Minor Moves: Bowanko, Broncos, Rice Jr.
Here are an assortment of moves on this Monday afternoon…
- The Jaguars have announced the signing of sixth-round pick Luke Bowanko, according to the team’s Twitter account. His signing bonus will be worth $94,052, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- The Panthers have signed punter Jordan Gay and cut offensive linemen Travis Bond, Michael Jasper and Phillipkeith Manley, according to the team’s Twitter account. Gay was waived by the Giants last week.
- The Broncos have signed a trio of players, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter): Charles Mitchell, Chase Vaughn and Greg Hardin. Mitchell is a former draft pick of the Falcons and Vaughn has been in the UFL since 2010. Hardin was announced as an undrafted free agent signee last week.
- The Broncos also waived injured defensive end John Youboty, according to Lindsay Jones of USA Today (via Twitter). The former practice squad participant suffered an achilles injury and is expected to be placed on the IR after clearing waivers.
- The Bears have released running back Willie Carter, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright.
- Jerry Rice Jr. will join the 49ers for the rookie minicamp, the player announced on his twitter. The son of legendary receiver Jerry Rice will be a non-roster player, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Jones, Saints
The Saints have been busy today — New Orleans not only became the third team to sign its first-round pick (receiver Brandin Cooks), but added two undrafted free agents, upping its total UDFA haul to 20. Let’s look at some more notes from New Orleans and the rest of the NFC South:
- Falcons seventh-round linebacker Tyler Starr (who signed a contract today) impressed during Atlanta’s rookie minicamp, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, and did so while utilizing a four-point stance (both hands on the ground). “In college…I just kind of started thinking [about] the four-point, and it gave me a little more weight in the back of my hips so I could get a little more torque out of my stance,” Starr said. “And it also helped me come out at more of a horizontal level so I could play with my hands out in front of me.” The Falcons are transitioning to a 3-4 base defense in 2014, so Starr’s versatility could come in handy.
- Running back Devonta Freeman (like Starr, a Day 3 pick of the Falcons) could also prove useful in 2014, and Orlando Ledbetter of the Orlando Journal-Constitution labels the fourth-rounder “a keeper.” “Devonta is a fast and quick guy,” said head coach Mike Smith. “He has very good vision and he’s able to stick his foot in the ground and transition into a different direction.”
- In a separate piece, Ledbetter passes along some Falcons injury news, noting that receiver Julio Jones and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will both be held out of team activities until the start of training camp.
- Several notable players with NFL experience were included in the Saints’ rookie minicamp over the weekend on a tryout basis, with defensive end Jamaal Anderson (the No. 8 pick in 2007), receiver Armanti Edwards, and center Samson Satele among them, according to Andrew Lopez of the Times-Picayune.
- Rookie Kelvin Benjamin is the closest thing the Panthers have to a No. 1 receiver, writes David Newton of ESPN.com in his latest mailbag. I would expect Carolina to run quite a bit of “11” personnel (one RB, one TE, three WRs), with Benjamin and Jerricho Cotchery on the outside, and Jason Avant in the slot.
Volin On Roster Crunches: Roos, Hardy, Hali
The more successful franchises in the league always have an eye towards the so-called “second wave” of free agency when they construct their draft boards and begin drafting players. They can determine the potential cap casualties and the players who might be released from another squad simply because of a roster crunch, and they can identify which of those players might fill a need on their club that was not necessarily addressed via the draft. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe takes a look and those players whose security with their current club took a hit after last week’s draft. Some of the highlights:
- Michael Roos: Roos is perhaps the most obvious name of the group, given that the Titans signed Michael Oher in free agency and selected Taylor Lewan in the first round of the draft. That’s not to mention Roos’ $6.62MM salary cap number and the fact that Tennessee would not take on any dead money by releasing him.
- Matt Forte: Forte’s inclusion on this list is somewhat surprising, and although Volin notes he will almost certainly remain with the Bears this season, Volin goes on to say that the tread on Forte’s tires, along with his $8.8MM 2015 cap number and the team’s drafting of Ka’Deem Carey, could lead to Forte’s release after the season.
- Jeremy Maclin: “The writing is on the wall for Maclin,” as Volin points out that the Eagles gave Riley Cooper the long-term deal while handing out a one-year contract to Maclin, and then went on to draft Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff on the second day of the draft.
- Tamba Hali: Hali is another player who will remain with the only team he has ever known in 2014, but the Chiefs drafted Dee Ford in the first round of the draft and Hali has a $12MM cap number in 2015 (his contract expires at the end of 2015).
- Greg Hardy: obviously Hardy is safe for 2014, having signed the franchise tender worth over $13MM, but Volin writes the Panthers will have to reevaluate the future of their star defensive end considering his legal troubles this offseason and the selection of Kony Ealy in the second round of the draft.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Panthers, Saints
The NFL is a grown man’s league, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken notice.
First-round receiver Mike Evans and second-round tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins both stand 6 feet 5, imposing figures amongst their defensive counterparts. Both players have basketball backgrounds. As the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud writes, the Bucs and coach Lovie Smith like their basketball players.
“My experience is that anybody can’t go out there and play basketball,” Smith said. “It takes a good athlete with quickness, size, vertical (jump). Normally, that translates to getting good production on the football field.”
Stroud points out a number of former hoopsters who excelled in pro football, including Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham. Getting position on your defender in football is similar to boxing out for a rebound in basketball, and it looks like the Bucs are hoping to cash in on the trend.
More from the NFC South below…
- With a potential opening at punt returner, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports the Bucs gave third-round pick Charles Sims, sixth-round pick Robert Herron and undrafted receiver Solomon Patton a shot to impress coaches at Saturday’s minicamp.
- The Panthers are expected to sign 6-foot-8, 320-pound tackle David Foucault, says Joseph Parson of the Charlotte Observer. The University of Montreal product impressed during the two-day rookie minicamp and figures to be the second Canadian lineman to sign with the team after coming to camp on a tryout basis.
- The signing of former Browns receiver Greg Little has been discussed by Panthers brass, but the team is not planning to sign him at this point, two sources told Person.
- There’s no denying the talent of Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, says Jonathan Jones of the Observer. But, his recent actions have his future in question.
- In a heartwarming story, Saints coach Sean Payton announced the team signed former Tulane safety Devon Walker, who was paralyzed from the neck down in 2012, Andrew Lopez of The Times-Picayune writes.
- After spending 2013 in the Arena Football League, former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was on hand at Saints minicamp Saturday as a tryout invitee, Lopez reports.
Minor Moves: Urban, Brown, Gaffney, Jaguars
The Ravens have signed fourth-round draft pick Brent Urban to a rookie contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The four-year contract is worth $2.53MM with a signing bonus of just over $300,000. That leaves only first-round pick C.J. Mosley and third-round pick Terrence Brooks left unsigned.
Here are some other minor moves from across the NFL:
- The Bills have signed third-round pick Preston Brown, according to Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Brown, a linebacker out of Louisville, impressed the Bills’ front office. “He plays hard; you see him all over the field,” director of player personnel Jim Monos said. “He plays on the other side of the ball and has good tackles for loss. He can go side to side. He’s probably better against the run than the pass right now, but he can do both. He’s a very good athlete.” The team expects him to compete for a job at middle linebacker.
- The Panthers have signed sixth-round pick Tyler Gaffney, reports Wilson (via Twitter). Gaffney, a running back out of Stanford, is the first Panthers’ draft pick to sign his rookie contract.
- The Jaguars have signed two rookies invited to workout during rookie camp, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (via Twitter). They signed running back Beau Blankenship from Ohio and safety Jerome Junior of UConn. To make room for the new signings, the team released punter Chad Zinchini and kicker Jeff Budzien.
Extra Points: Motta, Williams, West, Lewis-Moore, Steen
“There appears to be some doubt about Atlanta Falcons safety Zeke Motta‘s playing status this season as he continues to recover from neck surgery,” writes ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. Motta underwent surgery in December to repair a cervical fracture, but he hasn’t been medically cleared and won’t be participating in the team’s offseason program. William Moore is entrenched at one safety spot, but with Motta out of the picture, that leaves Dwight Lowery, Kemal Ishmael and rookie fifth-rounder Dez Southward battling for the other position.
More from around the league. . .
- Tom Crabtree has been released by the Buccaneers, as reported by. . .Tom Crabtree, formerly of the Buccaneers (via Twitter).
- Ryan Williams‘ workout for the Cowboys wasn’t your run-of-the-mill look-see, tweets Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram, as 24 scouts, coaches and staff were watching.
- Browns rookie running back Terrance West confirmed what most suspected immediately following his third-round selection (94th overall) — the Ravens texted his agent their intention to draft him 99th overall. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shared the information (via Twitter).
- Ravens 2013 sixth-rounder Kapron Lewis-Moore, who missed last season while recovering from a torn ACL, is participating in the team’s rookie minicamp, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the big defensive lineman looks impressive.
- Undrafted free agent guard Anthony Steen of Alabama has a realistic chance of making the Cardinals, believes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
- Offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb tried out for the Panthers, but was not immediately extended a contract, according to Aaron Wilson at National Football Post. Webb was a much-maligned three-year starter for the Bears (2010-12) before appearing in eight games (one start) for the Vikings last year.
- Draftees are signing sooner than ever, writes BuffaloBills.com’s Chris Brown, who explains why: “Even though the salary cap went up more than eight percent, there is a freeze on signing bonuses so all this year’s picks will get the same signing bonus as the players did last year who were taken in their draft slot. . .The reason why bonuses are staying flat is because teams borrowed money from future rookie pools (2012, 2013) after the lockout in 2011 to make sure that rookies that year wouldn’t be paid less than the rookies from 2010 prior to the readjustment in salary cap and the rookie wage scale. . .So essentially the only increases the 2014 draft class is seeing is in their base salaries.”
South Notes: Texans, Saints, Titans, Panthers
The Texans have locked up a couple more draft picks, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that third-round defensive tackle Louis Nix and sixth-round defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan have agreed to terms with the club.
Nix’s case is an example of how much it can cost a player early in his career financially if he slips in the draft — heading into the second day, there were rumblings that Houston might grab the Notre Dame product with the first pick in the second round. Instead, the Texans nabbed him midway through the third round. The difference? Nix gets a signing bonus of about $575K rather than $2.358MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two South divisions:
- The NFLPA has advised agents to keep their clients apprised about “potential consequences” of signing with the Saints, given the proposal currently making its way through Louisiana State Legislature, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. The proposed legislation would reduce the compensation pay for Saints players injured during OTAs or workouts.
- According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links), a total of about 20 undrafted free agents and non-rookies have been invited to try out at the Titans‘ minicamp this week, including linebackers D’Aundre Reed and Greg Lloyd Jr., defensive tackle Lanier Coleman, and defensive end Cordian Hagans.
- The Panthers have formally released a list of 35 players who are participating in their minicamp on a tryout basis. Former Buccaneers safety Cody Grimm and ex-Bills punter Shawn Powell are among the invitees who have previous NFL experience.
- Former agent Joel Corry and former team executive Ari Nissim continue to conduct mock extension negotiations between the Texans and J.J. Watt in part four of their illuminating series for the National Football Post.
- West Texas A&M kicker Sergio Castillo is among the players in camp with the Saints on a tryout basis this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
2014’s Most Balanced And Unbalanced Drafts
Teams entered last week’s NFL draft with many different positions and areas they planned to focus on, but depending on how the draft played out, many clubs didn’t end up addressing all their needs. For instance, few would have guessed heading into the draft that neither the Panthers nor the Ravens would come out of the weekend having added an offensive tackle.
Whether intentional or not, a handful of teams ended up specifically focusing on one area of the ball in the draft, selecting far more offensive players than defensive players, or vice versa. Listed below are the teams who had the most offensive-heavy drafts, teams who had defensive-heavy drafts, and the clubs who managed to perfectly balance their picks. Let’s check out the lists….
Most offensive-heavy drafts:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6 offense, 0 defense): After spending big to add defensive end Michael Johnson and cornerback Alterraun Verner in free agency, the Buccaneers were the only NFL team not to draft at least one defensive player. Instead, the club focused on adding weapons for new quarterback Josh McCown, including wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6 offense, 3 defense): It wasn’t until they drafted their fifth player, in the fourth round, that the Jaguars eventually selected a defensive player, having focused early on landing a quarterback (Blake Bortles) and pass-catchers (Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson).
- New England Patriots (6 offense, 3 defense): After nabbing defensive tackle Dominique Easley in round one, the Patriots turned to offensive players for their next five picks, including second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo.
- Washington Redskins (5 offense, 2 defense): The Redskins picked a couple defenders in the first four rounds, grabbing linebacker Trent Murphy and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, but they tipped the scales by leaning heavily toward offensive players with their late-round picks.
Most balanced drafts:
- New York Jets (6 offense, 6 defense)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4 offense, 4 defense)
- Carolina Panthers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Cleveland Browns (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Denver Broncos (3 offense, 3 defense)
- San Diego Chargers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Tennessee Titans (3 offense, 3 defense)
Most defensive-heavy drafts:
- Atlanta Falcons (7 defense, 2 offense): Offensive and defensive lines were viewed as two of the top priorities for the Falcons, but after addressing those positions in the first two rounds, Atlanta went on a linebacker frenzy in the mid-to-late rounds, snatching up four of them.
- Dallas Cowboys (7 defense, 2 offense): The Cowboys reportedly had three defensive players on their wish list in the first round, but when Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, and Ryan Shazier came off the board, the team picked offensive tackle Zack Martin instead. Dallas remedied that by making seven of its final eight picks defensive players.
- Minnesota Vikings (7 defense, 3 offense): The Vikings made defense their focus in the mid-to-late rounds — their last five picks were defenders, including three defensive backs. Minnesota also selected a defensive player with its first pick, drafting linebacker Anthony Barr ninth overall.
- Oakland Raiders (6 defense, 2 offense): The Raiders’ approach looked similar to the Vikings’, as Oakland grabbed a linebacker (Khalil Mack) with its top-10 pick, then used its last five picks on defenders, with a couple offensive players sandwiched in between.
- Philadelphia Eagles (5 defense, 2 offense): Losing DeSean Jackson made wide receiver a priority for the Eagles in the draft, so the team snatched up Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in rounds two and three. Outside of those two picks though, it was an exclusively defensive draft for Philadelphia.
Pro Football Rumors’ list of draft results by team was used in the creation of this post.
Minor Moves: Saints, Panthers, Bucs, Eagles
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions here, including mid-to-late-round draftees agreeing to contracts, players being claimed off waivers, and the retirement of a former NFLer who most recently played in the Canadian Football League…..
- The Chiefs announced that they have sixth-round pick Zach Fulton (Twitter link). The offensive lineman out of Tennessee was taken with the No. 193 pick.
- The 49ers announced that they have signed fifth-round outside linebacker Aaron Lynch and seventh-round defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Saints have signed former Notre Dame guard Mike Golic Jr. to a two-year contract, the club announced today in a press release. Golic went undrafted in 2013 and joined the Steelers for the preseason.
- Drake Nevis, who was cut yesterday by the Jaguars, has been awarded to the Panthers on waivers, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The defensive lineman appeared in games for the Cowboys and Jags last season.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers have waived running back Michael Smith, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have locked up one of their draft picks, signing third-round wideout Josh Huff to a four-year deal, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- After being cut by the Seahawks yesterday, long snapper Jorgen Hus has been claimed off waivers by the Rams, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have cut punter Matt Syzmanski, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The only NFL team to lock up any draftees so far, the Bears have agreed to terms with two more players they selected last week, according to the team (Twitter links). Fourth-round running back Ka’Deem Carey and seventh-round tackle Charles Leno Jr. have reached agreements on four-year deals with the club. At Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald has estimations on what sort of contracts the duo will be receiving.
- The Jaguars have claimed linebacker Allen Bradford off waivers from the Giants, a day after he was cut, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Bradford, a former Seahawk like a few other players the Jags have added this offseason, fills the last spot on the team’s 90-man roster.
- Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin has officially announced his retirement as a football player, according to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts (Twitter link). After being selected 11th overall out of Penn State, Maybin failed to make a consistent impact at the NFL level, with his best season coming in 2011 as a reserve for the Jets (six sacks).
La Canfora On Draft, Browns, Jags, Easley
Based on what Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com was hearing during and after the draft, he believes the Browns traded down from No. 4 to No. 9 in the first round in the hopes that Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans would still be on the board. When Evans was snapped up by the Buccaneers seventh overall, Cleveland went another direction and never did address the receiver position in the draft. Here’s more from La Canfora, with a focus on draft-related what-ifs:
- The Jaguars “resisted several opportunities” to move out of the No. 3 overall slot and trade down with teams who were hoping to land Khalil Mack or Sammy Watkins, says La Canfora. We heard this morning that Jacksonville also considered trading with the Falcons, who were targeting Jake Matthews.
- Before they traded up to No. 22, the Browns were close to making deals with the Titans at No. 11 and the Cowboys at No. 16.
- If the Patriots hadn’t selected Florida’s Dominique Easley with their first-round pick, the Seahawks likely would have kept their first-rounder and used it on Easley rather than moving down. Similarly, the Cardinals would have selected Ryan Shazier if he was there at No. 20, but began attempts to trade down once he came off the board, ultimately swinging a deal with the Saints.
- Offensive tackle Ju’Wuan James likely would’ve been selected by the Panthers at No. 28 if the Dolphins hadn’t drafted him 19th overall.
- La Canfora continues to hear from sources that at this point rumors of a Ryan Mallett trade between the Patriots and Texans are just that — rumors.
- Defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, who was selected by the Bears in the second round, has been frequently identified by evaluators as one of the draft’s biggest reaches, says La Canfora.