HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Giants Restructure DL Leonard Williams’ Contract

September 6th, 2022 at 12:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

New Giants GM Joe Schoen said he wanted to avoid cutting into future salary cap space, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes, but the team went through with a Leonard Williams restructure to comply with the 2022 cap.

The team redid the veteran defensive lineman’s deal, according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan (on Twitter). This move created $11.92MM in 2022 cap space, Field Yates of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter). It also created a monster Williams 2023 cap number and pushed money to 2024, despite the former top-10 pick only being signed through next season.

By shifting $17.88MM of Williams’ 2022 base salary into a signing bonus, the Giants spread out his cap hit through 2024. A void year became necessary to do this. As a result, Williams is on New York’s 2023 cap at $32.26MM. That new number is currently slated to rank 12th in the NFL next year. Nine of the 11 players slated to have larger cap hits than Williams next year are quarterbacks. Williams’ previous 2022 cap hit ($27.3MM) had ranked fourth among defenders. It has since dropped to $15.4MM, but it comes with a future cost.

Williams, 28, maximized his value by signing a three-year, $63MM extension in March 2021, shortly after being franchise-tagged for the second time. Despite being well under .500 at the 2019 trade deadline, the Giants acquired the former Jets top-10 pick in exchange for two draft choices. They franchise-tagged Williams in 2020, and the USC product came through with his best season — an 11.5-sack year with 30 quarterback hits. In 2021, Williams recorded 6.5 sacks with 14 QB hits.

Prior to this restructure, the Giants could have cut Williams in 2023 and saved $18MM. Now, even with a post-June 1 cut designation, there would be $14MM in dead money that came with a Williams release. If the Giants do not extend Williams before the start of the 2024 league year, they would still be hit with $5.96MM in dead money thanks to the void year.

This is not the first major cap-related adjustment the Giants have made this year. Most notably, they held onto James Bradberry for several weeks before finally cutting him. Bradberry soon signed with the Eagles. Big Blue had listened on Saquon Barkley trade inquiries ahead of the Bradberry decision. Come 2023, the Giants will be in a better cap situation compared to the one Schoen inherited. The team will hold more than $49MM in cap space, though that figure (currently fifth in the NFL) will change as the team makes additional moves ahead of the ’23 league year.

Tomlin: Mitchell Trubisky Is Steelers’ Starting QB

September 6th, 2022 at 11:09am CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Steelers made a change to their depth chart Tuesday morning, moving Kenny Pickett from the third-string spot to No. 2, Mitchell Trubisky‘s name remained with the starters. That will be the case Sunday against the Bengals.

Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday morning the long-expected path the Steelers will take to open the season: Trubisky is the starting quarterback. The former No. 2 overall pick had been viewed as the starter since signing a two-year, $14MM deal in March. This is all but certain to change at some point this season, with Pickett being groomed to take over. For now, however, the Pitt product will learn from the sidelines.

Chosen 20th overall, Pickett played well in the preseason and is now in position to dress as Pittsburgh’s gameday backup. Tomlin said he has been “really pleased” with Pickett’s development thus far. This will be the first time since 2007 that no rookie QB will have started in Week 1 (h/t ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter). Pickett and third-round Falcons pick Desmond Ridder almost certainly will make starts this season, but Atlanta (Marcus Mariota) and Pittsburgh will go with vets to open the campaign.

After Trubisky’s Bears tenure underwhelmed, putting it mildly, he rebuilt his stock somewhat by backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo. Trubisky, 28, has started three openers — 2018-20 — previously and was Chicago’s full-time starter early in his 2017 rookie year. The North Carolina product replaced Mike Glennon five games into his rookie season, but after his Bears tenure began to go south in 2019, the Matt Nagy–Ryan Pace regime traded for Nick Foles. The former Super Bowl MVP replaced Trubisky early in the 2020 slate, though the younger passer regained his starting job and helped the Bears to that year’s playoff bracket.

Trubisky has made 50 career starts. He is a career 64.1% passer (6.7 yards per attempt) who is 29-21 as a starter. The Giants were connected to the ex-Brian Daboll Buffalo pupil as well, but the Steelers landed him to be Ben Roethlisberger‘s immediate successor. Pickett looms, however. Roethlisberger took over as a starter in Week 3 of his rookie year, though a Tommy Maddox injury prompted that change. Save for 2019, when Roethlisberger’s elbow injury led to both Rudolph and Devlin Hodges making starts, the Steelers did not need to worry about their QB depth chart for the next 18 seasons

The Steelers will only dress Trubisky and Pickett in Week 1, Tomlin said, noting a clerical error had Rudolph above the rookie on Monday’s depth chart. Rudolph, who has been with the Steelers since 2018, emerged in late-summer trade rumors. The Steelers passed on moving the former third-round pick, but Rudolph will not be in uniform on gamedays — as long as Trubisky and Pickett are healthy.

David Bakhtiari Expects To Play In Week 1

September 6th, 2022 at 10:39am CST by Sam Robinson

David Bakhtiari has not played a full game since his New Year’s Eve 2020 ACL tear. The All-Pro Packers left tackle has undergone three knee surgeries since that setback, with a separate knee issue necessitating the third procedure. While it is taken a long time, the 10th-year pro expects to be back in Week 1 against the Vikings.

The Packers took Bakhtiari off their active/PUP list late in training camp, opening the door to a September return. Bakhtiari went through 11-on-11 drills Monday and indicated he has been doing so for “several” practices now, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes.

“I can get through the season,” Bakhtiari said. “It’s going to be fine. You have to just manage while playing. I’m just getting back in the swing of things. So, I mean, I think there’s normal rust and then new normal with three surgeries, so just kind of working that out and figuring out what my routine is.”

The 30-year-old blocker played all of 27 snaps last season — during a meaningless Week 18 game in Detroit — but was not healthy enough to suit up for Green Bay’s divisional-round game. The Packers having their highly paid tackle back in place would obviously be a tremendous boost, considering they played without both their Pro Bowl O-linemen for much of last season.

Elgton Jenkins‘ status is not known, per Demovsky, who reiterates the versatile performer is expected to be Green Bay’s right tackle this season. Once he is healthy, that is. Jenkins suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 21, 2021. It would not surprise if the Packers gave the contract-year blocker, who was a Pro Bowler while at left guard in 2020 before going down while filling in for Bakhtiari at left tackle last season, more time to recover. Jenkins might be ahead of schedule, with a stay on the reserve/PUP list once rumored. But it is uncertain if he will start in Minnesota.

This duo’s statuses were a constant talking point for the three-time reigning NFC North champions this offseason. Bakhtiari is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. His absence in the 2020 NFC championship game cost the Packers dearly, though Matt LaFleur‘s team won 13 games without him last year. Bakhtiari and Jenkins suiting up together for the first time since Week 16 of the 2020 season would end this lengthy chapter of O-line uncertainty and help the Packers as they transition to a period of pass-catcher uncertainty.

Lions Place G Halapoulivaati Vaitai On IR

September 6th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 6: While the issue affecting the veteran lineman’s availability remains a mystery, it is far from certain he comes back when first eligible. Vaitai is not a lock to play in 2022, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Kraemer will be Detroit’s right guard starter, according to the official depth chart the team released Tuesday morning.

SEPTEMBER 5: Halapoulivaati Vaitai‘s third Lions season will not begin on time. The veteran offensive lineman is now on Detroit’s IR, mandating a four-game absence. The nature of Vaitai’s injury is unkonwn.

The well-paid blocker is expected to return as the Lions’ right guard starter, but the team will need to make other plans for its September slate. This will be Vaitai’s second IR trip since he signed with the Lions in 2020. The team also claimed guard Drew Forbes off waivers from the Browns on Monday.

[RELATED: Offseason In Review, Detroit Lions]

A former Eagles draftee, Vaitai missed six games in 2020 due to a foot injury but returned to play in 15 last year. Vaitai, 29, represents part of a Lions source of optimism; both he and left guard Jonah Jackson ranked as a top-30 guards (per Pro Football Focus) in 2021. Along with former first-rounders Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell, the Lions are expected to field one of the league’s top O-lines.

Detroit’s fill-ins from 2020 are no longer on the roster, though Forbes is now in the mix. The team now rosters four backup interior O-linemen — a group that also includes 2020 fourth-rounder Logan Stenberg, fifth-year veteran Evan Brown and 2021 UDFA Tommy Kraemer. Brown served as Ragnow’s primary backup last season, and Kraemer made three starts in 2021. Neither Forbes nor Stenberg has started a regular-season game.

The Lions gave Vaitai a five-year, $45MM contract in free agency two years ago. He is due to count $8.7MM on the team’s 2022 payroll.

Latest On Steelers’ QB Competition

September 6th, 2022 at 9:44am CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 6: The Steelers look to have issued a correction. A day after releasing a depth chart that placed Rudolph as their backup, the Steelers now have Pickett in that spot (Twitter link). Trubisky-Pickett-Rudolph was believed to be the quarterback hierarchy for Pittsburgh, which discussed Rudolph in trades before cutting their roster to 53 last week. This change, which puts the Pitt product in position to dress on gamedays, creates a clearer path for the long-expected Trubisky-to-Pickett bridge.

SEPTEMBER 5: After the final round of roster cuts had been made last week, the Steelers still had the same three quarterbacks at the top of the depth chart as they have since the draft. Their rankings in the pecking order were thought to be known, though nothing became official until today. 

Pittsburgh’s Week 1 depth chart lists Mitch Trubisky as the starter, as noted by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. That was the expected decision throughout the offseason; the veteran signed a two-year, $14MM deal in free agency after one season as a backup in Buffalo. That, of course, was preceded by his four-year stint as the Bears’ starter which included a pair of playoff appearances but not enough production to warrant his draft status as a No. 2 pick or a new deal from Chicago.

Things became more complicated at the draft when the Steelers became the only team to use a first-round pick on a signal-caller, selecting Kenny Pickett 20th overall. Widely seen as the most NFL-ready prospect available, the move came as no surprise, and expectations have persisted that the Pitt alum will see action at some point. That became especially true when Trubisky struggled in training camp, though he — like Pickett and fourth-year returnee Mason Rudolph — acquitted himself relatively well during the preseason.

As was the case in June, Rudolph is listed as the backup ahead of Pickett. The veteran was thought to be a cut, or perhaps more likely, trade candidate in the past few weeks, but the team elected to keep him. Rudolph has put up underwhelming numbers in his 17 career appearances, leading to speculation about whether or not he would be active on gamedays.

As Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes (subscription required), Trubisky (who was also elected a team captain) is likely to get a multi-game run with the first team to start the season. While he also “guarantees” that Pickett will see the field in 2022, he adds that Trubisky will receive a long leash before being replaced.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is expected to confirm the news tomorrow, but the Steelers appear set to move forward into a season once again featuring playoff expectations without a surprise at the game’s most important position.

Offseason In Review: New Orleans Saints

September 5th, 2022 at 10:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints began the post-Drew Brees era in 2021, a season which included mixed results. New Orleans’ defense stood out as one of the best units in the NFL, but its offense struggled down the stretch in particular, leaving the team outside of the playoff picture. The absence of wideout Michael Thomas was exacerbated by the midseason loss of Brees’ successor, Jameis Winston (leading to a league-worst passing attack), and the questions surrounding their respective futures clouded the onset of the offseason.

More headlines were made when Sean Payton, the only coach to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl, stepped away from the team. A number of changes among the coaching staff were therefore necessary; likewise, another offseason of the salary cap gymnastics general manager Mickey Loomis has become known for were required to manufacture roster flexibility. Given the moves made in that regard, some notable names have arrived, leading to renewed optimism for a postseason run. Will the franchise’s handling of new and old obstacles return them to contender status?

Free agent additions:

With limited finances to work with, it is unsurprising that only two multiyear deals were handed out. Likewise, the fact that they each went to safeties comes as little shock, with both starting spots needing to be filled. Mathieu spent much more time on the free agent market than his pedigree would have suggested, but he will still manage to reach the eight-figure-per-year mark with his hometown team should he maximize the pact’s incentives. The LSU alum and New Orleans native drew interest from teams like the Rams, Steelers and Eagles, but the Saints had long been considered his eventual landing spot in the buildup to his signing.

During a highly productive three-year stint in Kansas City, Mathieu increased his Pro Bowl and All-Pro appearance totals twice each, and was a key member (both in terms of on-the-field effectiveness as well as leadership and communication) of their Super Bowl LIV-winning team. The Chiefs declined to offer the 30-year-old a new deal, however, turning to the younger Justin Reid in free agency. The Honey Badger’s consistent ball production and PFF grades during recent years point to a fall-off being unlikely during at least the early part of the contract, meaning that the backend of the Saints’ defense could be in line for more of what Kansas City’s has enjoyed during its run of AFC dominance.

Maye comes with more concerns from an availability standpoint but should give New Orleans a great deal of versatility and playmaking in the secondary. Ending his Jets tenure on the franchise tag, the 29-year-old was limited to just six games last season due to a torn Achilles. It was widely assumed that the injury – along with legal troubles, which may already be an issue in New Orleans – would mark the end of his time in New York, but a new contract was deemed a possibility at the onset of free agency. Ultimately, though, the Jets pivoted to Jordan Whitehead, leaving the Saints with a new tandem at safety which has the potential to prove the team’s investment in them worthwhile.

Just as was the case with Mathieu, the Landry signing represented a homecoming. The LSU product’s deal also features incentives which can double its value; even in that event, the contract would fall well short of the $20MM per year he was once reported to be seeking. Still, the one-year pact gives Landry a chance to move forward from an injury-riddled final year with the Browns, re-establishing his worth as a dependable slot receiver. He will face notable competition for targets, but the former Pro Bowler (if healthy) could be in line for a productive season, and a resultant financial windfall.

Given their lack of established pass catchers aside from Amari Cooper, a reunion with the Browns was considered a possibility for Landry, even after they released him. Only in the days before the 29-year-old signed with the Saints did it become clear that Cleveland was fully committed to other options. Landry brings significant pedigree and a veteran presence to what was one of the league’s worst position groups last season, and could be a central figure in its 2022 ascension.

If things go according to plan, Dalton will not play nearly as large of a role as Landry despite the similarities in their contracts. Should Winston suffer a setback in his recovery, or find himself sidelined again, the 34-year-old would give the Saints a more capable insurance option than most. Bouncing around to three teams in as many seasons, the longtime Bengals starter has seen significant playing time since becoming a backup. His performances and win-loss record over that span suggests the team would be far better equipped to handle a repeat of last season’s injury troubles than the 2021 version.

Re-signings:

Winston’s injury and free agent status left the Saints with a complicated situation at the quarterback position. The fact that Taysom Hill permanently transitioned to tight end, and the team’s cap challenges seemingly left them without many options. One of those, of course, was simply a reunion with Winston. The team’s 5-2 record with him as the starter prior to his ACL tear was due, in part, to his impressive 14:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. To little surprise, then, Loomis confirmed in before the onset of free agency that a third contract with the former No. 1 pick was a distinct possibility. 

However, the Saints carved out enough cap space to enter the QB market which dominated the NFL landscape this spring. That made them a player for Deshaun Watson. Barely one week after the news of a Winston reunion still being on the table, New Orleans made Houston an offer to acquire the embattled signal-caller. The Saints were joined in pursuing Watson by the Panthers and Falcons, and it seemed all but assured at one point that he was headed somewhere in the NFC South. The Browns emerged as the team willing to make the biggest contract offer – a five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed contract – to move the Saints from a reported Watson finalist to a team needing to pivot back to Winston.

The 28-year-old has made steady progress rehabbing his knee throughout the offseason. Winston’s appearance in the team’s preseason finale was another encouraging sign that he will be fully recovered in time for the 2022 campaign. Smith will also return as a familiar face in the passing game, though the former third-round pick’s underwhelming performance with an increased role last season led, no doubt, to his modest deal and the team’s emphasis on upgrading the WR corps.

On defense, Williams and Granderson are each in line to continue playing important rotational roles. The former has proven himself to be a versatile member of the secondary by filling a number of positions, while the latter earned a significantly more lucrative deal than his ERFA status required. Once again facing a limited budget for re-signings, the Saints keeping both in the fold at their respective rates could prove fruitful if they are forced into starting roles.

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Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/22

September 5th, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridgers

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: CB Allan George
  • Reverted to active roster: S Jessie Bates

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

  • Waived: RB Sandro Platzgummer

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Nixon generated significant draft buzz after his college career at Iowa. His final season with the Hawkeyes in 2020 included 5.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, though he fell to the fifth round that year. He played sparingly as a rookie, and has met injury troubles early in his pro career. Despite the move, Carolina has a number of options to call on in a rotational role behind Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis. 

The roster cutting by the Bengals was necessary with today being the time at which Bates’ time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List expired. The franchise-tagged safety was the final holdout of the 2022 offseason, inking his tender long past the deadline for a long-term deal to be finalized. Fully back to team practices and activities, Bates’ time on the list allowed him to ramp up at his own rate following a lengthy absence throughout the spring and summer.

Lancaster was one of several additions the Raiders made on the d-line during free agency. The former UDFA spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, registering 10 starts in 2019. Other signings such as Bilal Nichols and Andrew Billings will see plenty of playing time along the defensive interior in his absence.

Latest On Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin

September 5th, 2022 at 8:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers are expected to once again have one of the league’s most potent passing attacks in 2022. Much of the team’s success in that department will depend on the health status of Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin. Today saw an encouraging piece of news on that front. 

Godwin practiced without a knee brace, as detailed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (video link). That marks another notable milestone in his recovery from the torn ACL which ended his 2021 campaign. Despite being limited to 14 games as a result of the injury, he topped 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. That left him as one of several big-name free agents Tampa Bay had to find a way to re-sign this offseason.

The team was able to do just that, signing the 26-year-old to a three-year, $60MM deal. The move signalled confidence that Godwin would be able to recover in full, and remain an instrumental part of the Buccaneers’ high-octane offense pairing with Mike Evans. Notable additions were nevertheless made, including Russell Gage and Julio Jones in free agency; that quartet will give Tom Brady plenty of options even in a pass-catching corps which no longer includes Rob Gronkowski.

Those deals have, of course, led to some surprising moves with respect to roster cuts. Chief among them was 2020 fifth-rounder Tyler Johnson being lost to the Texans on waivers last week. A healthy Godwin would once again provide significant production from the slot, though, alleviating the potential concerns generated by Johnson’s absence.

If Godwin continues to make progress throughout the week, he could be available to play in Week 1. It will likely take several days for his status to be confirmed one way or another, but his season-long outlook at the least continues to look positive – something which will be highly important for him individually and one of the NFC’s presumed heavyweights generally.

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Browns

September 5th, 2022 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The runaway headline kingpins of the 2022 offseason, the Browns will enter the season with a fully revamped quarterback room and a much higher profile. If everything goes according to plan, the first part of this equation would give Cleveland a franchise-caliber passer to fill a void that has existed for decades.

Of course, little has gone according to plan since the Browns traded for and extended Deshaun Watson. And the cost of that move rises exponentially after 2022. After one of the most controversial transactions in NFL history, this is the franchise’s identity. And it will take a bit before the on-field chapters of this much-discussed saga begin.

Trades:

Browns vilification should not come merely for acquiring Watson via trade. They joined three other teams — the Falcons, Panthers and Saints — in being prepared to pay the historic cost. Teams beyond the four finalists pursued Watson as well. If it had just been the trade the Browns made, the blowback probably does not reach the place it did. Cleveland’s 11th-hour contract proposal to outflank NFC South destinations Watson preferred, along with the comments from the key principals involved, led this process to a messy place.

Watson signed a $39MM-per-year deal with the Texans in August 2020. Although that contract seems like it was authorized a decade ago, its extension years were set to begin in 2022. Watson played one season on what was a top-five QB contract over its first two years. Amid the early parts of a scandal that saw criminal and civil cases come from more than two dozen women accusing Watson of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault during massage therapy sessions, the Texans then made him a 17-game healthy scratch. Despite Watson’s turmoil, quarterbacks of this caliber squarely in their primes are almost never available. Teams acted accordingly, and the Browns one-upped the field.

It is unclear what the NFC South franchises were offering, money-wise, during the March sweepstakes. But the Browns’ decision to authorize the five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed deal to a player in Watson’s position has made Jimmy and Dee Haslam personas non grata among NFL ownership while producing endless criticism of the franchise. Four years remained on Watson’s Texans-constructed deal. His third NFL contract is the most player-friendly pact in league history. Even after Russell Wilson‘s $49MM-per-year Broncos deal came to pass, Watson’s deal still tops the league in fully guaranteed money by more than $100MM.

Cleveland will not have its starter available until Week 13. Watson’s suspension, after an NFL appeal and settlement with the NFLPA that avoided a court battle, was longer than the one the Browns envisioned upon acquiring him but not as lengthy as the league initially sought. This will leave a roster that has some strong position groups vulnerable during the Watson contract’s most conducive year to winning.

The league-minimum salary the Browns arranged — to the NFL and the other teams’ dismay, leading to the $5MM fine — to minimize Watson’s financial punishment created a $9.4MM 2022 cap number. Loading up a playoff-caliber roster around that, regardless of the rust the former first-round pick might show, made sense. But Watson’s first full season will come when his cap hit spikes to never-before-seen territory. Watson’s cap numbers from 2023-26: $54.99MM. The NFL has never seen even a $45MM cap hit. No Super Bowl champion has carried a quarterback cap figure north of $25MM. Building around Watson’s salaries will be a challenge for Browns GM Andrew Berry, whom Jimmy Haslam said concocted the idea for the fully guaranteed deal.

The ire coming at the Browns from most of the NFL universe aside, Watson is probably still a top-10 quarterback or close to it. His three full seasons produced 13th-, seventh- and 12th-place QBR rankings. The Browns, who passed on the Clemson star two regimes ago by trading out of the No. 12 slot to send him to Houston, will upgrade from Baker Mayfield. Watson, 27 next week, led the NFL in passing yards two years ago and lifted flawed Texans teams to back-to-back playoff brackets.

But the dual-threat talent will have missed 28 games since his last Texans appearance. And the vitriol directed at the quarterback and the team — largely for the lack of remorse Watson has shown, cresting with a defiant press conference that contradicted the language that appeared in his official post-settlement statement — may last a while. While two grand juries did not bring forth charges, NFL disciplinary officer Sue Robinson ruled Watson committed nonviolent sexual assault and engaged in predatory behavior. He settled suits with 23 women. The Browns are banking on the waves of negative PR eventually washing away. But Watson being rewarded with a lavish outlier contract and residing as the Browns’ new cornerstone player will likely tie this organization to the scandal for the foreseeable future.

The emergences of Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert and Wilson’s AFC arrival will also increase the degree of difficulty for the Watson-era Browns. Considering the extensions Wilson and Kyler Murray signed, it would shock if Burrow or Herbert landed fully guaranteed deals. That will make Bengals and Chargers’ paths to building contenders around those eventual extensions a bit easier. The Browns trading their 2023 and ’24 first-round picks creates more hurdles and continues an interesting pattern with Watson-led teams. The Texans were without first-rounders in 2018 (via the first Watson trade) and from 2020-21 (the Laremy Tunsil deal) during their star QB’s stay. As the Browns aim to construct a championship team around a record-setting QB contract, this will be one of the more interesting roster-building experiments in NFL history.

Mayfield’s on-field work in Cleveland produced wild inconsistency, leading to the franchise’s desperate play for Watson. The Browns’ radical trade/extension sequence ended Mayfield’s four-year Cleveland tenure, though the former playoff starter needed to wait almost three months for the cord cut. Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said his team’s Mayfield offer was better during the draft, but the Browns were not ready to pay as much of the quarterback’s contract as they ended up paying. Cleveland took on $10.5MM in dead money to collect a conditional 2024 Day 3 pick.

Mayfield’s highs did generate considerable optimism. His second-place Offensive Rookie of the Year finish delivered promise ahead of 2019, but that led to the decision to promote Freddie Kitchens, who oversaw the Heisman winner’s ensuing nosedive. Stefanski restored Mayfield, who thrived behind a top-tier offensive line and one of the 21st century’s best backfield duos. The Browns snapped an 18-year playoff drought and had the eventual AFC champion Chiefs on the ropes. But the perpetually clunky Mayfield-Odell Beckham Jr. fit led to a 2021 fissure. Mayfield playing through his shoulder injury ended up throwing him off the extension track and sealed his fate with the Browns.

Still, the juxtaposition of the “adult in the room” comment regarding Mayfield and the Watson acquisition displayed an alarming lack of self-awareness, and the Browns’ instability under the Haslams (six GMs, six full-time HCs since the owners’ 2012 arrival, 52-108-1 record) does not instill much confidence in their decision-making. Berry and Stefanski have thus far proven to be good hires. Berry not forcing the issue with a 2021 Mayfield extension proved to be the right call. Both will be thrust into a new spotlight, with Stefanski going from 2020 Coach of the Year to a leader that will be forced to keep answering Watson-related questions and make his offense work with Jacoby Brissett for 11 games.

The Browns did well to acquire Cooper for two Day 3 picks. Trading for Cooper just before the receiver dam broke, the timing here worked out nicely for the Browns. Cooper’s $20MM-per-year contract looks much friendlier than it did in early March. He is signed through 2024; the 2023 and ’24 salaries are nonguaranteed. The former top-five pick’s contract ranked as the receiver market’s third-richest at the time of the trade. It now sits in a tie for 12th.

Cooper’s deal will take the place of Beckham’s atop the Browns’ skill-position payroll. Although Cleveland’s OBJ swap bombed, the team will try again with a player carrying a longer sample size of production — albeit with a lower ceiling than Beckham brought in 2019. Cooper, 28, is a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s best route runners. He turned around a fading 2018 Cowboys season, rebounding from the slump that plagued his final Raiders months. Not having Watson for much of this season does run the risk of wasting a prime Cooper year, with 2023 being Year 9 for the ex-Alabama star. But the Browns’ Brissett-run offense will depend on Cooper, with question marks at every other pass-catching spot.

Free agency additions:

This is oddly the most time Brissett has had to prepare for a QB1 season. The Colts acquired him from the Patriots in September 2017, as Andrew Luck‘s mysterious shoulder injury led to a full-season absence. Brissett started 15 games that year. In 2019, Brissett became the Colts’ belated answer after Luck’s shocking late-summer retirement. With the Browns knowing Watson would be suspended, Stefanski has had months to prepare his fill-in starter.

The Browns chose Brissett, 29, over their incumbent backup (Keenum) who had been with Stefanski for three seasons. They also passed on parting with a draft pick for Jimmy Garoppolo. Selecting this path probably deserved more attention, but the Watson drama understandably overshadowed the Brissett decision. If Trey Lance starts the season off well and Brissett does not, would the Browns circle back to Garoppolo before the Nov. 1 deadline?

Playing a careful style, Brissett fared better in 2019 than he did with a less talented Colts squad two years prior. He threw 18 touchdown passes and six interceptions during a 7-9 Indianapolis season. Last year, however, Brissett averaged an eye-opening 5.7 yards per attempt as the Dolphins’ offense — save for Jaylen Waddle, who still showed the dangers of PPR scoring during much of his time with Brissett — sputtered. That said, Pro Football Focus graded Miami’s O-line as the NFL’s worst last season. While a hole now exists at center, the Browns have one of the best. Their Nick Chubb–Kareem Hunt (feat. D’Ernest Johnson) ground game will also provide Brissett with far more help than Miami’s 30th-ranked rushing attack did last season.

The Brissett-Dobbs depth chart could sink the Browns’ season, with the Watson ban forcing him to miss midseason tilts against the Chargers, Patriots, Bengals, Ravens, Dolphins, Bills and Buccaneers. Dobbs has attempted 17 passes in five seasons. But Brissett has 37 career starts, creating possibly a higher floor than what a downtrodden Mayfield offered in 2021.

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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/22

September 5th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 1 practices begin, here are the latest updates to teams’ 16-man practice squads:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers:

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

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A former Washington starter and the primary Atlanta cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell last season, Moreau has experience playing both the slot and outside. The former third-round pick signed with the Texans earlier this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster.

The Lions attempted to keep David Blough by offering the Hard Knocks cast member a spot on their practice squad, but the three-year Detroit backup opted to head to Minnesota. He is currently on the Vikings’ 16-man taxi squad. A previous Aaron Rodgers backup, Boyle signed with the Lions last year.

Despite being a former second-round pick, Blair did not make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster this year. Knee injuries have sidelined him for most of the past two seasons. Seattle had stopped using Blair as a nickel, his primary role when on the field with the team that drafted him, during training camp.

Included as part of a 2019 trade that sent Marcus Peters to Baltimore, Young was also traded from the Rams to the Broncos last year. He started all 13 games he played in 2021 — seven as a Ram, six as a Bronco — and helped Denver fill the void created by Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell‘s season-ending injuries. Young spent most of this offseason with the Raiders but did not make their roster.

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