HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Dolphins Try Out RB Mark Walton

May 10th, 2019 at 3:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals dropped Mark Walton after he was arrested for the third time inside of three months. However, another team might be willing to give him another chance. On Friday, the Dolphins auditioned the running back during their rookie minicamp, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. 

If signed, it’ll be a homecoming for Walton, who played his football at the University of Miami. The Bengals used a fourth-round pick on him just a year ago, so he could be a high-value pickup for the rebuilding Dolphins.

Thanks to his offseason incidents, Walton might not be available for the start of the season. That probably wouldn’t be a big deterrent for the Dolphins, who seem to have more of an eye on 2020 than 2019.

Walton’s was cuffed in March for reckless driving as well as carrying a concealed weapon and marijuana. In February, he was arrested for battery and, in January, he got nabbed for marijuana.

He tallied just 34 yards off of 14 carries as a rookie, but he rattled off 1,100 yards as a sophomore with the Hurricanes, which shows some promise for what he can do at the pro level.

Cowboys Sign Most Of Draft Class

May 10th, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have most of their draft signings out of the way. Everyone in Dallas’ draft class has agreed to, or signed, their rookie deals, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter), save for third-round guard Connor McGovern.

The following Cowboys rookies are now in the fold:

Hill, a 6’2″, 315 pound defensive tackle, left UCF on a sour note and openly complained about his lack of playing time in the team’s Fiesta Bowl loss to LSU. Throughout the year, Hill clashed with coaches and started only once in the team’s eleven regular season games. Still, the Cowboys see big potential in this supersized lineman.

Pollard, meanwhile, offers upside as a runner and as a receiver. Last year, he saw 78 carries out of the backfield and averaged 7.1 yards per try. He also caught 39 passes for 458 yards, showing that he is a multi-talented threat.

Dolphins Sign 18 UDFAs

May 10th, 2019 at 1:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ll wrap up the 2019 undrated free agent process with the Dolphins, who have announced the signing of the following 18 UDFAs:

Most evaluators pegged Miami’s six-draft class as mediocre, but the Dolphins may have hit it out of the park with their undrafted free agents, as Thor Nystrom of Rotoworld ranked the Dolphins’ UDFAs as the second-best crop in the NFL (behind only the Saints). Calhoun is particularly interesting, as the poor state of Miami’s interior offensive line could give him a real chance at a roster spot. Williams, who was barred from testing at the scouting combine due to a 2017 altercation with a woman, is another Dolphins UDFA with a shot to make the 53-man roster, as Brad Kelly of The Draft Network writes.

Jets Sign 16 Undrafted Free Agents

May 10th, 2019 at 1:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets had a relatively small 2019 draft class with only six selections, but they’ve supplemented those prospects by adding 16 undrafted free agents:

Gil Brandt of NFL.com named Tyler Jones as the fourth-best undrafted free agent interior lineman available, and the Jets don’t exactly have the league’s strongest guard/center situation. If he’s able to play center, Jones could be factor in New York, where only Jonotthan Harrison and Jon Toth are ahead of the NC State product on the depth chart. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com lauded Jones’ pass-blocking acumen and noted his abilities in a zone scheme, which should play well in Adam Gase‘s new system.

Texans Sign 20 UDFAs

May 10th, 2019 at 1:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans have signed all but one member of their seven-prospect draft class, and they’ve added to that crop by inking the following undrafted free agents:

Higdon could have a path to a roster spot in Houston. The Texans used a seventh-round pick on Texas A&M running back Cullen Gillaspia, but the only other running backs competing for time behind starter Lamar Miller are D’Onta Foreman (who saw only seven carries in 2018 while recovering from a torn Achilles), Josh Ferguson, and Buddy Howell.

The Texans gave significant guarantees to several of their UDFAs, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Higdon received a $45 base salary and a $5K signing bonus, Crockett got a $35K base salary guarantee with a $10K signing bonus, and Pridgeon received a $35K base salary with an $8K signing bonus.

Huggins received a $35K base salary guarantee with a $5K signing bonus, Palmore got a $30K base salary guarantee with a $10K signing bonus and Davis will collect a $30K base salary guarantee with a $7K signing bonus.

Chris Johnson received a $25K base salary guarantee and a $10K signing bonus, Tyron Johnson got a $30K base salary guarantee and a $5K signing bonus, and Dixon will collect a $40K base salary guarantee and a $10K signing bonus.

 

 

Vikings, Kyle Rudolph Halt Negotiations

May 10th, 2019 at 1:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Kyle Rudolph could be on his way out of Minnesota. Extension talks between the tight end and the Vikings broke off on Friday morning, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Vikings drafted Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round, a sign that Rudolph might not factor into the team’s future plans. By moving on from Rudolph, the Vikes can save more than $7MM. Meanwhile, Rapoport hears that there is interest in Rudolph around the NFL.

Speculatively, one has to wonder if the Patriots could be among the interested clubs. A trade to New England would give the Pats an established TE to replace Rob Gronkowski and would give Rudolph his first opportunity to play in Foxborough for the first time since September 14, 2014. In that one-sided Patriots win, Rudolph had a respectable five receptions for 53 yards.

The 29-year-old Rudolph had another productive season in 2018, hauling in 64 receptions for 634 yards and four scores.

Bengals Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents

May 10th, 2019 at 12:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals are the latest NFL team to announce their crop of undrafted college free agents. Cincinnati has agreed to sign the following 10 players:

Morgan is probably the most interesting name on the list, as many prognosticators believed he could come off the board at some point on Day 3. Over his final two seasons at Nebraska, Morgan averaged 995 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. The Bengals didn’t add a wide receiver with any of their 10 draft picks, so Morgan has a good shot to compete with the likes of Cody Core and Auden Tate for the fifth receiver role on Cincinnati’s roster.

Patriots To Sign Dontrelle Inman

May 10th, 2019 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have agreed to sign wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year pact for the Pats and the veteran.

The 6’3″, 205-pound Inman gives the Patriots yet another receiver to consider this offseason. He becomes the eleventh wide-receiver on the club’s 90-man roster, joining Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris, Damoun Patterson, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, and Xavier Ubosi.

Inman spent the first few years of his career with the Chargers, but has bounced around since the start of the 2017 season. After starting out with the Bolts in ’17, he hooked on with the Bears. Then, last year, he joined the Colts as a free agent where he caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

The Lions considered Inman earlier this offseason, but he’s joining up with the defending champs instead.

Kyler Murray’s Deal Has Offset Language

May 10th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Kyler Murray‘s deal with the Cardinals contains offset language, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). Offset language is usually at the root of most prolonged rookie negotiations, but the two sides managed to sidestep the issue and come to an accord on Thursday. 

Offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries are fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.

However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.

So, Murray appears to have accepted the typical offset language in a rookie deal, though his contract is not without unusual wrinkles. The pact also contains language that will void the deal if he leaves the NFL to pursue his baseball career.

Buccaneers Sign 16 UDFAs

May 10th, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers officially signed the following 16 UDFAs on Friday:

As the Bucs’ press release notes, history suggests that these players will have decent odds of making the final cut. Wide receiver Adam Humphries, running back Peyton Barber, and tight ends Cameron Brate and Antony Auclair all came to Tampa as UDFAs. In every year since 2008, at least one undrafted rookie has made the Buccaneers’ Week 1 roster.

That may be doubly true for defensive tackle Zack Bailey, who received a ~$23K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

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