Patriots Sign Chase Winovich
The Patriots’ draft class is nearly sewn up. On Monday, the Pats signed third-round defensive end Chase Winovich, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year deal worth $3.83MM with a signing bonus of roughly $997K. 
With Winovich inked, third-round running back Damien Harris stands as the Patriots’ only unsigned draft pick, as shown by PFR’s tracker:
- 1-32: N’Keal Harry, WR (Arizona State): Signed
- 2-45: JoeJuan Williams, CB (Vanderbilt): Signed
- 3-77: Chase Winovich, DE (Michigan): Signed
- 3-87: Damien Harris, RB (Alabama)
- 3-101: Yodny Cajuste, T (West Virginia): Signed
- 4-118: Hjalte Froholdt, G ( Arkansas): Signed
- 4-133: Jarrett Stidham, QB (Auburn): Signed
- 5-159: Byron Cowart, DT (Maryland): Signed
- 5-163: Jake Bailey, P (Stanford): Signed
- 7-252: Ken Webster, CB (Ole Miss): Signed
Winovich began his career at Michigan as a tight end, but shifted to the other side of the ball for his junior season. He immediately found success, racking up five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 2016. He only improved from there, notching 8.5 sacks and 19 TFL in ’17. His stat sheet wasn’t as gaudy last season, but he still managed five sacks on the year and while flashing strong technique.
Falcons Waive S Afolabi Laguda
Two months after signing a two-year deal with the Falcons, safety Afolabi Laguda has been let go. The team announced today that they’ve waived the defensive back.
The six-foot-one, 214-pound safety was previously a standout at the University of Colorado, where he compiled 150 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, eight pass defenses, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in three seasons with the team. Despite his performance, Laguda went undrafted during the 2018 draft, but he quickly caught on with the Rams.
Laguda ended up having a solid preseason for Los Angeles, collecting nine tackles in three games. The team liked him enough to briefly stash him on their injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, but he was ultimately waived.
Earlier this offseason, Laguda had an audition with the Colts. However, the Falcons scooped in and ended up inking Laguda to a two-year, minimum-salary deal back in April. Atlanta already had a relatively loaded depth chart at safety, and the team also added free agent J.J. Wilcox to their corps earlier this offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/31/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Nick Keizer
Ravens Sign Third Round DE Jaylon Ferguson
The Ravens locked up a key member of their draft class Friday. The team signed third round pick edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson to his rookie deal, they announced on Twitter.
Ferguson is more high profile than your typical third round pick. He was one of the most productive pass-rushers in recent college football history, and put up absurd numbers at Louisiana Tech. For a while there was talk that Ferguson would go as high as the first round, but he ended up tumbling to 85th overall. In his senior season with the Bulldogs Ferguson racked up an eye-popping 26.5 tackles for loss, including 17.5 sacks.
Ferguson was at the center of some controversy a few months back when he had his invitation to the combine rescinded. Ferguson was banned from the combine after a background check revealed he was convicted of simple battery during his freshman year. It was reported at the time that teams didn’t view his incident as particularly serious, and he was eventually allowed to participate in interviews at the combine, although he wasn’t allowed to do any drills or on-field work.
With Ferguson now in the fold, the Ravens now have only two unsigned draft picks left. First round pick Marquise Brown and third-rounder Miles Boykin still have yet to agree to terms. The Ravens lost Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in free agency, so they have a lot of pass-rushing production to replace. They’ll be counting on Ferguson to help fill some of that void.
Bears Sign OL T.J. Clemmings
T.J. Clemmings is heading to Chicago. The veteran offensive tackle has signed with the Bears, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
As Biggs notes, the Bears have had interest in Clemmings dating back to his time in college, as the organization hosted the lineman on a top-30 visit. The Pittsburgh product was ultimately drafted in the fourth round by the Vikings, and he proceeded to spend the first two seasons of his career in Minnesota. During his stint with the Vikings, Clemmings started 30 of his 31 games.
He was waived prior to the 2017 season, and he caught on with the Redskins, where he’d appear in six games (two starts). Clemmings was then waived by Washington prior to last season, but he was quickly claimed by the Raiders. The 27-year-old appeared in four games before succumbing to a season-ending knee injury.
Clemmings will presumably be competing for a backup tackle job, although he has played some offensive guard during his career. The Bears have already added a pair of free agent linemen this offseason in Ted Larsen and Cornelius Lucas.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/30/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB James Folston Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T Dieugot Joseph, DE Austin Larkin
- Waived: T Devon Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB A.J. Ouellette, DB Jordan Wyatt
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB D.J. Killings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Xavier Ubosi
Washington Redskins
- Waived: T Jylan Ware
Titans Sign Third-Round OL Nate Davis
The Titans have have signed third-round guard Nate Davis to his rookie contract, the club announced today.
A Charlotte product, Davis made 37 starts over three seasons while playing both tackle and guard. Per the Pro Football Focus draft guide, Davis allowed only seven sacks during his collegiate career. In 2018, he gave up just four pressures on 237 pass-blocking snaps.
Tennessee will field an all-new guard tandem in 2019 after cutting Josh Kline and allowing Quinton Spain to leave via free agency. Free agent addition Rodger Saffold will take over at left guard, but right guard is wide open. Davis, the 82nd overall selection, will compete with veterans like Kevin Pamphile and Austin Pasztor for a starting role.
With Davis under contract, Tennessee has only one 2019 draft choice — second-round wideout A.J. Brown — left unsigned.
Rams Extend CB Troy Hill
Previously given an original-round tender, Troy Hill agreed to a Rams extension. The Rams and the veteran cornerback agreed to terms on a two-year deal with a base value of $5.25MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
This deal could be worth as much as $8.25MM, with the additional $3MM available through playing-time incentives. Should Hill play in 52.5% of the Rams’ defensive snaps, he will collect this additional $3MM, Garafolo adds.
Hill had not signed his RFA tender, worth just more than $2MM, but is now under Rams control through 2020. A former UDFA, Hill started seven games for the Rams last season. Aqib Talib‘s injury opened the door for extended Hill playing time.
The 27-year-old defender played 450 snaps last season, intercepted two passes and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 66 corner (among the 112 that qualified for full-time status). The Oregon product produced a higher grade in 2017. He has started 14 games during his three-year Los Angeles tenure.
While Talib, Marcus Peters and Nickell Robey-Coleman still comprise the Rams’ top cornerback trio, both Talib and Peters are in the final years of their respective contracts. Robey-Coleman is signed through 2020.
Steelers Wrap Up Draft Class Deals
The Steelers finished up their 2019 draft class’ contracts on Thursday, coming to terms with third-round pick Justin Layne on the customary four-year rookie deal.
Although the Steelers had already signed fellow third-rounder Diontae Johnson, 26 third-round picks remain unsigned across the NFL. The CBA’s vague language regarding third-rounders’ contracts annually creates delays in teams signing these players.
But Layne is now in the fold and is expected to compete for an immediate role in Pittsburgh’s secondary. After beginning his Michigan State career as a wide receiver, the former Cleveland-area high school standout became a high-end cornerback prospect. The 6-foot-2 defender started 26 games for the Spartans and joins a Steelers secondary that features Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, Steven Nelson and underwhelming former first-rounder Artie Burns.
Here is the Steelers’ 2019 draft class:
- 1-10: Devin Bush, LB (Michigan): Signed
- 3-66: Diontae Johnson, WR (Toledo): Signed
- 3-83: Justin Layne, CB (Michigan State): Signed
- 4-122: Benny Snell, RB (Kentucky): Signed
- 5-141: Zach Gentry, TE (Michigan): Signed
- 6-175: Sutton Smith, LB (Northern Illinois): Signed
- 6-192: Isaiah Buggs, DT (Alabama): Signed
- 6-207: Ulysees Gilbert III, LB (Akron): Signed
- 7-219: Derwin Gray, OL (Maryland): Signed
Bengals Sign Fourth-Round QB Ryan Finley
The Bengals have signed fourth-round quarterback Ryan Finley, according to a team announcement. With that, the Bengals are left with just one unsigned draft pick in third-round linebacker Germaine Pratt. 
Finley, an N.C. State product, was one of the older players in this year’s draft at the age of 24. He’ll even celebrate his 25th birthday before the 2019 season is through, but the Bengals still believe in his upside.
Finley started his collegiate career at Boise State, where he graduated inside of three years. When Brett Rypien took the starting job, he transferred to N.C. State and started all 13 games in 2016. He topped 3,000 passing yards in his first season with the Wolfpack and threw for 18 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Things only picked up from there, culminating in 3,928 yards and 25 touchdowns (against eleven interceptions) in 2018.
In Cincinnati, Finley will learn from longtime starter Andy Dalton. Quarterbacks Jeff Driskel and rookie Jake Dolegala are also on the Bengals’ offseason roster.