland’s roster that year. His efforts earned him a three-year, $15.61MM contract extension.
In 2018, the arrival of a rookie Nick Chubb and a veteran Carlos Hyde saw a huge cut to Johnson’s carries, though he still averaged 5.0 yards per rush. He still proved a major asset as a receiver, as well, with 62 catches for 429 yards, but with the emergence of Chubb, Johnson became an unnecessary cost. Cleveland traded Johnson to the Texans in exchange for a conditional fourth-rounder that ended up turning into the third-round pick the Browns would use to draft Jacob Phillips.
Hyde would follow Johnson to Houston and would take RB1 duties, though Johnson would still contribute with 410 rushing yards and 410 receiving yards. The Texans would trade for David Johnson in 2020. A talented receiving back in his own right, David’s acquisition led to diminished usage of Duke. Houston would cut Johnson at the end of the season.
Over the final two years of his career, Johnson saw minimal usage as he spent time on the Jaguars’ practice squad, started four of five game appearances for the Dolphins in 2021, and was a practice squad elevation for one game for the Bills in 2022. Those final two years were the first of his career in which the running back had more rushing than receiving yards.
That fact perhaps underlines the feats of Johnson’s career. Despite his rushing pedigree at Miami, Johnson came into the NFL and provided his talents as a bailout option for the league’s worst team at the time, getting utilized early and often. Since his arrival in Cleveland in 2015, only Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and Amari Cooper have more receiving yards for the Browns over that period.
Circumstances prevented Johnson from ever taking a leading back role in his career, but the 30-year-old made the most of every opportunity he was granted, regardless of the role he was assigned. Though other backs tended to earn carries over him, Johnson was hard to keep off the field thanks to his impressive receiving abilities. He ends his NFL career with 2,265 rushing yards for 11 touchdowns and 2,870 receiving yards for 12 touchdowns.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/24
The only minor moves to close out the week:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Julian Hicks, C Lecitus Smith, WR Dimitri Stanley
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Buddha Jones
Some undrafted rookies may not get signed to three-year, undrafted free agent contracts but will, instead, be invited to rookie minicamps on a tryout basis. Such is the case for Hicks, Stanley, and Jones. Both the Packers and Seahawks had already announced the signings of their UDFA classes, but both will now add to that rookie group.
Rookie minicamps also serve as an audition opportunity for some veteran free agents. Smith joins the aforementioned three rookies as players who earned a deal taking advantage of a rookie minicamp tryout opportunity.
NFL Front Office Updates: Panthers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Raiders
Oftentimes, when there are staff and front office changes on NFL teams, a Black Monday-type of exodus can happen following the NFL Draft. With mere months or even weeks between the time of a new staff’s hiring and the draft, it can be advantageous to utilize the scouting and personnel department already in place. Though, after the draft concludes, those same teams may opt to clear house and in their own preferred employees.
The Panthers are one such team, with Joe Person of The Athletic reporting that both director of pro scouting Rob Hanrahan and assistant director of pro scouting Tyler Ramsey have been let go. Hanrahan had been with the team for seven years, while Ramsey had been there for three.
The two weren’t alone as Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com reported the departure of northeast area scout Michael Coe and senior personnel executive Jeff Morrow, as well. New general manager Dan Morgan had forecasted changes after the draft, which we’re seeing now.
Here are some other changes in NFL personnel departments:
- Stratton also informs us that the Cardinals have parted ways with director of college scouting Josh Scobey. The former Arizona running back had just finished his second year in the role after 12 seasons as a part of the team’s scouting department.
- The Buccaneers have also moved on from personnel department employees with Stratton reporting that neither veteran scout Mark Ellenz nor assistant director of pro scouting Alex Smith will return in 2024. Smith had been with the team for seven years and was elevated to his most recent position after four seasons as a pro scout.
- The Raiders are the next team mentioned by Stratton with director of scout development Keith Kidd reportedly being removed from the team’s website.
NFL Workouts: Averett, Jacobs, Harvin, Eason, Ollison
NFL teams often use rookie minicamp as an opportunity to bring in some veterans for workouts. Here are a few such instances of teams who invited some veteran free agents for the weekend:
- The Steelers invited a former division-rival in cornerback Anthony Averett, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pittsburgh acquired veteran Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson in the trade that sent Diontae Johnson to Carolina, and Jackson is expected to start across from last year’s rookie starter Joey Porter Jr. Behind them, though, the team’s depth chart shows seventh-round rookie selection Ryan Watts and last year’s seventh-round pick Cory Trice as the top backup options. After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, Averett played the 2022 season with the Raiders before getting place on injured reserve. He spent a little time with the 49ers in the preseason before getting signed to the Lions’ practice squad. He could provide starting, veteran experience to a young corners group in Pittsburgh.
- The Jaguars also brought in a veteran cornerback from Detroit, inviting Jerry Jacobs, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Despite coming in as an undrafted free agent, Jacobs started 29 of his 40 game appearances for the Lions. Jacksonville is apparently looking to add some depth to the position after replacing Darious Williams with Ronald Darby as the starter opposite Tyson Campbell.
- The Buccaneers brought in some competition for their punter of the past two years, Jake Camarda, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Tampa Bay invited former Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III after he was waived by Pittsburgh in February. Harvin isn’t likely to impact the depth chart, though, after Camarda set Tampa Bay’s franchise record for single-season punt average just last year.
- The Packers invited an extra arm to the rookie minicamp, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, bringing in Jacob Eason. Green Bay just drafted Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round to compete with last year’s fifth-round pick Sean Clifford for the backup job. Alex McGough is also in the room but has yet to make an NFL debut despite being drafted back in 2018. Eason has in-game experience with the Colts and Panthers and could certainly find himself in the running for a roster spot with an impressive performance.
- Finally, the Jets brought in veteran running back Qadree Ollison, per Wilson. Ollison’s only NFL touches came over two years ago during his stint with the Falcons, so it’s unlikely that he’ll make an impact on the depth chart in a young running backs room that includes 2022 second-round pick Breece Hall, last year’s fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda, rookie fourth-round pick Braelon Allen, and rookie fifth-round pick Isaiah Davis.