49ers To Sign TE Niles Paul
The 49ers are making a late veteran free agent add. San Francisco is signing tight end Niles Paul, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed, although it’s safe to assume it’s a cheap short-term deal. This will be Paul’s ninth year in the league after he originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Redskins back in 2011. He spent the next seven seasons in Washington before signing with the Jaguars last year. Paul has never played a huge role on offense, but he is capable of catching passes in a pinch.
By far his best season as a receiver came in 2014, when he had 39 receptions for 507 yards and a touchdown. He signed a two-year deal with Jacksonville last offseason, but was placed on injured reserve in October and then released in December. In six games with the Jaguars, he had ten catches for 98 yards.
Tight end Garrett Celek seems likely to miss some regular season time after undergoing back surgery, and it’s apparently possible he won’t be able to continue his career. As such, it makes sense why the 49ers were looking for some depth behind George Kittle. Paul played under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in Washington, so there’s some familiarity here.
Lions To Sign Mike Daniels
UPDATE, 4:55pm: Daniels’ deal is worth $9.1MM, with $7.8MM of it being fully guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a great payday for Daniels to get this time of year, and he might end up making more than if the Packers hadn’t released him in the first place. Daniels had been set to earn $8.1MM in the final year of his deal with Green Bay.
UPDATE, 4:23pm: It’s a one-year deal for Daniels, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
3:22pm: The Lions will sign defensive lineman Mike Daniels, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The two sides are finalizing things now, but the deal should be completed soon. 
The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.
In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.
With the Lions, he’ll join fellow D-Line newcomers Trey Flowers, Darius Kilgo, Austin Bryant, and P.J. Johnson. Flowers is currently on the PUP list while Kilgo and Damon Harrison are on NFI, so Daniels will be especially valued in the near term.
Many expected the former Packers lineman to land with the Browns, but it was not meant to be. John Dorsey and fellow team execs Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf were in Green Bay when Daniels was drafted in the 2012 fourth round, but the Lions possibly had the greater need and the higher offer.
Daniels reportedly wanted to land with a Super Bowl contender so he must believe in the Lions’ potential, even though they are not one of Vegas’ odds-on leaders for the 2019 season.
Falcons To Sign Stephone Anthony
The Falcons have agreed to sign linebacker Stephone Anthony, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Saints first-round pick profiles as a depth option and special teams player for Atlanta.
Anthony seemed to have a great deal of promise when he entered the league in 2015, but he’s been unable to make good on that potential thus far. After starting in all 16 games as a rookie, he was moved from middle linebacker to strongside linebacker with poor results. The Dolphins acquired him for a fifth-round pick in 2017, but the change of scenery didn’t do much for him. Anthony had just seven tackles across 16 appearances last year and the Dolphins declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent this offseason.
In other Falcons news, the club is optimistic about a new deal for Julio Jones.
Giants’ Corey Coleman Done For Year
More bad news for the Giants. On the same day that Sterling Shepard suffered a fractured thumb, fellow wide receiver Corey Coleman went down with a torn ACL, according to a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Sterling Shepard Fractures Thumb]
Coleman, of course, will be unable to play this season. The Giants will soon place him on injured reserve, making it all official.
Coleman technically returned to the Giants on a one-year, $720K deal this offseason, though it was some creative accounting. As a former first round pick, his ’19 salary was already guaranteed, so the Browns are paying the remainder of his $2.025MM paycheck.
This was, potentially, going to be a big year for Coleman. The Giants also tacked on $1.7MM in incentives to his new deal and there was quiet belief that he could break out after the departure of Odell Beckham Jr.
Without Coleman, there will be even more pressure on Golden Tate to perform. Ditto for Shepard, though his Week 1 status is presently uncertain.
Dolphins To Sign WR Allen Hurns
The Dolphins have signed wide receiver Allen Hurns, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). When finalized, it’ll be a one-year, $3MM deal for the veteran. 
The Cowboys released Hurns earlier this week when he declined to accept a pay cut. The Cowboys were reportedly interested in bringing him back on a cheaper deal, but he’ll be taking his talents to South Beach instead.
With the Dolphins, Hurns profiles as a strong depth option behind the likes of Kenny Stills, Albert Wilson, DeVante Parker, and Jakeem Grant. Meanwhile, his arrival may put Brice Butler – another former Cowboy – on the bubble.
When Hurns was younger, and healthy, he was among the most promising receivers in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent began his career with 51 catches for 677 yards and six scores for the Jaguars in 2014. In 2015, he set career highs with 64 grabs for 1,031 yards and ten touchdowns. In that campaign, he averaged an impressive 16.1 yards per reception.
Since then, Hurns has been sidetracked by injuries. He hasn’t topped 40 catches for 500 yards in the last three campaigns and was used sparingly in Dallas last season.
While there is a decent about of receiver talent in Miami, there’s an opportunity for Hurns to break through and shine with a rebuilding club. With a strong year, the 27-year-old (28 in November) could put himself back in the hunt for big money deals.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived/injured: WR Quincy Adeboyejo
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LS Dan Godsil
- Waived: WR Kermit Whitfield
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Fish Smithson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T.J. Green
- Waived/injured: DL Kenny Bigelow, WR Chad Hansen
New York Jets
- Waived: DL Fred Jones
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Alex Brown
- Waived/injured: OL Erik Magnuson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: S Damon Webb
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Shaun Wilson
- Waived: T Brian Wallace
Jaguars To Sign Josh Robinson
Josh Robinson‘s Thursday workout in Jacksonville looks to have gone well. The Jaguars are signing the veteran defensive back, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.
While long removed from his early-career days as a starter, the former Vikings, Buccaneers and Saints cornerback has played in 85 games since being a 2012 third-round pick. He will join a cornerback corps led by Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye.
The Vikings used the former Day 2 pick as a starter in 21 games from 2012-14, but Robinson has been a depth piece and special-teamer since. He played in 11 games with the Saints last season.
The Jaguars have D.J. Hayden in place as their slot corner. No other draft choices reside at this position in Jacksonville, but the team has a host of recent UDFAs trying to make the squad. They will now have to contend with Robinson in pursuit of 53-man roster spots.
Steelers’ Mike Hilton Signs ERFA Deal
Steelers slot cornerback Mike Hilton has been vocal about wanting a long-term deal. He doesn’t have one, just yet, but he did sign his exclusive rights free agent tender.
Hilton lacks leverage and opted against holding out from camp in order to get his way. Still only 25, Hilton may be willing to bet on himself as he plays out a one-year, $645K deal.
“I want to show the team I want to be here and want to be a part of this organization,” Hilton said earlier this summer. “… As players, you feel like of course you want to earn more. Hopefully things work out in the long run, but if not, I’ll do my best to go out there and help this team win.”
The two sides have talked, so a deal could still be on the horizon.
Jets Sign Quinnen Williams
There are officially no stragglers left. Shortly after the 49ers inked draft picks Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, the Jets announced the signing of No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams.
Williams, a defensive tackle out of Alabama, did not report to training camp with his fellow Jets rookies because of issues related to his signing bonus payout structure. Ultimately, it was a difference of $100K that prevented the Jets from signing Williams sooner.
The Jets and Williams reached a compromise on that matter, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. The defensive lineman will have a 25% signing bonus deferment to Year Two, but he’ll get the other 75% at signing. With that out of the way, Williams should be on the field with the Jets on Friday.
Here’s the full rundown of the Jets’ draft:
- 1-3: Quinnen Williams, DT (Alabama): Signed
- 3-68: Jachai Polite, LB (Florida): Signed
- 3-92: Chuma Edoga, T (USC): Signed
- 4-121: Trevon Wesco, TE (West Virginia): Signed
- 5-157: Blake Cashman, LB (Minnesota): Signed
- 6-196: Blessuan Austin. CB (Rutgers): Signed
49ers Sign Nick Bosa
Done deal. On Thursday, the 49ers reached agreement with No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The club also inked second-round pick Deebo Samuel, a wide receiver out of South Carolina.
With that, the 49ers have avoided unnecessary drama and another Bosa holdout in the NFL. Per the terms of his slot, the Ohio State defensive end will earn $33.55MM over the course of his four-year deal. After that, the Niners will hold a fifth-year option on his deal, since Bosa is a first-round pick.
Bosa might have been one of the safest best bets in this draft. The 49ers have not had an edge rusher record a seven sacks in a season since Aldon Smith in 2013, but they now have a strong pass rush featuring Bosa, Dee Ford and three first-round interior rushers in Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas.
Here’s the full rundown of the Niners’ draft, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-2: Nick Bosa, DE (Ohio State)
- 2-36: Deebo Samuel, WR (South Carolina)
- 3-67: Jalen Hurd, WR (Baylor): Signed
- 4-110: Mitch Wishnowsky, P (Utah): Signed
- 5-148: Dre Greenlaw, LB (Arkansas): Signed
- 6-176: Kaden Smith, TE (Stanford): Signed
- 6-183: Justin Skule, T (Vanderbilt): Signed
- 6-198: Tim Harris, CB (Virginia): Signed