2014 May - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers To Sign Nine Undrafted FAs

May 12th, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 10:30am: Carrington will now be coming to camp on a tryout rather than as a player under contract, tweets Lauten. That means the Steelers will have exactly 90 players on their roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move to clear room for their UDFAs.

SATURDAY, 8:23pm: The Steelers have agreed to sign 10 undrafted free agents, according to the team’s PR rep, Burt Lauten. In a series of tweets, Lauten listed the following UDFAs, who are set to head to Pittsburgh:

Devon Carrington, DB, Stanford
Chris Elkins, OL, Youngstown State
Ethan Hemer, DE, Wisconsin
Kaycee Ike, OT, UAB
Howard Jones, LB, Shepherd
Brendon Kay, QB, Cincinnati
Josh Mauro, DE, Stanford
Roy Philon, DT, Louisville
Will Simmons, G, East Carolina
Eric Waters, TE, Missouri

Jimmy Graham Hearing Scheduled For June

May 12th, 2014 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 9:03am: The grievance hearing for Graham is scheduled for June 17-18, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 8:49pm: Amidst this week’s draft news, the fact that the NFLPA officially filed a grievance on behalf of Jimmy Graham‘s franchise tag positional designation flew relatively under the radar. But assuming Graham and the Saints don’t reach a contract agreement anytime soon, GM Mickey Loomis expects the grievance hearing to happen in about a month, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune (via Twitter).

The Saints used their franchise tag on Graham earlier in the offseason, locking in a one-year contract offer worth the amount for a tight end: $7.035MM. However, now that a grievance has been filed, an arbitrator will be tasked with determining whether Graham should actually be considered a wide receiver, since he lined up as a wideout for about two-thirds of his snaps in 2013.

The argument made on behalf of Graham will suggest that, by the letter of the law, the standout pass-catcher should be eligible for the franchise salary for a receiver, which is expected to be about $11.5MM. The CBA dictates that a franchise player’s position is the one “at which the franchise player participated in the most plays during the prior league year.”

Of course, this process could be avoided if the Saints and Graham agree to a long-term deal. But it’s been more than two months since the club used its franchise tag on the 27-year-old, and there haven’t been any reports of progress in negotiations. According to a February report, New Orleans was willing to make Graham the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, exceeding Rob Gronkowski‘s $9MM annual salary. However, Graham was said to be seeking a salary that would pay him like a top-five receiver, in the neighborhood of $12MM per year.

King’s Latest: Manziel, Browns, Jags, Falcons

May 12th, 2014 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com leads off by writing about the Rams‘ drafting of Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel‘s Thursday night wait in the green room. King also provides a few interesting tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….

Manziel thought there was a decent chance he’d be selected by the Rams at No. 13, and when St. Louis passed, he became concerned about a free fall. Before the Browns eventually jumped up to No. 22 to nab Manziel, the Eagles were close to trading the pick to another club, likely the Vikings.
Browns GM Ray Farmer on the decision to trade the No. 4 overall pick to the Bills, who used it to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins: “We were very close to turning in the card. We very easily could have turned in the card with Sammy’s name on it.”
The Jaguars and Falcons had “many discussions” about a trade that would have included Jacksonville’s No. 3 overall pick and Atlanta’s No. 6. The Falcons would also have included at least a third-round pick to complete the deal, but the Jags decided to stay put to make sure they got Blake Bortles. Had the Falcons moved up to third overall, they planned to take the same player they ended up landing at No. 6: Jake Matthews.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on turning down the trade: “There were so many teams that wanted quarterbacks—at one, four, five, seven and eight, and they were all within striking distance of us. I just kept thinking, ‘One of those teams has to see what we were seeing in Bortles.’ So let’s say we move back and make a deal. What are we going to take in the third? A guard? You can find guards. You can’t find the quarterback you think fits your team best. So in the end it wasn’t a hard decision for us.”

Dolphins’ Don Jones Fined, Excused From Team

May 11th, 2014 at 10:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Following his comments on Twitter regarding Rams draft pick Michael Sam, the Dolphins announced that safety Don Jones has been fined and excused from all team activities. He will return following the completion of an educational training.

Quote from coach Joe Philbin:

“We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets during the NFL Draft. They were inappropriate and unacceptable, and we regret the negative impact these comments had on such an important weekend for the NFL. We met with Don today about respect, discrimination and judgment. These comments are not consistent with the values and standards of our program. We will continue to emphasize and educate our players that these statements will not be tolerated.”

Quote from Jones:

“I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media. I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment. I remember last year when I was drafted in the seventh round and all of the emotions and happiness I felt when I received the call that gave me an opportunity to play for an NFL team and I wish him all the best in his NFL career. I sincerely apologize to Mr. Ross, my teammates, coaches, staff and fans for these tweets. I am committed to represent the values of the Miami Dolphins organization and appreciate the opportunity I have been given to do so going forward.”

The 23-year-old was picked by the Dolphins in the seventh round of last year’s draft. He appeared in all 16 games last season, finishing with ten tackles and one forced fumble.

Assortment of Rookies Invited to Minicamps

May 11th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve been keeping track of team’s official undrafted free agent signings (today we had signings by the Jets, Bears and Colts). Considering the number of prospects available, team’s will also invite players to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

There have been a handful of successful players who had to initially audition for teams, including Hall of Famers Night Train Lane and Marion Motley. Of course, it’s very unlikely for a player to overcome such adversity, but the signings are still notable.

Below is a list of players who will be brought in for mini tryouts, most coming from The Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson:

Cowboys invited Citadel defensive back Brandon McCladdie (Twitter).
Redskins invited Maine outside linebacker Michael Cole (Twitter).
Giants invited East Carolina strong safety Chip Thompson (Twitter).
Raiders invited Central Washington guard Mike Nelson (Twitter).
Raiders invited Memphis defensive tackle Johnnie Farms (Twitter).
Packers invited Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis and Memphis quarterback Jacob Karam (via Twitter of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein).

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Jones

May 11th, 2014 at 9:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Many recent Steelers draftees have found themselves buried on the depth chart, but a handful from this year’s class will have an opportunity to start, writes Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fourth-rounder Martavis Bryant has a good chance of starting, with wide receivers coach Richard Mann telling Bouchette that they “feel like (they) got a guy to put opposite of Antonio Brown.”

Bouchette adds that the team’s two big holes, inside linebacker and defensive end, could adequately be filled by their first two picks, Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the AFC North…

The Steelers announced the signing of 10 undrafted free agents yesterday, and ESPN.com’s Scott Brown focuses on five who could make a difference. Brown lists Howard Jones, Josh Mauro, Ethan Hemer, Eric Waters and Devon Carrington as the most likely to stick around.
San Jose State offensive lineman Ryan Jones didn’t pass his physical with the Ravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Wilson adds that the undrafted player had foot surgery last year.
Michigan running back Fitz Toussaint will join the Ravens for rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, tweets Wilson.
The Ravens didn’t address their need at offensive tackle in the draft and now need to look at help internally or in free agency, writes Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Mink suggests veteran Eric Winston, who played for Raven Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak in Houston.

Vikings Rumors: Rookies, Peterson, Ponder

May 11th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was very aggressive during the draft, pulling off four trades over three days. The team started with eight picks but ended up with ten selections, including first-rounders Anthony Barr and Teddy Bridgewater. As Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, the team only picked in three of their original draft spots. It sounds like this was all part of Spielman’s strategy:

“We thought that if we accumulated more picks, there was enough depth there to add to our roster and create competition,” said Spielman.

The team wasn’t finished adding rookies. Yesterday, the Vikings announced the signings of 15 undrafted free agents.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Minnesota…

Neither of the team’s first-round picks are guaranteed to start, but Barr is expected to be on the field for the team’s first defensive snap next season, Vensel mentions in another article . The writer adds that the team plans to use Barr as a strong-side linebacker in their 4-3 base defense.
Offensive coordinator Norv Turner regards Bridgewater as the most impressive rookie quarterbacks and compares him to former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Trent Green, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
The Vikings are looking to trade star running back Adrian Peterson sooner than later, writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. “This (coming) season will be Peterson’s last with the Vikings,” an AFC general manager told Freeman. “Despite the cap hit, they’ll make some sort of move to get him off the roster.”
In regards to Christian Ponder‘s future with the team, Vensel tweets that the team wants to keep a third quarterback. The writer also adds that a trade probably isn’t an option because Ponder doesn’t have much trade value.

AFC East Links: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Pats

May 11th, 2014 at 6:54pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills certainly gave up a lot for the opportunity to draft wide receiver Sammy Watkins, including this year’s and next year’s first-round pick. Understanding that he’ll soon be working for new owners, general manager Doug Whaley knew he needed to make a big splash. If he was indeed intending to make a big move, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com opines that the team should have instead pursued All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham.

Had they signed Graham to a contract that the Saints “wouldn’t or couldn’t match”, they would have still been able to grab a serviceable player with their ninth overall pick. Florio says that the two future first rounders that the Bills would have had to surrender would have been worth the cost, especially since Whaley may be fired before those drafts even come around.

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

The Dolphins have 11 wide receivers but will only keep around six, tweets ESPN’s James Walker.
Jets quarterback Matt Simms should be worried about his job security, writes ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. With the drafting of Tajh Boyd, there doesn’t seem to be a spot on the roster for the veteran.
In the same article, Cimini says the team will rely on one of their rookie receivers to play opposite Eric Decker.
The Patriots‘ drafting of Dominique Easley was the riskiest first-round pick in Bill Belichick’s tenure, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Prospect Notes: Eagles, Steelers, Saints

May 11th, 2014 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Aaron Rodgers knows a few things about receivers, so it was notable when he showed interest in Kansas player Tarik Black. Why was it notable? Black is a 6’9″ forward for the Jayhawks basketball team who has never played football. Following a chance encounter at an airport, Rodgers expressed his desire to throw to the Kansas senior. In a story told by Yahoo’s Eric Adelson, the interest progressed to the point where Black was beginning to receive calls from NFL teams.

Well, that dream may not become reality. CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora reports (via Twitter) that multiple teams have interest in the player as an undrafted free agent. The catch is that Black has already committed himself to an NBA evaluation camp this weekend. As a result, he will not join an NFL team until the NBA camp is finished.

Now for some more notes on undrafted prospects…

The Eagles have agreed to terms with Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, tweets Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. Frank expects the team to use Martinez at either cornerback or receiver, but not quarterback.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane adds that one of the Eagles other rookie free agents must have jumped elsewhere (via Twitter). The team announced the signing of 15 undrafted free agents yesterday.
Penn State offensive tackle Adam Gress will work out with the Steelers at their rookie minicamp, reports Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). St. Francis safety Jake DeMedal will also get an audition, Kaboly adds in a later tweet. The team announced their ten undrafted additions yesterday.
Illinois wideout Steve Hull will be at the Saints rookie camp on a tryout basis, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

PFR Originals: 5/4/11 – 5/11/14

May 11th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Our Prospect Profile series continued, as I examined former Texas A&M offensive tackle (and Falcons draft pick) Jake Matthews.
Zach Links rounded up the best football blogs in the latest installment of Pigskin Links.
In last week’s polls, Luke Adams asked which trade up in the first round was best (more than a third said the Vikings move up for Teddy Bridgwater), I pondered who was the best player available heading into Day 3 of the draft (a virtual tie between A.J. McCarron and Pierre Desir), and Rob DiRe wondered which of the late-round quarterbacks would have the most success (with McCarron taking the top spot). Thanks for voting!
Luke provided a breakdown of all the 2014 draft picks, both by round and by team.