Rams Work Out Blake Frohnapfel
- The Rams worked out former Massachussetts quarterback Blake Frohnapfel today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), who adds that Frohnapfel previously worked out for the Colts. Frohnapfel also met with the Lions prior to this year’s draft (in which he was ultimately not selected).
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Steelers have signed fourth-round offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins, as Teresa Varley of Steelers.com writes. Hawkins offers experience at both left and right tackle but he’s expected to play on the left side for Pittsburgh. “He can come in here and help right away by competing and pushing the guys and making them better,” said offensive line coach Mike Munchak. “It just makes the group better when you can bring in a good athlete and a good player that has the ability to compete and help us become better. “We feel this guy can come in and learn from the guys we have, push the guys that we have and now it’s just a matter of how quickly we feel he can contribute.”
- The Cardinals signed wide receiver Marquis Bundy, safety Tyrequek Zimmerman, and guard Jake Bernstein to return to the 90-man roster limit, Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com tweets.
- The Chargers have agreed to sign guard/tackle Brett Boyko, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- To make room, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Zeth Ramsay, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. The Bolts now have 17 offensive linemen on their 90-man roster.
- The Lions announced that they have signed UDFA kicker Devon Bell and waived punter Kyle Christy. Bell, a Mississippi State product, played in all 13 games last year and averaged 62.1 yards per kickoff, while also punting nine times for 370 yards (41.1 avg).
- The Jaguars have signed guard Patrick Omameh and released offensive lineman Patrick Miller, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. Omameh has played in 30 games over the course of his NFL career.
- The Redskins signed UDFA wide receiver Jarvis Turner, Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post tweets.
- The Seahawks signed fullback Kyle Coleman, as Wilson tweets. A rookie with tight end experience who played at Arkansas State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Coleman will possibly audition at multiple spots in Seattle, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- The Jets announced that they’ve signed guard Mike Liedtke, while adding that they’ve cleared a roster spot by waiving tackle Luke Marquardt.
Jeff Fisher: Tavon Austin Could Catch 100 Passes In 2016
- The Rams’ Tavon Austin has just 123 receptions in his three-year career, but head coach Jeff Fisher believes the 5-foot-8, 176-pounder could eclipse the 100-catch mark this season as the go-to option in the club’s Jared Goff-led offense. “We’re going to be able to, if need be, hand it off to Todd (Gurley) and if someone says ‘we’re not going to let you do that,’ then we’re going to spread it around,” Fisher told the Rams’ website, per TurfShowTimes.com (hat tip to Kevin Patra of NFL.com). “And so when it’s all said and done, I think we’ll be able to look back and I think see Tavon maybe double in catches over what he had last year.” After Austin logged 52 grabs in 2015, the Rams elected in May to pick up his fifth-year option for 2017, meaning the 2013 first-rounder could be under their control for at least two more seasons.
NFC Notes: Bears, Rams, Saints
Bears edge rusher Willie Young acknowledged Wednesday that there have been contract extension talks between him and the team, saying (via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com), “Yeah, there has been some stuff mentioned here and there, but that’s something that will be left up to my agent so I don’t get caught in the middle of it.” As of earlier this month, Young was reportedly “50/50” on whether to accept a two-year offer from the Bears. Chicago is trying to keep the soon-to-be 31-year-old after he amassed a combined 16.5 sacks during his first two seasons in the Windy City, and he’s open to spending the rest of his career there. “I would like to finish my career up here in Chicago, but you know that’s not up to me; that’s up to my agent and management,” said Young, who will hit the open market next offseason if a deal isn’t reached by then.
More from the NFC:
- Free agent safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner remain “in play” for the Rams, tweets Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. If the Rams sign either, it won’t occur until after OTAs because the team wants to evaluate its in-house options, Bonsignore adds (Twitter link). Los Angeles hosted Whitner, a three-time Pro Bowler, in early April. Goldson, who has two Pro Bowl selections under his belt, met with the club earlier this month. PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranks Whitner as the best defensive free agent on the market.
- Fellow free agent safety Roman Harper could rejoin the Saints, per FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). Harper, whom the Saints took in the second round of the 2006 draft, spent his first eight seasons in New Orleans before signing with the division-rival Panthers in 2014. The 33-year-old proved to have a fair amount left in the tank last season for the NFC champions, starting all 19 of their games (playoffs included) while grading 53rd out of 89 qualifying safeties at Pro Football Focus.
- Ex-Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who coached Harper in 2013, spoke negatively last week of his time on New Orleans’ staff. One of Ryan’s former pupils, now-Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, backed Ryan’s claim that the coordinator wasn’t running his own scheme during his final two years with the Saints. “Not to talk about New Orleans for the rest of this interview, but as a player in that system, you can see when power is taken away from a guy,” Hicks said Wednesday, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “It was evident in that situation and you saw what the turnout was because of it.” Hicks also praised Ryan as a person, stating, “I didn’t see the interview, but I do know this, I’ll forever and always have a lot of love for Rob Ryan, just because there’s nobody that’s going to shoot you straighter.”
Nick Foles Unhappy With Rams, Skipping OTAs
4:28pm: Head coach Jeff Fisher spoke about Foles’ situation Wednesday, saying, “He has not been here to participate since the draft … We’re trying to work things out.” Fisher continued, “Nick has the feeling if things stay the same, he’s probably not gonna be on the roster” (Twitter links via Albert Breer of NFL.com).
Fisher also called Foles’ absence “more of a mutual thing,” writes Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Based on that, it appears Foles’ time with the Rams is done. Now it’s just a matter of whether they’ll be able to find another team to take him via trade.
10:35am: Nick Foles is none too pleased with the Rams this offseason. The quarterback, who was a regular when offseason workouts began April 18th, has not participated in a team practice since the Rams selected Jared Goff No. 1 overall, as ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter writes. Multiple sources have confirmed that Foles has been abstaining from team-run training sessions and the start of OTAs because the Rams drafted a quarterback. 
[RELATED: Rams Sign Dominique Easley]
Acquired by the Rams in the trade that sent Sam Bradford to the Eagles, the two quarterbacks have wound up in strikingly similar situations. Last offseason, Foles inked a two-year, $24.5MM extension that included nearly $13.8MM in guarantees. Now, it’s clear that he is not the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles and maybe not even the quarterback of the present. Last season, Foles opened the season as the starter under center but was benched in favor of Case Keenum after throwing seven touchdowns against six interceptions.
Foles drew trade interest from teams in late April and the quarterback presumably wants the team to ship him elsewhere. Because the Rams have already paid his guaranteed $6MM roster bonus for the 2016 season, Foles would come at a very affordable rate for any team interested in acquiring him — only his $1.75MM base salary for ’16 would count against a new team’s cap. Of course, his new team would also take on the rest of his contract, including a non-guaranteed $10.75MM base salary for 2017.
Foles has plenty of starting experience and could be a good fit as a backup elsewhere. Meanwhile, Los Angeles could roll with Goff, Keenum, and 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion on the depth chart. It remains to be seen whether Goff or Keenum can deliver in 2016, but the team probably sees more potential in those two players than Foles, a fifth-year pro.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rams Filling Defensive Void From Within
- The Rams believe they have in-house options to replace cornerback Janoris Jenkins, safety Rodney McLeod, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, and defensive end Chris Long, but it remains to be seen whether they can get the job done, as ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner writes. Now, Los Angeles is hoping for big performances out of the likes of cornerback E.J. Gaines, safety Maurice Alexander, linebacker Alec Ogletree, and defensive end William Hayes to help fill the void.
Dominique Easley Contract Details
- Dominique Easley‘s one-year deal with the Rams is a minimum salary deal worth $600K with no guarantees, incentives, or bonuses, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. The Patriots had offset language in Easley’s Patriots contract, but the Pats still owe him ~$484K and the team will receive a $600K cap credit in 2017 (link). Easley also has a split salary of $363k if he gets hurt and spends the season on IR (link).
Rams Sign Dominique Easley
WEDNESDAY, 4:21pm: Easley’s signing is now official. Los Angeles waived linebacker Kache Palacio to make room for Easley on its 90-man roster, Nick Waggoner of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 6:35pm: The Rams and free agent defensive lineman Dominique Easley have agreed to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). It didn’t take long for the Rams-Easley union to materialize, as the 24-year-old worked out for the team earlier Tuesday.
Easley, whom the Patriots selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft, is the fifth member of the Rams defensive line who has a 
first-round pedigree, joining Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and fellow offseason free agent pickup Quinton Coples.
Despite New England’s significant investment in Easley, it moved on from the 285-pounder earlier this offseason after the two sides reportedly butted heads over “philosophical differences on following injury programs.”
Easley had difficulty staying healthy his first two years in the NFL, missing 10 of a possible 32 regular-season games because of various injuries to his hip, knee and ankle. Easley also tore his ACL at the University of Florida, but that didn’t stop the Patriots from spending a high pick on him. One former Pats teammate referred to Easley as a “locker room cancer,” though, and a team source told the Boston Globe that Easley “comes across as an entitled kid” who “thinks he’s invincible.” Moreover, Easley is currently facing a lawsuit in Palm Beach County from a man who alleges that the defender’s dog bit him.
On the field, Easley has 25 career tackles and three sacks to his credit. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him a terrific grade for his 2015 performance. His presence in Los Angeles should help make up for the departure of Nick Fairley, who appeared in 15 games with the Rams last year before leaving as a free agent to join the Saints.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Have Offset Language On Easley's Contract
- The Patriots have offset language on Dominique Easley’s $1.084MM salary, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter links) points out. The Patriots now only owe Easley the difference between that figure and what the Rams pay him. The minimum salary for Easley is $600K, so at most, the Patriots will owe him roughly $484K.
Rams To Work Out Dominique Easley
Former Patriots first-round pick Dominique Easley is working out for the Rams today, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Easley was waived by the Pats back in March and has been looking for employment ever since. 
Easley, 24, was selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft by the Patriots, despite the fact that he was recovering from a torn ACL at the time. Although he made it back to the field for his rookie season, he was limited to just 11 games, and played in only 11 more in 2015, having been plagued by hip, knee, and ankle issues.
Before he landed on injured reserve in December of 2015, Easley picked up 15 tackles and two sacks in his sophomore NFL season, and received a solid Pro Football Focus grade. Given his decent play when he was healthy, his first-round pedigree, and the fact that he still had guaranteed money remaining on his contract, Easley’s release came as a bit of a surprise, despite his injury woes.
Reportedly, there wasn’t one incident that led to Easley’s release, but rather a confluence of factors. Easley and the team reportedly butted heads over “philosophical differences on following injury programs.” The defensive tackle is also facing a lawsuit in Palm Beach County from a man alleging that he was bit by Easley’s dog and that might not be the only dog-related lawsuit in the pipeline.
According to one report, multiple sources have labeled the 24-year-old as “unreliable and immature,” and an unnamed former teammate referred to him as a “locker room cancer.” One team source told The Boston Globe that Easley built a pretty disastrous reputation for himself during his time in New England.
“I think he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. He comes across as an entitled kid. He reneges on everything. He thinks he’s invincible.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.