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Patriots Trading 23rd Pick To Chargers

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got another trade folks. The Patriots are shipping the 23rd pick to the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Los Angeles will send back picks 37 and 71, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports in a tweet.

The Chargers used the added first-rounder to take Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Los Angeles has one of the most talented defenses in the league on paper, with a top-tier defensive line and secondary. The one weak-spot was at linebacker, so Murray will help solidify an already promising defense.

The Patriots were previously without a second-round pick and weren’t scheduled to pick again until 87, so this move makes some sense for them. Unless they surprisingly trade back into the first later tonight, the Patriots won’t be taking Tom Brady’s successor in the first-round. The Chargers already made a splash by taking Justin Herbert sixth overall, and GM Tom Telesco is staying aggressive.

There had been some talk that New England could take Utah State passer Jordan Love at 23, but that turned out to be unfounded. There were reasons to believe Bill Belichick was leaning toward adding a signal-caller in the middle rounds, and that looks to be the case.

 

49ers Trade 13th Pick To Buccaneers

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve finally got our first trade of the evening. Plenty of teams in the top ten were listening to calls, but apparently nobody got an offer worth taking.

The 49ers are making the first move, trading back one slot with the Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). In order to get the 13th pick Tampa will send the 14th pick and the 117th pick, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 49ers will also send back the 245th pick as part of the deal.

The Bucs are using the selection to add some protection for Tom Brady, as they’re drafting Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs with the pick. San Francisco previously didn’t have any picks in the second, third, or fourth-rounds, so they were widely expected to explore trading down from one of their two first-rounders.

They are also currently scheduled to pick 31st later tonight, and GM John Lynch clearly wanted to get an extra mid-rounder. Since the Bucs are only moving up one spot, it’s likely the 49ers were threatening to move the pick to a different team who also wanted a tackle like Tampa did.

Saints Re-Sign Johnson Bademosi

April 23rd, 2020 at 3:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are bringing back cornerback Johnson Bademosi, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Terms of the deal between New Orleans and the special teams ace are not yet known.

Bademosi spent time with the Browns, Lions, Patriots, Texans, and Dolphins before joining up with the Saints last year. His trip from Houston to Miami came courtesy of the Laremy Tunsil blockbuster. When he was dropped by the ‘Fins last October, the Saints scooped him up.

Meanwhile, the Saints are pushing hard to trade up in the first round of the NFL Draft. It won’t be easy for New Orleans to swing a deal – they’ve got only five picks in their possession and only two of those are inside of the first three rounds. They’re also not ruling out the possibility of drafting a quarterback. If they fall farther than expected, players like FIU’s James Morgan, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, and Washington’s Jacob Eason could be in consideration for GM Mickey Loomis if he’s serious about backstopping Drew Brees and Taysom Hill.

Broncos Waive Colby Wadman, Trevor Daniel

April 23rd, 2020 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

There will not be a punting competition in Denver. A month after agreeing to terms with Sam Martin, the Broncos are waiving incumbent Colby Wadman and former Texans punter Trevor Daniel, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

The Broncos promoted Wadman from their practice squad in October 2018, after their Marquette King signing did not work out to their liking. Wadman, however, largely struggled after taking the job.

Despite the advantages of kicking in Denver’s thin air, Wadman averaged 44.4 yards per punt last season — 26th in the league. The former UDFA did, however, rank ninth in punts inside the 20-yard line (29). The Broncos signed Martin, a longtime Lions punter, to take over in March.

Denver added Daniel via reserve/futures deal after the season but will move on with just Martin at punter. Daniel punted in 18 games for the Texans from 2018-19, but Houston opted to go with Bryan Anger over him early last season.

Patriots To Sign Marqise Lee

April 23rd, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots are signing wide receiver Marqise Lee, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). He’ll ink a one-year deal as he moves on to a new team in the AFC after spending the first six years of his career with the Jaguars, who released him several days ago.

New England, of course, lacked its usual offensive firepower in 2019, with veteran wideout Julian Edelman representing the team’s only reliable weapon for former QB Tom Brady. The Pats rode to the playoffs on the strength of their defense and special teams, and regardless of who is under center in 2020, they need to surround their signal-callers with more options.

The team will be returning Mohamed Sanu in 2020, but given that they gave up a second-round pick in this year’s draft to acquire Sanu, the Pats will be unable to take advantage of an unusually deep crop of collegiate receivers until the third round (assuming they don’t take a WR with the No. 23 overall selection). Sanu suffered a high ankle sprain during a punt return in his third game with New England, and he was not the same after that injury. He recently underwent surgery on the ankle, as it did not heal on its own as hoped.

Lee has battled his own injury woes over the past couple of seasons. A knee injury sidelined him for all of the 2018 season, and he battled ankle and shoulder maladies in 2019. But he totaled 1,551 receiving yards between 2016-17, leading all Jags targets in that span, and if healthy, he represents a quality vertical weapon who would nicely complement Edelman, Sanu, and second-year player N’Keal Harry.

No contract details are available at this time, but it is almost certainly a modest deal for the USC product, who hopes to reignite his career in Foxborough.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Steelers’ Bud Dupree Signs Franchise Tender

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:09am CST by Rory Parks

Linebacker Bud Dupree has signed his franchise tender, according to an announcement from the Steelers. Assuming he’s tagged as a linebacker, Dupree will be slated to earn over $16MM. If he pushes back and manages to get tagged at the defensive end position, he’ll be set for $18MM+.

Of course, Dupree and the Steelers will have until July 15 to hash out a long-term contract regardless of the tag value, and given that Pittsburgh is right up against the cap, both player and team are likely hoping they can get that done. Though Dupree had not exactly lived up to his billing as a 2015 first-round draft choice prior to the 2019 campaign, he had a terrific platform year, piling up a career-best 11.5 sacks while also displaying some ability in setting the edge against the run.

Though there was some thought that the Steelers could look to trade Dupree after slapping him with the franchise tag, that no longer appears to be in play. Instead, the club will head into the 2020 campaign (and probably beyond) with a fearsome Dupree-T.J. Watt combo that will keep opposing QBs awake at night. Indeed, the Steelers ranked third in defensive DVOA last season (first against the pass), and if they can get a healthy season out of QB Ben Roethlisberger, they could certainly make a return trip to the playoffs.

If the two sides do work out a multi-year pact, it would not be surprising to see the Kentucky product land something in the neighborhood of a five-year, $80MM deal, with around $30MM or so fully-guaranteed. That might seem high for a player who hasn’t made a Pro Bowl yet, but given the importance of edge rushers and Dupree’s well-timed breakout, it would be in line with his open market value.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Chiefs Restructure G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s Deal

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:13am CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs have restructured the contract of guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, per Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). There are not yet any details on the restructure, but it will create some much-needed cap room for cap-strapped KC.

LDT was scheduled to count for nearly $9MM against the Chiefs’ cap in 2020, $6.45MM of which was comprised of base salary. It’s possible that Kansas City converted some of that money into a signing bonus in order to spread out the hit over the remaining three years of Duvernay-Tardif’s deal.

The Quebec native was selected by Kansas City in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. By 2015, he had become the team’s full-time starter at right guard, and he inked a five-year, $42.36MM extension after the 2016 season. Though he missed a significant chunk of the 2018 campaign due to injury, he started all 14 regular season contests in which he appeared in 2019, and he also enjoyed perfect attendance in the team’s postseason run through Super Bowl LIV.

Though Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics didn’t love his 2019 performance, ranking him as just the 47th-best guard out of 81 qualified players, LDT is a key component of the Chiefs’ high-octane offense.

Colts Sign TE Trey Burton

April 22nd, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trey Burton has found a landing spot after his Bears release. The former Eagles tight end agreed to terms with the Colts on Wednesday, according to his agency (Twitter link).

This will reunite Burton with Frank Reich, who was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator during the tight end’s final years in Philadelphia. This will be a Colts-friendly deal, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (via Twitter) Burton agreed to a veteran-minimum contract. However, Burton still has $4MM coming to him by virtue of his 2018 Bears pact.

Burton, 28, will not be asked to be Indianapolis’ clear No. 1 tight end the way he was in Chicago. Although the Colts let Eric Ebron defect to the Steelers, they still employ Jack Doyle. Burton will be in position to be an auxiliary weapon for Philip Rivers.

The passer on the Eagles’ “Philly Special” play in Super Bowl LII performed fairly well in 2018, suiting up for 16 games and hauling in a career-high 569 yards and six touchdown receptions. Last season, though, injuries hampered Burton. He only recorded 84 yards in eight games. Burton underwent hernia surgery during the 2019 offseason and went on IR after a calf injury.

The Colts will still head into the draft in need of a T.Y. Hilton complement at wide receiver, but this Burton agreement stands to make tight end a lower priority. Indianapolis also rosters Mo Alie-Cox and ex-Steelers blocking tight end Xavier Grimble.

Colts To Re-Sign WR Marcus Johnson

April 22nd, 2020 at 11:08am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have agreed to re-sign wide receiver Marcus Johnson, according to his agents at EnterSport Management (Twitter link).

Johnson, 25, reached restricted free agency last month, but Indianapolis opted not to tender him an offer. Thus, the former undrafted free agent almost surely re-signed at a cost cheaper than the lowest RFA tender of $2.133MM.

Johnson was injured for the first half of last season, but took on a prominent role down the stretch, starting six games and posting a 105-yard performance against Tampa Bay. Overall, he finished with 277 yards and two touchdowns in only eight games.

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