Joe Thuney - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Patriots

May 11th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Kicker Chandler Catanzaro chose not to re-sign with the Jets because he didn’t want to play in the cold, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Instead of braving the elements, Catanzaro opted to join the Buccaneers this offseason on a three-year, $9.75MM deal with $3.75MM guaranteed.

It would be easy to chide Catanzaro for his weather preferences, but it’s hard to blame him for his choice after a brutal winter in the tri-state area. He also came away with a solid deal from the Buccaneers that puts him just outside of the top ten on an average annual basis at his position.

Catanzaro will look to stabilize the Bucs’ kicking after two years of struggles with Roberto Aguayo, Nick Folk, and Patrick Murray. Meanwhile,the Jets will pit newcomer Taylor Bertolet against veterans Cairo Santos and Nick Rose for their vacancy.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill remains on track in his recovery from a torn ACL, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Should Tannehill go down with another injury, head coach Adam Gase says the team will not reprise last year’s Jay Cutler situation. The Dolphins have Brock Osweiler and David Fales under contract as backups to the 29-year-old (30 in July).
Patriots left guard Joe Thuney is set to undergo foot surgery, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Right now, the belief is that the operation will not affect his regular season availability, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on. In theory, the Pats could slide first-round offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn to the interior if they need to fill that hole.
The Bills met with running back Kenjon Barner this week, but he signed with the Panthers on Friday morning.

Patriots Reach Deals With Five Draftees

May 5th, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: Patriots third-round offensive lineman Joe Thuney has also signed his rookie deal, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. For Thuney, it’ll be a four-year deal worth $3.54MM with a signing bonus of $773K. The offensive lineman out of North Carolina State drew interest from clubs thanks to his versatility — he started all along the O-Line in college.

1:28pm: The Patriots aren’t wasting any time locking up their 2016 draft class, having already reached deals with four of their draftees from last weekend, including top pick Cyrus Jones, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Fourth-round receiver Malcolm Mitchell, sixth-round offensive lineman Ted Karras, and seventh-round wideout Devin Lucien have also agreed to terms with New England, according to reports from ESPN’s Adam Caplan, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss, respectively (all Twitter links).

The rookie contracts for the four draft picks who have reached agreements with the Pats will look like this, per Over The Cap:

2-60: Cyrus Jones, DB (Alabama): $4.007MM total value, $1.114MM signing bonus
4-112: Malcolm Mitchell, WR (Georgia): $2.918MM total value, $578K signing bonus
6-221: Ted Karras, OL (Illinois): $2.17MM total value, $100K signing bonus
7-225: Devin Lucien, WR (Arizona State): $2.425MM total value, $85K signing bonus

With four draftees having agreed to terms, the Pats still have more than half of their nine-man draft class to lock up, including two third-round picks — quarterback Jacoby Brissett and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine.

Although contracts for third-rounders can sometimes be trickier to negotiate than deals for later-round picks, Brissett appears to be proceeding without any formal representation. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald notes (via Twitter) that the signal-caller is being advised by Abe Elam, but doesn’t officially have an agent.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Updates: Dolphins, Jets, Texans, Eagles

April 17th, 2016 at 7:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Having already worked out for the Giants, Jets, Texans, and Dolphins, Texas Tech receiver Jakeem Grant will take a pre-draft meeting with Miami on Monday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Grant, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, is expected to serve as a return man in the NFL.

Here’s the latest news on draft prospects and their visits and workouts around the league…

The receivers most connected with the Jets during the pre-draft process have been Corey Coleman and Will Fuller, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. La Canfora reports the Jets, who pick at No. 20, have done “extensive work” on both the Baylor and Notre Dame wideouts, respectively.
North Carolina State offensive lineman Joe Thuney had a private meeting with the Texans, per Wilson. Thuney, who started all along the offensive line in college, is expected to play on the interior in the NFL, but clubs are excited about his versatility, says Wilson.
Punters are people too: Texas Southern Cory Carter punter took part in the Texans’ local pro day and is expected to generate interest around the league, writes Wilson. Carter tells Wilson he drew rave reviews from Houston based on his hangtime and directional punting.
Two prospects — Penn State corner Trevor Williams and Purdue defensive tackle Ryan Watson — have been invited to Washington‘s local pro day, according to Wilson (Twitter links).
Kolby Listenbee will visit the Eagles on Monday after recently meeting with the 49ers, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The TCU wide receiver. The 6-foot-1 target who blazed to a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the Horned Frogs’ pro day amassed more than 1,300 receiving yards and nine TDs the past two seasons. Listenbee underwent sports hernia surgery, per Caplan (on Twitter), after the ailment kept him from participating in the Combine.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

South Notes: Bucs, Ramsey, Titans, Butler

April 4th, 2016 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston knows that the odds of his club landing Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey are extremely slim, given where Tampa Bay is drafting and how early Ramsey is expected to come off the board. However, that didn’t stop Winston from lobbying GM Jason Licht to draft his former Seminoles teammate, as Mark Cook of PewterReport.com details.

“We (FSU) definitely have the best player in the world in Jalen Ramsey,” the Buccaneers quarterback said. “People talk about his position. But Jalen is the best cornerback, safety… I will take a pay cut to play with him again. He has a fierce mentality.”

Of course, Winston’s rookie contract can’t be reworked at this point in his career, and it’s a moot point anyway, but the endorsement from the Bucs QB is the latest signal that Ramsey is one of the very best players in this year’s draft.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:

The Titans, who hold the first overall pick, will certainly consider Ramsey — Peter King of TheMMQB.com hears that the Florida State defensive back is one of Tennessee’s top two targets for that No. 1 pick, along with Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil. However, King also writes that the Titans have received “significant” trade interest in that selection, and he believes there’s a 50-50 chance the team moves down.
Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler is set to visit the Titans today and the Panthers on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Those two teams hold the 33rd and 30th overall picks, respectively, so they may view Butler as a player who will be available at that point in the draft.
In addition to his previously-reported visits, Alabama running back Kenyan Drake also has a meeting lined up with the Colts, per Mike Wells and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
The Buccaneers will host North Carolina State offensive lineman Joe Thuney, a probable late-round pick, for a visit next week, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.