HEADLINES

Nate Orchard

Browns Agree To Terms With Nate Orchard

May 7th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Second-round edge defender Nate Orchard has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with the Browns, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

The Utah defensive end, the 51st overall pick in the draft, will have a cap number of $812K in his first season with the Browns. Assuming he plays out his full four-year deal with the team, he’ll earn a total of about $4.466MM, including a signing bonus worth more than $1.5MM.

Orchard was the Browns’ third draftee last week, coming off the board on day two after Cleveland grabbed defensive tackle Danny Shelton and offensive lineman Cameron Erving in the first round. Both of those first-rounders remain unsigned for now.

East Notes: Scandrick, Dolphins, Washington

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick is allegedly unsatisfied with the modest $1.5MM base salary he’s set to earn in 2015, and didn’t report to the club’s voluntary offseason program this week in the hopes of pushing for a new deal. While it’s possible the Cowboys relent at some point, EVP/COO Stephen Jones – appearing on 105.3FM in Dallas yesterday – didn’t make it sound like that would happen anytime soon, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.

“He’s under contract, but not unlike a lot of players, they’d like to have more,” Jones said. “Orlando is under contract. If something makes sense for us to add some years or do something then we’ll take a look at that, but we just re-did Orlando’s contract a couple years ago and he’s been a really good football player for us. He’s a leader on this team, and we certainly need him out here. In my mind, he should be out here right now, working out.”

While we wait to see how the Scandrick saga plays out, here are a few more items from around the league’s two East divisions:

  • The Dolphins are bringing in several free agent offensive linemen today, intent on perhaps adding a veteran guard, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. According to Jackson, Jeff Linkenbach and Jeff Baca are among the players expected to get a look from the team.
  • Breshad Perriman‘s visit to Miami is happening today, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who tweets that the UCF wideout is visiting the Dolphins.
  • Mark Maske of the Washington Post examines the decision Washington is facing on Robert Griffin III‘s fifth-year option for 2016, citing one source who believes the team will pick up RGIII’s option following the draft.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) passes along the names of a number of players participating in Washington‘s local prospect day, including Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs and many others.
  • Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker is also visiting Washington today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
  • The Jets are hosting Utah pass rusher Nate Orchard for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Pauline.

Buccaneers Notes: Mariota, Winston, Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers have been busy the past couple of days, as they traveled to Oregon on Tuesday to work out quarterback Marcus Mariota before flying to Tallahassee, Florida to meet with Jameis Winston this afternoon. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole provided some insight into the organization’s thinking, and he suggests an explanation for why the team may ultimately pass on Winston for Mariota:

“What the Buccaneers are attempting to do in this situation is to get as close a live look as they possibly can… to make sure that they have it as fresh in their minds what these two players look like, how they handle themselves, [and] how they conduct themselves. While the Buccaneers are still overwhelmingly expected to take Jameis Winston with the number one overall pick, there is some thinking and consideration about Marcus Mariota, and ultimately, whether off-field issues regarding Winston will eventually push the Buccaneers to take Mariota instead of Winston.”

Let’s take a look at some more draft notes out of Tampa…

  • Albert Breer of the NFL Network believes there’s a sense of support for Mariota within the Buccaneers organization (Twitter link).
  • Defensive end/linebacker Nate Orchard will meet with the Buccaneers, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The former Utah standout, who recorded 18.5 sacks this past season, previously met with the Bills and Steelers.
  • Defensive end Andrew Hudson will also meet with the Bucs, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The former Washington Husky recorded 12.5 sacks as a senior.

Draft Visits: Titans, Jags, Steelers, 49ers

April 8th, 2015 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Having hosted receiver Kevin White for a visit already, the Titans are scheduled to meet with Alabama wideout Amari Cooper next week, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). While the two players are considered the top two prospects at their position, it would still be a surprise to see either player go as high as No. 2 to Tennessee, so perhaps the team is doing due diligence in case it trades down. Of course, I’d argue that the Titans have multiple positions that are bigger holes than wide receiver, but there’s no harm in exploring every potential option.

Here are more updates on upcoming draft visits, as well as some that have already happened:

  • Another top-five team keeping its options open is Jacksonville, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Jaguars have hosted Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Georgia’s Todd Gurley for pre-draft visits. Third overall is almost certainly too high to draft a running back, so the Jags could be doing their homework in case they make a draft-day trade.
  • Rapoport also passes along an update on wide receiver DeVante Parker, tweeting that the former Louisville Cardinal has visits with the Jets, Titans, and Bears on his schedule. Parker has also visited the Jaguars and is meeting with the Vikings today.
  • Virginia edge rusher Eli Harold, Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson, Utah defensive end Nate Orchard, and Auburn tight end C.J. Uzomah all visited the Steelers today, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • Speaking of Harold, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), the Virginia product has visited or worked out for 14 teams, including the Bears, Jaguars, Saints, and Jets.
  • The 49ers and Steelers will host Auburn receiver Sammie Coates for visits next week, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Coates has also visited the Browns and, as previously reported, the Dolphins.
  • Per Wilson (via Twitter), USC tight end Randall Telfer has visited the Eagles, will visit the Patriots, and has a private meeting lined up with the Falcons.
  • Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports (via Twitter) that that Sacramento State wide receiver DeAndre Carter worked out for the Cardinals this week, and will attend local pro days for the Raiders and 49ers next week.

Draft Visits: Jets, M. Davis, Orchard, Raiders

April 2nd, 2015 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

It would be a little surprising to see the Jets take a receiver with the sixth overall pick after signing Eric Decker and trading for Brandon Marshall during the last two offseasons, but the team is bringing in wideout Amari Cooper today for a pre-draft visit, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). With Cooper viewed as a near lock to be selected in the top 10, it’s more likely the Jets are doing due diligence and keeping their options open rather than making the Alabama product a priority.

Here are some details on several more pre-draft visits around the NFL:

  • We heard yesterday that South Carolina running back Mike Davis has a visit lined up with the Patriots, but New England is far from the only team eyeing him. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Davis also has workouts or visits scheduled with the Buccaneers, Seahawks, Browns, and Falcons.
  • Utah defensive end Nate Orchard, a projected second-round pick, confirmed that he met with the Browns, dining with defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and outside linebackers coach Brian Fleury, per Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com.
  • According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (all Twitter links), the Raiders are taking a look at a handful of prospects today, working out South Dakota offensive lineman Matt Huffer, and hosting New Hampshire center Mike Coccia and Texas Southern defensive back Tray Walker.
  • Northwestern safety Ibraheim Campbell, a potential second-day pick, has worked out for the Buccaneers, Browns, and Texans, and has workouts on deck with the Bears and Eagles, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • Delaware State defensive end Rodney Gunter, who had 57 tackles and seven sacks in his senior season, visited the Chiefs, a league source tells Wilson.
  • The Broncos are hosting New Hampshire tight end Harold Spears for a pre-draft visit, according to Wilson.