Raiders Sign LB Kenny Young
The Raiders are adding another veteran to their inside linebacker mix. They agreed to terms with Kenny Young on Monday, bolstering a position group that features mostly outside additions.
Young joins a cast including 2021 trade acquisition Denzel Perryman and 2022 free agent signings Jayon Brown and Micah Kiser. Young’s travels feature an interesting overlap with Kiser’s, with both having been with the Rams and Broncos in 2021. Las Vegas also has 2021 third-round pick Divine Deablo at linebacker.
Seeing injuries affect them at linebacker early in the season, the Broncos acquired Young from the Rams via an October trade. After starting seven games at inside linebacker in Los Angeles last season, Young became an instant starter in Denver and ended up a first-stringer in six games with his new team. The newest Raider linebacker add is coming off his best season, one in which he made 75 tackles (six for loss) and tallied two sacks.
A UCLA product, Young broke into the NFL as a Ravens fourth-round pick in 2018. He was involved in a midseason trade two years before his L.A.-to-Denver venture, being part of the Ravens’ Marcus Peters swap with the Rams. Young, 27, will now have a chance with a fourth team and will have more time to learn a defense compared to his two previous relocations.
Giants Release James Bradberry
James Bradberry‘s time with the Giants has finally come to an end. The team announced on Monday that they have released the veteran corner. 
It was reported last week that a release was inevitable in this case. From the beginning of the offseason, Bradberry, 28, was named as a cut candidate, owing to his scheduled cap hit of over $21.8MM. New general manager Joe Schoen made a number of cost-cutting moves throughout March, but held on to Bradberry in the hopes of finding a trade partner.
For a time, it was believed the former second-round pick was drawing trade interest, as teams with sufficient cap space would presumably be willing to acquire him via that route. However, Schoen recently admitted that he was surprised at how cool the market was for the Pro Bowler.
“I thought there would be more interest” he said on WFAN Sports Radio, via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple different times [where] there [was] compensation in place and the contract never worked out.”
Bradberry has only missed five games during his six-year career, which began with the Panthers. In 2021, his second campaign with the Giants, he played in all 17 contests, totalling 47 tackles, a career-high four interceptions and 17 passes defensed. By releasing him, the Giants will leave over $11.7MM on the books in dead money, but gain over $10.1MM in much-needed cap space.
“It’s just where we are financially” Schoen added. “We still got to sign our draft picks, be able to sign our practice squad and have replacement costs for during the season.”
Now, Bradberry will hit the open market as arguably the top free agent available at any position. Given his age, production and, now, the lack of his previous contract as an impediment, he should have plenty of suitors amongst teams seeking starting-caliber help in the secondary.
Lions Sign No. 2 Pick Aidan Hutchinson
The list of rookies to sign their first NFL contracts continues to grow, and now includes the draft’s second overall pick. The Lions have signed Aidan Hutchinson to his rookie deal, as confirmed by his agent, Mike McCartney. 
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport details (on Twitter) that the contract has a fully-guaranteed value of just over $35.7MM across four (or, with a team option, five, years), and includes a signing bonus of nearly $23.2MM. Hutchinson becomes the second top-five pick to ink his inaugural deal, joining Ahmad Gardner of the Jets.
The Michigan native followed in his father’s footsteps playing for the Wolverines in college. His career started to take off during his sophomore season, as he totalled 69 tackles, including 11 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. That led to heightened expectations for the following campaign, but it was cut short by a fractured leg.
While Hutchinson was again the subject of optimism for an overall strong Michigan defense going into this past season, he wasn’t in the conversation to be in consideration for the top pick. That changed week by week, as he authored one of the most productive campaigns in school history, setting a program record with 14 sacks, adding 16.5 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles. That made him a finalist for the Heisman trophy, as well as a candidate for Jacksonville with the No. 1 pick.
Ultimately, the Jaguars made Travon Walker the top selection, leaving the dream scenario in play for Detroit. The Lions didn’t hesitate to pick Hutchinson, making him an immediate anchor of the team’s defense. He – alongside third-rounder Josh Paschal – will look to boost the Lions’ pass rush and continue the overall progress made at the end of the 2021 campaign.
Not long before the Hutchinson signing was announced, the Lions inked their final 2022 draftee. Seventh-rounder Chase Lucas agreed to terms on his rookie deal, per Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo (Twitter link).
Bears Cut Recently Signed UDFA, Sign New UDFA
Chicago recently announced their undrafted rookie free agent class and held their rookie minicamp. One of the recently signed undrafted rookies, former Utah State return specialist Savon Scarver, has been cut, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Scarver was a consensus All-American return man. In five years with the Aggies, Scarver had seven kickoff return touchdowns, making sure to return at least one a year, even in the team’s COVID-shortened, four-game 2020 season. He added 757 yards receiving and 5 receiving touchdowns to his stat sheet, but he was mainly seen as a special teamer at the next level.
Along with their 16 announced UDFAs, the Bears invited 36 other undrafted players for rookie tryouts at minicamp. Among those 36, was Western Michigan defensive back A.J. Thomas. Thomas played safety for most of his career with the Broncos, but switched to linebacker for his final season.
It appears that he was asked to participate in Chicago as a defensive back. Regardless, at the conclusion of rookie minicamp, the Bears agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to Wilson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/22
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: C Austin Reiter
New York Jets
- Waived: S Zane Lewis, RB Austin Walter, OL Isaiah Williams,
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22
Here are the latest draft pick signings:
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Tyler Badie (sixth round, Missouri)
Chicago Bears
- T Braxton Jones (fifth round, Southern Utah)
- DE Dominique Robinson (fifth round, Miami University)
- RB Trestan Ebner (sixth round, Baylor)
- C Doug Kramer (sixth round, Illinois)
- T Ja’Tyre Carter (seventh round, Southern)
- DB Elijah Hicks (seventh round, California)
- P Trenton Gill (seventh round, North Carolina State)
Green Bay Packers
- LB Quay Walker (first round, Georgia)
- DT Devonte Wyatt (first round, Georgia)
- T Sean Rhyan (third round, UCLA)
- LB Kingsley Enagbare (fifth round, South Carolina)
- DB Tariq Carpenter (seventh round, Georgia Tech)
- DT Jonathan Ford (seventh round, Miami)
- WR Samori Toure (seventh round, Nebraska)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CB Trent McDuffie (first round, Washington)
- DE George Karlaftis (first round, Purdue)
- S Bryan Cook (second round, Cincinnati)
- G Darian Kinnard (fifth round, Kentucky)
- CB Jaylen Watson (seventh round, Washington State)
- RB Isiah Pacheco (seventh round, Rutgers)
- S Nazeeh Johnson (seventh round, Marshall)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DT Jordan Davis (first round, Georgia)
- LB Kyron Johnson (sixth round, Kansas)
- TE Grant Calcaterra (sixth round, SMU)
Seattle Seahawks
- DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
- LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
- WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
- WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Washington Commanders
- QB Sam Howell (fifth round, North Carolina)
- TE Cole Turner (fifth round, Nevada)
- T Chris Paul (seventh round, Tulsa)
- DB Christian Holmes (seventh round, Oklahoma State)
Seahawks Sign 14 UDFAs
After adding 9 rookies to the team through the NFL Draft, Seattle announced the signing of 14 undrafted free agents today that they’ll add to their 2022 class:
- Joey Blount, S (Virginia)
- Bubba Bolden, S (Miami)
- Cade Brewer, TE (Texas)
- Shamarious Gilmore, G (Georgia State)
- Matt Gotel, DT (West Florida)
- Jake Herslow, WR (Houston)
- Levi Jones, LB (NC State)
- Levi Lewis, QB (Louisiana-Lafayette)
- John Mitchell, TE (Florida Atlantic)
- Scott Nelson, S (Wisconsin)
- Josh Onujiogu, LB (Framingham State)
- Demetris Robertson, WR (Auburn)
- Josh Valentine-Turner, CB (Florida International)
- Deontai Williams, S (Nebraska)
After trading away quarterback Russell Wilson and failing to address the position in the Draft, Seattle signed Lewis out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Over a career that saw him start four out of five seasons, Lewis broke a Ragin’ Cajuns record throwing 74 touchdowns against 18 interceptions while amassing a 35-7 record as a starter.
The Seahawks also wanted to add some depth behind starting safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. They added 17 career college interceptions to the roster through Blount (9), Williams (6), Nelson (4), and Bolden (2).
Seattle brought in an interesting receiver prospect, as well, in Robertson. After signing to California as a 5-star recruit, Robertson was a Freshman All-American for the Golden Bears before eventually transferring and bouncing around from Georgia to Auburn.
Chiefs Announce Signing Of 10 UDFAs
After an impressive Draft performance, the Chiefs announced the signing of 10 undrafted free agents that will be joining their rookie class:
- Mike Caliendo, G (Western Michigan)
- Jack Cochrane, LB (South Dakota) ($150,000 guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero)
- Dustin Crum, QB (Kent State)
- Jerrion Ealy, RB (Ole Miss)
- Tayon Fleet-Davis, RB (Maryland)
- Nasir Greer, DB (Wake Forest)
- Kehinde Oginni, TE (International, Nigeria)
- Gene Pryor, T (Hawai’i)
- Mike Rose, LB (Iowa State)
- Justyn Ross, WR (Clemson)(story)
Beyond Ross, who we’ve posted on already, headliners of the group include Fleet-Davis, Ealy, Crum, and Oginni.
Fleet-Davis had his best year for the Terrapins last year totaling 1,026 yards from scrimmage and 9 total touchdowns. Ealy was a consensus five-star recruit for the Rebels. The smaller back averaged 745.0 rushing yards per season and 181.67 receiving yards per season while racking up 20 rushing touchdowns and adding 4 receiving touchdowns over his three years in Oxford.
Crum was a three-year starter for the Golden Flashes, leading them to two bowl games, not qualifying after playing only four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In 31 games as a starter, Crum completed 67.41% of his passes, throwing for 7,012 yards and tossing 52 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He’ll compete for the backup quarterback position behind Patrick Mahomes with veteran-Chad Henne, Anthony Gordon, and Shane Buechele.
Oginni will make the move to America after coming up in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in Nigeria. Despite being involved in a bus crash that killed three of his teammates, Oginni continued to train in Nigeria after his visa application was continuously denied. Oginni will get his opportunity in the big leagues and will have a chance to learn from one of the best in Travis Kelce.
Eagles Add 11 UDFAs
After their best-known 2022 undrafted free agent became known over the weekend (Nevada quarterback Carson Strong), the Eagles announced the rest of their UDFA class. Here is that 11-man contingent:
- Josh Blackwell, CB (Duke)
- Reed Blankenship, S (Middle Tennessee)
- Kennedy Brooks, RB (Oklahoma)
- Britain Covey, WR, (Utah)
- William Dunkle, OL (San Diego State)
- Noah Elliss, DT (Idaho)
- Ali Fayad, LB (Western Michigan)
- Mario Goodrich, CB (Clemson)
- Josh Jobe, CB (Alabama)
- Josh Sills, OL (Oklahoma State)
- Jarrid Williams, OL (Miami)
The Oklahoma backfield continues to produce NFL talent, with Brooks having teamed with the likes of Rhamondre Stevenson and Trey Sermon during his days in Norman. Brooks is one of the rare Sooners to rip off three 1,000-yard rushing seasons during his time at the Big 12 program, notching the first of those slates as a true freshman in a Kyler Murray-led offense. Rather than turning pro after his 2020 COVID-19-related opt-out, Brooks returned to school for his senior season and amassed a career-high 1,253 rushing yards.
Brooks has a path to a potential role with the Eagles, who did not draft a running back and who have starter Miles Sanders entering a contract year. Behind Sanders, the team returns Boston Scott and 2021 fifth-rounder Kenneth Gainwell.
A guard at San Diego State, Dunkle did not allow a sack in 30 games at the Mountain West school. Sills started at four positions up front for Oklahoma State, while Williams will enter the NFL after spending six seasons in college (five at Houston, one as Miami’s starting right tackle). Covey tops that, having been in college since 2015. The 5-foot-8 wideout notched three return touchdowns for the Utes last year. Philly’s class also houses the 2021 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Fayad) and the son of longtime Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss. Sporting a 346-pound frame, Noah Elliss was a three-year starter at Idaho.
The Eagles gave Elliss $250K guaranteed, while Goodrich — a first-team All-ACC cornerback and reigning Cheez-It Bowl MVP — received a $217K guarantee (per Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, on Twitter). Blackwell will see a $137.5K guarantee, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweets, while Kyed adds (via Twitter) Sills will collect $135K guaranteed. The Eagles are guaranteeing Dunkle $110K, Kyed tweets.
Jets Release G Greg Van Roten
After claiming Nate Herbig off waivers from the Eagles, the Jets jettisoned one of their experienced blockers and saved some money. They cut Greg Van Roten on Friday.
Van Roten’s release represents the Jets’ corresponding move for the waiver claim; the veteran starter will head straight to free agency. Van Roten, 32, had started 23 games for the Jets over the past two seasons but was no longer in line to be a first-stringer, with the team having signed Laken Tomlinson in free agency.
While this release saves the Jets $3.5MM, it cuts into their newly solid depth on their interior offensive line. Herbig and Dan Feeney represent the team’s top interior backup options. Van Roten, however, arrived prior to Robert Saleh and OC Mike LaFleur‘s arrivals. Tomlinson is set to team with 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker, with Connor McGovern still under contract at center.
The Jets signed Van Roten during the same offseason they landed McGovern, giving the ex-Panther blocker a three-year deal worth $10.5MM. He was set to earn a nonguaranteed $3MM this season. A New York native who emerged as a UDFA out of Penn, Van Roten has made 50 career starts — all since 2018. Pro Football Focus rated Van Roten as a middling guard last season; he figures to have a shot elsewhere at some point before the season.