Minor NFL Transactions: 6/5/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Patriots signed cornerback William Likely and waived defensive end Corey Vereen with an injury designation. A 5-foot-7, 175-pound player, Likely could factor into New England’s return-men competition, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. The rookie UDFA played four years at Maryland and notched six interceptions as a sophomore in 2014.
- Former Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Jack Lynn signed with the Falcons, who waived fullback Soma Vainuku to make room, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports. He’s a UDFA rookie. Vanaiku’s ouster should pit Derrick Coleman and rookie Tyler Renew against one another at fullback, per McClure.
- The Broncos waived rookie UDFA tackle Erik Austell, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. A Charleston Southern product, Austell was one of the 13 UDFAs the Broncos signed coming out of draft weekend.
- The Chiefs added former Texans wideout Tevin Jones, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Jones entered the league as a UDFA out of Memphis last year. He hasn’t seen any game action. The Texans signed Jones to a reserve/futures deal in January but cut him last month.
- The Saints signed wide receiver Dan Arnold and cut defensive end Drew Iddings, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports (on Twitter). Arnold comes to New Orleans from Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. Iddings spent time in camp with the Raiders last year and was with both the Panthers and Saints this spring.
- Swapping out interior offensive linemen, the Titans signed center Marc Spelman and waived center/guard Karim Barton. The latter has bounced around for a few years, being signed to reserve/futures deals by the Browns (2015), Texans (’16) and Titans (’17). The 25-year-old has never played in a game. Spelman comes out of Illinois State. He went to the Bears’ rookie minicamp last month.
Draft Pick Signings: 6/5/17
Today’s draft pick signings:
- Third-round pick Kareem Hunt signed his rookie deal with the Chiefs. This comes three days after Kansas City cut Jeremy Maclin, a surprising move but one that freed up additional funds for the team to sign its highest draft picks. First- and second-round selections Patrick Mahomes and Tanoh Kpassagnon remain unsigned. Hunt could compete for time quickly in a Chiefs offense that could be more run-oriented after Maclin’s release. After releasing Jamaal Charles, Kansas City still has starter Spencer Ware and backup Charcandrick West back. But Hunt (1,475 rushing yards as a senior; 8.0 yards per carry and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore) figures to factor in.
- Continuing the third-round theme, the Patriots and tackle Antonio Garcia agreed to terms on his four-year rookie accord. The Troy product looks to be a backup behind Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon as a rookie, but with Solder’s contract expiring after 2017, the Patriots likely will use this season to evaluate if Garcia could be a possible heir apparent. New England chose Solder in the first round a year before Matt Light retired. The team still has Cameron Fleming and used a sixth-round pick on tackle Conor McDermott.
- More third-round negotiation conclusions: No. 72 overall pick Taywan Taylor, a wide receiver out of Western Kentucky, signed his Titans deal. Only Corey Davis is unsigned out of Tennessee’s nine draft picks. The lesser known of the Titans’ two low-major wideout rookies, Taylor recorded 17 touchdown receptions in each of his final two years with the Hilltoppers. Taylor’s 1,730 air yards last season ranked third in Division I-FBS, and his 17 TD grabs were third also. Davis’ 19 tied for first, so the Titans will have two stat-stuffing pass-catchers in the fold this season.
Eric Rowe's Role Could Depend On Matchups
- Eric Rowe isn’t necessarily a lock to serve as the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback in 2017, suggests Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Rather, it could be Jonathan Jones who emerges behind stars Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler, as Reiss notes that the second-year man got first-team reps as the Patriots’ nickel corner during OTAs last week. With that in mind, Rowe’s playing time during the upcoming season might depend on matchups. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the Patriots could feature Rowe as their nickel corner against teams with multiple big receivers or clubs with tight ends who function as large wideouts, relays Reiss. That was the case in Super Bowl LI when the Pats put Rowe on the Falcons’ best receiver, the 6-3, 220-pound Julio Jones.
Patriots Guaranteed $415K To UDFAs
- With only four draft picks, the Patriots allocated a considerable amount of funds to their UDFAs. The Pats guaranteed $415K to their 19-man UDFA class, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Reiss pointed this out after Mike Zimmer revealed the Vikings spent $192,500 on their 13-man class, which the coach said was the most in his four years. The Packers, meanwhile, guaranteed their 20-man pool just $63K. The Pats were aggressive with possible late-round picks that slipped out of the draft in BYU linebacker Harvey Langi — who took up a sizable portion of New England’s total with a $100K base salary guarantee and $15K signing bonus — and Wyoming tight end Jacob Hollister, Reiss reports.
Andrew Hawkins Contract Details; Volin On Gronk's Contract
- Mike Reiss’ of ESPN.com reports that Andrew Hawkins‘ one-year deal with the Patriots is a minimum salary benefit pact, meaning his base salary will be $900K, his bonus won’t exceed $80K, and his salary cap charge won’t be more than $695K. Reiss says that Hawkins passed up more lucrative opportunities with other clubs because New England was his top choice.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe applauds the Patriots‘ recent decision to add a healthy incentive package to Rob Gronkowski‘s current contract even though they had no need to do so, as he believes it’s simply smart business to keep Gronk healthy and motivated. Volin does wonder, though, whether the incentives will compel Gronkowski to push himself more than he otherwise would throughout the regular season, thereby reducing his effectiveness when the playoffs roll around.
Pats Didn’t Consider Trading Garoppolo
Although Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was popular in trade rumors earlier in the offseason, the reigning Super Bowl champions never considered dealing Tom Brady‘s backup, ESPN’s Adam Schefter told Bleacher Report’s “Stick to Football” Podcast (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI). The Browns were the most aggressive suitors for Garoppolo, even inquiring about him during the first round of the draft, but he’s primed to remain in New England for at least one more season.
As a contract-year player, the Patriots could risk losing Garoppolo to free agency next March and potentially receiving only a compensatory third-round pick in return – significantly less than they would have gotten had they traded him this offseason, perhaps. But Schefter expects the Patriots to find a way to keep Garoppolo past next season, noting that they’re “big believers” in the 25-year-old and consider him the heir to Brady, who’s entering his age-40 campaign. Brady remains the best quarterback in the NFL despite his age, and there’s no indication that he’s going away anytime soon, though Schefter cautions that “Father Time usually wins that battle.”
In the event Brady’s excellence continues in 2017, that should make it more difficult for the Pats to extend Garoppolo, who would likely land a massive contract and a guaranteed starting job if he were to reach free agency next March. As such, the Patriots might have to place the franchise tag on Garoppolo to retain him, which will cost in the neighborhood of $22MM in 2018. Otherwise, if keeping Garoppolo as a franchise player would be too pricey, New England could tag and trade him – as it did with former Brady backup Matt Cassel in 2009.
Jets Meet With WR Kenbrell Thompkins
Free agent wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins visited the Jets today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Thompkins spent time with the Jets in 2015 and was slated to return to the team in 2016 before suffering a season-ending injury. 
Thompkins is perhaps best known for his time with the Patriots. In 2013, he caught 32 of the 69 passes sent in his direction for 466 yards and four scores. In the next season, he split time with the Patriots and Raiders and didn’t have quite the same level of success (21 catches, 262 yards). His 2015 season with the Jets saw him catch 17 passes for 165 yards, which was enough to convince the team to give him a restricted free agent tender.
The Jets made a move at wide receiver earlier this week when they waived/injured wide receiver Devin Smith and re-signed Deshon Foxx. The Jets have presently have 13 receivers on the 90-man roster, including Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, free agent pickup Quinton Patton, and 2017 draft picks ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen.
Patriots To Waive WR Devin Street
Andrew Hawkins‘ chances of making the 53-man roster just got a bit better. The Patriots will waive wide receiver Devin Street, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Patriots Sign WR Andrew Hawkins]
Street, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Colts earlier this month. He hasn’t done much since entering the league as a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2014, but he was thought to have a shot at making the Patriots’ final cut. Now, the team’s WR group is headlined by Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Hawkins, and special teams ace Matthew Slater.
Rival teams will have 24 hours to put a claim in on Street from the time his officially waived. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team.
Andrew Hawkins Had 4 Other Offers
- Andrew Hawkins declined four other offers so that he could play with the Patriots and catch passes from Tom Brady, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hawkins inked a one-year deal with New England, but his place on the 53-man roster is not a sure thing given all of the talent New England has.
Patriots Sign WR Andrew Hawkins
The Patriots have signed Andrew Hawkins, the wide receiver announced via the Twitter account for FS1’s Undisputed. It’s a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Patriots, Gronk Restructure Contract]
Hawkins becomes the latest veteran addition to the Patriots this offseason, joining Brandin Cooks, Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, and Dwayne Allen. Still, his spot on the 53-man roster is anything but a certainty since the Pats already have wide receivers Cooks, Julian Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, and special teams ace Matthew Slater under contract. Hawkins’ contract likely doesn’t have much in the way of guaranteed cash and perhaps has no guarantees, so there probably won’t be any real fiscal consequences for New England if they cut ties.
Until today, the 31-year-old had spent his entire career to date in the AFC North. After playing for the Bengals from 2011-2013, he hooked on with the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. Hawkins was initially a focal part of the offense in Cleveland, racking up 63 catches for 824 yards and two scores in his first season there. After that, however, his role shrank. Last year, he had just 33 catches for 324 yards and three scores.