NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/16/21
Both Los Angeles teams were busy locking up their later-round draft picks as we wrap up the weekend:
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Nick Niemann (sixth-round; Iowa), DB Mark Webb (seventh-round; Georgia)
Los Angeles Rams
- DE Earnest Brown IV (fifth-round; Northwestern), RB Jake Funk (seventh-round; Maryland), WR Ben Skowronek (seventh-round; Notre Dame), LB Chris Garrett (seventh-round; Concordia St.-Paul)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/21
Here are Sunday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Olive Sagapolu
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DB Matt Amendola, LB Daniel Bituli, DE P.J. Johnson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Waived: LB Michael Pinckney
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Case Cookus
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Charlie Taumoepeau
- Signed: DB Alijah Holder
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Shyheim Carter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Kyle Murphy, DT Lorenzo Neal, LB Quentin Poling
Panthers To Sign S Delano Hill
New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer will bring in one of the Seahawks’ former Day 2 picks. Defensive back Delano Hill agreed to terms with the Panthers on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
A third-round pick during Fitterer’s lengthy Seattle stay, Hill saw extensive action on special teams with the Seahawks and contributed on defense as a part-timer during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. The Michigan alum spent four seasons with the Seahawks, playing out his rookie contract.
Hill, 25, started six games between the 2018 and ’19 slates, making 49 combined tackles in that span. Last season, Hill played in only two games. A nagging back injury sent Hill to IR in October, leading to Damarious Randall joining the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. Hill will attempt to return to action with Carolina.
Carolina’s roster has an apparent opening at safety. The team has standout 2020 draftee Jeremy Chinn, but he saw plenty of time in the box in a linebacker role as well. The Panthers signed Juston Burris last year, using him as a 12-game starter. The former Jets draft choice stands to be back in the starter mix this year, but the team does not have much in the way of depth behind them. Carolina cut two-stint safety starter Tre Boston earlier this year.
The Panthers also agreed to terms with linebacker Kendall Donnerson. A 2018 Packers seventh-round pick out of Southeast Missouri State, Donnerson has not seen any regular-season action as an NFLer.
Bucs Sign 4 After Weekend Tryout
The Buccaneers have signed cornerback Antonio Hamilton, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Greg Auman of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that Tampa has also agreed to terms with tight end Jerell Adams, running back Troymaine Pope, and safety Curtis Riley. That quartet was part of a five-man group invited for tryouts during this weekend’s rookie minicamp and did enough to earn a contract.
Hamilton, who signed with the Raiders as a UDFA out of South Carolina State in 2016, played a full 16-game slate with the Giants in 2019, and he also enjoyed perfect attendance in 2020 as a member of the Chiefs. Most of his work has come on special teams, as he has played a total of 335 defensive snaps in his five-year career. If he makes the Bucs’ roster, it will probably be due to his ST prowess, but he could get some action as a backup corner.
Adams was a sixth-round selection of the Giants back in 2016, but he has played in exactly one game over the past three seasons. In that game, a 2018 appearance with the Texans, Adams played only five special teams snaps. Over his first two years in New York, the South Carolina product tallied 24 catches for 214 yards and a score.
Tampa’s tight end depth chart is pretty full, and Adams will try to convince the club to roster four TEs again. He will join Tanner Hudson and Codey McElroy in that endeavor.
Riley, 28, worked as a full-time starter for the 2018 Giants, lining up with their first-stringers in all 16 games. He intercepted four passes that season. He then landed in Oakland, playing as a Raiders backup/spot starter in 2019. Last season, Riley saw limited action with the Vikings and Cardinals.
The Bucs will be Pope’s sixth NFL team. A Jacksonville State alum, Pope has been in the league since arriving as a 2016 UDFA. Stints with the Seahawks, Jets, Colts, and Texans preceded work as a Chargers backup from 2019-20. Injuries in Los Angeles’ backfield summoned Pope to action on offense briefly at the midseason point last year, but he mostly played special teams with the Bolts.
Tampa Bay’s backfield is also crowded. Leonard Fournette was re-signed this offseason, and Giovani Bernard joined up with the Super Bowl champs. Ronald Jones and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, both on their rookie contracts, will also return.
Giants Sign Kelvin Benjamin
Apparently, the Giants liked what they saw from Kelvin Benjamin. After bringing Benjamin in for a tryout this weekend, New York has agreed to terms with the former first-rounder, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
Benjamin, of course, entered the league as a wide receiver, and that’s where he has played since Giants GM Dave Gettleman — then the general manager of the Panthers — drafted him in 2014. But Benjamin primarily worked out as a tight end during this weekend’s visit, so it appears he is undergoing a position change.
Now 30, Benjamin’s size (6-5, 245 pounds) makes him something of a natural fit at TE. And given that his career fell off a cliff after he was traded from Carolina to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, he almost had to try something different. Indeed, after spending the final few games of the 2018 campaign with the Chiefs following his release from Buffalo, there were no public reports of interest in his services until he got a call from the Giants.
With Evan Engram and free agent acquisition Kyle Rudolph ahead of him on the depth chart, Benjamin will battle for a a TE3 job alongside the likes of Levine Toilolo and Kaden Smith. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv believes Benjamin is facing an uphill battle in his quest for a regular season roster spot (Twitter link), but his background as a receiver and his physical stature make him an intriguing low-risk flier just the same.
Benjamin is the second of the five veterans Big Blue recently invited to the facility to get a contract. RB Corey Clement has also put pen to paper, and as Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, the Giants waived RB Jordan Chunn and TE Nate Wieting to make room for Clement and Benjamin on the 90-man roster.
Giants To Sign RB Corey Clement
The Giants are set to sign running back Corey Clement, as Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News writes. Clement auditioned on Friday and Saturday, impressing coaches and beating out a handful other vets vying for a spot on the team’s offseason roster. That group included fellow RB Ito Smith, per Leonard. 
Clement is best known his Super Bowl LII touchdown and taking the Eagles’ “Philly Special” snap. He spent the last four years with the Birds, though his usage has fluctuated over time. In 2019, he did not see a carry in four games. Last year, after Jordan Howard left, he still only saw 21 carries in 15 games, spending most of his time on special teams.
All in all, Clement has logged 655 yards and seven touchdowns off of 163 carries, plus 37 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he’ll look to solidify his place behind Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker.
Smith, meanwhile, will look for work elsewhere. The 2018 fourth-round pick cut by the Falcons in April, even though he’s shown a penchant for game-changing plays in the past. As a rookie, Smith made noise with 6.4 yards per carry in an admittedly small sample. He hasn’t looked quite as sharp lately, but he still managed to take 63 carries for 268 yards (4.3 ypc).
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/21
Here are the latest rookies to agree to terms on their four-year contracts. The Steelers were busy on this front Saturday.
Houston Texans
- LB Garret Wallow (fifth round; TCU)
Los Angeles Chargers
- RB Larry Rountree (sixth round; Missouri)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DT Isaiahh Loudermilk (fifth round; Wisconsin), LB Quincy Roche (sixth round; Miami), CB Tre Norwood (seventh round; Oklahoma), P Pressley Harvin III (seventh round; Georgia Tech)
Packers To Sign QB Kurt Benkert
Shortly after reuniting Blake Bortles and OC Nathaniel Hackett, the Packers are adding another quarterback to their roster. Their Kurt Benkert workout led to agreement (Twitter link).
The Packers worked out Benkert and Chad Kelly at their rookie minicamp; it appears they will choose Benkert to be their fourth QB. This will mark Benkert’s second NFL team. He spent the past three seasons with the Falcons.
[RELATED: Packers To Sign Blake Bortles]
A 2018 UDFA, Benkert played two seasons at East Carolina and Virginia. He started two seasons for the Cavaliers, throwing 46 touchdown passes between his junior and senior seasons. The Falcons used him as roster depth behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub but moved in a different direction this offseason. The Falcons waived Benkert in February.
With Aaron Rodgers wanting out, Jordan Love stood alone at this position coming into the week. The Packers now have some depth ahead of the on-field portion of their OTA workouts and minicamp. Should the Rodgers stalemate drag into the late summer, the team has a potential third-string option in Benkert.
Vikings Sign Fourth-Round RB Kene Nwangwu
The Vikings have signed their sixth draft pick. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed fourth-round running back Kene Nwangwu. It’s a four-year pact worth $4.23MM, including a $752K+ signing bonus.
[RELATED: Vikings Sign First-Round Pick Christian Darrisaw]
Nwangwu didn’t really emerge on the NFL radar until the completion of his 2020 season. While the six-foot-one, 210-pound running back didn’t put up crazy counting stats (only 361 yards from scrimmage and four scores), he still had a solid 5.6 yards per rushing attempt (down a bit from his eye-popping 7.2 mark in 2019). Nwangwu was also productive on special teams during his college career, returning 92 kicks.
In Minnesota, the rookie will likely compete with Ameer Abdullah for the third spot on the depth chart behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. His real opportunity for playing time will be in the return game, where he’ll compete with Abdullah and rookie wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The Vikings still have five of their draft picks unsigned, as our NFL Draft Results page shows:
Round 1: No. 23 (from Seahawks through Jets) Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 3: No. 66 (from Jets) Kellen Mond, QB (Texas A&M)
Round 3: No. 78 Chazz Surratt, LB (North Carolina)
Round 3: No. 86 (from Seahawks through Jets) Wyatt Davis, G (Ohio State)
Round 3: No. 90 (from Ravens) Patrick Jones II, DE (Pittsburgh)
Round 4: No. 119 Kene Nwangwu, RB (Iowa State) (signed)
Round 4: No. 125 (from Bears) Camryn Bynum, CB (California) (signed)
Round 4: No. 134 (from Bills) Janarius Robinson, DE (Florida State)
Round 5: No. 157 Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 168 (from Steelers through Ravens): Zach Davidson, TE (Central Missouri) (signed)
Round 6: No. 199 Jaylen Twyman, DT (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Seahawks Bring In 13 UDFAs
With their rookie minicamp underway, the Seahawks announced their undrafted free agent class. Here are the rookie hopefuls eyeing back-end-of-the-roster spots in Seattle:
- S Aashari Crosswell, Arizona State
- T Jake Curhan, California
- T Greg Eiland, Mississippi State
- RB B.J. Emmons, Florda Atlantic
- DT Jarrod Hewitt, Virginia Tech
- G Jared Hocker, Texas A&M
- WR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
- RB Josh Johnson, Louisiana-Monroe
- G Pier-Olivier Lestage, Montreal
- CB Bryan Mills, North Carolina Central
- LB Jon Rhattigan, Army
- WR Tamorrion Terry, Florida State
- WR Connor Wedington, Stanford
Seattle drafted just three players this year, having sent its first- and third-round picks to the Jets in 2020’s Jamal Adams deal. The Seahawks’ large (for 2021) UDFA class includes a few under-the-radar prospects. The 10th overall pick in this year’s CFL draft, Lestage will give the NFL a try first. Both Johnson and Mills were Division I-FCS All-Americans.
Scouts Inc. viewed the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Terry as a fifth-round prospect. In 13 2019 games, the Seminoles receiver caught 60 passes for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns. Although the Seahawks drafted a receiver (D’Wayne Eskridge) in Round 2, they figure to have competition for backup roles. Josh Johnson surpassed 1,200 rushing yards in 2019, averaging 6.5 per carry, while Emmons was initially an Alabama recruit who transferred to the Conference USA program. The Seahawks re-signed Chris Carson but lost Carlos Hyde in free agency and did not pick up Rashaad Penny‘s fifth-year option.
Hocker joins Texans UDFAs Carson Green and Ryan McCollum as Texas A&M O-linemen to land post-draft deals. The Steelers drafted ex-Aggies tackle Dan Moore Jr. in Round 4. Hocker worked as a guard with the SEC team. Curhan started 40 games at tackle for the Golden Bears; he will join sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe as a rookie edge blockers with the Seahawks. Eiland received starts at both tackle positions and right guard for the Bulldogs.