Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/21
Today’s minor transactions:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Eric Saubert
- Released: RB Jeremy Cox
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB DeMarkus Acy
- Waived: TE Charles Jones, P Corliss Waitman
Despite bouncing around the NFL over the past four years, Saubert has put together a solid career as a blocking tight end. In stints with the Falcons, Bears, and Jaguars, the 27-year-old has appeared in 40 games (five starts), hauling in 10 receptions for 85 yards. Cox joined the Broncos last offseason, and he ultimately appeared in seven games, although the majority of his playing time came on special teams.
That Steelers trio has combined for only four career appearances (all via Jones). Acy joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent last year, but he ultimately spent most of the season with the Seahawks.
Steelers Decline Terrell Edmunds’ Option
On Monday morning, the Bills picked up Tremaine Edmunds‘ fifth-year option. However, the Steelers won’t do the same for his older bro. Pittsburgh has declined the fifth-year option for safety Terrell Edmunds (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
Edmunds’ fifth-year would have cost a fully-guaranteed $6.753MM. Apparently, that was too steep for the Steelers, even though Edmunds has been improving with each year. All in all, he’s suited up in 47 games for the Steelers with 43 starts. Last year, he finished with two interceptions, eight passes defensed, and one sack.
Edmunds is now the third Steeler to have his extra year turned down, following older first-rounders Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns. Meanwhile, they’ve already exercised Minkah Fitzpatrick’s option, locking him in for $10.6MM in 2022.
Steelers Sign 8 UDFAs
The Steelers drafted nine players over the weekend, but they weren’t done shopping. On Sunday, the Steelers announced the signings of eight undrafted free agents:
- WR Rico Bussey (Hawaii)
- WR Isaiah McKoy (Kent State)
- S Lamont Wade (Penn State)
- S Donovan Stiner (Florida)
- CB Shakur Brown (Michigan State)
- CB Mark Gilbert (Duke)
- LB Jamar Watson (Kentucky)
- LB Calvin Bundage (Oklahoma State)
Brown is among the more notable players in this bunch. After earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, Brown declared early with the expectation that’d be selected in Round 4 or 5. Instead, he watched as 250+ players heard their names called. Still, he’s likely secured a better-than-average UDFA signing bonus from the Steelers. Last year, Brown notched five interceptions in just seven games. For his Spartan career, Brown finished with 54 stops, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, 16 pass defenses, and one touchdown across 26 games.
2021 NFL Draft Results By Round
The 2021 NFL Draft is here! We’ll be keeping tabs here, from pick No. 1 through No. 259:
Round 1
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
4) Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida)
5) Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR (LSU)
6) Miami Dolphins (from Eagles): Jaylen Waddle, WR (Alabama)
7) Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT (Oregon)
8) Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina)
9) Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys): DeVonta Smith, WR (Alabama)
11) Chicago Bears (from Giants): Justin Fields, QB (Ohio State)
12) Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers via Dolphins via Eagles): Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
16) Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa)
17) Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
18) Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, DL (Miami)
19) Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB (Kentucky)
20) New York Giants (from Bears): Kadarius Toney, WR (Florida)
21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DL (Michigan)
22) Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Seahawks via Jets): Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
27) Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnes0ta)
28) New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE (Houston)
29) Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
30) Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami)
31) Baltimore Ravens (from Chiefs): Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, LB (Washington)
2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:
[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)
Draft Notes: Fields, Giants, Saints, Cowboys
Penei Sewell loomed as the Panthers‘ first-round target, but when the Lions selected the Oregon tackle, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the team moved into a Jaycee Horn-vs.-Justin Fields debate. The Panthers’ need at cornerback — in a division featuring the likes of Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — helped steer them to Horn. Fields, who went three picks later after the Bears traded up for him, was in the mix. The Panthers did not want to force a quarterback investment, Breer adds. While GM Scott Fitterer indicated the Panthers could take a quarterback even after trading for Sam Darnold, the team expressed considerable interest in Deshaun Watson prior to off-field issues squashing his trade market. A Fields pick would have made revisiting that pursuit more difficult. It cannot be assumed the embattled Texans quarterback will be available anytime soon, but the Panthers did not take themselves out of a potential market Thursday night.
Entering Round 2, here is the draft latest:
- The Eagles were correct in assuming the Giants were planning to select DeVonta Smith at No. 11. Big Blue would have taken the Alabama superstar there, Breer notes. Howie Roseman engineered an intra-NFC East trade-up with the Cowboys, moving up two spots for Smith. The Eagles, whose Week 17 quarterback strategy came under fire re: the Giants’ unusual playoff pursuit, saw another move of theirs affect Big Blue. Philly pair Smith with 2020 first-rounder Jalen Reagor. The Giants still took a wideout at No. 20 (Kadarius Toney).
- Prior to the Bears executing a successful trade-up with the Giants, moving from No. 20 to No. 11, they discussed a likely similar deal with the Cowboys, per Breer. The Cowboys did not want to take themselves out of adding a player on whom they placed a first-round grade; sliding down to 20 may well have done that. Dallas ended up with Micah Parsons at 12.
- The Giants were busy at No. 11. Ahead of Dave Gettleman‘s first-ever trade-down (in nine drafts as a GM), he heard from the Vikings and Saints, Breer adds. The Saints, who had already seen top targets Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II drafted, were linked to quarterbacks as well. New Orleans did offer one future first-round pick but did not include a second future first-rounder in its trade-up proposals. As a result, the Saints did not come particularly close to trading up Thursday. After the Chargers drafted Rashawn Slater, the Vikings ended up trading down.
- After the Ravens traded their second-round pick to the Chiefs in the Orlando Brown deal, Eric DeCosta does not expect to move back into the round, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens did not make any trades Thursday night, winding up with Rashod Bateman and Odafe Oweh.
- Some teams are not comfortable with Alabama center Landon Dickerson‘s medcials, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The Steelers are one of the teams a bit leery on Dickerson, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Pittsburgh saw 11-year center Maurkice Pouncey retire this offseason. While the team has multiple lower-profile replacement candidates — B.J. Finney and J.C. Hassenauer — Dickerson will enter the NFL as a high-end prospect, albeit one coming off a December ACL tear.
Steelers Select Alabama RB Najee Harris At No. 24
The Steelers have been connected to first-round running backs throughout the pre-draft process, and everyone’s inkling proved to be correct. With the No. 24 pick, Pittsburgh selected Alabama running back Najee Harris.
Initially buried on the depth chart, the Alabama product broke out as a junior in 2019 with an average of 5.9 yards per tote. Then, he passed on the draft to turn in an even more impressive 2020 season. Harris helped the Tide capture yet another National Championship while racking up 1,466 yards on the ground with similar efficiency (5.8 ypc). Those totals, coupled with 43 grabs for 425 yards and 30 total touchdowns, positioned Harris as one of the strongest prospects in the ’21 class.
Harris was connected to a number of RB-needy squads throughout the pre-draft process. While the prospect may lack the explosiveness of the NFL’s top running backs, he’s a dependable back who can contribute in every aspect of the offense. Those skills should allow Harris to see the field immediately for his new team. This is especially true in Pittsburgh, as the team lost top running back James Conner earlier this offseason. Harris will likely take the veteran’s place atop the depth chart, with Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, and Kalen Ballage serving as potential backups.
With this selection, Alabama has tied the 2004 Miami squad for most first-round picks in a single draft. Alabama’s count currently sits at six: Harris, WR Jaylen Waddle (No. 6, Dolphins), CB Patrick Surtain II (No. 9, Broncos), WR DeVonta Smith (No. 10, Eagles), QB Mac Jones (No. 15, Patriots), and OL Alex Leatherwood (No. 17, Raiders).
Steelers To Extend Mason Rudolph
We heard earlier today that things were close, and now it’s official. The Steelers and quarterback Mason Rudolph have agreed to terms on an extension, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette tweets.
It’s a one-year extension that will keep Rudolph under contract through 2022. He had been previously set to enter the final year of his rookie deal. A third-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2018, Rudolph has received plenty of chances to show he can be the guy who takes over for Ben Roethlisberger one day.
He got eight starts in 2019 due to Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury, but was ineffective and benched a couple of times in favor of UDFA Devlin Hodges. He was better in his lone 2020 start in Week 17 when the Steelers rested starters against the Browns, but still hasn’t done much to indicate he can be a franchise quarterback.
Roethlisberger seemed on the verge of being shown the door earlier this offseason, and his future beyond 2021 is up in the air to say the least. Pittsburgh also recently signed Dwayne Haskins as a developmental option. The Steelers likely aren’t planning on Rudolph taking over under center long-term, but this move locks in a quarterback for beyond next season that is at least somewhat competent.
2022 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 3 to officially pick up their options on 2018 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. In a change from years past, fifth-year option seasons are fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement, and specific performance metrics:
- 2-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- 1-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the 3rd-20th highest salaries at their position:
- 75%+ snaps in two of their first three seasons
- 75%+ average across all three seasons
- 50%+ in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will get the average of the 3rd-25th top salaries at their position.
With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:
Updated 4-30-21, 4:24pm CT
- QB Baker Mayfield, Browns: Exercised ($18.858MM)
- RB Saquon Barkley, Giants: Exercised ($7.217MM)
- QB Sam Darnold, Panthers (via Jets): Pending ($18.858MM)
- CB Denzel Ward, Browns — Exercised ($13.294MM)
- LB Bradley Chubb, Broncos — Pending ($12.716MM)
- G Quenton Nelson, Colts — Pending ($13.754MM)
- QB Josh Allen, Bills: Pending ($23.106MM)
- LB Roquan Smith, Bears: Exercised ($9.735MM)
- OT Mike McGlinchey, 49ers: Exercised ($10.88MM)
- QB Josh Rosen, Cardinals: N/A
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers (via Dolphins): Exercised ($10.612MM)
- DT Vita Vea, Buccaneers: Exercised ($7.638MM)
- DT Daron Payne, Washington — Exercised ($8.529MM)
- DE Marcus Davenport, Saints: Exercised ($9.553MM)
- OT Kolton Miller, Raiders — N/A (extension)
- LB Tremaine Edmunds, Bills: Pending ($12.716MM)
- S Derwin James, Chargers: Exercised ($9.052MM)
- CB Jaire Alexander, Packers: Exercised ($13.294MM)
- LB Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys: Pending ($9.145MM)
- C Frank Ragnow, Lions: Exercised ($12.657MM)
- C Billy Price, Bengals: Declined ($10.413MM)
- LB Rashaan Evans, Titans: Pending ($9.735MM)
- OT Isaiah Wynn, Patriots: Pending ($10.413 MM)
- WR D.J. Moore, Panthers: Exercised ($11.116MM)
- TE Hayden Hurst, Falcons (via Ravens): Pending ($5.428MM)
- WR Calvin Ridley, Falcons: Pending ($11.116MM)
- RB Rashaad Penny, Seahawks: Pending ($4.523MM)
- S Terrell Edmunds, Steelers: Pending ($6.753MM)
- DT Taven Bryan, Jaguars: Pending ($7.638MM)
- CB Mike Hughes, Vikings: Pending ($12.643MM)
- RB Sony Michel, Patriots: Pending ($4.523MM)
- QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens: Exercised ($23.106MM)
Steelers, Mason Rudolph Close On Extension
Mason Rudolph is entering the final season of his rookie contract, but the Steelers are discussing a deal that would keep their backup quarterback signed beyond 2021.
The sides are close on a one-year extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While the Steelers signed Dwayne Haskins earlier this year, Rudolph still profiles as Ben Roethlisberger‘s most likely backup. He has operated as such since 2018.
[RELATED: “Doubtful” Steelers Will Trade Up From No. 24]
Pittsburgh has seemingly needed a true Big Ben heir apparent for a while, but the team is not viewed as likely to trade up for one of this year’s top five quarterback prospects. Rudolph being extended through 2022 would point the Steelers to standing pat at the position in this weekend’s draft.
The former third-round pick received an extensive audition in 2019, when Roethlisberger’s Week 2 elbow injury ended his season. Rudolph did not fare well, being benched at points for UDFA Devlin Hodges, who is no longer with the team. But the Steelers have stood by the former Oklahoma State standout and certainly appear interested in seeing if he could become a legitimate Roethlisberger successor.