HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Greedy Williams Receives Full Clearance

August 4th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the first time in nearly a year, Greedy Williams was a full practice participant. The Browns began their 11-on-11 drills without Williams on Tuesday. A day later, the former second-round pick was full-go, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal notes.

The third-year cornerback is officially off the Browns’ active/PUP list and will attempt to return to Cleveland’s starting lineup. A shoulder nerve issue sidelined Williams during training camp last year — on the same day ex-Williams LSU teammate Grant Delpit suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon — and he went on IR in October. Neither Williams nor Delpit played last season.

The Browns have eased Delpit back into action, but Williams can begin making a legitimate attempt to recapture his starting job. A second-round pick during John Dorsey‘s GM regime, Williams started 12 games as a rookie. While Williams will face stiffer competition for a first-string job this year, he lined up with the Browns’ starting defense during OTAs and was back in that role Wednesday

After using stopgap solutions alongside Denzel Ward in 2020, the Browns were active in bolstering their cornerback group this offseason. Cleveland signed Troy Hill and drafted Greg Newsome in the first round. Williams’ return gives the team interesting depth. The Browns have made extensive outside investments on defense this year, after ranking 25th in DVOA on that side of the ball last season. But the returns of Williams and Delpit also stand to strengthen the unit.

Raiders Meet With DT Gerald McCoy

August 4th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

After suffering a season-ending injury in August 2020, Gerald McCoy has resurfaced on the NFL radar. The Raiders brought Pro Bowl defensive tackle in for a visit Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

McCoy signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys in March of last year but saw a torn quad end his season during Cowboys camp. The Cowboys released McCoy, and he spent last season out of football. This marks the 10-year veteran’s first known connection to a team since that development.

While McCoy is a six-time Pro Bowler from his quality run with the Buccaneers, the last of those nods came in 2017. The former top-five pick was one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen during the 2010s, but he is now 33. Although the veteran D-tackle missed all of 2020 due to injury, he displayed durability for most of his career leading up to that point. McCoy started 16 games in Carolina in 2019 and missed just eight games from 2012-18 with Tampa Bay. And he exited his Panthers season with 59.5 career sacks.

The Raiders have a host of veteran presences at defensive tackle. They return Johnathan Hankins and added Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson and Darius Philon in free agency. Las Vegas did not spend any draft choices on this position this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/21

August 4th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: CB Saivion Smith
  • Waived/injured: OT Cody Conway; Conway suffered a torn ACL

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived/injured: S Brandon White

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on IR: DB DeMarkus Acy; Acy suffered a torn ACL
  • Waived/injured: OT Anthony Coyle

Steelers Not Ruling Out Ben Roethlisberger Return In 2022

August 4th, 2021 at 3:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

For a while this offseason, it looked like the Steelers might not bring Ben Roethlisberger back. Then they reached an agreement on a revised contract (with Roethlisberger taking a pay-cut) that would keep him in the fold for 2021, but it seemed the writing was on the wall that this would be his last go-round with Pittsburgh.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II is saying not so fast. Although Roethlisberger isn’t under contract for 2022, “it’s not written in stone that this is his last year,” Rooney told reporters at training camp, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. He didn’t exactly offer a ringing endorsement of the prospect of multiple more years of Big Ben, however.

“We’re aware this could be Ben’s last year,” he said. “We hope it’s a great one. That’s as far as we can go with it right now. Obviously, if this is his last year, then next year we’ll be making decisions on a quarterback, and we’ll address it as the time comes up.” 

Perhaps the Steelers aren’t ruling out Roethlisberger coming back simply because they don’t have many other options currently. They gave Mason Rudolph a mini-extension to make him the only passer under contract for 2022, and the former third-round pick has said he hopes to start in 2022. Rudolph hasn’t looked particularly promising in his nine career NFL starts, but he hasn’t been a complete disaster either.

Beyond Rudolph, the team also has Joshua Dobbs and former Washington first-round pick Dwayne Haskins currently on the roster. Pittsburgh, of course, started off 11-0 last year before completely falling apart down the stretch as Roethlisberger and the offense struggled.

Roethlisberger looked like his arm might not have much left at times last season, but to be fair he was coming off major elbow surgery. Big Ben turned 39 in March, and it’ll be very interesting to see how much he’s got left in the tank physically when the Steelers kickoff their season Week 1 against the Bills.

Buccaneers Extend DC Todd Bowles

August 4th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As they get ready to defend their Super Bowl title, the Buccaneers are taking care of a key member of the organization. Tampa has given defensive coordinator Todd Bowles a three-year contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Schefter writes that this new deal replaces the one year Bowles had left on his old one, and “continues to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinator.” Bowles has deservedly received a ton of praise for the heights he took the Bucs’ previously woeful defense to, as they became one of the best units in the league last year. The 57-year-old got some looks in head coaching searches this cycle, receiving interest from at least the Falcons, Lions, and Eagles.

It was also reported back in February that Bruce Arians would like Bowles to succeed him as Buccaneers head coach whenever he retires. He might not get that opportunity, since Schefter writes this new contract “doesn’t preclude him from taking another head coaching job,” and Bowles will likely be a hot candidate again this winter.

Bowles first broke into the league as a secondary coach with the Jets in 2000. 15 years later he would become New York’s head coach, a high profile role he held for the next four seasons.

His tenure there didn’t end well, but in recent years it’s been more or less accepted that the dysfunction had more to do with the Jets being, well… the Jets, than anything Bowles did wrong. It’s probably only a matter of time before he gets another head coaching opportunity, especially if Tampa’s defense keeps it up in 2021.

Bears To Sign Alec Ogletree

August 4th, 2021 at 2:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another longtime veteran has found a new home early in training camp. The Bears are signing free agent linebacker Alec Ogletree, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

This is the first we’ve heard of Ogletree since the Jets cut him all the way back in October of last year. A first-round pick of the Rams in 2013, Ogletree’s NFL career got off to a very solid start. In his first two seasons with the Rams he had ten forced fumbles and three interceptions. In each of his four healthy seasons with the Rams he had at least 10 passes defended, and he was a second-team All-Pro in 2016.

That earned him a four-year, $42.75MM extension in 2017, but he quickly fell out of favor with the new coaching staff in Los Angeles. He was traded to the Giants for a fourth and sixth-round pick, and spent the next two seasons in New York. He started 26 games in those two years with the Giants, but was released in February of 2020. Ogletree latched on with the Jets, where he was released after just a couple games.

Despite the significant tread on his tires, he’s still only 29. Presumably signed for close to the veteran’s minimum, he’ll now be a depth option behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan at inside linebacker for Chicago.

Joe Looney Retires From NFL

August 4th, 2021 at 1:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Giants are sending players into retirement left and right. Just a few days after signing with New York, veteran linebacker Todd Davis elected to retire. Now offensive lineman Joe Looney is doing the same.

Looney will retire from the NFL as well, a source told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s another puzzling turn of events, as Looney only signed with the team on July 31st. He started practicing right away, and was reportedly getting plenty of reps. An interior lineman who can play both guard and center, Looney is still only 30 so he should have plenty left in the tank physically.

His signing with the Giants was a reunion of sorts, as Looney played under current Giants OC Jason Garrett in Dallas. A fourth-round pick of the 49ers in 2012, Looney spent his first three seasons in San Francisco. He was a 16-game starter for the Cowboys in 2018, then hit the bench in 2019, and then started 12 games last season at center.

The initial expectation from Giants beat writers was that he would compete for a starting job, but apparently his heart was elsewhere. Assuming he’s really done, the Wake Forest product will hang up his cleats with 104 career appearances and 42 starts under his belt.

Panthers Monitoring Texans’ Deshaun Watson

August 4th, 2021 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are still eyeing embattled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (via PFT). The Panthers were among the frontrunners for Watson before the lawsuits emerged and they’re not ruling out the possibility now, even after acquiring Sam Darnold.

Watson was not present at the Texans’ Tuesday practice, a sign that he could be placed on paid leave in one fashion or another. The Texans aren’t saying much about the situation as GM Nick Caserio weighs his options.

“We make decisions every day based on what’s best for our football team,” head coach David Culley said. “Nothing new today on that.”

The team reportedly wants a combination of five high draft picks plus quality players in exchange for the embattled quarterback. Caserio isn’t in any rush — he’s willing to pay Watson $10.54MM this year to stay away from the team in order to get the best trade return possible next year.

In addition to the Panthers, the Broncos, Eagles, and Dolphins have also been connected to Watson. At this points, the ‘Fins seem set with Tua Tagovailoa as their starter and Jacoby Brissett as his safety net. The Broncos, meanwhile, are prepared to move forward with Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. That might leave the Eagles and Panthers as the only real suitors for Watson, but, given all of the complications, it’s hard to imagine either team meeting the Texans’ current asking price.

Jets To Sign Josh Johnson

August 4th, 2021 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have signed veteran quarterback Josh Johnson, per his agent (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Johnson could provide depth behind No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, who finally put pen to paper last week. 

[RELATED: Jets Sign Zach Wilson]

Johnson, pictured here in one of his many NFL jerseys, has now signed deals with roughly half of the league. The 35-year-old spent November 2020 — May 2021 with the 49ers but didn’t take a snap during his time there. His last live action came with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL and he hasn’t attempted an NFL pass since 2018, when he started in three games for Washington.

Despite the stop-and-go nature of it all, Johnson always seems to be in demand as a backup arm. Neither of New York’s other QB2 candidates — 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan and former UDFA Mike White — have taken a regular-season snap.

49ers Sign CB B.W. Webb

August 3rd, 2021 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

B.W. Webb is heading to San Francisco. The veteran cornerback is signing with the 49ers, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

[RELATED: 49ers To Work Out Dre Kirkpatrick]

The 2013 fourth-round pick has earned journeyman status after spending time with nine teams in eight years. Webb actually had two of his better NFL seasons in 2018 and 2019, collecting 82 tackles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions in 31 games (25 starts) split between the Giants and Bengals. In total, the 31-year-old has seen time in 80 career games, and he got into a single playoff game with the Steelers in 2014.

Webb signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals last August, but he ended up getting cut less than a week later. The veteran didn’t sign with a club for the rest of the 2020 campaign.

The 49ers could temporarily use some extra bodies at cornerback. Emmanuel Moseley is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Tim Harris Jr. is sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Dontae Johnson is dealing with a foot injury. Webb still has an uphill battle to make San Francisco’s roster, but he’ll get a chance at an extended look over (at least) the next few practices.

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