Packers Sign 11 UDFAs
The Packers revealed their UDFA class on Friday. Here are the players who will try to take the long way to making Green Bay’s roster.
- Curtis Bolton, LB (Oklahoma)
- Matt Eaton, WR (Iowa State)
- Kabion Ento, CB (Colorado)
- Javien Hamilton, CB (Ole Miss)
- Davis Koppenhaver, TE (Duke)
- Yosh Nijman, T (Virginia Tech)
- Randy Ramsey, LB (Arkansas)
- Greg Roberts, LB (Baylor)
- Nydair Rouse, CB (West Chester)
- Manny Wilkins, QB (Arizona State)
- Larry Williams, G (Oklahoma State)
The three linebackers join seventh-round pick Ty Summers in adding to Green Bay’s defensive second level depth. Bolton was a one-year starter at Oklahoma, with Ramsey having been a two-season starter at Temple. Ramsey also saw action on the Owls’ defensive line. A 26-game Baylor starter, Roberts received a $7K signing bonus and $65K base salary guarantee, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
Wilkins was the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback for three seasons. Joining Aaron Rodgers, DeShone Kizer and 2018 UDFA Tim Boyle, Wilkins represents the Packers’ only offseason QB addition. In addition to throwing 52 touchdown passes in three seasons, Wilkins rushed for 20 TDs and gained 1,035 yards on the ground.
Packers Sign Rashan Gary
The Packers officially have both of their first round picks on board. The day after signing 21st overall pick Darnell Savage Jr. to his rookie contract, Green Bay has agreed to terms with Rashan Gary, the team announced in a release.
The Packers drafted the Michigan pass-rusher twelfth overall. Savage was the first of the 2019 first round picks to sign, and the Packers are making quick work of signing their draft picks. The Packers have made a bunch of big moves to upgrade their defense this season, starting in free agency.
They signed pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith away from the Ravens, and safety Adrian Amos from the Bears. Then they drafted Gary and Savage last week, and all four should start next season. It’s safe to say Green Bay’s defense will look radically different in 2019. Gary formed his own agency before the draft, which raised some eyebrows. Clearly it didn’t complicate negotiations at all, as he got his deal done pretty quickly.
Gary is an insane athlete who was widely regarded as one of the top defensive players available in the draft. There was some concern about his lack of statistical production with the Wolverines, but the Packers weren’t bothered. Green Bay reportedly plans to use him at outside linebacker. We won’t know for sure for a while, but so far the first offseason of the Matt LaFleur era seems to be going nicely for the Packers.
Gary’s contract will be a standard four-year pact with a fifth-year option, and he will earn $15.877MM over the first four years of the deal. His signing bonus should be right around $9.567MM.
Colts Sign 9 UDFAs
The Colts announced their undrafted free agent class today, and it was a bit smaller than most other teams’ that we’ve seen so far. Indianapolis inked the following nine players:
- Ashton Dulin, WR (Malone)
- Penny Hart, WR (Georgia State)
- Clayton Hatfield, K (Texas Tech)
- Hale Hentges, TE (Alabama)
- Jegs Jegede, DE (Valdosta State)
- Jamal Peters, CB (Mississippi State)
- Chris Rayford, CB (Mississippi State)
- Johnny Robinson, DT (Charleston Southern)
- Jordan Thompson, DT (Northwestern)
The Colts clearly had positions of emphasis, as they double-dipped at three positions in only a nine member class. Peters and Rayford played alongside each other at Mississippi State, and could be battling it out for one spot in the secondary. Since the Colts already have Adam Vinatieri, Hatfield will likely be little more than a camp leg. Hart was highly productive at Georgia State, racking up 1,109 yards as a freshman and sometimes dominating in the Sun Belt. Even though the Colts added a few wide receivers this offseason, he could make some noise in camp.
Bears Sign 22 UDFAs
The Bears have quite a big UDFA class. Chicago announced that they have signed the following 22 undrafted free agents:
- Alex Bars, OL (Notre Dame) ($35K of his base salary guaranteed, $5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
- Sam Mustipher, OL (Notre Dame)
- Daryle Banfield, DL (Brown)
- John Baron II, K (San Diego State)
- Matt Betts, LB (Laval)
- Blake Blackmar, OL (Baylor)
- Ian Bunting, TE (California)
- Jomon Dotson, DB (Nevada)
- Clifton Duck, DB (Appalachian State)
- Emanuel Hall, WR (Missouri)
- Jonathan Harris, DL (Lindenwood)
- Chuck Harris, LB (Buffalo)
- Thomas Ives, WR (Colgate)
- Doyin Jibowu, DB (Fort Hays State)
- Joe Lowery, OL (Ohio)
- Lawrence Marshall, DE (Michigan)
- Adarius Pickett, DB (UCLA)
- Dax Raymond, TE (Utah State) ($30K of his base salary guaranteed with a $15K signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
- Ellis Richardson, TE (Georgia Southern)
- Josh Simmons, DB (Limestone)
- Marquez Tucker, OL (Southern Utah)
- John Wirtel, LS (Kansas)
The Bears opted for a lot of small school players, adding guys from places like Limestone, Colgate, Fort Hays State, Lindenwood, and Laval. The signings of Bars and Mustipher are notable because they have a connection to the coaching staff. Both players were coached by current Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when they were at Notre Dame. The Bears hired Hiestand away from Notre Dame before last season, and he knows what he’s getting in these two players.
It’s also notable that the Bears signed a kicker, because the job will be up for grabs in training camp. Chicago is looking to replace Cody Parkey after his disastrous 2018 season, and they need someone consistent. Baron was a solid college kicker at SDSU with a big leg, as his career long was 54 yards, which is pretty impressive for a college kicker. The Bears already have former AAF kicker Elliott Fry and former Tulsa kicker Redford Jones on the roster, so they’re clearly planning on having a battle royale kicking competition this offseason.
Eagles Sign LB Zach Brown
Zach Brown has found a new home. The linebacker is signing a one-year, $3MM deal with the Eagles, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).
Brown was released by the Redskins back in March, and he’s staying in the NFC East. He’ll now get a chance at revenge against his old team twice a year. Washington tried to shop him in trade talks before cutting him, but they were unable to find a partner. Inside linebacker Jordan Hicks left Philly for Arizona this offseason, and Brown will help replace him in the middle.
Brown received extremely high grades from Pro Football Focus last year, grading out as their third best linebacker overall behind only Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly. NFL evaluators evidently weren’t as high on his play. In 16 games and 12 starts last year, Brown racked up 96 tackles, ten for a loss, and one sack with two forced fumbles.
Originally drafted in the second round out of North Carolina back in 2012, Brown spent the first four years of his career with Tennessee. He then signed a one-year deal with Buffalo for 2016. The Redskins re-signed him to a three-year deal worth up to $24MM last March, but he ended up making it just one year into that pact.
Other than a torn pec which cost him most of the 2014 season, Brown has managed to stay pretty healthy during his career, which is good news for the Eagles. Hicks had always been solid, but was plagued by injuries the last couple of seasons.
Giants Sign 13 UDFAs
The Giants announced that they have signed the following undrafted free agents in advance of tomorrow’s rookie minicamp:
- Paul Adams, OT (Missouri)
- Jake Carlock, DB (LIU Post)
- C.J. Conrad, TE (Kentucky)
- Eric Dungey, QB (Syracuse)
- Jeremiah Harris, DE (Eastern Michigan)
- Nate Harvey, DE (East Carolina)
- Jon Hilliman, RB (Rutgers)
- Mark McLaurin, DB (Mississippi State) ($20K guaranteed base salary and $10K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
- James O’Hagan, C (Buffalo)
- Josiah Tauaefa, LB (UTSA) ($95K guaranteed base salary and $15K signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
- Jacob Thieneman, DB (Purdue)
- Alex Wesley, WR (Northern Colorado)
- Reggie White Jr., WR (Monmouth)
Cue the quarterback controversy, as Dungey could be coming for Daniel Jones‘ job. Well, probably not, but Dungey was in high demand after the draft was over, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Dungey had offers from about five clubs, but a telephone call between the former Orange signal-caller and New York head coach Pat Shurmur helped seal the deal. Dungey could theoretically stick as the third QB if Big Blue goes in that direction, and his athleticism will certainly help his case for a roster spot, as he could contribute on special teams and/or as a gadget player. Dungey passed for 9,340 yards with 58 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his four seasons at Syracuse, but he also rushed for 1,993 yards and 35 touchdowns.
The Giants addressed their flagging pass rush to some degree in the draft by selecting Old Dominion defensive end Oshane Ximines in the third round, and they may have uncovered a gem in Harvey, a converted running back. Harvey had 14.5 sacks last year and was named the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year.
As evidenced by the large amount of guaranteed money they’re giving him, the Giants think highly of Tauaefa, a tackling machine who is capable of making plays behind the line of scrimmage and who posted over 100 tackles in two of his three collegiate seasons. And after adding three DBs in the draft, Big Blue added three more via UDFA signings, further underscoring its commitment to improving its defensive backfield.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/19
Here are today’s minor moves, which feature several recognizable signal-callers:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: P Ryan Winslow
- Waived: K Cole Murphy
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Dejon Allen, Willie Beavers, WR Cyril Grayson
Denver Broncos
- Waived: QB Garrett Grayson, WR Chad Hansen
Detroit Lions
- Signed: NT Darius Kilgo
- Released: RB Kerwynn Williams
- Waived: OL Jarron Jones
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LB Josh Carraway
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Jawill Davis
New York Jets
- Claimed: QB Luke Falk
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: S Delvon Randall (signed as UDFA with partially-guaranteed contract on May 1)
Patriots Sign LB Shilique Calhoun
The Patriots have signed linebacker Shilique Calhoun, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. In a corresponding move, the club has cut offensive tackle Ryker Mathews.
Calhoun was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2016 draft, but he never started a game for Oakland. In fact, he was waived during final cutdowns in September 2017, went unclaimed, and was subsequently re-signed to the Raiders’ practice squad. He ended up playing in nine games in 2017 and seven games last year, but he has been more of a special teams contributor than anything else. He was non-tendered by Oakland last month.
As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk observes, Calhoun is the first player with NFL experience added to New England’s linebacking corps this offseason. He will likely compete for a rotational role on defense and for a spot on the Pats’ special teams unit.
For his career, Calhoun has 23 tackles and a half-sack.
Packers Sign Darnell Savage Jr.
The Packers have already signed first-round draft pick Darnell Savage Jr. to his rookie contract, as NFL Insider Adam Caplan tweets. Savage is the first 2019 first-round choice to put pen to paper.
Savage was Green Bay’s second choice in the first round, and the Packers traded two fourth-round selections to move up nine spots to land the Maryland product with the No. 21 overall pick. Savage, a safety, has a great chance to become an instant starter alongside free agent acquisition Adrian Amos and should help solidify the Packers’ defensive backfield. He represents yet another example of the Packers’ attempts to shore up their defense this offseason.
Savage’s stock rose pretty dramatically in the weeks leading up to the draft. He put himself on the map as a junior with 59 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions, and he delivered yet again last year with four picks, two pass breakups, and 52 tackles (5.5 tackles for loss). He really impressed in workouts, however, and evaluators began to see him in a whole new light.
At 5’11 and 198 pounds, Savage lacks ideal size for the next level. However, the Packers feel that his athleticism, combined with his football IQ and his instincts, will make him a success story in the NFL.
Savage’s contract will be a standard four-year pact with a fifth-year option, and he will earn $12.5MM over the first four years of the deal.
Maxx Williams To Sign With Cardinals
Free agent tight end Maxx Williams has agreed to sign with the Cardinals, as Williams himself tweeted. He will have a chance to rejuvenate his career in Arizona, whose tight end depth chart is not particularly imposing.
Williams, whom the Ravens selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, entered the league with plenty of promise. Baltimore actually traded up to land the Minnesota product, and the club had visions of him catching deep passes down the seam and creating mismatches with linebackers in the passing game.
And while Williams showed flashes of that ability, injuries have hampered him throughout his professional career, and after the Ravens selected Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews in the 2018 draft and re-signed Nick Boyle this offseason, it was clear that Williams’ time in Baltimore could be coming to an end.
But while he never blossomed into the receiver the Ravens hoped he could be, he has become a solid blocker, and he is just 25, so he may yet realize some of his former potential as a pass catcher. The Cardinals signed Charles Clay this offseason and made UCLA product Caleb Johnson this year’s Mr. Irrelevant with the final pick of last week’s draft, and the club is also rostering Ricky Seals-Jones, but none of those players are going to prevent Williams from getting an extended look.
Williams follows former Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs to the desert.