HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chiefs Sign Second-Round C Creed Humphrey

May 13th, 2021 at 6:33pm CST by Ben Levine

After completing a deal with their No. 58 pick earlier today, the Chiefs have now signed No. 63. The team announced that they’ve signed center Creed Humphrey to his rookie pact.

[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Second-Round LB Nick Bolton]

The six-foot-five, 312-pound lineman was a standout during his time at Oklahoma, earning a pair of Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year awards. After playing three years (not including a redshirt season) with the Sooners, Humphrey gave up his final year of eligibility and entered the draft. He was selected with Kansas City’s own second-round selection.

The Chiefs have been focused on revamping their offensive line this offseason, but Humphrey should have a good opportunity to start at center as a rookie. He’ll face competition from free agent addition Austin Blythe and 2020 undrafted free agent Darryl Williams.

The Chiefs have been active today, signing all of their draft picks and acquiring Mike Hughes from the Vikings. The team also announced that they’ve added eight undrafted free agents:

Bills Sign 6 UDFAs

May 13th, 2021 at 5:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bills became the latest team to officially announce their UDFA class as rookie minicamps approach. Buffalo had a small one, only inking six guys. Here they are:

Griffin is a cool one, since his dad is influential rapper Warren G. Buffalo signed Jacob Hollister this offseason but still don’t have a ton at tight end, so Morris could have a real chance of making the roster. He led Bowling Green in receiving the past two seasons, and had 649 yards and four touchdowns in 2019, his last full campaign.

Thompson was very productive in college as a four-year starter for the Aztecs. From his freshman-senior seasons, he racked up 11 interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and five forced fumbles. Tuitele is the cousin of current Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa.

Giants Sign Second-Round DE Azeez Ojulari

May 13th, 2021 at 4:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Giants have locked up their second-round pick. Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari has officially signed his rookie contract, the team announced today. They also announced they’ve signed sixth-round running back Gary Brightwell and sixth-round cornerback Rodarius Williams.

Ojulari was expected by many to be a first-rounder, but medical red flags dropped him to 50th overall. If he can stay healthy, the Giants might end up getting a total steal. His upside is sky-high, as he’s coming off a season where he led the SEC in sacks at the age of 20. The Georgia product won’t turn 21 until next month.

Some analysts thought he was the most talented edge rusher in the draft when he first declared back in January. He’s got good size and explosiveness and finished with 9.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles in only 10 games in 2020. He should get plenty of playing time as a rookie.

Vikings Trade Mike Hughes To Chiefs

May 13th, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a busy afternoon with lots of draft pick signings, and now we’ve got a trade! Minnesota is sending cornerback Mike Hughes to the Chiefs, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Kansas City is sending their sixth-round pick in 2022 and getting back Hughes and a 2022 seventh-rounder, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In essence, the Chiefs are getting Hughes for practically nothing to take on the final year of his rookie deal. The 30th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Hughes just recently had his fifth-year option declined by the Vikings. To say Kansas City GM Brett Veach has been aggressive this offseason would be a big understatement.

His latest acquisition is the young cornerback from UCF who has had a really tough time with injuries in his brief career. First, Hughes tore an ACL a little over a month into his rookie season. Then he missed a couple of games with a neck injury in 2019, before a neck issue limited him to only four games this past year.

Through three pro campaigns he’s appeared in only 24 games, making seven starts. In those games he’s recorded 80 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions. The Vikings added Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander this offseason, leaving Hughes with an uncertain role in their secondary.

The Chiefs have yet to re-sign Bashaud Breeland this offseason, so the could use some cornerback depth behind L’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward. Hughes only turned 24 in February, so he’s still got some theoretical upside.

Colts To Sign K Eddy Pineiro

May 13th, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts are adding some competition for Rodrigo Blankenship. Indianapolis is signing veteran kicker Eddy Pineiro, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Indy signed Blankenship as an UDFA out of Georgia last offseason, and he spent his entire rookie season as the team’s kicker. He was shaky at times, and didn’t have a very strong leg at all. He was just 1/3 on attempts from 50+ yards, and the Colts wouldn’t even think about letting him attempt an extra long one. Blankenship was supposed to be an accuracy kicker, and he made 43 of 45 extra point attempts, but he did have a few critical misses from close range.

In the Colts’ playoff loss to the Bills he missed a crucial 33-yard field goal attempt, so it’s not surprising that GM Chris Ballard is adding competition. Pineiro signed with the Raiders in 2018, but spent his entire rookie season on IR. He was traded to the Bears the next offseason, and was Chicago’s kicker for all 16 games in 2019, when he made 23 of 28 field goal attempts and 27 of 29 extra points. He spent all of 2020 on IR.

Broncos To Waive DaeSean Hamilton

May 13th, 2021 at 2:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

DaeSean Hamilton‘s time in Denver has come to an end. The Broncos are waiving the receiver from Penn State, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

We had heard about a month ago that the Broncos may trade Hamilton around the draft, but obviously nothing materialized. Garafolo writes that they “had trade talks” recently “but couldn’t finalize a deal.” Garafolo also says that Hamilton is a “strong possibility to be claimed” on waivers. Hamilton was a fourth-round pick back in 2018 and was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract.

Penn State’s all-time leading receiver has had between 23-30 catches and 243-297 yards in all three of his pro seasons. He’s flashed some potential at times, but has gotten buried on the depth chart. The Broncos have Courtland Sutton coming back from an ACL tear, and just drafted Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the first and second rounds last year, making Hamilton expendable.

Denver also has Tim Patrick coming back and just used a sixth-round pick on receiver Seth Williams, so the receiving room was getting pretty crowded. Hamilton turned 26 in March, and will undoubtedly get another shot somewhere.

49ers Sign Second-Round OL Aaron Banks

May 13th, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another early draft pick signing to pass along. The 49ers made a big splash by drafting Trey Lance third overall, so their second pick didn’t get as much attention.

That would be guard Aaron Banks from Notre Dame, who is now officially ready to join the franchise. San Francisco has agreed to terms with Banks on his rookie deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 48th pick in the draft will get a four-year contract worth $7.073MM with a $2.504MM signing bonus per his slot, as Aaron Wilson tweets. Banks was the first member of the 49ers’ class to ink his deal.

Banks is a Bay Area native from Alameda, so this is a cool homecoming for him. He started every game for the Fighting Irish the past two years, and was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2020. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com writes that Banks is a better run blocker than pass blocker.

Zierlein says he “has some physical limitations but should be fine as a potential early starter” on a team with “a physical running game.” That would certainly seem to fit Kyle Shanahan’s run-heavy scheme.

Chiefs Sign Second-Round LB Nick Bolton

May 13th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick in this past draft because of the Orlando Brown Jr. trade, so their first pick came at 58th overall. Kansas City used that pick on linebacker Nick Bolton, who is now officially a Chief.

Bolton has agreed to terms on his rookie contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Missouri product only turned 21 in March, and has been a first-team All-SEC selection in each of the past two seasons. This past year he racked up 95 tackles, eight for a loss, two sacks, and five passes defended in only 10 games.

In addition to offensive line the Chiefs have made upgrading their linebacking unit a priority, as they also just signed Kamalei Correa. Bolton projects as a potential day one starter. Obviously, he won’t have to be moving very far to start his pro career and will be staying in-state.

Per the terms of his slot, it’s a four-year deal worth $5.834MM that comes with a $1.602MM signing bonus, as Aaron Wilson tweets.

Titans Sign First-Round CB Caleb Farley

May 13th, 2021 at 11:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have agreed to terms with first-round cornerback Caleb Farley (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Per the terms of his slot, he’ll receive a four-year deal with $13.495MM fully guaranteed. 

Before the draft, agent Drew Rosenhaus insisted that Farley would go in the top 20. He was almost right — the Titans scooped up the Virginia Tech product at No. 22 overall. If it weren’t for his multiple back surgeries, Farley could have been a top 10 pick. Farley hasn’t played since 2019, but he’s mostly recovered and believed to be on track for training camp.

After playing quarterback in high school, Farley committed to the Hokies as a wide receiver. Then, an ACL tear wiped out his true freshman season. When he returned, he was asked to move to corner. It turned out to be a good move for Farley, who notched four interceptions and 12 passes defensed en route to First-Team All-ACC honors.

Farley’s medical history may have scared off other teams, but the Titans believe that he’s well worth the risk.

Ravens Sign 9 UDFAs

May 13th, 2021 at 10:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have added nine undrafted free agents to their offseason roster. Here’s the full rundown:

Bahar earned his spot on the expanded roster after impressing in a tryout earlier this week.

Washington, an undersized safety who played opposite of Raiders second-round pick Trevon Moehrig, may be the most notable player of the bunch. Moehrig graded out Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 graded safety in the country — Washington was No. 2. The Ravens signed at least one UDFA for 16 straight years, up until last year. The Ravens didn’t draft a safety, so Washington could be the player to start the next streak.

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