Giants Sign Kelvin Benjamin
Apparently, the Giants liked what they saw from Kelvin Benjamin. After bringing Benjamin in for a tryout this weekend, New York has agreed to terms with the former first-rounder, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
Benjamin, of course, entered the league as a wide receiver, and that’s where he has played since Giants GM Dave Gettleman — then the general manager of the Panthers — drafted him in 2014. But Benjamin primarily worked out as a tight end during this weekend’s visit, so it appears he is undergoing a position change.
Now 30, Benjamin’s size (6-5, 245 pounds) makes him something of a natural fit at TE. And given that his career fell off a cliff after he was traded from Carolina to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, he almost had to try something different. Indeed, after spending the final few games of the 2018 campaign with the Chiefs following his release from Buffalo, there were no public reports of interest in his services until he got a call from the Giants.
With Evan Engram and free agent acquisition Kyle Rudolph ahead of him on the depth chart, Benjamin will battle for a a TE3 job alongside the likes of Levine Toilolo and Kaden Smith. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv believes Benjamin is facing an uphill battle in his quest for a regular season roster spot (Twitter link), but his background as a receiver and his physical stature make him an intriguing low-risk flier just the same.
Benjamin is the second of the five veterans Big Blue recently invited to the facility to get a contract. RB Corey Clement has also put pen to paper, and as Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, the Giants waived RB Jordan Chunn and TE Nate Wieting to make room for Clement and Benjamin on the 90-man roster.
Giants To Sign RB Corey Clement
The Giants are set to sign running back Corey Clement, as Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News writes. Clement auditioned on Friday and Saturday, impressing coaches and beating out a handful other vets vying for a spot on the team’s offseason roster. That group included fellow RB Ito Smith, per Leonard. 
Clement is best known his Super Bowl LII touchdown and taking the Eagles’ “Philly Special” snap. He spent the last four years with the Birds, though his usage has fluctuated over time. In 2019, he did not see a carry in four games. Last year, after Jordan Howard left, he still only saw 21 carries in 15 games, spending most of his time on special teams.
All in all, Clement has logged 655 yards and seven touchdowns off of 163 carries, plus 37 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he’ll look to solidify his place behind Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker.
Smith, meanwhile, will look for work elsewhere. The 2018 fourth-round pick cut by the Falcons in April, even though he’s shown a penchant for game-changing plays in the past. As a rookie, Smith made noise with 6.4 yards per carry in an admittedly small sample. He hasn’t looked quite as sharp lately, but he still managed to take 63 carries for 268 yards (4.3 ypc).
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/21
Here are the latest rookies to agree to terms on their four-year contracts. The Steelers were busy on this front Saturday.
Houston Texans
- LB Garret Wallow (fifth round; TCU)
Los Angeles Chargers
- RB Larry Rountree (sixth round; Missouri)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DT Isaiahh Loudermilk (fifth round; Wisconsin), LB Quincy Roche (sixth round; Miami), CB Tre Norwood (seventh round; Oklahoma), P Pressley Harvin III (seventh round; Georgia Tech)
Packers To Sign QB Kurt Benkert
Shortly after reuniting Blake Bortles and OC Nathaniel Hackett, the Packers are adding another quarterback to their roster. Their Kurt Benkert workout led to agreement (Twitter link).
The Packers worked out Benkert and Chad Kelly at their rookie minicamp; it appears they will choose Benkert to be their fourth QB. This will mark Benkert’s second NFL team. He spent the past three seasons with the Falcons.
[RELATED: Packers To Sign Blake Bortles]
A 2018 UDFA, Benkert played two seasons at East Carolina and Virginia. He started two seasons for the Cavaliers, throwing 46 touchdown passes between his junior and senior seasons. The Falcons used him as roster depth behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub but moved in a different direction this offseason. The Falcons waived Benkert in February.
With Aaron Rodgers wanting out, Jordan Love stood alone at this position coming into the week. The Packers now have some depth ahead of the on-field portion of their OTA workouts and minicamp. Should the Rodgers stalemate drag into the late summer, the team has a potential third-string option in Benkert.
Vikings Sign Fourth-Round RB Kene Nwangwu
The Vikings have signed their sixth draft pick. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed fourth-round running back Kene Nwangwu. It’s a four-year pact worth $4.23MM, including a $752K+ signing bonus.
[RELATED: Vikings Sign First-Round Pick Christian Darrisaw]
Nwangwu didn’t really emerge on the NFL radar until the completion of his 2020 season. While the six-foot-one, 210-pound running back didn’t put up crazy counting stats (only 361 yards from scrimmage and four scores), he still had a solid 5.6 yards per rushing attempt (down a bit from his eye-popping 7.2 mark in 2019). Nwangwu was also productive on special teams during his college career, returning 92 kicks.
In Minnesota, the rookie will likely compete with Ameer Abdullah for the third spot on the depth chart behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. His real opportunity for playing time will be in the return game, where he’ll compete with Abdullah and rookie wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The Vikings still have five of their draft picks unsigned, as our NFL Draft Results page shows:
Round 1: No. 23 (from Seahawks through Jets) Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 3: No. 66 (from Jets) Kellen Mond, QB (Texas A&M)
Round 3: No. 78 Chazz Surratt, LB (North Carolina)
Round 3: No. 86 (from Seahawks through Jets) Wyatt Davis, G (Ohio State)
Round 3: No. 90 (from Ravens) Patrick Jones II, DE (Pittsburgh)
Round 4: No. 119 Kene Nwangwu, RB (Iowa State) (signed)
Round 4: No. 125 (from Bears) Camryn Bynum, CB (California) (signed)
Round 4: No. 134 (from Bills) Janarius Robinson, DE (Florida State)
Round 5: No. 157 Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 168 (from Steelers through Ravens): Zach Davidson, TE (Central Missouri) (signed)
Round 6: No. 199 Jaylen Twyman, DT (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Seahawks Bring In 13 UDFAs
With their rookie minicamp underway, the Seahawks announced their undrafted free agent class. Here are the rookie hopefuls eyeing back-end-of-the-roster spots in Seattle:
- S Aashari Crosswell, Arizona State
- T Jake Curhan, California
- T Greg Eiland, Mississippi State
- RB B.J. Emmons, Florda Atlantic
- DT Jarrod Hewitt, Virginia Tech
- G Jared Hocker, Texas A&M
- WR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
- RB Josh Johnson, Louisiana-Monroe
- G Pier-Olivier Lestage, Montreal
- CB Bryan Mills, North Carolina Central
- LB Jon Rhattigan, Army
- WR Tamorrion Terry, Florida State
- WR Connor Wedington, Stanford
Seattle drafted just three players this year, having sent its first- and third-round picks to the Jets in 2020’s Jamal Adams deal. The Seahawks’ large (for 2021) UDFA class includes a few under-the-radar prospects. The 10th overall pick in this year’s CFL draft, Lestage will give the NFL a try first. Both Johnson and Mills were Division I-FCS All-Americans.
Scouts Inc. viewed the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Terry as a fifth-round prospect. In 13 2019 games, the Seminoles receiver caught 60 passes for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns. Although the Seahawks drafted a receiver (D’Wayne Eskridge) in Round 2, they figure to have competition for backup roles. Josh Johnson surpassed 1,200 rushing yards in 2019, averaging 6.5 per carry, while Emmons was initially an Alabama recruit who transferred to the Conference USA program. The Seahawks re-signed Chris Carson but lost Carlos Hyde in free agency and did not pick up Rashaad Penny‘s fifth-year option.
Hocker joins Texans UDFAs Carson Green and Ryan McCollum as Texas A&M O-linemen to land post-draft deals. The Steelers drafted ex-Aggies tackle Dan Moore Jr. in Round 4. Hocker worked as a guard with the SEC team. Curhan started 40 games at tackle for the Golden Bears; he will join sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe as a rookie edge blockers with the Seahawks. Eiland received starts at both tackle positions and right guard for the Bulldogs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Eric Dungey, TE Cheyenne O’Grady
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Deuce Wallace
- Waived/injured: DB Eric Burrell, DB Trill Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Nate Meadors
Packers Sign Second-Rounder Josh Myers, 4 Other Draftees
As the Packers begin their rookie minicamp, they made quick work signing draft picks. Seven of Green Bay’s nine 2021 selections are now under contract, including second-rounder Josh Myers.
The Packers signed the Day 2 center pick and four other draftees Friday. Myers, fourth-round O-lineman Royce Newman, fifth-round defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton, fifth-round cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles and sixth-round linebacker Isaiah McDuffie are signed.
Green Bay chose Myers, an Ohio State product, 62nd overall. Helping the likes of J.K. Dobbins and Trey Sermon find running lanes, the Buckeyes center earned first-team All-Big Ten acclaim in 2020 and landed on the O-linemen-producing conference’s second team in 2019. He figures to be a key player for the Packers, who lost All-Pro Corey Linsley in free agency.
Myers participated in workouts Friday after undergoing offseason foot surgery. The Ohio native encountered a turf toe issue last year. This marks the second time in three years the Packers have drafted a college center with their second-round pick. Mississippi State center Elgton Jenkins became a Pro Bowler at guard in 2020.
Here is how Green Bay’s draft class looks as the defending NFC North champions’ minicamp gets underway:
Round 1: No. 29 Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
Round 2: No. 62 Josh Myers, C (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 85 (from Titans) Amari Rodgers, WR (Clemson)
Round 4: No. 142 Royce Newman, OG (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 5: No. 173 Tedarrell Slaton, DT (Florida) (signed)
Round 5: No. 178 Shemar Jean-Charles, CB (Appalachian State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 214 Cole Van Lanen, G (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 6: No. 220 Isaiah McDuffie, LB (Boston College) (signed)
Round 7: No. 256 Kylin Hill, RB (Mississippi State) (signed)
Hawks Sign Round 2 Pick D’Wayne Eskridge
The Seahawks started their rookie minicamp Friday; their top 2021 draft pick is now under contract. The team agreed to terms with second-rounder D’Wayne Eskridge, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.
One of college football’s top deep threats in recent years, Eskridge went to the Seahawks at No. 56 overall. The team dipped into the Mid-American Conference’s talent pool here, with Eskridge attending Western Michigan, and will pair him with former Day 2 picks Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.
Eskridge played parts of five seasons at the mid-major program, redshirting after four games in 2019. In his final two full seasons, the 5-foot-8 wide receiver eclipsed 20 yards per reception. While Eskridge never tallied an 800-yard season, he was on pace to post a dominant stat line as a senior. The MAC limited its schedule to six games in 2020; Eskridge still posted 768 receiving yards and a career-high eight touchdowns.
Seattle lost backup wideout David Moore this offseason and recently severed ties with Josh Gordon, paving a path for Eskridge. Day 3 picks and UDFAs populate the rest of the Seahawks’ receiving corps.
Eskridge and sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe are under contract. Fourth-round cornerback Tre Brown is participating in minicamp but is not yet signed.
Texans Sign 3 UDFAs
The Texans are the latest team to unveil a smaller-than-usual undrafted free agent class. Here are the three players added to Houston’s roster post-draft:
- OT Carson Green, Texas A&M
- WR Damon Hazelton, Missouri
- C Ryan McCollum, Texas A&M
The two ex-Aggie offensive linemen will each receive six-figure guarantees. Both will collect $125K, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Drew Davison noting the deals come with $100K base salary guarantees and $25K signing bonuses (Twitter links).
Scouts Inc. graded McCollum and Green as seventh-round-caliber prospects, slotting the former 236th overall and the latter 244th. Green started from 2018-20 for the Aggies, earning second-team All-SEC acclaim as a senior. McCollum started as a senior. The Aggies led the SEC in sacks allowed and yards per carry (5.45). Hazelton played a three schools, contributing for Ball State and Virginia Tech prior to spending his senior season in central Missouri.