HEADLINES

Author: Luke Adams

Cardinals Announce 16 UDFA Additions

May 2nd, 2016 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals supplemented their six-man draft class today by agreeing to sign 16 undrafted free agents, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com details. General manager Steve Keim is optimistic about the potential impact of the team’s newest additions.

“We’re excited about it, because we still have a number of guys that we like, that we think have an opportunity to make this football team,” Keim said of the UDFAs. “You look at the past history of this organization, we’ve had guys make significant contributions, whether it’s been Lyle Sendlein or a Jaron Brown, they can be the difference of you winning football games or not. Not only do our coaches do a great job, our scouts, they work together and they call and they recruit these guys extremely well.”

Here’s the full list of the 16 UDFAs who agreed to sign in Arizona:

Jaguars Decline Luke Joeckel’s 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The second overall pick from the 2013 draft will not have his fifth-year option picked up for 2017, reports Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. According to O’Halloran, the Jaguars have decided to turn down Luke Joeckel‘s 2017 option.Luke Joeckel

[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

Joeckel, the first pick made by the Jaguars after Dave Caldwell became the general manager and Gus Bradley became the head coach, hasn’t exactly been the most successful selection of their tenure in Jacksonville. Although he has started 35 games for the Jags since joining the team in 2013, including 30 over the last two years, Joeckel has been inconsistent and hasn’t lived up to his draft slot.

After spending the last two years as Jacksonville’s left tackle, Joeckel may be usurped by free agent signee Kelvin Beachum in 2016. The former Steeler is expected to take over as the Jags’ left tackle if he’s healthy. That could mean Joeckel ends up on the bench in a reserve role, or in a spot elsewhere on the line.

By turning down Joeckel’s $11.902MM option for 2017, the Jaguars perhaps preserve some trade value for the tackle as well. I don’t expect the team to find a taker for him, but if he has a solid camp and another club’s left tackle goes down with an injury, it’s in play. The 24-year-old is set to earn a guaranteed base salary of $3.296MM this season before becoming eligible for free agency in 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Cut Jarius Wynn, Add 14 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2016 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have fortified their rookie class, adding to their seven-man draft class by agreeing to terms with another 14 undrafted free agents, the team announced today. Here are the 14 undrafted rookies who have agreed to sign with Buffalo:

In addition to adding over a dozen rookies to their roster, the Bills also cut ties with some veteran players, per a press release. The most notable name in the trio of players released is edge defender Jarius Wynn, who perhaps became more expandable after Buffalo used its first-round pick on outside rusher Shaq Lawson. Wynn last played in 2014, recording 17 tackles and two sacks for the Bills.

The club also cut cornerback Merrill Noel and offensive lineman Ronald Patrick.

Broncos Decline Sylvester Williams’ 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos will not be exercising Sylvester Williams‘s $6.757MM option for 2017, a source tells Troy Renck and Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. As the Post duo details, GM John Elway and the Broncos like what Williams brings to the table, but are wary about committing significant money to a nose tackle.Sylvester Williams

[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

Williams, 27, had perhaps his best season in 2015, starting 15 games for the Broncos and establishing new career bests in tackles (25) and sacks (2.5). Primarily a two-down player, Williams helped anchor Denver’s stout run defense, appearing in just under half of the club’s defensive snaps for the season.

As we’ve seen throughout this offseason, the Broncos have been careful about not overpaying in contract negotiations, even for players who were crucial cogs on their Super Bowl team. Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson, and Danny Trevathan were among the players who departed in free agency, while the club has yet to work out new long-term deals with franchised pass rusher Von Miller or RFA linebacker Brandon Marshall.

In Williams’ case, the team would like to keep him around beyond the 2016 season, but didn’t want a $6.757MM cap charge on the books for him in 2017. Since the Broncos would prefer to extend him at a lesser salary, they weren’t interested in using that figure as a starting point in negotiations, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucs Agree To Terms With 19 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2016 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers’ rookie free agent class is a large one, with 19 undrafted players agreeing to terms with Tampa Bay, according to a team release. Here’s the full list of undrafted free agents who have agreed to sign with the Bucs:

Buccaneers Release Connor Barth

May 2nd, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

2:10pm: The Buccaneers have formally confirmed the release of Barth, announcing that they’ve also cut defensive end Martin Ifedi, who had signed a futures deal in January. Per Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link), Barth requested his release from the Bucs, hoping for the opportunity to find a new home elsewhere.

11:06am: After trading up in the draft to select Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round, the Buccaneers will release veteran kicker Connor Barth today, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).Connor Barth

[RELATED: Bucs trade up to No. 59, select Roberto Aguayo]

The move had been expected since the moment the Buccaneers turned in their draft card for Aguayo — the team wasn’t going used a second-round pick on a kicker, only to have him compete for a job. Barth had been cut and re-signed by the Bucs multiple times in the past, but he’s unlikely to return this time, barring an injury to the team’s rookie kicker.

Last season, after opening the regular-season schedule with Kyle Brindza handling kicking duties, the Buccaneers made a change several weeks into the season, bringing back Barth to replace the struggling Brindza. The 30-year-old ultimately made 23 of 28 field goal attempts (82.1%), along with 25 of 26 extra point tries.

Barth had been in line to earn a $1.333MM salary in 2016, but that figure was non-guaranteed. Tampa Bay will clear the entire amount from its books by cutting Barth, creating a little extra cap flexibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ravens Decline Matt Elam’s 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Ravens won’t be picking up safety Matt Elam‘s fifth-year option for the 2017 season, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Elam will be eligible for free agency after the 2016 campaign, assuming Baltimore keeps him on its roster through the year.Matt Elam

Elam, 24, started 26 regular season contests at safety for the Ravens during his first two NFL seasons. However, having led the team in missed tackles and struggled mightily in coverage, he was bumped from Baltimore’s lineup in favor of Will Hill down the stretch in 2014.

Elam entered 2015 looking to redeem himself, but suffered a complete biceps tear in training camp, ending his season. He was also suspended one game for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse.

Heading into training camp this year, Elam figures to compete for the No. 3 safety job in Baltimore’s secondary. If he looks good, he could win that job and earn himself some playing time. However, if he keeps slipping down the depth chart, he’ll be in danger of losing his roster spot entirely. If the Ravens were to cut him, they’d remove his $1.328MM base salary from their 2016 cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Pick Up Options For Ogletree, Austin

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have exercised their 2017 options for a pair of former first-round picks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that both linebacker Alec Ogletree and wide receiver Tavon Austin had their fifth-year options picked up.Alec Ogletree (Vertical)

[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

There was never much doubt that the Rams would exercise their 2017 option on Ogeltree, which is worth $8.369MM. Despite the fact that ankle issues cost him most of the 2015 season, the 24-year-old remains one of the more talented players on Los Angeles’ defense, particularly among non-defensive linemen. In his last full season, Ogletree recorded 111 tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defended, and four forced fumbles in 2014.

As for Austin, that decision wasn’t quite as simple. The 25-year-old enjoyed his best season in 2015, establishing new career-highs in receptions (52), receiving yards (473), rushing yards (434), and touchdowns (nine). However, as a top-10 pick, Austin will be owed a $12.268MM salary for 2017 now that his option has been exercised. That’s a significant price for a non-traditional wideout who had never topped 500 receiving yards.

We heard back in February that the Rams are interested in getting extensions done with both Ogletree and Austin, so it’s possible that neither player will actually play out the 2017 season on the terms of his current contract. Working out agreements that extend Ogletree’s and Austin’s stays in Los Angeles beyond 2017 could allow the Rams to reduce both players’ cap numbers for ’17.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Washington Releases Chris Culliver

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After adding standout cornerback Josh Norman in free agency and selecting Virginia Tech corner Kendall Fuller on day two of the draft, Washington has parted ways with one of its incumbents at the position. According to GM Scot McCloughan (via Twitter), the team has released veteran cornerback Chris Culliver.Chris Culliver (Vertical)

Culliver, 27, signed a four-year, $32MM contract with Washington just over a year ago, ultimately playing out just one season of that deal. Although Culliver’s agreement with the club called for $16MM in full guarantees, including an $8MM guaranteed salary for 2016, that guarantee was voided when the cornerback was suspended one game for a 2014 incident.

In 2014, his final season with the 49ers, Culliver limited opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 50.7% and a 66.5 passer rating when they threw into his coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF’s grades placed Culliver as the 14th-best cornerback out of 108 qualified players. In 2015, however, Culliver started six games for Washington, tallying 16 tackles and one pass deflection. He was placed on injured reserve in November after tearing his ACL.

Releasing Culliver will save Washington $8MM in cash for 2016, and will open up $5.5MM in cap space, reducing his charge from $9.25MM to $3.75MM.

As a vested veteran, Culliver will be free to sign with any team upon being released, without first having to pass through waivers. Per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter links), McCoughan didn’t close the door on the possibility of Culliver returning to Washington at a reduced rate, but that sounds unlikely.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Cut Khaled Holmes, Three Others

May 2nd, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have waived offensive lineman Khaled Holmes and three other players, the team announced today in a press release. Tight end Cameron Clear, long snapper Forrest Hill, and tackle Mitchell Van Dyk will join Holmes on the free agent market, assuming they clear waivers.Khaled Holmes

Holmes, 26, is the most notable player in the group, having been a fourth-round pick in 2013 out of USC. The interior lineman started nine games for the Colts since joining the team, including seven in 2015. However, he played primarily at center in Indianapolis, and the club’s decision to draft Ryan Kelly in the first round on Thursday made Holmes expendable.

The salary cap impact of today’s moves will be negligible for the Colts. All four players were on minimum salary contracts, and only Holmes had any dead money left on his deal. His release will clear his non-guaranteed $675K base salary from Indianapolis’ books, leaving about $105K in dead money on the cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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