HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Jets Sign 5 Undrafted Free Agents

May 9th, 2022 at 9:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

May 9, 9:20pm: The Jets added another UDFA following their rookie tryouts this weekend, signing wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. out of Washington State.

May 6, 4:30pm: The Jets announced a thin UDFA class Friday. Here are the initial undrafted talents Joe Douglas‘ team is bringing in:

Thomas will collect $130K guaranteed, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Playing five seasons with the mid-major program, Thomas showed versatility by delivering quality production as a tackler and a pass rusher. The 216-pound hybrid player put together two 70-plus-tackle/five-plus-sack seasons (2018 and 2021) and finished his college career with 53 tackles for loss. Although undersized, Thomas will head to the Jets with one of the more interesting athletic profiles of this year’s UDFA crop.

The Jets gave Adams a $110K guarantee, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Adams was the first Illinois true freshman to start a season opener since Vontae Davis in 2006. The Lovie Smith-led staff converted him from cornerback to safety. Charles’ college career dates back to 2015, when he went to Penn State as a four-star recruit. At Division II Indiana (Pa.) last season, Charles caught 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns. Knight is the only player in Wolfpack history to return three kickoffs for touchdowns, finishing as a first-team All-ACC returner last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/22

May 9th, 2022 at 9:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Giants Hire Ex-Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey

May 9th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey will link up with Joe Schoen again. Coworkers in Miami and Buffalo, Schoen and Hickey will now team up with the Giants, Neil Stratton of InsidetheLeague.com tweets.

Hickey will serve as the Giants’ assistant director of player personnel, according to the Bergen Record’s Art Stapleton (on Twitter), after having spent the past five years with the Bills. The veteran exec finished his Buffalo tenure as a senior national scout.

[RELATED: Giants Name Brandon Brown Assistant GM]

Schoen worked under Hickey with the Dolphins in the mid-2010s, being promoted twice — to assistant college scouting director and then to director of player personnel — during the latter’s short time as the team’s GM. Schoen stayed on in that role following Hickey’s January 2016 Dolphins exit, before leaving in 2017 to become the Bills’ assistant GM.

Hickey’s Dolphins GM run lasted just two years, and he wielded less power than that job usually provides. The Dolphins did not hire a head coach during Hickey’s tenure but brought in Mike Tannenbaum to oversee their football operations a year into the former’s Miami stay. Hickey, however, played a key role in helping the Bills construct their late-2010s rebuild and will now attempt to aid the Giants’ reconstruction effort.

Dolphins To Sign RB Sony Michel

May 9th, 2022 at 6:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins’ offseason backfield makeover will continue post-draft. They are signing former Patriots first-round pick Sony Michel, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, Josina Anderson of USA Today tweets. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the deal is worth $2.1MM.

Michel, who trekked to Miami and New Orleans for visits last week, will join Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert in a suddenly crowded Dolphins backfield. Miami signed both Edmonds and Mostert in March and will become the rare team to roster three running backs with at least four years’ experience. These additions should help a Miami ground attack that ranked 30th last season.

This will be Michel’s third NFL destination, and it comes on the heels of the ex-Georgia standout winning his second Super Bowl. Michel was far more effective during the Patriots’ 2018 playoff stretch (six rushing touchdowns, tied for second all time for a single postseason) than he was during the Rams’ four-game winter odyssey (26 carries, 80 yards), but he played a key role for Los Angeles during the regular season.

The Rams acquired Michel after Cam Akers sustained an Achilles tear, and the injury-prone ex-Patriot became the team’s go-to back after Darrell Henderson suffered a midseason injury. Michel posted two 120-plus-yard games in December, helping the Rams stay the course en route to their NFC West title. Michel faded into the background after Akers’ late-season return and received only two carries in Super Bowl LVI, but his 845 rushing yards led the Rams by a wide margin last season.

Although injuries plagued Michel for much of his Patriots run, he suited up for all 21 Rams games last season. The Dolphins’ previous two running back acquisitions have histories being injury-prone (Mostert) or as a change-of-pace back (Edmonds). Michel profiles as a between-the-tackles type who could provide some insurance. His arrival crowds a position group that also houses holdovers Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. Provided everyone stays healthy through the preseason, Miami’s backfield will not have room for all five backs.

Door Shut On Jarvis Landry Browns Return?

May 9th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jarvis Landry may need to find a third NFL employer soon. After a report indicated the former Pro Bowler’s path back to Cleveland is narrowing, it now may be shut off.

The door appears to be closed on a Landry return to the Browns, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes, adding that the team does not have any other veteran wideouts on its radar presently. This will leave Amari Cooper as the sole veteran presence among Cleveland’s receivers, but Cabot adds the Browns are confident Deshaun Watson‘s arrival will elevate the likes of young holdovers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz.

Cleveland cut Landry in March, after failing to find a trade partner, but has been linked to both re-signing him or pursuing another veteran. Landry visited the Falcons and was believed to be discussing an Atlanta partnership with Watson — before the Browns’ monster offer led the quarterback to Ohio. The Louisiana native later visited the Saints, though that was before their Chris Olave trade-up. It would seem Landry would still make sense on a Browns team that made a veteran quarterback upgrade, but the plan for now appears to be rolling with a young Cooper supporting cast.

Peoples-Jones did nearly hit 600 receiving yards last season, despite the Browns’ passing attack cratering as Baker Mayfield attempted to play through a significant injury. That total topped Landry’s (570 yards, two touchdowns), though the four-year Browns contributor missed five games. Landry eclipsed 1,100 yards in 2019 and was the team’s No. 1 wideout during its 2020 playoff run. A September MCL injury plagued Landry throughout last season.

The Browns drafted Purdue’s David Bell in Round 3, putting perhaps the final piece of their receiver puzzle in place. They would have taken Alabama’s John Metchie in the second round, per Cabot, had they not reached an agreement to trade back with the Texans. Houston added Metchie after moving up to No. 44 overall.

Giants, Texans Had James Bradberry Trade In Place; Chiefs Still On Radar?

May 9th, 2022 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

It appears the Giants found a taker for James Bradberry‘s contract, but discussions on a prospective extension scuttled the deal, leading the veteran cornerback to free agency.

The Texans and Giants had a trade in place, according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, one that would have seen Houston send a late-round pick to New York for the seventh-year cornerback (subscription required). These talks occurred before the draft, and Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes the Texans are not believed to be in play for Bradberry as a free agent (Twitter link). Houston has since signed Steven Nelson and drafted Derek Stingley Jr.  third overall.

The Giants agreed to pay part of Bradberry’s $13.4MM salary, per Duggan, but Wilson adds the sides were more than $5MM apart on a long-term extension. Bradberry was going into a contract year, but the Texans wanted to lock him down beyond 2022 upon acquiring him. By cutting Bradberry, the Giants will save more than $10MM. The former Panthers second-round pick, who signed a three-year deal worth $45MM with the Giants in 2020, will almost certainly play on a much lower salary this season.

Previously mentioned as a Bradberry suitor, the Chiefs are expected to look into him again, Wilson tweets. Kansas City lost Charvarius Ward in free agency but did use its first draft choice on Washington corner Trent McDuffie. Multiyear contributor Rashad Fenton remains with the team, though he is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that leaves him uncertain to start training camp on time, as does versatile defender L’Jarius Sneed.

No serious pay-cut discussions between the Giants and Bradberry commenced, per Duggan, and the team passed on an automatic restructure of adding a void year to defray some of Bradberry’s cap hit to 2023. Because of this expected separation, the Giants became quite thin at corner. They drafted potential slot option Cordale Flott in Round 3 and have 2021 third-rounder Aaron Robinson as well, but Adoree’ Jackson moves up to the No. 1 spot for the rebuilding team.

Patriots Sign 8 UDFAs

May 9th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots became the latest team to announce their undrafted free agent class. Here are the eight UDFAs Bill Belichick‘s squad is bringing in:

New England focused on just a few positions with its class, but the team has a more complex role planned for King, who delivered a couple of standout seasons while at Houston and Miami. A dual-threat quarterback who stands just 5-foot-9, King accounted for a whopping 50 touchdowns in 2018 with the Cougars; he threw 36 TD passes (compared to just six INTs) and added 14 on the ground in a 674-yard rushing season.

King, who also caught 58 passes as a Houston underclassman before moving to quarterback full-time, chose the Patriots due to their interest in deploying him in myriad ways. Any Julian Edelman comparisons are obviously unfair, but the Pats’ successful QB-to-WR convert only caught one pass during his time college. King is coming off an injury-truncated season, playing in just three games.

“I talked to [Patriots player personnel director] Matt Groh, and he was excited. I’m thankful for the opportunity. He told me I’ll do a little bit of everything — receiver, quarterback, running back — whatever I can do to stick,” King said, via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson, who adds the Bills, Cowboys and Seahawks showed interest as well.

Russey, who transferred to Houston last year after five seasons at Louisiana Tech, will receive a nice chunk of his rookie salary guaranteed. The Pats are guaranteeing the UDFA O-lineman $210K, Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed tweets. Russey was a rare 60-start college footballer; he lined up at center for the Cougars last season. The other center in this eight-man contingent, Shanahan became a two-year LSU starter after transferring from Harvard. These two snappers join longtime starter David Andrews and veteran backup James Ferentz in New England.

One of George Karlaftis‘ edge-rushing partners at Purdue, Mitchell will receive $75K guaranteed, Kyed adds (on Twitter). Mitchell recorded 4.5 sacks with the Boilermakers last season. Schooler yo-yoed between wide receiver and safety while at Oregon and Texas, while Julien was one of many in the 2022 UDFA class to use his COVID-19 extra year of eligibility. He punted in 54 games at Eastern Michigan and was a recent Canadian Football League draftee. Julien joins Jake Bailey as Patriot punters.

Raiders Sign LB Kenny Young

May 9th, 2022 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are adding another veteran to their inside linebacker mix. They agreed to terms with Kenny Young on Monday, bolstering a position group that features mostly outside additions.

Young joins a cast including 2021 trade acquisition Denzel Perryman and 2022 free agent signings Jayon Brown and Micah Kiser. Young’s travels feature an interesting overlap with Kiser’s, with both having been with the Rams and Broncos in 2021. Las Vegas also has 2021 third-round pick Divine Deablo at linebacker.

Seeing injuries affect them at linebacker early in the season, the Broncos acquired Young from the Rams via an October trade. After starting seven games at inside linebacker in Los Angeles last season, Young became an instant starter in Denver and ended up a first-stringer in six games with his new team. The newest Raider linebacker add is coming off his best season, one in which he made 75 tackles (six for loss) and tallied two sacks.

A UCLA product, Young broke into the NFL as a Ravens fourth-round pick in 2018. He was involved in a midseason trade two years before his L.A.-to-Denver venture, being part of the Ravens’ Marcus Peters swap with the Rams. Young, 27, will now have a chance with a fourth team and will have more time to learn a defense compared to his two previous relocations.

Giants Release James Bradberry

May 9th, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

James Bradberry‘s time with the Giants has finally come to an end. The team announced on Monday that they have released the veteran corner. 

It was reported last week that a release was inevitable in this case. From the beginning of the offseason, Bradberry, 28, was named as a cut candidate, owing to his scheduled cap hit of over $21.8MM. New general manager Joe Schoen made a number of cost-cutting moves throughout March, but held on to Bradberry in the hopes of finding a trade partner.

For a time, it was believed the former second-round pick was drawing trade interest, as teams with sufficient cap space would presumably be willing to acquire him via that route. However, Schoen recently admitted that he was surprised at how cool the market was for the Pro Bowler.

“I thought there would be more interest” he said on WFAN Sports Radio, via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple different times [where] there [was] compensation in place and the contract never worked out.”

Bradberry has only missed five games during his six-year career, which began with the Panthers. In 2021, his second campaign with the Giants, he played in all 17 contests, totalling 47 tackles, a career-high four interceptions and 17 passes defensed. By releasing him, the Giants will leave over $11.7MM on the books in dead money, but gain over $10.1MM in much-needed cap space.

“It’s just where we are financially” Schoen added. “We still got to sign our draft picks, be able to sign our practice squad and have replacement costs for during the season.”

Now, Bradberry will hit the open market as arguably the top free agent available at any position. Given his age, production and, now, the lack of his previous contract as an impediment, he should have plenty of suitors amongst teams seeking starting-caliber help in the secondary.

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