2022 May - Pro Football Rumors

Month: October 2024

Vikings To Audition WR Dede Westbrook

May 31st, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Dede Westbrook waited until days before training camp to sign in 2021. That made sense, considering the former Heisman Trophy finalist was coming off an ACL tear. The veteran wide receiver has gone deep into this year’s offseason without a deal as well.

The Vikings’ new regime will take a look at one of the previous staff’s additions, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noting (via Twitter) Westbrook is working out with the team Tuesday. The former Jaguars draftee signed with the Vikings last year but operated patiently before doing so. A quick reunion could be in the cards soon.

The Bengals, 49ers and Seahawks showed interest in the Oklahoma product last year. Westbrook met with the Vikings first and scrapped plans for a Seahawks visit, signing a deal with Minnesota. That contract — a one-year, $1.1MM pact — did not end up leading to a prominent role for Westbrook, who worked as a backup and caught 10 passes for 68 yards. He also operated as the team’s primary punt returner. The now-Kevin O’Connell-led Vikes will determine if the 6-foot wideout is a fit.

While Rapoport adds other teams have shown interest, Westbrook’s market is not likely to produce a contract much more lucrative than his previous deal. Given the 28-year-old wideout’s recent history — a two-game 2020 and a 10-catch 2021 — he stands to face a crucial career stretch. He does have a history of decent production, however, combining for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns from 2018-19 — on 66 receptions in each season. Westbrook led the 2018 Jacksonville outfit in receiving. The former seventh-round pick should also be in better form this coming season, being more than a year removed from the severe knee injury.

Westbrook’s most notable contributions came as a Sooners senior, when he broke through on a Baker Mayfield-piloted offense for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns. Mayfield and Westbrook ate into each other’s vote shares that year, finishing behind Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson, respectively, in the Heisman balloting.

Minnesota struggled for years to find a reliable No. 3 wideout. The team, however, received promising work from 2020 draftee K.J. Osborn, who totaled 50 receptions for 655 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Westbrook returning to the Vikings would likely mean being positioned behind Osborn and regulars Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.

Broncos’ Jerry Jeudy Cleared Of Misdemeanor Tampering Charges

May 31st, 2022 at 9:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Arrested on charges of second-degree criminal tampering with a domestic violence enhancer, Jerry Jeudy spent a night in a Denver-area jail earlier this month. Ahead of Jeudy’s hearing Tuesday, the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office dismissed the charges against the Broncos wide receiver, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. A judge has since signed off on the motion to dismiss, closing the case, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown had called the charge a “very low misdemeanor” and said no physical contact was made during the May 12 incident involving the mother of Jeudy’s infant child. Jeudy was arrested on two domestic violence charges not involving physical contact, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The woman involved had asked an Arapahoe County judge to dismiss the case, indicating she contacted authorities to “monitor the situation” and never felt threatened during the argument.

The woman accused the 23-year-old wideout of withholding medical records, her wallet and the baby’s car seat as she attempted to leave a residence, according to a police report. Each item was locked in a vehicle, per Brown. Jeudy accused the woman of taking one of his three phones. Jeudy went into police custody without incident.

Tuesday’s development bodes well for Jeudy not facing an NFL suspension in connection with this charge, though the league does not need a criminal charge to levy a suspension under its personal conduct policy.

Jeudy was a Broncos first-round pick in 2020. The Alabama product led the team in receiving yards as a rookie but missed a chunk of last season due to a high ankle sprain. Jeudy did not score a touchdown in 2021, but he is expected to be a key part of the team’s first Russell Wilson-led offense. The 6-foot-1 wideout becomes eligible for an extension in January. The Broncos already have wideouts Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick tied to long-term deals; Jeudy can be kept through the 2024 season on his rookie contract via the fifth-year option.

Texans, CB Fabian Moreau Agree To Deal

May 31st, 2022 at 8:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Although Derek Stingley Jr. will be the biggest name the Texans deploy at cornerback next season, the rebuilding team will rely on a few experienced veterans at the position. Another agreed to join the the Texans on Tuesday.

Former Washington and Atlanta corner Fabian Moreau agreed to terms with Houston, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He will join Steven Nelson as veteran corners to have committed to the Texans this offseason.

A Washington third-round draftee in 2017, Moreau played out his rookie contract in D.C. and caught on with the Falcons in March of last year. He fetched just a one-year deal worth $1.2MM with Atlanta. Moreau started 16 games with the Falcons, playing opposite blossoming talent A.J. Terrell. The Texans figure to try him opposite Stingley, this year’s No. 3 overall pick, though Nelson stands to have considerable say in whom the team uses as its No. 2 corner.

Moreau, 28, gives the Texans some options; he has played outside and in the slot as a pro. He did not tally any interceptions last season but finished with a career-best 11 passes defensed. Moreau’s yards-per-target figure went down from 2020 to ’21, but the UCLA product’s completion percentage allowed and passer rating while the closest defender marks skyrocketed. The 6-foot defender also allowed eight touchdown receptions as the closest player in coverage, by far a career-high total.

As a result, a tepid market awaited the five-year contributor. Still, Moreau provided durability (career-high 1,037 defensive snaps) with the Falcons — after seeing his defensive snap rate plummet to 15% in Jack Del Rio‘s first DC season in Washington — and had some nice coverage stretches in the years prior.

The Texans continue to stockpile midlevel veterans under Nick Caserio, whose first offseason featured a host of deals with this sort of player. Houston added Nelson in mid-April. Despite the ex-Chiefs and Steelers starter coming off a down season with the Eagles, Nelson also worked as a full-timer last season (982 defensive snaps). The Texans have created a bit of depth at a position in which they also have returning slot defender Desmond King, whom they re-signed this offseason. The team also returns regular Tavierre Thomas, a fifth-year veteran who signed a two-year, $4MM contract in 2021.

Latest On Steelers’ QB Situation

May 30th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

As one of the teams without a surefire Week 1 starter at the quarterback position, the Steelers are, naturally, receiving attention with respect to their competition at that spot. That makes the question of which signal-caller would receive first-team reps an important one as OTAs get underway.

As detailed by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the answer to that question is Mitch Trubisky. That comes as little surprise, given the multi-year deal he signed in free agency, as the team began its multi-pronged search for Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. The former No. 2 pick has the potential to be a starter once again, after attempting just eight passes as Josh Allen‘s backup in Buffalo last year.

The news that Trubisky is in pole position for the No. 1 job, albeit early on in the offseason, comes after a report Breer made earlier this month that first-rounder Kenny Pickett would have the opportunity to become the starter right away. The Heisman finalist was the only QB taken on Day 1, universally seen as the most NFL-ready prospect in a generally underwhelming class. That may make him the favorite to see the most playing time amongst rookies this year, but Pittsburgh’s situation at the position could remain unsettled into the fall.

Meanwhile, Mark Kaboly of the Athletic adds that incumbent Mason Rudolph “feels he has a legitimate chance” of beating out the two arrivals for the starting role. The 2018 third-rounder has 10 starts to his name, although only two of them have come since 2019. He is still most likely destined to remain a backup or No. 3 on the depth chart, but with uncertainties surrounding his other competitors, the door is still open for him to win the job this summer.

Like in Seattle, the identities of the contenders for the top QB spot are known, but the order in which they will appear on the depth chart remains up in the air to a greater extent than arguably anywhere else. Without the addition of Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield looming, of course, the forthcoming competition in the Steel City will be strictly internal, but intriguing nevertheless.

Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters Recovering From Season-Ending Injuries

May 30th, 2022 at 9:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens’ 2021 season was derailed by injuries on both sides of the ball. A large part of the reason for the team’s late-season collapse was the loss of Marlon Humphrey mid-year, after Marcus Peters was injured before the campaign began.

Things are looking up for both of them on the injury front, though, as noted by Coral Smith of NFL.com. Head coach John Harbaugh relayed last week that the former had returned to practice during OTAs. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle towards the end of the season, marking another significant blow to Baltimore’s secondary. The team lost six straight contests to close out the campaign, and ranked last in the league against the pass.

The loss of Humphrey was of course exacerbated by the fact that Peters tore his ACL during practice in the preseason. Harbaugh said, however, that his rehab is “coming along really well”. The return of both Pro Bowlers to the lineup – let alone to the form they have both showed in recent years – would complement the various moves the team has made on the backend of its defense.

Baltimore’s top free agent signing was safety Marcus Williams, who is set to spend plenty of time alongside first-rounder Kyle Hamilton. While the presence of those two has led to teams calling about veteran Chuck Clark, the team has made no indication they intend to move him. As for the CB room, Baltimore added mid-round depth in the draft, and signed veteran Kyle Fuller last week.

That overhaul of the unit is cause for optimism at this point, but the health of Humphrey and Peters remains the most important question to be answered. Given the team’s investment in the pair (the former ranks fourth in the league in average salary amongst corners, while the latter sits 12th), they will play a crucial role in its ability to rebound in 2022. At the moment, at least, they are on track to resume their status as integral pieces to Baltimore’s roster.

Cowboys, TE Dalton Schultz Not Close To Long-Term Deal

May 30th, 2022 at 8:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

The notable extension given from the Browns to David Njoku is likely to have an impact on the tight end market going forward. That makes Dalton Schultz of the Cowboys a name to watch over the coming weeks.

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News details the circumstances surrounding the 25-year-old with respect to a lucrative contract. After two seasons of minimal production, Schultz has become a trusted target for quarterback Dak Prescott, and one of the top young players at the position. In 2021, he continued his career ascension with 78 receptions, 808 yards and eight touchdowns.

Those numbers made him an easy choice to receive the franchise tag in March. If he plays on the one-year deal, he will earn $10.9MM; while that would rank him in the top-10 in the league in terms of yearly compensation, the Cowboys have stated their intention of committing to him long-term. Schultz himself has reciprocated that sentiment, leaving many to believe that the tag will serve as simply a placeholder for a lengthy extension.

However, Watkins notes that there doesn’t seem to be the same level of urgency present on the team’s side regarding a new deal, compared to other notable ones signed by the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence and Prescott in years past. While he adds that “it’s assumed talks will intensify” as the July 15 deadline draws nearer, that news signals that a contract placing Schultz closer to the top of the TE market isn’t around the corner at this point.

“I let my agent handle all that business and right now I’m just focused on OTAs” the former fourth-rounder said last week. There doesn’t appear to be any tension between the two parties on the subject of a second contract, but there is apparently much to be done if they are to finalize one before the deadline.

Latest On Jameis Winston’s Commitment To New Orleans, Knee Injury

May 30th, 2022 at 7:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jameis Winston isn’t one of the many new faces on New Orleans’ offense, but his absence from the team midway through 2021 will make him seem, in a sense, like a new arrival this fall. He spoke recently about his decision to re-sign with the Saints, which was made within the context of a number of other factors, including his season-ending knee injury.

When asked about his commitment to stay in New Orleans (despite his injury and the departure of head coach Sean Payton), the 28-year-old said, via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, “I always had faith in my ability to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league… I’m just an optimistic guy, and I played a season where I felt like I improved on some of the areas that I had a lot of doubt in, and I was confident with that. I wish I could’ve finished with this team, with where things were trending.”

The Saints were 5-2 when Winston went down, hampering the team’s offense and ending a campaign in which he put up a 14:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Having failed to land Deshaun Watson this offseason, though, they quickly re-signed him to a two-year deal. That leaves him as the undisputed starter for the first time in New Orleans, as the team searches for a long-term Drew Brees replacement. He will re-take his place as the No. 1 with a receiving corps now featuring a healthy Michael Thomas, recent signing Jarvis Landry and first-rounder Chris Olave.

Much of Winston’s success will depend, of course, on his recovery from knee surgery. Breer notes that he is still targeting training camp as the point at which he will be “full go”. That is in line with the reporting on the matter when OTAs began last week.

However, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio details, Winston is still moving with a “visible limp” at this point. While it is true that his ramp-up to full motion is in the early stages, and that much can change between now and mid-July, that news should at least be reason for pause with respect to the team’s optimism he will be fully recovered in time for the start of the season. Winston made it public he intends to continue wearing a brace on the injured knee throughout the campaign, but there is apparently a long way for him to go if he is to resume his level of play from 2021.

Latest On Cowboys WR James Washington

May 30th, 2022 at 5:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

James Washington is on-site with his new team, but not conducting any on-field work right now. The wideout is sidelined by a foot injury, per a report in the Dallas Morning News.

As it details, the 26-year-old is wearing a walking boot on his left foot, which will likely keep him off the field for all of this month’s voluntary work. While Washington did “downplay its severity”, the ailment is of course delaying his first formal reps with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense. On the other hand, the Oklahoma State product said that he will be available in time for minicamp in mid-June.

Washington signed in Dallas after hitting free agency for the first time. His time in Pittsburgh was marked by significant optimism at one point, especially following the 2019 campaign. That year, he posted 44 catches for 735 yards and three touchdowns. Having only registered nine starts and made 54 receptions since then, however, it came as no surprise that he departed at the end of his rookie contract.

Washington will have a strictly complimentary role to play in Dallas’ offense, given the presence of fellow wideouts CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, as well as tight end Dalton Schultz. After the team traded away Amari Cooper and saw Cedrick Wilson depart in free agency, though, there figures to be significant snaps available for him. Overall, he is remaining optimistic that he will be able to develop chemistry in time to make his presence felt once the season starts.

“I’m getting mental reps” he said. “We can always develop timing and get on the same page.”

Antonio Brown Not Expecting To Play In ’22

May 30th, 2022 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Antonio Brown has teased retirement before, doing so at multiple points during his hiatus between Patriots and Buccaneers employment. But the former All-Pro’s latest comments move him closer to actually leaving the game.

Asked during a Fan Controlled Football League game if he expected to play in 2022, Brown responded (video link), “Nah, don’t play yourself looking at me to play.” This comes nearly two months after the 12-year veteran’s comment about needing an ankle surgery but wanting a team to sign him first before doing so.

“Obviously, we live the game, but you can’t play forever,” Brown said. “I think I’m a great player that’s done everything in the game.”

Based on Brown’s history, it is too early to deem this a retirement announcement. But the mercurial wide receiver’s age and recent actions make his latest state-of-the-union assessment a more accurate indicator than prior retirement threats. Brown will turn 34 in July and is obviously coming off the most visibly controversial sequence — his Bucs walk-off in New Jersey — to cap a long line of non-performance-related news cycles. No team has been connected to signing the talented pass catcher this offseason.

The past three-plus years have radically changed Brown’s reputation. Since the 1970 merger made earning All-Pro acclaim more difficult, Brown and Jerry Rice are the only wideouts to have strung together four straight All-Pro seasons. (Rice did so twice amid an unparalleled run of 10 All-Pro nods in 11 years; Brown notched his four from 2014-17). In his 2018 Steelers finale, Brown scored a career-high 15 touchdowns. Since, a slew of headlines driven by criminal charges and allegations, leading to the 2020 suspension, and clashes with various coaches and executives — culminating with his shoulder pad-removing scene after a spat with Bruce Arians — have defined Brown.

This stretch did include Brown helping the Bucs to their Super Bowl LV win, but just about everything else post-Pittsburgh has dented the All-Decade wideout’s reputation. While three teams took chances on the former superstar over the past three years, with others either working him out or had their quarterbacks lobby for him, the Bucs conclusion may well be the end of the line.

Aaron Donald Addresses Contract Situation, Retirement Rumors

May 30th, 2022 at 2:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

This era’s premier defensive player has still not definitively said he will play again in 2022, though this situation continues to lean that way. The Rams and Aaron Donald have been discussing a contract adjustment for several weeks, and the future Hall of Famer confirmed the retirement rumors are at least partially contract-related.

Donald, who turned 31 last week, is tied to his 2018 extension, one that briefly represented an defender-record deal (six years, $135MM). But several players have passed the all-world defensive tackle in the years since.

“For me, it’s about winning. I don’t want to play football if I can’t win anyway, so I feel like if I got a real opportunity to win another Super Bowl, then it makes sense to play,” Donald said during an appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast (via Bleacher Report’s Erin Walsh). “But again, it’s still a business, and we got to handle the business side of things, and if that wasn’t to get handled then, you know, [it’s an] it-is-what-it-is type of situation.

“I’ll be fine regardless, but me talking about retirement, that was happening way before we won a Super Bowl. I’ve been saying that since I got into the league I was going to play eight years and be done. That’s just what I’ve been saying. … If I was to play, it’s just to win another Super Bowl, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it got to make sense to me and my family.”

The Rams have been on this for months now. They have hammered out a Matthew Stafford extension and have since turned their attention to two players who still have multiple years of team control remaining. Donald and Cooper Kupp are signed through 2024 and 2023, respectively, but have outplayed their contracts. Donald is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid defender; Kupp is the league’s 18th-highest-paid receiver. It is not known if Kupp will receive a full-blown new deal, but the next Rams-Donald transaction is expected to be an extension — rather than a restructure or a mere one-year salary bump.

Donald’s 2022 cap number marks the highest on his current deal ($26.75MM). The Rams can lower that via an extension. Although teams do not make a habit of redoing the deals of players signed for three more seasons, Donald is now a seven-time All-Pro who will coast to first-ballot Canton enshrinement. The Rams’ chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions would take a major hit without Donald, who has never missed a game due to injury. His only absences (two in 2017) came due to a holdout.

Later during his podcast interview, Donald said this situation will “probably” be resolved, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (on Twitter). It will be interesting what numbers the sides land on, if indeed a new deal comes to pass. T.J. Watt is currently the NFL’s highest-paid player, at $28MM per year. Donald becoming the league’s first $30MM-per-year defender is well within the realm of possibility, given his seven straight All-Pro nods, joining Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year honoree, and the impact the Pittsburgh native made in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win.

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