2014 May - Pro Football Rumors

Bears Sign 11 Undrafted Free Agents

May 18th, 2014 at 4:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MAY 18: The Bears continue to add to their UDFA crop, signing former Louisville running back Senorise Perry (per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) and cornerback Marcus Trice, formerly of North Texas (per Grice’s agent Josh Thomas (via Twitter). Both attended the Bears’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

MAY 11: The Bears have signed nine undrafted free agents, according to a series of tweets from the team. The list of players headed to Chicago is as follows:

Cody Booth, T, Temple ($1K bonus, per Brad Biggs)
James Dunbar, G, TCU ($1.5K bonus)
Brandon Dunn, DT, Louisville ($8K bonus)
Ryan Groy, G, Wisconsin ($8K bonus)
Christian Jones, LB, Florida State ($7K bonus)
DeDe Lattimore, LB, South Florida ($1.5K bonus)
Jordan Lynch, RB, Northern Illinois ($3K bonus)
Tana Patrick, LB, Alabama ($750 bonus)
Lee Pegues, DT, East Carolina ($3.5K bonus)

NFC North Notes: Kromer, Packers, Lions

May 18th, 2014 at 4:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer may not call the plays in Chicago (noted offensive mastermind/head coach Marc Trestman performs that duty), but that doesn’t mean his impact on offensive production is limited. Working mostly with the offensive line, Kromer molded a unit that was among the league’s worst in 2012 into one of 2013’s elite lines. The Bears’ line, infused with talent in the forms of Jermon Bushrod and Kyle Long, gave up only 30 sacks (fourth-fewest in the NFL), and finished with a fifth-best 5.5% adjusted sack rate (per Football Outsiders).

Kromer will expand his duties in 2014, writes Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, as the coordinator aims to work more with the Bears’ quarterbacks and receivers. “It’s given myself a chance to broaden my horizons and not spend 100 percent of my time with the offensive line when it comes to practice and meeting time,” said Kromer. “Sometimes an offensive line coach can get pigeon-holed into just doing that job.”

More items from the NFC North:

Packers general manager Ted Thompson doesn’t sound like he’s ready to leave Green Bay just yet, telling reporters he’s “just getting started” after the conclusion of the draft, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. Reports surfaced earlier this month that indicated Thompson might be nearing the end of his tenure in Green Bay.
Retired NFL kicker Jason Hanson was at the Lions’ rookie minicamp over the weekend, primarily to help seventh-round kicker Nate Freese, who had a 86.4% field goal-conversion rate while at Boston College, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
In a separate piece, Twentyman writes that Lions second-year receiver Corey Fuller has an extra reason to want to make the Detroit roster: to play against his brother (and now, divisonal rival), Bears first-round corner Kyle Fuller.
The Lions have changed their approach with regards to undrafted free agents, according to Justin Rogers of MLive.com. While the team had previously waited until the sixth- or seventh-round to make contact with potential UDFAs, Detroit now starts placing calls to prospects as early as the fourth round. This strategy of displaying early interest in a players aided the Lions in signing Kansas State offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas.
In his latest mailbag, ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling opines that the battle for the Vikings starting QB job between Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel could play out much like the Russell Wilson–Matt Flynn situation during Seattle’s 2012 training camp.

Minor Moves: Sunday

May 18th, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Parks

We will keep an eye on any minor transactions from today and update this post with news of any such transactions (most recent news on top).

The Patriots have signed sixth-round cornerback Jemea Thomas, tweets his agency, Universal Sports Management. Thomas played college football at Georgia Tech.
The Saints will sign edge player Cheta Ozougwu, who spent the past two seasons with the Bears before being waived about a month ago, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).

Earlier Updates:

The Colts have waived WR Greg Moore and signed WR Ryan Lankford, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
The Bears will release punter Drew Butler, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The release was confirmed via Twitter by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The release leaves the door open for new draftee Pat O’Donnell to become the team’s punter.

PFR Originals: 5/11/14 – 5/18/14

May 18th, 2014 at 3:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s the original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Luke Adams examined the most balanced and the most unbalanced drafts of 2014; the Buccaneers, for example, used their selections exclusively on offensive players, while the Falcons focused primarily on supplementing their defense.
Follow which team is making the most progress in getting its 2014 picks under contract with the PFR Draft Pick Signing Tracker.
All of the undrafted free agent news is now located in one place, so you can observe whom your favorite team added after the draft concluded.

Week In Review: 5/11/14 – 5/18/14

May 18th, 2014 at 2:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Major Move:

The Browns signed cornerback Joe Haden to a five-year, $68MM extension, with $22MM guaranteed.

First-Round Pick Signings:

Bears – CB Kyle Fuller (link)
Raiders – LB Khalil Mack (link)
Saints – WR Brandin Cooks (link)

For a full recap of draft signings, visit the PFR Draft Pick Signing Tracker.

For a full breakdown of undfrafted free agent signings, click here.

Other Signings:

49ers – QB Josh Johnson (link)
Browns – WR Miles Austin (link)
Browns – WR Earl Bennett (link)
Cowboys – RB Ryan Williams (link)

Waivers:

Jets – claimed RB Daryl Richardson off waivers from the Rams (link)

Released:

Browns – QB Vince Young (link)
Browns – WR Greg Little (link)

Suspended:

Colts edge rusher Robert Mathis: four games, violation of league policy on prohibited substances (link)

Other:

Texans receiver Andre Johnson is frustrated with his team’s rebuilding phase, sparking rumors that the veteran could press for his release or a trade.

Follow all the latest news at PFR’s Transactions Page.

Saints Sign First-Rounder Brandin Cooks

May 18th, 2014 at 2:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

2:26pm: Three and a half years of Cooks’ four-year deal is fully guaranteed, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (on Twitter).

2:00pm: The Saints have signed their first-round pick, receiver Brandin Cooks, according to a press release. The deal is for four years, with a club option for a fifth season.

Cooks, out of Oregon State, was selected with the 20th overall pick after New Orleans traded up to acquire him. At 5’10”, 185 pounds, he can play either outside or in the slot, and is expected to utilize his exceptional speed (4.33 40-yard-dash) to help replace the departed Darren Sproles. While the two place different positions, their impact on the Saints offense could be similar.

Cooks should receive a signing bonus of approximately $4.417MM, and a contract with a total value of about $8.383MM, according to figures from OverTheCap. The Saints now have just one member (fourth-round linebacker Khairi Fortt) of their modest six-man draft class left to sign.

Falcons Sign Five Draft Picks

May 18th, 2014 at 1:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have signed five draft picks from their 2014 class, the team announced on its website. LB Prince Shembo (fourth round), CB Ricardo Allen (fifth round), LB Marcus Spruill (fifth round), LB Yawin Smallwood (seventh round), and LB Tyler Starr (seventh round) are now all under contract with Atlanta.

The five picks indicate a concerted effort by the Falcons to improve their defense, which graded as the fourth-worst unit by DVOA. While these Day 3 selections aren’t likely to have a significant impact on the team’s successes, they could add depth to an Atlanta defense that proved to be extremely thin in 2013. Atlanta still has four picks left to sign, including first-rounder Jake Matthews and second-rounder Ra’Shede Hageman.

Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Steelers, Boyd

May 18th, 2014 at 11:53am CST by Rory Parks

It’s been a fairly slow Sunday morning as beat writers continue to evaluate how new draftees are faring in rookie minicamps, but let’s take a look at some other noteworthy tidbits from around the league:

Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes that, of all the undrafted rookies the Redskins signed, BYU WR Cody Hoffman might be the one to watch.
Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com looks at the Eagles‘ depth chart at wide receiver behind the top four of Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, and Josh Huff. Spadaro also notes that there is no news on potential roster additions at this time.
John Glennon of The Tennessean looks at four undrafted wide receivers that could make an impact on the Titans this season.
The Jaguars are the only team that has just one quarterback with regular season experience on its roster, but Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union expects the club to add a quarterback with some such experience before the end of offseason workouts.
Although Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo as a possible successor to Tom Brady down the road, he believes “Garoppolo’s presence is closer to 80 percent about filling the No. 2 role set to be vacated by Ryan Mallett (likely in 2015) at more manageable rookie financial rates, with the other 20 percent or so tied to possible succession plans.“
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, meanwhile, thinks the Patriots definitely had Brady’s heir apparent in mind when they drafted Garoppolo, and Volin examines the similarities in the skillsets of the two quarterbacks.
Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that, although it wasn’t that along ago that even top draft picks were not expected to make an immediate impact on the Steelers‘ defense, new draftees Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt might be expected to inject their blend of speed and athleticism on the team’s defensive unit right away.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes that the Jets may use newly-drafted Tajh Boyd as a running back or in the Wildcat, a prospect that does not enthuse Boyd. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that rumors concerning Boyd’s move to another position is “premature.”

Volin On Roster Crunches: Roos, Hardy, Hali

May 18th, 2014 at 8:41am CST by Rory Parks

The more successful franchises in the league always have an eye towards the so-called “second wave” of free agency when they construct their draft boards and begin drafting players. They can determine the potential cap casualties and the players who might be released from another squad simply because of a roster crunch, and they can identify which of those players might fill a need on their club that was not necessarily addressed via the draft. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe takes a look and those players whose security with their current club took a hit after last week’s draft. Some of the highlights:

Michael Roos: Roos is perhaps the most obvious name of the group, given that the Titans signed Michael Oher in free agency and selected Taylor Lewan in the first round of the draft. That’s not to mention Roos’ $6.62MM salary cap number and the fact that Tennessee would not take on any dead money by releasing him.
Matt Forte: Forte’s inclusion on this list is somewhat surprising, and although Volin notes he will almost certainly remain with the Bears this season, Volin goes on to say that the tread on Forte’s tires, along with his $8.8MM 2015 cap number and the team’s drafting of Ka’Deem Carey, could lead to Forte’s release after the season.
Jeremy Maclin: “The writing is on the wall for Maclin,” as Volin points out that the Eagles gave Riley Cooper the long-term deal while handing out a one-year contract to Maclin, and then went on to draft Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff on the second day of the draft.
Tamba Hali: Hali is another player who will remain with the only team he has ever known in 2014, but the Chiefs drafted Dee Ford in the first round of the draft and Hali has a $12MM cap number in 2015 (his contract expires at the end of 2015).
Greg Hardy: obviously Hardy is safe for 2014, having signed the franchise tender worth over $13MM, but Volin writes the Panthers will have to reevaluate the future of their star defensive end considering his legal troubles this offseason and the selection of Kony Ealy in the second round of the draft.

NFC South Notes: Bucs, Panthers, Saints

May 17th, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Peter Sowards

The NFL is a grown man’s league, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken notice.

First-round receiver Mike Evans and second-round tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins both stand 6 feet 5, imposing figures amongst their defensive counterparts. Both players have basketball backgrounds. As the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud writes, the Bucs and coach Lovie Smith like their basketball players.

“My experience is that anybody can’t go out there and play basketball,” Smith said. “It takes a good athlete with quickness, size, vertical (jump). Normally, that translates to getting good production on the football field.”

Stroud points out a number of former hoopsters who excelled in pro football, including Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham. Getting position on your defender in football is similar to boxing out for a rebound in basketball, and it looks like the Bucs are hoping to cash in on the trend.