Bears Decline Kyle Fuller’s Option
No surprise here, but GM Ryan Pace says the Bears will decline cornerback Kyle Fuller‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times). The Bears technically had until May 3 to make the call, but this isn’t a decision they were really struggling with. 
[RELATED: 2018 Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Fuller underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August and spent the entire season on IR. At one point, the team designated him for return, but he never made it back to the field. The former first-round pick started in 30 of 32 games in 2014 and 2015 and actually intercepted six passes, but Fuller didn’t quite live up to what Chicago had in mind when selecting him No. 14 overall.
There’s still time for Fuller to get back on track, but the Bears did not want to risk being on the hook for $8.526MM in the case of an injury. While he looks to prove himself, he’ll play out the year at a reasonable $3.08MM cap number.
49ers Discussed Vance McDonald Trade
After the conclusion of the draft, GM John Lynch confirmed to beat reporters that the 49ers explored options for a Vance McDonald trade. They were unable to find a suitable deal, however. 
“That’s the reality of new regimes coming in, new schemes,” Lynch said Saturday (via Cam Inman of the Mercury News). “That’s not to say he can’t fit into our scheme. Frankly we received some interest from other people, then we did explore some options throughout the league with Vance. And nothing ended up happening, so Vance will come back and have an opportunity to compete.”
Lynch went on to say the 49ers will welcome back McDonald “with open arms.” Coach Kyle Shanahan added that “we want Vance here.” The Niners drafted tight end George Kittle in Saturday’s fifth round, but the GM says that’s not an indication that McDonald is being shipped out. For now, it sounds like McDonald is staying, but one has to wonder if he’ll remain on the block.
Just months ago, McDonald signed a five-year, $35MM extension. Three days after signing, he suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on IR. The 26-year-old (27 in June) had 24 catches and 391 yards in eleven games last year.
Broncos Select Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly
This year’s final selection in the NFL Draft can hardly be nicknamed “Mr. Irrelevant.” The Broncos have taken Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly with the No. 253 overall pick. 
During the draft process, Kelly met with several teams, including the Seahawks and Chiefs. Kelly, the nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, was once considered to be a top QB in the 2017 class. However, a injury concerns and off-the-field issues dropped him down to a Day 3 prospect and nearly pushed him out of the draft altogether.
After recovering quickly from a ACL tear, Kelly was forced to undergo wrist surgery in early April, so he won’t be able to throw for a few months. There’s also major questions about his maturity between his ouster from Clemson years ago and his recent participation in a brawl at a high school football game.
When he is healthy, the Broncos are hoping that they might have themselves a high-potential developmental quarterback.
Jets WR Devin Smith Suffers Torn ACL
Awful news for Jets wide receiver Devin Smith. Smith tore his ACL in the first team workout of the year, GM Mike Maccagnan told reporters moments ago. He already had surgery for the tear and will miss the entire 2017 season. 
Smith, 25, suffered an ACL tear in the same knee in his rookie season. All in all, the 2015 second round pick has seen just 3 games of action in total since entering the league. Smith was one of Maccagnan’s first draft picks as Jets GM and we’ll have to wait another year to find out whether he can bring anything to the table in New York.
The Jets now have seven wide receivers on the roster as they look ahead to the 2017 season. Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, and Robby Anderson lead the way with free agent pickup Quinton Patton, third round rookie ArDarius Stewart, Charone Peake, and Jalin Marshall in support. One has to imagine that Smith’s injury and Marshall’s four-game ban played into the team’s decision to draft Stewart.
Air Force Changes Rules For Athletes
The Air Force Academy decided just before the NFL draft it will not allow its athletes defer two years of active duty to immediately join a pro team, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post (via Twitter links). The rule change immediately impacts Air Force wide receiver Jalen Robinette, a draft hopeful. 
“The Air Force notified Academy officials (Thursday) that the service would not approve requests to waiver active duty military service commitments for cadet athletes,” the Academy said in a statement (via Yahoo Sports). “Cadets will be required to serve two years active duty prior to entering Ready Reserve status, which would permit their participation in professional sports. “The Air Force places tremendous value on our cadet athletes and their contributions to the nation as we continue to build leaders of character, engage in combat operations overseas and continue to ensure our highest military readiness at home.”
Last year’s update to the Department of Defense policy allowed service academy players to fulfill their duty requirements on reserve status instead of active duty. However, the Air Force said that it would evaluate each situation on a case by case basis. Today’s news is likely disappointing for Robinette since he has been readying himself for the NFL all year.
Teams Interested In Packers’ No. 33 Pick
Teams are already interested in the Packers’ No. 33 overall pick, the first selection of the second round, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Those clubs include the Chargers (No. 38), Jets (No. 39) and Buccaneers (No. 50), reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Both the Chargers and Jets are attempting to move up for Cal quarterback Davis Webb, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Meanwhile, if the Packers keep the pick, they’ll select either Florida State running back Dalvin Cook or Washington cornerback Kevin King, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Here’s a look at some of the other notable names that remain on the board as we head into Day 2:
- Forrest Lamp, G (Western Kentucky)
- DeShone Kizer, QB (Notre Dame)
- Zach Cunningham, LB (Vanderbilt)
- Sidney Jones, CB, (Washington)
- Joe Mixon, RB, (Oklahoma)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (USC)
- Teez Tabor, CB (Florida)
- Malik McDowell, DL (Michigan State)
- Tim Williams, OLB (Alabama)
- Alvin Kamara, RB (Tennessee)
- Zay Jones, WR (East Carolina)
Jets Shopping Calvin Pryor
It’s not just Sheldon Richardson who is on the block. The Jets are also shopping safety Calvin Pryor, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Jets Shopping Sheldon Richardson]
Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” the hard-hitting Pryor has not panned out for the Jets. Gang Green will almost certainly decline to exercise his fifth-year option for 2018 and the pick of Jamal Adams at No. 6 last night pretty much sealed his fate in New York. In a different era, Pryor could have been a top strong safety for the Jets. However, the game dictates that safeties have to be more than enforcers in the middle of the field and Pryor’s substandard coverage just doesn’t cut it.
Last year, Pryor earned a weak 68.7 score from Pro Football Focus, a step down from his two previous ~77.0 showings. He ranked 74th out of 90 qualified safeties in 2016.
Jets Shopping Sheldon Richardson
The Jets have been making calls regarding a potential trade of defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This was the Jets’ plan coming into the draft, Rapoport writes, but they won’t just give him away. 
Of course, we’ve been down this road before. The Jets shopped Richardson at different points over the last year, but they have so far been unable to find a deal to their liking. Unfortunately for Gang Green, Richardson’s trade value is not at a high point due to his inconsistent work ethic and off-the-field indiscretions. He’s also in a contract year, so any team acquiring him will have to pony up significant cash to keep him if he plays well.
The Jets, meanwhile, don’t have a ton of leverage. Teams know that they have already committed major dollars to Muhammad Wilkerson and they have a rising star in Leonard Williams at the other bookend, so keeping Richardson long-term isn’t really viable. The Jets say that they won’t just give Richardson away, but it’s hard to see them doing better than a third round pick at this juncture.
Bengals, Browns Discuss A.J. McCarron Trade
The Browns have discussed a trade for quarterback A.J. McCarron with the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, the two sides haven’t gotten very far as Cincinnati is asking for a lot in a potential deal. 
Earlier this week, the Bengals were said to be asking for a first round pick for McCarron. With the first round in the books, it remains to be seen whether the Bengals are willing to come down from that absurd ask. No matter what, it sounds like the Bengals will hold out for an impressive offer because they value having McCarron as Andy Dalton‘s backup.
McCarron may not be worth a first round pick, but the Bengals know that he might be the only thing keeping their playoff hopes alive in the event of a Dalton injury. If the Bengals are to part with him, they’ll need both a quality haul and a good amount of confidence in one of the available Day 2 quarterbacks.
Browns Cut TE Gary Barnidge
The Browns have released tight end Gary Barnidge, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It appears that he has been squeezed out by the selection of Miami’s David Njoku. Barnidge has confirmed the news via social media. 
“I want to thank the Cleveland Browns for giving me my opportunity and looking forward to seeing the change. Time for the next step,” Barnidge said (Twitter link).
Barnidge signed a three-year, $12.3MM extension with the Browns during the 2015 season. The deal, which featured $5.73MM in guaranteed money, had two years still to go. This year, Barnidge was set to carry a $3.812MM cap number. Instead, the Browns will carry $1.625MM in dead money and save $2.2MM against the cap.
Barnidge has appeared in 61 of 64 possible games for the Browns over the last four seasons. In 2016, he caught 55 passes for 612 yards and two touchdowns. His best season came in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl season, when he had 79 receptions and 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns.