Jets Add Nine UDFAs; Corey Hilliard Retires
9:12pm: The Jets also added cornerback Greg Henderson, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter.
12:32pm: The Jets have been busy today, announcing several roster moves as their rookie minicamp gets underway. In addition to signing eight undrafted free agents, the team has also cut two players, and will be working out former first-round wide receiver A.J. Jenkins this weekend.
The team has also seen an offseason addition decide to retire — offensive tackle Corey Hilliard, who signed with the Jets in March, has elected to call it a career.
The 30-year-old saw his 2014 season come to an early end when he sustained a Lisfranc foot injury and tore ligaments in that foot during the Lions’ Week 1 game. It was the second time in three years that he missed essentially an entire season, which likely prompted his early retirement, but he had been effective as a swing tackle when he was healthy. In 2013, Hilliard played 459 offensive snaps for Detroit, starting seven games at right tackle for the team.
Here are the rest of the roster moves for the Jets:
Undrafted free agents:
- Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State
- Durell Eskridge, S, Syracuse ($8.5K bonus, plus $5K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
- Julian Howsare, LB, Clarion
- Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State
- Demarkus Perkins, S, Florida International
- Wes Saxton, TE, South Alabama
- Davon Walls, DL, Lincoln ($15K bonus, per Wilson)
- Jordan Williams, DE, Tennessee
Cut:
- Chris Pantale, TE
- Chris Young, LB
Jets Sign Corey Hilliard
The Jets have added some depth to their offensive line, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed free agent offensive tackle Corey Hilliard. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported last week that Hilliard was paying a visit to the Jets.
Hilliard, who turns 30 in a few weeks, saw his 2014 season come to an early end when he sustained a Lisfranc foot injury and tore ligaments in that foot during the Lions’ Week 1 game. It was the second time in three years that he missed essentially an entire season, but he has been effective as a swing tackle when he’s healthy. In 2013, Hilliard played 459 offensive snaps for Detroit, starting seven games at right tackle for the team.
For the Jets, it’s their fourth free agent signing on the offensive line this offseason. The club also brought in James Carpenter and James Brewer, and re-signed veteran guard Willie Colon.
Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known.
FA Notes: Dolphins, Jackson, Selvie, Newman
Having decided not to match the Bills’ offer sheet for tight end Charles Clay, the Dolphins may be prepared to spend the money saved on Clay on some other free agents. According to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), in addition to hosting wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Miami is also having quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and center J.D. Walton in for visits.
Jackson, in particular, is an intriguing potential fit for the Dolphins. The team still needs a veteran backup behind Ryan Tannehill, and while Miami’s preference may be to re-sign Matt Moore, Jackson could come a little cheaper.
Here are a few more free agent notes from around the NFL:
- Defensive end George Selvie, who has reportedly drawn interest from the Buccaneers and Vikings so far in free agency, is visiting the Giants today, according to Art Stapleton of The Record (Twitter link).
- The Vikings and cornerback Terence Newman have discussed some contract figures, but weren’t close to a deal as of late last night, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). If the veteran corner were to join the Vikings, he’d reunite with former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
- Free agent offensive tackle Corey Hilliard is paying a visit to the Jets, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Hilliard, a former Lion, is a solid swing tackle when he’s healthy, but injuries have derailed his last two seasons.
- In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a look at the players who have done the best and worst so far in free agency.
NFC Links: Saints, Falcons, Eagles, Lions, Bears
Whether you are watching the NBA All-Star Game, SNL 40, or something else, here is a roundup of some NFC links you might have missed today:
- The Saints signed Senio Kelemete, Shayne Graham, Luke McCown, and Parys Haralson earlier this offseason, but the team still has 11 players on the roster set to hit free agency, writes Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. The team could still attempt to sign deals for the following players before they reach free agency on March 10: Mark Ingram, Robert Meachem, Jonathan Goodwin, Brandon Deaderick, Ramon Humber, Moise Fokou, Patrick Robinson, Jamarca Sanford, Travaris Cadet, Bryce Harris, and Tyrunn Walker.
- The Falcons have their coaching staff in place, but now need to tighten up the roster. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution goes through the roster playing “Stay or Go?” with each player. Notable guys who should stay (after the obvious) include Roddy White and Osi Umenyiora, while Ledbetter believes the team should move on from Steven Jackson, Tyson Jackson, and others.
- The Eagles‘ most pressing need is clearly cornerback, but Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com also picks out some secondary needs, including inside linebacker, offensive line, quarterback, and wide receiver. Mosher writes that if the team fails to re-sign Jeremy Maclin, receiver would jump to the number one need, even over the secondary.
- As part of the Lions’ ongoing offseason, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press profiles the free agency of offensive tackle Corey Hilliard. The 29-year old struggled with injuries in 2014, and his career s a backup tackle with the team is in jeopardy.
- John Fox will taking the helm in Chicago as the Bears’ head coach, looking to turn around a porous defense in a hurry. Lucky for Bears’ fans, Fox’s teams have a history of drafting well on defense, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. In Fox’s ten drafts as a head coach, his teams have selected seven defensive players, and Jahns writes that every single one of those picks has turned into a very good player who made an impact immediately.
Injury Notes: Lions, Raiders, Browns, Cowboys
We don’t cover every single injury here at Pro Football Rumors, but we’ll always keep tabs on the more significant ones that may force a team to make a roster move or two to add reinforcements. Let’s round up the latest injury news that falls into that category…
- Lions offensive lineman Corey Hilliard is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with a foot injury, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). That helps to explain why the club re-signed Garrett Reynolds this morning, and it means Hilliard will likely head to IR. Having already added a lineman to the 53-man roster today, the Lions could fill Hilliard’s roster spot by signing a cornerback, since the secondary is a little short-handed as well.
- Raiders special teams ace Taiwan Jones became the first 2011 draftee to sign a contract extension earlier this offseason, but now he’s set to miss a month or two of action. According to Bill Williamson and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, the recovery timeline for Jones’ foot injury will be about four to eight weeks. If Oakland believes the timeline will be closer to eight weeks than four, Jones could be a candidate for the team’s IR-DTR spot.
- The Browns expect running back Ben Tate to be out for two to four weeks with a knee sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Cleveland might add another back to the active roster or practice squad for depth purposes, but I doubt any major move is coming, since Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell played well after Tate left Sunday’s game.
- Having already lost Sean Lee for the season, the Cowboys saw another linebacker go down on Sunday, as Justin Durant figures to miss the next three or four weeks with a groin injury, a source tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. An outside addition is possible for Dallas, though the club could also turn to in-house options like Kyle Wilber or the recently-claimed Korey Toomer.