HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Anderson, Saints

May 11th, 2018 at 2:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons were interested in trading up during Round 1 for Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne, per Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. However, the Redskins taking him at No. 13 made the Falcons change their plan. They stood pat and drafted Payne Crimson Tide teammate Calvin Ridley, doing so despite having Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu in the fold. Pauline notes the Falcons passed on Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan — the Jaguars’ pick at No. 29 — because they weren’t particularly enamored with the former Gator’s game. Atlanta has Grady Jarrett and Jack Crawford stationed in the middle of its defensive front, and the team used a third-round pick to help out at this spot in taking South Florida interior defender Deadrin Senat.

Here’s the latest from the NFC South:

  • C.J. Anderson‘s Panthers deal will be worth around $1.7MM this season, with Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer adding that $800K in incentives are available to the longtime Broncos starter. This comes after the Broncos released Anderson well over a month into free agency. The 27-year-old running back would have made $4.5MM in 2018 on his previous contract, one the Dolphins originally designed and one the Broncos shed free of any dead-money charges.
  • While it’s only rookie minicamp, the Falcons had former LSU wide receiver Russell Gage playing cornerback on Day 1, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets. Gage played wide receiver during his final two years at LSU but as a sophomore worked exclusively at cornerback. He did so as a freshman as well but didn’t see much action playing defense in college. He managed to be a sixth-round wide receiver pick despite finishing his college career with just 28 receptions, so the Falcons — who traded up to get Gage — may have a firm plan for the rookie.
  • Sharrod Neasman saw action in 14 games for the Falcons from 2016-17, but he’s working out with the Saints during their rookie camp this weekend, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. A 26-year-old safety and a former UDFA, Neasman drew interest from the Saints in the past. Pelissero notes New Orleans tried to sign him off Atlanta’s practice squad. Neasman worked out for the Chiefs recently as well.

David Tepper Frontrunner To Buy Panthers?

May 11th, 2018 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers may be on the verge of having a new owner soon. David Tepper is the frontrunner to succeed Jerry Richardson and buy the Charlotte, N.C.-based franchise, Joe Person, Katherine Peralta and Rick Rothacker of the Charlotte Observer report.

Tepper refuted an April report that he was out of the mix to make this acquisition, and it appears the hedge-fund billionaire is close to moving forward with this purchase. Worth approximately $11 billion, the 60-year-old Tepper has the most capital of any of the men vying to buy the team, per the Observer trio. Tepper’s finances being the least complicated aided his bid, per Person, Peralta and Rothacker, who add Tepper was back in Charlotte on Wednesday meeting with team officials.

This comes after another potential buyer, Ben Navarro, wanted to involve Peyton Manning as a part-owner. Alan Kestenbaum and Michael Rubin represented the other bidders for the team. Richardson’s son, Mark, put weight behind Navarro to be his father’s successor. However, Tepper now appears to be leading the race, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting Jerry Richardson has zeroed in on Tepper. Although, the Observer reporters caution this deal is not finalized.

Rapoport adds (via Twitter) Tepper wants to keep the Panthers in Charlotte. This deal could be ready to be approved by the next set of owners’ meetings in Atlanta later this month, per Rapoport, who also reports Tepper is the only one of these potential buyers who could be approved by the upcoming meetings. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes he’d be “shocked” if Tepper wasn’t the next Panthers owner, adding this sale could be announced early next week.

The report indicating Tepper was out doesn’t appear to have been entirely off base, either, with La Canfora reporting Tepper has told confidants at multiple times during this process he was out. But evidently he’s back in and ready to finish the process. Additionally, La Canfora reports Manning was unlikely to join Navarro’s ownership group.

Since Tepper has been a part-owner of the Steelers since 2009, he also would not need to be approved by the NFL. Many NFL owners wanted Tepper to win this race, the New York Times reported in April.

Colts To Sign WR Kasen Williams

May 11th, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Seahawks and Browns wide receiver Kasen Williams will sign with the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. They will waive fellow wideout DeAndre Smelter to make roster room, per Schefter.

The Browns waived Williams shortly after the draft despite signing him to a reserve/futures contract in January. He’ll make his way to the Colts, who’ve been interested in the former UDFA for a bit now.

Indianapolis placed a waiver claim on Williams following a strong showing during the 2017 preseason, but Cleveland held higher waiver priority and won his rights after Seattle waived him. Now, the fourth-year wideout will attempt to make the Colts’ 53-man roster.

The Browns waived Williams last season but retained him for their practice squad. The University of Washington product caught nine passes for 84 yards in 2017. A 2015 49ers fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, Smelter has only seen action in two NFL games — both during the 2016 season. Smelter tore an ACL during his final season with the Yellowjackets and missed his rookie year. He finished 2016 on IR and despite not playing last season wound up with the Colts on a futures deal.

Patriots To Cut T Antonio Garcia

May 11th, 2018 at 12:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Once viewed as a possible heir apparent to Nate Solder at left tackle, Antonio Garcia will be headed to the waiver wire without playing a down as a Patriot.

New England plans to cut the second-year tackle with a non-football injury designation, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Blood-clot issues kept Garcia off the field as a rookie.

The Patriots traded up to take Garcia with the No. 85 overall pick last year. But the Troy product not being able to see the field as a rookie clouded his status, and the New England tackle corps looks different than it did before draft weekend. The defending AFC champions selected Isaiah Wynn in the first round this year and subsequently traded for 49ers starter Trent Brown.

They re-signed LaAdrian Waddle and have Marcus Cannon returning from injury, but there is less clarity beyond Wynn at left tackle. Garcia started for 3 1/2 years at left tackle for the Trojans. He didn’t allow a sack as a senior and became a Day 2 prospect.

Lions Sign RB Kerryon Johnson

May 11th, 2018 at 11:15am CST by Zachary Links

Kerryon Johnson is officially a member of the Lions. On Friday, the Auburn running back inked his rookie contract. 

The Lions sent their No. 51 overall choice plus a fourth-round pick to the Patriots for the 43rd pick in order to select Johnson. He’ll have an opportunity to get significant playing time right out of the gate in the Lions’ mishmash backfield. Veteran LeGarrette Blount still projects as the team’s top ball carrier with Theo Riddick as a pass-catching specialist, but Johnson could tilt things in his favor with a strong summer. For what it’s worth, Riddick says he’s not concerned about losing ground to Johnson.

“It’s never a conflict,” Riddick said recently (via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “I put my teammates first. I was always taught that as a player, as a young kid, and I continue to put that out. So, it really doesn’t affect me. Even, again, with Blount being here I’m just trying to get him to soak up the playbook as fast as possible, because if I can do that then that helps us all. I just want to win.”

In addition to Blount and Riddick, the Lions also have Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington, and former second-round pick Ameer Abdullah under contract.

Johnson holds the potential to be a three-down back in the NFL, but some evaluators worry that his running style and frame will make him injury prone. He didn’t seem to have any trouble at Auburn, however, as he ran for 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final year on campus. He also recorded 24 catches for 194 yards and two scores.

Bills Sign 12 UDFAs

May 11th, 2018 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have added a dozen undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the list, in full:

Foster played for Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll at the University of Alabama, so Daboll is already familiar with what he provides. He wasn’t a major contributor in college, but he did have 14 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown last year. Foster impressed evaluators at the combine with a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash and his build gives the Bills some hope that he can stick at the next level.

Phillips, on the other hand, was a big performer in college. At Virginia Tech, he caught 147 passes in his final two seasons for nearly 2,100 yards and 12 TDs.

Giants Sign 11 UDFAs

May 11th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have formally signed eleven undrafted free agents:

Chandler received a $35K bonus to sign with the Giants, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Chandler gave Temple solid production throughout his four-year tenure and offers the kind of toughness that GM Dave Gettleman appreciates. He’s definitely undersized at 5’11”, but his higher-than-average bonus indicates that there were at least a few NFL GMs eager to see what he can do in camp.

Howell was a part of Missouri’s impressive 2016 offensive line, which finished first nationally in tackles for loss allowed (2.92 per game), the lowest for any team since at least 2005.

Titans Sign 22 UDFAs

May 11th, 2018 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have signed a host of undrafted free agents to their offseason roster. Here’s the full rundown:

Finch received a larger-than-average $42K guarantee to sign with the Titans (as noted by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, on Twitter), so he may have a better shot than most of making the final cut. Finch, a 6’5″, 250-pound edge rusher, recorded five blocked punts at Temple using his exceptional wingspan. While he lacks pass rushing technique, the Titans probably feel that he has potential as a special teams contributor.

The Titans had only a four-man draft class this year, which necessitated a large UDFA class.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Patriots

May 11th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Kicker Chandler Catanzaro chose not to re-sign with the Jets because he didn’t want to play in the cold, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Instead of braving the elements, Catanzaro opted to join the Buccaneers this offseason on a three-year, $9.75MM deal with $3.75MM guaranteed.

It would be easy to chide Catanzaro for his weather preferences, but it’s hard to blame him for his choice after a brutal winter in the tri-state area. He also came away with a solid deal from the Buccaneers that puts him just outside of the top ten on an average annual basis at his position.

Catanzaro will look to stabilize the Bucs’ kicking after two years of struggles with Roberto Aguayo, Nick Folk, and Patrick Murray. Meanwhile,the Jets will pit newcomer Taylor Bertolet against veterans Cairo Santos and Nick Rose for their vacancy.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Panthers Sign RB Kenjon Barner

May 11th, 2018 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent running back Kenjon Barner is signing with the Panthers, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barner also visited the Bills before agreeing to terms with Carolina. 

The Panthers added C.J. Anderson earlier this week, but they found themselves in the running back market again after losing Fozzy Whittaker to a season-ending ACL tear. Barner ranks no higher than third at his position thanks to the presence of Christian McCaffrey and Anderson, but he can provide valuable depth as well as some support in the return game.

Barner, a 2013 sixth-round pick by the Panthers, spent the last three seasons with the Eagles. In 2015 and 2016, he was productive despite limited snaps, compiling 253 rushing yards on only 55 carries (4.6 yards per attempt). Last offseason, he signed a one-year free agent deal with the Chargers but returned to Philly after he missed the Bolts’ final 53-man cut. He saw less time at running back than ever in 2017, but he did average a respectable 8.9 yards per punt return.

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