As we noted earlier today, significantly more than half of 2014’s draft picks have already signed or at least agreed to terms on contracts with their NFL teams. However, that ratio doesn’t particularly apply to the AFC North — of the division’s 32 draftees, only 13 had reached agreements coming into today, and seven of those were Baltimore picks. In this afternoon’s divisional roundup, we have word of one draftee to add to that list of signed players, along with a couple other notes. Let’s dive in….
- The Bengals have signed fourth-round center Russell Bodine, the team announced today (via Twitter). Cincinnati has been busy this week, having locked up five of the club’s eight draftees within the last three days. Bodine, the 111th overall pick, is in line for a $456K+ signing bonus, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
- Two of the most noteworthy players still available on the free agent market, Santonio Holmes and James Harrison, have interest in returning to the Steelers, Ike Taylor said earlier this week on his TribLive radio show (link via Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Speaking about Harrison specifically, Taylor said, “He still wants to play football, and of course his first option would be Pittsburgh. … He’s probably in the best shape of his life. Right now he looks like the Hulk. He’s been banged up, and he feels he has something to prove.”
- After going undrafted earlier this month, Middle Tennessee State cornerback Sammy Seamster fielded calls from about 20 teams interesting in signing him as a free agent, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. As Wilson writes, Seamster narrowed his options to the Ravens, Dolphins, and Jaguars, and is happy that he ultimately opted to sign with Baltimore.