Jaguars Sign DE/LB Aaron Lynch
Aaron Lynch is heading to Florida. The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed the defensive end/linebacker. It’s a one-year deal, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
The 2014 fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, and he compiled 12.5 sacks through his first two seasons in the NFL. Suspensions and injuries limited him to only 14 games between 2016 and 2017, and he moved on to Chicago in 2018.
The veteran has spent the past two seasons with the Bears, collecting 22 tackles and five sacks in 29 games (three starts).
Lynch will provide the Jaguars with a rotational pass-rusher, and he could be in for a bigger role if the front office finds a taker for Yannick Ngakoue.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Marcus Murphy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Alize Mack, RB Mike Weber
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OT Josh Wells
Wells is returning to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Wells spent the 2019 campaign with the Bucs, starting two of his 13 games. He previously spent five seasons with the Jaguars, appearing in 39 games (nine starts).
Murphy had a solid run with the Bills back in 2018, rushing for 250 yards on 52 carries. After getting cut by Buffalo prior to the 2019 regular season, Murphy didn’t find a deal until inking a futures contract with the Panthers in December.
McNichols, a 2017 fifth-round pick, has four career carries. He’s spent time with seven organizations during his career.
Buccaneers Sign 13 UDFAs
After adding seven rookies via the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers announced the signing of nine undrafted free agents today:
- Michael Divinity, OLB (LSU)
- Cam Gill, OLB (Wagner College)
- Javon Hagan, S (Ohio)
- Travis Jonsen, WR (Montana State)
- John Molchon, G (Boise State)
- Nasir Player, OLB (East Tennessee State)
- Benning Potoa’e, DT (Washington)
- Zach Shackelford, C (Texas)
- Reid Sinnett, QB (San Diego)
Sinnett is naturally one of the most notable name on the list, as the quarterback guided the University of San Diego to the FCS playoffs after tossing 3,528 yards and 32 touchdowns. While he’s unlikely to crack a roster that includes Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, and Ryan Griffin, it sounds like the Bucs want to hang on to a developmental QB on their practice squad.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle previously reported (via Twitter) that Sinnett will earn $152K in guaranteed money.
Jonsen proved to be a Swiss Army Knife during his time at Montana State, as he finished the 2019 campaign with 580 receiving yards and 527 rushing yards. He also completed six of his seven pass attempts for 64 yards and one score.
UPDATE
The Bucs announced the signing of four additional UDFAs:
- John Hurst, WR (West Georgia)
- Nick Leverett, G (Rice)
- Parnell Motley, CB (Oklahoma)
- Josh Pearson, WR (Jacksonville State)
Seahawks Sign 12 More UDFAs
The Seahawks can’t get enough undrafted rookies. On Monday, the Seahawks waived running back Adam Choice, linebacker Pita Taumoepenu, and defensive tackles Naz Jones and Shakir Soto to make room for a dozen undrafted free agents:
- Josh Avery, DT (Southeast Missouri)
- Patrick Carr, RB (Houston)
- Seth Dawkins, WR (Louisville)
- Gavin Heslop, CB (Stonybrook)
- Anthony Jones, RB (Florida International)
- Cedrick Lattimore, DT (Iowa)
- Tyler Mabry, TE (Marylad)
- Chris Miller, S (Baylor)
- Josh Norwood, S (West Virginia)
- Kemah Siverand, CB (Oklahoma State)
- Marcus Webb, DE (Troy)
- Dominick Wood-Anderson, TE (Tennessee)
Those players will join a UDFA class that already includes:
- Anthony Gordon, QB (Washington State)
- Aaron Fuller, WR (Washington)
- Tommy Champion, OT (Mississippi State)
- Debione Renfro, CB (Texas A&M)
- Eli Mencer, DE (Albany)
Gordon, the successor to Gardner Minshew at Washington State, threw for an absurd 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns in just 13 games. On the heels of a truly ridiculous year, he’ll push to serve as Russell Wilson‘s top backup.
Colts To Decline Malik Hooker’s Option
The Colts will decline the fifth-year option on Malik Hooker‘s contract, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter). With that, Hooker is set to be a free agent following the 2020 season. 
It’s a surprising decision – Hooker has seven career interceptions in just 34 games played and his would-be 2021 salary wasn’t prohibitive. Hooker, who was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2017 draft, would have cost $6.7MM to cuff for ’21, and that sum would have been guaranteed for injury only.
After Haason Reddick‘s option was (predictably) declined by the Cardinals, Hooker was left standing as the only 2017 first-round pick in limbo. The Colts waited right until the deadline to render their verdict and it’s a puzzling one. To be fair: Hooker has been hampered by injuries over the years. To be critical, again: He still offers tons of potential and he might just price himself out of Indianapolis with a big prove-it year.
Hooker likely would have been a Top 10 pick three years ago if not for injuries. With concerns about his surgically-repaired sports hernia and a torn labrum, the Colts landed him in the middle of the first round. And, as a rookie, he missed more than half of the season with a torn ACL. He hasn’t met all of his combine week expectations as a pro, but he still has time on his side. The Ohio State product just turned 24 in April and there are plenty of teams who would be happy to have him when he turns 25.
For now, the Colts’ safety group includes Hooker, rising sophomore Khari Willis, third-round pick Julian Blackmon, George Odum, and Rolan Milligan. Of that group, only Willis is under contract beyond ’20.
Cowboys Waive QB Cooper Rush
The Cowboys have waived quarterback Cooper Rush, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. With that, they’ve carved out a place on the QB depth chart for Dak Prescott‘s new backup, Andy Dalton.
[RELATED: Five Teams Pursued Andy Dalton]
Rush, a Central Michigan product, joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2017 season. Strangely enough, he got his opportunity when the Cowboys cut Kellen Moore, who now serves as the team’s offensive coordinator. Rush was set for restricted free agency this offseason, but the Cowboys cuffed him in March using the inexpensive original round tender. Now, he’ll move on in search of his next opportunity.
Over the last three seasons, Rush has appeared in five games for the Cowboys with zero starts and just three passes thrown. Dalton, meanwhile, joins with 133 career appearances – all starts – and ample experience to hold down the fort in case of a Prescott injury. He’s also equipped to run practices for the Cowboys later this year, in case the Prescott saga drags on.
Dalton was in high demand – four other teams wanted Dalton, but none of the five clubs in pursuit were offering him an opportunity to start. Ultimately, he settled on the Cowboys, who have given him a one-year, $3MM deal that can reach up to $7MM through performance bonuses.
Cardinals To Decline Haason Reddick’s Option
Haason Reddick‘s fifth-year option will be turned down by the Cardinals, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). With that, the former first-round linebacker is on course for free agency after the 2020 season. 
Reddick came into the league with considerable buzz. Teams were enamored with his athleticism and versatility; scouts saw a player with the potential to star at inside linebacker or dominate on the edge, depending on the need. Unfortunately, Reddick was never able to get his footing in either area. All of the different coaching and scheme changes didn’t help matters either.
The former No. 13 overall pick has perfect attendance over the past three years, but still has just 7.5 sacks to his credit. He was bumped from the starting lineup midway through last year and saw his playing time dwindle as the year drew to a close. Even though the Cardinals took their time on this one, few expected Reddick to have his 2021 season guaranteed for injury.
Reddick will play out his final year with $2.3MM in salary and a $4.3MM cap hit. This could be an opportunity for him to cash in as a free agent, but that’ll only be possible if he gets enough snaps.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals are set to replace him with a younger and even more versatile player in Isaiah Simmons. The Clemson product and combine darling may have the ability to feature as both an edge rusher and a safety.
As shown in PFR’s fifth-year option tracker, Colts safety Malik Hooker is the only player still in limbo.
Chiefs To Sign QB Shea Patterson
Once on track to be drafted, Shea Patterson exited the virtual event without a team. The Chiefs will end the former Michigan quarterback’s week-long stay in free agency, agreeing to terms with him, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Patterson, who began his career at Ole Miss, will join fellow Michigan alum Chad Henne and recent XFL starter Jordan Ta’amu as players vying to be part of Patrick Mahomes‘ backup crew.
Although Patterson threw more touchdown passes and for more yards as a senior, his completion percentage dropped by over eight points from his junior to senior years. The 6-foot passer completed just 56% of his throws in 2019. Patterson graded as Scouts Inc.’s No. 299 overall prospect and No. 16-rated quarterback.
During his two seasons as the Wolverines’ starter, Patterson sported a 45-15 TD-INT ratio. Patterson was a candidate to enter the 2019 draft but opted to return to school. That decision may have cost him, but landing with an Andy Reid-coached team profiles as a promising situation for a UDFA quarterback.
Both Patterson and Ta’amu would be candidates to land on Kansas City’s practice squad, should the Chiefs just keep Mahomes and Henne on their active roster. Between their taxi squad and 55-man roster, the Chiefs may only have room for three passers. The Chiefs have not re-signed Matt Moore, who put off retirement plans after a Henne preseason injury and ended up leading the eventual Super Bowl champions to a crucial win over the Vikings after Mahomes went down.
Falcons Decline Charles Harris’ Fifth-Year Option
The Falcons are taking a low-risk flier on former first-round pick Charles Harris, but Atlanta is not committing itself to Harris beyond the 2020 season. The club will not pick up the fifth-year option on the defensive end, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Nick Shook of NFL.com).
The option would have been worth just over $10MM, and though it would have been guaranteed for injury only, that was not a chance the Falcons were willing to take. Giving up a seventh-rounder for a pass rusher who is not too far removed from being a top draft choice is one thing; risking a big chunk of the 2021 salary cap on him is quite another.
Atlanta acquired Dante Fowler Jr. in the first wave of free agency in March, and the club is counting on him to build on his breakout 2019 campaign. Fowler, like Harris and Takkarist McKinley, is a former first-round pick, so the team has plenty of potential in its DE rotation, but it needs McKinley and Harris to start living up to that potential. Atlanta declined McKinley’s fifth-year option last week, putting him and Harris on track for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.
Harris impressed in his final two seasons at Mizzou, combining for 30.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep up the good work at the pro level. In three years with the Dolphins, Harris has just 3.5 sacks to his credit. He has also made just eight starts in his 41 games, and despite earning some praise from Miami head coach Brian Flores during last year’s training camp, that praise did not translate into on-field results.
Bengals To Decline John Ross’ Fifth-Year Option
This won’t come as much of a surprise, but the Bengals have declined wide receiver John Ross‘ fifth-year option. Ross will therefore become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020 season.
As a 2017 draft choice, Ross’ fifth-year option would have been guaranteed for injury only, but given his injury history, that was not a gamble Cincinnati was willing to take. Plus, as a top-10 pick in the 2017 draft, Ross’ option would have been worth a whopping $15.68MM, which would not have made sense for the team even if Ross had managed to stay completely healthy throughout his first three years in the league.
The Washington product was brought in to serve as a speed merchant and to add some sizzle to a passing offense that had become a middling unit despite the presence of A.J. Green. That did not happen. Instead, he failed to impress head coach Marvin Lewis in training camp in 2017, and between injuries and generally uninspiring play in practice, Ross played in only three games as a rookie and did not record a catch.
Though he started 10 games in 2018, he managed only 21 catches for 210 yards — which was a disappointment in terms of both overall output and yards-per-catch average — and after a hot start to 2019, he missed another eight games due to injury. The Bengals selected promising Clemson product Tee Higgins with the first pick of the second round in this year’s draft, and they are clearly preparing for life without Ross (which will probably look strikingly similar to life with Ross).