Bengals Waive Adolphus Washington
The Bengals have waived Adolphus Washington, according to a team announcement. The Bengals signed the defensive tackle off of the Cowboys’ taxi squad last season, but he won’t be a part of the club for 2019. 
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Washington had six tackles and a sack for the Bengals across four appearances last year. Prior to that, his only in-game experience came with the Bills across two seasons and change. The third-round pick hasn’t really met expectations, though he did have 3.5 sacks across his two full seasons in Buffalo.
Ultimately, Washington was somewhat redundant for the Bengals. The club is set to roll with Geno Atkins, Andrew Billings, Ryan Glasgow, Josh Tupou, Christian Ringo, and Niles Scott on the interior line this offseason.
Chargers Exercise Joey Bosa’s Option
This is the definition of a no-brainer. The Chargers have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Joey Bosa, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: 2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
In his first two NFL seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. Last year, Bosa missed the bulk of the season with a bone bruise, but still managed 5.5 sacks and 23 tackles in seven games.
It took a while for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft to put pen to paper, but he has blossomed into one of the league’s most terrifying edge rushers. He also serves as the signal caller of the Bolts’ defense. Simply put, Bosa is indispensable.
In 2020, Bosa will earn $14.360MM. After that, the Chargers will have to give Bosa a long-term deal at the top of the market or use the pricey franchise tag to stall. The Bolts, in theory, could use three consecutive franchise tags on Bosa, but it seems unlikely that he’d cooperate with a second tag and, even if he were willing to go with the flow, a third tag would be wildly expensive (assuming the tag system remains in place under the next collective bargaining agreement).
Speaking of the Bosa family, it sounds like Nick Bosa is a real possibility for the Cardinals at No. 1 overall. Even if Arizona passes on Bosa with the top choice, it’s unlikely that he’ll last long on Thursday.
Ravens Exercise Ronnie Stanley’s Option
The Ravens have exercised the fifth-year option on starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, Stanley is now under contract through the 2020 season. 
[RELATED: 2020 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
There was little doubt that the Ravens would pick up the fifth-year option on the 2016 first-round pick. Stanley has been a starter for the Ravens in all three of his NFL seasons and, last year, he graded out as the No. 17 ranked tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
The additional year will cost the Ravens $13MM in 2020 after his initial four-year deal wraps up. It’s not chump change, but it’s well worth it for the Ravens to lock down one of the best young tackles in the NFL.
The Ravens had until May 3 to make the call, but they didn’t need to take it down to the wire. Stanley’s $13MM sum will be guaranteed for injury only, so the club can easily get out of the deal if there’s an unexpected regression in his performance.
Falcons Sign J.J. Wilcox
On Monday, the Falcons announced the signing of safety J.J. Wilcox to a one-year deal. Wilcox, 28, played for both the Colts and Jets in 2018.
Wilcox hooked on with the Jets in June of last year and appeared in five games before being released in October. Later on, he saw time in two regular season games with the Colts, plus one playoff contest.
His most notable run came with the Cowboys, where he started 38 games as a safety and recorded 212 tackles, 15 pass defenses, five interceptions, and three fumble recoveries across four seasons.
This year, the Falcons will return safeties Ricardo Allen, Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee, and Sharrod Neasman. They’ve also added Chris Cooper and Afolabi Laguda, but Wilcox will fight for his spot and playing time in camp.
Jets Not Interested In Frank Clark?
The Jets have no real interest in Seahawks edge defender Frank Clark, Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter) hears. On Monday morning, one report indicated that the Jets were in the hunt for Clark, but that’s apparently not the case. 
Mehta hears that the Jets did their due diligence on Clark, as they tend to do with notable players who are available via trade. However, that’s where their research stopped. At this time, the Jets have no interest in the Seahawks standout, despite his significant production in 2018 and the club’s clear need for edge rush help.
The Jets haven’t had a player with double-digit sacks since 2015, but they could have the opportunity to draft the likes of Josh Allen from Kentucky or Nick Bosa from Ohio State if they stand pat at No. 3. Given the depth of this year’s class, they may also be able to get pass rush help even if they move down.
Clark, 26 in June, entered the league as a second-round pick in 2015, but truly broke out as an NFL sophomore with ten sacks in 2016. After a nine-sack effort in 2017, he exploded for 13 sacks last year, his first full season as a starter.
Packers To Exercise Kenny Clark’s Option
The Packers intend to exercise the fifth-year option on Kenny Clark‘s contract, GM Brian Gutekunst says (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky). The Packers technically have until the May 3 deadline to formally make the move. 
“He’s a dominant player on the defensive front,” Gutekunst said of the defensive tackle.
Last year, Clark enjoyed a solid third pro season. The 23-year-old (24 in October) put up a career-high six sacks and matched his 2017 tackles total with 55. Unfortunately, his season was halted by an elbow injury in December, but he was Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 ranked interior lineman in the NFL when he was placed on IR.
After a strong showing in 2018, picking up Clark’s option was something of a no-brainer for Green Bay brass. With the move, the young standout will be under contract through the 2020 season.
You can keep track of every fifth-year option decision in the NFL with PFR’s handy tracker.
Latest On Dolphins, Josh Rosen
The Dolphins have spent more time researching Josh Rosen than any other team in the league in recent weeks, Peter King of NBC Sports hears. That could be a sign that the Dolphins are a serious suitor for Rosen as the draft draws near. 
Rosen, last year’s No. 10 overall pick, could be up for grabs if the Cardinals follow through on taking Kyler Murray No. 1 overall on Thursday. Multiple QB-needy teams have been connected to the UCLA product, but, so far, no one sounds willing to give up a first or second rounder. The Redskins, once thought to be a logical frontrunner for his services, appear to have cooled on him, but the Dolphins would be a sensible fit.
The Dolphins inked Ryan Fitzpatrick to be their QB in March, but he’s not a long-term solution for the position. In theory, the Dolphins could select their QB of the future at No. 13 overall, but it’ll be slim pickins if the Cardinals, Redskins, and Giants all use their first-round ammo to select signal callers. Such an outcome would also hamper the Cardinals’ leverage, which may allow the Dolphins to land Rosen for their third round pick at No. 78 overall.
For what it’s worth, the Cardinals are willing to keep Rosen even if Murray is their guy – or, at least, that’s the narrative they seem to be pushing. There’s also a possibility that they’ll select a defender with the top pick, which would allow Rosen to stay in place as their starter in 2019.
Jerry Tillery Ahead Of Schedule
Good news for Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. The potential first-round pick is ahead of schedule in his rehab from shoulder surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Tillery is expected to be ready to for all football activities by early July, which should help his draft stock heading into Thursday. The DT met with the Broncos, Chiefs, Eagles, Colts, and four other teams in the lead-up to the draft and any one of those clubs could consider him towards the end of the first round.
Analysts are high on Tillery’s potential and given the latest news, it would be a surprise if he lasted until the third round. The youngster offers upside as a defensive tackle in 4-3 schemes but can also fit as an end for 3-4 clubs.
In his final year with the Fighting Irish, Tillery registered seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss. It also helps that Tillery had a strong showing at the combine, including the best SPARQ score (a measurement of overall athleticism) of any defensive linemen.
Chiefs, Colts Interested In Frank Clark
The Frank Clark sweepstakes is heating up. The Chiefs and Colts have shown interest in the Seahawks’ edge rusher and a deal could come together early this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Rapoport also heard rumblings of the Jets being interested in Clark, but Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears that’s not the case.
A pre-draft deal would make sense for all parties involved and the Seahawks would probably prefer to have their ducks in a row well in advance of Thursday. It’s also still possible that the Seahawks will move forward with Clark, though the franchise-tagged player has indicated that he will not report to training camp without a new deal. The two sides made progress on that front in early March, but it’s not clear if things have advanced since then.
Recently, Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence agreed to a new $21MM/year deal, which could embolden Clark’s camp to ask for even more. The Seahawks, ideally, would like to bring Clark back after he registered 13 sacks in 2018, but the opportunity to free up cap space and net a first-round pick for his services could be too good to pass up.
After moving on from Dee Ford and Justin Houston, Clark would make plenty of sense for the Chiefs. However, his off-the-field history could give KC some hesitation given the ongoing Tyreek Hill situation. There’s also the matter of forking over a top-of-the-market deal, which should give the Colts similar pause.
Latest On Montez Sweat
Montez Sweat‘s stock has bottomed out and it’s possible that he will not hear his name called on Thursday night, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. This may help to explain why Sweat – who has been long projected to go in the first round – has opted against attending the NFL Draft in person. 
Sweat’s heart condition has caused some teams to remove him from their draft board, so there are definitely less suitors for his services. Some cardiologists say that Sweat’s enlarged heart will not prevent him from playing, but there’s also no known case of another NFL player with the same issue. The unknowns have created serious question marks for talent evaluators, despite Sweat’s measurables and on-field production.
Despite the heart condition, Sweat racked up 22.5 sacks over his final two seasons with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Texans, Bengals, 49ers, Bills, Raiders, Packers, and Buccaneers all met with him, but it’s not clear whether all of those teams still have him in consideration.
Last year, Michigan standout Maurice Hurst plummeted to the fifth round due to a (different) heart condition and Sweat could be in for a similar fall. Hurst’s case may work to Sweat’s advantage, however. Last year, Hurst appeared in 13 games (ten starts) for the Raiders and racked up four sacks with 31 total tackles.