HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Cody Ford On Bills’ Roster Bubble?

August 8th, 2022 at 9:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Expectations were high for offensive lineman Cody Ford when he was drafted in the second round in 2019. After three seasons in Buffalo, however, his level of play has made this year’s training camp one of great importance for his future either with the Bills or elsewhere in the league. 

The Oklahoma product started 15 games at right tackle as a rookie – the position he was widely expected to play throughout his NFL tenure. He surrendered seven sacks en route to a poor PFF grade, though, and was moved inside to guard the following year. In a campaign cut short by injury, he didn’t show the level of improvement many hoped to see.

In 2021, Ford registered a career-low snap percentage of 47%, and only started seven of the 15 contests he appeared in. He ended the season with his lowest PFF grade to date (46.7), and is now strictly viewed as an interior lineman. With one year remaining on his contract, the 25-year-old thus entered the summer with plenty to prove.

However, Ford “has not had a good camp,” per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (subscription required). The six-foot-three, 329-pounder’s struggles in practice have reached the point where Buscaglia writes that it “wouldn’t be a surprise” if Ford found himself being traded or cut at the end of August. Other lineman such as David Quessenberry, Greg Mancz and Bobby Hart have outperformed him so far, so preseason performances could go a long way to determining his future.

Moving on from a high draft pick so early in his career would be a disappointing development for the Bills, but the possibility of doing so will be a key storyline to watch through the remainder of the offseason.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo’s Trade Market

August 7th, 2022 at 10:33pm CST by Ely Allen

While 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo continues to recover from shoulder surgery, San Francisco is doing all they can to ensure they don’t give away their former starter for too much of a bargain. While the team permitted Garoppolo to seek a trade, they’re willing to wait until roster cut-down day to move him, in order to get a maximum value, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 

According to Rapoport, there just isn’t a perfect trade partner out there right now for Garoppolo to go to. When looking out at the quarterback rooms across the NFL, there isn’t really any team struggling enough to field a starting quarterback that they’d be willing to take on Garoppolo’s salary.

There are teams like the Falcons, who don’t have an ideal starting quarterback. Atlanta will employ Marcus Mariota as QB1 despite the fact that he hasn’t started a game since losing the Titans’ job to Ryan Tannehill in 2019. Some might think that it’d be worth it to bring in Garoppolo who, in the two full seasons he’s started, amassed a win-loss record of 22-9 and took San Francisco to the NFC championship game both years. But Atlanta likely isn’t willing to shell out $24MM for the last year of Garoppolo’s contract. Especially when Mariota has shown the ability to win games over his career and, even if Mariota is unsuccessful, he may just prove to be a stopgap to give rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder time to adjust to the NFL.

The Steelers are in a similar boat to the Falcons. Pittsburgh will utilize Mitchell Trubisky as a starter as Kenny Pickett grows into an NFL starter. The Panthers were in a similar boat, starting Sam Darnold with Matt Corral waiting in the wings, before they made the move for Baker Mayfield, who is still on his much more team-friendly rookie contract.

The Seahawks are a team who would instantly improve with the addition of Garoppolo. He would provide an upgrade to either Geno Smith or Drew Lock, but Seattle has made it abundantly clear that they are fine moving forward with the Smith-Lock quarterback battle. What’s more likely is that they would prefer their current situation over having to take on Garoppolo’s contract.

There are a couple other teams out there who have a starting quarterback in place, but they are either a short-term veteran without much of a backup plan or a young starter who may not have the franchise totally convinced yet.

For the former scenario, we look at the Colts and Rams. Indianapolis brought in former Falcons’ franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, in exchange for a third-round pick, to be their starter. Ryan is six seasons removed from his MVP season and five seasons removed from his last winning record. Behind the 37-year-old Ryan is 33-year-old Nick Foles and unproven youngsters Sam Ehlinger and Jack Coan. Bringing in the 30-year-old, proven starter, Garoppolo, could put an end to the Colts’ one-year rental system at quarterback that they’ve been employing in recent years. But, seemingly, the price tag of $24MM is too much to pay for the potential of longevity at the quarterback position.

As for the Rams, don’t get mad. It’s understood that Matthew Stafford won them a Super Bowl just last year and they rewarded him with a four-year extensions, but, hear me out: he’s 34 years old. While he is a perfectly serviceable quarterback for now, to call him a plan for the future would just be unrealistic. Beyond Stafford, the Rams roster John Wofford, Bryce Perkins, and Luis Perez. Adding Garoppolo would be a plan for the long-term future of the team, but Los Angeles is likely to balk at taking on Garoppolo’s contract just for him to sit until Stafford is done playing.

For the teams with young talent who have yet to convince their teams they’re legit, we have the Lions, the Texans, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Eagles. Now, in Detroit, Goff is a veteran at this point, but is still only 27-years-old. He’s shown plenty of winning ability during his six-year career but struggled to find success after leaving a talented Rams team for the Lions. The Texans have expressed their full faith in Davis Mills, who started 11 games for Houston last year as a rookie. Mills struggled to find team success, but showed promised as a starting quarterback late in the season, enough so to prevent the Texans from using either of their two first-round picks (or any of their nine total draft picks) on a quarterback. Detroit and Houston are in the unfortunate position of having little-to-no reliable depth at quarterback, which could leave them in extremely uncomfortable positions if either starter fails to progress or gets injured.

The Giants, Dolphins, and Eagles all have young starters, too, but they all have a decent backup option as a potential safeguard. The Giants will head into Year 4 with Daniel Jones under center but have veteran Tyrod Taylor to back him up. The Dolphins are still experimenting with Tua Tagovailoa but they roster veteran Teddy Bridgewater as a backup option. And Philadelphia is rolling with Jalen Hurts but have another youngster with starting experience behind him in Gardner Minshew.

All five of those teams would love to have Garoppolo come in as a failsafe to make sure that they can win football games if their young starters fail to develop. But none of them need that assurance badly enough to warrant taking on his cap hit.

So the 49ers wait. They realize that, right now, the only way they’re going to be able to exchange Garoppolo is by giving up value. That could mean eating some of Garoppolo’s contract to make the deal more palatable or realizing less of a return in the trade. Regardless, San Francisco has been adamant about getting Garoppolo’s worth.

They wait and will continue to wait because a lot can happen before the roster cut deadline. Any team could experience an extremely unfortunate season-ending injury to their starting quarterback, and, if that occurs, Garoppolo’s value shoots right back up. It’s a waiting game in the Bay Area, and they are nothing if not patient.

NFL Workout Updates: 8/7/22

August 7th, 2022 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s a look at some of the notable workouts from around the league this weekend:

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/22

August 7th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Rory Parks

We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Saffold landed on the NFI list after injuring his ribs in a car accident. Getting their starting left guard back sooner rather than later is an important development for the Bills.

Colburn will take the place of Cottrell in the Jags’ RB room. The Wake Forest product played in four games for the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars this year, garnering 102 rushes for 457 yards (just under 4.5 YPC) and eight scores.

Cottrell has seen action in each of the past two years for Jacksonville, returning seven kicks in 2020 and handling one carry in 2021.

Wolf and Parker get preseason roster positions after successful workouts yesterday. The Commanders are looking for depth at both positions as they work towards a 53-man roster.

No Deal Imminent For Odell Beckham Jr.; Rams Still Interested In Reunion

August 7th, 2022 at 5:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

The onset of training camps has brought about another wave of veterans signing new deals, or at least meeting with prospective teams in the hopes of landing a contract. Odell Beckham Jr. is still unlikely to be included in either scenario in the immediate future, but the free agent remains a name worth watching. 

Multiple NFC teams have expressed interest in signing the 29-year-old in recent months, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that he could still have a number of suitors (video link). The Buccaneers expressed interest before signing Julio Jones, and Rapoport “expects” the Packers to still be included among the teams willing to sign him, given the lack of proven options in their re-worked receiving corps.

The landing spot Beckham remains most connected to, though, is Los Angeles. Rapoport adds that the Rams “still have maintained interest” in a reunion as the offseason has progressed. His level of play after joining the team midseason – 593 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 total games – led to the team expressing optimism about a deal being finalized this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler has reciprocated that desire, but is still not expected to sign with anyone soon.

As he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl, Beckham won’t be available to play for several weeks to begin the season. That timeframe allows him to approach free agency without the urgency of healthy players, leaving open the possibility that he remains a free agent well into the campaign. On that point, Rapoport adds that nothing is considered “imminent” with respect to a contract being signed this summer.

The Rams still have Cooper Kupp at the top of their WR depth chart, and added Allen Robinson in free agency. The loss of Robert Woods leaves a starting spot available, though, and with over $8MM available in cap space, the team could afford a modest deal for Beckham. As the pool of available free agents continues to shrink, it will be interesting to watch how his market develops over time.

5 Key Stories: 7/31/22 – 8/7/22

August 7th, 2022 at 4:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

With training camps well underway, there have been a number of significant developments with on- and off-the-field implications this past week. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick recap of the top stories from around the league:

  • Watson Given Six-Game Suspension: The long-awaited ruling from former judge Sue L. Robinson was handed down Monday morning, and imposed a ban for the first six games of the season on Deshaun Watson. The Browns QB was found to have violated the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy by virtue of his “nonviolent sexual conduct” during massage sessions dating back to his time with the Texans. As it stands, the punishment will cost Watson $345K in salary; things could change significantly soon, however, since the league has appealed the decision, and is looking to have both its length and financial penalties increased by a new third-party arbiter.
  • Samuel Signs Extension: After formally requesting a trade earlier this offseason, wideout Deebo Samuel completed his course reversal by inking a three-year, $71.55MM extension. The new deal will keep him in San Francisco through 2025, and moves him into the top-10 in the league in annual compensation ($23.85MM) at the position. The 26-year-old now has the financial security to replicate his success from last season – where he earned All-Pro honors for his unique effectiveness in the air and on the ground – but also the opportunity to hit the open market in the not-too-distant future.
  • Dolphins, Ross Punished For Tampering: The Dolphins were docked a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder for their attempts to acquire QB Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton. In addition, owner Steven Ross was suspended until October and fined $1.5MM. The organization was found to have committed tampering violations of “unprecedented scope and severity,” leading to the substantial discipline being handed down. Ross and the team were, on the other hand, cleared of any wrongdoing with respect to the tanking allegations made by former head coach Brian Flores.
  • Steelers Extend Johnson: In the immediate build-up to his new deal being finalized, all signs seemed to point to Diontae Johnson departing in free agency at the end of this season. Instead, he signed a two-year extension worth $36.71MM. Surprisingly, the Pro Bowler came in short of the $20MM-per-year mark that each of his 2019 draft classmates (among several other wideouts) who have been extended this offseason eclipsed. Like Samuel, though, he can build off of a career-year over the course of the pact’s short term and test the free agent market while still in his prime.
  • Cardinals Extend Humphries: Not long after signing QB Kyler Murray to a massive extension, Arizona took care of his blindside blocker as well. Left tackle D.J. Humphries signed a three-year, $66.8MM extension to keep him on the books through 2025. The 28-year-old now ranks ninth in the league in terms of annual average compensation ($16.98MM) amongst left tackles as a result of the deal. He will look to continue his Pro Bowl form of last year as another key member of the Cardinals’ offense who is on the books for the foreseeable future.  

Commanders To Sign LB Nate Gerry

August 7th, 2022 at 2:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Veteran linebacker Nate Gerry is headed back to the NFC East. The Commanders are signing him, per Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). 

Gerry, 27, began his career with the Eagles in 2017. He played almost exclusively on special teams as a rookie during the team’s Super Bowl run that year, but took on a larger defensive role with each passing year. In 2019, he played a full season for the first tine, starting 12 contests and setting career highs in tackles (78) and sacks (2.5) along the way. He was a full-time starter the following season, but that campaign was cut short due to an ankle injury.

In free agency. the former fifth-rounder signed with the 49ers. By July, however, he was cut, and remained sidelined throughout the entire 2021 season. Kaye adds that he had not fully recovered from the injury until this offseason (Twitter link). Now, he will look to add starting-caliber depth to Washington’s LB corps.

The Commanders are led at the position by the likes of veterans Cole Holcomb and David Mayo, and 2021 first-rounder Jamin Davis. Gerry – who, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Field Yates, was among several players the team worked out yesterday – could prove to be a valuable find if he is able to regain his form of years past. He will, at a minimum, provide more experienced depth in the middle of the team’s defense than the likes of UDFA Tre Walker, who reversed his retirement decision yesterday.

Washington entered the day with more than $13MM in cap space, so this deal won’t prevent any other additions. Per Kaye’s colleague Aaron Wilson, the team is cutting offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson to make room for Gerry’s arrival (Twitter link).

Vikings C Garrett Bradbury In Danger Of Losing Starting Job

August 7th, 2022 at 1:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Vikings center Garrett Bradbury is in danger of losing his starting job, as Mark Craig of the Star Tribune writes. Although Bradbury has handled all of the first-team reps in training camp thus far, head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the NC State product does not have the gig sewn up.

That is largely a result of Bradbury’s struggles in pass protection. Over his first three years in the league, his Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades have ranked last, last, and second-to-last among centers. He is more accomplished as a run blocker, and O’Connell made sure to mention Bradbury’s running game prowess while acknowledging the need for him to improve in pass pro.

“[Pass-blocking is] where we’re challenging him each and every time; technique, technique,” O’Connell said. “He’s got a good anchor when he’s got his feet underneath him. I think he has the strength to hold up. I think he has the technique to hold up. I think we can do some things with how we protect to try to limit some of the [one-on-one] situations by how we scheme up certain fronts.”

Bradbury missed four games in 2021 but has otherwise started every game for the Vikings since turning pro in 2019. Selected in the first round (No. 18 overall) of that year’s draft, his struggles in protecting the quarterback forced Minnesota to decline his fifth-year option for 2023, thereby turning 2022 into a platform year.

As such, Bradbury’s earning power hangs in the balance. A marked improvement in his game could lead to a lucrative multi-year pact, whereas a demotion could see him hit free agency after having spent a full season as a reserve and with major questions marks about his viability as a starting pivot.

If he ends up ceding his starting role, free agent acquisitions Austin Schlottmann (seven career starts) and Chris Reed (29 career starts) could fill the void, although Reed has never played a regular season game at center. Schlottman has been working as the second-team center.

O’Connell believes that Reed can handle a center’s duties, but one would imagine that his preference would be to have Bradbury step up and seize the job. He has yet to do that, having been burned repeatedly by the Vikings’ interior pass rush in the first several weeks of camp.

FA WR John Ross Generating Interest

August 7th, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Rory Parks

It sounds as if free agent wide receiver John Ross will find a new employer soon. The No. 9 overall pick of the Bengals in the 2017 draft, Ross spent the 2021 campaign with the Giants and is still recovering from a knee injury that he sustained towards the end of the season.

As such, Ross will begin meeting with teams around the start of the regular season next month, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). He is expected to be fully healthy by that time, and a number of teams have remained in “consistent contact” with the Washington product.

Injuries have been the prevailing theme of Ross’ career. He possesses blinding speed, but due to various ailments and his inability to impress then-head coach Marvin Lewis, Ross played in just one game in his rookie year in Cincinnati. Though he started 10 games in 2018, he managed only 21 catches for 210 yards, and after a hot start to 2019, he missed another eight games due to injury.

The Bengals made the easy call to decline Ross’ fifth-year option in May 2020, and in his final season in the Queen City, Ross was a healthy scratch for a number of games and requested a trade as a result of his diminished role. Cincy could not find any takers, and Ross eventually landed on IR with a foot injury.

He signed with the Giants in March 2021, and he once again missed time for health reasons. A hamstring malady kept him out of the first few games of the season, and the above-mentioned knee trouble sidelined him towards the end of the year. Still, clubs apparently remain tantalized by his speed and big-play ability, which will buy the 26-year-old another opportunity.

Ross has indeed shown flashes of his potential. In 2019, he caught 28 balls for 506 yards — good for a 18.1 yards-per-reception rate — and in his first and only season with Big Blue, he tallied 11 catches for 224 yards, which represents a career-best 20.4 YPR average. His 43.4% career catch percentage is quite low, but that is largely a function of the routes he is asked to run. If he can ever stay healthy for a full season, his abilities as a bonafide home run threat would be a welcome addition to any number of WR rooms.

Although Fowler did not specify which clubs have expressed interest, the Colts, Cowboys, Packers, and Ravens are just a few of the teams that could still use receiving help.

Browns RB Kareem Hunt Requests Trade

August 7th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Ely Allen

Aug. 7: It sounds as if Hunt has made a formal trade request, per Cabot. As expected, the Browns maintain that they have no intention of honoring that request. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports believes this situation could end with a pay increase for Hunt (Twitter link), and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com says Hunt would have trade value if Cleveland does choose to explore that option (Twitter link). Per Fowler, some evaluators consider Hunt a top-10 RB talent.

Aug. 6: There have been questions concerning running back Kareem Hunt‘s future with the Browns going into a contract year dating back to the early months of the offseason. It didn’t initially seem like there was any drama as both parties were taking a bit of a lackadaisical approach to negotiations that seemed inevitable, but now, with the regular season breathing down his neck, Hunt appears to be acting more boldly. Hunt sat out of team drills for the second consecutive practice today, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, telling the Browns he only plans on participating in individual drills. 

Reports in May described the contract situation as up in the air, positing that, if the two parties failed to deal with negotiations before camp, it would likely decrease the odds of Hunt staying in Cleveland past this year. Only a week later, further reports claimed that, despite the lack of certainty concerning his future, Hunt was “still very much in the Browns’ plans for this season,” saying that the team had no plans of dealing or releasing Hunt due to the lack of substantive extension negotiations.

It took a couple more weeks before Hunt finally voiced his opinion that he wanted to re-sign with the Browns, desiring an extension but choosing to take things “day by day” in mid-June. Upon reaching full health soon after, Hunt made further comments toward his contract situation.

“I hope I get paid,” Hunt said. “So you know, whatever they decide, they know I’m going to come out there and give it my all and I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”

That apparently only applies to the regular season, considering Hunt’s new preseason plans. The two recent “partial hold-ins” were “the first time since training camp that Hunt didn’t participate” in team drills. Cleveland is able to, and likely will, subject him to fines for his lack of participation.

Hunt’s agent was reportedly at the Browns’ facility earlier this week, presumably to work on a potential new deal for the 27-year-old. According to Anderson, members of the team have said that “he wants to get paid or traded.” The belief is that he would truly prefer to remain in Cleveland, he just wants to be paid what he’s worth.

The Browns were fine slow-playing a new deal for Hunt after he missed nine games last year between injuries and COVID-19. Because of the missed time and how the second year of his contract is set up, it made sense that Cleveland would be okay allowing Hunt to play out his contract year and revisit a new contract after the season. They seemed to be taking their lead from Hunt, but now, with Hunt’s new decision to be more vocal about his desires, they’re in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with negotiations in the weeks leading up to the regular season.

As a native of Willoughby, OH, Hunt made it known recently that he would like to eventually end his career in Cleveland, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Unfortunately for Hunt, he doesn’t hold much leverage. A plethora of running backs who can contribute and a contract that doesn’t much penalize the team for waiting stacks the deck against Hunt.

Hunt is expected to be the Browns’ No.2 running back behind star running back Nick Chubb. D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton both had opportunities to show their stuff in Hunt’s absence last year, and rookie fifth-round pick Jerome Ford has shown some serious potential coming into the league. The combination of contributing running backs has the potential to make Hunt redundant, especially if he decides to continue holding out.

Hunt certainly has the talent to be a starting running back in this league, as displayed during his rookie year in Kansas City, and he likely wants to get paid like it. Unfortunately, the situation is against him, so he’s taken to drastic measures in order to try to achieve his means. With the first preseason game for Cleveland six days away and the regular season starting in just over a month, time is running out for the two parties to come to terms.

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