Texans Sign Deshaun Watson
The Texans have signed the bulk of their 2017 draft class. Only third round running back D’Onta Foreman remains unsigned. Here’s the full list of every Houston draft pick who is now under contract: 
- 1-12: Deshaun Watson, QB (Clemson)
- 2-57: Zach Cunningham, LB (Vanderbilt)
- 4-130: Julien Davenport, OL (Bucknell)
- 4-142: Carlos Watkins, DL (Clemson)
- 5-169: Treston Decoud, S (Oregon State)
- 7-243: Kyle Fuller, C (Baylor)
The Texans were said to be targeting Watson for several weeks and we learned on draft night that it wasn’t just a smokescreen. Houston traded this year’s No. 25 overall pick and its 2018 first round choice to get the No. 12 selection from the Browns in order to take the Clemson QB. Watson was universally regarded as one of the top QBs in this year’s class and some might argue that the athletic signal caller has more upside than any of his peers. Now, the rookie might have a chance at wrestling the starting job away from Tom Savage.
Cunningham was projected by some as a first round pick and he almost went No. 23 overall when the Giants were on the clock. Luckily for Houston, the Giants wound up taking Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram at No. 23 and passed on him again at No. 55, allowing them to grab the Vanderbilt product all the way down at No. 57.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Packers Sign Top Pick CB Kevin King
The Packers have signed rookie cornerback Kevin King (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Green Bay traded down from the No. 29 selection and acquired picks at No. 33 and No. 108. King, taken with the first pick in the second round, is their top draft pick in the 2017 class. 
As a senior, King totaled 44 tackles (including 3.5 tackles for a loss) and two interceptions. At 6’3″, King offers great height for the cornerback position and he boosted his stock in his final year on campus by having his first ever slate of perfect attendance. Some evaluators worry that he doesn’t have enough speed to be a standout CB, but Green Bay’s front office clearly disagrees.
With ten draft picks in this year’s class, the Packers have even more work to do in the coming days.
Redskins Sign Jonathan Allen
The Redskins have signed first-round pick Jonathan Allen along with eight of their other nine draft picks. The lone holdout, so to speak, is third round cornerback Fabian Moreau. The full list of signed rookies is below: 
- 1-17: Jonathan Allen, DL (Alabama)
- 2-49: Ryan Anderson, LB (Alabama)
- 4-114: Samaje Perine, RB (Oklahoma)
- 4-123: Montae Nicholson, S (Michigan State)
- 5-154: Jeremy Sprinkle, TE (Arkansas)
- 6-199: Chase Roullier, C (Wyoming)
- 6-209: Robert Davis, WR (Georgia State)
- 7-230: Josh Harvey-Clemons, S (Louisville)
- 7-235: Joshua Holsey, S (Auburn)
Allen, an Alabama product, was regarded by many prognosticators as a top five talent in this year’s class. However, on draft night, he slipped all the way to Washington at No. 17. His slide might have been tied to his medical situation as he is said to have symptoms of arthritis in both of his shoulders. Allen says that the shoulders are not an issue now, but he did concede at the combine that the issue could cause trouble down the road. As a senior, Allen had 69 tackles, including 16 tackles for a loss. He also had 10.5 sacks, nearly matching his 12 sack total from 2015.
Sprinkle made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he shoplifted from a Belk department store days before Arkansas played in the Belk Bowl. Despite the embarrassing incident, teams still viewed the tight end as an NFL talent after he had 33 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns in eleven starts for the Razorbacks. We could see Sprinkle in two tight end sets with top TE Jordan Reed this season.
Bears Release WR Eddie Royal
The Bears announced that they have released wide receiver Eddie Royal. In related news, the team has also waived offensive lineman Cornelius Edison, fullback Paul Lasike, and defensive lineman Will Sutton. 
[RELATED: Bears Willing To Trade TE Zach Miller?]
Royal, 31 later this month, was an expected cap casualty after the March signing of Kendall Wright. The veteran had one year remaining on his contract, but his $5MM salary was completely non-guaranteed. Royal underwent surgery in late December to fix his turf toe issue and the fact that his release was formalized today could be an indication that he is able to pass a physical and suit up for a team.
Royal appeared in nine games last season for the Bears until he was placed on IR. In his injury-shortened season, he hauled in 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns. The receiver first made a name for himself in Denver where he caught passes from Jay Cutler in the 2008 season. Now, both men are out of Chicago.
The Bears are projected to have Cameron Meredith, Wright, Kevin White, and Markus Wheaton as their top four receivers this year.
Dolphins RB Damien Williams Signs Tender
Damien Williams has signed his RFA tender, according to a league source who spoke with Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). Williams was reportedly reluctant to sign on the dotted line over a desire for more money, but he has decided to move forward and play on the one-year, $1.8MM deal. 
Restricted free agents have little recourse once a tender is applied and the window for offer sheets closes, but Williams was hoping to pressure Miami into giving him a pay bump anyway. As expected, things didn’t work in the running back’s favor. Still, he’s in a pretty good spot as the tender will pay him three times what he earned in 2016.
The Patriots took a late look at Williams around the same time as they met with Mike Gillislee, but they ultimately signed the Bills ballcarrier to an offer sheet instead. As far as we know, no other clubs showed serious interest in signing him.
With Jay Ajayi entrenched as the No. 1 ball carrier, Williams is slated to share backup duties with rising sophomore Kenyan Drake.
Falcons Sign Takkarist McKinley
The Falcons have now signed their entire 2017 draft class. First round defensive end Takkarist McKinley, third round linebacker Duke Riley, fifth round running back Brian Hill, and fifth round tight end Eric Saubert are all under contract, the team announced. 
The Falcons traded up to the Seahawks’ No. 26 pick during the first round in order to select McKinley, a former star at UCLA. McKinley went viral for his outpouring of emotions on the stage, but the Falcons believe that he’ll be known more for his play on the field before long. The 6’2″, 250 pound athlete has been widely praised for his high motor and his big wingspan should allow him to fend off blockers at the next level. In his senior year at UCLA, McKinley racked up 61 total tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, and ten sacks – all career highs.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Falcons’ draft class:
- 1-25: Takkarist McKinley, DE (UCLA)
- 3-75: Duke Riley, LB (LSU)
- 4-136: Sean Harlow, OL (Oregon State)
- 5-149: Damontae Kazee, CB (San Diego State)
- 5-156: Brian Hill, RB (Wyoming)
- 5-174: Eric Saubert, TE (Drake)
Cardinals Had Interest In Daryl Washington
The Cardinals have parted ways with linebacker Daryl Washington, but they did have some level of interest in retaining him. A source with knowledge of the talks between the two sides tells Mike Florio of PFT that the Cardinals would have liked to retain Washington, but it sounds like they could not agree on terms. 
Washington was regarded as a top linebacker when he was last on the field, but that was three years ago. The Cardinals would not be penciling the veteran in for a starting role, particularly after an offseason which they added linebacker Haason Reddick with the No. 13 overall pick. Reading between the lines, it seems like Arizona balked at the idea of paying Washington $2.9MM in 2017, per the terms of his previous deal. However, they might have offered him something closer to the veteran’s minimum with low or no guarantees on the deal. Washington has been without football income since the 2013 season, so that wouldn’t be a palatable arrangement for him.
“I want to thank the Cardinals organization, especially Mr. [Michael] Bidwell and Steve Keim for drafting and believing in me, and their continued support,” Washington said in a statement. “We’ve had some really positive and productive discussions this week, and at the end of the day we mutually agreed it was best for both sides to get a fresh start. I’m in the best shape of my life, and very much look forward to the next opportunity, where I will again play at an All-Pro level and help my team make a championship run.”
For months, we had been hearing that the Cardinals had no interest in a reunion with Washington. Apparently, that’s not entirely true. The Cardinals’ interest in putting Washington on the field may not be major news now that they are going their separate ways, but it may be a sign that he still has something left in the tank. If that’s the case, then he might have a good chance of suiting up for one of the other 31 teams this year.
Jets Audition RB Stevan Ridley
Could Stevan Ridley return to the Jets? Gang Green worked out the running back this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter). 
Ridley, who with the Jets in 2015, has apparently drawn interest from a few teams. He was hampered by injuries in 2016 and bounced around the league a bit, but he’s mostly healthy now as he auditions for clubs.
The Lions signed Ridley prior to the 2016 season with the idea that he would fulfill their “big back” role. However, he slid down the depth chart in the summer and was cut loose in late August. After a cup of coffee with the Colts in the preseason, he was on the couch until the Falcons came calling in October. Less than one month after that, he was shown the door. The veteran worked out for the Seahawks in late December, but that showcase did not lead to a deal.
The Jets will go into 2017 with Bilal Powell and Matt Forte as their lead backs and sixth-round pick Elijah McGuire has the inside track on filling one of the reserve spots behind them. After that, it’s a bit of a free for all and the Jets wouldn’t hesitate to sign Ridley if they felt that he had something to contribute this year.
Cardinals Release LB Daryl Washington
The Cardinals are moving on from Daryl Washington. Arizona announced on Thursday that the linebacker has been released. 
“After meeting with Daryl Washington, we have collectively decided it is best to release Daryl and give him the opportunity to continue his career elsewhere,” the team said in a statement.
Washington has not played a down of football since Week 17 of the 2013 season. After missing three consecutive years thanks to his repeated violations of the substance abuse policy, the Cardinals were not expected to welcome him back even after he was granted reinstatement.
Now, Washington is free to seek employment elsewhere but he’s unlikely to find a team willing to give him guaranteed money or a salary to match the $2.9MM he was set to earn this season. Still, given his background as a productive player and a Pro Bowler, he should still get a camp invite or at least a tryout from some team out there.
Washington, 30, had 134 tackles and nine sacks in 2012, his last complete NFL season. In 2013, he was still productive with 75 tackles and three sacks in 12 games.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Not only does Colin Kaepernick remain unsigned, but it seems the quarterback has been unable to draw anything resembling real interest from NFL teams. There have been a myriad of theories floated around about what has led to his unemployment but a recent column from Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports disputes many of the knocks against Kaepernick. 
It has been said that Kaepernick’s vegan diet has caused him to lose too much weight, but a source familiar with his workouts tells Robinson that he has bulked back up to his playing weight of 230 pounds. He’s still on a meatless regimen, but Tony Gonzalez, Arian Foster, and Ricky Williams all succeeded in the NFL after adopting vegan or vegan-type diets, so it can be argued that concerns about the way he eats are without merit. In addition to that, the source says that he has fully recovered from all past surgeries.
Robinson also received further denials on rumors of Kaepernick asking for starting quarterback money, which would mean roughly $9MM or more. Sources close to the controversial QB say that he has not even spoken to any team about a salary, so any reports about him making a demand like that are bogus. Robinson adds that he has personally been unable to substantiate reports of Kaepernick making fiscal demands.
From a talent perspective, it’s hard to argue that Kaepernick isn’t deserving of a roster spot somewhere. However, it sounds like teams are avoiding him because they don’t believe there is enough upside to justify the dreaded specter of a media distraction.