HEADLINES

Gerald Willis

Packers Claim Gerald Willis, Jamal Davis

April 21st, 2020 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins waived six players Saturday; two are now set to join the Packers. Green Bay claimed defensive linemen Gerald Willis and Jamal Davis, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

While Willis was viewed as a mid-round prospect last year, he tumbled out of the draft. He has spent time with the Ravens and his hometown Dolphins, washing out of both places. The Packers will give the ex-Miami Hurricane defensive tackle a shot to become a rotational cog up front.

An edge player, Davis is already on team No. 6. The UDFA out of Akron spent time with five franchises last year, going to camp with the Texans and landing on the Bills, Colts and Titans’ practice squads. The Dolphins signed him off the Titans’ taxi squad late last season.

Willis played in two Dolphins games; Davis was active for three. Neither saw any NFL action for other teams in 2019.

Dolphins Waive DT Gerald Willis, Five Others

April 18th, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Once a player thought to be a borderline Day 2 pick, Gerald Willis will again be in search of a new team. The Dolphins made the Miami native defensive tackle one of six players they waived Saturday.

The Dolphins also cut linebacker Jake Carlock, linebacker Jamal Davis, wide receiver Andy Jones, cornerback Linden Stephens and wide receiver Terry Wright. None of the players have seen much NFL action, but the Dolphins had signed Carlock, Jones and Wright to futures deals just after last season.

Jones caught 11 passes with the 2018 Lions but has not played since. Davis and Stephens played in three games for the Dolphins last season. Carlock and Wright did not suit up for a game as Dolphins. Originally a Ravens UDFA after seeing his value drop extensively during the 2019 draft, Willis saw action in two games with his hometown team.

Miami holds a league-high 14 picks in next week’s draft. No other team possesses more than 12 selections. Teams also will be signing their next round of UDFA classes, though this unusual offseason may make that a fluid process.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/19

November 20th, 2019 at 8:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

  • Promoted from practice squad: TE Jesper Horsted

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Miami Dolphins

Ravens Move Down To 53

August 31st, 2019 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens minced their roster to 53 players, parting ways with UDFA Gerald Willis to get there. Baltimore also placed Tavon Young and Kenneth Dixon on IR.

Young suffered a neck injury recently and will miss a full season for the second time in three years. While Baltimore boasts a deep cornerback corps, losing its slot man again will not help the high-end defense’s cause. Dixon will head back to IR. The Ravens placed him on IR in September 2018 but used an IR-return slot on him. That will not be an option this year, which doubles as the running back’s contract slate.

Character concerns caused Willis, viewed as a high-Day 3-type prospect out of Miami, to go undrafted. He is now on the waiver wire.

Here are Baltimore’s cuts:

Placed on IR:

Ravens Sign Gerald Willis, 16 Other UDFAs

May 3rd, 2019 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Stationed on ESPN’s “best available” graphic for hours on Day 3 of the draft, Gerald Willis found a home in Baltimore. The Ravens made the defensive lineman part of their UDFA contingent. Here is the rest of the team’s 17-man group:

Rated as the No. 76 overall prospect on Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, Willis earned second-team All-American honors by finishing with 18 tackles for loss and four sacks last season. However, character issues likely led to his slide. Florida dismissed the talented defender earlier in his career, and some Miami coaches were skeptical of his NFL future.

The Ravens are continuing their rookie-heavy approach to staffing their wide receiver spots, this trio following Marquise Brown and third-round pick Miles Boykin. Smith, who had his best college season (a 60-catch, 980-yard, seven-touchdown 2017) when playing with Lamar Jackson, will rejoin the developing passer. Wesley’s 1,410 receiving yards ranked third in Division I-FBS last season.

North Rumors: Browns, Duke, Lions, Snacks

April 28th, 2019 at 2:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Browns running back Duke Johnson has requested a trade, and Cleveland is believed to have shopped him, there’s seemingly no guaranteed he will be moved, as head coach Freddie Kitchens indicated to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com. “Duke’s under contract. I’ve said this for a month now, I don’t know where all this trade talk started happening,” said Kitchens. “People just assumed we would trade him because we signed another good football player [Kareem Hunt]. I like good football players, and I like as many as I can get.

“At this point in time, him asking for a trade doesn’t matter to me. He’s a Cleveland Brown. Duke’s the type of the guy who’s going to show up and he’s going to do his job and he’s going do his job well. That’s all I can ask for as a coach. His demands, I’m not impacted by that one bit.”

Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of the 2019 season, so the Browns will need a back to play behind starter Nick Chubb. Johnson, 25, is under contract through 2021 thanks to the three-year, $15.6MM extension he signed last summer. While he handled only 40 carries a year ago, Johnson managed 47 catches and was one of the NFL’s most efficient receiving backs, per Football Outsiders.

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

  • Defensive tackle Damon Harrison isn’t participating in the Lions‘ offseason program, but his absence isn’t related to his request for a new contact, general manager Bob Quinn told Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “The offseason program is voluntary,” Quinn said. “We have different guys, in different stages and different things in their lives, just like we have every year. So, Damon hasn’t been here the last couple of weeks, but we’ve communicated with him, talked to him multiple times and I’m sure we’ll see him here soon.” Harrison, whom the Lions acquired from the Giants last year in exchange for a fifth-round pick, has two years remaining on his current deal, with cap charges north of $7MM in each season.
  • The Ravens were attempting to sign Arizona defensive tackle P.J. Johnson to an undrafted free agent deal when he was selected by the Lions with the 229th overall pick, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It was kind of funny,” Johnson said. “I tried to be as polite as possible,” Johnson said, “but get off fast: ‘Excuse me, but the Lions are calling. I’ve got to go.’ ” Baltimore did not have a selection after No. 197, so the club would have had to trade back up (using 2020 capital) in order to land Johnson.
  • Miami defensive tackle Gerald Willis surprisingly went undrafted before reportedly inking a UDFA deal with the Ravens, and his fall was likely caused by a few off-field issues, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes. Willis allegedly got into an altercation with Skyler Mornhinweg (son of ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg) before being dismissed at Florida, while some former Miami coaches also bad-mouthed Willis, per Zrebiec. The current Hurricanes staff, however, praised Willis.