Minicamp Notes: Jets, Packers, Bears, Colts
Most of the NFL’s 32 teams will be conducting rookie minicamps this weekend, where clubs will get a first look at their draftees, and undrafted prospects and unsigned free agents will have a chance to make their case for a roster spot. Let’s check in on the latest links related to these rookie camps:
- The Jets‘ rookie minicamp is underway and the team has announced that 37 players are in attendance on a tryout basis, vying for spots on the roster. Former Buccaneers defensive back Ahmad Black is among the notable names on the list.
- Tight end Colt Lyerla, who was plagued by off-field issues at Oregon, is among the free agents getting a chance to audition for a roster spot at the Packers‘ rookie minicamp this week. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter) shares a photo of Green Bay’s full minicamp roster.
- Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter) provides a PDF link to the Bears‘ rookie minicamp roster, which includes 38 invitees auditioning for a spot on the team.
- In a series of four tweets, Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star lists the unsigned players brought in by the Colts to participate in the club’s rookie minicamp.
- The Buccaneers‘ rookie minicamp roster includes five players from the University of South Florida, as Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune notes before listing the participants.
- Don’t expect to hear any updates about a Giants‘ rookie minicamp. The club is one of two teams – the Bengals are the other – that elected to bypass the rookie minicamp this year, as head coach Tom Coughlin explains to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The Giants opted to immediately mix its new additions in with the veteran players instead.
Bears Sign Will Sutton, Lock Up Draft Class
The Bears have agreed to terms with third-round pick Will Sutton, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The agreement ensures that Chicago is the first team this year to get its entire draft class under contract.
Under the new CBA, there isn’t much flexibility given to rookie contracts, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that teams seem to be locking up their draftees quicker than ever — particularly since this year’s draft happened two weeks later, and execs may be looking forward to a little vacation time.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Sutton should be looking at a signing bonus of about $586K and an overall four-year value of approximately $2.871MM. You can keep tabs on all of this year’s draft pick signings using our tracker.
Bears, Kyle Fuller Agree To Terms
The Bears continue to lock up their 2014 draft picks faster than any other team in the league, becoming the first club to reach an agreement with a first-rounder. According to the team (via Twitter), Chicago and cornerback Kyle Fuller have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, which includes a fifth-year club option.
Fuller, the 14th overall pick in the draft, should be in line for a signing bonus worth about $5.365MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, who projects the overall four-year value of the corner’s contract at $9.687MM.
The Bears now have just one draftee left to sign, having locked up all their picks except for Arizona State’s Will Sutton. I’d expect the club to announce a deal for Sutton within the next few days.
NFC Rumors: Glennon, Hardy, Cowboys, Bears
Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith reaffirmed that Mike Glennon is the team’s quarterback of the future, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be the QB of the present, writes Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
“I made it clear right away that Josh McCown is our starter, which he is,” Smith said during an interview on WDAE (620 AM). “And hopefully for quite a few years he will be. And I said I really like Mike Glennon. Mike’s a young player coming up. In an ideal situation you don’t want young players to have to come in and start right away, you want them to be around an established veteran.”
Glennon was believed to be a trade candidate earlier this offseason but Smith’s kind words have put that talk to rest. More from around the NFL:
- With this week’s legal run-in, Greg Hardy has seriously jeopardized his future with the Panthers, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. The Panthers guaranteed the Pro Bowl player $13.1MM in 2014 not just because he collected a team-best 15 sacks last season, but because he appeared to have matured past the mistakes he made early in his NFL career and at Ole Miss. The club was considering locking Hardy up long-term this year, but that seems unlikely today.
- What would the Cowboys have done in the draft if they hadn’t traded up to get Demarcus Lawrence early in the second round? Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told season ticket holders on a conference call today that Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy would have been the selection at No. 47 followed by LSU guard Trai Turner in the third round, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune if there’s any chance the Bears could swing a trade for help in the secondary. Biggs says that while many would like to see a blockbuster like a deal for Chiefs safety Eric Berry, that type of thing won’t be in the cards thanks to his sizable salary.
- Bears sixth-round pick David Fales appears to be a good fit for the team, writes Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. Fales last season threw for 4,189 yards, 33 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and completed 64.1 percent of his passes in 12 games.
- Released running back Bradley Randle says the Vikings might end up bringing him back, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
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).
Bears Sign Second Round Pick Ego Ferguson
The Bears announced that they have agreed to terms with second round pick Ego Ferguson (via Twitter). Chicago has also struck a deal with sixth-rounder Pat O’Donnell.
Ferguson, a defensive tackle out of LSU, was viewed by many as a serious reach, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. Regardless of what anybody else things, the Bears believe that they did well for themselves at the No. 51 overall pick. At nearly 6’3″ and 315 pounds, Ferguson is a big, athletic three-technique tackle, but a very green prospect. He could develop into a strong pass rusher, but the general feeling is that it will take some time for him to get there.
O’Donnell, a punter out of Miami, was a first-team All-ACC pick in 2013 and named the team’s special teams MVP.
Bears Agree To Deals With Vereen, Fales
Brock Vereen and David Fales are the first two draft picks to sign their rookie contracts, as both have signed with the Bears according to the team’s official Twitter account.
Both players have agreed to terms on four-year deals.
The safety Vereen was a fourth-round pick, who has a chance to see the field early on a team which had a major weakness in the defensive backfield. Fales was picked in the sixth round, and will likely serve as Jay Cutler‘s backup for the next few years.
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.
NFC North Notes: Vikings, Packers, Lions
In dire need of secondary talent after allowing 4,596 yards through the air in 2013, the Minnesota Vikings supplemented the roster with three defensive backs on day 3 of the NFL Draft, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Virginia Tech’s Antone Exum, Maine’s Kendall James and North Carolina’s Jabari Price will don the purple, white and gold after being drafted in the sixth, sixth and seventh rounds, respectively.
“It’s definitely going to be competition (in the secondary),” Price said. “Whether we know it or not, whether they know it or not, it’s going to be a competition.
“And I’m willing to step up to the challenge.”
More news and notes from the NFC North…
- The Vikings earned the lone A-plus from SI.com’s Chris Burke and Doug Farrar in their 2014 NFL draft grades writeup, calling it an outstanding haul for first-year coach Mike Zimmer. The Packers received an A, the Bears an A-minus and the Lions a B.
- The Packers addressed needs without sacrificing talent, according to Packers.com’s Vic Ketchman. General manager Ted Thompson makes his hay in the annual player selection meeting, and the nine players selected — highlighted by first-round pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix — should solidify a deep roster.
- One constant in the Packers the last three decades has been a prolific offense highlighted by an elite quarterback. However, defense has been an issue, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Thompson gave defensive coordinator Dom Capers “a nice offering” at the top with the selection of Clinton-Dix No. 21 overall. But with four defenders and five offensive players coming to Green Bay, it was an overall balanced draft for the Pack.
- Lions Offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterback Matthew Stafford were pegged as winners by mlive.com’s Justin Rogers. Waddle figures to remain the team’s right tackle after the team passed on Taylor Lewan. Lombardi has a new toy in tight end Eric Ebron with which to play, joining an already deep position. Stafford received an upgraded No. 2 receiver earlier in free agency — Golden Tate — and now has an upgrade at tight end. Named as losers by Rogers were linebacker Ashlee Palmer, defensive back coaches Tony Oden and Alan Williams, and tight end Joseph Fauria.
- Bears general manager Mark Emery is giddy about the potential long-term payout of his eight draftees, finishing his third draft with Chicago and 16th overall. “These come in all varieties with how people work with one another,” Emery said via Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “And this was awesome.”
Post-Draft Notes: Sam, Vikings, Bills, Jets
The 2014 NFL draft is now behind us, and you can check out the results sorted by chronological order and by team. In the wake of the draft, rumors and reports of undrafted free agents signing or agreeing to terms with NFL teams are flying fast and furious. However, most of these signings aren’t official, meaning a player could still decide to sign with another club, or an agreement could fall through due to a failed physical. Additionally, some players announcing they’ve signed with a team may in fact just have a tryout with that club.
In the interest of accuracy, we’ll be holding off on passing along news of undrafted free agent signings until the moves have been formally confirmed by teams or the league itself. In the meantime, here are some other notes from the aftermath of the NFL draft:
- One of the newest members of the Rams, Michael Sam, said if he had gone undrafted, he would have considered free agent offers from the Rams, Giants, Bears, and Ravens, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman could make a few roster moves to provide room for more undrafted free agents without going over the 90-contract limit, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- According to Bills’ general manager Doug Whaley, the team has been trying to trade for Bryce Brown for a year and a half, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). Whaley finally pulled off the trade today during the draft. The Eagles confirmed earlier that the Bills had been calling about Brown for a while.
- Jets‘ general manager John Idzik engaged in talks about trading down with some of his 12 picks, but ultimately decided he liked the players on his board too much too risk missing out on them, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork (via Twitter).