Minor NFL Transactions: 4/16/19
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T John Wetzel
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: T Kyle Murphy
McVay Backs Goff
It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride for Jared Goff these past few years. The first overall pick back in 2016, a lot of people wrote him off as a bust after his disastrous rookie season. But Goff came alive once he was paired with head coach Sean McVay, and has now made the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. This past season, the Rams made it all the way to the Super Bowl but Goff had a terrible performance in the big game. There’s been a lot of debate the past couple of years about how much of Goff’s improvement was due to his own natural development versus how much of it was due to McVay’s coaching.
As such, there have been some rumors that the Rams aren’t completely sold on Goff as the longterm answer. McVay openly stating last month that the team wasn’t in any rush to extend Goff did nothing to quiet those rumors. But during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen show, McVay pushed back on that perception, saying Goff doesn’t have to prove he’s “the man.” “I think he’s already the man. I think he’s had a lot of moments,” McVay said. “His teammates believe in him, his coaches believe in him. I think it’s just continuing to do what you do at a higher level. It’s ‘can I continue to make great decisions? Can I continue to make throws with accuracy and anticipation?’ I think the thing that was great about him really from the first year we were together to last year is the ownership. We talk about the quarterback being an extension of the coaching staff and I think he did that.”
NFL Draft Rumors: Brown, Harry, Cardinals
This week’s combine re-checks produced very positive news for Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Brown, who has been out of a boot for weeks, was given the thumbs up on his surgically-repaired foot.
Despite the injury, the 5’9″ receiver is widely projected as a first round pick. Last year, Brown put himself on the NFL radar with 75 catches for 1,318 yards and ten touchdowns.
Here’s the latest NFL Draft buzz:
- Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry will work out for the Cardinals on April 20 at ASU, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, GM Steve Keim, and president Michael Bidwill will be among those on hand for Harry’s only private NFL workout. Harry isn’t a contender for the No. 1 overall pick, but he could be a candidate for the Cardinals’ first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall)
- The Rams are meeting with Clemson defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Clelin Ferrell on campus, Rapoport tweets. Both players are expected to go in the first round, but the Rams may be out of range at No. 31 overall.
- Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will visit the Jaguars on Thursday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
- Houston cornerback Isaiah Johnson will work out for the Falcons on Thursday, Rapoport tweets. The converted wide receiver came away with two interceptions in each of the last two seasons and could go as high as the second round.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: TE Darrell Daniels (exclusive rights free agent), OL Jeremy Vujnovich (ERFA)
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: DE Eddie Yarbrough (ERFA)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT T.J. Barnes, DT Destiny Vaeao
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: CB Tony McRae (ERFA), G Alex Redmond (ERFA)
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: G Parker Ehinger, DT Aziz Shittu
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: TE Robert Tonyan (ERFA)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Cody Brown (AAF)
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB John Wolford (AAF)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Greer Martini (AAF)
New York Jets
- Signed: QB Brandon Silvers (AAF)
- Re-signed: DL Bronson Kaufusi (ERFA), LB Anthony Wint (ERFA)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Orion Stewart (AAF)
Rams Part Of Ferguson's 22-Team Tour
- Staying on the subject of draft-eligible ends, Jaylon Ferguson‘s extensive April tour of NFL cities continues. Among the teams on his reported 22-visit tour: the Bills, Giants, Colts, Eagles, Cowboys, Titans and Rams, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Ferguson met with the Bills on Monday; he will head southeast for his Giants powwow next. His visits with the Colts and Eagles are on tap for this week, with the Cowboys, Titans and Rams meetings are slated for next week. The Bucs and Bengals were already on the Louisiana Tech-produced pass rusher’s docket.
Rams Hosting Jachai Polte
- The Rams hosted Florida edge rusher Jachai Polite on Wednesday, tweets Norris. The pre-draft process has not been kind to Polite, who had been viewed as a potential first-round selection. Polite performed poorly during athletic testing, while his interviews with clubs were also widely panned. Additionally, Polite is battling currently battling through hamstring injuries. Los Angeles re-signed pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. and also added Clay Matthews, but given that a club can never have too many defensive ends/linebackers, Polite could be in consideration.
Rams To Meet With 2 Washington Prospects
Two teams who will be visiting with Devin White soon are also set to have this draft’s other high-profile Devin on their pre-draft itineraries. The Bengals met with Devin Bush on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding the Buccaneers are next up on the Michigan-produced linebacker’s schedule. White is expected to go off draft boards a bit sooner, but Bush is viewed as a solid first-round pick as well. Bush finished out the 2018 season with 66 tackles, including 8.5 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. In 2017, the versatile linebacker posted 95 tackles, 10 for loss, and 5.5 sacks. He is the son of former Falcons, Rams and Browns safety Devin Bush Sr., a 1995 first-round pick who played in back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s. The Bucs hold the No. 5 pick, while the Bengals’ first pick comes at No. 11.
- Rapp will be receiving a nice tour of the country this month, with a three-time zone trip on the horizon. The Lions, Rams, Giants and Panthers also booked pre-draft summits with the Washington safety, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com notes. A three-year Huskies contributor, Rapp intercepted seven passes and made at least 50 tackles in each of his college campaigns. Pauline expects Rapp to be a second-round pick.
- A fellow Washington Huskies product, tackle Kaleb McGary has visits lined up with the Patriots, Rams and Jaguars, per Pauline. The Falcons are also going to work out McGary, who was a three-plus-season starter at right tackle for the Pac-12 program.
Rams Unlikely To Re-Sign Ndamukong Suh
The Rams are unlikely to re-sign Ndamukong Suh, GM Les Snead says (via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry). Bringing the defensive tackle back is “pretty much guaranteed to be off the table” due to “budgetary constraints,” which means that one of the best remaining free agents will be changing teams in 2019. 
The Rams have limited cap space to work with after re-signing outside linebacker Dante Fowler and adding safety Eric Weddle, quarterback Blake Bortles, and linebacker Clay Matthews. Last year, the Rams gave Suh a one-year, $14MM deal, and he could command similar money on the open market.
The Rams also have future extensions to keep in mind. They want to keep cornerback Marcus Peters in L.A. for the long haul and, eventually, they’ll want to sit down with quarterback Jared Goff to discuss a new contract.
While Suh is still an imposing presence, he didn’t look like his old self in 2018. The five-time Pro Bowler finished out with 4.5 sacks from the interior, but the Rams allowed a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry to opposing teams. On the plus side, Suh did seem to get more comfortable with his shift from playing as a 4-3 three-technique tackle to a 3-4 nose tackle as the season progressed.
“There was an early-in-the down transition to that position change and I do think as the season went on he did improve,” Snead said. “And you felt more of the Ndamukong that maybe you had gotten to know over the years.”
It’s also worth noting that Suh was effective in the club’s first two playoff games against the Cowboys and Saints. And, ultimately, Suh finished out as the No. 20 ranked interior defender in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus. That’s not quite as strong as his placement in his prime years – Suh was ranked in PFF’s top 5 as recently as 2017 – but he’s still a productive player at the age of 32.
Latest On Clay Matthews' Contract
- Clay Matthews received a decent mid-level deal to sign with the Rams, with Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reporting (on Twitter) the veteran outside linebacker’s contract is for two years and $12.75MM. Of that total, $6.5MM is guaranteed. Matthews’ deal can max out at $16.75MM. Matthews made more than $10MM in base salary in each of the past two seasons.
Rams Yet To Discuss Jared Goff Extension
Having played three seasons, Jared Goff is now extension-eligible. But the Rams’ payroll, after a busy 2018, includes a few top-market contracts — a payroll option aided by Goff still being tied to his rookie deal.
It can be expected for the Rams to sign Goff long-term, but at the moment, the franchise has not seriously discussed this. They have not ruled out a 2019 extension for Goff, but it doesn’t seem to be a front-burner issue right now.
“Jared’s obviously extremely important to us. But those are things that, we know we want to get him done at some point,” Sean McVay said (via the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein, on Twitter). “Whether it happens this year, next year, those are things we haven’t really gotten into in depth about yet.”
The Rams last year authorized their big-ticket extensions late in the summer, with Brandin Cooks, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald agreeing to new deals between July 17 and August 31 of last year. So, the team may be tabling this until that point on the calendar. However, Goff could be under Rams control for $8.9MM this season under the terms of his current contract. The Rams have $5.4MM in cap space.
This comes at a time when the Eagles are eyeing a 2019 extension for Carson Wentz, who was taken one pick after Goff in 2016. While a Goff extension would be proactive, with deals for Wentz, Patrick Mahomes and others set to reshape a market that has already changed significantly over the past year. The Rams waited until Donald’s fifth-year option season to finalize a second contract for the all-world defender. Gurley, though, had two years of team control remaining at the time of his signing.
Goff did not fare well in Super Bowl LIII but set new career-high marks with 4,688 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and a 65.4 QBR during the regular season. The yardage and QBR figures are far north of his 2017 Pro Bowl season’s numbers. Another strong season would raise the 24-year-old passer’s stock further.