NEWSLETTER
Two more top-10 draft picks have signed and on his way to his team’s training camp. And once again, it’s not Roquan Smith:
SIGNED.
Josh Allen is officially a Buffalo Bill! ? pic.twitter.com/PzrdNYCw1H
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) July 25, 2018
GM John Dorsey has announced fourth-overall pick @DenzelWard has agreed to terms on his rookie deal pic.twitter.com/xB88EvjYZx
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 25, 2018
Quarterback Josh Allen (Bills) and cornerback Denzel Ward (Browns) officially signed their rookie contracts with their respective teams on Wednesday. Ward was the first defensive player taken off the board with the fourth overall selection. Allen was the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and could ultimately be the starter by the time the Bills and Bears square off this season. More importantly, the signings (as well as that of Baker Mayfield on Tuesday) leaves Smith and New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as the draft class’ only unsigned top-10 picks.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently wondered if Mike McGlinchey’s deal with the 49ers will help expedite the process and lead to Smith and the Bears coming together on a deal. I suppose having McGlicnhey (ninth overall) and Allen (seventh) signed to rookie deals could represent a “can’t hurt, could help” situation. It’s not crazy to think that contracts getting done around Smith could bring both sides closer to piecing together a contract that will get signed because the parameters are pretty much set by the contracts that sandwich him.
Even though the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement put together slotted deals in an attempt to avoid messy holdout situations, we’re still waiting for Smith’s contract to get finalized and signed so the Bears can get their first-round pick up to speed.
It would sure be nice to see a deal get ironed out, especially after the Bears had to sign an inside linebacker just to spread the reps out.
