Next week, the 32 teams in the National Football League are expected to start voluntary offseason workouts, but two squads have already indicated they will not be present in person. The Denver Broncos and then the Seattle Seahawks released statements through the NFL Players Association indicating that they would not report. The Broncos players pointed to increases in COVID-19 positivity rates in Denver and nearby communities as well as what they called a dearth of “adequate protocols in place.” The players voted and let head coach Vic Fangio know their decision early Tuesday. Some teams, such as the Green Bay Packers, include bonuses for offseason workouts in their contracts, but the Seahawks do not do so. One issue that players want resolved is how to deal with possible infection from teammates who leave town on the long weekend between workouts. The league is requiring Tier 1 and Tier 2 personnel to receive vaccinations if they want to work at team facilities, unless they have religious or medical exemptions, but it will be interesting to see if more teams decide to opt out of optional workouts.
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NFL News: The Rumor Mill
Washington signs TE hopeful Reyes
When Sammis Reyes graduated high school, he envisioned himself starring in the NBA. He played in Division I for basketball but now looks to enter pro sports as a tight end. The Washington Football Team has signed him, and if he makes the 53-man roster, he would be the first player born in Chile ever to make it that far in the NFL. He worked out at the pro day at the University of Florida on March 31, and the Football Team was so impressed that they decided to take him off the market. He is 6’6” and 260 pounds, so he has NFL size for a tight end. His 40-yard dash time is 4.65, and he benched 225 pounds 31 times. However, he has never played a football game in his life. He played two seasons of basketball at Tulane, taking the floor in 32 games and putting up 0.8 points and 1.5 boards per game. If Reyes makes the team, he would join a list of players that includes the likes of Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham, who played D-1 basketball and then went on to success as an NFL tight end.
Bengals add TE Moss, former teammate of QB Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals went and got one of Joe Burrow’s LSU teammates, claiming Thaddeus Moss off waivers from the Washington Football Team. He was an undrafted free agent in 2020, but he spent the whole season on injured reserve with a foot injury that was revealed at the scouting combine last year. In 12 games during LSU’s College Football Playoff championship season, Moss had 47 catches for 570 yards and four scores. He is the son of Randy Moss, a Hall of Fame wide receiver, and he is currently one of five tight ends that the Bengals have signed. They could add another LSU player with the fifth overall pick, as some have them slated to take Tiger wideout Ja’Marr Chase with that selection.
Tampa Bay signs RB Bernard to a one-year deal
The defending Super Bowl champs already have Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette an Ke’Shawn Vaughn to carry the ball, and now they have added eight-year veteran Giovani Bernard, whom the Bengals cut loose last week to save money against the salary cap. Head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Tom Brady both personally contacted Bernard, telling him he could make contributions catching passes out of the backfield, and that prompted him to take the Bucs’ deal. It never hurts to sign with the defending champs, either. Jones and Fournette each dropped five passes in the 020 regular season, while Bernard produced 355 yards receiving, 12th most in the NFL for a running back. Since his 2013 season, he is third in the league among running backs in targets (445), catches (342) and receiving yards (2,867). Brady targeted running backs 121 times in 2020, seventh most in the league, but his completion rate on those passes was just 69.4%, or 26th overall. Bernard brings cutting prowess and change of direction, along with solid hands.
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