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Month: November 2024

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Miller, Kearse, Commanders, Eagles, Seumalo, Giants

September 15th, 2022 at 4:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Being Von Miller‘s hometown team, the Cowboys had a recruiting advantage this offseason. Miller expressed interest in returning to the Broncos, but when that did not happen, he opened the door to a hometown discount with the Cowboys. Dallas’ offer was believed to be the same one it proposed now-Denver-stationed Randy Gregory — five years, $70MM. Miller moved on, choosing the Bills’ three guaranteed years ahead of Rams proposal that would have paid him more in the short term. After Gregory spurned the Cowboys, they opted for a thriftier trip through the pass-rushing market.

“Von Miller is a great football player,” Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. “I mean, you see them play at that level and especially this early there is a lot of school of thought on older guys like that that when you really get those guys are for more so for the playoffs than it is for the first part, middle of the season. Now, granted, I’m sure there was a little bit of motivation for Von playing for the Rams and winning a Super Bowl to go out there and showcase what he’s all about.

“There is a lot of players that if there was unlimited cap space that you could do things, but that wasn’t a short-term, one-year deal. It was a long-term deal, and we had to not only look at what we’re doing this year but look at what is going to be coming at us here in a year or two. Just made a conscientious decision there that we wanted to go with the direction that we went.”

The Cowboys turned to a committee approach to replace Gregory, re-signing Dorance Armstrong, adding Dante Fowler as a UFA and drafting Sam Williams in Round 2. Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • Brian Robinson continues to make progress after suffering two gunshot wounds on August 28. The rookie Commanders running back attended practice for the first time since being shot in the hip and knee. The third-round pick had a wrap around his right knee but did footwork and agility drills on a side field, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. Robinson is eligible to come off Washington’s reserve/NFI list in Week 5.
  • The Eagles created some cap space this week. They restructured Isaac Seumalo‘s contract, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). A $4.62MM chunk of Seumalo’s base salary is now a signing bonus, opening up $3.69MM in cap room. The Eagles now hold nearly $11MM in space, a total that sits sixth in the league. This is Seumalo’s contract year, though four void years are on the deal as well now. The team not doing another deal with the starting guard by the start of the 2023 league year would create a $7.53MM dead-money charge.
  • Second-year Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson will be out for Week 2 due to an appendix removal, Brian Daboll said (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz). This likely will be a multigame absence for the first-year starter, Schwartz adds. Robinson, a 2021 third-round pick, played every Giants defensive snap opposite Adoree’ Jackson in Week 1. This depletes an already-thin position group for the Giants, who cut James Bradberry months ago. The team did draft slot option Cor’Dale Flott in Round 3, claimed ex-Steelers third-rounder Justin Layne via waivers and added ex-Washington and Atlanta starter Fabian Moreau to its practice squad. Of the three, Moreau is by far the most experienced option.
  • The Cowboys will be without one of their starting safeties for a while. Jayron Kearse sustained an MCL sprain in Week 1, per Jerry Jones (via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer, on Twitter). Kearse, who impressed as a Cowboys starter last year, re-signed with the team for two years and $10MM this offseason. He is expected to be out between two and four weeks. The Cowboys had a rough Week 1 on the injury front, losing Dak Prescott and Connor McGovern as well. Malik Hooker figures to step into the starting lineup alongside Donovan Wilson.

Eagles Were ‘Deep In Talks’ With WR Allen Robinson; Rams Entered Market Late

September 15th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles’ new No. 1 wide receiver blew up for 155 yards in Week 1, and A.J. Brown is tied to a contract that still leads the wideout market in fully guaranteed money ($56MM). Before moving to Brown, the Eagles look to have needed some other doors to close.

Allen Robinson has previously been mentioned as one of those doors, but the Eagles may have been close to a deal with the ex-Jaguars and Bears target. The Eagles were “deep in talks” with Robinson as the legal tampering period gave way to official free agency, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required). Von Miller‘s concurrent Rams negotiations impacted Robinson’s free agency.

The Rams were saving their top free agency slot for Miller, whose market came down to Los Angeles, Dallas or Buffalo. With the Rams long expected to retain the future Hall of Fame pass rusher and re-sign Odell Beckham Jr., it did not appear Robinson would be an L.A. fit. After Miller informed Sean McVay he was signing with the Bills on March 16, the Rams changed course and called Robinson that night, Rodrigue adds.

A subsequent McVay-Matthew Stafford video call swayed Robinson, who signed with the team March 17. Though, the Rams’ offer may have had more to do with his commitment. The Eagles were not prepared to outbid the Miller-less Rams for Robinson, and they again swung and missed (or checked their swing) on a veteran wideout. Robinson, 29, signed a three-year, $46.5MM deal with the Rams. The pact included $30.3MM guaranteed at signing. The Rams, who offered Miller a deal that included a higher through-2024 AAV than the Bills’ proposal did, later used some additional funds to add Bobby Wagner.

Philly nearly completed a trade for Calvin Ridley prior to free agency; the Falcons wideout’s gambling suspension nixed it. The Eagles also pursued Christian Kirk but saw the Jaguars submit a stunning offer to lure him to north Florida. The Eagles soon entered the DeVante Parker mix, but the Patriots’ willingness to include a third-round pick helped them land the former Dolphins first-round pick.

Robinson or Ridley being Philly-bound could have led to a ripple effect regarding Brown, who by draft time was at an impasse with the Titans. The Jets were the only other team connected to Brown, as they were connected to just about every potentially available receiver before the draft. But other teams probably would have entered the Brown sweepstakes as well, given the Pro Bowler’s talent and age (25). The Eagles ended up acquiring him, marking probably the franchise’s biggest WR swing since Terrell Owens in 2004. Brown is signed through the 2026 season. Brown leads a Philly receiving corps housing 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and free agency pickup Zach Pascal (but no longer Jalen Reagor).

Van Jefferson undergoing surgery prior to free agency also impacted the Rams’ entrance into the deeper free agency waters for Robinson, per Rodrigue, who adds the Rams’ staff viewed Jefferson as a 2022 wild card of sorts. Jefferson has since undergone a second knee procedure, and CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson notes (via Twitter) the former second-round pick is likely to miss at least one more game to start the season. That will place more on Robinson’s plate. Robinson’s first Rams game did not produce much (one catch, 12 yards), with Cooper Kupp still carrying the load. Stafford is by far the best quarterback Robinson has played with, so it will be interesting to see if the ninth-year pass catcher can move past his sluggish final season in Chicago.

Seahawks’ Jamal Adams To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

September 15th, 2022 at 12:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The quadriceps injury Jamal Adams suffered early in Week 1 will end his season. The veteran safety plans to undergo surgery to repair a torn quad tendon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Adams sought additional opinions from doctors this week, but the conclusion will bring a quick end to the former All-Pro defender’s sixth NFL season. The Seahawks will move Adams to IR, and Rapoport adds they are signing cornerback Teez Tabor off the Falcons’ practice squad (Twitter link).

This deals the Seahawks’ defense a major blow, and it continues a string of Adams unavailability since he was traded to Seattle in 2020. Adams, however, only missed four and five games, respectively, during the 2020 and ’21 seasons. This will be new territory. He played 15 snaps against the Broncos. Adams only missed two games during his three-season Jets tenure.

With Jets contract negotiations not progressing, the Seahawks stepped in with a monster trade offer to acquire the former top-10 pick. The Seahawks sent two first-round choices, a third-rounder and veteran safety Bradley McDougald to the Jets for Adams. After playing a fourth season on his rookie contract, Adams cashed in last year. The Seahawks’ decision to trade for the acclaimed blitzer and give him a then-market-topping extension has backfired to this point.

Adams’ $17.5MM extension last summer topped the safety market by more than $2MM (AAV-wise). Although Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James have since surpassed that deal, Adams is the highest-paid defender on Seattle’s defense and — post-Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner — the second-highest-paid player on the team. Seattle re-signed Quandre Diggs this offseason, giving the franchise two of the league’s top-10 highest-paid safeties. Diggs will have to go it alone for the season’s remainder.

While Adams is not regarded as a high-quality cover man, the Seahawks put him to work as a hybrid player over his first two seasons. After a 6.5-sack 2019 season with the Jets — an All-Pro campaign — Adams set a safety record with 9.5 sacks in his first Seahawks season, helping the team to the playoffs. Adams did not record a sack in 2021. Injuries have dogged him for much of his Pacific Northwest stay, however. Two shoulder surgeries have occurred since Adams arrived in Seattle, and he underwent multiple finger operations this offseason. The LSU alum’s finger issues have left him no longer able to make a fist with his left hand, and Adams said his shoulder trouble had him playing “with one arm for damn near two years.”

The Adams contract runs through 2025. He is due an $11MM base salary in 2023 and is in line to count $18.1MM on Seattle’s cap next year. Adams, 26, counts just $9.1MM this year. His 2024 and ’25 cap numbers come in at $23.6MM and $24.6MM, respectively.

PFR Glossary: Returning From IR

September 15th, 2022 at 11:05am CST by Sam Robinson

Week 1 injuries are starting to affect teams’ rosters. Starters and role players are being placed on injured reserve, a status that continues to evolve via offseason NFL rule changes. More adjustments took place in 2022, which shook up the IR setup of the past two years.

In 2020 and 2021, players placed on IR after the roster cutdown to 53 were permitted to return after three games missed. Teams also were granted considerable flexibility in terms of IR-return volume. After the pre-2020 rules had placed strict limitations on the number of players teams could activate from injured reserve during a season, the NFL — due to the roster uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic caused — removed the limit of players who could return from IR. Limitations returned this year.

Eight injury-related activations can occur per team over the course of the 2022 season. These apply to players placed on teams’ injured reserve, reserve/non-football injury or reserve/non-football illness lists. The NFL, which removed the reserve/COVID-19 list as a 2022 roster designation, also raised the floor for mandatory games missed due to IR from three to four. Any player moved to IR this week cannot return until Week 6.

While the eight-player rule will reinsert strategy into the IR equation for teams, this maximum is far less restrictive than it was not long ago. For years before the 2012 season, a player being placed on injured reserve meant he was done for the season’s remainder. From 2012-16, teams could bring one player off IR. The player must have missed at least eight games before returning, however, and was not permitted to practice for six weeks. In 2017, two IR-boomerang slots were allowed. The eight-week waiting period remained, but teams could move two players from IR back onto their 53-man rosters.

The 2017 change led to more strategy regarding which players teams would prioritize. That system lasted for three seasons. The March 2020 CBA ratification was to allow three players to be activated from IR per season, but the eight-week waiting period was to remain. The pandemic prompted the league to make sweeping changes five months later, with the August 2020 COVID-related CBA revisions opening the floodgates for in-season activations.

This year’s changes also will enable teams to use two IR-return slots on the same player. Although the league’s first two 2020s seasons featured unlimited activations, players could only be brought back from an injury list once per season. If a player were activated and then placed back on IR, he was done for the rest of the year. In 2022, teams are allowed to activate a player from IR twice (but not three times). If a team were to activate a player off IR twice this year, each move would count toward that team’s eight-activation limit.

Latest On Cowboys’ Offensive Line

September 15th, 2022 at 10:17am CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys are set to revisit their unfortunate lineup adjustment of 2020, when Dak Prescott missed much of the season. That year also involved both Dallas’ top tackles being out of the mix. With Prescott expected to be sidelined for several weeks and Tyron Smith out for months, the Cowboys’ 2022 situation is starting to look eerily similar to their 2020 setup — on offense, anyway.

But the team has higher-ceiling options up front this time around. First-round pick Tyler Smith made his debut at left tackle, and Pro Football Focus rated him just outside the top 40 at the position during his 69-snap debut. Smith still figures to move back to the guard spot at which he was initially pegged to begin the season. Jason Peters‘ ramp-up period might not last much longer.

[RELATED: Cowboys Won’t Place Prescott On IR]

“It depends on his evolving with his conditioning. He didn’t have camp, but, boy, am I glad we got him,” Jerry Jones said of Peters, during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan and RJ Show (via the Dallas Morning News). “We’ll have a spot for him. There’s no question that we’re going to be using him, before we’re out and maybe sooner rather than later.”

This puts to rest any concerns about Peters’ age (40) shutting down his viability as a Cowboys O-line option, and with Connor McGovern having suffered an injury in Week 1, the Cowboys need Peters ready ASAP. Peters remains on the team’s practice squad. That said, the Cowboys look to remain patient with Peters. His acclimation period is likely to continue into next week, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Peters has yet to go through team drills since joining the Cowboys.

As for McGovern, he suffered a high ankle sprain, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). The Cowboys have declared McGovern, who played just seven snaps in Week 1, out for their Week 2 game against the Bengals.

Dallas added Peters not long after Tyron Smith‘s avulsion fracture. The longtime Eagles blocker is expected to replace Smith at left tackle, but Jones said Peters would also be an option on the right side. Terence Steele is viewed as a potential long-term starter at right tackle, where he has taken over for La’el Collins, who is now with Cincinnati. An O-line featuring Peters, Tyler Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and Steele appears to be Dallas’ best bet for now, though it will be interesting how the team plays it when McGovern returns.

“There’s a compatibility in play in staying at one spot, no matter how good a player you are. It lends itself to a better offensive line. But still I think we’ve done pretty good by having Peters come in there,” Jones said. “McGovern shouldn’t be long. He shouldn’t be out long, and we had a good job done by Smith, young Smith, and we got help on the way.”

This is McGovern’s contract year. He has bounced in and out of the Cowboys’ lineup since 2020, making 15 starts after missing his rookie year due to injury. The Cowboys could use McGovern as a swing player behind a Martin-Biadasz-Tyler Smith interior trio. Although the Penn State product was competing with Smith at left guard during training camp, it would be difficult to envision the Cowboys benching their first-round pick after already starting him. Peters’ form might dictate how the Cowboys proceed here as well. For now, the 19th-year veteran is tracking toward becoming a starter on a fourth NFL team.

Steelers To Place T.J. Watt On IR

September 15th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers received good news earlier this week on the T.J. Watt front. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year avoided season-ending pectoral surgery. Watt’s chest injury will still keep him out for a while, however.

Although this has not become official yet, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes Watt will be placed on IR (Twitter link). Pittsburgh is also signing outside linebacker David Anenih off Tennessee’s practice squad. These moves are now official.

An IR placement ahead of Week 2 means Watt’s return window would open in Week 6. It is not yet certain the accomplished pass rusher can hit that mark, the Watt family’s success at rehabbing injuries notwithstanding. But the sixth-year veteran could make it back in as early as five weeks. While the Steelers could be cautious with their top player, Watt returning before the midseason point represents a vast status improvement compared to where this situation appeared headed after he left the team’s opener.

Anenih will be the latest Steelers outside linebacker hire for a Steelers team that has turned this group over in recent weeks. Alex Highsmith now becomes the team’s top healthy edge, but his supporting cast looks vastly different compared to its August complexion.

Three-year Broncos fill-in starter Malik Reed will take on that role for the Steelers, being acquired for just a 2023 seventh-round pick. The Steelers also claimed Jamir Jones off waivers from the Jaguars earlier this month. Former second-round Washington pick Ryan Anderson — who was not with a team last season — is now on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Third-year outside ‘backer Delontae Scott joins Anderson on Pittsburgh’s P-squad, but the team has otherwise overhauled its set of backup edge defenders.

Anenih is a rookie UDFA out of Houston who was one of many current NFL rookies — Kenny Pickett among them — to enter the league after using the fifth year of eligibility the NCAA allowed after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Anenih totaled a career-best 10 tackles for loss to go along with five sacks. During his five-year Cougars career, Anenih tallied 20.5 sacks. The Titans allowed Anenih to leave, rather than promote him to their active roster. That is a somewhat interesting move considering the team recently lost top edge rusher Harold Landry for the season.

The Steelers will face the Patriots, Browns, Jets and Bills without Watt. Three more games — against the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Eagles — come before the team’s Week 9 bye. Watt’s new timetable would point to that stretch being his activation window.

Latest On Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

September 14th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens didn’t agree to an extension before their self-imposed deadline, and we later learned that the QB turned down a final six-year, $290MM offer. Jackson is pushing back on that notion, telling reporters that “there’s no truth” to the report, per Armando Salguero of Outkick.com.

[RELATED: Lamar Jackson Rejected Six-Year, $290MM+ Offer]

The QB is presumably talking about the financial aspects of the reported offer. When we initially learned of Baltimore’s $290MM offer, it was reported that less than half that amount was guaranteed. However, Jackson later acknowledged to ESPN’s Dianna Russini that the Ravens were actually offering between $160MM and $180MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).

Jackson’s assertion that there was “no truth” to the weekend report would seem to imply that Baltimore’s offer was lower than what was reported, but his later comments to Russini would actually make that reported offer sound even better for the QB. Perhaps he was pushing back at the $290MM total contract value, but that’d also mean that a higher percentage of his total contract value would have been guaranteed.

The quarterback also hinted that he’d reconsider his stance against negotiating an extension during the season. While the former MVP may still be open to discussing a new deal with the Ravens, he has no desire to discuss his potential deal with the media. Speaking to reporters today, Jackson said he’s done talking about his negotiations.

“Respectfully, I’m done talking about it,” Jackson said (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “I told you guys before, I was going to be done with it Week 1. Week 1 is over with. We’re done talking about it. I’m focused on the Dolphins now.”

Jackson continues to push for a fully guaranteed contract, a request that the Ravens front office has been willingness to accomodate. When asked why he’s holding firm on his desire for a full guarantee, the quarterback reiterated that he’s done discussing the matter publicly.

AFC Injury Notes: Ravens, Watt, Bengals

September 14th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins returned to practice today, with the running back hoping to make his long-awaited return to the field this Sunday. The Ravens running back admitted that his injury “wasn’t just a normal ACL,” with Dobbins explaining that he tore his ACL, LCL, hamstring, and meniscus at the end of the 2021 preseason (per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on Twitter). It’s been just over a year since Dobbins suffered his injury.

“It would mean the world to me if I can go out there this Sunday and play well in front of a full house,” Dobbins said (via Hensley).

Fellow running back Gus Edwards also missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, but thanks to his placement on PUP, he’ll have to sit out the first four games of the season. Still, Edwards took to Instagram to tell fans that he continues to progress in his recovery and eventual return to the field.

“For everybody wondering about my recovery I’m doing great and I’m very close,” Edwards wrote.

More injury notes from around the AFC…

  • The news keeps getting better for T.J. Watt and the Steelers. The star linebacker could recover from his partially torn pectoral muscle within five weeks, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. There was initial fear that Watt had completely torn his pec, which would have ended his season. The news quickly got better; we learned yesterday that Watt wouldn’t need surgery and could be back within six weeks.
  • Bengals long snapper Clark Harris is expected to miss an extended amount of time after tearing his biceps, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). While Zac Taylor didn’t want to rule out the LS for the season, he did acknowledge that the 38-year-old will miss at least a few months (via ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter). Harris, a one-time Pro Bowler, has been with the organization since 2009. Cal Adomitis will get the first shot to replace Harris at long snapper.
  • J.C. Jackson has been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Chiefs, and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said earlier this week that the cornerback has a “50-50” shot at playing (per NFL Network’s James Palmer on Twitter). Jackson previously suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss the team’s Week 1 victory over the Raiders. After earning a second-team All-Pro nod with the Patriots in 2021, Jackson joined Los Angeles this offseason on a five-year, $82.5MM deal. Meanwhile, both Chargers wideout Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (ankle) have been ruled out for Thursday’s showdown.
  • Mac Jones dealt with back spasms following the Patriots‘ Week 1 loss to the Dolphins, but the quarterback continues to improve, according to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi (on Twitter). A source told Giardi that the QB is “doing everything he needs to” in order to be on the field for this weekend’s matchup against the Steelers. Jones and the Patriots offense struggled during the season opener, with the second-year QB guiding New England to only one touchdown.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/22

September 14th, 2022 at 6:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: OT Darrin Paulo

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: S Mike Brown

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ravens Add CB T.J. Carrie To Practice Squad

September 14th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have added a veteran defensive back to their taxi squad. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter), the Ravens have signed cornerback T.J. Carrie to their practice squad.

Baltimore is already down a cornerback with Kyle Fuller having suffered a torn ACL, ending his season after only one game. Carrie obviously can’t replace the Pro Bowl cornerback, but he’ll provide the organization with some experienced depth.

A seventh-round pick in 2014, Carrie has managed to stick around the NFL for eight-plus seasons. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Colts, starting two of his 26 appearances. Following a 2020 campaign where he was graded as a starting-caliber cornerback by Pro Football Focus, his grades took a significant step back in 2021. Carrie ultimately finished his Indy career having collected 55 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

Besides Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, and nickelback Brandon Stephens, the only other healthy CBs on Baltimore’s active roster are rookie fourth-round picks (Damarion Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis). The Ravens also have Daryl Worley and Kevon Seymour stashed on the practice squad.

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