Jaguars Sign Third-Rounders Luke Fortner, Chad Muma To Finalize Draft Class Deals
The Jaguars became the latest team to wrap up the draft pick-signing portion of their offseason. Two third-rounders — center Luke Fortner and linebacker Chad Muma — rounded out this process by signing their four-year rookie deals Wednesday.
Fortner’s deal at the No. 65 overall slot will be worth $5.5MM, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com, who adds the Kentucky alum will collect a $1.18MM signing bonus (Twitter link). Muma, chosen 70th overall out of Wyoming, will be entitled to a bonus just north of 2021 No. 70 selection Brady Christensen‘s; the Panthers tackle collected $1.15MM guaranteed.
Brandon Linder‘s retirement created an immediate need for Jacksonville. Linder had been the team’s longest-tenured starter, and although he battled injuries for much of his career, the talented blocker had been the Jaguars’ starting center since 2016 after beginning his career at guard. Fortner played center and guard at Kentucky, starting 36 games played after taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility schools provided after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Fortner moved from right guard to center before last season. He stands to vie for the Jags’ center spot with previous Linder backup Tyler Shatley, who is the team’s longest-tenured player. Shatley has been with the Jags since 2014; he started eight games last year.
Jacksonville aggressively pursued upgrades at linebacker this year. The team gave ex-Atlanta starter Foyesade Oluokun a three-year, $45MM deal and traded back into the first round for Utah standout Devin Lloyd. The Jags selected Muma with the pick obtained in last year’s C.J. Henderson trade. They moved on from longtime starter Myles Jack this offseason as well. Muma broke out last season by making 142 tackles (eight for loss), earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference acclaim. It will be interesting to see where he fits with a Jags team that reloaded at this position.
Here is how the Jags’ draft class breaks down:
Round 1: No. 1 Travon Walker, Edge (Georgia) (signed)
Round 1: No. 27 (from Buccaneers) Devin Lloyd, LB (Utah) (signed)
Round 3: No. 65 Luke Fortner, C (Kentucky) (signed)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Panthers) Chad Muma, LB (Wyoming) (signed)
Round 5: No. 154 (from Commanders through Eagles): Snoop Conner, RB (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 6: No. 197 (from Eagles) Gregory Junior, CB (Ouachita Baptist) (signed)
Round 7: No. 222 Montaric Brown, CB (Arkansas) (signed)
Raiders Sign DL Tyler Lancaster
The Raiders have made several additions to their defensive line this offseason. They agreed to terms with another veteran free agent Wednesday.
Four-year Packers D-line contributor Tyler Lancaster signed with the Raiders. He follows the likes of Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko to sign with Las Vegas this offseason.
New Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has a short history with Lancaster. Graham was in Green Bay when the team signed Lancaster as a UDFA in 2018. While Graham was the Packers’ linebackers coach that year and left to become the Dolphins’ DC in 2019, he will bring back a familiar face to potentially help in his current gig.
Lancaster worked as a part-time starter. Despite going undrafted out of Northwestern four years ago, Lancaster started 10 games for an NFC championship-bound Packers team in 2019. Green Bay kept the interior D-lineman as a backup for most of the past two seasons, which featured six combined starts, but he was a regular. Lancaster, 27, saw his defensive snap rate stay the same in 2020 (37%) compared to his year as a regular starter. The 313-pound defender played 31% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps last season, when he finished with 31 tackles (three for loss).
While Maxx Crosby and Johnathan Hankins are back, most of the key cogs that will see time for Las Vegas’ D-line are new. Butler came over after a year in Buffalo, while Nichols was in Chicago’s 3-4 scheme for the past four seasons. Billings spent last season in Cleveland. The Raiders also used fourth- and fifth-round picks on D-linemen (Neil Farrell and Matthew Butler). Their Lancaster signing adds to this competition.
Cardinals Sign Round 3 OLB Cameron Thomas, Wrap Draft Class Deals
As they finished their first week of OTAs, the Cardinals also wrapped up their draft class signings. Third-round pick Cameron Thomas signed his four-year rookie contract Wednesday.
Arizona made nine selections in this year’s draft. Coming off the board 87th overall, Thomas will be expected to help the Cardinals early. The team lost Chandler Jones in free agency and did not sign a replacement for the decorated edge rusher, leaving Thomas alongside the likes of Markus Golden, Devon Kennard and third-round edge Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati) at outside linebacker.
Although Thomas was a San Diego State regular as an underclassman, combining for 9.5 sacks from 2019-20, he broke through as a junior last year. Thomas tallied 20.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, en route to Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.
Here is how the Cardinals’ draft class breaks down:
Round 2: No. 55 Trey McBride, TE (Colorado State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 87 Cameron Thomas, DE (San Diego State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 100 (from Ravens) Myjai Sanders, DE (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 6: No. 201 Keaontay Ingram, RB (USC) (signed)
Round 6: No. 215 Lecitus Smith, OG (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 7: No. 244 Christian Matthew, CB (Valdosta State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 256 Jesse Luketa, OLB (Penn State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 257 Marquis Hayes, OG (Oklahoma) (signed)
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/25/22
Today’s draft pick signings around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- LB Troy Anderson (second round, Montana State)
Miami Dolphins
- LB Channing Tindall (third round, Georgia)
Latest On Steelers’ Front Office
Tuesday brought about an end to the lengthy search conducted by the Steelers to find their new general manager. With Omar Khan being promoted to the role, other moves are forthcoming as well. 
[RELATED: Khan To Become Next Steelers’ GM]
Veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala tweets that Pittsburgh is set to hire Sheldon White as an addition to their player personnel department, creating an overlap in duties with Andy Weidl. The latter was announced as the Steelers’ new assistant GM just before the Khan news came out.
White began his front office career with the Lions in 1997. The bulk of his tenure with the team was spent in their personnel department, where he worked from 2000 to 2015. The 57-year-old took over as interim GM after Martin Mayhew was fired midseason, but that year was his last in Detroit. He departed not long after the team selected Bob Quinn as its new GM, working in Washington as a scout this past season. White’s son, Colby, has worked in the Steelers’ front office for the past two years.
Kinkhabwala also reports, however, that Brandon Hunt could be on the move soon. The other internal candidate to be given consideration for Pittsburgh’s GM job, Hunt has received interest from both the Bills and Eagles this offseason. Not surprisingly given yesterday’s developments, then, Kinkhabwala states that Hunt “could be in line for a VP spot” in Philadelphia. Such a hire would mark a significant addition for the Eagles, but it would create another notable vacancy in the Steelers’ new-look front office.
Falcons Sign Round 3 OLB DeAngelo Malone
One of the players who will be tasked with aiding a Falcons pass rush, DeAngelo Malone is under contract. The Falcons signed the third-round pick Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
Atlanta drafted Malone 82nd overall out of Western Kentucky, where the five-year Hilltoppers contributor shined as a pass rusher. The Falcons collected that No. 82 overall pick by trading Matt Ryan to the Colts in March.
The second of the Falcons’ two third-rounders, chosen eight spots after Desmond Ridder, Malone joined the quarterback in playing a big role for a Group of Five team. Malone dominated at the Conference USA program, registering 20.5 tackles for loss in 2019 and 17.5 last season. Over the past four seasons years, Malone registered 31.5 sacks. He won CUSA’s Defensive Player of the Year award twice — in 2019 and ’21 — and used his COVID-19-enabled year to better his draft stock. It probably worked, and Malone will have an immediate opportunity to contribute for a Falcons team not exactly flooded with proven edge rushers.
After cutting Dante Fowler, the Falcons signed ex-Giants third-rounder and Georgia alum Lorenzo Carter and drafted Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie in Round 2. These two and Malone comprise the top group that will attempt to assist recently extended defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in Atlanta’s pass-rushing efforts.
Steelers Expected To Promote Omar Khan To General Manager
After a thorough search, the Steelers look to have a general manager. The lengthy process that included more than a dozen executives from around the league is expected to include with an in-house staffer, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting (via Twitter) Omar Khan will be the next Steelers GM.
Khan, who was on the cusp of being the Texans’ GM last year, was one of the first names mentioned when Kevin Colbert announced he would step down after the draft. One of the six execs to receive second interviews for this position, Khan is set to rise to the top of Pittsburgh’s front office.
Shortly after the news of Andy Weidl becoming the Steelers’ assistant GM emerged, veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala pointed to a Khan hire. The Steelers will team two of their GM finalists together to head up their post-Colbert front office. While this represents a major change for the Steelers, given Colbert’s 21-plus-year tenure with the franchise, they are going with continuity.
Khan, who worked as the team’s vice president of football and business administration for the past six-plus years, has been with the franchise since 2001. Khan and Weidl’s Steelers tenures did not overlap, with Weidl wrapping his late-1990s internship before Khan’s arrival. But teaming a Pittsburgh native with a 21-year staffer goes heavy in the familiarity direction.
The 45-year-old exec was on board for the Steelers’ three Super Bowl trips from 2005-10 and has played an integral role in managing the team’s salary cap. He worked in his previous position since 2016. The longtime Steelers exec generated interest from other teams in recent offseasons, but he will end up leading the franchise he knows best.
Houston was believed to be negotiating a deal to name Khan as its GM last year, but the franchise backtracked late in the process and hired longtime target Nick Caserio. Khan also interviewed for the Panthers’ GM post in 2021, meeting with Carolina brass twice for the role. That job ended up going to ex-Seahawks exec Scott Fitterer. This year, Khan met with the Bears about their GM vacancy; they hired former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles.
Colbert presided over the team’s Ben Roethlisberger era, the second-most successful period in franchise history. After becoming one of Colbert’s top lieutenants, Khan will be paired with 16th-year HC Mike Tomlin in attempting to keep the team on the contender tier. The Steelers operated intently at quarterback in the draft, selecting their preferred passer (Pitt’s Kenny Pickett) 20th overall — two rounds before the rest of this year’s top QB prospects came off the board. Pickett and free agency addition Mitchell Trubisky will vie to be the team’s Week 1 starter, but the Khan era will be tied to Pickett in its early years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/22
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DE Joe Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
- Waived: TE Nick Guggemos
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from 49ers): DL Chris Slayton
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: C Alex Mollette
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on IR: RB Sincere McCormick
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Kahale Warring
- Waived: S Jack Koerner
Ravens Sign CB Kyle Fuller
The Ravens have made a noteworthy addition to their secondary. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year contract. 
The deal represents a homecoming for Fuller. The 30-year-old is from Baltimore, and attended high school locally. From a business perspective, it is also a fresh start him, after an up-and-down tenure in Denver.
The Broncos signed him last March to a one-year, $9.5MM deal. The move reunited him with Vic Fangio, and was a significant part of the overall cause for optimism surrounding the Broncos’ secondary. He was a starter from the onset of the season, but he struggled to replicate the success he enjoyed under Fangio in Chicago. As a result, he was benched for a stretch of the campaign, and ultimately put on the trade block.
While the Virginia Tech product did end up back on the field playing in the slot for the first time in his career after injuries, his time in Denver came up short of expectations. With the Bears, who selected him in the first round in 2014, he was an immediate starter and impact defender. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2018 and 2019, leading the league in interceptions during the former campaign.
In Baltimore, Fuller will look to return to his previous form. He joins a CB room which still features starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, but was lacking in depth after the departures of Anthony Averett and Tavon Young. At a minimum, Fuller should serve as an experienced backup, but if the position is hit by injuries like it was last season, he could once again find himself in a starting role.
Colts Sign RB Ty’Son Williams
The Colts are continuing to add depth at the running back position. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed Ty’Son Williams.
The 25-year-old joined the Ravens as a UDFA, quickly finding himself climbing the team’s depth chart last offseason. Originally intended to serve as practice squad depth, Williams was thrust into a significant role after the team lost J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill to season-ending injuries in the build-up to the campaign.
That opened the door for the BYU product to take on a starter’s workload. He produced 187 scrimmage yards during the first two weeks of the season, but things changed dramatically after that. Williams only started one more contest, totalling just 82 yards throughout the rest of the season as Baltimore leaned more heavily on veterans Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray.
That drop in usage signalled that Williams could be headed elsewhere this spring. Then, earlier this month, the Ravens rescinded his ERFA tender, making him a free agent. The move came on the same day that Baltimore signed Mike Davis as insurance behind the trio lost through injury.
In Indianapolis, Williams will face similar competition to what he would have seen in Baltimore with respect to making the opening-day roster. The Colts already have Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, along with a number of candidates to fill the No. 3 role. The team signed Phillip Lindsay last week, giving them a much more experienced option to round out the depth chart. Williams would likely have to beat out Lindsay, along with Deon Jackson and several 2022 UDFAs, to avoid landing on the practice squad.