Chiefs Eyeing Henry Ruggs?
With the final pick in the first round, most analysts expect the Chiefs to prioritize their need at cornerback. However, Peter King of NBC Sports has heard that the Chiefs could also explore a move up for Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III if he falls into the twenties. 
[RELATED: Is This The Most Unpredictable Draft In NFL History?]
The Chiefs already have a loaded group of receivers, headlined by Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins, and tight end Travis Kelce. They’re also short on ammo for a trade up the board, so a leap for Ruggs would be truly shocking.
It’s not hard to see why the Chiefs might be drawn to Ruggs, of course. He’s one of the very best receivers in a historically deep class for the position, alongside Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and teammate Jerry Jeudy. He also has the blazing speed that the Chiefs can’t get enough of – his 4.4 second 40-yard-dash shows that he has the moves to burn any corner in the pros.
While they don’t need another dynamic wide receiver, the Chiefs may view Ruggs as a long-term replacement for Watkins. The veteran re-upped with KC on a one-year deal earlier this month, which means that he probably won’t fit into their budget if he has a monster season. And, while the cornerback position is a must, they might be content to pass on CBs in the first round once Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson are spoken for.
2020 NFL Draft Picks By Team
The 2020 NFL Draft is just days away and it’s just a matter of time before picks are swapped and shuffled at lightning speed. Before the trading frenzy starts, let’s take a look at the draft picks owned by each team.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Updated: 4-17-20 (5:00pm CT)
Arizona Cardinals
1-8:
3-72:
4-114:
4-131: (from Houston)
6-202: (from New England)
7-222:
Atlanta Falcons
1-16:
2-47:
3-78:
4-119:
4-143: (from Baltimore*)
7-228: (from Tampa Bay, via Philadelphia)
Baltimore Ravens
1-28:
2-55: (from Atlanta, via New England)
2-60:
3-92:
3-106*:
4-129: (from New England)
4-134:
5-170: (from Minnesota)
7-225: (from Jets)
Buffalo Bills
2-54:
3-86:
4-128:
5-167:
6-188: (from Cleveland)
6-207: (from Baltimore via New England)
7-239: (from Minnesota)
Draft Rumors: Henderson, Dobbins, Davis
Are you ready for surprises on draft day? It sounds like you should be. “The media is wronger about mock drafts this year than you guys have ever been,” one NFL general manager told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That’s undoubtedly because of the ongoing certainly involving COVID-19, which has caused the league to upend its predraft process. As Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com tweets, “group think” is less likely to occur in 2019 because scouts and executives were unable to congregate at pro days, events where evaluators typically will — intentionally or not — develop something of a consensus on prospects.
After deciding whether “wronger” is actually a word, let’s take a look at more on the upcoming draft:
- The Falcons held a predraft video meeting with Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson last week, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Atlanta currently holds the 16th overall pick, but recent reports have indicated general manager Thomas Dimitroff & Co. could be interested in moving up the board. Henderson is considered the draft’s second-best cornerback behind Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah, although some decision-makers may rate Henderson No. 1.
- Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has held video meetings with several NFL teams, including the Chiefs, Packers, Bills, Lions, Saints, Dolphins, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. This isn’t the first time Dobbins has been linked to Miami, as he took a predraft visit with the Dolphins before such meetings were shut down due to COVID-19. Indeed, Dobbins left that visit feeling Miami was “infatuated” with him.
- Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis says the 49ers, Packers, Dolphins, Ravens, and Eagles are the teams that have contacted him most, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. A massive presence at 6’6″, 310 pounds, Davis a first-round projection and comparisons to DeForest Buckner from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, however, ranks Davis just 10th among interior defender prospects, noting his lack of development as a pass-rusher.
- The Ravens, 49ers, Panthers, Titans, and Seahawks have all held video sessions with TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, per Wilson. Blacklock, who stock has risen during the predraft process, missed the 2018 campaign with an Achilles injury but was productive during both his freshman and junior seasons. Last year, he posted 40 tackles (nine for loss) and 3.5 sacks.
2020 NFL Draft Capital By Team
Every NFL team automatically gets seven draft picks per season, but thanks to lots of trades and the compensatory pick process, many clubs end up with more (or less) than their original seven selections. After running down the NFL Draft round-by-round, let’s take a look at how much draft capital each club has amassed:
Updated: 4-16-20 (6:00pm CT)
14 picks
- Miami Dolphins
12 picks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
10 picks
- Denver Broncos
- Green Bay Packers
- New York Giants
9 picks
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
8 picks
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
7 picks
- Buffalo Bills
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Washington Redskins
6 picks
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
5 picks
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
Chiefs Working To Extend Chris Jones
The Chiefs are busy preparing for the NFL Draft, but Chris Jones‘ contract remains an offseason priority for them. On Thursday, GM Brett Veach made it clear that he wants to keep the defensive tackle for the long haul. 
[RELATED: Chiefs To Re-Sign Breeland]
“The deadline to get a deal done is July 15. So there’s a lot of time to continue dialogue and to work on something with Chris,” Veach said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). “But, we certainly are going to work to retain him. Not just for next year, but for the future.”
Earlier this year, the Chiefs applied the franchise tag to cuff Jones for one year at a $16.1MM rate. Still, the Mississippi State product has continued to push for a long-term deal. Fresh off the heels of his first Pro Bowl nod, he’s not exactly thrilled about the prospect of a one-year contract.
“It’s like a mix of emotions,” Jones said in March. “Because you figure, you know, after four years, you do everything the right way, within the team way, you try to stay under the line, out of trouble, and be a good citizen for a team and for the city, you expect to be rewarded….It’s like, ‘Man, what else you want me to do?’”
The Chiefs would like to keep Jones for years to come, but they’re limited by their cap flexibility. The Sammy Watkins helped them get to just $5MM in space and Jones is aiming for something in the $20MM/year range.
2020 NFL Cap Room By Team
The biggest names in NFL free agency might be off the board, but there are still plenty of noteworthy players on the board and high-profile cuts on the way. And, while some teams did their spending early, others are still sitting on lots of cash.
The latest cap figures from OverTheCap show that several teams are poised to pounce in the latter waves of free agency, starting with the Browns. The numbers also show that teams like the Rams still have work to do in order to sign their upcoming draft class. Also, the Eagles’ 2020 figure doesn’t quite tell the whole story – thanks to high-priced multi-year deals including Darius Slay’s new contract, they’re already overcommitted on dollars for 2021.
Here’s the complete rundown for all 32 teams, in descending order of cap space:
- Browns – $40.2MM
- Lions – $29.5MM
- Eagles – $27.1MM
- Colts – $24MM
- Dolphins – $23.9MM
- Redskins – $23.8MM
- Chargers – $22.3MM
- Titans – $21.5MM
- Bills – $20.9MM
- Texans – $18.6MM
- Broncos – $17.5MM
- Giants – $17.1MM
- Jets – $15.5MM
- Jaguars – $14.6MM
- Cowboys – $13.6MM
- Buccaneers – $13.5MM
- 49ers – $13.4MM
- Seahawks – $12.6MM
- Vikings – $12.3MM
- Ravens – $11.3MM
- Packers – $11.08MM
- Bears – $11.03MM
- Panthers – $9.4MM
- Raiders – $8.8MM
- Bengals – $7.3MM
- Steelers – $7.2MM
- Cardinals – $7MM
- Saints – $5.3MM
- Chiefs – $2.9MM
- Falcons – $2.4MM
- Patriots – $1.2MM
- Rams – (-$5.3MM)
Chiefs To Re-Sign Bashaud Breeland
The Chiefs have agreed to re-sign Bashaud Breeland, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Breeland will return on a one-year deal worth $4.5MM as he looked to build off of last year’s momentum. 
Breeland suited up for every game for the Super Bowl champs last year, capping his season with a ring and an interception on the game’s grandest stage. It was a big turnaround for Breeland, who had a bizarre 2018. After inking a three-year, $24MM contract ($11MM guaranteed) with the Panthers, his contract was voided due to an infected foot. Then, the veteran corner had to wait until late September until he finally found a home with the Packers. Unfortunately, he was held back by a hamstring injury and was unable to really showcase himself.
All along, Breeland has said that he wanted to return to KC. He got his wish, though he had to wait until the second/third wave of free agency before securing his deal. The ongoing pandemic surely played a role in his prolonged free agency as well.
Although it’s a decent payday for Breeland, the deal is a clear win for the Chiefs, who have managed to keep another difference-maker on the roster while crossing a major item off of the to-do list ahead of the draft. After watching Kendall Fuller leave for the Redskins, the Chiefs are glad to move forward with at least one of their free agent CBs in the mix. Morris Claiborne, who appeared in eight regular season games for KC last year, remains unsigned.
Breeland, 28, tallied 48 tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of interceptions in the 2019 regular season.
Chiefs To Sign RB DeAndre Washington
A four-year Raiders backup will change sides within the AFC West. The Chiefs have agreed to terms with DeAndre Washington, according to Yahoo.com’s Terez Paylor (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal.
Washington served as the backup to Latavius Murray, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Josh Jacobs during his career and, due to the lack of tread on his tires as a pro, serves as an interesting addition for the Chiefs.
The former fifth-round pick has amassed just 370 NFL touches; he topped out at 108 carries last season. He will join a Chiefs team that has Damien Williams, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson under contract. This will also reunite Washington with his former college quarterback, with the ex-Red Raider having entered the NFL one year earlier than Patrick Mahomes.
The 5-foot-8 back recently turned 27 and has not posted a yards-per-carry average north of 4.0 since his rookie season, when both he and Jalen Richard surpassed 5.0 per tote. Last season, however, he gained 162 yards in starting the Raiders’ final two games. In his final season with Mahomes, Washington rushed for 1,492 yards (6.4 per carry) and totaled 16 touchdowns.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock opted to extend Richard, pointing to a Washington exit. Richard doubles as one of the few Reggie McKenzie-era players making the trip to Las Vegas. The Raiders, of course, are likely to have Jacobs as their backfield centerpiece for years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: DE Ufomba Kamalu
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: P Tyler Newsome
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: OL Cameron Tom
New York Giants
- Released: LB Nate Harvey (failed physical)
Chiefs Haven’t Made Offer To Chris Jones
The Chiefs have yet to make a contract offer offer to franchise-tagged defensive tackle Chris Jones, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The two sides have had talks, but nothing has been put on the table just yet.
By putting the franchise tag on Jones, the Chiefs have him tendered on a one-year, $16.1MM deal. Meanwhile, he’s been pushing for a longer and more lucrative commitment – one that’s worth upwards of $20MM per year. From here, the two sides have until July 15th to work out a long-term deal and, ideally, that’s what the Chiefs want to do, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link) believes. Of course, it’ll come down to numbers, but Schefter’s sense is that the Chiefs are not looking to trade him.
The Chiefs’ have limited flexibility to work with, given the other stars already on the books for 2020 and beyond. They did carve out a little bit of space by revising Sammy Watkins‘ contract, but that only left them with about $5MM in breathing room.
Last year, Jones held out from the Chiefs in hopes of getting the deal he wanted. Now that he’s coming off of his first Pro Bowl campaign, you can expect his camp to crank things up a notch.
“It’s like a mix of emotions,” Jones said after he was tagged this year. “Because you figure, you know, after four years, you do everything the right way, within the team way, you try to stay under the line, out of trouble, and be a good citizen for a team and for the city, you expect to be rewarded….It’s like, ‘Man, what else you want me to do?’”
Jones, who won’t turn 26 into July, wants to get paid one way or another.