Pompei’s Latest: McCarron, Browns, Pead
In his latest Read Option column for Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei leads off by examining the Bengals‘ selection of A.J. McCarron in last week’s draft. As head coach Marvin Lewis explains, the McCarron pick could allow the team to avoid changing its backup quarterback so frequently.
“Each and every year we have been in that one-year, two-year backup quarterback model,” Lewis said. “We kind of wanted to make sure we got somebody who could fit that role for a longer period of time if that’s what they ended up being, if that’s what their lease on life was…. We had [Ryan] Fitzpatrick here, [Jon] Kitna here, and nobody wants to be the backup. Everybody wants to go somewhere and start. The only way to get a backup quarterback for longer than a year or two is to draft one.”
Of course, things could change quickly in Cincinnati if the team can’t reach a long-team agreement with current starter Andy Dalton, or if McCarron pushes for a starting job of his own after a year or two. Here’s more from Pompei:
- The Bengals appear to have gotten good value with the McCarron pick, at the very least. Pompei says he polled 10 front office sources about the Alabama signal-caller prior to the draft, and all 10 gave him at least a third-round grade, including three who said he was a first-rounder.
- Although the Browns quickly shot down a report that suggested they were ready to draft Teddy Bridgewater at No. 22 before tearing up the card and replacing him with Johnny Manziel at the very last minute, Pompei hears from another team’s source that the Browns had two cards filled out prior to the pick, and that one was torn up.
- Had the Steelers not drafted linebacker Ryan Shazier at No. 15, he likely would have been the Cowboys‘ pick at No. 16. The Cardinals were also trying to trade up and were believed to be targeting Shazier, according to Pompei, though he says the club may also have been interested in grabbing C.J. Mosley or Calvin Pryor. All three players were gone when Arizona’s No. 20 pick rolled around, prompting the Cards to trade down.
- The Rams‘ drafting of Tre Mason may signal the end of Isaiah Pead‘s time in St. Louis — the 2012 second-round pick was the subject of some trade talks during the draft, according to Pompei.
- While Timmy Jernigan provided a diluted sample at his combine draft test, he took another test within a couple weeks of the combine and passed it, which may have contributed to his not falling too far in the draft, says Pompei. The Florida State defensive tackle went 48th overall to the Ravens.
Draft Signings: Titans, Jets, Cowboys
Teams continue to waste no time in signing their 2014 draft picks, with news of several more agreements trickling in this morning. Here are the latest draft pick signings from around the NFL:
- Defensive lineman Daquan Jones and cornerback Marqueston Huff, a pair of fourth-round picks, have agreed to terms with the Titans, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). The moves leave Tennessee with four more picks to sign.
- The Jets have reached an agreement with fifth-round pick Jeremiah George, who will be in line for a four-year, $2.411MM deal with a signing bonus worth approximately $192K, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The linebacker is the third of 12 draftees to agree to terms with the Jets.
- The Cowboys‘ draft was heavy on seventh-rounders, and the team has locked up one of the five players it selected in the seventh. According to Wilson (via Twitter), defensive end Ben Gardner has agreed to a contract with the Cowboys that includes a signing bonus of about $59K and has an overall four-year value of $2.279MM.
Hernandez Indicted For July 2012 Murder
A Suffolk County Grand Jury has indicted ex-Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for a double murder that occurred in July of 2012, reports Ted Daniel of Fox 25 Boston. Hernandez has already been charged with murder for a June 2013 incident, and is expected to be arraigned at a later date for his alleged involvement in the July 2012 deaths of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
If Hernandez was the shooter in the July 2012 incident, as authorities believe, it means the tight end’s involvement in the crime predates the $40MM contract extension he signed with the Patriots in August of that year, and that it happened before he played the 2012 season with the club.
As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explained earlier in the offseason, an indictment for Hernandez for the 2012 murder should give the Patriots grounds to recoup the tight end’s entire signing bonus and end the grievances he filed over his salary due in 2013 and 2014. “Hernandez’s contract contains a clause where he represents and warrants that there weren’t any existing circumstances when he signed his deal that would prevent his continued availability throughout the contract,” Corry writes. Involvement in a double murder would certainly qualify as existing circumstances.
The Patriots are carrying a $7.5MM cap hit for Hernandez this season, an acceleration of the remaining amount of his $12.5MM signing bonus. As Corry details, at least some form of cap relief should arrive eventually for the team, though it remains to be seen when that will happen, or exactly how much relief the Pats will receive.
Bears Sign Will Sutton, Lock Up Draft Class
The Bears have agreed to terms with third-round pick Will Sutton, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The agreement ensures that Chicago is the first team this year to get its entire draft class under contract.
Under the new CBA, there isn’t much flexibility given to rookie contracts, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that teams seem to be locking up their draftees quicker than ever — particularly since this year’s draft happened two weeks later, and execs may be looking forward to a little vacation time.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Sutton should be looking at a signing bonus of about $586K and an overall four-year value of approximately $2.871MM. You can keep tabs on all of this year’s draft pick signings using our tracker.
Minor Moves: Saints, Cardinals, Packers
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions below, including waiver claims and signings and cuts of players who don’t have much NFL experience. Any additional moves will be added to the top of the page throughout the evening:
- According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Saints have signed offensive lineman Manase Foketi, who went undrafted out of West Texas A&M a year ago. Foketi signed with the Broncos last April and joined the Bills’ practice squad during the season.
- The Cardinals have waived wide receiver Javone Lawson with a non-football injury designation, tweets Wilson.
- Cornerback James Nixon has been cut by the Packers with a failed physical designation, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter).
- Josh Samuda, who was cut by the Vikings yesterday, was done so with the failed physical designation and moved to injured reserve today, tweets Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
Earlier updates:
- The Raiders have waived safety Tony Dye, linebacker Eric Harper and defensive end Chris McCoy, according to the team (via Twitter). Like the Texans (mentioned below), Oakland appears to finally be gearing up to announce its UDFA signings.
- The Texans have yet to announce their undrafted free agent class, but it looks like they’re preparing to do so, having made a series of cuts today. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), the team has parted ways with running back Ray Graham, tight end Phillip Supernaw, wideout Rico Richardson, cornerback Loyce Means, fullback Chad Spann and safety Steven Terrell. Graham had four carries and a reception for the Texans last season.
- The Buccaneers have re-signed long snapper Andrew DePaola and cut cornerback Anthony Gaitor, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Neither player saw any regular-season action for the team in 2013.
- Cut by the Bills earlier this week, offensive lineman Jamaal Johnson-Webb has been claimed off waivers by the Giants, the club announced today (via Twitter). It’s been a whirlwind year for the Alabama A&M product, who has also spent time on the Cardinals’, Bills’, and Bears’ rosters or practice squads since going undrafted last April.
Bears, Kyle Fuller Agree To Terms
The Bears continue to lock up their 2014 draft picks faster than any other team in the league, becoming the first club to reach an agreement with a first-rounder. According to the team (via Twitter), Chicago and cornerback Kyle Fuller have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, which includes a fifth-year club option.
Fuller, the 14th overall pick in the draft, should be in line for a signing bonus worth about $5.365MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, who projects the overall four-year value of the corner’s contract at $9.687MM.
The Bears now have just one draftee left to sign, having locked up all their picks except for Arizona State’s Will Sutton. I’d expect the club to announce a deal for Sutton within the next few days.
Ravens Sign Three Draftees
In addition to reportedly locking up seventh-round pick Michael Campanaro, the Ravens have officially signed three more draftees, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Mink writes that third-round tight end Crockett Gillmore, fifth-round guard John Urschel, and sixth-round quarterback Keith Wenning are now under contract with the club.
According to Jason Fitzgerald’s estimates at Over The Cap, Gillmore should receive a signing bonus of about $506K, Urschel’s bonus should be about $145K, and Wenning’s should be worth about $104K. With the trio, plus Campanaro, under contract, the Ravens have five remaining draft picks to address, including first-round pick C.J. Mosley.
You can keep track of all this year’s draft pick signings right here.
Chargers Sign Four Draft Picks
The Chargers had one of this year’s smaller draft classes, with just six picks, and the team has already been busy locking up most of them. According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter), the team signed four picks today. In addition to inking guard Chris Watt to a contract, which we heard about earlier, San Diego also signed fifth-round pick Ryan Carrethers, sixth-rounder Marion Grice, and seventh-rounder Tevin Reese.
When Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reported Watt’s deal this afternoon, he suggested the third-rounder agreed to a $419K bonus and a $2.691MM overall value. That’s noticeably lower than the figures Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap predicted, and Fitzgerald has been on point with most of his other projections, so we’ll have to wait for confirmation on that amount. Assuming Fitzgerald’s other numbers are accurate though, Carrethers, Grice, and Reese should be in line for signing bonuses worth about $179K, $99K, and $49K respectively.
With four of their six draftees now under contract, the Chargers can shift their attention to signing first-round cornerback Jason Verrett and second-round linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu. To keep tabs on all of this year’s draft pick signings, you can use this page, which will be consistently updated over the next few weeks.
Draft Signings: Chargers, Colts, Packers, Jets
Here’s a recap of the latest 2014 draft picks reaching contract agreements with their respective teams:
- The Chargers have agreed to terms with third-round guard Chris Watt on a deal that includes a $419K bonus and a $2.691MM overall value, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Both of those contract figures are lower than what Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap projected for Watt’s draft slot.
- The Colts have signed their fifth-round pick, Ball State’s Jonathan Newsome, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter).
- Fifth-round receiver Jared Abbrederis has signed a contract with the Packers that includes a signing bonus of about $145K, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Jets have signed a pair of draftees, according to the team, who announced today that fourth-round pick Dakota Dozier and seventh-rounder Trevor Reilly have both been locked up.
- Seventh-rounder Michael Campanaro has signed his contract with the Ravens, which includes a $67.5K signing bonus tweets Wilson.
- Running back Lache Seastrunk, a sixth-round pick, has agreed to sign with the Redskins on a deal that features a $110.5K signing bonus, says Wilson (via Twitter).
- Field Yates of ESPN.com has a couple more draft pick signings, reporting that the Texans have locked up sixth-round running back Alfred Blue and seventh-round safety Lonnie Ballentine (Twitter links).
North Notes: Webb, Vikings, Browns, Packers
With the draft behind us, players selected last week are signing contracts, and teams are also revisiting the free agent pool, which may hold renewed appeal if a club missed out on a position it had targeted in the draft. The Vikings, who selected one offensive lineman with their 10 picks last week (fifth-rounder David Yankey), hosted veteran free agent tackle J’Marcus Webb for a visit today, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Webb, who was on Minnesota’s roster last season after starting for the Bears from 2010 to 2012, also met with the Chiefs back in March.
Here are a few more notes from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:
- The Browns officially announced Joe Haden‘s new extension with a press conference today, and the cornerback sounds motivated to live up to the mammoth deal, as Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. “This contract makes me want to play like the best cornerback in the league,” Haden told reporters.
- Fullback Eric Kettani, who was cut earlier this week by the Chiefs, has been invited to the Browns’ rookie minicamp, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Kettani, who has also spent time with the Redskins and Patriots, will be fighting to earn a 90-man roster spot in Cleveland.
- Wilson also reports that former Maryland linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield, who auditioned for the Packers last year, has been invited back to Green Bay’s rookie minicamp to try out again.
- Unlike their division-rival Bears, the Lions haven’t officially agreed to terms with any of their draftees yet, but it shouldn’t take long for the team to do so, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.