Texans contract with Jayden Higgins causing ripple effect among second round draftees
There is an ongoing split in the NFL among second round draftees and their teams. It mostly stems from the Houston Texans agreeing to fully guarantee the contract of receiver Jayden Higgins.
Only two of 32 second round picks from this year’s NFL Draft have struck terms with their new teams. The two who have signed on the dotted line are Higgins and Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns.
The divide seems to be growing as the two teams playing in the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game—the first preseason contest of the year between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers—start training camp early. Chargers receiver Tre Harris is officially a camp holdout and Lions interior offensive lineman is expected to be in the same boat when Detroit rookies report.
How this affects the Rams:
The Los Angeles Rams announced the vast majority of their rookies signed contracts on May 10th. At the time, that left second round TE Terrance Ferguson and fourth round RB Jarquez Hunter as the open questions. Hunter and the team put his contract in the rear view mirror by the end of May, leaving just Ferguson as the only unsigned rookie.
With 30 second round picks to be signed and two already considered as virtual training camp holdouts, it is within the realm of possibility that we see Ferguson sit out the start of practices with the Rams. The learning curve is already steep at the tight end position, and a slow start to the season could increase the degree of difficulty for Ferguson to earn a significant role on the offense.
This is a storyline worth monitoring ahead of the Rams reporting to Loyola Marymount on July 22nd, which is just over a week away.