Jeff Budzien

Minor Moves: Urban, Brown, Gaffney, Jaguars

The Ravens have signed fourth-round draft pick Brent Urban to a rookie contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The four-year contract is worth $2.53MM with a signing bonus of just over $300,000. That leaves only first-round pick C.J. Mosley and third-round pick Terrence Brooks left unsigned.

Here are some other minor moves from across the NFL:

  • The Bills have signed third-round pick Preston Brown, according to Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Brown, a linebacker out of Louisville, impressed the Bills’ front office. “He plays hard; you see him all over the field,” director of player personnel Jim Monos said. “He plays on the other side of the ball and has good tackles for loss. He can go side to side. He’s probably better against the run than the pass right now, but he can do both. He’s a very good athlete.” The team expects him to compete for a job at middle linebacker.
  • The Panthers have signed sixth-round pick Tyler Gaffney, reports Wilson (via Twitter). Gaffney, a running back out of Stanford, is the first Panthers’ draft pick to sign his rookie contract.
  • The Jaguars have signed two rookies invited to workout during rookie camp, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (via Twitter). They signed running back Beau Blankenship from Ohio and safety Jerome Junior of UConn. To make room for the new signings, the team released punter Chad Zinchini and kicker Jeff Budzien.

Jags To Sign 17 UDFAs, Cut Six Players

10:46am: The Jaguars’ final three cuts were running back Delone Carter, defensive tackle Drake Nevis, and wideout Stephen Williams, according to O’Halloran (via Twitter).

10:02am: Fullback Shaun Chapas will also be among the Jaguars’ cuts, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

9:52am: The Jaguars have cut guard Will Rackley and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). The moves won’t be the last ones for the club today — O’Halloran notes (via Twitter) that with 17 undrafted free agents being added to the roster, six players will need to be released to make room, meaning four more cuts should be on the way.

Rackley and Ebert were both in the final year of their respective contracts, with Rackley set to earn a $1.431MM base salary, while Ebert was on a minimum salary deal. Rackley started 11 games at left guard for Jacksonville last season and his performance ranked 79th out of 81 qualified guards, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Meanwhile, Ebert hauled in three passes in his time with the team.

As for the Jaguars’ undrafted free agent signings, PR coordinator Tad Dickman has the full list (via Twitter):

  • Jeff Budzien, K, Northwestern
  • Terrance Cobb, RB, Cumberland
  • Deandre Coleman, DT, California
  • Damian Copeland, WR, Louisville
  • Trevor Gillette, LS, Rice
  • Ricky Havili-Heimuli, DT, Oregon
  • Allen Hurns, WR, Miami (FL) ($5K bonus and $15K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Marcel Jensen, TE, Fresno State
  • Reggie Jordan, TE, Missouri Western
  • Craig Loston, S, LSU
  • Stephen Morris, QB, Miami (FL) ($5K bonus and $30K in other guarantees, per Wilson)
  • Rashaad Reynolds, CB, Oregon State
  • Tyler Shatley, G, Clemson
  • D.J. Tialavea, TE, Utah State
  • Josh Wells, OT, James Madison
  • Marcus Whitfield, LB, Maryland
  • Chad Zinchini, P, Tennessee Tech