Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DE DaVonte Lambert, CB Derrek Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: LB Chris Covington, DB D.J. White
Oakland Raiders
- Re-signed: WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Josiah Coatney, FB Spencer Nigh
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/20
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Bryan Cox Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Trevor Davis
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Daniel Bituli
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: G Zac Kerin
Bengals Sign 10 UDFAs
This week, the Bengals brought 10 undrafted rookies into the fold:
- Tyler Clark, DT (Georgia)
- Clay Cordasco, G (Oregon State)
- Trey Dishon, DT (Kansas State)
- Kendall Futrell, DE (East Carolina)
- Josh Knipfel, OT (Iowa State)
- Marcel Spears Jr., LB (Iowa State)
- Isiah Swann, CB (Dartmouth)
- Scotty Washington, WR (Wake Forest)
- Devwah Whaley, RB (Arkansas)
- Mitchell Wilcox, TE (South Florida)
Dishon started 50 games at Kansas State, while Futtrell registered 11 sacks last season despite weighing just 222 pounds. The Bengals revealed they view him as either an edge rusher or an off-ball linebacker. Swann, who hails from owner Mike Brown‘s alma mater, was a Division I-FCS All-American. He intercepted nine passes in 2018.
Washington joins Auden Tate as 6-foot-5 Bengals wide receivers; he is coming off a season marred by a broken ankle. Wilcox totaled 71 receptions for 890 yards between his junior and senior seasons. The Bengals did not draft a tight end and let Tyler Eifert walk in free agency, perhaps opening a path for Wilcox to join C.J. Uzomah and 2019 second-rounder Drew Sample on the regular-season roster.
Chargers, Hunter Henry Were “Close” On Extension
Earlier this month, Hunter Henry signed his one-year franchise tender worth roughly $11MM. At one time this offseason, the tight end says that he was “close” with the Chargers on an extension that would have locked him in for longer (Twitter links via Daniel Popper of The Athletic). 
[RELATED: Chargers Would Have Been Happy With Tua Or Herbert At No. 6]
“We’re gonna try to extend and get something long term,” Henry said, before adding that he never considered a holdout.
Per the terms of the franchise tag, the two sides have until the July 15th deadline to hammer something out. If a deal doesn’t come together by that point, they’ll have to table negotiations until early 2021, after the season is through.
There’s clearly mutual interest in a long-term deal, but it won’t come cheap for the Bolts. This year, the Browns made Austin Hooper the highest-paid tight end in league history with a four-year, $42MM free agent deal. That’ll be a reference point for Henry and his reps, and the asking price will only increase once George Kittle inks his deal with the 49ers.
Henry missed all of 2018 with a ACL tear and also lost a quarter of the 2019 season with a knee injury. Despite that, GM Tom Telesco cuffed Henry with the franchise tag, making him the first tight end to receive the tag since Jimmy Graham way back in 2014.
In his 12-game campaign, Henry still managed career highs in catches (55) and yards (652). Both sides are incentivized to get an extension completed this year, but Henry would have an obscene amount of leverage in talks if he played out the year at 100% health and replicated that production.
Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland Arrested On Multiple Charges
Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was arrested on Tuesday in South Carolina, as Joshua Needelman of the Post and Courier reports. Breeland’s charges include: resisting arrest, possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, marijuana possession, and driving without a license. Meanwhile, Breeland maintains his innocence and his attorneys say the police used excessive force during the arrest (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Chiefs Release Dustin Colquitt]
Breeland recently re-upped with the Chiefs on a one-year, $4.5MM deal, returning him to the defending champs. He’s still only 28, so it’s an excellent platform opportunity for the cornerback if he can build off of last year’s momentum. In 2019, Breeland notched 48 stops, eight passes defended, and a pair of interceptions in the 2019 regular season. He also came away with an interception in KC’s Super Bowl victory to cap his year in style.
Even before the arrest, Breeland was facing a four-game suspension for a separate substance abuse violation, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Breeland is currently in the process of appealing that ban.
Before joining Kansas City in 2019, Breeland had an unusual 2018 in the football world. After signing a three-year, $24MM deal ($11MM guaranteed) with the Panthers, his contract was nixed due to an infected foot. Then, he waited until late September until he finally found a home with the Packers. That didn’t go according to plan either – Breeland was limited by a hamstring injury and played in only seven games.
In other Chiefs news, the team recently restructured Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s deal to carve out additional cap room. The guard’s cooperation was sorely needed – the Chiefs had precious little cap room heading into the draft, even after revising Sammy Watkins‘ contract for the 2020 season.
Five Teams Tried To Claim Austin Calitro
Austin Calitro is a popular guy. The Broncos, Browns, Jets, and Raiders all tried to claim the linebacker after he was waived by the Jaguars, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Ultimately, they all lost out to the Bengals, who had the league’s worst record last year and top priority on the waiver wire.
[RELATED: Bengals Claim Samaje Perine]
The Bengals were happy to welcome Calitro, who suited up in 13 games (including four starts) for the Jaguars last year. He’s got a solid chance of making the roster, where he could see his time split between defense and special teams. If he doesn’t make the cut, it’s a safe bet that at least a couple of these clubs will come calling.
Last year, Calitro registered 40 tackles and a sack while serving as a key special teams contributor for Jacksonville. Over the last two years, he’s logged 432 snaps in the third facet of the game.
Adam Vinatieri Unsure About NFL Future
Adam Vinatieri hopes to still be kicking when he celebrates his 48th birthday in December, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. At the same time, he says that quarantine life has hampered rehab on his surgically-repaired knee. 
Vinatieri’s contract with the Colts expired at the end of last season, making him an unrestricted free agent. Meanwhile, the Colts are exploring their options. This week, they signed undrafted rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to compete with Chase McLaughlin, who took over for Vinatieri following his injury in December.
On the whole, Vinatieri’s career has been legendary. Over the course of 24 seasons, he’s captured four Super Bowl rings, three First Team All-Pro nods, and countless clutch kicks. His late-year injury resulted in his first missed game since Super Bowl XLIV. And, with the Colts, he had perfect attendance dating back to 2010.
With that said, Vinatieri did show some signs of slowing down in 2019. He made just 17 of his 25 field goal tries and 22 of his 28 extra points. The Colts had issues beyond the special teams unit, of course, but those misses did not help matters as they dropped out of playoff contention.
If Vinatieri returns for another NFL season, it’ll be a historic feat. Currently, quarterback/kicker George Blanda holds the league’s all-time record on that front having played at the age of 48 in the 1975 season.
Falcons Decline Takkarist McKinley’s Option
The Falcons have turned down Takkarist McKinley‘s fifth-year option, according to a tweet from the edge rusher. With that, the 2017 first-round pick is now set to enter his final year under contract in Atlanta. 
This was the expected move – McKinley has not lived up to expectations since being selected with the No. 26 overall pick. In his first two seasons, he did manage a fair amount of sacks – a combined 13 QB takedowns between his first two seasons. Last year, however, he seemed to regress. McKinley finished out with just 3.5 sacks in 15 contests. He also finished the year on IR thanks to a shoulder injury during the Falcons’ upset victory over the Niners in December.
The Falcons gave up a third-round pick in order to move up five spots for the UCLA product. That didn’t pan out, but McKinley’s not the only Thomas Dimitroff draft pick that hasn’t flourished. In February, the Falcons cut ties with Vic Beasley, who had just finished up his own fifth-year option season.
McKinley’s 2021 option would have been guaranteed for injury only, a risk the Falcons were not willing to take. That additional year would have paid him upwards of $10MM – far too pricey given all of the question marks.
This year, the Falcons hope to see better edge results from Dante Fowler Jr., who joined the club on a three-year, $48MM deal in March. The former Ram is coming off of his best season ever, with career highs in tackles (58), sacks (11.5), passes defended (six), and forced fumbles (two).
Cowboys Sign CB Daryl Worley
The Cowboys have signed Daryl Worley to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The cornerback profiles as a smart low-risk and potentially high-reward addition for 2020. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Worley probably came at a reasonable rate. 
[RELATED: Eagles Tried To Trade Up For CeeDee Lamb]
Worley signed with the Eagles in 2018, but he was dropped after a bizarre incident in Philadelphia. Cops said they found the cornerback passed out inside of a car around 6am. When they woke him up, he was allegedly combative – ultimately, they used a taser to subdue him. Afterwards, he faced charges for firearms, driving under the influence, and disorderly conduct. The Raiders picked him up and waited as he served a four-game suspension.
All of that aside, Worley offers veteran experience on a value deal – and he’s still only 25. In this year’s draft, the Cowboys added a pair of cornerbacks in Alabama’s Trevon Diggs (second round) and Tulsa’s Reggie Robinson II (fourth round). They’ve also got Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis on hand, so Dallas now has a crowded CB depth chart.
In Oakland, Worley started nearly all of his 25 games across two seasons. Last year, in 15 games, he notched 58 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Before the Raiders and the offseason cup of coffee with the Birds, Worley was a 2016 third-round pick of the Panthers. He started in 25 games for Carolina and notched three interceptions.
Jameis Winston Gets $1.1MM Base Salary In Saints Deal
Jameis Winston won’t earn much as he backs up Drew Brees and Taysom Hill in New Orleans. His one-year deal with the Saints carries a base value of just $1.1MM, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That sum includes his signing bonus, which is just $148K.
[RELATED: Saints Sign Jameis Winston]
There will be opportunities for Winston to earn more. The deal also includes $3.4MM in total available incentives – $1.76MM tied to playtime, $1.8MM playoff playtime, and $40K if he makes the Pro Bowl (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Even if he stays on the roster and hits every bonus, Winston is still only looking at $4.7MM in earnings. Of course, Winston won’t get the opportunity to earn those bonuses unless Brees and/or Hill miss time.
Winston reportedly chose the Saints over larger offers because he felt it was his best opportunity to learn and grow as a player. Despite his talent, the former No. 1 overall pick could probably use the seasoning. The Bucs saw the best and worst of what Winston has to offer last year. Winston led the league with 5,109 passing yards, but also led the NFL with 30 interceptions. Those errors, of course, erased his 33 touchdown throws.
For what it’s worth, Winston’s old boss Jason Licht believes that he’ll turn things around eventually.
“Jameis was still part of our plan if things went a different route,” said the GM, who now has Tom Brady under center. “We’ve got a lot of respect for him. I thought he did a lot of great things, and anybody in our office or building would say the same thing. He did some spectacular things for us. I would never say that, personally — and I think I speak on behalf of the organization — that he’s a bust. I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”