2022 September - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Raiders Place CB Anthony Averett On IR, Claim CB Javelin Guidry

September 12th, 2022 at 5:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Javelin Guidry has now ventured to both teams involved in last month’s Trayvon Mullen trade. The Cardinals claimed the young cornerback off waivers from the Jets after roster-cutdown day but waived him ahead of their Week 1 game. Guidry has since found a third 2022 employer.

The Raiders claimed Guidry off waivers Monday, but the addition comes after the team lost one of its starters to injury. Las Vegas placed cornerback Anthony Averett on IR. This transaction knocks Averett out for at least four games.

Averett suffered a broken right thumb against the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The IR timetable lines up with Averett’s expected recovery timeline, with the former Ravens defender expected to be ready to return in around a month.

The Raiders have been impressed with Averett, to the point they felt comfortable unloading Mullen — a former second-round pick and three-season starter for the team — before setting their roster. The Raiders were planning to waive Mullen had the Cardinals not stepped in with a trade proposal. Averett entered the season alongside Rock Ya-Sin and Nate Hobbs as the Raiders’ top corners. The Raiders have Amik Robertson as a backup option, but the team is expected to add veteran slot defender Nickell Robey-Coleman on Monday as well. The Robey-Coleman signing, however, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets.

A 14-game Ravens starter last season — one that saw Baltimore go the full campaign without Marcus Peters — Averett signed a one-year deal worth $4MM in March. The Raiders are guaranteeing the former fourth-round Ravens draftee $3.34MM. He played 34 defensive snaps Sunday, prior to going down with the thumb ailment.

This Raiders move denied the Cardinals a chance to pass Guidry through to their practice squad. A former sprinter who finished sixth in the 60-meter dash at the 2019 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Guidry spent two seasons with the Jets. Guidry played 486 defensive snaps last season, spending time both outside and in the slot with the Jets. A Utah alum, Guidry is credited with forcing an four fumbles as a rookie in 2020.

Bills Targeted Chandler Jones Amid Rams-Von Miller Connections

September 12th, 2022 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller started off his Bills tenure well, notching two sacks against the Rams and spearheading Buffalo’s seven-sack night. Miller chose the Bills over the Rams and Cowboys in free agency, but the rumors connecting the future Hall of Famer and the defending Super Bowl champions nearly moved the Bills in another direction.

Miller said this offseason he was 90% sure he would re-sign with the Rams. The Bills undoubtedly believed there was a good chance Miller would stay in Los Angeles, as Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes Buffalo was initially set to pursue Chandler Jones (subscription required).

The consensus belief Miller would stay in L.A. led to the Bills-Jones connection, per Rodrigue, who adds the Rams expected to retain Miller as well. The Bills became aware of a contract matter that ended up altering the Miller sweepstakes. Learning of the Rams’ proposal containing two guaranteed years, the Bills made the rare move of including a third guaranteed year. Miller said this summer that ended up pushing him to Buffalo.

Buffalo’s six-year, $120MM Miller contract includes a lower per-year average through 2024 than the Rams’ proposal carried, but Miller’s Bills deal has $10.7MM guaranteed in 2024. The Rams were unwilling to break a precedent in this chase, per Rodrigue, who notes this Rams regime has never offered a player a third guaranteed season. Los Angeles’ three-year Aaron Donald deal features a nonguaranteed 2024 season.

A loose Jones-Bills connection emerged ahead of free agency, though several other teams were interested. Once the legal tampering period began, however, the Raiders loomed for Jones. The former Patriots and Cardinals defender signed a three-year, $52.5MM accord hours before the 2022 league year began. Miller’s Bills pact became finalized hours later.

Jones, 32, is a year younger than Miller. But the two-time All-Pro appeared to be Buffalo’s backup plan here. The Bills had pursued a Miller trade before the 2021 season, though they were not connected to calling the Broncos on him before the in-season Rams swap. The Cardinals, who had Jones winding down his 2017 extension, and Cowboys were believed to be the Broncos’ other options there. Miller is signed through the 2027 season; he has said he will aim to play out the contract.

Ravens CB Kyle Fuller Suffers Torn ACL

September 12th, 2022 at 2:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens suffered two injuries during yesterday’s win over the Jets, but in both cases, that contest will be their only action of the 2022 season. Cornerback Kyle Fuller tore his ACL, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed when speaking to the media on Monday.

The 30-year-old signed in Baltimore in May, looking to use the homecoming as a way to re-build his value. Fuller played in Denver last season on a $9.5MM deal, but found himself in and out of the lineup competing with a number of young Broncos corners. He failed to record an interception for the first time in his career, a far cry from the league-leading seven picks he amassed during his All-Pro Bears season in 2018.

Still, Fuller projected as a key rotational player in a Ravens CB room which saw plenty of turnover during the offseason. The departures of Anthony Averett and Jimmy Smith left a roster spot open for a veteran addition, especially given the injury concerns faced by starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

The latter missed the 2021 season in its entirety, leaving his Week 1 status in the air. He was activated from the PUP list in August, but did indeed sit out yesterday’s game. That left Fuller as a starter, and he logged a defensive snap share of 95%. A return to the field by Peters in time for Week 2 would alleviate the need for a new first-teamer on the perimeter, but the Ravens’ depth could be tested early in the year especially if he is unable to do so.

Baltimore will likely lean more heavily on Brandon Stephens in Fuller’s absence; the team could also use more three-safety packages including Marcus Williams, Chuck Clark and Kyle Hamilton. Fourth-round rookies Jayln Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams could be in line for increased playing time as well. Fuller, meanwhile, will turn his attention to recovery as he now faces another ‘prove-it’ deal in free agency next offseason.

Eagles DE Derek Barnett Suffers Torn ACL

September 12th, 2022 at 1:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles held on for a victory over the Lions yesterday, but lost a key defender for the season in the process. Defensive end Derek Barnett tore his ACL, and will miss the remainder of the campaign (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

The 26-year-old has been with the Eagles for his entire career since joining them as a first-round pick in 2017. He became a starter in his second year, and set a career high in 2019 with 6.5 sacks. That figure had fallen to just two by 2021, though, leading to the belief that his time in Philadelphia would be coming to an end.

Instead, Barnett re-signed on a two-year deal in March. That kept him in the fold after the Eagles made a sizable investment in free agent Haason Reddick, and re-upped Josh Sweat the previous offseason. While Barnett therefore faced plenty of competition for snaps from those two (along with fellow veteran Brandon Graham), he was likely to at least occupy a rotational role amongst the team’s edge rushers.

Barnett is due to carry a cap hit of just over $4MM next season. The presence of $1.5MM in guaranteed money in his deal, along with several void years, would make a release untenable from a financial standpoint, however. The Eagles will need to hope he can recover back to full health and try to regain his form of 2019 and ’20 to provide an effective return on their investment.

In Barnett’s absence, the Eagles may lean on sixth-rounders Tarron Jackson and Kyron Johnson, who were added in the 2021 and 2022 drafts, respectively, as rotational rushers. With nearly $11MM in cap space, Philadelphia could also be active on the remaining free agent market to add a more experienced option.

Commanders DT Phidarian Mathis To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

September 12th, 2022 at 12:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders were left with injury concerns along the defensive line after yesterday’s game. One of the top young members of the unit will not be returning in 2022. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that rookie Phidarian Mathis suffered a meniscus tear which will require season-ending surgery (Twitter link).

Mathis went down during the first quarter of his regular season debut; his reaction at the time of the injury suggested that he would be sidelined for a significant period of time. The fact that he will, for all intents and purposes, miss his entire rookie campaign is a significant blow for him individually and the team in general.

Across a four-year career at Alabama, Mathis become increasingly productive with each passing season. As a junior, he began to show pass-rush potential with five tackles for loss. Last year, he took another major step forward with nine sacks and 10.5 TFLs. That level of development made him a second-round pick, and one who projects to have a key role in Washington for years to come.

The 6-4, 312-pounder was in line for a rotational role in 2022, but the uncertainty surrounding Daron Payne‘s contract future left open the possibility that Mathis could become a starter next year. Even if Payne departs in free agency, this injury will stall Mathis’ NFL development considerably. For the rest of this season, at least, Washington still has Jonathan Allen and Daniel Wise as internal options along the d-line.

Allen also suffered an injury yesterday, though he described it as “minor.” Nevertheless, head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that the team is considering “several names” with respect to potential additions (Twitter links via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post). Those could come in the form of a practice squad promotion whereby David Bada would be brought up to the 53-man roster, or an outside acquisition. Either way, moves are likely to be made with increased urgency given the seriousness of Mathis’ injury.

Latest On Titans’ QB Situation

September 12th, 2022 at 11:13am CST by Adam La Rose

The Titans were one of several teams who used Day 2 of this April’s draft to add to their quarterback room. The addition of Malik Willis – who was seen by many as the signal-caller with the most upside in the 2022 class – led to questions about Ryan Tannehill‘s hold on the No. 1 spot.

As confirmed by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, however, “there is no competition or controversy” in Nashville at the position. Willis put up notable production after transferring to Liberty for the final two seasons of his college career, totaling 5,107 passing yards and 47 touchdowns. He added 1,822 yards and another 27 scores on the ground, showcasing the rushing ability which made him stand out from an underwhelming crop of prospects.

That, coupled with Willis’ preseason performances, fueled speculation that he could see the field relatively early. The Titans traded up to select him, and Tannehill’s disappointing 2021 season ended with a three-interception performance in the Divisional Round. The latter was not informed of the decision to draft Willis, but he has had a largely successful stint with the team and is due $27MM in 2022.

As a result, the Titans “fully expect” Tannehill to operate as the undisputed starter this season, where he will look to guide an offense no longer featuring A.J. Brown to another AFC-topping regular season. The team also publicly supported him in February, despite the underwhelming nature of his postseason. Given the $36MM cap charge he is scheduled to have in 2023 (along with no guaranteed money), however, Rapoport and Pelissero acknowledge that things could be very different for Tannehill one year from now.

The 34-year-old put up two touchdowns and a passer rating of 106.4 during yesterday’s loss to the Giants. His ability to improve on that performance throughout the season will be worth watching as his potential successor remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Lamar Jackson Rejected Six-Year, $290MM+ Offer

September 11th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Rory Parks

One of the most prevalent NFL storylines this offseason has been the Ravens’ extension negotiations with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and we learned on Friday that the two sides had not come to terms. As such, it is likely that contract talks will be tabled until the offseason.

We now have more details on Baltimore’s most recent offer. Per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Ravens proposed a six-year deal worth over $290MM, which included $133MM guaranteed at signing (Twitter link). The full guarantees and the average annual value would have eclipsed the figures included in the recent contracts signed by Denver’s Russell Wilson ($124MM fully guaranteed, $48.5MM AAV) and Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($103.3MM fully guaranteed, $46.5MM AAV). Indeed, Mortensen says that Wilson’s pact — which was signed just 10 days ago — prompted the Ravens to up their offer.

As has become increasingly clear, Jackson wants his entire contract to be fully guaranteed, just like the one the Browns gave to Deshaun Watson. Of course, clubs are trying to treat the Watson accord as an outlier, and Wilson and Murray clearly did not object to that approach. According to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, Baltimore was frustrated that Jackson, unlike Wilson and Murray, did not accept that unique circumstances precipitated Watson’s deal (Twitter links).

Anderson adds that helping elite quarterbacks land fully guaranteed contracts in the future is important to Jackson (links to Twitter). One wonders if the NFLPA — which, as Mortensen tweets, counseled the agentless Jackson — might have influenced the 2019 MVP in that regard, though there is presently nothing to suggest that is the case.

If Jackson continues to bet on himself and takes the “Kirk Cousins approach” to the situation — i.e., forcing the Ravens to put the franchise tag on him in 2023 and ’24 — he would earn around $100MM in guaranteed money over those two seasons, along with the $23MM he is earning in 2022. In 2025, when the cap charge of a third franchise tag becomes untenable, Jackson could theoretically have the leverage to get the fully guaranteed deal he desires from Baltimore or another franchise.

That obviously assumes that his play remains at a high level and that he does not suffer a career-altering injury, though Anderson hears that Jackson is essentially bullet-proof; no matter what happens to him (barring something completely catastrophic), sources expect him to ultimately get what he wants (Twitter links). That may or may not be true, but it is clearly a risk Jackson is willing to take.

We heard previously that the negotiations have not led to any acrimony between Jackson and the Ravens, and for what it’s worth, the union believes the team has negotiated in good faith (Twitter link via Mortensen). Baltimore did include $2.5MM “de-escalator” clauses if Jackson did not attend a certain percentage of offseason workouts, though it’s unlikely that particular provision had much of an impact in talks.

For now, the Ravens and Jackson will turn their attention to Sunday’s opener against the Jets, the start of another campaign in which expectations are high for player and team.

Keenan Allen Unlikely For Week 2?

September 11th, 2022 at 9:50pm CST by Ely Allen

9:50pm: In a postgame interview, Allen claimed he “possibly” can play in Week 2 after today’s hamstring injury, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. When reminded that the Chargers have a short week before their Thursday night matchup in Kansas City, Allen amended his “possibly” to a “small possibly.”

6:54pm: Los Angeles was rolling on offense before veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen left the game in the first half with an apparent hamstring injury. Allen pulled up in the middle of running a route, grabbed him hamstring, and limped directly off the field and to the blue medical tent. After initially being announced as questionable to return, he was quickly downgraded to “out,” according to Bridget Condon of NFL Network.

Allen was a huge part of the Chargers’ early success on Sunday, reeling in four catches for 66 yards in less than two quarters of football. Without Allen in the second half, Los Angeles’ offense grew stagnant, allowing the Raiders to claw their way back into the game.

In Allen’s absence, quarterback Justin Herbert had to really spread out his targets. Newly re-signed Mike Williams is the obvious answer to step up with Allen out, but the Las Vegas defense mobbed Williams for much of the remainder of the game, forcing Herbert to find other targets to pass to. The running backs and tight ends got heavily involved in the passing game with Gerald Everett, Tre’ McKitty, Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, and Zander Horvath reeling in 14 receptions between the five of them.

Allen has been with the Chargers for nine years dating back to their time in San Diego. Even with Williams hot on his heels, Allen has been the leading receiver for the Chargers in every healthy season of his career, except for last season when Williams outgained Allen by eight yards. It’s unknown how much time Allen is expected to miss, but, in the meantime, the Chargers will count on wideouts DeAndre Carter, Joshua Palmer, and Jalen Guyton to open up the field for Williams.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt, Najee Harris Ruled Out With Injuries

September 11th, 2022 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

9:40pm: Mike Giardi of NFL Network reports that a source has informed him that Harris’s foot injury is not considered serious. This is extremely optimistic news for the Steelers considering they were forced to turn to undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren in Harris’s absence.

4:08pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that Watt will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine if his and the team’s fears of a torn pectoral muscle are indeed true.

3:59pm: The Steelers have suffered injuries to arguably their two most irreplaceable players. Edge rusher T.J. Watt and running back Najee Harris have each been ruled out of the remainder of the team’s contest against the Bengals with pectoral and foot injuries, respectively (Twitter link via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).

Watt appeared to suffer his injury in the fourth quarter. When walking off the field, he seemed to indicate that he had torn his pectoral muscle, Pryor’s colleague Field Yates tweets. Any significant absence for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year could be crippling for the Steelers.

Watt led the league in sacks for the second straight year in 2021, notching 22.5. That provided a fruitful return on investment for Pittsburgh, after they signed him to a four-year, $112MM deal in the lead-up to the campaign. The 27-year-old was only eclipsed by Aaron Donald this summer as the league’s highest-paid defender with annual average of over $28MM per year.

Even with Watt at full health, depth in the edge rush department had been seen as a need for the team this offseason. As a result, it came as little surprise when they traded for Malik Reed from the Broncos. He would be next in line to take on a starting role, and Pittsburgh would need to be active in looking for veteran additions in a similar vein to their Melvin Ingram addition last season.

The fact that Harris’ injury was a foot ailment is also concerning, given that fact that he suffered a Lisfranc sprain in training camp. He had recovered in time to play the Steelers’ season opener, though he only received 10 carries before exiting the game. After his Pro Bowl rookie season last year, Harris is expected to once again be a focal point of the team’s offense and would represent a massive loss in the event of an extended absence.

The Steelers have beaten the Bengals after a wild overtime finish, but the victory may very well have come at an enormous cost.

Week 1 Injury Roundup: Butker, Jones, Higgins, Rookies

September 11th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Early in its Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals, Kansas City watched their kicker get carted off the field after Harrison Butker slipped on the kickoff following the team’s opening scoring drive, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The injury brought on speculation that Chiefs safety Justin Reid may be forced to step in for kicks.

Fortunately, Butker’s injury wasn’t serious enough to keep him permanently out of the game as the sixth-year kicker made his way back onto the field at the end the second half to attempt (and convert) a 54-yard field goal. Still, the Chiefs did play it safe with Butker, calling on Reid to attempt two extra points following Butker’s slip. Reid was successful on his first extra point attempt but missed his second, likely leading to Butker’s return on the field.

Butker kicked the extra points for the remainder of the game, but Kansas City did elect to hold him off the field for kickoffs, letting Reid serve as the kickoff specialist for the rest of the day.

Here are a few other injury notes from around the first week of NFL games, starting with today’s matchup down by South Beach:

In a rough opening road trip for the Patriots, quarterback Mac Jones was not made available to the media as he was instructed to go to the X-ray room with a back injury, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. The x-rays turned out to be negative, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but the team will seek further evaluation on his back injury when they return to Foxborough. It’s unclear at what point in the game Jones suffered the injury, but the 24-year-old completed the game without visible issue.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins exited the game versus the Steelers today with a concussion after receiving a big hit in the second quarter, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Star receiver Ja’Marr Chase produced as expected, but running back Joe Mixon and new tight end Hayden Hurst had to step up in the passing game with Higgins out. If the concussion keeps Higgins out next week, as well, the Bengals will depend on Tyler Boyd, Mike Thomas, Trent Taylor, and Stanley Morgan to make up for Higgins’ lost production.
Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season saw three second-round rookies go down with injuries. The Commanders added one big piece to their defense this offseason in former-Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. In the first quarter of NFL play for the rookie, Mathis went down awkwardly on his left leg, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports, and did not return to the game. Mathis immediately reached for is knee and showed a flash of anger as the Commanders’ medical staff diagnosed the situation. Mathis isn’t a starter but, if the rookie is forced to miss significant time with the injury, it should mean more snaps for second-year defensive tackle Daniel Wise.
The Vikings also saw a second-round pick go down when former-Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth left the game with a quad injury, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. Injuries have plagued the rookie in the past and, if he is forced to miss more time, the Vikings will likely turn to Chandon Sullivan, Kris Boyd, and fellow rookie Akayleb Evans to fill in.
The Giants added rookie wideout Wan’Dale Robinson to their list of injured receivers, along with Darius Slay ton and Collin Johnson, as he left the game today with a knee injury, according to Dan Salomone of Giants.com. Robinson had leapt ahead of Sterling Shepard to start the game alongside Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney before suffering the injury. The severity of the ailment is unknown for now, but Shepard should be able to step back into a starting role if Robinson is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

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