Lock To Meet With Broncos
- Drew Lock could be headed to the AFC West soon. He’s been heavily linked to John Elway and the Broncos with the tenth pick, and Lock will meet with Denver today, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). According to Pelissero, Lock will then head to Los Angeles and meet with the Chargers tomorrow. The Chargers sniffed around the top quarterbacks in last year’s class and are doing the same thing with this class, even though Philip Rivers just had his best season in years. If you believe the current reporting, the Chargers would likely have to trade up in the draft if they wanted to get Luck. Denver is slated to roll with Joe Flacco in 2019, but the Broncos are widely expected to draft a young quarterback who can be the future.
Draft Notes: Bush, Oliver, Gary
Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is meeting with the Giants tonight, and the visit will last until Monday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. New York, armed with the Nos. 6 and 17 overall picks, will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch in the draft given the uncertainty surrounding its QB position. Despite that uncertainty, Big Blue could very well use both first-round selections on defensive playmakers, and Bush, one of the best LBs in the draft, would be a good fit with the 17th-overall selection.
Now for more draft rumblings from around the league:
- The Eagles have three picks in the first two rounds of the draft, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com expects the club to be very aggressive in trying to trade up. That will be especially true if Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver starts to fall, as Shorr-Parks believes Philadelphia will want to move up the draft board to land him. The team either has hosted, or will host, Oliver on an official visit.
- The Raiders recently met with Oliver and Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that the Colts have met with Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.
- After losing out on Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers still have a major need at the WR position. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes there is a good chance the club uses its No. 36 overall pick on a wideout, and he names A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel as legitimate possibilities. San Francisco either has hosted, or will host, both players.
- We learned several weeks ago that Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins would meet with five teams, including the Broncos and Redskins, and Rapoport tweets that those visits will take place this week. Denver and Washington are among the clubs doing their homework on all of this year’s top passers.
- The Bengals are reportedly considering using their No. 11 overall pick on a QB, and while Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com believes it is unlikely Cincinnati goes that route, she concedes it is a definite possibility (Twitter link).
Duke QB Daniel Jones Met With Four Teams
Daniel Jones is generating interest from several NFL teams. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Duke quarterback recently had “private meetings and workouts” with the Giants, Broncos, Dolphins, and Chargers. Schefter also echoes previous reports that Jones is set to meet with the Redskins next week.
Jones, a three-year starter at Duke, is generally considered to be the fourth-best quarterback in this year’s draft, with mock drafts pegging him on a tier below Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, and Drew Lock. However, there’s still a good chance that the signal-caller hears his name called during the first round, especially considering the lack of quarterback depth behind him (West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is the only other player at the position who’s generally being mentioned as a first- or second-rounder). Jones completed 60.5% of his passes for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 2018.
The Giants interest in Jones isn’t all that surprising, as we heard in late March that the organization could be eyeing the prospect with the 17th-overall pick. The Dolphins and Redskins are also a pair of QB-needy teams that have a pick in the teens, so their inclusions also make plenty of sense. The Dolphins moved on from Ryan Tannehill earlier this offseason, leaving them with no clear-cut starter. The Redskins acquired Case Keenum to fill in for the injured Alex Smith, although neither player should be seen as a long-term option for the organization.
The Broncos are in a unique position, as they acquired veteran Joe Flacco earlier this offseason. Their new signal-caller is only 34-years-old, although he has shown signs of decline in recent years. The Broncos are also armed with the 10th-overall pick; if the team is focused on acquiring their quarterback of the future, they should have a shot at both Haskins and/or Lock. If Denver is particularly interested in Jones, perhaps they could explore a trade to move back (although this is merely my speculation).
The Chargers may simply be doing their due diligence on the Duke quarterback, or maybe they’re hoping that the rookie will slide down to the 28th pick. Philip Rivers is 37-years-old, but he did have one of the best seasons of his career in 2018. The Chargers also finished with 12 wins before bowing to the Patriots in Divisional Round; if they want to build off last season’s success, it might make more sense to use their first-rounder on a player who could contribute right away.
Broncos Hosting Dalton Risner
- Kansas State offensive tackle Dalton Risner met with the Broncos on Thursday, per Norris (Twitter link). Denver invested a 2017 first-round pick in Garett Bolles and made Ja’Wuan James the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle this offseason, but Risner could slide to guard if selected by the Broncos. Indeed, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com’s best comparison for Risner is Bears interior lineman Cody Whitehair.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/4/19
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby (AAF)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OL Dakota Dozier
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Nick Thurman
Broncos DL Shelby Harris Signs RFA Tender
Broncos restricted free agent defensive lineman Shelby Harris has signed his second-round tender, the team announced. Harris will now collect $3.095MM for the 2019 campaign before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency next year.
A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2014, Harris bounced around the league, spending time with the Jets and Cowboys before signing a futures deal with the Broncos in 2017. That low-risk move has paid off in a big way for Denver, as Harris has appeared in all 32 possible games over the past two years, seeing action on more than 35% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in each season. He could see a further increase in playing time this year, as the club is expected to make him its starting nose tackle.
Harris, 27, posted seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 15 tackles for loss from 2017-18, and he graded as the NFL’s No. 8 interior defender last year, per Pro Football Focus.
The Broncos also announced that the following exclusive rights free agents have signed their ERFA tenders:
- LB Joe Jones
- WR Tim Patrick
- OL Elijah Wilkinson
- S Dymonte Thomas
Broncos’ Chris Harris Skips Workouts
Broncos cornerback Chris Harris will be a no-show for the Broncos’ first day of offseason activities, according to Mike Klis of 9News. The workouts are voluntary, but Harris is looking to make a statement as he pushes for a new deal. 
Harris is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to earn $7.8MM in base pay. The Broncos are open to an extension, but they’re hoping to hold off on serious negotiations until after the draft.
In 2018, Harris once again graded out as a top five cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, his salary is tied for 23rd among all cornerbacks in the NFL. The Broncos, ostensibly, would like to keep Harris beyond 2019, but they have just $11.77MM in cap room with $5MM of that sum slotted for their No. 10 overall draft pick.
The Broncos can ill afford a Harris holdout. Even though they added defensive back Kareem Jackson on a three-year, $33MM deal and signed slot corner Bryce Callahan to a three-year, $21MM pact, Harris is the heart and soul of their secondary.
Shelby Harris In Line To Be Broncos' NT
- The Broncos are not planning to bring back Domata Peko, their nose tackle of two seasons. Although Shelby Harris has not yet signed his second-round RFA tender, the Broncos plan to make the emerging interior lineman their starting nose, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post notes. Harris graded as, by far, Denver’s best defensive lineman last season, per Pro Football Focus, but played the fewest snaps (391) of anyone in the team’s five-man rotation. Four of those players (Harris, Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis and the recently re-signed Zach Kerr) remain, but it looks like Harris — PFF’s No. 9 overall inside defender — will see more time in 2019.
Draft Notes: Sternberger, Jets, Thorson
The Patriots are on the lookout for tight end help in the wake of Rob Gronkowski‘s retirement, and the club will have a top-30 visit with Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Pats could use their No. 32 overall pick on a tight end, and while that may be a little high for Sternberger, top prospects Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson may be off the board by that point. Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. could be available, though, and there is no reason why New England, which has deployed two tight ends to great effect in the past, could not use several of its 12 picks in this year’s draft on the tight end position.
Now for more draft-related rumblings from around the league:
- In addition to the Patriots, Wilson reports that Sternberger has visits lined up with the Chiefs, Packers, Lions, Cowboys, Vikings, and Seahawks.
- Brian Costello of the New York Post does not believe that the Jets will invest high-end draft capital on the WR, RB, or TE positions this year in light of their free agent expenditures, but he still thinks the club could bolster those units with collegiate prospects. He suggests that Gang Green could use a middle- or late-round selection on a wideout, particularly if that player offers return ability, and he thinks a Day 3 blocking tight end and power back could also be in the cards. Of course, with only six draft picks at the moment, New York may need to focus on areas of greater need.
- Penn State DE Shareef Miller will visit with the Ravens, Cardinals, and Jets, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Miller currently projects as a Day 3 pick, but all three clubs could use pass rushing help, and Miller has the raw ability to succeed as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.
- The Broncos may be hosting some of the top QBs in this year’s draft class, but they’re looking at more under-the-radar passers as well, as Mike Klis of 9News.com tweets that Denver will be working out Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson in early April. Thorson is expected to be a middle-round selection.
- Valdosta State CB Stephen Denmark has top-30 visits lined up with the Browns and Saints, per Wilson (via Twitter).
Broncos Interested In Dawson Knox
- Draft talk is starting to heat up, and the latest rumblings we’re hearing are from a report out of Ole Miss’ pro day from Tony Pauline of Draftanalyst.com. Pauline reports that the Jaguars and Broncos are both “very interested” in tight end Dawson Knox. Pauline also writes that the Cowboys have been “throwing a lot of love” Knox’s way. All three teams have unsettled futures at tight end, so the interest makes a lot of sense. Knox is in the second tier of tight ends behind the top group, and could be a nice pickup sometime in the middle rounds.