Steelers Announce Seven-Man UDFA Class
The Steelers will be keeping their rookie class extremely small in 2023. After drafting seven college prospects this weekend, Pittsburgh will only be adding seven more undrafted rookies:
- WR/RS Jordan Byrd, San Diego State
- C Trevor Downing, Iowa State
- QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
- DE James Nyamwaya, Merrimack
- LB David Perales, Fresno State
- FB Monte Pottebaum, Iowa
- K B.T. Potter, Clemson
We covered the addition of Morgan after his signing last night. With only two quarterbacks (Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky) currently on the roster, Morgan should have a legitimate chance to earn a roster sport. At the very least, barring the signing of another passer, Morgan should at the very least be a shoo-in for a practice squad spot.
Pittsburgh listed Byrd as a wide receiver despite his status on the Aztecs as a running back. While Byrd contributed as a rotation back, his true impact came on special teams. He earned All-Mountain West first-team honors thanks to 571 kick return yards, 118 punt return yards, and touchdowns on each type of return in 2022. It was his second straight year on the All-Conference first-team as a kick returner. The team’s main returner from last year, Steven Sims, signed with the Texans, so Byrd will compete with Gunner Olszewski for returning duties in 2023.
The Steelers recently signed kicker Chris Boswell to an extension, so bringing in Potter likely is not a threat to Boswell’s job. Boswell did miss some time with a groin injury last year, forcing Pittsburgh to scramble. This wasn’t the first time Boswell missed games, so Potter may be destined to sit on the practice squad in case of emergency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/23
There was one minor transaction among all of the college transactions today:
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Easop Winston
Winston signed with the Seahawks’ practice squad early last season. He’s spend time with the Rams, Saints, and Browns but only appeared in games with New Orleans. He played three games with the Saints, primarily as a punt returner but with snaps on offense, as well. Winston signed a reserve/future contract to stay in Seattle back in January but was waived two weeks ago.
Chargers Sign 18 UDFAs
After selecting seven new players in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chargers announced their undrafted free agent signings. Here are the 18 undrafted rookies who will be looking to make their mark this summer:
- OLB Brevin Allen, Campebll
- S Tyler Baker-Williams, NC State
- C Johari Branch, Maryland
- CB Cam Brown, Ohio State
- WR Terrell Bynum, USC
- DL Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina
- RB Elijah Dotson, Northern Colorado
- LB Nathan East, Samford
- TE Michael Ezeike, UCLA
- OLB Andrew Farmer, Lane College
- S A.J. Finley, Mississippi
- RB Tyler Hoosman, North Dakota
- LB Mikel Jones, Syracuse
- DL Terrance Lang, Colorado
- T Nicolas Melsop, Delta State
- CB Tiawan Mullen, Indiana
- CB A.J. Uzodinma, Ball State
- WR Pokey Wilson, Florida State
Clark is set to receive a $100K base salary, in addition to a $5K signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. He was a three-year starter as a nose tackle in Myrtle Beach. He overcame quite a few obstacles to find an NFL opportunity, switching from tight end in college, gaining muscle and weight, and working through multiple injuries. He’ll work hard to earn a spot in the defensive line rotation for Los Angeles.
Lang also earned a bit over the minimum, according to Wilson. His deal includes $50K guaranteed, $30K of salary and $20K in a signing bonus. The Colorado pass rusher had 9.5 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss for the Buffaloes over four years of play.
Mullen is the younger brother of Ravens cornerback Trayvon Mullen. He earned first-team All-American honors in 2020 but was limited due to injuries after that. He ended his career at Indiana with five interceptions, 33 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.
Steelers Sign UDFA Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan
The Steelers will end up adding some quarterback help this offseason, signing undrafted Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets that his deal includes a $25K signing bonus. After setting several Golden Gopher records, Morgan will try to make his mark at the NFL level.
Morgan became a starter at Minnesota about halfway through his true freshman year after initially losing a quarterback competition to walk-on true freshman Zack Annexstad. Once Morgan took the reins, though, he didn’t give them back, becoming the Golden Gophers’ go-to passer for the next four years.
Morgan would go on to win a Gopher-record 33 games and set Minnesota single-season records for passing yards and touchdowns in 2019. He missed some games down the stretch for Minnesota but had shown some toughness with 46 straight starts before missing any time with injury. Morgan slipped out of the draft due to concerns over his lack of an NFL arm. His accuracy really suffers the further downfield he throws. Morgan is a true competitor, though, who showed development and improvement in each passing year.
In Pittsburgh, Morgan joins a quarterbacks room that lost Mason Rudolph to free agency but still rosters second-year starter Kenny Pickett and veteran Mitchell Trubisky. With only two quarterbacks on the roster, there’s no reason to believe that Morgan can’t stick on the roster, at the very least on the practice squad. He’s shown that he can improve and compete when instructed, and he’ll get the chance to do so in the Steel City.
UDFA Kansas State QB Adrian Martinez Signing With Lions
The Lions will be enlisting a bit more help at the quarterback position this offseason, signing undrafted Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Martinez will try to find a place in the NFL after five years as a starter at the college level.
Martinez began his career as a four-year starter at Nebraska, starting as a true freshman for the Cornhuskers. He had perhaps one of his best seasons as a college rookie completing 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,617 yards and 17 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Martinez struggled through his sophomore year and had to fight off Luke McCaffrey to hold on to his starting job for the next two seasons. He ended his Cornhusker career with a 14-24 record as a starter, passing for 8,491 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions.
Martinez used his final year of eligibility to transfer to Kansas State, where he became the starter for the Wildcats and led them to a 5-2 start before injuries limited him for the rest of the year. At Kansas State, Martinez passed for 1,261 yards and six touchdowns with only one interception. Martinez also brings a dangerous rushing element to the field. Over five seasons at the college level, he rushed for 2,928 yards and 45 touchdowns, giving him 96 total touchdowns for his career.
In Detroit, Martinez enters a quarterbacks room that includes veterans Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld and rookie third-round pick Hendon Hooker. He’ll likely be trying to compete for a third-string spot. His rushing availability makes him a useful practice squad quarterback who can run the scout team offense to simulate a division opponent like Justin Fields.
Rams Make Toledo DL Desjuan Johnson Mr. Irrelevant At No. 259 Overall
With the final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams have drafted Toledo defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson, making him this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. The 23-year-old will get to learn behind the best in the business as he gets Aaron Donald as a potential mentor.
Johnson spent five years as a Rocket, becoming more and more disruptive over time. Once he became a starter on the Toledo defensive line in 2020, Johnson took permanent residence in his opponents’ backfield. He ended his college career with 15.0 sacks and 47.0 tackles for loss in only 31 starts, earning second-team All-MAC honors in 2020 and 2021 and first-team All-MAC honors last season.
The two marks on Johnson are the level of competition he played against and his lack of ideal size. At 6-foot-2, 285 pounds, Johnson doesn’t look on the surface to be the ideal NFL interior defender. Neither does Donald, though, and we all know how that’s turned out.
With the departure of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson in free agency, there should be snaps available in the rotation of the interior defensive line. There are a few other players on the depth chart to compete with for those snaps, but especially getting to be in the same room with an undersized defensive line star like Donald, Johnson will have every opportunity to prove the Mr. Irrelevant title wrong.
Chargers Take QB Max Duggan At No. 239
The Chargers’ first- and fourth-round rookie wide receivers should have a familiar face throwing to them at rookie minicamp as Los Angeles has selected TCU quarterback Max Duggan in the seventh round at No. 239 overall. Duggan is the eighth Horned Frog taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Duggan was a four-year starter in Fort Worth who broke out in his senior year. Duggan’s breakout year saw him take TCU to the College Football Playoff National Championship game where the overmatched Horned Frogs ran into the buzzsaw that was the Georgia Bulldogs. His disaster game occurred in what will now be his new home stadium, SoFi Stadium.
The blowout loss in the season finale shouldn’t overshadow a stellar senior season in which Duggan completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns while only tossing eight interceptions. Duggan adds an element on the ground, as well, rushing for 1,856 yards and 28 touchdowns over his four years in college.
The Chargers are obviously set at quarterback with Justin Herbert returning for a fourth season. Los Angeles picked up Herbert’s fifth-year option but are hoping they won’t need it as they continue to work on extending the 25-year-old. The team had used Chase Daniel as a backup passer in recent years, but with Daniel remaining a free agent, Easton Stick, who hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2020, is the only other quarterback on the roster.
Duggan obviously won’t be expected to challenge Herbert for a starting position, but he can push Stick for the backup job. Despite Stick’s experience of being with the team since 2019, Duggan brings a familiarity and chemistry with two of the team’s new targets. He, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis will be following in the footsteps of Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson, wearing the Bolt on their helmet after college in Fort Worth.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson To Start In 2023?
The beginning of the 2023 NFL Draft saw what many thought to be the top two quarterback prospects immediately taken off the board. The Colts were, apparently, unfazed. Not only were they able to fill a position of need when drafting Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, they were able to get the exact guy they wanted, as well. 
In a press conference after selecting Richardson No. 4 overall, Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed that and more. According to a number of quotes provided by The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, Irsay claimed he had had a feeling that Richardson would be their guy “even back in February,” going as far as calling the 20-year-old three hours before the first round to inform him of the team’s intentions. Irsay was so bullish on Richardson that he told the media that “even if (they) had the first pick in the draft, (they) would’ve probably taken” Richardson.
Not only was Irsay sure that Richardson would be a Colt, according to Judy Battista of NFL Network, he went as far as to say that Richardson “will start this season.” Richardson has the same ideas in his head, according to Keefer. The former-Gator is ready for the immense pressure of becoming the Colts’ next franchise quarterback, following in the steps of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
It’s not a necessity, though. Despite being a top five pick, Richardson does have the luxury of time, if necessary. Indianapolis has a trio of passers with starting experience it can depend on before forcing the rookie into the starting lineup.
Veteran Gardner Minshew was reunited with head coach Shane Steichen after signing with the Colts two weeks ago. Minshew hasn’t been a consistent starter since his days in Jacksonville, but he does have two starts in each of the past two years with the Eagles. The team also rosters Nick Foles, perhaps the greatest backup quarterback in the history of the NFL, who also hasn’t started consistently since 2020. The Colts have Sam Ehlinger, as well, who started three games for Indianapolis in his sophomore season last year.
After back-to-back-to-back seasons with one-year rentals at the quarterback position, there is certainly an expectation that Richardson will be the quarterback of the future for Indy. Along with that expectation and his draft position come the pressure for Richardson to take the reins of the starting job. With only 13 starts at the college level, starts in the NFL may be exactly what Richardson needs in order to advance his development.
Despite the anticipation of Irsay and Richardson himself, though, the youngster has time. With Minshew, Foles, and Ehlinger all on roster, there’s absolutely no need to force Richardson into a situation he isn’t ready for. If he’s ready, though, it sounds like both parties are ready to see the first-round pick under center with the first-team offense in 2023.
Latest On Titans’ QB Situation With Addition Of Will Levis
There were two levels of surprise when the 33rd pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was announced: 1) surprise that Kentucky quarterback Will Levis had slid back this far and 2) surprise that it was the Titans who felt they needed him badly enough to trade up to draft him. We have a bit more information today as we’ve moved on into the later rounds of the draft. 
There were likely several factors that culminated in Levis falling out of the first round, but one of the sticking points was reportedly a potentially lingering toe injury that gave a few teams pause. According to Titans staff writer Jim Wyatt, Levis has let the team know that “his toe feels good” and, currently, there are no plans for follow-up procedures. Any concerns about the previous ailment should be put to rest, especially when considering that he won’t be expected to start any time soon.
That is straight from the mouth of head coach Mike Vrabel, who confirmed this morning that Levis is not expected to be the new starter in Tennessee, according to Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. With incumbent starter Ryan Tannehill returning for at least one more year and Malik Willis back after a turbulent rookie season, Levis has a few depth chart spots to overcome before he’s running with the first-team on a consistent basis.
“Ryan will be the starting quarterback on Monday,” Vrabel confirmed at a press conference last night. “Malik will be the backup. Will will be the third quarterback. And what I’ve told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players. That’s what it’s always been here. That’s what we always want it to be.”
Tannehill returns after a season that saw him struggle with a lack of production and with injuries. When Tannehill missed time, Tennessee attempted to turn to Willis, a third-round rookie out of Liberty who was expected to be a long-term development project. With Willis seemingly overmatched in his early days as a pro, the team eventually signed local veteran product Joshua Dobbs for two late starts to help close the season.
The Titans shuffled their offensive staff a bit in the offseason, promoting passing game coordinator Tim Kelly to offensive coordinator and bringing in Charles London from Atlanta to serve as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The new coaches reportedly are not sold on Willis and may not be committed to sticking with the project passer. With Dobbs returning to Cleveland, it makes much more sense for Tennessee to invest a number of draft picks in securing a potential quarterback of the future.
Levis, much like Willis, has many physical tools that can lead to success at the NFL-level but will have some mental development to undergo before taking the reins in Tennessee. His decision making was often called into question as he threw 25 interceptions in Lexington.
Willis and Levis presumably still have some time to work on their respective developments. Tannehill has one more year on his contract and should be the starter in 2023. What happens after that will be determined in camps and practices in Nashville.
Cardinals Send No. 96 To Detroit; Lions Select DT Brodric Martin
The Cardinals continue to deal picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, this time trading the No. 96 overall pick to the Lions in exchange for Detroit’s Nos. 122, 138, and 168, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Lions used their new third-round pick to select Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin.
Coming out of Tuscaloosa with no stars in recruiting rankings, Martin went to North Alabama. He played for four years at the FCS school before transferring to Western Kentucky in the spring of 2021. Martin’s production saw no drop off as he elevated to the FBS level. In two years with the Hilltoppers, Martin totaled 62 tackles, six tackles for loss, and four sacks, all impressive numbers for a nose tackle.
At nearly 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Martin is a boulder in the middle of the defensive line. While his technique wasn’t fully developed and sometimes lacks, he makes up for it with violent strength and deceptive quickness. He accumulated 143 tackles in five years of college play thanks to his ability to stack up and move laterally to defend multiple gaps in the line.
Defensive tackle was a bit of a need for Detroit. The Lions rolled mostly with Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs on the interior defensive line, rotating in Benito Jones as Levi Onwuzurike sat out the year recovering from back surgery. None of the linemen were necessarily dominant with McNeill grading out highest, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the 33rd-best defensive tackle in the league.
Martin likely won’t be asked to play the 65-plus percentage of defensive snaps that McNeill and Buggs did in 2022, but he should provide strong contributions in short sample sizes. With Onwuzurike hopefully due to return soon, Martin won’t be expected to be an immediate contributor, but once he develops, Martin could be a strong nose tackle in Aaron Glenn‘s system.