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NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/5/19

May 5th, 2019 at 6:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll keep track of the latest late-round draft pick signings here:

  • The Vikings announced the signing of seventh round pick cornerback Kris Boyd. With Boyd inked, the Vikings are just waiting on two more picks to sign, first round pick center Garrett Bradbury and fellow seventh-rounder long snapper Austin Cutting. Cutting is waiting for clearance from the Air Force, so it might be a while before it signs. A Texas product, Boyd is a very solid athlete who was projected by many to be a mid-round selection, but he ended up slipping to the 217th overall pick. The 2018 first-team All-Big 12 selection received a $109.7K signing bonus.

West Notes: Raiders, 49ers, Seahawks

May 5th, 2019 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

After signing several lower-key free agents last year, the Raiders operated aggressively in March. After adding Antonio Brown, the team signed Trent Brown, Lamarcus Joyner, Tyrell Williams, Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict. All are in line to start. But the Raiders’ most deficient area was not fully addressed until the draft. Mike Mayock did not view this year’s class of edge rushers as good fits for the Raiders, who then took three defensive ends in the draft. This perhaps affected the Raiders’ ability to sign UDFA defensive ends.

“We didn’t think that free agency was going to be the answer for that,” Mayock said (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Scott Bair) of addressing the team’s need for edge help. “I thought we did a really nice job here over the weekend to the extent that we couldn’t even sign any (undrafted) free agent defensive ends because they saw we drafted three. They’re all staying away from us.”

Most thought the Raiders reached at No. 4 to draft Clelin Ferrell, whom one league executive said (via Mike Sando of ESPN.com, ESPN+ link) was slower than an NFL quarterback of average speed. The Raiders also drafted Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby in the fourth round and Prairie View A&M’s Quinton Bell in the seventh. While the Raiders did sign Benson Mayowa in free agency, they may still need assistance at this position after their 2018 pass rush recorded the fewest sacks (13) of any NFL team in 10 seasons.

Here is the latest from the West divisions, continuing with a possible Raiders need area:

  • Jon Gruden said Kolton Miller will stay at left tackle, with Trent Brown lining up on the right side and Brandon Parker now a swing player. Gabe Jackson will remain at right guard, but after the Raiders traded All-Pro Kelechi Osemele for a Day 3 pick, the team has a hole at left guard. Gruden said (via Bair) the team will still monitor outside help at that spot. As of now, 2018 waiver claim Denzelle Good is stationed with the first unit there. While Good made 20 starts with the Colts from 2015-17, the free agent market — which includes Andy Levitre, Stefen Wisniewski, Chance Warmack and Shawn Lauvao, among others — may be able to produce a better starter.
  • The 49ers will proceed cautiously with Nick Bosa. Despite the No. 2 overall pick participating fully at the Combine, the 49ers held him out of team drills at rookie minicamp this week. After Bosa missed most of his junior season at Ohio State due to a core muscle injury, the 49ers plan work him in slowly, a team official told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
  • The first punter went off the board in the fourth round this year, with the 49ers making Mitch Wishnowsky being the highest-drafted punter since the Jaguars took Bryan Anger in the 2012 third round. However, the 49ers did not expect to need a punter, per Maiocco, who notes they viewed 2015 fifth-round pick Bradley Pinion as a player likely to be re-signed. Instead, the Buccaneers swooped in and landed the free agent specialist on a four-year, $11MM deal.
  • It looks like the Seahawks‘ search for backup-quarterback candidates may continue. Paxton Lynch resides on Seattle’s roster, but considering his career thus far, it’s no lock the former first-rounder will be Russell Wilson‘s primary backup. The three players who took part in the Seahawks’ rookie camp this weekend — UDFA Taryn Christion (South Dakota State) and tryout arms Troy Williams (Utah) and Michael O’Connor (University of British Columbia) — did not fare well. “I thought the quarterbacks had a hard time,” Pete Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, on Twitter). “I thought they struggled with the system and play-calling.”

5 Key NFL Stories: 4/28/19 – 5/5/19

May 5th, 2019 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fifth-year option week unfolds: While some teams made their 2020 options known prior to the draft, many waited. Several franchises — the 49ers (Joshua Garnett), Bills (Shaq Lawson), Cardinals (Robert Nkemdiche), Jets (Darron Lee), Panthers (Vernon Butler), Raiders (Karl Joseph), Redskins (Josh Doctson), Saints (Eli Apple), Seahawks (Germain Ifedi), Steelers (Artie Burns), Titans (Jack Conklin) and Vikings (Laquon Treadwell) — opted this week not to extend their 2016 first-round picks’ contracts into 2020. Most of these were fairly straightforward decisions due to picks not panning out, but the Seahawks and Titans put their starting right tackles into contract years. The Eagles, as you may have expected, picked up Carson Wentz‘s option; the Bears and Lions pushed Leonard Floyd‘s and Taylor Decker‘s respective rookie contracts into 2020.

More developments in Tyreek Hill saga: The embattled Chiefs wide receiver went on the offensive this week (via a leaked letter from his defense attorney). The strategy appeared to be to shift blame for his 3-year-old son’s broken arm onto his fiancee, Crystal Espinal. Another report pointed to Hill, living in a hotel due to a non-contact order with the couple’s son, calling 911 because Espinal was passed out in the couple’s home. The Chiefs have banned Hill from their offseason program thus far, but instead of a quick release, it now looks like this could be a lengthy, messy process for just about everyone involved.

Raiders lose running back: Isaiah Crowell‘s Raiders tenure may never involve him wearing a game uniform. The veteran running back suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon while working out, and the Raiders placed the recently signed back on IR. While Marshawn Lynch was reportedly interested in coming back for a third season in Oakland, the Silver and Black opted to re-sign Doug Martin.

Post-draft roster bolstering commences: A year after finally receiving the long-term deal he coveted, Zach Brown had to again settle for a one-year agreement. After the Redskins released him, Brown caught on with the Eagles for $3MM. He will be a threat to join Nigel Bradham as a three-down linebacker. The Texans lost Tyrann Mathieu in free agency and Andre Hal to retirement; they added longtime Charger starter Jahleel Addae to their safety mix. The Colts did not opt to use their war chest of cap space on a running back before the draft, but Chris Ballard added Spencer Ware post-draft. Ballard was with the Chiefs when they initially acquired Ware.

Cowboys’ priorities coming into focus: The Cowboys appear to view new deals for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper as front-burner tasks. Both are in contract years. Stephen Jones said the team would like to have its quarterback and top wide receiver re-signed by the time the season starts. As for Ezekiel Elliott? He appears to be behind his aforementioned teammates in this extension queue. Jones said no timetable exists for an Elliott re-up but reiterated any talks for a new deal will probably have to start at Todd Gurley‘s price.

PFR Originals: 4/28/19 – 5/5/19

May 5th, 2019 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • After the Jets’ draft ended up not producing a long-rumored trade-down maneuver in the first round, instead bringing Quinnen Williams to the Big Apple, PFR’s Zach Links asked readers to grade Gang Green’s 2019 rookie class. Despite the team using its top three picks on linemen, center and edge rusher still profile as need areas. So far, readers view the Jets as having done fairly well in this year’s draft.
  • Zach also revisited decisions involving two of the more controversial players in recent NFL history, continuing PFR’s “This Date in Transactions History” series.
    • This week in 2016, the Chiefs used a fifth-round pick on Tyreek Hill — a player not on many teams’ draft boards due to the horrendous incident that resulted in Oklahoma State kicking him off its roster. While the Chiefs have thus far reaped rewards from this decision, with Hill becoming one of the NFL’s best wideouts, the deep threat’s NFL future is now in question after recent events.
    • Also this week in 2016, the Cowboys ruled out bringing back Greg Hardy. The defensive end’s alleged domestic violence incident resulted in his promising Panthers career ending. Hardy’s one season in Dallas produced tumult and led the team to look elsewhere for edge-rushing help after it ended.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/19

May 5th, 2019 at 2:05pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves. We’ll update this list throughout the day:

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Latest On Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill

May 5th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Rory Parks

Although Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that the criminal case against star receiver Tyreek Hill has been reopened, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that district attorney Stephen Howe has not confirmed that one way or another (video link). Pelissero says that he received an email from Howe indicating that the Johnson County District Attorney’s office has no comment at this time.

Meanwhile, Angie Ricono of KCTV 5 reports that, shortly before Hill’s son was removed from the custody of Hill and fiance Crystal Espinal, Hill called 911 and advised that Espinal was passed out. Hill was living in a hotel at the time due to a no-contact order with the couple’s son, but an alarm was tripped inside Espinal’s home and, through cameras installed in the home, Hill was able to see her on the floor and their son walking around unattended. It is unclear why Espinal was passed out, and the phone call itself is now a part of the ongoing criminal investigation, so it has not been made available to the media.

And the outcome of that criminal investigation is going to be what decides Hill’s NFL future. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports spoke with a number of high-ranking executives from different teams who all expressed their belief that, barring a prosecution revealing guilt, Hill will be on a team in the future (Twitter thread). He is still under contract with the Chiefs, though he is presently banned from team activities.

Even if Kansas City ultimately cuts Hill, one club that won’t be signing him is the Browns. Robinson’s sources say that Cleveland GM John Dorsey has exhausted his political capital in terms of bringing in players with DV in their past, and that he is likely to steer clear of Hill. Robinson adds that, if Hill ever does get a long-term contract offer, it will either have limited guarantees or include a number of mechanisms to claw back money already paid out.

The NFL’s investigation is also ongoing, and the league has yet to comment on the latest developments in this saga.

Malcolm Jenkins Absent From Eagles Workouts

May 5th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Rory Parks

Malcolm Jenkins has been absent from Eagles workouts this offseason, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Although the workouts are voluntary, it is uncharacteristic for Jenkins to miss them, so McLane posits that Jenkins could be angling for a new contract.

Jenkins is under club control through 2020 thanks to a four-year, $35MM extension he signed three years ago, but after the safety market famously stagnated in 2018, it came back with a vengeance in 2019. Jenkins is now the 10th-highest-paid safety in the NFL in terms of total value, full guarantee, and per-year average.

And while McLane concedes that Jenkins’ contract may accurately reflect his standing in the league’s safety hierarchy, he also notes that Jenkins’ per-year salary of $8.75MM is only 63% of the $14MM average for Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu, who both inked new deals this offseason. Though Jenkins, 31, is older than Collins and Mathieu, it would be difficult for Philadelphia to argue that he is only 63% as valuable.

Despite his age, Jenkins is about as durable as they come, his work ethic is among the best on the team, and he is still playing at a high level. The Eagles typically don’t add new money to a contract that has multiple years left, but McLane believes the team should be willing to make an exception for a player as important to its success as Jenkins.

Jenkins, though, may be content with the addition of incentives to his current deal, or perhaps with a restructure like the one he agreed to last year that gave him more guaranteed money upfront. It is difficult to know at this point, because Jenkins and his representation have declined comment, and the Eagles don’t comment on a player missing non-mandatory training.

If Jenkins is still a no-show for the team’ OTAs in a couple of weeks, that would give us a better indication of Jenkins’ mindset.

No Contract Talks Between Bobby Wagner, Seahawks?

May 5th, 2019 at 8:27am CST by Rory Parks

We heard at the end of March that linebacker Bobby Wagner and the Seahawks had started negotiations on a new contract. Wagner’s long-term future in Seattle was complicated by whether the team would have to commit significant cap room to Frank Clark, but now that Clark has been traded to Kansas City, the thought was that the Seahawks would shift their focus to getting a deal done with Wagner, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the 2019 season.

However, contrary to those earlier reports, Wagner himself says that he and the Seahawks have not yet started contract talks (Twitter link via Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network). There is still plenty of time to work something out, even if substantive discussions haven’t yet taken place, but if what Wagner is saying is true, that could mean that Seattle is not going to break its budget to keep Wagner in the fold.

After all, the Seahawks are now paying Russell Wilson at a historical rate, so GM John Schneider, who ended up with 11 picks in the 2019 draft when he was originally slated to have just four, needs to focus on acquiring as much cheap labor as possible. Paying a top-of-the-market price for a middle linebacker who turns 29 in June may not be the best allocation of resources, no matter how good that middle linebacker is.

And the free agent contract that C.J. Mosley recently signed with the Jets could have dashed Seattle’s hopes to keep Wagner. Mosley is now getting paid $17MM per year, and he is only two years younger than Wagner. Plus, Wagner is generally a better player, so it stands to reason that Wagner, who is handling the negotiations himself, would aim to match or exceed Mosley’s new pact.

If the Seahawks can keep Wagner for something that more closely resembles Luke Kuechly‘s $12.4MM-per-year deal, then perhaps the two sides can reach an accord. But if Wagner is determined to be paid Mosley money, then he could find himself on a new team in 2020.

Wagner told Ruiz, “I want to retire a Seahawk, but I understand it’s a business. I’m preparing like this is my last year as a Seahawk. If it is, I want to make sure I go out with a bang and make sure I give the city something to remember.”

AFC Notes: Kelly, Colts, Titans, Bates, Broncos, Reed

May 4th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Chad Kelly could be back on an NFL roster soon. The former Ole Miss standout passer and nephew of legendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly has had a tumultuous road. He was kicked off the team at Clemson during his college days, and was arrested last season in a bizarre incident following Von Miller‘s Halloween party that caused the Broncos to release him. Last week we heard that he could be nearing a deal with the Colts, and we have a new development there.

Kelly hasn’t officially been signed yet, but he is attending the team’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player this week, per Mike Chappell of CBS4 (Twitter link). Kelly has struggled with injuries in addition to his off-field issues, but he managed to open the 2018 season as Case Keenum‘s backup. He played well in the preseason and had a ton of support from the team’s fanbase, and for a while it looked like he might’ve been on the verge of replacing Keenum before he was arrested. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts sign him as a developmental option considering current backup Jacoby Brissett is likely to pursue a starting job next offseason.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Speaking of off-field issues, Titans linebacker Daren Bates was recently charged with marijuana possession, per Terry McCormick of Titansinsider.com. The charge doesn’t sound too serious in McCormick’s recap, but he still could potentially face league discipline. Originally signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn back in 2013, Bates has been able to stick in the league thanks to his special teams prowess. Bates, who has been with the Titans since the 2017 season, played only 40 defensive snaps last year but he played 83 percent of the team’s special teams snaps. He’s heading into the final year of a three-year, $6MM deal.
  • Mike Klis of Denver9News “like(s) the chances” of undrafted pass-rusher Malik Reed to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster, he tweets. Klis is very plugged in with John Elway and Denver’s front office, so this is worth noting. The Broncos gave him a $15K signing bonus, so they definitely think highly of him. Reed was very productive in college, and he had 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks with Nevada last year. With Miller and Bradley Chubb, the Broncos already have a very solid pass-rushing nucleus.
  • In case you missed it, the Patriots signed ten undrafted free agents, and we broke down the class here.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/4/19

May 4th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll keep track the latest late-round draft pick signings here:

  • The Ravens announced the signing of sixth round quarterback Trace McSorley. After signing three picks yesterday, the Ravens have now locked up all their Day 3 picks, and are just waiting on their first three picks to sign. McSorley set records at Penn State, but was widely viewed as being too small and inconsistent with his accuracy to be a top rated passer. The Ravens took a flier with the 197th pick, and they might experiment with him. McSorley played safety in high school, and he was by far the fastest quarterback at the combine. Ravens coach John Harbaugh has mentioned the possibility of using him on special teams and as a gadget player, and it sounds like McSorley could play a similar role with Baltimore as Taysom Hill does with the Saints. He should be fun to watch no matter where the Ravens end up using him.
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