NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/20
We’ll keep track of today’s later-round signings here:
- The Colts announced the signing of offensive lineman Danny Pinter, a fifth-round choice who became the first pick on Indy’s board for a completed deal. Pinter, a 6’4″, 306-pound lineman out of Ball State, saw time at both right tackle and tight end during his time in college. As a pro, he figures to spend most of his time on the interior. “I love Danny, I’m not going to lie to y’all,’’ general manager Chris Ballard said after the draft (via Mike Chappell of FOX 59). “Actually we were trying to move up to get him. I probably won’t ever give y’all this much insight, but for like 30 minutes we were trying to move up and just couldn’t get up to get him.’’
- The Dolphins, meanwhile, have third-round safety Brandon Jones officially in the fold. Per the terms of his slot, the No. 70 overall choice will receive a four-year deal worth $4.87MM, including a $1.1MM signing bonus.
Falcons To Consider Kicking Competition
Younghoe Koo isn’t a lock to be the Falcons’ kicker this year. Head coach Dan Quinn says he’s thinking about adding another kicker to the 90-man offseason roster to compete alongside him.
“We are still definitely considering adding a kicker into that spot,” Quinn said. “You could imagine that some of those decisions involve workouts and things that aren’t at this space.”
The Falcons passed on this year’s class of incoming kickers, which included Justin Rohrwasser (Patriots, fifth round), Tyler Bass (Bills, sixth round), and Sam Sloman (Rams, seventh round). Some expected them to dip into the available crop of rookie kickers, since they’ve had trouble in that department. Last year, they thought they were set with Giorgio Tavecchio. Then, the preseason happened – after Tavecchio missed his fourth attempt out of eight, they briefly pivoted to Blair Walsh before circling back to Matt Bryant. Bryant – who has been reliable, historically – flopped, leading them to Koo in late October.
Koo performed well, nailing 23 of 26 field goal tries and 15 of 16 extra points. Still, the Falcons won’t rest easy when it comes to their kickers. From the sound of it, they’ll have another leg in the mix this summer.
This Date In Transactions History: Cardinals Cut Daryl Washington
On this date in 2017, the Cardinals released linebacker Daryl Washington. This wasn’t the first time a player with a Pro Bowl pedigree was released, and it won’t be the last, but this transaction was notable for a different reason. At this point, Washington had not played a single down of football since the final week of the 2013 season. 
[RELATED: This Date In Transactions History: Cardinals Sign Josh Rosen]
Washington racked up an eye-popping 134 tackles in 2012, including nine sacks. And, in 2013, he was still reasonably productive with 75 tackles and three sacks in 12 games. Unfortunately, he made more headlines for his repeated bans and mishaps. Washington was suspended for four games in 2013, then was banned for all of 2014 after yet another substance abuse violation. He was also arrested in the ’13 offseason on two counts of aggravated assault against his one-time spouse.
A few years later, when Washington was finally reinstated by the league, the Cardinals were not interested in a reunion, even though he was still only 30 years old at the time. When Arizona rejected the TCU product, he went on a public campaign to stir up interest from the Cowboys.
“Why not be a Cowboy?” Washington said. “I’m settled in here. It’s home. Let’s try to get one this year. Come on Mr. [Jerry] Jones, you’ll be glad you took a chance on me. We’ll hold up that Lombardi Trophy together.”
Mr. Jones has taken his fair share of gambles before, but he wasn’t interested in Mr. Washington. We haven’t heard much from Washington since, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see him on the field again.
Russell Okung’s NFLPA Battle Continues
Russell Okung won’t go down without a fight. The Panthers tackle says he will appeal the dismissal of his unfair labor claim against the NFLPA (Twitter link). The National Labor Relations Board turned down Okung’s case just last week.
Okung claims NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith pushed the CBA vote through to union-wide vote, despite the opposition of the executive committee. Some established vets and union leaders, including Okung, were vocal in their disapproval, but the union’s rules didn’t necessarily require their yes vote.
The executive committee voted 6-5 in February not to recommend the owners’ CBA pitch, and after the NFL Draft Combine meeting, the exec committee was reportedly at 7-4 against recommending the CBA. The key word there is “recommending” – the NFLPA’s bylaws do not necessarily require a thumbs-up from that group. After that, the union’s 32-player board voted to send the proposal to the entire player body.
“We look forward to a neutral party scrutinizing the NFLPA leadership’s history of circumventing and ignoring the union’s constitutional mandates and failure to represent the best interests of the labor force, culminating in a flawed, disappointing Collective Bargaining Agreement and forcing out of a leadership position a person who has shown enormous courage in fighting for players’ rights and protections,” Okung’s attorney said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Okung is gearing up for his new team in advance of the 2020 season. The Chargers shipped Okung to the Panthers in March and received guard Trai Turner in exchange.
“I made it really clear, I’m not here to just rebuild,” Okung said recently (via ESPN.com’s David Newton). “I’m here to win, and win right now.”
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/20
We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:
- The Patriots and third-round tight end Dalton Keene have reached agreement on his contract, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats have motored through their draft class quicker than most – out of ten draft picks, only one remains unsigned, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Keene, one of two tight ends drafted by New England in the third round, figures to serve as an H-Back and line up at multiple positions in the NFL. He’s a solid blocker, too, though scouts say he needs to bulk up.
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Smith, Cowboys, Prescott
With graphic details and graphic images, ESPN.com’s Elizabeth Smith and Stephania Bell bring us the story of Alex Smith‘s gruesome injury and his road to recovery.
“Our first priority is we’re going to save his life,” a hospital worker said to Alex’s wife, Elizabeth, just days after the injury. “And then we’re going to do our best to save his leg. And anything beyond that is a miracle.”
Smith said that he feels “very much lucky to be alive” after the horrific injury and ensuing sepsis infection. And, after celebrating his 36th birthday in May, the Redskins quarterback is working towards an NFL return. Mrs. Smith, meanwhile, is conflicted.
“When I think about Alex returning to football, there’s part of me that wants him to do whatever he has the inner drive to do. If that means stepping back on the football field and throwing on those pads, then I want him to prove that to himself. But obviously there’s part of me asking, “‘Is it worth ever doing that again? Do you know what we just went through?'”
Here’s more on the Redskins, the Redskins’ quarterback situation, and the rest of the NFC East:
- Talk of Tua Tagovailoa going to the Redskins didn’t bother starter Dwayne Haskins.“Throughout the whole process Ron [Rivera] was just telling me to trust him,” Haskins said (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports). “I did so it worked out.” The Redskins were long expected to take Chase Young with the No. 2 pick, but there were Tua rumblings on draft week. Ultimately, they took the Ohio State edge rusher and passed on the Alabama star.
- If the Cowboys can’t work out an extension with Dak Prescott by July 15th, they’ll have to wait until after the 2020 season to resume negotiations. That deadline puts some serious pressure on the team to get something done with their beloved QB, but COO Stephen Jones says he won’t break the budget. “There’s all sorts of analytics out there that show if your quarterback takes up too big a percentage of your salary cap, it decreases your chances to win,” Jones said (via PFT). “We’re just trying to figure out the right fit. No one wants to sign Dak to a longer term deal more than Jerry and myself. We’re on the record time and time again on what we think of him as a leader. He has the ‘it’ factor. He’s a fierce competitor. He wants to win as well, and it’s just gotta be right for him and right for us.”
- The Cowboys are feeling really, really good about their Day 2 and Day 3 haul in the draft, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Before the draft, they had a “high-second-round” grade on cornerback Trevon Diggs – they landed him at No. 51 overall. They assigned a second-round grade to defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, and snagged him in the third. In the fourth round, they see yet another steal – the scouting department gave center Tyler Biadasz a high-third-round score and snagged him with the last pick of the fourth round. Time will tell, but the Cowboys are doing cartwheels over their 2020 middle-round choices.
- Carlos Hyde, who racked up 1,000+ yards rushing in Houston last year, is still available. The Eagles are interested, but they only want him at the right price.
- Recently, the Giants reworked Cooper Rush‘s contract to dial down his base pay but also give him a chunk of guaranteed money. That may bode well for his odds of making the roster, but he’s got lots of competition.
Dolphins Sign Tua Tagovailoa
Most of this year’s top draft picks – including No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow – have yet to ink their rookie contracts. You can put Tua Tagovailoa in the “signed” column. On Monday, the Dolphins agreed to terms with the quarterback on his first NFL deal (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 
Per the terms of his slot, the Alabama star will earn $30.275MM over the course of his four-year pact. And, because he’s a first-round pick, the Dolphins will also hold a fifth-year option for his services, allowing them to leg out the arrangement through 2024. Per the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, that extra year will not be guaranteed exclusively for injury, it’d be just plain guaranteed.
The Dolphins tried their best to run a misdirection play with Justin Herbert, but they ultimately chose Tagovailoa, their longtime draft crush, with the No. 5 overall pick. With that, he’s set to take center stage in South Beach while grizzled and bearded veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick shows him the ropes.
Tagovailoa easily could have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, if not for his career-threatening injury and Burrow’s absolutely absurd final season at LSU. Tagovailoa’s camp says he’s on track for 100% health this year and doctors that have checked him out are in agreement. If his hip, wrist, and ankle injuries stay in the rearview mirror, Tagovailoa figures to have a bright future ahead.
As a fully healthy sophomore in 2018, Tagovailoa dazzled as he threw for almost 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns with only six interceptions. In that year, he was the runner-up for the Heisman trophy behind Kyler Murray, the eventual No. 1 overall pick.
Tagovailoa finished his college career with a Division I-FBS-record 10.9 yards per attempt. The dynamic southpaw also exited Tuscaloosa with an 87-11 career TD-INT ratio. He represents the most-hyped Dolphins quarterback Since Dan Marino, whom the franchise has been trying to replace for 20 years.
Eagles Interested In Carlos Hyde
The Eagles are interested in signing free agent running back Carlos Hyde, Adam Caplan of WIP hears. The veteran turned down an offer from the Texans in March and he’s still available here in mid-May. 
Hyde is coming off of the best statistical season of his career. Last year, he racked up 1,070 yards on the ground for six touchdowns and a per-tote average of 4.4 yards. And, for good measure, he added two receiving scores off of ten catches.
Unfortunately for Hyde, free agency is always tough for “older” running backs. He’ll turn 30 in September and the Eagles are only interested in signing him to a one-year deal for something at or near the veteran’s minimum, per Caplan.
With the Birds, Hyde could serve as something of a LeGarrette Blount-type power rusher. If signed, Hyde would join Miles Sanders and Boston Scott in their RB group. Still, a minimum-salary deal might not get it done. After his best season ever as a pro, he’s probably not eager to take a pay cut from last year’s base salary of $1.4MM.
Over the course of his six-year career, Hyde has averaged 4.1 yards per carry for the 49ers, Browns, Jaguars, and Texans.
Bengals’ Jessie Bates Hires New Agent
Bengals free safety Jessie Bates III has changed representation and hired David Mulugheta of Athletes First, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Mulugheta counts Earl Thomas, Landon Collins, and other elite safeties among his clients. Bates, 23, could be in line for a big payday of his own someday. 
[RELATED: No. 1 Pick Joe Burrow Has Yet To Sign Bengals Deal]
The former second-round pick has two years left on his inexpensive rookie deal, but he’s already looking ahead to his next contract. Bates has started in every possible game over the past two seasons, racking up 211 tackles and six interceptions along the way. After celebrating his 23rd birthday in February, he could be poised for another major leap forward in 2020.
For now, Bates is set to earn $930 in base salary this year and slightly more in 2021 with cap hits of $1.3MM and $1.6MM, respectively. That’s an exceptional bargain for a high level free safety who is barely above the legal drinking age. The Bengals haven’t engaged in extension talks just yet, but it’ll be at the top of their agenda next spring.
In the interest of equal time: the advanced metrics weren’t all that high on Bates last year. But, as a rookie in 2018, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 11 ranked safety in the NFL.
In other Bengals news, the club is hoping to extend running back Joe Mixon. Mixon is coming off back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons and entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: LB Derrick Moncrief
The Raiders signed Moncrief, a former CFL all-star, to a reserve/future deal in January. Since then, they’ve added a number of linebackers via free agency and the draft, squeezing the 26-year-old out of the 90-man roster. In March, the Raiders picked up Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski to bolster their LB group. Then, in the third round, they tapped Clemson product Tanner Muse. Moncrief will look to catch on with another NFL club while his former league faces a likely cancellation of the 2020 season.