HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Ravens To Sign LB Chris Board

March 19th, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Board is heading back to where he started his NFL career. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports that the free agent linebacker is signing with the Ravens.

The 2018 UDFA out of North Dakota State got his NFL start with the Ravens in 2018. He only missed a pair of regular season games during his four years in Baltimore, transforming into one of the team’s top special teams aces. Board also got a look on defense during his final two seasons with the Ravens, compiling 72 tackles and 2.5 sacks between those two campaigns.

Board spent the 2022 season with the Lions, serving in a similar role to his final years in Baltimore. He reverted back to just a special teams role with the Patriots in 2023. In 17 games in New England, Board got into only a single defensive snap, although he did log a career-high 407 ST snaps.

As Ryan Mink of the Ravens website points out, Baltimore has been in the hunt for a player like Board since they lost Del’Shawn Phillips in free agency. Phillips got into 81 defensive snaps this past season but played on a career-high 375 special teams snaps. Board will likely see a similar role in 2024 as an inside linebackers option behind Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, and recent re-signee Malik Harrison.

Panthers Sign WR David Moore

March 19th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Ben Levine

9:44pm: Justin Strnad has had a change of heart. After being close to finalizing a deal with the Panthers, the free agent linebacker will actually be returning to Denver on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

7:40pm: Dave Canales is adding a familiar face to his offense. The Panthers announced that they’ve signed wide receiver David Moore.

The new Panthers head coach was the Seahawks WRs coach when Seattle added Moore as a seventh-round pick in 2017. Then, when Canales was brought in as the Buccaneers offensive coordinator last year, Moore soon followed. The wideout also spent the 2023 season playing under new Panthers OC Brad Idzik, who served as Tampa Bay’s wide receivers coach in 2023.

The veteran received hasn’t produced much in recent years; his five-catch showing with Tampa Bay in 2023 marked his most productive campaign since 2020. Moore earned his worth last season thanks to a pair of huge plays. He had a 52-yard touchdown that capped a win over the Packers, and he caught a 44-yard score in the Buccaneers’ playoff win over the Eagles.

Moore previously showed a nose for the end zone during his time in Seattle. The receiver had 13 touchdowns between 2018 and 2020 despite never being higher than third on the depth chart. The veteran will likely slide in towards the bottom of the WR pecking order in Carolina. The team returns both Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo, and they’ve added Diontae Johnson this offseason via trade.

The Panthers also made a move on defense, adding linebacker Justin Strnad on a one-year deal, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Similar to Moore, Strnad is also familiar with the coaching staff, having played under DC Ejiro Evero when the coach held the same role in Denver. Strnad spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos, compiling 46 tackles while seeing the majority of his snaps on special teams.

Rams OC Mike LaFleur “Open” To Zach Wilson Reunion

March 19th, 2024 at 9:06pm CST by Ben Levine

While the Jets gave Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade last month, it’s been a quiet market for the former second-overall pick. However, the quarterback could be a match with his former offensive coordinator.

[RELATED: Jets Give QB Zach Wilson Permission To Seek Trade]

As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, the Rams are a “logical landing spot” for Wilson. Breer also notes that Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur would be “very open to a reunion.” LaFleur previously served as the Jets OC during Wilson’s first two years in the NFL.

Wilson’s 2023 showing wasn’t any worse than his two years under LaFleur. The coach previously admitted that the organization may have made a mistake immediately starting the quarterback as a rookie. While the former Jets OC placed plenty of blame on the young signal-caller during their time together in New York, LaFleur later conceded that Wilson’s lack of development was also the fault of the coaching staff.

“For two years, we haven’t done our job with him,’’ LaFleur said following the 2022 campaign (via Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post). “Any player at any position that isn’t producing to the level they’re capable of, as a coach you’ve failed them. There’s a two-way street with it — the player’s got to meet you in the middle with it.”

Ultimately, LaFleur was the one held responsible for the offensive’s shortcomings, with the Jets and the OC agreeing to part ways last offseason. It took less than a month before the coach landed the same job with the Rams.

Breer provides more logic for why Wilson could be a fit in Los Angeles. The writer opines that the quarterback needs a year to “reset,” an opportunity he’d surely have with the Rams. With Jimmy Garoppolo now with the Rams as a QB2 behind Matthew Stafford, Wilson probably wouldn’t see the field in 2024 (barring a funky turn of events during Garoppolo’s two-game suspension).

Wilson was unexpectedly thrust back into the starting lineup following Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending injury. The QB’s third season as a starter proved to the Jets that it was time to move on. With a divorce all but inevitable, the organization recently granted Wilson permission to find his next home. A possible sixth- or seventh-round pick could be the return, but even with the Jets basically giving him away, teams may be wary of taking on Wilson’s $11MM cap hit.

Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo Discusses Two-Game Suspension

March 19th, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Jimmy Garoppolo is set to be the backup to Matthew Stafford next season, but the recent Rams acquisition won’t immediately start the season as the QB2. Garoppolo drew a two-game ban from the NFL for violating the league’s PED policy, keeping him off the active roster until Week 3.

[RELATED: Rams To Sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo]

The veteran officially inked his deal with the Rams today and met with reporters, where he admitted that he “messed up” the NFL’s Therapeutic Use Exemption policy. As Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic writes, the NFL allows players to get an exemption for banned substances, something Garoppolo apparently failed to do.

“That was … I hate to joke about it, but I just messed up the T.U.E. when I first got to Las Vegas,” the quarterback said (via Rodrigue). “… Bad timing, I guess.”

Garoppolo was released by the Raiders last week following a disappointing 2023 campaign. The veteran inked a three-year deal with the organization last offseason but was benched after tossing nine interceptions in six starts. While the 32-year-old won’t be in a position to start, he’s surely counting on better results in Los Angeles if he is pushed into the starting lineup.

Garoppolo had plenty of success playing under Kyle Shanahan, and the 49ers head coach joins Rams head coach Sean McVay in using offensive schemes derived from the Mike Shanahan-Gary Kubiak system. As Rodrigue points out, Garoppolo also has experience playing under Rams tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Nick Caley and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur during his stints in New England and San Francisco.

The free agent acquisition understands the QB hierarchy in Los Angeles and isn’t expecting to be anything more than injury insurance, even when considering his familiarity with the offense. Instead, Garoppolo is looking forward to playing his role and returning to the field as soon as possible.

“I’m excited to start this new journey,” he said (via Rodrigue). “I don’t exactly know what is in store for me, ‘re-set,’ ‘re-invent,’ whatever you want to call it. I’m just excited to get back on the football field and start slinging it around with some new guys. I love football.”

LT Tyron Smith Signs With Jets

March 19th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 19: Albert Breer of SI.com provides even more insight on Smith’s incentives. That aforementioned 38-percent snap count will unlock a $750K bonus, and Smith will earn $1MM bonuses for appearing in 44 percent, 50 percent, 56 percent, 62 percent, and 68 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. There are then five subsequent $1.25MM playing-time incentives (74, 80, 86, 92, 98). Smith can earn another $250K for each Jets playoff win and $500K for making the Pro Bowl.

MARCH 16: Smith’s contract with the Jets is based heavily on incentives. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com passed along last night that $6.5MM of the offensive tackle’s one-year deal is guaranteed. The rest of the $13.5MM can be earned via incentives. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo provides some more insight, noting that Smith will need to play in at least 38 percent of New York’s offensive snaps for the playing-time incentives to kick in.

MARCH 15: The Jets are set to make the final addition necessary to their offensive line as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith intends to sign with New York. Smith is set to join a retooled offensive line designed to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Josina Anderson of CBS Sports quickly followed up the report, claiming that Smith confirmed the signing of a one-year deal with the Jets.

Smith has enjoyed what is likely to end up being a Hall of Fame career over the last 13 years in Dallas. While the 33-year-old’s health has made it a struggle to stay on the field for an entire season, that hasn’t stopped Smith from displaying some of the best football of his storied career. In 2023, Smith delivered a season worthy of second-team All-Pro honors. The Cowboys claimed to have found a practice plan that helped to keep him healthier last season, so Smith should be able to bring that plan with him to New York in 2024.

With Smith officially no longer returning to Dallas, the Cowboys will have to figure out a new solution at left tackle. The easy answer is Tyler Smith. Though the younger Smith started every game at left guard this year, the team drafted him in the first round out of Tulsa two years ago to eventually replace Tyron. As Tyron struggled with injury throughout the 2022 season, Tyler spent his rookie year excelling as the starter at left tackle. He should be able to slide back over and retake the job in 2024.

In New York, the offensive line is beginning to become unrecognizable. Starting center Joe Tippmann returns as the sole starter from the final weeks of the 2023 season. Alijah Vera-Tucker should return from a torn Achilles tendon to claim a starting spot, as well. Vera-Tucker’s play at tackle had the Jets considering a full-time switch from guard, but with the team trading for Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses, Vera-Tucker is more likely to shift back into a right guard role, while Moses remains in his usual spot.

General manager Joe Douglas recently said that team intends to play Vera-Tucker at one position this season, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, and though he didn’t say whether it would be guard or tackle at the time, the additions of Moses and Smith seem to point us in the direction of guard. The other guard sport will be manned by another former Raven in John Simpson, who signed with New York on Monday.

With those four in place, all the Jets needed was a blindside tackle. Enter Smith. Schefter reports that Smith’s one-year deal could be worth up to $20MM based on heavy incentives. While the money is certainly a plus, Smith expressed more excitement over protecting Rodgers.

“I feel like (playing with Rodgers is) going to be amazing,” Smith told Anderson over the phone. “Of course, me being with Dallas, he’s kicked our butts twice in the playoffs, so I know what he’s capable of. Honestly, I’m just excited for the opportunity.”

About leaving the Cowboys, Smith said, “I would’ve loved to have stayed home in Dallas, but as we all know, it’s a business, the way it works. I still feel like the Jets have an opportunity to win it, and anything I can do for the team to help them out, I’m going to do my best to do it.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/19/24

March 19th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Philadelphia Eagles

Seahawks To Sign S K’Von Wallace

March 19th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a half-year stop in Tennessee, K’Von Wallace is back in the NFC. The free agent safety is signing with the Seahawks, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It will be a one-year deal for Wallace.

The former Eagles fourth-round pick spent three years as a backup in Philadelphia before getting waived at the end of the 2023 preseason. He caught on with the Cardinals and proceeded to start five of his seven appearances with the organization, collecting 43 tackles and one interception.

He was waived by Arizona in October and landed with the Titans, where he started seven of his 10 appearances down the stretch. Wallace added another 46 tackles to his resume during his short stint in Tennessee. For his full-season performance, Pro Football Focus graded him 39th among 95 qualifying safeties, with the site being especially high on his coverage ability.

After moving on from Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, the Seahawks have been searching for some safety depth. The team previously brought in former Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins, adding the veteran to holdovers like Julian Love and Coby Bryant.

Saints Sign OT Oli Udoh

March 19th, 2024 at 6:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have added some depth on the offensive line. The team announced that they’ve agreed to terms with offensive tackle Oli Udoh.

The former sixth-round pick spent five seasons with the Vikings to begin his career, appearing in 43 games. He only got an extended look during one of the those campaigns, starting 16 games for Minnesota in 2021. He landed back on the bench in 2022, starting one game (plus a playoff start) while appearing in only 131 offensive snaps.

Udoh re-signed with the Vikings last offseason and earned a starting nod in Week 2. However, he suffered a quad injury in that game, ending his season after only two appearances.

The Saints will be counting on Udoh to provide some depth in 2024. Ryan Ramczyk will be back in the starting lineup, but the team is currently eyeing one of Udoh, Trevor Penning, Landon Young, and Tommy Kraemer for the other starting tackle spot.

The Saints also made a move of the defensive side of the ball, re-signing safety Ugo Amadi. The former Seahawks draft pick spent the 2022 campaign bouncing between the Eagles, Titans, and Chiefs practice squads. He caught on with the Saints last offseason and proceeded to get into all 17 games, collecting 12 tackles while garnering the majority of his snaps on special teams.

Ravens To Re-Sign CB Arthur Maulet

March 19th, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

After catching on with the Ravens late last summer, Arthur Maulet will be sticking with the organization for the next few years. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that the veteran cornerback is re-signing with Baltimore on a two-year deal.

The former UDFA bounced around the NFL to begin his career, never spending more than two seasons with any single team. After playing out the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Pittsburgh, it took Maulet until last July to catch on with another AFC North squad.

The 30-year-old proceeded to start three of his 14 games for the Ravens, tying or setting new career highs in sacks (two), QB hits (three), and passes defended (five). For his efforts, Pro Football Focus ranked him 45th among 127 qualifying cornerbacks, including a top-10 positional grade for his pass-rushing ability.

Maulet always had a built-in role as a nickelback, but he could see an even larger role in 2024. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens will still be atop the cornerbacks depth chart, but Maulet will no longer have to compete with Ronald Darby for the CB3 role.

As ESPN’s Jamison Hensley notes, the Ravens have done some work in retaining free agent defenders. Maulet is the fourth defender to re-sign in Baltimore, joining defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebacker Malik Harrison, and defensive end Brent Urban.

Bills, Colts Interested In S Mike Edwards; S Julian Blackmon Visits Buffalo

March 19th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Just ahead of free agency, the Bills disbanded one of the 21st century’s top safety duos by cutting Jordan Poyer. Micah Hyde remains unsigned, but after seven years of the Poyer-Hyde tandem, the Bills have shifted in a different direction.

With both players going into their age-33 season, it is understandable the Bills viewed another year with this successful duo as a bridge too far. The Dolphins have since added Poyer on a lower-cost contract. The Bills are still looking for answers to fill the veterans’ spots. Two options — on what quickly became a crowded safety market — have emerged.

The Bills scheduled meetings with Julian Blackmon and Mike Edwards, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz and the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. Buffalo looks to have one box checked at the position, re-signing Taylor Rapp, but another starter-caliber solution will be necessary for the four-time reigning AFC East winners.

Colts GM Chris Ballard authorized third contracts for Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart this offseason, re-signing Tyquan Lewis and Taven Bryan as well. One of the few players from PFR’s top 50 free agents still available, Blackmon could still be in the team’s plans. But the former second-round pick is gauging his options on a market that became saturated with experienced safety starters.

In addition to Hyde, the Seahawks and Broncos made Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Justin Simmons available. The Saints cut Marcus Maye, while the Bears released Eddie Jackson. These players’ availability makes Blackmon, Edwards, Hyde and other UFAs’ quest to land notable contracts more difficult.

Blackmon is just 25, however, and should be a starter somewhere next season. Kamren Curl‘s underwhelming Rams contract did reveal a divide between what the Packers gave Xavier McKinney and the lower ceiling for the rest of the market this offseason. No other safety collected more than $7.5MM per year. It is safe to assume Blackmon, despite being a four-year Colts starter who played across the secondary in Gus Bradley‘s scheme, will land midlevel money at best — perhaps on a short-term deal as a way to improve his stock for another free agency run.

Edwards spent last season with the Chiefs, being thrust into a starting role following Bryan Cook‘s season-ending injury in early December. The former Buccaneers safety, who has now started in two Super Bowls, joined the Chiefs on a low-cost deal last year. He intercepted two passes — the second during Kansas City’s playoff run — and recovered two fumbles, returning one 97 yards during Week 18. Edwards, 27, played 97% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Colts also met with Edwards, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. He would seem to profile as a lower-cost solution for Indianapolis, which has been busy retaining defenders this month. Blackmon departing would leave a hole at safety — on a defense already needing more help at outside corner.

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