HEADLINES

2014 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Chargers Sign Jason Verrett

May 29th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers announced that they have signed first-round cornerback Jason Verrett, according to Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune. With the signing, the Chargers now have their entire draft class under contract.

The Chargers drafted the former TCU standout with No. 25 overall pick. The 5-10, 189-pound athlete recorded 160 tackles, 41 passes defensed, and nine interceptions during his time in Fort Worth. In 2013, Verrett posted 39 tackles, 14 passes defensed, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack, and one forced fumble. Verrett earned a second-team All-American selection, was a first-team All-Big 12 pick, was named the co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the nation.

In an interview with Ricky Henne of Chargers.com (video link) last week, Verrett said he was hoping all along that the Bolts would draft him.

Bills Sign Cyrus Kouandjio

May 29th, 2014 at 4:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they have signed second-round pick Cyrus Kouandjio, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPNBoston.com. Buffalo has now successfully signed all of their draft picks, as shown in PFR’s running list.

Kouandjio, a former DeMatha Catholic star who continued his dominance at the University of Alabama, was a candidate to go in the first round. While he didn’t hear his name called on Day 1, the Bills scooped him up early on in the Day 2 proceedings, tabbing him with the No. 44 pick. Earlier this week, coach Doug Marrone made it clear that he thinks Kouandjio is ready to make the transition to the NFL.

“When you feel someone’s ready to go from the standpoint of knowledge where they’re not going to get anyone hurt, throw them in there,” said Marrone, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. “I’ve had a lot of success by taking young guys and once they know what they’re doing, throw them in there with the first group and see what they can do. I think you’ll see a lot of that as we look forward in camp.”

The Bills weren’t the only club with an eye on the 311 pound bruiser. The Redskins reportedly would have taken him in the first round if they had a pick there and considered him at No. 34 before trading that selection to Dallas.

Panthers Sign Second-Rounder Kony Ealy

May 29th, 2014 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have locked up second-round defensive end Kony Ealy, according to the team, confirming today in a press release that Ealy has signed his four-year rookie contract. The former Missouri pass rusher is the fourth of six Carolina draftees to ink his deal, with only first-round wideout Kelvin Benjamin and third-round guard Trai Turner still unsigned.

“We had a first-round value on Kony Ealy. He’s got a lot of potential,” general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. “You cannot have too many pass rushers. You can’t. It’s impossible.”

The 60th overall pick, Ealy should be in line for a signing bonus worth just under $900K, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Overall, Ealy’s contract will have a base value of approximately $3.547MM.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Packers Agree To Terms

May 29th, 2014 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have reached an agreement with first-round safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on his rookie contract, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The 21st overall pick in the 2014 draft, Clinton-Dix becomes the 12th first-rounder to either sign or agree to terms with his new NFL club.

Clinton-Dix, 21, was the second safety to come off the board in this month’s draft, after Louisville’s Calvin Pryor. An Alabama product, Clinton-Dix racked up 88 tackles and seven interceptions in his final two years at Alabama before deciding to forgo his senior year and enter the 2014 draft.

By locking up Clinton-Dix, the Packers have now secured seven of their nine draftees, with just second-round receiver Davante Adams and third-round tight end Richard Rodgers still unsigned. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Clinton-Dix is in line for a signing bonus of about $4.384MM, while his overall four-year total will be approximately $8.338MM. The deal will also include a fifth-year team option for 2018.

Draft Signings: Redskins, Browns, Steelers

May 29th, 2014 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

By our count, 182 of this year’s draftees have signed their rookie contracts or at least agreed to terms with their new NFL teams coming into today, leaving just 74 players still to sign. A handful of those remaining 74 have formalized their agreements already today, so let’s round up the latest news….

  • The Redskins have locked up the last of their eight draftees, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed third-round tackle Morgan Moses to his four-year rookie contract. Moses was considered a potential first-round pick heading into the draft, so Washington did well to land him early in the third — the former Virginia lineman will receive a signing bonus worth about $698K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
  • No Browns draftees have put pen to paper yet, but Cleveland has at least reached an agreement with one of its picks now, confirming today (via Twitter) that Pierre Desir has agreed to terms. A fourth-round cornerback, Desir was the last player selected by the Browns in the draft, so it appears the club will work its way backwards through its signings.
  • Fifth-round cornerback Shaquille Richardson has signed his contract with the Steelers, the team announced in a press release. According to Fitzgerald’s figures, Richardson’s signing bonus will amount to about $190K, while his overall four-year total will be around $2.41MM.

Minor Moves: Steelers, Dolphins, Seahawks

May 28th, 2014 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest transactions from around the league, including several draft pick signings, waiver claims, and cuts, plus a new contract for a player who was cut by his old team earlier this month:

  • Three teams parted ways with recently-signed undrafted free agents or players on reserve contracts, as the Steelers cut offensive lineman Kaycee Ike, the Dolphins dropped running back Cameron Marshall, and the Texans waived guard Kevin Forsch (all Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). The Packers also waived linebacker Victor Aiyewa, per Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Three players cut this week have been claimed off waivers, according to Wilson, who reports (in a series of three tweets) that tackle Michael Ola is headed to the Bears, defensive back Deion Belue was awarded to the Steelers, and receiver Kofi Hughes was claimed by the Texans.
  • A couple more updates from Wilson: Luke Marquardt is now on the 49ers‘ injured reserve list (Twitter link), while Garrett Scott has been placed on the Seahawks‘ non-football injury list (Twitter link).
  • Having been recently cut by the Seahawks, defensive back Jimmy Legree has signed with the Cardinals, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Earlier updates:

  • The Seahawks became the NFL’s fourth team to finishing locking up its 2014 draft class, announcing last night that fourth-round wide receiver Kevin Norwood and fourth-round linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis have signed their rookie contracts. The Saints, Chiefs, and Bears were the first three clubs to sign all their draftees.
  • Sixth-round cornerback Brandon Dixon has inked his four-year rookie deal with the Jets, the team confirmed today in a press release. The 195th overall selection, Dixon is in line for a signing bonus worth about $103K an an overall four-year base value of around $2.324MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The former Northwest Missouri State speedster is the 10th of 12 Jets draft picks to sign his contract.
  • The Dolphins have signed former Buccaneers cornerback Anthony Gaitor, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The appropriately named Gaitor, a seventh-round pick in 2011, remains in the state where he also played his college ball, at Florida International.

Minor Moves: Steelers, 49ers, Saints, Cards

May 27th, 2014 at 6:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have signed two of their draft picks: fifth-round offensive lineman Wesley Johnson and sixth-round linebacker Jordan Zumwalt. Johnson, a 6’5″, 297 pound lineman out of Vanderbilt University, was taken with the 173rd overall pick and offers experience all over the O-line. Zumwalt, a UCLA product who stands at 6’4″ and 235 pounds, was the 192nd overall selection. He started 30 of 50 games played in his career, compiling 256 tackles (164 solo), two sacks, 22 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and two blocked kicks. With the signings, Pittsburgh has now signed four of their nine selections from the 2014 NFL Draft. Here’s the rest of tonight’s minor moves..

  • The Cardinals are signing former Arizona State wide receiver Kevin Ozier to a three-year contract following a successful rookie minicamp, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The Cardinals also signed tackle Cory Brandon to a two-year deal, his agent tells Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and they went on to announce the signings of cornerback Jimmy Legree and running back Jalen Parmele (link).
  • To make room for the above signings, the Cardinals cut LeQuan Lewis, Tim Cornett, Kadeem Williams, and Corey Washington, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The 49ers announced that they signed fourth-round wide receiver Bruce Ellington. The No. 106 overall pick out of South Carolina finished last season with 106 catches for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns.
  • The Saints inked tackle Jason Weaver and waived receiver Chris Givens, writes Katherine Terrell of The Times-PIcayune. Weaver, a former Edna Karr player, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2013 and spent training camp with the Bengals last year before spending the regular season on the Dolphins practice squad. Givens was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012 but never saw a regular season snap.
  • The Cowboys waived-injured Jarrod Pughsley and Evan Wilson to sign offensive guards Tyronne Green and Darius Morris, Wilson (of the Baltimore Sun).
  • The Rams signed wide receiver Diontae Spencer, according to Wilson (via Twitter). The McNeese State product had some interest in April but went undrafted.

Minor Moves: 49ers, Jags, Dolphins, Pats

May 27th, 2014 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up several of Tuesday’s minor moves in this post, including a handful of signings and cuts, plus one draftee inking his new rookie contract. Following Memorial Day weekend, here are a handful of today’s transactions:

  • The 49ers made a series of roster moves today, signing former Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas and USC tight end Kevin Greene. To clear room on the roster for the new additions, the club waived-injured offensive tackle Luke Marquardt and waived linebacker Morgan Breslin with a non-football injury designation.
  • Fifth-round linebacker Telvin Smith signed his rookie contract with the Jaguars today, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. As our tracker shows, the Florida State product becomes the fifth of nine Jacksonville draftees to sign.
  • The Dolphins have added three players to their 90-man roster, signing offensive linemen Samuel Longo and Michael Philipp and defensive tackle Micajah Reynolds, the team announced today (via Twitter). None of the three players have any regular-season NFL experience, though the two linemen spent a little time with the Browns and Reynolds was previously on the Saints’ roster.
  • A pair of rookie free agents, Troy State’s Wilson Van Hooser and East Carolina’s Reese Wiggins, have signed deals with the Patriots, the club announced in a press release. The two receivers occupy the final spots on New England’s roster, which is now full at 90 players.
  • Former UTEP linebacker Horace Miller, who tried out for the Seahawks at their rookie minicamp last week, is practicing today with the team, which presumably makes him the final addition to the 90-man roster, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).

Eagles Sign Second-Rounder Jordan Matthews

May 27th, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have signed their sixth of seven draft picks, according to the team, which announced today in a press release that second-round receiver Jordan Matthews has put pen to paper. Matthews’ deal means that first-rounder Marcus Smith is the only Philadelphia draftee who has yet to sign.

The 42nd overall pick earlier this month, Matthews figures to step in right away and contribute to a group of wideouts that also includes Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. With DeSean Jackson no longer on the roster, there should be a few more targets to go around in 2014, and the Vanderbilt receiver will be in line for many of them.

According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Matthews’ four-year deal has a base value of about $4.949MM, including a signing bonus worth approximately $1.919MM.

Ravens Sign C.J. Mosley

May 27th, 2014 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Ravens have locked up their first-round pick, the team confirmed today, announcing in a press release that linebacker C.J. Mosley has signed his rookie deal. As a first-rounder, Mosley will be under contract for four years, with Baltimore holding a club option on his fifth year.

Mosley, who turns 22 next month, was selected 17th overall by the Ravens after playing four years at Alabama. The two-time consensus All-American should receive a signing bonus worth about $4.711MM and a contract with a four-year base value in the neighborhood of $8.788MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at Over The Cap.

Now that they’ve secured Mosley, the Ravens have just one more draftee to sign, as our tracker shows. Third-round safety Terrence Brooks is the only Baltimore pick who has yet to reach an agreement with the club.

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