NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/20/23
Today’s late-round draft pick signings:
Los Angeles Rams
- TE Davis Allen (fifth round, Clemson)
- WR Puka Nacua (fifth round, BYU)
The Rams are slowly chipping away at their draft pick signings, agreeing to terms with two of their four fifth-round picks today. Allen saw a jump in receptions during each of his four seasons at Clemson, culminating in a 2022 campaign where he hauled in 39 catches (for 443 yards and five touchdowns). The rookie will compete for backup reps behind starting tight end Tyler Higbee.
Nacua spent two seasons at Washington before breaking out at BYU over the past two years. Across those two campaigns, the wideout collected 1,787 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns in 21 games. He’ll serve as a back-of-the-depth-chart option during his rookie campaign.
Rams Bring Back RB Sony Michel
After a season with the Chargers, Sony Michel will have another chance with Los Angeles’ NFC team. The former first-round pick reached an agreement to rejoin the Rams on Tuesday, according to the team. It is a one-year deal, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue adds.
Michel spent the 2021 season with the Rams, leading the eventual Super Bowl LVI-winning team in rushing. Brought in via trade following Cam Akers‘ summer Achilles tear, Michel provided a signification contribution to that championship squad. He will now aim to help out a team that has a different outlook. Veteran additions have been scarce for a regrouping Rams team this offseason. Michel follows wideout Demarcus Robinson as recent signings, however.
The Rams are coming off a down year on just about every front, with their run game struggling for most of last season. An Akers-Sean McVay disagreement led to trade talks, but the team held onto the former second-round pick. Now nearly two years removed from his Achilles setback, Akers is expected to remain a key part of Los Angeles’ rushing attack. But the Rams cut Darrell Henderson midway through last year. Michel, 28, will bring a veteran presence to a backfield full of rookie-contract cogs.
Michel’s 845 rushing yards in 2021 represent the top single-season mark of the Rams’ post-Todd Gurley stretch. Michel worked as a Henderson backup for much of that season, but after the ex-third-rounder sustained an injury that November, the trade acquisition stepped in and seized the job. While injury-prone in New England, Michel played all 21 Rams games during their most recent Super Bowl year. Michel topped 90 rushing yards in three of his six starts, including two 100-yard efforts in December 2021, but gave way to a rehabbed Akers by the time L.A.’s playoff effort began.
Last year, Michel initially joined the Dolphins as a free agent. While Miami guaranteed the Georgia alum $850K on a $1.75MM deal, Mike McDaniel‘s team did not carry him through to its 53-man roster. The Chargers picked up Michel and used him as one of Austin Ekeler‘s backups. Michel did not fare particularly well with the Bolts, totaling 106 rushing yards on 36 carries. Michel only played 10 Chargers games, and the team waived him on New Year’s Eve.
Michel played a central role in the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl charge, which ended with a 13-3 win over the Rams. Although the top pick ran into knee trouble in 2019 and 2020, he exceeded 900 rushing yards in ’18 and ’19 and compiled six postseason rushing TDs as a rookie. That total is tied for second in a single postseason, trailing only Terrell Davis‘ eight from 1997.
That accomplishment and a productive 2021 aside, Michel is unlikely to be a Rams roster lock. Akers returns for his contract year, and the team used a fifth-round pick on Kyren Williams last year. Ole Miss running back Zach Evans joined the Rams as a sixth-rounder in April. Ex-UDFA Ronnie Rivers is the other back on L.A.’s roster. Michel does provide some insurance, and it is not difficult to see the five-year vet sticking around as an Akers backup this season.
Rams, Cooper Kupp Agree On Restructured Contract
The Rams were able to free up some cap space on Wednesday by restructuring wide receiver Cooper Kupp‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The team has a number of options for how to use that money, and we should see it spent in the coming weeks. 
Kupp signed a three-year, $80.1MM contract extension almost exactly a year prior after winning the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Award. The Eastern Washington product earned the award for leading the league in all major receiving categories with 145 receptions for 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
The restructured deal converted $13.92MM of Kupp’s base salary into a signing bonus. The move opened up $10.44MM in cap space for Los Angeles. While Kupp’s cap hit for this year reduced by that amount, it still looms large at $17.36MM, and his future cap hits each increased by $3.48MM apiece.
The cap relief leaves the Rams with approximately $10.75MM of cap space for the 2023 season. While many LA fans held hopes that the move to open up space was a signal that the team was gearing up for a run at free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, they’ll likely end up disappointed. The more likely scenario is that the Rams need that money for players already in-house.
The Rams have a massive 40-man rookie class on their roster this summer. 26 of those rookies were signed as undrafted free agents, but the remaining 14 were draft picks. So far, Los Angeles has only signed four of those draft picks, leaving 10 rookies who still need to sign their initial four-year contracts. After getting those 10 rookies under contract, the team likely won’t have much of that cap space left over.
After missing eight games in 2022, Kupp will attempt a strong comeback in the coming season to live up to his massive contract. In the meantime, the cap space opened up by his restructured deal has some potential in-house responsibilities before the team can go shopping.
Rams RB Cam Akers To Have Sizable Role In 2023?
The Rams have Cam Akers in place as their top running back for 2023, despite the team’s efforts to trade him last year. Recent comments from head coach Sean McVay indicate a heavy workload can be expected this season. 
The former second-rounder had a falling out with the Rams in 2022 after his return from an Achilles tear led to underwhelming performances. Akers was believed to be on his way out of Los Angeles – as acknowledged by McVay himself – in what would have been a change-of-scenery trade near the deadline. The Rams declined offers on that front, setting up a return to the fold to close out the season.
Akers appeared to have regained his pre-injury form down the stretch, racking up 512 rushing yards and six touchdowns over the final six contests of what was a lost campaign for the Rams. Overall, he totaled 786 yards on the ground at a clip of 4.2 yards per carry, figures which should allow the 23-year-old to carry over that success into the upcoming season, the final one of his rookie contract. A lead role in the backfield and the team’s offense as a whole appears to be in McVay’s plans at this point.
“He’s really capitalized on a lot of the momentum he built up toward the latter part of the year. And he’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing moving forward,” he said when asked about Akers. “He’s had a great offseason… Cam is going to be a central figure in this offense… He’s taking great care of himself physically, he’s in a good place mentally. Just continuing to mature and I’m really excited about what he’s going to do for us this year” (h/t Cameron DaSilva of RamsWire).
A strong season from Akers would mark a notable reunion of sorts with a franchise he seemed destined to depart not too long ago. It would also, of course, help the Rams take a needed step forward on offense in general and the ground game in particular. Remaining healthy and productive would boost his free agent value as well, and leave the team with an interesting decision regarding his future. Returnees Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are also available at the RB spot for Los Angeles, and the team added further depth by selecting Zach Evans in the sixth round of the draft. Assuming he is in fact given a workhorse role, though, all eyes will no doubt be on Akers in 2023.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Javon Wims
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Nick Guggemos
- Placed on IR: TE Zach Davidson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
- Claimed off waivers (from Cardinals): S Josh Thomas
- Waived: S Vernon Scott
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Kekoa Crawford
- Signed ERFA tenders: QB Shane Buechele, TE Joe Fortson
- Waived: DB Anthony Witherstone
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DB Collin Duncan, K Christopher Dunn
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Kobe Smith
- Waived/injured: WR/TE Dre Miller
Greg Mabin is the biggest name on the list, with the cornerback having appeared in 45 career games. The former UDFA has spent the past two seasons with the Titans, collecting 23 tackles in 11 total games. The Panthers have gotten an extended look at their cornerback depth during minicamp with Jaycee Horn (ankle) and Donte Jackson (Achilles) sidelined, so the team has probably decided they needed some veteran reinforcement at the position.
Javon Wims will now be looking for another opportunity after getting cut by the Cardinals. The former seventh-round pick showed a bit of a potential with the Bears, including a 2019 campaign where he had 18 catches for 186 yards and one touchdown. After getting into 13 games with the Bears in 2020, the wideout has only seen time in one game over the past two seasons. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on Arizona’s practice squad.
Rams Sign Round 2 OL Steve Avila
Selecting a guard with their first pick for the second straight year, the Rams are expected to plug Steve Avila into their starting lineup. That process can now begin in earnest, with Avila now under contract.
Chosen 36th overall out of TCU, Avila will be ticketed for the terms the Seahawks gave No. 37 pick Derick Hall. Avila will receive three years fully guaranteed, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, adding that 10% of his 2026 salary is locked in at signing as well.
The 10% component marks a first for a player in the No. 36 slot, per Yates, representing more gains for second-round picks. With the slot system in its second decade, fewer bargaining territory exists during rookie-deal negotiations. But second-rounders’ pacts have become a notable area featuring wiggle room. Avila and Hall’s deals will apply more pressure on the teams who chose players in that pick neighborhood.
The Rams, who led off their 2022 draft with Wisconsin O-lineman Logan Bruss, have Avila penciled in at one of their guard spots. Bruss is coming off August 2022 ACL and MCL tears, and while he is practicing, last year’s 104th overall pick does not have a clear path to a first-string gig like Avila appears to. Following an injury-wrecked season up front, the Rams are in search of answers just about everywhere except for right tackle, where Rob Havenstein has the job locked down.
While Peter Skoronski may wind up at guard for the Titans, Avila represents the first pure guard chosen this year. He is also the Rams’ highest-drafted player since they took Jared Goff first overall in 2016.
Avila, 23, could be an option at center at some point, having started there during most of his 2021 junior season and parts of his sophomore campaign. But he spent the ’22 slate at guard, starting 15 games and earning consensus All-American honors. TCU’s first consensus All-American since wideout Josh Doctson in 2015, Avila played a significant role in the Horned Frogs becoming one of the most unlikely entrants in a Division I-FBS national championship game. The 330-pound blocker played 1,044 snaps at left guard and did not allow a sack last season.
In addition to Avila, the Rams moved ahead with two other agreements with their 14-man draft class. Wingate punter Ethan Evans (No. 223) and Oklahoma State safety Jason Taylor II (No. 234) signed their four-year rookie deals Tuesday as well, Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams notes. The Rams chose Taylor with the pick obtained for Allen Robinson.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/12/23
Today’s late-round rookie signings:
Los Angeles Rams
- DL Desjuan Johnson (seventh round, Toledo)
Johnson earned the moniker of Mr. Irrelevant after being selected with the No. 259 (and final) pick of the 2023 draft. The defensive lineman was especially productive over his final two seasons at Toledo, combining for 135 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks in 27 games. He’s the first member of the Rams’ draft class to ink their four-year rookie contract.
Rams To Sign WR Demarcus Robinson
The Rams had made a recent habit of taking swings on wide receivers in recent offseasons. From the Brandin Cooks trade to the second-round picks of Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell to the Allen Robinson signing, Los Angeles has continually made big moves to staff this position. Not so much this year.
Amid the cost-cutting decisions the Rams have made this offseason, they will still circle back to an auxiliary option for their Cooper Kupp-led receiving corps. Demarcus Robinson intends to sign with the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Being a role player in the Chiefs’ Alex Smith– and Patrick Mahomes-quarterbacked offenses, Robinson left Kansas City for Baltimore in 2022. After a 48-catch season, the 28-year-old wideout will join the likes of Jefferson, Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Lance McCutcheon as Kupp supporting-casters.
A former fourth-round pick out of Florida, Robinson spent six seasons in Kansas City. He signed two one-year deals with the Chiefs after his rookie contract expired and caught on with the Raiders in March of last year. But Las Vegas cut the veteran target, leading him to Baltimore just before last season. As the Ravens lost both Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay to foot injuries, the team turned to Robinson as one of its top receiving options as it cinched up a playoff berth without Lamar Jackson. While consistency eluded Robinson, he finished with 458 receiving yards and two touchdowns during his Ravens campaign. He added 49 and a score in Baltimore’s narrow playoff loss to Cincinnati.
Last season effectively proved Robinson could produce outside of Andy Reid‘s system, though he was sporadically effective as one of Tyreek Hill‘s wingmen in K.C. Robinson surpassed 400 receiving yards during the Chiefs’ 2019 and ’20 seasons, each ending in Super Bowl berths, though he was never especially close to being a prime option for Mahomes. While the Chiefs had that territory covered, Robinson’s Ravens season proves more interesting due to the lack of talent and depth Baltimore carried at the position last year.
The Rams ate some of Robinson’s salary to move his contract to the Steelers, and they have not seen much from Atwell yet. Jefferson is positioned as Los Angeles’ top Kupp complement, though the team did draft Puka Nacua (BYU) in Round 5 this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Carlos Davis
- Waived: DT Jalen Dalton
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Ben Banogu
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: RB Tiyon Evans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: K Jake Verity
Banogu is a local product for Dallas, even playing for the nearby Horned Frogs in Fort Worth for college. While at TCU, Banogu totaled 8.5 sacks in each season while racking up a combined 34.5 tackles for loss. His ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage factored into the Colts selecting him in the second round in 2019. After a disappointing first three seasons, we considered him a likely release candidate, but he was able to finish out his rookie contract and hit free agency instead.
In Dallas, Banogu has a long line to work through to earn snaps. The Cowboys have quite a bit of depth at defensive end with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, last year’s second-round pick Sam Williams, Dante Fowler, Takkarist McKinley, Chauncey Golston, and more on the roster. Banogu will have to live up to his second-round draft stock in order to break onto the field in Dallas.
2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:
- Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
- Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
- New York Jets: $24.79MM
- Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
- Houston Texans: $16.81MM
- Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
- New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
- New England Patriots: $14.12MM
- Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
- Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
- Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
- Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
- Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
- New York Giants: $3.82MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
- Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K
The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.
The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.
Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.