2018 May - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Add 13 UDFAs

May 4th, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Browns begin their rookie minicamp, they signed 13 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full rundown:

Evan Berry, WR (Tennessee)
Elijah Campbell, DB (Northern Iowa)
Michael Carrizosa, P (San Jose State)
Christian Dilauro, OL (Illinois)
Daniel Ekuale, DL (Washington State)
Micah Hannemann, DB (BYU)
Desmond Harrison, OL (West Georgia)
Dontrell Hilliard, RB (Tulane)
Fred Lauina, OL (Oregon State)
Montrel Meander, DB (Grambling State)
Da’Mari Scott, WR (Fresno State)
Trenton Thompson, DL (Georgia)
Derrick Willies, WR (Texas Tech)

Berry is the younger brother of All-Pro Chiefs safety Eric Berry, the No. 5 overall pick in 2010 out of Tennessee. Evan Berry holds the Volunteers’ record for most kickoff-return touchdowns in school history with four. The Browns used just one of their eight draft choices on offensive linemen, so it probably shouldn’t be surprising three of them are on board as UDFAs.

Carrizosa finished in the top five in Division I-FBS punting twice with the Spartans (2015, 2017). Cleveland has punter Britton Colquitt signed through the 2020 season, but it would only cost the team $1.3MM in dead money to release him. Colquitt had a deal in place with the Broncos in 2016 before the franchise cut him for then-rookie seventh-rounder Riley Dixon.

NFL Suspends LB Akeem Ayers

May 4th, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Veteran linebacker Akeem Ayers, who finished the 2017 season with the Giants, has been suspended for the first four weeks of the season, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The reason for the suspension is not yet known.

Ayers finished out the 2016 season with 18 tackles, two sacks, and one interception for the Colts. He graded out as the No. 54 edge defender in the NFL out of 110 qualified players in that season, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Last year, he dressed for six games for the G-Men and registered one tackle.

Ayers, who is presently without a team, offers experience as a starter from his time with the Titans (2011-2013) and Rams (2015). In 2014, he won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.

The 28-year-old linebacker’s played on five different teams since the 2014 season. His work with the Patriots earned him a two-year, $6MM deal with the Rams. Although Ayers started 11 games and played in all 16 St. Louis contests in 2015, the team did not keep him around for its Los Angeles move. Ayers then ventured to the Colts, for whom he played all 16 games in 2016.

The Giants signed him midway through last season, after Ayers spent plenty of time working out for various teams in hopes of another shot.

Raiders Cut Cory James, Armonty Bryant

May 4th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders announced that they have waived linebacker Cory James with a failed physical designation. The Raiders also cut defensive end Armonty Bryant with a non-football illness designation.

Oakland drafted James in the sixth round two years ago and deployed him as a starter frequently over the past two years. The former Colorado State linebacker started 14 games during his first two seasons and could be an intriguing offseason waiver addition.

Although James’ play didn’t stop the Raiders from continuing to look for additional linebacker starters, he saw action on 455 snaps last season. He finished last season on IR, though, with a knee injury. The nature of this exit could well stall an immediate path to another team.

Entering what would be a sixth NFL season, Bryant has struggled to stay on the field because of suspensions. The NFL suspended the edge defender three times since 2016, and the Lions parted ways with him after his most recent ban ended. Bryant signed with the Raiders in April.

Chiefs, Browns Cancel Trade

May 4th, 2018 at 3:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dadi Nicolas/Randall Telfer trade won’t be happening after all. The deal has been nullified and both players have been waived by their original teams, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

On Tuesday, the Browns agreed to send Telfer, a tight end, to the Chiefs for Nicolas, a linebacker. It’s not immediately clear why the trade has been cancelled. Failed physicals are often the culprit for cancelled deals and Nicolas, who missed all of January with a ruptured patellar tendon, may not have passed his exam.

The Browns are well set at tight end with holdovers David Njoku, Seth DeValve, and free agent addition Darren Fells, so they are able to move on from Telfer without getting anything in return.

Dolphins Claim QB Bryce Petty

May 4th, 2018 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have claimed quarterback Bryce Petty off of waivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Petty was released by the Jets on Thursday, exposing him to the waiver wire.

Petty was the victim of a number’s crunch in New York. The Jets are already committed to two QBs between No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold and veteran Josh McCown while Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Hackenberg are among those battling for the final quarterback job.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, were in need of an extra arm for camp behind Ryan Tannehill, Brock Osweiler, and David Fales. Petty, who has one season left on his rookie contract, had some buzz behind him heading into the 2015 draft, so the Dolphins are at least curious to see what he can offer.

The Baylor product has gone 1-6 in seven NFL starts and is a career 53.1 percent passer with four touchdown passes against ten interceptions. The Dolphins have assumed Petty’s original rookie contract, which has one year remaining.

Redskins Re-Sign G Shawn Lauvao

May 4th, 2018 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins have agreed to re-sign guard Shawn Lauvao, according to his agency (via Twitter). Lauvao has been hampered by injuries in recent years, but he could serve as Washington’s starting left guard once again in 2018.

Lauvao has missed 22 games over the last three seasons, including seven missed games in 2017. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him as one of the ten worst guards in the NFL out of 77 qualified players. Those advanced metrics haven’t rated him well since his first year with Washington in 2014, but the Redskins clearly like what he offers.

The Redskins also have Arie Kouandjio, Kyle Kalis, Tyler Catalina, and guard/center Tony Bergstrom as options to play across from starting right guard Brandon Scherff. They did not use any of their eight picks this year to draft a guard, though they did select Louisville tackle Geron Christian in the third round.

Raiders Cancel Visit With Brian Cushing

May 4th, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders won’t be meeting with Brian Cushing after all. After agreeing to terms with fellow veteran ‘backer Derrick Johnson, the Raiders have called off their scheduled Sunday summit with Cushing, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Initially, it appeared that Cushing would join a revamped linebacker group that includes newcomers Johnson, Emmanuel Lamur, and Tahir Whitehead. That would have been quite a crowd, however, especially since holdovers Cory James, Bruce Irvin, Shilique Calhoun, and Nicholas Morrow are also under contract.

Cushing’s March meeting with the Seahawks appears to be the only visit he’s taken thus far in free agency. With the Oakland visit 86’d, his reps will continue to scour the market for other options.

Johnny Manziel Weighing Options

May 4th, 2018 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL would like to sign Johnny Manziel, but the former Browns standout has reservations about going north of the border. Specifically, Manziel is wary of the CFL’s policy that players must commit for two seasons. With that in mind, Manziel is also considering the upstart Alliance of American Football, Mike Florio of PFT hears.

Manziel is reportedly willing to accept a practice squad deal with no guaranteed money to prove that he belongs in the NFL, but it’s not clear if any teams are interested at this time. It’s possible that teams could give more serious thought to signing Manziel once they start releasing players, including undrafted free agents that aren’t up to par, from the 90-man roster.

The former Heisman Trophy winner would probably draw some serious dollars for the Tiger-Cats and the CFL as a whole, so it’s conceivable that the league could amend its policy to accommodate him. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Cats made a trade with the Montreal Alouettes this week that could give them the cap space necessary to give Manziel a contract worth more than the league minimum.

The AAF will launch in February 2019 – just after the Super Bowl – so Manziel will have to wait a while if that’s the route he plans to take.

Packers Waive P Justin Vogel

May 4th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are making a change at punter. After drafting punter J.K. Scott in the fifth round of this year’s draft, they waived Justin Vogel on Friday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Vogel signed with the Packers last year as an undrafted free agent and beat out Jacob Schum for the punting job. In 2017, he averaged 44.4 yards per attempt, with a net average of 41 yards. He also put 19 of his 71 punts inside of the 20-yard line.

Vogel is not considered to be on the same level as punters like Johnny Hekker of the Rams or Marquette King of the Broncos (formerly of the Raiders), but he should be able to land a camp contract after a decent showing last year.

Seahawks Release Cliff Avril

May 4th, 2018 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks announced they have released defensive end Cliff Avril with a failed physical designation. Avril lost half of the 2017 season to a neck injury which reportedly could keep him from returning to the field.

In January, Avril said that he would push to continue playing.

“I believe so,” Avril said when asked if he will return to the NFL. “Right now it’s all about recovery. I had surgery. I’m in the process of recovering. It’s a long process, a long journey. When I get to the end of that, then I’ll figure out what’s next.

“I mean, it’s something I love to do. It’s what I’ve been doing forever and, just as a competitor, I want to show that I can come back if it’s possible, you know? You do see all the injuries. You see the game from a different perspective when you’re on the sideline. And those thoughts do definitely pop into my head of ‘should I come back or not?’ But again, right now it’s all about recovery.”

Avril, a 10-year veteran, was slated to carry a cap charge of nearly $8MM in 2018. By releasing him, the Seahawks will be left with just $500K in dead money.

In 2017, Avril played only 151 defensive snaps before going down and garnered a disappointing 44.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. That was the lowest mark of Avril’s career, and he’d been an exceptional player as recently as 2015. In his nine seasons leading up to ’17, Avril totaled 73 sacks, including 20.5 between 2015 and 2016.

Right now, it’s unclear as to whether another team would risk putting Avril on the field given his recent injury history.