Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Tony Brooks-James (Oregon)
- Waived/injured: RB Jeremy Langford
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Josh Moon (Georgia Southern), OL Jordan Agasiva (Utah)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Spencer Schnell (Illinois State), DE David Kenney, OL Riley Mayfield (North Texas)
With the exception of Kenney, all players signed were undrafted rookies who were inked to deals after participating in their respective teams’ rookie minicamps. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweeted a cool story about Schnell, who’s late father Dave briefly played for the Bills. Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets that Schnell was impressive during minicamp, and that he’ll “get a look” returning kicks in addition to his receiving work.
Langford initially looked promising after entering the league as a fourth round pick of the Bears back in 2015. He opened the 2016 season as Chicago’s starting running back, but he’s struggled with injuries and turned into a journeyman ever since. Drafted only a few years ago, the Falcons were already the fifth stop of his career. He only appeared in one game for the Falcons last year, rushing nine times for 25 yards.
Bucs’ Gerald McCoy Discusses Trade Rumors
We’ve been hearing for several months that the Buccaneers have been looking to move on from veteran defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, but the front office hasn’t had much success finding a trade partner. Thanks to the uncertainty, the 31-year-old didn’t show up to the team’s offseason workouts back in April. Despite his absence, McCoy made it clear this week that he’ll suit up for whatever team’s rostering him come the start of the regular season.
“I will be playing football somewhere,” McCoy told Mike Cairns of Spectrum Sports 360 in Tampa (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). When asked if he’ll be playing football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCoy said “I don’t know. We’ll see. Fans know I love them. I’ll be on the field at some point.”
Since McCoy hasn’t been generating a whole lot of trade interest, it’s led some to assume that the veteran will ultimately be released by the Bucs. McCoy is due $13MM in 2019, and he is under contract through 2021, with cap charges north of $12MM in each of the next two years. The Buccaneers can move on from the defensive tackle without any dead money ramifications.
As Smith points out, it may be in McCoy’s best interest to attend the team’s voluntary workouts. If the lineman were to get injured, the Buccaneers would be responsible for his entire salary. As a result, his attendance could spark some urgency in the front office. Smith also notes that Jason Pierre-Paul‘s neck injury further complicates matters. There are rumors that the defensive end could be out for six months, meaning the defensive line with further lean on McCoy. The Buccaneers could choose to place JPP on the non-football injury list, a financial move that could change their opinion on McCoy’s roster spot.
In 2018, McCoy ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. However, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013, and he hasn’t graded as a top-10 interior defender since 2014.
Jason Pierre-Paul Won’t Have Surgery, Expects To Play In 2019
The last we heard, it was looking like Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul might miss the entire 2019 season. Pierre-Paul was involved in a serious car accident last week that resulted in a severe neck injury. Fortunately, things appear to be headed in the right direction. 
Pierre-Paul will not have surgery, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport posted in a follow-up tweet that Pierre-Paul “expects a midseason return.” The original reporting was that the injury was likely to require surgery, and likely to knock him out for the whole year. With surgery no longer an option, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets “the plan is to recheck” on Pierre-Paul’s fractured vertebra “at the 4-month mark.”
Pelissero also writes the “expected timeline is 5-6 months, if not sooner,” on when he’ll return to the field. As Greg Auman of The Athletic pointed out in a tweet, four months from JPP’s injury would coincide almost exactly with the time when the Bucs would need to decide whether or not he’ll open the season on the 53-man roster or the non-football injury list.
From a football perspective, it’s a huge blow for the Bucs. In his first season in Tampa last year Pierre-Paul had a very productive season, notching 12.5 sacks, the second-highest total of his career. The team is expected to either release or trade Gerald McCoy, so the defensive line was already going to be thin even before JPP’s injury.
The Bucs were hoping for a revitalized defense in the first year of the Bruce Arians era, and this certainly isn’t what they were looking for. If he can return on the early side of the 5-6 month timetable, he could be back in October and only miss the first month or so of the season. We’ll keep you posted on the situation.
Bucs Shut Down Kendell Beckwith
Kendell Beckwith‘s season ended before it could even start. On Friday, the Buccaneers placed the linebacker on the reserve/non-football injury list. 
Beckwith showed promise as a rookie in 2017 as he notched 73 tackles, one sack, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to build off of that in 2018 thanks to a car accident that mangled his ankle. His surgically-repaired ankle continues to keep him off of the field and it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to resume playing in the future.
Beckwith has overcome adversity in the past – that standout rookie season game on the heels of an ACL tear that ended his final LSU campaign prematurely. Hopefully, he’ll be able to battle through his ankle injury and get on the gridiron again.
Buccaneers Sign 16 UDFAs
The Buccaneers officially signed the following 16 UDFAs on Friday:
- Jalen Allison, CB (North Dakota State)
- Bruce Anderson, RB (North Dakota State)
- Zack Bailey, G (South Carolina)
- Kahzin Daniels, LB (Charleston)
- Lukas Denis, S (Boston College)
- Nick Fitzgerald, QB (Mississippi State)
- Dan Godsil, LS (Indiana)
- Israel Helms, T (Wayne State)
- Anthony Johnson, WR (Buffalo)
- DaMarkus Lodge, WR (Mississippi)
- Dare Odeyingbo, LB (Vanderbilt)
- Brock Ruble, T (Toledo)
- Isaiah Searight, TE (Fordham)
- Cortrelle Simpson, WR (Richmond)
- Malik Taylor, WR (Ferris State)
- Nate Trewyn, C (Wisconsin-Whitewater)
As the Bucs’ press release notes, history suggests that these players will have decent odds of making the final cut. Wide receiver Adam Humphries, running back Peyton Barber, and tight ends Cameron Brate and Antony Auclair all came to Tampa as UDFAs. In every year since 2008, at least one undrafted rookie has made the Buccaneers’ Week 1 roster.
That may be doubly true for defensive tackle Zack Bailey, who received a ~$23K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Buccaneers Sign Five Draft Picks
The Buccaneers have begun to sign their 2019 rookie class, announcing that they’ve reached deals with the following five draft choices:
- 2-39: Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB (Central Michigan)
- 4-107: Anthony Nelson, DE (Iowa)
- 5-145: Matt Gay, K (Utah)
- 6-208: Scott Miller, WR (Bowling Green)
- 7-215: Terry Beckner Jr., DT (Missouri)
After ranking 3oth in pass defense DVOA last season, the Buccaneers needed to throw assets at the coverage game, and they did so by adding Murphy-Bunting on Day 2. The 2018 CMU Defensive Player of the Year, Bunting is a “long, lanky press corner,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, which should make him a good fit for Todd Bowles‘ aggressive scheme. Nelson might need to replace Jason Pierre-Paul‘s production after posting 9.5 sacks a year ago, while Gay should be in line to serve as the Bucs’ kicker during his rookie campaign.
Tampa Bay still has yet to sign first-round linebacker Devin White, third-round cornerback Jamel Dean, or third-round safety Mike Edwards.
Latest On Jason Pierre-Paul
The car accident in which Jason Pierre-Paul was involved may keep him out of football in 2019. But JPP and the Buccaneers are not conceding that yet.
Pierre-Paul requiring surgery for the neck injury he sustained would keep him out up to six months, putting his 2019 availability in question. Upon looking at JPP’s scans, the Buccaneers grew concerned the edge rusher suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). But JPP is seeking out several other medical opinions.
JPP plans to send the results of those tests to “several” other doctors this week, per Palmer, who adds hope remains that surgery will not be necessary and that the ninth-year player could be back in time for Week 1.
“While Jason was treated and released in south Florida the same day of the accident, we wanted to ensure that our medical team had an opportunity to perform a thorough evaluation here in Tampa, and that process is currently ongoing,” Bucs GM Jason Licht said.
The Bucs received a 12.5-sack season from Pierre-Paul in 2018, it doubling as Tampa Bay’s double-digit sack season since 2005. He obviously remains a key figure in Tampa Bay’s defense — even as it moves to a 3-4 look, a scheme in which JPP has not played as an NFLer. Tampa Bay drafted a pass rusher, Iowa’s Anthony Nelson, but waited until Round 4 to do so. The Bucs signed Shaquil Barrett this offseason. Prior to the injury, JPP was not attending Bucs offseason workouts.
This marks the second major off-field injury for JPP, who suffered severe hand damage in a 2015 fireworks accident, and the second straight offseason in which the Bucs have dealt with an off-field injury. Kendell Beckwith did not play last season because of an ankle injury sustained in a car accident.
With Pierre-Paul’s $7.5MM injury guarantee becoming a full guarantee in March, the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. But it’s certainly possible the team looks for another pass rusher in free agency. Gerald McCoy is expected to be released, if no trade can be reached, freeing up $13MM in cap space. The Bucs hold just $1.8MM in space, so they would have to create some space before pursuing one of the UFA edge rushers.
Bucs’ Jason Pierre-Paul Could Miss Season
The early word after Jason Pierre-Paul‘s car crash indicated that he was not seriously injured. Unfortunately, that no longer appears to be the case. The Buccaneers defensive end may be in danger of missing the entire season due to a neck injury suffered in the accident, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
At this time, the belief is that Pierre-Paul will require surgery, which would almost certainly rule him out for the year. Pierre-Paul led the Bucs with 12.5 sacks last season, but the club will need to find pass rush pressure elsewhere in 2019.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that an off-the-field injury has held JPP back. On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger in a fireworks accident. To the surprise of many, he bounced back to register 15.5 sacks across 28 games in the following two seasons. Hopefully, Pierre-Paul can rebound similarly after his neck malady.
Roughly half of Pierre-Paul’s $14.9MM salary for 2019 became guaranteed in March, so the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. They also have very little in the way of cap flexibility, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to get in on the bidding for Ezekiel Ansah and other impact edge rushers left on the market.
Buccaneers Waive WR Sergio Bailey
Last preseason, it looked like Sergio Bailey could be part of the Buccaneers’ future. Today, he’s without a job. Greg Auman of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay has waived the receiver.
The Eastern Michigan product had a standout collegiate career, including a senior season where he hauled in 54 receptions for 878 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite the production, Bailey still went undrafted during the 2018 draft, and he ultimately caught on with the Buccaneers last April.
Bailey proceeded to have a s0lid preseason with Tampa Bay, collecting five receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, the receiver never got a chance to show his worth during the regular season, as an ankle injury forced him to be placed on the injured reserve.
The Buccaneers wide receiver corps will look a bit different in 2019 as both DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries are now placing elsewhere. The team did add Breshad Perriman to play behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, it’s surprising that the Buccaneers didn’t hang on to Bailey to compete with the likes of Bobo Wilson, Justin Watson, K.J. Brent, and sixth-round rookie Scott Miller.
Bucs Likely To Cut Gerald McCoy?
We heard last month that the Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wasn’t generating much trade interest, and as Albert Breer of SI.com wrote today, nothing has changed on that front.
The primary barrier to a trade, of course, is McCoy’s contract. McCoy is due $13MM in 2019, and he is under contract through 2021, with cap charges north of $12MM in each of the next two years. And Tampa Bay does not have very much leverage, because other clubs who might be interested in McCoy know that the Bucs — who are right up against the salary cap — can clear all of that money off of their books with no dead money ramifications by cutting McCoy.
Plus, although McCoy is certainly still a good player, his on-field performance no longer justifies his contract. So as Breer notes, it’s much more likely that Tampa Bay releases the 31-year-old, especially since the club still needs to sign its rookie class, which includes the fifth-overall pick.
In 2018, McCoy ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. However, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013, and he hasn’t graded as a top-10 interior defender since 2014.