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.
Chiefs Add Six Undrafted Free Agents
The Chiefs have officially announced their undrafted free agent class, one of the league’s smaller groups, though more additions may be on the way. Here’s the list of the six UDFAs signed so far by Kansas City, via the team’s Twitter account:
- Ben Johnson, LB, Tennessee-Martin
- Daniel Sorensen, S, BYU
- Darryl Surgent, WR, Louisiana-Lafayette
- David Van Dyke, CB, Tennessee State
- Charcandrick West, RB, Abilene Christian
- Albert Wilson, WR, Georgia State
AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos
With only six draft choices after the trade for quarterback Alex Smith, the Chiefs had limited resources with which to augment the roster. But, general manager John Dorsey felt fortunate to grab the players available, writes Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star.
“That board, it falls in unique ways if you have a degree of patience,” Dorsey said. “I thought today we were very lucky because each one of these guys fell in their respective rounds, and each time they fell and each time we selected them, the more we got excited.”
One of those players was Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, whom the team selected in the fifth round, No. 163 overall. It’s an interesting selection, especially with incumbent starter Smith in contract negotiations with the team, and rumors that the talks aren’t going so well.
“This time, you’re excited about all the guys we’ve got, all the additions to the team,” Smith said, per Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star. “Time will only tell, It’s time to get to work and get those guys in and see.”
More from the AFC West below…
- Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie strayed from his usual ways and took players with character risks, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Utah cornerback Keith McGill, a fourth-round selection, was arrested in 2012 on suspicion of DUI and possession of stolen property. Seventh-round pick Shelby Harris has been dismissed from two schools and hasn’t played a game since 2012. “It’s twofold,” McKenzie said of the reasoning for drafting players with questionable backgrounds. “One, the selection is always a chance for a player to redeem himself. When we get a situation where you give a player an opportunity, a second chance, especially when, as of late, the issues have not been like it was in the past for them.”
- In a separate article, Bair writes that the McKenzie and the Raiders hoped to trade down throughout the draft but were unable to find willing partners.
- Not wanting to reach for need, the Raiders didn’t take a receiver in the draft, Bair notes. “The receivers at that time (No. 5 and 36 overall) were not high on the board,” McKenzie said. “We’re not going to reach down and take a receiver. I would have liked to (draft) a receiver. I would have. It just didn’t fall that way.”
- All five picks on day 3 of the draft for the Raiders were defensive players, Associated Press writer Josh Dubow scribed.
- New Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer is among the best blocking receivers the team has ever evaluated, Denver GM John Elway said via Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- First-round pick Bradley Roby should expect to play a key role in the Broncos‘ efforts to return to the Super Bowl, Mike Klis of The Denver Post writes.
- The Chargers finally drafted a receiver, Baylor’s Tevin Reese, with the team’s final pick in the draft, No. 240 overall, per the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Tom Krasovic.
Poll: Best Late Round Quarterback?
Just because they don’t have the fanfare of a Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t mean the day three quarterbacks are destined to be career backups. A handful of high-caliber NFL quarterbacks do get selected in the later rounds.
Not every quarterback drafted in the sixth round is going to turn into Tom Brady–most first-round quarterbacks won’t accomplish half of what Brady has–but many if not all of these fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-round quarterbacks will have a chance to push for a starting job at some point in their career, either by performance or by injury.
The question is, which of these quarterbacks is going to have the best chance to find success as a starter in the NFL? That takes a combination of talent and opportunity, where some of these draftees have definite roadblocks in front of them in the form of quarterbacks entrenched as starters.
Of course, a few more quarterbacks will still come off the board in the next 50+ picks, and a couple more will be snagged as undrafted free agents. Maybe Stephen Morris of Miami, Tahj Boyd of Clemson, Garrett Gilbert of SMU, Keith Price of Washington, Brett Smith of Wyoming, or Connor Shaw of South Carolina ends up being the best of the group, although they are still waiting to hear their names called.
AFC Notes: Quarterbacks, Jaguars
Titans’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team was considering quarterbacks in the fourth round, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter). They are one of the many teams that seem interest in the secon and third tier signal callers in this draft.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- Although they have Alex Smith, the Chiefs considered taking a quarterback in round one, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The team has been unable to get Smith signed to an extension, but ultimately went in another direction early. They instead took Aaron Murray out of Georgia in the fifth round.
- The Bengals are in a similar situation to the Chiefs, and also considered a quarterback in the first round, according to Rapoport. They selected A.J. McCarron of Alabama, one pick after Murray in round five. McCarron will likely be Andy Dalton‘s backup in 2014, before they make a decision about Dalton’s future with the team next offseason.
- Jaguars’ general manager Dave Caldwell said there was not much talk of trading down today on day three, according to Ryan Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). The Jaguars only had discussion that included 2015 selections.
West Rumors: Beckham, 49ers, Seahawks
Odell Beckham Jr. was viewed as a potential target for the 49ers, but trading up for him just wasn’t in the cards, as GM Trent Baalke explained to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link): “We certainly liked him as a football player, no doubt about it. But… the price of doing business when you’re trying to move from [No. 30] up into the top 10 or close to the top 10 becomes pretty stiff. And you’re giving up a lot of football players to go get one football player. And if you look at history, a lot of time it works against you,” said the GM.
- The Seahawks had their eye on defensive tackle Dominique Easley before the Patriots drafted him at No. 29, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. When the Florida product was off the board, they traded out to the Vikings, who selected Teddy Bridgwater. Seattle had a connection with Easley: defensive coordinator Dan Quinn recruited him at UF.
- Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey declined to say whether he had real interest in drafting Johnny Manziel, but he did infer that the Browns called to try and trade for their pick before they ultimately struck a deal with the Eagles, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- The Chiefs’ pick of Auburn defensive end Dee Ford at No. 23 raised a few eyebrows, but Dorsey told reporters, including Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that the team viewed Ford as the second-best pass rusher in the draft.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Draft Updates: Lions, Texans, Watkins
While the ability to contribute on special teams may not be the deciding factor when the Lions decide which players to draft this week, it certainly doesn’t hurt, as GM Martin Mayhew tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
“It factors in,” Mayhew said. “It factors in more when you don’t have a competent returner, which we do. But it’s certainly something you take into consideration. If somebody can be a backup punt returner, he has more versatility.”
The Lions GM went on to point out that special teams contributions are something the club considers more and more as the draft goes on. In the sixth or seventh round, or even when pursuing undrafted free agents, having the input of area scouts on which players they think could become strong special-teamers is a key factor, according to Mayhew.
More on the draft from around the NFL:
- Asked about the possibility of being drafted first overall, Johnny Manziel said the Texans are “holding their cards close” and that he hasn’t been told anything, while Jadeveon Clowney told reporters with a smile that he doesn’t think Houston will pass on him. Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle has the quotes from Manziel and Clowney.
- Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says (via Twitter) “no one is buying” that the Texans are locked in on a specific player at No. 1, adding that he believes the asking price for that first overall pick will drop tomorrow.
- Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk passes along word that NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said on the NFL Network this morning that the Lions have told Sammy Watkins they’re considering trading into the top three to draft him.
- Former agent Joel Corry and ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt each provide articles detailing some of their experiences in past drafts, which are illuminating and worth reading. You can find Corry’s piece at CBSSports.com and Brandt’s at TheMMQB.com.
- Notre Dame defensive tackle Kona Schwenke visited the 49ers and Chiefs in the weeks leading up to the draft, and also had a private workout and meeting with the Niners prior to his Pro Day, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Pompei’s Latest: Texans, Flowers, Glennon
In his latest Read Option piece, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report makes the case that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack represents the best choice for the Texans with the first overall pick. For his part, Mack would love to come off the board first, but recognizes that it’s not necessarily the most important thing.
“I don’t think it matters if I go first,” Mack said. “I feel like I’ve worked hard and shown I can be a great player and teammate. If every team knew everything I was about, I feel they would draft me. But what matters is what happens after you are picked.”
Here’s more from Pompei:
- The Texans want to add more picks, and have long been rumored to be exploring trades involving the first overall pick. However, Pompei suggests the team may end up trading its first pick in the second round, rather than the first — Houston has actively been shopping that 33rd overall pick, according to Pompei’s sources.
- The Chiefs are believed to be willing to discuss trades involving cornerback Brandon Flowers in an effort to land more draft picks, says Pompei. We’ll have to wait to see how serious Kansas City is about that possibility, but if the team looks to find a deal, I wonder if the Jets might be a match — New York has a need at cornerback, plenty of 2014 draft picks (12), and more than enough cap space to take on Flowers’ $5.25MM base salary.
- While some quarterback-needy teams say the Buccaneers haven’t called them to shop Mike Glennon, that might change after the draft, according to Pompei, who writes that coach Lovie Smith and GM Jason Licht are expected to “stir up the quarterback position.” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com agrees that Glennon will be shopped if the Bucs draft a signal-caller, though he says that Tampa Bay won’t just give Glennon away, adding that the asking price could be a second-round pick (all Twitter links).
Wilson’s Latest: Schaudt, Presley, Cole
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has spent the last several weeks providing updates on pre-draft visits, private workouts, and prospects drawing interest from specific NFL teams, ranging from first-round locks to potential undrafted free agents. He has a few more tidbits for us this morning, via Twitter, so let’s dive in and round them up….
- Minnesota State edge rusher Chris Schaudt is receiving interest from the Browns, Raiders, Vikings, Rams, Texans, Cowboys, Eagles, and Broncos. Wilson had reported over the weekend that Schaudt, who played defensive end in college, was being considered by several 3-4 teams as an outside linebacker.
- Akron defensive end Albert Presley has drawn interest from the Dolphins and Buccaneers.
- The Texans and Cardinals have interest in Maine outside linebacker Michael Cole, who also worked out for the Giants last month.
- Citadel defensive back Brandon McCladdie has generated interest from the Panthers, Rams, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Texans.
- The Jaguars and Giants are among the teams interested in East Carolina strong safety Chip Thompson.
Monday Roundup: Keisel, More Draft Notes
It might come as a bit of a shock, but there is one piece of non-draft news to pass along tonight. According to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has not ruled out a possible reunion with DE Brett Keisel. Tomlin added that the team has to add to its defensive line (Twitter link).
Now let’s round up some more draft-related rumors for the final post of the evening and gear up for another day of draft nuggets tomorrow.
- More and more teams are trying to mimic the examples set by master draft manipulators like Baltimore’s Ozzie Newsome and New England’s Bill Belichick, and so there has been a great deal of speculation regarding what teams might want to move up or down in the 2014 draft, particularly in the first round. The defending AFC champions are no exception. Broncos GM John Elway says he is open to trading up or down, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, and although the team could use a cornerback, the top CB prospects are likely to be gone before Denver’s No. 31 overall selection. Linebacker and offensive lineman are also first-round possibilities for the club.
- ESPN.com’s Mike Sando has compiled a list of the top eight questions to consider heading into Thursday’s first round. The whole article is worth a read, but the highlights include Sando’s belief that Khalil Mack could be the top prospect to have an Aaron Rodgers-like fall in the draft, and his insight that Odell Beckham, Jr., not Mike Evans, could be directly behind Sammy Watkins as the No. 2 wideout on some teams’ boards.
- Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Michael Sam, despite the positive publicity he has garnered over the past few months, is widely regarded as a “non-entity” by many top executives.
- Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes that the Ravens‘ top target is TE Eric Ebron, who may or may not be around when the Ravens pick at No. 17 overall. According to Pauline, the Giants may be souring on Ebron, though if Baltimore does not trade up, the Steelers are also considered a top suitor for Ebron’s services.
- ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky looks at some potential targets for the Titans if they choose to trade down.
- ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco makes a case for the Jaguars to draft Teddy Bridgewater.
- NFL.com’s Albert Breer tweets that the Chiefs could be a surprise team in the market for a first-round QB, as negotiations with Alex Smith are not progressing well.