Buccaneers Sign Joe Tryon
The Buccaneers have signed first-round linebacker Joe Tryon, per a club announcement. Tryon, the final Round 1 pick of this year’s draft, could prove to be a tremendous value for Tampa Bay.
Tryon underwent a knee scope in early May, resolving an issue that may have impacted his stock. Luckily, that hasn’t kept the Washington product off of the practice field.
“Yeah, he’s full-speed now and he looked really, really good,” head coach Bruce Arians said during mandatory minicamp. “He’s obviously everything we thought he was. Obviously we’ll learn more in pads. But he’s slippery in shorts and a lot of guys aren’t. He showed some really good skillset.”
Tryon opted out of the 2020 collegiate season, but he was a menace in 2019. In his final year on the field, the outside linebacker tallied eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Now, he’s ready to add even more firepower to the Bucs’ front seven.
With Tryon in the fold, the Bucs now have six of their seven draft picks signed. Meanwhile, most of the first round is now in the books — less than ten Round 1 selections remain unsigned.
This Date In Transactions History: Washington Signs Terry Crews
On this date in 1995, Washington signed linebacker Terry Crews. Yes, that Terry Crews. 
Crews, a 6’3″, 245-pound linebacker, was a standout at Western Michigan. The Los Angeles Rams took note and selected Crews with the No. 281 pick and he appeared in six games as a rookie in 1991. He later found his way to the Chargers, appearing in ten games for them in ’93. His next NFL opportunity came with the Redskins, who inked him in the summer of 1995.
Like his previous stints with the Rams and Chargers, Crews’ run in D.C. was rather unremarkable. He recorded only one solo tackle and one assisted tackle in that ’95 season, though he did stick on the roster for the full season and dressed for all 16 games.
This would not be Crews’ last NFL contract. Later, he signed on with the rival Eagles, but quickly realized that football wasn’t for him.
“For two weeks, I stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street from Veterans Stadium. I just remember it was Christmas Day. It was the saddest thing ever, that Holiday Inn. I was eating old sausage and two little pancakes. It was so sad,” Crews said (via Philly.com). “I was missing my family. We lost the game to the 49ers – it was a playoff game. I just thought, I don’t want to do this anymore. The excitement wasn’t there.”
Crews didn’t find excitement or millions in the NFL, but he found a different path to fulfillment and riches. The 2002 comedy “Friday After Next” launched Crews into a lucrative acting career that included roles in several hit movies, including football comedy “The Longest Yard.” We won’t list his full IMDb here, but you get the point – Crews hit it big, just not on the gridiron.
Crews’ time in Washington wasn’t notable move from a football perspective, nor was his short-lived trip through Philadelphia. But Crews’ struggles throughout his NFL career made him appreciate the success that he discovered later in life.
“I was the name at the end of the roster,” said Crews, reflecting on his former life as a professional football player. “It wasn’t until after I became famous that people noticed I played in the NFL. I kind of snuck in!“
Vikings Promote Ryan Monnens, Jamaal Stephenson
The Vikings have promoted Ryan Monnens and Jamaal Stephenson to co-directors of player personnel, per a club announcement. It’s another step up for the execs, who are both entering their 20th year with the franchise.
[RELATED: Vikings’ Twyman To Make Full Recovery]
“We are proud to announce these changes within our player personnel and football operations staffs,” said GM Rick Spielman in a statement. “Each of these individuals has worked extremely hard to earn their new opportunities, and the entire organization will benefit from the enhancements we’ve made.”
Monnens and Stephenson will take on more senior roles following the departures of other notable execs. George Paton, who turned down several GM opportunities in years past, is now serving as the Broncos’ GM. Meanwhile, longtime Vikings staffer Kelly Kleine followed Paton to become Denver’s new executive director of football operations.
In other Vikings news, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman is expected to make a full recovery after he was shot in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Also, we recently learned that new Vikings defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson turned down a more lucrative offer from the Browns.
Trai Turner “100% Ready” To Play
We haven’t heard much about Trai Turner lately, but he told SiriusXM (Twitter link) that he’ll “make a splash sooner [rather] than later.” Meanwhile, the free agent says that he’s now fully healthy following a year of maladies. 
“Last year was a rough season for me with injuries and just [COVID-19] overall. You go through things and situations arise, but you work through it and you get through it,” Turner said. “So, I’m feeling good. I’m just ready to come back and have a phenomenal season.”
Turner met with the Steelers recently, his only known visit of the offseason. The five-time Pro Bowler has been on the market since March, when the Bolts released him to save ~$11MM against the salary cap. Now, he stands as one of the very best free agents on the board.
Turner, 28, mounted a Pro Bowl streak from 2015-19. But, last year, he was limited to just to nine games. All in all, the former Panthers third-round pick has 89 career starts to his credit. He may be a good fit for the Steelers, though there are other teams with more dire needs at guard. As it stands, those spots are manned by All-Pro David DeCastro and promising youngster Kevin Dotson.
Bills Meet With Eli Ankou
For the second time this year, the Bills are meeting with Eli Ankou (Twitter link via WGR’s Sal Capaccio). The defensive tackle last visited Buffalo in May and could finally join them this summer if all goes well. 
Shortly after his trip to Buffalo, Ankou signed with the Falcons. However, that deal didn’t last long — Atlanta dropped the 327-pound lineman after a few weeks.
Ankou, a former UDFA out of UCLA, started his career with the Texans. After getting cut by Houston he was claimed by the Jaguars, and played a sizable role in Jacksonville as a rookie. In nine games in 2017, he had 15 tackles and a sack and a half as a rotational run defender.
He remained with the Jags up until the Browns signed him off the practice squad in October 2019. He wound up making two starts while appearing in nine games for Cleveland that year. Ankou then had a short stint with the Colts, was waived, claimed by the Texans, and then traded to the Cowboys in November of last year.
He finished the 2020 season in Dallas, and played around a third of the defensive snaps in the seven games he was active. Still only 27, Ankou offers size and intriguing upside as a run-stuffer.
PFR Originals: Smith, Rison, Simms
In case you missed it, here’s a look back at some of our recent originals:
- Years before Eli Manning‘s retirement, Giants fans bid farewell to longtime quarterback Phil Simms. Our own Sam Robinson took a look back at the end, which was actually a release. Simms says he could have continued his career with another team, but ultimately chose to call it quits.
- In 1997, the Chiefs were in the championship mix and needed a big splash to try and get over the hump. So, in July of that year, they added Andre Rison to their WR group. As Sam notes, Rison’s playmaking ability was sorely needed in KC. In ’97, he was the only Chiefs pass catcher topped 500 yards in 1997 as he reached 1,092 on 72 catches.
- Our Ben Levine looked back on the Panthers’ first contract with Steve Smith. At the time, it was just another third-round pick completing his paperwork. But, of course, Smith went on to set franchise records in receiving yards (12,197), receptions (836), and total touchdowns (67).
- The trade market tends to be quiet in June. But, ~seven years ago, the Texans and Falcons completed a noteworthy move by swapping quarterback T.J. Yates and linebacker Akeem Dent. And, in an interesting twist, both players became Texans coaches on the very same day in 2019.
Ten First-Round Picks Remain Unsigned
This year, NFL teams have been quick to tackle their rookie paperwork. Still, there are a decent number of unsigned draft picks remaining, including ten of this year’s first-rounders: 
- QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1 overall)
- QB Zach Wilson, New York Jets (No. 2 overall)
- QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (No. 3 overall)
- TE Kyle Pitts , Atlanta Falcons (No. 4 overall)
- OT Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 13 overall)
- OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, New York Jets (No. 14 overall)
- QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots (No. 15 overall)
- RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 25 overall)
- CB Greg Newsome II, Cleveland Browns (No. 26 overall)
- DE Joe Tryon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 32 overall)
In a sense, this is a sign that things are back to normal in football following the pandemic. For example, by June 12th of 2019, 22 first-round picks had put pen to paper, with 222 rookies inked on the whole. However, around this time last year, there were just two first-round picks officially in the fold – Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown.
Offset language and similar minutia could be holding these ten deals up, but there’s no reason to panic. In all likelihood, these rookie contracts will be squared away before the start of training camp this summer.
Jets, Jamison Crowder Rework Contract
Jun. 20: Details are in on Crowder’s pay cut. As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, Crowder did indeed agree to reduce his 2021 pay to $5MM, $4.5MM of which is guaranteed (his original $10MM salary was completely non-guaranteed). He can still earn $500K in per-game roster bonuses.
As a result, Crowder’s cap charge for 2021 will drop from $11.375MM to $6.35MM.
Jun. 14: The Jets and Jamison Crowder have worked out a new contract (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Initially set to make $10MM in 2021, Crowder will now see a “significant” cut, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter). The exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but the Jets were reportedly pushing a 50% reduction. 
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Crowder was going to be released if he didn’t agree to the trim. Crowder had just $1MM guaranteed this year — releasing him would have saved the Jets $10.375MM.
Crowder, soon to be 28, probably couldn’t have topped $5MM on the open market. At least, not at this stage of the offseason, when most of the available dollars have been spent. Meanwhile, the Jets are growing increasingly confident in their other options. Second-round slot receiver Elijah Moore has drawn rave reviews in practice — ditto for ex-Patriots speedster Braxton Berrios. One or both of those players could have supplanted Crowder as a top option to go with Corey Davis and Keelan Cole.
Now, the Jets have more money to spend, which could enable them to sign free agent tackle Morgan Moses. If that happens, they’ll have Moses to start at right tackle opposite of Mekhi Becton.
Lions Sign WR Chad Hansen
The Lions have signed Chad Hansen, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year, low-cost deal for the wide receiver. 
Originally a Jets fourth-round pick, Hansen did not see live action in 2018 or ’19. However, the Texans turned to him late last season, doing so after the team’s original receiver quartet — Will Fuller, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb — became unavailable due to either injuries, a suspension (Fuller), or a release (Stills). Hansen caught 17 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in five Houston contests (two starts) last year. In between the Jets and Texans, Hansen also spent some time with the Patriots, Titans, Broncos, and Saints.
To make room on the roster, the Lions have waived wide receiver Jonathan Adams.
Chargers Sign TE Matt Seybert
The Chargers announced a handful of signings on Friday morning. Tight end Matt Seybert, defensive lineman Willie Yarbary, linebacker Damon Lloyd, and wide receiver Michael Bandy will all join the team’s 90-man offseason roster.
[RELATED: Derwin James On Track For 2021]
Seybert, Yarbary, and Bandy played together for a time with the Conquerors of the Spring League. Seybert, a Michigan State product, caught 26 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, his final year on campus. Yarbary, who played his college football at Wake Forest, has been fighting for his chance while playing for multiple non-NFL pro leagues. Bandy, a University of San Diego alum, registered 163 grabs for 2,850 yards and 26 touchdowns between his 2018 and 2019 seasons for the Toreros.
The top of the Chargers’ TE depth chart is well set, thanks to new addition Jared Cook. But, beyond that, there should be at least one spot potentially available for Seybert.