HEADLINES

Commanders Add 11 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 11:35am CST by Sam Robinson

TODAY, 11:35am: The Commanders have made a late addition to their UDFA class. According to Nicki Jhabvala, the team has signed Notre Dame linebacker Bo Bauer. The rookie is expected to compete for a spot on defense and a spot as a long snapper.

WEDNESDAY, 9:00am: The first Adam Peters-Dan Quinn UDFA group has surfaced. Here is the result of the Commanders’ post-draft signing period:

Rated as the 12th-best QB prospect in this draft (per ESPN’s Scouts Inc.), Hartman will join a team that selected the No. 2 player at this position. The Commanders now have Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel, Jake Fromm and Hartman on their 90-man roster. Neither Driskel nor Fromm is tied to any guaranteed money; Hartman outranks the two vets, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating the team gave the Notre Dame alum a $225K base salary guarantee. Prior to transferring in 2023, Hartman put up big numbers at Wake Forest, producing 38- and 39-touchdown pass seasons to close out his Demon Deacons career. Piloting Notre Dame to a 10-3 record last season, Hartman threw 24 TD passes, eight INTs and averaged a career-best 8.9 yards per attempt.

Washington is going further to bring in Anusiem. The Colorado State product drew interest from around half the league, per Pelissero, who adds the Commanders are giving him a $300K base salary guarantee and a $50K signing bonus. This gives Anusiem a boost toward sticking around as a UDFA. After four years at Cal, Anusiem was a two-season regular with the Rams.

The team is allocating $245K to Owens, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, in the form of a base salary guarantee and $25K signing bonus. Only working as a full-time starter in one of his five college seasons (spent at Texas and Texas Tech), Jones played both safety and in the slot last season. He joins a team that lost Kamren Curl from its safety depth chart in March.

Jones and Wiley join a team that lost Antonio Gibson this offseason. After signing Austin Ekeler, Washington did not draft a running back. Brian Robinson and 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez remain on the roster. Neither Jones nor Wiley topped 800 yards rushing in a season during a combined 10 years in the Pac-12. A Stanford transfer, Jones rushed for 477 yards alongside MarShawn Lloyd for the Trojans last season. Jones, who gained 705 on the ground in Lincoln Riley’s USC debut, rejoins 2023 Trojans assistant Kliff Kingsbury in Washington.

Raiders Add 17 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

After adding eight rookies via the draft, the Raiders are continuing to add young players to their roster. The team announced that they’ve signed 17 undrafted free agents:

Carter Bradley is one of the most notable names on the list, as the QB tossed 47 touchdowns for South Alabama between 2022 and 2023. The Raiders needed to pay up to add the rookie to their roster. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Bradley will earn a $25K signing bonus plus $100K in guaranteed base salary. The front office also gave significant chunks of cash to two undrafted offensive linemen. Furman guard Jake Johanning got a $25K signing bonus and $75K of his base salary guaranteed (via Wilson) while TCU tackle Andrew Coker got a $20K signing bonus and $75K of his salary guaranteed (via Wilson).

On defense, the Raiders gave Ron Stone a $20K signing bonus and $150K in guaranteed base salary (per Wilson). The Washington State product wrapped up his college career with a 2023 campaign where he compiled five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, Maryland cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard got a $25K signing bonus and a whopping $205K of his base salary guaranteed (via Wilson). Sheppard finished his lone season with the Terrapins with 31 tackles and eight passes defended.

Seahawks Sign 16 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 8:30am CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks front office has had a busy week. In addition to signing first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy to his rookie contract, the organization has added 16 undrafted rookies to the roster:

A handful of Seattle’s UDFAs earned notable bonuses. After compiling 2,993 yards and 21 touchdowns at Boise State over the past three years, running back George Holani got a $15K signing bonus and $100K of his base salary guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Elsewhere on offense, Jack Westover earned a $25K signing bonus and $50K guaranteed on his salary, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The Washington tight end was a productive member of the offense over the past two years, hauling in 77 catches for 775 yards and five touchdowns. South Dakota State offensive lineman Garret Greenfield got the most guaranteed money of the bunch. Wilson notes that the rookie got $195K in guaranteed money, including a $20K signing bonus.

On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks paid of a pair of undrafted defensive linemen. After collecting 17 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Houston, Nelson Ceaser got $110K guaranteed, including a $10K signing bonus, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Grambling State’s Sunny Anderson got the same guarantees to catch on with Seattle, per Wilson.

Dolphins, WR Odell Beckham Jr. Agree To Deal

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins’ long-anticipated receiver addition is set to take place. Miami has agreed to terms with Odell Beckham Jr., Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.

Team and player have long been linked in this case, and the post-draft wave of free agency has now produced an agreement. While an April report suggested Beckham could turn down Dolphins interest due to his asking price, he has in fact taken a deal worth far less than his 2023 Ravens pact.

Rapoport reports this one-year deal is worth up to $8.25MM. The base value, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, is $3MM. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald adds the team was not prepared to raise its offer in terms of guaranteed compensation, but incentives led to this agreement.

The three-time Pro Bowler joined Baltimore on a pact featuring $15MM guaranteed, a surprising figure considering the missed time which preceded it. Beckham had his most productive campaign since 2019 last year (35 receptions, 565 yards), and his 16.1 yards per catch average was the highest mark of his career. An increase in volume will no doubt lower the latter figure, but Beckham is in position to fill Miami’s stated desire for a capable third receiving option.

Not long after the 31-year-old visited the Dolphins in March, a mutual interest was reported to exist. That was confirmed in short order when Miami submitted an offer to Beckham, though Rapoport notes he had more lucrative options on the table. In the end, however, the former Rams Super Bowl winner has accepted the chance to work in a complementary role to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Those two will command a large share of Miami’s targets, but the team lost Cedrick Wilson Jr. in free agency, leaving slot receiver/returner Braxton Berrios as the lone in-house depth WR option featuring much experience. A veteran of 110 games, Beckham will certainly help in that department. A strong season would also boost his market value on a new Dolphins pact or interest from outside teams in 2025.

Miami entered Friday with just over $2.9MM in cap space, so this deal (along with signing the team’s rookie class) will eat up much of the remaining funds available for the time being. Cap space brought about by Xavien Howard‘s release will become available after June 1, but the Dolphins have already accomplished a key secondary roster-building goal with this agreement.

No Expected Restrictions For Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Ely Allen

Aaron Rodgers‘ debut playing for any team other than the Packers last year could not have gone any worse, ending only four snaps into the Jets’ season-opener with a torn Achilles tendon. What followed was weeks and weeks of will-he-won’t-he for a 2023 comeback.

In the end, despite several months of speculation on whether or not Rodgers would succeed in rushing back from what most consider to be a season-ending injury, Rodgers would be resigned to the sideline for the remainder of the 2023 season. He had seemingly proven his point, improving his health well enough to be activated off of injured reserve, but the coaching staff opted not to play him, keeping future seasons in mind.

That future season now appears on the horizon. With phase three of the offseason, consisting of 10 organized team activities practices, starting in two weeks, Rodgers is reportedly expected to come in with no restrictions, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Head coach Robert Saleh expanded on that report, saying, “Once phase three hits, we’re not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can’t do with him.”

In addition, Cimini reports that rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Travis won’t be ready as soon but should be healthy enough to participate by training camp. The backup quarterback out of Florida State is coming off a brutal ankle injury that many believe cost the Seminoles a spot in the College Football Playoff last year.

Luckily, the team isn’t relying on Travis to be ready as a rookie. After last year’s disaster and subsequent quarterback struggles, the team signed a major improvement at backup quarterback in veteran Tyrod Taylor. Taylor will likely join Rodgers for OTAs, as will undrafted rookie Peewee Jarrett out of West Florida who became the first Argonauts quarterback in school history to throw for over 5,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards. Those three arms should be plenty until Travis can join the group for training camp later in the summer.

49ers GM John Lynch: ‘We’re Past’ Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Trade Talks

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Leading up to the draft and through the event’s first round in particular, the possibility of a 49ers receiver being dealt was a major talking point around the league. No deals materialized, though, and general manager John Lynch now considers the matter closed regarding any discussions in at least the near future.

“During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely they do,” Lynch said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News). “We’re past that now.

“We’re thrilled to add to that group (of) Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and now you add Ricky Pearsall, Jake Cowing. We made an already strong group even stronger.”

San Francisco looked for a pick in the middle of the first round in any potential Aiyuk trade, but no offers of that caliber came in. The team ultimately stayed in place by keeping him and retaining the No. 31 pick, but using it on Pearsall raised eyebrows. Aiyuk has been tied to trade rumors based on his contract status, whereas moving Samuel could help make an Aiyuk extension (along with one for quarterback Brock Purdy down the road) more feasible.

For that reason, Samuel has also drawn trade interest recently. However, Lynch confirmed that after the draft’s first round had concluded, San Francisco did not give consideration to a trade involving Day 2 or 3 capital. That leaves Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings (who is also entering a contract year) in place as the team attempts to keep as many skill-position contributors in the fold as possible. Aiyuk is set to play out his fifth-year option, valued at $14.12MM, in 2024; a long-term deal will check in at a much larger price regardless of which team it comes from.

Aiyuk and the 49ers are not believed to be close on extension talks, and the 26-year-old has publicly made his frustrations known. Samuel is on the books for two more years, meanwhile, but his $16.6MM 2025 base salary is not guaranteed. Especially with Pearsall now in the picture, future movement at the WR spot will no doubt be a source of questions and speculation for San Francisco. For now, though, the Aiyuk-Samuel-Jennings trio is set to remain intact.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/3/24

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Our first draft pick signings post for rookies taken in the third round or later:

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pratt was the final of 11 quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL Draft last week. A four-year starter for the Green Wave, Pratt was named first-team All-AAC and the AAC Offensive Player of the year in 2023, despite failing to recreate his breakout numbers from 2022 of 27 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions with 10 more scores on the ground. He’ll compete with last year’s fifth-round pick, Sean Clifford, and Alex McGough for backup duties behind Jordan Love.

King was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions, forgoing his senior year of football for the NFL draft. He failed to reach the success of his sophomore season, in which he tallied 21 passes defensed and three interceptions, but showed enough as a junior to warrant a late-round selection. He’s listed by the Packers as a cornerback but has the potential to add to the entire secondary’s depth as many teams saw him as a safety at the next level.

Wilson was one of two transfer wide receivers to lead the Seminoles’ offense last year, spending his first two years at Arizona State before transferring to Tallahassee. Like the two players above, his best season came in 2022, when he caught 43 balls for 897 yards and five touchdowns. After the arrival of Bills new wideout Keon Coleman last year, Wilson’s contributions lessened to 41-617-2. Wilson provides the Eagles with a massive 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame that he doesn’t always play up to but could create a number of mismatches with at the NFL level. Some thought Wilson may be a tight end as a pro, but Philadelphia has plenty of depth at the position, which could allow them to try and continue developing Wilson as a receiver as a rookie.

Eagles Sign Seven UDFA Rookies

May 3rd, 2024 at 9:28pm CST by Ely Allen

After addressing several positions of need in their nine-man draft class, the Eagles have expanded their rookie class to 16 men. The seven undrafted rookie free agents joining the drafted players are:

*Roster exemption for International Player Pathway Program

Just like they were able to do with many of their draft picks, the Eagles were able to add some major value throughout the undrafted free agent class. Tackle was a position of need that the Eagles were unable to address through the draft, though they did sign former Jets first-round tackle Mekhi Becton to come in as a swing tackle last weekend. Here, they add three more young prospects to the position in Ayedze, Dankwah, and Vakalahi.

All three represent giant, inexperienced projects to the position room. Dankwah, 6-foot-8, 349 pounds, was selected to the All-MEAC first team in each of the last two years despite making only five starts in 2022. The Canada-native is not alone as an international addition as Vakalahi, 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, comes from Brisbane, Australia. Despite zero athletic experience in the past two years as he completed his mission service in Wellington, New Zealand, Vakalahi was discovered when Eagles international scout Chris Naeole walked past Vakalahi’s father, also a large man, while Vakalahi’s parents were vacationing in Hawai’i.

Castles caught five touchdowns for the Volunteers as a graduate transfer after time at both Cal and UC Davis. He was mainly an in-line blocker at Tennessee, but with a 6-foot-4, 244 pound frame and a basketball background, Castles could certainly find a place on an NFL roster if he improves his abilities as a receiver.

It was a surprise to see Hall go undrafted. Ranked by Dane Brugler of The Athletic as the 11th-best defensive tackle and a projected fourth-round pick, Hall somehow fell out of all seven rounds. He doesn’t play with a ton of consistency but could prove impactful as a rotational player should he make the 53-man roster.

Though the Bulldogs were led in rushing yards by Daijun Edwards (880), Milton wasn’t far behind (790) and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 14. Milton is a thumper who could find an impact as a short-yardage or goal-line back, but his significant health issues throughout college prove a major hurdle to overcome moving forward.

Sam led the Tigers in interceptions (3) as another graduate transfer. He spent his first five years of college at McNeese State followed by a season at Marshall. He initially announced he would transfer from Marshall to Tulane before switching to LSU, where he would start all 13 games for the Tigers last year. Though he plays the physical role of a strong, box safety, he has more of the size of a smaller free safety and may have to find a role on special teams in order to make the roster in Philadelphia.

Seahawks Sign First-Round DT Byron Murphy

May 3rd, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens broke the seal on signing some of their drafted players to rookie contracts yesterday, now the Seahawks follow close behind. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Seattle was one of the quicker teams to do the same, signing first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy to his rookie deal today. Murphy’s deal is the standard four years with a fifth-year option worth $16.08MM that will be fully guaranteed.

Murphy was the first defensive tackle taken off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft and the only one of his position taken in the first round. There was an early run at defensive tackle in the second round with four taken in the first seven picks of Day 2 and seven taken overall in the second round. Thanks to an historic run of offensive players to open the draft, though, only Murphy will be provided the fifth-year option granted to players drafted on Day 1.

The position’s top prospect left Austin after only his first year as a full-time starter his junior season. Over his three-year career with the Longhorns, Murphy compiled eight sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss, with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss coming in 2023. His efforts last year earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors and second-team All-American honors. He brings to Seattle an explosive first step and a competitive drive worthy of his first-round draft status.

The Seahawks will likely see him compete for snaps early on a defensive line that returns starters Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones, and Leonard Williams, who re-signed with the team after being acquired at the trade deadline last year. Williams is a permanent fixture in the starting lineup, while Reed and Jones both had strong 2023 seasons.

Murphy is talented enough to push for starting time in place of Reed or Jones immediately. Even if he doesn’t immediately supplant one of the two as a full-time starter, defensive linemen rotate more than most other positions based on snap counts and situational matchups. Murphy should factor into the Seahawks’ defensive front early and often as a rookie, pushing the starters for playing time if he doesn’t become a starter himself by Week 1.

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