Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Chargers
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
Bad news for the Giants. Cornerback Sam Beal, who was chosen in the supplemental draft, is out for the year with a shoulder injury, a source tells Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team will place him on injured reserve in the coming days.
The Giants used a third-round pick in the supplemental draft – thereby sacrificing their third-round choice in the 2019 draft – to add Beal to their roster. It was expected that Beal would help to fortify their cornerback group following the release of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Instead, the Giants are looking thin once again beyond starters Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins.
Beal’s slender build was one of the primary knocks on him heading into the supplemental draft. After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury just days into his NFL career, it’s likely that Beal will focus on bulking up between now and the 2019 season.
The Giants signed Beal to a standard four-year rookie contract, so he remains under club control through the 2021 season.
Former Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens says he isn’t “actively seeking to get into the NFL” but would entertain the possibility, “as well as the CFL,” if an opportunity arises (via ESPN.com).
“I know that I do have the ability to play. I know everybody sees the shape that I’m in. There’s a lot of athletes that play their prospective sports, but there are few guys that defy the odds. I think I’m one of those guys,” Owens said Wednesday.
Owens’ CFL rights are owned by the Edmonton Eskimos and he recently triggered a clause that gives them until Tuesday to work out a deal. The 44-year-old, who is on the verge of being inducted into the Hall of Fame while he celebrates elsewhere, will become a CFL free agent if he does not receive an offer to his liking.
It’s fair to wonder whether Owens can compete in the CFL at his age, and the NFL appears to be a longshot since he is seven years removed from playing and has not drawn any recent interest. Still, when T.O. talks comeback, we can’t help but listen.
Here’s a look at the NFC East:
The Giants signed supplemental draft choice Sam Beal, according to a team announcement. The Giants selected the former Western Michigan cornerback with their third-round pick in last week’s second chance draft. 
The Giants have yet to sign two of their draft picks, including No. 2 overall selection Saquon Barkley, but they didn’t have any real hangups in getting Beal to sign. Beal will play under a four-year rookie deal with a salary to match the equivalent slot in the 2018 draft.
The supplemental draft hasn’t been a major event in the NFL in recent years, but Beal’s potential had scouts buzzing. Many expected Beal to be in the first round conversation in 2019 had he stayed in school. Instead, Beal opted to go pro one year early and the Giants were happy to pounce on him.
By selecting Beal, the Giants fortified a cornerback group that is without Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Giants did not take a cornerback in the spring draft, Beal gives them a young and talented prospect behind starters Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins. Meanwhile, the arrival of Beal will put pressure on the Giants’ other reserve corners, a group that includes free agent additions William Gay, Teddy Williams, and B.W. Webb plus holdover Donte Deayon.
One Giants beat writer thinks that Beal won’t be able to make a real impact until the second half of the season, at the earliest. Time will tell whether Beal can get caught up on the playbook quickly and make a difference in the fall.
Ben McAdoo has been fairly quiet ever since he was fired by the Giants midway through last season. Not anymore. McAdoo opened up in a recent interview with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, dishing on a number of topics related to his old team. McAdoo talked about how excited he is for the Giants and how much he likes the vision being implemented by new GM Dave Gettleman. He even said he thinks the Giants are going to win the NFC East in 2018.
The most notable part of McAdoo’s interview may be his comments on offensive tackle Ereck Flowers. McAdoo was blunt in talking about Flowers’ shortcomings, and didn’t sound too hopeful for the fourth-year player. Selected ninth overall in 2015, Flowers has been a major bust at left tackle, and the Giants are experimenting with him at right tackle this offseason. McAdoo doesn’t think it’ll make a difference. “He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend” he said of his former player, adding “you can run around him on that side just like you can on the other side.” It’s somewhat refreshing to hear a coach speak that openly, but it likely won’t help him in his search for another coaching gig.
Here’s more from New York:
The Giants have landed the top talent in this year’s supplemental draft. With their pick in the third round, the Giants selected the former Western Michigan cornerback.
Beal, a 6’1″ cornerback, ran a 4.47-second 40-yard-dash during a recent workout, cementing his status as the top draw in this year’s second-chance draft. Every NFL team watched him audition and it sounds like most evaluators came away impressed.
By selecting Beal, the Giants have fortified their cornerback group after releasing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Giants did not take a cornerback in the spring draft, but they found another way to add a young and talented prospect behind starters Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins. Meanwhile, the arrival of Beal will put pressure on the Giants’ other reserve corners, a group that includes free agent additions William Gay, Teddy Williams, and B.W. Webb plus holdover Donte Deayon.
Beal is the first player taken in the supplemental draft since the Rams chose lineman offensive lineman Isaiah Battle in 2015. There have only been 43 players selected in the supplemental draft since 1977, including two in the past six years. However, there have been some serious gems found in July, including Bernie Kosar (1985), Cris Carter (1987), Terrelle Pryor (2011) and Josh Gordon (2012).
Beal is the third player the Giants have ever taken in the supplemental draft. He joins quarterback Dave Brown (first round, 1992) and cornerback Tito Wooten (fourth round, 1994) in the record books.
Per the rules of the supplemental draft, the Giants will forfeit their third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, they have gained a player with significant upside who can help them immediately, rather than waiting for a rookie next year.
NFL Players Association president Eric Winston is hoping to avoid a work stoppage in 2021. However, the free agent offensive tackle understands that the players need to be prepared for anything.
“I certainly hope not,” Winston answered when asked about the possibility of a work stoppage (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter). “But I can’t tell those guys not to be ready for it.”
Winston also cited the NFL’s tactics during the 2011 negotiations, and he said the NFLPA will be ready this time around.nfl
“We’ve got to be able to stand our ground and to educate guys and communicate to guys [in advance],” Winston said.
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…
The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place on Wednesday and the football world is buzzing about former Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal. One scouting analysts for ESPN believes that he is worthy of a second-round grade in terms of talent.
“I think he’s going to be a starter within three years for whatever team drafts him,” ESPN.com’s Steve Muench said, “and a really good starter at that. You have someone with that frame and those skills, and that’s what teams look for.”
Beal offers good size for the cornerback position at 6’1″ and ran a 4.47-second 40-yard-dash during a recent workout. He is widely projected to go within the first three rounds, becoming the first player taken in the supplemental draft in years.
Here’s more on Beal and the other entrants in the supplemental draft:
Several new defensive backs will see action for the Browns this season. Denzel Ward, Damarious Randall, T.J. Carrie and E.J. Gaines are now in the mix in Cleveland. But the team with the top bidding spots in the upcoming supplemental draft is doing its homework on the available DBs. John Dorsey attended Western Michigan safety Sam Beal‘s pro day, and Zac Jackson of The Athletic notes the Browns are studying up on supplemental cornerbacks Adonis Alexander (Virginia Tech) and Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant. The Browns’ 0-16 finish last season guarantees them the first bid position in this non-televised event, so if Cleveland is willing to sacrifice a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, its move would beat any other team that’s willing to part with a third-rounder to the punch. Jackson adds that only Ward and Randall’s jobs look certain this season, with competition set to commence for the other three primary roles in the secondary.
Here’s the latest from the AFC North:
The Titans may landed the second-overall pick in the 2015 draft, but it sounds like the organization still drafted their desired prospect. Blake Beddingfield, the team’s former director of scouting, told Paul Kuharsky that preferring quarterback Marcus Mariota over top-overall pick Jameis Winston was “an easy choice at that time” (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com echoes that sentiment (via Twitter), saying the team’s infatuation with Mariota was why they refused to trade the pick.
Following a breakout campaign in 2016, Mariota took a bit of a step back in 2017. The 24-year-old ended up completing 62-percent of his passes for 3,232 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Winston had the edge in numbers (63.8 completion percentage, 3,504 yards, 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions), but his off-the-field conduct would seemingly give Mariota the edge when it comes to the duo’s long-term outlooks.
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…