Redskins Hire New Biz Ops Director
While the NFL world this week learned Cardinals second-round rookie Christian Kirk was arrested for disorderly conduct and property damage in February, prosecutors may not have a strong case against the former Texas A&M wideout. The main witness cited by police was lying on a bench and not watching while a van window was allegedly broken by Kirk and his friends, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That same witness claims he saw Kirk and a friend throwing rocks at other cars, but no damage was reported on any other vehicle. The case against Kirk is still pending, but Arizona knew about the arrest before making him the 47th overall pick in the draft. It’s unlikely Kirk ever faces any legal ramifications from the incident, while the league has avoided suspending players involved in pre-NFL off-field trouble.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tyrann Mathieu was famously versatile during five seasons with the Cardinals, but the Texans — Mathieu’s new football home — have a more fixed set of objectives for the Honey Badger, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “We talked about that when we were speaking to him during the process,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. “We told him that we really do value – as you know – we value versatility, but we also understand that a guy needs to have basically one home. He needs to understand and master that one home, which is safety for Tyrann. Then, in different packages that are played less of the time, maybe he does something else.” Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston earlier this year, and that figure has surprisingly stood as the highest annual value for any non-franchised free agent safety contract this offseason.
- Free agent quarterback Cody Keith is working out for the Colts on Wednesday, and previously auditioned for the Chargers and Rams, per Rapoport (Twitter link). A former four-star recruit, Keith was limited by injuries during his collegiate career at East Carolina, and was only attempted just 11 passes before moving to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Since that time, Keith has spent time in the Canadian Football League and in the Spring League, working on Johnny Manziel‘s team in the latter venture.
- The Redskins announced that they’ve hired Brian Lafemina as their new president of business operations and chief operating officer. While the hiring doesn’t involve football operations on its face, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculates that Lafemina’s addition could be a precursor the Washington parting ways with much-maligned team president Bruce Allen. However, the Redskins’ press release states Allen will continue in his current role, while John Keim of ESPN.com hears Twitter link) Lafemina will focus mainly on stadium development.
- Speaking of business operations, new Panthers owner David Tepper may look to hire former Browns president and CFO Mike Keenan, tweets Rapoport. Keenan, who was team president in Cleveland from 2008-10, has recently worked in consulting, per Rapoport, and working with clubs in multiple sports. While Tepper may make changes on the business end once he takes over in Carolina, he’s not expected to revamp the Panthers’ football staff.
Redskins G Suffers Torn Quadriceps
One of the candidates to work as the Redskins‘ starting left guard may not be able to factor into that competition. Arie Kouandjio is believed to have suffered a torn quadriceps muscle, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports. Kouandjio’s season is now in jeopardy, per Finlay, who notes this injury could sideline him for the rest of 2018. Despite not making the Redskins’ 53-man roster out of camp, Kouandjio started the final six games for Washington at guard after the Redskins signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad. The 2015 Washington fourth-round pick made two starts in 2016 as well. Washington re-signed Shawn Lauvao, and Finlay notes it’s uncertain if Kouandjio suffered this significant malady before or after that agreement occurred. The 30-year-old Lauvao’s been the Redskins’ primary left guard since the 2014 season. The team also drafted Louisville tackle Geron Christian and still has Ty Nsekhe in the backup mix.
Here’s the latest from the East divisions:
- Cowboys third-year starter Maliek Collins underwent foot surgery on Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. He broke a bone in his foot last week. Dallas’ goal is for its first-unit defensive tackle to be ready by the end of training camp and hopefully be in line to play in Week 1, per Archer. Collins underwent a similar foot operation in January and underwent a foot procedure in the 2016 offseason as well.
- Lorenzo Mauldin missed all of the 2017 season because of a back injury, and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes there’s an increasing feeling at Jets headquarters the outside linebacker will be a training camp cut. The 2015 third-round pick has made four starts since entering the league. That said, the Jets are thin at edge rusher post-draft. They re-signed David Bass this offseason and added other possible depth pieces in Kevin Pierre-Louis and Brandon Copeland.
- Sean McVay‘s departure appears to have helped influence the Redskins to protect another young decision-maker. The franchise recently jettisoned longtime scout Scott Campbell, and Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington notes that 34-year-old exec Kyle Smith ran this year’s draft after Campbell held that responsibility in 2017. The Redskins are envisioning Smith playing a big role for the franchise in the coming years, per Tandler. Smith is the son of former Chargers GM A.J. Smith.
- The Patriots will bring in martial arts expert Joe Kim to help as a pass-rushing consultant, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Kim’s consulted with 10 teams in the past, most recently with the 2016 Browns, but his first NFL job was with Bill Belichick when he was the original Browns’ head coach in 1992.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/18
Today’s minor moves (so far):
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Siupeli Anau, WR C.J. Duncan, LB Airius Moore, OL Greg Pyke
- Waived: CB Elijah Battle, LB Mike Needham, OL Austin Olsen, WR Jonah Trinnaman
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Da’Sean Downey
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: FB Zach Olstad
- Waived/Injured: RB Aaron Green
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Bug Howard, C Kyle Friend, T/G Quinterrius Eatmon, DE Karter Schult
- Waived/Injured: CB Zack Sanchez
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Matt Fleming, DB John Franklin, DB Tyrin Holloway, OL Jeremi Hall, OL Matt McCants
- Waived: OL Travis Averill, OL Cameron Lee, LB Howard Jones, LB Nyles Morgan
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Chris Okoye, C Brand Lundblade, S Tyrice Beverette
- Waived: LB Oni Omoile, TE Scott Orndoff, CB Robenson Therezie
Cleveland Browns
- Signed DB Tigie Sankoh, QB Brogan Roback
Denver Broncos
- Waived: NT Lowell Lotulelei (Lotulelei is retiring, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, on Twitter)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Deontez Alexander, TE Marcus Lucas, CB Josh Okonye
- Waived: WR Kyle Lewis
- Waived/Injured: TE Brandon Barnes
Houston Texans
- Placed on Reserve-Retired list: K.J. Malone
- Signed: T Kendell Calhoun, DE Nick Thurman
- Waived: WR Montay Crockett
- Waived/failure to disclose physical condition designation: DE Jalen Wilkerson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OT Jared Machorro
- Waived: C Anthony Fabiano
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Zach Conque, LB Manase Hungalu, OL Brandon Smith
- Waived: OL Avery Gennesy
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB Luis Perez
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corey Bojorquez
- Waived/NFI: WR Darren Andrews
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OT Michael Ola
- Waived: LB Adam Bighill, OL Daronte Bouldin, S Rickey Jefferson, Bradley Sylve
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Dallin Leavitt, LS Drew Scott
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR/KR Tim Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: G/T R.J. Prince
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Clayton Wilson
Washington Redskins
- Signed: C Casey Dunn, LB Vontae Diggs, WR Darvin Kidsy
- Waived: WR Mikah Holder, C Sean Welsh
Redskins’ DeAngelo Hall Retires From NFL
DeAngelo Hall is calling it a career. The Redskins defensive back says he’s “done” playing football (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com). Hall has yet to make it official, but the 34-year-old is considering offers to join a front office or work in television. 
The Falcons brought Hall into the league as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2004 draft and he went on to earn two Pro Bowl nods in Atlanta. Prior to the 2008 season, he was shipped to the Raiders and signed a seven-year deal worth up to $70MM with the club. That deal was terminated after just eight games, leading him to the Redskins.
Over the last ten seasons, Hall has appeared in 106 regular season games for the Redskins with 97 starts. In recent years, however, he has been limited by injuries. Hall has played in just eight games over the last two seasons and hasn’t turned in a full season since 2013, so this is probably the right time for him to hang ’em up.
Hall leaves the game with three Pro Bowl selections (2005, 2006, 2010) as well as a place in the record books. In 2010, Hall picked off Bears quarterback Jay Cutler four times, including a 92-yard pick six, which ties him for the single game record along with 13 other players in league history. Only two players – Hall and Deltha O’Neal – have hit that watermark since 2001.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/2018
Here are today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Waived: DL Matthew Godin
New York Giants
- Waived: OT Laurence Gibson
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: P Colby Wadman
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: QB Stephen Morris
Washington Redskins
- Retired: OL Sean Welsh
Redskins Sign 6 Draft Choices
Shortly after the Redskins’ agreement with first-round defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne was announced, Washington came to terms with six more of its 2018 draft picks, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Here’s the full rundown:
- 2-59: Derrius Guice, RB (LSU)
- 4-109: Troy Apke, S (Penn State)
- 5-163: Tim Settle, DT (Virginia Tech)
- 6-197: Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB (Alabama)
- 7-241: Greg Stroman, CB (Virginia Tech)
- 7-256: Trey Quinn, WR (SMU)
Only one of the Redskins’ draft picks remains unsigned — third-round offensive lineman Geron Christian — and that’s not exactly surprising given this CBA’s interesting lack of clarity regarding third-round contracts. But Washington has the rest of its group in tow as the team moves further into its OTAs.
Guice is the most notable of this sextet, falling extensively during draft weekend and having reported issues before the draft. The LSU product plummeted to Washington near the end of the second round, and he’s in position to compete for the team’s starting job. He joins Samaje Perine and Rob Kelley as Washington’s primary backs set to complement passing-down specialist Chris Thompson.
Settle figures to compete for depth on a defensive front that may well have Payne included among its starters this season. And Hamilton joins Payne and 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Allen as former Crimson Tide cogs to be part of the Redskins’ front seven.
Redskins Sign Da’Ron Payne
The Redskins have signed first-round pick Da’Ron Payne, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive tackle has become the first Round 1 pick from the 2018 NFL Draft to ink his rookie deal. 
[RELATED: 2018 NFL Draft Results By Team]
Payne, an Alabama product, vaulted up the draft boards this year thanks to his run-stuffing ability. The Redskins pounced on him at No. 13 overall with the belief that he can also develop into a strong defender on passing downs.
“I think [fellow Alabama alum] A’Shawn Robinson was more talented than Da’Ron and I know Robinson had better (tackle-for-loss) and sack production than him, but Payne plays harder and I think he’ll be the better NFL player,” one NFC executive told NFL.com prior to the draft. “He’s thick and strong, but he’s also a really good athlete and I see his best football in front of him.”
Last year, Payne had 53 total tackles, a sack, and an interception as Alabama captured yet another National Championship.
Payne projects to be the Redskins’ starting nose tackle this year with defensive ends Matthew Ioannidis and Jonathan Allen on either side of him. Between Payne, Allen, and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, the Redskins’ starting front seven boasts three former first-round picks.
NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Prescott, ‘Skins
The Cowboys are already planning to back up a Brinks truck for quarterback Dak Prescott when the times comes, as Charean Williams of PFT writes.
“Yeah, you know at that position, it kind of is what it is,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “You kind of, when the time comes, [expect to pay him]. I know Dak is going to have a good year this year. I hope it’s up there. It’s going to be as he deserves. He was a fourth-round pick. No one deserves to get paid fairly more than he does. We all see what some of the other guys are who aren’t Aaron Rodgers, who aren’t Matt Ryan [are getting paid]. He’s going to do well. We certainly know that’s going to happen. We’ve got that planned in our budgeting for the salary cap. I just want Dak to go out and be MVP this year of the NFL. That’s what I want. Then, we’ll deal with that.”
For now, Prescott is under contract through the 2019 season with below market cap numbers of $726K and $815K in the next two years. Per NFL rules, Prescott cannot renegotiate his deal until after the 2018 season is through.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- The Cowboys are on the lookout for safety help, Williams writes. For now, Xavier Woods is penciled in as the starter at free safety following Byron Jones‘ shift to cornerback. “Absolutely. I mean, we don’t ever quit looking in terms of player acquisition,” Jones said. “One of the things that is unique is, when you have players with versatility, it probably makes you feel a little better…We feel like, overall, we’re very comfortable and confident where we are. But there’s still a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season.”
- The Redskins let go of longtime scout Scott Campbell who spent 17 years with the club and was the director of college scouting through the 2017 draft, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. The team says that they simply did not offer Campbell a new contract after the expiration of his old deal, but that’s really a matter of semantics.
- Earlier today, we rounded up other news on the Cowboys, including items on Randy Gregory‘s reinstatement and the team’s post-Jason Witten plans.
OL Orlando Franklin To Retire
A day after the Redskins released him, Orlando Franklin is ready to call it a career.
The former second-round pick and six-year NFL starter will not attempt to play an eighth NFL season. Franklin, 30, posted on Instagram that he will retire to spend time with his wife and son in Denver.
Franklin’s best seasons came with the Broncos, who selected him in the second round in 2011. He served as Denver’s starting right tackle for three seasons before the team relocated him to left guard prior to the 2014 season. That move helped Franklin, who enjoyed a solid contract campaign and signed a five-year, $36.5MM deal with the Chargers that came with $20MM guaranteed.
While Franklin could not replicate the success he had in Denver with San Diego, he started for two seasons with the Bolts. Injuries limited him to 10 games with the Chargers in 2015, but he returned to man their left guard spot for 16 contests in ’16. The Chargers released him last year, which led to short stays with the Saints and Redskins. Franklin played in one game with Washington last season.
Overall, the former Miami Hurricane started 89 of the 90 regular-season games in which he played. He also started for the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Redskins Re-Sign G Shawn Lauvao
The Redskins have agreed to re-sign guard Shawn Lauvao, according to his agency (via Twitter). Lauvao has been hampered by injuries in recent years, but he could serve as Washington’s starting left guard once again in 2018. 
Lauvao has missed 22 games over the last three seasons, including seven missed games in 2017. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him as one of the ten worst guards in the NFL out of 77 qualified players. Those advanced metrics haven’t rated him well since his first year with Washington in 2014, but the Redskins clearly like what he offers.
The Redskins also have Arie Kouandjio, Kyle Kalis, Tyler Catalina, and guard/center Tony Bergstrom as options to play across from starting right guard Brandon Scherff. They did not use any of their eight picks this year to draft a guard, though they did select Louisville tackle Geron Christian in the third round.