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NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/13/22

June 13th, 2022 at 9:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Two players signed their rookie contracts today:

Baltimore Ravens

Stout transferred to Penn State after two fairly inactive years at Virginia Tech. Stout served double-duty in Happy Valley kicking both punts and field goals. Stout kicked 100 punts during his time as a Nittany Lion, as well as converting 16 of 23 field goals and 34 of 36 extra points. Stout will be asked to fill big shoes after long-time Ravens punter Sam Koch announced his retirement last month. Stout will likely also be able to save All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker‘s leg a little stress, as Stout served as the kickoff specialist during his time at both Virginia Tech and Penn State.

Los Angeles Chargers

Woods’s role as a safety changed a bit over his time in Waco. His first two years saw him play a bit more in the box, as he recorded 2.0 sacks and three fumble recoveries. He developed a bit of range in his next two years as a Bear, totaling eight interceptions over that time period. Woods even had a knack for being dangerous with the ball in his hands, averaging 25.13 return yards per interception. He showed true play-making ability as a senior recording 4.5 tackles for loss while also returning both an interception and a fumble for a touchdown. He adds safety depth to a Chargers roster with Nasir Adderley, Derwin James, and Alohi Gilman at the top of the depth chart.

Derek Wolfe Undergoes Another Hip Surgery

June 13th, 2022 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following Derek Wolfe‘s January hip surgery, the veteran defensive lineman was connected to retirement rumors. Those are not likely to stop. Wolfe revealed Monday he underwent his second hip operation of the year (h/t Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun, on Twitter).

The former Super Bowl starter did not play last season, spending the year on IR. He is tied to a fully guaranteed $3.6MM 2022 salary. Wolfe, 32, said he is looking to “live a normal life,” following this surgery. While that goes without saying, the sentiment may move him further from the prospect of playing another NFL season.

Baltimore picked up Wolfe in 2020, after the Denver did not give him a second extension. The ex-Von Miller–DeMarcus Ware sidekick played a key role for the Ravens’ 2020 defense, starting eight games and playing in 14. The team then gave Wolfe a three-year, $12MM deal in March 2021.

Although Wolfe has dealt with injuries for much of his career, 2021 marked the only season in which he missed more than five games. The Ravens began his IR-return period in October but let the three-week window expire, leading the veteran D-lineman back to season-ending IR. Hip trouble, along with a back issue, led to Wolfe’s season-long absence. The Wolfe-Ravens partnership may be nearing an end, with this hip procedure likely a threat to his early-season availability.

The Ravens entered the offseason with few proven defensive linemen on their roster. The team has, however, brought back both Calais Campbell and Michael Pierce. Baltimore also signed Brent Urban, who was with the team from 2015-18. The vets join starter Justin Madubuike, third-year cog Broderick Washington and third-round pick Travis Jones in the team’s primary D-line mix. Nine-year contributor Brandon Williams remains a free agent.

Lamar Jackson Reports To Ravens’ Minicamp

June 13th, 2022 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

As John Harbaugh expected, Lamar Jackson is back with his teammates at minicamp. The former MVP showed up to the team’s facility ahead of the mandatory workouts, which are slated to begin Tuesday.

Entangled in a somewhat strange contract situation, Jackson stayed away from Ravens OTAs this year. The star quarterback had usually attended those voluntary sessions in previous years. But the franchise’s centerpiece player is back for the mandatory work, at least. As far as an extension goes, that is another matter entirely.

The Ravens have Jackson tied to a $23MM fifth-year option this season. Harbaugh, GM Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciotti have spoken about the quarterback’s extension situation, each indicating the team is more prepared to hammer out a deal than the quarterback is. All indications at this point have Jackson on track to play out his rookie contract, setting up a franchise tag scenario in 2023. Although there is still time for the parties to prevent that chain of events, this remains one of the more unusual contractual sagas to unfold in recent years. Jackson, 25, has been extension-eligible since the 2020 regular season ended.

The former Heisman winner will avoid the $90K-plus fine by showing up for the Ravens’ mandatory sessions, returning to work with a new-look offensive line and a receiving corps now without his top wideout (Marquise Brown) of the past three seasons. The Ravens are breaking in rookie center Tyler Linderbaum, and they have a new right tackle in Morgan Moses. While OTAs do not feature any padded practices, and the Ravens are returning their play-caller (Greg Roman), Jackson’s absence was still notable.

But this has never been viewed as a contentious situation. The parties have nearly three months to complete an extension before Week 1. Even if they do not, Jackson has continually said he wants to stay in Baltimore. He has taken an atypical route to show that affection, at least compared to most QBs who have been in his spot since the 2011 CBA changed rookies’ salaries and timetables. Though, it is unknown what the Ravens have offered the agent-less talent. For now, the team can again move forward with its longtime passer after some time apart.

Poll: Which AFC Team Had Best Offseason?

June 11th, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Due to a flurry of additions, the 2022 AFC presents a crowded competition for playoff and Super Bowl LVII access. Some of the top-tier teams addressed key weaknesses, and several middle-class squads took big swings in respective aims to improve their chances this season.

The fallout paints a picture in which barely any AFCers can be truly counted out for playoff contention. Future Hall of Famers, potential Canton inductees, and Pro Bowlers moving from the NFC — along with various intra-AFC changes — have made for one of the most captivating offseasons in modern NFL annals. While the offseason is not yet complete, most of the acquisition dominoes ahead of training camp have fallen. Which team did the best work?

With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, the AFC West’s Wilson-Patrick Mahomes–Derek Carr–Justin Herbert quartet appears of the great quarterback armadas any division has fielded in the five-plus-decade divisional era. The Broncos gave up two first-round selections in a five-pick deal but were able to hang onto their young receivers. Denver, which moved to a younger coaching staff headed by first-time HC Nathaniel Hackett and two rookie coordinators, also added defenders Randy Gregory and D.J. Jones. Going from the Teddy Bridgewater–Drew Lock combo to Wilson represents one of the top gains any team made this offseason, but Denver’s divisional competition will not make improvement easy.

Entering the final year in which Herbert must be tied to his rookie contract, the Chargers addressed several needs. They added defensive help in free agency, via J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, and traded second- and sixth-round picks for Khalil Mack. The team also extended Mike Williams at $20MM per year — days before the wide receiver market dramatically shifted — and drafted right guard Zion Johnson in Round 1.

The Raiders were partially responsible for the wideout market’s explosion, trading first- and second-round picks for Davante Adams and extending him at $28MM per year. That came shortly after the team’s Chandler Jones addition. Las Vegas’ Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime has greenlit extensions for Reggie McKenzie– and Jon Gruden-era holdovers — from Carr to Maxx Crosby to Hunter Renfrow. Will a Darren Waller deal follow?

Of last season’s conference kingpins, the Chiefs and Titans endured the biggest losses. Hill and Tyrann Mathieu‘s exits will test the six-time reigning AFC West champs, while last year’s No. 1 seed balked at a monster A.J. Brown extension by trading him to the Eagles for a package headlined by a 2022 first-rounder. Both teams did address some needs early in the draft, but the Bengals and Bills look to have definitively improved their rosters.

Cincinnati augmented its bottom-tier offensive line by signing La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. The defending AFC champions retained almost their entire defense, though Jessie Bates is not especially happy on the franchise tag. Buffalo reloaded as well, adding Von Miller to a defensive line that has lacked a top-end pass rusher for a while. The team swapped out ex-UDFA Levi Wallace for first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam, and James Cook is the Bills’ highest running back draftee since C.J. Spiller 12 years ago. How significant will the Brian Daboll-for-Ken Dorsey OC swap be?

Although Cincy’s AFC North competition made improvements, some caveats come with them. The Ravens filled their center and right tackle spots, with first-rounder Tyler Linderbaum and veteran Morgan Moses, and are now flush with safeties following the arrivals of Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. But Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson situation has reached a strange stage, with the top three Ravens power brokers indicating the former MVP has not shown extension interest. Cleveland landed Amari Cooper for Day 3 draft capital and, on paper, rivaled Denver’s QB upgrade. Historic draft compensation and a shocking $230MM guarantee was required for the Browns to pull it off. But their Deshaun Watson trade has generated considerable drama — to the point the ex-Texans Pro Bowler cannot be considered a lock to play in 2022.

Oddsmakers do not expect the Jaguars’ moves to translate to 2022 contention, but the team did hire a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and spend wildly for lineup upgrades — from Christian Kirk to Brandon Scherff to Foye Oluokun — and used two first-round picks (Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd) to further upgrade its defense. Going from Urban Meyer to Pederson should offer stability to a franchise that has lacked it, never more so than in 2021.

The Jets chased big-name receivers for weeks but came away with Garrett Wilson in a highly praised three-first-rounder draft. New York’s last-ranked defense now has new pieces in first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson, along with DBs Jordan Whitehead and D.J. Reed. Miami made a stunning coaching change by firing Brian Flores, which produced a tidal wave of controversy, but the now-Mike McDaniel-led team also paid up for splashy additions in Hill and Terron Armstead while retaining steady edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.

Are there other teams that warrant mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the new-look AFC in the comments section.

Which AFC team had the best offseason?
Denver Broncos 12.92% (421 votes)
Las Vegas Raiders 11.91% (388 votes)
Miami Dolphins 11.33% (369 votes)
Los Angeles Chargers 10.01% (326 votes)
Cincinnati Bengals 9.36% (305 votes)
New York Jets 8.04% (262 votes)
Buffalo Bills 6.48% (211 votes)
Pittsburgh Steelers 5.68% (185 votes)
Baltimore Ravens 5.06% (165 votes)
Kansas City Chiefs 5.00% (163 votes)
Cleveland Browns 4.21% (137 votes)
Indianapolis Colts 3.65% (119 votes)
Houston Texans 2.46% (80 votes)
New England Patriots 2.12% (69 votes)
Jacksonville Jaguars 1.07% (35 votes)
Tennessee Titans 0.71% (23 votes)
Total Votes: 3,258

Lamar Jackson Expected To Attend Ravens’ Minicamp

June 11th, 2022 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the OTA portion of the offseason came to a close, Lamar Jackson remained a key talking point around the Ravens. His absence at the voluntary workouts continued, as noted by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter). 

Jackson skipped OTAs for the first time in his career this offseason, one which has been dominated by speculation regarding his contract status. Once considered to be a lock for the next mega-deal signed by the league’s top young quarterbacks in recent years, Jackson and the Ravens are widely thought to be in a holding pattern until next offseason. Assuming that remains the case, the 25-year-old will earn $23MM this year on the fifth-year option.

The team has made repeated efforts to negotiate a long-term deal with Jackson, but little traction has been found with respect to contract talks. The ongoing financial situation between player and club was front and center once again when it became known he was conducting offseason work privately, rather than with the team, during OTAs. That activity did, on the other hand, include work with some of the team’s receivers earlier in the spring, something which has added significance given the question marks surrounding that position group.

Not long after confirming Jackson’s absence from the final week of OTAs, Hensley did tweet that he is expected to be present for next week’s mandatory minicamp. Head coach John Harbaugh, Hensley added, “is sure Jackson will report in great shape.” Doing so would ease concerns related to his 2022 prospects, considering the time missed dating back to last season’s injury, and could quell some of the questions related to his long-term future with the team.

AFC Workouts: Vizcaino, Roberson, Cox

June 9th, 2022 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a couple of free agents getting try outs around the AFC:

  • If free agent kicker Tristan Vizcaino is still unsigned after a busy week that entailed planned workouts with the Patriots and Raiders, the Ravens plan on bringing the 25-year-old in for their minicamp next week, according to Tom Pelissero. While the Ravens are obviously set with the most accurate kicker in NFL history, Justin Tucker, they made headlines years ago when they took 2018 undrafted free agent Kaare Vedvik and flipped him to Minnesota one year later for a fifth-round pick. General manager Eric DeCosta may be interested in working that same magic on Vizcaino.
  • Free agent pass rusher Derick Roberson has been working out with the Colts this week, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star. Roberson has made some noise in his very limited playing time in the NFL. As an undrafted rookie in 2019 with the Titans, Roberson totaled 3.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 3 quarterback hits while only appearing in three games. After earning a start in 2020, Roberson appeared in five games last year, recording 1.5 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 4 quarterback hits.
  • The Colts are also auditioning free agent defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. this week. Cox entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Panthers, appearing in 19 games over three years as a reserve defensive lineman. In 2019, Cox was waived by Carolina, signing with the Browns five days later. Cox saw his most successful stint in the NFL while in Cleveland, starting two of the six games he played for the Browns. In those six games, Cox recorded half a sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 5 quarterback hits. He signed with the Bills as a free agent last offseason but only appeared in one game after spending time on injured reserve with an Achilles injury.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/9/22

June 9th, 2022 at 7:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s draft pick signings in the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs

  • CB Joshua Williams (fourth round, Fayetteville State)

New England Patriots

Tampa Buccaneers

Jason Pierre-Paul Visits Ravens

June 9th, 2022 at 6:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is still available and looking for his next NFL home. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Pierre-Paul took another step toward that goal today, taking a visit to Baltimore. 

Pierre-Paul, 33, spent the first eight years of his career in New York, after the Giants selected him with their first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. He saw early success with the Giants, being named a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in his second NFL season after finishing second in the league in tackles for loss (23.0) and fourth in the league in sacks (16.5).

In 2018, New York traded Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers in exchange for a third-round pick and a swap of fourth-round picks. He immediately outplayed his trade capital, leading the team in sacks (12.5) and tackles for loss (16.0) during his first year in Tampa Bay.

Over the course of a 12-year career, Pierre-Paul has totaled 91.5 sacks and 122.0 tackles for loss. He’s had his share of injuries throughout his career. Some were natural football-injuries that required surgery, but, twice, Pierre-Paul experienced substantial injuries outside of football that nearly cost him his career. His most recent season saw him miss time due to a torn rotator cuff that he called “the worst injury of his career,” according to Luke Easterling of USA Today.

Baltimore is certainly in the market for a veteran pass rusher. The Ravens return Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh at the top of their depth chart, with the former working to come back from a torn Achilles injury suffered in Week 18 of last season. They’ve seen limited results out of three-year pass rusher Jaylon Ferguson and 2021 fifth-round pick Daelin Hayes only saw one game of action last season. The Ravens did draft Michigan’s David Ojabo in the second round of this year’s Draft, but a torn Achilles suffered during his pro day is likely to hold him out for much of his rookie season.

Enter: Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul has an extensive pass rushing resume to bring to Baltimore. While his recent injury may prevent him from being an immediate upgrade over Bowser or Oweh, his presence would give the Ravens some much-needed depth in their pass-rushing rotation.

Ravens S Chuck Clark Hires New Agent

June 9th, 2022 at 1:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Before the draft, Ravens safety Chuck Clark was in line to continue with the starting role he has held for the past three years. As a result, there was little reason to suspect he would be as involved in trade talk as he has been recently. 

That all changed after the first round, however, when the Ravens selected Kyle Hamilton, not only the top safety prospect but one of the highest-rated members of the draft class as a whole. Given the newfound depth at the position, Clark was quickly named as a potential trade candidate.

While head coach John Harbaugh publicly stated the team’s intentions of keeping him, the 27-year-old was reported days later to nevertheless be drawing trade interest from multiple teams. The presence of not only Hamilton, but also top free agent signing Marcus Williams, would threaten to eat into Clark’s playing time significantly.

The most recent update on the matter came when Clark hired a new agent, as noted by Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic (subscription required). He is now represented by Joel Segal, whose client list also includes Ravens defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Tony Jefferson. Zrebiec points out that Clark “has done nothing… to fuel the speculation that he wants out of Baltimore,” maintaining the leadership qualities he has become known for as the defense’s signal-caller.

On the other hand, Zrebiec also makes it clear that a parting of ways between the two sides remains a possibility. A trade could provide an acquiring team with a cost-controlled, consistent contributor; Clark is under contract for two more seasons and has totaled 249 tackles and five interceptions over the past three years. From Baltimore’s perspective, a swap would create $2.75MM in cap space — an amount made more significant when considering the team is currently near the bottom of the league in financial wiggle room.

Regardless of what happens next in this situation, this will remain a story worth watching into the summer.

Ravens Sign First-Round Pick Kyle Hamilton

June 7th, 2022 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have signed their top pick. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore has inked Kyle Hamilton to his rookie deal.

The defensive back signed a four-year pact worth a fully guaranteed $16.225MM, and he’ll earn a signing bonus worth a tad more than $9MM. As Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun points out, this is one of the largest rookie deals in franchise history, rivaling Ronnie Stanley‘s four-year, $20.5MM deal in 2018 and Joe Flacco‘s five-year, $11.9MM deal (plus another $18MM in incentives) in 2008.

Hamilton had a highly productive three-year career at Notre Dame, collecting 138 tackles and eight interceptions. His ability to play multiple positions at a high level led to him being a projected top-five pick, but his testing numbers, season-ending knee injury, and subpar athletic profile ultimately led to him dropping to Baltimore at No. 15. Still, his versatility (Hamilton played both safety and linebacker in college) makes him an ideal fit for Baltimore’s defense.

The Ravens lost safety DeShon Elliott but replaced him with former-Saints safety Marcus Williams, so there’s a chance Hamilton ends up lining up at linebacker as a rookie. Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald recently described the rookie “as advertised,” with the coach noting that the young player was up for any challenge.

Hamilton wasn’t the only Ravens rookie to sign a contract today. The team also inked cornerback Damarion Williams to his rookie pact (via the team on Twitter). The Houston product appeared in 13 games during his senior season, compiling 53 tackles and one interception.

As our 2022 NFL team-by-team draft results show, Williams and Hamilton are now the fifth and sixth rookie to ink a contract with the Ravens. Second-round linebacker David Ojabo (Michigan) is the highest-drafted player who remains unsigned.

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