Packers Sign Rookie OL Elgton Jenkins
The Packers are almost finished signing their entire draft class. General manager Brian Gutekunst announced today that the team has signed second-round offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins.
The team used their lone second-rounder (44th overall) on the Mississippi State product. The six-foot-four, 310-pound lineman had a standout college career, allowing only a single sack over his final two seasons (762 snaps). Jenkins started 34 games during his time at Mississippi State, including 26 at center.
The lineman has also spent time at both offensive tackle and offensive guard, and his versatility will make him an intriguing prospect in Green Bay. The organization signed veteran Billy Turner earlier this offseason, and the team is also rostering capable starters in David Bakhtiari, Lane Taylor, Corey Linsley, and Bryan Bulaga. In other words, despite his draft position, Jenkins may be starting the season on the bench.
With today’s signing, the Packers have now inked seven of their eight picks to contracts, including first-rounders defensive end Rashan Gary and safety Darnell Savage. Third-round tight end Jace Sternberger is the lone draft pick who remains unsigned.
Chiefs QB E.J. Manuel Retires
Quarterback E.J. Manuel has retired from the NFL, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Manuel signed with the Chiefs this offseason, but he’ll walk away from the sport instead of continuing down that path. 
Manuel, 29, has not suited up since his 2017 season with the Raiders. Before that, the former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the Bills. All in all, Manuel exits the NFL with a lifetime 6-12 record, a 58.1% completion percentage, and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. The Florida State product did not live up to his first-round draft billing, but he made millions playing football at a professional level.
Manuel’s retirement still leaves the Chiefs with six QBs on the offseason roster: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, T.J. Linta, Chase Litton, John Lovett, and Kyle Shurmur.
Saints Sign DT Sylvester Williams
The Saints have signed defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, according to a team announcement. The former first-round pick auditioned for the Saints way back in October and showed enough during this month’s rookie minicamp to earn a deal. 
Williams was an All-American at North Carolina, which helped him become a first round pick of the Broncos back in 2013. Williams spent the first four years of his career with Denver, but didn’t have his fifth-year option picked up. He signed a three-year pact with the Titans, but was released after just one year. After stops in Detroit and Miami, he’ll try to get back on track in New Orleans.
Between Miami and Detroit, Williams appeared in 14 games last season, including four starts. He’s managed to be a decent run-stuffer in the past, and is still only 30. The Saints had one of the league’s best defensive lines and run defenses last year, but standout defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins tore his Achilles right at the end of the year, so Williams could offer some value as a depth addition.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/19
We’ll keep track of today’s lower round draft pick signings here:
- The Lions inked fourth-round defensive end Austin Bryant, sixth-round running back Ty Johnson, seventh-round tight end Isaac Nauta, and seventh-round defensive tackle P.J. Johnson. Bryant, a Clemson product, is a pass rush specialist who routinely used his length to get to the quarterback. He put himself on the map with 8.5 sacks as a junior and followed that up with another eight sacks as a senior. There are questions about whether his pass-rush ability is enough to offset his deficiencies against the run, but the Lions were more than happy to take a chance on him in the fourth round.
- The Colts signed fourth-round safety Khari Willis and fifth-round defensive back Marvell Tell III. Willis was one of Michigan’s top high school players as a running back, but found his calling in the secondary at Michigan State. Tell, meanwhile, made three interceptions as USC’s starting free safety last year.
- The Giants signed a pair of fifth-round picks: wide receiver Darius Slayton and linebacker Ryan Connelly. The Giants still have a lot of work ahead for them in signing their draft class, including first-round picks Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Dontae Strickland
- Waived: CB Ryan Pulley, TE Jerome Washington
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Jalan McClendon, G Patrick Vahe
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Abraham Wallace, OL Garrett McGhin, DT Quindarius Thagard
- Released: TE Jake Fisher, RB Keith Ford
Chicago Bears
- Bears Signed: WR Jesper Horsted
- Waived: G Tommy Doles
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB L.J. Scott
- Released: RB Devante Mays
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Bug Howard, OL Nathan Jacobson, DL Deyon Sizer, DL DeShawn Williams
- Released: TE Temarrick Hemingway, DL Caushaud Lyons, OL Brian Wallace, DL Jaylen Johnson
New York Giants
- Re-Signed: DL John Jenkins
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: RB Nico Evans, QB Luis Perez
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Parker Hesse, WR Cody Hollister
Chargers Re-Sign Damion Square
The Chargers have re-signed defensive tackle Damion Square on a one-year deal, according to a team announcement. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Square, 30, has spent most of the past five seasons with the Chargers, appearing in 49 games with the club since 2014. An undrafted free agent who began his pro tenure with stints in Philadelphia and Kansas City, Square set a career-high in starts (11), tackles (31), and sacks (three) in 2018.
A better run-stuffer than a pass-rusher, Square played on roughly half of Los Angeles’ snaps a year ago but graded as a bottom-three interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. Over the course of four-plus years with the Bolts, Square has 5.5 sacks to his credit.
Square met with the Titans in April, but left Nashville without a deal.
Seahawks To Sign QB Geno Smith
The Seahawks are set to sign quarterback Geno Smith, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks Smith’s fourth team in four seasons. 
Last year, the former Jets draft bust hooked on with the Chargers, but threw only four passes as Philip Rivers‘ backup. Before that, Smith spent a year with the Giants. His Giants tenure will be best remembered for the game in which he started over Eli Manning, bringing the future Hall of Famer’s starting streak to and end and igniting a fan uproar.
The Jets installed Smith as their No. 1 QB after selecting him the second round of the 2013 draft, but Smith never looked the part of a starter. The Jets managed an 8-8 record in Smith’s first year under center, but Gang Green went just 3-10 in his sophomore effort. He was looking for redemption in 2015, but that season was erased by the fist of teammate IK Enemkpali in a locker room brawl.
Now, Smith will look to position himself as a backup behind Russell Wilson. Wilson has never missed a game in his seven-year career, so there isn’t exactly a clear path to the field for the 28-year-old West Virginia product.
Eagles Re-Sign C/G Stefen Wisniewski
The Eagles have re-signed center/guard Stefen Wisniewski, according to an announcement from the player’s Twitter account. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
The Eagles turned down Wisniewski’s option in March, but, regardless, he’ll return to Philly for a fourth year. The 30-year-old has been an on and off starter at left guard for Philly with six starts in 2016, eleven in 2017, and seven this past season. He entered the 2018 season as the starter at left guard, but was later benched for Isaac Seumalo.
The 6’3″, 305-pound lineman offers experience at both guard and center and should continue to be a solid super-sub on the interior line. Before circling pack to the city of Brotherly Love, Wisniewski also garnered interest from the Vikings and Jets.
Bills Sign TE Lee Smith
The Bills have signed tight end Lee Smith to a three-year deal, according to a team announcement. The pact is worth $9MM and is heavily frontloaded, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal is also front-loaded to give Smith more money in Year One and includes fully guaranteed pay for 2020. 
The deal brings Smith back to Buffalo, where he spent 2011-2014. The blocking specialist spent the last four years in Oakland, but that run ended earlier this month when he was released by the Raiders.
Smith offers almost nothing as a receiver, as he has averaged just 49 receiving yards per season in his eight years in the league. However, he’s long been considered to be one of the league’s best blocking tight ends.
With the Bills, he should continue to do more of the dirty work in a group that also includes Tyler Kroft and third-round pick Dawson Knox. Meanwhile, seventh-round choice Tommy Sweeney is in line to be the team’s No. 4 tight end, but he’ll have to lock down his spot in camp this summer.
Doug Baldwin Bids Farewell To The NFL
Late Sunday night, longtime Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin bid farewell to football with a string of heartfelt tweets. He did not use the word “retirement” at any point, but it’s clear that Baldwin is walking away from the game. 
“The end of one journey sees the beginning of another, ” Baldwin wrote towards the end of a letter to his younger self (link). “And, guess what.. it will be one hell of a journey. You will feel emotional and physical pain you never knew existed. You will fail over and over again. But don’t worry, all of it will be the reason why you succeed.”
The Seahawks signed Baldwin as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2011 and he led the Tarvaris Jackson-quarterbacked team in receiving as a rookie before becoming Wilson’s most trusted target. Baldwin was a key member of both Seattle Super Bowl teams this decade, catching touchdown passes in both the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII win and crushing loss a year later. However, his momentum stalled last season.
Knee, groin and shoulder injuries — which each required surgery — ended Baldwin’s career. But, when Baldwin was healthy, he was a crucial part of the Seahawks’ offense. Wilson‘s ascent into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks involved lots of help from Baldwin, and there’s no telling where the Seahawks would have been without him. He didn’t end on a statistical high note, but he proved his toughness yet again by suiting up for 13 games last year, despite all of the maladies.
Baldwin, who was released by Seattle last last week, leaves with the second-most touchdown receptions and third-most catches and receiving yards in franchise history, behind only Steve Largent and Brian Blades.