49ers Sign Carlos Hyde
The 49ers have signed second-round pick Carlos Hyde, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hyde was the first running back to come off the board in the 2014 draft.
This wasn’t a great year for running backs in the draft but most recognized the Ohio State product as the best RB available. The 49ers aren’t short on bodies at the position but uncertainty about each of their options led them to tapping Hyde. Longtime starter Frank Gore is in the twilight of his career and entering the final year of his contract. Understudy Kendall Hunter has shown flashes at times, but it’s not clear if he can be the 49ers’ full-time guy. LaMichael James, the club’s second-round choice just two years ago, is unhappy in SF and would reportedly welcome a trade.
Between those three, Hyde, and Marcus Lattimore, the 49ers currently have five notable RBs in their stable.
NFC West Rumors: Sam, Crabtree, Williams
The Oprah Winfrey Network announced today (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) that it is working with Rams draft pick Michael Sam on a reality TV project that will show his life as the first openly gay player in the NFL. The Rams have met with the OWN people about the show over the last few days, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network, and there won’t be Hard Knocks-type access for the program. The Rams, he tweets, want to treat Sam like any other seventh-round pick, so accommodating the show wouldn’t be a part of that. Tonight’s look at the NFC West..
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com looks at the 49ers‘ draft and the needs that were filled. Maiocco also touches on what the arrival of Stevie Johnson could mean for Michael Crabtree, who can hit the open market after this season.
- Maiocco (on Twitter) notes that the 49ers have had 12 quarterbacks under contract since 2011 but only three have attempted passes in the regular season. Earlier today, San Francisco added another QB to their stable when they inked Josh Johnson.
- The 49ers cut defensive tackle Christian Tupou, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The defensive end out of USC has been previously under contract with the Colts and Bears. Tupou was displaced today to make room for Johnson.
- Ryan Williams was caught off guard when the Cardinals released him on Monday, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Williams, who has struggled with knee issues, didn’t dress or see the field in 2013.
Draft Signings: Reaser, Chiefs, Packers
Here’s a rundown of tonight’s draft signings from rounds 3-7. For a look at the signings that went down earlier today, check out our previous post..
- The 49ers have signed fifth-round pick Keith Reaser, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The cornerback out of Florida Atlantic might have gone higher if he hadn’t suffered a torn ACL last October. Despite not being able to compete in on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, Reaser put up 22 reps of the 225-pound bench press.
- The Chiefs signed sixth-round offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). After Tennessee guard Zach Fulton agreed to terms yesterday, Duvernay-Tardif became the second KC rookie to sign. The 6’5″ offensive tackle out of McGill in Canada was the 200th overall pick and looks to be competing for the Chiefs swing tackle spot with starters Eric Fisher and Donald Stephenson already on either side.
- The Packers have signed seventh-round pick Jeff Janis, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of the Press-Gazette (on Twitter). The receiver out of Saginaw Valley State was the third wideout taken by Green Bay in the draft.
49ers Sign Josh Johnson
The 49ers announced that they have signed quarterback Josh Johnson to a one-year deal, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The Bengals released Johnson earlier this week after taking A.J. McCarron in the draft.
Johnson, who turns 28 tomorrow, made five starts for the Buccaneers between 2009 and 2011. Since then, the 6’3″ quarterback spent a season each with the Browns and Bengals. Johnson played for San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, which presumably played a role in the deal.
Johnson signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in March of 2012 but was unable to make the 53-man roster. The QB will hope for a better outcome this time and an opportunity to help support starter Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers traded for former top-10 pick Blaine Gabbert this offseason while McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Kory Faulkner are also under contract, so Johnson will have his work cut out for him.
Minor Moves: Saints, Panthers, Bucs, Eagles
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions here, including mid-to-late-round draftees agreeing to contracts, players being claimed off waivers, and the retirement of a former NFLer who most recently played in the Canadian Football League…..
- The Chiefs announced that they have sixth-round pick Zach Fulton (Twitter link). The offensive lineman out of Tennessee was taken with the No. 193 pick.
- The 49ers announced that they have signed fifth-round outside linebacker Aaron Lynch and seventh-round defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Saints have signed former Notre Dame guard Mike Golic Jr. to a two-year contract, the club announced today in a press release. Golic went undrafted in 2013 and joined the Steelers for the preseason.
- Drake Nevis, who was cut yesterday by the Jaguars, has been awarded to the Panthers on waivers, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The defensive lineman appeared in games for the Cowboys and Jags last season.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers have waived running back Michael Smith, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have locked up one of their draft picks, signing third-round wideout Josh Huff to a four-year deal, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- After being cut by the Seahawks yesterday, long snapper Jorgen Hus has been claimed off waivers by the Rams, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have cut punter Matt Syzmanski, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The only NFL team to lock up any draftees so far, the Bears have agreed to terms with two more players they selected last week, according to the team (Twitter links). Fourth-round running back Ka’Deem Carey and seventh-round tackle Charles Leno Jr. have reached agreements on four-year deals with the club. At Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald has estimations on what sort of contracts the duo will be receiving.
- The Jaguars have claimed linebacker Allen Bradford off waivers from the Giants, a day after he was cut, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Bradford, a former Seahawk like a few other players the Jags have added this offseason, fills the last spot on the team’s 90-man roster.
- Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin has officially announced his retirement as a football player, according to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts (Twitter link). After being selected 11th overall out of Penn State, Maybin failed to make a consistent impact at the NFL level, with his best season coming in 2011 as a reserve for the Jets (six sacks).
49ers Sign Seven UDFAs, Cut Three Players
The 49ers have signed seven rookie free agents to contracts, according to the teams official website. They released three players to make room for the additions.
The three players released were linebacker Darius Fleming, cornerback Dax Swanson, and receiver DeMarco Sampson.
Here’s the full list of the team’s UDFA signings:
- Morgan Breslin, LB, USC ($5K bonus and $2.5K in other guarantees, per Matt Maiocco)
- Asante Cleveland, TE, Miami
- Dillon Farrell, C, New Mexico ($5K bonus)
- Kory Faulkner, QB, Southern Illinois ($3K bonus)
- Fou Fonoti, OT, Michigan State ($5K bonus)
- L.J. McCray, S, Catawba ($6K bonus)
- Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford ($7.5K bonus and $2.5K in other guarantees)
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Bortles, Lions
The Cowboys didn’t come away from the 2014 draft having selected a new quarterback, which head coach Jason Garrett says is just fine. Garrett explained the thinking to Todd Archer of ESPN.com:
“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else,” Garrett said. “You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. … It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- While there have been rumblings about possible Sam Bradford trade talks lately, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on today’s Dan Patrick Show that the club has neither made or received any calls about Bradford’s availability (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- If the Jaguars hadn’t selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, neither the Vikings or Titans would have drafted him, but the Cowboys would’ve considered it at No. 16 and the Cardinals would’ve pulled the trigger at No. 20, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
- The Lions strongly considered picking a quarterback on the third day of the draft, but the club’s targets came off the board before Detroit had a chance to select them, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
- If the conditional pick traded to the Eagles by the Bills in this weekend’s Bryce Brown trade doesn’t change hands next year, it can become a 2016 third-rounder if Brown rushes for 800+ yards in either of the next two seasons, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an interesting look at how safety Jimmie Ward became the 49ers’ man in the first round last Thursday.
- Longtime Vikings college scouting director Scott Studwell resigned from the position following this weekend’s draft, and will transition into a new role within the organization, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.
NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Sam
General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have worked five drafts together with the Seahawks, and as The News Tribune’s Todd Dybas writes, the duo has developed a penchant for taking lesser-known players.
Examples of this include Middle Tennessee State defensive tackle Jimmy Staten, Marshall offensive tackle Garrett Scott and Arkansas fullback Kiero Small, none of whom received much notoriety in the days leading up to the draft.
Schneider talked about the ambitious nature of his team’s roster and a mentality his players must possess: “There’s so much competitiveness. These guys are on edge. They’re confident, so you have to have a certain mentality to be able to battle. You’ve got to bring it right away. Right when you walk in the door, you’ve got to bring it.”
More notes from the division of the reigning Super Bowl champions below…
- The unpredictably consistent Seahawks need five or six of the nine draft picks to hit for Schneider and Carroll to retain the title of draft geniuses, penned Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times.
- A roundup of the Rams‘ 11 draft picks by Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. With two first-round picks, St. Louis solidified the trenches, going with Auburn tackle Greg Robinson No. 2 overall and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald at No. 13.
- At No. 249, the Rams made one of the more memorable picks in the draft, selecting Missouri DE/OLB Michael Sam, who will become the first openly gay player to play in the NFL. As Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch writes, now Sam needs to prove that he can also play football in addition to breaking barriers.
- USA TODAY Sports’ Tom Pelissero named the Rams as one of five teams that should expect instant impact from its rookies in 2014.
- 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was happy for Sam, but wished that the Missouri rusher landed outside the NFC West and thus avoiding facing him twice a year, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
- South Florida outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, standing an impressive 6-foot-6 and 244 pounds, lauds himself as a first-round talent with mistakes in his past. He slipped to the 49ers in the fifth round because of those mistakes, and head coach John Harbaugh says Lunch needs direction, according to Eric Branch of SFGate.com.
- Despite the availability of SEC quarterbacks Zach Mettenberger (LSU), Aaron Murray (Georgia) and A.J. McCarron, the Cardinals took a developmental project instead, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, writes Kent Somers of AZcentral.com.
NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Packers, Saints, Gettleman
Eagles GM Howie Roseman met with the media following the first-round selection of Marcus Smith 26th overall, and Philly.com’s Jeff McLane had seven follow-up thoughts. Most notably, Roseman shared his initial plan of attack. Plan A entailed the team having a list of six players likely to be gone by No. 22 (where the Eagles originally were position prior to the trade down) but worth moving up for. To the best of McLane’s knowledge, that list included Anthony Barr, Odell Beckham Jr., Kyle Fuller, Ryan Shazier, Brandin Cooks and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
When those players were gone, Roseman was prepared to move down, pick up an additional pick and choose the best player available. McLane is ” not convinced Smith was at the top of that list, but of the players there he played a premium position of need and thus was moved to the front.” McLane also spoke to other teams’ representatives whose grades on Smith ranged from second to fourth round.
Here’s several more quick-hitting, NFC news and notes:
- The Eagles place on emphasis on college graduates, says Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- The Giants drafted Weston Richburg 43rd overall last night, and what made him attractive to the team was his ability to not only block effectively, but handle the responsibility associated with the position, says ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “[Tom] Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese both said the center’s responsibility for handling line and protection calls will increase under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross said Richburg scored an impressive 31 on the Wonderlic test and impressed the Giants in his combine interview with his intelligence.”
- The 49ers were very active Friday night, making five trades that netted veteran receiver Stevie Johnson as well as running back Carlos Hyde (No. 57), center Marcus Martin (No. 76), linebacker Chris Borland (No. 77) and offensive lineman Brandon Thomas (No. 100). Eric Branch at sfgate.com recaps the team’s busy day here. The 49ers also have seven picks in the final four rounds.
- The 49ers deep stable of running backs now includes Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James, Marcus Lattimore and Hyde. James wants more playing time and is open to a trade, but the team has no plans to move him, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson.
- The Packers are confident Davante Adams is the next in a long line of productive receivers drafted in the second and third round, writes Bob McGinn in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Redskins second-rounder Trent Murphy, whom the team expects to contribute right away as a nickel rusher, “protects the team’s long-term interests at OLB,” tweets NFL Network’s Albert Breer.
- With the selection of big cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste 53rd overall, the Saints continue to build a “Seattle-like secondary,” writes Larry Holder of Nola.com.
- The Panthers announced via Twitter that GM Dave Gettleman will draft remotely via Skype today so he can be present for his son’s college graduation.
NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Cards, Rams, 49ers
The Seahawks traded down multiple times before picking for the first time in this year’s draft, from 32nd to 40th to 45th. However, when they eventually did make a selection, they nabbed the player they had ticketed for that No. 32 pick in the first place, in Colorado wideout Paul Richardson — Richardson’s name was the one the Seahawks had ready at the end of the first round on Thursday, GM John Schneider told reporters, including Terry Blount of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said his team has interest in a big receiver, but hasn’t found the right guy yet and doesn’t want to force the issue (Twitter link via Blount).
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim admitted that he tried to get back into the second round via trade tonight, but didn’t find a taker, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets. It’s not clear which player Arizona was targeting.
- According to Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, St. Louis suspected that another team wanted to draft Lamarcus Joyner, which is why the Rams moved up to No. 41 to take him. The club the Rams suspected of targeting Joyner then ended up trading down, says Fisher (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). As Wagoner suggests (via Twitter), the Titans were the only team between No. 41 and the Rams’ original spot to trade down, so perhaps Fisher’s old team was eyeing Joyner as well.
- Asked about the possibility of acquiring more draft picks after a flurry of trades today, 49ers GM Trent Baalke replied, “The more darts you have, the more balloons you can pop” (Twitter link via Scott Kegley of 49ers.com).
- Baalke also weighed in on the topic of the team’s punt returner, suggesting that it’s not an area the 49ers feel a need to address: “LaMichael James did an excellent job for us a year ago, and that’s his job. We don’t feel an urgency to go out and replace LaMichael. That’s his job” (Sulia link via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee).