HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bengals, Jaguars Held Jonah Williams Trade Talks

May 15th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

At least one known Jonah Williams suitor has surfaced. During an offseason in which Jawaan Taylor bolted for Kansas City and Cam Robinson received a PED suspension, the Jaguars showed interest in the disgruntled Bengals tackle.

The Bengals and Jaguars discussed a Williams trade, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). These discussions commenced before the draft, and Jacksonville’s draft blueprint looks to have changed its outlook at the tackle position. The Jags made a concerted effort to use their late-first-round real estate to come away with Oklahoma prospect Anton Harrison. The team doing that (and picking up draft capital via trade-down maneuvers with the Giants and Bills) probably removed a Williams buyer from the equation.

This would have been an interesting fit for Williams, whose trade request came just after big-ticket Bengals free agent signing Orlando Brown Jr. displaced him at left tackle. While the NFL hit Robinson with the PED ban — the length of which remains unknown — and the six-year left tackle starter is coming off a late-season meniscus tear, he will presumably be back at some point before midseason. These circumstances would have left Williams as a potential right-side solution for the Jags, who have since obtained Harrison to man that post.

As it stands now, Williams is on track to stay with the Bengals. The team has long been prepared to move its three-year blindside starter to right tackle, and Conway adds the former first-round pick is expected to report to the Bengals’ minicamp and begin his reluctant run on the right side.

Williams resides in a tough spot, being effectively demoted ahead of his contract year. The Bengals’ top O-lineman during their Super Bowl LVI charge, Williams suffered a dislocated kneecap that kept him off the field for the 2022 Bengals’ final two games. The Chiefs pounced on a Bengals line missing Williams, La’el Collins and Alex Cappa. With the Chiefs’ former left tackle in the fold, Williams, Collins and postseason left tackle sub Jackson Carman are ticketed for an unusual position battle.

Other teams will undoubtedly be monitoring Williams and Collins’ situations, considering the loser of this competition may become available via trade. Collins signed a three-year, $21MM contract in 2022, but the Bengals were not thrilled with the longtime Cowboy’s Cincy debut. Williams is going into his fifth-year option season, at $12.6MM, and stands to be one of the 2024 free agent market’s better O-linemen available. Two seasons remains on Carman’s rookie deal.

Bears Sign Round 1 T Darnell Wright

May 15th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears now have their top 2023 draft choice under contract. Darnell Wright agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal Monday. This locks the Tennessee prospect down through at least 2026.

Wright’s contract comes with the fifth-year option, which has existed in first-rounders’ contracts since 2011, allowing the Bears to keep the No. 10 overall pick tied to his rookie deal through 2027. Wright will be expected to carve out a starting role immediately.

Although the Bears were believed to have signed off on drafting Jalen Carter, that may have been one of this draft’s smokescreens. Chicago traded down from No. 9 to No. 10, marking its second trade-down maneuver of the first round, and let Philadelphia take a chance on the high-risk defensive tackle. The Bears then made Wright this draft’s second offensive lineman drafted.

Scouts Inc. slotted Wright as this draft’s fourth-best tackle prospect, but the Bears went with the Tennessee alum over local product Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones. Wright brings plenty of experience to Chicago, having started 40 games at tackle. He brings more experience on the right side (27 starts) compared to the left side (13), something that is not the norm for first-round tackles. The 333-pound blocker served as the Volunteers’ primary right tackle starter in 2020 and 2022, lining up on the left side in 2021. He also made five starts at right tackle as a freshman in 2019.

Wright more than held his own against No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. in Tennessee’s shootout win over Alabama last season. The first-team All-SEC lineman will be expected to start at right tackle this season for the Bears, who are planning to keep promising 2022 fifth-rounder Braxton Jones at left tackle. The Bears added both Wright and Nate Davis to their O-line this offseason; they will be the favorites to start on the right side of Chicago’s front. Chicago pursued Mike McGlinchey in free agency but bowed out, allowing Denver to sign the five-year San Francisco right tackle. The Bears will now put their trust in Jones, the team’s first Round 1 tackle pick since Gabe Carimi in 2011.

The Bears also signed third-round defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (South Carolina) and fourth-round wide receiver Tyler Scott (Cincinnati) to their respective rookie deals Monday as well.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/23

May 15th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first of this year’s spring leagues to debut, the XFL’s third effort, finished its season Saturday. XFL players are now free to sign NFL contracts, and several agreed to terms Monday. Here are those agreements, along with the other transactions from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: T BJ Wilson

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: RB Tyreik McAllister, RB Jacques Patrick
  • Waived: WR Dallas Daniels, DB Darrious Gaines, TE Kris Leach, RB Emanuel Wilson

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

After seeing the pandemic nix its second effort in 2020, the XFL concluded its season Saturday. The Broncos signed the league’s second-leading rusher, in Patrick, while the Browns and Cowboys offered Barqoo contracts, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Barqoo, who played for the Jaguars in 2020 and XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas this year, opted for the Steelers’ offer. Patrick, whom the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes passed a Broncos physical Monday, finished with 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He joins XFL passing leader Ben DiNucci as a Broncos May addition.

Seeing time for the St. Louis BattleHawks, Jones-Smith played in three games apiece with Raiders and Ravens, respectively, from 2020-21. Thompson will join the Dolphins after a spring tour of duty with the Seattle Sea Dragons, while fellow XFL alum Brewer played in two games for the Bills last year. Heflin played five games for the Packers in 2021; the new Saint spent the XFL season with the Houston Roughnecks.

The Raiders gave Johnson a reserve/futures deal in January. The young wideout collected a ring with the 2020 Buccaneers and totaled 360 receiving yards for Tampa Bay’s 2021 iteration. While the Texans claimed him on waivers ahead of last season, he played in just two games with the team.

Jackson suited up for national championship-winning Georgia last season. The new Titans wideout finished with 514 receiving yards in 2020 and totaled 320 for last season’s Bulldogs edition. A Division II Quincy alum, Wilson received an East-West Shrine Bowl invite but tore an Achilles tendon late last season.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/23

May 15th, 2023 at 9:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest members of the 2023 draft class to sign their four-year rookie contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Hyatt will represent youth for the Giants, who have assembled a veteran-heavy receiving nucleus. Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder are attached to veteran contracts. Hyatt joins 2022 second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson and waiver claim Isaiah Hodgins as the young talents in this group. After trading up 16 spots to land Hyatt, Giants will rely on him for a deep speed presence. Although he went off the board 73rd overall, Hyatt is the reigning Biletnikoff award winner.

Martin and Young are each the top outside investment either the Lions or Raiders made along their respective interior defensive lines this offseason. The Lions drafted first- and second-round D-linemen (Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal) last year. The Raiders have devoted plenty to their edge-rushing contingent, using a first-round pick on Tyree Wilson after giving Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones big-ticket deals last year, but the team has not allocated many resources to its D-tackle positions. Martin was the last of the six Day 1 or Day 2 picks the Lions made this year.

Broncos Eyeing Javonte Williams Training Camp Return

May 15th, 2023 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Javonte Williams suffered a torn ACL in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss to the Raiders. This preceded a number of key Broncos going down during a dismal season. Williams news has been scarce this offseason, but rumblings of the third-year running back’s recovery time lasting into the season have surfaced.

Attempting to provide a bit more clarity on Williams’ situation, Sean Payton gave an optimistic timetable regarding the hard-charging runner’s health. Williams has a chance to return by training camp.

“Our current starter’s doing extremely well,” Payton said of Williams. “I would tell you that we expect him to be ready for the start of training camp, and that’s good news.”

Payton also said he is “hopeful” Williams will avoid the PUP list going into camp. The active/PUP list does not carry the importance the reserve/PUP list does, seeing as the former is a training camp designation that does not mandate regular-season absences. Players can be moved off the active/PUP list at any point; anyone who ends the preseason on the reserve/PUP list must miss at least four games. But Williams being ready to go without restrictions by the time the Broncos break for camp in late July would represent a surprising development, considering the uncertainty surrounding this situation.

GM George Paton did not attach a recovery timetable for Williams in April, indicating the team was hopeful he would return “this season.” That put the prospect of essentially two lost seasons for the 2021 second-round pick into play. Considering Williams’ rookie contract runs through the 2024 season, his setback — one that also included LCL and posterolateral corner damage — threatened to derail much of his early-career run. Training camp comes 10-plus months out from Williams’ knee injury. That is well within range for a player to return from this common NFL malady, though more complicated injuries — like Chase Young‘s — can require longer recovery periods.

The Broncos signed Samaje Perine, who rejected a similar offer from the Bengals due to the prospect of more work in Denver, but did not draft a running back. (Perine signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal that includes $3MM guaranteed.) The team did not retain Mike Boone but did add ex-Payton Saints charge Tony Jones Jr. Former Ravens draftee Tyler Badie remains rostered as well. Still, the Broncos’ running back depth chart would be one of the league’s thinnest if Williams is forced to miss more time. The North Carolina alum being ready in time for the regular season would be a boon for the Broncos’ prospects, as they added Ben Powers and high-end run-blocking tackle Mike McGlinchey in free agency.

An “Angry Runs” regular as a rookie, Williams totaled 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. That performance came as the Broncos employed Melvin Gordon as their starter that year. Amid more fumbling trouble, the team cut Gordon late last season. Perine stands to give the Broncos insurance and will be the starter if Williams is not ready, but Payton’s update provides a rosier outlook.

Steelers Audition LS Nick Boyle, To Host LB Kwon Alexander

May 15th, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers have already gone through with a linebacker revamp effort. They released Myles Jack, let Devin Bush sign with the Seahawks and did not retain Robert Spillane, who joined the Raiders in free agency. Offseason signings Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts are now in the fold.

A more accomplished veteran is on the team’s radar as well. The Steelers are meeting with Kwon Alexander tonight, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Alexander spent last season with the Jets, reuniting with former 49ers DC Robert Saleh. While Alexander remains on the Jets’ radar, the Steelers are interested as well.

Despite a notable injury history and not having signed with the Jets until training camp last year, Alexander played all 17 Gang Green games and started 12. The former Buccaneers standout saw action on 49% of the Jets’ defensive plays, logging 559 defensive snaps — his most with one team since his 2017 Pro Bowl year in Tampa. While Alexander played 667 snaps in 2020, the 49ers traded him to the Saints midway through the season.

Pro Football Focus has graded Alexander as a top-50 linebacker in each of the past three seasons, slotting him 44th in 2022. He joined C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams as the Jets’ primary linebackers, helping the team to a remarkable bounce-back effort in Saleh’s second season running the defense. Alexander finished with 69 tackles (six for loss) and a forced fumble last year.

Both the Saints and Jets have sought Alexander, 28, for his experience; the Steelers could ask him to play a similar role. The eight-year veteran has 86 starts on his resume. Alexander did miss five games in 2021 due to an elbow injury, but he has avoided major maladies since his late-2010s trouble. Alexander suffered a torn ACL in 2017 and missed 18 games between the 2018 and ’19 slates.

The Steelers did add Tanner Muse this offseason and are also carrying ex-Giants starter Tae Crowder as a potential backup option. Alexander would obviously represent an upgrade and could certainly emerge as a starting option in the team’s 3-4 look.

Pittsburgh also brought in former Baltimore tight end Nick Boyle, per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (on Twitter). Boyle attended the Steelers’ rookie minicamp over the weekend but did so as a long snapper. The longtime Ravens tight end is attempting to continue his career as a long snapper. This low-profile job can allow players to play into their late 30s or even early 40s, though it is the NFL’s lowest-paying on-field role. The Steelers have Christian Kuntz in place as their deep snapper, a role he has played over the past two seasons.

Dolphins Sign T Cedric Ogbuehi

May 15th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins did not draft a tackle and entered draft weekend planning to run it back with Austin Jackson as their starter. The team is, however, backstopping the former first-round pick with veteran options.

After agreeing to terms with five-year Patriot Isaiah Wynn, the Dolphins announced Monday they are signing Cedric Ogbuehi. Now the third former first-rounder in Miami’s right tackle equation, Ogbuehi received his Jets walking papers last week despite having re-signed with the team in April.

[RELATED: Dolphins Pass On Jackson’s Fifth-Year Option]

Considering the issues the Dolphins encountered at tackle last season, the team’s eagerness to add depth at this position is understandable. Miami played 15 games without Jackson, who suffered an ankle injury Week 1 and never recovered. The team signed longtime left tackle Eric Fisher, but the veteran sustained an injury before suiting up in a game for the Dolphins. The Fins primarily used in-season addition Brandon Shell at the position; Shell is unsigned.

Although Shell expressed interest in another Dolphins contract, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the AFC East club is going with Jackson, Wynn and Ogbuehi. Two of these three will likely end up on Miami’s roster — one as a starter opposite Terron Armstead and the other as the swing tackle — while the third could be the odd man out. Given Ogbuehi’s history, he should be expected to have the longest odds at cracking Miami’s 53-man roster.

A former Bengals first-round pick, Ogbuehi has now been aligned with multiple teams in each of the past three years. He played for both the Seahawks and Ravens in 2021, joined the Jets off the Texans’ practice squad last year and has now hopped to a second AFC East team in the past two weeks. The Jets’ Billy Turner signing moved Ogbuehi, 31, off the roster.

The Jets experienced a run of tackle health trouble as well last season, leading to the team needing to go beyond swing depth to fill starting spots. Injuries to Mekhi Becton, George Fant, Duane Brown. Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell led to the likes of Ogbuehi and fellow in-season Jets pickup Mike Remmers seeing time. After Vera-Tucker went down with a torn ACL in October, Ogbuehi started five games. Of course, Ogbuehi also ran into injury trouble — a groin malady — and missed a chuck of stretch-run time. Though, the eight-year veteran did return and start at right tackle in the Jets’ season finale in Miami.

The Dolphins will kick the tires on the Texas A&M alum, who spent time in ex-Mike McDaniel coworker Mike LaFleur‘s offense last season. While Ogbuehi has not lived up to expectations, he is closing in on a decade of NFL service time. The 35-game starter will attempt to stick with the Dolphins, who will probably be interested in stashing tackles on their practice squad as well.

Cardinals Sign P Matt Haack, Release K Elliott Fry

May 15th, 2023 at 3:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cardinals appear to have taken another step toward finding Andy Lee‘s successor as the team’s punter. Arizona announced on Monday that they have signed Matt Haack to a one-year contract.

Haack, 28, joins Nolan Cooney in the Cardinals’ offseason competition to find a replacement for Lee. The latter punted in the desert for the past six years, but will be 41 by the start of the 2023 campaign. Lee remains unsigned at this point, and the team’s latest moves point to a willingness to move on from the three-time All-Pro.

Haack is the more experienced of the two punters now on the roster, having played for three different teams across six seasons. He played out his rookie contract with the Dolphins, then had a one-year stint with the Bills in 2021. He lost out during Buffalo’s punting competition last offseason, though, leading to his release despite the presence of two more years on his contract.

Days after being released, the former UDFA found his next opportunity in Indianapolis. Haack set a new career high in punting average in 2022, with a mark of 44.8 yards per punt. His net average of 40.2 was also his highest figure since 2019, though it fell short of what Lee was able to produce last season. Nevertheless, Haack should provide the team with at least a short-term replacement option, with the potential to remain in Arizona for years to come given his age.

The Cardinals also announced that they have released kicker Elliott Fry. The 28-year-old signed a reserve deal with Arizona in January, after spending time with Atlanta, Cincinnati and Kansas City earlier in his career. Fry last played in 2021, and he will now look to find a new opportunity elsewhere. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will move forward with Matt Prater as their kicker; the veteran has been with the team since 2021 and has two years remaining on his contract.

Saints, WR James Washington Agree To Deal

May 15th, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after conducting a free agent visit, James Washington has found his next NFL home. The veteran receiver is signing with the Saints, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link).

Fowler had previously noted Washington’s planned Monday visit to New Orleans (on Twitter), so it comes as little surprise that he is now agreeing to join the team’s new-look passing attack. The Saints represent the fourth career team for the former Steelers second-rounder, and the third that he will see playing time with.

Washington, 27, seemed poised to become the latest homegrown Pittsburgh wideout to turn into a high-end contributor early in his career. His second season, in 2019, saw him post a 44-735-3 statline, and he followed that up with five touchdowns the following year. The Oklahoma State product had an underwhelming campaign in 2021, however, and departed the Steelers in free agency.

He signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys last offseason, giving him an opportunity to reaffirm his status as a capable deep threat on an offense which lost Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson that offseason. However, a foot injury limited Washington to just two games with Dallas, and he was waived near the end of the season. The Giants signed him shortly thereafter, but he did not make any appearances with them. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets that the 5-11, 213-pounder is now healthy, though.

Washington will now look to start over in New Orleans, a team which had a highly productive rookie campaign from 2022 first-rounder Chris Olave. He is in line to operate as the top wideout for the Saints as they begin the Derek Carr era, with former All-Pro Michael Thomas available as potential difference-maker, if he can remain healthy this season. Washington will look to carve out a role amongst the likes of the recently re-signed Tre’Quan Smith, former Raider Bryan Edwards and rookie A.T. Perry with the Saints.

Ravens To Sign OL Sam Mustipher

May 15th, 2023 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 15: Mustipher’s visit has resulted in a one-year deal, as confirmed by Zrebiec (on Twitter). This homecoming will give Mustipher the chance to solidify himself as the Ravens’ backup center behind Linderbaum, and in doing so, allow Mekari to be used at least primarily as a swing tackle. Aside from the competition at left guard, the Ravens’ offensive line is now essentially in place for 2023.

MAY 10: The Bears declined to extend an RFA tender to Sam Mustipher in March, sending the four-year veteran to unrestricted free agency. The two-season starter has remained unattached beyond the compensatory deadline.

One team that traditionally shows regular interest in post-draft free agents — which do not count against the following year’s compensatory formula — has Mustipher on its radar. The Ravens brought in the former Bears starting center for a recent visit, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Mustipher, 26, joins fellow Maryland native Adrian Amos as being on Baltimore’s grid.

[RELATED: Ravens Not Ruling Out Marcus Peters Return]

Chicago had planned for ex-Green Bay starter Lucas Patrick to replace Mustipher at center last season, but Patrick dealt with multiple injuries and only managed five starts. This kept the door open for Mustipher, a Notre Dame product. The 332-pound snapper started 33 games over the past two years, not missing a contest during this run. Pro Football Focus graded Mustipher poorly in 2021 but viewed him as a middle-of-the-pack starter among centers last season, one in which the Bears led the NFL in rushing.

The Ravens have lost multiple interior O-linemen this offseason, seeing Ben Powers join the Broncos hours into the legal tampering period and backup Trystan Colon-Castillo sign with the Jets. The team drafted two late-round O-linemen — Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu (Round 6) and Andrew Vorhees (Round 7) — but a veteran interior presence would make sense. Vorhees, who suffered a torn ACL at the Combine, is unlikely to play this season. Veteran Patrick Mekari remains on the roster, but the versatile player also serves as Baltimore’s backup tackle. The loser of the Ben Cleveland–John Simpson left guard competition would also represent interior depth, but the Ravens appear on the lookout for a Tyler Linderbaum backup.

The Bears seem to have closed the door on a Mustipher return. After signing four-year Titans starter Nate Davis, Chicago has moved Cody Whitehair back to center and is planning a competition between he and Patrick for the job.

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