Ty Montgomery

Draft Fallout: Kizer, Abdullah, Butt, Jags

The Browns were the club most frequently connected to new Bears’ QB Mitch Trubisky prior to the draft, but Chicago made the surprising decision to trade up to the No. 2 overall pick and nab the former UNC signal-caller, and then Patrick Mahomes came off the board before Cleveland could nab him with the No. 12 overall selection. So the Browns dealt that pick and waited until the the second round to get a quarterback, selecting Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, whose stock slipped over the last few months but who certainly has first-round ability.

As Tony Grossi of ESPN.com writes, the Browns are open to having Kizer start right away. Head coach Hue Jackson said, “If he can handle [starting], great. We are not going to say, ‘No, you can’t play,’ if he is ready to play.”

Now for more fallout from the 2017 draft:

  • The Lions did not select a running back in this year’s draft, and as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes, GM Bob Quinn stated afterwards that Ameer Abdullah, who missed almost all of 2016 with a foot injury, will be the team’s starting back going into 2017.
  • The Packers drafted three running backs over the past several days, but head coach Mike McCarthy said that converted wideout Ty Montgomery will “absolutely” be the team’s starting back (via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal).
  • The Cardinals landed guard Dorian Johnson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, even though his talent level should have made him a Day 2 selection. Johnson has a liver condition that made a number of clubs wary of making him a second- or third-round choice, and Johnson’s agent, Joe Panos, took exception to his client’s slide, saying, “I had GMs tell me they couldn’t risk a 2nd or 3rd on Dorian due to the recent discovery of a liver condition he’s had since birth, even though his heptalogist said his condition will in no way affect his ability to play. Teams couldn’t risk a high pick on him. Yet every year I see teams risk high picks on guys with serious character issues. Bad guys. They’ll take risks on those guys because his coaches ‘vouched’ for him. [A coach’s] word is gold. But Dorian’s heptalogist, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about?” (all links go to Twitter via ESPN’s Adam Caplan).
  • New Broncos tight end Jake Butt slipped to the top of the fifth round of this year’s draft due to an ACL injury he suffered in his final collegiate game (prior to the injury, he was projected to be picked at the top of the second round). But before the 2016 college season, Butt purchased a loss-of-value policy that partially compensated him for the money he lost due to his draft slide, as Darren Rovell of ESPN.com writes. Had Butt been selected at the top of the second round, he would have earned $4MM guaranteed, but as an early fifth-rounder, he is guaranteed only $380K. The insurance policy paid out roughly $900K (pre-tax), so the injury ended up costing Butt a little shy of $2.8MM. These loss-of-value policies have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Jaylon Smith are two of the more notable recent beneficiaries of such policies.
  • The Jaguars acquired Branden Albert earlier this offseason, but GM Dave Caldwell said second-round draft pick Cam Robinson will compete with Albert for the starting left tackle job (via Hays Carlyon of 1010XL). Albert has been absent from voluntary workouts as he seeks a new contract, though if he proves to be the best man for the job, Caldwell did indicate that Robinson could move, at least temporarily, to guard.
  • The Jaguars selected Oklahoma wideout Dede Westbrook in the fourth round yesterday despite his two domestic violence arrests that caused some teams to remove him from their boards completely. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB tweets, one AFC area scout said of Westbrook, “No thoughts. It is what it is. He’s a degenerate.”

Packers Notes: Thompson, Montgomery, Lacy

The idea of Packers general manager Ted Thompson taking a lesser role has come up, but it doesn’t appear it’s going to happen this offseason. Thompson is “not going anywhere,” head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin, on Thursday (Twitter link). The 64-year-old Thompson, who McCarthy acknowledged is “not the youngest cat anymore,” has been the GM in Green Bay since 2005. The team has made nine playoff trips, including eight in a row, and won a Super Bowl during Thompson’s 12-year run.

More from Green Bay, whose season ended with a 44-21 NFC title game loss in Atlanta last Sunday:

  • Tom Clements, who had been a member of the Packers’ coaching staff since 2006, was on an expiring contract this season and “is going to move on to some other interests,” according to McCarthy (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). “That will be the one change to our staff,” commented McCarthy. Clements last worked as an associate head coach and had previously been Green Bay’s offensive coordinator, but McCarthy took play-calling duties from him in December 2015.
  • After a stunningly effective 2016 as a running back, Ty Montgomery will remain at the position going forward, McCarthy revealed (Twitter link via Wilde). “He’s a running back. He wants to change his number, and that’s the way we’re going,” McCarthy said of Montgomery, a former wide receiver who currently wears No. 88. Montgomery broke out in earnest as a rusher with a nine-carry, 60-yard showing against the Bears in Week 6, and the 24-year-old ultimately totaled 457 yards and three touchdowns on 77 attempts (a healthy 5.9 YPC).
  • Eddie Lacy‘s injury issues were a key reason why the Pack turned to Montgomery out of the backfield in the first place. Lacy, who only played in five games this season before ankle surgery forced him to injured reserve in late October, is scheduled to become a free agent in March. That means the four-year veteran could be done in Green Bay, but McCarthy hopes not. “I’d love to see him back,” said McCarthy, who added that the team won’t decide whether to re-sign Lacy until he “clears the medical threshold” (via Demovsky).

NFC Notes: Saints, Packers, Eagles, Panthers

With the Saints‘ season winding down, Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com revisits the September trade that sent defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to New England in exchange for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. As Woodbery writes, neither player has made a huge impact for his new team, though New Orleans has had to play Kevin Williams a little more than expected to compensate for the loss of Hicks, and the Saints’ lack of depth.

  • Having landed on injured reserve on Monday, Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery will undergo surgery on his ankle next week, agent Damarius Bilbo tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Although the rookie’s high ankle sprain – sustained in October – had healed, there’s still cartilage damage that needs to be repaired.
  • The Eagles could be without their starting nose tackle as they make a run for the postseason, Derrick Gunn of CSNPhiladelphia.com reports (via Twitter) that Bennie Logan could be out for the remainder of the season. A source tells Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News that Logan will miss this weekend’s contest against Washington.
  • The Panthers will have a roster exemption for defensive end Wes Horton until next Monday, tweets Howard Balzer of the SportsXchange. Horton has been reinstated from his four-game suspension, but won’t be able to return to action until Carolina places him on its 53-man roster.

Packers Activate Andrew Quarless From IR-DTR

Occupying the Packers’ IR-DTR slot since Sept. 30, Andrew Quarless could help the team down the stretch after being activated today.

Quarless will take Ty Montgomery‘s roster spot, with the Packers placed the wideout on season-ending injured reserve, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

A sixth-year tight end, Quarless started 21 games for Green Bay during the 2013-14 campaigns but saw his stock plummet after an offseason arrest. The 27-year-old caught two passes for 14 yards in the three games he played in September.

Quarless will serve as a complementary option to improving tight end Richard Rodgers, whose 50-catch, 449-yard, seven-touchdown receiving line bests Quarless’ career high.

Montgomery hasn’t played since Week 6 after suffering a high-ankle sprain that’s lingered since. The 22-year-old receiver caught 15 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns for the receiver-depleted Packers this season.

 

Minor Moves: Wednesday

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the NFL, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Raiders waived safety Terrell Pinson to make room for cornerback Chimdi Chekwa on the team’s 90-man roster, according to Steve Corkran (on Twitter). Pinson, a Louisiana Tech product, was signed as a UDFA earlier this month.
  • The Raiders announced that they have signed fifth-round linebacker Ben Heeney, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Browns have signed fourth-round defensive back Ibraheim Campbell to his rookie deal, the club announced today in a press release. No team selected more players than Cleveland in the 2015 draft, and the Browns now have 11 of their 12 picks under contract.
  • The Chargers swapped one signal-caller for another at the back of their roster today, officially signing former Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig and cutting quarterback Cole Stoudt.
  • The Packers have moved one step closer to locking up their draft class by signing third-round receiver Ty Montgomery, per Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com (via Twitter). After locking up Montgomery, the 205th draft pick to reach a deal with his team, Green Bay only has first-rounder Damarious Randall left to sign.
  • Former Chargers defensive tackle Chas Alecxih has signed with the Panthers, the team announced today (via Twitter). To make room for Alecxih, Carolina has parted ways with offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila. Kugbila, who will have to pass through waivers before hitting the open market, was a fourth-round pick back in 2013.
  • After inviting him to their rookie minicamp as a tryout player, the Colts have signed kicker Taylor Pontius to a contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). Pontius almost certainly won’t displace incumbent kicker Adam Vinatieri, but as Mike Wilkering of Pro Football Talk observes, a couple Vinatieri understudies have found starting jobs elsewhere in recent years.

Zach Links contributed to this post.