NFL Draft Pick Signings: 7/20/21
Here are today’s draft pick signings:
Baltimore Ravens
- OL Ben Cleveland (Georgia, third round)
Buffalo Bills
- OT Spencer Brown (Northern Iowa, third round)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Tyson Campbell (Georgia, second round)
- OT Walker Little (Stanford, second round)
New England Patriots
- DE Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma, third round)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- OL Kendrick Green (Illinois, third round)
The pair of Jaguars rookies are the most notable names on the list. The Georgia product rebounded from an injury-plagued 2019 campaign, finishing with 29 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception. The Jaguars selected Campbell with the first selection of the second round, and he should compete for a starting gig right away. Meanwhile, Little was selected with the 45th pick of the draft following a standout collegiate career that saw him earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He’ll likely have to work his way into playing time behind Cam Robinson and/or Jawaan Taylor.
Meanwhile, the Steelers’ signing of Green means the team has officially inked their entire draft class to rookie contracts.
Jets Sign First-Round OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
Jets fans are still waiting for their team to ink second-overall pick Zach Wilson to his rookie contract, but the organization did manage to sign their other first-round pick today. The team announced that they’ve signed first-round guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The USC product was selected with the 14th pick during this past year’s draft. The offensive lineman’s rookie contract is worth a fully guaranteed $15.88MM, including an $8.9MM signing bonus.
A darling of scouts across the league, Vera-Tucker was lauded for his versatility and hard-nosed playing style during his time at USC. AVT was already considered a top offensive guard prospect heading into the 2020 season, but he added even more intrigue following a successful transition to tackle. After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019, he made a jump to the first team in 2020. He also earned the Morris Trophy this past season, awarded to the best OL/DL in the Pac 12 (as voted by players).
Vera-Tucker lacks elite athleticism, which means his future will probably be on the interior. Indeed, the rookie is currently projected to start at left guard for the Jets.
Following the signing, the Jets have only a pair of rookies who remain unsigned: Wilson and second-round wideout Elijah Moore.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/21
We’ll keep track of tonight’s minor transactions here:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: WR Damion Willis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on NFI list: LB Dylan Moses
Chiefs Re-Sign Alex Okafor
Free agent edge rusher Alex Okafor has agreed to return to the Chiefs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Financial terms are not yet known, but it’ll be a one-year deal to bring him back for a third KC season.
Okafor joined the Chiefs prior to the 2019 season, suffering a torn pec after just ten games. He re-upped on another one year deal, notching three sacks a tackle for loss, and ten quarterback hits in eleven games. Unfortunately, he also lost time in 2020 — this time, due to a hamstring issue.
All in all, the ninth-year pro has 30 career sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 67 QB hits to his credit. His best work came in Year Two, when he notched eight sacks. Since then, he’s been productive, but has yet to revisit that mark.
Okafor isn’t quite a sure thing, due to his injury history, but his new deal probably didn’t cost KC all that much. At last check, the Chiefs had about $8MM in cap room for the coming year.
Torn Achilles For Rams’ Cam Akers
Rams running back Cam Akers has suffered a torn Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The injury will likely rule him out for the entire 2021 season. 
Akers was the Rams’ leading rusher last year, notching 625 yards and two scores on 145 carries. He also caught eleven passes for 123 yards and one TD. Now, Darrell Henderson stands as the Rams’ top RB with support backs like Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, Day 3 pick Jake Funk, and UDFA Otis Anderson also in the mix.
For what it’s worth, Akers outrushed Henderson by just a single yard in 2020. Henderson finished with 624 yards on the ground and five TDs off of 138 carries. The veteran also caught 16 passes for 159 yards and a score — a virtually identical stat line to Akers’. Still, the Rams were counting on having both players in the lineup and Henderson has injury history of his own.
It’s a bad blow for the Rams, who may seek veteran support in the backfield. Old friend Todd Gurley is still available, but it’s hard to imagine a return to L.A. under head coach Sean McVay. Other stars still on the market include Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, and LeSean McCoy.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Chaz Green
- Released: OT Jarron Jones, LB Calvin Bundage
Steelers To Sign Melvin Ingram
Well, that was fast. Soon after meeting with the Steelers, defensive end Melvin Ingram inked a one-year deal to play in Pittsburgh (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Ingram has had an unexpectedly long stay in free agency, likely due to health concerns. Last year, a knee issue held him to just seven games for the Chargers. But, before that, he notched 49 career sacks en route to three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19. He had exactly zero sacks in 2020, but Pro Football Focus gave him a solid 76.3 pass-rushing score, good for top-20 among all OLBs/DEs.
Ingram, 32, met with the Dolphins and Chiefs earlier this year, but left both visits without deals. Fortunately for them and other teams in need of edge help, Justin Houston, Everson Griffen, Olivier Vernon, and Bruce Irvin are still on the board.
Now, instead of Joey Bosa, he’ll have two-time All-Pro T.J. Watt as his opposite end counterpart. Beyond those two, the Steelers also have rookie Quincy Roche, youngster Alex Highsmith, and veteran Cassius Marsh in the mix.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Miami Dolphins
- Re-Signed: OT Timon Parris
Jaguars Sign Travis Etienne
The Jaguars have agreed to terms with first-round running back Travis Etienne (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As the No. 25 overall pick, he’ll earn $12.9MM on his four-year deal. Etienne doesn’t have any offset language in his contract, just like No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. 
With Etienne, Lawrence, and new head coach Urban Meyer in the fold, things are looking up for the Jaguars after last year’s freefall. Considered a top prospect in the 2020 class, the Clemson product surprised many by returning for his senior season. His yards-per-carry figure dropped from 7.8 to 5.4, which probably helped the Jaguars secure him towards the end of the first round.
Despite the dropoff, he’s got two 1,600-yard seasons and 70 career rushing TDs to his credit. Even though he was outshined by Alabama’s Najee Harris, the Jaguars are still high on his potential. Some scouts say that Etienne even improved in certain parts of the game, like receiving and pass blocking.
At 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, the rookie has the strength, speed, versatility, and elusiveness to become a three-down back. Now, he’ll fight for time in an RB group that also includes rising star James Robinson and veteran Carlos Hyde.
Cowboys Cut CB Rashard Robinson
The Cowboys have cut cornerback Rashard Robinson, per a club announcement. The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since he was already unavailable until Week 3.
Robinson has his latest suspension in April, a two-game ban for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Before that, Robinson received four- and 10-game suspensions in 2018 and ’19, respectively. Both of those bans were for substance abuse — this was the five-year vet’s first PED ban.
The Cowboys signed Robinson to the taxi squad in September of last year, giving the former fourth-round pick a chance to show his stuff. Once a 13-game starter in San Francisco, he hasn’t seen much playing time since. The Cowboys used the soon-to-be 26-year-old cover man in just four games last season, though he did start three of those, shuttling him on and off their active roster.
All in all, Robinson has two interceptions, 15 passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries to his credit across 42 career games.