Lions Meet With Ricky Jean-Francois
Veteran defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois will visit with the Lions on Wednesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jean-Francois spent last year with the Patriots, so new Lions head coach Matt Patricia is familiar with what he can provide. 
[RELATED: Lions, Browns Audition Jude Adjei-Barimah]
RJF spent last season with the Packers and Patriots. The 2009 seventh-round pick was cut twice by Green Bay and even dropped from the roster once by the Pats, but he was re-signed by New England and stayed with the team through their trip to the Super Bowl. All in all, he had 12 tackles in 12 games between the two clubs.
In March, the defensive tackle discussed a deal with the Lions, but he ultimately left Detroit without a contract. It appears that the Lions have renewed interest as they continue to search for interior defensive line depth. This week, the Lions also met with Sealver Siliga.
Browns Sign Denzel Ward To Rookie Deal
The Browns have officially signed rookie cornerback Denzel Ward. With the No. 4 overall pick in the fold, the Browns have wrapped their entire draft class. 
Ward was widely projected to go in the first half of the first round of this year’s draft, but few expected him to go No.4 overall to the Browns. However, new GM John Dorsey was intent on overhauling the team’s secondary, and Ward is a huge piece of the puzzle.
Ward projects to start at cornerback opposite of free agent pickup T.J. Carrie. They’ll be supported by newcomer E.J. Gaines and possibly other fresh faces in Terrance Mitchell and sixth-round pick Simeon Thomas.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Browns’ draft class, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-1: Baker Mayfield, QB (Oklahoma): Signed
- 1-4: Denzel Ward, CB (Ohio State): Signed:
- 2-33: Austin Corbett, T (Nevada): Signed
- 2-35: Nick Chubb, RB (Georgia): Signed
- 3-67: Chad Thomas, DE (Miami): Signed
- 4-105: Antonio Callaway, WR (Florida): Signed
- 5-150: Genard Avery, LB (Memphis): Signed
- 6-175: Damion Ratley, WR (Texas A&M): Signed
- 6-188: Simeon Thomas, CB (Louisiana-Lafayette): Signed
Steelers Re-Sign Eli Rogers
Eli Rogers is back in Pittsburgh. The Steelers re-signed the wide receiver to a one-year deal on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Rogers recently worked out for the Browns, Raiders, and Chiefs, but ultimately circled back to the Steelers with Wednesday’s deal. Rogers entered the league as a UDFA with the Steelers in 2015 and broke out in 2016 as he caught 48 passes for 593 yards and three scores in 13 games (eight starts). In 2017, however, Rogers slid down the depth chart following the selection of JuJu Smith-Schuster. Rogers had just 18 receptions for 149 yards last year, though he did chip in as a punt returner.
The Steelers have at least four wide receiver spots locked down with Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster, third-round pick James Washington, and Darrius Heyward-Bey under contract. Rogers will compete for one of the final WR spots with the likes of Justin Hunter, Trey Griffey, and others.
Bills Sign Rookie QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen is officially in the fold. On Wednesday, Allen inked his four-year rookie contract with the Bills. 
Allen’s negotiations took a while, but a deal was expected to happen this week as there were no signs of acrimony between him and the club. In accordance with his slot, Allen will earn about $21.2MM over the course of his four-year rookie contract.
The Bills went into the draft hoping to land their quarterback of the future, but refused to part with both of their first-round picks in order to make that happen. Their position paid off, as they were able to land the Buccaneers’ No. 7 pick in exchange for their No. 12 choice plus two second-round selections.
It’s expected that Allen will learn from the bench this year – at least, to start the year – behind free agent pickup A.J. McCarron. While Allen’s arm strength is definitely NFL caliber, the belief is that he’ll need some seasoning before taking the reins.
Falcons Sign Dimitroff, Quinn To Extensions
The Falcons signed general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn to three-year contracts extensions, the team announced on Wednesday. Both men are now signed through the 2022 season. 
[RELATED: Julio Jones Won’t Report To Camp]
“The partnership between Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff has proven to be as successful as we envisioned back in 2015,” said Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank. “I believe continuity in leadership is vital to achieving the highest levels of success in any organization and, with these extensions, we ensure these two leaders will be at the helm of our franchise for years to come. Their shared vision and long view plan has already delivered on a variety of levels and has positioned our team for success into the future. My expectations for our team to represent our city and fans well on and off the field remain very high and so does my confidence in Dan and Thomas to make that happen.”
Things have gone well in Atlanta, for the most part, since Dimitroff joined the team in 2008. The Falcons enjoyed five consecutive winning seasons and three consecutive playoff appearances from 2008-12. Clearly, Dimitroff’s emphasis on building through the draft has paid off. As the Falcons noted in their press release, the Falcons had 17 starters in last year’s playoffs – nine on defense and eight on offense – who were either drafted or signed by the team as college free agents.
Quinn, meanwhile, joined the Falcons in 2015. He has a 29-19 record in his three seasons at the helm, including two postseason appearances and a Super Bowl appearance.
Last year, the Falcons enjoyed a playoff win over the Rams, but fell to the Eagles in the divisional round. As they look to improve upon that, they’ll forge ahead with their current GM/Coach duo.
Eagles To Sign WR Kamar Aiken
The Eagles are signing wide receiver Kamar Aiken, according to a tweet from his agent. Aiken spent last season with the Colts, though you could be forgiven for forgetting that. 
[RELATED: Darren Sproles To Retire After 2018 Season]
Aiken had a disappointing 2017. Instead of running with the Colts’ second wide receiver job, he managed only 155 catches and 133 yards in 15 games (seven starts). His last meaningful production came in 2015, when the former undrafted free agent put up nearly 1,000 yards with the Ravens.
We haven’t heard a ton about Aiken this offseason, save for his June audition for the Jets. With the Eagles, he’ll try to make the cut behind Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, and Markus Wheaton. He’s hardly a shoe-in for the roster, but the recent release of Marquess Wilson and Jeffery’s nagging rotator cuff injury may help his case.
Titans’ Taylor Lewan To Report To Camp
Titans tackle Taylor Lewan skipped minicamp in an effort to pressure the team for a new deal, but he won’t skip training camp on Wednesday, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com hears (on Twitter). There’s no word on whether a new deal is close, but it’s a promising sign. 
[RELATED – Extension Candidate: Taylor Lewan]
Lewan may be looking for a deal that puts him near top of the heap for all left tackles, and he specifically referenced Nate Solder‘s new contract when discussing his own situation in late May. Lewan, the former No. 11 overall pick in the 2014 draft, is presently set to earn $9.341MM in 2018 before becoming eligible for free agency. Solder’s new contract with the Giants, meanwhile, will pay him an average of $15.5MM per year.
Lewan graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the NFL in 2016 and placed 16th last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The 27-year-old has proven that he is among the best left tackles in today’s game and he’s in line for a massive payday as he enters his prime years.
Earlier this year, Lewan indicated that he’d be willing to negotiate during the season if nothing gets done this offseason. So, in theory, the two sides could move forward on the current deal with the hope of completing an extension in the fall.
Cardinals To Meet With Mike Mitchell
Former Steelers and Panthers safety Mike Mitchell is scheduled to visit with and take a physical for the Cardinals on Wednesday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). If he signs, the deal would reunite Mitchell with Steve Wilks, who was the Panthers’ defensive backs coach during his best career season in 2013. 
The 31-year-old has spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he’s started each of his 61 games. Mitchell appeared in 13 games this past season, finishing with 53 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 62nd among 87 safety candidates.
Mitchell was slated to carry a $5MM salary in 2018, which was not workable for the Steelers given their limited room. Given the nature of the free agent safety market this offseason, a deal with the Cardinals would be for considerably less.
The Cardinals’ secondary will look quite different this year without Tyrann Mathieu moving between safety and cornerback. Mitchell, if signed, would serve as a backup behind Antoine Bethea and Budda Baker.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Freddie Bishop
- Placed on IR: FB Nick Bawden
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Adonis Jennings
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Frank Ginda
- Retired: LB Mike McCray
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C J.P. Quinn
- Waived: TE Josiah Price
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Eddie Pleasant, OL Nate Theaker
- Waived/Injured: WR Cody Hollister
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Marquess Wilson
- Waied: CB Randall Goforth
Rams Rumors: Donald, Gurley, Cooks
A specific provision in the CBA means that a holdout for Aaron Donald would be particularly costly if it continues into the preseason. The CBA dictates that players in the midst of their fifth-year option are subject to daily fines of $30K during preseason training camp, which is less than the usual $40K fine. However, each missed preseason game for fifth-year option players results in a fine equivalent to one week of regular season salary, Mike Florio of PFT notes.
For Donald, a holdout lingering into the preseason will cost him $405K per game. If he were to miss the full preseason, that would come out to more than $1.62MM of his $6.892MM salary. That doesn’t ensure Donald will show up for the exhibition games, but it’s certainly something for the defensive standout to think about.
Here’s more from sunny L.A.:
- The Rams’ new deal for running back Todd Gurley is a game-changer for obvious reasons, but Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter link) sees it as a potential turning point for some less obvious factors as well. He wonders aloud if elite running backs like Gurley with today’s lighter workload and better conditioning can last longer than the last set of backs who hurt the market. If that’s the case, then the running back market may finally move on a trajectory similar to other key positions.
- We have the details on Brandin Cooks‘ new deal with the Rams, courtesy of Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Cooks will receive a whopping $50.46MM guaranteed and will carry a $27.46MM cap number in 2019 and a $20.36MM figure in ’20.
- The Cooks deal is a huge investment for a player who has been traded twice in two years and hasn’t played a down for the team he is currently under contract with, Fitzgerald writes. His cashflow is also extremely impressive when compared to the league’s other top wide receivers. He’ll receive the largest Year 1 take home of any wide receiver and, after two years, he’ll earn more than any player except for Antonio Brown. The flow tails off a bit in the fourth and fifth years of the deal, but he can top every other receiver in those seasons via incentives.
- On Tuesday, the Rams signed defensive end Ryan Davis.