Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Desean Smith
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Darnell Leslie, TE T.J. McFarland
- Waived: C Michael Coe, LB Jeremiah George, T Levon Myers
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Mitchell Paige
- Waived: LB Carlos Fields
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed off waivers: C Austin Blythe (Link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com), DB Dominique Hatfield
- Waived: LB Folarin Orimolade
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DL B.J. Dubose
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Matt Galambos, QB Bart Houston (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Waived: CB Devonte Johnson, TE Ryan Malleck
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Nico Marley (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Redskins Cut CB Tharold Simon
The Redskins announced that they have released cornerback Tharold Simon. In related news, the team signed tight end Manasseh Garner and undrafted free agent cornerback Tevin Homer. The Redskins also waived linebacker Khairi Fortt and tight end Wes Saxton. 
Simon, 26, first made a name for himself as a rookie in 2014 with the Seahawks. In that season, he saw time in ten games and even made five starts. However, he was limited to just one game in 2015 and his 2016 deal with the Cardinals did not work out as planned. Last year, Simon appeared in nine games with Arizona but barely made a dent on the stat sheet with just five tackles.
The Redskins beefed up the secondary through the draft this year by selecting cornerback Fabian Moreau (third round), safety Montae Nicholson (fourth round), safety Josh Harvey-Clemons (seventh round), and safety Joshua Holsey (seventh round).
49ers Tried To Trade Into Mid-First Round For Reuben Foster
We learned several weeks ago that the 49ers were willing to make Alabama LB Reuben Foster the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft if edge rushers Myles Garrett and Solomon Thomas were already off the board. Ultimately, of course, San Francisco grabbed Thomas with the No. 3 overall selection and dealt its No. 34 and No. 111 overall picks to Seattle to move up to No. 31 and select Foster, the third-ranked player on its board.
But as Peter King of The MMQB writes in his piece detailing 49ers GM John Lynch‘s 24 hours up to and during the draft, Lynch and Co. were trying to land Foster long before that. The team did not believe Foster would fall past Baltimore’s selection at No. 16, as the Ravens had an apparent need at middle linebacker and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has a perceived proclivity for selecting Alabama players. The 49ers therefore offered Baltimore a second-, third-, and fourth-round selection to move up to No. 16, and Newsome countered with the second-rounder and both of the 49ers’ third-rounders.
The 49ers declined, but they kept trying. They offered the same package they offered to Baltimore to the Redskins, who held the No. 17 overall selection, but Washington declined as well (for what it’s worth, John Keim of ESPN.com says Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was unaware of the trade proposal, but it’s likely that team president Bruce Allen would have rejected the deal before it reached Gruden anyway). Lynch also called the Giants before they made their No. 23 overall choice, but he was rebuffed by New York GM Jerry Reese. Lynch finally, and unexpectedly, got his man eight picks later.
We now know that Foster could miss the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, so it’s not surprising that he fell as far as he did on draft night (his watered-down urine sample and pre-draft argument with a hospital worker did not help his cause either). And, as our Dallas Robinson pointed out in the post linked above, it’s not a great look for Lynch and the 49ers staff that they were willing to use the third overall pick — or to trade significant draft assets to get back into the middle of the first round — for a player who ultimately fell to the end of Round 1.
However, by getting Foster in the first round, they can keep him under contract for five years, so it will be easier for them to treat 2017 as a medical redshirt season if necessary. Plus, if Foster can stay healthy, he and Thomas could form a fearsome duo in the middle of San Francisco’s defense for years.
Redskins Sign Jonathan Allen
The Redskins have signed first-round pick Jonathan Allen along with eight of their other nine draft picks. The lone holdout, so to speak, is third round cornerback Fabian Moreau. The full list of signed rookies is below: 
- 1-17: Jonathan Allen, DL (Alabama)
- 2-49: Ryan Anderson, LB (Alabama)
- 4-114: Samaje Perine, RB (Oklahoma)
- 4-123: Montae Nicholson, S (Michigan State)
- 5-154: Jeremy Sprinkle, TE (Arkansas)
- 6-199: Chase Roullier, C (Wyoming)
- 6-209: Robert Davis, WR (Georgia State)
- 7-230: Josh Harvey-Clemons, S (Louisville)
- 7-235: Joshua Holsey, S (Auburn)
Allen, an Alabama product, was regarded by many prognosticators as a top five talent in this year’s class. However, on draft night, he slipped all the way to Washington at No. 17. His slide might have been tied to his medical situation as he is said to have symptoms of arthritis in both of his shoulders. Allen says that the shoulders are not an issue now, but he did concede at the combine that the issue could cause trouble down the road. As a senior, Allen had 69 tackles, including 16 tackles for a loss. He also had 10.5 sacks, nearly matching his 12 sack total from 2015.
Sprinkle made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he shoplifted from a Belk department store days before Arkansas played in the Belk Bowl. Despite the embarrassing incident, teams still viewed the tight end as an NFL talent after he had 33 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns in eleven starts for the Razorbacks. We could see Sprinkle in two tight end sets with top TE Jordan Reed this season.
Latest On Ex-Redskins GM Scot McCloughan
Former Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan is working on a severance package with the club, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. McCloughan, who was fired on the first day of the free agent period, had two years left on his contract. Meanwhile, NFL executives believe McCloughan will soon be hired by another team, either in an advisory capacity or another personnel position. Presumably, McCloughan won’t be able to take another job until his severance is finalized.
Even given his ouster in Washington, most around the NFL would agree McCloughan is an excellent talent evaluator. Prior to his stint with the Redskins, McCloughan was the driving force behind the 49ers’ run of success in the early 2010s, and also helped build the Seahawks’ core during his tenure in Seattle.
McCloughan has exhibited openness and honesty about his struggles with alcohol, and reports vary as to whether his alcohol abuse contributed to his exit from Washington. Mike Jones of the Washington Post was told team management would one day use McCloughan’s drinking as an excuse to fire him. Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly told McCloughan “nobody wants you here” earlier this year, just one documented instance of strain in what was apparently a disastrous relationship.
At present, McCloughan is operating his personal scouting service (as he did before landing the Redskins GM job). McCloughan advised teams during the draft, but didn’t divulge Washington’s scouting insights, only his own, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com writes.
ESPN On Redskins' FO Outlook
- There are a few ways the Redskins go could about re-organizing their front office, which John Keim of ESPN.com helpfully summarizes in his latest mailbag. Keim believes the club will really start working on the issue over the next week or so, which will include interviewing potential GM candidates.
Allen: No GM Proposal Submitted To NFL
- The Redskins are continuing to search for a GM to succeed Scot McCloughan, but team president Bruce Allen isn’t expediting this process. “As far as what we are going to do, it hasn’t changed since March. We are going to be in the process of looking to see what we need to add to our personnel department to enhance the people that are here,” Allen said on a Daniel Snyder-owned radio station (via the team’s website), adding the Redskins plan to take their time while conducting this search. “There is some good quality people out there that’s available that we are talking to.” A report emerged earlier this week indicating Washington submitted a proposal to the NFL to restructure its front office without a GM. Allen denied that rumor, saying “there is no submission to the league on a form or anything like that.”
- Redskins exec Doug Williams saw an expanded role during the draft, and Jarrett Bell of USA Today makes a case the former Super Bowl MVP is a logical candidate for Allen to consider. A fourth-year staffer in the Redskins’ front office, Williams has not been interviewed for the job, Bell reports. Allen gave the 61-year-old Williams his first NFL executive job, doing so with the Buccaneers during the 2000s. Even if the Redskins opt to go without a GM, they must interview a minority candidate for the position to comply with the Rooney Rule, per Bell. Williams has served as a senior personnel executive in Washington. The former Redskins quarterback been mentioned as an internal candidate for this job and linked to promotion to another higher-level position with the Redskins. He served as the Bucs’ pro scouting coordinator from 2009-10 and was the Virginia Destroyers’ GM in the now-defunct United Football League following the Tampa Bay stay.
Redskins Sign Eight Undrafted Free Agents
The Redskins have announced the signing of the following eight undrafted college free agents:
- Brandon Banks, DL (Charlotte)
- Tyler Catalina, OL (Georgia)
- Levern Jacobs, WR (Maryland)
- Kyle Kalis, G (Michigan)
- Zach Pascal, WR (Old Dominion)
- Ondre Pipkins, DL (Texas Tech)
- James Quick, WR (Louisville)
- Fish Smithson, S (Kansas)
Redskins Unlikely To Hire General Manager?
The Redskins have submitted a proposal to the NFL to restructure their front office without hiring a formal general manager, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter links).
Team president Bruce Allen would likely remain in charge in a realignment, and probably would have retained final say even if a general manager were hired, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hinted on Wednesday. Allen was essentially running the Redskins even when McCloughan was in town, according to Michael Lombardi of The Ringer (Twitter links), as Allen — despite his title — was effectively Washington’s GM while McCloughan was the team’s head personnel man.
Washington has been operating without a GM since it dismissed Scot McCloughan on the first day of the free agent period. La Canfora reported yesterday that the Redskins’ “most likely course” would be to promote a general manager from within, while Mike Jones of the Washington Post recently identified senior personnel executive Doug Williams as a potential candidate to take over as the club’s top decision-maker.
Restructuring the front office without hiring a general manager clearly wouldn’t lead to a Williams promotion to GM, but it could conceivably involve new titles for Williams and other staffers such as scout Alex Santos and contract negotiator Eric Schaffer, as La Canfora suggested yesterday.
Eagles Claim LB Off Waivers From Redskins
The Eagles have claimed linebacker Steven Daniels off waivers from the Redskins, the team announced. Daniels was let go by Washington on Tuesday along with three other players. 
[RELATED: Eagles Among Top Fits For LeGarrette Blount]
In his final year at Boston College, Daniels tallied 82 total tackles, including 16.0 tackles for a loss and 6.0 sacks. The Redskins went on to use a seventh-round pick of him in 2016, but he never saw live action thanks to a torn labrum.
The Eagles did not select a linebacker in the draft this year (provided that you count first-round pick Derek Barnett as a defensive end), so it seems that Daniels has some shot of making the final cut.