NFC West Notes: ‘Hawks, Thomas, Kaep
Seahawks GM John Schneider says he has not talked to Earl Thomas‘ representatives since the combine, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. However, Schneider added that is not unusual. Despite his name being floated in trade rumors this offseason, the GM says that he hopes to have Thomas on the roster when the season begins.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll went on the record to say that the team is still considering Colin Kaepernick, despite cancelling a workout with him earlier this month. “The discussion and the opportunity is still open,” Carroll said on KJR, via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link). Reportedly, the Seahawks are hesitant about signing Kaepernick since he will not commit to standing for the anthem in 2018.
- Before signing with the Cardinals, cornerback Marcus Williams drew interest from the Vikings, Dolphins, and Bills, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Williams starred at Hopkins High School in Minnesota, so he would have been looking at a homecoming with the Vikings.
- Running back Todd Gurley says he understands the Rams‘ priority to get a new deal done with Aaron Donald before worrying about his own contract.
- 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster is still facing quite a bit of legal trouble, but he did have a misdemeanor charge dropped on Thursday.
Breer On NFL Draft, Dolphins, Moore
Have pre-draft workouts gotten out of control? Many in the football world believe that is the case, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.
“I worked out a guy who was dead because he got smoked by the team that worked him out two days before,” said one NFC assistant coach. “I had some questions about his toughness coming in, but I had to give him a pass on the whole thing. And it’s on the coaches for doing that.”
After a workout season that saw Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson tear his meniscus while working out for the Lions and N.C. State defensive tackle Kentavius Street tear his ACL while with the Giants, it may be time to bring some reform to the way teams conduct auditions with prospects.
Here’s more from Breer:
- The Dolphins say they have the ammo to get into the Top 6 of the draft if there is a player they like, but Breer gets the sense that Miami probably won’t deal up for any of this year’s top quarterbacks. If they stand pat at No. 11, Breer believes that UCLA’s Josh Rosen is the most likely signal caller to fall to them. Of course, Miami has holes to fill elsewhere, so a Ryan Tannehill successor/alternative isn’t necessarily their top priority.
- The Cardinals seem unlikely to make a big play to land one of the best four QBs. However, if a QB they like slips into the bottom part of the Top 10, Breer could see them making a move.
- More than one team prefers Maryland’s D.J Moore to Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Breer hears. This is consistent with recent buzz we’ve heard about the rise of Moore. Recently, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport categorized Moore as a firm first-round prospect, which is a change from what we were hearing just a couple of weeks ago. Still, Breer thinks Ridley will be the first WR off of the board and pegs the Cowboys as a likely destination since they have a clear need after cutting Dez Bryant.
- Overall, this draft has depth that will lead to better-than-usual quality into the fourth round, Breer writes. However, the feeling is that this group isn’t stocked with blue-chippers, which means that teams in the 20s feel that they essentially have high second-round picks. “(Picks) 20 and 55 may wind up being the same,” one exec said. “The guy in the last third of the first round, you might be paying a first-round premium on him and he’s no different than the guy at 35 to 40. And those guys in the last third of first round, top half of the second, they’re the same not only in ability but value of their role in the game.” Breer wonders if this could hamper the Bills in their efforts to trade up using the No. 22 pick.
Bills Host Harold Landry
- The Bills are hosting Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Almost assuredly a first-round pick, Landry is viewed a notch below the draft’s consensus best defensive end, North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb. Landry, who notched 48 sacks during his collegiate career, isn’t expected to last until pick No. 23 (Patriots), per Rapoport. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as he’s drawn plenty of interest during the pre-draft process. Landry has also recently met with the 49ers and Falcons, report Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). In a draft that lacks depth at the pass rusher position, Landry should be highly coveted on Day 1.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Key, Bills
Wednesday marks the final day for NFL draft visits, and we have some notable ones to pass along. Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:
- LSU linebacker/defensive end Arden Key worked out with the Cowboys on Tuesday and met with the Saints on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans is visiting the Bills and Texas tackle Connor Williams is visiting the Packers, Rapoport tweets.
- The Patriots are hosting Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley on a pre-draft visit, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter). The Patriots aren’t known for taking receivers in the first round, but Ridley could be an exception as they look to rebuild that group. Ridley also visited the Bears on Tuesday.
- Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore seems to be a firm first round prospect, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). For a while, Moore appeared to be a fringe first/second round type, so his stock is improving as the draft draws near. Moore met with the Bills, who pick No. 12 and 22, on Wednesday.
- Ohio State center Billy Price will meet with the Seahawks, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. Price is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered during the bench press at the combine. The good news is that Price is expected to be ready in time for training camp.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Tyson Graham, DT Garrison Smith, DT Justin Zimmer
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: WR Quincy Adeboyejo, RB Alex Collins, CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, TE Vince Mayle, LB Patrick Onwuasor, OL Maurquice Shakir, OL Matt Skura (ERFA)
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: TE Nick O’Leary, CB Lafayette Pitts, TE Logan Thomas, DE Eddie Yarbrough (ERFA)
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Damiere Byrd, OL Tyler Larsen, P Michael Palardy (ERFA)
Chicago Bears
- Signed original round RFA tender: CB Bryce Callahan
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: WR Geronimo Allison, CB Donatello Brown, QB Joe Callahan, WR Michael Clark; FB Joe Kerridge, G Justin McCray, T Adam Pankey, G Lucas Patrick, S Jermaine Whitehead (ERFA)
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: RB Malcolm Brown, K Sam Ficken, CB Troy Hill (ERFA)
New York Jets
- Signed original-round RFA tender: S Rontez Miles, TE Neal Sterling
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: LB Paul Dawson
- Re-signed: C Joey Hunt, DE Branden Jackson, LS Tyler Ott (ERFA)
Bills Release DE Cap Capi
The Bills have released defensive end Cap Capi. Capi hooked on with the Bills last November and appeared in four games with the team. 
Under the terms of his modest contract, Capi was under team control for another two years with hits of $555K in 2018 and $645K in 2019. There was no guaranteed money on his deal, so the Bills save $555K on this year’s cap by cutting ties with Capi.
Capi appeared in four games for the Giants earlier in 2017 before relocating to Western New York. With the Bills, he had five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in the regular season. He also appeared in the Bills’ Wild Card loss to the Jaguars and recorded a tackle.
There wasn’t much room for Capi on this year’s team after adding starter Trent Murphy and reserve defensive ends Owa Odighizuwa and Terrence Fede. The Bills will also return Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes, and Eddie Yarbrough to their DE group.
NFL Draft Rumors: Guice, Redskins, Patriots, Bills, Giants, Darnold
Running back Derrius Guice visited the Redskins at their team facility on Monday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been public about their desire to add a pass-catching running back and Guice, with 18 catches last year at LSU, would fit the bill.
With needs to address on the other side of the ball, many believe that the Redskins will take a defensive player at No. 13 overall. However, the Redskins could probably trade back into the early 20s to take Guice and address their defensive holes later on.
Here’s the latest round of NFL draft news:
- The Patriots hosted UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller on a pre-draft visit, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
- Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen met with the Bills on Monday and will travel to the Giants on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, USC QB Sam Darnold met with the Giants on Monday and will meet with the Jets on Tuesday.
- Linebacker Rashaan Evans visited the Bengals on Monday, Rapoport tweets. The Bengals own the No. 21 pick in the draft, which could allow them to snag the Alabama standout.
- Speaking of Alabama, Rapoport also notes that standout defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne met with the Redskins on Monday. Payne has shot up draft boards in recent weeks thanks to his remarkable strength. “He’s the best. He’s the best I’ve seen,”Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran said earlier this year. “I’ve never seen a guy hit 385 on the power clean every single year. His first year he hit 365 on the power clean and it was like wow, freshman, that’s incredible.”
- USC running back Ronald Jones visited the Patriots on Monday, Rapoport tweets. Within the same tweet, he notes that Stanford safety Justin Reid visited the Panthers before heading off to his Steelers visit.
- Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson took a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers on Monday, a league source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 49ers have the ninth pick in the first round and Jackson is projected to come off the board as a middle-to-late first-round pick.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key visited the Bears on Monday, Rapoport tweets. He also notes Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller visited the Redskins on Monday and Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson visited the Raiders.
Bills Sign WR Jeremy Kerley
The Bills announced that they have signed wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The team also signed defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi. 
Kerley, 29, has a few productive seasons on his resume. The wide receiver played for the Jets for five years before signing up with the Niners in 2016. In San Francisco, he broke out with 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he returned to Gang Green but was unable to reprise that performance. He had 22 catches for 217 yards and one score in eight games before he was hit with a PED suspension and eventually released. Kerley auditioned for the Ravens towards the end of the year but did not sign with another team.
Kerley will now fight to make the Bills’ final cut as a supporting piece behind top receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones. Meanwhile, Palepoi will look to serve as a reserve behind Star Lotulelei and Kyle Williams.
Richie Incognito Seeks Release From Contract
The Richie Incognito saga might not be over just yet. On March 15, Incognito agreed to rework his contract with the Bills, which ultimately resulted in a fairly sizable pay cut. But, given that the Bills rank in the top half of the league in available cap space — which means they did not really need to save the $1.675MM of cap room they picked up with the restructure — and given that Incognito is coming off his third consecutive Pro Bowl season, it seems that Incognito quickly came to resent his new deal.
Indeed, he fired his agent via Twitter about three weeks after he agreed to the reworked contract, and just a few days later, he announced he was going to retire. Although he initially suggested that he could be convinced to come back for one more season at the right price, he later indicated that his health is declining and that he would be better served walking away from the game.
On Thursday, Buffalo placed Incognito on the reserve/retired list, furthering the notion that the 34-year-old guard has played his last snap. Yesterday, however, Incognito tweeted to the Bills and asked them to release him from his contract. Interestingly, he requested that Buffalo contact Athletes First, the agency that he recently fired, for details.
The tweet no longer appears on Incognito’s Twitter page, but it is preserved on a post from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. As Smith notes, Incognito would have to pay back the $1MM signing bonus he received as part of his new deal if he officially retires, which he would not have to do if he were released. Plus, he may be able to land a more favorable contract with a different club if he hits the free agent market.
Or, as Smith observes, Incognito could simply “un-retire” and show up to Buffalo’s offseason program, which starts tomorrow. Incognito did send out an interesting tweet on Friday saying, “That was a short lived retirement” and suggesting that he may indeed appear for the first day of the offseason program. That same tweet, however, also included a laughing emoji and a #madeyalook hashtag, so the Bills probably aren’t expecting to see him walk through the door tomorrow.
Bills Host DT Tenny Palepoi
The Bills hosted defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi on a free agent visit yesterday, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). This is the first reported visit for the 27-year-old.
The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Utah had spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers organization. He missed the 2015 season after fracturing his foot, but he otherwise hasn’t missed a regular season game due to injury (he missed four games between 2016 and 2017 due to a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs). Palepoi had his most productive season in 2017, compiling 24 tackles and one sack in 15 games. The lineman didn’t play enough snaps to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus‘ positional rankings, but his score would have landed outside the top-100 among interior defenders.
If the free agent were to join the Bills, it’d be a reunion of sorts for the defender. As Yates notes, Palepoi played with new Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei when the two were in college. Palepoi would certainly have competition for playing time, as Buffalo is also rostering defensive tackles Kyle Williams, former third-rounder Adolphus Washington, and Rickey Hatley.