AFC Notes: Allen, Gipson, Raiders, Heuerman
After tight end Dwayne Allen didn’t initally report to the Colts‘ voluntary offseason program, a text message from head coach Chuck Pagano was enough to get him to show up, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star outlines. Allen is heading into a contract year and figures to seek a new deal with the team.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Browns cornerback Joe Haden acknowledged that fellow defensive back Tashaun Gipson is upset about the contract tender he received from the team, but said Gipson will be in attendance for Cleveland’s mandatory minicamp and training camp (Twitter link via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com).
- The Raiders seem unsatisfied with their safety depth, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. Oakland gave an offer sheet to restricted free agent Sean Richardson earlier in the offseason, but the Packers matched to retain him. Then, this week, Oakland put a waiver claim in on D.J. Swearinger but they were behind the Bucs (and the Jags, who also placed a claim) in the pecking order. The Raiders do have some quality depth at the position, but their actions have made it clear that they want more.
- Broncos rookie tight end Jeff Heuerman hasn’t signed yet but he eventually will, despite his knee injury, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Recently, the Jaguars completed their deal with Dante Fowler Jr. after the No. 3 overall pick suffered his own season-ending injury.
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com is excited to see what diamonds in the rough might emerge at the Chargers‘ rookie minicamp after last year produced Branden Oliver, Tenny Palepoi, and Chris Davis.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Draft Signings: Chiefs, Cards, Titans, Jags
Teams around the NFL continue to lock up their 2015 draft picks, and while we’ll dedicate full posts when first- or second-rounders sign their rookie contracts, we’ll pass along mid-to-late-round signings in round-up posts like this one. Here are the latest draft pick signings from around the league, with all salary info via Over The Cap:
- The Chiefs have signed third-round receiver Chris Conley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Conley, the 76th overall pick earlier this month, is one of two key additions – along with Jeremy Maclin – to Kansas City’s new-look receiving corps, which will look to reach the end zone at least once in 2015.
- Mr. Irrelevant, 256th overall pick Gerald Christian, has signed his rookie contract with the Cardinals, per Wilson (via Twitter). Even as the final seventh-rounder to come off the board, the former Louisville tight end did significantly better than he would have as an undrafted free agent, securing a signing bonus worth about $53K.
- The Titans have agreed to terms with three more of their draft picks, locking up fourth-round defensive tackle Angelo Blackson, sixth-round center Andy Gallik, and seventh-round receiver Tre McBride, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. The club still has to sign five of its nine draftees, including second overall pick Marcus Mariota.
- The Jaguars have signed a pair of draftees to their rookie deals today, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com, who reports (via Twitter) that fourth-round safety James Sample and seventh-round wideout Neal Sterling are now under contract. Sample and Sterling will receive respective signing bonuses worth about $549K and $78K.
- The Raiders announced (on Twitter) that they have signed a pair of seventh-round draft picks in wide receiver Andre Debose and tackle Anthony Morris.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eight Teams Placed Claims On Swearinger
The Buccaneers, the team with the top waiver priority this offseason, were awarded D.J. Swearinger on waivers yesterday after the safety was cut on Monday by the Texans. A report earlier today indicated that the Jets also submitted a waiver claim for Swearinger, but Tampa Bay and New York were far from the only clubs involved.
According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), a total of eight teams placed a claim on Swearinger. In addition to the Bucs and Jets, the Jaguars, Raiders, Falcons, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens all put in claims for the former Texan, says Yates. The Browns were also believed to have interest in Swearinger, but they – and perhaps other potential suitors – must have been hoping he’d clear waivers and become a free agent.
Since Swearinger was a second-round pick in 2013, his rookie contract still has two years left on it, and is fairly reasonable, featuring base salaries of about $722K and $881K for 2015 and 2016, respectively. That’s an affordable flier for virtually any NFL team to take, which explains why so many clubs placed waiver claims rather than waiting for Swearinger to become a free agent.
Presumably, those eight teams that put in claims were fonder of Swearinger’s performance in 2014 than Pro Football Focus was, or at least view him as a player who has the potential to improve. According to PFF (subscription required), Swearinger allowed opposing quarterbacks to compile a 99.2 passer rating to go along with five touchdowns on 59 passes into his coverage last season. Overall, he ranked as the league’s 78th-best safety out of 87 qualified players.
While Swearinger drew plenty of interest on waivers, it doesn’t appear that any of those teams were willing to give up anything of real value for him, since the Texans reportedly tried to trade the safety before cutting him.
Minor Moves: Tuesday Night
We rounded up some minor transactions earlier today, and we have a new group here for Tuesday night..
- The Patriots have signed linebacker Dekoda Watson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Watson was let go by the Cowboys just days ago. Watson has spent time with the Bucs, Jaguars, and Cowboys over the course of his career and played in 70 games.
- The Broncos claimed receiver/return man Solomon Patton off waivers from the Bucs, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. The Broncos also claimed Jags tight end Marcel Jensen earlier today.
- The Lions released UDFA running back Rasheed Williams, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
- The Seahawks signed linebacker Tyrell Adams and fullback Brandon Cottom, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). To make room, Seattle waived lineman Nate Isles and terminated the contract of lineman C.J. Davis. Adams and Cottom were each tryout players at Seahawks’ rookie mini-camp over the weekend.
- Safety Thomas Gordon, waived by the Giants yesterday, cleared waivers and is now on their reserve/injured list, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
- Wide receiver Austin Hill, who did not pass a physical to sign with Seahawks, was signed today by the Raiders, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). To make room, the Raiders waived fellow wide receiver Milton Williams, a Delaware State product, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
AFC Notes: Kraft, Broncos, Ravens, Bills
As Ben Volin of The Boston Globe notes (on Twitter), Patriots owner Robert Kraft is one of three owners on the NFL Compensation Committee, which determines commissioner Roger Goodell’s pay. The other two owners on that committee are Arthur Blank and Jerry Richardson. One unidentified NFL owner told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (TwitLonger link) that he thinks the relationship between Kraft and Goodell is “pretty much dead” in the wake of DeflateGate, so that will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on going forward.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Broncos are looking at tight ends in the wake of Jeff Heuerman‘s knee injury, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets. Legwold could envision Denver signing a tight end this week, even as soon as today or Wednesday.
- The Ravens aren’t expected to be too active on the free agent market now that veteran signings no longer affect the compensatory draft pick formula, but sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking predict Baltimore will try to add a cornerback through free agency or a trade, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. One possible option for the Ravens could be former Patriot Kyle Arrington, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun outlines.
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com examines the Bills‘ backfield, where the running back depth chart is getting crowded. While LeSean McCoy is locked in for a roster spot, the team figures to have to cut at least one player – and maybe two – from a group that features Fred Jackson, Boobie Dixon, Bryce Brown, and rookie Karlos Williams.
- Free agent wide receiver James Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that he was really surprised the Raiders released him. Oakland let Jones go earlier this month.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
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.
Raiders Sign Amari Cooper
MAY 11: Cooper’s deal with the Raiders is for four years. It includes $22.7MM in guaranteed money and a $14.8MM signing bonus, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link)
MAY 7: The Raiders announced that they have signed first-round pick Amari Cooper, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Oakland selected Cooper, believed by many to be the best wide receiver in this year’s class, with the No. 4 overall pick.
As Daniel Brown of the Mercury News notes, both GM Reggie McKenzie and coach Jack Del Rio described the Alabama star as “polished” numerous times on draft day. Cooper doesn’t just come with high upside, he comes with the ability to make a major impact right out of the gate in Oakland. His skills have impressed the best of the best, including Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.
“If you know nothing about football, you might not see that he’s mature beyond his years,” Biletnikoff, 72, told Brown. “But he’s a step ahead when it comes to the things required to be a receiver. The way he runs his routes, catches balls, gets open. He can do it against man-to-man coverage or press or zone. This guy is not one-dimensional. “He can line up inside, outside, right or left and do a good job wherever he is. Jack and Reggie and the staff were dead on when they talked about him.”
In 2014, Cooper hauled in 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 TDs across 14 games.
Minor Moves: Sunday
Today’s minor moves…
- Former Alabama and Winston-Salem State quarterback Phillip Sims has agreed to a deal with the Cardinals after he participated in the club’s rookie tryout, according to Matt Zenitz of the Alabama Media Group (Twitter link).
- After working out with the Raiders over the weekend, Emporia State receiver Austin Willis has signed a contract with the team, tweets Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com. Emporia State, a Division II school located in Kansas, also produced former Cowboy Leon Lett.
Earlier updates:
- After holding their rookie minicamp this weekend, the Lions have decided to offer three players contracts, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (all Twitter links). Safety Nathan Lindsey (Fort Hays State), receiver Erik Lora (Eastern Illinois), and receiver Jarred Haggins (Florida State) all scored deals with Detroit.
- The Colts have signed running back Abou Toure, reports Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (via Twitter). The Tennessee-Martin (and Utah State) product had previously been signed to a tryout contract. As a senior, Toure ran for 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns.
- The Colts have also waived outside linebacker Terrell Hartsfield, reports Holder. The rookie was signed as an undrafted free agent last week. The former Cincinnati Bearcat compiled nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss last season.
- The Giants have signed running back Kenny Harper, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Temple product ran for 1,113 yards and 17 touchdowns on 269 attempts during his four-year career.
- The Falcons offered a contract to offensive tackle Matt Huffer, Wilson reports (via Twitter). The former South Dakota Coyote tried out for Atlanta last week.
AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Raiders, Dolphins, Texans
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting notes from the AFC…
- The Chiefs appear content with their current roster and aren’t eyeing any current free agents, says Adam Teicher. Of course, injuries could quickly alter the team’s plans.
- Meanwhile, Teicher can understand the connection between the organization and free agent wideout James Jones (particularly the receiver’s relationship with Chiefs general manager John Dorsey), but he’s uncertain the team will pursue the veteran.
- Had James Jones remained with the Raiders, Bill Williamson believes the wideout would have affected “the long-term progress of the group.” While the team’s selection of Amari Cooper seemed like a natural explanation for Jones’ release, Williamson instead points to the Raiders’ acquisition of Michael Crabtree.
- The draft was the Dolphins‘ “final chance” to acquire an impact linebacker, opines James Walker. Since the team did not draft a player at the position, the writer says the team will be forced to “coach up” backups Chris McCain and Spencer Paysinger.
- Tania Ganguli says it was “not necessarily” a mistake by the Texans to not select a tight end in the draft. Instead of going after someone like Maxx Williams, the organization selected the best available player in the first round, and then they addressed critical needs with their later picks.
Raiders Sign 14 Undrafted FAs
The Raiders have signed 14 undrafted free agents to their roster, adding them in time for rookie minicamp, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the complete list, via the team:
- Rob Daniel, CB, BYU
- Quinterrius Eatmon, OL, South Florida
- Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada
- Jacoby Hale, LB, Utah
- Jimmy Hall, S, Northwestern
- Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State
- Gabe Holmes, TE, Purdue
- Gus Johnson, RB, Stephen F. Austin
- Tevin McDonald, S, Eastern Washington
- Braylon Mitchell, LB, Arkansas
- Leon Orr, DT, Florida
- Terrell Pinson, S, Louisiana Tech
- Josh Shirley, LB, UNLV ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Milton Williams, WR, Delaware State