Browns Sign DT Tommy Togiai
The Browns have inked fourth-round pick Tommy Togiai, per a club announcement. With the defensive tackle in the fold, the Browns now have five of their 2021 selections under contract.
Togiai, a bit undersized at 6’1″ and 300 pounds, gets to stay local after wrapping up his career at Ohio State. In his final year on campus, Togiai notched 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but he was one of the nation’s top-ranked DTs coming out of high school, so he has potential to outperform his draft slot.
Some college grads are eager to gas up the car and move somewhere new. That’s not the case for Togiai, who already feels at home.
“It’s great,” Togiai said (via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com). “I love the state of Ohio, my time at Ohio State and Columbus, and now I get to go to another city in Cleveland. I’m excited to get up there. When I first made that decision to go to Ohio State, I never knew this would happen. I’m just excited to just get back to Ohio and get back to work.”
The Browns have just three unsigned rookies left in first rounder cornerback Greg Newsome II, second-round linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and third-round wide receiver Anthony Schwartz.
Alexander Johnson Signs RFA Tender
Days after Tim Patrick signed his restricted free agent tender, the other RFA the Broncos tendered at the second-round level followed suit. Alexander Johnson signed his tender Thursday.
Like Patrick, the middle linebacker is set to earn $3.384MM on the tender. Only one restricted free agent received a first-round tender this year — Rams cornerback Darious Williams — but several commanded the second-round price. Johnson is now signed for the 2021 season. Barring an extension, he will play for the tender amount. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
An unusual RFA, seeing as he will turn 30 later this year, Johnson has been a starter in Denver for most of Vic Fangio‘s two-season tenure. The Broncos signed the ex-Tennessee Volunteer in 2018 but did not deploy him as a starter until October 2019. Johnson immediately impacted the team’s run defense and kept the first-string gig throughout 2020 as well. Johnson made 124 tackles and forced two fumbles last season. Pro Football Focus viewed the 255-pound defender as a top-25 off-ball linebacker in 2020.
This figures to be a notable stretch for the Broncos at linebacker. After parting ways with Brandon Marshall in 2019, the Broncos have made Johnson and Josey Jewell their primary off-ball ‘backers. Both are going into contract years. The team also drafted Ohio State’s Baron Browning in Round 3 this year, but it would make sense if either Jewell or Johnson emerged on the team’s extension radar.
Johnson’s late NFL start may well work against him regarding earning potential, but a solid 2021 season would put him in line for at least a decent medium-length deal — be it via a Broncos extension or as an unrestricted free agent next year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/20/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: TE Jack Batho
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Treyvon Hester
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: TE Logan Markway
Denver Broncos
- Waived: QB Case Cookus
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Timon Parris
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Adrian Colbert, LS Wes Farnsworth
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/20/21
Here are the 2021 draftees to sign their rookie contracts Thursday:
Arizona Cardinals
- CB Marco Wilson (fourth round; Florida)
- S James Wiggins (seventh round; Cincinnati)
- C Michal Menet (seventh round; Penn State)
Dallas Cowboys
- LB Jabril Cox (fourth round; LSU)
- OT Josh Ball (fourth round; Marshall)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- TE Luke Farrell (fifth round; Ohio State)
Washington Cuts Morgan Moses, Geron Christian
After attempting to trade Morgan Moses, Washington will instead send its longtime right tackle to free agency. The team is releasing its six-year right tackle starter, Sam Fortier of the Washington Post tweets. Washington is also waiving tackle Geron Christian, according to the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (on Twitter).
Rarely a player brought up here at Pro Football Rumors, Moses signed an extension in 2017 and has gone six straight seasons without missing a game. Moses’ relative anonymity came to an end this week, with Washington making him available for trade. No takers, however, will lead to a release.
Washington added two presumptive tackle starters over the past month, drafting Samuel Cosmi in the second round and signing longtime Bears left tackle Charles Leno. The WFT will save $7.74MM by cutting Moses, who will immediately become one of the top free agents available.
Pro Football Focus graded Moses as a top-20 tackle last season. While the advanced metrics site viewed Moses as a middle-of-the-road tackle from 2017-19, the 30-year-old blocker certainly proved dependable. As Trent Williams frequently missed starts and Washington cycled through tackles after Williams’ run ended in 2019, Moses continued to suit up for games. After finishing his rookie season on IR, the former third-round pick has made 96 straight starts.
A 2018 third-round pick, Christian started eight games at left tackle with Washington. Six of those came last season. Although a Brandon Scherff extension remains a goal for the defending NFC East champions, Washington’s new regime has rebooted the team’s tackle situation.
Patriots Bring Back RB Tyler Gaffney
Tyler Gaffney resurfaced in the NFL last year, parlaying a late-summer workout into a practice squad gig with the 49ers. The former minor league baseball player, however, will return to the NFL team with which he is most associated.
The Patriots are signing the veteran running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Pats employed Gaffney from 2014-17, picking him up off waivers after the Panthers cut him. New England will now give the 30-year-old back another opportunity.
A former 24th-round Pittsburgh Pirates draft choice, Gaffney has seen far more game action in baseball. Yet to play in an NFL regular-season game, the Stanford alum left football for farm-system life in 2018. He split time between the Pirates’ High-A and Double-A teams that year, slashing .291/.391/.470 with the Pirates’ High-A team before struggling with the higher-level ballclub. Following that season, Gaffney made the decision to return to football for a second time.
Although Gaffney collected two Super Bowl rings during his first stint with the Pats, his most notable football contributions came at Stanford. Gaffney rushed for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior in 2013, a season that came after he spent 2012 in the Pirates’ minor league system. The 49ers signed Gaffney in August but released him in January.
Jaguars Sign Tim Tebow
It’s officially official. On Thursday, the Jaguars confirmed that they’ve signed former University of Florida superstar Tim Tebow. Tebow, who made his name at quarterback, will attempt to return to football as a tight end.
“‘I want to thank the Jaguars for the opportunity to compete and earn the chance to be part of this team,’ Tebow said. “I know it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace. I am dedicated to taking the direction of our coaching staff and learning from my teammates. I appreciate everyone’s support as I embark on this new journey.”
Tebow hasn’t played in a real NFL game since the 2012 season. His last pro football stint was with the Eagles during the 2015 preseason. He’s since attempted a pro baseball career, spending time in the minor leagues with the Mets, which he just recently retired from.
All in all, Tebow’s NFL career spans three seasons, two with the Broncos and one with the Jets. As a first-round rookie in Denver, Tebow threw for 654 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 227 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. In 2011, Tebow played in 14 games and passed for 1,729 yards and 12 scores, plus 660 yards and six TDs rushing. Tebow logged a playoff win that year, but he wasn’t necessarily the driver behind their success.
Now, the two-time national champion at Florida will reunite with Urban Meyer and try to make the Jaguars as a tight end. For what it’s worth, the Mets’ minor league affiliates listed the 6-foot-3 Tebow at a TE-ready 245 pounds. The Jaguars now roster six TEs in total: Chris Manhertz, fifth-round pick Luke Farrell, Tyler Davis, James O’Shaughnessy, Ben Ellefson, and Tebow.
Texans Sign WR Taywan Taylor
After signing another quarterback earlier this evening, the Texans continue to add to their offense. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that Houston is signing wide receiver Taywan Taylor to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
[RELATED: Texans Sign QB Jeff Driskel]
The Titans’ 2017 third-round pick showed promise during his first two years in the NFL, including a sophomore season where he hauled in 37 receptions for 466 yards and one touchdown. However, since getting traded to Cleveland in 2019, he’s struggled to see the field. Over the past two years, Taylor has only seen time in six total games and 51 total offensive snaps.
The Texans have a crowded depth chart at wide receiver. The team was already rostering veterans like Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, and they’ve spent the offseason adding more veterans (like Andre Roberts and Chris Conley) and rookies (including third-rounder Nico Collins). Taylor will be the 13th receiver on Houston’s roster, so it’s going to be an uphill battle for him to make the squad.
Taylor does have some experience on special teams, so he could find another spot to make the roster. He had five tackles for the Titans during his rookie season, and he returned three kickoffs for the Browns in 2019.
Texans Sign QB Jeff Driskel
The Texans QB room is starting to get a bit crowded. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Texans are signing Jeff Driskel to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal includes a $250K signing bonus and a $1MM base salary ($500K guaranteed). Driskel will also earn $30K for each game he’s active, and he has up to $750K in playing-time incentives.
The 2016 sixth-round pick didn’t even make it to the regular season with the 49ers, but he subsequently found a home in Cincinnati. He spent three-plus seasons with the Bengals organization, including a 2018 campaign where he threw six touchdowns vs. only two interceptions in nine games (five starts). He started three games filling in for Matthew Stafford in Detroit during the 2019 season, and he started one of his three games for Denver in 2020.
In total, the 28-year-old has seen time in 15 career games (nine starts), completing 58.6-percent of his passes for 2,120 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
While Driskel got a chunk of change from Houston, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll even make the Texans roster. Following Deshaun Watson‘s trade request and subsequent legal issues, the organization has been busy adding to their uncertain depth chart. Free agent addition Tyrod Taylor is expected to start (assuming Watson is sidelined), and 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills will surely make the roster. This means Driskel will likely be competing with free agent addition (and former teammate) Ryan Finley for a spot on the roster.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21
The Colts have now officially signed every member of their draft class. We’ll keep track of all the new draftees signing their rookie deals today here:
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Kylen Granson (fourth-round; SMU), QB Sam Ehlinger (sixth-round; Texas)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Janarius Robinson (fourth-round; Florida State)
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (fourth-round; Oklahoma)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Jaelon Darden (fourth-round; North Texas)