Guard Hugh Thornton Retires From NFL
Former Colts guard Hugh Thornton is retiring from the NFL. He signed a free agent deal with the Falcons in March, but he has decided to walk away from the game less than two months later. 
Thornton, 26 in June, started 32 games for the Colts from 2013-2015. The former third-round pick was held back by injuries and had not seen regular season action since December 2015. The reason for his retirement is not immediately known, but it’s safe to assume that his recovery has not gone according to plan.
The former third round pick was slated to be one of the top guard backups for Atlanta this year, offering support to Andy Levitre and Ryan Schraeder. Now, the Falcons will look to 2016 sixth round pick Wes Schweitzer and 2017 fourth round pick as the top reserves at the position.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
There are some within the 49ers organization that believe Colin Kaepernick may focus on social justice issues on a full-time basis rather than play football, Peter King of The MMQB writes. However, Dave Zirin of The Nation (on Twitter) has personally spoken to Kaepernick and the quarterback says that he is not moving on from football. He adds that the controversial QB is working out every day with the hope of landing a camp invite. 
[RELATED: 49ers Release RB DuJuan Harris]
So far, there has been no real interest in Kaepernick’s services this offseason. If Kaepernick has not even received an offer for a non-guaranteed deal enabling him to compete in training camp, then one has to imagine that his polarizing politics are keeping him out of the NFL. On top of that, some teams are apparently concerned about his vegan diet and his commitment to football, It’s not clear if Kaepernick has managed to bulk up this offseason or if he’s even looking to add pounds to his thinned out frame.
In 2016, Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions. He also averaged 7.2 yards per passing attempt (up from 6.2 in 2015) and finished second among QBs in rushing yards (468, on a lofty 6.8 per carry).
Buccaneers To Sign CB Robert McClain
The Buccaneers have signed cornerback Robert McClain, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. McClain played for Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Mike Smith when they were both in Atlanta. 
McClain was a quality corner under Smith’s watch, but his play has sharply regressed in recent years. Last year, the Panthers released him and that was a particularly bad look since the secondary was lousy overall. He later hooked on with the Chargers but didn’t find success there either. Overall, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 103 cornerback out of 111 qualified players in 2016.
McClain’s best year came with the Falcons in 2012, under Smith’s watch, though he also had a respectable year with Carolina in 2013. In every season since, he has been near the bottom of PFF’s CB standings.
The Bucs will start rising sophomore Vernon Hargreaves and Brent Grimes at corner. Josh Robinson, Jude Adjel-Barimah, and Javien Elliott are among those currently slated for reserve roles. The Bucs did not select a cornerback in the draft this year, though they did sign some CBs as UDFAs.
Chiefs Sign Six Players, Cut Seven
The Chiefs are making moves. The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that six players have been signed while seven others have been shown the door:
Signed:
- Ricky Ali’ifua, DL (previously reported)
- Emanuel Byrd, TE
- Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB
- Will Monday, P
- Devine Redding, RB
- Jamari Staples, WR
Cut:
- Vernon Harris, CB
- Anas Hasic, WR
- Wyatt Houston, TE
- Cory Johnson, DL
- Will Ratelle, FB
- Darrin Reaves, RB (previously reported)
- Kelvin Taylor, RB
Taylor was signed by the Chiefs just last week but was unable to stick on the roster. Before coming to KC, Taylor spent part of the 2016 season on the Seahawks’ practice squad and one game on the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, his odds of making the Chiefs’ final cut was never all that great anyway with Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, C.J. Spiller, and third-round pick Kareem Hunt already in the fold. Taylor, a former sixth-round pick, will now look to hook on elsewhere.
Jean-Baptiste auditioned for the Chiefs over the weekend. Selected in the second round of the 2014 draft by New Orleans, he has yet to live up to the hype. In his three seasons since being drafted, he has appeared in just four games.
No More Comp. Pick Formula For UFAs
Starting today, unrestricted free agents that are signed will not count towards the league’s 2018 compensatory pick formula. Today is the second Tuesday after the draft and, as stipulated by the rules, teams can now sign players without having to worry about hurting their standing in next year’s draft. 
Compensatory picks are given to teams that lose a greater number of compensatory free agents (or, a greater quality of free agents) than they acquire. The complicated formula that dictates how the picks are dispersed is not disclosed to the public, but teams are wary of signing lower impact UFAs while it is in effect. Now that we’re past that point of the offseason, a major barrier has been lifted for veteran free agents like LeGarrette Blount and others.
For a more complete explanation of the compensatory pick formula, we recommend this primer from Over The Cap.
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Seahawks’ Jarran Reed Accused Of Assault
Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed is under investigation for domestic violence, as Alex Rozier of KING5-TV writes. Sources close to the Bellevue Police Department say that authorities are still assessing whether to file charges. The alleged incident took place in the early hours of April 27. 
The Seahawks selected Reed in the second round of the 2016 draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games (six starts) and recorded 34 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. This year, Reed projects to start for the Seahawks at one defensive tackle spot, perhaps with 2017 second round pick Malik McDowell alongside him. Of course, if these accusations have merit, Reed’s availability could be jeopardized.
The young Alabama product has serious high upside, as longtime scout Dave-Te Thomas outlined for PFR prior to the 2016 draft:
Reed is a “never back down from anything” type. He sacrificed personal success to play the role of “trash man” for the Tide, using his power and frame to constantly take on double teams in order for a freed-up teammate to make the play. He is an all-out battler in tight quarters and shows enough functional quickness to make plays outside the box while also generating good urgency in pursuit. When he gets in a groove, he simply overpowers and wears down the blockers with his leg drive and combative nature.
He might not have the 330-pound frame you look for in a three-tech, but he has above average upper body strength and that strong anchor to split double teams and collapse the offensive line….He will engage and shed with good force and shows a surprising motor in short area pursuit. When he gets into the hole, he delivers that strong hand punch to clog the rush lanes and push back the lead blocker as evidenced by teams recording just four first downs on 52 rushing attempts against him in 2015.
Jaguars Release LB Marcus Rush
The Jaguars have released linebacker Marcus Rush, the team announced. 
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Rush, 26 in June, went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2015 and spent his first two years in the pros on San Francisco’s taxi squad. In December of last year, the Jaguars signed him off of the 49ers’ practice squad. Rush didn’t get a real opportunity to play in Jacksonville either, unfortunately, and he is still waiting to get a chance to show what he can do in live action. In the 2016 preseason, Rush led the league with six sacks in exhibition, so there’s reason to believe that he can be a contributor.
In other Jaguars news, the team hosted safety Aaron Williams on a visit last week, but there’s no deal just yet. Tight end Gary Barnidge, who has drawn the interest of multiple teams, may meet with the Jaguars in the coming days.
Draft Pick Signings: Broncos, Steelers
The latest draft picks to put pen to paper on their first NFL deals:
- The Broncos have signed fifth-round wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. The Broncos traded up to the No. 172 pick to select the Georgia product and he could wind up as the team’s main punt returner. In 2016, McKenzie recorded 44 catches for 633 yards and seven touchdowns.
- The Steelers announced that they have signed fifth-round defensive back Brian Allen. The former Utah standout is the first of Pittsburgh’s eight draft picks to sign.
Seahawks Claim RB Mike Davis Off Waivers
Mike Davis is staying in the NFC West. The Seahawks have claimed the running back off waivers from the 49ers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Expect To Retain Richard Sherman]
The Seahawks selected Oklahoma running back Chris Carson with one of the final picks in the draft but they’re still looking into reserve options to slot behind Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, and C.J. Prosise. Troymaine Pope, 2016 fifth-round pick Alex Collins, J.D. McKissic, Terrence Magee, and Tre Madden are also vying for a roster spot.
The 49ers informed Davis of his release last week. Davis, a fourth-round pick in 2015, hasn’t done a whole lot in his two NFL seasons. Last year, he suffered a broken hand midway through the season and never returned to action even though he was slated to be the team’s one IR-DTR player. Between 2015 and 2016, he has averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on 54 attempts for the 49ers.
10 Centers The Saints Could Pursue
Saints center Max Unger went under the knife to help fix an issue with his foot, and that surgery will cause him to miss the start of the season. With no exact timetable in place for his return, the Saints will likely consider out-of-house options to help fill the void.
With some help from PFR’s Dallas Robinson, here are centers that New Orleans could look into acquiring:
- Nick Mangold (free agent): Mangold remains on the open market and he stands as the most obvious choice for the Saints to consider. The Saints would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a resume as impressive as Mangold’s and the seven-time Pro Bowler probably wouldn’t cost all that much at this stage of the offseason. At the same time, there’s a reason why he is still available here in May and word of clubs asking him to change positions isn’t exactly encouraging.
- Jason Kelce (Eagles): Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com was quick to connect the dots on Monday morning after word of Unger’s injury broke. The Eagles reportedly have had Kelce on the trading block for some time now and the Saints would now be a logical landing spot for him. The Eagles beat writer suggests that a Kelce deal could see running back Mark Ingram going to Philly, but I personally have a hard time seeing that happen. If the Saints are unable to meet the Eagles’ asking price for Kelce, however, they might be able to swing a deal for another interesting option on their roster.
- Stefen Wisniewski (Eagles): If the Eagles were to trade Kelce, Wisniewski or guard Isaac Seumalo would be the top candidates to step into the starting role. However, Wisniewski himself would make lots of sense as a stopgap for the Saints. Wisniewski was a starter for five straight years with the Raiders and Jaguars before landing with the Eagles as a reserve. In addition to that starting experience, he also offers experience at guard, so he could be used at multiple spots once Unger returns to action. Pro Football Focus ranked him 39th among 72 eligible guards last season with strong marks for his pass blocking skills.
- Joe Hawley (Buccaneers): The Buccaneers are moving Ali Marpet to center and he could very well wind up as the starter. There’s also Evan Dietrich-Smith and guard/tackle Ken Pamphile to consider for the No. 1 job and that could make Hawley expendable. The 28-year-old (29 in October) has been the Bucs’ primary center for the last two years, but he could be on the outside looking in after camp concludes. This offseason, he re-signed with the team on a two-year, $5.5MM deal with just $1MM guaranteed. It’s an affordable deal that the Saints could easily wiggle out of next year, if need be. Alternatively, the Bucs may want to dangle Dietrich-Smith in New Orleans’ direction.
- Tim Barnes (49ers): Barnes just showed up in San Francisco, but indications are that the Niners will use Jeremy Zuttah as their starting center in 2o17. Before getting cut this offseason, Barnes spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the Rams’ starter. Another Niner, Daniel Kilgore, could have appeal for the Saints.
- Cameron Erving (Browns): The Browns are planning to move Erving to right tackle now that J.C. Tretter is in town, but perhaps the Saints would be interested in seeing what he can do in the middle. Then again, he was shifted to right tackle last year after performing poorly in 12 games at center.
- Matt Slauson (Chargers): Slauson isn’t guaranteed to start this year thanks to the presence of Max Tuerk, Forrest Lamp, and Dan Feeney. All three players are rookies (Tuerk didn’t play in 2016 thanks to his knee injury) but the team is high on each of them. In theory, Slauson could be shifted over to guard with Tuerk starting in the middle, but it’s also possible that Feeney starts at right guard over him. Slauson would be a valuable swing reserve for Los Angeles, but the Bolts might also be willing to trade him thanks to their glut of O-Line options.
- Joe Berger (Vikings): Vikings coach Mike Zimmer sees third round rookie Pat Elflein as a center, and that could potentially make Berger expendable. Berger, 35 later this month, has started 68 games over the course of his career. He graded out as the 12th best guard in the entire NFL last season, according to PFF. He earned an even stronger overall score in 2015 when he primarily played in the middle. Berger still has plenty in the tank, so it would be harder to pry him away than some of the other names on this list.
