Tag: Undrafted free agents

2020 NFL Draft: Colts undrafted rookie free agent scorecard

Tracking all of the rumors and reports about UDFAs.

The 2020 NFL Draft has concluded, but the Indianapolis Colts are still hard at work trying to bring in some players as undrafted free agents that didn’t get to hear their name called this weekend.

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General manager Chris Ballard is one that always feels adding talent is necessary, regardless of where they are found. Likewise, the Colts are a team that seems to always have a handful of undrafted free agents competing on the roster.

It should be noted that nothing is official until the team or the league announces it. This means reports can be wrong, changed or even faked. Some listed as signings could actually just be a tryout—though this year presents a unique situation in that there likely won’t be tryouts. Until the Colts actually announce the list of signings, it is best to view everything as subject to change.

We will keep this page updating with the latest rumors and reported signings so keep hitting that refresh button.

Rumored signings

  • OL Carter O’Donnell, University of Alberta (report)
  • K Rodrigo Blakenship, Georgia (report)
  • WR DeMichael Harris, Southern Miss (report)
  • S Donald Rutledge Jr., Georgia Southern (report)

Rumored offers

  • CB Travis Reed, South Alabama (report)

Tracking the Chiefs’ 2020 undrafted free agent signings

Keep track of all Kansas City Chiefs post-draft signings here.

The Kansas City Chiefs have wrapped up the 2020 NFL Draft, but the festivities are not over. The team will continue to add undrafted free agents to fill out their 90-man roster.

We’ll track all of Kansas City’s signings and list them here. Be sure to bookmark this page and refresh it for periodic updates.

Keep in mind that this is a unique season, in the past, we’ve had to differentiate between signings and rookie minicamp invites. Rookie minicamp is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so there likely won’t be any reported invites initially. The Chiefs will ultimately announce the official batch of UDFA signings at a later date.

Keep in mind that there are still several undrafted free agents from the 2018 and 2019 class that are still on the Chiefs 90-man roster today. These players have a chance to impact the team just like a drafted player, but they face different challenges along the way.

Here is a look at the Chiefs’ 2020 draft class:

Round Position Player School
Round 1, 32 Overall RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire LSU
Round 2, 63 Overall LB Willie Gay Jr. Mississippi St.
Round 3, 96 Overall OT Lucas Niang TCU
Round 4, 138 Overall CB L’Jarius Sneed LA Tech
Round 5, 177 Overall DE Mike Danna Michigan
Round 7, 237 Overall CB Thakarius ‘Bopete’ Keyes Tulane

Check below for updates on undrafted free agent signings:

 

Tracking the Chargers’ 2020 undrafted free agent signings

Keeping up with who the Los Angeles Chargers signed from the undrafted free agency pool.

The 2020 NFL draft has wrapped up and teams will now begin filling their 90-man offseason rosters. After selecting six players in the draft, the Chargers will now turn their attention to signing undrafted free agents.

While there’s no guarantee that any of this year’s UDFAs will turn into big contributors, Los Angeles has had a great track record of finding hidden gems throughout the past few years.

We’re going to be tracking all of the team’s college free agent signings here. Refresh this page because the list of players will be updated every time we learn of a new signing.

Here is a list of the UDFA’s they have signed thus far:

Ranking the top Saints roster needs ahead of undrafted free agency

The New Orleans Saints addressed important roster needs early in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they can still improve with college free agents.

The New Orleans Saints made the most of this year’s draft picks, aggressively moving up the board early on to target upgrades along the offensive line and in the linebacker corps, while laying the groundwork for long-term plans at tight end.

But it cost them a lot to make those moves, and now the Saints must lean heavily on their crop of undrafted free agents to continue plugging holes on the roster. Fortunately, the depth they’ve cultivated over years of drafts and signings should allow them to be highly selective in who they target after the picks conclude.

Here are four positions of need for the Saints to pursue on Saturday night:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

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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Broncos expected to sign 7-9 UDFAs after the draft

The Broncos are expected to have a small undrafted free agent class this year.

Last year, the Denver Broncos signed 17 undrafted free agents following the draft. Denver also signed 17 UDFAs following the 2017 NFL Draft.

This year, the team’s college free agent class will be much smaller.

Teams aren’t allowed to use their facilities for the draft this year because of COVID-19. Without scouts, coaches and executives all in the same room, that will make it harder to sign undrafted free agents.

The Broncos are also scheduled to have 10 picks in the draft. Even if Denver makes a few trades, they won’t have as many roster spots for UDFAs as they have in previous years.

“It’s always a difficult time but even more so this year with it being virtual,” Broncos general manager said during a pre-draft Zoom conference call with reporters on Monday. “We’re fortunate in the fact that with our numbers, we shouldn’t be — we don’t need too many CFAs. It’s a good year to be in a position that we’re in.

“Again, it’s going to be more difficult because of it being virtual. Hopefully, when the draft’s over we can at least add seven, eight, nine CFAs that can have a chance to maybe make our team.”

The list of recent successful UDFA signings for the Broncos includes Malik Reed (2019), Phillip Lindsay (2018) and Elijah Wilkinson (2017).

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Watch: Rookie Saints nose tackle Shy Tuttle intercepts, stiff-arms Matt Ryan

Rookie New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Shy Tuttle intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and stiff-armed him on the return.

The Atlanta Falcons offense was driving hard down the field against the New Orleans Saints defense, until it wasn’t. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a low pass that deflected off of backup Saints nose tackle Shy Tuttle’s chest; Tuttle surprised by showing great awareness to intercept the ball.

What happened next was even more surprising. Tuttle didn’t go down. Instead, the rookie out of Tennessee returned the interception into the open field, with only Ryan to stop him. And when Ryan tried to tackle the big man, Tuttle threw out a stiff arm and shoved Ryan into oblivion. A few Falcons linemen chased him out of bounds after that, though Ryan was busy trying to lift himself back up from the turf.

Unfortunately, it didn’t count for much after a penalty on Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jordan was flagged for a block in the back penalty on Ryan, having attempted to shield Tuttle during the return. It was an unnecessary penalty but not unforgivable — how was Jordan going to know that Tuttle would destroy Ryan with that jab? We won’t hold it against him when he was just trying to help his team.

The Saints defense has given up some big gains to the Falcons on critical downs, but this is the kind of complimentary football New Orleans has won with all year. Creating turnovers on defense gives the offense opportunities to go get points, and Drew Brees and company will take as many of these extra chances as their teammates can give them.

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