HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Colts Sign First-Round Pick Quenton Nelson

May 11th, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have officially signed the bulk of their draft class. On Friday, the team announced deals with the following picks: 

The Colts wound up with an oversized draft class of eleven players, but they have only two rookies left to sign. Once second round linebacker Darius Leonard and second round guard Braden Smith put pen to paper, they’ll be done.

Nelson was widely regarded as one of the best overall talents in this year’s draft, but the early run on quarterbacks helped guide him to the Colts at No. 6. Frankly, that worked out great for the Colts as they desperately need to protect quarterback Andrew Luck this season. The QB fever allowed Chris Ballard to land this year’s top rated offensive lineman in the draft while adding two 2018 second-round picks and a 2019 second-round choice from the Jets as he moved down from No. 3 to No. 6. It’s too early to grade any team’s draft, but everyone can agree that the Colts did well for themselves in terms of value.

Nelson, a 6’5″, 235-pound lineman, boasts tremendous power and the ability to act as a double team blocker. Many feel that Nelson is one of the best bets to succeed out of this year’s top 10.

“He’s so unique because he’s big, but he’s not fat. He’s one of the best run blockers I’ve ever evaluated, but he’s not a liability in pass protection like Mike Iupati is,” one NFC team personnel executive told NFL.com before the draft. “He’s also an alpha who can bring and ass-kicking mindset into your position room.”

Falcons Meet With Terrell McClain

May 11th, 2018 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Terrell McClain free agency tour continues. On Friday, the Falcons will meet with the defensive tackle, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets. 

McClain is a logical fit for the Falcons on multiple levels. The veteran is a system fit for Atlanta and has the quickness to play as a 3-technique and attack from the outside shoulder of a guard. McClain also has a relationship with with Jack Crawford thanks to their time together with the Cowboys.

The 6’2″, 302-pound tackle has been a popular guy as of late. In recent days, he’s met with the Dolphins, 49ers, Cowboys. Reportedly, talks between McClain and Dallas are progressing and the Eagles also have interest in him.

The Falcons are pretty well set at defensive tackle with Grady Jarrett, Jack Crawford, and rookie Deadrin Senat. Still, they could use some reinforcements after losing Dontari Poe this offseason. The recent extension for franchise quarterback Matt Ryan opened up a bit of cap space for Atlanta this season, so they have the flexibility to add McClain if they want.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/18

May 10th, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the rest of Thursday’s draft pick accords:

  • The Buccaneers signed one of their three second-round picks in cornerback M.J. Stewart (No. 53 overall), Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. They also agreed to terms with their final three picks — Kansas State safety Jordan Whitehead (Round 4, pick 117), Penn wide receiver Justin Watson (Round 5, pick 144) and Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy (Round 6, pick 202).
  • Five-sixths of this Falcons draft class is now signed. Atlanta agreed to a deal with third-round defensive tackle Deadrin Senat (No. 90 overall out of South Florida). After already signing four other selections, only first-rounder Calvin Ridley remains unsigned.
  • The Steelers signed one of the safeties they drafted last month in agreeing to terms with Penn State product Marcus Allen (Round 5, pick 148). Pittsburgh also signed Alabama defensive tackle Joshua Frazier (Round 7, pick 246).
  • The Jaguars came to terms with four of their seven draftees — the final four Jacksonville selected in this year’s draft. N.C. State tackle Will Richardson (Round 4, pick 129), Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee (Round 6, pick 203), Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs (Round 7, pick 230) and Mississippi State punter Logan Cooke (Round 7, pick 247) all signed their first Jags contracts Thursday. Cooke has a clear path toward the Jags’ punter job since the team released Brad Nortman two days after the draft.
  • Beginning their signings, the Titans agreed to deals with half of their four-man draft class. Tennessee signed Arizona cornerback Dane Cruikshank (Round 5, pick 152) and Washington State quarterback Luke Falk (Round 6, pick 199). The latter will attempt to develop behind Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert.
  • Following suit in bringing aboard the back half of their draft, the Bills agreed to deals with four rookies. Jacksonville State safety Siran Neal, Virginia Tech guard Wyatt Teller (Round 5, pick 166), Clemson wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (Round 6, pick 187) and North Carolina wideout Austin Proehl (Round 7, pick 255) signed their initial Buffalo deals.
  • Second-round Panthers pick Donte Jackson (No. 55 overall) signed his rookie contract. Indiana tight end Ian Thomas (Round 4, pick 101), Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes (Round 4, pick 136), Maryland linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. (Round 5, pick 161) and Miami defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (Round 7, pick 242) followed suit.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/18

May 10th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Marcus Davenport Agrees To Saints’ Terms

May 10th, 2018 at 8:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

A third first-rounder is on a team’s payroll on a relentless day for draft pick agreements. Marcus Davenport agreed to terms on his rookie contract with the Saints on Thursday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The defensive end prospect follows Da’Ron Payne and Josh Rosen in agreeing to terms today. And he’s the first member of the Saints’ draft class to sign.

Both Rosen and Davenport required trade-ups. The Saints, though, paid a far steeper price to move up to No. 14 and select the Texas-San Antonio pass rusher. New Orleans sacrificed its 2019 first-round selection to take Davenport, and he’ll now begin working with his team as a signed player.

He’s the second straight defensive end to go off the board at No. 14, with the Eagles taking Derek Barnett there in 2017. Barnett signed for four years and $12.85MM, so Davenport’s deal will come in north of that.

The 6-foot-7 edge defender finished his four-year Roadrunners career with 21.5 sacks and 37.5 tackles for loss.

Texans Sign Entire Draft Class

May 10th, 2018 at 8:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

As a busy Thursday for rookie signings winds down, the Texans don’t have any more work to do on this front. They reached agreements with each member of their draft class Thursday night, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Here’s the full rundown:

Having traded their first- and second-round picks in the deals for Deshaun Watson and Brock Osweiler, the Texans didn’t have as difficult of a time getting their class signed. However, they agreed to terms with three third-rounders, which hasn’t always been easy for teams because of vague CBA language regarding this round.

But Reid, Rankin and Akins are in the fold, and the Texans joined the Eagles among teams that have their full classes signed. Neither made first-round picks in this draft.

Pat Shurmur On Eli Manning’s Status

May 10th, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Five months ago, Eli Manning accepted a benching that ended his historic start streak and triggered a massive shakeup within the organization. But even after getting his job back a week later, the 14-year veteran was still viewed as either a trade candidate or a lame duck, given the Giants’ rare draft real estate.

But Big Blue’s new power structure immediately said Manning wasn’t going anywhere, and their actions on draft weekend leave no clear succession plan from a 37-year-old quarterback who is coming off one of his worst seasons. Pat Shurmur reiterated the Giants believe in their starter, viewing Saquon Barkley‘s talent as too difficult to pass up despite Albert Breer of SI.com reporting the team did like Sam Darnold to an extent.

“I don’t know what [taking Barkley] means for Eli,” Shurmur said, via Breer. “What it means for us organizationally is we picked the guy we thought was the best player in the draft. I believe in Eli. What I know is that Eli is going to be the very best Eli he can be, and we believe in him.”

Shurmur was reported to have preferred Josh Allen in a Giants war room that reportedly did not produce a definitive answer on which of the 2018 draft class’ top passing prospects was the best. That the team devoted its offseason to adding the draft’s top non-quarterback prospect and three new offensive linemen figures to help paint a better picture of where Manning’s at than what transpired last season leading an injury-ravaged Giants offense.

But Shurmur remains confident the Manning he studied on film from a shootout loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in December is one on which the franchise can still rely.

“It came down to the last score,” Shurmur said, via Breer, of a game that saw Manning throw for 434 yards and three touchdowns despite being without Odell Beckham Jr. “It’s not one thing, it’s Eli over the course of time. And it’s gotten solidified now getting a chance to work with him. … [on film] I saw a guy that could still throw the ball. I could tell he was still operating the offense pretty well. I saw that he had command of the offense, and I saw all the elements you see when things don’t go well.

“There were drops, missed blocks. I think everyone had their mistakes. Things tend to get magnified. But just as a player, you could see he could still drop back and throw the ball as well as anybody.”

New York has 2017 third-rounder Davis Webb and rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta behind Manning, but despite numerous calls for the Giants to draft a successor with their first top-five pick in 14 years, the team will attempt to groom the lesser-regarded prospects behind Manning for the time being. Two years remain on the starter’s contract.

“No, I didn’t see the age,” Shurmur said of watching the 15th-year quarterback on film. “There’s no substitute for experience and he’s got it. So no, the age doesn’t bother me.”

Josh Rosen Signs Cardinals Deal

May 10th, 2018 at 7:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

A second first-round pick signed his rookie deal on Thursday. The Cardinals reached an agreement with quarterback Josh Rosen, the team announced, on the eve of Arizona’s rookie minicamp.

Rosen follows Redskins defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne in agreeing to terms with his team. Rosen signed the customary four-year rookie accord, one that contains a 2022 option year.

The Cardinals have been looking for a bit now for their next franchise quarterback, and Rosen will be expected to give Sam Bradford a strong push for the job this season. The UCLA product was viewed by most as this class’ most polished passer and one that will need the shortest acclimation process before seeing game action.

Interestingly, Rosen follows Patrick Mahomes as the No. 10 pick. The Cardinals were rumored to be interested in trading up for Mahomes, but they’ll now being paying their quarterback a salary customary for that draft slot. Mahomes’ Chiefs deal was worth $16.425MM over four years, so Rosen’s pact will come in north of that ($17.6MM with a $10.9MM signing bonus, per Joel Corry of CBS Sports, Twitter link) but south of 2018 peers Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Allen.

However, with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, David Johnson and now Christian Kirk in place with the Cardinals, Rosen could be best-positioned to make an impact as a rookie.

Cowboys DT Maliek Collins Breaks Foot

May 10th, 2018 at 7:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

A starter since coming into the league as a third-round pick in 2016, Maliek Collins has encountered an offseason obstacle that could threaten playing time this season.

Collins suffered a broken foot on Thursday while working with the Cowboys in their offseason program, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. No definite timetable exists for Collins’ recovery just yet. Collins is going to need surgery after sustained a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot, Todd Archer of ESPN reports. He underwent a similar surgery on this foot in January, per Archer, who adds the hope at this point is for Collins to be ready by the middle of training camp.

While there isn’t a certain timeline here, Collins has been down this road before. Essentially this exact road. The former Day 2 pick broke his right foot two summers ago and was sidelined for 10-12 weeks. However, he returned to action in time to start 14 games that season after undergoing a similar surgery to what he will now undergo this week. Archer reports this procedure could happen as soon as Friday.

The Cowboys worked out their other 2016 defensive tackle starter Thursday in Terrell McClain and may be on the verge of bringing him back. The Redskins released McClain in April. Now that Collins could be on the shelf for a while, the team would have a much bigger need at defensive tackle.

Bears Sign 6 Draft Picks

May 10th, 2018 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many NFL staffers responsible for hammering out rookie contracts are having a busy day Thursday. Numerous rookies are signing deals, and the Bears took care of their non-Roquan Smith draft contingent. Here’s the rundown of Chicago’s signings:

Miller adds to what’s been one of the more interesting makeovers any team’s done at the wide receiver position in recent years. The Memphis slot target follows Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Bennie Fowler and others — including the Georgia-trained Wims — to the Windy City. With Kevin White also still in the picture, the Bears will have a unique position battle behind Robinson this summer.

Daniels could step in as a Day 1 starter and relocate Cody Whitehair to guard, where he would line up opposite Kyle Long and fill Josh Sitton‘s old spot. However, the Bears view the Iowa product as a versatile player himself. While Daniels spent most of his time with the Hawkeyes as their starting center, the second-rounder began his college career as a guard.

Smith is the only Bears pick not to have signed his rookie deal yet.

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