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Lions Sign UDFA TE Hunter Bryant

April 26th, 2020 at 6:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Hunter Bryant was one of the biggest surprise undrafted players, but he’s got a home now. The tight end has signed a free agent contract with the Lions, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Bryant got $60K in guaranteed cash from Detroit which includes a $20K signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Bryant was seen as one of the better tight ends in the class by many, and was universally expected to get drafted. He went toward the top of the fourth-round in Matt Miller of Bleacher Report’s final mock draft.

Apparently medical concerns caused Bryant to slip, and given his knee-injury history that’s not too surprising. He was limited to nine games as a freshman and only five as a sophomore. In his junior season in 2019 he exploded and racked up 825 yards, the third-most of any tight end in the country.

Detroit currently has 2019 first-round pick T.J. Hockenson and veteran Jesse James at the position, but Bryant should have a good chance at becoming the team’s third tight end.

Seahawks To Sign QB Anthony Gordon

April 26th, 2020 at 6:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks exited the draft with one quarterback on their roster. Over the past few years, they have not poured much in the way of resources into the spot. But they now have two QBs, as of Sunday afternoon.

Washington State product Anthony Gordon will sign with the Seahawks as a UDFA, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

A one-year starter with the Cougars, Gordon took over for Gardner Minshew after he became a sixth-round Jaguars pick in 2019. In Mike Leach’s final Washington State offense, Gordon put up monster numbers and surpassed Minshew statistically. Among Division I-FBS passers, only Joe Burrow bettered Gordon’s 5,579 yards and 48 touchdown passes — accomplished in 13 games compared to Burrow’s 15. Gordon completed 72% of his throws last season and played in the Senior Bowl.

Wilson and Gordon are the Seahawks’ only QBs for the time being. Wilson has never missed a start in his eight-season run as Seattle’s quarterback. Geno Smith spent 2019 as Wilson’s backup, but he remains in free agency. While it’s likely the team will add a third quarterback before training camp, another two-QB setup in Seattle will be likely for the 2020 regular season.

Seahawks Release D.J. Fluker

April 26th, 2020 at 6:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Seahawks are making a big change on their offensive line. Seattle released guard D.J. Fluker Sunday, the lineman announced himself on Twitter.

Fluker has been with the Seahawks the past two years, starting all 14 games that he appeared in last season. Fluker had been set to enter the final season of the two-year, $6MM pact he signed with the Seahawks last offseason. As Brady Henderson of ESPN.com pointed out in a tweet, the Seahawks’ recent drafting of guard Damien Lewis out of LSU in the third-round might’ve been the nail in the coffin for Fluker.

Fluker entered the league as the 11th overall pick of the Chargers back in 2013. He started at least 12 games in all four years with San Diego, but never quite lived up to his draft status. A tackle in college and his first couple of pro seasons, Fluker moved to guard in 2015 and has stayed there ever since.

After a pit stop with the Giants in 2017, he landed in Seattle. The Seahawks have Mike Iupati at left guard, and Lewis can now be considered the likely favorite to start on the right side if everything goes according to plan. Still only 29, Fluker should resurface somewhere before too long.

Patriots Sign Brian Lewerke

April 26th, 2020 at 5:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots surprisingly opted not to draft a quarterback this weekend, but they’ve now signed a pair of passers who went undrafted. New England has inked former Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke to a free agent deal, his agent Mike McCartney tweeted.

The Patriots agreed to terms with former Louisiana Tech signal-caller J’Mar Smith last night. Lewerke had a bumpy career in the Big Ten, to say the least. He showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore and was buzzed about as a potential future early draft pick, leading to a lot of excitement heading into 2018. A shoulder injury derailed that campaign, and his stats were awful when he was on the field as he threw 11 interceptions and only eight touchdowns while completing just 54.3 percent of his passes.

He bounced back a bit this past season but still wasn’t great, finishing with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He finished with a career 57.7 percent completion percentage, and never had a year above 59.6. He’s pretty mobile however, as he finished last year with 363 rushing yards and another three scores.

Another thing working in Lewerke’s favor is that he at least had the largest hands of any quarterback at the combine, clocking in at 10 5/8 inches. The Pats have very little certainty at the position, with Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer, Smith, and now Lewerke on the roster. If they don’t add an established veteran like Andy Dalton or Cam Newton soon, it’s going to be a free for all whenever training camp gets underway.

Chiefs Sign 18 UDFAs

April 26th, 2020 at 5:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chiefs became the latest team to announce their undrafted free agent class:

  • Andre Baccellia, WR (Washington)
  • Maurice French, WR (Pittsburgh)
  • Aleva Hifo, WR (BYU)
  • Kalija Lipscomb, WR (Vanderbilt)
  • Justice Shelton‐Mosley, WR (Vanderbilt)
  • Cody White, WR (Michigan State)
  • Yasir Durant, T (Missouri)
  • Jovahn Fair, G (Temple)
  • Darryl Williams, C (Miss St.)
  • Tershawn Wharton, DT (Missouri S&T)
  • Omari Cobb, LB (Marshall)
  • Bryan Wright, LB (Cincinnati)
  • Rodney Clemons, S (SMU)
  • Jalen Julius, S (Ole Miss)
  • Hakeem Bailey, CB (West Virginia)
  • Javaris Davis, CB (Auburn)
  • Lavert Hill, CB (Michigan)
  • Tommy Townsend, P (Florida)

The Chiefs had to spend relatively big to get a couple of these guys. Lipscomb got $110K guaranteed and a $10K signing bonus, while Williams got $107K guaranteed and a $7K signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). This was regarded as an epic receiver class with plenty of draftable players going un-selected due to the surplus, so it’s not surprising guys like Lipscomb are landing big bonuses.

As a junior at Vandy he had 916 yards and nine touchdowns, although he took a step back last season. Williams was a three-year starter at MSU who can play guard and center.

All told, the Chiefs inked a whopping six undrafted receivers. White declared early after racking up 922 yards and six touchdowns as a senior at Michigan State. Davis was widely expected to get drafted, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projecting him as a fifth-rounder and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller having him go at the top of the sixth, so he’s a nice get as well.

Broncos Add Seven UDFAs

April 26th, 2020 at 5:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos made 10 draft picks and will, for now, go with a smaller UDFA group. Denver announced seven UDFA signings on Sunday; here is the full list:

Denver has a modern history of coaxing immense success from UDFAs, having identified All-Pros Chris Harris and Pro Bowlers Phillip Lindsay, C.J. Anderson and Shaquil Barrett since 2011. This year’s group interestingly includes two wide receivers after a three-wideout draft. Hinton started his college career at quarterback, while the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Manning dominated at the Division II level. He caught 68 passes for 1,462 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.

Neal started at Ball State before transferring to Vanderbilt for his senior season. Coleman’s eight interceptions ranked third in Division I-FBS last season. Watts stands 6-foot-8 and joins a team that has an uncertain left tackle situation, with Garett Bolles and Elijah Wilkinson set to vie for a spot that has lacked stability since Ryan Clady‘s 2016 departure. The Broncos did not draft a tackle.

The Broncos gave Bellamy a $25K signing bonus, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Manning received $12.5K to sign, with Hinton receiving a $10K signing bonus.

Dolphins Waive RB Samaje Perine, Three Others

April 26th, 2020 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins signed a running back (Jordan Howard) and traded for one during the draft (Matt Breida). As a result, they waived Samaje Perine.

Miami waived Perine, long snapper Taybor Pepper, safety Montre Hartage and linebacker Terrill Hanks on Sunday.

Since coming into the league as a fourth-round Redskins pick in 2017, Perine has bounced around. His career started somewhat promisingly, with the Redskins using him frequently as a rookie. The Oklahoma product rushed for 603 yards in 2017. Since, he’s gained only 48 rushing yards.

Perine has spent time with the Bengals and Dolphins since his Redskins departure. He does not have vested-veteran status and will return to the waiver wire.

Pepper worked as the Dolphins’ long snapper throughout last season. However, Miami drafted a snapper — LSU’s Blake Ferguson — in the sixth round on Saturday.

Dolphins To Sign S Kavon Frazier

April 26th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

A four-year Cowboys contributor, Kavon Frazier will move on to a second team. The Dolphins are signing the free agent safety, according to his agency (Twitter link).

Frazier played in 44 games with the Cowboys, starting two, after Dallas drafted him in the 2016 sixth round out of Central Michigan. He primarily functioned as a special teams player during his time with the team. Frazier spent most of last season on the Cowboys’ IR list, landing there in late September.

The Dolphins have both Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe signed to long-term deals, and they used a third-round pick on Texas safety Brandon Jones. The Dolphins also brought back former 49ers starter Adrian Colbert. Frazier figures to compete for a depth spot and a role on Miami’s special teams units.

Miami will begin its virtual offseason program this week.

Colts Sign UDFA K Rodrigo Blankenship

April 26th, 2020 at 2:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

It looks like the Colts will hold a kicking competition. With second-year kicker Chase McLaughlin already signed, the Colts made one of college football’s best kickers part of their UDFA class.

Indianapolis will give Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship a $20K bonus to sign, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Last season, Blankenship won the Lou Groza award, which is given annually to Division I-FBS’ best kicker.

The first-team All-American kicked for the Bulldogs for four straight seasons. In 2019, he hit 27 of 33 field goals. His 82.5% make rate over four years ranks as the best in Georgia history. Although college football has yet to move extra points back, Blankenship went 200-for-200 on PATs in college. He also recorded 65 touchbacks on 85 career kickoffs.

The Colts enjoyed kicker stability for most of this century, transitioning from Mike Vanderjagt to Adam Vinatieri in 2006 and seeing the latter become the NFL’s all-time leading scorer during his Indianapolis stay. But Vinatieri struggled mightily last season and is unsigned. McLaughlin, a 2019 UDFA, and Blankenship appear set to compete to be the Colts’ post-Vinatieri kicker.

Saints Extend Taysom Hill

April 26th, 2020 at 11:32am CST by Rory Parks

The Saints have agreed to a two-year contract with quarterback Taysom Hill, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the deal is worth $21MM and includes $16MM in guarantees (Twitter link). It replaces the one-year RFA tender worth $4.6MM that the Saints had placed on Hill earlier this offseason.

The move comes immediately after the Saints agreed to sign free agent signal-caller Jameis Winston. Prior to the Hill extension, both players would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2020 campaign, meaning that New Orleans could take the entire season to evaluate them, to decide which one was best-suited to serve as Drew Brees‘ successor, and to move on from the loser of the battle at season’s end.

Now, however, that’s not necessarily the case. If Hill should prove himself worthy of the QB1 title in 2021, then the Saints will have him under contract at a very modest rate for starting quarterbacks and can bid Winston farewell. But if Winston should win out and if New Orleans should retain him, then the team will owe a ton of money to its QB2/gadget player, even by its standards of commitment to backup signal-callers. The whole affair could become even more complicated if Brees wants to return, and it suggests that the team really is committed to Hill — as it has stated for some time — and views Winston as a highly-experienced insurance policy in 2020 but not as a potential future option.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Saints won’t officially sign Winston until after 3pm ET tomorrow in order to avoid having him against their 2021 compensatory pick formula (Twitter link).

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