Here are Thursday’s minor moves.
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: TE Orson Charles
- Waived: DT Josh Augusta
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Orion Stewart
The Giants were enamored with Saquon Barkley to the point they didn’t waste much time turning in their card. And the team is now prepared to enter the season without a surefire heir apparent behind Eli Manning.
It turns out, Big Blue’s brass didn’t appear to have a consensus among which of the quarterbacks they would take, with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reporting different sects of the Giants’ decision-makers preferred three separate signal-callers. And they didn’t feel strongly enough about one of them to pull the trigger at No. 2.
Mostly, the Giants were down to Sam Darnold or Josh Allen, with some Josh Rosen support in the building as well. Schwartz reports there wasn’t much love for Baker Mayfield among the new-look Giants power structure.
If it were up to Pat Shurmur, Allen would have been the quarterback pick — had the franchise been leaning in that direction. Upside drew Shurmur to Allen. However, the Giants would have selected Bradley Chubb if Barkley wasn’t available, per Schwartz.
The Giants placed the same grade on Barkley and Chubb, but the Penn State running back was listed atop Chubb’s name on Big Blue’s board. They proceeded accordingly, and are “ecstatic,” Schwartz writes.
Additionally, Schwartz lists second-round pick Will Hernandez as a near-surefire starter at guard. Hernandez caught the Giants’ eye at the Senior Bowl, and one staffer told Schwartz the the team’s consensus was the UTEP lineman’s Combine performance would not have him available by the time New York’s second-round window opened. The Giants signed Patrick Omameh in free agency and still have returning starter John Jerry on the roster. And Schwartz adds that Lorenzo Carter could well get a strong push to start ahead of free agency addition Kareem Martin, the latter’s knowledge of James Bettcher’s system notwithstanding.
Despite being a five-year starter and still in the prime years of his career, Eric Reid remains unsigned. And he’s filed a grievance against the NFL as his free agency tenure nears the two-month mark.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports the former 49ers safety has an interesting name at the root of his case: President Donald Trump. Robinson reports Trump is the “crystal-clear target” in Reid’s case.
The president’s vulgar 2017 comments about players who chose to kneel during the national anthem amid the inequality-themed protests sparked a slew of NFL players kneeling during the anthem in Week 3 of last season. And Reid’s grievance claims Trump had direct communications with NFL owners about players who engaged in these protests. Although, the specifics of some of these alleged discussions aren’t known.
Jerry Jones discussed this issue with the president on verified phone calls, per Robinson, and the Cowboys owner has been the most outspoken owner against these protests. Jones is spearheading a group of owners’ effort to prevent players from having the right to protest during the anthem, Robinson reported earlier this spring. The New York Times recently reported a portion of the November 2017 owners-players summit was secretly recorded, and several owners expressed concern over Trump’s attacks on the NFL because of kneeling players.
This grievance also indicates Trump communicated with owners about this issue both publicly and privately, Robinson reports, adding the public communications may be the string of comments directed at players during various speeches over the past several months.
Reid began kneeling during anthems shortly after Colin Kaepernick did in 2016, and he continued the practice throughout the 2017 season. Although the 26-year-old safety said he would no longer use this form of protest next season, reports out of Cincinnati indicated Bengals owner Mike Brown asked Reid if he would continue to kneel during what was his only known free agency visit. Other than the Bengals’ visit, Reid’s seen a quiet market despite his first-round pedigree and Pro Bowl honor. He’s not the only safety to say social activism has played a role in his current unemployment, with Tre Boston saying the same recently.
Robinson notes the difference in Reid’s claim and Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit is Kaepernick’s effort was aimed at widespread targets whereas the Reid’s grievance centers on Trump being the “driving force” on keeping Reid and Kaepernick out of the league. Robinson adds that discoveries during the Kaepernick depositions may well have played a role in Reid making Trump the target.
Dan Morgan looks set to follow other high-ranking former Panthers staffers east. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) the Seahawks’ director of pro personnel will join the Bills as a high-ranking member of Brandon Beane‘s front office.
Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News reports this is not quite a done deal yet; the Bills plan to interview Morgan. Though, this may be a formality.
Morgan’s been a Seahawks scout and exec for several years. He will fill the role vacated by Brian Gaine‘s departure to Houston, per Garafolo. Gaine served as Buffalo’s VP of player personnel last year under Beane before returning to Houston as GM.
A former first-round pick, Morgan played seven seasons with the Panthers, from 2001-07, before breaking into the scouting side of the game. He’s worked under Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner in Seattle and will now make a significant step forward in his executive career.
The 39-year-old exec began his tenure with the Seahawks as an intern before working as a scout. The Seahawks then promoted him to assistant director of pro personnel. Beane was with the Panthers throughout Morgan’s career as their starting middle linebacker.
With their rookie minicamp on tap for this weekend, the Vikings have gotten to work on signing their draft class. Minnesota signed four members of its eight-man class on Thursday, agreeing to terms with the final four players in the group.
- Round 5-167: Daniel Carlson, K (Auburn)
- 6-213: Colby Gossett, G (Appalachian State)
- 6-218: Ade Aruna, DE (Tulane)
- 7-225: Devante Downs, LB (California)
Carlson signed for four years and $2.708MM, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets, adding the kicker prospect received a $248K signing bonus. Gossett and Aruna both signed $2.578MM deals with $118,408 bonuses. Downs’ deal is worth $2.554MM. The Cal product received a $94K signing bonus, Tomasson reports.
Carlson will come in and compete with Kai Forbath, whom the Vikings re-signed earlier this offseason. Carlson made just 21 of his 31 field goal tries but made four of eight from beyond 50 yards. Minnesota’s selection of Carlson does not necessarily mean he’ll be kicking in the Twin Cities come September. Both the Bengals and Panthers saw their 2017 draftees, Jake Elliott and Harrison Butker, poached by other teams off their respective practice squads early last year.
Gossett was one of two offensive linemen in the Vikings’ class, joining second-round tackle Brian O’Neill. Aruna and Downs figure to be in line to compete for spots as backups and on special teams or on Minnesota’s practice squad.
After a 2017 offseason where the Jets’ then-top quarterback prospect couldn’t land the starting job, the latest New York centerpiece passer is believed to have a decent chance of doing that despite a clear bridge plan in place.
With Christian Hackenberg relegated to afterthought status, Sam Darnold will assume center stage, beginning with the Jets’ rookie minicamp this weekend. However, the plan of the soon-to-be 21-year-old rookie starting his career as Josh McCown‘s understudy may be tenuous.
Some at Jets headquarters believe Darnold showing the Jets what they think he will stands to give him a great opportunity to be the team’s starter from the outset, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.
While it’s obviously early to speculate how advanced Darnold will be in Jeremy Bates‘ system by September, the Jets are ecstatic Darnold fell to them at No. 3 and will be ready to hand him the keys if he shows enough progress in his first NFL offseason.
Todd Bowles didn’t rule out a then-to-be-determined rookie starting in Year 1, and Mehta notes this won’t be a redshirt season for Darnold. The USC product will “absolutely” take over as the starter this season, just as Mitch Trubisky and Deshaun Watson did last season. And it might be a quicker-than-expected ascent.
As for Hackenberg, the former second-round pick has been working with passing coach Jeff Christensen this offseason, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). The Penn State product’s passing motion has reportedly been improved, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, adding that the reason Bryce Petty was cut and not Hackenberg was due to the latter’s second-round pedigree.
Hackenberg could now be battling Teddy Bridgewater for the No. 3 job. He still has two years left on his rookie deal while McCown and Bridgewater are signed to one-year contracts. This could impact the competition, along with Bridgewater’s health.
The $100MM guaranteed in Matt Ryan‘s landscape-changing Falcons extension appears to be fully guaranteed. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (video link) Ryan will see every dollar of this nine-figure allotment, one that will take the quarterback guarantee market to another level. Kirk Cousins‘ previous record of $84MM — more than $20MM more than Matthew Stafford‘s then-record amount from last summer — lasted less than two months. While it would be a good bet Ryan would see all $100MM even if it weren’t fully guaranteed, given the 11th-year quarterback’s reliability and importance to the Falcons, this sets a high floor for the impending Aaron Rodgers extension. This Ryan deal may have been completed as early as March, per Pelissero, but Ryan’s wife having twins in March prompted the parties to delay the talks.
Here’s the latest from the South divisions:
- Despite being able to land Vita Vea with the No. 12 overall pick, the Buccaneers placed a top-five grade on the defensive tackle. Jason Licht said during an appearance on Good Morning Football (video link) Vea was slotted at fourth on the Bucs’ board. This made it risky for Tampa Bay to trade the No. 7 pick to Buffalo, with three non-quarterbacks going from Nos. 7-11, but the south Florida franchise landed Vea anyway. Licht said the Bucs ran several pre-draft scenarios centered around the possibility of trading back and still seeing Vea available, but the GM indicated there were a couple of players the team would have been comfortable with at No. 12 if another team chose Vea. One of these could have been Derwin James, a player whom Licht said the Bucs liked “a lot.”
- A somewhat strange shakeup will occur on the Panthers‘ coaching staff. Curtis Fuller will resign from his post as defensive backs coach, Joe Person and Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer report. The reasoning for this exit is as of now unknown, with GM Marty Hurney telling the Observer “it’s a complicated situation.” Fuller’s been on Carolina’s staff since 2013, serving in various capacities — mostly helping defensive backs. The 39-year-old assistant rose to his most recent role last year after Steve Wilks was promoted to defensive coordinator.
- Part of an NFL initiative for overseas players being placed on NFC South practice squads, defensive end Alex Jenkins remains with the Saints going into what could be his second year after signing a reserve/futures contract. And the team will again receive a roster exemption, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports (on Twitter). The England native won’t count against the Saints’ 90-man offseason roster and would be an 11th man on the practice squad if he can’t make the team’s 53-man roster out of camp.
It appears the Cowboys’ refusal to send a second-round pick to the Seahawks for Earl Thomas did not squash their interest in acquiring the three-time All-Pro safety. The Cowboys remain in the Thomas market, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, but it’s unclear how badly the franchise wants to execute a deal.
Moore reports the Cowboys are still interested in trading for Thomas. However, despite a rather interesting safety setup that features Jeff Heath and 2017 sixth-rounder Xavier Woods as the penciled-in starters, they aren’t desperate for his services. Moore notes they will be willing to wait out the Seahawks’ situation with Thomas.
John Schneider does not expect his superstar safety to hold out, despite repeated threats at doing so, and the Seattle GM reiterated that’s the sense he’s getting.
“My sense is that he wants to be here,” Schenider said Thursday, via ESPN Seattle’s Jessamyn McIntyre (Twitter link). “I haven’t got that sense from his agents at all.”
The Cowboys are searching for safety help, and while it’s a good year to do that — with Eric Reid, Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro still oddly unattached nearly two months into the 2018 league year — Thomas brings a much higher pedigree. The soon-to-be 29-year-old defender remains one of the top players at his position, and the Texas native surely wouldn’t be upset if the Cowboys acquired him.
Despite Dallas’ need at safety, the team didn’t inquire about trading up for Derwin James once he fell in Round 1, Moore reports, and selected an offensive lineman in Round 2 and a wideout in Round 3. Executive VP Stephen Jones said the team considered drafting a safety, and Jerry Jones said the team is interested in finding veteran help. Jerry Jones added post-draft that the Cowboys have cornerbacks who can play safety, perhaps indicating Byron Jones‘ shift to cornerback may not be permanent.
Moore writes that Thomas can help facilitate this by holding out and/or refusing to sign a Seahawks extension. One year remains on his deal. But for now, Seattle brass continues to publicly state they expect Thomas to remain their secondary’s centerpiece this season.
Following his departure from San Diego, Orlando Franklin has not been able to re-establish his career. The Redskins made the decision to release the veteran guard on Thursday.
A former six-year starter with the Broncos and Chargers, Franklin played in one regular-season game with the Redskins last season. Washington signed Franklin in late October of last year but waived him shortly after. However, the Redskins reacquired him in mid-January via reserve/futures contract.
He’ll now return to free agency. Franklin took multiple visits last year and signed with the Saints as well, but New Orleans cut him before the season began. Aside from selecting Louisville tackle Geron Christian in the third round, the Redskins did not make other moves to bolster their offensive front. Although, Franklin was added during a season that featured rampant injury trouble to Washington’s existing starters — players expected to be healthy by training camp.
The former second-round pick turned 30 in December. He’s started 89 of the 90 career regular-season games in which he’s played. He’s also the most recent Bronco to open back-to-back seasons at right tackle. Denver’s addition of Jared Veldheer figures to extend its streak of Week 1 right tackle starters to five since Franklin was moved to guard prior to the 2014 season.
The Eagles picked up an option in coach Doug Pederson‘s contract after the team’s Super Bowl win, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Peterson’s original four-year deal had him signed through 2019, but he’ll now be in place through the 2020 campaign. 
The Eagles hired Pederson in 2016 to replace polarizing coach Chip Kelly. After going 7-9 in his first season at the helm, the Eagles went 13-3 in 2017 before winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Thanks in part to Pederson’s offensive acumen and his ability to mold quarterbacks, the Eagles did not miss a beat even after losing Carson Wentz to a torn ACL in Week 14.
Coming to Philadelphia after at three-year run as Andy Reid‘s OC in Kansas City, Pederson helped craft a dominant Eagles season that peaked with one of the most unique playoff runs in NFL history.
After the Eagles finished the regular season as the league’s No. 7 offense (and No. 4 defense), Pederson helped to cater his offense to the talents of backup Nick Foles. And that helped produce three postseason upsets en route to the Super Bowl title.
Philly is now entrenched as one of the league’s elite teams and will be one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LIII. So, it could have been viewed as a given the Eagles would make arrangements to keep Pederson around via this contract option.