HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Draft Notes: Panthers, Penny, Impact Rooks

May 5th, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Ben Levine

With their first-round pick, the Panthers ended up selecting Maryland wideout D.J. Moore. However, General Manager Marty Hurney told SiriusXM’s Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn that his team was considering several players with the pick, including Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley.

“Basically what we did, coming into the draft, we had a group of about five guys that we would be very happy with at 24 and we got our pick and three of those guys were there and it was a hard decision between Calvin Ridley and D.J. Moore,” Hurney said. “I think that the difference to us is, and we think they’re both excellent wide receivers, is just D.J. Moore gives us a little different skill set than we had.”

Let’s check out some more draft notes from around the league…

  • Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller touched on a number of topics during his post-draft review. Notably, the reporter noted that the most surprising first-round selection was San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny, who was taken by the Seahawks with the 27th pick. Miller notes that opposing teams didn’t value Penny as highly, and the reporter said the highest team grade (outside of Seattle) rated the running back as a second-rounder.
  • Miller reports that several players failed drug tests, causing them to fall in the draft or go undrafted. This grouping included cornerback Holton Hill, offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, and wideout Antonio Callaway.
  • ESPN’s Mel Kiper looked at several late-round rookies who could immediately make an impact with their new squad. Offensively, Kiper pointed to Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, Colts running backs Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines, and Steelers “Swiss Army knife” Jaylen Samuels. Defensively, Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat, Rams linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo led Kiper’s list.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Austin, Vikings, Spence

May 5th, 2018 at 9:23am CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks released defensive end Cliff Avril with a failed physical designation yesterday, but it doesn’t sound like the decision was an easy one. Speaking with reporters following the first day of rookie minicamp, coach Pete Carroll reflected on the veteran’s impact on the organization.

“He’s been a great leader. He’s been a bit of a statesman for us. He always says the right thing, stands for the right stuff and been a really high character guy that you can always count on,” said Carroll (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “A great competitor in the program. I love him and would like to keep him connected with our club as long as we can because he’s just exactly what you hope to represent you. He’s had a great career with us.”

Avril, 32, said he wants to continue his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Speaking of injured Seahawks, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that safety Kam Chancellor has more neck scans scheduled in June. The veteran landed on the injured reserve last season due to an unspecified neck injury, and reports indicated that the 30-year-old may be forced to retire.
  • The Rams bailed on wideout Tavon Austin, sending him to the Cowboys for a sixth-rounder. While the receiver never lived up to his four-year, $42MM contract, his former organization doesn’t believe his tenure was a failure. “[The deal] was never necessarily to be, hey, a No. 1 receiver,” said general manager Les Snead (via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez). “But he was a weapon for us on special teams and in the offense. He led our team in touchdowns, and he had a lot of special-teams touchdowns called back. He was just a unique weapon on offense.”
  • The Vikings re-signed veteran cornerback Terence Newman last week, and Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune has details on the new deal (via Twitter). The 39-year-old will earn a $1.015MM base salary and a $90K workout bonus. However, there’s no guaranteed money, and the contract accounts for a $720K cap hit.
  • The undisclosed 2019 pick that the Lions acquired from the Dolphins in the Akeem Spence trade is a conditional seventh-rounder, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. Miami originally acquired the selection in the deal that sent Jarvis Landry to the Browns.

Draft QB Fallout: Darnold, Allen, Mayfield

May 4th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

A draft that produced one of the longest rumor cycles surrounding quarterbacks in recent memory continues to generate fallout. And some of it centers on the quarterback that fell to No. 3.

Among the emotions expressed in the Jets’ war room after the Giants chose Saquon Barkley over Sam Darnold were disbelief and joy, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. But the Giants weren’t the only team many NFL executives and scouts believe helped out the Jets.

The Browns’ Baker Mayfield pick went against the grain, with Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writing that he only confirmed two teams — the Browns and Patriots — that rated the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner as the top quarterback in this draft. Conversely, 15 different teams rated Darnold as their top QB, Miller reports.

Mike Maccagnan decided to keep an airtight lid on his quarterback hierarchy, only informing Christopher Johnson and Todd Bowles of which signal-caller he had as his top-rated passer. The fourth-year Jets GM didn’t bother to assign final grades to the top five QBs in fear of that information seeping out, but grades were given to every other player on the Jets’ board, per Mehta. While the precise order here is not known, Mehta reports Darnold was the Jets’ top-rated passing prospect — one the team did not think would get past the Browns at No. 1 until very late in the process.

The Jets weren’t certain the Giants would pass on Darnold, either, but were aware of Dave Gettleman‘s interest in Barkley. One source informed Miller that Gettleman, indeed, did not pick up the phone regarding trade interest in the No. 2 overall pick. While Gettleman himself confirmed one team made a strong offer for No. 2, it’s unclear when on draft night that proposal emerged. Wowed by none of these QBs, the Giants did not have a consensus on which of these players was the best prospect.

While the Cardinals wound up with Josh Rosen, Miller reports Josh Allen was their top-rated quarterback. The team that actually drafted Allen, the Bills, had the Wyoming talent rated as this class’ No. 2 passer, Miller reports. Buffalo was one of the teams that viewed Darnold as this draft’s top QB.

No reports of Allen visiting the Cardinals emerged until he confirmed just before the draft he took a trip to Arizona. Miller notes the Cards may have tried to trade up for Allen prior to landing Rosen. Additionally, the Twitter controversy did not appear to affect Allen’s stock. Miller adds no sources indicated that played a role in their teams’ respective assessments of Allen.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/4/18

May 4th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s draft signings.

  • On the same day the Packers cut Justin Vogel, their 2017 punter, they signed fifth-round pick J.K. Scott. Vogel requested to be waived, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets, because of the odds seemingly stacked against him to win the Green Bay job against a highly (for a punter) drafted rookie rather than catching on elsewhere before a training camp begins. This clears the way for Scott, whom the Packers selected at No. 172 overall out of Alabama. Green Bay also signed the long snapper drafted in the seventh round, Hunter Bradley, who played at Mississippi State.
  • The Jets signed sixth-round running back Trenton Cannon on their first day of rookie minicamp. Cannon played at Division II Virginia State.
  • The Seahawks also announced they signed draft picks Will Dissly, Jacob Martin and Michael Dickson. Dissly will stay in Seattle after playing at the University of Washington. The Seahawks selected the blocking tight end in the fourth round. One of the six linebackers Seattle either drafted or signed as a UDFA, Martin arrived in the sixth round out of Temple. Dickson (Texas) ended up as the first punter drafted this year, going off the board at No. 149.

Bay Area Notes: Johnson, Hurst, Miller, DBs

May 4th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

It sounds like Jon Gruden and Derrick Johnson hit it off in a one-on-one meeting, which led to the Raiders signing the 14th-year linebacker earlier on Friday. Johnson’s deal is a one-year agreement, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com reports, adding that it’s worth up to $3MM. Gruden looks to have been a Johnson fan for a while during his years as ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst, and that intel may have played a key role in the 35-year-old off-ball ‘backer landing with Oakland.

“I’m one of Gruden’s favorite players — he’s always had a soft spot for me,” Johnson said, via Paylor. “He’s always said that over the years. I’m not playing for a rebuilding-type year. I sensed an urgency from Coach Gruden that winning is important right now.”

The Chiefs’ all-time leading tackler, Johnson has not played in a 4-3 defense since the 2008 season. Prior to the Chiefs switching to the 3-4 look in 2009, Johnson worked as an outside linebacker with Kansas City during his first four seasons. The Raiders signed Tahir Whitehead as well. He, Bruce Irvin and Johnson could be the Raiders’ three linebacker starters, despite Johnson telling Paylor he’s not quite the same player he was since the second of his severe Achilles injuries shut him down late in the 2016 season.

Here’s the latest out of the Bay Area:

  • Gruden, though, did not rule out a NaVorro Bowman reunion (Twitter link via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area). Bowman is nearly six years younger than Johnson but also carries injury baggage. However, Bowman graded as Oakland’s best linebacker by a wide margin last season. The Raiders have maintained they’re still interested in Bowman throughout the offseason, but they’ve now added four linebackers — with Emmanuel Lamur and Kyle Wilber coming to California as well — since Bowman became a free agent.
  • The Raiders began their rookie minicamp with Kolton Miller working at left tackle, where he’ll likely be Donald Penn‘s backup. Gruden confirmed the team’s first-round pick will start his career there, per NFL.com’s James Palmer (on Twitter), despite the team being in need of an immediate right tackle starter. Third-round pick Brandon Parker will work at that position.
  • Maurice Hurst Jr.‘s been cleared for workouts and participated in the first day of the Raiders’ minicamp. Gruden said (via Bair, on Twitter) the team doesn’t have any reservations about the Michigan product, whose heart issues played a major role in him sliding into the fifth round. Gruden believes the Raiders landed the top two interior pass rushers in the draft in Hurst and second-round pick P.J. Hall, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (via Twitter).
  • The 49ers plan to move third-round pick Tarvarius Moore from cornerback to safety, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes. The Southern Mississippi alum ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, and his 6-foot-2 frame also makes John Lynch believe he could stick at corner. Interestingly, 5-9 safety D.J. Reed — an outside corner at Kansas State — will compete with K’Waun Williams for the slot job, per Barrows, but also practice at safety. San Francisco’s brass is clearly unafraid to shuttle its defensive backs around, having Jimmie Ward ready to potentially switch positions for the fourth straight offseason.
  • Would-be third-year DB Dexter McCoil broke a bone in his foot training independently, leading the 49ers to waive him with an NFI distinction, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. A 16-game Charger participant in 2016 and having played eight games with the 49ers last season, McCoil is facing a four- to six-week recovery period, per Maiocco.

Ben Roethlisberger On Steelers’ QB Situation, Future Plans

May 4th, 2018 at 7:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having seen probably the best Steelers team since at least the Super Bowl XLV-qualifying version fail to win a playoff game, Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t seem to be too thrilled about the franchise using a key resource to draft his possible replacement and not a player who stands to help the team this season.

“I was surprised when they took a quarterback because I thought that maybe in the third round, you know you can get some really good football players that can help this team now,” Roethlisberger said during an interview with 93.7 The Fan (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). “Nothing against Mason (Rudolph); I think he’s a great football player. I don’t know him personally, but I’m sure he’s a great kid. I just don’t know how backing up or being a third [string] — well, who knows where he’s going to fall on the depth chart — helps us win now.”

The Steelers used their first-round pick on safety Terrell Edmunds and chose another wide receiver in former Rudolph Oklahoma State target James Washington. But they made their biggest quarterback draft investment since Roethlisberger with their third 2018 draft choice.

The 36-year-old quarterback is going into his 15th season. Roethlisberger said quickly after the Steelers’ loss to the Jaguars that he would return for the 2018 season, and he’s said he now wants to play beyond his current contract. That deal runs through 2019. However, this abrupt declaration came in stark contrast to how Roethlisberger proceeded after the 2016 season, when he went weeks without committing to return in 2017.

Fowler notes the reaction around Steelers headquarters was positive, but now he wonders if the team believes he’s going to be playing into his late 30s.

“I wanted them to know so they wouldn’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback,” Roethlisberger said. “I wanted to make sure there were no questions. Once they drafted a quarterback in the third, I wasn’t sure if they believed me or not. But I’m committed to it.”

Making his sixth Pro Bowl, Roethlisberger also made it through a season without missing games due to injury for the first time since 2014. The Steelers may be ready to extend Roethlisberger beyond his current contract, which features $23.2MM cap numbers in 2018 and ’19, this offseason. But he appears to be more concerned about whether Le’Veon Bell will be extended and would be fine with Pittsburgh brass tending to his own deal next year.

“To me, there are more important pieces that need to be taken care of besides myself,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ve got two years left, this one and one more. I want to go out and do the best I can. To me, it’s about addressing it next year. But if they feel they want to talk and address something this year, we will obviously talk and listen.”

Seahawks Add 15 UDFAs

May 4th, 2018 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Beginning their rookie minicamp on Friday, the Seahawks announced their undrafted rookie class. Fifteen players comprise this contingent. Here’s the full rundown:

Interestingly, this class houses just two offensive line hopefuls. Lundblade was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last year. The Seahawks used just one of their draft choices, a sixth-rounder, on what’s been a troublesome area for the franchise for years. Seattle’s only free agency add here was D.J. Fluker, who worked mostly as a depth piece for an embattled Giants team in 2017.

Seattle brought in three wide receivers after not addressing the position in the draft. All check in at 6-foot-1 or taller. The two fullbacks bring the Seahawks’ total to four, and counting notable fifth-round pick Shaquem Griffin and sixth-rounder Jacob Martin, Seattle’s added six rookie linebackers this year.

Latest On Matt Ryan’s Extension

May 4th, 2018 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The details in Matt Ryan‘s historic five-year, $150MM Falcons extension further paint this pact as a player-friendly agreement. Indeed, Ryan has set the bar for full guarantees, with $94.5MM fully guaranteed at signing and another $5.5MM essentially guaranteed (for injury only), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

After a record $52.5MM comes Ryan’s way this year, he will earn a fully guaranteed $10MM roster bonus in 2019 and a $11.5MM next season as well. In 2020, Ryan will collect a $20.5MM fully guaranteed salary, Florio reports.

The Falcons quarterback’s 2021 salary contains $5.5MM guaranteed for injury at signing, and despite that season being three years away, that $5.5MM becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2019 league year, Florio adds. He’ll earn a $23MM base salary in 2021. The only way Ryan wouldn’t collect his $5.5MM injury guarantee is for the Falcons to part ways with him — at an extreme cost — just after the start of the ’19 league year. So, for all intents and purposes, the 2008 first-round pick has $100MM guaranteed to come his way.

There’s a $7.5MM roster bonus due to Ryan on the third day of the 2022 league year, and Florio adds Ryan’s ’22 and ’23 salaries are set to be $16.25MM and $20.5MM, respectively.

Interestingly, none of these guarantees contain any offset language, Florio reports, with a source informing him this deal contains “all clean cash.” No incentives, per-game roster bonuses or workout bonuses are included in this contract — one that ties Ryan to the Falcons through his age-38 season.

This will certainly come up often in the Packers’ ongoing negotiations with Aaron Rodgers and future quarterback talks, like the impending Seahawks/Russell Wilson discussions.

Raiders Sign Six UDFAs

May 4th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Amid a busy offseason that saw the Raiders bring in plenty of new faces via free agency, along with nine draft picks, the Silver and Black are lighter on undrafted free agents. But they did bring in six talents. Here’s the full rundown:

Piniero set the Florida record for field goal accuracy, making 38 of his 43 tries with the Gators — including 29 of his final 30. He’ll be set to compete with second-year kicker Giorgio Tavecchio. The Raiders gave Pineiro a $25K signing bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Officer started 48 games at Pitt, at center and both guard spots, and joins a Raiders team that did not draft an interior lineman nor bring one in via free agency. Baugh started 29 games for the Buckeyes. He’ll attempt to make a Raiders team that has Jared Cook signed through only 2018 and blocking tight end Lee Smith entering his age-31 season. Oakland added Derek Carrier as a free agent.

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