Extra Points: Winston, Peterson, Lions
Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith isn’t thrilled with former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and his comments about Jameis Winston, Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times write.
“I’m disappointed. To say that the young man is an “embarrassment’? That’s pretty strong,” Smith said. “I just don’t think he’s speaking for all of Florida State, even though he’s in an official role there. Normally, what we’re doing today with our greats, you (embrace) them. Everybody on the outside may be throwing stones at them. Normally, when you’re in a family, you don’t do that. I’m very disappointed that somebody like that would make that type of statement.”
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer claims that he doesn’t envision any issues with team harmony if Adrian Peterson returns to the club and remains disgruntled, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Peterson, who missed 15 games last season, has been (ostensibly) pushing for the Vikings to guarantee the money owed to him over the next three years of his contract. Peterson is set to earn $12.75MM in 2015 and Zimmer declined comment when asked if he has spoken recently to Peterson or if the running back will be at OTAs.
- Ameer Abdullah‘s trainer offered up a very flattering NFL comparison for his client. “He reminds me a ton of Steve Smith and you see what he’s done in the league,” Otis Leverette told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I played with him in (a college) all-star game and played with him in the league for a while, they’ve kind of got that same thing to them. They just don’t know that they’re supposed to be small, they don’t believe in obstacles. The things that other people see as obstacles, they just see as another day at the office.” The Lions‘ second-round pick put pen to paper earlier today.
- Cardinals fans who are wondering which rookie free agents will be making the final roster should look at the bonuses being paid to the UDFAs for clues, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. BYU inside linebacker Alani Fua leads the pack with a healthy $17K bonus while North Carolina State tackle Robert Crisp is the runner-up with $15K.
Extra Points: Bowers, Cowboys, Eagles
A second-round pick just four years ago, Da’Quan Bowers hasn’t generated much interest on the free agent market this offseason — or at least not much that has been reported. However, with veteran free agents no longer tied to draft pick compensation after May 12, the former Buccaneers defensive end may soon find a home.
According to Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 Houston (Twitter link), Bowers is paying a visit to New Orleans to meet with the Saints this week. Previously, Braddock reported (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old had narrowed his options down to the Lions and Dolphins, so it’s not clear whether those teams remain in the mix, or if they’ve moved on.
As we wait for an update on Bowers, let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL….
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed today that restructuring Brandon Carr‘s contract is a priority for the team this offseason, but no work has been completed yet on that front (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News). Meanwhile, Jerry’s son Stephen Jones said that the Cowboys’ meeting with Orlando Scandrick and agent Ron Slavin was productive, but he wouldn’t say whether the two sides will reach a new contract agreement (link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com).
- The Eagles have announced in a press release that former Bears executive Dwayne Joseph has been hired as the team’s director of pro scouting, while Louis Clark has been promoted to senior director of pro personnel. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who reported Joseph’s hiring earlier today, notes that the Bears tried hard to keep their associate director of pro personnel, but he chose to seek a better opportunity in Philadelphia.
- Offensive lineman Austin Wentworth, who joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and was cut earlier this month, must end his playing career because of blood clots in his leg, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. While the 25-year-old is currently walking with a limp, and will have to wear a brace for the rest of his life, he’s expected to walk normally eventually, according to Tomasson. Wentworth is currently on Minnesota’s reserve/non-football illness list.
- Former Iowa State defensive end Cory Morrissey had agreed to terms on a three-year rookie contract with the Ravens as a UDFA, but ultimately decided to walk away from football instead, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details.
- Elsewhere at the Baltimore Sun, Jeff Zrebiec takes a closer look at what this week’s roster moves and decisions mean for the Ravens.
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Lions signed three tryout players – safety Nathan Lindsey and receivers Erik Lora and Jarred Haggins – and released wideout Desmond Lawrence, Tim Twentyman of the team’s website writes.
- Washington has signed undrafted receiver Quinton Dunbar, formerly of Florida, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
- The Dolphins signed one tight end – Tim Semisch, undrafted out of Northern Illinois – and released another in Ryan Taylor, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Taylor, a Packers seventh-round pick in 2011, has eight career catches.
- The Cardinals have signed three tryout players – a quarterback (Phillip Sims) and two safeties (Brandon Person and Harold Jones-Quartey) – per their official website. To make room, they released tackle Kelvin Palmer, wide receiver Travis Harvey, and cornerback Ross Weaver.
- The Bears signed quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive tackle Terry Williams, and linebacker Kyle Woestmann, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. They also waived linebacker Khaseem Greene and cut fellow LB Austen Lane.
- The Buccaneers have cut safety Shelton Johnson, wide receivers Chandler Jones and Josh Reese, offensive lineman Matt Patchan, and linebacker Michael Reynolds (Twitter: Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune).
- The Packers will release defensive lineman Luther Robinson, according to Bill Huber of Packer Report. Robinson appeared in five games last year.
- The Bills signed undrafted free agent safety Wes Miller, formerly of UTEP, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Raiders signed ex-Auburn running back Michael Dyer, who tried out for them over the weekend, tweets Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Twitter link). They also signed Emporia state wideout Austin Willis, the player told Rick Peterson Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, running back Terrance Cobb wrote on Instagram that the team released him.
- The Vikings waived wide receiver Kain Colter and guard Jesse Somsel, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Colter was on the Vikings’ practice squad last year, while they recently signed Somsel as an undrafted free agent.
- The Giants released three players – running back Chris Ogbonnaya, linebacker James Davidson, and defensive back Thomas Gordon – according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link).
- The Buccaneers signed linebacker Jared Koster, who tried out at their rookie minicamp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
- The Steelers signed tryout players Cameron Stingily (running back) and Mike Thornton (defensive line) to their 90-man roster, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). To make room, they cut punter Richie Leone, defensive tackle Nigel Crawford-Kinney, defensive end Brandon Prate, long snapper Brandon Hartson, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, and guard Collin Rahrig (Twitter).
- The Broncos waived guard Jon Halapio, whom they signed to their practice squad last December, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Matt Miller after signing him as an undrafted free agent earlier this month (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- The Buccaneers have signed three tryout players from rookie camp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The team agreed to deals with wide receivers Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries and offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.
- Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, whom the Vikings waived last week, has retired because of knee issues, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Richardson signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee and saw some action in the preseason.
- The Panthers have cut defensive tackle Darious Cummings, reports ESPN’s Joe Person (via Twitter). Cummings signed with the Panthers last week as an undrafted free agent from Florida.
- The Buccaneers will cut return man Solomon Patton today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Patton, who went undrafted out of Florida last year, appeared in seven games for the Bucs as a rookie. He has had two stints with Tampa and one with the Cardinals during his short career.
- Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Andy Phillips signed with the Packers, the player tweeted. Phillips earned a spot with the Pack after impressing team brass as a tryout player at rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Draft Notes: Vikings, Rams, Patriots, Bears
The Vikings could have an exciting offense next season, and that’s because the front office dedicated last year’s draft picks to improving their team on that side of the ball. Although the organization had acquired some foundational players, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, head coach Mike Zimmer said his team was still considering offensive weapons in the first round of this year’s draft. Via Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune…
“The Teddy thing was huge because that was really the number one priority of the organization. We had to get a quarterback we thought could take us to the next level. Honestly, we didn’t go into this draft saying this was going to be a defensive draft. We went in and we had offensive guys targeted, but they might have gotten picked before we could pick them.
When we picked Trae Waynes, there were three or four guys there we thought we would be happy with, but part of it with Trae was the position he plays. Typically when you draft those corners, you draft pretty high. Once it gets down lower, to the second round, they don’t produce like the higher picks. Knock on wood — we hope we’re drafting a little lower next year.”
Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the NFL…
- The Rams were involved in the bidding for undrafted free agent La’el Collins, head coach Jeff Fisher told ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “Yeah, we were involved in it,” Fisher said. “There were some things, we still had some unanswered questions at the time in which he made his decision but we were involved. We were told by them that we were in the final four, which is not necessarily a consolation but we were involved, yes.”
- Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck contacted Collins to recruit him to their respective teams, tweets Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez. The reporter adds that the lineman seriously considered the Dolphins‘ pitch.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots would have willingly traded their first-rounder if an inquiring team had sweetened their offer. Ideally, the Patriots would have preferred an early second-round pick and a third-round pick in return. Reiss clarifies that the team is still please with their selection of Malcom Brown.
- The Bears had been eyeing quarterback Shane Carden during the draft, and ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson writes that the team was thrilled about the opportunity to sign the player as an undrafted free agent. “He was actually a guy that we had good grades on, a guy that could have potentially been a draft pick,” Bears coach John Fox told Dickerson. “Our scouts, obviously, saw a lot more of him than the coaching staff. But he was productive, smart. He has good moxie, being able to execute in a pass offense that throws the ball quite a bit and was very productive.”
NFC Notes: Hardy, Kalil, Bucs
The arbitrator assigned to Greg Hardy‘ suspension appeal backed the NFL in the Adrian Peterson case, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports writes. That could be bad news for the Cowboys star as he looks to cut down his 10-game suspension. Hardy’s deal, signed in March, gives him a base value of $11.3MM for 2015, though much of it is tied into per-game roster bonuses. More out of the NFC..
- Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees this offseason, two people with knowledge of the procedures told Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. Kalil had his 2016 option exercised on Monday despite a frustrating 2014 campaign.
- The Vikings “tried hard” to land LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets, but he rightly notes that most of the NFL did as well. Earlier today, Collins signed with the Cowboys. Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL future for some time, but owner Jerry Jones clearly won him over.
- Buccaneers center Evan Dietrich-Smith has legally changed his name to Evan Smith, which is what he went by until he went to college, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
- The Buccaneers have fired pro scouting director Scott Cohen, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Thursday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Vikings announced that they have waived safety Ahmad Dixon, running back Henry Josey, tight end Ryan Otten, offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, and guard Austin Wentworth.
- Ravens defensive end Steven Means has signed his $510K exclusive-rights tender, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- Washington cut offensive tackle Xavier Nixon, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Washington originally acquired him off waivers from the Colts.
- The Eagles re-signed defensive end Frank Mays and cut wide receiver Will Murphy, Wilson tweets.
- The Cardinals released wide receiver Nathan Slaughter, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- The Raiders announced (on Twitter) that they have signed former Fresno State wide receiver Josh Harper.
- The Patriots waived wide receiver Kevin Dorsey and defensive end Michael Buchanan, Doug Kyed of NESN tweets.
- The Seahawks waived Brendan Kelly, who signed as a free agent earlier this year, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
Vikings Sign Entire Draft Class
Well, that was pretty easy for the Vikings. While most teams tend to sign their draft choices in drips and drabs, the Vikings announced that they have signed their entire 2015 draft class. Those ten rookies are:
- Round 1, CB Trae Waynes
- Round 2: LB Eric Kendricks
- Round 3: DE Danielle Hunter
- Round 4: OL T.J. Clemmings
- Round 5: TE Mycol Pruitt
- Round 5: WR Stefon Diggs
- Round 6: OL Tyrus Thompson
- Round 6: DL B.J. Dubose
- Round 7: OL Austin Shepherd
- Round 7: LB Edmond Robinson
The signing of Waynes was leaked out earlier today by Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. The eleventh player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.
Kendricks was last season’s Butkus Award winner, giving him the crown of best collegiate linebacker in the country. Kendricks’ brother, Mychal, plays for the Eagles and father Marvin Kendricks, played running back at UCLA and enjoyed a stint in the CFL.
With ten UDFAs also in the fold, the Vikings’ roster is now at 90 players, according to the press release.
Draft Pick Signings: Thursday
Over the course of the next few weeks, as the league’s 32 teams lock up their draft picks, we’ll dedicate individual posts to first- and second-round picks reaching agreements with their respective clubs. Already today, for instance, we’ve passed along word of Trae Waynes signing with the Vikings and Nelson Agholor reaching a deal with the Eagles.
However, given the lack of drama involved in rookie contract negotiations under the new CBA, news on players who were selected in the third round or later will be relegated to round-up posts. Here are Thursday’s mid- to late-round picks who signed their deals, with any additional updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
4:52pm:
- In addition to confirming the signing of Deon Simon (noted below), the Jets also announced the signings of third-round outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin and fourth-round quarterback Bryce Petty, per a team release.
- The Vikings are gradually agreeing to terms with nearly their entire draft class over the course of the day. Chris Tomasson (Twitter links) has updates on two more, reporting that fifth-round tight end MyCole Pruitt, fifth-round wideout Stefon Diggs, and seventh-round offensive lineman Austin Shepherd have all reached deals with the club.
- The Ravens have signed fifth-round guard Robert Myers and sixth-round wide receiver Darren Waller, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
- The Seahawks have signed fifth-round cornerback Tye Smith, tweets Terry Blount of ESPN.com.
3:50pm:
- The Vikings have officially added three more draftees to the roster, agreeing to terms with sixth-round defensive lineman B.J. Dubose and seventh-round linebacker Edmond Robinson, according to reports from Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). In addition to those late-rounders, fourth-round offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings has signed his deal, tweets agent Mike McCartney.
- Sixth-round lineman Kristjan Sokoli has signed his four-year rookie deal with the Seahawks, tweets agent Brett Tessler. A defensive lineman at Buffalo, Sokoli will be moving over to the offensive line in Seattle.
- Jets seventh-round defensive tackle Deon Simon and Patriots seventh-round defensive end Xzavier Dickson have signed their rookie deals, according to tweets from their respective agencies. Simon will get a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $73K, while Dickson’s bonus will be worth about $53K.
2:43pm:
- Sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson has agreed to terms with the Vikings and will officially sign when he arrives at the team’s facility, tweets Darren Wolfson of KSTP. Thompson is the second Vikes draftee to reach a deal with the club.
- Another Packers draftee has agreed to terms with the team, per Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Post-Gazette, who tweets that the club has struck a deal with sixth-rounder fullback Aaron Ripkowski. Ripkowski was the first of three players selected by the Packers in the sixth round, and is also the first one to reach an agreement with the team.
- The Browns have signed sixth-round tight end Randall Telfer, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Telfer will receive a signing bonus of just under $118K.
1:48pm:
- The Packers have agreed to terms on four-year rookie contracts with fifth-round quarterback Brett Hundley and fourth-round linebacker Jake Ryan, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links). Green Bay is expected to lock up most or all of the rest of its late-round picks by the end of the day, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- The Ravens have agreed to contract terms with fourth-round defensive back Tray Walker, reports Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link). The final player selected in the fourth round, as a supplemental pick, Walker will count for about $521K against the cap in 2015.
- Seventh-round center Austin Reiter has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with Washington, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Reiter will receive a signing bonus worth just under $75K.
Vikings, Eric Kendricks Agree To Deal
The Vikings continue to lock up 2015 draftees today, reaching an agreement with their second-round pick, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP (Twitter link). Wolfson reports that linebacker Eric Kendricks has agreed to terms with Minnesota.
Kendricks, a former UCLA Bruin, was selected 45th overall last week by the Vikings. That draft slot means he’ll be in line for a four-year contract of about $5.156MM, with a signing bonus of almost exactly $2MM. Unlike Trae Waynes, who signed his rookie contract with the Vikings earlier today, Kendricks’ deal doesn’t include a fifth-year option, so he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2018 season.
Minnesota now has three of its 10 draft picks in the fold, having also agreed to terms with sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson today.
Vikings Sign Trae Waynes
Former Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is officially a Viking, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP. A source tells Wolfson (Twitter link) that Waynes has signed his four-year rookie contract with the club.
The 11th player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.
Of the 10 players the Vikings selected in last week’s draft, Waynes is the first one reported to have signed his rookie deal, though the others figure to follow suit shortly.