Cowboys Sign Most Of Draft Class
The Cowboys have most of their draft signings out of the way. Everyone in Dallas’ draft class has agreed to, or signed, their rookie deals, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter), save for third-round guard Connor McGovern.
The following Cowboys rookies are now in the fold:
- 2-58: Trysten Hill, DT (Central Florida)
- 4-128: Tony Pollard, RB (Memphis)
- 5-158: Michael Jackson, CB (Miami)
- 5-165: Joe Jackson, DE (Miami)
- 6-213: Donovan Wilson, S (Texas A&M)
- 7-218: Mike Weber, RB (Ohio State)
- 7-241: Jalen Jelks, DE (Oregon)
Hill, a 6’2″, 315 pound defensive tackle, left UCF on a sour note and openly complained about his lack of playing time in the team’s Fiesta Bowl loss to LSU. Throughout the year, Hill clashed with coaches and started only once in the team’s eleven regular season games. Still, the Cowboys see big potential in this supersized lineman.
Pollard, meanwhile, offers upside as a runner and as a receiver. Last year, he saw 78 carries out of the backfield and averaged 7.1 yards per try. He also caught 39 passes for 458 yards, showing that he is a multi-talented threat.
Vikings, Kyle Rudolph Halt Negotiations
Kyle Rudolph could be on his way out of Minnesota. Extension talks between the tight end and the Vikings broke off on Friday morning, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Vikings drafted Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round, a sign that Rudolph might not factor into the team’s future plans. By moving on from Rudolph, the Vikes can save more than $7MM. Meanwhile, Rapoport hears that there is interest in Rudolph around the NFL.
Speculatively, one has to wonder if the Patriots could be among the interested clubs. A trade to New England would give the Pats an established TE to replace Rob Gronkowski and would give Rudolph his first opportunity to play in Foxborough for the first time since September 14, 2014. In that one-sided Patriots win, Rudolph had a respectable five receptions for 53 yards.
The 29-year-old Rudolph had another productive season in 2018, hauling in 64 receptions for 634 yards and four scores.
Patriots To Sign Dontrelle Inman
The Patriots have agreed to sign wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year pact for the Pats and the veteran.
The 6’3″, 205-pound Inman gives the Patriots yet another receiver to consider this offseason. He becomes the eleventh wide-receiver on the club’s 90-man roster, joining Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris, Damoun Patterson, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, and Xavier Ubosi.
Inman spent the first few years of his career with the Chargers, but has bounced around since the start of the 2017 season. After starting out with the Bolts in ’17, he hooked on with the Bears. Then, last year, he joined the Colts as a free agent where he caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions considered Inman earlier this offseason, but he’s joining up with the defending champs instead.
Kyler Murray’s Deal Has Offset Language
Kyler Murray‘s deal with the Cardinals contains offset language, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). Offset language is usually at the root of most prolonged rookie negotiations, but the two sides managed to sidestep the issue and come to an accord on Thursday. 
Offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries are fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.
However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.
So, Murray appears to have accepted the typical offset language in a rookie deal, though his contract is not without unusual wrinkles. The pact also contains language that will void the deal if he leaves the NFL to pursue his baseball career.
Buccaneers Sign 16 UDFAs
The Buccaneers officially signed the following 16 UDFAs on Friday:
- Jalen Allison, CB (North Dakota State)
- Bruce Anderson, RB (North Dakota State)
- Zack Bailey, G (South Carolina)
- Kahzin Daniels, LB (Charleston)
- Lukas Denis, S (Boston College)
- Nick Fitzgerald, QB (Mississippi State)
- Dan Godsil, LS (Indiana)
- Israel Helms, T (Wayne State)
- Anthony Johnson, WR (Buffalo)
- DaMarkus Lodge, WR (Mississippi)
- Dare Odeyingbo, LB (Vanderbilt)
- Brock Ruble, T (Toledo)
- Isaiah Searight, TE (Fordham)
- Cortrelle Simpson, WR (Richmond)
- Malik Taylor, WR (Ferris State)
- Nate Trewyn, C (Wisconsin-Whitewater)
As the Bucs’ press release notes, history suggests that these players will have decent odds of making the final cut. Wide receiver Adam Humphries, running back Peyton Barber, and tight ends Cameron Brate and Antony Auclair all came to Tampa as UDFAs. In every year since 2008, at least one undrafted rookie has made the Buccaneers’ Week 1 roster.
That may be doubly true for defensive tackle Zack Bailey, who received a ~$23K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Saints Sign Entire Draft Class
That’s a wrap! On Friday, the Saints announced that they have signed their entire draft class:
- 2-48: Erik McCoy, OL (Texas A&M)
- 4-105: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S (Florida)
- 6-177: Saquan Hampton, S (Rutgers)
- 7-231: Alize Mack, TE (Notre Dame)
- 7-244: Kaden Elliss, LB (Idaho)
All players will receive four-year deals. But, naturally, McCoy gets the biggest payout of the bunch. His draft slot at No. 48 overall gives him almost $6.1MM in total, with a signing bonus of nearly $2.5MM.
McCoy spent three years as the Aggies’ starting center, but he also made a pair of starts at guard in 2017. With the Saints, McCoy is expected to compete for the starting center job, though he could theoretically see time at left or right guard.
The Saints had a condensed draft class this year, due in part to the two trades they made to land McCoy and Gardner-Johnson. Last year, Gardner-Johnson made 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and came away with a team-high four interceptions. He already has a relationship with secondary coach Aaron Glenn and couldn’t be happier to be in New Orleans.
“It’s the best all around team from top to bottom, offense and defense,”Gardner-Johnson said recently. “I’m just coming into a system where everything has a standard. I’m just going to come in and live up to that standard so everyone on the team and in the front office upstairs can be proud of me and say these guys are set.”
Lions Sign 13 UDFAs
On Friday, the Lions added 13 undrafted rookies to their roster. Here’s the full rundown:
- Nate Becker, TE (Miami, Ohio)
- Beau Benzschawel, G (Wisconsin)
- Malik Carney, LB (UNC)
- Jonathan Duhart, WR (Old Dominion)
- Tre Lamar, LB (Clemson)
- C.J. Moore, S (Ole Miss)
- Matt Nelson, T (Iowa),
- Donald Parham, TE (Stetson)
- Anthony Pittman, LB (Wayne State)
- Ryan Pope, T (San Diego State)
- Micah St. Andrew, G (Fresno State)
- Ray Smith, DT (Boston College)
- Kevin Strong, DT (Texas San-Antonio)
The Lions did not select any offensive linemen in the draft, so they went ahead and inked four OLs in Benzschawel, Nelson, Pope, and St. Andrew. With that in mind, the players in this group may have decent odds of making the final cut from the 90-man roster to the final 53.
Teams Shopping Safeties To Cowboys
Teams have called the Cowboys offering safety help via trade, exec Stephen Jones says (via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). However, Jones says the club is comfortable with the current group and isn’t particularly interested in an upgrade.
”We’ve already started getting a few calls from people needing things and knowing that we might need, thinking we might need a safety; ‘Would we be willing to trade this player for that player’,” Jones said. “I think this is going to pay for us. We’re not in any hurry. We feel good about our safety position. I just think we’ve got a good situation. Now we’ve just got to keep working.”
In theory, the Cowboys could trade from a unit of strength – like the offensive line – to bolster a safety group that has long been pegged as a weakness. For now, the Cowboys have George Iloka, Jeff Heath, sixth-round Texas A&M product Donovan Wilson, and Kavon Frazier in the strong safety competition with Xavier Woods slotted at free safety.
The Cowboys had their opportunities to land impact safeties earlier in the draft, but opted to zero in on other areas. Starting in Round 2, the Cowboys addressed the defensive tackle, guard, running back, cornerback, and defensive end positions before selecting Wilson in the penultimate round.
For now, the Cowboys say they’re willing to stand pat, but Hill gets the sense that the Cowboys will not rule out a trade for a safety given their previous desire to improve on that front.
Dolphins To Sign OT Jordan Mills
Former Bills’ tackle Jordan Mills will sign a one-year, $3MM deal with the Dolphins, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The Dolphins wisely waited until after May 7 to ink Mills, which means that his arrival won’t affect the club’s 2020 compensatory draft pick formula. 
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The Bills didn’t see a place for Mills as they overhauled their offensive line this offseason, but the Dolphins are curious to see what he can do. He offers tons of starting experience – he’s made 16 starts in each of the last three seasons with 82 starts in total – yet comes to Miami at a reserve’s pay rate.
The Dolphins could certainly use the additional front five protection after losing Ja’Wuan James in free agency to the Broncos. In fact, they can use talent in general, though skeptics say the Dolphins are aiming to tank in 2019 with an eye on the 2020 draft.
Seahawks’ Ziggy Ansah To Miss Games?
New Seahawks’ defensive end Ezekiel Ansah still is recovering from shoulder surgery that is expected to keep him out of training camp or longer, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Furthermore, some league sources believe Ansah could miss the first month of this season, if not more. 
The Seahawks inked Ansah to a deal late Wednesday night, allowing them to skirt any possible compensatory pick formula ramifications. On the surface, it was a brilliant way to bolster an edge rush that can use a lift following the Frank Clark trade. However, the Ansah signing won’t do them a whole lot of good if he’s not on the field.
Health, of course, has been an issue for the former Lions standout. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has 48 career sacks to his credit, including 14.5 from his Pro Bowl campaign in 2015. He also notched 12 sacks in 2017, but the years sandwiched in between have been filled with injuries and disappointment. Last year, Ansah registered just four sacks in seven games after the Lions hit him with the pricey franchise tag.
The Bills were also in the mix for Ansah, but the Seahawks won out. With Seattle, Ansah will join first-round pick L.J. Collier in a new-look edge unit.