Draft Signings: Eagles, Steelers, Bengals, Jags
Coming into today, fewer than 90 players selected in the 2015 NFL draft remained unsigned, with well over half of this year’s 256 draftees having reached agreements with their respective teams. A few more rookie have struck deals with their clubs today, so let’s round up the latest news, with all contract info coming from Over the Cap:
- The Eagles have finished deals with all six of their draftees, agreeing to terms today with third-round linebacker Jordan Hicks, according to the team (Twitter link). Hicks’ four-year deal will be worth a little under $3MM, including a signing bonus of about $653K.
- The Steelers have signed fifth-round tight end Jesse James to his rookie contract, leaving the team with three unsigned picks, including first-rounder Bud Dupree (Twitter link via the club’s official account).
- The Bengals have signed tight end C.J. Uzomah, their fifth-round pick out of Auburn, the team announced today (via Twitter). The second tight end selected by Cincinnati in the draft, Uzomah will count against the Bengals’ cap for just over $488K in 2015, assuming he makes the regular season roster.
- The Jaguars have now locked up half their draft picks, signing seventh-round tight end Ben Koyack to his contract today, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link). Koyack will receive a signing bonus worth approximately $69K on his first NFL deal.
Draft Signings: Falcons, Bucs, Bills
The latest draft signings from rounds 3-7..
- The Falcons signed third-round pick Tevin Coleman, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With the running back in the fold, Vic Beasley stands as the last draft pick unsigned in Atlanta.
- The Buccaneers signed fourth-round linebacker Kwon Alexander, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Bucs traded up in the fourth round with the Raiders to land the LSU product.
- The Buccaneers also signed Nebraska product Kenny Bell, according to Smith (on Twitter). The wide receiver was taken in the fifth round.
- FSU tight end Nick O’Leary, a sixth-round choice, has signed his rookie contract with the Bills, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seventh-round wideout Dezmin Lewis has also signed his rookie deal with the team, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
- The Bengals signed safety Derron Smith, a sixth-round pick, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Smith is just the second of nine picks to sign.
- The Cardinals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed a pair of fifth-round picks in linebacker Shaquille Riddick and wide receiver J.J. Nelson.
Bengals Sign Terrelle Pryor, Four Others
Following his release from the Chiefs last week, former Ohio State standout Terrelle Pryor has landed with the Bengals, who also announced the signing of four more players:
- Mario Alford, WR
- Erick Dargan, DB
- John Peters, TE
- Kalafitoni Pole, DT
The 25-year-old Pryor is obviously the biggest name in the group, and now he’ll compete to be Cincinnati’s backup quarterback behind starter Andy Dalton. Pryor, who tried out for the Bengals on Friday during the club’s rookie minicamp, hasn’t appeared in a NFL game since 2013, when he started nine games for the Raiders. Jason Campbell, the Bengals’ No. 2 QB last season, remains unsigned, so Pryor will compete with 2014 draft pick A.J. McCarron for the backup position.
While three of the players listed above are undrafted free agents, Alford was selected by the Bengals in the seventh round of last week’s draft. The West Virginia product, who will compete to act as a reserve receiver while also angling for time on special teams, should be in line for a four-year deal worth about $2.34MM, according to Over the Cap’s rookie pool estimates.
In addition to today’s signings, Cincinnati also released tight end Kevin Brock, who appeared in 14 games for the club last season.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Browns QBs, Whitworth
Many have already given up on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after a rookie season consisting of on- and off-the-field problems, but new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo still has high hopes for the 22-year-old.
“All I know is Johnny the football player, and he’s been awesome,” DeFilippo said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field.”
DeFilippo believes there are obvious strengths to Manziel’s game, also stating that the offense will be tailored to his skillset if he beats out likely starter Josh McCown for the No. 1 job.
“I think Johnny has a lot of traits that good quarterbacks in this league have. It’s just a matter of getting better at them,” said DeFilippo. “I’m the last guy – the last guy — that’s going to take Johnny Manziel’s athleticism away from him. I will not do that.”
While DeFilippo seems bullish on Manziel, Browns coach Mike Pettine declared McCown the favorite to start earlier this week. DeFilippo is familiar with McCown from the pair’s time in Oakland in 2007 (DeFilippo was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach). Cabot writes that McCown mainly signed with the Browns to work with DeFilippo again. As he did with Manziel, DeFilippo spoke glowingly of the 35-year-old McCown.
“Josh has been the total guy we thought he was going to be. He has taken command of this offense and he has taken command of the room,” said DeFilippo.
Here’s more on the Browns and a couple of their AFC North rivals:
- Cleveland didn’t draft a quarterback this year because no prospects other than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are seen as capable of stepping in and starting by 2016, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi believes the Browns will ride out 2015 with McCown and hope to land a QB in next year’s draft, when as many as four passers could go in the first round.
- Although the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league over the past few years, the team used its top two picks on fellow OTs Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in last week’s draft. That didn’t sit well with Whitworth, who is a year from free agency and who has pushed for a contract extension. However, he did say that he would help his two new teammates adjust to the NFL game, and still hopes to remain with the club long term, according to an Associate Press article in USA Today.
- Browns fourth-round pick Vince Mayle will undergo surgery to repair his broken right thumb after rookie camp, writes Cabot. Mayle, who sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl in January, should be ready to go by training camp, according to Pettine. “We wanted him to come out, just see how it was, test it,” said Pettine. “Found out real quick yesterday that there’s still some lingering pain there. So, we’re going to go ahead and get it corrected.”
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says that undrafted defensive back Julian Wilson will remain with the team despite being lost for the year with a broken leg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Bengals Sign 11 Undrafted Free Agents
The Bengals have officially announced the 11 undrafted free agents they added to their rookie class for 2015. Here’s the full list, via the club’s official Twitter account, along with known bonus info:
- Troy Hill, CB, Oregon
- Chris Jasperse, G, Marshall
- Jake Kumerow, WR, Wisconsin-Whitewater
- Matt Lengel, TE, Eastern Kentucky
- Tom Obarski, K, Concordia-St. Paul
- Floyd Raven, DB, Texas A&M ($5K bonus, per Coley Harvey)
- Trevor Roach, LB, Nebraska ($2.5K bonus, per Harvey)
- Jake Smith, C, Louisville
- Terrell Watson, RB, Azusa Pacific ($6K bonus, per Harvey)
- Mark Weisman, FB, Iowa
- DeShawn Williams, DT, Clemson ($5K bonus, per Harvey)
While he hasn’t signed with the team, another noteworthy player is in attendance at Cincinnati’s minicamp this weekend. According to Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), quarterback Terrelle Pryor, having recently been cut by the Chiefs, is trying out for the Bengals.
Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth Pushing For Extension
In late April, tackle Andrew Whitworth made it known that he didn’t want the Bengals to draft his successor. Days later, Cincy drafted tackles in both round one and in round two. Now, with his future more uncertain that ever, Whitworth is being vocal about his desire for an extension and is frustrated with the lack of dialogue on that front so far, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com writes.
“At the end of the day, I am the captain and leader and I want to go above and beyond and do more than the average guy in this locker room and have always,” he said. “It’s hard to do that when that feeling is not reciprocated and is just a one way street. We’d like you to prepare two guys to be really good football players, we’d like you to be the leader of football team, but we’d also like to have the best situation possible for us. We’ll talk to you when we want to.”
With Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi and Oregon tackle Jake Fisher now in the fold, Whitworth is entering his walk year and wants a new pact to reflect his contributions, both on the field and in the locker room. Last year, Whitworth was rated as the second-best tackle in the NFL by the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 33-year-old is also regarded as the Bengals’ locker room leader, but he’s now using his booming voice to let the world know that he’s unhappy with his contract situation.
Extra Points: Browns, Bengals, Bonuses
Fond of assessing teams’ draft performances hours after their completion, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. provided some additional immediate analysis (Insider subscription required) on which teams’ depth charts improved the most.
Not coincidentally, six of Kiper’s eight teams mentioned here made their first pick in the top 10, with only the Browns and Seahawks drawing mention for their selections in the middle and near the end of the rounds, respectively.
While Kiper chastised Seattle for reaching each year, he’s come to accept what the franchise does may work, considering the annual production from homegrown players. He identified Tyler Lockett as a potential impact player for a team mostly devoid of them on the outside. Beyond their two first-rounders, the Browns’ third-round bolstering of their backfield with Duke Johnson drew specific praise from the longtime draft expert.
Here is some other news from around the league …
- With interior-line players coming to Cleveland after first-round notifications, the Browns were definitely not as flashy in this draft as they were last year, writes Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal. Characterizing this year’s class as one orchestrated by Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer rather than what he determines as a Jimmy Haslem move in getting Johnny Manziel last year, Schudel notes the Browns, who may start Josh McCown rather than the first-round quarterback they traded up for in 2014, are planning for low-scoring contests this season.
- Coming off a torn ACL sustained in a bowl game, Cedric Ogbuehi seems destined for the physically unable to perform list to start his NFL career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com in his look at Cincinnati’s new depth chart. Second-round tackle Jake Fisher should also be ready for work at center, offers Hobson, with offensive line coach Paul Alexander preferring versatility from his charges.
- With teams allotted $86K in bonuses to dole out to undrafted free agents, this year they are using funds from an unlimited area to compensate for that figure, reports Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch (Twitter links). By splitting finances for undrafted performers between bonus money and base salary guarantees, the latter not having a specific limit like the former, teams are spending quite a bit to land their post-draft targets.
- The 49ers did the most in terms of securing future resources during this draft, by acquiring two of the five 2016 selections exchanged this weekend, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Wilkening. The Chargers and Cowboys traded the 49ers fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively, in next year’s draft.
Sunday Roundup: Collins, AFC North, Pats
Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the league on this post-draft Sunday:
- The La’el Collins saga will be one of the more fascinating storylines to watch over the coming days. Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweets that if Collins is cleared of any wrongdoing after his meeting with Louisiana police tomorrow, he will sign as an undrafted free agent. Brandt adds that there will be a great deal of interest in Collins’ services if he is, in fact, cleared.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at what Collins could make as an undrafted free agent,
- It appears that Browns ownership is “digging in” and committing to the Ray Farmer–Mike Pettine regime, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
- Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer passes along Farmer’s and Pettine’s responses to questions as to why the Browns did not select a quarterback in this year’s draft. The GM and head coach simply reaffirmed their faith in the team’s current signal-callers while acknowledging that the group does not include an elite talent. However, Pettine simply stated, “We’re not going to over-prioritize the quarterback position.”
- The Ravens have invited Maryland DE Andre Monroe to rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- Paul Dehner, Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer describes how the Bengals passed on the “acrobatic athletes and track stars” in this weekend’s draft and instead focused on powerful linemen and strong tight ends.
- The Eagles may regret not selecting an offensive lineman in the draft, writes Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As we learned earlier today, however, four of the team’s 16 undrafted free agents are offensive linemen.
- Although they did not address their cornerback need in the draft, Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald believes the Patriots strengthened the secondary simply by adding some punch to the team’s pass rush.
- The Patriots passed on drafting a receiver for the second consecutive year, meaning that third-year wideout Aaron Dobson will still have a good chance to live up to his considerable potential, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
- With a draft class that most analysts agree is a strong one, and after an active free agency period, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says the Jaguars are finally adding depth to their roster and creating some much-needed competition.
- Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune says the Saints‘ draft class, which does not include a single wide receiver or tight end, reaffirms their faith in Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and the offense as a whole.
Draft Notes: Trades, Ekpre-Olomu, Ajayi, Bengals
A few more notes on what we’ve seen from the draft so far:
- The Jets curiously switched spots with the Jaguars to select quarterback Bryce Petty. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), the Jets made the move because the Browns had made an offer to the Jags for the same pick, presumably so Cleveland could select Petty. However, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports that the Browns were not targeting Petty with that selection (via Twitter). The Bengals also inquired about trading up for that pick, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Packers made a pretty big leap to move up in the fifth round, where they targeted UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, switching spots in the round and giving up only a seventh-round pick to do so. When asked how the deal came together, Packers Director of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf says the Patriots initiated talks, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter).
- Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu has dropped further in the NFL Draft than he would have liked due to an ACL injury he suffered in December, but the silver lining is that his insurance policy was triggered after he fell past the first picks of the third round, reports Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The policy cost Oregon $40,000, and should pay out $3 million in a loss of value policy, but Alper notes that Darren Rovell of ESPN writes that no player has ever successfully collected on a policy of this type.
- The Dolphins added Jay Ajayi with a fifth-round pick, despite reports that the Boise State running back failed some teams’ physicals leading up to the NFL Draft, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Ajayi be a one-contract player due to the results of those physicals, according to Beasley.
- The Bengals have now added two tight ends in the 2015 NFL Draft, in Tyler Kroft of Rutgers and C.J. Azumah of Auburn. They needed depth at that position behind Tyler Eifert, who is returning from injury this season, and those picks signify that former first-round pick Jermaine Gresham will not return, writes Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Gregory, Texans, Bengals
Here’s a look at the latest from around the NFL as the 2015 draft continues:
- Representatives for Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory, whom the Cowboys chose 60th overall, made it clear before the draft that he’d need significant support from his NFL team, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That support is expected to include a security person and personal handler for Gregory, whose draft stock plummeted because of off-field concerns – notably marijuana use and potential mental health issues.
- The Texans aren’t going to trade cornerback Johnathan Joseph, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The nine-year veteran is entering the final season of his contract, but McClain reports that his place on the team is safe.
- The Bengals filled a need along their offensive line Thursday when they used their first-round pick on Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi. Had Ogbuehi been gone before then, the Bengals would’ve selected Oregon’s Jake Fisher, tweets ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. As luck would have it, Fisher was still available at No. 53, the Bengals’ second-rounder, so they were also able to land him.
- Before drafting Mississippi cornerback Senqeuz Golson with the 56th pick, the Steelers attempted to move up and grab LSU’s Jalen Collins, who went 42nd to the Falcons, reports Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter). They also liked Utah’s Eric Rowe, whom the Eagles selected at No. 47.
- Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he traded up for Hobart guard Ali Marpet because offensive line depth in the draft was shrinking, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweeted. The Bucs selected Marpet in the second round after sending the 65th and 109th picks to the Colts for Nos. 61 and 128.
- Michigan defensive end Frank Clark, whom the Seahawks chose with the 63rd pick, said he had a lot of pre-draft contact with the team, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Clark’s agent told him that the Seahawks “had a man crush on [Clark],” according to Condotta.