Maxx Williams - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Broncos, Douglas, Osweiler

August 20th, 2017 at 11:53am CST by Rory Parks

Broncos QB Paxton Lynch did not play particularly well in last night’s preseason contest against the 49ers. He completed 9-of-13 passes for just 39 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, which culminated in a 72.3 quarterback rating. He also rushed three times for 27 yards. While he showed some promise, he also displayed difficulties reading and reacting to defenses, and he was thoroughly outplayed by Trevor Siemian, leading Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post to believe that Denver’s quarterback competition may be over and that Siemian may have won it for the second straight year. Head coach Vance Joseph said it would be ideal to name a winner prior to next week’s third preseason game, but he added, “The timeframe is not important. What’s important is we get it right, so it could be this week, it could be next week. But we’re going to go back and watch the tape and see where we are.”

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the AFC:

Chiefs running back Charcandrick West is one of the most popular players in the Kansas City clubhouse, but thanks to the emergence of rookie Kareem Hunt and the revival of C.J. Spiller, his roster spot is in jeopardy, as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes. The Chiefs could keep four running backs, but Paylor suggests that is somewhat unlikely unless the team is confident West or Spiller could also line up as a slot receiver if necessary.
Titans wideout Harry Douglas managed just 15 catches for 210 yards and no touchdowns last year, and he accepted a $2MM paycut this offseason, which, combined with Tennessee’s revitalization of its WR corps, suggests that Douglas’ days in Nashville could be numbered. But as Jason Wolf of the Tennessean writes, head coach Mike Mularkey considers Douglas “invaluable,” and the coaching staff prizes his vocal and veteran presence, consistent route-running, and capable blocking. As such, Wolf believes Douglas may actually be a lock to make the roster, though his playing time will again be limited.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the game still looks a little too fast for DeShone Kizer, so she believes Brock Osweiler has the inside track to open the season as the Browns‘ starting quarterback, which is consistent with reports we have been hearing over the past several weeks.
In a piece discussing Maxx Williams‘ promising performance during the Ravens‘ preseason victory over the Dolphins Thursday night, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun wrote that Williams is competing with Larry Donnell and Vince Mayle for Baltimore’s No. 3 TE job (behind Ben Watson and Nick Boyle). Williams, a 2015 second-round selection, underwent unique and serious knee surgery last year, but he easily has the most promise of any tight end on the roster. Even if he is technically competing for the No. 3 job at the moment, more performances like the one he had on Thursday could catapult him up the depth chart.
Former Ravens LB Zach Orr, who recently announced he was hanging up his cleats for good, could be rejoining Baltimore in another capacity. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com says head coach John Harbaugh is interested in bringing Orr back as a scout or coach.

Extra Points: Saints, Fins, Cowboys, Ravens

July 21st, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints have too many linebackers and not enough spots, which could lead to the ouster of either Manti Te’o or Stephone Anthony, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Te’o hasn’t even played a down yet for the Saints, who signed him in May, but his two-year, $5MM deal includes just $600K in guarantees. With that in mind, the former Charger will be easy to jettison if he doesn’t impress Saints coaches in the coming weeks. Anthony’s contract, on the other hand, isn’t so team friendly. Cutting him wouldn’t save the Saints any money this year, yet it would leave them with $2.1MM-plus in dead money. While the 24-year-old was a first-round pick of the Saints not long ago, in 2015, he’s coming off a subpar second season that ended after 10 games on account of a knee injury.

Ravens Place Maxx Williams On IR

October 7th, 2016 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens announced that they have placed tight end Maxx Williams on injured reserve. Williams has been dealing with a knee injury that will likely require surgery.

Under the new IR rules, players can return to action after eight weeks on the list. However, this is probably a season-ender for Williams since its sounds like he is going under the knife. The team has yet to make a corresponding move, but they could activate tight end Darren Waller to the 53-man roster, according to the team website. Waller is set to return from a four-game suspension this week. The team also recently brought up tight end Daniel Brown, so they may not opt for another player at that position.

Williams’ knee injury was manageable until he aggravated it in Sunday’s contest against the Raiders. A second-round pick in 2015, Williams set franchise rookie tight end records last year with 32 receptions for 268 yards and one touchdown. Now, Baltimore will have to wait until next year to see him on the field again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ravens, Maxx Williams Agree To Deal

May 7th, 2015 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Ravens have reached a deal with second-round tight end Maxx Williams, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams is the second Baltimore draftee known to have struck an agreement with the club, following fourth-round cornerback Tray Walker.

Williams, the 55th overall pick last Friday, could become an immediate contributor in Baltimore given the uncertain health status of veteran tight end Dennis Pitta and the offseason departure of last year’s starter, Owen Daniels. The Ravens felt strongly enough about Williams to give up a fifth-round pick to move up three spots in the second round to make sure they landed him.

Per Over the Cap’s draft pool figures, Williams will make just over $4MM on his four-year deal with Baltimore, including a signing bonus of about $1.21MM

AFC Quotes: Belichick, Newsome, Telesco

May 2nd, 2015 at 10:26am CST by Ben Levine

Following the second day of the draft, the league’s coaches and general managers took time to explain their logic to reporters. We already took a look at some of the notable soundbites out of the NFC, so let’s now shift our focus to the other conference…

Patriots coach Bill Belichick on the team’s selection of safety Jordan Richards in the second round (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com):

“[Richard is a]strong tackler, a pretty instinctive guy, and certainly able to play on the punt team, kickoff return, kickoff coverage and punt return — could be a matchup guy outside or maybe a hold-up guy in the box. I’m sure he’ll be able to contribute in the kicking game.”

Belichick on his team’s trade with the Browns:

“At the start of the day, we had a little bit of spacing there [with our picks] — top of the fourth, bottom of the fourth, no fifth, but top of the sixth, top of the seventh, bottom of the seventh. Now we have three picks in the fourth round, and we’ve kind of filled in that fifth round.”

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome on the team’s decision to move up and select tight end Maxx Williams (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley):

“We get to a point where we feel it’s time to go get a player, we wait through three or four picks and then I get a little antsy. When you’ve got ammunition, you just go and get the player. It wouldn’t have mattered who was picking at that spot for us to move up and get the guy.”

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco on his team’s draft philosophy (via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com):

“Jim Irsay, the owner for the Colts, almost every year of the draft used to always say, ‘You don’t control the draft. The draft controls you.’ And that’s a lot of times what happens. There may be a certain way you want to go. But if there’s not a player you have evaluated in that spot, there’s nothing you can do about it. So you’ve got to stick with your board… These players fit the characteristics we’re looking for. I think they make us a better football team, and we’re happy to have these guys. They’re going to have pretty good careers here.”

AFC Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Chargers

May 1st, 2015 at 11:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before drafting Mississippi cornerback Senquez Golson with the 56th overall pick, the Steelers tried to move up and take Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. The Steelers were unable to pull it off, however, and Williams ended up going 55th to the AFC North rival Ravens, who traded up to get ahead of Pittsburgh. Not surprisingly, that displeased the Steelers, according to Kaboly.

While the Steelers may not have been happy to see their division rivals land Williams, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) doesn’t think they were going to take the tight end themselves in that spot — according to La Canfora, Pittsburgh was “locked in” on Golson at No. 56.

Here are a few more draft-related leftovers from day two, from around the AFC…

Speaking of the Ravens, they’re eyeing some of the draft’s remaining cornerbacks, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter).
The Chargers had discussions with multiple teams about moving down in the second round, but they decided to stay put because they wanted Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Bolts took Perryman 48th overall.
Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t consider taking a quarterback in the third round, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Broncos instead used the 92nd overall pick on Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman.
Discussing the teams’ day two draft picks, Texans GM Rick Smith said linebacker Benardrick McKinney was the highest-rated player on the club’s board when the second round began, and added that Jaelen Strong‘s injured wrist was medically cleared by the Texans’ staff prior to the draft (Twitter links via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle).
Josh Cribbs became expendable for the Colts when the team drafted Phillip Dorsett in the first round, and Indianapolis released Cribbs earlier today. According to GM Ryan Grigson, the club wanted to give the veteran returner a chance to find “greener pastures,” tweets Mike Chappell of RTV6.

Ravens Acquire 55th Pick From Cardinals

May 1st, 2015 at 7:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Ravens have acquired the 55th pick from the Cardinals, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, and Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ reports (Twitter) they will select Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams. The Cards will receive a second-round pick (No. 58) and fifth-rounder (No. 158), according to the NFL’s official Twitter account.

Draft Links: Cooper, Perriman, Raiders, Ravens

April 25th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Alabama wideout Amari Cooper figures to be one of the first two wideouts selected in next week’s draft (along with West Virginia’s Kevin White). It seems unlikely that the talented 20-year-old will fall outside the top-10, as Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reports that Cooper met with nine teams drafting within that range.

That list includes Washington, the Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars, Jets, Bears, Falcons, Giants, Rams and Browns. The Raiders and Vikings were the only teams selecting in the top-12 to not host Cooper.

Let’s take a look at some other draft notes from around the league…

While Cooper and White are expected to the be the first two receivers off the board, NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell believes Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman could emerge as a top pick. “I think Cooper is the top receiver prospect this year,” Cosell writes for Yahoo! Sports. “But if you asked me who is No. 2 among White and Perriman, that’s a tougher question. I really like Perriman…Perriman is a big powerful, explosive, fast guy. Although he and White are about the same size, on film Perriman looks like the bigger guy. I could see ranking Perriman even with or ahead of White, although I’m in the minority on that.”
ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson wonders (on Twitter) if Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. could be in play for the Raiders during the first round. The junior compiled 2.5 sacks during the 2014 season, finishing his college career with 14.5 sacks.
CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown believes the Ravens will make trades during this year’s draft, but not during the first round. The writer wonders if the team could move up during the second round to secure Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams.

AFC East Notes: Winston, Peters, Williams

April 11th, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

Many reports and mock drafts have the Jets chasing a quarterback in round one, either by waiting to select Marcus Mariota at No. 6 or by trading up with the Titans to ensure they get their quarterback at No. 2.

However, projected first-overall pick Jameis Winston will visit the Jets prior to the draft according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. They were originally planning on meeting with Winston following his Pro Day, but decided it would be unnecessary after a thorough exhibition of his talents.

Something must have changed between his Pro Day and now, as the visit is back on. It is still unlikely Winston would fall to the Jets at No. 6, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes if the Buccaneers are actually planning to pass on the Heisman Trophy winner, they might look to trade the pick. In that case, the Jets could consider moving all the way up to No. 1 for Winston.

Here are a few other notes from around the AFC East:

The Jets have shown interest in Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, according to Mehta (via Twitter). Peters will visit with the Jets before the draft, but it’s unlikely the team would target him with the sixth overall pick. The corner has had some off the field troubles, but is still widely regarded as a first-round talent.
The Patriots have been linked to two separate Williams in the NFL Draft, the first of which is tight end Maxx Williams from Minnesota. Nik Beimler of WEEI.com gives a draft profile of Williams, noting the Patriots could target him with the last pick of the first round to pair with Rob Gronkowski. Williams is expected to be the first tight end off the board.
The other Williams is P.J. Williams, the cornerback out of Florida State. Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com looks at whether or not the team would take a chance on the troubled defensive back, who was arrested earlier this month with a DUI. Although the team would be wary, Curran could see them taking a chance on Williams.

La Canfora’s Latest: Patriots, Parker, Gregory

April 10th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Their four Super Bowl wins in the past 14 seasons notwithstanding, the Patriots‘ track record for drafting wideouts high hasn’t been positive. This is an area they will likely attempt to take another shot at, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.

Bill Belichick reportedly attended many pro days involving receivers this spring and grilled college coaches about various pass-catching prospects, which drew notice from other league staffs, reports La Canfora.

The Patriots have drafted six wideouts in the top three rounds since Belichick’s arrival in 2000 — although none in Round 1 — and mostly received little in return for their investments, with Aaron Dobson (second round, 2013), Taylor Price (third round, 2010) and Chad Jackson (second round, 2006) being notable examples in the past decade.

Although La Canfora mentions defensive line and cornerback as other options with the defections there this offseason, he notes the Patriots’ lack of consistency outside will lead to another early selection at the position. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have the Patriots springing for defensive line and cornerback help, respectively, in the first round. Former prized recruit Dorial Green-Beckham could be a target, however, muses La Canfora.

Also from La Canfora …

DeVante Parker carries a similar buzz around the scouting community that Odell Beckham did last season, and La Canfora doesn’t expect the Louisville product to fall past No. 11 (Vikings). Minnesota scouted several of Parker’s games last season and happens to employ his former quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater. La Canfora said some teams have Parker rated higher than West Virginia’s Kevin White, who has commonly been tabbed the second-best wideout prospect behind Amari Cooper.
A name we haven’t heard as much on heading into the draft could surprise should an early run on wideouts take place. USC’s Nelson Agholor may creep into the late first round, La Canfora said.
Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test is raising teams’ eyebrows, but they’re not backing off the stance that the Nebraska talent’s a top-two or top-three pass-pursuer in this class and a potential top-five pick. Washington and Chicago are organizations La Canfora believes will be in the mix for Gregory. Conversely, various concerns envelop Dante Fowler Jr., Vic Beasley and Shane Ray, the CBS pundit hears from sources.
Tight ends Maxx Williams and Devin Funchess are reportedly receiving bad reviews on their route-running, causing them to fall down draft boards in an already-diminished class at the position.
Several executives also informed La Canfora they wouldn’t take top safety Landon Collins in the first round, viewing the Alabama prospect as an “in-the-box” performer.
League execs apparently rate this draft poorly compared to a good year when “22 to 24” players warrant first-round grades. Per La Canfora, less than 20 are grading that way this year.