D.J. Turner

Draft Rumors: Carter, Wilson, Bills, Dolphins

Jalen Carter visited all six teams holding a pick between Nos. 5 and 10. That sextet continues to be connected to the higher-risk prospect ahead of the draft. The Bears and Eagles are believed to be on board with the former Georgia dynamo, but the Seahawks (No. 5) and Falcons (No. 8) — barring another team’s trade-up maneuver or Carter going in the top four — would have first dibs.

Seattle is believed to be split on Carter, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline. Although a report earlier this week indicated Pete Carroll is ready to pull the trigger, the Seahawks are not certain to do so. The prospect of Carter playing in Atlanta, which is near Athens, has emerged as a Falcons red flag, per Pauline, who adds Carter having left the scene of the accident that killed two members of Georgia’s program has injected more doubt from teams. Carter reached a plea deal and will not serve any jail time in connection with the two misdemeanor charges he faced. While some teams are believed to have taken the top-flight talent off their draft boards, Carter said some of his visits did not include questioning about the January night in which he was at the scene of the aforementioned fatal car accident.

Here is the latest from the draft:

  • One of the few players who may be drafted ahead of Carter, Tyree Wilson has generated some concern regarding his injury past. The former Texas Tech edge rusher is coming off a Lisfranc fracture, and Pauline adds he underwent a second surgery this offseason. Some teams, including the Cardinals and Texans, have passed Wilson on a physical. Not all did, and Pauline adds teams have looked into the back trouble he experienced last season as well. Wilson remains on track to be a top-10 pick, but his health will be worth monitoring as he begins his NFL career.
  • Staying on the topic of edge defenders, Pauline adds the Bills have done some late work on Iowa State prospect Will McDonald. Scouts Inc.’s No. 25 overall prospect, McDonald may be in range for the Bills, who hold the No. 27 pick. The Bills have been calling coaches on Iowa State’s staff to gather more intel leading up to the draft. McDonald finished as the Cyclones’ all-time sack leader (34). The Bills have taken defensive ends in two of the past three first rounds, choosing Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham. Von Miller is also coming off an ACL tear and not a lock to be ready for Week 1. Buffalo’s pass rush also struggled without the future Hall of Famer last season.
  • Closely tied to this year’s top wide receivers, the Giants may have a receiver-cornerback hierarchy going into the draft. Mentioned as preferring Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers, the Giants could pivot to corner if both are off the board at No. 25. But a corner is likely the Giants’ Plan B in Round 1, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter). The Giants have Adoree’ Jackson going into a contract year, and the team is unlikely to extend him before next year, and Aaron Robinson is coming off a season-ending injury. Big Blue did sign ex-Lion Amani Oruwariye to a low-cost deal, but this is one of the team’s neediest areas. The Giants are fans of Michigan corner DJ Turner, per Pauline, but he would not appear to represent Round 1 value. Scouts Inc. grades Turner 56th overall.
  • The Dolphins have looked into Dalvin Cook and may still be in the mix for a player not certain to be with the Vikings much longer, but the team is in on this rookie running back crop. The Dolphins have spent a lot of time with Texas A&M’s Devon Achane — he of a 4.32-second 40-yard dash — over the past two weeks, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. The Dolphins do not have a pick until No. 51; Scouts Inc. grades Achane 78th overall and fifth among this class’ backs. The consensus second-best back in the draft — Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs — also interests the Dolphins, per NBC Sports’ Peter King, but a major trade-up would likely be necessary for Gibbs.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/22

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed off Chiefs practice squad: OLB Benton Whitley

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/22

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/17/22

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Dallas Cowboys

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/21

Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Steven Wirtel
  • Cut: DTĀ Willington Previlon

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Raiders Trim Roster To 53

Some of the Raiders’ cuts became known earlier Tuesday, with the team parting ways with Karl Joseph and John Brown. Here are the rest of the moves Las Vegas made to reach the 53-man roster limit:

Released:

Waived:

Several of these players will be invited to stick around on Las Vegas’ practice squad, with the NFL greenlighting a second year of 16-man taxi squads. The Raiders’ cutting Brown and Doss keepsĀ Willie Snead and Zay Jones on their active roster. Johnson played a part-time role on the Raiders’ defense last season, while Carrier has been with the team for the past four years. The Raiders re-signed him in March. Wreh-Wilson was aiming to catch on for a ninth NFL season, and while the former Titans and Falcons cornerback may do so, the Raiders halted his effort to land on their initial 53-man roster.

Raiders Bring In 10 UDFAs

The Raiders became the latest team to announce their undrafted free agent class. Las Vegas’ initial group of UDFAs consists of 10 players. Here is the group:

Both Bushman and Stoner received six-figure guarantees. The Raiders guaranteed Bushman $135K, according to veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, who tweets the ex-BYU tight end will receive a $125K base salary guarantee and a $10K signing bonus. Stoner’s arrangement, via Wilson (on Twitter): $120K total guaranteed. Bushman worked as one of Zach Wilson‘s top targets from 2018-19 but suffered an Achilles tear ahead of the 2020 season. He still totaled 1,719 receiving yards in a productive three-year run with the Cougars.

Stoner and Turner join a crowded Raiders receiving corps. Las Vegas, which used first- and third-round picks on wideouts last year, signed both John Brown and Willie Snead this offseason. Stoner saw action in five Oklahoma State seasons, being a regular contributor going back to Mason Rudolph‘s final season. Stoner worked as the Cowboys’ punt returner and surpassed 570 receiving yards in each of his final four seasons, ranking in the top 10 in school history in catches and yards.

The Raiders are giving Hamilton a $75K guarantee, Wilson tweets. Hamilton played four seasons at Stanford before transferring to Duke as a grad student. Ragas worked as a primary Louisiana rusher for four seasons, totaling 596 carries. He topped 1,100 yards as a sophomore, averaged 7.1 per carry as a junior and scored 12 TDs in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 slate. Ragas will join a backfield flush with vets, however. Las Vegas signed Kenyan Drake and returns Josh Jacobs, Theo Riddick and Jalen Richard.