HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chiefs Sign 15 UDFAs

May 6th, 2023 at 12:34pm CST by Ben Levine

As the Chiefs prepare for the start of their rookie minicamp this weekend, the team announced the signing of 15 undrafted rookies:

The Chiefs also added Nigerian offensive lineman Chukwuebuka Godrick via the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), edge rusher Truman Jones got $236K in guaranteed money from the Chiefs. The Harvard product led the Ivy League with 13 tackles for loss last season, although his best bet for making the Chiefs active roster may be on special teams. Jones had a standout 2022 season on ST, finishing with three blocked kicks.

Elsewhere on defense, Indiana’s Cam Jones got a $15K signing bonus and an $135K base salary guarantee from Kansas City, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The linebacker finished his college career with 208 tackles and seven sacks, and he was projected to be a late-round pick after leading the Big Ten in tackles per game (10.8) through the first five contests. However, a foot injury ended his season prematurely, and Jones ended up going undrafted as a result.

On the offensive side of the ball, running back Deneric Prince got $231K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The Tulane standout averaged more than five yards per carry during his college career, including a 2022 campaign where he compiled a career-high 729 rushing yards. Prince turned heads at the combine when he was fourth at the position in the 40-yard dash and fifth in broad jump.

Panthers Announce 13 UDFA Signings

May 6th, 2023 at 11:17am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers won’t officially sign their undrafted rookies until next week’s minicamp, but the organization still went ahead and announced their 13-man UDFA class:

The Panthers were busy adding linebackers, signing four players at the position. Bumper Pool is the most notable of the bunch, with the linebacker having a productive collegiate career at Arkansas (441 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks). Pool likely would have heard his name called during the draft if not for a hip injury that derailed his final season. Meanwhile, Eku Leota could carve out a role on the edge for Chicago, with the Auburn product compiling 15.5 sacks during his college career.

Cam Peoples was a surprise UDFA after he collected 2,830 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns during his time at Appalachian State. At 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds, the rookie profiles as more of a power back, a role that he could easily fill with Carolina. Josh Vann is now the third South Carolina wideout on the Panthers’ roster, joining Damiere Byrd and Shi Smith.

Eagles Add Nine UDFAs

May 6th, 2023 at 8:39am CST by Ben Levine

Before kicking off rookie minicamp yesterday, the Eagles announced the signing of nine undrafted first-year players:

After not adding any skill players during the draft, the Eagles signed a pair of wide receivers in Jadon Haselwood and Joseph Ngata. After transferring to Arkansas, Haselwood led the team with 59 receptions during the 2022 campaign. Ngata got into 45 games during his four seasons at Clemson, hauling in 1,287 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Tight end Brady Russell has a personal connection to the Eagles, as his uncle, Matt Russell, is the team’s senior personnel director/advisor to the general manager. A team captain at Colorado, the UDFA finished his collegiate career having caught 67 passes and six touchdowns.

Chim Okorafor and Ty Zentner both took unusual paths to get on an NFL roster. He played two seasons of collegiate basketball before bouncing around football programs at Riverside City Community College, Missouri Southern, Pitt State, and finally Benedictine. Zentner only started playing football during his senior year of high school, and after starting his college career at Butler Community College, he caught on with Kansas State University. He served as both a punter and kicker during his time at the school.

Giants Sign 9 UDFA Rookies

May 5th, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants are keeping their rookie class fairly small this year. After drafting seven prospects in the draft last weekend, New York will add nine more rookies of the undrafted variety. Here is the full list:

Johnson, not to be confused with Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson who came out of Toledo four years ago, was second on the Rockets defense with 109 total tackles this year, adding eight tackles for loss, three sacks, three passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble to his stat sheet in 2022. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the Giants lured him in with an undrafted deal that has a guaranteed amount of $175K consisting of a $25K signing bonus and $150K of the first year’s base salary (worth $750K total).

New York also provided a strong contract offer to Ford-Wheaton, according to Wilson. Ford-Wheaton was offered a guaranteed amount of $236K consisting of a $20K signing bonus and $216K of his $750K first-year base salary. Ford-Wheaton was second on the Mountaineers in receiving yards behind only Sam James, who signed with the Rams after also going undrafted, but surpassed James and the rest of the team with seven receiving touchdowns in 2022.

DeVito arrive in Champaign as a transfer after five years at Syracuse, utilizing his extra COVID-year of eligibility. After being unseated as the Orange starting quarterback in 2021, DeVito took hold of the starting job with the Fighting Illini and had a career year. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes while throwing 15 touchdowns to four interceptions with Illinois, leading the Illini to their first winning season since 2011.

Lyons comes in as some expected camp competition for Casey Kreiter, who has served as the team’s long snapper for the last three years. Kreiter has only ever played in New York on one-year contracts, which may indicate that the Giants are hesitant to commit to the veteran long-term. Lyons could earn himself a roster spot if he shows more upside than Kreiter.

NFL Restructures: McCaffrey, Jones, Franklin-Myers, Jones

May 5th, 2023 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a few details on recent contract restructures agreed to around the league:

  • The 49ers were able to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with star running back Christian McCaffrey last week, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, opening up $8.58MM in cap space. The team converted $10.72MM of McCaffrey’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus and added two void years in order to reach the desired cap savings.
  • The Raiders were likewise able to restructure the contract of outside linebacker Chandler Jones to free up $5.07MM in cap space, according to Yates. Jones agreed to convert $6.33MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus and add an additional void year to help Las Vegas reach those figures.
  • Yates also reports that the Jets reached an agreement last week to restructure defensive end John Franklin-Myers‘s contract. New York converted $4.32MM of Franklin-Myers’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus to clear up $3.46MM in cap space.
  • In one of the least impactful updates we’ve reported, the Giants‘ cap space decreased by $750K last week because of a corresponding increase to quarterback Daniel Jones‘s cap hit. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the adjustment stems from an incentive Jones can earn this season if he plays over 65 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and wins the division. According to the league’s CBA, “any incentive bonus based on the team’s ranking in its Division automatically will be deemed ‘likely to be earned,'” which adds the incentive automatically to Jones’s 2023 cap hit.

Colts Announce 15-Man UDFA Class

May 5th, 2023 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

The Colts added some important pieces in their 12-man 2023 draft class last weekend and added more today with the announcement of 15 undrafted free agent rookie signings. Here are the undrafted names joining a rather large rookie contingent:

Indianapolis invested a strong $100,000 guaranteed amount to lure Mutin out of Houston, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Mutin concluded his five-year career with the Cougars leading the team in total tackles in both of the last two years. The physical linebacker’s smaller stature (6-0, 230 pounds) didn’t stop him from making big plays at the college level as he concluded his time in Texas with 18.0 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, four passes defensed, three sacks, and an interception.

Ekiyor was a three-year starter with the Crimson Tide as a guard. He was coming off of an injury to start his redshirt senior season but still managed to start 12 of Alabama’s 13 games. A physical presence on the interior line, Ekiyor led a talented offensive line with 31 knockdown blocks.

The Colts added a few pass catchers to a wide receiving corps rife with opportunities. King adds some legitimate size at 6-foot-4. Chrest was an All-WAC second-team selection in each of the last two years after tallying 1,252 receiving yards and seven touchdowns over those two seasons. Scott is an intriguing weapon who was as much a threat rushing the ball for the Black Bears in 2022 (371 yards, four touchdowns) as he was catching the ball (434 yards and a touchdown).

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/5/23

May 5th, 2023 at 6:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a few more mid- to late-round draft picks who signed their four-year rookie contracts today:

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • CB Darius Rush (fifth round, South Carolina)
  • S Daniel Scott (fifth round, California)
  • DE Titus Leo (sixth round, Wagner)
  • CB Jaylon Jones (seventh round, Texas A&M)
  • T Jake Witt (seventh round, Northern Michigan)

New York Giants

New York Jets

Latest On Colts’ Anthony Richardson Selection

May 5th, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts delivered on their long-stated intention of drafting a quarterback in the first round of last week’s draft, selecting Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 pick. That marked the end of a lengthy evaluation process, but it did not represent a surprise within the organization when it happened.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard told NBC Sports’ Peter King that the team’s intention was to draft Richardson dating back roughly one month. The Florida product was the largest X-factor in the 2023 class, having played far less than most other passers but owning the most intriguing skillset given his physical attributes and rushing ability.

While he thus represented a risk, Richardson was a key target for the Colts in their latest attempt to end their search for a long-term quarterback. Their post-Andrew Luck endeavors resulted in an unsuccessful string of veterans being brought in, pointing the team to adding a young passer this offseason. Despite his relative lack of experience and signficant inconsistencies in his lone season as a starter, Richardson could see playing time as a rookie at the NFL level.

“I would rather take the risk, the risk that he might fail, than pass on him and see him become a star somewhere else,” Ballard said. “We’re taking a guy not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow.” Echoing that sentiment in a draft documentary, via the team, Ballard added, “I didn’t want to look up and watch him be a superstar somewhere else. If he’s gonna be a superstar, he’s gonna be a superstar for the Colts” (video link).

There was not initially a consensus in the Colts’ front office regarding Richardson. In a breakdown of the team’s evaluation process, ESPN’s Stephen Holder notes that assistant GM Ed Dodds was “deeply skeptical” of Richardson at first, given the concerns regarding experience and accuracy. He, too, grew into the notion of selecting Richardson fourth overall, however, a point where two quarterbacks were expected to be off the board.

That was indeed the case last Thursday, with the Panthers and Texans selecting Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, respectively. Indianapolis considered trading up to No. 3, per Holder, but the team chose against doing so. The Cardinals ultimately moved out of that slot to allow the Texans to draft Will Anderson, leaving Richardson available for the Colts as they had hoped and planned.

The latter will face considerable scrutiny and expectations upon his NFL debut, but the Colts remain firmly committed to him as their long-term solution under center. With Gardner Minshew representing his top competition for the starting job (especially in the absence of Nick Foles), Richardson could see considerable playing time in 2023 and for many years beyond that.

Ravens Unveil 18-Man UDFA Class

May 5th, 2023 at 4:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens have become the second AFC North team to announce their class of undrafted free agents. After having a unusually low six picks in the draft, Baltimore has a large contingent of UDFAs this year. Here is the full list:

The last time the Ravens drafted a quarterback who played at Delaware was Joe Flacco in 2008. The latter helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title, but the same will certainly not be expected of Henderson, who had a career-best 3,231 passing yards and 32 touchdowns last season. The Ravens’ backup and third-string signal-callers (Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown) both joined the team as UDFAs, so Henderson could have a path to at least a practice squad spot.

Mitchell – the son of former Ravens safety Anthony Mitchell – had a highly productive college career. He saw his yards per carry mark increase in each of his three seasons, and his 7.2 mark in 2022 led the AAC. The 5-9, 188-pounder recorded 1,704 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns last season, but the each of the Ravens’ top three running backs from 2022 are on the books for the coming campaign. That should limit Mitchell’s opportunities to make the 53-man roster.

Demus showed potential at times during his Maryland career, but also missed action due to injuries. His best season came in 2019 (41 catches, 625 yards, six touchdowns), and he totaled 2,008 yards and 14 scores overall. The Ravens have made a number of high-profile moves at the WR position this offseason, but a back-of-the-roster spot could be available if Demus (or Ryan) stand out during the summer.

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