Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Bryan Cox Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Trevor Davis
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Daniel Bituli
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: G Zac Kerin
After Day 3 of the draft, the Dolphins added some safety depth and special teams help by picking up Kavon Frazier. But, before that, the Dolphins chatted with ex-Patriots safety Tavon Wilson about a minimum salary contract, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. Wilson, who is presumably gunning for a better deal, declined.
With that, Frazier will fight for his place in the Dolphins’ sardine-packed safety group. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Wilson will look for his next opportunity. Last year, Wilson made 13 starts for Detroit and registered 98 tackles, five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and one sack. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 26 safety in the entire NFL. Still, he hasn’t been able to score an offer to his liking and he hasn’t heard much, if anything, from the incumbent Lions.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Jets‘ draft has drawn positive reviews from most in the football world, but ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini isn’t sure if they did enough to strengthen the cornerback position. Jets GM Joe Douglas waited until the fifth round to take a corner and, when they did, they tapped Virginia product Bryce Hall, is coming off of ankle surgery. As Hall heals up, the Jets may look to explore what’s left of the league’s free agent cornerbacks.
- Did the Patriots reach with third-round tight ends Devin Asiasi (UCLA) and Dalton Keene (Virginia Tech) in the third round? Mel Kiper Jr. and one scout that spoke with ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss say that’s the case, though Reiss notes that they were both near the top of the Pats’ TE board heading into draft weekend. On the whole, this was viewed as a soft TE class, but that was one of the Pats’ biggest needs. Of course, they’d be in a much better spot if Rob Gronkowski opted to make his return with New England. Instead, Gronk will reunite with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
- On draft week, the Bills picked up Tre’Davious White‘s fifth-year option, a no-brainer move that will keep him in the fold through the 2021 season.
The wait is over for Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm. He’ll join the Bills, who have selected him with the No. 167 overall pick, a fifth round choice.
Fromm was once viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but he took himself out of the running with an iffy 2019. Last year, Fromm completed just 60.8% of his throws, the lowest rate of his collegiate career. Still, the Bills see potential in Fromm, who led the Bulldogs to the National Championship Game as a true frosh in 2017.
Over time, Fromm lost his footing to Joe Burrow (LSU), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), Justin Herbert (Oregon), Jordan Love (Utah State), Jacob Eason (Washington), and other signal callers. In the not too distant past, Fromm was viewed as a potential NFL starter. Now, the feeling is that he’s a quality QB2 in the making.
Fromm will work to improve his arm strength in Buffalo as he slots behind former first-round pick Josh Allen in Buffalo. The Georgia native might not be a world-beater, but his football smarts should allow him to find a home in WNY.
As Day 2 draft news comes rushing in, we’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: P Sam Irwin-Hill
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OT Garrett McGhin
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: OT Jake Rodgers (ERFA)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed exclusive rights tender: TE Robert Tonyan
Not exactly a shocker here, but the Bills have announced that they are picking up Tre’Davious White‘s fifth-year option, thereby locking in the All-Pro cornerback through the 2021 season. Field Yates of ESPN.com first reported that the club was going to exercise the option (Twitter link).
Arriving in the trade that gave the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft, White has become one of the NFL’s premier defenders. The 2017 No. 27 overall pick has helped the Bills assemble one of the league’s best defenses. He picked off a league-high six passes last season and has 12 interceptions through three seasons.
This will be an affordable option for Buffalo. White’s 2021 salary will come in north of $10MM, but not much higher. That will represent strong value for the Bills. This decision also will allow the them to potentially table a White extension until 2021. They are negotiating with fellow 2017 draftees Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano, who do not have fifth-year options in their rookie deals.
A White extension would run much higher and will likely be impacted by where Jalen Ramsey takes the cornerback market on his inevitable Rams extension. Both Byron Jones and Darius Slay finally moved the cornerback salary ceiling past the $15MM-AAV place where it stood for nearly four years. Given White’s value to an emerging Bills team, it should be expected the 25-year-old defender will command a deal on Jones’ level ($16.5MM per year) or higher when the time comes for his payday.
Percy Harvin‘s second retirement might not stick. The longtime NFL wide receiver wants to return to the field in 2020, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. 
“I’m ready to return to the NFL,” Harvin said. “I thought I was done, but that itch came back. I’ve been training with a former Olympian. My body is feeling good. Mentally I’m better. My family is good. The timing is right.”
We haven’t seen Harvin on the field since 2016, when he played in a pair of games for the Bills. Throughout his career, he was held back by hip injuries, knee issues, and chronic migraines. But, when he was healthy, he was special.
Harvin, a former first-round pick, enjoyed his best season in 2011, when he posted 87 receptions for 967 yards and six touchdowns, while adding another 345 yards and two scores on the ground. Prior to the 2013 season, he was traded to the Seahawks, but he ultimately played in just six games before being dealt once again, this time to the Jets. Harvin struggled through a half-season with Gang Green before finishing his career in Buffalo, where he never truly got off the ground.
Harvin probably won’t fetch much in the way of guaranteed money, but he profiles as an intriguing low-risk pickup for teams in need of WR help.
The Bills, Patriots, and Colts were among the teams to kick off the “virtual period” of their offseason program on Monday. A total of twelve NFL teams opted to start online sessions today, but only the aforementioned teams will have virtual workouts on the agenda, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Bolts, Raiders, Patriots Eyeing QBs]
As Garafolo notes (via Twitter), those three teams are requiring the workouts in order for players to receive their workout bonuses. The Bills have upwards of $3MM in workout incentives going to their players, including $250K for defensive linemen Mario Addison, Star Lotulelei, and Jerry Hughes. The Patriots have less tied to workout bonuses, though wide receiver Julian Edelman is personally on the books for $300K this year.
Soon, the rest of the NFL will follow suit with online OTAs. These sessions obviously can’t replace on-field drills and gym time, but teams have no other choice.
Throughout the offseason, the Jets have been unwilling to part with a second-round pick for Trent Williams. With days to go before the draft, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears that their position hasn’t changed.
And, even if the Jets were willing to cough up a second-round pick, Vacchiano doesn’t think that would be enough to bring the Redskins’ left tackle to Gang Green.
More on the Jets and the rest of the AFC East:
- The Jets want to keep Jamal Adams for the long haul, but they’re also willing to slow-play negotiations to get the best possible price, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. Meanwhile, Adams’ camp has not set a deadline for talks, so the Jets don’t feel rushed or pressured to get something done. As it stands, Adams is under contract through the 2020 season, and the Jets also hold a fifth-year option on his deal that could take him through 2021.
- If rival teams call with trade interest in guard Joe Thuney, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss expects the Patriots to pick up the phone and listen with an open mind. The Pats stunned everyone by using the franchise tag on Thuney, cuffing him at a $14.78MM rate for 2020. That’s not Bill Belichick‘s style, of course, so Reiss thinks he’d consider dealing Thuney if they’re offered a second-round choice or even a high third-rounder.
- The Dolphins have done lots of homework on mid-round running backs and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out of draft weekend with two new RBs. They’ve also done lots of interviews with kickers like Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship, which could spell the end for Jason Sanders.
- After undergoing wrist and groin surgeries, Jerry Hughes says he’s “on schedule” for the 2020 season (via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News). That’s fantastic news for the Bills, who hope to feature Hughes at defensive end alongside Trent Murphy and newcomer Mario Addison.
The 2020 NFL Draft is just days away and it’s just a matter of time before picks are swapped and shuffled at lightning speed. Before the trading frenzy starts, let’s take a look at the draft picks owned by each team.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Updated: 4-17-20 (5:00pm CT)
Arizona Cardinals
1-8:
3-72:
4-114:
4-131: (from Houston)
6-202: (from New England)
7-222:
Atlanta Falcons
1-16:
2-47:
3-78:
4-119:
4-143: (from Baltimore*)
7-228: (from Tampa Bay, via Philadelphia)
Baltimore Ravens
1-28:
2-55: (from Atlanta, via New England)
2-60:
3-92:
3-106*:
4-129: (from New England)
4-134:
5-170: (from Minnesota)
7-225: (from Jets)
Buffalo Bills
2-54:
3-86:
4-128:
5-167:
6-188: (from Cleveland)
6-207: (from Baltimore via New England)
7-239: (from Minnesota)
Are you ready for surprises on draft day? It sounds like you should be. “The media is wronger about mock drafts this year than you guys have ever been,” one NFL general manager told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That’s undoubtedly because of the ongoing certainly involving COVID-19, which has caused the league to upend its predraft process. As Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com tweets, “group think” is less likely to occur in 2019 because scouts and executives were unable to congregate at pro days, events where evaluators typically will — intentionally or not — develop something of a consensus on prospects.
After deciding whether “wronger” is actually a word, let’s take a look at more on the upcoming draft:
- The Falcons held a predraft video meeting with Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson last week, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Atlanta currently holds the 16th overall pick, but recent reports have indicated general manager Thomas Dimitroff & Co. could be interested in moving up the board. Henderson is considered the draft’s second-best cornerback behind Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah, although some decision-makers may rate Henderson No. 1.
- Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has held video meetings with several NFL teams, including the Chiefs, Packers, Bills, Lions, Saints, Dolphins, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. This isn’t the first time Dobbins has been linked to Miami, as he took a predraft visit with the Dolphins before such meetings were shut down due to COVID-19. Indeed, Dobbins left that visit feeling Miami was “infatuated” with him.
- Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis says the 49ers, Packers, Dolphins, Ravens, and Eagles are the teams that have contacted him most, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. A massive presence at 6’6″, 310 pounds, Davis a first-round projection and comparisons to DeForest Buckner from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, however, ranks Davis just 10th among interior defender prospects, noting his lack of development as a pass-rusher.
- The Ravens, 49ers, Panthers, Titans, and Seahawks have all held video sessions with TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, per Wilson. Blacklock, who stock has risen during the predraft process, missed the 2018 campaign with an Achilles injury but was productive during both his freshman and junior seasons. Last year, he posted 40 tackles (nine for loss) and 3.5 sacks.