West Notes: Bradford, Raiders, Chiefs
The Cardinals gave Sam Bradford a hefty deal to be their starting quarterback in 2018, but that’s no longer a certainty after their selection of UCLA’s Josh Rosen in the first round.
“We got Sam to be our starting quarterback and I would still say that is the case,” coach Steve Wilks said when asked if Bradford will be the starter (via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic). “I’m very excited about Josh … what he can bring. Every position is open for competition.”
The selection of Rosen marked the first time in 12 years the Cardinals drafted a quarterback in the first three rounds. They also gave up third- and fifth-round picks in order to advance to the No. 10 pick for him.
Clearly, the Cardinals believe that the future is very bright for Rosen, but he is also regarded by some as the most NFL-ready of any QB from this draft class. For Rosen and Arizona, the future could be the present.
Here’s more from the West divisions:
- The Raiders converted $7.085MM center Rodney Hudson’s 2018 base salary into a bonus, creating $5.668MM in cap space, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move had to be made in order to make room for the Raiders’ draft class as well as the acquisition of wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
- Due to the Raiders already paying Seth Roberts his $2MM roster bonus, the slot target’s $2.25MM 2018 salary is fully guaranteed. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets there are also incentives in Roberts’ deal — $150K for 45 receptions and another $150K if he eclipses his career-high mark (43 grabs last season) by a bigger margin and reaches 65 — and adds that Roberts may not be easy to move despite this draft featuring a less-than-stellar wideout contingent. But Oakland is trying to do so. Roberts has been Oakland’s primary slot man since the 2015 season, but his work has been consistently maligned by Pro Football Focus.
- The Chiefs did not have a first-round pick on Thursday, but they did try to trade into the back end of the first round, as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes. “I was (tempted),” GM Brett Veach said. “We make calls. But if you were to ask me, what were the odds of getting into round one, I would have said they were very low. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to try. We certainly had dialogue from (picks) 27 to 32. But it had to make sense for us, both now and in the future. It never got close.” The Chiefs traded their first-rounder to the Bills for the right to select Patrick Mahomes last year.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Raiders Shopping Seth Roberts
The Raiders want to trade Seth Roberts for a draft pick, sources tell Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter). Roberts inked a three-year, $12MM extension with the Raiders last summer, but new head coach Jon Gruden might not have a place for him on the team. 
This spring, Gruden brought new blood to the wide receiver group by signing Jordy Nelson and releasing Michael Crabtree. Then, on Thursday, he swung a deal for Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant. The acquisition of Bryant cost the Raiders a third-round pick and they’re now looking to recoup some draft capital.
Roberts, 27, set new career highs in 2017 with 43 catches for 455 yards and caught 66.2% of the balls thrown his way. Right now, Roberts is no higher than fourth on the team’s WR depth chart and the selection of another receiver on Friday night would put him squarely on the bubble.
It’s not clear what the Raiders can get for Roberts, but it’s likely to be less than the third-round choice they paid for Bryant.
Steelers Trade Martavis Bryant To Raiders
Martavis Bryant‘s tenure in Pittsburgh has come to an end. The Steelers announced that they have traded the wideout to the Raiders for a third-round pick (No. 79).
The 2014 fourth-round pick had spent his entire four-year career with the organization. His tenure was tumultuous, as he missed the entire 2016 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The 26-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance during his brief career, including a rookie campaign where he caught eight touchdowns. He had another solid season in 2017, catching 50 passes for 603 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Bryant, a trade doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll see a bigger role. Rather, the wideout will slot in behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson on the Raiders’ depth chart, and he’ll compete with Seth Roberts to be the team’s third wideout.
Cardinals Acquire No. 10 Pick From Raiders
The Raiders are trading out of the top-10. Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com reports (via Twitter) that Oakland is trading the No. 10 pick. The selection is headed to the Cardinals, who will be sending Oakland the No. 15 pick, a third-rounder (No. 79), and a fifth-rounder (No. 152), according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The Cardinals have used the selection on quarterback Josh Rosen, making that four signal-callers taken within the first 10 picks. The UCLA product had a bounce-back season in 2017, connecting on 62.6-percent of his passes for 3,756 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. We had heard earlier this week that the Cardinals were considering trading up in pursuit of a top quarterback.
The rookie will have plenty of competition for playing time, as the Cardinals have acquired both Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon this offseason. The team is also rostering Brandon Doughty and Alek Torgersen, who could end up being roster casualties.
The Raiders were already armed with a number of late-round picks, including seven selections in the final three rounds. The new acquisitions will give them 13 total picks throughout the weekend.
Raiders Waive DL Darius Latham
A UDFA signed in 2016, Darius Latham is headed back to the waiver wire. The Raiders made the decision to cut the third-year defensive lineman hours before the draft, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Latham made a bigger impression for the 2016 Raiders, playing in 14 games and starting two, than he did last season. Oakland saw the young defender receive a four-game suspension, and Latham ended up playing in just three contests last year. He made 17 tackles as a rookie and has yet to record a sack.
The Raiders signed two UFA defensive linemen in Tank Carradine and Armonty Bryant during Jon Gruden’s first free agency period back at the helm, and the team is expected to pursue help on its interior this weekend.
Pro Football Focus assigned Latham a 77.7 grade last season, indicating some promise may exist for the 23-year-old, but he played only 56 defensive snaps. The Raiders also waived Latham once last season before placing him on their practice squad.
Browns, Colts Lead League In Cap Space
The Browns and Colts have the most cap room of any team in the NFL heading into draft, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. Here’s the official rundown of every team’s cap space for 2018 on the eve of draft weekend:
- Browns – $69.5MM
- Colts – $59.8MM
- 49ers – $43.8MM
- Titans – $35.8MM
- Texans -$35.6MM
- Bears – $24.1MM
- Jets – $21.9MM
- Bills – $19.4MM
- Jaguars – $18.6MM
- Cardinals – $18.1MM
- Redskins -$17.1MM
- Bengals – $16.8MM
- Packers – $16.2MM
- Vikings – $15.5MM
- Broncos – $14.6MM
- Patriots – $13.8MM
- Buccaneers – $12.3MM
- Cowboys -$11.9MM
- Chargers – $11.4MM
- Lions – $9.4MM
- Giants -$9.4MM
- Ravens – $8.8MM
- Seahawks – $7.6MM
- Chiefs – $6.7MM
- Saints – $5.7MM
- Panthers – $5.2MM
- Dolphins – $2.9MM
- Eagles – $2.2MM
- Steelers – $2MM
- Raiders – $1.8MM
- Falcons – $1.3MM
- Rams – $264K
Conley And Melifonwu Miss Part Of Raiders Practice
- Raiders defensive backs Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu did not participate in individual drills during the portion of the team’s Tuesday practice that was open to the media, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). Bair did note, though, that both players were out on the field with their helmets. Injuries limited the secondary duo, who were both selected in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft, to a combined seven games last season.
Raiders Looking To Add Wide Receiver Depth
- The Raiders are looking to upgrade their receiver depth and could target the position in the upcoming draft, Scott Bair of NBC Sports writes. Though it won’t likely look for a receiver at No. 10, several options like Christian Kirk and James Washington could be on the board in the second round.
Raiders To Sign CB Daryl Worley
The Raiders have agreed to sign cornerback Daryl Worley, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Worley was released by the Eagles last week following a bizarre arrest. 
According to police, Worley was found passed out inside of a car in Philadelphia at around 6am on the morning of Sunday, April 15. The cornerback was combative with the cops, who ultimately tasered him. After that, police found a gun in Worley’s possession that was not properly registered. He now faces multiple charges, including a violation of the uniform firearms act, driving under the influence, and disorderly conduct.
Worley is now on his third team of 2018. In March, the former third-round pick was shipped from the Panthers to the Eagles in the Torrey Smith trade. The defending champs did not want to wait for things to shake out in court, but the Raiders are apparently willing to take a flier on him.
The Raiders will start Gareon Conley and free agent pickup Rashaan Melvin at the main cornerback spots. Worley joins Melvin, Shareece Wright, Leon Hall, Senquez Golson, and Shaquille Richardson as newcomers to Oakland’s CB group.
In two seasons with Carolina, the West Virginia product recorded three interceptions and two sacks while starting 25 of his 31 games.
Raiders Exercise Amari Cooper’s Fifth-Year Option
No surprise here. The Raiders have exercised their fifth-year option on wide receiver Amari Cooper, per a club announcement. 
As a wide receiver taken in the top 10, Cooper’s salary for 2019 will be $13.924MM. That’s not exactly cheap, but it’s well worth it for one of the best young wide receivers in the game.
The Raiders have already begun discussing a long-term deal with Cooper’s agent. There’s mutual interest in a long-term deal, but Cooper’s reps will push for a deal that will position him as one of the highest-paid players at his position.
“We’ve been in contact with his agent,” McKenzie said. “I don’t want to put anything out there, don’t want to put the cart before the horse so to speak, but we like Amari.”
Cooper, 24 in June, was inconsistent last year and had eight games with less than 40 yards receiving. However, he was excellent in the previous two years as he averaged 78 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.