Patriots To Sign Jared Veldheer
The Patriots are planning to sign free agent offensive tackle Jared Veldheer later this week, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran met with the Pats last week and, days later, the two sides appear to have agreed on numbers. 
Once completed, it’ll be a one-year, $3.5MM deal with a maximum value of $6.5MM, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter).
A nine-year veteran, Veldheer started 12 games in Denver last season and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 58-rated tackle. Veldheer has more experience playing left tackle, having lined up there with the Raiders and Cardinals for several years. But, the Cards switched Veldheer and D.J. Humphries in 2017, moving him over to the right side. The 31-year-old (32 in June) may be a swing option for the Patriots in the upcoming year.
New England drafted third-round tackle Yodny Cajuste but lost Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle this offseason. Meanwhile, they have 2018 first-rounder Isaiah Wynn coming off a season-nullifying torn Achilles. All of this leaves them with a depth need that Veldheer can fill.
Buccaneers Waive WR Sergio Bailey
Last preseason, it looked like Sergio Bailey could be part of the Buccaneers’ future. Today, he’s without a job. Greg Auman of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay has waived the receiver.
The Eastern Michigan product had a standout collegiate career, including a senior season where he hauled in 54 receptions for 878 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite the production, Bailey still went undrafted during the 2018 draft, and he ultimately caught on with the Buccaneers last April.
Bailey proceeded to have a s0lid preseason with Tampa Bay, collecting five receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, the receiver never got a chance to show his worth during the regular season, as an ankle injury forced him to be placed on the injured reserve.
The Buccaneers wide receiver corps will look a bit different in 2019 as both DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries are now placing elsewhere. The team did add Breshad Perriman to play behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, it’s surprising that the Buccaneers didn’t hang on to Bailey to compete with the likes of Bobo Wilson, Justin Watson, K.J. Brent, and sixth-round rookie Scott Miller.
Seahawks Sign Four Draft Picks
The Seahawks have started signing a handful of their 11 draft picks to contracts. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson (via Twitter), Seattle signed four of their rookies today:
- 2-47: Marquise Blair, S (Utah)
- 4-124: Phil Haynes, G (Wake Forest)
- 4-132: Ugo Amadi, S (Oregon)
- 5-142: Ben Burr-Kirven, LB (Washington)
Blair is the most notable name on the list, as the Seahawks used one of their two second-rounders on the Utah product. Following a solid 2017 season, the safety had a breakout campaign in 2018, finishing the season with 44 tackles, two passes defended, and two picks.
The Seahawks watched as both Earl Thomas and Mo Alexander left via free agency, leaving some open spots on the depth chart. Tedric Thompson and Bradley McDougald are currently slotted in as the team’s starting safeties, but Blair should be able to supplant one of the two. The team also inked another rookie safety, Amadi, to his contract, providing the team with even more depth at the position.
Haynes may have a difficult time cracking the lineup, as both Mike Iupati and D.J. Fluker are standing in his way. However, the rookie has a chance to become a useful reserve lineman. The same goes for Burr-Kirven, who should compete with Barkevious Mingo, Shaquem Griffin, and Austin Calitro for backup reps at linebacker.
Following today’s signings, seven of the Seahawks’ draft picks remain unsigned.
Raiders Trade K Eddy Pineiro To Bears
Robbie Gould might not be coming back to Chicago after all. On Monday, the Bears acquired kicker Eddy Pineiro from the Raiders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will net the Raiders a 2021 seventh-round pick, provided that Pineiro is on Chicago’s active roster for five games.
After last weekend’s rookie minicamp, the Bears trimmed their kickers down from four to two. Now, they have three kickers to audition in Pineiro, Elliott Fry, and Chris Blewitt.
Pineiro, who joined the Raiders as a UDFA out of Florida last year, has yet to kick in a regular season game. In the preseason last year, he made all three of his field goal tries, plus his lone XP attempt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Aaron Adeoye, CB Terrell Bonds, OT Darrell Williams
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel, S Evan Worthington, OL C.J. Toogood
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Tommy Doles, DE Jalen Dalton
- Cut: DB Adarius Pickett, DE Lawrence Marshall
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Jhavonte Dean, RB Travon Gray, LB Willie Harvey
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed: WR Jawill Davis
- Signed: WR Darrius Shepherd, CB Chandon Sullivan
- Released: RB Lavon Coleman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Reserve/non-football injury list: DE Tim Ward
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Bryce Hager
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Terrance Alexander, DE Stacy Keely, DB Isaiah Wharton
New England Patriots
- WR Xavier Ubosi
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Kenny Bigelow Jr., RB Devine Ozigbo, CB Jordan Wyatt
New York Giants
- Signed: G Austin Droogsma
New York Jets
- Waived: QB Brandon Silvers
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: P A.J. Cole, DT Ronald Ollie
- Waived: P Drew Kaser, OL Jamar McGloster
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed: OL Willie Beavers,
- Signed: LB LaRoy Reynolds, RB Austin Walter
- Waived: RB Matthew Dayes, DL Ryan Delaire
Bucs To Sign Kerwynn Williams
The Bucs are signing running back Kerwynn Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Williams, who was released by the Lions last week, offers familiarity with head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich from their time together with the Cardinals. 
In Arizona, Williams saw a decent amount of work as a reserve and even started in a handful of games in 2017, his final season with the team. All in all, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry, though the ’17 season was the only campaign in which he cracked 100 attempts on the year.
In other Bucs news, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was recently involved in a car accident. Fortunately, JPP was not seriously injured in the crash.
Panthers Cut S Da’Norris Searcy
The Panthers cut safety Da’Norris Searcy, according to a team announcement. In a related move, the club also waived offensive tackle Isaiah Battle. 
Searcy joined the Panthers on a two-year, $5.7MM deal lasty offseason with the ability to make up to $3.1MM in 2017. A former fourth-round pick, Searcy managed 12 tackles and one interception in his first year with Carolina while grading as the NFL’s No. 61 safety among 87 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Last year, Searcy missed eight games due to a pair of concussions suffered in September and did not make it back to the field despite being designated for return in late November. By releasing him, the Panthers will incur a modest $650K cap hit while saving $1.76MM.
Without Searcy, 2018 third-round pick Rashaan Gaulden appears to be in line for a starting safety spot opposite of Eric Reid. It’s also possible that the Panthers could add a veteran safety in the offseason to compete for the gig.
Battle, 26, joined Carolina on a futures deal in January. The 6’7″ Clemson product has bounced around the league since entering as a supplemental pick of the Rams in 2015, but has yet to see live action.
Browns Add Three UDFAs
The Browns signed 15 undrafted free agents earlier this week, but they still had an additional 34 rookies participate in their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Ultimately, Cleveland signed three of those 34 players to contracts (per Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com):
- Jhavonte Dean, CB (Miami)
- Trayone Gray, RB (Miami)
- Willie Harvey Jr., LB (Iowa State)
As Ulrich notes, Dean was a standout during the Browns’ rookie minicamp, as he had an interception and a pass defended during the first practice. Of course, the defensive back will still have an uphill battle to make the roster; the team used a pair of their draft picks on cornerbacks in Greedy Williams (second round) and Donnie Lewis Jr. (seventh round). The team also added undrafted free agent Jermaine Ponder (Saint Francis Pa.).
The same could be said for Harvey Jr., as the Browns selected a pair of linebackers during the draft in Sione Takitaki (third round) and Mack Wilson (fifth round). Cleveland also added an undrafted linebacker, Anthony Stubbs (Prairie View A&M).
With Gray and Dean under contract, the Browns now have eight former Miami Hurricanes on their roster. The six-foot-2, 235-pound Gray served mostly as a block running back during his collegiate career.
Bears Waive Two Kickers, Trim Kicking Competition
The battle to replace Cody Parkey in Chicago is getting a little tighter. The Bears have released kickers Redford Jones and John Baron II as part of a handful of roster moves made Sunday, they announced on Twitter.
After Parkey’s now infamous double-doink eliminated the Bears from the playoffs last year, they’ve gone all out in their search for his replacement. They just had eight kickers at their rookie minicamp for tryouts, and they had four on the roster before making this move. Jones is the former Tulsa kicker who the Bears signed back in January. Baron was an undrafted free agent from San Diego State who Chicago just added last week.
With Baron and Jones gone, only Elliott Fry and Chris Blewitt are left. The Bears have left no stone unturned, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they weren’t done adding to the kicking group just yet. Fry shined in the recently-folded AAF, while Blewitt is the former Pitt kicker signed back in March.
Jones and Baron weren’t the only ones who got bounced from the 90-man roster, as defensive back Adarius Pickett and defensive end Lawrence Marshall were both cut as well. Pickett and Marshall were both rookie undrafted free agents who were just signed recently, from UCLA and Michigan respectively.
The Bears signed two rookie undrafted free agents to take their place, offensive lineman Tommy Doles from Northwestern and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton from North Carolina. Both players participated in the minicamp.
The Bears have had an unstable kicking situation recently, and it’s one of the team’s biggest needs as they look to repeat as NFC North champions in 2019. The battle will be closely monitored in training camp.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/5/19
We’ll keep track of the latest late-round draft pick signings here:
- The Vikings announced the signing of seventh round pick cornerback Kris Boyd. With Boyd inked, the Vikings are just waiting on two more picks to sign, first round pick center Garrett Bradbury and fellow seventh-rounder long snapper Austin Cutting. Cutting is waiting for clearance from the Air Force, so it might be a while before it signs. A Texas product, Boyd is a very solid athlete who was projected by many to be a mid-round selection, but he ended up slipping to the 217th overall pick. The 2018 first-team All-Big 12 selection received a $109.7K signing bonus.