HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Panthers Work Out Five Kickers

August 29th, 2022 at 5:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Zane Gonzalez was injured on the sideline during Friday’s preseason contest, and the Panthers are now eyeing some reinforcement at kicker. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the Panthers worked out kickers Taylor Bertolet, Brian Johnson, Chase McLaughlin, Eddy Pineiro, and Matthew Wright.

After seeing time in 15 games across two seasons with five different teams, McLaughlin got a chance to be the Browns’ full-time kicker in 2021. He converted 15 of his 21 field goal attempts and 36 of his 37 extra point attempts. With Cleveland selecting Cade York in the fourth round of the draft, McLaughlin was ultimately cut back in May.

Wright got into 14 games for the Jaguars last year, connecting on 21 of his 24 field goal attempts and 13 of his 15 XP tries. After converting 82.1 percent of his FG attempts in 16 games with the Bears in 2021, Pineiro saw time in five games with the Jets last year. He made all eight of his field goal attempts and nine of his 10 extra point attempts.

Johnson appeared in seven games between New Orleans and Washington last year, connecting on all 10 of his field goal attempts (but only nine of his 13 extra point tries). Bertolet, an undrafted free agent back in 2016, has spent time with five NFL teams but hasn’t seen time in a regular season game.

Gonzalez injury himself on Friday night while warming up on the sideline. It was later revealed that he suffered a significant groin injury, with Ellis Williams of the Charlotte Observer writing that it could be a season-ending injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/22

August 29th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have until 3pm Tuesday to slash their rosters from 80 to 53 players. Here are the Monday moves teams are making en route to doing so. The list will be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo Agree To Restructure; QB To Stay In San Francisco

August 29th, 2022 at 4:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

In an 11th-hour twist, the 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo are planning to continue their partnership. The parties agreed to a restructured contract that is expected to keep the two-time NFC championship game starter in San Francisco, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This one-year deal includes a no-trade clause and a no-franchise tag clause, Schefter adds. Garoppolo will remain a 2023 free agent-to-be. This adjusted deal will be worth $6.5MM in fully guaranteed base salary, per Schefter, who adds playing-time bonuses could add another $9MM to the accord (Twitter link). The 49ers, who had given Garoppolo’s camp permission to negotiate his contract with other teams months ago, had been working with the veteran passer since last week on this pay cut, Schefter tweets.

Monday’s compromise will both provide the 49ers with Trey Lance insurance and ensure Garoppolo collects a decent 2022 sum. While this is nowhere close to the $24.2MM base salary his 2018 extension was set to pay him, keeping that number on the books was never in the cards for the 49ers. A Garoppolo release may well have led to a payment shy of this $6.5MM salary as well. This new contract also includes $500K in roster bonuses. In total, Garoppolo’s 2022 compensation package maxes out at $15.45MM, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The path toward cashing in all those incentives is likely tied to Lance.

For the 49ers’ payroll, Garoppolo will now come in well below the $26.95MM cap figure to which he was previously tethered. The ninth-year quarterback is now expected to count around $8.5MM on San Francisco’s cap sheet, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This is an interesting solution for the 49ers, who have moved up beyond $20MM in cap space after entering Monday ranking 32nd in available funds.

Garoppolo’s base salary would have become guaranteed just before the 49ers’ Week 1 game. The 49ers were never going to allow that guarantee to vest, but they had tried to trade their four-plus-year starter throughout the offseason. Garoppolo was most closely linked to the Seahawks (in the event of a 49ers release) and Browns as a Deshaun Watson stopgap. Cleveland is sticking with Jacoby Brissett, while Seattle’s Geno Smith path is for real now. It is possible those teams could circle back to Garoppolo before the trade deadline, but he would now have to approve any trade. Garoppolo had a no-trade clause last year, but his contract did not previously include one for 2022.

The fifth-year 49ers passer underwent shoulder surgery in March, sidetracking his trade market, but is believed to have recovered. Garoppolo, 30, has been throwing for weeks now. He can now resume practicing with his teammates. How this affects Lance, whom the 49ers have repeatedly endorsed as their 2022 starter, will be fascinating. Lance’s QB1 predecessor had interest in being released, per Chris Mortensen, but circled back to San Francisco due to this being his best chance for success (Twitter link).

Although the 49ers traded two future first-round picks to move up for the North Dakota State prospect last year, Lance has thrown fewer than 400 passes in games since his senior year of high school. After dominating for the Division I-FCS superpower as a redshirt freshman in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the 2020 FCS season. Lance played in the Bison’s one 2020 game and declared for the 2021 draft. Garoppolo suffered a calf injury during the first half of last season, bringing in Lance for a spot start, but Kyle Shanahan reinstalled his veteran starter. Lance did not threaten Garoppolo’s status the rest of the way, and the 49ers rallied to their second NFC title game in three seasons. Lance spent his rookie year battling a finger injury, but he has recovered and made strides during his second pro offseason.

While Garoppolo has been frequently maligned during his Bay Area tenure, he is well-liked by his teammates and has posted top-15 QBR figures in his past two healthy seasons (2019, 2021). Last season was not exactly a healthy Garoppolo season; the former Patriots backup ran into a thumb issue late in the season but played through it. Lance was acquired to be an upgrade, however, and likely will remain the team’s preferred 2022 option. But instead of Garoppolo trying his hand with the Seahawks or Browns, he will remain a 49er for the time being.

This could also buy the 49ers more time with Garoppolo, with his salary more manageable as a trade chip now. If Lance impresses early, Garoppolo would reside as a trade attraction for a team in need. An early-season injury affecting a team that does not currently possess a QB need would increase San Francisco’s bargaining position as well. The no-trade clause will also protect Garoppolo from being sent to an undesired location, helping explain the decision to dramatically reduce his salary.

Lions To Release LB Jarrad Davis

August 29th, 2022 at 4:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another, somewhat surprising name has emerged amongst today’s roster cuts. The Lions are releasing linebacker Jarrad Davis, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). 

Davis was a first-round pick of the Lions in 2017. He was an immediate starter in Detroit, reaching the 100-tackle mark in his second season. Things changed dramatically during the final season of his rookie contract, however, as he saw his playing time diminish considerably.

With the Lions having declined Davis’ fifth-year option, the 27-year-old admitted to considering retirement before ultimately signing with the Jets. His one-year stay in New York was limited to just nine games, and resulted in only 25 tackles. Not surprisingly, then, he found himself back on the free agent market this spring.

That led to a reunion in Detroit for the Florida alum, allowing him to join a relatively unproven LB corps. He likely would have been in line for at least a depth role in the middle of the team’s defense, one which is expected to take a significant step forward in 2022. Instead, the Lions will move forward with the likes of Alex Anzalone, Josh Woods, Derrick Barnes and Chris Board as inside ‘backers.

Back on the open market, Davis will now join veterans such as Joe Schobert and Danny Trevathan looking for new NFL homes. He will likely be facing another one-year deal, similar to last season, though he will surely be unable to match the $5.5MM value of his Jets deal from 2021.

Jaguars To Trade WR Laviska Shenault To Panthers

August 29th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers are adding a former second-round pick to their receiver stable. The Jaguars are sending Laviska Shenault to the NFC South squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Jaguars will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick, per Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter).

Shenault, whom the Jags took in the 2020 second round, has shown flashes in Jacksonville, doing so as the team keeps changing its offense. He will have another chance to make an impression in Carolina. The Panthers have been looking for more receiving help, despite rostering D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson and 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall. Two seasons remain on Shenault’s rookie deal.

Carolina had been connected to disgruntled Jets wideout Denzel Mims, who was also a 2020 second-round pick. Mims’ Matt Rhule past seemingly made him a logical Panthers fit, but Carolina is pivoting in a different direction.

Once viewed as a possible first-rounder, Shenault — chosen 42nd overall two years ago — battled injuries at Colorado but still attracted the Jags’ attention during their final Dave Caldwell–Doug Marrone draft. The team has since changed offensive schemes twice since that draft, adding to the degree of difficulty for the young wideout. Add a fourth scheme in three years for Shenault, who will transition to Ben McAdoo‘s offense. This Panthers offense should not be entirely unfamiliar for Shenault; McAdoo was Jacksonville’s quarterbacks coach in 2020.

Still, Shenault has topped 600 receiving yards in each of his two Jags seasons and has been used sparingly in the backfield. The 227-pound receiver’s top two yardage outputs have come against the Bengals — in 2020 and ’21, the latter a 99-yard night in a narrow loss that became more relevant because of Urban Meyer‘s postgame decisions — but he operated as an auxiliary option for Gardner Minshew and Trevor Lawrence. The Jags, however, added multiple receivers this offseason. They gave Christian Kirk an $18MM-per-year deal and added Zay Jones for $8MM per soon after. The team still rosters veteran Marvin Jones as well.

Marshall has missed time due to a training camp injury, though he did play in Carolina’s preseason finale. The Panthers have moved on from OC Joe Brady, who coached Marshall at LSU, and the ex-Justin Jefferson/Ja’Marr Chase supporting caster struggled as a rookie. Carolina also has ex-Baker Mayfield Cleveland target Rashard Higgins and Shi Smith at receiver. Shenault’s arrival further complicates matters for Marshall, but it will give Mayfield another intriguing option.

Ravens To Release S Tony Jefferson

August 29th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens have begun their final roster cuts, and a notable veteran is among them. Safety Tony Jefferson is being released, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 

The safety position has seen plenty of turnover this offseason in Baltimore; Marcus Williams was the team’s top free agent signing, and the Ravens used the first of their two Day 1 selections on Kyle Hamilton in the draft. Those two, along with incumbent Chuck Clark, left Jefferson a narrow path to an initial roster spot.

Jefferson, 30, opened his career with the Cardinals, putting up consistent numbers while taking on a larger snap share with each passing year. That led him to Baltimore in free agency, where was a full-time starter until the midway point of the 2019 campaign. A knee injury left him sidelined him for the entire 2020 season, and led to four surgeries being required. He returned to Baltimore late this past year.

As a vested veteran, the Oklahoma product is not subject to waivers, and could sign anywhere in free agency. However, as has been the case with a number of respected veterans recently, the Ravens are likely to bring Jefferson back in the next day of so. Per Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic (subscription required), Baltimore could simply wait until tomorrow’s necessary paper transactions (such as transferring injured players from the 53-man squad to IR) until re-signing him.

Assuming that takes place, Jefferson will be able to demonstrate his new-found health while competing with a number of younger options for a depth role on the team’s backend. If he remains willing to sign with the team on a handshake agreement, he could also be a practice squad candidate throughout the campaign, one in which the Ravens once again have high expectations on both sides of the ball.

Cowboys Eyeing Trade For Jets OT Chuma Edoga

August 29th, 2022 at 3:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

3:51pm: Wilson tweets that the deal is now not expected to be finalized, leaving Edoga in the Big Apple for at least the time being.

3:09pm: The left tackle position has been the source of plenty of speculation in recent days for the Cowboys. In a move aimed at adding some insurance, the Cowboys are “attempting to trade for” Chuma Edoga of the Jets (Twitter link via Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson). 

Edoga was a third-round pick of the Jets in 2019. He started all eight of his appearances as a rookie, occupying the right tackle spot. He struggled in both the pass and run game, however, leading to a PFF grade of just 49.5. The following season, the USC alum was rated much better with respect to run blocking, but still failed to live up to his draft stock and expectations.

With veteran Morgan Moses being signed during free agency last offseason, Edoga’s hold on a roster spot was brought into question. With Moses and George Fant starting full-time at tackle, the 25-year-old was limited to just 99 snaps in 2021. That led to other moves being made by the team which further threatened his New York future.

The Jets selected Max Mitchell in the fourth round of this year’s draft, in addition to retaining Conor McDermott. Their presence left Edoga once again being named a candidate to finish his rookie contract elsewhere. Indeed, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini tweets, the six-foot-three, 308-pounder was “on borrowed time.” A move of this kind being completed would point to Mitchell being promoted to the swing tackle role.

For Dallas, that particular designation currently belongs to 2021 fourth-rounder Josh Ball. His name was included among the Cowboys’ internal options to replace Tyron Smith on the blindside, as he will be sidelined until December at the earliest. Edoga could at least compete with Ball as well as rookies Tyler Smith and Matt Waletzko for playing time as a stop-gap option.

In the wake of the Smith injury, Dallas was, to no surprise, named a candidate to be active on the free agent market in search of replacements. A trade was, on the other hand, reported last week to be an avenue the team was not exploring. Given Edoga’s cap hit of just $1.2MM, the Cowboys would still have plenty of space to accommodate another, more substantial addition if they were to deem it necessary. If a deal for Edoga goes through, though, he could have the opportunity to generate a better free agent market for himself given the change of scenery.

Dolphins Release RB Sony Michel

August 29th, 2022 at 3:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be on Miami’s roster bubble, Sony Michel did not make the team. The Dolphins released the veteran running back Monday.

A former Patriots first-round pick, Michel has two Super Bowl rings. He led both teams — the 2018 Patriots and 2021 Rams — in rushing, most recently amassing 845 yards last season in Los Angeles. But the Dolphins are moving on, leaving Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Myles Gaskin as their top backs.

Michel’s arrival was viewed as a threat to Gaskin, who saw the team bring in a few notable backs this offseason. But Michel is back in free agency, moving past waivers due to vested-veteran status. The Saints were interested in Michel earlier this offseason, but he opted to sign with the Dolphins. This cut comes after Miami fully guaranteed Michel $850K. The team will still save close to $1MM with this transaction.

Despite a run of injuries as a Patriot, Michel played in all 21 Rams games last season. The Rams moved to Michel via trade after Cam Akers‘ July 2021 Achilles tear, and the former became a reliable contributor. The Georgia product posted two 120-plus-yard rushing games during the season’s second half, which featured Darrell Henderson also miss time because of injury, and eclipsed 70 rushing yards in five straight games from Weeks 12-16 last season. Akers return led Michel to a backup role for most of L.A.’s postseason, which did not feature much in the way of Akers production.

Michel, whose six rushing touchdowns in the 2018 playoffs sit in a tie for second in a single postseason (behind only Terrell Davis‘ eight in 1997), should have options post-Miami. But running backs — especially those whose skillsets do not include proven pass-catching ability — often struggle to find work after their rookie deals expire. It will be interesting to see where the fifth-year runner, who has not been used as a pass-catching option much, ends up.

Gaskin could profile as Mostert insurance, given the latter’s run of injuries toward the end of his 49ers tenure. The Dolphins also have holdover Salvon Ahmed on the team, though they must slash their roster from 80 to 53 by 3pm CT Tuesday. The team has begun doing so, making several cuts. Gerrid Doaks, a former seventh-round running back pick, is among them.

Cardinals Release CB Josh Jackson; Team Eyeing More CB Help?

August 29th, 2022 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Jackson‘s mid-offseason Cardinals signing will not lead to him being part of the team’s 53-man roster. To start the process of moving down to the 53-man limit, the Cards cut the veteran cornerback Monday.

While the Cardinals do not presently view Jackson as worthy of a regular-season roster spot, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes this transaction will likely precede the team making another addition — via trade or signing — at corner. It could be needed, with Arizona not doing much at the position since Jeff Gladney‘s tragic death in May.

Kliff Kingsbury said the Cardinals were likely to bring in corners, but their veteran search ended with Jackson. A former second-round Packers pick, Jackson has bounced around. Post-Green Bay, Jackson spent time with the Giants and Chiefs in 2021. He started 10 Packers games as a rookie but has only made five starts in the three seasons since. Jackson played in just two games last season.

Veteran outside corners Joe Haden, Jackrabbit Jenkins, Xavier Rhodes, A.J. Bouye and ex-Jackson Green Bay teammate Kevin King are available. Former Cardinal Robert Alford, who met with the team about another deal this offseason, also is unsigned. The Cardinals have Byron Murphy in place as their top corner but feature extensive questions beyond him.

Arizona also released veteran linebacker/special-teamer Joe Walker and offensive lineman Koda Martin on Monday. A former Eagles draftee, Walker started 11 games with the Cards in 2019 and has been with the team for two stints. After signing with the 49ers in 2020, Walker found his way back to Arizona last season and re-signed via reserve/futures deal this year as well. The 29-year-old defender played just 7% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2021 but logged 80% of its special teams plays.

Mason Rudolph Drawing Trade Interest

August 29th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 29: The Steelers continue to receive calls on Rudolph, but Tom Pelissero of NFL.com adds the team is hesitant to unload its veteran backup (Twitter link). Pittsburgh may be angling for teams to up their offers, with Pelissero adding the team will not merely trade Rudolph just to save a roster spot.

AUGUST 27: Pittsburgh’s transition from Ben Roethlisberger to the Mitchell Trubisky-to-Kenny Pickett bridge situation leaves Mason Rudolph without a clear role. Other teams look to be coming to this conclusion, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noting the veteran backup is drawing trade interest (video link).

The Steelers are expected to listen to Rudolph trade inquiries, though it would need to be at “the right price.” The team should not be expected to land too much for the former third-round pick, and earlier this week, a report indicated trade interest was scarce.

Ahead of what turned out to be Roethlisberger’s final season, the Steelers extended Rudolph through 2022. He is due a manageable $3MM base salary and, as of now, accounts for just more than $4MM on Pittsburgh’s cap sheet. The Oklahoma State product has started a game in each of the past two seasons but was used regularly in 2019, when Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2.

Rudolph, 27, is viewed as Pittsburgh’s QB3 presently. With Trubisky expected to get the call for Week 1 and be replaced by Pickett at some point this season, Rudolph could be set to play out the string in Pittsburgh. Then again, the Steelers are seemingly in the market for a long-term Pickett backup. Trubisky would likely attempt to pursue another chance to start somewhere, or be a bridge to another team’s early-round draftee, whereas Rudolph’s ceiling looks like a backup.

The Steelers cut seventh-round rookie Chris Oladokun early, leaving three quarterbacks on their 80-man roster. A mid-round pick coming the team’s way would likely convince GM Omar Khan to part with Rudolph, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, but otherwise, the trade chip might end up staying. The fifth-year passer would likely upgrade a few teams’ backup situations, but it remains to be seen what the Steelers’ price point would be.

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