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Matt Ioannidis

East Notes: Bills, Lawson, Redskins, Patriots

May 20th, 2016 at 7:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills rookie edge rusher Shaq Lawson is likely to miss four or five games at the beginning of next season after undergoing shoulder surgery, and some have wondered if the need for an operation should have pushed Lawson down the draft board. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated spoke with head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley about Lawson’s injury and it’s implications for the club.

“That’s part of the deal with Shaq,” said Ryan. “We drafted him for the long haul success, not for one season. They say me and Doug Whaley share the blame. You’re damn right we do. We’ll share the blame, that’s fine. Oh, by the way, there should be another end to [the story]. Let’s see what kind of kind of player this kid is over the long haul. And we will stand by drafting this guy.”

Here’s more on the Bills and a few other clubs in the NFL’s two East divisions…

  • Fellow linebacker Manny Lawson isn’t related to Shaq Lawson, but he figures to get the first shot to replace the rookie in the Bills‘ starting lineup, as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW details. The WKBW scribe also dives into several other Buffalo position battles, including wide receiver — where Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods are the only roster locks — right tackle, safety, and nickel corner.
  • The Redskins are hoping that fifth-round pick Matt Ioannidis can play defensive end, defensive tackle, or nose tackle depending on the team’s package on the field, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. “He has the toughness and competitiveness and quickness to cause problems,” GM Scot McCloughan said. “He doesn’t look like Terrance Knighton, but this team will be a good team because we have a couple guys who are special and the majority will be good. He’s one of the good guys.”
  • There is a lot to like about Nate Sudfeld and the only question is whether the quarterback will be on the Redskins‘ 53-man roster this year or on their practice squad, as Rich Tandler CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. To get Sudfeld on to the taxi squad, the Redskins would have to sneak the QB through waivers. But if he performs well in camp and in the preseason, he might be plucked by another team. As a result, the odds slightly favor Sudfeld making the 53-man roster. Sudfeld, an Indiana product, was taken in the sixth round with the No. 187 overall pick.
  • Reports continue to link the Raiders to Las Vegas, and the club has found another supporter — Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who tells Jarrett Bell of USA Today that he’s in favor of the Raiders leaving for Nevada. “I think it would be good for the NFL,” Kraft said. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won’t do it … I want to support him.”
  • The Patriots won a grievance with former tight end Jimmay Mundine, giving them a $71K salary cap credit, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Washington Signs Josh Doctson, Others

May 9th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Washington has locked up all but one of its seven draft picks, the team announced today, as detailed by Stephen Czarda at Redskins.com. The list of draftees locked up by the club includes first-round wideout Josh Doctson, whose four-year rookie contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2020. Here’s the full list of draft picks who have officially signed with Washington:Josh Doctson

With six picks locked up, Washington just needs to finalize a deal with third-round cornerback Kendall Fuller to secure its entire draft class. Contracts for third-rounders can often be the trickiest to get done, since there’s a little more wiggle room to negotiate, whereas terms are fairly rigid throughout most of the rest of the draft.

Per Over The Cap’s data, Doctson’s four-year pact will be worth about $10.05MM, with a $5.509MM signing bonus. Cravens’ deal features a signing bonus of $1.423MM, while the rest of the team’s rookie contracts will be far more modest, with bonuses of less than $250K apiece for the late-round picks.

In addition to signing several draftees, Washington also added a pair of undrafted free agents – cornerback Lloyd Carrington and linebacker Reggie Northrup – to the roster, reaching the 90-man limit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Rumors: Titans, Browns, J. Smith, Cowboys

January 29th, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL season isn’t over yet, but teams around the league are already looking ahead to the draft April, spending this week meeting with and scouting players at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Checking in from Mobile, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has several interesting draft-related tidbits to pass along, so let’s dive right in and check out the highlights….

  • The “biggest buzz” at the Senior Bowl this week is that the Titans are “absolutely” shopping the first overall pick in the draft, says Miller. General managers from rival teams expect the Browns and Rams to have the most interest in trading up to No. 1, though Cleveland exec Sashi Brown said earlier this week that he’d be shocked if his team moves up from No. 2.
  • Wherever the Browns end up picking, the expectation around the league is that they’ll target a quarterback, and Miller has heard all week from scouts that Cleveland prefers Carson Wentz to Jared Goff.
  • Jaylon Smith, who tore his ACL and LCL in the Fiesta Bowl, is already rehabbing twice a day as he recovers from the major knee injury, sources tell Miller. The Saints are among the clubs keeping a close eye on the Notre Dame linebacker, and it still appears likely that he’ll come off the board in the top half of the first round.
  • Miller’s sources don’t expect Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to use his team’s first-round pick on Tony Romo‘s backup and eventual successor. According to Miller, Dallas is more likely to roll the dice on a player like Robert Griffin III or Johnny Manziel — not necessarily as Romo’s successor, but at least as a short-term backup.
  • Sources inside the Texans tell Miller that Houston figures to focus on the offensive side of the ball with its first few picks in the draft.
  • Miller identifies Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler, Clemson wide receiver Charone Peake, and Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis as some prospects that have improved their stock this week in Mobile.

Draft Notes: Cowboys, Nkemdiche, Jets

January 27th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, your Twitter timeline is probably chock full of news about teams meeting with top draft prospects. Of course, a team meeting with a prospect actually means very little, as Mike McCartney explained in a succinct tweet on Tuesday: “Senior Bowl Pet Peeve: EVERY player here meets with EVERY team.”

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we have opted against sharing every single meeting between NFL teams and draft prospects, opting instead to bring you only the most important and relevant draft news. With that in mind, here’s today’s look at the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft:

  • Ole Miss defensive end Robert Nkemdiche had a weird incident in 2015 but teams are still evaluating him like he’s a top five pick, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). Specifically, the Cowboys are taking a hard look at him and so are the Chargers. Nkemdiche boasts tremendous size and moves like a tight end, so it’s not hard for teams to overlook some off-the-field red flags. For his part, Miller sees him as a strong fit for Dallas but also feels that the Titans are a logical destination. However, that doesn’t mean that Tennessee will reach and take him No. 1 overall.
  • The Jets spent a lot of time with Boise State safety Darian Thompson on Wednesday morning, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Thompson grades out as a second or third round prospect, per Pauline.
  • Thompson, Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and OSU wide receiver Braxton Miller are drawing rave reviews from scouts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The Cowboys spent a great deal of time with Southern Utah defensive back Miles Killebrew, according to Pauline (link).
  • A top NFL personnel exec at the Senior Bowl opined to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter) that the Browns should take quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2. “They’d be set for 15 years,” the anonymous exec said.