HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Giants Sign Eli Apple, Other Draftees, 14 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a busy morning for the Giants as their rookie minicamp opens. The team announced today that it has signed four draft picks, including first-round cornerback Eli Apple, along with 14 undrafted free agents.Eli Apple

In addition to locking up Apple, the Giants have signed second-round wide receiver Sterling Shepard, fifth-round running back Paul Perkins, and sixth-round tight end Jerell Adams. Only the team’s third- and fourth-round picks – safety Darian Thompson and linebacker B.J. Goodson – remain unsigned.

Apple’s four-year rookie contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2020, and is worth $15.152MM in total, including a $9.22MM signing bonus. The other rookie deals are far more modest, including Shepard’s, which has a total value of $5.945MM, with a $2.523MM signing bonus.

Here’s the complete list of 14 undrafted free agents that have joined the Giants:

Dolphins Sign Laremy Tunsil, 12 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins have locked up their first-round pick, announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has signed his rookie contract. The team also confirmed that seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty has signed his deal, as reported on Thursday.Laremy Tunsil

Tunsil, the 13th overall pick last Thursday, had been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Titans sent that selection to the Rams in a pre-draft trade. Tunsil continued to slip on draft night when, less than an hour before the event got underway, a video surfaced of the former Ole Miss tackle smoking marijuana out of a gas-mask bong.

While the Dolphins were thrilled to have Tunsil fall to them, there’s still some lingering concern within the organization about how he may have been affected by the pre-draft leak, and whether that leaker may continue to attempt to do damage, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Still, those concerns aren’t significant enough to postpone Miami’s signing of Tunsil, and the rookie lineman’s contract contains no unique clauses to protect the team, says Werder.

In addition to signing Tunsil, the Dolphins also announced that they have added 12 undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the full list of Miami’s UDFAs:

Bengals Announce 13 UDFA Signings

May 6th, 2016 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals formally announced their undrafted free agent signings this morning, tweeting out a list of 13 new rookie additions to their roster. After splitting their draft class fairly evenly between offensive and defensive players, the Bengals’ group of UDFAs leans more toward offense, with only four defenders among them. Here’s the full list:

Jets Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents

May 6th, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Jets’ rookie minicamp gets underway today in Florham Park, New Jersey, and there will be several undrafted free agents joining the seven players the team selected in last weekend’s draft. In addition to inviting 22 tryout players to audition for the team over the weekend, Gang Green has also confirmed 13 UDFA additions to the 90-man roster.

The Jets’ 13-man UDFA group primarily consists of pass-catchers, defensive ends, and special teams players. Here’s the full list of rookies signed by the club:

Seahawks Place Marshawn Lynch On Reserve/Retired List

May 5th, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Marshawn Lynch‘s retirement, announced earlier in the offseason, has become official today. The Seahawks announced in a press release that they’ve placed the standout running back on the reserve/retired list, formally removing him from their 90-man roster.Marshawn Lynch (vertical)

Seattle general manager John Schneider had indicated earlier this week that this move was coming at some point prior to June 1st, since the team prefers to take on Lynch’s entire cap hit this year, rather than spreading it out over 2017 as well. Assuming the Seahawks don’t attempt to recoup a portion of the signing bonus on the running back’s last contract – and they’re not expected to – the club will carry $5MM in dead money on its books for Lynch in 2016.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Lynch was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2012, and has a Super Bowl ring. For his career, the former first-round pick racked up a total of 9,112 rushing yards for the Seahawks and Bills, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and totaling 83 touchdowns. While his final season was cut short by injuries, he had earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods prior to 2015.

With Lynch’s retirement official, the Seahawks are expected to turn to Thomas Rawls as their primary back in 2016, assuming he’s healthy. Rawls was impressive in Lynch’s place in 2015, averaging an NFL-best 5.6 yards per carry on 147 attempts, but he fractured his ankle in December and is still on the mend. The team also drafted a trio of running backs last week, nabbing C.J. Prosise in the third round, Alex Collins in the fifth, and Zac Brooks in the seventh.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Signings: Bucs, Seahawks, Lions

May 5th, 2016 at 8:34pm CST by Zachary Links

A rundown of the latest draft signings:

  • The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with fourth-round pick Ryan Smith and fifth-round pick Caleb Benenoch, as freelance reporter Jenna Laine tweets. Smith, a defensive back out of North Carolina Central, left college as the program’s all-time leader in solo tackles (168) and kickoff return average (28.1). Even though he played cornerback during his final year at UNCC, the Bucs plan to use him as a safety. Benenoch, an offensive linemen from UCLA, has experience both at tackle and on the interior line and that versatility helped his stock heading into the draft.
  • The Seahawks signed fifth-round running back Alex Collins, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. As his slot mandates, it’s a four-year, $2.566MM deal with a $184K signing bonus.
  • The Lions signed sixth-round defensive lineman Anthony Zettel, as Wilson tweets.
  • The Dolphins have signed seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). The former Western Kentucky signal caller drew interest from scouts in large part because of his pinpoint accuracy.
  • The Lions signed fifth-round offensive lineman Joe Dahl, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The Jets announced the signings of cornerback Juston Burris (fourth round) and tackle Brandon Shell (fifth), as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Shell, a 6-foot-6, 328-pound tackle, started for four seasons for the South Carolina Gamecocks and is the great nephew of Raiders Hall of Fame tackle and ensuing coach Art Shell.

Colts Sign Four Draft Picks

May 5th, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Zachary Links

After signing first-round pick Ryan Kelly on Wednesday night, the Colts have agreed to terms with four more players from their 2016 draft class. The team has announced deals with fourth-round defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, fifth-round offensive tackle Joe Haeg, seventh-round linebacker Trevor Bates, and seventh-round center Austin Blythe.

Ridgeway, an early-entry player from Texas, broke out in his sophomore year with 47 total tackles, 6 sacks, and 10 tackles for a loss. In his junior year, he had 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. Those numbers weren’t quite as gaudy as 2014, but they were enough to draw the interest of the Colts around the middle of the draft.

Those rookies will join a Colts team that has now welcomed 21 undrafted free agents. To help make room for their new additions, the Colts waived offensive lineman Khaled Holmes and three other players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Rumors: Slauson, Chargers, Bills, V. Miller

May 5th, 2016 at 7:58pm CST by Zachary Links

All along, Matt Slauson has planned on visiting both the Chargers and the Bills and he will not rush his decision, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. After wrapping up his visit with San Diego on Wednesday, the center/guard is now meeting with team brass in Buffalo. Slauson doesn’t have a deal with the Bolts yet, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything one way or the other.

Here’s more out of the AFC:

  • Contract talks are at a standstill between Von Miller and the Broncos, but the Super Bowl MVP says that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere. “I’m going to be here in Denver no matter what,” Miller said, as Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post writes. “The contract is going to take care of itself. I’m going to be a Denver Bronco for life.” Miller, who was hit with the franchise tag, is not expected to take part in team workouts this week.
  • Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona “may have to leave the Patriots for a year or so,” a Navy official told The Dan Patrick Show (transcript via ESPN.com). The second-year player has been assigned to a ship, which prompted New England to sign free agent long snapper Christian Yount.
  • Chiefs rookie return specialist Tyreek Hill will not be subject to NFL discipline upon entering the league but could be considered a repeat offender under its conduct policy if he is involved in another incident of domestic violence, as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes. The fifth-round choice out of West Alabama pleaded guilty in August 2015 to a domestic abuse incident involving his pregnant girlfriend. The policy only applies when the player’s first infraction occurs while the player is in the NFL. However, the league will not hesitate to hit Hill with advanced punishment if another incident takes place.

Falcons Sign Entire Draft Class

May 5th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have now signed their entire draft class, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Strong safety Keanu Neal (whose signing was completed days ago), linebacker Deion Jones (second round), tight end Austin Hooper (third round), linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (fourth round), guard Wes Schweitzer (sixth round), and wide receiver Devin Fuller (seventh round) have all put pen to paper. Deion Jones (vertical)

Jones, an LSU product, finished out his college career in style with 88 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and three passes defensed. Jones started only one game through his first three years in Baton Rouge, but he exploded when given the opportunity in his senior season. Jones impressed scouts with a 4.38 second 40-yard-dash at his Pro Day and despite concerns about being undersized, he drew interest from a host of teams looking for a tough linebacker.

In other Falcons news, linebacker O’Brien Schofield is lobbying hard for a reunion. Meanwhile, free agent cornerback Leon Hall remains on the open market after his visit with Atlanta.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/16

May 5th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Eagles (Twitter link) released running back Kevin Monangai and defensive tackle Travis Raciti. Monangai, a Villanova product, spent much of the 2015 season on Philadelphia’s taxi squad and did not appear in a regular season game.
  • The Giants have waived tight end Jerome Cunningham and safety G.J. Kinne, as James Kratch of NJ.com tweets. Cunningham appeared in nine games (three starts) for the Giants in 2015 and stepped up when Larry Donnell was sidelined with a neck injury. Kinne is a versatile player with experience at quarterback, wide receiver, and safety.
  • The Jets (Twitter link) waived wide receiver Joe Anderson.
  • The Cardinals released guard John Fullington to get back to their roster limit of 90 players, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. Fullington missed all of the 2015 season with a knee injury.
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