Dexter McDonald

Workout Notes: Dolphins, Texans, Saints

Here are today’s workouts and auditions:

  • Cornerback Dexter McDonald worked out for the Dolphins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). McDonald was a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2015 and appeared in 27 games (six starts) for Oakland from 2015-17. He spent all of last year on IR with an ankle injury.
  • The Texans worked out running back Johnny Thomas, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thomas signed with the Bengals this year as a UDFA out of Penn State, where he was primarily a special teams contributor.
  • The Saints worked out safety Jordan Moore, per Wilson (Twitter link). Moore, who played for both TCU and the University of Texas at San Antonio as a collegian, signed with the Falcons as a UDFA in 2017. He was cut in August of that year and later caught on with the Broncos’ taxi squad, but Denver waived/injured him last September.

Raiders Announce Roster Cuts

Trading Khalil Mack wasn’t the Raiders’ only order of business Saturday. They’ve also moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP list:

Minor Moves: Tuesday Night

Earlier today, we rounded up the day’s smaller transactions. Here are the latest minor moves..

  • The Seahawks announced they have signed draft picks Frank Clark and Tyler Lockett to their rookie contracts, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. Seattle now has all of its picks under contract.
  • The Cowboys officially signed third-round offensive lineman Chaz Green, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets. With Green in the fold, only two picks remain unsigned for Dallas: cornerback Byron Jones and linebacker Damien Wilson.
  • The Steelers removed wide receiver L’Damian Washington from injured reserve with an injury settlement, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Browns have signed offensive lineman Eric Olsen and linebacker Mike Reilly, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). Olsen, a four-year NFL vet, has appeared in 23 games with four starts over the course of his career. Reilly was a participant in Cleveland’s rookie minicamp.
  • The Raiders have signed seventh-round cornerback Dexter McDonald. McDonald was selected 242nd overall by the Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft. He played three seasons at Kansas, starting 24-of-31 games at cornerback.

Draft Visits: Strong, Steelers, Lions, Langford

With draft night just eight days away, several teams who are doing research and due diligence on Marcus Mariota are also intrigued by Bryce Petty, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. While Petty may not be a first-round pick, he could very well be the third signal-caller off the board after Jameis Winston and Mariota, says La Canfora.

The fact that the draft is now right around the corner also means that today is the final day for teams to host pre-draft visits for prospects. While clubs can still conduct private workouts over the next several days, visits have to be completed by tonight. Here are a few updates on the final visits happening around the NFL:

  • Jaelen Strong, WR (Arizona State): Visiting the Texans today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team will get a chance to look at his injured wrist.
  • Landon Collins, S (Alabama); Preston Smith, DE (Mississippi State); Dexter McDonald, CB (Kansas); Davis Tull, OLB (UT-Chattanooga): All visiting the Steelers today, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • Danny Shelton, DT (Washington): Visiting the Lions today, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • La’el Collins, T (LSU); Jamon Brown, T (Louisville): Also visiting the Lions today, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
  • Jeremy Langford, RB (Michigan State): Has had visits with the Colts and Buccaneers in addition to previously-reported visit with Broncos, tweets Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News.
  • Paul Dawson, LB (TCU): Recently visited the Falcons, after previously having worked out for the club, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • John Miller, G (Louisville): Visiting the Saints today, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Alani Fua, OLB (BYU): Visiting the Eagles today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

NFC Draft Notes: Winston, Bears, Rams

Having already met with Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the Bears will get a closer look at the other top quarterback in this year’s draft class on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter reports that Jameis Winston is set to meet with the Bears, who hold the seventh overall pick. Of course, the Florida State signal-caller is unlikely to make it past the No. 1 pick, so Chicago is likely just doing its due diligence.

Here are a few more draft-related updates from around the NFC:

  • Mississippi State’s Benardrick McKinney, widely considered the top inside linebacker in this year’s draft class, is in St. Louis today to visit the Rams, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The Cowboys haven’t drafted a quarterback since 2009, but perhaps this is the year they buck that trend. A source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the team will work out Oregon State signal-caller Sean Mannion tomorrow.
  • Michigan pass catcher Devin Funchess, who has experience at both wide receiver and tight end, is set to visit the 49ers, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A report last week suggested that concerns about Funchess’ route-running was causing teams to drop him on their draft boards.
  • According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter), Kansas cornerback Dexter McDonald is among the prospects who will pay a pre-draft visit to Washington this week. McDonald projects as a likely late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.