Latest On Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory
Cowboys defenders Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory will probably have to wait until after the draft to see if they’re cleared to play by the NFL, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder hears. Both players are under suspension for substance abuse policy violations and they won’t be able to take the field unless Roger Goodell gives them the green light. 
[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys, Prescott]
Smith hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since his 2015 season with the Raiders due to off-the-field trouble and personal issues. Before that downward trend, Smith was one of the league’s brightest stars. In his first two pro seasons, Smith notched 33.5 sacks. And, even when he was limited to just eleven games in 2013, he still managed to bring down the QB 8.5 times.
For the last few years, Smith has mostly been off of the NFL radar. Then, this offseason, the Cowboys gave him a chance at redemption. Smith is set to earn just $2MM in base salary, plus another $2MM in sack incentives, but the deal is completely non-guaranteed. If Smith isn’t cleared to play, he won’t get paid.
Gregory has also been plagued by personal issues – he’s played a grand total of 28 games across five years with the Cowboys. Jerry Jones has stood by the former second round pick and, this year, he’s especially hopeful that Gregory will be able to stay on the right track. Without Robert Quinn, the Cowboys badly need the help.
2020 NFL Draft Order By Round
The NFL Draft is just around the corner. The Bengals kick things off with the first pick on Thursday April 23rd. Then, the “fully virtual” party will continue through Saturday April 25th, with 255 selections in total.
Here’s the complete rundown of every pick, from Round 1 through Round 7.
Round One:
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Washington Redskins
3. Detroit Lions
4. New York Giants
5. Miami Dolphins
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Carolina Panthers
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Cleveland Browns
11. New York Jets
12. Las Vegas Raiders
13. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15. Denver Broncos
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh)
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)
21. Philadelphia Eagles
22. Minnesota (from Buffalo)
23. New England Patriots
24. New Orleans Saints
25. Minnesota Vikings
26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston)
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Baltimore Ravens
29. Tennessee Titans
30. Green Bay Packers
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Ted Ginn Jr. Says Retirement Can Wait
Even at the age of 35, wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. says he still has more in the tank (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). The free agent is looking for his next deal after spending the last three seasons with the Saints. 
[RELATED: Demaryius Thomas Wants To Continue Playing]
“I’ve still got a few more years left in me,” said Ginn, who first entered the league in 2007.
After 36 games (22 starts) with the Saints, Ginn will likely have to don a new uniform next year. New addition Emmanuel Sanders figures to replace him as the veteran of the group and they’re well stocked with Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Emmanuel Butler, and Tommylee Lewis also under contract. The Saints could be tempted to pounce on one of this year’s talented rookie WRs, if one happens to slip, but, either way, there’s no clear spot for Ginn on the 53-man roster.
For his career, Ginn has posted 409 catches for 5,702 yards and 33 touchdowns. And, in his salad days, he was a solid return man. Across 13 seasons, he’s also suited up for the Dolphins, 49ers, Panthers, and Cardinals.
David Johnson Passes Texans Physical
Great news for David Johnson and bad news for Texans fans who were hoping for the DeAndre Hopkins trade to be nullified. The running back has passed his physical exam, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Texans Trade DeAndre Hopkins To Cardinals, Receive David Johnson]
Meanwhile, Hopkins has also passed his physical with the Cardinals, so everything should be clear for the swap to become officially official. All along, both teams have expressed confidence that the trade would be completed, despite the hiccups presented by the ongoing pandemic. Outside of Houston headquarters, many speculated that Johnson’s past maladies would raise red flags and scuttle the deal. In Arizona, they had to do a careful check on Hopkins’ surgically-repaired wrist, though that injury has not slowed him as much over the years.
Johnson was once one of the NFL’s very best tailbacks, but he’s hasn’t looked like the same player as of late. In 2019, DJ missed games and ultimately lost his spot in the pecking order to Kenyan Drake. All together, he carried the ball just 94 times and averaged 3.7 yards per try. His last big year came in 2016, when he earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro nods as he ran for 1,239 yards. Then, in 2017, he saw most of his season wiped out.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/15/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Josh Hawkins
Detroit Lions
- Released: TE Paul Butler, WR Jonathan Duhart, LB Steve Longa
Roy Robertson-Harris Signs Bears Tender
Bears defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris signed his second-round tender, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). With that, he’ll return for another season in Chicago while earning just over $3.2MM. 
Robertson-Harris was set for restricted free agency, but the Bears didn’t want to let him get away. The $3.2MM+ tender was enough to scare off any possible suitors – any team that signed him to an unmatched offer sheet would have had to pay a steep tax in draft capital. Since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent, there would’ve been no compensation for the Bears had they tendered and lost him at the original-round level.
The UTEP product spent his entire 2016 rookie season on the reserve/NFI list, but earned his spot on the team in 2017. Ever since, he’s been getting more and more time on the field. Last year, he appeared in 15 games and started seven, racking up 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended from the interior. All together, he played on more than 50 percent of Chicago’s defensive snaps.
Demaryius Thomas Wants To Continue Playing
Demaryius Thomas says retirement can wait. In an interview with 104.3 The Fan, the accomplished wide receiver said that he’s looking for an opportunity to play in 2020 (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). 
[RELATED: Broncos Aiming To Trade Up In Draft?]
Thomas, 32, registered over 9,000 yards across nine seasons with the Broncos, but he’s now on the back nine of his career. Midway through the 2018 season, the Broncos traded DT to the Texans for what amounted to a fourth-round pick. When the Texans signed him in the following offseason, he hooked on with the Patriots.
Then, just before the 2019 season, the Patriots completed a rare intra-divisional trade to send Thomas to the Jets. Gang Green only had to give up a sixth-round pick for Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowler.
Last year, Thomas recorded 36 grabs for 433 yards and one touchdown with the Jets. Now with 9,763 career yards, Thomas says that he wants to reach 10,000. Thomas should be able to land a deal somewhere, but he’ll probably have to wait until after the draft.
Bengals “Maxing Out” Their Time To Talk With Joe Burrow
The Bengals have been using every possible minute to talk with Joe Burrow, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. That’s just the latest indication that the Bengals will take the LSU quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in next week’s draft. 
[RELATED: Joe Burrow’s NFL Draft Profile]
The Bengals’ infatuation with Burrow has been the worst kept secret in the NFL for months. We’ve been surprised before in the NFL Draft, but it would be a genuine shock if the Bengals selected anyone else.
In the days before the draft, teams do their best to run misdirection plays, anonymously downplaying their targets and signaling interest the players they don’t want. Still, the Bengals haven’t been able to hide their crush, nor have they made a real effort to conceal it.
“It doesn’t look that way,” confessed head coach Zac Taylor when asked about the possibility of trading the pick. “If there is a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10-15 years, then that’s a hard thing to pass up on.”
Even in January, the Bengals were up-front about their affinity for the LSU star.
“He’s got natural pocket feel. He feels it,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “It seems like he never takes his eyes off down the field. He extends the play really, really well. He’s a lot faster than you might assume when you see him running away from all those SEC guys. He’s got incredible up-field accuracy. The ball hardly ever hits the ground in a game, which is rare. He just naturally puts the ball in places where those guys can make plays.”
There will be lots of surprises in store throughout draft weekend, but the Bengals seem locked on Burrow with the top pick.
Joe Flacco Open To Joining Eagles?
If the Eagles give Joe Flacco a call, it sounds like he’ll pick up the phone. When asked about the possibility of signing with Philly, the free agent quarterback indicated that he’s open to flying with the Eagles. 
“I grew up with it. All my friends live and die with the Eagles,” said the South Jersey native (Twitter link via ABC’s Jeff Skversky). “There definitely be a lot of very cool things about that. You never know what the future holds.”
At this stage of his career, the one-time Super Bowl MVP profiles as a backup quarterback. The 35-year-old has been hampered by injuries for years – he missed time in 2015, played through back pain in 2017, and missed more time in 2018. In 2019, his first season with the Broncos, Flacco suffered a serious neck injury that sidelined him for the second half of the year.
Before that, Flacco turned in a 65.3% completion rate, the best of his career. However, he threw just six touchdown passes against five interceptions. In March, the Broncos waived him to take his $20.25MM in base salary off of the books for 2020. By dropping Jersey Joe, the Broncos saved $10MM+ against the cap with $13.6MM in dead money.
Given Carson Wentz‘s injury history, the Eagles can be expected to spend on a backup. They have ample cap room for the coming year and too many dollars committed for 2021, so they’ll likely target veterans on one-year deals. As it stands, Nate Sudfeld is slated to serve as Wentz’ QB2, but he has just $500K guaranteed on his new contract. Flacco could be a fit, but his friction with former Broncos offensive coordinator and current Eagles assistant Rich Scangarello may be a barrier.
Dr. Fauci: “There’s A Way” For Sports To Resume In 2020
The NFL has mostly kept its offseason on schedule throughout the pandemic with an eye on playing in the fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that’s feasible, provided that the league does not have fans in attendance.
[RELATED: Follow Pro Football Rumors On Twitter]
“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told Snapchat’s Peter Hamby (YouTube link). “Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled….But have them tested every single week, make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family, and just let them play the season out.”
Fauci, a devoted baseball fan, added that he “wants to see them play again.” And, in his personal opinion, he believes that fans will be eager to watch games, even if the atmosphere is lacking. Of course, the NFL has time on its side, whereas MLB does not. Already behind schedule, MLB owners and players are thinking about launching the season in Arizona for every team, with zero fans in the stands. Every league, including the NFL, will be keeping a watchful eye on baseball to inform next steps.
The Trump administration has taken a vested interest in the return of professional sports. They’ve solicited suggestions from Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, MLB commish Rob Manfred, owners Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, and many more leaders in the sports world. That list also includes WWE czar Vince McMahon, who has filed Chapter 11 on the XFL, and UFC president Dana White, who hopes to broadcast cards from “Fight Island” (Parts Unknown).
Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to talk with the NCAA’s Playoff Management Committee to assess options at the amateur level (Twitter link via Kaitlan Collins of CNN).