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CB Joe Haden Announces Retirement

September 21st, 2022 at 8:47am CST by Sam Robinson

After a 12-year career spent in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Joe Haden is walking away from the game. The former Pro Bowl cornerback plans to retire, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper).

While Haden drew some interest this offseason, he did not sign with a team ahead of training camp. The 33-year-old defender ended his career as a 149-game starter. That ranks as a top-50 total in NFL history at cornerback. Among active corners, only Patrick Peterson has lined up as a first-stringer more often.

The Cardinals, Dolphins, Rams and Raiders showed interest this offseason, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Haden was said to be weighing offers. If so, none of the teams’ proposals did enough to convince him to play a 13th season, but Fowler adds the longtime starter entered free agency planning to do so.

The first cornerback chosen in the 2010 draft (No. 7 overall), Haden earned Pro Bowl nods with the Browns and Steelers. He spent time anchoring secondaries in Cleveland and, after a late-summer release in 2017, became a key figure on a few Steelers playoff teams. Lasting longer than most as a No. 1 corner, Haden made Pro Bowls with the 2013 and ’14 Browns and received his third invite in 2019 — at age 30 — with the Steelers. The 5-foot-11 defender ended his career with 29 interceptions; a six-INT rookie season did the most to bolster that total.

Haden signed a Browns extension in 2014 and played three seasons on that contract but was one of a few veterans to leave the team during its aggressive rebuild attempt from 2016-17. The Browns attempted to keep the ex-Florida Gator on a reduced salary and made efforts to trade him, but the team’s top corner instead ended up on the open market. Although Haden became connected to several other teams — the Dolphins, Eagles, Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys and 49ers — in free agency, he chose the Steelers after visit that occurred hours after his Browns exit. The short Rust Belt trek produced a three-year, $27MM deal, the first of Haden’s two Steelers agreements.

After the arrivals of Haden and T.J. Watt in 2017, the Steelers made a run at the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Ryan Shazier‘s injury and the controversial Jesse James touchdown overturn re-routed the 13-3 team to the No. 2 seed, and an eventual divisional-round loss, but that season began a lengthy Haden second act. The Steelers extended Haden in 2019 — a two-year, $22MM accord — and he ended up starting 67 games with his second NFL employer. That period produced top-10 total defenses from 2017-20 in Pittsburgh and three playoff berths. Haden angled for a third Steelers deal last year, but the team moved on via younger, cheaper options this offseason.

Haden ended up doing incredibly well for himself financially in the NFL, making more than $121MM in 12 years. He arrived during the last draft to feature monster rookie contracts for first-rounders, before the 2011 CBA changed the rookie salary scale, landing a five-year, $40MM deal in 2010. That figure eclipses what 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker signed for this offseason. The Browns gave Haden a five-year deal in 2014 (worth $67.5MM) as well.

Giants Looking For Wide Receiver Help?

September 20th, 2022 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Giants’ setup was not exactly conducive to impressive receiving statistics last season, Kenny Golladay has not rebounded from his disappointing 2021 slate. The Giants have reduced the high-priced veteran’s playing time significantly.

The former two-time 1,000-yard receiver played just two snaps in the Giants’ Week 2 win over the Panthers, seeing his usage plummet drastically from a 46-snap opener in Tennessee. With the Giants’ new regime not being the staff that authorized Golladay’s four-year, $72MM contract, the ex-Lions standout faces an uncertain Big Apple future.

Golladay, 28, joins Darius Slayton in failing to impress Brian Daboll‘s coaching staff. Long a trade candidate, Slayton has played four offensive snaps this season. The Giants’ 2019 and 2020 receiving leader took a pay cut, one that essentially negated his proven performance escalator contract-year bump, to stay on the team. But a Giants team seemingly flush with receiving talent has not seen too much from that contingent, beyond Sterling Shepard bouncing back early from his 2021 Achilles tear.

The team appears interested in shaking up the situation. Daboll has FaceTimed with free agent wideouts, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson. Help is limited at this point on the NFL calendar, and the Giants do have a highly touted player acquired by their current regime — second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson — preparing to make his debut. Robinson has missed the team’s first two games due to injury. Daboll passed on a Cole Beasley reunion; the ex-Bills slot joined the Buccaneers on Tuesday. Will Fuller and Odell Beckham Jr., an unrealistic Big Apple return candidate, headline the available receivers. As it stands, Big Blue’s wideout situation has produced some interesting on-field configurations early in Daboll’s run.

Daboll informed Golladay last week the team was effectively benching him for David Sills, a 2019 Bills UDFA who landed with the Giants later that year. Despite Daboll’s former team not having room for the Delaware product three years ago, this reunion has led to the most work of the young player’s career. Sills played 67 offensive snaps against the Panthers, catching three passes for 37 yards. Sills primarily worked alongside Shepard and Richie James, who led the Giants in receiving with five catches for 51 yards last week.

“I told him during the week that we were going to go with Sills,” Daboll said of Golladay’s demotion. “He acted like a pro. I said, ‘Be ready to go.’ Does that mean it’s going to be next week? No. It takes a lot of mental toughness, too. That’s not an easy thing to hear. I appreciate them being professional.”

A 2019 Pro Bowler, Golladay is known more for his contested-catch abilities than separation skills. The 6-foot-4 target drew interest from the Bears, Ravens, Dolphins and Bengals during the 2021 free agency period — one overshadowed by the COVID-19-induced salary cap drop — and signed with the Giants on a deal that included $28MM fully guaranteed and doubled as the top contract given to a UFA wideout last year. In an offense that saw both an OC change (from Jason Garrett to Freddie Kitchens) and Daniel Jones‘ injury give way to overmatched backups Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm, Golladay caught 37 passes for 521 yards and no touchdowns.

He did not put together a good offseason this year — one that featured an unspecified surgery — and is an obvious 2023 release candidate. For now, Golladay’s contract makes such a move prohibitive. The Giants can get out of the deal with a $7.9MM 2023 dead-money hit, should they designate Golladay as a post-June 1 cut. Golladay’s $21.2MM cap hit is not only tops among Giants; it ranks as the league’s eighth-highest 2022 cap number.

Golladay’s swift decline comes as the Giants are barely using 2021 first-rounder Kadarius Toney. The oft-injured wideout played seven snaps in the team’s opener and caught two passes for zero yards in Week 2. The Giants hoped to involve Toney more in Week 2, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, but a hamstring tweak changed those plans. Toney still played more against the Panthers (28 snaps), however. Trade rumors encircled Toney this spring, and though those quieted quickly, the Dave Gettleman-era draftee’s status rounds out one of the league’s more interesting position groups through two weeks.

Browns Place DE Chase Winovich, TE Jesse James On IR

September 20th, 2022 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns placed two players on IR today. Tight end Jesse James and defensive end Chase Winovich landed on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This will knock the duo out for at least the next four games.

It sounds like both players suffered injuries during Cleveland’s loss to the Jets on Sunday. According to Kevin Stefanski, Winovich suffered a hamstring injury and James suffered a biceps injury.

Winovich was acquired from the Patriots this offseason for linebacker Mack Brown. The former third-round pick barely made the roster out of the preseason, and he didn’t see the field for any defensive snaps during Week 1. He got more run this past weekend, appearing in 37 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. He finished that game with a tackle and two QB hits.

James made a name for himself in Pittsburgh, hauling in 120 receptions in 56 games. He had a two-year stint in Detroit before spending the 2021 campaign with the Bears. He started nine of his 14 games last season, hauling in seven receptions. The Browns signed the veteran before the start of the regular season, and he saw a handful of snaps through the first two weeks while serving as the third tight end behind David Njoku and Harrison Bryant. One of Miller Forristall or Zaire Mitchell-Paden could be promoted from the practice squad to replace James.

Panthers Place DT Bravvion Roy On IR

September 20th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Bravvion Roy will miss at least the next four games. The Panthers placed the defensive tackle on injured reserve today, according to Darin Gantt of the team’s website.

Roy suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s loss to the Giants. The defensive lineman was seen limping off the field before being carted to the locker room. Matt Rhule later told reporters that the injury “looked pretty severe.”

The 2020 sixth-round pick appeared in 32 games for Carolina through his first two seasons in the NFL. He appeared in both of the Panthers’ first two games in 2022, collecting two tackles and one QB hit.

The Panthers have been starting Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis at defensive tackle, with Roy serving as the third DT on the depth chart. With the third-year player sidelined, Carolina will likely turn to 2021 seventh-round pick Phil Hoskins or undrafted rookie Marquan McCall to soak up some of the defensive snaps.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/22

September 20th, 2022 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/22

September 20th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Steelers Sticking With Mitch Trubisky As Starting QB

September 20th, 2022 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ben Roethlisberger began his starter run in Week 3 of the 2004 season. A Tommy Maddox injury led to that seminal switch. Eighteen years later, the Steelers’ new first-round quarterback prospect looks like he will need to wait longer.

Although some pro-Kenny Pickett chants broke out at Sunday’s Patriots-Steelers game, the No. 20 overall pick will not replace Mitch Trubisky. While acknowledging Trubisky can be more aggressive with downfield throws, Tomlin said he is exercising patience with his quarterback (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) and offensive coordinator.

“I’m not happy with much of anything when we just lost a game, but I’m also experienced enough to see the big picture, that we are still very much in development,” Tomlin said, via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, when asked about OC Matt Canada‘s play-calling. “I’m going to exercise appropriate patience and continue to teach and ask the guys to continue to learn in an effort to continue to push this train down the track and get better.”

This does not represent a logical week to make a switch. Following Thursday’s Browns matchup, however, a transition window opens. Trubisky’s play will dictate how much longer he has as Pittsburgh’s starter, though Pickett’s development may be a bigger factor at this point.

Pittsburgh’s offense struggled during Roethlisberger’s final season, ranking 25th in DVOA. It has offered two low-wattage performances this year. Trubisky, who has attempted 15 throws at or behind the line of scrimmage this season, enters Week 3 averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. Excluding Dak Prescott‘s one-game sample, that mark ranks as the league’s worst. Neither Chase Claypool nor second-round pick George Pickens have surpassed 30 receiving yards in a game this season.

Trubisky is not expected to keep his job throughout this season, but his two sub-200-yard performances magnify Pickett’s development. The Steelers have a Week 9 bye. Although Trey Lance, Jordan Love and Patrick Mahomes are exceptions, with their teams planning longer NFL onramps, every first-round quarterback chosen from 2017-21 had been elevated into the starting lineup by Week 10. (That list expands to 2012 if Paxton Lynch and Johnny Manziel are excluded.) With it being more norm than exception for QBs to begin their starter runs by October of their rookie year — Trubisky took over in Chicago in October 2017 — how long Pickett waits looks like it will be rather important to the Steelers’ contention prospects.

The Steelers promoted Canada from quarterbacks coach to OC last year. He replaced Randy Fichtner. Pittsburgh ranks 30th in total offense, and Najee Harris is averaging 2.9 yards per carry. Even Trubisky called on Canada to be more aggressive, though the second-year OC has not yet worked with an above-average quarterback or much offensive line talent. The offense’s performance Thursday in Cleveland certainly will be a hot-button topic.

“Call concepts to get receivers there,” Trubisky said, via Pryor, on the subject of downfield passing. “When the coverage dictates that, get them the ball within that. … We like our outside matchups. We’ve got really good receivers. We’ve got really good talent across the board. We’d like to attack all areas of the field and get the ball to our playmakers. So, we could do a little bit better at everything, for sure.”

Ravens Meet With OLB Jason Pierre-Paul

September 20th, 2022 at 5:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:58pm: As was the case when the Ravens met with Pierre-Paul in June, he left his morning workout without an agreement. Pierre-Paul did describe the interest as mutual, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Multiple other teams have shown interest as well, per JPP.

1:01pm: More than three months after initially visiting the Ravens, Jason Pierre-Paul is back on the team’s radar. The 12-year veteran is at the team’s facility Tuesday, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz (on Twitter).

One of the top players available on an obviously diminished free agent market by this point, JPP, 33, could be of use for a Ravens team that is only rostering two outside linebackers presently. Baltimore already turned to one veteran edge this offseason, re-signing Justin Houston after placing a UFA tender on him. Another could be on the way. For the next two weeks, at least, help is needed.

The team lost edge player Steven Means to a Week 2 Achilles tear and has multiple outside linebackers on injury lists. Second-round pick David Ojabo is on IR. The Michigan product is not a lock to debut when first eligible, given that he suffered an Achilles tear during a pre-draft workout. The team also has Tyus Bowser, who sustained an Achilles tear in January, on its reserve/PUP list. Neither Ojabo nor Bowser are eligible to play until Week 5.

A critical part of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV-winning formula, Pierre-Paul has racked up 91.5 career sacks while bouncing back from multiple major injuries. He registered 9.5 sacks for the Bucs’ championship team two seasons ago, adding two more in a playoff slate that ended with he and Shaquil Barrett applying consistent pressure to Patrick Mahomes.

But JPP’s numbers cratered in 2021. The former Giants All-Pro totaled just 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in 12 games, limiting his 2022 market. An early-offseason shoulder surgery also likely affected Pierre-Paul’s free agency appeal. The Cowboys had him on their radar in March but turned to the draft (second-rounder Sam Williams) to round out their post-Randy Gregory plan.

The Ravens are down to Houston (two sacks) and Odafe Oweh for the time being and will need to make a depth-based move ahead of Week 3.

A.J. McCarron, Mike Glennon Among QBs At 49ers Workout; Kurt Benkert Lands Deal

September 20th, 2022 at 4:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:51pm: It will be Benkert landing the gig after this audition, Garafolo tweets. it is a practice squad deal. The former Falcons and Packers reserve has been in the NFL since 2018, after arriving as a UDFA out of Virginia. Benkert, 27, has appeared in just one game — with the 2021 Packers — and does not have a regular-season pass on his resume yet. Benkert played under Kyle Shanahan Falcons OC successor Steve Sarkisian and spent a year in Matt LaFleur‘s West Coast offense.

3:59pm: Trey Lance‘s injury reopens the door for Jimmy Garoppolo, but it also leaves the 49ers vulnerable. Garoppolo has battled a host of injuries since coming to San Francisco, and the team is looking into reserve options.

Chief among them is A.J. McCarron, who was one of five quarterbacks at a Tuesday 49ers workout, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Mike Glennon, Garrett Gilbert, Kevin Hogan and Kurt Benkert also trekked to the Bay Area for this audition. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, is the only other QB on San Francisco’s 53-man roster.

The Falcons did not re-sign McCarron, whose 2021 deal did not lead to any game action. A summer 2021 ACL tear sidelined the former Bengals backup, but the veteran arm expressed interest in returning to the league this year. The Browns worked out McCarron in July but went with Josh Rosen instead.

Now 32, McCarron has been with four teams — Raiders and Texans stints came in between his Cincinnati and Atlanta stays — over an eight-year career. His only notable game action came back in 2015, when Andy Dalton‘s late-season injury sent the Alabama alum into action. McCarron had the Bengals on the precipice of a wild-card win over the Steelers; late-game penalties helped down Cincinnati that night. Since that four-start season, McCarron has made just one additional start — with the 2019 Texans — but has continued to generate interest.

Glennon, 32, spent last season with the Giants but has bounced around the league since his Buccaneers stay ended in 2016. Glennon struggled during his Daniel Jones relief cameos, going 0-4 as a starter and completing 54% of his passes at 4.7 yards per throw. The former Bucs third-round pick also lost his five 2020 starts, helping the Jaguars secure Trevor Lawrence draft real estate. The 6-foot-7 veteran has been with five teams — the Bears, Cardinals, Raiders, Jags and Giants — since his rookie contract expired.

Garoppolo only resumed throwing recently, but he came in to relieve Lance in Week 2. Lance’s season-ending ankle break puts Garoppolo’s health history back under the microscope. The sixth-year 49er missed 13 starts in 2018, 10 in 2020 and two last season. Calf, thumb and shoulder injuries impacted Garoppolo last year, leading to two 2022 surgeries. Lance no longer being present as a backup option, as was the case in 2021, raises the stakes involved with this 49ers search for a veteran arm.

Patriots Meet With LB Jamie Collins

September 20th, 2022 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots already circled back to Jamie Collins after both his Browns and Lions releases. Following his third New England stint last year, the veteran linebacker is back on the Pats’ radar.

Weeks ago, Collins worked out for a Raiders team run by ex-Patriot staffers. He was back in Foxborough for a Tuesday meeting, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Despite the Browns and Lions being the teams to give Collins notable contracts, the nine-year veteran has played 76 of his 122 career games with the Patriots.

Collins Pats stint No. 3, which began with an October 2021 re-signing, did not feature the former second-round pick in as prominent a role as his second New England stay did. The 32-year-old defender started two of the 10 games he played as a Patriot last season. The former Pro Bowler made just 20 tackles with the Pats, registering a sack.

In 2019, however, the low-cost (following the Browns’ decision to bail on a $12MM-per-year deal that offseason) cog delivered one of the more versatile seasons by a linebacker in recent years. Collins notched seven sacks, three interceptions, 81 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. With Kyle Van Noy out of the picture in 2022, Collins’ hybrid skillset could be of use to a Pats team even more reliant on its defense than usual. Collins has 26.5 career sacks.

After Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower‘s exits, Ja’Whaun Bentley resides as the Pats’ top off-ball ‘backer. Raekwon McMillan‘s snap count dropped from 42 in Week 1 to 12 last week. The veteran second-level stopper missed last season with an ACL tear and is battling a toe injury. The Patriots did not use a second off-ball linebacker extensively against the Steelers. Matt Judon remains in place as the Patriots’ top edge rusher, though the team has not seen a top complementary edge player emerge during the Judon era.

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