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Author: Dallas Robinson

Packers Sign Fifth-Round LB Kamal Martin

July 9th, 2020 at 7:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers announced that they’ve signed fifth-round linebacker Kamal Martin to his rookie contract.

Martin may have been drafted earlier than the fifth round were it not for a knee injury that cost him several games during his senior season at Minnesota. The 6’3″, 240-pounder eventually underwent surgery and missed the combine, but former NFL scout and Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy tweeted that Martin would have a been a top-three senior linebacker had his medical history been less checkered.

Despite missing games in 2019, Martin was still named honorable mention All-Big-10 after posting 66 tackles and two interceptions in eight contests. Nagy says Martin is a prototypically “long and athletic space linebacker” who could prove to be something of a steal for Green Bay.

The Packers now have just two members of their 2020 draft class that remain unsigned. Here’s the full list:

1-26: Jordan Love, QB (Utah State): Signed
2-62: A.J. Dillon, RB (Boston College): Signed
3-94: Josiah Deguara, TE (Cincinnati)
5-175: Kamal Martin, LB (Minnesota): Signed
6-192: Jon Runyan, G (Michigan): Signed
6-208: Jake Hanson, C (Oregon)
6-209: Simon Stepaniak, T (Indiana): Signed
7-236: Vernon Scott, S (TCU): Signed
7-242: Jonathan Garvin, DE (Miami): Signed

Lamar Miller Working Out Following 2019 ACL Tear

July 9th, 2020 at 6:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent running back Lamar Miller, who missed the entire 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL during the preseason, appears to be performing well as he attempts to showcase his recovery. Miller posted a Twitter video on Thursday that showed him working through agility drills.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, Miller and other NFL free agents aren’t allowed to visit team facilities, so uploading a video of his workout session is the best Miller can do in order to market himself to clubs. Of course, teams are likely wary of committing to a player coming off a serious injury without first getting a look at him in person, so Miller may need to wait until he can visit a club before landing a new contract.

Selected by the Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, Miller started at least 13 games in every season from 2013 through 2018. After signing a four-year, $26MM deal with the Texans in 2016, Miller proceeded to average 978 rushing yards and roughly four touchdowns over the next three seasons, and posted 30 receptions per year.

While many teams have already solidified their running back depth charts, clubs like the Buccaneers, Eagles, and Chargers could still be in the market for a veteran back. Alongside Devonta Freeman, the 29-year-old Miller is arguably the best free agent available in a crop that also includes LeSean McCoy, Theo Riddick, and Alfred Blue.

Jaguars Sign Laviska Shenault

July 9th, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jaguars have agreed to terms with second-round wide receiver Laviska Shenault, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Shenault’s explosive abilities were often on display during his three seasons at Colorado, and Joe Marino of The Draft Network points to Shenault’s run-after-the-catch talent as his most promising trait. Sub-par quarterback play at Colorado meant that Shenault didn’t always post eye-catching numbers, but he did top the 1,000-yard mark in 2018 (before falling back to just 764 yards a season ago).

In Jacksonville, D.J. Chark and Dede Westbrook are virtually assured of commanding two of the Jaguars’ starting receiver roles in three-wide sets. Shenault, then, will likely compete with the likes of Chris Conley and Keelan Cole to become Jacksonville’s third pass-catcher.

As the 42nd overall pick, Shenault’s four-year contract will be worth something in the neighborhood of $7.696MM, according to Over the Cap. He should receive a signing bonus of $3.157MM and have a 2020 cap charge of $1.399MM.

Jacksonville now has five members of its 12-man draft class under contract. Here’s the full list:

1-9: C.J. Henderson, CB (Florida)
1-20: K’Lavon Chaisson, DE (LSU)
2-42: Laviska Shenault, WR (Colorado): Signed
3-73: Davon Hamilton, DT (Ohio State): Signed
4-116: Ben Bartch, OT (St. John’s (MN))
4-137: Josiah Scott, CB (Michigan State)
4-140: Shaquille Quarterman, ILB (Miami): Signed
5-157: Daniel Thomas, S (Auburn)
5-165: Collin Johnson, WR (Texas): Signed
6-189: Jake Luton, QB (Oregon State)
6-206: Tyler Davis, TE (Georgia Tech): Signed
7-223: Chris Claybrooks, CB (Memphis)

Browns No Longer Pursuing Jadeveon Clowney?

July 8th, 2020 at 7:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that the Browns have reworked the contract of defensive end Olivier Vernon, Cleveland is likely out of the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes, a source tells Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

[RELATED: Browns Sign First-Round Pick Jedrick Wills]

The Browns are one of several teams known to have actually offered a contract to Clowney. Cleveland reportedly was willing to pay Clowney up to $15MM on a one-year deal, and also gave the veteran pass-rusher his best multi-year proposal.

Instead, the Browns will now retain Vernon and play him opposite Myles Garrett at defensive end. Cleveland isn’t interested in signing another veteran like Everson Griffen or Clay Matthews, so the club will likely roll with internal options such Adrian Clayborn and Chad Thomas in reserve.

With the Browns bowing out of a pursuit, Clowney’s market continues to dwindle. Once though to be assured of landing a hefty multi-year pact, Clowney will now almost assuredly have to accept a one-year offer.

The Raiders and Titans have both made offers to Clowney and could still sign the former No. 1 overall selection, and a return to the Seahawks isn’t out of the question, although Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported the Seahawks won’t offer the $15-16MM they once were proposing.

Lions Sign Fifth-Round WR Quintez Cephus

July 8th, 2020 at 7:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have agreed to terms with fifth-round wide receiver Quintez Cephus, according to his agents at SportsTrust Advisors (Twitter link).

Cephus, who caught 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns during his final year at Wisconsin, will likely need to contribute on special teams during his rookie campaign. Detroit boasts a wide receiver depth chart that’s already at least four-deep with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Geronimo Allison, while ace returner Jamal Agnew is making the change to full-time pass-catcher.

Cephus was expelled from Wisconsin during an ongoing investigation into assault charges filed by two women in the spring of 2018. He not only denied the accusations, but sued the university, arguing he was expelled with no due process. Cephus was ultimately acquitted and dropped the lawsuit against Wisconsin, and the school reinstated him as both a student and an athlete for 2019.

With Cephus under contract, the Lions now have six of their nine 2020 draft picks signed. Here’s the full list:

1-3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State)
2-35: D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia): Signed
3-67: Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame): Signed
3-75: Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State): Signed
4-121: Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky): Signed
5-166: Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin): Signed
5-172: Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State)
6-197: John Penisini, DT (Utah): Signed
7-235: Jason Cornell, DE (Ohio State)

South Notes: Titans, Casey, Texans, O’Brien

June 9th, 2020 at 7:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After spending nine seasons the Titans, defensive tackle Jurrell Casey felt entirely disrespected when he was traded to the Broncos in exchange for a seventh-round pick earlier this year. “For us to get to that point to get better and to be a main focus of that and then you just throw me away to the trash like I wasn’t a main block of that, especially coming off an injury the year before and playing the whole season for ya’ll,” Casey tells Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com. “No complaints, I did everything you wanted me to do and you throw me like a piece of trash.” Tennessee shopped Casey before trading him, per McCormick, and moved on him from largely due to his upcoming salary. But Casey says he wasn’t aware of any trade talks until roughly 30 seconds before the deal was finalized.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • Count Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan among those who believe Colin Kaepernick should have a shot to return to the NFL. Speaking to reporters, Ryan said Kaepernick, who was essentially blackballed for protesting police brutality in 2016, should have “every opportunity” to join an NFL roster this year (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). The status of the 32-year-old Kaepernick has re-entered the news following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent nationwide protests against police violence and systemic racism.
  • The Texans fired ex-general manager Brian Gaine one year ago Sunday, paving the way for head coach Bill O’Brien to assume total power in Houston. Aaron Reiss of The Athletic looked back at the past year of O’Brien’s decision-making and highlighted that O’Brien is largely bucking conventional wisdom at every turn. Not only did O’Brien trade away a proven pass-catcher in DeAndre Hopkins, but he’s also placed little value on accumulating draft picks while deploying assets on running backs.
  • PFR’s Zach Links recently profiled Texans cornerback Gareon Conley as he enters a make-or-break year in 2020.

Latest On NFL, COVID-19

June 9th, 2020 at 6:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the NFL has approved coaches to return to team facilities (where local regulations allow), more than half of the league’s staffs were still working from home as of last Friday, according to Barry Wilner of the Associated Press. Many teams appear to be taking a cautious approach as COVID-19 lingers, and it’s possible that a number of clubs won’t come back to team sites until training camp begins. Indeed, that’s the attitude the Saints are taking, and other teams may follow suit.

Here’s more on the impact of COVID on the NFL:

  • The cancellation of Week 1 of the preseason is on the table, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports. In such a scenario, NFL teams would still report to training camp at their usual times, but the first week of the exhibition campaign would simply be canceled. The idea, per Breer, would be to limit soft tissue injuries as players ramp back into shape. Additionally, removing one week of the preseason would also reduce travel obligations and thus limit potential exposure to COVID.
  • Other COVID-related scenarios could also be at play, as Breer writes in a separate piece. One idea that’s been floated is delaying the start of the regular season until October. That would obviously be a large step, but Breer says some teams are in favor of such a move. Meanwhile, the NFL’s joint committee on health and safety has recommended a multi-week, pre-training camp acclimation period for players in order to allow them to get back into shape.
  • New Jersey dropped its stay-at-home order today, and the state’s governor recently said he’s not ruling out the idea of playing NFL games with fans in the stands. “I think it’s too early to tell,” Governor Phil Murphy said on WFAN (link via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “I think it’s a great aspiration. And outdoors is better than indoors with this virus. There’s no question about that. A ball game outside? Potentially.” Both the Giants and Jets, of course, play their home games in New Jersey.
  • Although the virtual component to this offseason will technically end when players are permitted to return to team facilities, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes that Monday’s NFL memo encourages teams to continue conducting player meetings in a virtual capacity. With meetings taking place constantly at team facilities, this would be a major change. And if teams insist on having players at meetings in-person, the league would prefer these sessions are conducted outside and with players in masks. These backdrops would make for unusual film sessions.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Saints Rumors: Gardner-Johnson, Jenkins

June 9th, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints didn’t hold any sort of offseason program (not even a virtual session), and the club doesn’t plan to get together again until training camp. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said New Orleans coaches will continue to work from home and won’t convene until training camp begins, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The NFL is now allowing teams to have coaches inside facilities, but the Saints won’t take advantage of that league decision.

Here’s more on the Saints:

  • Second-year New Orleans safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will spend a “good amount of time” covering the slot in 2020, as Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn tells Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (Twitter link). A fourth-round pick out of Florida, Gardner-Johnson played 807 snaps during his rookie campaign, with 290 of those reps coming in the slot. Those slot snaps were second on the club to only cornerback P.J. Williams, who remains on the roster but could potentially see a reduced role. Pro Football Focus graded Gardner-Johnson as the No. 37 safety among 99 qualifiers in 2020.
  • Including the postseason, veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins played in only 3 games with the Saints in 2019 after being acquired off waivers from the Giants. But that was enough time for New Orleans to decide to retain him. “Certainly there’s an overall body of work that you utilize to try to form opinions about what a guy can do or can’t do,” Allen tells Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “But there’s nothing like the experience of having a guy in your building. I can tell you just from my experience with him in that brief period of time.” In March, Jenkins agreed to an extension that will keep him with the Saints through 2022.
  • In case you missed it, the Saints had interest in signing Tom Brady had Drew Brees opted to retire.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, 49ers, Mostert

June 3rd, 2020 at 7:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After signing a one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Seahawks last month, veteran running back Carlos Hyde is expected to see most of his action on early-down plays, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. Incumbent starter Chris Carson isn’t expected to lose any work to Hyde that he wouldn’t have to Rashaad Penny (who is likely to begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list), meaning that Carson should still see the bulk of the carries in Seattle. While Carson has posted only 57 receptions over the past two seasons, Henderson notes that’s more a function of the Seahawks’ run-based offense than a comment on Carson’s ability as a three-down back. Hyde, meanwhile, has $500K worth of per-game roster bonuses in his contract, which Henderson adds is a favorite technique of Seattle’s front office. If Hyde doesn’t play well enough to be active for most games, the Seahawks could recoup a small bit of cash.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

  • While George Kittle is believed to be next in line for a 49ers extension, running back Raheem Mostert could land a new deal before the star tight end, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes. On one hand, Mostert is certainly underpaid. He signed a three-year extension last spring with an annual value of less than $3MM. Mostert was largely a special teams player at the time, but after posting 772 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020, he’s worth more. On the other hand, San Francisco controls Mostert’s rights through the 2021 campaign, he’s already 28 years old, and running back’s shelf lives are notoriously short.
  • Trent Williams played alongside a bevy of average-or-worse quarterbacks during his time with the Redskins, but the veteran left tackle believes he’s stepping into an excellent signal-caller situation with the 49ers. “I think Jimmy [Garoppolo] is awesome,” Williams told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. “I think he has proven that he’s a quarterback that you can win with…From being in my position, not having a lot of success in the league, having a good quarterback then to having a kind of musical chairs back there, I know the importance of it. So I’m extremely happy just to be part of an offense that really don’t need me to win. I add to it.” San Francisco, which acquired Williams in exchange for third- and fifth-round picks, hasn’t worked out an extension with the 31-year-old, but reportedly has agreed to give him more money upfront.
  • In case you missed it, the Rams were one of several teams to gain additional cap space earlier this week thanks to the NFL’s post-June 1 release system.

Latest On NFL Training Camp Schedule

June 3rd, 2020 at 6:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Most NFL teams should have the option of opening their facilities to players and coaches by the end of the week, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter links). While there may be exceptions, the majority of teams should receive clearance to restart operations, although some clubs may choose to have staff stay home for the time being.

Meanwhile, the NFL is “optimistic” that training camps will be able to be held in full, per Fowler, but the league is also preparing alternatives. Still, Fowler has spoken with some team decision-makers that still believe training camp dates could be moved around or that the preseason could be shortened.

While many teams use outside venues for training camp, clubs will be required to stay at their home facilities in 2020. That rule is COVID-related, of course, as the NFL wants to limit travel and reduce the chance that infection is spread between two teams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. And as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football notes (via Twitter), this rule almost surely means joint practices will not occur this offseason.

At this stage, it’s unclear if June minicamps will be feasible, but it seems unlikely. Indeed, Mike Sando of The Athletic has spoken to some coaches who would simply prefer to wait until training camp to get their teams back together (Twitter link).

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