Titans Decline Corey Davis’ Option
The Titans will decline Corey Davis‘ fifth-year option, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver is now on course for unrestricted free agency following the 2020 season.
Davis was the first of three wide receivers selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the No. 5 overall pick has yet to realize his potential at the pro level. He showed promise in 2018 with 65 catches, 891 yards, and four touchdowns (all career highs), but he regressed last year. In 2019, Davis finished out with just 43 grabs for 601 yards and two TDs. For his career, Davis has found pay dirt only six times.
The option would have paid Davis $15.68MM in 2021, far too much given his track record. Instead of guaranteeing his year for injury at an exorbitant rate, the Titans will let the year play out and take it from there.
Davis’ hip injury didn’t help matters, of course. While he was hampered, second-round rookie A.J. Brown stepped up as the team’s WR1, eclipsing 1,000 yards and scoring eight times.
Meanwhile, the Titans have exercised the fifth-year add-on for cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the No. 18 overall pick in the ’17 class.
Dolphins To Trade Charles Harris To Falcons
The Dolphins have agreed to trade defensive end Charles Harris to the Falcons (Twitter link via Jason Butt of The Athletic). In exchange, Atlanta will send a 2021 seventh-round pick to Miami, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Release Taco Charlton]
The Dolphins have been doing some spring cleaning with former first-round picks this week. On Thursday, they released defensive lineman Taco Charlton. Today, they’re moving on from Harris, who was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2017 draft.
The 6’3″ edge rusher impressed in his final two seasons at Missouri, 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, Harris has just 3.5 sacks to his credit. He’s also made just eight starts in his 41 games.
Now, with reduced expectations, he’ll try to get his career back on track with the Falcons. He’ll provide support behind Dante Fowler Jr., the former No. 3 overall pick who broke out just in the nick of time to find free agent riches. Harris, still only 25, is under contract for just $1.94M this season.
Without Harris, the Dolphins will forge ahead with Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah as their top bookends. Ogbah inked a two-year, $15MM deal to take his talents to South Beach in March. Lawson, who notched a career-high 6.5 sacks with the Bills last year, agreed to a three-year, $30MM free agent contract.
Redskins Sign 4 UDFAs
The Redskins have signed four undrafted rookie free agents, according to a team press release:
- Johnathon Johnson, WR (Missouri)
- Steven Montez, QB (Colorado)
- Thaddeus Moss, TE (LSU)
- Isaiah Wright, WR (Temple)
Montez could face long odds of making the Redskins’ roster with Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen already under contract (not to mention Alex Smith), but he’s still a prospect to keep an eye on. At 6’5″, he has the size that pro scouts drool over for quarterbacks. He was also a three-sport standout coming out of high school; his athleticism is a major plus, even though he didn’t do quite enough for the Buffaloes to earn a spot in the seven-round draft. He did, however, break 31 program records during his run. Montez’s deal includes $35K guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), a solid sum for a UDFA.
The biggest name on the list, however, is Moss – the son of Hall of Famer Randy Moss. At LSU, the tight end showed promise in spurts, so the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. If not for a fracture in his right foot, Moss likely would have been drafted somewhere during Day 3.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DE DaVonte Lambert, CB Derrek Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: LB Chris Covington, DB D.J. White
Oakland Raiders
- Re-signed: WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Josiah Coatney, FB Spencer Nigh
Bears To Sign S Tashaun Gipson
Tashaun Gipson did not spend much time in free agency. Three days after his Texans release, the veteran safety agreed to a deal with the Bears, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The former Browns, Jaguars and Texans safety agreed to a one-year Bears contract. Chicago did not re-sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix this offseason, with the now-well-traveled defender opting to sign with Dallas. And the Bears did not draft a safety, opening the door for Gipson to crack another team’s starting lineup.
In All-Pro Eddie Jackson, the Bears employ one of the game’s best safeties. They have fifth-year player Deon Bush, former Chief Jordan Lucas and ex-Packer Kentrell Brice as well. Gipson is more accomplished than all of Chicago’s non-Jackson safeties, having made 104 starts in eight seasons.
This will be Gipson’s age-30 season. The former Browns UDFA spent just one season with the Texans. He was with the Jaguars for three years and played a key role on two dominant defenses. Last season in Houston, Gipson intercepted three passes and took one back for a touchdown. He has 23 career INTs.
Gipson graded outside Pro Football Focus’ top 60 at the position, however, so his Bears deal is unlikely to approach the three-year, $22.5MM deal he inked with the Texans.
Dolphins Waive DE Taco Charlton
The Dolphins will move on from one of its first-round defensive linemen. They waived Taco Charlton on Thursday. Miami initially claimed Charlton off waivers from Dallas last season.
Charlton did not live up to expectations with the Cowboys, who used a first-round pick on him in 2017, but did lead the 2019 Dolphins in sacks with five despite playing in only 10 games with Miami. No other Dolphin totaled more than 3.5 last season.
Miami signed multiple defensive ends this offseason — Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah — and added hybrid player Kyle Van Noy but did not make a substantial investment in the position during the draft. The Dolphins used a fifth-round pick on defensive end Jason Strowbridge.
Given Charlton’s draft pedigree and production in limited Dolphins time last season, he will be a tempting waiver claim — especially when teams can carry 90 players on their respective rosters. Charlton, though, recorded just four sacks in two seasons with the Cowboys. Dallas waived him in September of last year.
Packers Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
The Packers have become the latest team to bring in a class of undrafted free agents. Green Bay announced that it’s agreed to terms with the following UDFAs:
- Jalen Morton, QB (Prairie View A&M)
- Patrick Taylor, RB (Memphis)
- Jordan Jones, FB (Prairie View A&M)
- Darrell Stewart, WR (Michigan State)
- Travis Bruffy, T (Texas Tech)
- Zack Johnson, G (North Dakota State)
- Willington Previlon, DL (Rutgers)
- Tipa Galeai, LB (Utah State)
- Krys Barnes, LB (UCLA)
- Delontae Scott, LB (SMU)
- Marc-Antoine Dequoy, CB (Montreal)
- Stanford Samuels, CB (Florida State)
- Will Sunderland, CB (Troy)
- Henry Black, S (Baylor)
- Frankie Griffin, S (Texas State)
As you may have heard, the Packers didn’t select a wide receiver at any point during the 2020 draft. Instead, Stewart will represent the only collegiate wideout added to Green Bay’s roster. In his senior season, the 6’2″, 216-pound Stewart posted 49 receptions for 697 yards and two touchdowns. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com praised Stewart’s size and willingness to block, but noted the ex-Spartan’s “catch technique may need to be stripped and rebuilt.”
Bears To Sign Ted Ginn Jr.
The Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran wideout Ted Ginn Jr., according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Ginn, 35, indicated earlier this month that he didn’t plan to retire. A return to New Orleans never seemed likely after the Saints signed Emmanuel Sanders, but Ginn has now landed in Chicago where the Bears were in need of another pass-catcher.
While the Bears have Allen Robinson at one outside receiver position, and Anthony Miller in the slot, they were looking for a speed option to compete with Javon Wims for their third receiver role. Ginn has played between 55-65% of his club’s offensive snaps in recent seasons, and he figures to settle in at that rate Chicago in 2020.
Last season, Ginn caught 30 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns. While he was once a prolific return man, Ginn hasn’t played a special teams role in the past few years. That shouldn’t be an issue in Chicago, where the Bears already employ Cordarrelle Patterson.
Panthers To Sign Michael Schofield
The Panthers have reached agreement on a one-year deal with offensive lineman Michael Schofield, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
A third-round pick of the Broncos in 2014, Schofield spent three seasons in Denver before latching on with the division rival Chargers via a waiver claim. Schofield became a full-time starter for Los Angeles in 2018, and went on to start 32 consecutive games.
Although he was drafted as a tackle, Schofield now plays guard, and that’s an area of need in Carolina. The Panthers traded Trai Turner to the Chargers earlier this year in exchange for tackle Russell Okung, and while they’ve already added free agent John Miller to play on the right side, Carolina could use help on the left, where Dennis Daley is currently projected to start.
Schofield’s last deal with the Chargers paid him $2.5MM annually on a two-year term. After two seasons as a full-time starter, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he sees a pay bump as he moves to the Panthers.
Redskins To Decline Reuben Foster’s Option
The Redskins will decline their 2021 fifth-year option on linebacker Reuben Foster, according to Les Carpenter of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
Washington’s decision isn’t much of a surprise, as there’s no clear indication that Foster will be able to play the 2020 season. Foster suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL in his first practice as a Redskin in May 2019, and while he’s seen recent improvements, he’s also dealt with nerve damage, so his health status is up in the air.
Foster’s 2021 option would have been guaranteed for injury, meaning the Redskins wouldn’t have been able to cut him after the 2020 season if he was dealing with medical question marks. Clearly, Washington didn’t to take that risk.
One of the NFL’s most talented linebackers, Foster was cut by the 49ers in November 2018 following multiple arrests and domestic violence accusations. The Redskins surprisingly claimed him off waivers, and while he was initially placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, Foster was soon reinstated.