Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: RB John Crockett
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: LB Jermaine Grace (from Colts)
New York Jets
- Claimed: DB C.J. Goodwin (from Cardinals)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: OT Jake Rodgers (from Texans)
Browns Trade TE Randall Telfer To Chiefs For LB Dadi Nicolas
The Browns are trading tight end Randall Telfer to the Chiefs for linebacker Dadi Nicolas, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns were said to be shopping Telfer in recent days. 
The Browns are well set at tight end with holdovers David Njoku, Seth DeValve, and free agent addition Darren Fells, so Telfer became expendable this offseason. The 2016 sixth-round pick started in 14 games for the Browns last season, but he caught just three passes for 36 yards and finished a distant third amongst Cleveland TEs in catches. The new regime didn’t see a place on the roster for Telfer, which is understandable since he is a blocking specialist and Fells is viewed as a better one.
Nicolas, 26 in September, appeared in eleven games for the Chiefs in 2016. Unfortunately, a ruptured patellar tendon suffered in January of last year cost him his entire 2017 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18
Todays minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LS Drew Williams, CB Jarell Carter, CB C.J. Goodwin, RB Darius Victor
- Waived/injured: LB Gabe Martin
Baltimore Ravens
- Claimed off waivers: DB Kai Nacua (from Browns)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OT Korren Kirven
- Waived: TE Kent Taylor
Houston Texans
- Waived : OL Jake Rodgers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Anthony Firkser, CB Sheldon Price, DT Mike Purcell
Oakland Raiders
- Suspended for four games: OL Vadal Alexander (PEDs)
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers: OLB Gimel President (from Texans)
Patriots Wanted Baker Mayfield?
The Browns weren’t the only team that had Baker Mayfield ranked as the top quarterback in this year’s class. The Patriots considered trading up to the No. 2 pick in order to take the Oklahoma product, his agent tells Andrew Brandt of The MMQB (audio link). 
“We had another team which is going to surprise you. Another team had said, ‘You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he’s available.’ And it was the Patriots,” Mills said. “They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, ‘That’s gonna be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.’ And of course he wasn’t available so we never knew if that was reality or not.”
There was speculation that the Patriots could move up in the draft for a quarterback and it’s possible that Mayfield was their one and only target in that respect. Even if Mayfield had fallen to No. 2, however, it’s not clear whether they would have had the ammo necessary to get a deal done. The Pats’ late first round picks could have easily vaulted them into the top ten, but that might not have been enough to entice Giants GM Dave Gettleman to walk away from Saquon Barkley. Even with a pair of second rounders to work with, it’s hard to say whether the Pats and Giants could have been a match.
Had the Pats landed Mayfield, it would have sparked serious drama in New England and New York. The Patriots would have had to deal with Tom Brady‘s reaction, the Giants would have risked giving up on potential generational talent, and the Jets would have to face Mayfield – who some say was their top QB target – twice per season.
But, that’s all one big “What if?” now that Mayfield is in Cleveland.
Bengals Sign Moritz Böhringer
The impressive athleticism of German wide receiver Moritz Böhringer compelled the Vikings to take a flier on him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. This year, the Bengals will take an up close look at him as a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, the league announced. 
Böhringer is the only European player in NFL history to be selected in the draft without playing any college football. His lack of experience probably put a cap on his pro prospects as he spent his rookie year on Minnesota’s practice squad and did not sign with another team after his release in September. He’s still pursuing his pro dreams, however, and he’s slated to enter the year as the eleventh player on the Bengals’ practice squad.
The league’s International Player Pathway program will allow each AFC North team to carry an extra overseas player on their practice squad in 2018. Unlike those on the traditional ten-man practice squad, the additional player cannot be activated during the season. Last year, the NFC South had the honors.
The Ravens will have German Football League linebacker Christopher Ezeala, the Browns will practice with former British American Football League defensive back/wide receiver Tigie Sankoh, and the Steelers will have former English professional rugby tight end Christian Scotland-Williamson.
One Team Offered Browns '19 First-Rounder
The Browns listened to offers for their No. 4 overall pick, but the talks for that spot did not escalate too far. Four teams contacted John Dorsey about potentially moving into that position, Peter King of SI.com reports, noting just one offered a package including a 2019 first-rounder. King estimates the Cardinals were that team. However, Dorsey said the franchise interested in moving up to No. 4 was interested in a quarterback that the Browns GM knew going to be available.
- New Browns vice president of football operations Alonzo Highsmith said for months he had Sam Darnold rated ahead of Baker Mayfield in a succession that went Darnold, Mayfield, Rosen, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. But Mayfield’s visit changed the new Cleveland exec’s tune. “From the start of this college football season to the end of the season, I had Darnold No. 1 and Baker No. 2. On our way through everything, you couldn’t tell me Darnold wasn’t the best,” Highsmith said (via Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository). “Then comes the part where you meet them off the field. You watch their workouts. You watch everything. And Baker blew me away. Highly, highly intelligent. Highly competitive. And he had a trait that some of the good ones have. I call it efficacy. That includes the power to effect other people. I thought that of all the quarterbacks I watched, he stood out far and above the other guys. When he walked into a room, you knew he was there.”
Browns Exercise Damarious Randall’s Option
The Browns have exercised the fifth-year option for defensive back Damarious Randall, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Browns acquired Randall from the Packers via trade earlier this offseason. 
[RELATED: 2019 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Browns will have the option to bail for any non-health reason. Assuming he remains with the club through 2019, Randall will earn $9.069MM, as shown on PFR’s fifth-year option tracker.
A first-round selection (No. 30 overall) in 2015, Randall appeared in 39 games with 30 starts for the Packers. In that time, he amassed ten interceptions, including four in 2017, one of which was taken to the house for a pick six.
Randall placed as the 81st ranked corner in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus, but GM John Dorsey isn’t overly concerned with analytics. This year, the Browns will convert Randall from cornerback to free safety as fellow newcomers T.J. Carrie and Denzel Ward start on the outside.
Browns Sign QB Joel Stave
The Browns signed quarterback Joel Stave on Monday, per a team announcement. To make room for Stave and other signings to come, they waived wide receivers Matt Hazel and Kasen Williams and free safety Kai Nacua.
Stave, a 6’5″ QB, first entered the league with the Vikings in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. Since then, he’s made stops with the Vikings, Seahawks, Chiefs, Redskins, and the Jets. GM John Dorsey was at the helm in Kansas City two years ago when the Chiefs signed Stave, so he’s curious enough to check in on him. Stave finished his career Wisconsin’s all-time winningest quarterback (31-10 record), but he remains untested at the pro level. He also faces long odds of making the final cut in Cleveland with Tyrod Taylor, Baker Mayfield, and Drew Stanton ahead of him.
Williams was one of the standouts of the 2017 preseason when he reeled in nine catches, 208 yards, and one touchdown for the Seahawks. Seattle tried to sneak him through waivers in order to sign him to the practice squad, but the Browns jumped at the chance to sign him to the active roster.
Kasen Williams became one of the preseason’s success stories. The Seahawks wanted to pass the wide receiver through to their practice squad then, but the Browns swooped in and signed him to their active roster. Williams had nine catches for 84 yards in seven games for Cleveland, but spent the rest of the year on the taxi squad. The old regime had some interest in Williams, but Dorsey no longer sees a spot for him on the expanded roster.
Browns Leave Door Open To Baker Mayfield Starting?
The Browns have long committed to deploying trade acquisition Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback in 2018, but head coach Hue Jackson didn’t exactly dismiss the idea that No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield could usurp Taylor under center, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes.
Raiders To Overhaul Personnel Department
When the draft wraps up in any given year, a rash of pink slips are handed out to scouts around the league, who suddenly find themselves without work after helping make the draft a reality. But in addition to the usual scouting spring cleaning, the Raiders plan to make dramatic changes to the upper levels of their personnel department, according to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. 
Per Marvez, Oakland is expected to add at least one new personnel executive to the front office, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that Ed Marynowitz and Brian Heimerdinger are potential candidates for the job. Marvez also hears that player personnel director Joey Clinkscales could be on his way out. Clinkscales, who previously worked as Vice President of College Scouting for the Jets and who has been a GM candidate twice in his career, has been with the Raiders since 2012, but Marvez suggests that he might be headed to the Browns‘ front office.
Clinkscales joined the Raiders in 2012, and his longstanding relationship with Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie may have made the team a good fit for both men. But head coach Jon Gruden, who rejoined the silver-and-black this offseason, apparently wants to shake things up a bit throughout the department, which is not an uncommon development when a new head coach or GM comes on board.
Gruden now has final say on roster decisions, usurping a bit of McKenzie’s power, but McKenzie and Gruden both say that they are working well together. McKenzie said, “I got a feel for coach Gruden. We like the same type of players.”
A Raiders spokesman decline comment as to whether major changes are forthcoming.