HEADLINES

2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Broncos Sign Shane Ray

June 1st, 2015 at 5:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos announced that they have signed first-round pick Shane Ray, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets. Denver selected Ray with No. 23 overall pick.

Ray, 22, opted to go pro following his junior season at Missouri. Ray was projected by some to be a top ten prospect early on in the process, but an arrest for marijuana possession a few days prior to the draft may have hurt his stock somewhat. The Broncos gave up the No. 28 pick, a fifth-rounder (143), a 2016 fifth-rounder, and offensive lineman Manny Ramirez to move up to the No. 23.

Denver believes that Ray has a bright future in the NFL and that comes as little surprise given his pedigree. Shane’s father, Wendell, was also a star at Missouri and was a fifth round draft pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the Vikings.

Cardinals Sign D.J. Humphries

June 1st, 2015 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals have become the latest team to finish signing their draft picks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that first-round offensive tackle D.J. Humphries has inked his rookie contract with the team.

The 24th overall pick in this year’s draft, Humphries was initially expected to start at right tackle for the Cardinals, across from Jared Veldheer. However, head coach Bruce Arians recently indicated that the right tackle job is Bobby Massie‘s to lose, so Humphries will have to impress the team in training camp to earn a shot at regular playing time.

Per Over The Cap, Humphries’ four-year contract is worth about $8.912MM, with a signing bonus of about $4.742MM. The Cardinals will also hold a fifth-year option on the former Florida Gator, giving the club the opportunity to extend his deal through the 2019 season.

To keep tabs on all of this year’s rookie signings, be sure to check out our tracker.

Titans, Dorial Green-Beckham Agree To Deal

June 1st, 2015 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have agreed to terms with their second-round draft pick, the team announced today, tweeting a photo of wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham signing his rookie contract. With Green-Beckham locked up, Tennessee needs to sign second overall pick Marcus Mariota and third-round offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi to complete its draft signings.

Green-Beckham will be one of the more interesting players to monitor from this year’s draft class. Based on talent alone, he’d be considered one of the top wideouts in this year’s group, and would’ve easily been a first-round pick. However, off-field red flags pushed him into the second round, where the Titans snagged him with the 40th overall pick.

The Titans were originally slated to pick first in the second round, at No. 33, but the team felt confident that it could move back a little and still land DGB. In exchange for moving down seven spots to No. 40, the Titans picked up an extra fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick from the Giants.

As for Green-Beckham’s contract, he’ll get a signing bonus worth about $2.335MM, and his deal will have a four-year value of approximately $5.604MM, per Over The Cap.

Buccaneers Sign Donovan Smith

June 1st, 2015 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers now have their top two draft picks under contract, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, who tweets a photo of second-round offensive tackle Donovan Smith signing his rookie deal. In a press release announcing the transaction, the team notes that seventh-round fullback Joey Iosefa has also inked his contract, so only second-round lineman Ali Marpet remains unsigned.

The 34th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Smith will be in line for a four-year contract worth about $6.069MM, with a signing bonus of approximately $2.674MM, per Over The Cap. Because he was selected just outside of the first round, Smith’s deal won’t feature a fifth-year option, meaning he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2018 season.

Smith is expected to immediately assume the starting role at the left tackle position, replacing the ineffective Anthony Collins, who was released earlier in the offseason. Assuming he starts the year at left tackle, Smith will be protecting the blind side of quarterback Jameis Winston, who was the first player selected in this year’s draft, and was also the first draftee to sign his rookie contract.

Minor Moves: Thursday

May 28th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including the latest mid-to-late-round draft pick signings:

  • As first tweeted by agent Mike McCartney, third-round tight end Tyler Kroft has signed his rookie contract with the Bengals. Per Over The Cap, Kroft’s four-year pact will be worth about $2.928MM, including a $648K signing bonus. First-round offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi is now the only Cincinnati draftee who remains unsigned.
  • The Cowboys have also signed all their draft picks besides their first-rounder. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), the club locked up fourth-round linebacker Damien Wilson today, signing him to a four-year deal that features a signing bonus worth about $466K.
  • The Jets have cut quarterback Matt Simms, the club announced today in a press release. Given the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, and Bryce Petty, there wasn’t much chance that Simms would make the Jets’ regular season roster. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link), Simms asked New York to release him and the team obliged.
  • Former Oklahoma defensive back Julian Wilson, who signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent, was waived/injured by the team today after breaking his leg earlier this month, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. He’ll land on the injured reserve list, assuming he clears waivers.
  • The Buccaneers made a slight change to the back of their 90-man roster today, signing kicker Brandon Bogotay and waiving center Ben Gottschalk, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
  • Washington has added a pair of cornerbacks to its roster, signing Trey Wolfe and Tajh Hasson, per a team release. Hasson went undrafted this year out of UNLV, while Wolfe spent some time on Washington’s taxi squad in 2014.

Colts Sign Phillip Dorsett

May 27th, 2015 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have signed wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. The signing leaves Indianapolis with two draft picks still to sign.

Dorsett, who was selected 29th overall in the first round of the draft a few weeks ago, will get a signing bonus of $4.177MM, per Over The Cap. His four-year rookie contract will be worth approximately $8.135MM in total, and will include a fifth-year option allowing the Colts to keep the wideout under contract through 2019.

While Dorsett will give Andrew Luck another weapon in the passing game, and should immediately take over as the team’s primary return man, the pick was questioned by many observers, and reportedly even some Colts players themselves. The 2014 Colts had a dynamic passing attack, featuring T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, and while the club moved on from Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks this offseason, Andre Johnson was brought in as a veteran replacement, so wideout wasn’t necessarily a position of need.

With Dorsett under contract, the Colts just need to sign a pair of third-rounders – cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson – to finish locking up their draft class.

Minor Moves: Thursday

May 21st, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Raiders announced that they have signed fifth-round draft pick Neiron Ball, as the staff at CSNBayArea.com writes. The linebacker was selected 161st overall by the Raiders after starting four seasons at Florida.
  • The Chiefs released Ricky Henry and signed tight end Ryan Taylor, according to the league’s transaction report, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. Taylor, 28 in November, appeared in 45 games for the Packers from 2011 through 2013.
  • The Colts announced that they have waived tackle Demarco Cox. Cox, who four years of college basketball at Ole Miss (2010-14) before transferring to Georgia Tech (2014-15) for his final season of eligibility, just signed with the club on Tuesday.
  • The Packers announced that they have signed cornerback Travis Manning. Manning, 24, was a standout at Division II Northwest Missouri State. He previously participated in camps with the Cowboys and Chiefs.
  • The Saints placed wide receiver Andy Tanner on the IR after he cleared waivers today, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets.

Andrus Peat, Saints Agree To Terms

May 21st, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have finished locking up their 2015 draft class, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has agreed to terms with first-round offensive tackle Andrus Peat. Peat was the last of the Saints’ nine draft picks who remained unsigned.

As Over The Cap’s data shows, Peat will count for a little over $2MM against the Saints’ cap in 2015. Overall, his four-year contract will be worth $11.393MM, including a signing bonus of approximately $6.546MM. Peat’s deal will also feature a fifth-year option, allowing New Orleans the opportunity to lock him up through the 2019 season.

One of two players selected in the first round by the Saints, Peat was the third offensive lineman to come off the board in this year’s draft. Only Brandon Scherff (No. 5) and Ereck Flowers (No. 9) were picked before Peat, who went to New Orleans with the 13th overall selection. While it’s not clear if Peat will play tackle immediately, given the presence of incumbent starters Terron Armstead and Zach Strief, he should get the opportunity to compete for a starting job somewhere along the line.

Bengals Sign Second-Rounder Jake Fisher

May 20th, 2015 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals have become the latest team to lock up one of their top draft picks, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed offensive lineman Jake Fisher to his rookie contract. Fisher was the 53rd overall pick in this year’s draft.

Having considered Fisher in the first round, the Bengals opted for Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi instead, and were pleasantly surprised to see Fisher still on the board when their second-round pick came around. While Ogbuehi continues to recover from a torn ACL, Fisher should be ready to go immediately, though it’s not clear yet if he’ll start right away.

Fisher’s new deal should pay him about $4.26MM over four years, including a $1.358MM signing bonus up front, according to Over The Cap. Now that the lineman is under contract, only Ogbuehi and third-round tight end Tyler Kroft remain unsigned among the Bengals’ draftees. The team locked up third-round linebacker Paul Dawson, fourth-round defensive back Josh Shaw, and fourth-round defensive tackle Marcus Hardison earlier this week (Twitter link).

Cowboys Sign Randy Gregory

May 20th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

12:51pm: The Cowboys have officially signed Gregory, the team confirmed today (Twitter link).

12:45pm: The Cowboys have agreed to terms on a rookie contract for second-round pass rusher Randy Gregory, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The agreement leaves Dallas with three unsigned picks, including first-round cornerback Byron Jones.

Gregory, the 60th overall pick out of Nebraska, was viewed as a probable top-10 pick based on talent alone, but a failed drug test at the combine and potential mental health concerns caused him to drop into the second round. Despite those off-field concerns, PFR readers were surprised not to see Gregory come off the board in round one — heading into the second round, he edged Landon Collins as the most surprising non-first-round pick in our poll.

Had Gregory been a top-10 selection, he would’ve been assured of a four-year contract worth upwards of $14MM fully guaranteed, with a signing bonus exceeding $8MM. After falling to No. 60, he’ll be in line instead for a four-year pact worth $3.815MM, with a signing bonus worth about $1.035MM, according to Over The Cap’s data.

While Gregory’s fall in the draft was an unfortunate turn of events for the young edge defender, it could turn out to be a boon for the Cowboys. After drafting Jones with their first-round pick, the Cowboys landed two more first-round talents, in Gregory and undrafted free agent La’el Collins.

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