HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Panthers Add Two Tight Ends

August 11th, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers added a pair of tight ends today. The team signed Nate Becker to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The team also announced the signing of veteran Ryan Izzo. To make room on the roster, the Panthers waived/injured cornerback Devin Jones. They also cut wide receiver Andrew Parchment from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).

A former seventh-round pick, Izzo spent the first three seasons of his career with the Patriots, getting into 18 games. He started each of his 12 games during the 2020 campaign, hauling in 13 receptions for 199 yards. He spent time with four different organizations during the 2021 campaign, including stints with the Titans, Giants, Seahawks, and Titans.

Becker went undrafted out of Miami (OH) in 2019. Following a brief stint with the Lions, he caught on with the Bills, and he spent the better part of two seasons with the organization. He spent most of his tenure in Buffalo on the practice squad, although he did get into one contest. The 26-year-old spent the 2021 campaign unsigned.

All of Ian Thomas, Colin Thompson, and Josh Babicz are currently sidelined with injuries, leaving the squad with Tommy Tremble, Stephen Sullivan, and Jared Scott as their only healthy TEs. Izzo and Becker will temporarily provide some extra depth at the position.

Jones just joined the Panthers last week, and he’ll likely land on IR unless he’s claimed on waivers. Parchment recently landed on injured reserve after getting waived/injured with an undisclosed injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/22

August 11th, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Reverted to IR: RB Tyreik McAllister

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Jets Notes: Brown, Becton, Mims, Curry

August 11th, 2022 at 4:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Earlier today, the Jets turned a visit from offensive tackle Duane Brown into a two-year deal. He will fill an urgent roster void in the absence of Mekhi Becton, and could provide the team with high-level play if he maintains his Pro Bowl form of last season.

The veteran showed interest in joining the Jets not long after his free agent workout, something which comes as little surprise considering today’s news of a deal. Brown did have other options on the table, though. He had offers outside of New York, including “contending teams,” reports SNY’s Connor Hughes (Twitter link). He adds that Brown admits the playoffs are an unlikely target for the team in 2022, but that the 36-year-old wanted to head to the Big Apple.

Expectations have been raised for Robert Saleh‘s team this year; a campaign which doesn’t result in a postseason berth wouldn’t be considered a failure, but a significant step forward from last year’s 4-13 finish is considered the minimum performance. Brown could help stabilize the OT position, in turn giving a boost to the team’s offense.

Here are some other notes from East Rutherford:

  • The player Brown was signed to replace, Becton, is scheduled to undergo knee surgery next week (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). The 23-year-old was limited to one game last season, and is expected to be sidelined for all of 2022 after he suffered an avulsion fracture of his right kneecap. Per Rapoport, the procedure will be done by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles; its success will go a long way to determining the former first-rounder’s health (and career future) moving forward.
  • Denzel Mims remains in trade talk. The 24-year-old wideout has had an underwhelming start to his NFL career, with only 31 catches in two years. He has frequently been named as a standout in training camp, though, something which could boost his trade stock. ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes that Mims could be the victim of a “numbers game” at the position, one which is headed in New York by Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson and Braxton Berrios. “It’s up to them if they play me or not,” Mims said, when asked if he has earned a starting role.
  • In a similar vein, the Jets could be forced to move on from one or more notable names along the defensive line when roster cuts take place at the end of the month. Cimini names Vinny Curry as a cut candidate, given the team’s depth amongst other, younger options. Curry, 34, re-signed on a one-year deal in April, but since he missed the 2021 campaign due to a number of health issues, he has yet to play a game with the Jets. Unless the team opts against carrying three QBs, for instance, the Super Bowl winner could find himself on the outside looking in shortly.

Shaquille Leonard Uncertain For Week 1?

August 11th, 2022 at 3:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

Throughout the offseason, the health of Colts All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard has been a key talking point. After undergoing back surgery, his availability for training camp was in question. More importantly, the possibility that he could miss regular season action remains. 

As FOX59’s Mike Chappell writes, “there’s no guarantee” that Leonard will be fully recovered in time for Week 1. The 27-year-old remains on the PUP list as he continues to recover, and hasn’t practiced at all this offseason. He expressed optimism about the success of the procedure, but declined to put a firm timetable on his rehab schedule.

“Shaq is preparing like he’s playing Week 1,” head coach Frank Reich said. “He’s doing a lot of extra work, and he’s getting his mind right, ready to play.” 

A healthy Leonard would of course, be massive for the Colts’ defense. The former second-rounder earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors for the third time in his four-year career last season, totaling 122 tackles, four interceptions and a league-leading eight forced fumbles. The Colts would be well-served to make sure Leonard is back to full health before activating him, considering the fact he played on an injured ankle all of last season.

With more than $78MM on the five-year extension he signed still yet to paid, Indianapolis would also be wise from a financial standpoint to tread carefully. He could be activated by August 30 to remain eligible to play in the season opener, but if he remains on the PUP list beyond that date, he would be sidelined for the first month of the campaign. Much will therefore depend on how he heals in the coming weeks, as the Colts look to undo last season’s disappointing finish.

Dolphins Trade TE Adam Shaheen To Texans

August 11th, 2022 at 2:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 11: Shaheen has been given a failed physical designation by the Texans due to a pre-existing knee condition, and as a result, the trade has been voided (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe). The issue wasn’t serious enough to cost Shaheen any time during training camp, but he will now return to the Dolphins.

AUGUST 9: The Dolphins acquired tight end Adam Shaheen via trade and have now moved on from him in the same manner. Per a team announcement, they have sent Shaheen and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Texans for a 2023 sixth-rounder. 

The 27-year-old was a second-round pick of the Bears in 2017. Over the course of three seasons in Chicago, he racked up 25 starts out of 55 games played, but never registered more than 12 catches in any one campaign. By sending him to Miami in 2020, the Bears managed to get a seventh-round pick in return instead of cutting him outright, but that deal nevertheless represented a disappointing end to his tenure there.

In his first season with the Dolphins, the Ashland alum set a new career-high in snaps played with 367. He also registered a PFF grade of 66, another personal watermark. That earned him a two-year extension, but he once again played a depth role on offense in 2021. Finding himself on the roster bubble again, Shaheen has now been traded in an almost identical situation to 2020.

The Dolphins have Mike Gesicki at the top of their TE depth chart. He will play on the franchise tag this year, but should be an extension priority next offseason given his production. Behind him, they still roster Durham Smythe, Cethan Carter and 2021 third-rounder Hunter Long.

In Houston, Shaheen will join a rebuilding Texans’ offense short on established pass-catchers. Veteran Pharaoh Brown was recently reported to be the team’s starting TE to begin the season; he, along with recent fifth-rounders Brevin Jordan and Teagan Quitoriano form the competition for snaps and targets Shaheen will now face in a contract year.

This Date In Transactions History: Bills Trade Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby

August 11th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Sam Robinson

A few transactions keyed the Bills’ rise from perennial regular-season-only team to one that has been on the Super Bowl contender tier in the 2020s, but August 11, 2017 represents a fairly important date on the franchise’s timeline.

On this day five years ago, the Bills swung two trades. Those deals, one in particular, helped the franchise transform its position in the NFL hierarchy. Shortly before noon CT that day, the Rams acquired Sammy Watkins and a 2018 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick and cornerback E.J. Gaines. Minutes later, word emerged that the Eagles had obtained Ronald Darby for a third-round pick and wide receiver Jordan Matthews.

Both Watkins and Darby were Bills starters brought in during Doug Whaley‘s run as general manager, the former as a 2014 first-round pick and the latter via the 2015 second round. The Bills traded up to No. 4 for Watkins in 2014, but the injury concerns that have largely defined the talented pass catcher’s career showed up early. The team got out early on Darby, who had two years remaining on his rookie contract at the time of the trade.

Both have since bounced around the league, though each has made key contributions post-Buffalo. Watkins elevated his value on Sean McVay‘s first Rams team, playing a career-high 15 games in 2017. This led to his signing a then-startling $16MM-per-year Chiefs deal in 2018 and helping Kansas City to back-to-back Super Bowls. Darby started for the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning team in his first Philadelphia season. He has since signed deals with Washington and Denver. The Bills, however, used the trades to position themselves for a quick ascent under Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane.

Armed with the two additional Day 2 picks, Beane maneuvered to land the team’s next franchise centerpiece in his first draft as GM. In a rare two-pronged move up the first-round board, the Bills began their April 2018 odyssey by acquiring the No. 12 overall pick. To do so, they packaged veteran left tackle Cordy Glenn in a pre-draft deal with the Bengals. That move featured Glenn, Buffalo’s No. 21 pick and a 2018 fifth-round choice going to Cincinnati for No. 12 and a 2018 sixth. On draft night, Beane flipped the No. 12 selection to the Buccaneers for No. 7. To move into the top 10, the Bills included the pick they obtained for Watkins (No. 56). They traded Nos. 12, 53 and 56 to Tampa Bay for the slot that became Josh Allen, the third quarterback selected in 2018’s five-QB first round.

With the pick from the Darby deal, the Bills chose defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who became a four-year contributor and part-time starter. Phillips left in free agency this year to sign with the Vikings. Although Matthews and Gaines did not contribute much in Buffalo, the Allen acquisition obviously changed the franchise’s course.

Despite hurting their 2017 roster by dealing away Darby and Watkins, the Bills made a surprise playoff bid that season. While 2018 featured a considerable step back, the team has qualified for the past three AFC brackets. Allen has since become one of the NFL’s top players, leading the team to the 2020 AFC championship game and into the 2021 divisional round. He is locked in through 2028 via a six-year, $258MM extension. This year’s Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray deals have bumped Allen’s contract down to fifth among quarterbacks.

Broncos Name Damani Leech Team President

August 11th, 2022 at 11:20am CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the Broncos now officially having new ownership, they will have another new decision-making presence. The team hired Damani Leech as its next president.

Leech, who spent the past three years as COO for NFL International, will join GM George Paton in reporting to Broncos CEO Greg Penner. The latter is the son-in-law of new owner Rob Walton. This will usher considerable change for the Broncos, who had Joe Ellis in place as their top executive for the past several years.

“Damani is highly regarded throughout the National Football League for his leadership, strategic vision and collaborative spirit,” the team said in a statement. “As a former college player with executive experience at both the NFL and NCAA levels, Damani understands the value of teamwork and knows what it takes to win—on and off the field.”

In addition to his NFL International role, Leech worked in the league office in different capacities over the past eight years. In the 17 years prior to that, Leech worked at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis.

Ellis was part of the three-person Pat Bowlen Trust that was in charge of the franchise, after the Hall of Fame owner stepped away from the team as he battled Alzheimer’s. Pat Bowlen died in 2019. Pat Bowlen’s youngest daughter, Brittany, was the NFL’s preferred candidate to succeed him. Days before Walton officially became the team’s owner, Brittany Bowlen stepped down from her post within the organization.

Penner said ownership will not become too involved in Broncos personnel decisions, via Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter), being set to cede football ops-related responsibilities to Paton and HC Nathaniel Hackett. The new Broncos ownership was mum on Russell Wilson‘s contract situation, and although Penner mentioned (via Renck, on Twitter) Peyton Manning and John Elway as possible options to take on roles with the team, neither is firmly attached to anything. Both Hall of Famers were at the press conference this week introducing Walton and Co., however. All four ownership finalists spoke with Manning about a role with the team; Elway remains a consultant to the front office.

Tom Brady To Be Away From Buccaneers For Multiple Weeks

August 11th, 2022 at 10:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady‘s complicated 2022 will experience another hiccup. Although Todd Bowles said this was previously discussed, the first-year Buccaneers HC informed media Thursday his starting quarterback will be away from the team until after its second preseason game.

The Bucs face the Titans on Aug. 20. The legendary passer will be away dealing with a personal matter, per Bowles. Brady has already missed three practices since the start of last week.

“He’s going to deal with some personal things,” Bowles said, via The Athletic’s Greg Auman (on Twitter). “This is something we talked about before training camp started. We allotted this time because he wanted to get chemistry with the guys [in first two weeks]. … It’s something he needs to handle. We trust him.”

On the surface, a player with Brady’s resume missing preseason time is largely inconsequential. This marks Brady’s third season being in this offensive system, and he was not slated to play in the team’s preseason opener against the Dolphins this week. Then again, a lot has happened since Brady’s most recent game.

The future walk-in Hall of Famer retired in February, unretired in March, accepted a monster FOX offer to work as an analyst when his actual retirement happens and was at the epicenter of a scandal that saw another team lose a first-round pick. The NFL found enough evidence from the Brady-Sean Payton-Dolphins tampering drama to strip Miami of first- and third-round choices. This marked the third time Brady or a Brady-led team was at the heart of a scandal that saw the league take away a first-round pick, with this multiyear Dolphins case following Spygate and Deflategate.

Brady was not punished for his role in the scandal — one that, in addition to owner Stephen Ross, involved Dolphins exec and TB12 board member Bruce Beal — and has not been available for questions since the NFL punished the Dolphins. Brady’s retirement and a tampering saga that reaches back to 2019 certainly casts some uncertainty regarding his future with the Bucs, who changed head coaches at an unusual time. Bruce Arians has said multiple times he was not forced out, and the Super Bowl-winning HC remains with the Bucs. But the timing of Brady’s unretirement and Arians’ latest retirement brought suspicion for many.

Brady, 45, is signed through season’s end. He agreed to restructure his contract again this year, giving the Bucs more cap space to bolster their roster in yet another busy offseason. The void years tacked onto Brady’s contract would tag Tampa Bay with a substantial dead-money hit if Brady does not sign another extension to stay before the start of the 2023 league year.

Patriots RB James White To Retire

August 11th, 2022 at 10:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Injury questions have clouded James White‘s timetable for months now. Although White re-signed with the Patriots on a two-year deal this offseason, the veteran receiving back will instead walk away from the game.

The eight-year veteran announced Thursday (via Twitter) he will retire. White, 30, sustained a severe hip injury in September 2021 and had not resumed practicing. One of the steadier Pats skill-position players of the Bill Belichick era, White was uncertain to regain the form that made him a trusted passing-down back. But he will retire as a key member of four Patriots Super Bowl teams. Three of those won championships, one doing so with significant White contributions.

White followed in the footsteps of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen. While Woodhead and Vereen enjoyed nice runs as Tom Brady outlet options, White lasted much longer in the role. The Patriots valued White to the point they signed him to four contracts as a pro. The most recent, coming in March of this year, was worth $5MM.

The Wisconsin alum will be best known for his work in Super Bowl LI, arguably the signature night for the Belichick-Brady Patriots. While Brady understandably ran away with MVP honors, White scored three touchdowns in a performance that doubled as one of the greatest aerial displays by a running back in NFL history. The former fourth-round pick caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. White added six carries for 29 yards and two scores — the last of which being a walk-off TD to end the only overtime game in Super Bowl history. White’s 5-yard TD reception began the Patriots’ rally from a 28-3 deficit; his 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter (preceding Danny Amendola‘s two-point conversion) sent the game to overtime.

Vereen was still in place during White’s rookie season, minimizing the latter’s role in the Pats’ Super Bowl XLIX-winning campaign, but the Pats let Vereen walk in free agency in 2015. White took over and held the gig for the better part of the next seven years. White surpassed 400 receiving yards from 2015-19, topping out with 751 during the Pats’ most recent Super Bowl year (2018). From 2015-20, no running back topped White’s 3,161 receiving yards.

But White’s 2021 signaled a clear turning point. He suffered a hip subluxation injury in Week 3 of last season and landed on the Pats’ active/PUP list to start training camp. His Week 1 availability and 2022 role altogether were in doubt because of the malady. The Pats’ final White contract only guaranteed him $500K, giving the team options in case its trusted passing-down option could not recover from the injury.

New England drafted two backs this year — Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong — and returns starter Damien Harris and second-year contributor Rhamondre Stevenson. None of these players caught more than 20 passes last season. With Brandon Bolden(41 catches in 2021) following Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas, a questions as to who will pick up White’s job will linger for New England.

White, whose top contract came in 2017 (four years, $12MM), retires as one of the most prolific pass-catching running backs in playoff history. His 59 receptions rank fourth all time for running backs in the postseason, behind only Thurman Thomas, Tony Nathan and Roger Craig. White’s 381 regular-season catches rank eighth in Patriots history, just behind Faulk — a 13-year veteran who finished with 431 career grabs.

Roquan Smith Seeking $20MM Per Year?

August 11th, 2022 at 9:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Coming off the Bears’ active/PUP list Wednesday, Roquan Smith is waging a hold-in measure. In his trade request sent Tuesday, the fifth-year linebacker said the Bears have submitted a “take it or leave it offer” that would hurt the market.

The Bears are, however, negotiating with Smith himself — he does not have an agent — and Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus notes the team has come up from its initial proposal. But the team is also believed to be negotiating with a player who wants to become the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year off-ball linebacker. Smith wants a deal that pays him “at least” $20MM per annum, Kyed adds.

With first-team All-Pros Shaquille Leonard and Fred Warner positioned as the only traditional linebackers earning at least $18MM per year — at $19.7MM and $19.4MM on average, respectively — this has obviously made for a complex Bears negotiating process. Smith, 25, is a two-time second-team All-Pro.

Bears GM Ryan Poles said the team still wants to extend Smith and called some parts of the offer “record-setting,” but Smith classified the proposal as backloaded. Backloading deals to inflate AAV figures has come up this offseason. The Raiders and Dolphins used this blueprint with Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill, respectively, while Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. turned down a proposal with a whopping final-year figure.

The linebacker market changed significantly three years ago, when C.J. Mosley landed a $17MM-per-year pact from the Jets. Still attached to that accord, Mosley has only seen Leonard, Warner and Bobby Wagner top that deal. The Seahawks shed Wagner’s $18MM-AAV accord from their payroll in March. Going into the 2019 offseason, Luke Kuechly‘s $12.36MM-per-year pact had stood as the linebacker standard for three years. Teams’ calculus regarding true linebackers changed thanks to the previous Jets regime’s Mosley decision. The market still only houses three linebackers making more than $15MM per year as well.

With the Bears hiring Matt Eberflus as head coach, Smith would also be transitioning to a new defense. He produced consistently in Chicago’s previous 3-4 scheme, however, racking up 302 tackles (30 for loss) and seven sacks over the past two years. The TFL number is particularly impressive. Only T.J. Watt, who plays a pass-rushing position and is coming off a season in which he matched the single-season sack record, has recorded more TFLs (44) among linebackers since 2020. Among true off-ball ‘backers, Smith’s 30 lead the field by seven in this span.

Smith’s age and production would generate a market, if the rebuilding Bears to honor his trade request. The Commanders reside as a team some in league circles believe would be a fit, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Washington used a first-round pick on Jamin Davis last year, but he struggled as a rookie. The team also has Cole Holcomb going into a contract year. The Broncos also could be a fit, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Denver may have been a better fit last year, with ex-Chicago DC Vic Fangio at the helm, but the team has been looking at linebackers recently. Of course, pursuing the likes of Anthony Barr and Joe Schobert and trading reasonable draft capital for Smith are different matters. The Broncos also do not have their first- or second-round picks in 2023, thanks to the Russell Wilson trade.

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