49ers’ Cedric Thornton Ends Retirement
The retirement of defensive tackle Cedric Thornton appears to be over. On Monday, Thornton was added to the 49ers’ active roster, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.
A former three-year starter for the Eagles, Thornton signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys prior to the 2016 campaign but lasted only a single season. He latched on with the Bills just before the 2017 season got underway and ultimately appeared in 15 games, playing on roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. In 2018, he signed a lost-cost deal with the Niners, only to hang ’em up in August.
It’s not clear why Thornton retired in the first place, but it sounds like he has the itch to play once again. If he makes the Niners’ cut, Thornton will count for about $915K on the books.
Packers Claim K Sam Ficken
The Packers have claimed kicker Sam Ficken off of waivers from the Seahawks, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ficken now appears poised to compete for the club’s kicking job alongside Mason Crosby. 
Ficken served as Greg Zuerlein‘s injury replacement, but the Rams cut him prior to Zuerlein recovering. Ficken’s brief trial period ended after he missed two of three field goal tries between Weeks 3 and 4.
Crosby, meanwhile, has been the Packers’ kicker since entering the league in 2007. On the whole, Crosby has been very solid, but he had some shaky moments last year, including four missed field goals in a 31-23 loss to the Lions in October.
For his career, Crosby has converted on 80.4% of his field goal tries and 98% of his extra point attempts.
Patriots CB Jonathan Jones Signs RFA Tender
Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jones will now be paid $3.095MM for the 2019 season.
Jones becomes one of several second-round RFAs to ink his tender today, joining Ravens linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, Colts receiver Chester Rogers, and Eagles quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Rival clubs could have signed Jones to an offer sheet and sacrificed a second-round pick in order to land him, but Jones will instead sign his tender on the day New England begins its offseason workout program.
A former undrafted free agent, Jones hasn’t missed a single game during his three-year run with the Patriots. Over the past two seasons, he’s contributed on defense, playing between 40% and 50% of New England’s defensive plays in each year. Pro Football Focus graded Jones as the No. 73 cornerback among 112 qualifiers, while Football Outsiders charted him as below average in both yards per pass and success rate.
Colts WR Chester Rogers Signs RFA Tender
Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, the club announced today. Safety Matthias Farley inked his original round RFA tender, while wide receiver Marcus Johnson signed his exclusive rights free agent tender.
Rogers earned only $695K in 2018, but he’ll now see a pay bump to $3.095MM for the upcoming season. An undrafted free agent in 2016, Rogers’ playing time has hovered between 45% and 65% during his three years in the NFL, but his production has increased year-over-year. In 2018, Rogers set career-highs with 53 receptions for 485 yards and two scores; his catch and yardage totals ranked second among Colts wideouts.
Any other club could have signed Rogers to an offer sheet, but they would have been forced to hand over a second-round pick to the Colts in order to land him. While Rogers is a solid complementary offensive piece, he’s probably not worth a second-round selection.
Panthers Re-Sign DT Kyle Love
The Panthers have re-signed defensive tackle Kyle Love to a one-year deal, Carolina announced Monday.
Love was part of a four-man defensive tackle rotation for the Panthers in 2018, playing 468 snaps while appearing in all 16 games. Kawann Short, Dontari Poe, Vernon Butler, and Love all played between 33% and 59% of Carolina’s defensive snaps a season ago, and all four are set to return next year.
Love, 32, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2010. He spent three seasons with the Patriots, appearing in 41 total games, before he was waived with a non-football illness designation after being diagnosed with diabetes. Love played in only three contests from 2013-14 while playing for the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Panthers, but he’s since reestablished his career with the Carolina, totaling 57 games since 2015.
Last offseason, Love re-signed with the Panthers on a two-year, $2.2MM deal that contained $200K in guaranteed money.
Ravens LB Patrick Onwuasor Signs RFA Tender
Ravens linebacker Patrick Onwuasor has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, the club announced today. Running backs Gus Edwards and De’Lance Turner, center Matt Skura, and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor all signed their exclusive rights free agent tenders, per Baltimore.
Onwuasor, 26, has started 25 games for the Ravens over the past two seasons, but didn’t top 60% playing time in either of those campaigns. That’s likely to change in 2019, as Onwuasor is expected to become Baltimore’s top linebacker following the departure of free agent C.J. Mosley. Last year, Onwuasor posted 59 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and one interception while grading as the NFL’s No. 40 linebacker among 92 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Onwuasor a top-15 coverage grade among LBs.
Following a solid 2018 season, a rival team could have theoretically expressed interest in signing Onwuasor to an offer sheet. However, that would have forced said club to sacrifice a second-round pick and give Onwuasor a large enough contract to dissuade the Ravens from matching. Instead, the former undrafted free agent is now scheduled to earn $3.095MM for the upcoming campaign.
Eagles QB Nate Sudfeld Signs RFA Tender
Eagles quarterback Nate Sudfeld has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). He’ll collect $3.095MM for the 2019 campaign.
Sudfeld is one of many restricted free agents who will likely sign his tender this week. RFAs have until April 19 to sign an offer sheet with a rival club, but it always seemed incredibly unlikely that another team would not only sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Sudfeld, but also hand him a large contract that Philadelphia would decline to match.
With Nick Foles now in Jacksonville, Sudfeld is the favorite to become Carson Wentz‘s top backup. A 2016 sixth-round pick of the Redskins, Sudfeld joined the Eagles via waiver claim in 2017. In two seasons with Philadelphia, the 25-year-old has appeared in four games (including playoffs). Sudfeld got an extended look during the 2017 regular season finale, completing 19 of his 23 pass attempts for 134 passing yards. Last season, however, he managed only two pass attempts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/19
We will keep you apprised of all minor moves right here over the course of the day:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S Charles Washington (ERFA)
Falcons To Sign Tyeler Davison
One of the top remaining defenders is off the market. The Falcons are signing defensive tackle Tyeler Davison, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’ll be a one-year deal, Rapoport notes. The Falcons’ run defense struggled mightily last season, and they’re clearly hoping Davison will help with that. The Falcons already have one of the league’s best defensive tackles in Grady Jarrett, so anything Davison provides will be a bonus. Davison comes from the division rival Saints after spending the first four years of his career in New Orleans.
Davison started 43 games for the Saints the past three seasons, so this is a significant move. Last season, Davison had 23 tackle, two sacks, and one forced fumble in 14 games. He played about 41 percent of the defensive snaps. A Fresno State product, Davison was drafted in the fifth round back in 2015. He received average marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their 83rd-best defensive lineman. The Saints signed defensive tackle Malcom Brown away from the Patriots at the beginning of free agency, so the writing was on the wall that they’d be moving on from Davison.
Vikings To Sign WR Jordan Taylor
A day after locking up Adam Thielen with a huge extension, the Vikings are making a much more under the radar move at the wide receiver position. Minnesota is signing Jordan Taylor, a source told Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Per Wilson, it’s a one-year deal for Taylor. Taylor visited with the Vikings on Monday, and they apparently liked what they saw. He comes to Minnesota from Denver, where he spent the first four years of his career. An undrafted free agent from Rice, Taylor signed with the Broncos back in 2015. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, but made a big impact in his second year. In 2016 he appeared in all 16 games, catching 16 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns while also contributing on special teams.
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweeted that the Seahawks “had also shown interest” in the wideout. In 2017 Taylor missed some time with injury, catching 13 passes for 142 yards in ten games and two starts. Nicknamed ‘Sunshine’, Taylor became a fan favorite during his time in Denver. He missed the entire 2018 season while recovering from hip surgery, but is apparently healthy now. He’s likely to be little more than a depth piece in Minnesota, assuming he makes the team.
We heard recently the team wasn’t going to be bringing back Aldrick Robinson and was looking for other options, so perhaps Taylor could fill his role. Robinson had 17 receptions for 231 yards and five scores last year.