Ravens Sign Miles Boykin
The Ravens’ rookies report for training camp on Wednesday and Miles Boykin will be among those in attendance. Per a club announcement, the Ravens have signed the third-round wide receiver to his rookie deal, putting a bow on their 2019 draft class. 
Boykin was dealing with a hamstring strain earlier this summer, but the hope is that he’ll be healed up for camp. The 6’4″ Notre Dame product offers tremendous size and and athleticism for the position and big things could be in store for him as one of Lamar Jackson‘s targets. Last year, Boykin set new collegiate career highs with 59 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns.
Here’s the full recap of the Ravens’ draft class, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-25: Marquise Brown, WR (Oklahoma): Signed
- 3-85: Jaylon Ferguson, DE (Louisiana Tech): Signed
- 3-93: Miles Boykin, WR (Notre Dame): Signed
- 4-113: Justice Hill, RB (Oklahoma State): Signed
- 4-123: Ben Powers, G (Oklahoma): Signed
- 4-127: Iman Marshall, CB (USC): Signed
- 5-160: Daylon Mack, DT (Texas A&M): Signed
- 6-197: Trace McSorley, QB (Penn State): Signed
Cardinals Sign Jalen Thompson
The Cardinals have officially signed fifth-round supplemental draft pick Jalen Thompson, according to a team announcement. The Cardinals were at the 90-man roster maximum heading into Wednesday, but a spot opened up for the defensive back when the Cardinals dropped Desmond Harrison following his alleged assault of a woman. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Release Desmond Harrison]
Thompson was far and away the best talent in this year’s supplemental draft class and wound up as the only player selected in the second-chance draft. The Packers and Texans also showed interest in the youngster, but the Cardinals won out. It’s not clear if the Packers or Texans placed bids on Thompson, but we do know that their draft priority (Nos. 10 and 26, respectively) was behind the Cardinals’ (No. 4).
Thompson attained freshman All-America status in 2016, was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a sophomore, and wrapped up his Cougars career with six INTs. In 2018, he picked off two passes, made 66 tackles and forced a fumble.
Some in the Cardinals organization believe that Jalen Thompson is a better safety prospect than Deionte Thompson, the club’s fifth-round pick in April. If J. Thompson can impress this summer, there could be big things in store for him in Arizona.
Cardinals Release Desmond Harrison
Well, that was fast. Just moments after an arrest warrant was issued for offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, the Cardinals released him, per a team announcement. 
North Carolina authorities have charged Harrison with assault on a person by strangulation and assault on a female by a male. Not much is known about the incident outside of that, but the Cardinals wasted little time in showing the 25-year-old the door.
Harrison, 25, opened the 2018 season as the starter at left tackle before Greg Robinson took over in the second half of the season. This year, Harrison was expected to be a key sub in Cleveland, but the Browns waived him after he missed multiple team meetings. The Cardinals claimed him with the hope that they could get him on the right track, but things clearly did not work out.
Harrison routinely found himself in trouble throughout college and his reputation kept him from being drafted last year. Even though there’s a dearth of quality tackles throughout the league, the Redskins were the only other known team to have placed a claim on him.
Harrison will now be subject to waivers, but it would be a surprise to see any team place a claim on him in the next 24 hours.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/16/19
Broncos Sign G Dalton Risner
The Broncos’ situation with Drew Lock had created a holdup with the player selected one spot ahead of him, but that issue has been resolved. No. 41 overall pick Dalton Risner agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets.
Risner is expected to sign the contract later on Tuesday. This leaves Lock as Denver’s only unsigned rookie. The two went off the board back-to-back in the second round, and Lock is reportedly seeking a “quarterback premium” contract. The first two years of Risner’s deal are fully guaranteed, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).
But the player from Denver’s draft class expected to contribute immediately will be available when the team opens training camp Thursday. Risner is slated to start at left guard for the Broncos, who will stash Lock behind Joe Flacco for the time being.
A well-regarded prospect out of Kansas State, Risner played multiple positions for the Wildcats. He served as the Big 12 program’s starting right tackle from 2016-18, earning first-team All-American acclaim as a senior, and began his career as a 13-game starter at center for the 2015 K-State iteration. Pro Football Focus tabbed Risner as a first-team All-American in his final two seasons. The Colorado native will attempt to help the Broncos up front, after they lost both Matt Paradis and Billy Turner in free agency.
Here is the Broncos’ 2019 draft class:
- 1-20: Noah Fant, TE (Iowa): Signed
- 2-41: Dalton Risner, T (Kansas State): Signed
- 2-42: Drew Lock, QB (Missouri)
- 3-71: Dre’Mont Jones, DT (Ohio State): Signed
- 5-156: Justin Hollins, LB (Oregon): Signed
- 6-187: Juwann Winfree, WR (Colorado): Signed
Eagles T Tyreek Burwell Retires
Eagles offensive tackle Tyreek Burwell has announced his retirement, as the Cincinnati product announced himself on Instagram (h/t Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk). Burwell posted the following statement:
“Man it’s hard for me to sit here and put this into words but after careful consideration I’ve made the decision to retire from the NFL. This journey has been unbelievable! I’ve been blessed to have been able to play this game since I was 7 years old. Playing in the NFL has been a dream come true and this game has taught and given me so much.”
Burwell signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and though he was a victim of final cutdowns in September of that year, he was signed to the club’s practice squad shortly thereafter. He ultimately suited up for nine games in his rookie campaign, and five more in 2016, seeing minimal snaps in both seasons.
He was waived by the Bolts in September 2017 and then joined the Colts’ practice squad. He played in one game for Indianapolis that year, the last time he would see regular season action.
The Colts cut him last September, and the Eagles signed him to a reserve/futures contract in January. He was obviously a long shot to make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster.
Raiders To Sign G Jonathan Cooper
On the first business day after Richie Incognito‘s suspension was announced, the Raiders moved to add some guard depth and perhaps a stopgap starter. They agreed to terms with Jonathan Cooper, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The former first-round pick did not come close to living up to his lofty draft slot and was a pre-Week 1 release last year, despite inking a mid-level 49ers deal. But Cooper has started 31 games since being drafted No. 7 overall in 2013 and stands to supply the Raiders with another option at left guard.
Incognito will miss the first two games of this season. Denzelle Good resided as the Raiders’ previous left guard starter. He now figures to compete with Cooper for that role in Weeks 1-2.
Cooper, 29, was a 13-game Cowboys starter in 2017, leading to the 49ers guaranteeing him $4MM last year. They opted to go with Mike Person over Cooper in their starting lineup. Cooper resurfaced with the Redskins late last season; he started four games with Washington.
The Raiders waived wide receiver Montay Crockett to make room for Cooper on their 90-man roster.
Falcons, Grady Jarrett Agree To Extension
Barely an hour away from this year’s deadline, the Falcons and Grady Jarrett have a new deal in place. Jarrett agreed to a four-year, $68MM deal to stay in Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Momentum built in the past 24 hours on the Jarrett front, and he becomes the second franchise-tagged player to agree to an extension Monday. Robbie Gould and the 49ers agreed to terms earlier today, leaving only Jadeveon Clowney without a deal. Jarrett, 26, has been a full-time starter for the Falcons since his second season. He would have made $15.2MM this year on the tag.
Jarrett’s $17MM-per-year average is well off Aaron Donald‘s benchmark for defensive tackles, but considering the disparities between the interior defenders’ profiles, that was to be expected. However, agent Todd France got his client on the same level as four-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox, whose 2016 extension averages $17.1MM annually. Jarrett is now NFL’s third-highest-paid interior defender.
Jarrett will receive $42.5MM in guarantees, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This total places Jarrett fifth among interior defenders — behind Donald, Cox, J.J. Watt and Kawann Short.
Although Jarrett has zero Pro Bowls in four seasons and just 14 sacks in that span (not counting his three-sack Super Bowl LI), the Falcons have long acknowledged the former fifth-round pick’s immense value to their defense. Jarrett produced 15 tackles for loss in 2017 and graded as a top-10 interior defender last season, per Pro Football Focus. He registered a career-high six sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2018.
Arthur Blank said earlier this year he wanted Jarrett to join Julio Jones and Deion Jones as “Falcons for life.” The team has secured a key item off its offseason checklist and can now turn its attention to the Joneses.
This continues a productive offseason for franchise-tagged performers. Jarrett, Gould, Donovan Smith, Dee Ford, DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark agreed to extensions after being tagged in March. Clowney, who has already played a fifth-year option season, is set to play yet another year without a long-term agreement in place.
Bengals G Clint Boling Retires
On Monday, Bengals guard Clint Boling announced his retirement from the NFL. The veteran was hoping to play in 2019, but an undisclosed injury has brought his career to a close. 
“After eight years in the NFL, it is time for me to step away from the game due to medical reasons,” Boling said in a press release. “This is not an easy decision, but it is the right one for me, my wife Kelly and our two young girls. I want to thank the Brown family for giving me the opportunity to play my entire career with the Bengals. I also want to thank my teammates, coaches, fans and everyone who has supported me throughout my career.”
A blood clot played heavily into this decision, Boling said (via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, on Twitter). The clot was discovered days after the 2018 season ended and required hospitalization. If not for that issue, Boling said he would have returned this season.
Boling first joined the Bengals in 2011 as a fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia. He went on to become a key figure on the offensive line with 109 starts at left guard with occasional time spent at right guard and tackle.
It’s yet another blow to the Bengals’ offensive line after the loss of first-round tackle Jonah Williams. Christian Westerman, John Jerry, and Trey Hopkins figure to compete for the LG job now that Boling is out of the running and Cordy Glenn has been kicked back to the outside.
Former Titans LB Derrick Morgan Retires
Former Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan is retiring from the NFL, as Turron Davenport of ESPN.com writes. In his post-football life, the 30-year-old says that he’ll shift his attention to helping those in need. 
“My purpose in life is bigger than the game,” Morgan said. “What football taught me was the power of influence. My goal is to create better and more meaningful opportunities for marginalized communities to break the cycles of generational poverty and build greater wealth and economic mobility. I feel a deep responsibility to leverage my platform for this.”
Morgan entered the league as the No. 16 overall pick in the 2010 draft and spent his entire nine-year career with the Titans. He walks away from the game after compiling 44.5 sacks, 305 tackles, and earning upwards of $40MM. He’ll also get to heal up from a series of knee and shoulder injuries that held him back in his final season.
We here at PFR wish Morgan the best in retirement.