HEADLINES

Month: February 2025

West Notes: Raiders, Bailey, Seahawks

May 12th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked whether he gave any consideration to trading back into the first round to land Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater last week, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link) that he didn’t want to give up additional picks, and that he was happy to select the best player available when Oakland’s turn came up. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league’s two West divisions:

  • Rams receiver Stedman Bailey will be suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds in a second tweet that St. Louis has known the suspension was coming for quite some time and chose not to draft a receiver this weekend.
  • Making an appearance on KJR-AM in Seattle, Seahawks GM John Schneider discussed a number of draft- and roster-related topics, notably admitting that the only disappointment during the draft was when a seventh-round target was taken “three or four picks” before Seattle could nab him. Schneider didn’t name the player, but Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times speculates that perhaps it was Wisconsin’s Beau Allen or Georgia Tech’s Brandon Watts.
  • ESPN.com’s Eric Williams passes along the names of the undrafted free agents who received invites to the Chargers‘ rookie minicamp in a series of tweets. Unlike the 17 UDFAs the Chargers signed this weekend, these 10 players aren’t under contract with the club.

Titans Announce 13 UDFA Signings

May 12th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have officially announced their 13 rookie free agent signings, and Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details. Here’s the complete list of undrafted players signing with Tennessee:

  • Ri’Shard Anderson, CB, Syracuse ($3K bonus, per Kuharsky)
  • Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky ($10K bonus)
  • Travis Coons, K, Washington ($5K bonus)
  • James Gayle, DE, Virginia Tech ($15K bonus)
  • Gabe Ikard, C, Oklahoma ($10K bonus)
  • Justin McCray, G, Central Florida ($2.5K bonus)
  • Jamal Merrell, LB, Rutgers
  • Jaz Reynolds, WR, Oklahoma
  • Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville
  • Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State
  • Derel Walker, WR, Texas A&M
  • Eric Ward, WR, Texas Tech
  • David Wright, TE, Westminster

Cardinals Cut Ryan Williams, Three Others

May 12th, 2014 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals have parted ways with 2011 second-round pick Ryan Williams, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Williams is one of four players let go today by the Cardinals, who also cut center John Estes, linebacker Kenny Rowe, and tight end Brett Brackett, according to Urban (Twitter link).

Williams, 24, was selected 38th overall in 2011, but could never get healthy enough to become a contributor for the Cardinals. After missing his rookie season, Williams accumulated 164 yards on 58 carries in 2012, then was injured for the entire 2013 season as well. Arizona creates a little over $1MM in cap savings by letting go of the young running back.

La Canfora On Draft, Browns, Jags, Easley

May 12th, 2014 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Based on what Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com was hearing during and after the draft, he believes the Browns traded down from No. 4 to No. 9 in the first round in the hopes that Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans would still be on the board. When Evans was snapped up by the Buccaneers seventh overall, Cleveland went another direction and never did address the receiver position in the draft. Here’s more from La Canfora, with a focus on draft-related what-ifs:

  • The Jaguars “resisted several opportunities” to move out of the No. 3 overall slot and trade down with teams who were hoping to land Khalil Mack or Sammy Watkins, says La Canfora. We heard this morning that Jacksonville also considered trading with the Falcons, who were targeting Jake Matthews.
  • Before they traded up to No. 22, the Browns were close to making deals with the Titans at No. 11 and the Cowboys at No. 16.
  • If the Patriots hadn’t selected Florida’s Dominique Easley with their first-round pick, the Seahawks likely would have kept their first-rounder and used it on Easley rather than moving down. Similarly, the Cardinals would have selected Ryan Shazier if he was there at No. 20, but began attempts to trade down once he came off the board, ultimately swinging a deal with the Saints.
  • Offensive tackle Ju’Wuan James likely would’ve been selected by the Panthers at No. 28 if the Dolphins hadn’t drafted him 19th overall.
  • La Canfora continues to hear from sources that at this point rumors of a Ryan Mallett trade between the Patriots and Texans are just that — rumors.
  • Defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, who was selected by the Bears in the second round, has been frequently identified by evaluators as one of the draft’s biggest reaches, says La Canfora.

Rams Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 12th, 2014 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have officially announced their list of undrafted free additions, and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the 15 names for us. Here are the newest Rams:

  • Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green
  • Jarrid Bryant, CB, South Dakota
  • Avery Cunningham, S, Central Michigan
  • Austin Franklin, WR, New Mexico
  • Deantre Harlan, DT, Bacone
  • Aaron Hill, LB, Minnesota
  • Kadeem Jones, FB, Western Kentucky
  • Emmanuel McCray, OT, Mississippi
  • Johnny Millard, LB, Cal Poly State
  • Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
  • Abasi Salimu, OT, Nicholls State
  • Jamaine Sherman, WR, East Texas Baptist
  • Julius “Trey” Watts, RB, Tulsa
  • Ethan Westbrooks, DT, West Texas A&M ($20K bonus and $30K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Tavarius Wilson, LB, North Alabama

Panthers To Sign Nine Undrafted FAs

May 12th, 2014 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have agreed to terms with nine free agents who went undrafted this weekend, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the list of the nine new additions who will be competing for roster spots:

  • Denicos Allen, LB, Michigan State
  • Corey “Philly” Brown, WR, Ohio State ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Carrington Byndom, CB, Texas
  • Adarius Glanton, LB, Florida Atlantic
  • Marcus Lucas, WR, Missouri
  • Andrew Norwell, G, Ohio State
  • Darrin Reaves, RB, Alabama-Birmingham
  • Shaq Rowell, DT, West Virginia
  • Jared Wheeler, C, Miami (FL) ($7,500 bonus, per Wilson)

Browns Cut Vince Young, Four Others

May 12th, 2014 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Vince Young‘s stint with the Browns was short-lived, as owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed today that Cleveland has released the veteran quarterback (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). The Browns also cut quarterback Alex Tanney, defensive back Brandon Hughes, defensive lineman Brian Sanford, and running back Fozzy Whittaker, according to the team (Twitter link).

Young, who turns 31 this weekend, signed a contract with the Browns at the start of May after participating in the team’s minicamp. The former Pro Bowler spent time in camp with the Packers in 2013 and the Bills in 2012, but was released prior to the regular season in both instances, and hasn’t seen any real NFL playing time since 2011 in Philadelphia.

With Young and Tanney out of the picture, the quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster include Brian Hoyer, Tyler Thigpen, Connor Shaw, who agreed to sign as an undrafted free agent, and, of course, 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel.

Colts To Sign 20 Undrafted FAs

May 12th, 2014 at 11:10am CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 11:10am: The Colts have added another name to their UDFA haul, announcing in a press release that they’ve also agreed to terms with Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy.

SUNDAY, 1:44pm: The Colts have agreed to terms with 19 undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s a complete list of the players heading to Indianapolis:

  • Qua Cox, CB, Jackson State
  • Marcus Hall, G, Ohio State
  • Jonotthan Harrison, C, Florida
  • Tyler Hoover, DE, Michigan State ($8K bonus, per Dave Birkett)
  • Kameron Jackson, CB, California
  • Zach Kerr, DT, Delaware
  • Seth Lobato, QB, Northern Colorado
  • Keon Lyn, CB, Syracuse
  • Dewey McDonald, S, California University of Pennsylvania
  • Gregory Moore, WR, Lane College
  • Nnamdi Obukwelu, DE, Harvard
  • Cody Parkey, K, Auburn
  • Eric Pike, T, Towson
  • Darius Polk, CB, Kent State
  • Erik Swoope, TE, Miami
  • Eric Thomas, WR, Troy
  • Zurlon Tipton, RB, Central Michigan
  • Josh Walker, G, Middle Tennessee State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Tony Washington, WR, Appalachian State

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Bortles, Lions

May 12th, 2014 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys didn’t come away from the 2014 draft having selected a new quarterback, which head coach Jason Garrett says is just fine. Garrett explained the thinking to Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else,” Garrett said. “You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. … It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • While there have been rumblings about possible Sam Bradford trade talks lately, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on today’s Dan Patrick Show that the club has neither made or received any calls about Bradford’s availability (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
  • If the Jaguars hadn’t selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, neither the Vikings or Titans would have drafted him, but the Cowboys would’ve considered it at No. 16 and the Cardinals would’ve pulled the trigger at No. 20, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
  • The Lions strongly considered picking a quarterback on the third day of the draft, but the club’s targets came off the board before Detroit had a chance to select them, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
  • If the conditional pick traded to the Eagles by the Bills in this weekend’s Bryce Brown trade doesn’t change hands next year, it can become a 2016 third-rounder if Brown rushes for 800+ yards in either of the next two seasons, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides an interesting look at how safety Jimmie Ward became the 49ers’ man in the first round last Thursday.
  • Longtime Vikings college scouting director Scott Studwell resigned from the position following this weekend’s draft, and will transition into a new role within the organization, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune.

Jags To Sign 17 UDFAs, Cut Six Players

May 12th, 2014 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

10:46am: The Jaguars’ final three cuts were running back Delone Carter, defensive tackle Drake Nevis, and wideout Stephen Williams, according to O’Halloran (via Twitter).

10:02am: Fullback Shaun Chapas will also be among the Jaguars’ cuts, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

9:52am: The Jaguars have cut guard Will Rackley and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). The moves won’t be the last ones for the club today — O’Halloran notes (via Twitter) that with 17 undrafted free agents being added to the roster, six players will need to be released to make room, meaning four more cuts should be on the way.

Rackley and Ebert were both in the final year of their respective contracts, with Rackley set to earn a $1.431MM base salary, while Ebert was on a minimum salary deal. Rackley started 11 games at left guard for Jacksonville last season and his performance ranked 79th out of 81 qualified guards, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Meanwhile, Ebert hauled in three passes in his time with the team.

As for the Jaguars’ undrafted free agent signings, PR coordinator Tad Dickman has the full list (via Twitter):

  • Jeff Budzien, K, Northwestern
  • Terrance Cobb, RB, Cumberland
  • Deandre Coleman, DT, California
  • Damian Copeland, WR, Louisville
  • Trevor Gillette, LS, Rice
  • Ricky Havili-Heimuli, DT, Oregon
  • Allen Hurns, WR, Miami (FL) ($5K bonus and $15K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Marcel Jensen, TE, Fresno State
  • Reggie Jordan, TE, Missouri Western
  • Craig Loston, S, LSU
  • Stephen Morris, QB, Miami (FL) ($5K bonus and $30K in other guarantees, per Wilson)
  • Rashaad Reynolds, CB, Oregon State
  • Tyler Shatley, G, Clemson
  • D.J. Tialavea, TE, Utah State
  • Josh Wells, OT, James Madison
  • Marcus Whitfield, LB, Maryland
  • Chad Zinchini, P, Tennessee Tech
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