Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Bryan Cox Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Trevor Davis
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Daniel Bituli
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: G Zac Kerin
This week, the Bengals brought 10 undrafted rookies into the fold:
- Tyler Clark, DT (Georgia)
- Clay Cordasco, G (Oregon State)
- Trey Dishon, DT (Kansas State)
- Kendall Futrell, DE (East Carolina)
- Josh Knipfel, OT (Iowa State)
- Marcel Spears Jr., LB (Iowa State)
- Isiah Swann, CB (Dartmouth)
- Scotty Washington, WR (Wake Forest)
- Devwah Whaley, RB (Arkansas)
- Mitchell Wilcox, TE (South Florida)
Dishon started 50 games at Kansas State, while Futtrell registered 11 sacks last season despite weighing just 222 pounds. The Bengals revealed they view him as either an edge rusher or an off-ball linebacker. Swann, who hails from owner Mike Brown‘s alma mater, was a Division I-FCS All-American. He intercepted nine passes in 2018.
Washington joins Auden Tate as 6-foot-5 Bengals wide receivers; he is coming off a season marred by a broken ankle. Wilcox totaled 71 receptions for 890 yards between his junior and senior seasons. The Bengals did not draft a tight end and let Tyler Eifert walk in free agency, perhaps opening a path for Wilcox to join C.J. Uzomah and 2019 second-rounder Drew Sample on the regular-season roster.
In the least surprising development in the short history of the fifth-year option, the Chiefs will pick up Patrick Mahomes‘ 2021 option. Not that this was ever in doubt, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero confirms the team plans to do so as a placeholder while extension talks loom (video link).
Since the Chiefs traded from No. 27 to No. 10 in 2017, Mahomes changed the franchise’s fortunes. The 2018 MVP and Super Bowl LIV MVP led the Chiefs to their first title in 50 years and has them positioned as betting favorites to win Super Bowl LV.
As for a Mahomes extension, the expectation remains talks will ramp up at some point between now and the season. The latest coming out of Kansas City is a Chiefs hope to have Mahomes’ deal done before training camp, Pelissero adds (via Twitter).
Going into his age-25 season, the superstar passer can be expected to approach or surpass the $40MM-per-year barrier. This comes as Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson are discussing extensions, which could further raise Mahomes’ price. Mahomes’ rookie contract calls for an $825K 2020 base salary, a setup that would seemingly drive negotiations.
Despite cost-cutting moves like the Sammy Watkins pay cut and the release of Dustin Colquitt, the Chiefs have barely $5MM in cap space and Chris Jones attached to a $16.1MM franchise tag. Some of the $5MM will be needed for Kansas City to sign its draft picks. The Chiefs continue to work on a Jones deal, which would help create 2020 cap space, even though they already have Frank Clark tied to a $20MM-plus-AAV contract.
Months after acquiring Gareon Conley via trade, the Texans plan to make him a contract-year defender. The team is passing on the cornerback’s 2021 option, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 (on Twitter).
While the Texans are still high on Conley, per Berman, this changes his status. The cornerback would have been attached to a $10.24MM salary in 2021 had the Texans exercised the option. Conley will earn $1.89MM in 2020.
This option would have been guaranteed for injury only, with the 2017 class being the last first-round group to not have their fifth-year options fully guaranteed.
The Texans sent the Raiders a third-round pick for Conley before the deadline last season. The former Ohio State defender resides as one of Houston’s key corners, along with Bradley Roby and 2019 second-rounder Lonnie Johnson. Conley, however, played just 38% of Houston’s defensive snaps last season. The Texans, though, let nine-year contributor Johnathan Joseph sign with the Titans, opening up more time in their secondary.
Pro Football Focus graded Conley as the Texans’ top corner last season, though he came in outside the top 50 at the position. Conley missed much of his rookie year with an injury but started 14 games for the 2018 Raiders. He was operating as a 2019 Oakland starter before the trade.
After not drafting a running back and seeing Jordan Howard defect to the Dolphins last month, the Eagles are bringing back a familiar face. They are re-signing Corey Clement, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal.
The Eagles did not extend Clement an RFA tender in March but have agreed to terms to keep him in the fold. Clement has spent all three of his NFL seasons with the Eagles, arriving in Philadelphia as a 2017 UDFA and making some notable contributions in Super Bowl LII.
Clement went down with a shoulder injury last season, leading the Eagles to place him on IR. He ended the 2018 season on IR as well. While Clement caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl LII and took the snap that ended up being the Eagles’ “Philly Special” play, he should not be considered a lock to make the 2020 team. He did not log a carry in four games last season.
However, the Eagles saw Howard leave in free agency and Darren Sproles retire. Philly has Clement, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Elijah Holyfield and two UDFA rookies in its running back group presently.
Johnathan Joseph has reached an agreement that puts him on track to play a 15th NFL season. The Titans are signing the veteran cornerback, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The 36-year-old corner agreed to a one-year Titans deal Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This marks the first free agency news involving the longtime Texans defender this offseason. As of now, Joseph is the oldest corner to agree to a 2020 contract.
With Tramon Williams a free agent after spending 2019 back in Green Bay, Joseph is the oldest active NFL corner by three years. He spent the past nine seasons with Houston and his first five in Cincinnati. Joseph will join Malcolm Butler, Adoree’ Jackson and second-round pick Kristian Fulton as Tennessee’s top corners. This points to Logan Ryan signing elsewhere. A three-year Titans contributor, Ryan remains a free agent.
Joseph played his lowest percentage of Houston’s defensive snaps last season, dropping to 58% after being a full-time player during his first eight seasons with the franchise. Joseph has started 186 games and played in 200 since being a 2006 Bengals first-rounder. He has nine playoff starts. Last season, he logged 13 passes defensed, made 52 tackles and intercepted a pass.
Should Joseph play with the Titans this year, he will join only Williams and Terence Newman as corners to see action in age-36 seasons since 2012. Among active players, Joseph’s 31 interceptions sit behind only Richard Sherman‘s 35.
The Falcons have turned down Takkarist McKinley‘s fifth-year option, according to a tweet from the edge rusher. With that, the 2017 first-round pick is now set to enter his final year under contract in Atlanta. 
This was the expected move – McKinley has not lived up to expectations since being selected with the No. 26 overall pick. In his first two seasons, he did manage a fair amount of sacks – a combined 13 QB takedowns between his first two seasons. Last year, however, he seemed to regress. McKinley finished out with just 3.5 sacks in 15 contests. He also finished the year on IR thanks to a shoulder injury during the Falcons’ upset victory over the Niners in December.
The Falcons gave up a third-round pick in order to move up five spots for the UCLA product. That didn’t pan out, but McKinley’s not the only Thomas Dimitroff draft pick that hasn’t flourished. In February, the Falcons cut ties with Vic Beasley, who had just finished up his own fifth-year option season.
McKinley’s 2021 option would have been guaranteed for injury only, a risk the Falcons were not willing to take. That additional year would have paid him upwards of $10MM – far too pricey given all of the question marks.
This year, the Falcons hope to see better edge results from Dante Fowler Jr., who joined the club on a three-year, $48MM deal in March. The former Ram is coming off of his best season ever, with career highs in tackles (58), sacks (11.5), passes defended (six), and forced fumbles (two).
The Cowboys have signed Daryl Worley to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The cornerback profiles as a smart low-risk and potentially high-reward addition for 2020. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Worley probably came at a reasonable rate. 
[RELATED: Eagles Tried To Trade Up For CeeDee Lamb]
Worley signed with the Eagles in 2018, but he was dropped after a bizarre incident in Philadelphia. Cops said they found the cornerback passed out inside of a car around 6am. When they woke him up, he was allegedly combative – ultimately, they used a taser to subdue him. Afterwards, he faced charges for firearms, driving under the influence, and disorderly conduct. The Raiders picked him up and waited as he served a four-game suspension.
All of that aside, Worley offers veteran experience on a value deal – and he’s still only 25. In this year’s draft, the Cowboys added a pair of cornerbacks in Alabama’s Trevon Diggs (second round) and Tulsa’s Reggie Robinson II (fourth round). They’ve also got Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis on hand, so Dallas now has a crowded CB depth chart.
In Oakland, Worley started nearly all of his 25 games across two seasons. Last year, in 15 games, he notched 58 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Before the Raiders and the offseason cup of coffee with the Birds, Worley was a 2016 third-round pick of the Panthers. He started in 25 games for Carolina and notched three interceptions.
This week, the Lions added seven more rookies to their incoming class:
- TE Hunter Bryant, Washington
- S Jeremiah Dinson, Auburn
- S Jalen Elliott, Notre Dame
- S Bobby Price, Norfolk State
- FB Luke Sellers, South Dakota State
- P Arryn Siposs, Auburn
- LS Steven Wirtel, Iowa State
[RELATED: Lions Deny Backing Out Of Trade With Texans]
Heading into the draft, Bryant was pegged as an early Day 3 type of prospect by most analysts. When teams passed on him due to medical concerns – including his history of knee injuries – the Lions swooped him up with $60K in guaranteed cash. Bryant will fight for his place on the tight end depth chart, somewhere behind T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James.
Dinson, meanwhile, fetched an $80K guarantee between his $30K signing bonus and $50K base guarantee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). He’s also a worthwhile name to watch. The Auburn product has experience at both nickel and safety with four interceptions over the course of his collegiate career.
The Bengals have claimed RB Samaje Perine and LB Austin Calitro off waivers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Perine had been waived by the Dolphins, and Calitro had been waived by the Jaguars.
It will be a reunion between Cincinnati and Perine. The Bengals claimed the Oklahoma product off waivers from the Redskins last September, but he saw just five offensive snaps for the team before he was waived. He cleared waivers and was re-signed to the Bengals’ practice squad, but the Dolphins plucked him off the p-squad towards the end of the season.
Washington selected Perine in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and he generated some buzz in his rookie campaign, compiling 603 yards and a score (albeit with a modest 3.4 YPC average). Since then, though, he has managed a grand total of 13 carries. But the Bengals did not pick up a running back in this year’s draft, and as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic tweets, Cincinnati believes Perine has some untapped potential. He will compete for snaps behind former Sooner teammate Joe Mixon and current RB2 Giovani Bernard.
Calitro, meanwhile, played in 13 games (four starts) for Jacksonville last season. He put up 40 tackles and a sack and also served as a primary special teams contributor. The Bengals have made some investments at LB in free agency and the draft, but if he makes the team, Calitro could squeeze out some playing time on defense and on special teams.