HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Eagles Eyeing Nicholas Morrow As LB Starter

July 6th, 2023 at 11:44am CST by Sam Robinson

While the Eagles carried notable veteran linebacker contracts on their books in the not-so-distant past, the team has shifted toward a low-cost blueprint at this position in recent years. The defending NFC champions continued down this road this offseason.

Philadelphia let both its Super Bowl LVII regulars at linebacker — T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White — walk in free agency rather than pay up to keep them. Beyond Tremaine Edmunds and Bobby Okereke‘s deals, paying up did not mean upper-crust salaries. The next tier of starter-caliber ILBs received between $5-$7MM in free agency. The friendly market did not prompt Philly to go off-script.

After a developmental year as a second-stringer, 2022 third-rounder Nakobe Dean is in line to start. As of now, a Division III success story is favored to join him as the Eagles’ other ILB regular. Nicholas Morrow, who signed a one-year deal worth just $1.16MM, sits as the frontrunner to start alongside Dean, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

Morrow, who will turn 28 next week, did not come close to matching Dean’s prospect profile. He played at Greenville (Ill.) University and caught on with the Raiders as a UDFA in 2017. But the unlikely long-term NFLer has extensive experience in starting lineups. Morrow has worked as a first-stringer in 46 games, including 17 for the Bears last season. The seventh-year vet established career-high totals in tackles (116) and tackles for loss (11). This came after Morrow suffered what turned out to be a season-ending ankle injury during a training camp practice in August 2021.

Despite Morrow making his way back from that malady to be a full-timer on a rebuilding Bears team, Pro Football Focus slotted him outside the top 60 at the position. PFF did grade Morrow as a top-30 ILB option in 2020, however.

During Morrow’s second free agency foray, he could not come especially close to the above-referenced second tier of the off-ball linebacker market. While Edwards, White and ex-Eagle starter Alex Singleton fetched AAVs between $5MM and $6.5MM (from the Bears, Cardinals and Broncos), Morrow joined the Eagles for no guaranteed money. This could create a wide range of outcomes come training camp, as players without guarantees are obviously simpler cut candidates. Third-year UDFA Christian Elliss might push Morrow for playing time, per Berman, but the young defender has only played 29 career defensive snaps.

The Eagles once carried Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham extensions on their payroll, though Bradham’s 2018 contract (five years, $40MM) only coexisted with Kendricks’ Chip Kelly-era extension for two months. The Eagles cut Kendricks in May 2018. Since releasing Bradham after the 2019 season, the team has rolled with bottom-tier contracts on its defensive second level. Dean fits the mold, being signed to a rookie deal through 2025. Morrow, who has never played in an NFL postseason game, will have a chance to carve out a higher-profile role for himself on his league-minimum deal.

Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott To Vie For Dolphins S Job

July 6th, 2023 at 10:57am CST by Sam Robinson

In Jevon Holland, the Dolphins have a locked-in safety starter. The 2021 second-round pick has become one of the NFL’s better back-line defenders. As Vic Fangio prepares for his first training camp as Miami’s defensive coordinator, a key question will involve the other safety position.

The Dolphins did not operate aggressively in free agency here, likely for multiple reasons. One of them: a belief in Brandon Jones. The fourth-year safety is coming off a torn ACL, but the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson notes the team is high enough on the returning starter it did not pursue a high- or mid-level contract with a veteran safety.

A 2020 third-round pick, Jones has started 24 career games — including 20 over the past two seasons — and formed a promising tandem with Holland. But the Dolphins did not stand down entirely in free agency. The team did not make a notable offer to Jordan Poyer, per Jackson, despite the Bills safety being intrigued by a warm-weather city with a friendlier tax code. (Poyer re-signed with the Bills.) But Miami did sign former Baltimore and Detroit safety DeShon Elliott, adding the fifth-year veteran for just $1.77MM.

These two will vie for the position alongside Holland, per Jackson. Both players are coming off injuries. Jones’ ACL tear occurred in Week 7, while Elliott played through a shoulder injury to close his 2022 Lions run. The shoulder problem limited Elliott this offseason as well, but the former sixth-round pick is expected to be fine for the start of Miami’s regular season. As such, he poses a threat to Jones’ job in the latter’s contract year.

Jones, 25, and Elliott, 26, were teammates at Texas in the late 2010s. The latter has started 35 career games, earning a job alongside Chuck Clark. Elliott started 16 games for the Ravens in 2020 and six in 2021; the Lions gave Elliott 13 starts last season. Of course, Detroit struggled on defense for much of the season and has since overhauled its secondary. This will lead Elliott — Pro Football Focus’ No. 45 overall safety last season — into Fangio’s scheme.

PFF rated Jones 64th overall in 2022, though his coverage stats revealed improvement in that area. Prior to the knee injury, the plus blitzer (five sacks in 2021) held a 62.5% completion rate allowed as the closest defender and allowed a 78.0 passer rating. Both marks were significantly better than Jones’ 2021 coverage performance, though Fangio’s zone-based system will mark a change from a Josh Boyer scheme that capitalized on Jones’ blitzing skill.

The Dolphins have Holland signed to his rookie deal through the 2024 season. With two big-ticket cornerback contracts on their books (for Xavien Howard and trade acquisition Jalen Ramsey), that will prove important. The team also used its top draft choice (No. 51 overall) on former South Carolina nickel Cam Smith. With big investments at four of their five DB spots, the Dolphins will count on low-cost production from the other post. The loser of the ex-Longhorns’ competition will represent quality depth.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 6th, 2023 at 9:25am CST by Sam Robinson

The latest NFL general manager hiring cycle only produced two changes, but each took over for an executive who appeared in good standing at this point last year.

Steve Keim had held his Cardinals GM post since January 2013, and the Cardinals gave both he and Kliff Kingsbury extensions — deals that ran through 2027 — in March of last year. Arizona has since rebooted, moving on from both Keim and Kingsbury. Keim took a leave of absence late last season, and the Cardinals replaced him with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort.

[RELATED: The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches]

As the Cardinals poached one of the Titans’ top front office lieutenants, Tennessee went with an NFC West staffer to replace Jon Robinson. The move to add 49ers FO bastion Ran Carthon also came less than a year after the Titans reached extension agreements with both Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson — in place as GM since January 2016 — before last season ended. Adams Strunk cited player unavailability and roster quality among the reasons she chose to move on despite having extended Robinson through the 2027 draft months earlier. The Titans are now pairing Vrabel and Carthon.

The Bills reached an extension agreement with GM Brandon Beane two weeks ago. Hired shortly after the team gave Sean McDermott the HC keys, Beane has helped the Bills to five playoff berths in six seasons. Beane’s deal keeps him signed through 2027. Chargers GM Tom Telesco has hit the 10-year mark leading that front office, while this year also marks the 10th offseason of Buccaneers honcho Jason Licht‘s tenure running the NFC South team. Although Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich and later admitted he reluctantly extended his former HC in 2021, the increasingly active Colts owner has expressed confidence in Chris Ballard.

Here is how the NFL’s GM landscape looks going into the 2023 season:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
  4. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  5. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  6. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
  7. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
  8. Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
  9. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  10. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  11. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  12. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  13. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  14. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  15. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
  16. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  17. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  18. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
  19. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  20. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  21. Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
  22. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
  23. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  24. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  25. Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
  26. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  27. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  28. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  29. Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
  30. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
  31. Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
  32. Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Latest On Bills WR Stefon Diggs

July 5th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Ben Levine

When we last checked in on the Stefon Diggs situation in Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen was describing the issue as “not football related” despite contrary reports claiming the wideout was frustrated with his role on offense and a lack of input on play-calling.

[RELATED: Diggs Reportedly Frustrated By Role In Offense]

Allen was back at it during an appearance on Bussin With the Boys, stating that the media overreacted to Diggs’ psuedo-no-show during the first day of mandatory minicamp.

“The media has blown this so far out of proportion,” Allen said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “We are in minicamp. We’re not playing a game for four months. He doesn’t show up for one day, he’s still there, coach asked him to go home, they’re in talks, they’re trying to resolve some things. They’re still talking about it. Let it go. There’s no reason to continue talking about it.”

Diggs didn’t show up for voluntary workouts with the Bills, and he reportedly left the Bills’ first day of mandatory minicamp. Despite Sean McDermott initially telling reporters that he was “very concerned” about the Diggs situation, the coach quickly reversed course, describing his subsequent conversations with the wideout as “great” while excusing the absence.

As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, the initial report hinted that Diggs left the Bills facility that day, but Allen’s most recent quotes indicate that the receiver may have been sent home by McDermott. Diggs may have been hinting at this mischaracterization on social media, leading Florio to wonder if things are actually okay between the two sides.

Diggs apparent dissatisfaction with the Bills could be tied to his inability to connect with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who replaced Brian Daboll this past season. The wideout still ranked in the top-five in targets (154), receptions (108), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (11) in 2022, but in the team’s final six contests (including playoffs), Diggs was limited to 63 yards per game while hauling in only a single touchdown. After finishing Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Bengals with four catches for 35 yards, Diggs reportedly stormed out of the locker room before coaches arrived and needed to be ushered back in.

Jets, Patriots Interested In Dalvin Cook

July 5th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dalvin Cook market includes one well-known suitor, but a host of other teams are believed to be monitoring this situation. The Dolphins appear to have competition from two of their division rivals.

The Jets and Patriots have shown interest in the Pro Bowl running back. New England is intrigued by adding Cook to a Rhamondre Stevenson-fronted backfield, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com said recently (via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian). While the Jets are expecting Breece Hall to return by Week 1, Fowler adds they are interested in the ex-Viking as well.

This is not the first time the Patriots have come up in connection with Cook. A report last week threw New England into the mix as a possible destination for the six-year Minnesota starter. The Dolphins have long been connected to Cook and have spoken with the Miami native. Cook has called the Dolphins a perfect fit for his skillset, and the team is believed to have made an offer.

Rumblings of a Cook-Patriots partnership comes not long after the AFC East club hosted DeAndre Hopkins on a free agency visit. The Pats made Hopkins an offer and, after a DeVante Parker extension that does not appear especially lucrative, the team remains in play to add the former All-Pro wide receiver. While these are separate markets, the two high-profile free agents have planned to discuss the possibility of ending up on the same team.

The Pats are interested in adding a back to pair with Stevenson, per Fowler. The team let its previous Stevenson complement, Damien Harris, walk for barely the league minimum. Harris signed a one-year, $1.77MM Bills deal that came with just $1MM guaranteed. Cook will cost more than that, though a deal that pays him close to the $10.4MM he was due with the Vikings should not be expected. As the Pats’ offense struggled last season, Stevenson broke through for 1,461 scrimmage yards. The team hired Bill O’Brien to clean up a mess this offseason, and Fowler adds Bill Belichick senses the urgency to improve on offense.

Stephenson and Cook would qualify as a top-shelf 1-2 punch, but Hall would make for a high-end backfield tandem partner as well. Cook called the Dolphins a perfect fit but brought up the Jets as a team he has seen linked to him as well. New York has made a more concerted effort to improve on offense, trading for Aaron Rodgers and adding a host of his ex-Packer teammates. Mecole Hardman also joined the Jets, who now have a clear window to load up their roster around Rodgers. Hall may be a candidate for the active/PUP list in training camp, but nothing has emerged to indicate the 2022 second-round pick will not be ready for the regular season.

The Jets carry third-year back Michael Carter, who as of now looks to be the favorite to back up Hall this season, and gave UDFA Zonovan Knight some work last year. The team re-signed and then waived Ty Johnson, however. The Patriots made a similar move in their backfield, signing ex-Jet James Robinson before cutting him before their offseason program ended. Injury concerns led to the once-productive Jaguar’s Foxborough exit. Behind Stevenson, the Pats roster 2022 draftees Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. Those two combined for just 28 carries as rookies.

Cook, who is going into his age-28 season, has said he would like to sign with a contending team that has a steady role available. The Dolphins may check both boxes, as Cook could seemingly overtake the Raheem Mostert–Jeff Wilson duo for touches. Stevenson and Hall would not be as easy to leapfrog. The Patriots have recently created cap space as well, extending Parker and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. The Jets are likely to lose some 2023 cap space, with Rodgers’ contract needing a second offseason restructure. Such a move would raise his 2023 cap number from its current $1.2MM place.

Although the Dolphins are a ways down the road with Cook, he has clearly not been enamored by his hometown team’s initial proposal. As the running back market might clear up via resolutions for franchise tag recipients Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard at the July 17 extension deadline, Cook may be keen on waiting longer before committing.

Two Players Granted Eligibility For Supplemental Draft

July 5th, 2023 at 9:08pm CST by Ben Levine

On July 11, the NFL will hold its first supplemental draft since 2019, and we learned today that two players have been granted eligibility for the event. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman and Purdue wideout Milton Wright were granted eligibility for next week’s draft.

Both Wideman and Wright were deemed academically ineligible for the 2022 season and lost 2023 NFL Draft eligibility. The two receivers are the only players who can be selected during the 2023 NFL Supplemental Draft.

Wideman is a former four-star recruit who started his college career at Tennessee. He later joined Deion Sanders‘ Jackson State squad and proceeded to haul in 34 receptions for 540 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2021 campaign. Those 12 touchdowns ultimately paced the SWAC during the 2021 season. Wideman will audition himself to teams during a Pro Day this Saturday (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KRPC2).

Wright left Purdue last May after being ruled academically ineligible for the 2022 college football season. When we last saw him in 2021, he hauled in 57 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns for the Boilermakers. He finished his college career with 99 catches in 27 games.

Any team that selects a player during the draft will have to sacrifice the corresponding round’s pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Between 2010 and 2019, there were eight players selected via the supplemental draft, highlighted by quarterback Terrelle Pryor (third round to the Raiders in 2011) and wide receiver Josh Gordon (second round to the Browns in 2012). There have been seven wideouts selected during the draft since its inception in 1977; besides Gordon, the draft has also produced Pro Bowl WR Rob Moore and Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter.

This Date In Transactions History: Raiders In Contract Dispute With Rookie RB

July 5th, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Josh Jacobs and the Raiders are currently engaged in a stare down regarding the running back’s next contract. Interesting, this isn’t the first time Jacobs and his camp have been embroiled in a contract dispute with the organization.

[RELATED: Raiders’ Josh Jacobs Could Sit Out Week 1?]

On this date in 2019, we learned that negotiations weren’t progressing between the Raiders and their rookie running back. In fact, things were so bad, there was growing belief that Jacobs would not report for the start of training camp.

This kind of threat was almost unheard of following the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, with rookie contracts and signing bonuses being mostly predetermined. So, while Jacobs was the team’s only unsigned draft pick at this point of the offseason, it was assumed that negotiations weren’t contentious and would be finalized eventually.

While some first-year players pushed for changes to the offset language in their rookie contracts, Jacobs was actually looking for changes to the payment schedule of his signing bonus. As our own Rory Parks pointed out at the time, teams don’t have to pay the full amount of a bonus upfront and can instead pay in installments. If the player suffers a non-football injury, the team can then withhold or even recover part of that signing bonus. While the running back surely wasn’t counting on an NFI stint, it made sense that he was looking to cash in as soon as possible.

Ultimately, Jacobs ended up signing his four-year, $11.9MM contract (not including a fifth-year option). The signing came three weeks after the organization inked their other two first-round picks, Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram.

The rookie quickly showed off his first-round pedigree, finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting after finishing with 1,316 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. He topped 1,300 yards again in 2020, this time adding 12 touchdowns.

His counting stats took a step back in 2021, and with a new regime at the helm, the Raiders didn’t pick up Jacobs’ fifth-year options. As an impending free agent, the running back proceeded to have the most productive season of his career in 2022, finishing with 2,053 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. The Raiders slapped Jacobs with the franchise tag following the season.

Despite the production, the Raiders and Jacobs still haven’t been able to agree on a long-term extension, with the two sides having until July 17 to negotiate a new contract. Throughout the ordeal, Jacobs has talked of taking a stance for future running backs, and he’s also hinted at “bad business” coming from the Raiders organization.

Even with the looming deadline, Jacobs is still threatening to sit out games in 2023 if he’s not signed to an extension. In that scenario, Jacobs still wouldn’t get his wish of a new deal, and he’d be sacrificing game checks once the regular season starts. Still, you clearly can’t put it past the running back to hold out, even if there’s little financial incentive when all is said and done. We can just point to the RB’s contract dispute with the organization back in 2019, and while Dave Ziegler has since replaced Mike Mayock as the Raiders GM, the front office is surely aware of who they’re dealing with.

49ers Aiming To Reduce TE George Kittle’s Workload?

July 5th, 2023 at 4:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have a number of players set to serve in signficant roles on offense in 2023, but tight end George Kittle will once again be an instrumental member of the unit. He may be on the field slightly less than previous years, though.

San Francisco has received high-end play from the 29-year-old during his six-year career, one which has involved a number of notable injuries. Kittle has nevertheless been able to suit up for at least 14 games in all but one of his campaigns to date, remaining a workhorse in the run and pass game during that time. Since his rookie season, his snap shares have ranged between 84% and 92%.

The 49ers are intent on lowering those figures, as detailed by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. A small step back in Kittle’s usage rate would not, of course, be seen as a slight against his abilities but rather an attempt at keeping him fresher within games and over the course of the season. The team’s attempts at finding suitable complementary tight ends in recent years have not yielded much in the way of success, however, requiring Kittle to handle a signficant workload.

“It’s not that we want to take plays off of George, because he’s one of the best players in the league and you want to have him out there, especially in critical moments,” tight ends coach Brian Fleury said on the subject of Kittle’s playing time. “But we also want to have the ability to function at a high level in the event that he potentially breaks a chin strap and has to come out for a few plays.”

The 49ers used two of their draft picks on tight ends this year, selecting Cameron Latu in the third round and Brayden Willis in the seventh. The pair will join special teamers Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley at the TE spot, leaving a considerable gap between themselves and Kittle, a four-time Pro Bowler. The emergence of one or more of the team’s depth options as a capable pass-catcher (compared to a skillset used exclusively for run blocking) would go a long way in easing the two-way burden Kittle has carried throughout his career.

The All-Pro could very well find himself in contention for a third 1,000-yard campaign in 2023, given the expectations surrounding the 49ers’ offense. A 2022 restructure of Kittle’s five-year, $75MM extension means he accounts for signficant cap hits in each of the next three seasons, so his health and production will remain paramount moving forward. On that point, the former firth-rounder noted that he is better shape than previous offseasons, something which should be cause for optimism heading into 2023. How effective the team’s plan of finding extra time on the sidelines for him turns out to be will be a storyline worth watching as the campaign progresses.

RB D’Andre Swift In Line To Start For Eagles

July 5th, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The loss of Miles Sanders in free agency left a signficant vacancy in the Eagles’ backfield, one which is likely to see a by-committee approach in 2023. The newest member of the group is expected to operate as the starter.

D’Andre Swift is set to serve atop Philadelphia’s RB depth chart this season, as noted by Andrew DiCecco and Geoff Mosher of InsidetheBirds.com. That will allow the draft-day trade acquisition to showcase himself ahead of his first foray into free agency next March, while also giving the NFC champions a two-way contributor in the backfield.

The 24-year-old spent three years in Detroit, missing at least three games due to injury in each campaign. That hurt his value to the Lions, a team which used one of its first-round selections in this year’s draft on Jahmyr Gibbs. That decision led to speculation that Swift would be on his way out, and he was indeed dealt to the Eagles as part of a pick swap which cost Philadelphia a 2025 fourth-rounder.

The deal represented a homecoming for Swift, who is likely to contribute in the passing game more than Sanders did in recent years. The Georgia alum has made 156 receptions in his career, averaging 7.7 yards per catch. His efficiency through the air could be a key element in an Eagles offense which will look to reduce the hits quarterback Jalen Hurts took last season. A productive campaign from Swift in the ground game as well (where he has an average of 4.6 yards per carry) could increase the willingness the team already reportedly has in exploring an extension.

Of course, health will be a key factor in Swift’s play, along with that of fellow newcomer Rashaad Penny. The former Seahawk inked a one-year deal with the Eagles in the hopes of putting together a healthy season and thus boosting his value on a new pact in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Penny has been limited to 18 games over the past three seasons, so it remains to be seen how much he will be able to contribute to a backfield which also includes returnee Kenneth Gainwell and 2021 49ers third-rounder Trey Sermon.

How snaps are allotted during training camp and the preseason will be worth watching as the Eagles look to repeat the success Sanders in particular enjoyed in 2022. Provided Swift works with the first-team through the summer and into the fall, he will receive plenty of attention and expectations ahead of an important campaign for player and team.

C Chase Roullier Announces Retirement

July 5th, 2023 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chase Roullier worked out for the Cardinals last month, but the veteran center is now giving up the prospect of continuing his career. After two injury-shortened seasons, the former Washington snapper announced (via Instagram) Wednesday he intends to retire.

Citing the injury issues and the rehab journeys they required, Roullier said he will end his career after six seasons. The Commanders released their former starting pivot in May, doing so less than a week after drafting Ricky Stromberg in the third round. Roullier had intended to play in 2023, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson, but changed his mind recently (Twitter link).

Roullier, 29, suffered a fractured fibula in 2021, wrapping that season after eight games. A torn MCL sustained late during Washington’s Week 2 game last season led to surgery that ended Roullier’s comeback effort. Roullier played just 150 offensive snaps last season. Barring a change of heart, the two-game 2022 will wind up as the Wyoming alum’s last NFL action.

Washington previously followed through will Roullier-centric plans on its offensive front. The team gave the former sixth-round pick a lucrative extension — four years, $40.5MM — in January 2021. Rather than move ahead to free agency two months after that point, Roullier committed to stay in Washington. That deal came with $19MM guaranteed in total, and considering how Roullier’s 2021 and ’22 seasons played out, the security wound up being vital for the Burnsville, Minn., native. Although Roullier restructured that deal after his latest injury, he still secured a nice payday before injuries changed his career path.

Prior to the injury-plagued seasons, Roullier worked as Washington’s starting center for three seasons. He broke into the team’s starting lineup as a rookie in 2017, starting seven games. After that, Roullier anchored the position for the team through the end of the 2020 season. During Roullier’s last fully healthy season (2020), Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-five center. For his career, the two-time All-Mountain West Conference O-lineman played 69 games and started 63 of those.

The Commanders have since shifted course inside. Stromberg and ex-Giants center Nick Gates are now in the fold. Gates gives the team flexibility, having played center and guard in New York. Gates has not been a full-time player since a September 2021 injury in Washington halted his run as New York’s starting center.

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