Falcons To Add WR Tajae Sharpe
A week after the Chiefs released Tajae Sharpe, the veteran wide receiver found a new home. The Falcons are signing the former Titans draftee, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
After Sharpe spent 2020 in Minnesota and Kansas City, he will reunite with former Tennessee assistant Arthur Smith. The new Falcons HC was with the Titans throughout Sharpe’s tenure and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2019, Smith’s final Tennessee season.
Although Sharpe caught on with the Vikings and Chiefs last year, he does not have a regular-season reception since his Titans tenure ended. The former fifth-round pick caught 92 passes for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in three Titans seasons. Smith played out his rookie contract in Tennessee but only saw action in three of those seasons, missing all of 2017 due to injury. He played in four games with the Vikings last year.
Bigger news has obviously encircled the Falcons’ receiving corps, with Julio Jones no longer looking likely to play an 11th season in Atlanta. Trade noise has followed the perennial Pro Bowler for weeks now, and Jones said Monday he expects to be dealt. Should Jones be traded, Sharpe would have an easier path to Atlanta’s 53-man roster.
The Falcons have Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus in place as their top non-Jones receivers. They also drafted Frank Darby in this year’s sixth round.
Panthers Sign DT Caraun Reid
Caraun Reid will receive an opportunity in yet another city. The Panthers are signing the veteran defensive tackle, bringing him aboard Monday. To make room on its roster, Carolina waived linebacker Chris Orr.
A veteran of seven NFL teams since coming into the league in 2014, the veteran defensive lineman will have a chance to accomplish a rare NFL feat. Should he make the Panthers’ 53-man roster, Reid will have played for six teams in the past six years.
Reid, 29, spent the 2020 season bouncing on and off the Jaguars’ active roster. He played in seven games with Jacksonville last season — all as a backup. He started three games for the 2019 Cardinals and played for the Cowboys, Lions and Chargers in the three years prior. Reid also spent time with the Colts and Washington but never saw regular-season action with those teams. Overall, the Princeton alum has played in 54 games and started 16 since entering the league as a fifth-round pick.
Reid joins ex-Titans starter DaQuan Jones as veteran interior D-linemen to sign with the Panthers this year. Carolina also used multiple draft picks to address this position, selecting Daviyon Nixon in Round 5 and Phil Hoskins in Round 7.
Raiders Sign OL Patrick Omameh
Despite waiving Patrick Omameh during the 2020 season, the Raiders have the veteran offensive lineman back on their roster. They re-signed the well-traveled guard Monday.
Omameh initially caught on with the Raiders in September of last year, after the Saints released him. He played in six games with Las Vegas, which was down Richie Incognito following Week 2. But the team cut Omameh in December. He later caught on with the Chiefs but did not see action in any of their playoff games.
During an offseason in which the Raiders have said goodbye to multiple longtime O-line staples — Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson — they have also re-signed several blockers. Incognito, Denzelle Good and now Omameh are back in the fold after spending time in free agency.
Omameh, 31, spent the bulk of his first five seasons as a starter but did so in a few cities. The former UDFA started at least seven games for the Buccaneers, Bears, Jaguars and Giants from 2014-18. The Giants, however, cut him midway through the ’18 season. Omameh has worked as a backup over the past two years, playing with the Saints and Raiders.
He stands to compete for a depth role for a team that has Incognito, Good and 2020 draftee John Simpson set to vie for first-string guard spots.
Texans To Cut Ryan Finley
The Texans have been adding quarterbacks left and right as they prepare for a potential worst-case scenario in the Deshaun Watson saga, and now they’re letting one go.
Houston is releasing Ryan Finley, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Texans had just traded for Finley back in March, acquiring him from the Bengals in exchange for a late-round pick swap. Cincy was planning on cutting Finley before they were able to turn a seventh-rounder into a sixth-rounder a couple months back.
The Bengals drafted Finley in the fourth-round only in 2019, but he didn’t pan out. The NC State product started three games his rookie season after the team benched Andy Dalton to get a look at the youngster. He looked totally unprepared for NFL football, and was so bad the Bengals quickly moved back to Dalton. He started one game last year, and in four career starts has averaged 5.4 yards per attempt with a 48.7 percent completion percentage.
The Texans decided to take a flyer, but after signing Jeff Driskel the quarterbacks room became crowded. Outside of Driskel and Watson, the Texans also have Tyrod Taylor and rookie third-round pick Davis Mills on the roster.
None of them are particularly inspiring, but Houston is making sure they have options in the event they can’t reconcile with Watson.
Raiders Release DL David Irving
Despite not seeing much time with the Raiders last season, David Irving generated some interest in free agency this year. But the former Cowboys regular opted to re-sign with the Raiders. That deal did not end up lasting too long.
The Raiders released Irving on Friday. This is not the first time such a transaction has occurred. Las Vegas signed Irving midway through last season but cut him on multiple occasions, shuttling him to its practice squad. With practice squads not forming until September, Irving is back in free agency.
Irving played in two games last season, logging just 45 snaps, and has suited up for just four over the past three years. Suspensions have dogged the 27-year-old D-lineman, but he has avoided any bans since his most recent reinstatement last fall. The ex-Cowboys starter worked out for the Colts and Lions this offseason as well. While more interest may develop, Irving is nearly four years removed from his last season of consequence.
The 6-foot-7 pass rusher did log seven sacks in eight games in 2017; that has likely continued to generate interest. It will be interesting to see if the former Chiefs UDFA can land with a fourth NFL team.
Las Vegas added several defensive line pieces this offseason, signing Yannick Ngakoue and using a third-round pick on fellow defensive end Malcolm Koonce. Former top-five pick Solomon Thomas and Quinton Jefferson are also now with the Raiders. Like Irving, each has experience working at both D-end and D-tackle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Antoine Wesley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Cohl Cabral
Texans Claim T Geron Christian
While Morgan Moses had enough service time to head to free agency, the other tackle Washington cut Thursday did not. And the Texans will add a former third-round pick as a result.
Houston submitted a successful waiver claim for Geron Christian. The fourth-year veteran will be the latest notable name to join the Texans on what is now a one-year contract. The 2018 draftee’s deal, like most of the others the Texans have authorized this offseason, expires after the 2021 season.
A Louisville alum, Christian started six games for Washington at left tackle last season. The 6-foot-6 blocker has played in 24 over the course of his career, which began in a developmental role during the end of Washington’s Trent Williams era. Pro Football Focus graded Christian 60th overall among tackles in his 263-snap 2020 season.
Injuries have interfered with Christian’s career as well. An MCL tear sidelined him as a rookie, while another knee injury limited him to six games last season. Washington moved on, drafting Samuel Cosmi in Round 2 and signing Charles Leno as its presumptive Week 1 left tackle starter.
The Texans have their left tackle position checked off, with Laremy Tunsil anchoring the rebuilding team’s offensive line. On the right side, Houston has 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard and longtime Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon.
Seahawks Sign CB Tre Brown, Wrap Draft Class Deals
The Seahawks and Tre Brown agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal, according to the team. Seattle now has its 2021 draft class under contract.
Of course, this proved a simpler task than in most cases. The Seahawks made just three picks this year. That marked the fewest in the NFL and eclipsed their five-man 1997 draft — headlined by top-six picks Shawn Springs and Walter Jones — for the fewest in franchise history.
A cornerback out of Oklahoma, Brown is ticketed to begin his career on the boundary. While the Seahawks have generally preferred tall corners on the outside under their current regime, the 5-foot-10 Brown will line up there once team drills commence. Brown, whom the Seahawks selected at No. 137 overall, intercepted three passes last season and played a regular role for the past three Sooners teams.
Brown joins second-round wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) and sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe (Florida) in the Seahawks’ 2021 draft trio. All three are signed through 2024.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/21/21
Today’s lower round signings:
Buffalo Bills
- DB Damar Hamlin (sixth round; Pitt)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Jay Tufele (fourth round; USC)
49ers Cut Marqise Lee
Well, that was fast. On Friday, the 49ers released wide receiver Marqise Lee. In a related move, they’ve signed fellow wideout Bennie Fowler to take his place on the roster. 
The one-time Jaguars notable signed with the Niners on May 17. A few short days later, he finds himself looking for work once again. Lee made a decent impression on coaches during the 49ers’ rookie minicamp practices and was hoping to stick. It appeared to be a good landing spot for him, especially since he grew up in California and played his college ball at USC.
Between 2016 and 2017, Lee averaged about 60 receptions and 776 receiving yards. He went on to land a four-year, $38MM extension from Jacksonville, but that deal was cut short. Between knee injuries and the COVID opt-out, he’s seen just six games since the end of ’17.
Fowler, meanwhile, has spent the last two years with the Giants. He wasn’t on the field much in 2020, snagging just two receptions before a season-ending shoulder injury.