Lions Sign Taylor Decker, Eight Draftees, 12 UDFAs
The Lions have officially locked up nearly all of their draft class, along with a dozen undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a pair of press releases. The most notable name in the group is Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who was Detroit’s first-round pick, but the team has also signed eight other draftees to go along with its 12 new UDFAs.
Of Detroit’s 10 draft picks, only second-round defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson remains unsigned for now. Here’s the complete list of draft picks secured by the Lions:
- 1-16: Taylor Decker, T (Ohio State)
- 3-95: Graham Glasgow, C (Michigan)
- 4-111: Miles Killebrew, S (Southern Utah)
- 5-151: Joe Dahl, T (Washington State): (previously reported)
- 5-169: Antwione Williams, LB (Georgia Southern)
- 6-191: Jake Rudock, QB (Michigan)
- 6-202: Anthony Zettel, DT (Penn State): (previously reported)
- 6-210: Jimmy Landes, LS (Baylor): (previously reported)
- 7-236: Dwayne Washington, RB (Washington)
And here are the 12 undrafted free agents who signed contracts with the Lions:
- CB Adairius Barnes (Louisiana Tech)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Eastern Oregon)
- WR Quinshad Davis (North Carolina)
- DE James DeLoach (Georgia)
- G Chase Farris (Ohio State) ($20K guarantee, per Aaron Wilson)
- TE Adam Fuehne (Southern Illinois)
- DE Deonte Gibson (Northwestern)
- WR Jay Lee (Baylor)
- DB Charles Washington (Fresno State)
- CB Ian Wells (Ohio)
- TE Cole Wick (Incarnate Word) ($10K bonus, per Dave Birkett)
- G Andrew Zeller (Maryland)
Packers Sign 19 Undrafted Free Agents
The Packers have announced their undrafted rookies, confirming in a press release that they’ve added 19 college free agents to their 90-man roster. The team has added four wideouts to its already-crowded receiving corps, and also signed three cornerbacks. Here’s the full breakdown of the 19-man UDFA class for Green Bay:
- WR Geronimo Allison (Illinois)
- S Kentrell Brice (Louisiana Tech)
- LB Beniquez Brown (Mississippi State)
- QB Joe Callahan (Wesley)
- CB Makinton Dorleant (Northern Iowa)
- C Jacob Flores (Dartmouth)
- LB Reggie Gilbert (Arizona)
- TE David Grinnage (North Carolina State)
- CB Josh Hawkins (East Carolina)
- RB Don Jackson (Nevada) ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- T Josh James (Carroll) ($1K bonus, per Wilson)
- CB Randall Jette (Massachusetts)
- DT Tyler Kuder (Idaho State) ($3K bonus, per Wilson)
- P Peter Mortell (Minnesota)
- WR Dennis Parks (Rice)
- LB Manoa Pikula (BYU)
- DT Brian Price (Texas)
- WR Devonte Robinson (Utah State) ($2K bonus, per Wilson)
- WR Herb Waters (Miami)
Buccaneers Sign Vernon Hargreaves
Four first-round picks have now formally signed their rookie contracts, with cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, the 11th overall pick last Thursday, joining Laremy Tunsil, Eli Apple, and Keanu Neal. Hargreaves signed his deal with the Buccaneers earlier today, the team announced via its website.
Hargreaves, who played his college ball at Florida, was the second cornerback to come off the board in the 2016 draft, having been selected one spot behind Apple, after the Buccaneers traded down from No. 9 to No. 11. He’ll compete for a starting job in Tampa Bay’s secondary this summer, joining free agent signee Brent Grimes at or near the top of the club’s new-look cornerback depth chart.
The four-year contract signed by Hargreaves comes with a fifth-year option for 2020, as is the case for all rookie deals for first-round picks. The overall value of Hargreaves’ pact is about $14.178MM, with a signing bonus worth $8.511MM, according to Over the Cap’s data.
In addition to locking up Hargreaves, the Buccaneers also confirmed that they’ve signed linebacker Devante Bond, the first of two players the team selected in the sixth round on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Signs 14 Undrafted Free Agents
As rookie minicamps open around the NFL, more and more teams are officially announcing their undrafted free agent signings. Washington did so this morning, adding 14 new players to the 90-man roster, according to the team’s official website. Here’s the complete list of the UDFAs headed to D.C.:
- T Kevin Bowen (East Central)
- S Tevin Carter (Utah)
- TE Michael Cooper (Indiana)
- LB Shiro Davis (Texas) ($5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- WR Reggie Diggs (Richmond)
- LB Ejiro Ederaine (Fresno State)
- T Joe Gore (Clemson)
- WR Maurice Harris (California) ($3.5K signing bonus, per Wilson)
- G Dominick Jackson (Alabama)
- RB Rob Kelley (Tulane)
- FB Joe Kerridge (Michigan)
- DE Anthony Lanier (Alabama A&M)
- S Geno Matias-Smith (Alabama)
- WR Valdez Showers (Florida)
Giants Sign Eli Apple, Other Draftees, 14 UDFAs
It’s been a busy morning for the Giants as their rookie minicamp opens. The team announced today that it has signed four draft picks, including first-round cornerback Eli Apple, along with 14 undrafted free agents.
In addition to locking up Apple, the Giants have signed second-round wide receiver Sterling Shepard, fifth-round running back Paul Perkins, and sixth-round tight end Jerell Adams. Only the team’s third- and fourth-round picks – safety Darian Thompson and linebacker B.J. Goodson – remain unsigned.
Apple’s four-year rookie contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2020, and is worth $15.152MM in total, including a $9.22MM signing bonus. The other rookie deals are far more modest, including Shepard’s, which has a total value of $5.945MM, with a $2.523MM signing bonus.
Here’s the complete list of 14 undrafted free agents that have joined the Giants:
- QB Josh Woodrum (Liberty) ($20K guarantee, per Aaron Wilson)
- RB Marshaun Coprich (Illinois State)
- WR Roger Lewis (Bowling Green)
- WR K.J. Maye (Minnesota)
- WR Darius Powe (California)
- TE Cedrick Lang (UTEP)
- TE Ryan Malleck (Virginia Tech)
- DE Romeo Okwara (Notre Dame)
- DE Mike Rose (North Carolina State) ($12K guarantee, per Wilson)
- DT Melvin Lewis (Kentucky) ($10K guarantee, per Wilson)
- DT Greg Milhouse (Campbell)
- DB Andrew Adams (UConn)
- DB Donte Deayon (Boise State)
- DB Michael Hunter (Oklahoma State)
Dolphins Sign Laremy Tunsil, 12 UDFAs
The Dolphins have locked up their first-round pick, announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has signed his rookie contract. The team also confirmed that seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty has signed his deal, as reported on Thursday.
Tunsil, the 13th overall pick last Thursday, had been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Titans sent that selection to the Rams in a pre-draft trade. Tunsil continued to slip on draft night when, less than an hour before the event got underway, a video surfaced of the former Ole Miss tackle smoking marijuana out of a gas-mask bong.
While the Dolphins were thrilled to have Tunsil fall to them, there’s still some lingering concern within the organization about how he may have been affected by the pre-draft leak, and whether that leaker may continue to attempt to do damage, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Still, those concerns aren’t significant enough to postpone Miami’s signing of Tunsil, and the rookie lineman’s contract contains no unique clauses to protect the team, says Werder.
In addition to signing Tunsil, the Dolphins also announced that they have added 12 undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the full list of Miami’s UDFAs:
- LB Akil Blount (FAMU)
- LB James Burgess (Louisville)
- C/G Ruben Carter (Toledo)
- LS Ryan Disalvo (San Jose State)
- LB Tyler Gray (Boise State)
- S A.J. Hendy (Maryland)
- TE Gabe Hughes (Florida Tech)
- DE Farrington Huguenin (Kentucky)
- K Marshall Koehn (Iowa)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (Pittsburgh)
- WR Rashawn Scott (Miami)
- WR Brandon Shippen (Temple)
Bengals Announce 13 UDFA Signings
The Bengals formally announced their undrafted free agent signings this morning, tweeting out a list of 13 new rookie additions to their roster. After splitting their draft class fairly evenly between offensive and defensive players, the Bengals’ group of UDFAs leans more toward offense, with only four defenders among them. Here’s the full list:
- DE Ryan Brown (Mississippi State)
- RB Tra Carson (Texas A&M)
- G Alex Cooper (Houston)
- DT David Dean (Virginia)
- WR Alex Erickson (Wisconsin)
- WR Antwane Grant (Western Kentucky)
- LB Darien Harris (Michigan State)
- CB Darius Hillary (Wisconsin)
- QB Matt Johnson (Bowling Green) ($5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- RB Dyshawn Mobley (Eastern Kentucky) ($1.5K signing bonus, per Wilson)
- C Alex Redmond (UCLA)
- WR Alonzo Russell (Toledo)
- T John Weidenaar (Montana State)
Jets Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents
The Jets’ rookie minicamp gets underway today in Florham Park, New Jersey, and there will be several undrafted free agents joining the seven players the team selected in last weekend’s draft. In addition to inviting 22 tryout players to audition for the team over the weekend, Gang Green has also confirmed 13 UDFA additions to the 90-man roster.
The Jets’ 13-man UDFA group primarily consists of pass-catchers, defensive ends, and special teams players. Here’s the full list of rookies signed by the club:
- WR Robby Anderson (Temple)
- NT Tarow Barney (Penn State)
- WR Quenton Bundrage (Iowa State)
- C Kyle Friend (Temple)
- P Tom Hackett (Utah)
- WR Jalin Marshall (Ohio State)
- K Ross Martin (Duke)
- DE Helva Matungulu (Western Carolina)
- S Doug Middleton (Appalachian State)
- DE Julien Obioha (Texas A&M)
- DE Claude Pelon (USC)
- DE Lawrence Thomas (Michigan State)
- TE Jason Vander Laan (Ferris State)
Seahawks Place Marshawn Lynch On Reserve/Retired List
Marshawn Lynch‘s retirement, announced earlier in the offseason, has become official today. The Seahawks announced in a press release that they’ve placed the standout running back on the reserve/retired list, formally removing him from their 90-man roster.
Seattle general manager John Schneider had indicated earlier this week that this move was coming at some point prior to June 1st, since the team prefers to take on Lynch’s entire cap hit this year, rather than spreading it out over 2017 as well. Assuming the Seahawks don’t attempt to recoup a portion of the signing bonus on the running back’s last contract – and they’re not expected to – the club will carry $5MM in dead money on its books for Lynch in 2016.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Lynch was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2012, and has a Super Bowl ring. For his career, the former first-round pick racked up a total of 9,112 rushing yards for the Seahawks and Bills, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and totaling 83 touchdowns. While his final season was cut short by injuries, he had earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods prior to 2015.
With Lynch’s retirement official, the Seahawks are expected to turn to Thomas Rawls as their primary back in 2016, assuming he’s healthy. Rawls was impressive in Lynch’s place in 2015, averaging an NFL-best 5.6 yards per carry on 147 attempts, but he fractured his ankle in December and is still on the mend. The team also drafted a trio of running backs last week, nabbing C.J. Prosise in the third round, Alex Collins in the fifth, and Zac Brooks in the seventh.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Sign 19 Undrafted Free Agents
After including a handful of their 2016 draft picks in the trade package that allowed them to move up to No. 1 to snag California quarterback Jared Goff, the Rams only drafted six players last week, with all of them but Goff coming off the board on Day 3. However, Los Angeles has supplemented its draft class by adding 19 undrafted free agents to its roster.
Here’s the complete list of new Rams from Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
- K Taylor Bertolet (Texas A&M)
- LB Brandon Chubb (Wake Forest)
- DE Morgan Fox (Colorado State-Pueblo)
- S Rohan Gaines (Arkansas)
- RB Aaron Green (TCU)
- LB Nicholas Grigsby (Pitt)
- LB Darreon Herring (Vanderbilt)
- DB Michael Jordan (Missouri Western)
- LB Cory Littleton (Washington)
- FS Jordan Lomax (Iowa)
- WR Paul McRoberts (Southeast Missouri St.) ($10K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- OL Pace Murphy (Northwestern St.)
- WR Marquez North (Tennessee)
- LB Kache Palacio (Washington St.)
- S Brian Randolph (Tennessee)
- CB Winston Rose (New Mexico State)
- DE Ian Seau (Nevada)
- WR Nelson Spruce (Colorado)
- OL Jordan Swindle (Kentucky)