49ers Work Out DE Cedric Reed
The 49ers are auditioning defensive end Cedric Reed today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Reed previously spent time with the Bills and Dolphins but has yet to appear in an NFL game.
[RELATED: 49ers Tried To Trade Into Mid-First Round For Reuben Foster]
Reed was a prominent player for the University of Texas in his final two seasons on campus. Although he had 74 tackles and ten sacks as a junior followed by 69 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a senior, he went undrafted in 2014 and has been looking for steady work ever since. Reed was among the final cuts in Miami last year, so he’s certainly a guy who’s worth consideration for the 90-man roster.
In other 49ers news, we recently learned that the Niners tried to trade up to the middle of the first round to draft Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster. Fortunately for them, they were able to land Foster near the end of the first round instead. Meanwhile, the trainer for former Niner Colin Kaepernick says that the quarterback absolutely still wants to play.
Steelers Release TE Ladarius Green
The Steelers have released tight end Ladarius Green. In a related move, Pittsburgh signed running back Terrell Watson. 
Pittsburgh signed Green as a free agent last offseason with the idea that he would become one of Ben Roethlisberger‘s go-to weapons. Instead, ailments kept him off the field for much of 2016. His Steelers career ends after six games and 18 receptions for 304 yards and a touchdown. His best game with the Steelers came against the Giants in Week 13, when he had six receptions for 110 yards and his one score on the year.
In the past, Green has suffered from chronic headaches. Those headaches, he says, stemmed from sinus issues and not concussions. Last summer, there were reports that he was mulling retirement as a result of the head trauma he has suffered, but he later denied those claims. Late in the 2016 regular season, the tight end was placed in concussion protocol following a big hit in Week 15. Depending on who you ask, it was either the concussions or the surgically-repaired ankle that kept Green out of action for much of last season.
Before coming to the Steelers, Green amassed 37 catches for 429 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games (11 starts), a solid stat line considering that he was sharing the field with Antonio Gates in many of those games. From a talent perspective, the league had been waiting for multiple seasons for the ultra-athletic tight end to break out. Sadly, Green’s football future seems pretty murky after his disappointing season and today’s release.
With Green out of the picture, Jesse James projects as the Steelers’ No. 1 tight end for 2017. The Steelers did not address the position in the draft, so he is without any real competition at this time.
Green earned just over $6MM in the first year of his would-be four-year, $20MM deal. By cutting him early, the Steelers are left with $3.562MM of dead money on the books. They’ll save $2.625MM in 2017, however.
Watson spent part of the 2016 season on the Browns, Broncos and Eagles practice squads. He was on the Eagles’ 53-man roster for the final week of the regular season.
Good News For Browns DB Howard Wilson
It turns out that the injury to Browns defensive back Howard Wilson is not as bad as initially feared. His partially fractured kneecap was initially believed to be a season-ender, but a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that he’ll need only three or four months to recover. With that in mind, there’s a chance that he could suit up for the Browns midseason.
The Browns selected Wilson in the fourth round and he was widely projected to play a key role as a reserve corner. Shortly after he went down, the Browns rushed to sign veteran cornerback Jason McCourty. When considering that Wilson is going to still be out for a while and the Browns did not make any other major changes to the CB group, the McCourty signing still looks like a prudent move.
Wilson has now suffered two serious knee issues in the past three years. In his sophomore season at Houston, he suffered a torn ACL. In 2016, Wilson bounced back as he appeared in 12 games and registered 54 tackles with five interceptions.
Jaguars Touch Base With Branden Albert
There has been communication this week between the Jaguars and left tackle Branden Albert, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). This is a positive development since head coach Doug Marrone, as of one week ago, had not spoken to the lineman.
“I just want to know so when you ask me, I can answer it or when [Coughlin or Caldwell] asks, I can answer them,” Marrone said on May 13. “They ask me, ‘Have you talked to him? Is he going to come? Is he going to play?’ I don’t know. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had a player on the [franchise] tag and they would say, ‘Hey, I’m not signing the tag, I’m not going to [show up], but I’m going to be working out and training.’ … You just want to know where everyone is at and that’s all I was expecting [from Albert].”
Albert still has roughly a month before he can be fined for his absence, but the lack of dialogue between Jacksonville and the offseason pickup is noteworthy. After Albert was traded to the Jaguars this offseason, free agent tackles like Matt Kalil, Riley Reiff and Russell Okung cashed in on the open market, and that likely led Albert to push for a better contract. The Jaguars reportedly are unwilling to renegotiate his deal.
As it stands, Albert has two years to go with cap numbers of $8.9MM in 2017 and $9.6MM in 2018. There is no guaranteed cash in either season.
Bills Sign Rookie CB Tre’Davious White
The Bills have signed first-round pick Tre’Davious White, according to a team announcement. Per the terms of his slot, his four-year deal will be worth $10.1MM, including a $5.48MM signing bonus. As a first-round pick, the Bills will also reserve the right to tack a fifth year on to his contract down the line.
The Bills entered the draft with the No. 10 pick but moved down to the No. 27 pick after the Chiefs offered up their No. 27 overall pick, a third-round pick, and their 2018 first-round selection. With that No. 27 pick, the Bills selected White, a player that they hope can immediately step into a primetime role.
Buffalo allowed Stephon Gilmore to leave in free agency this year and the release of slot specialist Nickell Robey-Coleman thinned things out further. Now, White and 2015 draft pick Ronald Darby project as the starting corners with something of a ragtag bunch behind them.
In his final year at LSU, White had 35 total tackles (including four tackles for a loss) and two interceptions. The rap on White is that he’s not an overly aggressive tackler, though his coverage skills should allow him to succeed at the next level.
Colts Sign First-Round Pick Malik Hooker
The Colts have signed first-round pick Malik Hooker. As dictated by his slot, he’ll get a four-year, $12.6MM deal with a $7.304MM signing bonus.
Hooker did not participate in the Colts‘ rookie minicamp earlier this month and will likely be held out until training camp. The No. 15 overall pick underwent surgeries in January to repair a torn labrum and address a hernia issue, so the Colts will be taking the safe approach with him.
Heading into the draft, Hooker was viewed as a potential top ten pick despite the health concerns. In his final year at Ohio State, Hooker racked up 74 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and an eye-popping seven interceptions. Some talent evaluators preferred Hooker to LSU safety Jamal Adams who went nine picks earlier to the Jets.
Hooker wasn’t the fastest defensive back in this year’s class, but his natural instincts propelled him to the top of many draft boards. Some have knocked his lack of starting experience – 2016 was his only year as a full-year starter – but his potential is evident.
“[He’s] still so raw and you see him making all of those plays. He’s a player who will come in and look bad his first year and then be an all-pro by his third year. I think that’s his arc. No short-cut for experience,” one AFC personnel director told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Smith, Mahomes
The Chiefs gave Alex Smith a heads-up before drafting Patrick Mahomes, but the veteran is realistic about what the rookie’s presence means for him.
“I think [the Chiefs are] committed to me [only] through this year,” Smith said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher). “That’s just the nature of it. If you don’t go out there and perform, I mean, coach [Andy] Reid and [quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy] are very honest. You’ve got to go out there and do your deal. We all have to. Whether or not we drafted Patrick, it doesn’t change that, right? If you’re not good enough and didn’t get it done, you’re not going to be around long. That’s just our culture. I know it. That’s the nature of the position.”
Smith is under contract for two more seasons, but KC can drop him next year and save $17MM versus just $3.6MM in dead money. If Mahomes gets an opportunity this year and performs well, it’s conceivable that Smith won’t be around to see the scheduled end of his contract.
Here’s more from the AFC West:
- The Chiefs are hiring former Packers Assistant Director of Pro Personnel Tim Terry to be their new Director of Pro Personnel, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Terry was started with the Packers in 2004 and ascended to Assistant Director of Pro Personnel in 2008. After roughly 13 years in Green Bay, he’s going from the NFC North to the AFC West and getting a promotion.
- Tre Boston was moved to sign with the Chargers after a chance meeting with a random man, as ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams writes. “I crossed two lanes to get to the gas station. I pump my gas. After I pump my gas, I put my wallet in my car. After I put my wallet in my car, there’s a guy with three kids and he asked me for a little bit of change, or if I had a dollar or two,” the safety explained. “I gave him a $20. So he tells me thank you so much, and that God put me in his life for a reason. And in my mind I’m saying you’re here for a reason, too. So in my mind I’m saying should I ask him, ‘L.A. or Buffalo.’ And before I could ask him, my man told me, ‘Thank you so much. There aren’t too many people like you in this world, God’s children. My name’s Mike Daniels, but people call me L.A.'” Pittsburgh also reportedly expressed interest in signing Boston, but it sounds like the Bills were the real runners-up for his services.
- Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like we’ll see Aldon Smith suiting up for the Raiders anytime soon.
Steelers Cut LS Greg Warren
Long snapper Greg Warren won’t be playing for the Steelers this season and it sounds like he won’t be playing for any other NFL team either. In a press release announcing that Warren has been cut with a failed physical, Warren indicated that he’ll be staying out of football in 2017.
“I had full intentions of playing this upcoming season, but in light of new information I’ve recently received from my doctors relating to a past injury, it has been determined that trying to compete in the 2017 season may be a risk to my long-term health,” Warren said. “After discussing this with the Steelers, we have decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to release me at this point.”
The 35-year-old (36 in the fall) had been the team’s long snapper since 2005 and played in 180 career games. Now that he is taking the year off, sixth-round pick Colin Holba figures to step into his role.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Graham, Giants
There’s no reason that the Eagles would re-open negotiations with Brandon Graham unless they are just looking to do a solid for him, though that could open a pandora’s box of future requests from other players, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. Graham has outperformed his contract, but he still has two years to go on the deal and he has already made it clear that he will not be a summer holdout. In theory, the Eagles could shift some 2018 dollars into this year, but they’re already pretty tight against the cap. The Eagles could also guarantee some money that Graham was going to earn anyway, but that probably won’t do much to make him happy. At this point, Fitzgerald concludes that Graham’s best bet will be to crush it in 2017 and convince Philly’s front office to give him a lucrative extension next offseason that will allow him to retire with the Eagles.
Here’s more out of the NFC East:
- The Giants are all-in on Paul Perkins after their lowball offer to LeGarrette Blount, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. There was mutual interest between the Giants and Blount, but Raanan hears that the G-Men only came to the table with a minimum-salary offer. Ultimately, it seems that the Giants were only willing to add a power back if one would come to them on an exceptionally cheap deal. That didn’t materialize, so Perkins now projects as the starter with Orleans Darkwa and rookie Wayne Gallman as insurance. Shane Vereen, meanwhile, figues to be the passing-down back with Shaun Draughn as a potential failsafe in that facet of the game.
- Redskins coach Jay Gruden believes that outside linebacker Junior Galette should be able to join the team by the end of July, as Nona Princiotti of The Washington Times writes. “He’s running and lifting, all that stuff right now,” Gruden said. “We’ll probably keep him out of the team stuff for OTAs but hopefully he’ll be full go at training camp.” Galette signed with the Redskins prior to the 2015 season but he has yet to play a down for D.C. The pass rusher tore his left Achilles tendon two summers ago and tore his right Achilles last year.
- The signing of Blount will likely lead the Eagles to release Ryan Mathews.
Patriots Release TE Rob Housler
The Patriots have released tight end Rob Housler, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). His release comes with a failed physical designation. 
This offseason, Housler was hoping to lock down the No. 3 TE job behind Rob Gronkowski and offseason addition Dwayne Allen. He’s currently dealing with a pulled hamstring, but a reunion between Housler and the Pats is not out of the question once he heals up, Reiss tweets.
Housler was without a team in 2016, though not for a lack of trying. After several NFL workouts did not net him a job, he hooked on with New England in January on a reserves/futures deal.
The former third-round pick was a staple in the Cardinals lineup from 2011 through 2014, averaging nearly 14 games a season. The tight end was especially productive in 2012 and 2013, combining for 84 receptions, 871 yards, and one touchdown in 28 games. In 2015, he bounced between the Bears and Browns and amassed just four catches for 33 yards.