HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Rams RB Cam Akers To Have Sizable Role In 2023?

June 17th, 2023 at 6:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Rams have Cam Akers in place as their top running back for 2023, despite the team’s efforts to trade him last year. Recent comments from head coach Sean McVay indicate a heavy workload can be expected this season.

The former second-rounder had a falling out with the Rams in 2022 after his return from an Achilles tear led to underwhelming performances. Akers was believed to be on his way out of Los Angeles – as acknowledged by McVay himself – in what would have been a change-of-scenery trade near the deadline. The Rams declined offers on that front, setting up a return to the fold to close out the season.

Akers appeared to have regained his pre-injury form down the stretch, racking up 512 rushing yards and six touchdowns over the final six contests of what was a lost campaign for the Rams. Overall, he totaled 786 yards on the ground at a clip of 4.2 yards per carry, figures which should allow the 23-year-old to carry over that success into the upcoming season, the final one of his rookie contract. A lead role in the backfield and the team’s offense as a whole appears to be in McVay’s plans at this point.

“He’s really capitalized on a lot of the momentum he built up toward the latter part of the year. And he’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing moving forward,” he said when asked about Akers. “He’s had a great offseason… Cam is going to be a central figure in this offense… He’s taking great care of himself physically, he’s in a good place mentally. Just continuing to mature and I’m really excited about what he’s going to do for us this year” (h/t Cameron DaSilva of RamsWire).

A strong season from Akers would mark a notable reunion of sorts with a franchise he seemed destined to depart not too long ago. It would also, of course, help the Rams take a needed step forward on offense in general and the ground game in particular. Remaining healthy and productive would boost his free agent value as well, and leave the team with an interesting decision regarding his future. Returnees Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are also available at the RB spot for Los Angeles, and the team added further depth by selecting Zach Evans in the sixth round of the draft. Assuming he is in fact given a workhorse role, though, all eyes will no doubt be on Akers in 2023.

ILB Competition On Tap For Giants

June 17th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants made a big move this offseason to address the inside linebacker position in free agency, signing former Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke. Okereke will slot in as a sure starter in New York’s lineup, but who will the Giants decide on as the starter lining up next to Okereke?

In the past two years, New York has seen their options dwindle with an ACL tear leading to the eventual release of Blake Martinez and the benching and waiving of Tae Crowder. Okereke provides a strong presence on the inside of the linebacking corps, but the team still has questions next to him. Darrian Beavers, Jarrad Davis, and Micah McFadden are the three names that have been mentioned as candidates to start next to Okereke.

McFadden is typically the third name thrown into the conversation behind Beavers and Davis. This is a result of McFadden being seemingly cemented as Okereke’s backup. McFadden started next to Okereke while Beavers and Davis were dealing with injury this spring, but considering he plays the same position as Okereke, he’s not a favorite to share the field with him moving forward. This appears to be a battle mainly between Beavers and Davis.

Davis joined the team extremely late into the season last year. A former first-round pick, Davis had been starting less and less as his career progressed. Despite becoming a Giant with two weeks left in the regular season, Davis started in Week 18 before starting two playoff games for New York, an impressive feat with such a small amount of time in the building. With Beavers dealing with injury, Davis started early in the spring, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, but found himself on the sideline with an undisclosed injury during minicamp.

Beavers missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in Week 2 of the preseason last year. The Giants are reportedly extremely high on the 2022 sixth-round pick, whom they are hoping to have back by training camp. Once he does return, Beavers will provide immediate competition for Davis. During a Mailbag Q&A session, Duggan asserted his belief that Beavers will claim the starting job next to Okereke during training camp.

So, there you have it. Beavers, the young, unproven player coming off a major injury, is currently the expected favorite to start. Davis is slotted into the position for now, if healthy, and should have a chance to make a case to regain his status as a starter in training camp. If both are unavailable, McFadden can start in their place, though the team prefers that he back up Okereke instead of start next to him.

Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz Still Has Potential Future In New Orleans

June 17th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Ely Allen

In three years of professional football, interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz has struggled to live up to his first-round potential. Despite the Saints essentially echoing that sentiment by declining his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis seems to have implied that Ruiz still has a future with the team, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports.

After excelling as a pass-blocking center at Michigan in college, Ruiz hasn’t been able to find the same success at the NFL level. He has spent most of his time in New Orleans as the team’s primary right guard while filling in at times at his old center position. Ruiz found starts as a rookie thanks to injuries to Andrus Peat and Nick Easton and became a full time starter in his sophomore season.

He’s started every game he’s appeared in since taking over as a starter but has missed four games over his career, including three to end the 2022 regular season. Ruiz suffered a Lisfranc injury that held him out of the team’s final games of the year. He hasn’t practiced since the injury but was scheduled this week for a procedure to remove hardware from the initial surgery to repair his foot. The follow-up procedure was set to take place yesterday, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com, which should give him enough recovery time to be back for training camp.

Given his on-field and injury struggles, it’s hard to see where his future lies with the Saints. According to Nowak, Loomis referred to Ruiz as an “ascending player,” saying he has high expectations for the fourth-year player. So why decline his fifth-year option?

Declining Ruiz’s fifth-year option makes 2023 a contract year for the lineman. He’ll have one year to prove he deserves a fifth year with the team and beyond. This season, he’ll need to prove that he is improving and ascending, as his general manager hopes. He’ll also need to display an ability to rebound from the season-ending injury from last year. Lisfranc injuries have a tendency to linger, but if Ruiz’s health holds up throughout the season, Nowak feels that an eventual extension is inevitable.

New Orleans signed veteran center Billy Price this week, as well. The move could be insurance in case Ruiz is unable to recover fully. It could also be in service of the goal to keep Ruiz at guard full-time. Without Price, Ruiz is the team’s primary backup at center behind Erik McCoy. If Price can earn the backup role, it would allow Ruiz to focus solely on his work at guard, potentially helping him to ascend to a level worthy of an extension.

Cardinals’ Isaiah Simmons Making Move From LB To DB

June 17th, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Ely Allen

When he was drafted as a top-ten pick in 2020, Cardinals defender Isaiah Simmons was lauded as a Swiss Army knife that could play all over the field. Despite being labeled a linebacker by the Cardinals over his first three seasons, he’s been utilized quite a bit in the secondary. Earlier this week, though, Simmons announced that, this year, he has solely been working with the defensive backs, and he will continue to do so moving forward, according to Cardinals staff writer Darren Urban.

After making the opposite switch from safety to linebacker in his senior year at Clemson, Simmons displayed proficiency all over the field with a stat line that included over 100 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He hasn’t found quite the same success in Arizona but has shown a similar versatility.

Simmons had his best year in 2022, according to grades done by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For the first time in his career, he spent a majority of his snaps aligned in the secondary. He spent 45 percent of his snaps aligned in the slot, 33 percent at linebacker, 12 percent on the defensive line, as well as a few snaps at safety and outside cornerback. As a result, Simmons returned his career-best grades in coverage and pass rush.

New head coach Jonathan Gannon scouted Simmons when he was the defensive backs coach in Indianapolis and admits that he had a vision for Simmons at the time. This, combined with the success Simmons found in the slot last season, is perhaps the biggest reason for the official position change.

Regardless, Simmons has committed himself to a dedicated position, claiming he’d prefer “to master defensive back first” before any potential work back at outside linebacker. This new change could end up being quite profitable for Simmons, as well. After his fifth-year option was declined by Arizona back in May, Simmons is headed into a contract year. If he continues to breakout in the secondary, this move could result in a large payday in the coming offseason.

Chiefs GM Discusses Chris Jones Negotiations

June 17th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones has sat out mandatory minicamp as he pursues a new contract. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like negotiations are acrimonious in any way. Speaking to reporters during the team’s Super Bowl ring ceremony, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach indicated that negotiations are going well and that everyone involved wants a deal to be completed.

[RELATED: Chris Jones Seeking To Become Second-Highest-Paid DT]

“We have great communication and there’s a lot of time before camp,” Veach said (h/t to Jordan Foote of SI.com). “[I] feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris. We’ll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year, but for a long time.”

The GM wouldn’t commit to a specific deadline for the two sides to agree to an extension. Rather, Veach expressed optimism that negotiations will follow the same path as some of the front office’s previous extension talks.

“Not really,” Veach said when asked if there was a specific timeframe. “Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent. I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Jones finished third for Defensive Player of the Year honors this past season after compiling 15.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and 29 QB hits. At $20MM per year, Jones is currently the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid defensive tackle, and he’s set to hit free agency following the season. The Chiefs could ultimately just decide to hit him with the franchise tag, but that guaranteed top-five salary at the position still might not be enough for the veteran.

We heard earlier this week that Jones was seeking a contract that would make him the league’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle. Aaron Donald leads the way with a $31.7MM-per-year number, but there’s an $8MM gap in AAV before we get to Jeffery Simmons. Jones could still slide in second on the list without completely breaking the bank. While the organization has recently moved off players like Tyreek Hill before committing big money, it doesn’t sound like they’ll proceed with the same mentality when it comes to their defensive leader.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Not Planning Training Camp Holdout

June 17th, 2023 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

Justin Jefferson is eyeing an extension that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. While his camp continues to work with the Vikings on a lucrative extension, the wideout hasn’t shown any interest in holding out. Speaking to reporters this week, Jefferson said he would be at training camp with or without a new contract.

[RELATED: Vikings’ Contractual Preferences To Hinder Justin Jefferson Negotiations?]

Jefferson skipped all of the Vikings voluntary OTAs, but he was in attendance this week for mandatory minicamp. Per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Jefferson attributed his previous absences to marketing and endorsement opportunities, and the WR said that the contract talks were “not too much a part of” him skipping the voluntary portion of camp.

“[Negotiations] happen every single year,” Jefferson said (via Seifert). “It’s not something that’s new towards the game. Eventually, we knew we were going to have to talk contract.

“I had a lot of stuff going on. They didn’t really force me to come back too, too much. It didn’t seem like I was missing too, too much. They definitely wanted me back here, and I wanted to be back here, but had a lot going on.”

As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, there’s no good reason for Jefferson to sacrifice money via fines while staging a hold out. After all, both sides seem focused on finalizing a deal, and the team acknowledges that Jefferson’s extension will reset the market. Really, the monetary aspect of the deal should be easy, and Breer believes it’s just a question of how the extension is structured. We previously heard that the Vikings prefer injury guarantees that do not become fully guaranteed until the year the money is due, a potential holdup for Jefferson’s camp.

Jefferson is still playing out his rookie contract and will earn $2.4MM in 2023 and $19.7MM in 2024 (via the fifth-year option). The receiver has topped 1,400 yards in each of his three seasons, and he earned Offensive Player of the Year honors this past season after finishing with 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Dolphins made Tyreek Hill the first (and currently only) $30MM/year wideout, although that AAV is partially inflated by an untenable $43.9MM salary in 2026. Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and A.J. Brown also top the $25MM/year mark, so Jefferson’s next contract will probably come in around at least $30MM.

Chris Jones Seeking To Become Second-Highest-Paid DT, In Talks With Chiefs

June 16th, 2023 at 10:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the extensions for Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons and Dexter Lawrence would seem to give Quinnen Williams a clear road map toward a Jets extension, Chris Jones‘ Chiefs talks look more complex.

Jones mounted a threat to be labeled the NFL’s best defensive tackle last season. Given his 2022 performance, value to the Chiefs and Aaron Donald missing a chunk of his age-31 season due to injury, this can at least be debated for the first time in ages. Set to turn 29 in July, Jones is three years younger than the Rams’ all-time great. If nothing else, Jones has a clear claim to being the league’s best non-Donald inside pass rusher and has held that spot for a bit now. At $20MM per year, Jones is currently the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid defensive tackle.

Although Jones sailed to first-team All-Pro acclaim for the first time by matching his career high with 15.5 sacks during a season in which Donald missed five games, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher notes the dominant Chiefs D-tackle may not be looking to move past the 10th-year Ram’s $31.7MM-per-year number. That figure remains the league’s most lucrative for a defender — by a wide margin. Jones is, however, aiming to top every other D-tackle deal. The notable question here: by how much?

Even after the above-referenced three young DTs’ extensions, Donald’s outlier contract — a straight raise the Rams authorized after a retirement threat — leads the pack by more than $8MM per year. Simmons did secure more fully guaranteed money than Donald, though he did so on a contract that ties him to the Titans for four additional years. Donald did not add any years to his contract but still received $46.5MM guaranteed at signing. Considering Jones’ importance to the Chiefs’ defense, he should be in line to push for a deal far north of Simmons’ $23.5MM-per-year pact.

Kansas City has made some payroll adjustments since extending Patrick Mahomes. The team did not offer Tyrann Mathieu an extension, letting his $14MM-per-year deal expire, and passed on making Tyreek Hill the league’s highest-paid wide receiver. It would seem Jones remains a priority, however. A second extension has been on the radar for months. Andy Reid confirmed (via Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons) at minicamp — one Jones did not attend, incurring a minor fine — Chiefs GM Brett Veach has been in discussions with Jones’ camp.

In 2020, the Chiefs locked down Mahomes and Travis Kelce on team-friendly extensions but paid top-market money for Jones, who is entering the final season of a four-year, $80MM deal. The sides finalized that contract just before the 2020 franchise tag deadline. Simmons, Payne, Lawrence, Leonard Williams and Javon Hargrave have since topped it. The Chiefs would have the option of franchise-tagging Jones for a second time, but that number would check in higher than the standard 2024 DT figure due to the 120% rule.

Since that 2020 agreement, Jones has ripped off three more Pro Bowl seasons and further established himself as the Chiefs’ most indispensable defender. He sacked Joe Burrow twice in the AFC championship game, helping the Chiefs hold off the Bengals despite Mahomes playing on a gimpy ankle. With Nick Bosa a candidate to top Donald’s AAV, it will be interesting to see if Jones waits on the 49ers finalizing that long-rumored agreement or sees if Williams can move the non-Donald D-tackle bar higher soon.

The Chiefs expect Jones at training camp, but a hold-in effort would not surprise. A resolution on this matter should be expected before Week 1, but this represents one of the league’s top 2023 contractual dominoes.

NFL To Hold Supplemental Draft In 2023

June 16th, 2023 at 10:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

For the first time since 2019, NFL teams will be able to add rookies who were not selected in the April draft or signed as undrafted free agents. A supplemental draft will take place this summer, as first reported by Dane Brugler of The Athletic and confirmed (on Twitter) by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The latest edition of the supplemental draft will take place on July 11, giving the league a event to prepare for prior to the start of training camps later that month. The summer event provides an opportunity to join the NFL for players who are deemed ineligible for the regular entry draft (and thus to sign as UDFAs), and it has provided teams a number of high-profile additions over the course of its history.

Cancellations over the past three years have continued a stretch of relative irrelevancy for the supplemental draft, however. Editions have gone by without a single player being selected, and the recent past has seen a limited number of impact players involved. Still, the list of supplemental draft alums includes the likes of Terrelle Pryor and Josh Gordon in 2011 and 2012 and, less recently, Bernie Kosar, Cris Carter, Bobby Humphrey, Rob Moore and Jamal Williams. 

The Cardinals added safety Jalen Thompson in the 2019 supplemental draft, a decision which has proven to be fruitful. Thompson has logged 42 starts across his 54 games in Arizona, and he inked a three-year extension last offseason. That deal may provide incentive for teams around the league to pursue eligible players in this year’s edition of the summer draft. Using a supplemental draft pick in 2023 will cause teams to lose a selection in the equivalent round of the 2024 entry draft.

Players must apply to the NFL to achieve eligibility. The only one who has been approved in that regard so far is former Purdue receiver Milton Wright. The 6-3, 195-pounder registered 1,325 yards and 10 touchdowns on 99 receptions with the Boilermakers between 2019 and 2021. As details on the 2023 edition of the second-tier draft emerge, it will be worth watching to see how many other players become eligible and which ones receive attention from NFL teams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/16/23

June 16th, 2023 at 9:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Trickett’s deal is three years in length, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That represents a sizeable commitment considering the Falcons are already set at the kicker position with Younghoe Koo. Trickett will have training camp and the offseason to earn himself an extended look on Atlanta’s practice squad during training camp and the preseason following his five-year college career. He spent time at Kent State and Minnesota, converting 79 of 100 field goal attempts and all but three of his 179 extra point kicks.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard Aiming For Week 1 Return

June 16th, 2023 at 8:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants’ 2023 offense will feature a number of new pass-catchers, including several different faces in the wide receiving corps. That unit will still feature Sterling Shepard, though, perhaps as early as Week 1 of the regular season.

The veteran signed a one-year deal to remain in New York this offseason, a commitment on the team’s part to keep their longest-tenured player in the fold. Shepard’s 2022 campaign was limited to just three games due a torn ACL. He is currently rehabbing the injury, the latest in a long line in that regard which has hurt the team’s passing game and his financial value. His remarks on his recovery paint an encouraging picture, though.

“I’m right on schedule where I wanted to be, a little bit ahead,” the 30-year-old said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “So that’s always good. I’m just trying to take it day by day and just focus on getting back to 100 percent.”

At full health, the former second-rounder has been a key member of New York’s passing game. Shepard received at least 83 targets in each of his first five seasons, though that figure dropped dramatically in 2021 and ’22 given his major injuries (including an Achilles tear in the former campaign). The team’s work to boost its aerial attack this offseason should cut further into Shepard’s workload.

The Giants traded for Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, a move which will give newly-extended quarterback Daniel Jones a proven producer in the middle of the field. On the perimeter, free agent signings Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder represent one-year investments at the WR spot. They, along with third-round rookie Jalin Hyatt, will give Shepard competition for playing time upon his return. The timing of that remains to be seen, but if the latter remains on his current track it could come as early as the season opener.

“My goal is to be ready for the season, so whatever that takes is what I’m going to try to do, but I’m also not going to rush it,” Shepard said. “You get to that time and I’m not feeling right, then that’s just what it’s going to be.”

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