Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/23
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL J.D. DiRenzo
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OT Casey Tucker
Houston Texans
- Waived: QB E.J. Perry
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: WR Tyron Johnson
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/23
With many rookie minicamps set to start tomorrow, teams were busy today inking draft picks to contracts. We’ve compiled those signings below:
Cleveland Browns
- DT Siaki Ika (third round, Baylor)
Houston Texans
- C Jarrett Patterson (sixth round, Notre Dame)
- WR Xavier Hutchinson (sixth round, Iowa State)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- S Antonio Johnson (fifth round, Texas A&M)
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Tre Tucker (third round, Cincinnati)
- QB Aidan O’Connell (fourth round, Purdue)
- S Christopher Smith (fifth round, Georgia)
- LB Amari Burney (sixth round, Florida)
- DT Nesta Jade Silvera (seventh round, Arizona State)
Minnesota Vikings
- S Jay Ward (fourth round, LSU)
New England Patriots
- K Chad Ryland (fourth round, Maryland)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Cory Trice (seventh round, Purdue)
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Cameron Young (fourth round, Mississippi State)
- C Olusegun Oluwatimi (fifth round, Michigan)
- S Jerrick Reed II (sixth round, New Mexico)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Josh Whyle (fifth round, Cincinnati)
- OT Jaelyn Duncan (sixth round, Maryland)
- WR Colton Dowell (seventh round, Tennessee-Martin)
Cowboys Sign Mazi Smith, Rest Of Draft Class To Rookie Deals
With their rookie minicamp set to begin tomorrow, the Cowboys have signed their entire draft class. The team announced that they’ve officially inked all eight of their draft picks to rookie contracts, including first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
While many assumed the Cowboys would use their first-round pick on a tight end, they ended up pivoting to the defensive side of the ball. Smith was a worthy pick; the Michigan product finished his 2022 campaign with 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a half-sack en route to All-Big Ten honors.
There were some questions surrounding his consistency heading into the draft, but his size and speed made him a surefire first- or second-round pick. Fortunately for Dallas, they won’t need Smith to be a contributor right away. He’ll find himself in the mix with Johnathan Hankins and Osa Odighizuwa on the DT depth chart, but he could also earn some playing time at defensive end.
We heard earlier today that the Cowboys inked second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker to his rookie deal. The rest of the team’s draft class includes:
- Round 3, No. 90: DeMarvion Overshown, LB (Texas)
- Round 4, No. 129: Viliami Fehoko, DE (San Jose State)
- Round 5, No. 169: Asim Richards, OT (North Carolina)
- Round 6, No. 178: Eric Scott Jr., CB (Southern Miss)
- Round 6, No. 212: Deuce Vaughn, RB (Kansas State)
- Round 7, No. 244: Jalen Brooks, WR (South Carolina)
Cardinals Sign First-Round OL Paris Johnson Jr.
The Cardinals have officially signed their first-round pick. The team announced that they’ve inked Paris Johnson Jr. to his rookie contract.
Arizona was reportedly in pursuit of an offensive lineman in the draft. Despite trading out of the third-overall pick, they still got their way when they selected Johnson with the sixth-overall pick.
Johnson took on a larger role at Ohio State in 2022, appearing in 13 games. The 6-6, 315-pound blocker allowed only a pair of sacks last year, and as a result of his performance, he earned a consensus All-American selection and was graded as one of Pro Football Focus’ top offensive tackle prospects in the draft.
The Cardinals were in dire need for depth along the offensive line after having allowed 44 sacks last year. This offseason, they’ve re-signed right tackle Kelvin Beachum and added veteran Elijah Wilkinson, and they’ll also welcome back veteran D.J. Humphries, who missed much of last season. As a result of the added depth, Johnson may not immediately start at LT, but his versatility shouldn’t make that much of an issue.
The Cardinals also announced that they’ve signed four other draft picks: third-round wide receiver Michael Wilson, fourth-round offensive lineman Jon Gaines II, fifth-round quarterback Clayton Tune, and fifth-round linebacker Owen Pappoe. That leaves four rookies unsigned, including second-round linebacker B.J. Ojulari.
Bills Sign Second-Round G O’Cyrus Torrence
The Bills have just about finished signing their entire draft class. The team announced the signing of five rookies today, including second-round offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence.
After three seasons at Louisiana, Torrence followed coach Billy Napier to Florida for the 2022 campaign. The move ended up working out; the lineman earned a consensus All-American nod and a first-team All-SEC selection.
Torrence was considered one of the top guard prospects in the draft, but he was ultimately the fifth player at his position to hear his name called (behind Steve Avila, Matthew Bergeron, Cody Mauch, and Keeanu Benton). His lack of athleticism may have contributed to his drop, but he’s been lauded for his size and know-how at the position. In Buffalo, he’ll see competition from Ryan Bates, Connor McGovern, and David Edwards for the two starting guard spots.
The Bills also announced that they’ve officially signed third-round linebacker Dorian Williams, fifth-round wideout Justin Shorter, seventh-round guard Nick Broeker, and seventh-round cornerback Alex Austin.
As our 2023 NFL Team-by-Team Draft Results show, the Bills have signed all but one rookie: first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Jets Release OL Cedric Ogbuehi
Less than a month after re-signing Cedric Ogbuehi, the Jets have let him go. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Jets have released the veteran offensive lineman.
Ogbuehi re-signed with the Jets in April, inking a one-year, $1.3MM deal that included an $120K signing bonus. However, plenty has changed since the lineman inked that pact. The Jets added an offensive tackle in Billy Turner, and while the front office missed out on their preferred first-round OT targets, they still selected Carter Warren in the fourth round. Both of those moves ultimately made Ogbuehi expendable, and the Jets are presumably letting him go so he can find a landing spot before training camp.
The lineman was a first-round pick by the Bengals back in 2015, but he only lasted four seasons in Cincinnati while starting 25 of his 35 appearances. He’s bounced around a bit since the 2019 campaign, spending time with the Jaguars, Seahawks, Ravens, and Jets.
He was signed by the Jets off the Texans practice squad last September and proceeded to start five of his seven appearances for his new squad. He had a brief stint on the IR with a groin injury before returning for the final stretch of the season. Ogbuehi didn’t earn enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ OT rankings, but he would have been listed towards the bottom of the league had he earned enough snaps.
Falcons Sign Round 1 RB Bijan Robinson
As the Falcons prepare for their rookie minicamp, they will have their top draft pick under contract. Bijan Robinson agreed to terms with the team on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Selected eighth overall, Robinson signed a four-year, $21.96MM deal that will include a 2027 option for the Falcons to exercise by May, 2026. The former Texas superstar’s rookie deal will be fully guaranteed.
Although the Falcons sported a top-tier rushing attack last season, they opted to take the player widely viewed as the best back in this year’s draft. Robinson finished his collegiate career with more than 4,000 yards from scrimmage and 41 touchdowns. This included a 2022 campaign where he had 1,894 offensive yards and 20 scores, leading to him earning a unanimous All-American nod after the season.
While the rookie only had 60 receptions in three college seasons, the Falcons should still be able to find creative ways to use him in a crowded depth chart. 2022 fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier finished his rookie season with more than 1,000 rushing yards, while veteran Cordarrelle Patterson contributed more than 800 yards from scrimmage (which followed a 2021 campaign where he compiled 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns).
Even if it takes a bit for Robinson to get going, Atlanta’s front office can hang their hats on a talented collection of offensive skill players. The Falcons have now drafted skill-position talents in the top 10 in each of the past three years. Robinson joins 2021 No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts and 2022 No. 8 selection Drake London in Atlanta. While the previous two picks will not be at Atlanta’s rookie camp Friday, Robinson will begin his Falcons work with the other rookies this weekend.
Seahawks Sign WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The first wide receiver off this year’s draft board will be the first of that Round 1 group to sign his rookie contract. Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to terms with the Seahawks on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Chosen 20th overall, Smith-Njigba will be tied to a four-year deal that includes a fifth-year option the Seahawks — assuming the Ohio State-developed prospect remains under contract down the road — must exercise by May 2026. For now, Smith-Njigba is the second of this year’s first-rounders — following Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter — to sign his rookie deal.
Smith-Njigba began this year’s run on wide receivers, with three others — Quentin Johnston (Chargers), Zay Flowers (Ravens), Jordan Addison (Vikings) — going off the board from Nos. 21-23. Smith-Njigba is coming off essentially a lost 2022 season. He played in only three games and caught just five passes, nursing a nagging hamstring injury throughout. Despite suffering the injury early in the season, Smith-Njigba did not return in time the Buckeyes’ New Year’s Eve CFP semifinal matchup against Alabama. While that generated some scrutiny, JSN’s dominant sophomore season still powered him to a top-20 draft slot.
Playing on a Buckeyes team deploying 2022 first-rounders Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Smith-Njigba led the Big Ten powerhouse in receiving — by a substantial margin — and delivered a monster Rose Bowl performance to punctuate his breakthrough year. Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore. Against Utah in that season’s Rose Bowl, he snagged 15 passes for 347 yards and three TDs. Although his hamstring issue undoubtedly came up in pre-draft visits, teams were willing to look past that trouble because of the 2021 emergence.
Not one of the teams linked to Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks will add him to a receiving corps that already includes standouts Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Smith-Njigba will not be extension-eligible until 2026, and with teams often waiting until Year 5 on non-quarterback first-rounders’ deals to do extensions, this contract figures to line up well with the higher-end deals given to Lockett and Metcalf. Largely a slot target at Ohio State, the 6-foot rookie is set to become a high-upside WR3 in Seattle to start his career.
Seahawks To Add DL Mario Edwards
Mario Edwards will have an opportunity to carve out a role for a sixth NFL team. The Seahawks are signing the veteran defensive lineman, Jeremy Fowler and Brady Henderson of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).
The former second-round pick agreed to a one-year deal Thursday. After time with the Raiders, Giants, Saints, Bears and Titans, Edwards will make his way to Seattle to join a revamped defensive line. Although Edwards did not finish out his rookie contract with the Raiders, the 2015 No. 35 overall pick has managed to remain a rotational D-lineman well after his Oakland departure.
After the Bears cut bait on a three-year, $11.7MM deal in 2022, Edwards started seven games for the Titans. The 29-year-old defender registered three sacks during his one-season Tennessee stint. He notched six in two years with the Bears. Pro Football Focus graded Edwards barely inside the top 100 at his position last season but viewed the 280-pound D-lineman as a plus run defender. Edwards has spent the past three seasons in 3-4 defensive schemes.
The Florida State alum has spent his career as a rotational presence, but his 464 defensive snaps last season marked his most since 2017. The Titans have now lost Edwards and DeMarcus Walker — a Bears signee — from their 2022 defensive line. For his career, Edwards has made 32 starts, though only eight of those have come over the past five seasons, and tallied 19.5 sacks.
Seattle has again made many changes to its defensive front. Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods, Poona Ford and L.J. Collier are off the roster. The team has added Dre’Mont Jones and brought back Jarran Reed up front. The Seahawks also drafted two Day 3 D-linemen (Cameron Young, Mike Morris) to provide some depth. Edwards stands to assist the rising NFC West team in that department.
Panthers To Re-Sign G Michael Jordan
Shortly after the Panthers agreed to bring back Cameron Erving, they will retain another member of their offensive line. Michael Jordan is re-signing with the team, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It is a one-year deal, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.
While a notable prestige gap exists between this Michael Jordan and the other prominent guard with this name, the Panthers used the blocker in all 17 games last season. With Erving and Jordan under contract, the Panthers have all five of their 2022 O-line starters and two top backups in the fold.
The Panthers have employed Jordan for two seasons, claiming the interior blocker after the Bengals waived him just before the 2021 season. After Jordan worked as a 10-game starter for the 2021 Carolina edition, he shifted to a reserve role last season. The Panthers have Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen set to reprise their roles at guard, but both are coming off injuries. This opens the door for Jordan to re-enter the lineup.
Frank Reich has confirmed Corbett (torn ACL) will not be ready in time for Carolina’s regular-season opener. The Panthers now have Jordan as a potential stopgap option, though the team also used a fourth-round pick on NC State guard Chandler Zavala with Corbett’s situation in mind. Christensen is also coming off a major injury, having suffered a broken ankle during the Week 18 game in which Corbett tore the knee ligament.
A former fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, Jordan has 29 starts on his resume. Nineteen of those came for the Bengals from 2019-20. Cincinnati has dealt with O-line staffing issues for years and did not deem Jordan worth retaining in 2021, despite two years remaining on his rookie contract. The Panthers swooped in. Pro Football Focus has not graded Jordan as a top-50 guard yet in his career, but he stands to keep supplying the Panthers with depth. Considering Carolina’s current situation, that might mean a bit more in 2023.