Matt Paradis

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/3/17

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Titans have agreed to terms with cornerback Demontre Hurst, according to a team announcement. Hurst spent the past three seasons with Chicago, where he totaled 58 tackles and two interceptions. Hurst is the eighth player signed by the Titans since the opening of free agency.
  • As expected, tight end Trey Burton signed his one-year RFA tender, per an announcement from the Eagles. It’s a one-year, $2.746MM contract.
  • Three Broncos signed their ERFA tenders. Starting center Matt Paradis, reserve wide receiver Jordan Taylor and long snapper Casey Kreiter signed tenders and will make $615K in 2017, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports. Denver extended ERFA tender offers to five other players — including outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett — but none of the remaining contingent has signed yet.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/17

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

Broncos’ Matt Paradis To Undergo Surgery

The bright spot on an embattled Broncos offensive line, Matt Paradis played through hip injuries this season. Enough so he will undergo surgery on both hips during the offseason, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports.

These injuries limited the ascending center to one practice per week for most of the season, per Wolfe, but the second-year player has not missed a snap since the Broncos made him their starting snapper at the 2015 season’s outset. The defending Super Bowl champions will consider resting injured starters and making IR moves this week, Gary Kubiak said, but Paradis will start against the Raiders in a game that means plenty for Oakland but little for now-eliminated Denver.

A third-year sixth-rounder out of Boise State, Paradis became the anchor of a Broncos front that has struggled this season after parting with several veterans during the offseason. He was the only player to return as a starter in the same position he played during the ’15 season. Paradis ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 center this season, marking a significant improvement from his initial NFL campaign. The 27-year-old blocker spent 2014 on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Paradis will be an exclusive-rights free agent in March, but the Broncos will almost certainly retain him. The remainder of Denver’s starting line is under contract, although a decision to trigger the second part of Russell Okung‘s two-pronged deal is forthcoming, but changes are likely on the way after the team struggled mightily to run the ball or protect quarterbacks down the stretch.

 

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/16

Raiders restricted free agent Neiko Thorpe signed his tender today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The 26-year-old defensive back had a career season in 2015, compiling career-highs in tackles (40), passes defended (six), and interceptions (one) while starting two of his 14 games.

The rest of today’s minor moves:

  • The Patriots re-signed running back Tyler Gaffney, as Wilson tweets. .Gaffney was injured throughout his two seasons with New England
  • The Seahawks have signed ERFA cornerback DeShawn Shead, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Colts announced that restricted free agent tight end Jack Doyle has signed his qualifying offer. Doyle has spent the last three seasons with the Colts after being claimed off waivers from Tennessee in September 2013. The Western Kentucky product has played in 47 career games (seven starts) and caught 35 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Washington announced the waiving of outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.
  • The Broncos cut tight end Nick Kasa with a non-football injury designation, Wilson tweets.
  • The Giants signed ERFA punter Brad Wing, Wilson tweets.
  • The Broncos signed exclusive-rights free agent center Matt Paradis, as Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots have waived linebacker/special teamer Eric Martin, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tweets.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Brooks, J. Reed, Suggs

After parting ways with the Falcons in January, Lionel Vital – Atlanta’s former director of player personnel – is joining the Cowboys‘ front office. As first reported by Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Dallas is hiring Vital as a senior personnel executive. He’ll report to Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay, a source tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

  • All indications are that Ahmad Brooks‘ spot on the 49ers‘ roster remains safe for at least another season, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The Niners don’t have an in-house replacement lined up at Brooks’ position, and his $8MM cap hit isn’t exorbitant now that San Francisco is carrying a league-high $58MM+ in cap room, per OverTheCap.com.
  • Washington tight end Jordan Reed has completed his agent change, signing with Joel Segal for representation, per Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Reed is extension-eligible, and based on the deals recently signed by Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz, he appears to be in good position to cash in.
  • Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was charged with two misdemeanors related to a car accident earlier this month, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). TMZ first reported the news. Depending on how the case plays out, Suggs could eventually face NFL discipline.
  • The NFL formally announced the performance-based pay bonuses for 2015 this week, and Broncos center Matt Paradis received the most additional pay (nearly $392K). The PBP bonuses are primarily distributed to players whose playing time was significant and whose salaries were not. The figures don’t affect teams’ salary caps.

Sunday Transactions: AFC West

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Denver Broncos:

Kansas City Chiefs:

Oakland Raiders:

San Diego Chargers:

  • Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chas Alecxih, DL; Torrence Allen, WR; Greg Ducre, CB; Javontee Herndon, WR; Cordarro Law, OLB; Ryan Lindley, QB; Adrian Phillips, S; Jeremiah Sirles, T; Craig Watts, G

Broncos Cut Duke Ihenacho, 13 Others

Six of the Broncos’ 22 cuts to get from 75 players to 53 were reported yesterday, and now the team has confirmed those moves and filled in the blanks on the other 16. Via a press release, here are Denver’s latest transactions to get to 53 players:

Waived:

Released:

Placed on reserve-suspended list:

Placed on injured reserve:

  • Kenny Anunike, DE

Broncos Sign Cody Latimer, Two Others

3:50pm: Paradis has also signed his four-year deal, the team announced in a press release. The offensive lineman is the 200th of 256 total draftees to reach an agreement.

3:38pm: One of the NFL’s two teams that had yet to sign any draftees coming into the day, the Broncos have sprung into action, locking up a pair of picks and working on deals with two more. Second-round receiver Cody Latimer announced on Twitter that he has signed his rookie contract with Denver, and the club confirmed in a press release that seventh-round linebacker Corey Nelson has also inked his deal.

In addition to the pair of draftees who already signed, the Broncos are also closing in on agreements with fifth-round linebacker Lamin Barrow and sixth-round center Matt Paradis, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis adds that the club’s other two drafted players – first-round cornerback Bradley Roby and third-round tackle Michael Schofield – are expected to complete their respective deals within the next 10 days or so.

Latimer will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $1.017MM, while Nelson’s will be a more modest $48.6K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Now that Denver has secured two of its draftees, the Rams are the league’s only club without any draft picks under contract. As our tracker shows, only 57 players remain unsigned, and 11 of those are St. Louis’ picks.

Extra Points: Options, Bucs, Ravens, Panthers

The new CBA could hinder the availability of elite talent on the free agent market, writes John Clayton of ESPN.com. With long-term contract prices exceedingly high, teams will look to use the fifth-year option on many 2011 first-round-picks who would’ve been free agents after the upcoming season. Players like Cam Newton, Von Miller, and A.J. Green will likely have their options picked up by their respective teams, followed by progressive talks towards long-term deals. Compounding the situation is the fact that the top seven picks of the 2010 draft have contracts that do not expire until after the 2015 season. Because teams will have to conserve cap space to hammer out inevitable extensions for star-level players, mediocre free agents may have to be willing to sign for less money than might be expected.

More NFL notes to close out your weekend:

  • The Buccaneers plan to draft a quarterback, but in what round is still a question, says Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Johnny Manziel remains a possibility if he slips to pick No. 7, as Bucs coach Lovie Smith noted: “I had time to watch quite a few games, and I had a chance to watch him — a lot. So you add all that up.”
  • Boise State offensive lineman Matt Paradis, who worked out for the Patriots on Wednesday, recently visited with the Broncos, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • The Ravens have improved this offseason, but their offensive line (particularly left guard and right tackle) is still in flux, writes Greg Bedard of the MMQB.com.
  • The Panthers receiving corps and offensive line are both listed among Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness’ list of offensive units that took a step back this offseason (via ESPN insider – subscription required). Carolina lost pass-catchers Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, and Ted Ginn, while their offensive line suffered the retirement of Jordan Gross and is still awaiting the decision of Travelle Wharton.
  • On the Over the Cap podcast (audio link), Jason Fitzgerald stated that he believes the Chiefs will extend quarterback Alex Smith this summer. Signing Smith, whose contract expires after the upcoming season, would lower his cap figure and allow the team more cap space, enabling them to negotiate new deals for young players like Justin Houston.

AFC Notes: Titans, Ravens, Draft Visits

Titans edge defender Kamerion Wimbley agreed earlier this week to restructure his contract, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the breakdown of what Wimbley’s new deal looks like. However, as Fitzgerald details, Wimbley wasn’t the only Titan to rework his contract this week. Tight end Craig Stevens also has a new 2014 cap figure, reducing his overall base salary by $1.7MM in exchange for a $500K guarantee. While Stevens’ 2015 salary remains unchanged, his ’14 cap number is now only about $2.69MM.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Ravens haven’t had an above-average, long-term solution at right tackle for a number of years, and Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun believes the team would be wise to address the position with its first-round pick this year. That’s one of a handful of topics Preston addresses in his Ravens notebook, which also touches on the club’s recent tight end and running back signings.
  • The Bills are eyeing a pair of offensive line prospects today, hosting Mississippi State’s Charles Siddoway for a pre-draft visit (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com) and having dinner tonight with Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM).
  • Having already met with the Steelers, Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard now has visits lined up with the Jets, Bengals, and Rams, as he said today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
  • Another cornerback, Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller, also has a handful of visits scheduled with AFC teams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Fuller will meet with the Colts, Bengals, Raiders, Jets, Broncos, and Bears, says Wilson.
  • The Chargers will work out Troy quarterback Deon Anthony on April 22, reports Wilson at the National Football Post.
  • More from Wilson (via Twitter): The Patriots are working out Boise State’s Geraldo BoldewijnMatt Paradis, and Charles Leno on Wednesday, while Virginia-Lynchburg cornerback Keith Lewis visited the Raiders and has a private workout lined up next week with the Chiefs (Twitter link).