HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bengals Sign 14 Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After an unexpected fourth-place finish in the AFC North, the Bengals went to work in order to get back into the race of the league’s toughest division, putting together a 10-man rookie draft class. They’ll expand their rookie group by 14 with these undrafted free agent additions:

On offense, Burgess was a small school stud in Division III football. In three years as a starter in college, Burgess caught 176 balls for 3,095 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has clearly demonstrated that he has the tools to succeed in the NFL after dominating at the DIII level, but he will need to handle the significant leap in the level of competition to earn a roster spot.

Another small school phenom, Blazek will likewise need to make the jump to NFL competition. In two full seasons as a starter, Blazek earned DIII first-team All-American honors with a combined 17.5 sacks, 29.0 tackles for loss, and 11 passes deflected. He has the athleticism and the drive to make a go at a roster spot. Jules is one more small school prospect with massive production. He has great range and plays the ball aggressively, helping him get 29 passes defensed in his career. He also showed the other side of safety play in 2023, tallying 111 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss.

It was a bit of a shock to see Casey go undrafted after a monster season for the Hoosiers. After leading the team in total tackle (86) and tackles for loss (10.5) in his first season as a starter in 2022, Casey stuffed the stat sheet with 109 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 2023. He takes a lot of risks that bite him, but he’s an aggressive defender with NFL potential. Njongmeta’s production came more in 2022, but in his two years as a starter, he combined for 154 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Panthers Sign 19 UDFA Rookies

May 11th, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers were able to address some weak spots on the roster with their draft picks last month but weren’t able to add much help to the offensive and defensive fronts. Thanks to a number of departures and a relatively small, seven-man draft class, Carolina was able to add a large, 19-man undrafted free agent group that does just that. Here’s the list of new UDFAs:

On offense, the Panthers add a little depth and a bit of potential, as well. Plummer was a journeyman in college, playing at Purdue for four years before spending a year each at Cal and Louisville. After a quiet tenure with the Boilermakers, Plummer delivered back-to-back 3,000-yard, 21-touchdown passing seasons for the Golden Bears and Cardinals.

At running back, Shirden doesn’t have much size or power, but his quick burst and speed are great attributes. In 2022, he led the FCS in rushing with 1,722 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He followed that up in 2023 with 1,478 yards and 10 touchdowns. Coker was another small school phenom at Holy Cross. In his final two years, Coker caught 109 balls for 1,952 yards and 26 touchdowns. The jump in competition will be large for both players, but if they can make the adjustment, they could each earn roster spots.

Raym could be an underrated addition as a backup center after 29 starts at the position for the Sooners. He lacks perfect technique and athleticism but has toughness and instincts that could help him succeed in the NFL, and we’ve seen other linemen out of Oklahoma with similar limitations strive in the league.

On defense, Carolina brings in the try-hard Husky Mitchell. In all three years as a full-time starter, Mitchell led his team in tackles with 120, 140, and 113 from 2021-23. He stuffed the stat sheet over his collegiate career with 25 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed, and three interceptions. He struggles to overcome blockers and doesn’t cover well, but his above-average play recognition could make him a nuisance.

The Panthers added a small school phenom on defense, as well. Drew comes in from Virginia State, where he dominated in his last two seasons as a starter. He showed elite ball skills, racking up 34 passes defensed and 11 interceptions in those two years. Like Shirden and Coker, he’ll need to trust his abilities and develop to compete with much tougher competition.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Colts Sign Seven UDFAs

May 11th, 2024 at 12:18pm CST by Ben Levine

After adding nine rookies via the draft, the Colts are continuing to add first-year players to their roster. The team announced that they’ve signed seven undrafted free agents, including a pair of quarterbacks:

Interestingly, the Colts listed former Kansas signal caller Jason Bean as both a quarterback and wide receiver. That’s not a complete surprise considering the rookie’s running ability. In three seasons at Kansas, Bean rushed for 901 yards and nine touchdowns on 178 carries. With Anthony Richardson atop the depth chart and Joe Flacco in place as the backup, Bean’s best shot at a roster spot will surely come at a different position. Kedon Slovis will have a similar uphill battle to make Indy’s roster. The quarterback had an up-and-down college career, with his 30-touchdown campaign as a freshman in 2019 representing his career-high. He most recently got into eight games at BYU, tossing 12 touchdowns vs. six interceptions.

Among all the UDFAs, Spencer Shrader probably has the most realistic shot at a roster spot, as the rookie will compete with veteran Matt Gay for the Colts’ primary kicker spot. Shrader finished his college career having connected on only 68.3 percent of his field goal attempts, although he was 156-for-158 on his extra point tries.

49ers Sign Eight Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2024 at 11:05am CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers have been active signing their rookies to contracts, finalizing deals with six of their eight draft picks. The team also found time to add a group of undrafted free agents, as the team announced that they’ve signed eight rookie free agents:

Evan Anderson got a significant pay day to join the 49ers offseason roster. The Florida Atlantic product earned a $30K signing bonus and had $250K of his base salary guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The defensive lineman was productive in four collegiate seasons, compiling 20 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and three fumble recoveries. Elsewhere on defense, Jaylen Mahoney joins the 49ers after snagging four interceptions and collecting 17 passes defended in fives seasons with the Commodores.

Tanner Mordecai bounced around during his college career. He didn’t play much in three seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to SMU, where he tossed 72 touchdowns across two seasons. He spent the 2023 campaign at Wisconsin, where he connected on nine touchdowns in 10 games. During rookie minicamp, he’ll be joined on the offensive side by Cody Schrader, who is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign where he collected 1,818 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. The 49ers also added Terique Owens, who is the son of former 49ers star wideout Terrell Owens.

Patriots Sign Nine UDFAs

May 11th, 2024 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

Bill Belichick had a penchant of rostering unheralded UDFAs throughout his long tenure in New England. In fact, at least one undrafted free agent made the Patriots opening-day roster for 19-straight seasons before the streak ended last season. Jerod Mayo, Eliot Wolf, and co. will be looking to restart that habit in 2024, with the team adding nine undrafted free agents to the roster:

Jontrey Hunter finished his six-year stint at Georgia State with his best season, finishing the campaign with 96 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. The linebacker showed the ability to get after the quarterback in college and could get a look on the edge for the Patriots. The team also added a notable pass rusher in John Morgan, who compiled 14 sacks at Pitt between the 2019 and 2022 seasons. His numbers dropped following a transfer to Arkansas in 2023, with the defensive end compiling only 15 tackles and a pair of sacks.

On the other side of the ball, Jacob Warren provides some intrigue at tight end. The six-foot-six, 246-pound rookie had a consistent role at Tennessee over the past three years, averaging 15 receptions for 177 yards and more than two touchdowns per season. DeShaun Fenwick saw his collegiate career turn around following a transfer to Oregon State in 2021. Over the past three seasons, the RB collected 1,621 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns.

Falcons Add DB Dane Cruikshank, DL Bradlee Anae

May 11th, 2024 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons are adding a pair of defenders to their offseason roster. The team is signing defensive back Dane Cruikshank and defensive lineman Bradlee Anae, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The duo auditioned for the Falcons yesterday.

Cruikshank is the more experienced of the two, with the defensive back having appeared in 54 career games (plus four playoff appearances). The majority of that playing time came with the Titans, where the former fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career.

After compiling a career-high 43 tackles in 2021, Cruikshank has bounced around the NFL over the past couple of years. The defensive back joined the Bears in 2022, primarily appearing on special teams before landing on IR midway through that season. He was released by the Jets last offseason before catching on for his second stint with the Titans, where he got into a pair of games.

Cruikshank’s versatility makes him a valuable back-of-the-depth-chart option for a team. However, considering the Falcons will return much of their secondary depth in 2024 (plus the fact that they also added former Cardinals part-time starter Antonio Hamilton), Cruikshank’s best chances of making the roster would come via special teams.

Anae was a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in 2020 and got into 11 games across two seasons with the organization. He’s spent the past two seasons bouncing between the Jets practice squad and active roster.

Tom Telesco: Raiders To Hold QB Competition Between Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew

May 10th, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders were among the teams most frequently linked to a move up the first-round draft order aimed at securing one of the class’ top quarterbacks. Jayden Daniels in particular was a key target, and head coach Antonio Pierce was reportedly more willing than general manager Tom Telesco to put together a trade-up move on Day.

In the end, though, Vegas retained the No. 13 pick. Somewhat surprisingly, that allowed the team to add tight end Brock Bowers, one of the prospects deemed a lock to hear his name called in the top 10. Bowers – who has inked his rookie deal – will no doubt play a notable role during his rookie season, but it remains to be seen who he will be catching passes from in 2024.

The Raiders turned to Aidan O’Connell to close out the 2023 season. As a rookie, the former fourth-rounder posted a passer rating of 83.9 while registering a 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He drew praise from Pierce ahead of the draft, with the latter suggesting O’Connell would be in pole position for any summer QB competition. His rival for the QB1 spot, of course, is veteran Gardner Minshew.

After serving as the Colts’ starter for much of the 2023 campaign, Minshew inked a two-year, $25MM deal in free agency. The 27-year-old is far more experienced than O’Connell, and he could provide the Raiders with a higher floor during the transition to a new coaching staff this year. Both passers will have an avenue to the starting gig this summer, though.

“That’s the plan is to have both those guys really compete through the offseason program, but more so in training camp, and we’ll see how it plays out,” Telesco said of O’Connell and Minshew during an appearance on NFL Total Access. “I thought Aidan did an excellent job last year in a really difficult situation where the head coach changed, the coordinator changed, and he played really good football down the stretch.

“And then with Gardner, you know, Gardner played well last year with the Colts. I mean, he was in the Pro Bowl, so obviously had a pretty good year. He’s always performed at a high level when he’s given that opportunity, so to have both those guys here competing for the job, we’ll see how it goes.”

Six signal-callers were drafted in the first round, and at least three of them (Caleb Williams, Daniels and Bo Nix) will likely begin the season atop the depth chart. The other Day 1 selections – Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy – are positioned to take over as QB1 in the relatively near future on their respective teams. That will likely lead to few genuine training camp competitions under center in 2024, but the Raiders will be a team to watch closely on that front.

Bears Name Caleb Williams Starting QB

May 10th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given the makeup of the Bears’ quarterback depth chart, Caleb Williams beginning his career on the sideline never appeared a realistic possibility. Matt Eberflus dispensed with any mystery on this front Friday.

Eberflus confirmed the No. 1 overall pick is the Bears’ starting quarterback. Seeing as the Bears traded three-year starter Justin Fields for an underwhelming return and have not added a veteran who would make sense as even a short bridge to Williams, this was the widely expected plan in Chicago.

Entering mid-May, Chicago’s QB room consists of Williams, 2023 UDFA Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and 2024 UDFA Austin Reed. Bailey Zappe‘s successor at Western Kentucky, Reed adds to the non-Power 5 theme behind Williams. Bagent hails from Division II Shepherd, Rypien from Boise State.

Rypien carries by far the most experience in this group, having come into the league in 2019. But he spent time with three teams (the Rams, Seahawks and Jets) last season. Rypien’s start in place of Matthew Stafford against the Packers went poorly enough the Rams cut him soon after and reached an agreement to end Carson Wentz‘s lengthy free agency stay. Rypien, 27, is tied to a one-year, $1.13MM deal with no guarantees. Bagent did go 2-2 as a starter in place of Fields last season but finished his midseason run with three touchdown passes, six interceptions and a 6.0 yards-per-attempt number.

The other five teams to draft first-round QBs have potential starters via veteran pieces added this offseason. Marcus Mariota looms as Commanders insurance against Jayden Daniels needing a bit of time to develop, while Jacoby Brissett looks to have a better chance to be the Patriots’ bridge to Drake Maye. Kirk Cousins will, barring a snag in his rehab from Achilles surgery, be the Falcons’ starter over Michael Penix Jr. this season. Sam Darnold should have a good shot to hold off J.J. McCarthy to open the season. Bo Nix making a Division I-FBS QB-record 61 starts and being 24 points to the No. 12 overall pick being an early-season starter in Denver, but the Broncos have both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson as possible placeholders.

Williams started each of his three college seasons, unseating Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma in 2021 and following Lincoln Riley to USC. Williams’ 2022 Heisman season placed him atop this year’s prospect lists — to the point the pre-draft rumors centered around the action that would take place after the Bears chose the Trojans standout. Although the Bears used first-round picks on QBs three times this century (Rex Grossman, Mitchell Trubisky, Fields) and traded two first-rounders (and more) for Jay Cutler, Williams’ debut will be easily the most anticipated start by a Bears passer in decades (if not ever).

Cardinals To Sign WR Zay Jones

May 10th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

A four-visit week did well to show Zay Jones commanded extensive interest following his Jaguars release. The veteran wide receiver will end up in Arizona, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reporting the Cardinals have a deal in place.

Jones also met with the Titans, Cowboys and Chiefs this week, setting up an interesting mid-offseason derby for a player who worked as a two-season starter in Jacksonville. Jones will now team with Marvin Harrison Jr. in Arizona. Jones’ deal will be worth up to $4.25MM, Rapoport adds.

The Cardinals received the second visit on a Jones tour that effectively showcased both his value and the state of the WR free agent market. The Titans appeared to take themselves out of the running early, reaching a deal with Tyler Boyd. Of the remaining three teams, the Cardinals appeared to feature the biggest need. Although Harrison is set to anchor Arizona’s receiving corps in Kyler Murray‘s sixth season, Jones will bring considerable experience to an equation that features questions behind the No. 4 overall pick.

A few veteran wide receivers have departed Arizona in recent years. A.J. Green retired after the 2022 season; soon after, the Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins. This offseason, the Cards let Marquise Brown walk (to the Chiefs) in free agency and traded slot target Rondale Moore to the Falcons. The Brown and Moore exits left the likes of Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch as the top Cards holdover receivers. The past few weeks have changed that outlook.

The Jaguars released Jones shortly after their WR plan came to fruition during the draft’s first night. Nineteen picks after Harrison became this year’s first wideout drafted, Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth. The LSU product being ticketed for Jacksonville led to the team removing Jones’ $8MM-per-year deal from its payroll. Jones, 29, will soon begin work for a fourth NFL team. The Bills drafted Jones in the 2017 second round but traded him to the Raiders during the 2019 season. The Jags signed both Jones and Christian Kirk during the 2022 offseason.

Jones’ Jags tenure featured a good start and an underwhelming second chapter. The 6-foot- 2 target proved some skeptics wrong by amassing a career-high 823 receiving yards to go with five touchdowns in 2022, helping the Jags to the playoffs. He became Trevor Lawrence‘s leading target in the postseason, totaling 13 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. This included a 39-yard score in the Jaguars’ 27-point comeback win over the Chargers and 83 yards in a narrow divisional-round loss to the Chiefs. Last season, however, Jones battled PCL and femur injuries, missing eight games and totaling 321 yards.

Working as an outside receiver in Jacksonville’s offense, Jones did boost Calvin Ridley, whose three 100-yard receiving efforts came with the 200-pound starter on the field. The East Carolina alum’s down 2023 also included a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in November. That will put Jones at risk of a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The Cardinals clearly feel comfortable with Jones’ status to complete this signing.

Rebuffing trade interest for the No. 4 slot, the Cardinals were intent on upgrading Murray’s receiving corps. They will see if Jones can become a reliable supporting-caster to start Harrison’s career.

Texans Add Six UDFAs To Rookie Class

May 10th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans made a quick turnaround in 2023 thanks to the contributions of a young core. They’ll try to keep improving with this year’s rookie class, which will consist of the team’s nine-man draft class and these six undrafted free agent signees:

Tooley, Barnes, and Payne are all receiving some substantial guarantees as undrafted players, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Tooley is being guaranteed $125K consisting of $100K of his base salary and a $25K signing bonus. Barnes is being guaranteed $95K consisting of $85K of his base salary and a $10K signing bonus. And Payne is being guaranteed $90K consisting of $75K of his base salary and a $15K signing bonus.

Houston also adds the Janke twins out of South Dakota State. Jaxon was the star of the two after eclipsing the 1,000-yard receiving mark in 2021 and leading the Jackrabbits in receiving for three straight years en route to back-to-back FCS national championships, but Jadon was no slouch in comparison, leading the Jackrabbits in receiving last year. Over 71 games played, Jaxon accumulated 244 catches for 3,677 yards and 29 touchdowns while mostly playing on the outside. In 69 games, Jadon tallied 170 catches for 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns while splitting time between the slot and outside. Both returned both punt and kicks, with Jaxon mainly doing punt returns and Jadon focused more on kickoff returns. It will be interesting to see if either twin can earn a role in a talented Texans depth chart.

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