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Dolphins, Austin Jackson Agree To Terms

June 11th, 2020 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins agreed to terms with the second of their three first-round picks. Tackle Austin Jackson signed his rookie deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This unusual offseason has seen teams drag their feet on rookie agreements, but the Dolphins are barreling ahead. They have signed both Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa and also agreed to terms with second-round pick Raekwon Davis. Jackson is only the third 2020 first-rounder to sign, joining Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown.

Both Jackson and Tagovailoa can be categorized as developmental projects who may be eased into work in the pros. Miami used the No. 18 overall pick on Jackson, who has yet to turn 21. Jackson was a two-year starter at USC and projects as Miami’s long-term option at left tackle. While he will not be Tagovailoa’s blind-side protector, with Miami’s QB-in-training being a southpaw, Jackson still represents a significant investment for the Dolphins.

The Jackson pick came less than a year after the Dolphins traded 2016 first-round pick Laremy Tunsil to Houston. Tunsil is now the league’s highest-paid tackle by a wide margin. Jackson’s $13.6MM slot deal runs through 2023, with the team holding an option to extend it through 2024.

The Dolphins have been active in signing picks. Although their third first-rounder — No. 30 overall selection Noah Igbinoghene — remains unsigned, the Dolphins need only to sign he and second-round O-lineman Robert Hunt to wrap up their draft class.

1-5: Tua Tagovailoa, QB (Alabama): Signed
1-18: Austin Jackson, T (Miami): Signed
1-30: Noah Igbinoghene, CB (Auburn)
2-39: Robert Hunt, OL (Louisiana)
2-56: Raekwon Davis, DL (Alabama): Signed
3-70: Brandon Jones, S (Texas): Signed
4-111: Solomon Kindley, OL (Georgia): Signed
5-154: Jason Strowbridge, DT (UNC): Signed
5-164: Curtis Weaver, DE (Boise State): Signed
6-185: Blake Ferguson, LS (LSU): Signed
7-246: Malcolm Perry, WR/RB (Navy): Signed

Ravens Cut LB Jake Ryan

June 11th, 2020 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than two months after signing Jake Ryan, the Ravens are cutting the veteran linebacker. The team announced the decision to part ways with Ryan on Thursday. The Ravens cut Ryan with a non-football injury designation.

Shortly after signing Ryan, the Ravens devoted significant draft resources to bolstering their linebacker spot. They drafted off-ball ‘backers Patrick Queen (in Round 1) and Malik Harrison (in Round 3).

Prior to the draft, the Ravens had seen Patrick Onwuasor and Josh Bynes defect in free agency — to the Jets and Bengals, respectively. These exits came a year after the Ravens’ C.J. Mosley negotiations broke down when the Jets swooped in with a monster offer.

For Ryan, this represents another setback. The former Packers starter was perhaps on his way to a nice free agency payday in 2019, but an ACL tear during the 2018 offseason proved to be a seminal event. Ryan caught on with the Jaguars last year but spent most of the year on multiple ineligible lists — first the NFI list and then IR — before the Jags declined his option this year.

Steelers’ OT Matt Feiler Signs Tender

June 11th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers offensive tackle Matt Feiler has signed his one-year restricted free agent tender, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Steelers cuffed Feiler at the second-round level earlier this year to ward away other teams.

Per the terms of the tender, Feiler is now set to earn $3.27MM this year. If another club signed him to an offer sheet and the Steelers declined to match, that club would have had to forfeit a second-round pick. As good as Feiler is, that was too high of a price tag for other teams.

Feiler, 28 in July, came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Texans. His time in Houston aside, he’s pretty much spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. Feiler cracked the starting lineup in 2018 and, last year, he was first-string for all 16 of the Steelers’ games. For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 20th best tackle in the entire league out of 80 qualified players.

With a repeat performance, Feiler could be in line for a much bigger pay bump in 2021.

Lions Sign Julian Okwara

June 9th, 2020 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have officially signed rookie Julian Okwara, per a club announcement. The third-round defensive end out of Notre Dame should be able to get acclimated faster than your average NFL frosh – he’ll have help from his brother and new teammate, Romeo Okwara.

According to Pro Football Focus, Okwara posted a 23% pass-rush win rate in each of his last two collegiate seasons, one of the very best in the country. His broken leg hurt his draft stock in April, but the Lions believe that they scored a major value in the Notre Dame product. With tremendous speed, Okwara profiles as a promising pass rusher. If he can bulk up and improve against the run, the Lions may have a future star on their hands.

The Lions have now inked three of their draft picks, as shown in PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft Tracker:

Detroit Lions

1-3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State)
2-35: D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia)
3-67: Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame): Signed
3-75: Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State)
4-121: Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky): Signed
5-166: Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin)
5-172: Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State)
6-197: John Penisini, DT (Utah): Signed
7-235: Jason Cornell, DE (Ohio State)

Seahawks Sign Freddie Swain 

June 8th, 2020 at 6:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have signed rookie wide receiver Freddie Swain according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In accordance with his sixth-round draft slot, Swain is set to earn $3.424MM over the course of his four-year deal.

The Seahawks nabbed Swain with the No. 214 overall pick, adding to the team’s already tight competition at wide receiver. It’s a group headlined by Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and Phillip Dorsett with two or maybe three spots up for grabs on the 53-man roster. Swain will battle with David Moore, John Ursua – a 2019 pick who topped 1,343 yards in his final year at Hawaii, and a number of UDFAs for a place on the depth chart.

Swain, a Florida product, first made a name for himself as a return specialist. Last year, he showed off his pass-catching abilities, notching 38 catches for 527 yards and a Gators-high seven touchdowns.

With Swain signed, the Seahawks are left with six unsigned rookies from their 2020 draft class. Here’s the full rundown, via PFR’s tracker:

1-27: Jordyn Brooks, LB (Texas Tech)
2-48: Darrell Taylor, OLB (Tennessee)
3-69: Damien Lewis, G (LSU)
4-133: Colby Parkinson, TE (Stanford): Signed
4-144: DeeJay Dallas, RB (Miami)
5-148: Alton Robinson, DE (Syracuse)
6-214: Freddie Swain, WR (Florida): Signed
7-251: Stephen Sullivan, TE (LSU)

Chiefs Cut WR Felton Davis

June 6th, 2020 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have released wide receiver Felton Davis with a non-football injury designation, per the league’s official transactions page. The release will free up a spot on the roster for defensive back Andrew Soroh, who was re-signed on Friday.

[RELATED: Latest On Chiefs, Chris Jones]

Davis first joined the Chiefs last year as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State. Unfortunately, injuries have held him back in recent years and, if not for an Achilles tear in his senior year, he likely would have been drafted in 2019.

Davis put himself on the NFL’s radar with 55 catches for 776 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, setting the table for an even stronger senior year. Davis saw the field for just six games and still managed a 31/474/4 line for the year. The athletic 6’4″ receiver was viewed as a high-upside UDFA pickup for KC at the time, but the injury bug reared its head again. In the team’s final preseason game, Davis suffered a shoulder injury, sending him to the injured reserve list.

His nature of his latest injury is unclear, but it sounds like it’ll be a while before Davis can pursue his next opportunity. The Chiefs, meanwhile, will have to evaluate other options behind wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson. Byron Pringle, Maurice Ffrench, and Gehrig Dieter are among those battling for the final one or two spots in the group.

Chiefs Re-Sign DB Andrew Soroh

June 5th, 2020 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Andrew Soroh will return to the Chiefs, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Soroh hinted at a new deal in late April, but it appears that talk might have been premature. Either way, the defensive back has himself a new deal for 2020 with KC.

[RELATED: Looking Back At Jeremy Maclin’s Release]

Soroh joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent last year, but he missed the final cut to the 53-man roster. After that, he moved on to the short-lived XFL 2.0, where he appeared in a handful of games for the New York Guardians.

Now, Soroh will push to make the team as a reserve behind starting safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill. His spot is far from guaranteed, but there could be an opportunity as Thornhill works his way back from offseason ACL surgery. It’s also worth noting that the Chiefs didn’t draft any safeties in April and seventh-round cornerback Thakarius Keyes represented their only pick for the secondary.

Packers Sign Jon Runyan Jr.

June 5th, 2020 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers signed sixth-round guard Jon Runyan Jr., according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Michigan product is, of course, the son of longtime NFL tackle Jon Runyan. 

The younger Runyan was the first of three linemen selected by the Packers in the sixth-round. After calling his name at No. 192 overall, they nabbed Oregon center Jake Hanson (No. 208) and Indiana tackle Simon Stepaniak (Indiana). With Runyan, Stepaniak, and seventh-rounders Vernon Scott and Jonathan Garvin under contract, the Packers still have five rookies left to sign from this year’s class.

Like his dad, Runyan has a pro-ready build for the tackle position. He stands at 6’4″ and 307 pounds, a few inches shorter than his pops but only ~20 pounds lighter.

Here’s the full rundown of the Packers’ class, via PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft Tracker:

1-26: Jordan Love, QB (Utah State)
2-62: A.J. Dillon, RB (Boston College)
3-94: Josiah Deguara, TE (Cincinnati)
5-175: Kamal Martin, LB (Minnesota)
6-192: Jon Runyan, G (Michigan): Signed
6-208: Jake Hanson, C (Oregon)
6-209: Simon Stepaniak, T (Indiana): Signed
7-236: Vernon Scott, S (TCU): Signed
7-242: Jonathan Garvin, DE (Miami): Signed

Panthers Release TE Seth DeValve

June 3rd, 2020 at 5:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have released tight end Seth DeValve with a non-football injury designation, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com.

Signed to a one-year deal by Carolina in March, DeValve theoretically could have played a role with the Panthers had he been able to stick on the roster. Carolina released franchise icon Greg Olsen earlier this year, leaving Ian Thomas as the top tight end on the Panthers’ depth chart.

DeValve, 27, played the most snaps of any tight end in Jacksonville last year, but caught only 12 passes for 140 yards in an offense that didn’t prioritize the tight end. Prior to joining the Jaguars, DeValve spent three seasons with the Browns. The Princeton product’s best campaign came in 2017, when he managed 33 receptions for 395 yards.

DeValve inked a veteran minimum pact with the Panthers, so Carolina is only on the hook for $137K in dead money. Meanwhile, DeValve will hit a free agent tight end market that also includes Delanie Walker, Jordan Reed, and Geoff Swaim.

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