Bills’ HC “Concerned” About Vaccine Timing
The Bills are back on the field in Orchard Park for voluntary workouts and head coach Sean McDermott says things are about “60% normal” in Orchard Park. With that said, McDermott is still hoping to see more of his players get vaccinated in a timely fashion. 
“I’m concerned about it, being very up front,” McDermott said (via the Democrat and Chronicle). “It’s something we’ve talked about and I don’t think the right word is trying to convince (people to get the shot); I think the right word is to educate and build awareness and then let people decide. It’s kind of two-pronged, if you will, with health and safety and then what you’ve got to do to do your job. I think those are the two prongs of the fork right now that must be considered and considered seriously.”
Recently, quarterback Josh Allen indicated that he was still gathering information with regards to the vaccine and weighing his options. Meanwhile, McDermott has to tread lightly on the subject after his GM caused a recent stir.
“Yeah, I would [cut players who refuse the vaccine], because [getting vaccinated] would be an advantage,” Brandon Beane said earlier this month. “I think there’s going to be some incentives if you have X -percent of your players and staff vaccinated. You can live normal…let’s just call it, back to the old days. If you don’t, it’s going to look more like last year…I hope that, if those are the rules, we’ll be able to get enough people vaccinated and not have to deal with all the headaches from a year ago.”
Soon after, the NFL reached out to Beane to let him know that players cannot be released solely for declining the vaccine. NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith also bashed the Bills GM for his remarks. So, while the NFL is incentivizing players with relaxed protocols, the choice ultimately lies with the players.
Lions Place Joel Heath On IR
The Lions have placed defensive lineman Joel Heath on injured reserve, per a club announcement. This was the expected move after Heath suffered a torn ACL while working out at the Lions’ facility earlier this week.
Heath, a Michigan State product, went undrafted in 2016 and signed his first deal with the Texans. He went on to appear in 32 games for Houston, including 16 starts. Then, the Broncos claimed him towards the end of 2019 and re-upped him in 2020, but he didn’t see any action in Denver and opted-out of the 2020 season.
Heath hooked on with the Lions earlier this year with the hope that he would crack the defensive line rotation. Unfortunately, he suffered a freak injury midway through a bag drill on Wednesday. Now, he’ll focus on recovery with an eye on 2022.
The Lions’ revamped 3-4 scheme will feature newcomer Michael Brockers plus Day 2 rookie DLs Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. Meanwhile, Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers will be shifted to outside linebacker.
49ers To Sign James Burgess
The 49ers are set to sign James Burgess (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). It’ll be a one-year deal for the former Packers and Jets linebacker. 
Burgess went undrafted out of Louisville in 2016 and didn’t see the field until 2017 with the Browns. But, when he arrived in Cleveland, he notched four sacks and wound up starting nine of his 14 games. He later moved on to the Jets, serving as their starting middle linebacker for ten games in 2019. That year, he notched 80 total tackles, one interception, three passes defensed, and eight tackles for loss.
His 2020 with the Packers was a little less noteworthy — he saw just four games before losing the year to a hamstring injury. Now, he’ll get a shot to stick with the Niners, who are also taking a look at ex-Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall, 32 in September, was a key player for Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl squad, but he’s been slowed by injuries of his own in recent years. It’s not immediately clear whether Marshall is still in the mix for SF after the addition of Burgess.
Bills Extend Reid Ferguson
The Bills signed long snapper Reid Ferguson to a brand new three-year deal, per a club announcement. Ferguson has served as the team’s LS for his entire four-year career. Now, he’s slated to continue in that role through 2024. 
Ferguson came into the league in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. He didn’t make the final cut that year, but the Bills stashed him on the taxi squad. In 2017, he got the LS job, and he’s held it with perfect attendance ever since — four seasons, 64 games.
Today, the 27-year-old stands as the second-longest tenured player on the Bills’ roster, behind only Jerry Hughes, who has been with the club since 2013.
Titans Trying RB Darrynton Evans At WR
The Titans are experimenting with using Darrynton Evans as a wide receiver, head coach Mike Vrabel says (via The Tennessean). Evans, a running back by trade, could give the team some much needed depth at the position. 
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“Those are ideas we try to have and try to get him some cross-training work,” Vrabel said. “A lot of those players that can handle more than one particular role, then we’ll continue to add those roles to them. And I’d say Darrynton is one of those players.”
The Titans used a third-round pick on Evans last year, but the Appalachian State product was limited to just eight games thanks to injuries and a few healthy scratches. All in all, he ran for 54 yards on 14 carries.
The Titans did take note of his soft hands, however, and he played some WR in college, catching 39 passes for 319 yards and five scores. Of course, it was his RB work that put him on the pro radar — he rushed for 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final year on campus. But, with a fairly crowded room behind starter Derrick Henry, WR may be his best path to the field in 2021.
Outside of A.J. Brown, the Titans’ WR group is fairly thin. Corey Davis is out, Josh Reynolds is in, and the rest of the bunch won’t do much to take attention away from Brown. Evans will have a chance to get himself into the mix, but don’t be surprised if the Titans explore cap casualty veterans over this summer.
Rams’ Austin Corbett To Move To Center?
After losing Austin Blythe to the Chiefs in free agency, the Rams plan on replacing him internally. Guard Austin Corbett is practicing at the center position, according to head coach Sean McVay. 
“He and Matthew [Stafford] have established a nice rapport together,” McVay said (via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “I know that Austin can play really well at guard, and we’re going to continue to see what it looks like at center and try to find the best combination of five to play up front.”
It’ll be an adjustment, but this is roughly what the Rams did with Blythe. Blythe was a full-time guard starter on the Rams’ Super Bowl LIII-qualifying team. Then, in 2020, they moved him to the middle, where he graded out as Pro Football Focus ninth-best center in the NFL.
Corbett, meanwhile, came to the Rams in a 2019 midseason trade with the Browns. Since then, he’s appeared in 24 games (23 starts) for the Rams, including 16 starts last year at right guard. Now, he’ll try his hand at center, working alongside Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton.
NFL Suspends Jared Veldheer
Free agent Jared Veldheer has been hit with a six-game ban (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The reason for the suspension is not immediately clear, but it will likely hurt the tackle’s chances of finding a deal this summer. 
Veldheer, a 2010 third-round pick out of Hillsdale, has put together a 12-year career, appearing in 121 career regular season games. He joined the Colts in late December, and he ended up playing 100-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in Week 17 and the Wild Card Round. After that, he hooked on with the Packers, making him the first player in NFL history to play at least one postseason game for two different teams in the same year. It was all thanks the loophole provided by last season’s COVID-19 practice-squad rules.
It’s worth noting that Veldheer will turn 34 in June, so it’s not clear whether he’s planning on playing this year.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/27/21
We’ll keep track of today’s draft signings here:
New York Giants
- DB Aaron Robinson (third-round, Central Florida)
Bengals Audition Peyton Ramsey
The Bengals worked out undrafted rookie quarterback Peyton Ramsey on Thursday, according to Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Many thought Ramsey would hear his name called last month, but there were surprisingly few QBs taken in the later rounds of the draft.
Ramsey played the bulk of his football at Indiana and captured the starting job in 2018. In 2019, he completed 68% of his throws for 2,454 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Then, he moved on to Northwestern and helped the program throttle Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. He wasn’t as accurate with the Wildcats (61% completion rate) but still managed to keep himself on the pro radar.
As it stands, the Bengals have a full house under center. Their QB room currently features starter Joe Burrow plus Brandon Allen, Kyle Shurmur, Collin Hill, and Eric Dungey.
49ers Work Out Brandon Marshall
The 49ers auditioned Brandon Marshall on Thursday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The former Broncos linebacker (not to be confused with the longtime NFL receiver) is looking to return to the field after a few years out of the league.
Marshall, 32 in September, was a key player for one of this century’s defining defenses. He started all 19 games the 2015 Super Bowl champion Broncos played and was a five-season first-stringer in Denver. In the 2016 offseason, Marshall inked an $8MM-per-year extension to stay in Denver. However, injuries plagued the veteran linebacker for much of that deal. The Broncos released Marshall in 2019. He then hooked on with the Raiders, but that didn’t last long thanks to an injury.
The veteran made the rounds last year, including a tryout with the Texans. To date, he has 418 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, 21 passes defensed, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles to his credit.