HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Latest On Steelers’ Front Office

May 25th, 2022 at 9:31am CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday brought about an end to the lengthy search conducted by the Steelers to find their new general manager. With Omar Khan being promoted to the role, other moves are forthcoming as well. 

[RELATED: Khan To Become Next Steelers’ GM]

Veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala tweets that Pittsburgh is set to hire Sheldon White as an addition to their player personnel department, creating an overlap in duties with Andy Weidl. The latter was announced as the Steelers’ new assistant GM just before the Khan news came out.

White began his front office career with the Lions in 1997. The bulk of his tenure with the team was spent in their personnel department, where he worked from 2000 to 2015. The 57-year-old took over as interim GM after Martin Mayhew was fired midseason, but that year was his last in Detroit. He departed not long after the team selected Bob Quinn as its new GM, working in Washington as a scout this past season. White’s son, Colby, has worked in the Steelers’ front office for the past two years.

Kinkhabwala also reports, however, that Brandon Hunt could be on the move soon. The other internal candidate to be given consideration for Pittsburgh’s GM job, Hunt has received interest from both the Bills and Eagles this offseason. Not surprisingly given yesterday’s developments, then, Kinkhabwala states that Hunt “could be in line for a VP spot” in Philadelphia. Such a hire would mark a significant addition for the Eagles, but it would create another notable vacancy in the Steelers’ new-look front office.

Bills S Jordan Poyer Absent From OTAs

May 25th, 2022 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

A number of high-profile players have made headlines in recent days as a result of their absence from OTAs. One such player who may receiver less attention, but who has played an integral role on his team in recent years, is Bills safety Jordan Poyer. 

It was reported last month that the 31-year-old had initiated talks with the team regarding a contract extension. He is still on the books for one more year, due a salary of $5.6MM. His cap number is over $10.7MM, however, as a result of a restructure from last September.

Poyer began his career with the Eagles and Browns, but it is his play in Buffalo for which he is most well-known. Alongside Micah Hyde (who, as noted by Joe Buscaglia of the Athletic, is also absent from the voluntary workouts), he has become one of the league’s top safeties. Poyer had another highly productive campaign in 2021, totalling 93 tackles and three sacks while matching his career high in interceptions with five. He was named First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career as a result.

That is driving his current desire for a new deal which more accurately reflects his standing, statistically, amongst the league’s highest-paid safeties. Buscaglia notes that, to date, both parties “have said all the right things” regarding a potential extension – which the Bills could entertain, in an attempt to lower Poyers’ cap hit – but that he is likely to remain absent until mandatory minicamp in June. As such, Buscaglia, writes, the situation seems poised to “remain in a holding pattern” for at least the immediate future.

Latest On Commanders, Daron Payne

May 24th, 2022 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera said in February the Commanders viewed Terry McLaurin and Daron Payne as extension targets. Neither deal has come to pass. McLaurin has not attended a Washington workout since the draft, and Payne does not appear content to participate fully.

Payne left Washington’s OTA workout midway through the Tuesday session, according to The Athletic’s Ben Standig (subscription required), who adds the exit is due to frustration about his contract. The fifth-year defensive tackle is not believed to be injured, Standig notes. Payne returned to for team meetings after practice, according to the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (via Twitter). The Commanders began their OTAs on Monday.

The four-year Washington starter attended most of the team’s phase two workouts earlier this year, per Jhabvala, but this still qualifies as a situation worth monitoring. Payne, 25 on Friday, is entering his fifth-year option season. He is tied to an $8.5MM salary. Although the Alabama alum is in his prime and has not dealt with a significant injury as a pro, Standig adds the Commanders have let other teams know he could be had in a trade.

Washington has invested considerable draft capital in its defensive line, and although a few players from recent groups are no longer in the equation (Ryan Kerrigan, Matt Ioaniddis, Tim Settle), the team still has four former first-round picks up front. Payne joins defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and D-ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat among that contingent. The Commanders also drafted D-tackle Phidarian Mathis in the second round last month.

Extensions are not yet an issue for Young and Sweat, but the Commanders have Allen tied to a lucrative D-tackle deal. Young will be on the team’s extension radar when the time comes, and Sweat is now eligible for a new deal. The Commanders picked up his fifth-year option earlier this month. Washington extended Allen last summer, just before his fifth-year option season. It is becoming less clear if Payne, whose fifth-year option Washington exercised in May 2021, remains on the team’s extension docket ahead of his contract year. Although Rivera expressed interest in a Payne re-up, Standig notes the team is not expected to make an offer.

Since being the No. 13 overall pick in 2018, Payne has started 58 games for Washington — including 17 last season. Payne graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 overall interior defensive lineman last season and finished the 2021 campaign with career-high numbers in tackles (61) and QB hits (15), going along with his 4.5 sacks.

Falcons Sign Round 3 OLB DeAngelo Malone

May 24th, 2022 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the players who will be tasked with aiding a Falcons pass rush, DeAngelo Malone is under contract. The Falcons signed the third-round pick Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.

Atlanta drafted Malone 82nd overall out of Western Kentucky, where the five-year Hilltoppers contributor shined as a pass rusher. The Falcons collected that No. 82 overall pick by trading Matt Ryan to the Colts in March.

The second of the Falcons’ two third-rounders, chosen eight spots after Desmond Ridder, Malone joined the quarterback in playing a big role for a Group of Five team. Malone dominated at the Conference USA program, registering 20.5 tackles for loss in 2019 and 17.5 last season. Over the past four seasons years, Malone registered 31.5 sacks. He won CUSA’s Defensive Player of the Year award twice — in 2019 and ’21 — and used his COVID-19-enabled year to better his draft stock. It probably worked, and Malone will have an immediate opportunity to contribute for a Falcons team not exactly flooded with proven edge rushers.

After cutting Dante Fowler, the Falcons signed ex-Giants third-rounder and Georgia alum Lorenzo Carter and drafted Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie in Round 2. These two and Malone comprise the top group that will attempt to assist recently extended defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in Atlanta’s pass-rushing efforts.

Steelers Expected To Promote Omar Khan To General Manager

May 24th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a thorough search, the Steelers look to have a general manager. The lengthy process that included more than a dozen executives from around the league is expected to include with an in-house staffer, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting (via Twitter) Omar Khan will be the next Steelers GM.

Khan, who was on the cusp of being the Texans’ GM last year, was one of the first names mentioned when Kevin Colbert announced he would step down after the draft. One of the six execs to receive second interviews for this position, Khan is set to rise to the top of Pittsburgh’s front office.

Shortly after the news of Andy Weidl becoming the Steelers’ assistant GM emerged, veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala pointed to a Khan hire. The Steelers will team two of their GM finalists together to head up their post-Colbert front office. While this represents a major change for the Steelers, given Colbert’s 21-plus-year tenure with the franchise, they are going with continuity.

Khan, who worked as the team’s vice president of football and business administration for the past six-plus years, has been with the franchise since 2001. Khan and Weidl’s Steelers tenures did not overlap, with Weidl wrapping his late-1990s internship before Khan’s arrival. But teaming a Pittsburgh native with a 21-year staffer goes heavy in the familiarity direction.

The 45-year-old exec was on board for the Steelers’ three Super Bowl trips from 2005-10 and has played an integral role in managing the team’s salary cap. He worked in his previous position since 2016. The longtime Steelers exec generated interest from other teams in recent offseasons, but he will end up leading the franchise he knows best.

Houston was believed to be negotiating a deal to name Khan as its GM last year, but the franchise backtracked late in the process and hired longtime target Nick Caserio. Khan also interviewed for the Panthers’ GM post in 2021, meeting with Carolina brass twice for the role. That job ended up going to ex-Seahawks exec Scott Fitterer. This year, Khan met with the Bears about their GM vacancy; they hired former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles.

Colbert presided over the team’s Ben Roethlisberger era, the second-most successful period in franchise history. After becoming one of Colbert’s top lieutenants, Khan will be paired with 16th-year HC Mike Tomlin in attempting to keep the team on the contender tier. The Steelers operated intently at quarterback in the draft, selecting their preferred passer (Pitt’s Kenny Pickett) 20th overall — two rounds before the rest of this year’s top QB prospects came off the board. Pickett and free agency addition Mitchell Trubisky will vie to be the team’s Week 1 starter, but the Khan era will be tied to Pickett in its early years.

Steelers To Hire Eagles’ Andy Weidl As Assistant GM

May 24th, 2022 at 8:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the many executives to interview for the Steelers’ general manager post, Andy Weidl will trek to Pittsburgh for a different position. The Steelers are naming the Eagles exec their new assistant GM, according to veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala (on Twitter).

Weidl, a Pittsburgh native who was one of six execs to receive second interviews with the Steelers, will come across Pennsylvania after an offseason of Eagles front office turnover. The Eagles fired Andy Weidl’s brother, Casey, from his scouting director position amid their run of changes under Howie Roseman.

[RELATED: Steelers Conclude GM Interviews]

The Steelers have not named Kevin Colbert‘s successor yet, but Kinkhabwala offers their Andy Weidl hire points to an Omar Khan promotion. The longtime Steelers exec joined Brandon Hunt as the lone in-house staffers to receive second interviews for the GM position. Andy Weidl first interviewed for the Steelers’ GM gig in February and met with the team again this month.

Weidl spent six-plus years with the Eagles but has more than two decades of NFL scouting experience. He ended his Philadelphia tenure as the team’s vice president of player personnel. This will mark another position Roseman must replace; that list has steadily expanded throughout the offseason.

In addition to hailing from Pittsburgh, Weidl has Steelers experience — albeit more than 20 years ago. He interned with the Steelers in the late 1990s during Tom Donahoe‘s atop the front office. Weidl then began his full-time career working with the Saints and Ravens, jumping to the Eagles in 2016. Weidl and Donahoe reunited with the Eagles, but Donahoe and the team parted ways shortly after the draft. Donahoe was one of many high-ranking Eagles execs to leave Philly this offseason, joining Ian Cunningham, Catherine Raiche and Brandon Brown. All three young execs are now assistant GMs elsewhere.

NFL Expands Rooney Rule To Quarterbacks Coach Positions

May 24th, 2022 at 7:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s Rooney Rule will is expanding to the position coach ranks. The league passed a resolution Tuesday to incorporate the quarterbacks coach position into the Rooney Rule requirements, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Teams with vacancies at this position will now be required to interview a minority candidate. This continues a stream of enhancements to the Rooney Rule, which now mandates at least two minority or female candidates be interviewed for general manager and coordinator positions.

The quarterback coach role represents the top feeder spot to offensive coordinator gigs, and a notable disparity between white and minority coaches persists at that position. Only three teams — the Falcons (Charles London), Eagles (Brian Johnson) and Saints (Ronald Curry) — employ a minority quarterbacks coach.

Not every team has a staffer in this role, but most do. The Colts and Texans had minority coaches in these roles recently and promoted both (Marcus Brady and Pep Hamilton, respectively) to offensive coordinator over the past year and change. Brady and Hamilton are two of the league’s four minority OCs entering the ’22 season.

Most of the current head coaches with offensive backgrounds became coordinators after stays as QBs coaches — from Andy Reid to Kyle Shanahan to Matt LaFleur to Zac Taylor. This specific Rooney Rule expansion stands to grant more minority assistants audiences with teams during the annual winter hiring periods.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/22

May 24th, 2022 at 6:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: C Alex Mollette

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Latest On Commanders, Terry McLaurin

May 24th, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Terry McLaurin was expected to skip the on-field portions of Washington’s offseason workouts, as he angles for an extension, the fourth-year standout was planning to be at the team facility for leadership purposes. That stopped weeks ago.

McLaurin began the team’s offseason program April 18 by participating in all team activities other than on-field work, but the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala notes the veteran wide receiver did not show up for the Commanders’ first OTA Monday and has not been with the team since the draft (Twitter links).

It should be expected McLaurin will not be on the field for any of Washington’s voluntary OTAs, absent an extension. Next month’s mandatory minicamp will be the next chapter here. McLaurin, 26, has not received a Pro Bowl invite but has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. The Ohio State alum has been the centerpiece of Washington’s aerial attack since arriving as a 2019 third-round pick. This combination, coupled with other developments at the receiver position this offseason, makes for particularly interesting negotiations.

Declining to expand much on this situation, Ron Rivera said (via Jhabvala, on Twitter) the team continues to communicate with McLaurin and believes this situation will be resolved. Rivera said in February extensions for McLaurin and Daron Payne were on the docket, and a recent report indicated Washington spent cautiously in free agency because of its McLaurin extension plan. Of course, this offseason has brought an earthquake for the receiver market — one that has shaken up a few teams’ depth charts.

The Packers are believed to have made a comparable offer for Davante Adams, who chose to reunite with Derek Carr over staying in Green Bay. But Adams’ $28MM-per-year contract led to the Chiefs and Titans determining Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown‘s post-Adams-deal asking prices were too high. Hill is now with the Dolphins on a receiver-record $30MM-per-year deal, while Brown is an Eagle on a $25MM-AAV contract. Brown’s pact, which is certainly relevant to McLaurin’s negotiations due to each being a 2019 Day 2 draftee, actually tops Hill’s for fully guaranteed money ($56.4MM) by a decent margin. That raises the stakes for the Commanders, Seahawks and 49ers, who each employ wideouts in the contract-year boat in which Brown previously resided.

Washington used a first-round pick on Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson, giving the team a well-regarded wideout prospect that can be under rookie-contract control through 2026. Although the Titans essentially replaced Brown with first-rounder Treylon Burks, the Commanders’ issues finding a McLaurin complementary wideout should point to the team going with a McLaurin-Dotson foundation for the foreseeable future. But the team will need to determine if McLaurin’s demands are worth it.

Shanahan: ‘Not A Guarantee’ 49ers Trade Jimmy Garoppolo

May 24th, 2022 at 4:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Baker Mayfield‘s saga has generated considerable buzz, dwarfing Jimmy Garoppolo‘s time on the trade block for publicity. But the longtime 49ers starter is in the same boat, albeit with an unproven quarterback expected to replace him.

After entering the offseason with the plan of trading Garoppolo, the 49ers remain hopeful they can do so. But that is no longer a lock. After John Lynch alluded to the possibility Garoppolo plays out his contract with the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan did the same Tuesday.

“I expect at sometime he’ll be traded, but it’s not a guarantee,” Shanahan said, via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman (on Twitter). “It went on hold when [surgery] happened.”

The 30-year-old quarterback underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder this offseason, putting him in a similar unavailability boat as Mayfield, who had surgery on his nonthrowing shoulder. Mayfield is expected to be ready by training camp. Garoppolo is expected to be ready for Week 1, but the surgery — which did not occur until March — changed the 49ers’ game plan here. They had entered trade talks previously, but Garoppolo’s operation scuttled those. San Francisco’s asking price — once believed to be a Day 2 pick — has almost certainly plummeted, with quarterback-needy teams moving to other options.

Lynch has said he believes Trey Lance is ready to take over, though CEO Jed York has also offered that the 49ers’ two quarterbacks can coexist for a second season. It would still surprise if Garoppolo was back on the 49ers next season. His $26.95MM cap number is holding up team business, which includes extensions for Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel. Frequent scrutiny and injuries aside, Garoppolo has quarterbacked the 49ers to two NFC championship games. He could represent the best option to keep San Francisco a contender, depending on Lance’s Year 2 readiness.

That said, Lance coming from a Division I-FCS program that did not have a season in 2020 — due to the pandemic — and having one year of college starter experience opens the door for a longer NFL onramp. The North Dakota State prospect did not seriously threaten Garoppolo’s QB1 status as a rookie and could find himself in a position battle again come camp, if Garoppolo is indeed still a 49er.

Garoppolo’s camp would likely not be thrilled by the veteran being a very expensive Lance insurance policy, especially considering other teams could still upgrade via the ninth-year veteran. But the 49ers, like the Browns, appear to be threatening to take push complex QB situation into training camp — potentially in hopes of an injury or underperformance entices a team to make a viable trade offer.

The Panthers and Seahawks have been more closely connected to Mayfield, with Carolina entering trade talks for the disgruntled Cleveland QB during the draft. But a Garoppolo-to-Carolina scenario should not be ruled out. It is more difficult to see the 49ers trading Garoppolo to a division rival, though precedents exist — most notably in 2010’s Donovan McNabb Philadelphia-to-Washington swap. The Texans emerged on the radar here just before the draft, which featured no Houston QB picks. Nick Caserio was in New England throughout Garoppolo’s time there, but acquiring the contract-year QB now would impede Davis Mills‘ development.

Load More Posts