HEADLINES

Matt Jones

Washington Agrees To Terms With 10, Waives One

May 11th, 2015 at 7:57am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Washington has agreed to terms with nine of 10 picks from its 2015 draft class, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Eight of the nine have signed their contracts, according to ESPN’s John Keim (Twitter link). The only member of the class without a deal is first-rounder Brandon Scherff. Here’s the full list of picks with whom Washington has reached agreements:

  • Preston Smith, linebacker, Mississippi State (second round, 38th overall)
  • Matt Jones, running back, Florida (third round, 95th overall)
  • Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, Duke (fourth round, 105th overall)
  • Arie Kouandjio, offensive lineman, Alabama (fourth round, 112th overall)
  • Martrell Spaight, linebacker, Arkansas (fifth round, 141st overall)
  • Kyshoen Jarrett, safety, Virginia Tech (sixth round, 181st overall)
  • Tevin Mitchel, cornerback, Arkansas (sixth round, 182nd overall)
  • Evan Spencer, wide receiver, Ohio State (sixth round, 187th overall)
  • Austin Reiter, center, South Florida (seventh round, 222nd overall)

Additionally, Washington has re-signed offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe and waived cornerback Courtney Bridget, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). The team waived Nsekhe last week before deciding to bring him back.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Falcons, Panthers

April 23rd, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Thursday items from around the NFC South….

  • The Saints are preparing to transition from Drew Brees to a new quarterback at some point in the next three or four years, and could kick-start that process by drafting a QB early this year, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, New Orleans is eyeing Bryce Petty, who recently worked out for the club, and Garrett Grayson, and figures to select a signal-caller in the first three or four rounds next week.
  • Within the same video, Cole adds that the Saints intend to use their two first-round picks to land players whose commitment to football is unquestioned. That means the team may decide to pass on a top prospect who has run into off-field problems, like Randy Gregory or Marcus Peters.
  • Florida running back Matt Jones made a pre-draft visit to New Orleans to meet with the Saints on Wednesday, the final day teams were allowed to host prospects, writes Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune.
  • Indiana running back Tevin Coleman visited the Falcons on Wednesday, and tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he enjoyed the visit quite a bit.
  • Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney has a workout with the Panthers today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). With just one week left until the draft, teams can no longer host prospects on pre-draft visits, but they can still privately work them out.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders

April 9th, 2015 at 7:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs could have training camp battles at several positions, writes Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. At center, third-year player Eric Kush is the favorite to replace Rodney Hudson, but as Teicher notes, it’s unlikely that Kansas City will hand Kush, who has appeared in only three games during his career, the starting job without competition. As such, it’s possible that the club could bring in other options, either through the draft, where Florida State’s Cameron Irving is the top available center, or through free agency, where former Raiders Stefen Wisniewski remains unsigned.

Let’s take at look at some draft news from the rest of the AFC West:

  • Central Michigan wide receiver Titus Davis is visiting the Chargers today, according to U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). The wideout ran a 4.51 second 40-yard-dash at the combine and is projected as a third-to-fifth round choice given this year’s deep wide receiver class. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) is hearing a lot of mid-round buzz on Davis.
  • The Raiders will be bringing in cornerback Travis Lee for a visit, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). Pauline views the Miles College product as a sleeper in this year’s class.
  • UConn defensive lineman B.J. McBryde is visiting the Chiefs today, according to Pauline (on Twitter).
  • Chargers running backs coach Ollie Wilson spent 1-on-1 time with a handful of prospects before their pro days, including Jay Ajayi of BSU and Matt Jones of Florida, according to Gehlken (on Twitter).

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Draft, Jags, Titans, Browns

April 7th, 2015 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

While there has been plenty of speculation about the top two picks in this year’s draft – and specifically whether the top two quarterbacks will be picked in those spots – the Jaguars‘ third overall selection hasn’t been discussed nearly as much. In the view of Florida pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr., there won’t be much intrigue or surprise when it comes to that No. 3 pick — Fowler said today that he thinks he fits the Jags’ scheme perfectly, and would be surprised if the team doesn’t draft him (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com).

While we wait to see whether Fowler’s prediction turns out to be right, let’s check out a few more items from around the AFC….

  • Fowler is one candidate to be the top defensive player to come off the board later this month, but USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams figures to be in that mix as well. Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports (via Twitter) that Williams is making a pre-draft visit to the Titans this week.
  • Andre Holmes is signing his RFA tender with the Raiders, meaning he’ll officially come off the market. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Browns had some interest in Holmes, but nothing materialized there, particularly after the club added Dwayne Bowe.
  • Pointing out that Alex Mack‘s contract has an opt-out clause after the 2015 season, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com wonders if that will affect the Browns‘ draft plans. Fellow lineman Joe Thomas tells Grossi that he thinks Mack will probably opt out next year, even if it’s just to sign a new deal with the Browns.
  • We previously heard that South Carolina running back Mike Davis would visit the Patriots, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that Davis will also meet with the Colts this week.
  • According to Rapoport (via Twitter), the Patriots are working out linebackers Denzel Perryman (Miami) and Paul Dawson (TCU).
  • Florida running back Matt Jones, who is expected to be a second- or third-day pick, had dinner with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and GM Kevin Colbert, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Wilson provides another draft update, tweeting that the Ravens have a private workout on their schedule for Florida interior offensive lineman Max Garcia.