Lions Sign 7 Undrafted Rookies
This week, the Lions added seven more rookies to their incoming class:
- TE Hunter Bryant, Washington
- S Jeremiah Dinson, Auburn
- S Jalen Elliott, Notre Dame
- S Bobby Price, Norfolk State
- FB Luke Sellers, South Dakota State
- P Arryn Siposs, Auburn
- LS Steven Wirtel, Iowa State
[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]
Heading into the draft, Bryant was pegged as an early Day 3 type of prospect by most analysts. When teams passed on him due to medical concerns – including his history of knee injuries – the Lions swooped him up with $60K in guaranteed cash. Bryant will fight for his place on the tight end depth chart, somewhere behind T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James.
Dinson, meanwhile, fetched an $80K guarantee between his $30K signing bonus and $50K base guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). He’s also a worthwhile name to watch. The Auburn product has experience at both nickel and safety with four interceptions over the course of his collegiate career.
49ers Sign Nine Undrafted Rookies
The Niners’ draft class just got larger. On Tuesday, GM John Lynch announced the signings of nine more NFL rookies:
- DeMarkus Acy, CB (Missouri)
- Darrion Daniels, DL (Nebraska)
- Chris Finke, WR (Notre Dame)
- Jonas Griffith, LB (Indiana St.)
- Chase Harrell, TE/DE (Arkansas)
- Jamycal Hasty, RB (Baylor)
- Josh Hokit, FB (Fresno St.)
- Jared Mayden, S (Alabama)
- Broc Rutter, QB (North Central)
A few players in this group received larger-than-usual guarantees, (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). That list includes: Daniels ($105K), Finke ($95K), Hasty ($90K), and Mayden ($50K).
Daniels played at Oklahoma State before transferring to Nebraska as a graduate last year. In his season with the Huskers, he captured Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors, managed 1.5 sacks, and even came away with an interception while playing on the interior.
Over the course of his time with the Fightin’ Irish, Finke caught 106 passes for 1,251 yards and eight touchdowns. He also showed his speed in the return game with 532 total yards off of 63 punt returns. The bonuses paid to Finke and Daniels indicate that they’ll get a decent chance at making the roster in the fall.
Rutter, meanwhile, will have his work cut out for him. The 49ers already have Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard under contract as backups to starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/28/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT John Jenkins
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: DE Anthony Lanier, RB Marcus Marshall
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (Dolphins): S Montre Hartage
- Waived: DB Derrick Baity, TE C.J. Conrad, LS Colin Holba, LS Drew Scott, P Sean Smith, C Tanner Volson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers (Lions): G Casey Tucker
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed off waivers (Jaguars): DB Jayson Stanley
Jenkins, 30, spent the 2017 season with the Bears before spending time with the Giants and Dolphins. In Miami last year, he started five times and appeared in all 16 games. He finished out the year with 34 total tackles and his first sack since 2015. The deal also reunites him with old colleague Ryan Pace, the Bears GM who worked in the Saints’ front office when Jenkins was drafted back in 2013.
Ravens Pick Up Marlon Humphrey’s Option
The Ravens will exercise Marlon Humphrey‘s fifth-year option, as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tweets. Once the paperwork is finalized, he’ll be tied to the team through 2021 at a salary dictated by his draft position. 
[RELATED: Ravens Agree To Terms With OL D.J. Fluker]
Humphrey was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Per league rules for the fifth-year option on first-round picks, he’ll earn the average salary of the league’s No. 3 – No. 25 highest-paid CBs. That additional year will be guaranteed for injury only, though that rule will change starting next year with the 2018 class. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement didn’t give the NFLPA a ton of wins, but that was one of the union’s key victories in negotiations.
Humphrey, 24 in July, started nearly every game for the Ravens last year en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection and first ever First-Team All-Pro nod. Along the way, he notched three interceptions, recovered three fumbles, returned two of them for touchdowns. In the interest of equal time: the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 37th best cornerback in the NFL; solid standing, though most evaluators and fans would probably rank him higher.
Some of this year’s fifth-year option decisions were borderline – including the case of Browns tight end David Njoku – but there was little doubt that the Ravens would exercise their right to keep Humphrey for an extra year.
For now, Humphrey is set to play out the final year of his original rookie deal with a paltry base salary of $2.08MM. However, you can expect GM Eric DeCosta to be in touch with his agent over the coming months.
Steelers Exercise T.J. Watt’s Fifth-Year Option
The fifth-year option on T.J. Watt‘s contract has been picked up, according to a press release from the Steelers. With that, the linebacker will be under club control through the 2021 season. 
[RELATED: Steelers’ Dupree Signs Franchise Tender]
Watt, the younger brother of J.J. Watt, stepped out of his brother’s shadow while keeping with the family legacy of hard-nosed defense. Originally a tight end at Wisconsin, he switched to the other side of the ball midway through his career and delivered tremendous results off the edge. In 2016 – his first year as a starter – he notched 11.5 sacks. At the pro level, he’s gotten better and better each year.
In 2019, Watt managed 14.5 sacks and a league-leading eight forced fumbles en route to his best season yet. All in all, he’s got 34.5 career sacks, 177 stops, and 15 forced fumbles across three years. The exact figure on his option is not yet known, since he was drafted outside of the Top 10. Whatever the number is, it won’t be enough. Watt and the Steelers are expected to discuss an extension sooner rather than later to position him as one of the highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL. Meanwhile, he says his best work is still on the horizon.
“It’s just working hard and getting more and more experience,” said Watt. “This was my second year playing the left side. I am just growing and learning how I can approach the game better, find out what works better for me as far as film study, practice and preparation. Hopefully I can keep taking those jumps as I progress in my career.”
Chargers Liked Tua Tagovailoa At No. 6
With the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft, the Chargers found their new quarterback in Oregon product Justin Herbert. But, even if wasn’t there, GM Tom Telesco says he would have taken a QB, no matter what. 
“We felt great about all three quarterbacks who went in the Top 6,” Telesco told Pat McAfee of Barstool Sports (Twitter link), referring to No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and Dolphins choice Tua Tagovailoa. “Hopefully we won’t pick at No. 6 very often…if I do, I won’t be making very many picks here. If you’re going to pick this high and there’s a potential franchise quarterback, you have to take him.”
Burrow to the Bengals was long considered a sure thing and Tagovailoa was connected to the Dolphins for months. As the draft drew closer, whispers of the Dolphins’ interest in Herbert grew louder and louder. And, days before the draft, there was talk of the Dolphins trading up to the No. 3 pick to select an offensive lineman, rather than a quarterback. That’s one rumor that Telesco didn’t bite on.
“Every rumor I heard, I went through my head of, ‘How would we handle this if this happened?’,” Telesco told Pat McAfee. “Now, the whole, Miami taking a tackle at 3, maybe they really were, I just didn’t believe that one. You make plans, you talk with your head coach…you talk about trading up or down in certain situations. When you’re on the clock making the pick, you’re not discussing what you want to do, you’ve already decided.”
The opinions on Herbert are pretty mixed in the football world. Those that are high on him believe that his elite arm strength will allow him to succeed as a starter. Others are concerned about his pension for holding on to the ball for too long in the pocket. At the same time, Tagovailoa’s health remains a major question mark moving forward and Telesco says he would have been happy with either QB as the heir to Philip Rivers.
Jaguars Sign 18 UDFAs; Cut 5 Players
The Jaguars made a slew of UDFA signings on Monday and released five players to make room for them. Here’s the full rundown, per the club’s press release.
Signed:
- Luq Barcoo, CB (San Diego State)
- Doug Cotsin, DL (Miami of Ohio)
- Nathan Cottrell, RB (Georgia Tech)
- Ben Ellefson, TE (North Dakota State)
- Nate Evans, LB (Central Florida)
- Josh Hammond, WR (Florida)
- Amari Henderson, CB (Wake Forest)
- Tavien Feaster, RB (South Carolina)
- Ross Matiscik, LS (Baylor)
- Steven Nielson, OL (Eastern Michigan)
- Austen Pleasants, OL (Ohio)
- J.R. Reed, S (Georgia)
- James Robinson, RB (Illinois State)
- Marvelle Ross, WR (Notre Dame College of Ohio)
- Connor Slomka, FB (Army)
- Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, OL (Missouri)
- Kobe Williams, CB (Arizona State)
- Brandon Wright, K (Georgia State)
Feaster, who spent most of his collegiate career with Clemson before transferring to South Carolina, is one of the more notable names on their UDFA list. Last year, he led the Gamecocks in rushing with 672 yards and scored five touchdowns via the ground. Meanwhile, Barcoo scored a whopping $160K guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), which may be the highest ever for an undrafted free agent in the NFL. Barcoo was one of four undrafted Aztecs to score deals this week. He’ll look to bulk up on his thin 175-pound frame as he pursues his lifelong dream.
Released:
- K Jonathan Brown
- LB Austin Calitro
- OL Donnell Greene
- WR Charone Peake
- DB Jayson Stanley
Peake showed promise as a seventh-round rookie in 2016, catching 19 passes with Gang Green. After that, he wasn’t able to keep his footing with the Jets and he’ll have to find a new NFL home now that the Jaguars have dropped him.
Redskins Exercise Jonathan Allen’s Fifth-Year Option
It’s official. On Monday, the Redskins announced that they have exercised their fifth-year option on defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. 
[RELATED: Redskins Trade Trent Williams To 49ers]
NFL teams have until May 3rd to exercise, or decline, the 2021 option for first-round draft picks from the 2017 class. As shown in PFR’s tracker, several players are already ticketed for a fifth year. Some of them were easy calls, including Jets safety Jamal Adams and Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. Others – like Browns tight end David Njoku – required a little bit of extra thought.
Allen was one of the easier calls. After much of his rookie year, Allen has notched 14 sacks across the last two seasons for the Redskins. The Alabama product will have some additional help this year, thanks to the addition of Chase Young, who had 17 sacks in his final year at Ohio State.
Because Allen was drafted outside of the Top 10 (No. 17 overall), the salary figure on his 2021 season is not yet known. For those inside of the Top 10, those figures will correspond to the transition tag amount at their respective positions. In the case of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (No. 1 overall), he’ll earn upwards of $16MM.
Fifth-year options for players are guaranteed for injury only, but that will change starting next year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
Texans To Release S Tashaun Gipson
The Texans are moving on from Tashaun Gipson, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The safety will be released with two years to go on his three-year, $22.5MM deal.
[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]
Gipson hooked on with Houston prior to the 2019 season, fresh off of a three-year stint with the Jaguars. The Jags also dropped him midway through a lucrative deal – he was in the midst of a five-year, $36MM pact when Jacksonville let him go.
In his final season with the Jaguars, Gipson graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 37 ranked safety in the NFL. He was also valued for his durability, having started in all 48 of his games across three seasons. Unfortunately, he suffered a transverse process fracture in his back late last year, ending his season towards the end of the calendar year.
By cutting Gipson, the Texans will save $3.2MM while carrying $4.25MM in dead money. Meanwhile, they’ll look for a new partner for Justin Reid in center field. He’s been pushing for the Texans to sign his brother, Eric Reid, which would give the Texans a formidable 1-2 brotherly duo in the secondary. Whether they bring the Reid Bros. together or not, a veteran signing is pretty much a must. The Texans did not draft a safety over the weekend and their current group doesn’t offer any shoe-in replacements for the starting lineup.
Jets To Exercise Jamal Adams’ Fifth-Year Option
The Jets will exercise Jamal Adams‘ fifth-year option, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News. This, of course, won’t be the end of the Jets’ contractual dealings with the standout safety.
With the option, Adams will be slated to earn $9.86MM in 2021 – guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, he’s looking for a brand new multi-year deal that will reset the market as his position. The Jets have explored trading him in the past, but GM Joe Douglas claims that he’s staying put.
“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said recently. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”
The two-time Pro Bowler has drawn interest from the Cowboys and several other clubs, but Douglas has said that he wants Adams to be a “Jet for life.” We may soon find out whether that’s the case, though Adams’ camp has not set any sort of deadline in talks.
A new deal for Adams would likely vault him ahead of Eddie Jackson, whose recent four-year, $58.4MM deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league. His $14.6MM average annual value leads the position and his $33MM in guarantees – more than half of the deal’s total value – will be front of mind for Adams’ reps in negotiations.