Vikings Bring In 11 UDFAs
The Vikings have filled out their initial undrafted free agent class, according to a team announcement. Here are the 11 rookies the Vikings will bring in to join their 11-man draft class:
- Turner Bernard, LS (San Diego State)
- Tuf Borland, LB (Ohio State)
- Christian Elliss, LB (Idaho)
- Zeandae Johnson, DT (Cal)
- Myron Mitchell, WR (UAB)
- Riley Patterson, K (Memphis)
- Whop Philyor, WR (Indiana)
- Blake Proehl, WR (East Carolina)
- A.J. Rose, RB (Kentucky)
- Jordan Scott, NT (Oregon)
- Zach Von Rosenberg, P (LSU) (story)
The Vikings are guaranteeing $100K of Proehl’s base salary and adding a $15K signing bonus, veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweets. This will mark another second-generation NFL wideout for the Vikes, who already employ Don Beebe‘s son, Chad. Blake Proehl’s father, Ricky Proehl, played 17 NFL seasons. Christian Elliss joins Proehl in being the son of an NFLer; his father, Luther Elliss, played 10 seasons as a defensive tackle (nine with the Lions).
Patterson will join Greg Joseph as the Vikings’ kickers. Minnesota added Joseph in February, but he has not kicked in a regular-season game since 2019. He and Patterson, who kicked in 51 games for the Tigers, figure to compete for the job in camp. Patterson missed seven field goals as a senior but made 23 of 25 kicks in 2019. They will vie to succeed Dan Bailey, who struggled last season.
Philyor proving to be an NFL-caliber receiver could potentially land him an endorsement deal, at least at Minneapolis-area Burger Kings, with his nickname being geared around his affinity for Whoppers as a boy. At Indiana, he posted a 1,002-yard receiving season as a junior in 2019.
Lions To Sign Darren Fells
The Lions have agreed to a deal with Darren Fells, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. It’s a reunion for Fells, who spent the 2017 season in Detroit. 
Last time with the Lions, Fells notched 17 catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Back then, he was known solely for his blocking ability. But, in 2019, he made waves with 34 catches for 341 yards and seven touchdowns. His second season with the Texans wasn’t as flashy. In 2020, Fells notched 21 catches for 312 yards and four TDs. Still, that makes eleven scores in two years and the Lions are more interested in Fells for his blocking ability.
Fells will help replace TE Josh Hill, who signed with the Lions this year only to retire earlier this week. Hill, 31, was set to play on a one-year, $1.2MM deal.
Chiefs To Sign S Will Parks
The Chiefs have agreed to sign safety Will Parks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Parks, a free agent for the second straight year, also received interest from the Vikings and Lions.
Instead of the NFC North, he’ll join up with one of the AFC’s strongest teams. The five-year veteran agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.13MM, according to Schefter (on Twitter).
Despite entering the league as a seventh-round pick, Parks has seen considerable playing time as a pro. He spent most of his career with the Broncos before moving on to the Eagles in 2020. Injuries led to Parks’ release in December, bringing him back to the Broncos. Parks missed six games last year, but previous to that, he was only scratched for two.
Now on the verge of his 27th birthday (in July), the versatile vet figures to serve as a supporting safety in Kansas City — perhaps with some time as a sub-package linebacker. Parks played that role at points in Denver and will now attempt to carve out a spot with the Broncos’ top rivals.
Cowboys Cut Antwaun Woods, Saivion Smith
The Cowboys are waiving starting defensive tackle Antwaun Woods (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Woods was retained as a restricted free agent, but the Cowboys will shed his salary instead after drafting multiple defensive linemen. In addition, the Cowboys have also cut cornerback Saivion Smith, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter).
Woods has started 32 of his 39 games for Dallas over the past three years, compiling 80 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a pair of fumble recoveries. By cutting the former UDFA, the Cowboys will save $2.133MM on the books for 2021.
The veteran was a favorite of Rod Marinelli, but defensive coordinator Dan Quinn wants to move the D-Line in a new direction. Now, the interior will be bolstered by UCLA fourth-rounder Osa Odighizuwa and Kentucky sixth-rounder Quinton Bohanna.
Smith, meanwhile, spent the bulk of last year on the practice squad. He’s been pushed out by the arrival of rookies Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright.
Jets Sign Rookie Jamien Sherwood
The first NFL Draft signing of 2021 is on the board. On Wednesday, the Jets inked fifth-round safety Jamien Sherwood (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).
Sherwood, an Auburn product, was the combo breaker on the Jets’ early run of offensive players. Interestingly, the Jets listed him as a linebacker on their press released after he was taken No. 146 overall. The 6’2″, 220 pound defensive back may be moved to edge rusher, something that he told the Jets he’d be willing to do during the draft process.
“I take pride in that,” Sherwood said about his ability to cover the middle of the field (via the team website). “Being a safety, you’re the last line of defense, so that’s just stopping touchdowns. You do everything you can for your team. Whenever I get my chance to make a tackle, I make it.”
In his final year on campus, Sherwood notched 75 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. With Sherwood under contract, we’ve got 258 stragglers left to go. Most of those signings will be listed in our daily roundups, with dedicated posts for early round selections.
Vikings Sign Shane Zylstra
The Vikings have signed Shane Zylstra, according to his agent, Jaymeson Moten (via Twitter). Zylstra, who starred as a wide receiver at Minnesota State, will convert to tight end, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because Zylstra’s older brother, Brandon Zylstra, signed with the Vikings in 2018 after a terrific couple of years in the Canadian Football League. He has been with the Panthers in each of the past two seasons, and while the CFL’s 2017 receiving yards leader has just 12 catches in his NFL career, he has served as a significant special teams contributor for both Minnesota and Carolina.
The younger Zylstra set Minnesota State records with 81 receptions for 1,676 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2019 — he was basically the D-II version of Ja’Marr Chase — but went undrafted last year. He will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow Minnesota State alumnus and new teammate Adam Thielen.
Zylstra has put on 15 pounds of muscle for his position switch and is now up to 230 pounds, per Tomasson (Twitter link). The Vikings’ TE depth chart is currently topped by Irv Smith Jr., but beyond that, the club is rostering unproven talents Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon, and fifth-round rookie Zach Davidson. So Zylstra has a shot to make the team with a strong summer.
Tomasson notes that Zylstra also attracted interest from the Colts and 49ers (Twitter link).
Raiders To Release Jeff Heath
The Raiders are releasing safety Jeff Heath, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter). Las Vegas signed Heath to a two-year pact last March, but he only made it halfway through that deal.
Heath, who will turn 30 in a little over a week, has carved out a career that most college free agents dream of. Signed by the Cowboys as a UDFA out of Saginaw Valley State in 2013, he appeared in all 16 of Dallas’ games in his rookie season, starting nine of them. His defensive snaps took a downturn over the next few seasons as he settled in as a core special-teamer, but he became the Cowboys’ primary strong safety from 2017-19.
In thirteen games (five starts) for the Raiders in 2020, Heath intercepted three passes, tying his career-high mark set in 2017. He also graded out as the 16th-best safety in the league per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, which assigned him high marks for his coverage abilities.
However, the Raiders’ defense was their Achilles’ heel last season, and the club selected two safeties in last week’s draft (Trevon Moehrig and Tyree Gillespie), so Heath’s release is not terribly surprising. Vegas also reunited with Karl Joseph last month.
Heath should be able to catch on with a club in need of safety help, especially since he can still be a valuable contributor to a third unit. His release saves the Raiders $3.15MM in cap space, which will help subsidize today’s Casey Hayward signing.
Bears, WR Damiere Byrd Agree To Deal
With the deadline for signings affecting the 2022 compensatory formula having passed, the post-draft free agency wave is forming. The Bears are taking part, agreeing to terms with wide receiver Damiere Byrd, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal.
A role player in Carolina and Arizona, Byrd saw his responsibilities increase in New England. Byrd signed with the Patriots last year, and although the Pats’ passing production plummeted following Tom Brady‘s departure, Cam Newton frequently looked Byrd’s way. The former UDFA broke through with career-high marks — 47 catches, 604 receiving yards — last year.
Byrd, who never topped 150 yards in a season prior to his Cardinals stay in 2019, joins Marquise Goodwin as Bears free agency additions at the receiver position. Chicago added Goodwin just before the draft and selected North Carolina’s Dazz Newsome in Round 6 on Saturday.
The Bears franchise-tagged Allen Robinson and have Darnell Mooney in place going into his second season. Anthony Miller‘s status is murkier, with the fourth-year slot receiver coming up in trades at multiple junctures this offseason. The Byrd addition may provide more smoke for a potential Miller trade, but the 28-year-old target also stands to provide the Bears special teams help and give Andy Dalton and Justin Fields an auxiliary weapon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LS Scott Daly, G Evan Heim
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Jets): DL John Daka
- Signed: OL Max Pircher (Int’l Pathway Program)
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Adonis Alexander, WR Matt Cole, S Chris Edwards
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Aaron Donkor (Int’l Pathway Program)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Fred Brown
Raiders To Sign CB Casey Hayward
Casey Hayward will stay in the AFC West. The former Chargers Pro Bowler intends to sign with the Raiders, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $4MM, Anderson adds (on Twitter).
The Bolts cut Hayward this offseason, ending a five-year tenure. The veteran cornerback will link up with former Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, whom the Raiders hired this offseason. Hayward met with Raiders coaches Tuesday, Anderson adds (via Twitter). He will also reunite with secondary coach Ron Milus, whom the Raiders brought over with Bradley. Milus was the Chargers’ DBs coach throughout Hayward’s tenure.
Corner has resided as a perennial Raiders need, and they have extensive experience going against Hayward to judge his credentials. Experience in Bradley’s system will benefit the nine-year veteran as well. This move, however, likely will send Richard Sherman elsewhere. The former All-Pro spoke with the Raiders about a deal this offseason, but Hayward’s impending Las Vegas stay likely will point Sherman to another team.
Hayward, 32 in September, operated as one of the league’s better corners for a while. He signed what turned out to be a bargain deal for the Chargers in 2016, coming over from the Packers, and made the Pro Bowl that season and under Bradley in 2017. Hayward intercepted 11 passes between the 2016-17 seasons. This led the Bolts to reward him with a $12MM-per-year extension. While 2020 can be classified as a down year for Hayward, he is not far removed from elite work. Pro Football Focus graded the former second-round pick as a top-five corner in 2019.
Las Vegas drafted a corner this year — Nate Hobbs — but not until the fifth round. The team still has highly drafted cogs Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen; Hayward will provide veteran support for these young defenders. Arnette missed much of last season due to injury.