“No Active Investigation” Against Tyreek Hill
In April, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that the criminal case against star receiver Tyreek Hill has been reopened. However, Johnson County DA Steve Howe says that’s not the case, as Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star tweets. 
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill Denies Abuse Allegations]
Howe previously said that he believed a crime was committed against Hill’s son, but he could not gather enough conclusive evidence to prove who did it. Later, a leaked audio conversation between Hill and his child’s mother seemed to bring some evidence to the forefront, but it’s not quite enough to build the case against the wide receiver.
“It is not an active investigation,” Howe said. “As in any case, if we receive additional evidence we reevaluate.”
While there’s no criminal case against Hill at this time, the Kansas Department for Children and Families is still looking into the matter. NFL discipline seems likely for Hill, but the league office will not act until the KDCF wraps its investigation.
Redskins Tried To Claim Desmond Harrison
The Redskins placed a claim on tackle Desmond Harrison, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ultimately, Harrison went to the Cardinals, who had top priority when the Browns cut him loose. 
It’s potentially a sign that the Redskins are concerned about Trent Williams‘ holdout and also an indication that they are eager to bolster their offensive line depth. For example, the Redskins want to use former Giants first round pick Ereck Flowers at left guard, but he has been practicing mostly at tackle due to Williams’ absence and a lack of other available options.
Harrison started in the first eight games of the season for the Browns before losing his gig to Greg Robinson, so it was widely expected that several teams would try and grab the 25-year-old. It’s possible that other clubs were warded off by Harrison’s reported absence and tardiness to team functions this offseason, but there could have also been issues with his game tape. Despite being a first-stringer in the first half of the 2018 campaign, Harrison graded out as just the No. 67 ranked tackle in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus.
Jets To Work Out Bilal Powell
Bilal Powell‘s run with the Jets might not be over. On Friday, the Jets will audition the running back, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). 
Powell is working his way back from a neck injury suffered in October against the Vikings. Initially, it was believed that the Jets would be moving on from him, especially since they have added Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery to the RB depth chart. But, injuries happen, and there could be room for the veteran to squeeze into the picture along with Elijah McGuire.
A fourth-round pick back in 2011, Powell just wrapped up his three-year, $11.25MM deal with the Jets. Powell isn’t the flashiest running back out there, but he does have a career average of 4.4 yards per tote and he is a quality pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Still, the Jets want to verify Powell’s health and assess what he has in the tank. Last year, he finished out with just 343 yards and eleven catches for 110 yards before being placed on IR.
Poll: Will Eagles Regret Carson Wentz Deal?
On Thursday night, the Eagles and Carson Wentz reached agreement on a massive new contract. The four-year add-on is worth $128MM in total with upwards of $107MM in overall guarantees. Meanwhile, Wentz reportedly gets $66MM guaranteed at signing, a huge haul for a player who has finished the last two seasons on IR. 
Wentz nearly captured the league’s MVP trophy in 2017 before a season-ending ACL tear sidelined him and cleared the way for Nick Foles‘ legendary run to the Super Bowl. It was a similar story (albeit with a different ending) in 2018 – Wentz managed to throw for 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions in eleven games last year, but a back injury forced him to cede the starting role to Foles once again.
Wentz’ injury history is cause for concern, but the Eagles have doubled down with this colossal new deal. The club no longer has Foles as a safety net and Wentz, the former No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, is now the first QB in the NFL signed through the 2024 season.
Of course, the market for top-end quarterbacks advances rapidly, so Wentz’s $32MM average annual value might not seem like a big deal by the time he enters Year Two of the extension. And, if Wentz returns to MVP-level form, it will prove to be a rather reasonable contract for the Eagles.
Ultimately, do you see this deal backfiring for Howie Roseman & Co.? Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Wentz
The Cowboys didn’t spend lavishly on the safety position this offseason, but they did consider taking a safety in the second round, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram. Ultimately, they used their second round choice to grab defensive tackle Trysten Hill and did not address safety until the sixth round when they selected Texas A&M’s Donovan Wilson.
Here’s more on the Cowboys’ safety situation and more from the NFC East:
- Through the first three weeks of OTAs, incumbent Jeff Heath is still ahead of newcomer George Iloka on the Cowboys‘ depth chart, according to Hill. Iloka was brought in to unseat Heath but, so far, that hasn’t happened.
- For now, Carson Wentz‘s new deal looks to be a win-win for the Eagles and the quarterback, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Wentz netted upwards of $100MM in guarantees in the deal, but given the expected climb in the salary cap, it could quickly prove to be an under-market deal for Philly. At the same time, the new money average of $32MM is pretty high considering that Wentz has suffered season ending injuries in two consecutive Decembers. For reference, under the new money metric, Wentz trails only Russell Wilson ($35MM), Ben Roethlisberger ($34MM), and Aaron Rodgers ($32.5MM).
- The Wentz deal is an aggressive one for the Eagles, but not a reckless one, Tim McManus of ESPN.com argues. The Eagles believe that they’ll save millions on the back end of the deal if Wentz returns to his MVP-caliber level of performance, though they know that it could backfire miserably if his injury issues creep up again. McManus also notes that Wentz could have been difficult through a long and drawn-out negotiating process, so there was plenty of reason to get a deal done now instead of kicking the can down the road.
Details On Terrelle Pryor’s Jaguars Deal
Last week, the Jaguars inked wide receiver Terrelle Pryor shortly after he auditioned on the practice field. We now have the details on the deal, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco (Twitter link): it’s a one-year, $930K veteran’s minimum contract. 
With the veteran’s minimum deal, Pryor will count for just $645K against the salary cap. Per the collective bargaining agreement, players with four or more years of experience can sign a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum salary while the team will only carry a three-year pro’s minimum salary on the books.
There’s little risk in the deal for the Jaguars as they have added a one-time 1,000-yard receiver for next to nothing. And, if Pryor can’t prove that he is healthy in camp, they can walk away with no fiscal penalty.
It’s probably not the deal Pryor envisioned for himself, but the former Browns standout has earned more than $14MM over the course of his career, thanks in large part to recent pacts with the Redskins and Jets.
Redskins Sign Terry McLaurin
The Redskins have officially wrapped up their 2019 NFL Draft class. On Thursday, the club announced the signing of third-round wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin’s 35 catches for 701 yards last year don’t necessarily jump off of the page, but he proved to have a presence in the red zone with eleven touchdowns. After selecting Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round, the Redskins are hopeful they can keep the chemistry going at the pro level. For now, he projects to sit somewhere behind Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn, and Cam Sims on the wide receiver depth chart. Fellow rookie receiver Kelvin Harmon will also battle for playing time, but McLaurin’s special teams acumen should work in his favor.
Here’s the full rundown of the Redskins’ draft class, courtesy of PFR’s tracker:
- 1-15: Dwayne Haskins, QB (Ohio State): Signed
- 1-26: Montez Sweat, DE (Mississippi State): Signed
- 3-76: Terry McLaurin, WR (Ohio State): Signed
- 4-112: Bryce Love, RB (Stanford): Signed
- 4-131: Wes Martin, G (Indiana): Signed
- 5-153: Ross Pierschbacher, C (Alabama): Signed
- 5-173: Cole Holcomb, LB (North Carolina): Signed
- 6-206: Kelvin Harmon, WR (North Carolina State): Signed
- 7-227: Jimmy Moreland, CB (James Madison): Signed
- 7-253: Jordan Brailford, DE (Oklahoma State): Signed
East Notes: Patriots, LaCosse, Jets, Eagles
Now that Austin Seferian-Jenkins is out of the picture, the Patriots seem likely to go with Matt LaCosse are their top tight end in Week 1, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. The Patriots made a minor splash by signing Ben Watson earlier this offseason, but he’ll have to sit on the sidelines for the first four games of the season due to his PED violation. That leaves LaCosse, blocking tight end Ryan Izzo, and UDFA Andrew Beck, and LaCosse is the best pass catcher of the bunch.
LaCosse hasn’t produced much at the pro level, but there’s reason to believe that he can be a late bloomer. LaCosse saw 38% of the Broncos’ snaps last year and he could be poised to take another step forward in 2019.
If LaCosse doesn’t cut it in camp, Volin speculates that the Patriots could explore a trade for Kyle Rudolph, though it would require some salary cap magic. The Patriots could also kick the tires on former Texans tight end Ryan Griffin, who would seem to be a fit for the system.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- Former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan got a little too cute in the draft and wound up losing out on one of his mid-round targets, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. The Jets had their eyes on Arkansas interior lineman Hjalte Froholdt with the third pick of the fourth round (No. 105 overall) before moving down to the No. 116 pick in order to add a fifth-round pick to their arsenal. Then, they traded down yet again to No. 121, allowing the Pats to scoop up Froholdt with the No. 118 pick. Maccagnan’s maneuvering also cost the club Oklahoma offensive lineman Dru Samia, another target of the team who could have helped at the center position. After all that movement, they wound up settling for West Virginia blocking tight end Trevon Wesco at No. 121 overall.
- Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby is still aiming to play in Week 1 and expects to participate in training camp, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Darby has missed 17 games (counting the postseason) since joining the Eagles prior to the 2017 season.
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Cardinals Claim Desmond Harrison
The Cardinals have claimed offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Browns released Harrison on Wednesday, leaving him up for grabs.
Having the league’s worst record has its advantages, including top waiver priority. The Cardinals were able to snag Harrison ahead of the other 30 potential competitors, and there were surely multiple teams hoping to land the 25-year-old.
Harrison, 25, opened the 2018 season as the starter at left tackle before Greg Robinson took over in the second half of the season. This year, Harrison was expected to be a key sub in Cleveland and that will probably be his floor in Arizona.
The Browns reportedly released Harrison due to chronic lateness and outright no-shows for team appointments, but the Cardinals are willing to roll the dice to see what he can bring to the table.