Bills trade up in NFL draft
The Buffalo Bills jumped up nine spots in the first round of next month’s NFL Draft, after Monday’s trade agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL trades cannot become official until Wednesday at 4 p.m. EDT.
The Bills have agreed to deal the first of their two late first- round picks, No. 21, to get the Bengals’ No. 12 choice. Cincinnati also gets left tackle Cordy Glenn, a starter since Buffalo selected him in the second round in 2012, as part of the deal.
The Bills and Bengals also swapped late- round picks with Buffalo getting the Bengals’ fifth- round pick at No. 158 in exchange for the Bills’ sixth-round pick at No. 187.
All indications point to the Bills looking to land a phenom rookie QB in the Top 10 of the NFL Draft, à la the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago when they got Carson Wentz at No. 2.
We’ll see. But this puts the Bills in much better position to do so. It’s easier to entice a team owning a Top 5 or 10 selection to move down on Day 1 when you’re talking about the 12th pick, not the 21st.
Buffalo also owns the No. 22 pick in the first round.
BREES AVAILABLE?: Shockingly, the New Orleans Saints and iconic franchise quarterback Drew Brees had yet to agree on a contract extension by Monday afternoon, six hours after the so-called twoday “legal tampering” period began. That’s when other teams can get a head start on Wednesday’s kickoff to the free-agency signing period by beginning negotiations with pending agents of soon-to-befree players.
Brees falls into that category, as his latest contract with the Saints is set to expire Wednesday at 4 p.m. EDT.
The Minnesota Vikings are one team that quickly reached out to Brees’ agent Tom Condon early Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.
THE COUSINS CHASE: Amid reports suggesting the Minnesota Vikings may l ead the Broncos, Jets and other QB- desperate teams in the rush to land the next best free-agent-passer-in-waiting, Kirk Cousins, the seventhyear NFLer took to his website to thank the Washington area and Redskins fans on Monday.
“As I’m about to make one of the bigger decisions of my life, I’ ll be saying goodbye to my familiar life as a Redskin. After calling Washington home for the past six years, the team has decided to move on to another option and, in turn, my family and I will be moving on as well.
“Knowing I will not be putting on a Redskins jersey next season, it’s hard to look back at all that’s taken place and not become emotional.’’
FOLES TRADE?: Speculation continues that the world champion Philadelphia Eagles are enter t aining trade offers for Super Bowl MVP QB Nick Foles. I still don’t believe it, especially after NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reiterated Monday that the asking price “starts” with a first- round pick. Depending on how well Carson Wentz recovers from a mangled knee suffered just three months ago, the Eagles might well need Foles to start for a few weeks, or even a couple months.
CANADIAN’S PRO DAY: The brightest Canadian 2018 NFL Draft prospect, DT Nathan Shepherd, had his pro day on Monday at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. The native of the east-Toronto suburb of Ajax reportedly had dinner the night before with Cincinnati Bengals reps.
After blowing away NFL coaches and talent scouts at the Scouting Combine a week ago Sunday, Shepherd did not do any speed, strength or athleticism drills on Monday. Rather, he did some on- f i eld defensive drills that some of the reps from 10 to 15 NFL teams on hand requested.
Since the combine, Shepherd is seen as a virtual lock to be drafted on Day 2, meaning between Nos. 33 and 100 overall in either Round 2 or 3.
SO SUH- N?: Miami reportedly was se t to c ut DT Ndamukong Suh three years i nto a six- year, US$ 114million deal. NFL Network reported he already has pocketed the fully guaranteed portion of that deal which amounted to $60 million. The move still hits the Dolphins hard, with a reported $22.2-million cap hit.
RE- SIGNED: Players who reportedly agreed to remain with their current teams include: Los Angeles Chargers CB Casey Heyward (for three years), Tampa Bay CB Brent Grimes (one year), Dallas DT Brian Price (two years), Chicago OL Bradley Sowell (two years), Seattle S Bradley McDougald (three years), Baltimore G/T James Hurts (four years), Tampa Bay TE Cameron Brate ( six years), Oakland DT Justin Ellis ( three years), San Francisco P Jeff Locke and New York Giants LB Mark Herzlich and G Jon Halapio.