HEADLINES

Billy Turner

Dolphins Sign Billy Turner

July 18th, 2014 at 5:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have signed third-round pick Billy Turner, agent Michael Hoffman tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With the signing, the Dolphins have signed all of their draft picks and there are now only two undrafted picks from the 2014 class in the entire NFL: Taylor Lewan (Titans) and Justin Gilbert (Browns).

Turner, 22, was pick No. 67 out of North Dakota State, where he started 56 games across four seasons. Though he played both left and right tackle in college, he will shift to guard in the NFL. Shelley Smith is probably safe as the Dolphins’ right guard, but Turner could push Dallas Thomas for snaps on the left side.

In Miami, Turner will be part of a totally revamped offensive line. Newly signed Branden Albert will start at left tackle, Thomas and Smith will man guard, and first-rounder Ju’Wuan James will handle right tackle. Center was supposed to be the Dolphins’ most stable position along the front five, but following Mike Pouncey‘s injury, Sam Brenner will likely hold down the spot until Pouncey returns.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Latest On Four Remaining Unsigned Draftees

July 2nd, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

As we’ve discussed before when covering draft pick signings – as well as those draftees who remain unsigned – the NFL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement has taken most of the drama out of the contracts for rookies. With set amounts on signing bonuses and total values for most rookie deals, players will haggle over things like offset language, types of payment, and guaranteed money, but for the most part, there isn’t much wiggle room.

That means that we shouldn’t expect to see many – if any – holdouts when training camps get underway later this month. Still, four of 2014’s 256 draft picks have still yet to ink their contracts, so it’s worth checking in on them to see if we can discern any particular reason why that’s the case. Here are the four draftees who remain unsigned, along with the latest updates on each of them:

  • Justin Gilbert, CB, Cleveland Browns (1.8): As of last Tuesday, Gilbert didn’t sound like he was too involved in his own negotiations, deferring to his agent when asked about contract talks by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. He echoed that stance later in the week, suggesting that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be in attendance when the Browns’ training camp begins. Still, even with potential disputes over offsets and roster bonuses in play at the No. 8 spot, I’d be pretty surprised if the rookie cornerback wasn’t present for the first day of camp.
  • Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans (1.11): Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote this week that he thinks the delay on Lewan may be a result of the offensive tackle looking to replace his fully-guaranteed base salaries with roster bonuses paid out during training camp. Last year’s 11th overall pick (D.J. Fluker) didn’t receive these bonuses in his deal, but Lewan’s teammate, No. 10 pick Chance Warmack, did get them. Considering Lewan is viewed as the Titans’ left tackle of the future, making him a more essential piece on the offensive line than Warmack, he has a reasonable case for those roster bonuses. In Florio’s view, a brief training camp holdout is a possibility for Lewan.
  • Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.39): Lee was long viewed as a likely first-round pick, so the delay on his signing may be related to his trying to recoup some guaranteed money after slipping to No. 39. In his latest mailbag, John Oesher of Jaguars.com couldn’t offer any specific details on the holdup for Lee, but stated confidently that something should get done before training camp.
  • Billy Turner, OT, Miami Dolphins (3.67): There haven’t been many rumblings about the contract talks, who is the last third-rounder to sign. Most recently, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote last Monday that the unresolved issues for Turner “are not insurmountable.”

Dolphins Notes: Pouncey, Moreno, Finley

June 23rd, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins’ offensive line, which underwent a massive overhaul following last year’s bullying scandal and general poor performance, took another hit today, and are now expected to open the 2014 season with five new starters along the line. Here’s the latest on that story, as well as a few more Dolphins-related notes:

  • Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey underwent hip surgery today and is expected to be sidelined for about three months, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. As Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports clarifies (via Twitter), the procedure was a labrum repair, and figures to keep Pouncey out for the early part of the regular season. The standout center had also been a candidate to sign a contract extension this summer, but perhaps now the two sides will wait for him to get healthy — there’s no real rush, since the Dolphins exercised their 2015 team option on Pouncey earlier this spring.
  • Pouncey isn’t the only Dolphin to undergo a surgical procedure this week. Schefter also reports within the same story that running back Knowshon Moreno, who signed with the club in March, will have arthroscopic surgery performed on his knee and will miss four or five weeks.
  • Third-round offensive lineman Billy Turner is one of just five draftees who has yet to sign his rookie contract, but the unresolved issues aren’t significant, and the signing should become official by mid-July, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • Within Jackson’s piece, the Herald scribe also notes that the Dolphins were among the teams to inquire on Jermichael Finley, though it sounds like the club hasn’t seriously pursued the free agent tight end.
  • Former LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, who will head to training camp with the Dolphins, has switched agencies from ProSource Sports to Rosenhaus Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.

Draft Updates: Browns, 49ers, Beckham, Visits

April 30th, 2014 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

An ideal situation for new Browns head coach Mike Pettine would be to draft a quarterback later than the No. 4 pick, and not have to start that QB in his rookie season, as Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer details.

“That’s been a big part of the discussion in the draft room,” Pettine said. “That’s a position that we know we’re going to need to address, and you talk about where you’re going to do it and the impact that it’s going to have on the rest of the team. Certainly it’s an ideal situation if you can get that quarterback later in the draft and that way you’re drafting a position player at four.”

Here are a few more Wednesday draft-related tidbits:

  • The 49ers are “very interested” in LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a source tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Beckham may not be on the board when San Francisco’s No. 30 pick rolls around, but there was some speculation earlier today that the club may target the Ravens’ pick (17th overall) and consider moving up.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com identifies seven sleepers that may end up doing pretty well for themselves in this year’s draft. Among the players named by La Canfora: East Carolina tight end Justin Jones, Towson cornerback Jordan Love, and McGill offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
  • Arizona State tight end Chris Coyle tells Tyler Lockman of Fox Sports Arizona (Twitter link) that he has heard from about 15 NFL teams, including the Cardinals, Chargers, and Eagles.
  • Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) adds the Buccaneers, Panthers, and Dolphins to the list of teams that hosted North Dakota offensive lineman Billy Turner for pre-draft visits.
  • Fresno State tight end Marcel Jensen has worked out for the Falcons and Colts and met with the Eagles and Patriots, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who says Jensen’s stock is on the rise.
  • The Titans, who are on the lookout for a new kicker after releasing Rob Bironas last month, recently worked out Washington’s Travis Coons, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

Extra Points: CJ2K, Bradford, Pryor, Vikings

April 14th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After Chris Johnson was released by the Titans, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the veteran running back was likely to find a new team last week. However, Johnson remains on the market. Now Florio writes that if CJ2K is going to a find a new home before the draft, he expects it to happen within the next few days. As Florio writes, most NFL teams will be focusing almost exclusively on the draft in the coming weeks, so if a club is going to engage in negotiations for the former 2,000-yard rusher, that team would probably prefer to get it done sooner rather than later.

As we wait to see if Florio’s latest prediction works out, let’s round up several more items from around the NFL….

  • Although he makes it clear that he’s not reporting that the Rams are shopping or even considering dealing quarterback Sam Bradford, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com makes a case for why the club should do exactly that, speaking to a few executives around the league to attempt to gauge Bradford’s current value.
  • Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who has previously visited the Titans and Bears, is meeting with the Saints today and has visits lined up later in the week with the Bengals and Jets, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). Considered one of the top two safeties in this year’s draft class, Pryor is viewed as a likely first-round pick.
  • The Vikings have a big day of pre-draft visits lined up for Thursday, and linebackers Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr will be among the players in attendance, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • Barr will also be visiting the Eagles next week, a source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along updates on a couple prospects, reporting that North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner is visiting the Cowboys today and the Rams and Vikings later, and writing that Tennessee State offensive lineman Kadeem Edwards has met with the Dolphins, Titans, Colts, and Panthers.
  • The Falcons hosted Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.