Commanders Add 12 UDFAs
The Commanders reached agreements with 12 undrafted free agents. Here is the NFC East team’s post-draft class:
- WR Kazmeir Allen (UCLA)
- WR Zion Bowens (Hawaii)
- OL Mason Brooks (Ole Miss)
- QB Tim DeMorat (Fordham)
- S Xavier Henderson (Michigan State)
- DE Joshua Pryor (Bowie State)
- WR Jalen Sample (Minnesota State)
- S Kendall Smith (Illinois)
- CB D.J. Stirgus (Missouri Western)
- WR Mitchell Tinsley (Penn State)
- WR Brycen Tremayne (Stanford)
- CB Nick Whiteside (Saginaw Valley State)
Ron Rivera‘s team hunted for wide receiver help during the post-draft signing period. In addition to the five receivers in this group, the Commanders offered Oklahoma Baptist wideout an $80K guarantee. But he ended up with the Falcons. Washington still authorized some decent UDFA guarantees to receivers.
Tinsley received a $120K guarantee to sign, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds Tremayne signed for $100K (Twitter links). Tremayne totaled eight touchdown receptions over the past two seasons and caught 38 passes for 490 yards during his senior year. While Tinsley joins Jahan Dotson as an ex-Nittany Lions wide receiver, he was not teammates with the Commanders’ 2022 first-rounder. Tinsley transferred from Western Kentucky in 2022. One of Bailey Zappe‘s targets during his monster Hilltoppers one-off, Tinsley totaled 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in that pass-crazed system in 2021. In his Big Ten season, Tinsley amassed 577 yards and five scores.
A former Tinsley teammate at Western Kentucky, Brooks was a first-round USFL draft choice last month. He will put that potential option on hold. The 5-foot-9 Allen won the 100-meter dash in one of the toughest states to do so (California) and operated as the Bruins’ kick returner in multiple seasons. Henderson started 40 games for the Spartans, taking advantage of his extra year of eligibility.
The Jets extended DeMorat a rookie-camp invite, Pelissero adds (on Twitter), but he will join a few non-Division I-FBS UDFAs in Washington instead. DeMorat finished his final Fordham season as a Division I-FCS first-team All-American, lighting up scoreboards during a 56-touchdown pass senior season. DeMorat finished last season with 4,891 passing yards. He finished as a three-time first-team All-Patriot League selection and parlayed his record-setting career into a East-West Shrine Bowl invite.
At receiver, Washington has three defined starters — Dotson, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel — and former third-round pick Dyami Brown remains rostered. But this UDFA batch will vie for backup jobs. Although Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett headline Washington’s QB room, the team also has ex-Georgia starter Jake Fromm on its offseason roster. The team did not draft a quarterback.
Bengals To Sign QB Trevor Siemian
A few hours after Brandon Allen agreed to terms with the 49ers, the Bengals revealed their new QB2 plan. A month after visiting, Trevor Siemian will become Joe Burrow‘s new backup.
The well-traveled quarterback committed to a one-year Bengals agreement on Wednesday, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. This will mark a change for the Burrow-era Bengals, who had rostered Allen throughout the former No. 1 overall pick’s career.
For Siemian, the Bengals will be team No. 7. The 31-year-old passer spent last season with the Bears, having signed a two-year contract. Chicago cut Siemian earlier this offseason. The former Broncos starter brings a clear connection to the Bengals, with OC Brian Callahan being on Denver’s staff as an offensive assistant when the team drafted Siemian out of Northwestern in 2015.
Callahan left the Broncos after Siemian’s rookie year, missing his run of starts as Peyton Manning‘s initial successor, but connections often lead to agreements — at just about every level — in the NFL. The Bengals will now have a backup with eight years’ worth of experience. Siemian has made 30 career starts. For his career, Siemian holds a 58.9% completion rate, a 42-28 TD-INT ratio and has averaged 6.7 yards per attempt.
Between the Broncos and Bears, Siemian played for the Vikings, Jets, Titans and Saints. Denver still represents his most notable NFL stop. After the Broncos signed Mark Sanchez and drafted Paxton Lynch in the 2016 first round, they still turned to the 2015 seventh-round pick to succeed Manning. Siemian directed the Broncos to a 9-7 season in 2016 — by far the team’s best post-Manning record — and held off Lynch for the job in 2017. After signing Case Keenum in 2018, the Broncos traded Siemian to the Vikings.
Siemian has started six games since departing Denver. Four of those came with the Saints in 2021. Equipped with a bottom-tier receiver situation, Siemian lost all four starts during a stretch that also included an Alvin Kamara absence. The journeyman did, however, help the Saints defeat the Buccaneers after replacing an injured Jameis Winston. Siemian made a Week 18 start for the Bears last season.
Allen and Siemian agreeing to deals on the same day is probably not coincidental. But the Bengals showed interest in making a change last month. Allen, 30, made six Bengals starts during his three-year Cincinnati run. One of those included a 371-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 2020 win over the Texans. It would seem the Bengals prioritized Siemian, seeing as Allen is now on a 49ers roster housing Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.
Falcons Sign Six UDFAs
The Falcons kept their UDFA class small this year. Here are the six players Atlanta brought in as post-draft priority signings:
- DL Ikenna Enechukwu (Rice)
- WR Keilahn Harris (Oklahoma Baptist)
- LB Mike Jones Jr. (LSU)
- WR Xavier Malone (Henderson State)
- WR Justin Marshall (Buffalo)
- RB Carlos Washington Jr. (Southeastern Louisiana)
Only one of these prospects comes from a Power 5 program. The Falcons reached to the mid-major level in Division I-FBS (Enechukwu, Marshall), Division I-FCS (Washington) and Division II (Harris, Malone) for their UDFAs this year.
The Commanders also pursued Harris, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes the NFC East team offered the small-school wideout an $80K guarantee (Twitter link). It is unclear what the Falcons are guaranteeing Harris, but it is likely in that ballpark. Harris posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Oklahoma Baptist; he caught 16 touchdown passes in 2021 and combined for 172 catches in that span. He also excelled as the Bison’s kick returner.
Atlanta lost Olamide Zaccheaus and Damiere Byrd in free agency and did not draft a wide receiver, opening a door for this UDFA class. The team did add Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller to its equation. Malone joined Harris as a Division II All-American last season. The former JUCO transfer caught 67 passes for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022. The Falcons certainly placed a premium on production with this receiver duo, which both produced out of the Great American Conference. That said, Harris and Malone will obviously be set for quite the competition level jump this offseason.
49ers, QB Brandon Allen Agree To Deal
John Lynch said post-draft the 49ers would add a fourth quarterback. The team has decided on veteran Brandon Allen. The former Bengals backup agreed to terms with the 49ers on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report (via Twitter).
The 49ers have Brock Purdy rehabbing a torn UCL; the anticipated starter is not expected to receive full clearance until close to Week 1. Coming off a season marred by a September broken ankle, Trey Lance has come up in trade rumors. Sam Darnold committed to the NFC West team early in free agency. Allen will join the former Jets and Panthers starter as outside hires.
Allen, 30, spent the past three seasons as Joe Burrow‘s primary Bengals backup, signing three one-year deals. Cincinnati hosted Trevor Siemian on a free agent visit earlier this offseason but has not agreed to terms with the veteran backup yet. But Allen, who made five starts in relief of Burrow in 2020, will not be part of the Bengals’ equation any longer.
Both Allen and Siemian were part of the Broncos’ collection of post-Peyton Manning/pre-Russell Wilson lot of starters. The former made three starts during the 2019 season, the first game appearances for the 2016 draftee, as the Broncos transitioned from an injured Joe Flacco to then-rookie Drew Lock. The Jaguars initially drafted Allen in the sixth round out of Arkansas, but he spent the 2017 and ’18 seasons as a Rams reserve.
For his career, Allen holds a 56.7% completion rate and has averaged just 6.1 yards per attempt. While the former Razorbacks starter won his first career outing, he is 2-5 as a starter. One of those wins came in a December 2020 start in Houston, in which Allen finished with 371 passing yards and two touchdown strikes. For a potential camp arm, the 49ers can do a lot worse.
The 6-foot-2 QB, of course, will join an unusual situation. Lynch has discussed the above-referenced trade rumors with Lance, the team’s 2022 Week 1 starter, and Darnold has received early momentum about being the team’s starter — in the event Purdy is not ready to roll by Week 1. For all the uncertainty, the 49ers — who saw all four of their 2022 quarterback options go down — have three healthy QBs going into the offseason.
Cardinals Add 10 UDFAs
The team that did the most wheeling and dealing on Day 1 of the draft picked up a few extra picks for 2024. Some of the Cardinals’ most recent UDFA class could be factors by that point. Here is Arizona’s post-draft contingent:
- WR Daniel Arias (Colorado)
- S Kendell Brooks (Michigan State)
- RB Emari Demercado (TCU)
- LS Matt Hembrough (Oklahoma State)
- TE Joel Honigford (Michigan)
- LB Marvin Pierre (Kent State)
- DL Jacob Slade (Michigan State)
- LB Kyle Soelle (Arizona State)
- CB Quavian White (Georgia State)
- TE Blake Whiteheart (Wake Forest)
One member of the Spartan duo will have a decent chance to crack the Cardinals’ 53-man roster. They are guaranteeing $200K of Slade’s salary, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. As GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer notes, that guarantee tops six of the veterans the Cards signed this offseason. Slade missed four games due to injury last season, but the former Michigan State defensive tackle earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades in 2021. Like Slade and numerous other UDFAs this year, Brooks used the extra eligibility year enabled after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Division II transfer forced three fumbles last season. Slade’s teammate, Brooks, received $80K to sign, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
The elder of the NFL’s two Aaron Brewers — Arizona’s long snapper of the past seven seasons — is not under contract. The Cardinals have Joe Fortunato, who has played one career game, set to compete with Hembrough for the position. While another Cardinals-Brewer contract should not be ruled out, Hembrough was one of three finalists for the Patrick Mannelly award given to the top Division I-FBS long snapper. He spent six years at Oklahoma State.
Demercado played five seasons with the Horned Frogs but only totaled 338 carries. Ranking inside Scouts Inc.’s top 300 prospects, Demercado enjoyed his best season during the Big 12 program’s surprising run to the national championship game. He finished with 681 yards (5.6 per carry) and six rushing touchdowns as a senior. The Cardinals did not draft a running back but have 2022 sixth-rounder Keaontay Ingram and veteran Corey Clement behind starter James Conner.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/23
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Claimed (from Jaguars): S Tyree Gillespie
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: RB Darrynton Evans, RB Aaron Shampklin, CB David Vereen, WR Kristian Wilkerson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Malik Flowers
- Waived: Derrick Gore, QB Jake Luton
The Colts added Evans, a former Titans third-round pick, earlier this offseason. The team still has Zack Moss and Deon Jackson on its roster behind Jonathan Taylor; Indianapolis also drafted Evan Hull in the fifth round. Gillespie, who was briefly with the Titans last summer, is only a Colts agreement away from the AFC South cycle.
Luton spent last season with the Saints, residing both on their practice squad and active roster. A former sixth-round pick, the Oregon State product’s last game action came with the Jaguars in 2020. Gore gained 256 rushing yards for the Chiefs in 2021; he joined Luton on the Saints’ P-squad for the second half of last season. The Saints have since signed Jamaal Williams and used a third-round pick on TCU’s Kendre Miller. Veteran special-teamer Dwayne Washington and Eno Benjamin also reside on New Orleans’ roster.
Flowers, a 6-foot-2 receiver out of Montana, joins the team’s UDFA class. The Division I-FCS product holds the Big Sky conference record for kick-return yards, averaging 28.9 per return. Flowers finished his college career with an eye-popping seven kick-return touchdowns. The seven TDs match current Saint wideout Rashid Shaheed‘s FCS record.
Vikings To Pass On WR Jalen Reagor’s Fifth-Year Option
In one of the easier calls among this year’s fifth-year option decisions, the Vikings are passing on Jalen Reagor‘s. Minnesota, which assumed this responsibility after acquiring Reagor via trade last summer, will decline to give the receiver/returner a 2024 salary guarantee, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes.
Had the Vikings exercised this option before today’s deadline, Reagor would have been due a $12.99MM fully guaranteed salary in 2024. Given the 5-foot-11 pass catcher’s performance in Philadelphia and low usage rate in Minnesota, he was never a candidate to see his option picked up.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
The Eagles were not the only receiver-needy team to pass on Justin Jefferson, but while the previous two teams that did so — the Broncos and Cowboys — landed locked-in starters in Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, Philly missed badly on Reagor. The TCU product went 21st overall — one spot in front of his current Vikings teammate — and is believed to have been a preference of Howie Roseman‘s and then-Eagles coaches (whereas the scouting consensus was Jefferson).
Reagor, 24, became wildly unpopular with Eagles fans, as the team had previously whiffed on a 2019 receiver investment (second-rounder JJ Arcega-Whiteside) and has not eclipsed 400 yards in a season yet. Months of trade rumors followed the second-generation NFLer last year, and the Vikings sent the Eagles two draft choices for Reagor — a 2023 seventh-rounder and a conditional fifth in 2024 — just before last season began.
Still rostering Adam Thielen last season, the Vikings did not give Reagor many opportunities. Jefferson, Thielen and K.J. Osborn operated as the team’s top three wideouts. Reagor caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown during his Minnesota debut. The team has since released Thielen, but first-rounder Jordan Addison is now in the fold. This stands to effectively keep Reagor’s ceiling at the WR4 level. Reagor did work as the Vikes’ primary punt returner last season, averaging 6.4 yards per return.
Chiefs To Decline RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s Fifth-Year Option
The Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII inactive list provided a preview of the team’s decision on Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s fifth-year option. As expected, the defending Super Bowl champions are planning to pass, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.
Edwards-Helaire, who was not in uniform during the Chiefs-Eagles matchup, was tied to a $5.46MM fifth-year option price. Although that is the lowest number among this year’s option figures and the bottom rung of the running back option price ladder, Kansas City is still expected to move Edwards-Helaire into a contract year. Chiefs GM Brett Veach said last month the team was undecided on the option, but it had been trending in this direction for a bit.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
A luxury pick of sorts coming off the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV victory, Edwards-Helaire became the team’s top back quickly. That bump happened by default, with previous starter Damien Williams exercising his COVID-19 opt-out right. Williams, who worked as Kareem Hunt‘s primary fill-in after the latter’s ignominious exit and enjoyed a standout postseason run a year later, never played again for the Chiefs. Kansas City’s decision to hand the keys to Edwards-Helaire did result in a two-touchdown debut, but the LSU product has not justified his No. 32 overall draft slot.
The first running back taken in 2020, Edwards-Helaire did total 1,100 scrimmage yards as a rookie. But he went down with an ankle injury that December, costing him time and offering a glance at future availability issues. While CEH returned to nearly compile 100 scrimmage yards in Super Bowl LV, his 13-game rookie year tops his career ledger. He missed seven games during each of the 2021 and ’22 regular seasons.
Kansas City moved Edwards-Helaire to IR in 2021 (MCL sprain) and 2022 (high ankle sprain). During each Edwards-Helaire hiatus, Jerick McKinnon saw more work. Last year, McKinnon shined, setting an NFL running back record by catching a touchdown pass in six straight games and establishing a new Chiefs running back benchmark by catching nine TD passes. While the Chiefs used one of their IR activations on Edwards-Helaire, moving him back onto the roster on the eve of Super Bowl LVII, they made him a healthy scratch as McKinnon and 2022 seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco split work in Arizona.
Edwards-Helaire, 24, is due for free agency next year. It will be interesting to see if another team calls the Chiefs on the fourth-year back, seeing as McKinnon is back in the fold alongside Pacheco. La’Mical Perine is also on Kansas City’s 90-man offseason roster.
Dolphins To Decline Fifth-Year Options On T Austin Jackson, CB Noah Igbinoghene
While the Dolphins picked up Tua Tagovailoa‘s fifth-year option early this offseason, they have long been expected to pass on the 2024 guarantees for their other two 2020 first-round picks. The team will officially head in that direction soon.
Near the deadline for teams to decide on 2020 first-rounders’ options, the Dolphins will pass on the options for tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Jackson would have been tied to a $14.18MM salary — Tier 3 for tackles on the four-tier option structure — while Igbinoghene would have seen a fully guaranteed $11.51MM (Tier 4 for corners) had the Dolphins exercised his option. Both players are now in contract years.
Igbinoghene is far from certain to even stay on Miami’s roster this coming season, but the team still has big plans for Jackson. Despite the USC alum’s ankle injury costing him 15 games in 2022, the Dolphins are still eyeing him as their right tackle starter. The team has moved Jackson around its line, shuttling him from left tackle to guard to right tackle in three offseasons. This will be the first time Jackson will work at the same position in consecutive offseasons as a pro.
Although the Dolphins did not draft a tackle until Round 7, the team expressed interest in veteran George Fant earlier this offseason. With the deadline for signings to affect teams’ 2024 compensatory formulas in the rearview mirror, the Dolphins are freer to proceed with a veteran addition. Brandon Shell, who became the team’s primary Jackson replacement despite signing in-season, is also a free agent.
The Dolphins drafted Jackson 18th overall to replace Laremy Tunsil, whom they traded to the Texans in a late-summer blockbuster in 2019. Tunsil has remained one of the league’s top left tackles and has since signed two Houston extensions. After not seeing enough from Jackson at that position, the Dolphins gave Terron Armstead a long-term deal. Jackson started 12 games as a rookie, primarily working as Miami’s left tackle, and finished his second season as the team’s left guard. Moved to right tackle in 2022, the 23-year-old blocker suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and was unable to overcome it.
Miami’s Igbinoghene pick — at No. 30 overall — surprised in the moment. The Auburn alum was ticketed to win the slot corner job alongside Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, but he has not shown enough to stay on the field. Igbinoghene, 24, has played only 603 career defensive snaps. Even with Jones unavailable for all of last season, the former SEC defender managed just 238 snaps. The Dolphins also used their top draft choice (No. 51) on a corner, South Carolina’s Cam Smith.
Jets Decline T Mekhi Becton’s Fifth-Year Option
Although the Jets’ draft leaves the door open to the prospect of Mekhi Becton reclaiming a starting role, the team will make the expected move of putting the injury-prone blocker in a contract year. The Jets are passing on Becton’s fifth-year option, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets.
Having missed 33 of the Jets’ past 34 games, Becton stood little chance at seeing the team exercise his fully guaranteed option for 2024. Of the four tackles chosen from Nos. 4-13 in 2020, Becton is the only one to see his team decline his option. The Giants (Andrew Thomas), Browns (Jedrick Wills) and Buccaneers (Tristan Wirfs) exercised their respective tackles’ 2024 options.
Becton’s continued knee trouble qualified him for the lowest rung on the option ladder. For offensive linemen, that number still checks in at $12.57MM. Given the uncertainty surrounding Becton’s future, the Jets had long been expected to decline that. But Becton has generated some positive momentum this offseason. He has lost more than 40 pounds, with ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini noting the Louisville alum is down to 342. With Aaron Rodgers‘ arrival shining a spotlight on the Jets, Becton’s contract year stands to become more interesting.
Linked to tackles for weeks, the Jets were unable to come away with one of the top four options at the position in Round 1. They then delayed a tackle investment until the fourth round. The team did add veteran Billy Turner — a former Rodgers blocker who has worked with Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay and Denver — on Monday, but Becton still has a reasonable route to commandeer the team’s right tackle spot. He will now officially continue this comeback attempt in a contract year.
It was unreasonable for the Jets to authorize an eight-figure Becton guarantee after his two season-ending knee injuries. Becton went down in Week 1 of the 2021 season, and more weight concerns followed. The Jets then gave George Fant the 2022 left tackle job, relocating Becton to the right side. After holding Becton out of OTAs and minicamp, the Jets saw the former No. 11 overall pick suffer an avulsion fracture early during training camp. That knee issue knocked Becton out for all of last season. This led to the Brown pickup, but the Jets saw the late-summer addition join Fant and Max Mitchell in being sidelined for part of last season.
This year, Brown is coming off surgery and Mitchell is attempting to move past a blood-clot issue that ended his rookie year. The Jets signed Turner and re-signed 2022 emergency option Cedric Ogbuehi, but they did not draft a tackle until Round 4 (Carter Warren). Becton being below his rookie-year playing weight does, however, offer some intrigue about his upcoming contract year. Becton played well as a rookie, albeit with some conditioning issues limiting him at points, but has been unable to recapture that form.
While the Jets will again hold the fourth-year blocker out until training camp, Becton has another chance to bounce back before a potential free agency bid. The Jets have exclusive negotiating rights with Becton until next year’s legal tampering period.