HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Panthers Host DL Danny Shelton

July 25th, 2022 at 1:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

Veteran free agent Danny Shelton may be on the move soon. The defensive lineman is visiting the Panthers today (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). 

Shelton was the 12th overall pick of the Browns in 2015, and immediately took on a starting role as a rookie. Over three seasons, he totaled 128 tackles, but only 1.5 sacks. Given his inability to develop into the pass-rushing presence he was drafted to become, he was traded to the Patriots in 2018.

His New England tenure lasted two seasons, including a carer year in 2019. Shelton posted 61 total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble, but the Washington alum still found himself on the move at the end of the year. He signed with the Lions in 2020, then the Giants last offseason.

In New York, the 28-year-old made 13 appearances, but didn’t register any starts. He logged a career-low snap percentage of 29%, and registered a poor PFF rating for the second straight season. It comes as little surprise, then, that he is still on the open market with training camp just around the corner.

In Carolina, Shelton would be joining a young defensive front featuring the likes of Derrick Brown, Matt Ioannidis and Daviyon Nixon at the top of the depth chart. Reclaiming a starting role would be highly unlikely at this point in his career, but Shelton could carve out a rotational role for himself as at least an experienced run-stopper.

Bears To Sign OL Michael Schofield

July 25th, 2022 at 11:24am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears have brought in an experienced offensive lineman ahead of training camp opening up. ESPN’s FIeld Yates reports (via Twitter) that Chicago is signing Michael Schofield. The move comes one day after he worked out with the team. 

The 31-year-old was a third-round pick of the Broncos in 2014. He was a full-time starter at right tackle, then right guard, in 2015 and 2016 (in which he earned a career-high PFF grade of 72). Despite playing a notable role on the Broncos’ Super-Bowl winning team, he was waived just ahead of the 2017 campaign.

That began his first Chargers tenure, which lasted three seasons. After making 15 appearances at tackle in 2017, he was once again a full-time starter along the interior for the next two years. He remained a consistent, if unspectacular, presence throughout that time, leading him to a one-year deal with the Panthers in 2020. He spent the summer of 2021 in Baltimore, but was cut at the end of August.

As a free agent, he headed back to the Chargers last season, with whom he made 15 appearances (including 12 starts). As a member of the team’s much-improved offensive front featuring Rashawn Slater and Corey Linsley, Schofield posted a pass-blocking grade of 75.2. Los Angeles continued their investment in protecting Justin Herbert by using their first-round pick on Zion Johnson.

In Chicago, Schofield will join a unit which lost James Daniels in free agency. The Bears attempted to land Bills guard Ryan Bates by signing him to an offer sheet, but Buffalo matched the contract. Schofield will provide a veteran presence to an offensive front very much in need of improving, as Justin Fields looks to take a step forward in his second season.

Panthers Sign Rookie QB Matt Corral, Finalize Draft Class

July 25th, 2022 at 10:34am CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers are the latest team to come to terms with one of the few remaining unsigned rookies around the league. Carolina has signed third-round quarterback Matt Corral, per a team announcement. 

Corral took over as the starter at Ole Miss in 2019, but it was during the two subsequent seasons that he boosted his draft stock considerably. During those campaigns, he threw for a combined 6,670 yards with a completion percentage of 69.5% and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 49:18. Showcasing his rushing ability, he added 1,103 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Those totals helped the Rebels to a 10-3 season, and led to Corral finishing seventh in Heisman voting in 2021. Concerns about his frame (six-foot-one, 205 pounds) and ability to adapt to a more complex NFL scheme led to him being viewed as a Day 2 pick, as several other members of this year’s underwhelming QB class were. After Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis taken in the third round, the Panthers traded up to select Corral.

Since then, the Panthers have, of course, added Baker Mayfield to their QB room. The team intends to keep both he and Sam Darnold on the roster, so 2022 will be seen as a redshirt season for Corral. If he develops over time, he could provide the team with at least a long-term backup at a position which has been in flux for several years.

With Corral signed, here is the final breakdown of the Panthers’ 2022 class:

Round 1: No. 6 Ikem Ekwonu, OL (NC State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs through Patriots) Matt Corral, QB (Ole Miss)
Round 4: No. 120 (from Commanders through Saints) Brandon Smith, LB (Penn State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 189 (from Commanders) Amare Barno, Edge (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 6: No. 199 (from Raiders) Cade Mays, OG (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 7: No. 242 (from Patriots through Dolphins) Kalon Barnes, CB (Baylor) (signed)

Ravens Restructure CB Marlon Humphrey’s Contract

July 25th, 2022 at 9:44am CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens entered today with the least cap space in the league, so a move to generate some financial wiggle room was likely necessary at some point. To that end, the team has re-worked cornerback Marlon Humphrey‘s deal, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 

The Ravens are converting $8.965MM – almost the entirety of Humphrey’s scheduled $10MM base salary – into a signing bonus. As a result of the move, Baltimore will add just over $7MM in cap space. Those funds will give the team some much-needed flexibility to make additions during or after training camp.

Humphrey is no stranger to restructures; the two-time Pro Bowler re-worked his deal last September. He represents a logical candidate for the process, as he is under contract through 2026 owing to the five-year, $98.75MM extension he signed in 2020. Even after some record-breaking deals signed this offseason, that pact still ranks among the most lucrative at the position.

The 26-year-old was limited to 12 games last season due to a torn pectoral muscle. The injury was one of many the Ravens had to deal with in the secondary, so a return to full health will be a welcomed sight in camp. He totalled 13 pass breakups and one interception last season, registering his worst performance to date in most coverage statistics. A bounceback is expected in 2022, when fellow All-Pro Marcus Peters is scheduled to return after being sidelined for all of 2021.

After the restructure, the Ravens still rank towards the bottom of the league in remaining cap space. Nevertheless, they now have the potential to make a modest addition or two in the near future.

Bills Sign OL Jordan Simmons

July 25th, 2022 at 8:41am CST by Adam La Rose

Jordan Simmons is on the move in free agency once again. The veteran lineman is signing a one-year deal with the Bills, per a team announcement. 

Simmons, 28, began his career with the Raiders, signing with them as a UDFA in 2017. It was with the Seahawks the following year that he made his debut, however, starting three of the six games he appeared in. The USC product missed all of 2019 due to injury, but Seattle kept him in the fold for the 2020 season, in which he played in 14 contests (six starts).

Last season, the six-foot-four, 339-pounder returned to the Raiders, eyeing a 53-man roster spot while on the Seahawks’ practice squad. He ended playing just 40 total snaps across five games, though, so it comes as little surprise that Vegas has moved on from him. Simmons’ career-best PFF grade is 58.7, which he set in 2018.

In Buffalo, he will provide insurance along the interior of the line, something the Bills now need after projected starting left guard Rodger Saffold was placed on the NFI list as a result of injuries suffered in a car crash. The team worked out Jamil Demby yesterday (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network), but is now turning its attention to Simmons. It is unclear at this point how long Saffold will be sidelined for, so at this point Simmons simply represents a depth addition for training camp.

Chiefs Frustrated With LT Orlando Brown Jr.

July 24th, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. were unable to agree to an extension prior to the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year deals. That development has reportedly led to Kansas City becoming frustrated with its 2021 trade acquisition.

“There was frustration and there was disappointment,” Jeffri Chadiha of the NFL Network recently said (via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star). “They really like Orlando Brown Jr., they love having him be a part of this team, but the money he was asking for was too high for them. They feel like they don’t want to not have stability at left tackle here, but they also don’t want to pay top-of-the-market money for a player that they don’t think is the best player at his position in the NFL.”

Of course, the frustration is probably mutual. While the Chiefs proposed a six-year, $139MM contract, that featured a bloated $40MM salary in the sixth and final year of the deal that was never intended to be paid and was only included to give Brown a market-topping average annual value of over $23MM. The AAV over the first five years was around $18MM, which would have stood eighth among tackles.

On the other hand, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the Chiefs’ offer did include $38MM in full guarantees and another $14.25MM in injury guarantees (which would have converted to a full guarantee in 2024). That $38MM mark is critical because it represents more than what Brown would earn under two consecutive franchise tags — $16.7MM in 2022 and $19.9MM in 2023 — and that is often a key to working out an extension for tagged players.

Brown, though, was pushing for a $40MM signing bonus and full guarantees beyond that, along with a “true” AAV of $25MM. It is easy to see why the Chiefs did not want to go there for a very good player who can dominate lesser defenders but who can look more pedestrian against quality competition. Though he excels at run-blocking thanks largely to his mauling style of play, his pass-block win rate in 2021 — his first full year on the blindside — was outside the top-40 at his position. That is especially concerning since, in the Chiefs’ high-flying offense, he is generally not asked to sustain blocks for very long.

There is certainly a chance that Brown, 26, will continue to improve, and even if he is hit with the franchise tag again in 2023, he will have the chance to finally hit the open market the following year, when he is just 28 years old. At that time, the salary cap is expected to be considerably higher than it is now, so as long as he can avoid a major injury and at least sustain his current level of performance, Brown’s patience could be rewarded in a big way.

For now, it is unclear if he will report to training camp, which opens later this week. Head coach Andy Reid, during a press conference on Friday, said, “I don’t know that. So I don’t know whether he’s going to be here or not. If he’s here, great. And if he’s not, we move on. That’s how we’ve done it in the past. This isn’t the first time I’ve been through something like this” (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).

Brown will almost certainly sign his tender at some point, though Chadiha did indicate that the three-time Pro Bowler may be willing to extend his holdout into Week 1.

Per Chadiha, “one front office person said, ‘[t]his isn’t the same guy that we traded for.’ The feeling there is that when they got him from Baltimore is that he was going to be a team player and work with them on a team-friendly type of deal. That was not the case. Right now we’re looking at a situation where Orlando Brown probably won’t be there for training camp and may not be there for Week 1.”

Special Teams Position Battles In Cincinnati

July 24th, 2022 at 9:55pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals’ special teams room has looked mostly the same for 14 years. Bengals coach Darrin Simmons has held the role of special teams coordinator since 2003, adding “assistant head coach” to his title for his 19th and 20th seasons in Cincinnati. It appears, though, that changes could be in the making as Simmons adjudicates position battles including the team’s longest-tenured players, according to Jay Morrison of The Athletic. Both punter Kevin Huber and long snapper Clark Harris will face position battles in camp for the first times in their long careers. 

Huber is entering his 14th year in the league. All 14 have come with the Bengals, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of the University of Cincinnati. Huber is 20 punts short of 1,000 and one game shy of setting a franchise record for games played as a Bengal. Despite his extreme familiarity with the franchise, Huber is facing a position battle that should have occurred last year.

Drue Chrisman signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals after six years at Ohio State in 2021. The Cincinnati-native from La Salle High School chose to stay close to home for his first NFL signing. The strong-legged challenger was set to compete with the long-time veteran Huber before a broken hand shut Chrisman down. He was waived before the regular season and signed to the team’s practice squad. The Bengals released him in mid-October and the Steelers scooped him up two months later, just to release him after only two days. Cincinnati quickly re-signed him to the practice squad until releasing him in mid-January. Chrisman signed a reserve/future contract with Cincinnati a week before they would appear in the Super Bowl.

Now, Chrisman is back, hand intact, to challenge Huber for his job. According to Morrison, while Chrisman’s leg strength is a plus and the battle will surely judge punting factors such as hang time and directional accuracy, Chrisman’s true test to win the job will be his ability to handle the duties of holder, a role commonly assigned to punters and backup quarterbacks. If Chrisman can show a reliability holding for rookie sensation Evan McPherson on field goals and extra points, the Bengals may have no choice but to go with youth and award Chrisman to job.

One may think that Huber’s 14 years of holding snaps from Harris gives him an unfair advantage over Chrisman. That may be true, but Chrisman may not be at too much of a disadvantage as Harris, too, will face competition in training camp for his job.

Harris is headed into his 16th year in the NFL and his 14th with the Bengals. Harris served double-duty in college as a tight end and long snapper at Rutgers. As a redshirt sophomore, Harris led the Big East in catches, yards, and touchdowns for a tight end. He received first-team All-Big East honors for three straight years. Harris was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Green Bay. He spent time on the practice squads for the Packers, Lions, and Texans in his first three seasons, finally making his NFL debut as a long snapper in Houston when starter Bryan Pittman was suspended for four games. After being released from another practice squad, Harris was signed midseason by Cincinnati to be their long snapper.

Harris has been extremely reliable for the Bengals. Since signing with the team in 2009, Harris has missed only three games and has never had an unplayable snap. Unfortunately, Harris got on the bad side of his long-time position coach during the team’s Super Bowl LVI loss. While McPherson gained further notoriety around the country for skipping locker room adjustments to watch the Super Bowl halftime show, Harris’ participation (and influence) in those antics drew the frustration of Simmons, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. Simmons found himself needing to make “a few critical adjustments” that required shifting personnel in a few packages, but the constant of every package was on the field with the rookie kicker watching the show. When asked if the situation was all water under the bridge, Simmons replied, “It’s not under the bridge. I’m still floating on the float. It is what it is.”

Whether a result of the halftime stunt or just a reaction to Harris’ growing years, the Bengals brought in University of Pittsburgh first-team All-American long snapper Cal Adomitis as an undrafted free agent this offseason. Adomitis also won the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the best long snapper in the country, in his fifth and final year with the Panthers.

Harris has reportedly responded well to the newcomer, reporting for offseason activities in the best shape he’s been in during recent years and “(working) his tail off” to prepare to fight for his job.

Both Huber and Harris have the talent, experience, and familiarity to win the starting jobs. But Chrisman and Adomitis have plenty of talent and the youth to back it up for potentially 14 years to come. As Huber and Harris head into contract years, will the Bengals stick with experience or ride the youth movement along with their second-year kicker?

Rams Make Adjustments To Original PUP Assignments

July 24th, 2022 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

JULY 24: After originally announcing some PUP moves on their website Friday night, the Rams have made a couple of adjustments to the list before it becomes final on Tuesday.

Head coach Sean McVay informed reporters that the team “decided to pivot and not place (cornerback) Jalen Ramsey on the PUP list,” according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. McVay conveyed that the team doctors had been able to clear Ramsey to participate in “above the neck” drills in camp. Ramsey would not have been allowed to work in such drills if he were placed on PUP.

Linebacker Travin Howard is also not going to be placed on the PUP list, but, unfortunately, will still be placed on the team’s non-football injury list, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports. The change in placement is due to the disclosure of information that Howard’s injury occurred in workouts leading up to camp. Howard will see a core muscle specialist in Philadelphia this week for surgery with hopes of being ready by the start of the regular season.

Lastly, the Rams added one more player to the PUP list in addition to Lake and Williams (who were originally reported below). Wide receiver Warren Jackson will join the two as physically unable to perform, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

JULY 23: The Rams have placed four players on the physically unable to perform list. According to the team’s website, defensive back Jalen Ramsey, linebacker Travin Howard, safety Quentin Lake, and running back Kyren Williams were all placed on PUP.

Ramsey played all of last season with tears in both shoulders, leading to an offseason operation. It’s only been a month since the defensive back decided to go under the knife, so he was always expected to be limited for the early parts of training camp. As head coach Sean McVay told reporters, the team is mostly focused on having Ramsey on the field for the start of the regular season.

“The thing with Jalen is, you want to see what the timetable is, because there are some parameters where you lose the ability to do certain things you might want to, but that’s definitely going to be a topic [Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance Reggie Scott and I] will discuss this afternoon,” McVay said (via the team’s website). “But he’s doing good. He’s been attacking the rehab the right way. He’s feeling good. When we did do that surgery on him, obviously most importantly was how he felt about it, but then with the goal in mind of, alright, attack the rehab the right way, and most importantly, be ready for Sept. 8, ready to go. So we’ll be smart about that progress for him.”

Ramsey had another incredible season in 2021, culminating in him earning a Super Bowl ring. He finished the regular season with 77 tackles, 16 passes defended, and four interceptions in 16 games, with Pro Football Focus grading him as the top CB in the NFL. The performance also earned him his fifth Pro Bowl nod and third first-team All-Pro recognition. Ramsey started each of the Rams four playoff contests, collecting another 13 tackles.

Howard, who has mostly played a special teams role since joining the Rams, pulled his groin was training on his own. Williams, a rookie fifth-round pick, is still recovering from a broken foot suffered during offseason programs, but he’s expected to return to the field before the end of training camp. It’s uncertain what injury Lake is dealing with. The UCLA product was a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/22

July 24th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Sloter just took a visit with the Jaguars on Saturday, and he did enough to land a contract. He has been a member of a number of NFL practice squads since signing with the Broncos as a UDFA in 2017, but he has yet to appear in a regular season NFL game. In nine starts for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers in 2022, he was not especially impressive, completing 57.7% of his passes for 1,798 yards while throwing only nine touchdowns against 11 interceptions. With three other QBs on the Jacksonville roster, Sloter appears to be simply replacing Perry as a camp body at this point.

Vikings Sign Second-Round Picks, Wrap Up 2022 Draft Class

July 24th, 2022 at 6:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Minnesota concluded contract discussions with its 2022 rookie draft class today after signing second-round picks Ed Ingram, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Andrew Booth (Twitter). With today’s two deals, the Vikings have completed the signing of their entire 10-man draft class.

Ingram was an immediate impact player at LSU, starting all but the first game of his freshman season. He sat out his entire sophomore year, taking a redshirt during a season that saw him suspended for events that occurred three years prior. His time away from the team allowed for another player, Damien Lewis, to slide into the starting role, and Ingram only had two starts in his redshirt sophomore season, seeing most of his action when Lewis was out with injury. Ingram returned to action as a full-time starter for his last two seasons in Baton Rouge and performed well enough in 2021 to warrant a second-round selection that would keep him in shades of purple and yellow.

Despite being the third overall pick for the Vikings this year, the team likely won’t rely on Ingram to start as a rookie. Minnesota will return starters Ezra Cleveland, Oli Udoh, and Garrett Bradbury on the interior. The team also brought in former Dolphins tackle Jesse Davis with the intention for him to play inside. While Ingram will be a game ready backup behind Cleveland, Udoh, and Davis, he may have opportunities to earn a starting position as neither Udoh nor Davis graded out very highly per Pro Football Focus. If Ingram shows he can provide an upgrade, look for him to earn early playing time between Bradbury and tackle Brian O’Neill.

Booth came into Clemson as a five-star cornerback out of Georgia. Joining a talented Tigers roster, Booth didn’t play much as a freshman but earned significant starting time as a sophomore including four starts. He became a full-time starter for Clemson in his junior year, his final with the team. Over 35 total games played and 15 starts, Booth recorded 5 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.

Like Ingram, Booth will not be pressured to start full-time as a rookie. Also like Ingram, Booth should have several opportunities to get on the field in his first year of NFL play. Booth sits behind starters Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler on the outside. He’ll compete with Harrison Hand for the first chance to take snaps at nickel and will be in the mix frequently for a position that rotates often.

Here’s the rundown of all 10 players set to join the Vikings at training camp tomorrow:

Round 1: No. 32 (from Rams through Lions) Lewis Cine, S (Georgia) (signed)
Round 2: No. 42 (from Commanders through Colts) Andrew Booth, CB (Clemson) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Packers) Ed Ingram, G (LSU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 66 (from Lions) Brian Asamoah, LB (Oklahoma) (signed)
Round 4: No. 118 (from Browns) Akayleb Evans, CB (Missouri) (signed)
Round 5: No. 165 (from Raiders): Esezi Otomewo, DE (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 6: No. 169 (from Titans through Raiders): Ty Chandler, RB (North Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 184 (from Jets): Vederian Lowe, OT (Illinois) (signed)
Round 6: No. 191 (from Ravens through Chiefs) Jalen Nailor, WR (Michigan State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 227 (from Raiders through Panthers) Nick Muse, TE (South Carolina) (signed)

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