2016 April - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Rumors: Browns, Bills, Broncos, Pats

April 30th, 2016 at 12:00am CST by Luke Adams

After selecting USC quarterback Cody Kessler with the No. 93 pick in the draft, Browns executive Sashi Brown said he doesn’t think the team needs to make a roster move involving a quarterback right away, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).

Cleveland’s depth chart at QB is getting crowded, with Kessler joining Robert Griffin, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw, and Pat Devlin, so the team will have to make some decisions eventually, but Brown said tonight that he likes encouraging competition at the position.

The Browns’ executive VP of football operations also said after round three that the team will consider trade options at the start of day three. Cleveland currently holds the top two picks of the fourth round, and has four overall picks in the round. The team hasn’t been shy about trading down so far, and Brown is sure the team will receive calls about those fourth-rounders, as Ulrich tweets.

The Bills are exploring finding a way to land Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook on Saturday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who suggests (via Twitter) that it would take “some 2017 ammo” for Buffalo to move up. The club currently doesn’t own a 2016 fourth-round pick that can be traded.
Broncos general manager John Elway confirmed that his team is in no rush to add a fourth quarterback to a roster that features Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, and Trevor Siemian, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Elway didn’t rule out adding another signal-caller, but suggested it’s not a priority for the club.
If the Cowboys hadn’t taken Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith early in the second round, the Patriots are one team that would have had interest in nabbing him, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. New England had back-to-back picks late in round two, but traded one of them, with Smith no longer available.

Cowboys Rule Out Re-Signing Greg Hardy

April 29th, 2016 at 11:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Having not seriously engaged in talks with defensive end Greg Hardy since his contract expired last month, the Cowboys have long appeared unlikely to re-sign him. Tonight, owner Jerry Jones formally confirmed that Hardy won’t be back, telling reporters – including ESPN’s Todd Archer – that door is officially closed.

The Cowboys are looking thin at defensive end, and are in need of pass-rushing help, with Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory facing four-game suspensions and Jeremy Mincey no longer under contract. The club also didn’t use any of its first three 2016 draft picks to select an outside pass rusher.

Hardy would certainly qualify as an upgrade for the Cowboys on the field — the former Panther had another solid season as a pass rusher in 2015, recording six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 12 games. He wasn’t quite as dominant as he was during his best years in Carolina, but Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender, out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, Hardy’s off-field history and his behavior during his lone season in Dallas didn’t particularly endear him to the Cowboys as the season wore on. When taking into account his questionable in-season decisions, both on and off the field, as well as his alleged domestic violence history, it makes sense that the Cowboys would consider Hardy to be too much of a liability – or at least a distraction – to invest in going forward.

Here are a few more notes from out of Dallas:

Jerry Jones said today that he doesn’t think it’s mandatory that the Cowboys select a quarterback on the final day of the draft. The team had interest in trading up for Paxton Lynch on Thursday, but Jones says he’s comfortable with Kellen Moore as Tony Romo‘s backup (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News).
A source tells Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link) that the Cowboys feel better about Jaylon Smith‘s medicals than they did about Myles Jack‘s. That’s not a big surprise, since Dallas selected Smith with Jack still on the board. Even if Smith misses the entire 2016 season, as is expected, there’s a perception that his knee condition will improve, while Jack’s could deteriorate.
While Smith will likely miss all of 2016, Jerry Jones cautioned not to count out the former Notre Dame linebacker just yet, tweets Archer.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Pack, Lions, Cards

April 29th, 2016 at 11:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys believe they got an elite prospect when they chose injured Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith in the second round (34th overall). In fact, the team graded Smith as a top-five prospect in this year’s draft, according to owner Jerry Jones. Said executive vice president Stephen Jones, “He may not football play this year. What he is ultimately going to be he is definitely worth our second-round pick” (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Prior to tearing his ACL and LCL on Jan. 1, Smith was seen as a surefire first-rounder and a likely top-10 pick.

Draft Rumors: Jets, Cravens, Pats, Ravens

April 29th, 2016 at 10:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets’ second-round selection of Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg won’t affect their pursuit of free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick, general manager Mike Maccagnan said Friday (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). Maccagnan added that he wouldn’t rule out carrying four QBs if the team does re-sign Fitzpatrick, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Fitzpatrick, who reportedly hasn’t had meaningful contract discussions with the Jets in weeks, would be at the helm of a signal-calling corps that also includes Hackenberg, Geno Smith and Bryce Petty.

Here’s the latest on the draft with the second day in the books:

USC linebacker Su’a Cravens said he was surprised to end up with Washington, which took him 53rd overall. He expected to land with the Patriots, who picked 60th (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic).
The Ravens tried unsuccessfully to get back into the second round after selecting Boise State edge defender Kamalei Correa at No. 42, GM Ozzie Newsome told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Had the Giants not taken Boise State safety Darian Thompson with the 71st pick, the Bears would’ve scooped him up at No. 72, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (on Twitter).
The Eagles considered moving back from 79th overall – where they selected Oregon State center Isaac Seumalo – but they became uncomfortable as names were sliding off the board and decided to stay put, reports Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Dolphins Acquire 86th Pick From Vikings

April 29th, 2016 at 10:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

10:07pm: If the Dolphins get a fourth-round compensatory pick next year, they’ll be able to send that to the Vikings, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

9:44pm: The Dolphins have acquired the 86th pick from the Vikings and selected Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo, according to Jenna Laine (Twitter link). In return, the Vikings will receive a sixth-rounder (No. 186) from Miami this year and two selections in 2017 – a third- and fourth-rounder – per Tom Gower of Football Outsiders (Twitter link).

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Carroo had a strong three-year career at Rutgers, where he caught 122 passes, averaged 19.5 yards per reception and hauled in 29 touchdowns. He’ll join a Dolphins receiving corps that lost Rishard Matthews in free agency, but has the solid trio of Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills in place.

Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Browns

April 29th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Browns, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), and have chosen West Virginia defensive back Daryl Worley, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. In addition to No. 77, the Panthers received the 141st choice in exchange for Nos. 93, 129 and 168, per Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). The 77th selection has changed hands multiple times, with Detroit previously sending it to Philadelphia and then the Eagles trading it to the Browns.

Worley was a playmaker at West Virginia, where he picked off 10 passes during his three-year college career, including a personal-best six last season. Along with free agent pickup Brandon Boykin and second-rounder James Bradberry, Worley’s presence in Carolina should help to fill the void left by star cornerback Josh Norman, whom the team pulled the franchise tag from last week. Norman went on to sign with Washington.

Saints Acquire 61st Pick From Patriots

April 29th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints acquired the 61st pick from the Patriots in exchange for Nos. 78 and 112, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). New Orleans then selected Ohio State safety Vonn Bell. The Patriots, meanwhile, now have three third-round picks.

Bell will join a a Saints defense that allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL last season and hauled in just nine interceptions. Bell picked off nine passes himself during his three-year tenure with the Buckeyes and should play a prominent role in New Orleans’ defensive backfield.

Buccaneers Acquire 59th Pick From Chiefs

April 29th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Buccaneers have acquired the 59th selection from the Chiefs, tweets Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. In return, the Chiefs will land the 74th and 106th picks, according to the NFL Network. Surprisingly, the Bucs will choose Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Aguayo is the highest-drafted kicker since the Jets used a second-rounder on Mike Nugent in 2005. The Buccaneers had the third-worst field goal percentage in the NFL last season at 72.5 percent and finished toward the bottom in extra-point success rate (91.5%), so upgrading was in order on paper. However, after the team replaced Kyle Brindza with Connor Barth in October, its kicking performance improved significantly. Barth hit 23 of 28 field goals and only missed one extra point on 26 attempts.

Aguayo missed nine kicks during his three-year college career, though five of those came last year on 26 tries. During his best season, 2013, he nailed 21 of 22 field goals, won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker, and earned first-team All-America honors.

Latest On Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick

April 29th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets used a second-round pick on Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg on Friday, but they don’t plan on throwing him into the fire as a rookie. Instead, their goal is to sit Hackenberg next season and break him into the NFL slowly, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Rapoport expects the Jets to bring back veteran free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick on a one-year deal, though the two sides haven’t had meaningful contract talks in weeks, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).

Fitzpatrick and the Jets have been at an impasse since the signal-caller’s contract expired last month. Per an ESPN.com report Thursday, the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick remains in the $7MM to 8MM annual range, while the veteran signal-caller is believed to be seeking upward of twice that amount.

At least one report has suggested that the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick is similar to the deal the Eagles gave Chase Daniel, which was worth $21MM over three years, but included another $15MM in incentives. However, on the heels of a career season in which he threw 31 touchdowns and helped the Jets to a 10-6 record, it appears Fitzpatrick wants New York to make an offer less reliant on incentives and heavier on base value.

If the Jets and Fitzpatrick aren’t able to find common ground, the second-best option available in free agency is Brian Hoyer. While Hoyer visited with the Jets earlier this month after the Texans released him, New York reportedly isn’t one of the teams that has made him an offer. The Steelers, Cowboys and Bears are pushing for his services, and he’s likely to make a decision on his future soon.

Texans Acquire No. 50 Pick From Falcons

April 29th, 2016 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Texans have moved up two spots in the draft, acquiring the 50th overall pick from the Falcons, tweets Jenna Laine. Upon moving from No. 52 to No. 50, the Texans selected Notre Dame center Nick Martin, according to Laine (Twitter link). In addition to receiving the 52nd pick, the Falcons acquired No. 195, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

For the Texans, the addition of Martin should help make up for the loss of Ben Jones in free agency. Jones started 32 straight regular-season games for the Jets the previous two years before signing with the division-rival Titans. The Texans certainly hope Nick Martin will be anywhere near as effective as his brother, Cowboys two-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin.