Texans To Cut Ryan Finley
The Texans have been adding quarterbacks left and right as they prepare for a potential worst-case scenario in the Deshaun Watson saga, and now they’re letting one go.
Houston is releasing Ryan Finley, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Texans had just traded for Finley back in March, acquiring him from the Bengals in exchange for a late-round pick swap. Cincy was planning on cutting Finley before they were able to turn a seventh-rounder into a sixth-rounder a couple months back.
The Bengals drafted Finley in the fourth-round only in 2019, but he didn’t pan out. The NC State product started three games his rookie season after the team benched Andy Dalton to get a look at the youngster. He looked totally unprepared for NFL football, and was so bad the Bengals quickly moved back to Dalton. He started one game last year, and in four career starts has averaged 5.4 yards per attempt with a 48.7 percent completion percentage.
The Texans decided to take a flyer, but after signing Jeff Driskel the quarterbacks room became crowded. Outside of Driskel and Watson, the Texans also have Tyrod Taylor and rookie third-round pick Davis Mills on the roster.
None of them are particularly inspiring, but Houston is making sure they have options in the event they can’t reconcile with Watson.
Raiders Release DL David Irving
Despite not seeing much time with the Raiders last season, David Irving generated some interest in free agency this year. But the former Cowboys regular opted to re-sign with the Raiders. That deal did not end up lasting too long.
The Raiders released Irving on Friday. This is not the first time such a transaction has occurred. Las Vegas signed Irving midway through last season but cut him on multiple occasions, shuttling him to its practice squad. With practice squads not forming until September, Irving is back in free agency.
Irving played in two games last season, logging just 45 snaps, and has suited up for just four over the past three years. Suspensions have dogged the 27-year-old D-lineman, but he has avoided any bans since his most recent reinstatement last fall. The ex-Cowboys starter worked out for the Colts and Lions this offseason as well. While more interest may develop, Irving is nearly four years removed from his last season of consequence.
The 6-foot-7 pass rusher did log seven sacks in eight games in 2017; that has likely continued to generate interest. It will be interesting to see if the former Chiefs UDFA can land with a fourth NFL team.
Las Vegas added several defensive line pieces this offseason, signing Yannick Ngakoue and using a third-round pick on fellow defensive end Malcolm Koonce. Former top-five pick Solomon Thomas and Quinton Jefferson are also now with the Raiders. Like Irving, each has experience working at both D-end and D-tackle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Antoine Wesley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Cohl Cabral
Texans Claim T Geron Christian
While Morgan Moses had enough service time to head to free agency, the other tackle Washington cut Thursday did not. And the Texans will add a former third-round pick as a result.
Houston submitted a successful waiver claim for Geron Christian. The fourth-year veteran will be the latest notable name to join the Texans on what is now a one-year contract. The 2018 draftee’s deal, like most of the others the Texans have authorized this offseason, expires after the 2021 season.
A Louisville alum, Christian started six games for Washington at left tackle last season. The 6-foot-6 blocker has played in 24 over the course of his career, which began in a developmental role during the end of Washington’s Trent Williams era. Pro Football Focus graded Christian 60th overall among tackles in his 263-snap 2020 season.
Injuries have interfered with Christian’s career as well. An MCL tear sidelined him as a rookie, while another knee injury limited him to six games last season. Washington moved on, drafting Samuel Cosmi in Round 2 and signing Charles Leno as its presumptive Week 1 left tackle starter.
The Texans have their left tackle position checked off, with Laremy Tunsil anchoring the rebuilding team’s offensive line. On the right side, Houston has 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard and longtime Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon.
Seahawks Sign CB Tre Brown, Wrap Draft Class Deals
The Seahawks and Tre Brown agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal, according to the team. Seattle now has its 2021 draft class under contract.
Of course, this proved a simpler task than in most cases. The Seahawks made just three picks this year. That marked the fewest in the NFL and eclipsed their five-man 1997 draft — headlined by top-six picks Shawn Springs and Walter Jones — for the fewest in franchise history.
A cornerback out of Oklahoma, Brown is ticketed to begin his career on the boundary. While the Seahawks have generally preferred tall corners on the outside under their current regime, the 5-foot-10 Brown will line up there once team drills commence. Brown, whom the Seahawks selected at No. 137 overall, intercepted three passes last season and played a regular role for the past three Sooners teams.
Brown joins second-round wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) and sixth-round tackle Stone Forsythe (Florida) in the Seahawks’ 2021 draft trio. All three are signed through 2024.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/21/21
Today’s lower round signings:
Buffalo Bills
- DB Damar Hamlin (sixth round; Pitt)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Jay Tufele (fourth round; USC)
49ers Cut Marqise Lee
Well, that was fast. On Friday, the 49ers released wide receiver Marqise Lee. In a related move, they’ve signed fellow wideout Bennie Fowler to take his place on the roster. 
The one-time Jaguars notable signed with the Niners on May 17. A few short days later, he finds himself looking for work once again. Lee made a decent impression on coaches during the 49ers’ rookie minicamp practices and was hoping to stick. It appeared to be a good landing spot for him, especially since he grew up in California and played his college ball at USC.
Between 2016 and 2017, Lee averaged about 60 receptions and 776 receiving yards. He went on to land a four-year, $38MM extension from Jacksonville, but that deal was cut short. Between knee injuries and the COVID opt-out, he’s seen just six games since the end of ’17.
Fowler, meanwhile, has spent the last two years with the Giants. He wasn’t on the field much in 2020, snagging just two receptions before a season-ending shoulder injury.
Browns Sign DT Tommy Togiai
The Browns have inked fourth-round pick Tommy Togiai, per a club announcement. With the defensive tackle in the fold, the Browns now have five of their 2021 selections under contract.
Togiai, a bit undersized at 6’1″ and 300 pounds, gets to stay local after wrapping up his career at Ohio State. In his final year on campus, Togiai notched 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but he was one of the nation’s top-ranked DTs coming out of high school, so he has potential to outperform his draft slot.
Some college grads are eager to gas up the car and move somewhere new. That’s not the case for Togiai, who already feels at home.
“It’s great,” Togiai said (via Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com). “I love the state of Ohio, my time at Ohio State and Columbus, and now I get to go to another city in Cleveland. I’m excited to get up there. When I first made that decision to go to Ohio State, I never knew this would happen. I’m just excited to just get back to Ohio and get back to work.”
The Browns have just three unsigned rookies left in first rounder cornerback Greg Newsome II, second-round linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and third-round wide receiver Anthony Schwartz.
Alexander Johnson Signs RFA Tender
Days after Tim Patrick signed his restricted free agent tender, the other RFA the Broncos tendered at the second-round level followed suit. Alexander Johnson signed his tender Thursday.
Like Patrick, the middle linebacker is set to earn $3.384MM on the tender. Only one restricted free agent received a first-round tender this year — Rams cornerback Darious Williams — but several commanded the second-round price. Johnson is now signed for the 2021 season. Barring an extension, he will play for the tender amount. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
An unusual RFA, seeing as he will turn 30 later this year, Johnson has been a starter in Denver for most of Vic Fangio‘s two-season tenure. The Broncos signed the ex-Tennessee Volunteer in 2018 but did not deploy him as a starter until October 2019. Johnson immediately impacted the team’s run defense and kept the first-string gig throughout 2020 as well. Johnson made 124 tackles and forced two fumbles last season. Pro Football Focus viewed the 255-pound defender as a top-25 off-ball linebacker in 2020.
This figures to be a notable stretch for the Broncos at linebacker. After parting ways with Brandon Marshall in 2019, the Broncos have made Johnson and Josey Jewell their primary off-ball ‘backers. Both are going into contract years. The team also drafted Ohio State’s Baron Browning in Round 3 this year, but it would make sense if either Jewell or Johnson emerged on the team’s extension radar.
Johnson’s late NFL start may well work against him regarding earning potential, but a solid 2021 season would put him in line for at least a decent medium-length deal — be it via a Broncos extension or as an unrestricted free agent next year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/20/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: TE Jack Batho
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Treyvon Hester
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: TE Logan Markway
Denver Broncos
- Waived: QB Case Cookus
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Timon Parris
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Adrian Colbert, LS Wes Farnsworth