Tag: undrafted free agency

Chiefs release P Ryan Rehkow after mandatory minicamp

Kansas City #Chiefs release P Ryan Rehkow after mandatory minicamp | @EdEastonJr

With mandatory minicamp in the rearview, the Kansas City Chiefs have decided to part ways with one of their undrafted free agents. Former BYU punter Ryan Rehkow was announced as the lone release on Thursday via the team’s transactions tracker.

The release of Rehkow was accompanied by the signing of defensive tackle Alex Gubner with training camp quickly approaching next month. Gubner, another undrafted free agent from this year’s class, earned Big Sky Defensive MVP honors last season, tallying 45 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks at Montana. He impressed during tryouts at minicamp, prompting the front office to add him to the 90-man roster.

Rehkow was a former Big 12 Punter of the Year known for having a big leg throughout his college career. He recorded a 42 percent inside-20 rate in his four seasons at BYU. In his last season, he had 68 punts, nine of which went as far as 60 yards.

The move opens the door for veteran Matt Araiza, the only punter on the roster. An All-American in college and winner of the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best collegiate punter in 2021, he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2022.

Details emerge for EJ Perry’s contract with Jags

The undrafted rookie QB, who initially was going to join the Eagles, will earn a notable amount in guaranteed money after signing with the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been known to find a gem or two in undrafted free agency, and fans are hoping that can continue this year. One player who the team has high hopes for is former Brown University quarterback EJ Perry, who signed with the team last week after initially agreeing to join Philadelphia. 

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Jags gave the undrafted rookie a significant amount of guaranteed money, including a $23K signing bonus. Additionally, the contract is set to pay him $207K in total guarantees, bringing his fully guaranteed amount to $230K.

Perry was a player who many mocks had as a sixth to seventh-round option in the draft after he impressed at the East-West Shrine Game. With teams always looking to add serviceable backups and developmental players at the quarterback position, it seems Perry had some leverage to shoot for a high-end undrafted contract.

Perry started his collegiate career at Boston College in 2017. However, in 2019, he went to Brown University where he was able to secure a role as a starter. Perry was successful with the Bears and won the Bushnell Cup, which is given to the best Ivy League player in the country annually.

During his last season at Brown University, he was 295-of-444 (64.4%) in terms of his completion rate and threw for 3,033 yards while adding 24 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Now, Perry will look to take advantage of learning from a quarterback whisperer in Doug Pederson while trying to stick on the Jags’ roster as a backup quarterback of some form.

Jags add sign 2 more undrafted DBs in Eugene Ford and Joshua Flowers

Add two more players to the list of Jags undrafted free agents in Hawaii DB Eugene Ford and and Winston-Salem State DB Joshua Flowers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were busy on Tuesday when it comes to signing undrafted players. First, they added Brown quarterback EJ Perry, but later in the day, they were able to add some more undrafted prospects to the secondary. Those players were Hawaii defensive back Eugene Ford and Winston-Salem State defensive back Joshua Flowers.

Ford (6-feet-2, 210 pounds) was one of the Rainbow Warriors’ team captains in 2021. As a senior last season, he was able to accumulate a career-high in total tackles with 60, and he also was able to garner a forced fumble. He did so after tearing his ACL (vs. Wyoming) the previous season and enduring a nine-month recovery process to return. Overall, Ford finished his career with 173 tackles and four picks throughout 49 games.

Flowers (6-feet-3, 185 pounds), who also was a senior in 2021, was able to accumulate 30 tackles (23 solo tackles) and two picks while with the Rams. His efforts earned him a spot in the HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans. With him landing on the Jags’ roster, 14 players from the 2022 HBCU Legacy Bowl have been signed to NFL rosters.

“This moment is everything to me just being able to chase a childhood dream”, said Flowers, according to Winston Salem State’s official site. “I am nowhere near where I want to be yet, but this is a blessing and I will make the most of it. That door is finally opening for HBCU athletes, and I’m just blessed to be in this position. Thank God, the real work begins now.”

Flowers will join Norfolk State defensive end De’shaan Dixon as the second player to compete in the 2022 HBCU Bowl to join the Jags as an undrafted free agent.

Jaguars agree to terms with 15 undrafted free agents

In addition to their seven draft selections, the Jags are bringing in 15 undrafted free agents, including Notre Dame WR Kevin Austin.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went into the draft with 12 draft picks, but when the event ended, they came away with seven selections. Afterward, they went right to work with bringing in some undrafted free agents, and on Monday, they finalized the group.

According to the team, they will be bringing in 15 undrafted players and the list is as follows:

  • DB Josh Thompson, Texas
  • WR Kevin Austin, Notre Dame
  • PK Andrew Mevis, Iowa State
  • OL Nick Ford, Utah
  • TE Gerrit Prince, UAB
  • LB Grant Morgan, Arkansas
  • DT Israel Antwine, Oklahoma State
  • Safety Sean Mahone, West Virginia
  • CB Shabari Davis, Southeast Missouri State
  • DE De’Shaan Dixon, Norfolk State
  • OL Denzel Okafor, Texas
  • WR Lujuan Winningham, Central Arkansas
  • CB Benjie Franklin, Tarleton State
  • OL Marcus Tatum, Central Florida
  • TE Grayson Gunter, Southern Mississippi

The Jags have had some success with undrafted players and current running back James Robinson is proof. They’ve also had others like receivers Allen Hurns and Keelan Cole on their rosters of the past, both of whom helped the team in a big way during their tenures.

Of the latest undrafted class, the biggest name to watch will be Austin, who impressed at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine and registered a solid RAS score.

Fans were hoping the Jags selected a receiver early in the draft, but that, unfortunately, didn’t happen. However, they got a prospect who had a sixth to seventh round grade on him in undrafted free agency and that could mark great value if Austin can flash the traits he did for Notre Dame.

 

As for the other undrafted players, maybe someone could step up as a depth player for the offensive line or maybe Mevis can push Ryan Santoso, or Mattew Wright for the starting kicker job.

 

 

 

2022 NFL Draft: Jaguars undrafted rookie free agent tracker

The Jags have began the process of adding undrafted players for the 2022 season and have already come away with one notable in WR Kevin Austin.

The 2022 NFL Draft selection process is over, and the team ended up drafting seven players after entering it with 12 picks. However, that doesn’t mean that the process of acquiring rookie talent is over. The team will now have to recruit what undrafted free agents they can, which could provide a few gems for a Jags team that had the NFL’s worst record.

When reflecting on the Jags’ history with undrafted players, they have been fortunate enough to land some solid talent. Their list of undrafted hits includes current running back James Robinson, cornerback Tre Herndon, and center Tyler Shatley. In the past they’ve been able to land notables like receivers Allen Lazard, Keelan Cole, Allen Hurns, and defensive tackle Abry Jones, to name a few.

This year, they could afford to snag a few more gems as the gap between them  and the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts is significant in terms of talent. For that reason, the Jags could be one of the teams with one of the bigger undrafted free agent classes, and to keep track of it, we will be using this post to list every undrafted signing below:

Rumored signings

  • DB Josh Thompson, Texas (Source)
  • WR Kevin Austin, Notre Dame (Source)
  • PK Andrew Mevis, Iowa State (Source)
  • OL Nick Ford, Utah (Source)
  • TE Gerrit Prince, UAB (Source)

A look at the signing bonuses for Seahawks undrafted free agents

The Seattle Seahawks gave out signing bonuses to a handful of their undrafted free agents, including WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon.

Shortly after the NFL draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks brought a whopping 17 undrafted free agents onto the roster to compete for spots in this unique, mostly virtual offseason.

Most of them won’t make the final roster, but with a bigger gameday roster and a bigger practice squad to work with, it makes sense for Pete Carroll and his staff to take a look at as many interesting players as they can get their hands on.

While it’s not always a direct correlation, we do have an idea who the team might be favoring by looking at the signing bonuses given out to Seattle’s undrafted free agents, information that was revealed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Anthony Gordon, the quarterback from Washington State who was unexpectedly left undrafted, got the biggest bonus at $12,500 dollars. He was followed by $11,500 for Mississippi State tackle Tommy Champion, $10,000 each for Maryland tight end Tyler Mabry and Baylor safety Chris Miller, and $8,000 for Albany defensive end Eli Mencer.

The signing bonuses are usually more an indication that other teams were interested in said prospects, not necessarily that they have a better chance of making the active roster.

Gordon is the most likely candidate to break camp with the team, as he is the only other quarterback on the roster besides Russell Wilson.

Champion and Mencer seem like they have decent chances as well, playing at positions of need for the Seahawks that also don’t have a ton of depth.

Until we can see these guys on the field, which may be a while, it will be hard to know what Seattle has with their undrafted free agent pool – although this team has had plenty of success finding diamonds in the rough in recent years.

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Seahawks cut ties with 2017 3rd round pick Nazair Jones

Nazair Jones’ NFL career got off to a hot start, now he finds himself released with a failed physical designation after missing all of 2019.

In his first NFL game, in fact on his first NFL snap, Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Nazair Jones made quite the impression by intercepting a pass from Aaron Rodgers and returning it 64 yards for a touchdown back in September of 2017.

The touchdown may have been nullified by a block in the back, but the interception stood and, more importantly, it looked like the Seahawks had themselves a star in the making on the defensive line.

Now, less than three years later, Jones has been waived with a failed physical designation, part of four cuts the team made to accomodate 12 new rookie undrafted free agent signings.

Jones finished 2017 with stellar numbers, recording 19 combined tackles and two sacks in 11 games, but he regressed considerably in 2018 – only appearing in nine games and making just seven combined tackles.

The plan in 2019 was for him to make the transition to defensive end, where he would compete at five-tech. However, a knee injury prevented him from seeing the field at all in 2019, and is apparently bad enough for the team to give him the axe before training camp even begins.

Seattle’s depth on the interior defensive line was already thin and is now even thinner without Jones. Jarran Reed and Poona Ford will be the starters, but outside of that only Bryan Mone, an undrafted free agent in 2019, has any NFL experience on the roster.

A veteran signing, like they’ve done in the past with Al Woods and Shamar Stephen, seems all but certain – and a few names they could consider include Mike Daniels, Damon Harrison, and Brandon Mebane.

Jones’ career in Seattle started out with a bang, but unfortunately ends before it ever really got going, leaving Seattle’s 2017 draft class even less represented on the active roster.

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PFF ranks Anthony Gordon 2nd best undrafted free agent

Pro Football Focus ranked QB Anthony Gordon, who recently agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks, the second best undrafted free agent.

The Seattle Seahawks went to work just minutes after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL draft, reportedly agreeing to terms with a handful of undrafted free agents.

No signings have been made official, but one of the reported additions is Washington State University quarterback Anthony Gordon – who would become just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster behind Russell Wilson.

Gordon will surely face competition during training camp to be Wilson’s backup during the 2020 season, but there is little doubt Seattle found themselves a strong contender for the job, based on his college production and the recent success of his predecessor, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew.

In fact, Gordon was named the second best undrafted free agent who has agreed to terms with a new team, according to Pro Football Focus.

PFF had Gordon No. 82 overall on their draft board, which falls behind University of Washington tight end Hunter Bryant – who went undrafted and agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions.

“NFL teams often fall in love with the quarterbacks who have ideal size and big arms while discounting the most important trait a quarterback needs to be successful — accuracy,” Ben Linsey of PFF wrote in the article. “He joins Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks on the roster at the moment, in prime position to earn a backup job in the same state he played in college.”

Gordon was expected to get drafted on Day 3 of the NFL draft. His free-fall out of the draft entirely could be a blessing in disguise though, as he gets to develop under superstar Russell Wilson – which should help him hone his skills in the short-term, and could potentially land him a cushy job as his backup during the 2020 campaign.

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Seahawks plan to sign Washington State QB Anthony Gordon as UDFA

The Seattle Seahawks finally added a 2nd quarterback to the roster, signing Washington State star Anthony Gordon as an undrafted free agent.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see the 2020 NFL draft end without Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon – who threw for a whopping 5,579 passing yards last year – getting drafted.

However, it worked out to the benefit of the Seattle Seahawks, who reportedly agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

With Geno Smith still an undrafted free agent, Gordon becomes just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster, behind Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks will certainly bring in one or two more players to compete with Gordon during training camp, but at least for the moment he has the edge on the backup quarterback job.

Gordon’s numbers from his lone season as a starter in Mike Leach’s air raid offense at Washington State are eye-popping. He posted a 48-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio with over 5,500 passing yards and a stellar 71.6% completion rate – earning him lots of comparisons to the team’s starter in 2018, Gardner Minshew.

Gordon does not have the awareness and arm strength Minshew has, however, and will have to work on those and a handful of other things to become a successful NFL starter at the next level.

Getting to learn under Russell Wilson will be extremely helpful in that regard, and if he performs well in camp and the preseason there’s a good chance he heads into the 2020 regular season with the Seahawks.

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Without late-round picks, Saints preparing for undrafted free agency

The New Orleans Saints traded all of their remaining draft picks, which Sean Payton thinks gives them an edge on undrafted free agency.

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So, it turns out that there’s a method to the New Orleans Saints’ madness — or at least a silver lining to the decision to trade all four of their remaining draft picks to get back into the third round. But now we risk mixing metaphors.

The virtual format of this year’s draft means that teams can’t coordinate as easy once the undrafted free agent signing period kicks off after the seventh round. In normal years, the coaching and scouting staffs are gathered in the team’s war room where everyone can see the big board, working together to recruit prospects and fill out the roster.

For example, last year Deonte Harris ended up signing with the Saints because special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi “stood on a table” (there’s another metaphor) to talk team decision-makers into taking a chance on the small-school prospect out of Assumption College. Harris went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition, posting the best numbers of any punt returner since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team.

It won’t be so easy to do that this time around. Teams can still hold teleconferences and share information on group spreadsheets, but the process is expected to be even more hectic than usual.

So while it’s not the reason they traded all of their picks, having that extra time to prepare a strategy while every other team is making their picks is something Payton is looking forward to.

Payton explained after the second day’s picks, “We’ll be in a position to clearly identify a ranking order of players that we want to sign and commit money to as (undrafted) free agents, and then have the correct vision as to how they will make this roster. I just think it will bring a little bit more order on the third day with everyone in their houses.”

We’ll see if it that approach works out. Our live undrafted free agency tracker will go up immediately after the seventh round concludes, so check back often for updates on which rookies will get a shot with the Saints.

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