HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

NFL Suspends Buccaneers CB Ryan Smith

July 10th, 2019 at 3:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers cornerback Ryan Smith has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2019 regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. Smith will be eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games, but will not begin regular season action until September 30, following the team’s Week 4 game against the Rams. 

“We are disappointed that Ryan will be unavailable for the first four games of the season,” GM Jason Licht said in a statement. “We do extensive training and education for our players regarding the league’s polices, but ultimately each individual is responsible for what they put in their bodies.”

The ban could have a major impact on Smith’s future with the club. After earning a proven performance escalator last year, Smith is slated to earn a $2MM base salary in 2019. But, if the Bucs cut him, they’ll be on the hook for just $148K in dead money, resulting from his original rookie signing bonus.

The 2016 fourth-round pick has started 16 games over the last two seasons, but he was on shaky ground even before the suspension. After taking corners in the second and third round of this year’s draft, the Buccaneers could be poised to move on from him and allocate his slated salary elsewhere.

Jaguars To Sign WR Marcus Simms

July 10th, 2019 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Marcus Simms went unselected in Wednesday’s supplemental draft, but he does have an NFL deal. The former West Virginia wide receiver has agreed to sign with the Jaguars, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 

Simms was viewed as the second-best talent in this year’s second-chance draft, behind Washington State safety Jalen Thompson, who was the only player taken in the fifth round when the Cardinals called his name (or, more accurately, emailed his name to the NFL’s offices.) Some off-the-field issues interrupted his run in West Virginia, but Simms flashed some potential over the last two seasons.

Between 2017 and 2018, Simms reeled in 81 passes for 1,362 yards and seven touchdowns. He also contributed as a kickoff and punt returner, which should help his cause as he tries to stick at the pro level.

Now, Simms will focus on trying to make the Jags’ 53-man cut, joining Keelan Cole, Chris Conley, Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Terrelle Pryor, and others on the WR depth chart.

Only One Player Taken In Supplemental Draft

July 10th, 2019 at 1:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s Supplemental Draft on Wednesday concluded with only one player drafted. After the Cardinals chose Washington State’s Jalen Thompson in the fifth round, no other players were taken in the remaining two rounds.

The players who were not selected in the supplemental draft are now free to sign with any club. Those players are:

After Thompson, Simms was widely regarded as the best player in this year’s supplemental draft. The 6’0″ receiver averaged 16.7 yards per catch during his time with the Mountaineers and seems likely to land on a team’s 90-man roster.

Clarington, a one-time University of Texas commit, has also shown some impressive athleticism and potential at the JUCO level. He may also find work in the NFL, but he’s a raw prospect, even by supplemental draft standards.

Cardinals Select Jalen Thompson In Supplemental Draft

July 10th, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have selected Washington State defensive back Jalen Thompson in the fifth round of the NFL’s Supplemental Draft, according to multiple reports. By doing so, the Cardinals will give up their fifth round pick in the 2020 draft. 

Thompson was one of five entrants in this year’s second-chance draft and was universally regarded as the best prospect of the bunch. The Packers and Texans also showed interest in the youngster, but the Cardinals won out. It’s not yet known if the Packers or Texans placed bids on Thompson, but we do know that their draft priority (Nos. 10 and 26, respectively) was behind the Cardinals’ (No. 4).

Thompson attained freshman All-America status in 2016, was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a sophomore, and wrapped up his Cougars career with six INTs. In 2018, he picked off two passes, made 66 tackles and forced a fumble.

Thompson lost his final year of NCAA eligibility when he reportedly purchased an over-the-counter supplement at a local nutrition store. A source told Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review that the supplement in question was not a steroid, but it was enough to bring the defensive back’s collegiate career to an end. If not for that, Thompson might have been a fourth or fifth-round talent in the 2020 class.

Some in the Cardinals organization believe that Jalen Thompson is a better safety prospect than Deionte Thompson, the club’s fifth-round pick in April. If J. Thompson can impress this summer, there could be big things in store for him in Arizona.

NFL Supplemental Draft Order

July 10th, 2019 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s Supplemental Draft order does not go by the inverted win/loss records of clubs. Instead, the order is dictated by a weighted lottery that uses a team’s win percentage as just part of the equation. Here, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) is the complete order of the supplemental draft:

1. Lions
2. Broncos
3. Jets
4. Cardinals
5. Giants
6. Bills
7. Raiders
8. 49ers
9. Jaguars
10. Packers
11. Bengals
12. Bucs
13. Falcons
14. Vikings
15. Redskins
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Steelers
19. Panthers
20. Browns
21. Ravens
22. Patriots
23.Cowboys
24. Seahawks
25. Eagles
26. Texans
27. Bears
28. Colts
29. Saints
30. Chiefs
31. Chargers
32. Rams

The supplemental draft is conducted via email. If multiple teams submit a pick for the same player in the same round, this order dictates which club gets the player. Of course, any team picking a player in the supplemental draft will sacrifice the corresponding pick in the 2020 draft.

Latest On Jalen Thompson, Supplemental Draft

July 10th, 2019 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

There are five known entrants for the NFL’s Supplemental Draft on Wednesday afternoon, but Jalen Thompson of Washington State is expected to be the only player selected, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears. 

The defensive back has impressed on both a football level and personal level, making him a strong candidate to be picked. Based on Pauline’s conversations over the last two days, teams seem to view him as a fourth or fifth-round talent who will likely be swiped off the board in the sixth or seventh round.

So far, the Packers, Texans, and Arizona have shown the most interest in Thompson, Pauline hears. As previously reported, the Packers watched Thompson work out and flew him to Green Bay afterwards. The Texans, meanwhile, could use some safety help after failing to address the need in April’s draft. The Cardinals could also use some reinforcements in that area, but it’s not clear if they’ll add another prospect after tapping Deionte Thompson in the fifth round.

For what it’s worth, some in Arizona’s front office see Jalen Thompson as a better prospect than Deionte Thompson, Pauline hears. If J. Thompson is on the board after the fifth round, Pauline expects the Cardinals to place a bid.

The supplemental draft will take place at 1pm ET/noon CT on Wednesday.

Raiders Sign RB Josh Jacobs

July 10th, 2019 at 8:05am CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. The Raiders and running back Josh Jacobs have agreed to terms, according to Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter).

Per the terms of his slot as the No. 24 overall pick, it’ll be a four-year, $11.9MM deal for the Alabama product. And, because Jacobs is a first-round pick, the Raiders will hold a team option on a fifth season. The additional year is guaranteed for injury only, giving Oakland flexibility in the event that things do not work out.

Recently, we heard rumblings of a major stall in negotiations between the Raiders and Jacobs. There was reportedly concern that the running back would not show for training camp on July 23, but the two sides apparently worked out a disagreement over the payment schedule of his signing bonus.

It’s a fully guaranteed deal, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), meaning that the top 24 picks in this year’s draft will have completely guaranteed pacts. That’s an uptick from 2018, when the top 22 got full guarantees.

Jacobs, the first running back to come off of the board in April’s draft, averaged 5.9 yards per carry over the course of his career at Alabama. Evaluators believe that Jacobs has the ideal size and frame to be an every-down back at the next level, though there is concern about his overall speed.

With Jacobs in the fold, all of the Raiders’ draft picks are now under contract. His signing leaves just five unsigned first-round picks around the league: Nick Bosa (49ers, No. 2 overall), Quinnen Williams (Jets, No. 3), Devin White (Buccaneers, No. 5), Daniel Jones (Giants, No. 6), and Brian Burns (Panthers, No. 16).

Fired Texans GM Wanted To Extend Jadeveon Clowney, Bill O’Brien Didn’t

July 9th, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard earlier today that the Texans won’t be extending Jadeveon Clowney. The two sides aren’t going to reach a deal before the July 15th deadline, and Clowney will play the 2019 season under the franchise tag. 

After firing Brian Gaine and failing in their attempt to hire Nick Caserio away from the Patriots, the Texans were left without a general manager. It’s been unclear who is running things in the front office, although now we have a little more clarity that it’s head coach Bill O’Brien. Gaine and O’Brien “disagreed on whether to make a long-term commitment to” Clowney, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

There was a report right after Gaine was fired that his handling of the Clowney situation was partially responsible for his termination, but that suggested that Gaine was fired for not making progress on an extension. Now it seems like the opposite is true, and that it was Gaine who wanted to extend him all along.

Word leaking out that a head coach opposes a contract extension for a current player is sure to make things awkward in the locker room, and makes it more likely that this is Clowney’s last season with the team. The Texans are widely expected to make another run at Caserio once his contract expires following the 2020 draft, but they’ll need to make a decision on Clowney before then when free agency opens in March. O’Brien is likely to still be running the show then, and he clearly is hesitant to commit to Clowney for the future.

The first overall pick back in 2014, Clowney has blossomed into a great player, but the Texans don’t want to break the bank for him. A Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons, Clowney is likely looking to reset the market for pass-rushers yet again, and he’s been staying away from the team’s offseason activities while he held out for a new deal. The report from earlier today indicated he might miss a solid chunk of training camp, but that he’s expected to show up in time for the regular season.

Extra Points: Supplemental Draft, Bucs, McDowell, Wilkerson

July 9th, 2019 at 8:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 2019 Supplemental Draft is tomorrow, and just like last year we could see a lot of action. Before last season, when two players were taken, there had only been one selection since 2013. This year, it seems likely that two players will get taken again, Washington State safety Jalen Thompson and West Virginia receiver Marcus Simms. Thompson is more highly regarded by the scouting community, and has been drawing a lot of interest. He met with the Packers earlier today, and 26 teams attended his workout yesterday. To help get you prepared for tomorrow, Dane Brugler of The Athletic studied game tape of both players and wrote up detailed scouting reports.

He notes that while Thompson is a “terrific athlete” and good in coverage, he’s also “undersized for the safety position.” There’s been some speculation that Thompson may have to switch to corner at the pro level. Brugler gives Thompson a third or fourth round grade. Brugler writes that Simms is a burner with excellent speed, but that his route-running isn’t very well developed. As a “best-case NFL player projection,” Brugler lists Kenny Stills, while giving Stills a fifth-to-seventh round grade. We’ll know the results of the draft tomorrow afternoon.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Things reportedly aren’t going well between rookie first-round pick Josh Jacobs and the Raiders. There’s a holdup in negotiations over his rookie deal, and it looks like Jacobs isn’t going to report to training camp in a couple of weeks. Don’t expect anything similar for linebacker Devin White and the Buccaneers. The fifth overall pick in April’s draft is going to sign “any day now,” and “you can bet he won’t miss a meeting,” writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The Bucs are counting on White to play a huge role for their revamped defense, so it’s good to hear there’s no drama surrounding his contract.
  • A couple of weeks ago we heard that free agent defensive lineman Malik McDowell had been arrested, and now we have video of the incident, courtesy of TMZ Sports. In the video, McDowell can be seen getting tased, and then attempting to fight the arresting officer after pulling the taser prongs out. McDowell was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round back in 2017, but never played a game for them. He suffered serious injuries in an ATV accident before his rookie training camp, and the Seahawks never cleared him to return. McDowell has reportedly been cleared to play by independent doctors, and recently met with the Cowboys, but nothing materialized. Back in May, the Seahawks filed a lawsuit seeking to recoup some of McDowell’s signing bonus.
  • Free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is one of the biggest names left on the market. He was arrested for DWI at the beginning of June, which could be delaying his signing. Wilkerson recently appeared in court, and turned down a plea deal prosecutors offered him, per Shayna Jacobs and Sarah Valenzuela of the New York Daily News. Wilkerson’s attorney said it was “telling” that they offered the deal, and seemed confident his client would get off. After spending seven seasons with the Jets, Wilkerson signed a one-year deal with the Packers last season. A serious ankle injury ended his first year in Green Bay after just a few games. Wilkerson is still capable of playing at a high level, and should sign somewhere soon.

DT Ahtyba Rubin Visiting Seahawks

July 9th, 2019 at 7:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard yesterday that the Seahawks could be interested in veteran defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, and now they’re following through on that interest. Rubin is in Seattle right now to visit with the team, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Condotta writes that if the two sides can agree on a deal, Rubin “would likely sign a one-year, low-risk (veteran minimum or just above) deal.” Rubin has some familiarity with the Seahawks, as he spent two seasons with the team in 2015 and 2016. He originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Browns back in 2008, and he spent the next seven seasons in Cleveland.

He had a productive 2015 campaign, and earned a new three-year, $12MM extension from Seattle. He lasted just one year into that pact before getting cut just prior to the start of the 2017 season. Rubin signed with the Raiders last offseason, but missed the entire year with a biceps injury. Rubin is turning 33 later this month but Seattle’s run-defense really struggled last year, so perhaps he could help out in a situational role.

Condotta writes that it’s a position of need, and that the Seahawks will keep looking for help there if they don’t end up signing Rubin. He notes that “the defensive line remains one of the team’s top two or three main areas of concern entering training camp, and Seattle is expected to continue looking to add players to that spot as preseason rolls along.”

Load More Posts