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Julian Wilson

Minor Moves: Friday

May 29th, 2015 at 6:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Browns have cut long snapper Christian Yount, the team confirmed today in a press release. Yount has acted as Cleveland’s regular long snapper since 2011, and his release leaves the team with just one LS, inexperienced Charley Hughlett, on its roster. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com first reported (via Twitter) that the Browns were expected to part ways with Yount.
  • The Colts have waived linebacker Shawn Loiseau, the team announced today in a press release. Loiseau, who has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game, spent the entire 2014 campaign on the injured reserve list due to a torn ACL.
  • After being waived with an injury designation by the Ravens on Thursday, cornerback Julian Wilson cleared waivers today and was placed on Baltimore’s IR, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Wilson also passes along an update on the Falcons, tweeting that the team waived linebacker Derrick Malone. Malone, who joined the club as an undrafted rookie earlier this month, wasn’t the only Atlanta linebacker to be waived today — the team also cut ties with Prince Shembo.

Minor Moves: Thursday

May 28th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including the latest mid-to-late-round draft pick signings:

  • As first tweeted by agent Mike McCartney, third-round tight end Tyler Kroft has signed his rookie contract with the Bengals. Per Over The Cap, Kroft’s four-year pact will be worth about $2.928MM, including a $648K signing bonus. First-round offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi is now the only Cincinnati draftee who remains unsigned.
  • The Cowboys have also signed all their draft picks besides their first-rounder. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), the club locked up fourth-round linebacker Damien Wilson today, signing him to a four-year deal that features a signing bonus worth about $466K.
  • The Jets have cut quarterback Matt Simms, the club announced today in a press release. Given the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, and Bryce Petty, there wasn’t much chance that Simms would make the Jets’ regular season roster. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link), Simms asked New York to release him and the team obliged.
  • Former Oklahoma defensive back Julian Wilson, who signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent, was waived/injured by the team today after breaking his leg earlier this month, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. He’ll land on the injured reserve list, assuming he clears waivers.
  • The Buccaneers made a slight change to the back of their 90-man roster today, signing kicker Brandon Bogotay and waiving center Ben Gottschalk, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
  • Washington has added a pair of cornerbacks to its roster, signing Trey Wolfe and Tajh Hasson, per a team release. Hasson went undrafted this year out of UNLV, while Wolfe spent some time on Washington’s taxi squad in 2014.

AFC North Notes: Browns QBs, Whitworth

May 9th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Many have already given up on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after a rookie season consisting of on- and off-the-field problems, but new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo still has high hopes for the 22-year-old.

“All I know is Johnny the football player, and he’s been awesome,” DeFilippo said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field.”

DeFilippo believes there are obvious strengths to Manziel’s game, also stating that the offense will be tailored to his skillset if he beats out likely starter Josh McCown for the No. 1 job.

“I think Johnny has a lot of traits that good quarterbacks in this league have. It’s just a matter of getting better at them,” said DeFilippo. “I’m the last guy – the last guy — that’s going to take Johnny Manziel’s athleticism away from him. I will not do that.”

While DeFilippo seems bullish on Manziel, Browns coach Mike Pettine declared McCown the favorite to start earlier this week. DeFilippo is familiar with McCown from the pair’s time in Oakland in 2007 (DeFilippo was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach). Cabot writes that McCown mainly signed with the Browns to work with DeFilippo again. As he did with Manziel, DeFilippo spoke glowingly of the 35-year-old McCown.

“Josh has been the total guy we thought he was going to be. He has taken command of this offense and he has taken command of the room,” said DeFilippo.

Here’s more on the Browns and a couple of their AFC North rivals:

  • Cleveland didn’t draft a quarterback this year because no prospects other than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are seen as capable of stepping in and starting by 2016, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi believes the Browns will ride out 2015 with McCown and hope to land a QB in next year’s draft, when as many as four passers could go in the first round.
  • Although the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league over the past few years, the team used its top two picks on fellow OTs Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in last week’s draft. That didn’t sit well with Whitworth, who is a year from free agency and who has pushed for a contract extension. However, he did say that he would help his two new teammates adjust to the NFL game, and still hopes to remain with the club long term, according to an Associate Press article in USA Today.
  • Browns fourth-round pick Vince Mayle will undergo surgery to repair his broken right thumb after rookie camp, writes Cabot. Mayle, who sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl in January, should be ready to go by training camp, according to Pettine. “We wanted him to come out, just see how it was, test it,” said Pettine. “Found out real quick yesterday that there’s still some lingering pain there. So, we’re going to go ahead and get it corrected.”
  • Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says that undrafted defensive back Julian Wilson will remain with the team despite being lost for the year with a broken leg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

North Notes: Manziel, Erving, Barrett

May 8th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Johnny Manziel‘s chances of claiming the Browns‘ starting quarterback job in his second season are already starting to fade. Josh McCown will take the first-team repetitions in minicamp, and coach Mike Pettine expects him to do so in training camp, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot.

Cabot added Manziel has little chance of pressing McCown, signed this offseason after a disappointing year with the Buccaneers, for the job in the foreseeable future. The second-year coach prefers to see Manziel work on becoming a professional quarterback, essentially. Pettine is not concerned with McCown’s 1-10 record in Tampa last year, calling it an “aberration.”

McCown completed just 56.3 percent of his passes last season, leaving the Browns with one of the league’s worst quarterback situations.

“We’re not going to start talking competition. Josh, like I said will more than likely be the starter going into camp and in the foreseeable future I don’t see that changing,” Pettine told Cabot.

Here is some other news from the North divisions.

  • Cameron Erving will begin his NFL career at right tackle, per Cabot, but will move around before the team slots him at a position. Although Erving was the No. 1 center in the draft, Cabot envisions the Florida State product starting his career on the right side, with Alex Mack locking down the snapping job this season. Mitchell Schwartz and John Greco occupy Cleveland’s top spots at right tackle and right guard, respectively.
  • Undrafted Ravens rookie safety Julian Wilson broke his leg in minicamp and will miss the season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Aaron Wilson categorized Julian Wilson as one of the Ravens’ most heavily recruited rookies, snaring a $9K signing bonus.
  • Assigning rookie Quinten Rollins No. 24 doesn’t close the door on a Jarrett Bush return, coach Mike McCarthy told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The soon-to-be-31-year-old special teams stalwart remains an unrestricted free agent seemingly without a spot, considering the Packers matched Sean Richardson‘s Raiders offer to keep the younger safety in Green Bay.

Ravens Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 8th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

With rookie minicamps getting underway around the NFL, teams continue to officially confirm which undrafted free agents have been added to their rosters in time for the weekend. The Ravens announced today in a press release that they’ve signed 15 UDFAs, and we’ve got the full list below, including known bonus information, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun:

  • Darius Allen, OLB, Colorado State-Pueblo ($1K bonus)
  • Darryl Baldwin, T, Ohio State ($9K bonus)
  • Brennen Beyer, OLB, Michigan ($6K bonus)
  • DeAndre Carter, WR, Sacramento State ($7.5K bonus)
  • Blaine Clausell, T, Mississippi State ($10K bonus)
  • Trey DePriest, ILB, Alabama ($5K bonus)
  • Nick Easton, T, Harvard ($9K bonus)
  • Kaleb Johnson, G, Rutgers ($6.5K bonus)
  • Jerry Lovelocke, QB, Prairie View A&M ($5K bonus)
  • Terrence Magee, RB, LSU ($3K bonus)
  • Justin Manton, P, Louisiana-Monroe
  • Nick Perry, S, Alabama ($5K bonus)
  • De’Ondre Wesley, T, BYU
  • Julian Wilson, CB, Oklahoma ($9K bonus)
  • Cam Worthy, WR, East Carolina ($2.5K bonus)

Extra Points: A. Smith, Draft, Lions, Eagles

April 6th, 2015 at 10:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After being released by the Raiders on March 31, defensive lineman Antonio Smith received a phone call from the Broncos just hours later, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Smith, who agreed with Denver on a one-year deal worth $2MM, is pleased to be joining a contender. “I am excited. Every piece that you need is on this team, and I know what [the coaching staff] can do with a good quarterback and good offense,” said Smith. “It will be a dangerous combination. I believe wholeheartedly we have a chance of making the last dance.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Utah defensive back Eric Rowe is flying up draft boards, and while he’s already worked out for the Eagles, he has another workout planned with the Lions, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. The Packers are also interested, per Pauline, but they haven’t scheduled a visit.
  • We heard earlier tonight the Cowboys will visit with Arizona State safety Damarious Randall, and Pauline reports that the Lions and Falcons will do so, as well.
  • Oklahoma cornerback Julian Wilson has worked out for the Eagles and Patriots and is scheduled to work out for the Falcons, league sources Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. At the NFL scouting combine, Wilson ran a 4.58 40-yard-dash and had a 36-inch vertical leap.
  • Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson will is expected to visit the Cowboys, according to Wilson (Twitter link), who adds that Johnson has already worked out for Chargers, Falcons, and Eagles, and will work out for the Ravens, Patriots, and Cardinals. Per Wilson (link), Johnson also had a dinner meeting with the Steelers.
  • Using his expected contract value metric, Bryce Johnston of Over the Cap examines the free agent contracts handed out to quarterbacks this offseason.

Zach Links contributed to this post.