Ravens Sign 17 UDFAs
The next team to announce their class of undrafted free agents is the Ravens. Here are their additions:
- WR Slade Bolden, Alabama
- WR Shemar Bridges, Fort Valley State
- QB Anthony Brown, Oregon
- WR Trevon Clark, California
- OT Aron Johnson, South Dakota State
- LB Zakoby McClain, Auburn
- LB Jeremiah Moon, Florida
- S Chris Moore, Georgia State
- DT Rayshad Nichols, Stephen F. Austin
- RB Ricky Person, North Carolina State
- WR Makai Polk, Mississippi State
- LB Josh Ross, Michigan
- CB David Vereen, Newberry
- WR Raleigh Webb, The Citadel
- LB Chuck Wiley, UTSA
- CB Denzel Williams, Villanova
- WR Devon Williams, Oregon
Brown’s college career had produced little in three years at Boston College. His transfer to Oregon, however, led to a rise in his stock. In 2021, he led the Ducks to a 10-win season and the Pac-12 championship game. Along the way, he set career highs in passing yards (2,989), completion percentage (64.1) and total touchdown (28). He is unlikely to unseat fellow former UDFA Tyler Huntley as the team’s backup QB, but will compete for the No. 3 role.
Another notable takeaway from the list is the number of receivers. More specifically, size is an element shared by most of the wideouts; other than Bolden, they range from six-foot-two to six-foot-five. Some were surprised by the fact the Ravens didn’t add to the position despite seeing Sammy Watkins leave in free agency, waiving Miles Boykin and trading away Marquise Brown. That should leave the door open for a prospect like Polk (who posted 105 catches for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021) in particular to fill out the depth chart.
Chiefs Sign First-Rounder George Karlaftis
The Chiefs had two picks to work with on Day 1 of last week’s draft. The first was used to help bolster their secondary, while the second, edge rusher George Karlaftis, will add to their front seven. Kansas City has agreed to terms with him on his rookie deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Karlaftis had a productive three-year career at Purdue. His freshman season was his best, as he totalled 54 tackles, including 17 for a loss, as well as 7.5 sacks. While he was limited to just two games the following year, he bounced back in 2021, earning Third-Team All-American honors.
One of the best power rushers in this year’s class, the Greece native has the frame (six-foot-four, 275 pounds) to hold up against NFL competition. Given his build and lack of fluidity relative to other edge players, though, there are questions surrounding where he would best be served to line up, especially early in his career. Still, his combination of size, technique and upside left no one surprised when the Chiefs selected him 30th overall.
In Kansas City, Karlaftis will join an edge group headed by Frank Clark. The team’s recent decision to use a UFA tender on veteran Melvin Ingram points to a re-signing in the near future, but Karlaftis should still be able to see significant playing time right away and throughout his four- (or five-) year tenure on his rookie deal.
Patriots Waive LB Terez Hall
Terez Hall earned his walking papers today. The Patriots announced that they have waived the linebacker with a failed physical.
Hall joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri in 2019. After spending his entire rookie season on New England’s practice squad, he ended up having a somewhat regular role for the team in 2020. Hall ultimately got into eight games (four starts) that season, finishing with 50 tackles.
The linebacker spent the 2021 campaign on the reserve/physically unable to perform list thanks to offseason ankle surgery. It’s uncertain if today’s failed physical had anything to do with that injury.
With Hall out of the picture, the Patriots are still rostering seven inside linebackers: Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Cameron McGrone, Mack Wilson, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, and Harvey Langi.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Gehrig Dieter, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart, WR Gary Jennings, DT Lorenzo Neal, TE Josh Pederson, DE Jonathan Woodard
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: RB Trey Ragas
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DT Jordon Scott
Eagles Sign First-Round DT Jordan Davis
Another first-round pick has signed their rookie contract. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), the Eagles have signed defensive tackle Jordan Davis to his rookie deal. It’s a four-year pact that includes $17MM in guaranteed money.
[RELATED: Packers Sign Round 1 LB Quay Walker]
The Eagles traded up two selections in order to select the Georgia product with the No. 13 pick. Davis was a mainstay on the Bulldogs’ defense during his four seasons in college. Playing in a run-stopping role, the six-foot-six, 340 pounder totaled seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. Those numbers, along with eye-popping athletic testing at the combine, leave the door open to his development as a three-down player.
At the moment, Davis will be joining a depth chart that’s led by veteran Fletcher Cox. The 31-year-old was cut and re-signed by the Eagles earlier this offseason, but his one-year pact means he may not be sticking around Philadelphia long term.
Davis wasn’t the only Eagles rookie to ink his rookie contract today. According to Doug Kyed of ProFootballFocus.com (on Twitter), the Eagles also signed Kansas linebacker Kyron Johnson (round 6, No. 181) and SMU tight end Grant Calcaterra (round 6, No. 198).
Packers Sign Round 1 LB Quay Walker
Hours after agreeing to terms with the second of their two first-round picks, defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, the Packers locked down their other first-rounder.
Wyatt’s ex-Georgia teammate, linebacker Quay Walker, is now under contract, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Although the modern-era rookie signing process features far fewer complications than the negotiations before the 2011 CBA, with a slot system now in place, the Packers moved past any complications very early in this process. Walker and Wyatt’s signings coincide with the beginning of the Packers’ rookie minicamp.
Green Bay deviated considerably from a path of not devoting significant resources to its off-ball linebacker spots, selecting Walker 22nd overall a few weeks after giving 2021 free agency flier De’Vondre Campbell a big-ticket deal. Walker and Campbell represent the Packers’ biggest commitment to these two positions in over a decade.
Walker worked as a Bulldogs regular over the past three years, with his most significant contributions coming for the national champions’ dominant 2021 defense — one that saw five of its cogs drafted in the first round. Walker was the third of those Georgia defenders taken. The 6-foot-3 linebacker registered a career-best 65 tackles (5.5 for loss) as a senior last year. Via the fifth-year option that could later be exercised, Walker can be controlled on this rookie deal through 2026.
Jets Claim OL Nate Herbig
The Jets are adding another former starter to their interior offensive line. They made a successful claim for ex-Eagles guard Nate Herbig on Thursday, Mike Kaye of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
A 17-game Eagles starter over the past two years, Herbig received a Philadelphia RFA tender in March and signed it in April. The Eagles, however, cut bait after a draft that included a second-round selection of center Cam Jurgens.
Prior to the arrivals of Jurgens and 2021 second-round pick Landon Dickerson, however, Herbig worked as a 12-game starter for the Eagles in 2020. Brandon Brooks‘ full-season absence freed up a guard spot for Herbig, who originally caught on with the Eagles as a 2019 UDFA. The Eagles also turned to Herbig for five starts last season. Although he landed the Jets GM job soon after the 2019 draft, Joe Douglas was still with the Eagles when they signed Herbig.
While the Jets did not use a high draft choice on an offensive lineman, they signed Laken Tomlinson and have the likes of Greg Van Roten and Dan Feeney as swing backups. With no real path to an interior starter job available, with Alijah Vera-Tucker and Connor McGovern at the other two spots, Herbig seemingly stands to compete for a depth spot. The Stanford alum will turn 24 this summer.
Chargers Sign LB Kyle Van Noy
Kyle Van Noy‘s Los Angeles visit has produced an agreement that will bring the veteran linebacker to a fourth team. The Chargers signed Van Noy on Thursday. It’s a one-year deal, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
Productive as a pass rusher despite not working exclusively in that role, Van Noy will join a Chargers team that has made a host of offseason additions on defense. The Bolts’ big-ticket moves came at edge rusher, cornerback and on their defensive line, however. Van Noy will attempt to bolster their linebacking corps.
Although the Patriots became the second team in two years to cut Van Noy, following the Dolphins’ lead, he has registered 11 sacks over the past two seasons. Van Noy, 31, also has forced eight fumbles over the past three. He became a key part of three Patriots Super Bowl defenses and parlayed that production into a four-year, $51MM deal with the Dolphins.
This Bolts pact will not approach that value and will likely come in below the two-year, $13.2MM deal he inked with the Pats last year. But it represents another opportunity for the veteran defender, and on a team that has added the likes of Khalil Mack, J.C. Jackson, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Bryce Callahan to its defense over the past several weeks.
New England elevated Van Noy’s value considerably, acquiring him via trade from Detroit in 2016. Bill Belichick found a spot for a player who became one of the league’s more versatile linebackers. Van Noy has 26.5 sacks over the past five seasons. For linebackers not strictly used as edge defenders, that total trails only Haason Reddick, who morphed into a pure edge during that span. Van Noy also tallied five playoff sacks during that time. He will have an opportunity to contribute alongside Mack and Joey Bosa while mixing in with linebackers Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill. The Bolts lost Kyzir White in free agency this offseason.
Packers To Sign First-Rounder Devonte Wyatt
Earlier this week, the first 2022 draftee signed his rookie contract. Today, the first prospect selected on Day 1 has inked his NFL deal. The Packers have agreed to terms with defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Wyatt was the second of two Packers first-round choices, going 28th overall. He is set to join former Georgia teammate Quay Walker, who went at No. 22. Wyatt was the second interior defensive linemen selected, behind another former Bulldog, Jordan Davis (taken 13th by the Eagles).
The six-foot-three, 315 pounder was a mainstay of Georgia’s defensive front, and played a key role in the team’s national championship. The 2021 campaign was his most productive, as he totalled 39 tackles (including seven for a loss) and 2.5 sacks. Seen as the more trusted prospect in terms of pass rushing compared to Davis (albeit the one with less overall upside), Wyatt was projected by many to be taken in the latter stages of the first round.
As Rapoport notes, the deal is for four years (with a fifth-year team option) carrying a fully guaranteed value of $12.86MM. The contract also includes a $6.533MM signing bonus. In Green Bay, Wyatt will join a defensive line led by Kenny Clark, but which faces uncertainty beyond the 2022 season. Both Dean Lowry and free agent signee Jarran Reed have only void years left on their respective contracts after the coming season, so Wyatt will provide a long-term answer on the defensive front as the Packers try to keep their Super Bowl window open as long as possible.
Chargers Sign CB Bryce Callahan
Bryce Callahan is staying in the AFC West. The Chargers announced that they have signed the free agent cornerback.
Callahan joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and he ended up spending four seasons in Chicago. Following a 2018 season where he collected 45 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and six passes defended, the defensive back inked a three-year, $21MM deal with the Broncos.
He missed his first season in Denver thanks to a foot injury, but he managed to start 16 games for the Broncos over the final two years of his contract. In 21 total games for Denver, Callhan collected 71 tackles, nine passes defended, and two interceptions.
In Los Angeles, he’ll be joining a depth chart that’s headlined by free agent acquisition J.C. Jackson. The Chargers are also rostering 2021 second-round pick Asante Samuel Jr. and veteran Michael Davis.