Bears Sign LB Austin Calitro
Austin Calitro is heading to Chicago. The free agent linebacker is signing with the Bears, the organization announced this evening (via the team’s Twitter).
Calitro bounced around the NFL a bit to begin his career; the 2017 undrafted free agent out of Villanova spent his rookie campaign with four different teams (Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Browns). Seattle gave the linebacker another chance in 2018, and Calitro established himself as a legitimate NFL linebacker. He appeared in all 16 games during that 2018 season (with five starts), compiling 45 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss.
He got into 13 games with the Jaguars in 2019, finishing with 40 tackles and one sack. He caught on with Denver for the 2020 season, and while he appeared in 13 total games, he finished with only three tackles while playing exclusively on special teams.
The Bears will likely turn to Calitro on special teams, but the 27-year-old also has an opportunity to play on defense. Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, and backup Christian Jones seem set atop the depth chart, but Calitro will compete with the likes of Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods, and Caleb Johnson for backup reps.
To make room on the roster, the Bears waived wideout Reggie Davis (via the team’s website). The Georgia product spent most of the 2020 campaign on Chicago’s practice squad.
Patriots Re-Sign QB Brian Hoyer
The Patriots are re-signing a familiar face. New England is signing veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Jim McBride of the Boston Globe was first with the news (on Twitter).
Hoyer has had three stints with the Patriots throughout his 12-year career, earning a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady‘s backup in 2018. Following a one-year stint with the Colts in 2019, Hoyer re-joined the Patriots last offseason following Brady’s defection to Tampa Bay. Hoyer ended up starting a single game for New England, completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 130 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a fumble. The veteran didn’t end up seeing the field again following that Week 4 loss to the Chiefs.
This offseason, Hoyer was briefly mentioned as a potential option for the Jets as a backup, but he’ll instead be heading back to New England. The team’s depth chart looks a bit different in 2021. The team used the 15th-overall pick on Mac Jones, and the rookie is expected to compete with 2020 starter Cam Newton for the starting gig. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, Newton could serve as Jones’ competition while Hoyer could serve an important role as Jones’ mentor.
This signing is probably bad news for Jarrett Stidham. Following Brady’s decision to join Tampa Bay last offseason, there were some whispers that the 2019 fourth-round pick could end up inheriting the starting job. Instead, Stidham started a whopping zero games, although he did complete 50-percent of his passes for 256 yards, two scores, and three interceptions in limited snaps.
Chiefs Release WR Tajae Sharpe
After re-signing with the Chiefs earlier this offseason, Tajae Sharpe has been let go. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Kansas City has released the wide receiver.
Things have gone a bit downhill for Sharpe since his rookie season in 2016. That year, the Titans fifth-round pick finished with 41 receptions for 522 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the four years since, the receiver has been limited to only 51 receptions for 645 yards and six touchdowns.
Sharpe didn’t re-sign with Tennessee after the 2019 season, and he subsequently caught on with the Vikings. Sharpe ended up getting into four games with Minnesota, appearing on only 28 offensive snaps and catching zero passes on three targets. He was waived in December and later landed on the Chiefs practice squad, and he re-signed with the organization back in April.
Sharpe was already going to have a tough time breaking the Kansas City roster, as the team seems set atop their depth chart with Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, and Byron Pringle. The team also used a fifth-round pick on Cornell Powell, meaning Sharpe was pretty much competing for a spot as a sixth receiver. Now, Sharpe will be looking for his third team in the matter of 12(ish) months. The receiver is still only 26-years-old, so there’s a good chance a wideout-needy team takes a chance on him.
Saints Re-Sign CB Ken Crawley
The Saints are bringing back a familiar face for 2021. New Orleans has re-signed cornerback Ken Crawley, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s presumably a cheap one-year deal.
Crawley entered the league as an UDFA with the Saints back in 2016, and became a real contributor in New Orleans. He started five games as a rookie, 13 the following year, and then five again in 2018. He had 17 passes defended in 2017 but his play was often inconsistent, and Crawley was cut midway through the 2019 campaign.
He was claimed by the Dolphins and ended up starting a couple of games for them. The Colorado product signed with the Raiders last offseason, and was cut over the summer. He latched on with the Cardinals, but was then let go by them too at final cuts.
All that led him back to New Orleans, when he signed with their practice squad midway through the year. He was elevated for a handful of games, but played sparingly. The 28-year-old obviously has an extensive history with Sean Payton now, but won’t be guaranteed a roster spot.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/21
The Bengals were busy on Monday, inking all seven of their Day 3 picks to their rookie deals. We’ll keep track of all of today’s draft pick signings below:
Cincinnati Bengals
- DE Cameron Sample (fourth-round; Tulane), OT D’Ante Smith (fourth-round; East Carolina), DT Tyler Shelvin (fourth-round; LSU), K Evan McPherson (fifth-round; Florida), C Trey Hill (sixth-round; Georgia), RB Chris Evans (sixth-round; Michigan), DE Wyatt Hubert (seventh-round; Kansas State)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jalen Camp (sixth-round; Georgia Tech)
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Tyree Gillespie (fourth-round; Missouri), CB Nate Hobbs (fifth-round; Illinois), C Jimmy Morrissey (seventh-round; Pittsburgh)
Jaguars Cut Ryquell Armstead
Ryquell Armstead will have to bounce back from his tough 2020 with a different team. The Jaguars announced they waived the running back on Monday.
A fifth-round pick out of Temple in 2019, Armstead garnered headlines last season as one of the pro athletes to be most effected by COVID-19. The young rusher spent the entire 2020 campaign on the COVID list. It was a scary situation, as Armstead reportedly dealt with serious respiratory issues and had to be hospitalized twice.
Fortunately most NFL players who tested positive were able to return to play relatively quickly, but Armstead wasn’t as lucky. Now with the Jags drafting Travis Etitenne in the first-round and the presence of breakout 2020 rookie James Robinson, the running backs room had gotten a bit crowded.
Armstead was able to make a real impact as a rookie in 2019, and got a start in Week 17. Overall he finished his only pro season to date carrying the ball 35 times for 108 yards and adding another 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Here’s to hoping he’s made a full recovery and is able to sign with somebody for 2021.
Patriots To Sign Alex Redmond, James Ferentz
The Patriots are set to sign guard Alex Redmond (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In addition, the Pats have also re-signed center James Ferentz, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. 
Redmond worked out for the Patriots last week, alongside fellow ex-Bengal Dre Kirkpatrick. The cornerback remains a free agent, but Redmond is now in the fold to provide depth on the offensive line. Redmond, 26, first joined Cincy as a UDFA in 2016. In 2018, he found his way to the starting lineup and was first-string for 15 games. Over the last two seasons, he’s made nine starts. Barring an injury, he’ll likely act as a reserve in New England behind Shaq Mason and Michael Onwenu.
Ferentz is the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, a friend of Bill Belichick‘s. Still, the younger Ferentz has earned his playing time, seeing 24 games over the last three years. Previous to that, Ferentz spent time with the Texans and Broncos.
49ers To Sign Marqise Lee
The 49ers are set to sign former Jags and Pats receiver Marqise Lee (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Barring any snags, the deal should become official before the end of the business day. 
Lee joined the 49ers’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis over the weekend and quickly earned a contract. It’s a California homecoming for the Long Beach native who made his national mark at USC. His standout career with the Trojans led to him being selected No. 39 overall by the Jaguars in 2014, but he struggled to live up to his draft stock early on.
The wideout compiled only 660 yards from scrimmage and two scores through his first two seasons in the NFL. Then, he managed to carve out a larger role in the offense in 2016 and 2017. During those two years, Lee averaged 59.5 receptions and 776 receiving yards with only three touchdowns per year. Lee went on to land a four-year, $38MM extension from Jacksonville, but he was cut last year after missing most of 2019 with a knee injury.
Lee, 30 in November, caught with the Patriots, but opted out of the 2020 season. New England gave the receiver his walking papers back in March. Now, he’s got a chance to stick behind Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Mohamed Sanu.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed CB Tae Hayes
- Released S Chris Miller, WR Darece Roberson
Atlanta Falcons
- Cut: OLB Eli Howard
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OLB Pita Taumoepenu, OT Cody Conway
- Cut: OT Ryan Pope, LB David Curry
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Alex Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Daurice Fountain, DB Manny Patterson
- Waived: DB Jaylon McClain-Sapp
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers from Saints: CB Trill Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed CB Parry Nickerson, OT Evin Ksiezarczyk
San Francisco 49ers
- Cut: WR Austin Proehl
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Kalija Lipscomb
- Released: LB Davin Bellamy (non-football injury), WR Rashard Davis
Eagles Sign Ryan Kerrigan
Ryan Kerrigan is staying in the NFC East. On Monday morning, Kerrigan bid farewell to the Washington Football Team. And, minutes later, we learned that he’s agreed to join up with the Eagles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Eagles have since confirmed the signing as a one-year deal. 
“I’ll never be able to sum up what these past ten years have meant to me in an Instagram post, but what I can say is that they have been some of the best of my life,” Kerrigan wrote (Instagram link). “I hope you had as much fun watching me as I did playing for you. Thank you, Washington, for everything.”
Up until now, the former first-round pick had spent his entire career in D.C. Along the way, he collected four Pro Bowl nominations and 95.5 sacks to top Dexter Manley for the franchise record. Kerrigan started every game for his first nine seasons with the club. But, last year, he was mostly relegated to a reserve role and notched just 5.5 sacks for Ron Rivera. As a result, it was widely expected that he would move on.
Now, the 32-year-old (33 in August) will suit up for his longtime rival. The Steelers and Bengals (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) also showed interest, but he felt that the Eagles would be his best fit. Currently, he profiles as the Birds’ No. 4 DE, likely behind Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and Josh Sweat.
With Kerrigan off the board, other edge-needy teams can still consider the likes of Melvin Ingram, Justin Houston, Everson Griffen, Olivier Vernon, Ezekiel Ansah, Dion Jordan, and Adrian Clayborn.