Cowboys Add 20 UDFAs
The Cowboys had one of the biggest UDFA classes in the NFL, signing 20 undrafted rookies to contracts:
- S Markquese Bell, Florida A&M
- DE Markaviest Bryant, Central Florida
- RB Malik Davis, Florida
- WR Dontario Drummond, Ole Miss
- C James Empey, BYU
- WR Ty Fryfogle, Indiana
- K Jonathan Garibay, Texas Tech
- LB Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M
- TE Peyton Hendershot, Indiana
- WR Dennis Houston, Western Illinois
- LB Storey Jackson, Liberty
- C Alex Lindstrom, Boston College
- CB Quandre Mosely, Kentucky
- WR Jaquarii Robinson, Wake Forest
- RB Aaron Shampklin, Harvard
- OT Amon Simon, Texas A&M-Commerce
- DE Mike Tafua, Utah
- CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Southern Cal
- S Juanyeh Thomas, Georgia Tech
- S La’Kendrick Van Zandt, TCU
Bell got a chunk of money to join the Cowboys, receiving $215K in guaranteed money, per PFF’s Doug Kyed (on Twitter). The Florida A&M product missed the 2020 campaign but returned for the 2021 season, finishing with 95 tackles and a pair of sacks. Bell has shown some ability to play on both sides of the ball, making him an intriguing prospect (and, presumably, a good fit for special teams).
Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that Empey got $110K in guaranteed money. The lineman was a four-year starter at BYU, although injuries limited him to only 15 combined appearances between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Ravens Reunite With DL Urban
A late report this Friday evening, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweeted that defensive lineman Brent Urban will rejoin the team that drafted him, crediting Urban’s wife in the report. Urban reportedly agreed to a one-year deal to return to Baltimore. 
Urban was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Virginia. Due to a torn ACL, followed by a torn bicep, Urban didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 12 of his sophomore season, blocking a potential game-winning field goal that was returned by teammate Will Hill for a game-winning touchdown as time expired.
Urban earned the starting job at right defensive end to begin his third season, but a Lisfranc foot injury sidelined him for the season after only three games. In his contract year, Urban finally got to play an entire healthy season, starting every game of the year for Baltimore.
The next season, Urban followed defensive coordinator Dean Pees from Baltimore to Tennessee, signing with the Titans. After four games of backup duty, he was released but promptly picked up by the Bears, who needed to replace injured defensive end Akiem Hicks. Chicago re-signed Urban for another year, in which he earned eight starts filling in for another injured-Bear, Roy Robertson-Harris. Last year, Urban signed with the Cowboys starting four of the six games he appeared in before once again being placed on injured reserve in late October.
Urban will have to work to earn a roster spot in Baltimore. On the interior, Baltimore re-signed Calais Campbell and brought back another former-Raven in Michael Pierce. They also drafted Travis Jones who is expected to compete as a rookie for playing time with other recent draft picks Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington. At defensive end, Baltimore will utilize Odafe Oweh and Jaylon Ferguson to rush the passer. Derek Wolfe is on roster as a plus run-defender.
Baltimore mixes up the defensive alignments, with Campbell lining up all over the line and pass rushers like Oweh, Ferguson, and linebacker Tyus Bowser alternating between standing up and putting a hand in the dirt. The lack of options on the outside of the line could provide Urban an opportunity to stake his claim to a roster-spot next season.
Urban’s unfortunate injury-history is a potential red-flag for the deal, especially after Baltimore watched a hip injury sideline Wolfe for the entire 2022 NFL season. Wolfe and Urban will play similar roles on the Ravens’ defense, so the addition of Urban may serve both players to share playing time and not put too much of a load on the recovering linemen.
Colts, Foles Getting Close To Deal
After reports that Indianapolis was open to adding a veteran quarterback to their roster, behind recent addition Matt Ryan, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that a deal is in the works for the Colts to bring in Nick Foles. The move would reunite Foles with Colts head coach Frank Reich, who served as his offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl run with the Eagles. 
At the Colts’ rookie minicamp a week ago, Reich was asked specifically about the possibility of signing Foles, who was released by the Bears at the end of April. “We’re always looking at who makes this team better, at every position,” Reich said. “Who are the available veterans? Who can we still sign? [GM] Chris [Ballard] is very methodical about that process. We’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.”
Foles and Reich have a strong relationship, and Foles recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have.”
Foles’ subsequent stints with the Jaguars and Bears were eminently forgettable, but he would certainly represent a qualified backup for Ryan. And that could be critical for a team that saw firsthand in 2021 how an inexperienced backup can negatively impact a season
In a close game against the Rams in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, Jacob Eason replaced starter Carson Wentz, who had suffered two sprained ankles. Eason, a 2020 fourth-rounder who was seeing his first regular season action, promptly threw a crippling interception and finished the game 2-for-5 for 40 yards and the pick. He was waived a month later.
Foles will be competing for the backup spot with second-year quarterbacks Sam Ehlinger out of Texas and James Morgan out of Florida International, as well as rookie undrafted free agent Jack Coan out of Notre Dame. According to Garafolo, the deal is expected to be finalized early next week.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/20/22
Here is today’s collection of draft picks to sign their rookie deals:
Baltimore Ravens
- NT Travis Jones (third round, Connecticut)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DE DeMarvin Leal (third round, Texas A&M)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/20/22
Here are the day’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: WR Reggie Robinson
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: S La’Kendrick Van Zandt
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: K JJ Molson
Houston Texans
- Waived: CB Jimmy Moreland
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Jordan Veasy
- Waived: FB Sutton Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: QB Levi Lewis
Colts Sign Third-Rounders Jelani Woods, Bernhard Raimann To Wrap Draft Class
Despite making three picks in Round 3, a round that annually leads to delayed rookie agreements, the Colts are finished signing their 2022 draftees.
Third-round tight end Jelani Woods (Virginia) and third-round tackle Bernhard Raimann (Central Michigan) signed their four-year rookie deals Friday, being the final members of Indianapolis’ nine-man draft class to do so. Both players will be expected to vie for first-string work this year.
The Colts obtained the Woods draft pick (No. 73) in their second Carson Wentz trade, and they gave Matt Ryan a new weapon with the Commanders pick. A 6-foot-7 prospect, Woods transferred from Oklahoma State and put together a first-team All-ACC season (44 catches, 598 yards, eight touchdowns) in 2021. The second tight end off the board, Woods will be expected to contribute early. The Colts re-signed Mo Alie-Cox but saw Jack Doyle retire. The team drafted two tight ends this year.
Raimann went to the Colts four picks later, by virtue of the trade-down maneuver the team executed with the Vikings in Round 2, and joins a position group that lost starting left tackle Eric Fisher. Raimann also has tight end experience, starting 11 games at that post at Central Michigan. He finished as a first-team All-Mid-American Conference left tackle, however, last season. Raimann joins the recently re-signed Matt Pryor as the top candidates to succeed Fisher.
Here is the Colts’ full 2022 class:
Round 2: No. 53 (from Raiders through Packers and Vikings) Alec Pierce, WR (Cincinnati)
Round 3: No. 73 (from Commanders) Jelani Woods, TE (Virginia)
Round 3: No. 77 (from Vikings) Bernhard Raimann, OT (Central Michigan)
Round 3: No. 96 (from Rams through Broncos) Nick Cross, S (Maryland)
Round 5: No. 159 Eric Johnson, DT (Missouri State)
Round 6: No. 192 (from Vikings) Andrew Ogletree, TE (Youngstown State)
Round 6: No. 216 Curtis Brooks, DT (Cincinnati)
Round 7: No. 239 Rodney Thomas, S (Yale)
Bengals Sign Second-Rounder Cam Taylor-Britt
Not long after inking their top draft pick to his first NFL contract, the Bengals have done the same with another rookie defensive back. The team announced on Friday that they have signed second round corner Cam Taylor-Britt. 
[RELATED: Bengals Sign First Round S Hill]
Across four seasons at Nebraska, the six-foot, 205-pounder grew into a key role on the team’s defense. His sophomore campaign included 49 tackles, a pair of interceptions and four forced fumbles. He matched his interception total the following year, despite that season being limited to eight games.
Coming back for his senior season, Taylor-Britt was once again a consistent presence on the Cornhuskers’ back end. In 12 contests, he racked up 51 tackles, including three for a loss, one interception and a career-high 11 pass breakups – a figure which ranked him second in the Big Ten in that category. With a combination of experience and ball production, he projects to have a high floor at the NFL level.
In Cincinnati, Taylor-Britt will join a CB room led by Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton and Eli Apple. Along with first-rounder Daxton Hill, he will provide depth right away in the team’s secondary, with the potential to earn playing time with the defending AFC champions down the road.
The Bengals also announced the signing of seventh-round defensive end Jeffrey Gunter, leaving them with just two members of their draft class left to sign:
Round 1: No. 31 Daxton Hill, S (Michigan) (signed)
Round 2: No. 60 (from Buccaneers through Bills) Cam Taylor-Britt, CB (Nebraska) (signed)
Round 3: No. 95 Zachary Carter, DL (Florida)
Round 4: No. 136 Cordell Volson, OL (North Dakota State)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Cardinals through Eagles, Texans and Bears): Tycen Anderson, S (Toledo) (signed)
Round 7: No. 252 Jeffrey Gunter, DE (Coastal Carolina) (signed)
Giants Make Handful Of Roster Moves
The Giants made some minor moves to shake up their defense today. The organization signed defensive back Michael Jacquet and waived defensive tackle Antonio Valentino (via Dan Salomone of the team’s website on Twitter).
Jacquet went undrafted out of Louisiana in 2020 before catching on with the Eagle. He ended up seeing time in seven games (two starts) as a rookie, finishing with 18 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He started the 2021 campaign on Philly’s practice squad before earning his walking papers. He later joined the Jaguars and ended up getting into one game for Jacksonville.
Valentino recently joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent. The defensive tackle saw time in 10 games as a senior at Florida, finishing with 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack.
Meanwhile, Jordan Mosley reverted to injured reserve after recently being waived-injured, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The Maryland product has had an eventful week after only joining the organization on Saturday. Mosley started all 13 games in 2021, leading Maryland with 83 tackles. He previously participated in the Jets rookie minicamp.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/22
Here are the latest mid- and late-round draft picks to sign their four-year rookie contracts:
Cincinnati Bengals
- S Tycen Anderson (fifth round, Toledo)
New York Giants
- CB Cor’Dale Flott (third round, LSU)
Tennessee Titans
- T Nicholas Petit-Frere (third round, Ohio State)
Ravens P Sam Koch Announces Retirement
Sam Koch punted for the Ravens for the past 16 seasons, but the team’s longest-tenured player will not stay on in that role. The soon-to-be 40-year-old specialist announced his retirement Thursday (video link).
A former sixth-round pick out of Nebraska, Koch has been with the Ravens since Brian Billick‘s tenure. He punted in 256 games with the team, suiting up more times as a Raven than anyone in franchise history. Aaron Rodgers is the only active player to have been with his team longer than Koch.
The Ravens used one of their six fourth-round picks on a punter, Penn State’s Jordan Stout. He is poised to take over alongside Justin Tucker. Koch and Tucker formed one of the league’s top special teams duos for the past 10 seasons. While Tucker is on a smooth track to the Hall of Fame, Koch made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and holds the franchise record for games played by a significant margin.
Although Ray Lewis played 17 seasons, multiple injury-marred campaigns limited the Hall of Fame linebacker to 228 games — third in team history. Koch passed Terrell Suggs for the most games played as a Raven in 2020. Koch signed six contracts as a Raven, his most recent — a two-year, $4.95MM pact — that year. One season remained on the veteran’s deal.
Koch will spend what was to be his age-40 season as a kicking consultant with the team, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets. Much of his time will go to mentoring his successor.