Packers Sign 15 UDFAs
Busy day in Green Bay. The Packers have signed 15 undrafted free agents while also formally signing five of their draft picks. The complete rundown is below.
Draft pick signings:
- DeAngelo Yancey, WR, Purdue (fifth round)
- Aaron Jones, RB, Texas-El Paso (fifth round)
- Kofi Amichia, G, South Florida (sixth round)
- Devante Mays, RB, Utah State (seventh round)
- Malachi Dupre, WR, Louisiana State (seventh round)
As a senior at Purdue, Yancey hauled in 49 receptions for 951 yards and 10 touchdowns. Yancey offers good size for the position at 6’2″, but scouts aren’t sure if he’ll be able to make it in the NFL because of his lack of speed burst. He’s also struggled with drops throughout his career, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein writes.
UDFAs:
- Donatello Brown, CB (Valdosta State)
- Johnathan Calvin, LB (Mississippi State)
- Michael Clark, WR (Marshall St.)
- Montay Crockett, WR (Georgia Southern)
- Thomas Evans, G (Richmond)
- Geoff Gray, G (Manitoba)
- Cody Heiman, LB (Washburn)
- Taysom Hill, QB (Brigham Young)
- Izaah Lunsford, DT (Bowling Green St.)
- Adam Pankey, G/T (West Virginia)
- Aaron Peck, TE (Fresno State)
- Kalif Phillips, RB (Charlotte)
- Lenzy Pipkins, CB (Oklahoma State)
- David Rivers, CB (Youngstown State)
- Justin Vogel, P (Miami)
Clark, who played basketball at St. Francis before transferring to Marshall to play football, has only one year of organized football on his resume.
Extra Points: Charles, Broncos, Lions
Jamaal Charles says he doesn’t know what his role will be with the Broncos, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
“They just told me to come in and compete,” Charles said. “I really don’t know until the game comes. I’m just happy to be on the team.”
Charles, who signed a one-year deal with a base value of $1MM on Tuesday, did allude that he’ll likely start out handling passing-down work in offensive coordinator Mike McCoy‘s scheme. Denver traded away fellow running back Kapri Bibbs during the draft, so Charles will join a backfield that includes C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Juwan Thompson, and sixth-round pick DeAngelo Henderson.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- With the draft in the rear view mirror, Dave Birkett of the Free Press looked at five Lions players who could be on the hot seat. The list starts with running back Ameer Abdullah thanks to his fumbling and health issues. Wide receiver Marvin Jones is also on notice from Birkett’s view after his production fell off after the first month of the 2016 season. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead, defensive lineman Ziggy Ansah, and coach Jim Caldwell round out the list.
- Veteran guard Jahri Evans‘ deal with the Packers is for one year and $2.25MM, tweets Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Evans, 33, will earn a $1.15MM base salary, a $200K signing bonus, $800K in per-game roster bonuses, a $100K workout bonuses, and can bring in an additional $250K via incentives. Green Bay added only one offensive lineman — sixth-rounder Kofi Amichia — in the draft, so Evans looks like the favorite to start at right guard in 2017 (though he’ll likely face competition from Don Barclay and/or Kyle Murphy).
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Top 8 Fits For RB LeGarrette Blount
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen veteran running backs Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and Marshawn Lynch find new homes. However, LeGarrette Blount is still without a job. 
The Lions and Giants are known to be in on Blount, but we can’t help but wonder if there could be other potential fits out there for the player who I consider to be the best running back currently on the market. The PFR staff huddled up on Wednesday to run down possible landing spots for the power back:
- Giants – The Giants have been connected to Blount for some time now and the interest is said to be mutual. The Giants are looking for a bruising running back to complement Paul Perkins and Blount, presumably, wants to join a potential contender, so it’s a solid match. Eli Manning‘s 2016 struggles are well documented, but a well-balanced offense would help him find Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall as much as possible.
- Lions – On paper, the Lions should have had a strong running game with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick leading the way. Unfortunately, injuries cost both players significant time last year and rookie Dwayne Washington didn’t set the world on fire when given the opportunity. Zach Zenner had some flashes of brilliance, but the lesson learned here is that you can never have enough depth. Blount would be a great counter balance to Abdullah’s speed and Riddick’s reception focused game and he could be called on as the No. 1 guy if the injury bug strikes again.
- Packers – Running back was a clear need for the Packers heading into the draft, but they did not select a top RB from this year’s deep pool of talent. Now, they need running backs even more after releasing Christine Michael and Don Jackson earlier this week. WR-turned-RB Ty Montgomery figures to be the lead guy in Green Bay, but the Packers could use some experience behind him. It’s not clear if the Packers have reached out to Blount’s reps yet, but they should.
- Ravens – You might have missed it in the midst of the free agency frenzy, but the league suspended Kenneth Dixon for the first four games of the season after a PED policy violation. The Ravens can use free agent pickup Danny Woodhead as their lead back in the opening month, but it would make sense to add some depth along with Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro, and Terrance West, particularly since Woodhead missed the majority of last season.
- Dolphins – The Dolphins aren’t an obvious fit, but it’s possible that they could be in the market for a running back if Damien Williams continues to stay away from the team. The downside here is that Jay Ajayi is the clear No. 1 guy and Blount would have to fight Kenyan Drake for carries. In a scenario where Miami signs Blount and Williams is eventually brought back into the fold, there would be even less work to go around.
- Chiefs – After moving on from Charles, the Chiefs might want to add some veteran help to a depth chart featuring Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, and rookie Kareem Hunt. C.J. Spiller currently projects as the RB4, but he hasn’t been able to stick with a team in some time.
- Redskins – The Redskins are shopping Matt Jones and that could free up a spot for someone like Blount. The Redskins have four other backs in Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, Keith Marshall, and Mack Brown, but there are no superstars in the bunch.
- Eagles – Ryan Mathews is scheduled to carry a $5MM cap number in 2017 and the Eagles can wipe $4MM of that off of the books by cutting him. Releasing the speedy but aging Darren Sproles would also yield $4MM in savings with zero dead money. At this stage of the offseason, Blount would represent a much cheaper option than either guy. Beyond Sproles and Mathews, there’s not much experience between Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall, Terrell Watson, and fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey.
Connor Byrne and Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Packers Pick Up Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s Option
The Packers have exercised Ha Ha Clinton-Dix‘s fifth-year option, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The news was expected. 
In 2016, Clinton-Dix played in every defensive snap for the Packers and picked off five passes en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 20th best safety in the NFL and he should only improve going forward.
The safety is now scheduled to earn $5.597MM in 2018, a sum that is guaranteed for injury only. In this upcoming season, he’ll be under contract at a super reasonable $2.653MM cap number. According to Over The Cap, there are 55 safeties in the NFL who will earn more than Clinton-Dix in 2017.
Packers To Cut RB Christine Michael
The Packers are reshaping their running back depth chart. Moments after cutting Don Jackson, the Packers are also releasing Christine Michael, league sources tell Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Michael signed a new contract with the Packers this offseason – a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with a paltry $25K signing bonus. Already, Green Bay has decided that it would be better off without him. After cutting the 26-year-old, Ty Montgomery stands as the team’s only running back under contract.
Green Bay claimed Michael off waivers from the Seahawks last fall and the former-second round pick proceeded to handle 31 carries for the Packers down the stretch. Before joining GB, Michael spent seven weeks as Seattle’s clear-cut No. 1 running back and posted two multi-score games during that run.
Packers Release RB Don Jackson
The Packers have released running back Don Jackson. Jackson announced the news on Twitter himself on Monday (sic): 
[RELATED: Packers Nearly Traded QB Brett Hundley]
“Gods got a new plan for me and the NFL is a business !! Thank you to the Packers organization for taking a chance on me a year ago!,” Jackson wrote.
Jackson was an exclusive rights free agent this offseason and the Packers opted to retain him in April. Weeks later, he has been let go, leaving the Packers with just two running backs on the roster in Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael.
The 23-year-old appeared in three games (one start) for Green Bay last season, and managed 32 rushing yards on ten carries.
Packers Nearly Traded QB Brett Hundley
The Packers put backup quarterback Brett Hundley on the trade block during the draft, and nearly made a deal to during Day 2, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Instead, Green Bay will likely retain Hundley for another season, but the club is expected to trade him before his contract expires after the 2018 campaign. The Packers believe they can recoup “much more” than the fifth-round pick they used to initially draft Hundley, per Demovsky.
This isn’t the first time a potential Hundley trade has been mentioned, as Demovsky reported earlier this month that the Packers intend to deal Hundley at some point in the next calendar year. Any club interested in acquiring Hundley would largely be relying on its predraft analysis of Hundley and his preseason tape, as the former UCLA signal-caller hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity thus far in the NFL. With Aaron Rodgers firmly entrenched under center, Hundley has attempted just 10 passes during his pro tenure.
Green Bay was reportedly eyeing Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer with the No. 33 pick at the top of the second round, and the team could have dealt Hundley had they selected Kizer in Round 2. Ultimately, the Packers drafted Washington cornerback Kevin King with the pick. But Green Bay could aim to draft another quarterback in 2018 if they hope to trade Hundley, as the only other signal-caller on the roster aside from Rodgers and Hundley is 2016 undrafted free agent Joe Callahan.
Ty Montgomery Will Be Starting RB
- The Packers drafted three running backs over the past several days, but head coach Mike McCarthy said that converted wideout Ty Montgomery will “absolutely” be the team’s starting back (via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal).
Broncos Acquire No. 172 From Packers
The Broncos traded a seventh-round pick for the second time today, using this one as ammunition to trade up to the Packers’ No. 172 slot and select Georgia wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. The Packers will receive the Broncos’ No. 238 pick in addition to Denver’s No. 175 selection, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets.
McKenzie continues a second- and third-day run on skill-position talent for Denver, which selected wideout Carlos Henderson and tight end Jake Butt prior to adding the Georgia talent.
Henderson and McKenzie will join a Broncos receiving corps that has been an incredibly top-heavy operation the past two seasons, with scant production accompanying the work of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The likes of Bennie Fowler, Jordan Taylor and underwhelming former second-round pick Cody Latimer stand to return and vie for spots against Henderson and McKenzie, who are both sub-6-footers. McKenzie is just 5-foot-8 and could be a punt-return candidate after being deployed to great success in that role throughout his Bulldogs career. He scored six return touchdowns in his three-year Georgia tenure, with five of those coming on punt returns.
Teams Interested In Packers’ No. 33 Pick
Teams are already interested in the Packers’ No. 33 overall pick, the first selection of the second round, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Those clubs include the Chargers (No. 38), Jets (No. 39) and Buccaneers (No. 50), reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Both the Chargers and Jets are attempting to move up for Cal quarterback Davis Webb, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Meanwhile, if the Packers keep the pick, they’ll select either Florida State running back Dalvin Cook or Washington cornerback Kevin King, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Here’s a look at some of the other notable names that remain on the board as we head into Day 2:
- Forrest Lamp, G (Western Kentucky)
- DeShone Kizer, QB (Notre Dame)
- Zach Cunningham, LB (Vanderbilt)
- Sidney Jones, CB, (Washington)
- Joe Mixon, RB, (Oklahoma)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (USC)
- Teez Tabor, CB (Florida)
- Malik McDowell, DL (Michigan State)
- Tim Williams, OLB (Alabama)
- Alvin Kamara, RB (Tennessee)
- Zay Jones, WR (East Carolina)