Rams Sign RB Boston Scott
The Rams have added a veteran to their running backs room. The team has signed long-time Eagles back Boston Scott, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’ll be a one-year pact for Scott.
The former sixth-round pick has spent the majority of his career in Philadelphia, appearing in 75 regular season games and eight postseason contests. He saw a significant role between 2019 and 2021, averaging nearly 500 yards from scrimmage per season. Scott also made a name for himself with his continued dominance against the Giants, with the RB tallying 10 of his 17 career touchdowns against the division opponent.
He only started two of his 30 appearances over the past two years, averaging 185 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per season. This included a 2023 campaign where Scott finished with 138 yards from scrimmage, his lowest total since he was shut out in two games as a rookie.
Kyren Williams will be back to lead the Rams RB corps in 2024, but his backups will look different. Neither Royce Freeman nor Darrell Henderson were retained, and the team added Blake Corum in the third round of this year’s draft. Scott will likely compete with Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans for a spot on the bottom of the depth chart.
Falcons Sign 10 UDFAs
After finishing the weekend with one of the more questionable draft approaches, the Falcons have rounded out their rookie class with 10 undrafted free agents. The team announced that they’ve added the following UDFAs:
- Ryan Coll, OL (Richmond)
- JaQuae Jackson, WR (Rutgers)
- John Paddock, QB (Illinois)
- Nolan Potter, OL (Northern Illinois)
- Jayden Price, CB (North Dakota State)
- Anthony Sao, CB (MidAmerica Nazarene)
- Ryan Sanborn, P (Texas)
- Austin Stogner, TE (Oklahoma)
- Trey Vaval, CB (Minnesota State-Mankato)
- Isaiah Wooden, WR (Southern Utah)
The Falcons added another rookie QB to their roster in Illinois signal caller John Paddock. The prospect got a chance to start during his final season at Ball State before transferring to the Fighting Illini in 2023. At Illinois, Paddock only took over late in the season but still managed to finish the campaign with 1,278 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Falcons weren’t finished adding to their offense, signing three skill players to the roster. It’s actually the tight end, Austin Stogner, who has the most accomplished resume of the group. Stogner collected 84 receptions in a college career that saw him bounce from Oklahoma to South Carolina back to Oklahoma. This included a 2023 campaign where he finished with 17 catches for 196 yards.
The organization may be setting up a punting competition by adding Ryan Sanborn to the depth chart. Sanborn spent four years at Stanford before joining Texas for the 2023 campaign. The Falcons are still rostering last year’s starter, Bradley Pinion.
Pats, Christian Barmore Agree To Extension
APRIL 30: A key point for Barmore will emerge in 2026, when a $10MM guarantee vests. Of Barmore’s $41.8MM guaranteed, $31.8MM is guaranteed at signing. The Patriots guaranteed $2MM of Barmore’s 2026 base salary ($12MM), per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio; the other $10MM is guaranteed for injury only. That $10MM shifts to a full guarantee on the third day of the 2026 league year, giving the Patriots a potential out. Barmore’s contract also includes $8MM in total incentives.
APRIL 29: Continuing with a trend from earlier this offseason, the Patriots have retained another in-house player for years to come. New England has reached agreement on an extension with defensive tackle Christian Barmore, as first reported by Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. 
ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this pact is four years in length, and it carries a maximum value of $92MM. As a result, Barmore has become the latest ascending defensive lineman to secure a lucrative new pact. The 24-year-old is now on the books through 2028. The pact (which Kyed notes has a base value of $84MM) includes $41.8MM in guaranteed money, per Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler. In all, this marks the franchise’s largest contract ever given to a player not named Tom Brady.
New England was active in free agency last month with respect to re-signing or extending starters on both sides of the ball. The Patriots’ defense retained safety Kyle Dugger via the transition tag before a long-term extension was worked out. Edge rushers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings also have new deals in place, and Barmore will remain a key member of the team’s front seven alongside them for years to come.
The latter began extension talks in March, and a major raise has been hammered out in the immediate aftermath of the draft. Team and player certainly had an established framework in place with respect to second contracts along the defensive interior. Over the past two years, a number of up-and-coming producers at the position have landed lucrative extensions. Barmore’s $23MM per year average (provided he reaches his maximum earning potential) places him in a tie for seventh amongst active defensive tackles.
The Alabama product saw a notable 55% defensive snap share as a rookie, and he produced 46 tackles that year. His playing time dipped the following season and his impact as a pass-rusher improved only incrementally (1.5 to 2.5 sacks). This past campaign, however, Barmore took on a larger workload (66% snap share) and he parlayed that into a notable uptick in statistical output.
The former second-rounder racked up 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2023, the second season in which he was healthy for every game. Barmore added 19 pressures and 16 QB hits, and he ranked eighth amongst defensive tackles in terms of PFF grade (83.8). New England will count on a repeat of that production this season and beyond.
The Patriots have plenty of room for improvement on offense in 2024, but the team’s defense fared well in a number of categories last year. The team ranked fourth against the run, and Barmore played a central role in that success. He will be expected to continue his career ascent in the ground game while building off his impact against the pass for the foreseeable future as one of several D-lineman cashing in around the NFL.
Jaguars To Decline Mac Jones’ Fifth-Year Option
Mac Jones is set to finish out his four-year rookie contract with the Jaguars, who faced three fifth-year option decisions as a result of acquiring the former Patriots first-rounder. After exercising Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne‘s options, they will make the expected call of declining Jones’.
The Jags will not extend Jones’ contract through 2025, according to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. This would have meant a $25.66MM salary. Seeing as Jones is set to be Lawrence’s backup, the former No. 15 overall pick’s option loomed as a non-starter from the jump. Teams have until May 2 to exercise or decline fifth-year options on 2021 first-rounders.
[RELATED: 2025 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
The Patriots’ starter for most of his time in New England, Jones landed on the third tier of the option structure. The Pats were not going to exercise the former No. 15 overall pick’s option, as his play sharply declined after a promising rookie season. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up — acquired for a sixth-round pick in March — is now officially in a contract year.
Jones joins three other quarterbacks from the 2021 first round — Trey Lance, Justin Fields and now Zach Wilson — in being traded. Lawrence is the only member of that quintet who remains with his original team. The former No. 1 overall pick is also the only member of that group who saw his option exercised. That draft serves as a warning sign for teams that dived into this year’s first round for a passer; last week’s group tied 1983 for the most Round 1 passers in a draft.
As for Jones, he will attempt to move back on track in what is expected to be a season out of the spotlight. Disagreements with Bill Belichick created the perception of a frosty relationship between the Alabama alum and the former Patriots HC; the post-Belichick Pats were among the teams to acquire a quarterback in this year’s first round. As Drake Maye prepares to solidify himself as a franchise-caliber passer, Jones is at an early-career crossroads. Lawrence having only missed one NFL start points to Jones taking a reset year.
Jones, 25, was initially linked to being the 49ers’ target in 2021. That may well have been the case, but the team went with Lance. With Josh McDaniels calling the shots to close out his second stint as Patriots OC, Jones piloted the Pats to an 10-7 record and finished behind only Ja’Marr Chase in that season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year balloting. Belichick’s decision to go with Matt Patricia as OC in 2022 predictably backfired, and Jones — who joined the chorus of skeptics about the Patricia decision — drew the ire of his NFL HC for reaching out to Alabama staffers about solutions. No improvement took place under established OC Bill O’Brien, however, further tanking Jones’ value.
Jones ranked 28th in QBR last season and ended up benched for Bailey Zappe to close out the campaign. Averaging a career-low 6.1 yards per attempt, Jones threw 10 TD passes compared to 12 INTs. Going 2-9 as a starter last year, Jones spent Week 18 as the Pats’ third-stringer. The Jags have their three-year backup, C.J. Beathard, signed for the ’24 season as well. It will be interesting to see how Jacksonville’s depth chart looks come September.
Cardinals Sign Three UDFAs
The Cardinals are keeping their UDFA count low this year, announcing just three UDFA additions after making 12 draft choices last week. Here is Arizona’s trio of post-draft hopefuls:
- Myles Murphy, DL (North Carolina)
- Joe Shimko, LS (NC State)
- Xavier Weaver, WR (Colorado)
Weaver was part of Deion Sanders‘ massive transfer haul last year. As the rookie Division I-FBS HC overhauled the Pac-12 program, Weaver joined the likes of Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. as imports who became Shedeur Sanders‘ top targets. While Hunter will be a big name to monitor ahead of the 2025 draft, Weaver led the Buffaloes in receiving by a wide margin last season. The South Florida transfer produced a career-high 68 receptions for 908 yards, adding four touchdowns.
Also serving as a punt returner at points, the 6-foot-1 target posted back-to-back 700-plus-yard showings in his final two seasons at South Florida. Weaver joins a Cardinals team — even after Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s arrival — that still has questions at wide receiver. The Cardinals are guaranteeing $225K of Weaver’s $255K base salary, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
Shimko may be the top name to monitor here for longevity purposes. He won the Patrick Mannelly Award given to the nation’s top long snapper last season. Like many players in this UDFA class, Shimko played five college seasons due to the COVID-19 waiver. The Cardinals released long snapper Matt Hembrough on Monday but re-signed longtime snapper Aaron Brewer in March. Brewer, 33, has been with the Cards since 2016. Shimko’s award-winning season puts him on the radar for a gig elsewhere, should Brewer keep his job.
Browns Sign C Brian Allen
Brian Allen‘s six-year Rams run ended this offseason, as the Rams released him following a season as a second-stringer. Allen will have a chance to rebuild elsewhere.
The former Super Bowl starter secured a chance with the Browns on Tuesday, according to his agency. Cleveland will see if Allen, who has battled injuries for much of his career, can contribute to an O-line that otherwise features a host of expensive pieces.
Although the Browns limped to the finish line last season up front, their line still houses high-priced guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller — along with Jack Conklin‘s upper-crust right tackle salary and Jedrick Wills‘ fifth-year option. The team also paid Ethan Pocic after a productive 2022 season; the veteran center is tied to a three-year, $18MM deal. Pocic received $10MM guaranteed at signing last year.
Pocic’s 2023 terms matched what the Rams authorized for Allen in 2022, but the Super Bowl LVI first-stringer again ran into injury trouble. Allen, who missed seven games in 2019 and all of 2020 due to injury, did not play in 10 of the Rams’ 17 games during an injury-plagued 2022 campaign for the defending champions’ O-line. Allen was unable to retain his starting spot last season, as the Rams went with former UDFA Coleman Shelton. Even as Shelton departed (for the Bears) in free agency, the Rams made Allen a cap casualty.
Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the league’s 10th-best center in 2021, offering some potential upside for the Browns. But while the former fourth-round pick made 20 starts for the Super Bowl-winning team, he played part of the season with a UCL tear in his elbow and missed a game due to an MCL sprain. ACL and MCL tears midway through the 2019 season ended up costing Allen all of his 2020 season, and he sustained another knee setback in Week 1 of the ’22 season. Allen, 28, suited up for only five games last season, as Shelton started all 18 Rams contests.
PFF graded Pocic as last season’s 13th-best center, and the Browns also drafted Michigan guard Zak Zinter in Round 3. The latter is coming off a season-ending broken leg sustained during Michigan’s win over Ohio State. As Zinter is assured of at least a swing role this coming season, the Browns will see if Allen can also become part of their equation up front.
Ravens Pick Up Odafe Oweh’s Fifth-Year Option
The Ravens made a pair of first-round selections in 2021, but the case of wideout Rashod Bateman required the team to work out an extension rather than deciding on his fifth-year option. A move still needed to be made with respect to edge rusher Odafe Oweh, however. 
[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
The latter had his option exercised on Tuesday, per a team announcement. Oweh does not have a Pro Bowl on his resume, and he has not met the playtime threshold needed for the next-highest tier regarding option values. As a result, the 25-year-old will be tied to a $13.25MM salary in 2025.
Much like fellow Penn State product (and 2024 draftee) Chop Robinson, Oweh’s college career was marked more by his athletic traits and resultant upside than his production. In the case of both players, though, they heard their names called on Day 1, producing considerable expectations. Oweh totaled seven sacks with the Nittany Lions across three years, including none in 2020.
That led to questions about his ability to transition to the pro game, although a five-sack rookie campaign appeared to ease such concerns. Oweh logged a 65% snap share that season, but his playing time decreased the following year; he posted two fewer sacks and nine fewer QB pressures (16) in response. The Ravens made another notable draft investment along the edge in 2022 (second-rounder David Ojabo), but his injury-induced absence left the team in need of experienced additions.
Baltimore added Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy in 2023, and both veterans enjoyed productive campaigns. Clowney parlayed his success into a two-year Panthers agreement, but Van Noy has re-signed with the Ravens. He, Ojabo and 2024 third-rounder Adisa Isaac will be key members of the team’s edge contingent moving forward.
Oweh will also be a central figure for the unit, though. The 6-5, 257-pounder recorded five sacks last season while playing a career-low 50% of the team’s defensive snaps. Clowney’s departure (along with the fact Tyus Bowser, who missed the entire year, was released) could open up playing time for Oweh in an important fourth campaign. General manager Eric DeCosta has praised his potential against the pass, and his play against the run – 99 stops, 16 tackles for loss in his career – could keep him firmly in the team’s plans for years to come. Still, expectations will continue to be high for Oweh knowing he is in line for a notable raise in 2025.
Browns To Exercise CB Greg Newsome’s Fifth-Year Option
As fifth-year option decisions continue to be made around the league, the Browns will take the expected route in the case of cornerback Greg Newsome. Cleveland will keep Newsome in the fold for at least the next two years, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
A report from earlier this month indicated the Browns were in position to pick up the option, so today’s confirmation comes as no surprise. Newsome will now be attached to a 2025 salary of $13.38MM, since he checks in at the third tier of option values. Trade rumors have surrounded the 23-year-old, but he remains firmly in at least Cleveland’s intermediate-term plans.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry made it clear prior to the draft that he had no intention of moving Newsome despite his presence in a deep CB room. Cleveland already has Denzel Ward attached to a $20.1MM-per-year agreement, and 2022 third-rounder Martin Emerson will be eligible for an extension as early as next offseason. The latter had a strong second NFL campaign, delivering four interceptions and 13 pass deflections. A new Emerson deal will therefore likely require another large financial commitment, something which would be complicated by a Newsome agreement.
Still, the Northwestern product has provided starting-caliber play throughout his three years in Cleveland. Spending considerable time in the slot over the past two seasons in particular, Newsome has totaled 29 pass breakups to date. His only two interceptions came last season, one which doubled as his best with respect to coverage statistics (56.7% completion percentage, 74.8 passer rating allowed as the nearest defender). Continuing to progress in both respects could line him up for a long-term accord, one which can be worked out at any time.
Ward is on the books through 2027, whereas Emerson’s rookie pact is in place for the next two seasons. As a result, the Browns’ lauded cornerback trio should remain intact during the 2024 and ’25 campaigns, although the team has added depth via the draft over the past two springs. Cleveland selected Cameron Mitchell in the fifth round of last year’s draft, and he logged three starts as a rookie. The Browns also added Myles Harden in the seventh round this past weekend, but the depth ahead of him will make it hard to see playing time.
Newsome will enter the 2024 season assured of a key defensive role, and Berry’s comments related to shooting down a trade – coupled with today’s decision (which matches those made with the 2021 class’ other Day 1 corners so far), of course – point to him staying in place through the expiration of his rookie contract. How willing the team is regarding a multi-year commitment will be an interesting storyline to follow.
Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott Agree To Deal
In a move which comes as no surprise at this point, Ezekiel Elliott is set to return to the Cowboys. The former rushing champion has a deal in place with Dallas pending a physical, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. 
This is a one-year agreement worth $3MM, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Elliott will collect $2MM guaranteed, he adds. The 28-year-old is therefore in line to once again take on a notable role in the Cowboys’ backfield.
One month ago, Elliott was named (alongside Dalvin Cook) as a veteran back interested in a Cowboys contract. Signs pointed to the team matching that desire in Elliott’s case shortly thereafter, and while Cook is still unsigned the former No. 4 pick is back where his career began. Elliott spent seven years in Dallas, earning three Pro Bowl invitations and one first-team All-Pro nod in his opening four campaigns.
The Ohio State product’s efficiency began to wane afterwards, however, and in 2022 he ceded some of his workload to Tony Pollard. During the subsequent offseason, Dallas retained Pollard via the franchise tag and released Elliott. That move led to a $6MM dead cap charge for 2024, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly indicated that figure would not dissuade him from pursuing a reunion. Taking the dead money charge into account, Elliott will represent a rather lucrative commitment on offense for the Cowboys this year.
Pollard was not retained this offseason, and he became one of several veteran running backs who quickly found a new home in free agency. That created a vacancy atop Dallas’ backfield depth chart and led many to expect a notable investment in the position. After Royce Freeman was added on a low-cost deal, the team appeared to be set up for a rookie addition during last weekend’s draft. The Cowboys did not add at the position, however, having spoken with Elliott on the eve of the opening round.
With a deal now in place, Elliott will re-join a Cowboys team which also includes the likes of Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis in the backfield. Following his Dallas release, Elliott joined the Patriots on a one-year deal similar to this one. The 2023 campaign produced career-lows in carries (184), yards (642) and efficiency (3.5 yards per attempt), but Jones still views him as being capable of handling a starter’s workload. It will be interesting to see how Elliott’s role shakes out in 2024 upon return to a familiar team.
Ravens Extend WR Rashod Bateman
APRIL 29: Unlike the rest of the 2021 first-round picks who entered this offseason on their rookie contracts, Bateman was ineligible for the fifth-year option due to his stay on the reserve/did not report list last summer, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes. The short stay before reporting to camp last year would have made Bateman a restricted free agent in 2025 and a UFA in ’26, helping shape his recent extension.
Bateman’s through-2026 deal is worth $15.25MM, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. The deal can max out at $16.75MM. Bateman will be 27 when this contract expires, giving the Ravens potential upside in exchange for some security after a bumpy first three seasons.
APRIL 24: Rashod Bateman delivered a healthy season last year, and although the former first-round pick operated as more of an auxiliary target in 2023, the Ravens view him as a key part of their future.
The defending AFC North champions showed this by agreeing to an extension with Bateman on Wednesday. The parties agreed on a deal that runs through 2026. This would effectively be a two-year extension for Bateman, whose rookie contract was set to expire after the 2024 season.
After two injury-plagued seasons and a 16-game 2023 campaign that only produced 367 yards, Bateman was not a reasonable candidate to see his fifth-year option picked up by the May 2 deadline. But the Ravens have reached a compromise with the Minnesota alum. While Bateman has not lived up to his No. 27 overall draft slot, he will gain a bit of security with this deal. Though, the terms will be telling here.
Bateman’s career high in receiving yardage (515) came as a rookie, and the 2021 draftee has only totaled four career receiving touchdowns. The Ravens were counting on the 6-foot-1 receiver in 2022, but a foot injury ended his season after six games. The team brought in more help last year, adding Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers. Beckham, who played ahead of Bateman last year, is out of the picture for 2024. Flowers is in place as the Ravens’ WR centerpiece, with Agholor still on the roster.
The Ravens have been pursuing more help, hosting Michael Gallup and Josh Reynolds (who later joined the Broncos) on free agency visits in March. They ended up signing receiver/return man Deonte Harty earlier this month. With Agholor in a contract year and Beckham having been the team’s second-leading receiver last season, the Ravens looking for more help in the draft would make sense. But this agreement probably buys Bateman more time. He figures to be in Baltimore’s 2025 plans as well.
Mark Andrews remains the Ravens’ aerial centerpiece; he has displayed by far the best rapport with Lamar Jackson. It will be interesting to see how the Ravens use Bateman going forward, after separating with Beckham. The well-traveled standout remains unsigned but is not expected back in Baltimore.