HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Eagles Sign LB Nicholas Morrow

March 21st, 2023 at 10:42am CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles have seen a number of defensive losses so far in free agency, but they continue to make additions to the unit as well. Philadelphia has agreed to terms on a deal with linebacker Nicholas Morrow, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). The team has announced that it is a one-year contract.

Morrow spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders, growing into a key role as a notable part of the team’s linebacking corps. His play over his first three seasons earned him a one-year deal to remain with the organization, and he responded with a career-year.

That was followed by another, more lucrative one-year pact in 2021, but Morrow’s campaign was derailed by a foot injury. He wound missing the entire season that year, which no doubt hurt his market in free agency. He inked a prove-it deal with the Bears last offseason, giving him the opportunity to boost his value and serve in a full-time starting role.

The 27-year-old was on the field for every defensive play this past season, logging over 1,000 snaps for the first time in his career. He racked up 116 total stops and 11 tackles for loss, both new career highs. While those figures didn’t translate to an uptick in PFF grades (which have remained relatively underwhelming throughout his career), they showed his ability to handle starting duties and a sizeable workload. The Bears’ considerable investment in the second level of their defense this offseason, however, made Morrow expendable.

The Eagles’ defensive exodus has hit their LB corps, with T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White landing new deals in Chicago and Arizona, respectively. Their absences has left a notable vacancy, one which Morrow will now contribute to filling. The former UDFA will likely be tasked with a lesser workload than the one he had with the Bears, but he should still see significant playing time on the inside along with the likes of Davion Taylor, Nakobe Dean and other members of the team’s recent draft investments at the position.

Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower Retires

March 21st, 2023 at 9:55am CST by Adam La Rose

On the day of the press conference for one longtime Patriot defender’s retirement, another veteran member of the unit has officially ended his career. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower announced in a Players’ Tribune article that he has retired after nine seasons played in the NFL, all with New England.

[RELATED: S Devin McCourty Retires]

The 33-year-old joined the team as a first-round pick after a decorated college career. He won a pair of national championships at Alabama, raising expectations for him at the pro level. He established himself as a full-time starter in his rookie campaign and remained a key member of the Patriots’ defense throughout his career with the team.

Hightower amassed 117 regular season games in New England, playing a versatile role at the second level of the teams’ defense. He never totaled more than six sacks or 97 tackles in a single campaign, but remained a consistent producer through his final season in 2021. He earned Pro Bowl nods in 2016 and 2019, as well as second-team All-Pro honors in the former season.

A noted playoff performer, Hightower was a member of three Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams. The highlights of his postseason career in include the tackle on Marshawn Lynch which set up the Seahawks’ now-infamous goal line interception in Super Bowl XLIX and the strip-sack which helped the Patriots’ historic comeback in Super Bowl LI.. Overall, Hightower totaled 81 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in 17 playoff contests.

“Today, I’m totally at peace knowing that I gave this franchise every ounce of sweat I had left,” Hightower wrote. The Lewisburg, Tennessee native played on his rookie contract and then a four-year, $35.5MM pact after his first and only foray into free agency. New England remained open to the possibility of Hightower continuing his career with them, but he was sidelined for the 2022 campaign. He totaled just over $52MM in career earnings.

After acknowledging support from his family, teammates, fans and the Patriots organization, Hightower concluded his announcement by simply adding, “thank you. Just thank you. I wouldn’t rewrite a single chapter of this story.”

Texans, TE Dalton Schultz Agree To Deal

March 20th, 2023 at 11:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

The top available tight end in this year’s free agent class has found his new home. Dalton Schultz is signing a one-year, $9MM deal with the Texans, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Schultz had a modest start to his career in Dallas, but in 2020 he emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s top targets. He racked up 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns between 2020-21, making himself one of the Cowboys’ most productive offensive players.

Negotiations for a long-term deal fell through last offseason, so Schultz played on the franchise tag in 2022. His production took a step back this past season, one in which Prescott missed considerable time early in the year. Schultz still made 57 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns, making him the top option in this year’s free agent class. His numbers also made it likely that he would depart the Cowboys this offseason, in spite of a reported multi-year contract offer from the team.

On that point, Pelissero’s colleague Jane Slater recently noted that Dallas had not, in fact, submitted an offer to the 26-year-old (Twitter link). Now, he will make an intra-state move to the Texans, a team which has been amongst the busiest this offseason. Schultz will aim to rebound from a production standpoint working with what will all-but assuredly be a rookie quarterback in 2023.

Houston has added a number of players on offense via free agency and trades, including receivers Robert Woods and Noah Brown. Schultz will join the latter in making a Cowboys-to-Texans move in the hopes of giving the rebuilding AFC South outfit a notable boost in the passing game. Houston’s skill-position corps is bound to look considerably different next season, as they aim to take a sizeable step forward as a unit.

The Cowboys – who yesterday acquired receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Texans further connecting the two franchises – now have a vacancy to fill at the tight end spot. While this year’s draft class boasts a number of celebrated prospects, finding a seam-stretcher with the personal connection to Prescott in line with the one Schultz possessed will likely be a tall order.

Lions, Panthers Still Interested In DJ Chark

March 20th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two DJ Chark suitors have made their intentions known this offseason. The Lions said they were interested in re-signing the former second-round pick back in January, while the Panthers met him last week. While we are nearly a week into the 2023 league year, Chark still has a market — but perhaps not quite on the level he expected.

Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said Monday (via Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt) that, despite Adam Thielen agreeing to terms on a three-year deal worth $25MM, the team is still talking with Chark. The Lions have also kept tabs on Chark, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, who notes (via Twitter) the team has discussed a Detroit return with the sixth-year wide receiver over the past week.

The Lions took a higher-end flier on Chark last year, giving him $10MM to join Amon-Ra St. Brown in a retooling receiving corps. Chark, 26, battled more ankle trouble — after a broken ankle ended his 2021 Jaguars finale — but re-emerged to become a key weapon for Jared Goff as the team made a late playoff push. Averaging a career-high 16.4 yards per reception, the 6-foot-4 target totaled 502 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.

Lions GM Brad Holmes said he wanted to re-sign Chark, and the ex-Jaguars 1,000-yard receiver indicated he wanted to stay as well. St. Brown is in Year 3 of his rookie contract; he cannot negotiate an extension until 2024. Jameson Williams can be kept on his rookie deal through 2026. The Panthers became a player here following their trade-up for the No. 1 overall pick, which cost them D.J. Moore. Chark joined Thielen in meeting with the team last week, but even with the longtime Viking in the fold, the Panthers still have a need. They traded Chosen Anderson to the Cardinals last season; Terrace Marshall (490 yards) is Carolina’s top returning pass catcher.

Carolina will soon be building around a rookie-quarterback contract, leaving room to spend in other areas. Chark, however, will not likely qualify as a significant expense. As expected, this year’s receiver market is not producing windfalls. This FA class was not believed to be driving too much interest, and the deals handed out to its top prizes reflect that. Jakobi Meyers landed an $11MM-per-year pact, while JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s Patriots accord came in just south of $9MM per year. Neither AAV is among the top 25 at the position. Odell Beckham Jr. denied his long-rumored $20MM-per-year ask is rooted in reality, but he should not be expected to do too well, either.

Thielen did do fairly well, all things considered. The 10-year Viking was a cap casualty who is going into his age-33 season. His Panthers deal includes a $2MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets, but the $14MM guaranteed could point to the Division II product playing two seasons in Charlotte. The Panthers could get out of the contract after one year, but even in a post-June 1 cut scenario, releasing Thielen in 2024 would still tag the team with $6.2MM in dead money.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/23

March 20th, 2023 at 10:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

The Giants are giving Leonard Johnson a three-year deal, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. The former Duke prospect suffered a torn ACL while training for the 2022 draft; the Giants worked him out Monday and saw enough to take a flier. While Ford made two starts for the Falcons last season, the ex-UDFA is best known for his special teams work. He saw action on 83% of Atlanta’s ST plays last season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) the Bengals are giving him a one-year deal worth up to $2.25MM.

Both Scharping and Lonnie Johnson are former Texans second-round picks. The Texans waived Scharping on roster-cutdown day in August, but the Bengals claimed him. Although Scharping only played 30 snaps for Cincinnati last season, the team will keep him around for another run at a backup gig. Months before bailing on Scharping, the Texans traded Johnson to the Chiefs. But Kansas City did not see much from the acquisition in camp and waived him. The Titans picked up Johnson via waivers, using him as a backup. Johnson has experience at both cornerback and safety, and The Score’s Jordan Schultz adds he agreed to a one-year Saints deal (Twitter link).

Vikings Sign DE Marcus Davenport

March 20th, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 20: This $13MM deal includes $10MM guaranteed, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. A $4.5MM signing bonus represents part of that guarantee, and Wilson adds the Vikings used void years (2024-27) to further help them against the 2023 cap. Similar to the language in Dalvin Tomlinson‘s deal — one Minnesota restructured to move the void date back — Davenport’s contract will void 23 days before the 2024 league year. If the Vikings do not agree to terms with Davenport on an extension by that February date, they will be tagged with $6.8MM in dead money.

MARCH 13: Soon, the Vikings will have three starter-caliber edge rushers on their roster. They are adding Marcus Davenport on a one-year deal, according to NFL.com.

The former Saints first-round pick signed for $13MM, making this a well-compensated “prove it” deal for the off-and-on pass rusher. Davenport joins Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith on Minnesota’s roster. Smith, however, has requested to be released. Thus far, the Vikings are not indicating they will oblige.

Former Saints co-DC-turned-Falcons DC Ryan Nielsen wanted to bring Davenport to Atlanta, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. But a Davenport-David Onyemata package deal will not be in the cards for the Falcons.

On the subject of Smith, Garafolo adds the Vikings are planning to move on. The 2022 Minnesota pickup made an unusual move to say his goodbyes to the Vikings, who previously were not believed to be readying to release him. It is uncertain if Smith will be released or traded, but Davenport pairing with Hunter looks like the direction the team is heading.

If they are planning to make Smith a Minneapolis one-and-done, the Vikings will be entrusting their edge-rushing responsibilities to two injury-prone players. Although Hunter rebounded from a stretch of significant injury trouble from 2020-21, Davenport missed 12 games during that span. He also underwent five surgeries during the 2022 offseason. He missed two games in 2022 and recorded only a half-sack, leading to this “prove it” arrangement.

However, the pass rusher has shown an ability to get after the QB. He had a career-high nine sacks and 16 QB hits during the 2021 season, and he added another 10.5 sacks through his first two seasons in the NFL. While the former first-round pick has dealt with his fair share of injuries, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him return to form during his age-27 season.

Raiders To Re-Sign WR Keelan Cole, Add WR Cam Sims

March 20th, 2023 at 9:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

It took Keelan Cole a while before he landed a free agency deal in 2022, with the Raiders signing him more than a week after last year’s draft. The team is locking the veteran wide receiver down days into the new league year.

Cole will return to the Raiders on a one-year pact, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Raiders lost auxiliary wideout Mack Hollins to the Falcons on Sunday but will retain Cole, who played a regular role in Josh McDaniels‘ first season at the helm. The team will further add to the back end of its receiver room by signing Cam Sims as well, Ben Standig of The Athletic tweets.

[RELATED: Raiders To Sign WR Phillip Dorsett]

The Raiders have eight-figure-per-year commitments to four skill-position players — Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Jacobs — so it should be fairly clear where Cole will reside in Jimmy Garoppolo‘s aerial pecking order. The former Jaguars pass catcher is coming off a 10-reception, 141-yard season in the desert. He did add a touchdown — a disputed score against the Patriots that preceded Meyers’ infamous lateral attempt — last season, and Hollins’ departure figures to open up more opportunities.

But the Adams-Renfrow-Meyers setup will effectively cap — barring injury issues — what Cole, Sims and Dorsett will be able to produce in 2023. These additions will, however, create competition for the team’s backup receiver roles.

This will be Cole’s age-30 season. The Division III success story led the AFC championship game-bound Jaguars in receiving yards (748) in 2017, and he posted 642 yards and a career-high five touchdown catches with Jacksonville in 2020.

Cole did not see action on much of Las Vegas’ special teams plays last season, but Sims has been more active in that area recently. The 6-foot-5 ex-Washington contributor played 53% of the Commanders’ ST snaps in 2022. Sims has spent the entirety of his five-year career in Washington. Still struggling to find a higher-end complement to Terry McLaurin in 2020, Washington turned to Sims. The Alabama alum-turned-UDFA caught 32 passes for 477 yards that year and added a seven-catch, 104-yard outing against the Buccaneers in a closer-than-expected wild-card game.

Sims, 27, was not a big part of Washington’s passing game over the past two seasons; he caught eight passes for 89 yards in 2022. But he will follow ex-Commanders OC Scott Turner, who joined the Raiders as the team’s pass-game coordinator this offseason.

Cowboys Acquire WR Brandin Cooks From Texans

March 20th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Parks

MARCH 20: Upon acquiring the oft-traded wideout, the Cowboys restructured his deal. They moved $8MM of Cooks’ $12MM 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Cooks’ cap number will drop to $6MM in 2023, per Archer. It had resided at $12.4MM. Two void years are now attached to the 10th-year receiver’s deal, Archer adds (on Twitter). Cooks’ 2024 base salary is now $8MM — down from $13MM.

MARCH 19: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has been traded once again. The Texans have agreed to send the 29-year-old to the Cowboys, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Jeremy Fowler, first reported that the two sides were working on a deal, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Dallas is giving up a 2023 fifth-round choice (No. 161) and a 2024 sixth-rounder in the swap (Twitter links).

Cooks is under contract through 2024, and he is due a fully-guaranteed $18MM base salary in 2023. That number — along with the Texans’ ask of a second-round pick — became an obstacle in trade talks involving Cooks at last year’s trade deadline, as interested clubs wanted Houston to pay down a significant portion of Cooks’ salary. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Texans will pay $6MM of Cooks’ $18MM salary to facilitate the deal (Twitter link).

Cooks, a first-round pick of the Saints in 2014, was traded to the Patriots in March 2017, to the Rams in April 2018, and to the Texans in April 2020. In six of his nine professional seasons, the Oregon State product has topped 1,000 receiving yards, and his career 13.7 yards-per-reception rate is indicative of his status as a vertical threat. Over his first two seasons with the Texans, Cooks averaged roughly 85 catches and 1,100 yards per year.

However, things began to go south in 2022. Clearly frustrated by the Texans’ lack of competitiveness during his tenure in Houston, Cooks publicly expressed his frustration that he was not dealt to a winning club at the deadline, and he stepped away from the Texans for a week, missing the team’s Week 9 contest against the Eagles. At the time, he also made reference to organizational changes that upset him — which may have included the dismissal of former EVP Jack Easterby — and he said, “I don’t know everything that goes through [GM Nick Caserio’s] head.”

Even though Cooks remained on the Texans through the end of the 2022 campaign, it was reported in January that Houston was expected to accommodate his standing trade request this offseason. And the Cowboys, who made a push for Cooks at the deadline in an effort to supplement a WR corps that was clearly missing Amari Cooper — who was traded himself in March 2022 — finally got their man. ESPN’s Ed Werder says multiple teams were in pursuit of Cooks and appeared close to acquiring him, but Dallas was Cooks’ preferred destination (Twitter link).

Cooks, who has 58 receptions of 25+ yards downfield since he entered the league in 2014 — second only to Tyreek Hill during that span, as Werder tweets — should serve as a quality complement to CeeDee Lamb in a potentially explosive offense in Dallas. Although it appears that the team is parting ways with tight end Dalton Schultz, the Cowboys have 2022 fourth-rounder Jake Ferguson on the roster and could further supplement the position in a TE-rich draft. Lamb, Cooks, and Michael Gallup form a quality WR trio, and franchise-tagged Tony Pollard is a terrific weapon in the backfield.

The Texans, meanwhile, gain additional draft capital to aid in their rebuilding efforts in exchange for a player who wanted out. Houston — which coincidentally signed former Cowboy Noah Brown a few days ago — presently houses Robert Woods, Nico Collins, and 2022 second-rounder John Metchie III atop its WR depth chart.

Browns To Bring Back QB Josh Dobbs

March 20th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:17pm: The deal will save the Browns some at their QB2 spot. Dobbs agreed to a one-year deal worth $2MM fully guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

6:26pm: Josh Dobbs spent much of last season in Cleveland, but he ended up in two other cities to close the campaign. Following Jacoby Brissett‘s Washington exit, the Browns are bringing his former understudy back.

The Browns are signing Dobbs to a one-year deal, according to his agent (on Twitter). This will be the second time in Dobbs’ career he will have reunited with a team. The ex-Steelers draftee enjoyed multiple stints in Pittsburgh as well, but he is now positioned to become Deshaun Watson‘s backup.

Originally added in April 2022 to back up Brissett while Watson served a suspension, the length of which being unknown at the time Dobbs signed. Dobbs ended up playing that role for 11 games. Brissett proved durable in Cleveland; Dobbs did not take a snap with the Browns last year. But he outplayed Malik Willis with the Titans, helping Tennessee provide Jacksonville a Week 18 scare despite being down many pieces on offense.

Between Cleveland and Nashville, Dobbs wound up in Detroit. But the Titans signed him off the Lions’ practice squad soon after the Lions picked him up. Ryan Tannehill ended up being lost for the season at that point, requiring more help in Tennessee. Despite being with the team barely a week, Dobbs overtook Willis as the Titans’ starter for the season’s final two games. In Week 18, he completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards in a 20-16 loss to the Jaguars.

The Browns have restructured Watson’s contract, adding a void year (2027) to it and spiking the starter’s cap numbers from 2024-26 into a new financial stratosphere. Watson is now tied to $63.9MM cap numbers in those seasons, and although the 2022 trade pickup’s 2023 cap figure dropped from $54.9MM to $19.1MM, it still makes sense for the Browns to add a low-cost backup. It should be expected Dobbs’ deal will check in south of Brissett’s 2022 money ($4.65MM).

Dobbs’ relevant NFL work almost all came in January. Despite arriving in the league as a 2017 fourth-round pick, Dobbs threw only 17 passes over his first five seasons. But the quarterback/rocket scientist worked in Kevin Stefanski‘s system for eight months last year and finished the season with some surprising contributions to the AFC South race. Although the Browns have former Vikings third-rounder Kellen Mond in their quarterback room, Dobbs’ role last year points to the elder passer having the leg up for the 2023 QB2 gig.

Seahawks Release DT Al Woods

March 20th, 2023 at 7:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Al Woods‘ third Seahawks stint is over. The team announced the release of the veteran nose tackle Monday night. Woods has been a regular starter during this latest Seattle run.

The Seahawks continue to make changes on their defensive line. They have moved on from Quinton Jefferson and Shelby Harris, and the team has signed Dre’Mont Jones and brought back Jarran Reed. The Woods cut saves $3.67MM in cap space, moving the team near $15MM.

Woods’ third Seattle stay lasted two seasons, and the mammoth D-tackle started 30 games for the team during that stretch. The former fourth-round Saints pick, however, played for the Seahawks during the 2011 and 2019 seasons as well. Overall, the LSU product has enjoyed quite a run for himself. Woods, who will turn 36 on Saturday, has played 155 career games.

Generously listed at 330 pounds, Woods has patrolled the middle of a few teams’ defensive lines during his 13-season career. He has played for the Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Titans, Colts and Jaguars. Woods opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, and the Jaguars moved on early in Urban Meyer‘s tenure. But the Seahawks gave him another opportunity soon after.

The Seahawks made Woods a defensive captain last season, and Pro Football Focus ranked him 32nd among interior D-linemen during the team’s surprise journey to the playoffs. Woods played on 39% of Seattle’s defensive snaps last season. While that was down from his 52% snap rate in 2021, the team prioritized his return — on a two-year, $9MM deal — despite new DC Clint Hurtt bringing a scheme change from Ken Norton Jr.‘s tenure.

Woods totaled 39 tackles (five for loss) and a forced fumble last season. He began the year on a good note, helping Seattle thwart two Denver goal-to-go situations in what turned out to be a pivotal win for playoff-qualification purposes. But Woods will be one of the parts being shipped out as Jones and Reed enter the equation. He could well have the opportunity to continue his career in 2023.

Woods, Harris and Jefferson are gone, and Poona Ford remains unsigned. Seattle still has four-year contributor Bryan Mone on its offseason roster, but its D-line room is undoubtedly unfinished as the second week of free agency starts.

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