Cardinals Cut QB Cole McDonald
The Cardinals have released quarterback Cole McDonald, per a club announcement. The former University of Hawaii standout was signed in February to provide offseason depth, but he’s been squeezed out of the crowded QB room. 
McDonald has yet to see live action in the NFL. The Titans snagged him in the seventh-round of the 2020 draft, but dropped him in August to make room for Trevor Siemian.
While with the Rainbow Warriors, McDonald finished third in the nation in passing yards. Most evaluators chalked that up to Hawaii’s highly-aggressive offense, but McDonald surely deserves some of the credit.
Without McDonald, the Cardinals are left with Chris Streveler and Colt McCoy behind Kyler Murray on the depth chart. It’s worth noting that Streveler stumbled in the season finale, so the Cardinals may look to bring in extra competition this summer.
Patriots Cut FB Dan Vitale
The Patriots have released fullback Dan Vitale, as Jim McBride of the Boston Globe tweets. To take his place on the roster, the Pats have added tight end Troy Fumagalli. 
Vitale joined the Patriots last year, but opted out of the 2020 season in the midst of the pandemic. Vitale was one of the first NFL players to take the opt-out, following Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Ravens wideout De’Anthony Thomas, Seahawks guard Chance Warmack and Cowboys cornerback Maurice Canady. Before that, Vitale played 170 snaps for the Packers in 2019, catching 12 passes for 97 yards.
Fumagalli came into the league as a 2018 fifth-round pick of the Broncos. After missing his rookie year due to injury, he went on to appear in 19 games for the Broncos between ’19 and ’20. All in all, he’s notched 14 grabs for 118 yards and two scores. He’ll have his work cut out for him as the Patriots’ TE group already includes Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Dalton Keene, Devin Asiasi, and Matt LaCosse.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/26/21
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Lance Lenoir
- Waived: WR Tre Walker
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: DE Frank Herron
- Waived: DE Kendall Donnerson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed (from Eagles): LB Joe Bachie
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR DeAndre Thompkins
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Kareem Orr
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived/injured: DE Marcus Webb
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Christian DiLauro
Texans Sign QB Davis Mills
The Texans have officially signed rookie quarterback Davis Mills (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). Per the terms of his slot, Davis will earn $5.2MM+ over the course of his four-year deal. 
Davis was a third-round pick, but he was the first player taken by the Texans this year. Ideally, the Texans would like to ease the Stanford product into the pro game. But, with continued uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson, there’s no telling how Mills will be deployed. For what it’s worth, new head coach David Culley is high on him.
“Davis Mills, I thought [GM Nick Caserio‘s] staff did a great job of all of a sudden earmarking a guy that fit what a quarterback in the NFL is all about,” Culley said earlier this month. “Obviously he didn’t play as much football as some of the other guys because of the COVID situation in the Pac-12, but we really love what he’s all about. We love all of the intangibles he has. He’s a pro-type NFL quarterback and we feel good to have him. He’s smart. He can make all the throws and we feel good and feel fortunate that we’re able to get him when we got him.”
If Watson doesn’t return to the Texans this year, Mills will likely start the year as the No. 2 QB behind team veteran Tyrod Taylor. Well-traveled QB Jeff Driskel is also in the mix, having leapfrogged Ryan Finley, who was recently cut.
As a two-year starter, Mills threw for 3,468 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 65.5% of his throws. Now, he’ll look to make his mark in the pros along with the rest of the Texans’ rookie class. Mills was the first one picked and the last one to sign, meaning that the Texans’ entire class has now been wrapped up.
NFL Draft Signings: 5/25/21
We’ll keep track of today’s late-round signings here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Victor Dimukeje, LB (sixth round; Duke)
Signed: CB Tay Gowan (sixth round; Central Florida)
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Elerson Smith (fourth round; Northern Iowa)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: Kamaal Seymour
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Willie Henry
- Waived: LB Joe Bachie
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Cam Sutton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Dee Delaney
49ers C Weston Richburg To Retire
Injuries will end up ending Weston Richburg‘s career after just five seasons and change. The former 49ers big-ticket free agency addition will not return for the 2021 season. Kyle Shanahan confirmed Richburg intends to retire, via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch (on Twitter).
Richburg, 29, missed all of 2020 with injuries, including a torn patellar tendon, and was set to undergo hip surgery earlier this offseason. The former Giants second-round pick last played in December 2019.
The 49ers gave Richburg a five-year, $47.5MM contract in 2018, and the Colorado State alum started 28 games with the team. He fared well as San Francisco’s center, and his injury threw the team off course. The 49ers used Ben Garland for the 2019 stretch run, which ended in a Super Bowl LIV berth, and re-signed him for last season. But the veteran backup/spot starter was one of many 49ers to land on IR early last season. San Francisco added Alex Mack, who played for Shanahan in Atlanta, early in free agency this year.
After Super Bowl LIV, Richburg was targeting a return for the 49ers’ 2020 training camp. Those goal posts eventually moved, and the veteran blocker wound up on the 49ers’ reserve/PUP list. Torn patellar tendons are among the most severe injuries on the NFL spectrum; Richburg becomes the latest to see his career end because of one.
For his career, Richburg started 78 of the 79 games he played. A concussion ended his 2017 season early, and the Giants ended up going in a different direction. Big Blue has yet to find a surefire long-term replacement. The 49ers have Mack in place as a stopgap. The 49ers will be hit with nearly $7MM in dead money, stemming from the prorated bonuses on Richburg’s deal.
Steelers Sign Round 2 TE Pat Freiermuth
The Steelers are nearly done signing their 2021 draft picks. Shortly after they agreed to terms with first-rounder Najee Harris, the Steelers announced second-round selection Pat Freiermuth signed his rookie deal.
Freiermuth played three seasons at Penn State and declared for the draft after his junior year. Staying in Pennsylvania to start his pro career, Freiermuth profiles as Pittsburgh’s long-term tight end hopeful. Eric Ebron remains on the Steelers’ roster, but he is under contract through the end of the 2021 season only. Feiermuth is set to earn $6MM over four years, with a $1.74MM signing bonus.
Penn State used Freiermuth frequently in the red zone; the 6-foot-5 tight end totaled 15 touchdown receptions between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Freiermuth topped out at 507 receiving yards as a sophomore but still managed north of 300 in a four-game 2020 slate. He suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery last November. Even playing just three seasons, one of which abbreviated by injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, Freiermuth totaled 16 career touchdown catches — a Penn State tight end record.
Despite glaring offensive line needs, the Steelers went with Freiermuth with the No. 55 overall pick. That certainly reveals confidence he could become their sought-after Heath Miller replacement as a long-term option at the position. Of the Steelers’ draftees, only third-rounder Kendrick Green is unsigned.
Washington To Sign TE Ricky Seals-Jones
Logan Thomas‘ productive season lessened Washington’s need at tight end, but the team will still add some depth to the position. The defending NFC East champions are signing Ricky Seals-Jones, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Seals-Jones spent last season with the Chiefs but did not factor into the AFC champions’ offense much. He played in just two games and wound up on the waiver wire in January. While the Chiefs brought the young tight end back to their active roster, he did not catch a pass in 2020. Washington also signed recent Chiefs tight end Deon Yelder earlier this month.
The team still figures to rely on Thomas as its starter, but it did use a fourth-round pick on Boise State’s John Bates this year. Washington entered the 2020 season with a gaping hole at tight end, having Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis‘ tenures end in the same offseason, but Thomas’ 72-reception, 670-yard season established the ex-quarterback as a viable starter going into 2021.
Originally a Cardinals UDFA who converted to tight end after playing wide receiver at Texas A&M, Seals-Jones served as a part-time starter in Arizona in two seasons with the team. He totaled 46 catches for 544 yards and four touchdowns as a Cardinal and played a role for a 2019 Browns team that was without David Njoku for most of that season. Seals-Jones added four TD grabs that year and averaged 16.4 yards per catch. The 26-year-old pass catcher figures to vie for a depth role in Washington.
Steelers Sign First-Round Pick Najee Harris
The Steelers have their guy. Pittsburgh has officially signed first-round pick running back Najee Harris to his rookie contract, the team announced Tuesday.
It’ll be a four-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $13.1MM for the 24th overall pick. Harris will collect a signing bonus of $6.85MM. Harris to the Steelers was one of the most buzzed about connections leading up to the draft, and the rumors turned out to be accurate. He was the first running back off the board, taken one pick before Clemson’s Travis Etienne.
Pittsburgh was widely expected to draft a runner early, as they’ve emphasized the need for a revamped ground game after they got nothing from their rushing attack in 2020. They let James Conner walk in free agency, and opted for the former Alabama star to replace him.
Harris will slot in as the team’s immediate starter, and the Steelers are reportedly planning on having him play a big role as a pass-catcher. The California native rushed for a ridiculous 26 touchdowns last season, and averaged at least 5.8 yards per carry in all four of his college seasons.
He’ll now be lining up behind and next to Ben Roethlisberger, at least for one season. Harris has the talent to be a top back in the league, the question now is how the Steelers’ new-look offensive line will perform.