HEADLINES

Dee Ford

Chiefs Sign First-Rounder Dee Ford

May 24th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Peter Sowards

2:11pm: Ford’s deal includes a $4.25MM signing bonus and is worth $8.16MM, reports Aaron Wilson of National Football Post (via Twitter).

1:17pm: The Kansas City Chiefs announced via Twitter they have signed former Auburn defensive end and first-round pick Dee Ford.

Ford was selected No. 23 overall after being named First-team All-SEC at Auburn and garnering MVP awards at the 2014 Senior Bowl. With edge rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston already in the fold, the Chiefs are taking the adage, “You can never have too many pass rushers,” very seriously.

AFC Notes: Bills, Chiefs, Smith, Manziel

May 21st, 2014 at 8:58pm CST by Zachary Links

New Browns wide receiver Miles Austin knows that the team is going to miss Josh Gordon this season, but he refuses to dwell on it, writes Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal.

“Obviously, he’s a tremendous receiver,” Austin said of the 6’3″, 225-pound Gordon. “The first time I saw him, the first time I actually brushed up against to him, I was like ‘Man, this guy is huge.’ At the end of the day, the NFL is a league where, regardless of what happens with any situation or position, if someone goes down, someone has to fill in. And if it’s not one person, it’s collectively as a group you have to pick up the slack.”

Let’s round up a few other AFC notes…

  • A knowledgeable source tells Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (on Twitter) that a sale of the Bills in time for approval at the October owners meeting remains highly ambitious, but still possible. Earlier today we learned that the Bills have selected financial firm Morgan Stanley and legal firm Proskauer Rose to head up the sale process.
  • Chiefs GM John Dorsey told SiriusXM that he’s optimistic the team will be able to re-sign quarterback Alex Smith, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Earlier this month Albert Breer of NFL Network reported that talks between Smith and KC were not moving quickly.
  • Dorsey went on to call first-round pick Dee Ford the second-best pass rusher in the draft, though he declined to say whether he had Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack rated at No. 1, Marvez tweets.
  • Browns general manager Ray Farmer didn’t hesitate Wednesday when asked which quarterback is better right now (Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel), writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. “Brian Hoyer. Probably (by) a substantial margin,” Farmer told 92.3 The Fan’s Bull Fox. “He’s a guy that’s been in the league, that knows the defenses, that reads it quicker, that understands (the pro game). (It’s like) he’s got an advanced calculus degree and Johnny’s good at math but I don’t know if he’s in the advanced calculus stages yet.”

West Rumors: Beckham, 49ers, Seahawks

May 9th, 2014 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

Odell Beckham Jr. was viewed as a potential target for the 49ers, but trading up for him just wasn’t in the cards, as GM Trent Baalke explained to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link): “We certainly liked him as a football player, no doubt about it. But… the price of doing business when you’re trying to move from [No. 30] up into the top 10 or close to the top 10 becomes pretty stiff. And you’re giving up a lot of football players to go get one football player. And if you look at history, a lot of time it works against you,” said the GM.

  • The Seahawks had their eye on defensive tackle Dominique Easley before the Patriots drafted him at No. 29, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. When the Florida product was off the board, they traded out to the Vikings, who selected Teddy Bridgwater. Seattle had a connection with Easley: defensive coordinator Dan Quinn recruited him at UF.
  • Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey declined to say whether he had real interest in drafting Johnny Manziel, but he did infer that the Browns called to try and trade for their pick before they ultimately struck a deal with the Eagles, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • The Chiefs’ pick of Auburn defensive end Dee Ford at No. 23 raised a few eyebrows, but Dorsey told reporters, including Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that the team viewed Ford as the second-best pass rusher in the draft.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Ebron, Ford, McGill, Bridgewater

April 22nd, 2014 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

North Carolina’s Eric Ebron took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be traveling to New York, Florida, and Tennessee this week. The Jets would be a logical destination for the athletic tight end, though he may not last until pick No. 18. Of course, he could also pay the Giants a visit he’s in town and Florida could mean stops with the Buccaneers, Dolphins, or Jaguars. Ebron could certainly be in play for the Titans at No. 11 and they’ve been said to have interest in recent weeks. A look at tonight’s draft news..

  • Auburn standout Dee Ford, who visited the Falcons today, has already paid a visit to the Texans, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Ford is a classic hybrid pass rusher as a 3-4 outside linebacker who could potentially play defensive end in a 4-3 scheme if he bulks up.
  • Utah cornerback Keith McGill is visiting the Jets today, a source tells Seth Walder of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears that the Dolphins like Tennessee right tackle Ju’Wuan James. The 6’6″ 312 pound lineman is likely a second round type.
  • When all is said and done, the talk about Teddy Bridgewater plummeting in the draft might be much ado about nothing, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.

South Notes: Falcons, Bucs, Saints, Titans

April 15th, 2014 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure reported last Friday that Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews has a visit scheduled with the Falcons for the week of April 21, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets today that Matthews has already worked out for Atlanta. Considering the Falcons are very much in the market for help on the line on both sides of the ball, Matthews is certainly a player worth keeping an eye on for that No. 6 overall pick next month, and he seems to be drawing plenty of interest from the club.

Here’s more on the Falcons and a couple other South teams:

  • The Falcons are hosting East Carolina tight end Justin Jones for a pre-draft visit today and Auburn edge defender Dee Ford later in the week. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have the respective details.
  • Wilson also tweets that Utah State cornerback Nevin Lawson is visiting the Falcons today and tomorrow.
  • Former Gators receiver and kick returner Solomon Patton is working out for the Buccaneers today, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers and Saints are among the teams hosting sleeper Purdue tackle Kevin Pamphile for visits, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. According to Pauline, Pamphile is also visiting the Patriots, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Giants.
  • The Titans had Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo in for a pre-draft visit yesterday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Combine Updates: Clowney, Ford, Tuitt, Mason

February 24th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Jadeveon Clowney is the talk of the NFL combine on Monday morning, running an unofficial time of 4.47 in the 40-yard dash today. The time is easily the best among defensive linemen, and in fact surpassed the times of most of the running backs and receivers that ran the 40 yesterday. Clowney won’t participate in all of today’s on-field drills, citing a hip flexor, but there are still plenty of combine updates to pass along from Indianapolis:

  • Auburn defensive end Dee Ford was medically flagged due to a 2011 procedure on a herniated disc in his lower back and won’t work out today at the combine. Scott Hanson of NFL Red Zone first reported (via Twitter) that Ford would sit out, while Steve Wyche of NFL Network passed along the specifics (Twitter link).
  • Like Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt was diagnosed with a fractured foot by doctors at the combine, according to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, who says Tuitt will undergo surgery in about a week, with a full recovery expected in six to eight weeks. Ford and Tuitt are viewed as two of the top non-Clowney DEs available in the draft.
  • The Titans, Dolphins, Rams, and Cardinals are among the teams that have met with Auburn running back Tre Mason at the combine, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Ravens have met with Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland, as well as wide receivers Brandin Cooks (Oregon State) and Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt), Aaron Wilson writes in separate pieces for the Baltimore Sun. Wilson also says the team will meet with LSU receiver Jarvis Landry.
  • Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle won’t participate in drills at the combine due to health concerns, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
  • For a complete list of combine results, including scores in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and broad jump, be sure to check out NFL.com’s tracker.

Jaguars Notes: Henne, Draft, Clowney, Shorts

February 4th, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley spoke with Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida-Times Union about free agency, the upcoming draft, and the importance of re-signing quarterback Chad Henne.

“The competition that took place with [Henne] and Blaine Gabbert during OTAs and minicamp and training camp, he didn’t really flinch through the whole process and when he got his opportunity, he took advantage of it and we thought he made really good process,” Bradley said of Henne. “We think, having a year under his belt, he will have a better understanding of the system and we’re really excited as far as what he brought to us leadership wise.”

Here’s more from Bradley’s interview and other notes on the Jaguars..

  • Bradley won’t jump to conclusions over talk that quarterback A.J. McCarron might not throw at the draft combine in Indianapolis, saying that it’s not always a red flag when a player opts out of working out. However, he did admit that there’s a part of him that likes to see an athlete take every opportunity to compete.
  • Bradley mentioned Auburn defensive end Dee Ford and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr when asked what players stood out at the Senior Bowl and spoke glowingly of Jadeveon Clowney.
  • The Jaguars should pass on tapping a quarterback early in the 2014 draft, writes ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. DiRocco reasons that defense wins championships and a young QB needs the right pieces around him to succeed – something that Jacksonville doesn’t have at the moment.
  • More from DiRocco, who writes that Jacksonville should wait on extending Cecil Shorts as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.