Bengals Sign Second-Rounder Jackson Carman
The Bengals have signed rookie offensive lineman Jackson Carman, per a club announcement. With Carman in the fold, the Bengals now have eight players signed from their ten-man class.
Carman, taken in Round 2 with the No. 46 overall pick, made his mark as Clemson’s starting left tackle. But, as a pro, the Bengals will shift him over to guard. It’s new territory for Carman, but it’s his best bet to see the field as Jonah Willaims and Riley Reiff man the outside.
Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 335 pounds, Carman already has an NFL build. Some scouts were unsure about his ability to play LT at the next level, but few could knock his natural ability. As a five-star prospect coming out of high school, he was was nationally known before he even arrived on campus.
With the fierce blocker under contract, the Bengals will move on to inking first-round wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and third-round edge rusher Joseph Ossai.
Browns Sign Rookie James Hudson III
The Browns have another one in the books. On Tuesday, the Browns formally inked fourth-round pick James Hudson III, per a club announcement. Per the terms of his slot, the offensive tackle will earn $4.16MM over the course of four years, including a $677K signing bonus.
The Cincinnati product began his college career as a defensive tackle. Then, the Bearcats asked Hudson to switch sides. In his lone year as the team’s left tackle, Hudson allowed zero sacks and only six quarterback pressures. Now, the No. 110 overall pick will aim to take his game to the next level behind starters Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin.
In addition to Hudson, the Browns have already signed fellow rookies Demetric Felton (RB, sixth-round), Richard LeCounte III (S, fifth-round) and Tony Fields II (LB, fifth-round). They still have four rookies to go, including first-round cornerback Greg Newsome II and second-round linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramaoh.
Jaguars Trade CB Josiah Scott To Eagles
The Jaguars have agreed to trade cornerback Josiah Scott to the Eagles (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). In exchange, the Eagles will send fellow cornerback Jameson Houston to Jacksonville, along with a 2023 sixth-round pick. 
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Scott will help to solidify the Eagles’ CB group, although it’s a less splashy than their reported interest in veteran Steven Nelson. The ex-Chief/Steeler has been a solid starter in the league, ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 11 cornerback over the last two years. Scott, meanwhile, is heading into his second year after appearing in six games as a rookie reserve. The 2020 fourth-round pick finished last year with a grand total of eleven tackles, including one tackle for a loss.
Houston, meanwhile, went undrafted last year. Then, he got a mini-tour around the country by signing deals with the Browns, Panthers and Eagles. The 5’11” corner saw his first live action with Birds, suiting up for three games down the stretch. The bulk of his time came in Week 16, when he was on the field for 35% of the snaps against Washington.
Bears Sign LB Austin Calitro
Austin Calitro is heading to Chicago. The free agent linebacker is signing with the Bears, the organization announced this evening (via the team’s Twitter).
Calitro bounced around the NFL a bit to begin his career; the 2017 undrafted free agent out of Villanova spent his rookie campaign with four different teams (Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Browns). Seattle gave the linebacker another chance in 2018, and Calitro established himself as a legitimate NFL linebacker. He appeared in all 16 games during that 2018 season (with five starts), compiling 45 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss.
He got into 13 games with the Jaguars in 2019, finishing with 40 tackles and one sack. He caught on with Denver for the 2020 season, and while he appeared in 13 total games, he finished with only three tackles while playing exclusively on special teams.
The Bears will likely turn to Calitro on special teams, but the 27-year-old also has an opportunity to play on defense. Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, and backup Christian Jones seem set atop the depth chart, but Calitro will compete with the likes of Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods, and Caleb Johnson for backup reps.
To make room on the roster, the Bears waived wideout Reggie Davis (via the team’s website). The Georgia product spent most of the 2020 campaign on Chicago’s practice squad.
Patriots Re-Sign QB Brian Hoyer
The Patriots are re-signing a familiar face. New England is signing veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Jim McBride of the Boston Globe was first with the news (on Twitter).
Hoyer has had three stints with the Patriots throughout his 12-year career, earning a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady‘s backup in 2018. Following a one-year stint with the Colts in 2019, Hoyer re-joined the Patriots last offseason following Brady’s defection to Tampa Bay. Hoyer ended up starting a single game for New England, completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 130 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a fumble. The veteran didn’t end up seeing the field again following that Week 4 loss to the Chiefs.
This offseason, Hoyer was briefly mentioned as a potential option for the Jets as a backup, but he’ll instead be heading back to New England. The team’s depth chart looks a bit different in 2021. The team used the 15th-overall pick on Mac Jones, and the rookie is expected to compete with 2020 starter Cam Newton for the starting gig. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, Newton could serve as Jones’ competition while Hoyer could serve an important role as Jones’ mentor.
This signing is probably bad news for Jarrett Stidham. Following Brady’s decision to join Tampa Bay last offseason, there were some whispers that the 2019 fourth-round pick could end up inheriting the starting job. Instead, Stidham started a whopping zero games, although he did complete 50-percent of his passes for 256 yards, two scores, and three interceptions in limited snaps.
Chiefs Release WR Tajae Sharpe
After re-signing with the Chiefs earlier this offseason, Tajae Sharpe has been let go. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Kansas City has released the wide receiver.
Things have gone a bit downhill for Sharpe since his rookie season in 2016. That year, the Titans fifth-round pick finished with 41 receptions for 522 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the four years since, the receiver has been limited to only 51 receptions for 645 yards and six touchdowns.
Sharpe didn’t re-sign with Tennessee after the 2019 season, and he subsequently caught on with the Vikings. Sharpe ended up getting into four games with Minnesota, appearing on only 28 offensive snaps and catching zero passes on three targets. He was waived in December and later landed on the Chiefs practice squad, and he re-signed with the organization back in April.
Sharpe was already going to have a tough time breaking the Kansas City roster, as the team seems set atop their depth chart with Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, and Byron Pringle. The team also used a fifth-round pick on Cornell Powell, meaning Sharpe was pretty much competing for a spot as a sixth receiver. Now, Sharpe will be looking for his third team in the matter of 12(ish) months. The receiver is still only 26-years-old, so there’s a good chance a wideout-needy team takes a chance on him.
Saints Re-Sign CB Ken Crawley
The Saints are bringing back a familiar face for 2021. New Orleans has re-signed cornerback Ken Crawley, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s presumably a cheap one-year deal.
Crawley entered the league as an UDFA with the Saints back in 2016, and became a real contributor in New Orleans. He started five games as a rookie, 13 the following year, and then five again in 2018. He had 17 passes defended in 2017 but his play was often inconsistent, and Crawley was cut midway through the 2019 campaign.
He was claimed by the Dolphins and ended up starting a couple of games for them. The Colorado product signed with the Raiders last offseason, and was cut over the summer. He latched on with the Cardinals, but was then let go by them too at final cuts.
All that led him back to New Orleans, when he signed with their practice squad midway through the year. He was elevated for a handful of games, but played sparingly. The 28-year-old obviously has an extensive history with Sean Payton now, but won’t be guaranteed a roster spot.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/21
The Bengals were busy on Monday, inking all seven of their Day 3 picks to their rookie deals. We’ll keep track of all of today’s draft pick signings below:
Cincinnati Bengals
- DE Cameron Sample (fourth-round; Tulane), OT D’Ante Smith (fourth-round; East Carolina), DT Tyler Shelvin (fourth-round; LSU), K Evan McPherson (fifth-round; Florida), C Trey Hill (sixth-round; Georgia), RB Chris Evans (sixth-round; Michigan), DE Wyatt Hubert (seventh-round; Kansas State)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jalen Camp (sixth-round; Georgia Tech)
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Tyree Gillespie (fourth-round; Missouri), CB Nate Hobbs (fifth-round; Illinois), C Jimmy Morrissey (seventh-round; Pittsburgh)
Jaguars Cut Ryquell Armstead
Ryquell Armstead will have to bounce back from his tough 2020 with a different team. The Jaguars announced they waived the running back on Monday.
A fifth-round pick out of Temple in 2019, Armstead garnered headlines last season as one of the pro athletes to be most effected by COVID-19. The young rusher spent the entire 2020 campaign on the COVID list. It was a scary situation, as Armstead reportedly dealt with serious respiratory issues and had to be hospitalized twice.
Fortunately most NFL players who tested positive were able to return to play relatively quickly, but Armstead wasn’t as lucky. Now with the Jags drafting Travis Etitenne in the first-round and the presence of breakout 2020 rookie James Robinson, the running backs room had gotten a bit crowded.
Armstead was able to make a real impact as a rookie in 2019, and got a start in Week 17. Overall he finished his only pro season to date carrying the ball 35 times for 108 yards and adding another 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Here’s to hoping he’s made a full recovery and is able to sign with somebody for 2021.
Patriots To Sign Alex Redmond, James Ferentz
The Patriots are set to sign guard Alex Redmond (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In addition, the Pats have also re-signed center James Ferentz, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. 
Redmond worked out for the Patriots last week, alongside fellow ex-Bengal Dre Kirkpatrick. The cornerback remains a free agent, but Redmond is now in the fold to provide depth on the offensive line. Redmond, 26, first joined Cincy as a UDFA in 2016. In 2018, he found his way to the starting lineup and was first-string for 15 games. Over the last two seasons, he’s made nine starts. Barring an injury, he’ll likely act as a reserve in New England behind Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu.
Ferentz is the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, a friend of Bill Belichick‘s. Still, the younger Ferentz has earned his playing time, seeing 24 games over the last three years. Previous to that, Ferentz spent time with the Texans and Broncos.