Nebraska OL Alex Lewis Visited Eagles
- Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis has logged official visits with the Cardinals, Titans, Giants, Colts, Eagles, Ravens, Lions, Bears, Packers and Saints, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/22/16
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Patriots have signed linebacker Tony Steward and long snapper Christian Yount, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Steward, whom the Bills released earlier this week, appeared in seven games and made two tackles as a sixth-round rookie last season. Yount, on the other hand, has 60 NFL games under his belt, including 48 in a row with the Browns from 2012-14.
- The Eagles have signed wide receiver T.J. Graham to a one-year contract, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Graham, who worked out for the Eagles earlier this week, came into the league as a third-round pick of the Bills in 2012 and has also logged regular-season action with the Jets and Saints. The 26-year-old caught four passes in as many games for New Orleans last season, giving him 61 receptions in 47 career contests.
- The Falcons have reached injury settlements with tight end Beau Gardner and guard Adam Replogle, both of whom had undisclosed injuries, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Gardner joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent from Northern Arizona last year, but he didn’t suit up in any games for the team. Replogle entered the league undrafted out of Indiana in 2013 and has spent his entire pro tenure with the Falcons, though he never appeared in a game with the organization.
Kenny Lawler Worked Out For Eagles
- Cal wide receiver Kenny Lawler has worked out for the Saints, Falcons, Cowboys, Eagles, and Colts in the weeks leading up to the draft, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Lawler is also believed to have met with the Titans and Jets last month.
Details On Eagles/Browns Trade
- There’s another wrinkle to the trade that saw the Eagles acquire the No. 2 overall pick —the 2017 fifth-rounder headed to Philadelphia from the Browns is conditional, per Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com (Twitter link). If the Browns get a fourth-round compensatory pick (as is expected), that selection will instead go to Philadelphia.
Bradford On The Block?
- The Jets and Broncos should call the Eagles about Sam Bradford, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines. With Bradford’s $11MM signing bonus already earned, another team could theoretically trade for the QB and pay him $24MM on a two-year deal with just $7MM in 2016. That $7MM salary is the same amount as what Denver wants to pay Kaepernick and the same sum the Jets want to give to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Of course, the Eagles might not be thrilled about the idea of trading Bradford after having picked up a significant portion of the check on him.
- While Bradford is a good guy, the fact that two teams he has played for have made massive trades to take a top two quarterback is not a resume builder, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Cole reported earlier tonight that Bradford may ask for a trade from the Eagles.
- The Eagles’ trade for the No. 2 pick is a reminder that Washington has been wise to seek quarterback help in the past even when they seemed set at the position, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. In 2012, Washington drafted Kirk Cousins even though they appeared to have a future star in RGIII. Even though Cousins is installed as the starter now, Keim believes that Washington should get some insurance by drafting developmental QB.
- The Eagles/Browns trade could have a trickle-down effect on the Jets‘ quarterback plans, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Cimini believes that the Jets were previously interested in making a move for one of the top quarterbacks and using Muhammad Wilkerson as trade bait, but the cost of moving from No. 20 to No. 2 was unrealistic. The Jets could now miss out on the draft’s third-best quarterback prospect in Paxton Lynch since the Browns could target him at No. 8. The Jets could turn to the next tier of QBs including Michigan State’s Connor Cook and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Cimini hears that Gang Green likes Hackenberg. Meanwhile, the Jets allowed Hoyer to leave his visit without a deal and the team could be putting themselves in jeopardy if they don’t retain Fitzpatrick.
Sam Bradford Likely To Request Trade?
Following the Eagles’ trade to acquire the No. 2 overall pick — and their probable intent to select a quarterback — incumbent starting QB Sam Bradford is likely to request a trade out of Philadelphia, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Yesterday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Bradford was unhappy with the Eagles’ decision to move up. “He’s hot,” said the source, who spoke with Bradford. “Who wouldn’t be? This is Philly saying, ‘We don’t see (you) as long-term answer.’ He’s mad and wants to show everyone who’s best.’’
Bradford might even be willing to take a paycut to leave the Eagles, according to Cole, who says that Bradford would like to join a team that views him as the long-term answer at quarterback. Philadelphia, meanwhile, would like to have a short-term option at quarterback to bridge the gap until the rookie they choose at No. 2 is ready. Luckily, the club signed Chase Daniel last month, and he could presumably serve as that stopgap.
If the Eagles did trade Bradford, they’d take on a $11MM dead money charge in 2016. Setting aside any possible paycut Bradford might take, an acquiring team would be on the hook for his $7MM base salary in 2016 and his $13MM base salary in 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Fallout From Eagles/Browns Trade
On Wednesday morning, the Eagles acquired the No. 2 pick from the Browns and opinions are split on whether it was a wise move for Philly. Quarterback Sam Bradford is one person who’s not a fan of the deal for the Eagles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes (via Facebook):
“He’s hot,” said one source who spoke with Bradford. “Who wouldn’t be? This is Philly saying, ‘We don’t see (you) as long-term answer.’ He’s mad and wants to show everyone who’s best.’’
Here’s a look at the fallout from the trade for both the Eagles and the Browns:
- Eagles GM Howie Roseman told reporters that Bradford will be the Eagles’ quarterback in 2016, though the team will be selecting a QB at No. 2 (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer). This offseason, the Eagles gave Bradford a new deal which gives him $22MM fully guaranteed over the next two years while signing Chase Daniel to a contract that will give him $12MM guaranteed.
- Paxton Lynch is a quarterback to watch for Cleveland, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While the Browns could target Lynch at No. 8, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (on Twitter) notes that coach Hue Jackson did not attend Memphis’ pro day.
- One rival GM tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that he doesn’t think the Browns are done trading. That GM believes that the Browns will try and acquire even more picks from this point forward.
- The Browns announced that the 2017 fourth-round pick they gave up in the deal with the Eagles is conditional, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. That means that the Eagles will be receiving the Browns’ latest fourth-round pick next year.
- Mike Florio of PFT noted that the two teams that orchestrated the Nick Foles/Bradford deal are now controlling the top of the draft.
Eagles Acquire No. 2 Pick From Browns
The Eagles and Browns have agreed to a trade that will send the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft to Philadelphia, the Eagles announced today (via Twitter). Along with the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, the Eagles will get a 2017 fourth-round pick from the Browns.
In exchange, the Browns will receive the Eagles’ 2016 first-rounder (No. 8 overall), a third-round pick (No. 77), a fourth-round pick (No. 100), a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick.
[RELATED: Rams acquire No. 1 pick from Titans]
The Eagles did a ton of homework in recent weeks on all of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, with owner Jeffrey Lurie joining the team’s top football decision-makers during meetings and workouts. While some observers believed Philadelphia’s apparent interest in a QB was a smoke screen, it seems that interest was genuine.
With the Rams believed to be leaning toward taking California QB Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick, the Eagles are “all but assured” of drafting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Assuming Wentz is the pick, he’ll join Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel in a crowded Eagles’ quarterback picture. Bradford is on a short-term deal, which doesn’t include much guaranteed money beyond 2016, so the former No. 1 overall pick may not have much of a future in Philadelphia.
Although the Eagles didn’t have a second-round pick to trade this year as a result of 2015’s Bradford swap, the team was able to move up from No. 13 to No. 8 in a trade with the Dolphins involving Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso. That deal allowed Philadelphia to put an offer on the table for the Browns that gave Cleveland the opportunity to stay within the top 10 in 2016 while adding multiple mid-round selections in 2016 and early-round picks in 2017 and 2018.
Having moved from No. 2 to No. 8, the Browns could still take a quarterback in the first round if they really love a player like Paxton Lynch or even Connor Cook. But it appears the franchise decided that securing a boatload of additional picks was more important than using that No. 2 overall selection on Goff or Wentz. For now, that leaves Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in the mix for the starting QB job in Cleveland, though the Browns figure to add a signal-caller at some point during the draft.
The deal is probably good news for other clubs drafting in the top six, with the possible exception of the Cowboys — the Chargers, Jaguars, and Ravens are now free to target the best non-quarterbacks in the draft, knowing that Goff and Wentz figure to come off the board within the top two picks. Reports had suggested that Dallas might be interested in one of those top two QBs, but it now appears that Jerry Jones‘ club should have its choice of top defensive prospects – including perhaps Jalen Ramsey – at No. 4.
With eight days remaining until the 2016 draft gets underway, the top two picks have now been dealt, and both teams trading out of those top spots are being run by new general managers. Time will tell whether Jon Robinson of the Titans and Sashi Brown of the Browns made the right calls, but they certainly weren’t reluctant to make major splashes within months of being hired.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Robinson On Why Eagles Could Trade Up To No. 2
In the wake of Alex Marvez’s report about what the parameters of an Eagles trade for the No. 2 overall pick would look like, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports explains why Philadelphia may be willing to part with several picks to move up and land a quarterback.
While the Eagles haven’t made any decisions yet, the team doesn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to secure a franchise QB. Even with Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel under contract, Philadelphia is in position to make a move for Carson Wentz or Jared Goff, since Bradford could be cut after one year with limited financial repercussions, and Daniel is essentially earning elite-backup money.
Browns Actively Shopping No. 2 Overall Pick
6:30pm: A deal between the Browns and Eagles would see the two teams swap the second and eighth overall picks this year, with the Eagles adding a pair of third-round selections in 2016 and first- and third-rounders in 2017, reports FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez (on Twitter).
10:08am: The Browns have engaged in trade talks involving the No. 2 selection, and a team source telling Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links) that there’s interest in that pick. However, Schefter notes that it remains “uncertain” – in the words of one team official – whether Cleveland will eventually make a trade.
TUESDAY, 9:33am: The Browns are actively shopping the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, initiating calls to other teams further down in the top 10, says Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has been hearing the same thing, with a source confirming to her that the Eagles, at No. 8, are a potential trade partner for the Browns.
MONDAY, 5:41pm: An NFC general manager tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that, following the Rams trade to acquire the first overall pick, the Browns now hold the most valuable pick in the draft at No. 2. We’ve heard before that Cleveland is likely willing to trade down, and Cole points to the 49ers, Eagles, and Jets as clubs that could be interested in moving up to No. 2 with the intent of selecting a quarterback.
[RELATED: Titans working to trade back into top 10?]
Peter King of the MMQB.com also sheds some light on the situation, relaying that he’s also heard the Browns are trying to trade back in the draft. “Cleveland’s active, doing their due diligence,” one executive told King, which makes it seem as though the Browns are open to a bevy of scenarios. Like Cole, King also points to the Eagles and Jets as possible suitors for the second pick, and adds the Cowboys as a team that might consider moving ahead in order to land its quarterback of the future.
But the Browns could pass on a quarterback even if they stay at No. 2, and King believes the team’s decision-makers have internally discussed that option. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, appearing today on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, said he thinks Sashi Brown & Co. were going to bypass a QB even before the Rams moved up to No. 1, arguing that the Browns want to build up the rest of their roster before investing in a signal-caller. Additionally, per King, Browns head coach Hue Jackson is confident that he can not only revitalize the career of Robert Griffin III, but find a suitable quarterback prospect in the second round.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.