Minor Moves: Sunday
We will keep an eye on any minor transactions from today and update this post with news of any such transactions (most recent news on top).
- The Patriots have signed sixth-round cornerback Jemea Thomas, tweets his agency, Universal Sports Management. Thomas played college football at Georgia Tech.
- The Saints will sign edge player Cheta Ozougwu, who spent the past two seasons with the Bears before being waived about a month ago, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
Earlier Updates:
- The Colts have waived WR Greg Moore and signed WR Ryan Lankford, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
- The Bears will release punter Drew Butler, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The release was confirmed via Twitter by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The release leaves the door open for new draftee Pat O’Donnell to become the team’s punter.
Robert Mathis Suspended For Four Games
The NFL’s 2013 sack leader will be hard-pressed to defend his title in 2014, as a suspension will force Robert Mathis out of action for the first month of the upcoming season. The Colts and the NFL announced today that the standout pass rusher will have to serve a four-game suspension as a result of violating the league’s policy on prohibited substances (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan).
“Like many families, my wife and I faced fertility challenges, and I sought medical assistance,” Mathis said in a statement explaining the situation (TwitLonger link). “I specifically asked the doctor if the medication he prescribed for me would present a problem for NFL drug testing, and unfortunately, he incorrectly told me that it would not. … The union has worked very closely with me to present all of the facts and medical records for consideration of discipline that does not include a suspension because of the unique facts of my case, but the Commissioner refused the request.”
Missing the first four contests of the 2014 season means that Mathis won’t be available to chase former teammate Peyton Manning during the league’s opening game in Denver. He also won’t be available when the Colts play the Eagles, Jaguars, and Titans. In addition to sitting out for four games, Mathis will also have to forgo about $706K in base salary, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The silver lining for Mathis and his family? His wife did indeed became pregnant shortly after Mathis took the medication.
The NFL and the Colts also released statements on the suspension (Sulia links via Caplan).
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.
Colts Sign Second-Rounder Jack Mewhort
The Colts have locked up their fourth of five draft picks, signing offensive lineman Jack Mewhort to his rookie deal, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Twitter). Although Mewhort was the first player selected by Indianapolis, the club won’t hold a fifth-year option on the Ohio State product, since he was a second-round pick.
With Mewhort signed, the only remaining draftee who still needs to ink his contract with the Colts is third-round wide receiver Donte Moncrief. As for Mewhort, the 59th overall pick in 2014 will be in line for a signing bonus worth around $919K, while the total base value of his four-year deal should be about $3.574MM.
Draft Signings: Chiefs, Cards, Texans, Cowboys
We’ve already rounded up several draft pick signings a couple times today, but with teams and players motivated to hammer out deals, there are another handful of updates to pass along this afternoon. Let’s dive right in….
- The Chiefs have locked up third-round cornerback Phillip Gaines, his reps tell ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s James Walker reports (via Twitter) that fourth-rounder De’Anthony Thomas has also signed with Kansas City. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Gaines should receive a signing bonus worth about $549K, while Thomas’ will be worth around $420K.
- The Cardinals have agreed to terms with third-round pick Kareem Martin, a source tells Caplan (Twitter link). That would make Martin the first Arizona draftee to sign so far.
- After signing Ben Gardner earlier today, the Cowboys have agreed to terms with two more draftees, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who writes that seventh-round linebacker Will Smith has agreed to his deal, and tweets that seventh-round cornerback Terrance Mitchell has done the same.
- The Texans have agreed to terms with quarterback Tom Savage, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Houston’s fourth-round pick will be in line for a bonus of just over $300K, according to Fitzgerald.
- A couple agents broke their clients’ own news this afternoon, with Mike McCartney tweeting that Princeton DT Caraun Reid has signed his contract with the Lions, while Blake Baratz announced (via Twitter) that sixth-rounder Zach Moore is the first draftee to sign with the Patriots.
- The Colts have signed sixth-round linebacker Andrew Jackson, the team announced today in a press release.
- According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Packers have signed fifth-round pick Corey Linsley. Linsley’s signing bonus should be worth $185K, based on Fitzgerald’s figures at OTC.
- The Seahawks have signed Kiero Small to his rookie contract, a source tells Curtis Crabtree of KJR in Seattle. The seventh-round fullback is the second of nine Seahawks draft picks to sign.
- The Texans and Eagles have signed seventh-rounders, according to various reports. Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston has the details on Texans cornerback Andre Hal, while Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets the new on Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen.
Minor Moves: Pats, Jaguars, Colts, Rams
It’s been a busy week for NFL transactions, with teams looking to get their rosters in order for upcoming rookie minicamps. Here are a few of today’s minor moves, including multiple cuts of players who were signed just days ago:
- The Patriots have cut tight end Tyler Beck and long snapper Charley Hughlett, the team announced today in a press release. Neither player had a very long stint on New England’s roster — Hughlett signed less than two months ago, while Beck, who received a $1.5K signing bonus, just inked his deal on Monday.
- Quarterback Matt Scott has been waived by the Jaguars, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter). Scott spent training camp with Jacksonville last season, and was on the club’s practice squad during the season.
- The Colts have parted ways with a pair of players, cutting tackle Erik Pike and cornerback Darius Polk, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter). Both rookies were part of the club’s undrafted free agent class.
- The Rams cleared a roster spot by waiving offensive lineman Graham Pocic today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Draft Signings: Bills, Colts, Jets, Seahawks
After a handful of draft picks agreed to terms with their respective teams this morning, several more have done so this afternoon. You can check out our tracker to keep tabs on which players have signed. Here’s the latest:
- Fourth-round Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell was one of three Bills to sign his contract with the club today, according to the team. Seventh-round picks Randell Johnson and Seantrel Henderson have also inked their deals.
- The last of five Colts picks, seventh-round offensive tackle Ulrick John, has signed with Indianapolis, per Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter). John should receive a signing bonus of about $58K on a four-year contract worth $2.278MM, as Jason Fitzgerald’s numbers at OverTheCap.com show.
- The Jets continue to put a dent into their draft class of 12 players, signing sixth-rounders Quincy Enunwa and IK Enemkpali today, according to a pair of press releases. Having been chosen back to back at Nos. 209 and 210, Enunwa and Enemkpali should be on identical four-year contracts, which include signing bonuses of about $79K (link via Fitzgerald).
- 7 Sports Group, the agency for former San Diego State safety Eric Pinkins announced today (via Twitter) that their client has agreed to terms with the Seahawks on his rookie deal. The sixth-rounder will be in line for a signing bonus of about $88K, according to Fitzgerald.
Draft Signings: Chargers, Colts, Packers, Jets
Here’s a recap of the latest 2014 draft picks reaching contract agreements with their respective teams:
- The Chargers have agreed to terms with third-round guard Chris Watt on a deal that includes a $419K bonus and a $2.691MM overall value, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Both of those contract figures are lower than what Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap projected for Watt’s draft slot.
- The Colts have signed their fifth-round pick, Ball State’s Jonathan Newsome, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter).
- Fifth-round receiver Jared Abbrederis has signed a contract with the Packers that includes a signing bonus of about $145K, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Jets have signed a pair of draftees, according to the team, who announced today that fourth-round pick Dakota Dozier and seventh-rounder Trevor Reilly have both been locked up.
- Seventh-rounder Michael Campanaro has signed his contract with the Ravens, which includes a $67.5K signing bonus tweets Wilson.
- Running back Lache Seastrunk, a sixth-round pick, has agreed to sign with the Redskins on a deal that features a $110.5K signing bonus, says Wilson (via Twitter).
- Field Yates of ESPN.com has a couple more draft pick signings, reporting that the Texans have locked up sixth-round running back Alfred Blue and seventh-round safety Lonnie Ballentine (Twitter links).
Minor Moves: Seahawks, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs
With teams adding draft picks and undrafted free agents, cuts may have to be made in order to clear spots on 90-man rosters for the new arrivals. We can expect those cuts to dominate today’s list of minor transactions. Here are the latest moves, with updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- A little over a month after signing a three-year deal with the Seahawks, long snapper Jorgen Hus is on waivers, having been cut by Seattle, per Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- Guard Chris DeGeare, defensive tackle Frank Kearse, wide receiver Lance Lewis, defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo, linebacker Quinton Spears, and linebacker Jabara Williams have been cut by the Cowboys, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Earlier updates:
- The Colts have waived four players, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter): Linebacker Alan Baxter, fullback Stephen Cambell, tight end Martell Webb, and kicker Carson Wiggs.
- Wideout Rashad Ross has been waived by the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- After adding a quarterback (A.J. McCarron) in the draft, the Bengals have released Josh Johnson, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have also parted ways with a quarterback, cutting Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers, the team announced today (via Twitter). In addition to Rodgers, wide receiver Michael Rios was also waived.
- The Bills have released running back Anthony Allen, according to a team release. Allen had signed a futures contract with the club in January.
- The Bills are waiving offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Johnson-Webb spent some time on Buffalo’s practice squad last season and signed a futures contract with the club after the season.
- The Chiefs are cutting fullback Eric Kettani, according to Wilson. Like Johnson-Webb, Kettani didn’t actually see any playing time for his club, having signed a futures contract following the 2013 season. Wilson notes that the Navy product is expected to draw some interest in free agency, however.
- Defensive back Charles Mitchell has been waived by the Broncos, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former Falcon didn’t appear in a regular season game for Denver.
Colts To Sign 20 Undrafted FAs
MONDAY, 11:10am: The Colts have added another name to their UDFA haul, announcing in a press release that they’ve also agreed to terms with Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy.
SUNDAY, 1:44pm: The Colts have agreed to terms with 19 undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s a complete list of the players heading to Indianapolis:
- Qua Cox, CB, Jackson State
- Marcus Hall, G, Ohio State
- Jonotthan Harrison, C, Florida
- Tyler Hoover, DE, Michigan State ($8K bonus, per Dave Birkett)
- Kameron Jackson, CB, California
- Zach Kerr, DT, Delaware
- Seth Lobato, QB, Northern Colorado
- Keon Lyn, CB, Syracuse
- Dewey McDonald, S, California University of Pennsylvania
- Gregory Moore, WR, Lane College
- Nnamdi Obukwelu, DE, Harvard
- Cody Parkey, K, Auburn
- Eric Pike, T, Towson
- Darius Polk, CB, Kent State
- Erik Swoope, TE, Miami
- Eric Thomas, WR, Troy
- Zurlon Tipton, RB, Central Michigan
- Josh Walker, G, Middle Tennessee State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Tony Washington, WR, Appalachian State