Redskins Cut Michael Cooper
- The Redskins parted ways with tight end Michael Cooper, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Cooper made 19 career catches with the Hoosiers from 2012-15.
Execs Still Puzzled By Panthers Dropping Norman
Executives around the NFL are still perplexed by the Panthers‘ sudden decision to part ways with Josh Norman this offseason, Mark Maske of The Washington Post writes.
“I can’t figure that one out,” a front office member of another NFL team said recently. “There has to be something else to that story. I don’t think you let a player of that caliber walk away for nothing in return for the reasons they’ve given.”
Norman, 28, enjoyed a career-year in 2015 as he was named to the All Pro first team and selected for his first Pro Bowl. In April, the Panthers pulled the franchise tag from Norman, saving themselves $13.952MM in cap room.
Here’s more from the NFC South:
- David Newton of ESPN.com says that fans shouldn’t be blindsided if the Panthers give Michael Oher a deserved contract extension. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed Oher as the 30th best tackle in the NFL last season. That’s a far cry from 2014, when PFF rated him as one of the worst tackles in the NFL. The 30-year-old, coming off a surprisingly successful first season in Carolina, has a $4.5MM 2016 cap charge in the second year of a two-year deal, and could be a candidate for a new deal. In February, Oher made a change in representation, hiring the outspoken Drew Rosenhaus.
- The Falcons overhauled their linebacker group this offseason through the use of two high draft picks, signing three free agents, and moving 2015 first-round choice Vic Beasley to linebacker. Now, the Falcons are experimenting with when and how to use their new-look linebacker core, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
- The Saints want to sign quarterback Drew Brees to a new contract, but it’s not going to be cheap. According to two league sources, Brees’ new deal could see in excess of $65MM in guarantees on a four-year contract worth between $95MM and $100MM in total.
- Before settling in on a five-year, $37MM contract with the Eagles, the Buccaneers reportedly reached out to safety Rodney McLeod with a similar offer.
Josh Doctson Suffers Minor Injury
- Redskins rookie wideout Josh Doctson injured his foot during Tuesday’s OTA and was held out of drills on Wednesday, but X-rays came back negative and Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com said the injury is no cause for concern, adding that the ailment is something that wasn’t even reported had it happened later in the year. Doctson, Washington’s first-round pick, is expected to serve as the club’s third receiver at minimum, and could earn even more playing time if either DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garcon is released.
DeAngelo Hall Primed To Win Safety Job
- DeAngelo Hall looks prepared to claim one of the Redskins‘ starting safety positions, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. The 32-year-old Hall made the switch last season, but this represents his first full offseason working as a safety. He rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 57 safety last season. David Bruton leads the competition for Washington’s strong safety spot.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Steelers have signed fourth-round offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins, as Teresa Varley of Steelers.com writes. Hawkins offers experience at both left and right tackle but he’s expected to play on the left side for Pittsburgh. “He can come in here and help right away by competing and pushing the guys and making them better,” said offensive line coach Mike Munchak. “It just makes the group better when you can bring in a good athlete and a good player that has the ability to compete and help us become better. “We feel this guy can come in and learn from the guys we have, push the guys that we have and now it’s just a matter of how quickly we feel he can contribute.”
- The Cardinals signed wide receiver Marquis Bundy, safety Tyrequek Zimmerman, and guard Jake Bernstein to return to the 90-man roster limit, Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com tweets.
- The Chargers have agreed to sign guard/tackle Brett Boyko, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- To make room, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Zeth Ramsay, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. The Bolts now have 17 offensive linemen on their 90-man roster.
- The Lions announced that they have signed UDFA kicker Devon Bell and waived punter Kyle Christy. Bell, a Mississippi State product, played in all 13 games last year and averaged 62.1 yards per kickoff, while also punting nine times for 370 yards (41.1 avg).
- The Jaguars have signed guard Patrick Omameh and released offensive lineman Patrick Miller, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. Omameh has played in 30 games over the course of his NFL career.
- The Redskins signed UDFA wide receiver Jarvis Turner, Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post tweets.
- The Seahawks signed fullback Kyle Coleman, as Wilson tweets. A rookie with tight end experience who played at Arkansas State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Coleman will possibly audition at multiple spots in Seattle, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- The Jets announced that they’ve signed guard Mike Liedtke, while adding that they’ve cleared a roster spot by waiving tackle Luke Marquardt.
Redskins Sign Third-Round Pick Kendall Fuller
The Redskins have signed third-round cornerbackKendall Fuller, as Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post tweets. With Fuller signed, the Redskins have now inked every member of their 2016 draft class. 
Heading into the draft, some teams had concerns over Fuller’s injured knee, but a medical re-check in April yielded positive results. Fuller, the fourth member of his family to play at Virginia Tech, went pro in lieu of playing out his senior season. If Fuller did not have injury concerns attached to him, it’s conceivable that he could have gone somewhere in the second-round.
Here’s the full rundown of the Redskins’ 2016 draft class:
Washington Redskins
- 1-22: Josh Doctson, WR (TCU) (full story)
- 2-53: Su’a Cravens, LB (USC)
- 3-84: Kendall Fuller, CB (Virginia Tech)
- 5-152: Matt Ioannidis, DL (Temple)
- 6-187: Nate Sudfeld, QB (Indiana)
- 7-232: Steven Daniels, LB (Boston College)
- 7-242: Keith Marshall, RB (Georgia)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Stephen Bowen Announces Retirement
Defensive end Stephen Bowen has decided to call it a career, according to a press release from the Redskins. Bowen, who spent ten years in the NFL, played for the Jets in 2015 but he is better known for his time in D.C. and Dallas. 
[RELATED: Ryan Fitzpatrick Content To Wait Out Jets]
For his career, Bowen appeared in 128 career regular season games with 57 starts, accruing 175 career tackles, 12.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He spent four seasons with the Redskins from 2011-14 and served as a team captain on the Redskins’ 2012 NFC East championship squad. Bowen will perhaps be best remembered for 2011, his first season with Washington. In that campaign, Bowen started all 16 games and recorded 6.0 sacks, roughly half of his career total.
Bowen first entered the NFL in 2006 as a UDFA when he signed with the Cowboys. He appeared in 63 regular season games plus three postseason contests for Dallas, but he did not truly shine until his first season in the nation’s capital. Last year, the New York native and Hofstra product returned home with the Jets and saw time in 15 games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
DeAngelo Hall Settling In At Safety
- Redskins veteran DeAngelo Hall is getting more comfortable at safety, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. The 32-year-old was asked to switch to safety when he returned from injury in Week 10 after Chris Culliver and Bashaud Breeland solidified themselves at cornerback. This year, Hall is hoping to excel in his transition to safety like Charles Woodson, Rod Woodson, and Ronde Barber did before him.
Redskins Could Add Running Back
The Redskins envision that second-year player Matt Jones will be their starting running back, as head coach Jay Gruden said in March. But that doesn’t mean the club won’t consider making an addition to their backfield, John Keim of ESPN.com details. Washington won’t be in the market for Arian Foster at this time, per Keim, but the team is still interested in fellow veteran Pierre Thomas, who played in four games for the Redskins in 2015.
As I noted when ranking Foster as the No. 3 available offensive free agent, the 29-year-old back is still capable of putting up results when he is on the field. He accumulated 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. But Foster was limited to 25 regular-season games from 2013 to 2015, and injuries, his age, and his increasing cap number resulted in the Houston releasing him this spring.
Foster has garnered some interest since being cut by the Texans, as he met with the Dolphins in the early stages of free agency — Miami is reportedly still “monitoring” Foster, perhaps waiting for him to prove his health before issuing a contract offer. For what it’s worth, Foster recently said he could need until July or so to get back to his old form. The Patriots also have some modicum of “preliminary interest” in the free agent back.
Thomas, meanwhile, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs since the free agent period opened (aside from the Redskins, of course). After signing on with Washington in December, Thomas rushed for 4.7 yards per carry on 11 totes, adding nine receptions for another 84 yards. Those limited numbers obviously don’t speak to Thomas’ true ability, especially in the passing game — in eight years with the Saints, Thomas averaged 49 receptions per season. The 31-year-old, then, could make sense as a third-down option behind Jones.
As the more high-profile back, Foster is likely to cost more than Thomas, but doesn’t mean Thomas is going to settle for a minimum deal. According to Keim, Thomas waited to sign last offseason while waiting for a good fit, and clubs apparently deemed his asking price too high — Thomas might be willing to wait out the league again while searching for the right opportunity.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cousins: Doctson A Potential Red Zone Weapon
- Kirk Cousins watched various highlights of Josh Doctson‘s work at TCU and envisions the Redskins having another key red zone option to go with Jordan Reed. “He is a special player,” Cousins said during Washington’s OTAs, per Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “Looks like he can make the contested catch. It’s very natural for him to go up and catch that type of pass. He can run well. He has got great size. I almost thought he was a tight end when he showed up because if his size.” At 6-foot-2, the former Wyoming and TCU target differs from Cousins’ other top receivers, with Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder standing at 6-foot or shorter.