Rams Cut Daryl Richardson, Jermelle Cudjo
The Rams have waived running back Daryl Richardson, according to the NFL’s transaction wire (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan). It was one of a handful of cuts made official by the Rams, who also parted ways with defensive lineman Jermelle Cudjo and offensive tackle Emmanuel McCray (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Richardson, 24, started the 2013 season as the Rams’ primary running back, but saw most of his carries usurped by Zac Stacy over the course of the year. There was some speculation that Isaiah Pead‘s time in St. Louis could be over after the Rams drafted another running back (Tre Mason) last weekend, but it seems that Richardson is the odd man out instead. The former seventh-round pick accumulated 690 rushing yards on 167 carries and also added 38 receptions over the course of his two seasons with the Rams.
As for the Rams’ other two cuts, Cudjo saw part-time action over the last four years as a reserve on the defensive line, while McCray was just signed earlier this week as part of the club’s undrafted free agent class. Cudjo became expendable after the Rams added Alex Carrington in free agency and drafted Aaron Donald.
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).
Pompei’s Latest: McCarron, Browns, Pead
In his latest Read Option column for Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei leads off by examining the Bengals‘ selection of A.J. McCarron in last week’s draft. As head coach Marvin Lewis explains, the McCarron pick could allow the team to avoid changing its backup quarterback so frequently.
“Each and every year we have been in that one-year, two-year backup quarterback model,” Lewis said. “We kind of wanted to make sure we got somebody who could fit that role for a longer period of time if that’s what they ended up being, if that’s what their lease on life was…. We had [Ryan] Fitzpatrick here, [Jon] Kitna here, and nobody wants to be the backup. Everybody wants to go somewhere and start. The only way to get a backup quarterback for longer than a year or two is to draft one.”
Of course, things could change quickly in Cincinnati if the team can’t reach a long-team agreement with current starter Andy Dalton, or if McCarron pushes for a starting job of his own after a year or two. Here’s more from Pompei:
- The Bengals appear to have gotten good value with the McCarron pick, at the very least. Pompei says he polled 10 front office sources about the Alabama signal-caller prior to the draft, and all 10 gave him at least a third-round grade, including three who said he was a first-rounder.
- Although the Browns quickly shot down a report that suggested they were ready to draft Teddy Bridgewater at No. 22 before tearing up the card and replacing him with Johnny Manziel at the very last minute, Pompei hears from another team’s source that the Browns had two cards filled out prior to the pick, and that one was torn up.
- Had the Steelers not drafted linebacker Ryan Shazier at No. 15, he likely would have been the Cowboys‘ pick at No. 16. The Cardinals were also trying to trade up and were believed to be targeting Shazier, according to Pompei, though he says the club may also have been interested in grabbing C.J. Mosley or Calvin Pryor. All three players were gone when Arizona’s No. 20 pick rolled around, prompting the Cards to trade down.
- The Rams‘ drafting of Tre Mason may signal the end of Isaiah Pead‘s time in St. Louis — the 2012 second-round pick was the subject of some trade talks during the draft, according to Pompei.
- While Timmy Jernigan provided a diluted sample at his combine draft test, he took another test within a couple weeks of the combine and passed it, which may have contributed to his not falling too far in the draft, says Pompei. The Florida State defensive tackle went 48th overall to the Ravens.
NFC West Rumors: Sam, Crabtree, Williams
The Oprah Winfrey Network announced today (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) that it is working with Rams draft pick Michael Sam on a reality TV project that will show his life as the first openly gay player in the NFL. The Rams have met with the OWN people about the show over the last few days, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network, and there won’t be Hard Knocks-type access for the program. The Rams, he tweets, want to treat Sam like any other seventh-round pick, so accommodating the show wouldn’t be a part of that. Tonight’s look at the NFC West..
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com looks at the 49ers‘ draft and the needs that were filled. Maiocco also touches on what the arrival of Stevie Johnson could mean for Michael Crabtree, who can hit the open market after this season.
- Maiocco (on Twitter) notes that the 49ers have had 12 quarterbacks under contract since 2011 but only three have attempted passes in the regular season. Earlier today, San Francisco added another QB to their stable when they inked Josh Johnson.
- The 49ers cut defensive tackle Christian Tupou, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The defensive end out of USC has been previously under contract with the Colts and Bears. Tupou was displaced today to make room for Johnson.
- Ryan Williams was caught off guard when the Cardinals released him on Monday, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Williams, who has struggled with knee issues, didn’t dress or see the field in 2013.
Minor Moves: Saints, Panthers, Bucs, Eagles
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions here, including mid-to-late-round draftees agreeing to contracts, players being claimed off waivers, and the retirement of a former NFLer who most recently played in the Canadian Football League…..
- The Chiefs announced that they have sixth-round pick Zach Fulton (Twitter link). The offensive lineman out of Tennessee was taken with the No. 193 pick.
- The 49ers announced that they have signed fifth-round outside linebacker Aaron Lynch and seventh-round defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Saints have signed former Notre Dame guard Mike Golic Jr. to a two-year contract, the club announced today in a press release. Golic went undrafted in 2013 and joined the Steelers for the preseason.
- Drake Nevis, who was cut yesterday by the Jaguars, has been awarded to the Panthers on waivers, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The defensive lineman appeared in games for the Cowboys and Jags last season.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers have waived running back Michael Smith, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have locked up one of their draft picks, signing third-round wideout Josh Huff to a four-year deal, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- After being cut by the Seahawks yesterday, long snapper Jorgen Hus has been claimed off waivers by the Rams, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have cut punter Matt Syzmanski, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The only NFL team to lock up any draftees so far, the Bears have agreed to terms with two more players they selected last week, according to the team (Twitter links). Fourth-round running back Ka’Deem Carey and seventh-round tackle Charles Leno Jr. have reached agreements on four-year deals with the club. At Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald has estimations on what sort of contracts the duo will be receiving.
- The Jaguars have claimed linebacker Allen Bradford off waivers from the Giants, a day after he was cut, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Bradford, a former Seahawk like a few other players the Jags have added this offseason, fills the last spot on the team’s 90-man roster.
- Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin has officially announced his retirement as a football player, according to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts (Twitter link). After being selected 11th overall out of Penn State, Maybin failed to make a consistent impact at the NFL level, with his best season coming in 2011 as a reserve for the Jets (six sacks).
West Notes: Raiders, Bailey, Seahawks
Asked whether he gave any consideration to trading back into the first round to land Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater last week, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link) that he didn’t want to give up additional picks, and that he was happy to select the best player available when Oakland’s turn came up. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league’s two West divisions:
- Rams receiver Stedman Bailey will be suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds in a second tweet that St. Louis has known the suspension was coming for quite some time and chose not to draft a receiver this weekend.
- Making an appearance on KJR-AM in Seattle, Seahawks GM John Schneider discussed a number of draft- and roster-related topics, notably admitting that the only disappointment during the draft was when a seventh-round target was taken “three or four picks” before Seattle could nab him. Schneider didn’t name the player, but Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times speculates that perhaps it was Wisconsin’s Beau Allen or Georgia Tech’s Brandon Watts.
- ESPN.com’s Eric Williams passes along the names of the undrafted free agents who received invites to the Chargers‘ rookie minicamp in a series of tweets. Unlike the 17 UDFAs the Chargers signed this weekend, these 10 players aren’t under contract with the club.
Rams Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
The Rams have officially announced their list of undrafted free additions, and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the 15 names for us. Here are the newest Rams:
- Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green
- Jarrid Bryant, CB, South Dakota
- Avery Cunningham, S, Central Michigan
- Austin Franklin, WR, New Mexico
- Deantre Harlan, DT, Bacone
- Aaron Hill, LB, Minnesota
- Kadeem Jones, FB, Western Kentucky
- Emmanuel McCray, OT, Mississippi
- Johnny Millard, LB, Cal Poly State
- Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
- Abasi Salimu, OT, Nicholls State
- Jamaine Sherman, WR, East Texas Baptist
- Julius “Trey” Watts, RB, Tulsa
- Ethan Westbrooks, DT, West Texas A&M ($20K bonus and $30K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
- Tavarius Wilson, LB, North Alabama
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Bortles, Lions
The Cowboys didn’t come away from the 2014 draft having selected a new quarterback, which head coach Jason Garrett says is just fine. Garrett explained the thinking to Todd Archer of ESPN.com:
“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else,” Garrett said. “You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. … It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- While there have been rumblings about possible Sam Bradford trade talks lately, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on today’s Dan Patrick Show that the club has neither made or received any calls about Bradford’s availability (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- If the Jaguars hadn’t selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, neither the Vikings or Titans would have drafted him, but the Cowboys would’ve considered it at No. 16 and the Cardinals would’ve pulled the trigger at No. 20, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
- The Lions strongly considered picking a quarterback on the third day of the draft, but the club’s targets came off the board before Detroit had a chance to select them, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
- If the conditional pick traded to the Eagles by the Bills in this weekend’s Bryce Brown trade doesn’t change hands next year, it can become a 2016 third-rounder if Brown rushes for 800+ yards in either of the next two seasons, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an interesting look at how safety Jimmie Ward became the 49ers’ man in the first round last Thursday.
- Longtime Vikings college scouting director Scott Studwell resigned from the position following this weekend’s draft, and will transition into a new role within the organization, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.
NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Sam
General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have worked five drafts together with the Seahawks, and as The News Tribune’s Todd Dybas writes, the duo has developed a penchant for taking lesser-known players.
Examples of this include Middle Tennessee State defensive tackle Jimmy Staten, Marshall offensive tackle Garrett Scott and Arkansas fullback Kiero Small, none of whom received much notoriety in the days leading up to the draft.
Schneider talked about the ambitious nature of his team’s roster and a mentality his players must possess: “There’s so much competitiveness. These guys are on edge. They’re confident, so you have to have a certain mentality to be able to battle. You’ve got to bring it right away. Right when you walk in the door, you’ve got to bring it.”
More notes from the division of the reigning Super Bowl champions below…
- The unpredictably consistent Seahawks need five or six of the nine draft picks to hit for Schneider and Carroll to retain the title of draft geniuses, penned Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times.
- A roundup of the Rams‘ 11 draft picks by Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. With two first-round picks, St. Louis solidified the trenches, going with Auburn tackle Greg Robinson No. 2 overall and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald at No. 13.
- At No. 249, the Rams made one of the more memorable picks in the draft, selecting Missouri DE/OLB Michael Sam, who will become the first openly gay player to play in the NFL. As Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch writes, now Sam needs to prove that he can also play football in addition to breaking barriers.
- USA TODAY Sports’ Tom Pelissero named the Rams as one of five teams that should expect instant impact from its rookies in 2014.
- 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was happy for Sam, but wished that the Missouri rusher landed outside the NFC West and thus avoiding facing him twice a year, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
- South Florida outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, standing an impressive 6-foot-6 and 244 pounds, lauds himself as a first-round talent with mistakes in his past. He slipped to the 49ers in the fifth round because of those mistakes, and head coach John Harbaugh says Lunch needs direction, according to Eric Branch of SFGate.com.
- Despite the availability of SEC quarterbacks Zach Mettenberger (LSU), Aaron Murray (Georgia) and A.J. McCarron, the Cardinals took a developmental project instead, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, writes Kent Somers of AZcentral.com.
Post-Draft Notes: Sam, Vikings, Bills, Jets
The 2014 NFL draft is now behind us, and you can check out the results sorted by chronological order and by team. In the wake of the draft, rumors and reports of undrafted free agents signing or agreeing to terms with NFL teams are flying fast and furious. However, most of these signings aren’t official, meaning a player could still decide to sign with another club, or an agreement could fall through due to a failed physical. Additionally, some players announcing they’ve signed with a team may in fact just have a tryout with that club.
In the interest of accuracy, we’ll be holding off on passing along news of undrafted free agent signings until the moves have been formally confirmed by teams or the league itself. In the meantime, here are some other notes from the aftermath of the NFL draft:
- One of the newest members of the Rams, Michael Sam, said if he had gone undrafted, he would have considered free agent offers from the Rams, Giants, Bears, and Ravens, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman could make a few roster moves to provide room for more undrafted free agents without going over the 90-contract limit, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- According to Bills’ general manager Doug Whaley, the team has been trying to trade for Bryce Brown for a year and a half, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). Whaley finally pulled off the trade today during the draft. The Eagles confirmed earlier that the Bills had been calling about Brown for a while.
- Jets‘ general manager John Idzik engaged in talks about trading down with some of his 12 picks, but ultimately decided he liked the players on his board too much too risk missing out on them, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork (via Twitter).