Ashtyn Davis

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/20

Here is Saturday’s usual barrage of minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jachai Polite; Polite tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Jets Sign Ashtyn Davis, Wrap Draft Class

That’s a wrap. The Jets have inked third-round safety Ashtyn Davis to his rookie contract to round out their 2020 draft class (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News).

[RELATED: Jets Willing To Trade Adams]

Davis, a Cal product, underwent core muscle surgery just before the draft. However, he’s expected to be 100% healthy by Week 1.

Safety seems to be Davis’ most likely position in the pros, but he also spent time at cornerback early in his collegiate career. The former walk-on is ready, willing, and even eager to line up at different spots in Gregg Williams‘ defense.

I think I can contribute anywhere they put me. I’m comfortable on the outside and inside, whatever the case may be,” Davis said. “After my first year of playing safety, I wanted to know every position and not just my responsibility. That way if someone went down they could put me in.”

Per the terms of his slot, Davis has received a four-year, $4.9MM deal. Here’s the full rundown of the Jets’ nine-man freshman class, via PFR’s tracker:

1-11: Mekhi Becton, T (Louisville): Signed
2-59: Denzel Mims, WR (Baylor): Signed
3-68: Ashtyn Davis, S (California): Signed
3-79: Jabari Zuniga, DE (Florida): Signed
4-120: Lamical Perine, RB (Florida): Signed
4-125: James Morgan, QB (Florida International): Signed
4-129: Cameron Clark, OT (Charlotte): Signed
5-158: Bryce Hall, CB (Virginia): Signed
6-191: Braden Mann, P (Texas A&M): Signed

Draft Rumors: Dolphins, Herbert, Edwards-Helaire, Aiyuk, Shenault

The Dolphins held a predraft video meeting with Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who reports no NFL team has done as much work on Herbert as the Dolphins. Herbert is fully expected to come off the board in Round 1 of next week’s draft, but it’s unclear if Miami will be comfortable taking him with the fifth overall selection. Per Jackson, the Dolphins’ questions about Herbert are twofold: he’s more of an introvert than an extrovert, and he is occasionally inaccurate.

Miami also conducted a video conference with LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, per Jackson, who indicates the Dolphins could consider Edwards-Helaire with pick Nos. 39 or 56 in the second round. While the Dolphins already signed veteran Jordan Howard this offseaon, Edwards-Helaire, who caught 55 passes in 2019, would add another dimension to Miami’s backfield.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft, which is now only one week away:

  • Speaking of the Dolphins, former NFL executive Gil Brandt says it would not not be a surprise for Miami to take a non-quarterback with the fifth overall pick (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). While the Dolphins have seemingly spent the past year-plus acquiring draft capital in order to land a quarterback, it’s possible that they could go in a different direction. If Miami opts for another position at No. 5, offensive tackle could speculatively be a target area.
  • A number of prospects– including Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault, and Cal safety Ashtyn Davis — recently underwent core muscle surgery but have medically cleared, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). All three should be ready for the start of the 2020 regular season. Meanwhile, Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall (ankle) has also been medically cleared, while South Carolina receiver Bryan Edwards (fifth metatarsal) and Utah safety Julian Blackmon (ACL) should be cleared by May and July, respectively.
  • While NFL teams aren’t all that concerned about the upcoming remote draft format, they are potentially worried about the undrafted free agent process, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (video link). The UDFA signing period is often a frenzy as is, and clubs think the virtual nature of the process could make it even more difficult.