Rams Sign Third-Rounders Kobie Turner, Byron Young To Wrap Draft Class Deals
Rookies comprise an eye-opening percentage of the Rams’ 90-man roster; the Rams drafted 14 players and signed 26 UDFAs. While many rookies will be cut as the team moves down to 53 before the season, the 2023 class will have a significant say in this retooling effort. Defensive lineman Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young will be two of the top first-year presences on the Rams.
The team reached agreements with both defenders Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Rams selected Young at No. 77 and Turner at 89. Both players will be expected to play regular roles for a younger Los Angeles defense this season. These agreements conclude a lengthy rookie signing process for the Rams, who formed their largest draft class since 1992, when the draft was a 12-round event.
[RELATED: Assessing Rams’ 2023 Offseason]
Both of Aaron Donald‘s top two defensive line sidekicks — A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines — left in free agency, with Robinson signing with the Giants and the Buccaneers adding Gaines. The team did not use free agency to bolster this position, instead drafting Turner in Round 3 and making Desjuan Johnson this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. The team also claimed Larrell Murchison off waivers from the Titans. But Turner has an opportunity to carve out a key role alongside one of the best players in NFL history as a rookie.
The Rams chose Turner after moving down 16 spots in Round 3, giving the Giants No. 73 overall — thus allowing Big Blue to select wide receiver Jalin Hyatt — in exchange for in exchange for 89 and 128. (Los Angeles chose quarterback Stetson Bennett at 128.) Turner, 24, transferred to Wake Forest from Richmond in 2022. While suiting up for the smaller school, the interior D-lineman earned first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association acclaim twice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner played two seasons in 2021 — in the spring and fall — and both produced first-team all-conference honors. Turner earned CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors during the shortened spring ’21 season.
Two Byron Youngs were chosen in Round 3; the Rams’ draftee played at Tennessee. Young tallied 12.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss over his two years with the Volunteers. The JUCO transfer made a big impact in the SEC, earning first-team all-conference recognition for his 2022 work. While ESPN’s Scouts Inc. was less bullish on Turner (168th), the scouting service slotted Young as this year’s 76th-best prospect. (The Raiders chose the other Byron Young, an Alabama D-lineman, 70th overall.)
The Rams have lost Von Miller and Leonard Floyd in consecutive offseasons. While they tried to re-sign Miller, Floyd became a cap casualty. Similar to how they proceeded at other defensive positions that lost talent, the Rams did not operate aggressively in free agency to fill their OLB posts. As such, Young, 25, looms as a potential starter.
Here is the Rams’ mammoth 2023 draft class:
- Round 2, No. 36: Steve Avila, G (TCU) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 77 (from Dolphins through Patriots): Byron Young, OLB (Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 89 (from Giants): Kobie Turner, DT (Wake Forest) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 128 (from Rams): Stetson Bennett, QB (Georgia) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 161 (from Cowboys through Texans): Nick Hampton, LB (Appalachian State) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 174 (from Raiders through Texans): Warren McClendon, OT (Georgia) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 175 (from Buccaneers): Davis Allen, TE (Clemson) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 177: Puka Nacua, WR (BYU) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 182: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB (TCU) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 189 (from Titans): Ochaun Mathis, OLB (Nebraska) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 215 (from Commanders through Bills): Zach Evans, RB (Ole Miss) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 223: Ethan Evans, P (Wingate) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 234 (from Steelers): Jason Taylor II, S (Oklahoma State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 259 (from Texans): Desjuan Johnson, DL (Toledo) (signed)
DT Malik Jackson Retires
After a decade spent in the NFL, followed by a one-year absence, Malik Jackson has decided to hang up his cleats. The former Pro Bowl defensive tackle announced on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that he is retiring (video link). 
Jackson spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos. He was a rotational player in his rookie season, but grew into a full-time starter by the 2015 campaign, one in which he played an instrumental role in the team’s Super Bowl title. His success set him up well for free agency that offseason, and he secured a six-year, $85.5MM contract from the Jaguars.
The former fifth-rounder only wound up spending three years in Duval County, though that stretch included his most productive season in 2017, where he recorded eight sacks in the regular season and another in the playoffs. That helped power Jacksonville’s run to the AFC title game, and earned Jackson his lone Pro Bowl nod. After failing to find a trade partner, however, the Jaguars ultimately released him in 2019.
That led Jackson to the Eagles in free agency, where he spent two seasons. After being limited to only one game in 2020, the Tennessee alum rebounded to an extent the following campaign, which earned him interest on the open market. After another release, Jackson signed with the Browns in 2021, where he once again operated as a full-time starter. He was not retained following the season, however.
No team signed Jackson during the 2022 campaign, making today’s retirement announcement an unsurprising one. The 33-year-old will leave the NFL with 153 combined regular and postseason games played, 37.5 sacks, a Super Bowl ring and just over $72MM in career earnings. Rather than looking to latch onto a new team for training camp, he will turn his attention to family life.
“That was the goal. 10 to 12 years was my goal,” Jackson said when reflecting on his career. “I was able to get to a point where I was doing OK. I was doing pretty well for myself. I did enough. I have a daughter, and I need to go home and be with her and start living life.”
NFL Suspends T Will Richardson
Coming out of free agency will be a bit more difficult now for former Jaguars offensive tackle Will Richardson. For an as of yet undisclosed reason, the NFL has issued Richardson a three-game suspension, forbidding him to participate in the first three weeks of 2023, according to Field Yates of ESPN. 
Richardson was a fourth-round draft pick for Jacksonville back in 2018 after a rocky career at NC State. As a redshirt freshman with the Wolfpack, Richardson was suspended for a violation of team rules that was later determined to be a DWI. He was not enrolled at NC State the following spring but ended up back on the team for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He then received a two-game suspension to start his redshirt junior year because of a marijuana-related incident.
The off-the-field incidents tanked the NC State star tackle’s draft stock. Despite being the team’s best offensive lineman and finishing the year on the All-ACC second team, Richardson slid back to Day 3 of the draft before the Jaguars finally took a chance on him. It was the second year in a row that the team had risked a fourth-round pick on a player with prior off-the-field issues after drafting Dede Westbrook the previous year.
Ultimately, Richardson kept his nose clean during his time with the Jaguars. After not appearing in any games during his rookie season due to injury, Richardson played in 44 of a possible 49 games for the rest of his rookie deal. He made five spot starts over that time, as well, filling in for Ben Bartch to start the 2021 season after the starter entered the year on COVID-19 protocols.
When his four-year rookie deal expired, Jacksonville re-signed Richardson to a new one-year, $2MM contract. Despite the new deal, he failed to make a regular season appearance last season after he was released from the team the day after making the initial 53-man roster to make room for two waiver claims.
It’s unclear if this new suspension has anything to do with substance abuse like his college incidents. Perhaps if he can land with a new team in 2023, despite the suspension, he can avoid any further off-the-field trouble. A three-game suspension following a year away from the league, though, will make returning to the NFL an uphill battle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/10/23
Today’s minor transaction:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Josh Pederson
- Waived/injured: TE Leonard Taylor
Pederson, of course, is the son of Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson. The Louisiana–Monroe product has bounced around the NFL a bit since going undrafted in 2021, spending time with the 49ers, Saints and Chiefs. The tight end most recently spent time in the USFL with the Houston Gamblers, hauling in 25 catches for 325 yards.
Taylor joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati. If he clears through waivers, he’ll land back on the Jaguars injured reserve.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/6/23
Today’s minor move:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Thakarius Keyes
- Waived/injured: C Dawson Deaton
Keyes was a seventh-round pick by Kansas City in 2020. He’s since bounced around the league, compiling seven tackles in 13 career games with the Chiefs, Colts, and Bears. He spent the majority of the 2022 campaign on the Texans, Falcons, and Ravens practice squads.
Deaton was a seventh-round pick by the Browns last year, but he missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. He was spotted doing drills on the side during minicamp. The lineman will revert to Cleveland’s injured reserve if he passes through waivers.
Cowboys To Sign K Brandon Aubrey
The Cowboys enjoyed a nice return from a summer flier on a USFL player, seeing return man KaVontae Turpin earn All-Pro acclaim. The team will turn to the spring-summer league once again for specialty help.
Two-year USFL kicker Brandon Aubrey is signing with the Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Aubrey played for the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions over the past two years but has a soccer background. Prior to his kicker summers in Alabama, Aubrey was selected in the 2017 Major League Soccer draft. Aubrey is a Plano, Texas, native.
Aubrey, 28, joins Tristan Vizcaino as kickers on the Cowboys’ 90-man roster. While the likes of Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby and Ryan Succop are free agent options, Cowboys brass had previously indicated an XFL or USFL kicker would be considered. As training camp nears, a Vizcaino-Aubrey competition appears on tap.
Aubrey made 14 of 15 field goals for the Stallions this season and did not miss an extra point. The former Notre Dame soccer player helped Birmingham to its second straight title in the rebooted USFL. Aubrey also led this year’s USFL in touchbacks, with six. He auditioned for the Jaguars and Seahawks last summer but did not land with either team.
During his senior season at Notre Dame (2016), Aubrey earned first-team All-ACC accolades and third-team All-American honors as a defender. He then went to Toronto FC in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Toronto, which had assigned Aubrey to its United Soccer League affiliate, released the ex-Fighting Irish contributor after the 2017 season.
This qualifies as an unorthodox addition for a Cowboys team that saw glaring kicker concerns crop up during the playoffs. Brett Maher missed four extra points in the Cowboys’ wild-card win over the Buccaneers, and the veteran specialist’s struggles continued against the 49ers. Maher remains a free agent. The Cowboys did not rule out bringing back Maher, who has enjoyed two stints with the team, but the Aubrey addition points to the team looking at younger options to start camp.
Maher only wound up back in Dallas after its initial 2022 kicker plan bombed. A training camp competition between rookie UDFA Jonathan Garibay and young veteran Lirim Hajrullahu led to both players being waived and Maher, a mid-camp addition, winning the job. Maher spent last season as Dallas’ kicker, succeeding Greg Zuerlein in that role.
C Chase Roullier Announces Retirement
Chase Roullier worked out for the Cardinals last month, but the veteran center is now giving up the prospect of continuing his career. After two injury-shortened seasons, the former Washington snapper announced (via Instagram) Wednesday he intends to retire.
Citing the injury issues and the rehab journeys they required, Roullier said he will end his career after six seasons. The Commanders released their former starting pivot in May, doing so less than a week after drafting Ricky Stromberg in the third round. Roullier had intended to play in 2023, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson, but changed his mind recently (Twitter link).
Roullier, 29, suffered a fractured fibula in 2021, wrapping that season after eight games. A torn MCL sustained late during Washington’s Week 2 game last season led to surgery that ended Roullier’s comeback effort. Roullier played just 150 offensive snaps last season. Barring a change of heart, the two-game 2022 will wind up as the Wyoming alum’s last NFL action.
Washington previously followed through will Roullier-centric plans on its offensive front. The team gave the former sixth-round pick a lucrative extension — four years, $40.5MM — in January 2021. Rather than move ahead to free agency two months after that point, Roullier committed to stay in Washington. That deal came with $19MM guaranteed in total, and considering how Roullier’s 2021 and ’22 seasons played out, the security wound up being vital for the Burnsville, Minn., native. Although Roullier restructured that deal after his latest injury, he still secured a nice payday before injuries changed his career path.
Prior to the injury-plagued seasons, Roullier worked as Washington’s starting center for three seasons. He broke into the team’s starting lineup as a rookie in 2017, starting seven games. After that, Roullier anchored the position for the team through the end of the 2020 season. During Roullier’s last fully healthy season (2020), Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-five center. For his career, the two-time All-Mountain West Conference O-lineman played 69 games and started 63 of those.
The Commanders have since shifted course inside. Stromberg and ex-Giants center Nick Gates are now in the fold. Gates gives the team flexibility, having played center and guard in New York. Gates has not been a full-time player since a September 2021 injury in Washington halted his run as New York’s starting center.
Dolphins Sign Round 2 CB Cam Smith, Finalize Draft Class Deals
Thanks to trades and a tampering penalty, the Dolphins navigated a draft light on picks. The Kansas City-based event ended up concluding with four Dolphins picks made. Miami now has each member of its rookie quartet signed.
The team reached an agreement with second-round cornerback Cam Smith, the 51st overall pick this year, on Wednesday. A South Carolina product, Smith will join an accomplished cornerback duo — Xavien Howard–Jalen Ramsey — as he readies for his first training camp in Miami.
More than 20 draft picks remain unsigned, with the second round comprising much of that total. While guarantee figures are largely holding up Round 2 draftees on the contract front, the Chargers coming to terms with Tuli Tuipulotu (No. 54 overall) last week likely helped move matters along. Still, the bulk of the players chosen in the 40-50 range remain unsigned. Smith’s agreement, in turn, should help clear up some terms for other teams with draftees in this neighborhood. The Nos. 50 and 52 overall picks — Packers wideout Jayden Reed and Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet — are unsigned.
The Dolphins played all of last season without Byron Jones, who has since been released as a post-June 1 cut. This depleted Miami’s cornerback contingent, but Vic Fangio will have both Ramsey and Smith at his disposal alongside Howard. Smith totaled six interceptions and 18 pass breakups with the Gamecocks, primarily operating as the team’s nickel corner. That allowed him to live up to expectations as a former four-star recruit and solidify his status as an early-round cornerback prospect.
When Smith declared for the draft in December, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller and Todd McShay ranked him as the draft’s second-best corner available. But the 6-foot cover man’s stock slipped a bit leading up to the April event. By draft weekend, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. had Smith ranked 80th overall and as this prospect pool’s 15th-best corner. The multiyear SEC defender will attempt to prove the slippage was unwarranted, and he will step into a rare spot given the talents of Ramsey and Howard.
The Dolphins attempted to land a long-term slot defender in the 2020 first round, taking Noah Igbinoghene. But the Auburn alum has not carved out a regular role as a pro. Smith’s arrival may well put the fourth-year defender on shaky ground to make the 53-man roster. The Dolphins also received promising play from UDFA Kader Kohou last season, providing more protection as Fangio assembles his first Miami defense.
Trades for Ramsey, Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb — and the tampering punishment related to the Tom Brady and Sean Payton pursuits — left the Dolphins with four picks. Here is Miami’s 2023 draft class:
Round 2, No. 51: Cam Smith, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 3, No. 84: Devon Achane, RB (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 6, No. 197: Elijah Higgins, TE (Stanford) (signed)
Round 7, No. 238: Ryan Hayes, OT (Michigan) (signed)
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/1/23
Saturday’s list of rookie deals:
Los Angeles Rams
- CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (sixth round, TCU)
- OLB Ochaun Mathis (sixth round, Nebraska)
- RB Zach Evans (sixth round, Ole Miss)
Each of the Rams’ sixth-round selections are now on the books, as is the case for all of their Day 3 picks. Of the team’s 14-man draft haul, only two members are now unsigned: Byron Young and Kobie Turner. Those third-rounders still have plenty of time to ink their rookie deals before the start of training camp and the regular season, one which will in many ways be marked by a youth movement in Los Angeles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/30/23
Today’s only minor transaction across the league:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: S Myles Dorn
Dorn’s tenure in Carolina ends without a game appearance. Originally an undrafted free agent signing for the Vikings in 2020, Dorn spent his rookie year on injured reserve. After playing out two practice squad contracts in Minnesota, Dorn signed a reserve/futures deal with the Panthers back in January. Over his time with the Vikings, Dorn made 14 game appearances, tallying five total tackles in a purely special teams role. His release today comes as a result of the team’s signing of defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth.