HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Steelers Sign QB Russell Wilson

March 15th, 2024 at 10:22am CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 15: The Steelers announced the signing Friday. While Wilson will become by far the highest-profile quarterback on Pittsburgh’s roster, the former Seahawks and Broncos starter is still expected to compete with Pickett for the starting job.

MARCH 10: After a strange two-year tenure in Denver followed an outstanding 10 seasons as a Seahawk, Russell Wilson plans to take his next snaps with the Steelers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. What was anticipated to be a potentially lengthy and competitive free agency ends up being determined just before the start of the free agent period.

Wilson seemed to confirm the report by posting his own video on X. It is a one-year contract, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac tweets. Wilson’s third team will enjoy the chance to have him on a veteran-minimum deal, due to his Broncos situation, and the Washington Post’s Mark Maske confirms the Steelers are likely to pay Wilson only $1.21MM.

[RELATED: 2024 NFL Top 50 Free Agents]

Wilson’s short stint on the market started less than a week ago, when the Broncos made the decision to announce their plans to release him at the start of the new league year and granted him the right to communicate with outside teams. After failing to come to an agreement on a slight restructure to his five-year, $245MM deal with the Broncos, Denver is set to eat a record-obliterating dead money sum.

The Broncos will be hit with $85MM over the next two years, with nearly half that financial lump coming in 2024. By waiting until free agency opens on Wednesday to officially release him, the Broncos will be able to designate him as a post-June 1 release to minimize the historic damage this year. Now, Wilson heads to the Steel City to compete for the starting job with Kenny Pickett.

Pickett won the starting job in his rookie season from the newly departed Mitchell Trubisky, but this year, veteran backup Mason Rudolph took over as starter while Pickett was hurt and kept it after Pickett was healthy enough to play again. There were some in the Steelers’ camp who supported a camp battle between the two for the right to start in 2024, as opposed to gifting the job back to Pickett without a fight. Things sure change now.

With Wilson coming to town, Pickett may be in an uphill battle — one in which Rudolph is unlikely to be involved. In fact, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports that Rudolph’s reps met with the team Sunday, and with the Wilson news now public, it is hard to imagine Rudolph stays in Pittsburgh this year. This likely means that Pickett will find himself on the bench learning from a Super Bowl-winning nine-time Pro Bowler.

Wilson visited the Steelers late this week, after he met with the Giants. The Raiders also loomed as a potential option, but the Steelers surged to the front of the line. New OC Arthur Smith and Wilson met for several hours, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who adds Wilson’s Steelers homework effort involved reaching out to some players in advance of the meeting. A productive Smith-Pickett meeting took place last month in Florida, but the Steelers are changing their QB dynamic in the aftermath.

It is difficult to overstate how far Wilson drifted off course in Denver. The Broncos’ hiring of Nathaniel Hackett and giving Wilson considerable autonomy in the design of their 2022 offense resulted in a stunning freefall for the decorated quarterback. The Broncos fired Hackett after 15 games. Brought in partially to salvage their Wilson investment, Sean Payton coaxed a better season from the 12th-year veteran. But the year involved behind-the-scenes drama and a benching ahead of Denver’s Week 17 game. That week represented a sea change for the Broncos, effectively confirming Wilson would be elsewhere in 2024 and the 2022 trade — headlined by two first-round picks going to Seattle — will go down as an all-time debacle.

The Wilson contract, which was set to begin its extension years in 2024, will likely lead to the Steelers paying only $1.21MM for a potential Hall of Fame passer. Offset language will stick the Broncos with the rest of the tab, barely cutting into their dead money. Wilson is eager to help his new team on the contract front, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, and it will certainly be easier to build a roster around him compared to what became of his $49MM-AAV Broncos contract.

Wilson accused the Broncos of threatening to bench him unless he moved his injury guarantee vesting date from 2024 to 2025. That would have given the Broncos more flexibility. While the Broncos have denied a benching ultimatum was part of the equation, GM George Paton confirmed they wanted to adjust the guarantee date. Wilson refused and, as should be expected, omitted the Paton-Payton tandem from his Denver farewell post.

Wilson, 35, is the only quarterback in NFL history in the 40,000-5,000 club, reaching that air-ground place in Denver. Wilson did throw 26 touchdown passes compared to just eight interceptions last season, but Payton kept a tight leash on the improvisational passer. Even as the Broncos strung together a five-game midseason win streak, amid the behind-the-curtain drama, Wilson was not leading a high-octane attack. QBR ranked Wilson 21st last season. That marked an improvement from his 2022 disaster, but the former third-round find appears to be somewhere past his prime. The Steelers will determine how far.

Pickett has not progressed like the Steelers hoped. While Mike Tomlin said Pickett would be the starter coming into the offseason program, Wilson’s presence probably changes the equation. Wilson has seen a number of detractors emerge in recent years, but Pickett not keeping his QB1 gig through a second season is eye-opening. The Pitt product has thrown only 13 touchdown passes in 25 career games. Even with Wilson past his Seattle peak, Pickett will face stiff competition to recapture the job.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Joe Noteboom Accepts Rams Pay Cut; Team Restructures Aaron Donald’s Deal

March 15th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ plan of installing Joe Noteboom as their Andrew Whitworth heir apparent did not work, making the younger blocker’s $13MM-per-year contract untenable as he shifted into a swing role. But the Rams still have Noteboom in their plans.

A pay cut will extend this partnership. The team adjusted Noteboom’s contract Friday, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, dropping his 2024 cap hit from its $20MM place. This will go down as a cut in exchange for 2024 guarantees. Now tied to a $5MM base salary, Noteboom will carry an $11.6MM cap hit. Two void years were added to the contract; the deal will void in 2025.

[RELATED: Rams To Sign S Kamren Curl]

Noteboom agreed to an $8.25MM cut in exchange for nearly $7MM in guarantees, per OverTheCap. As is often the case regarding pay cuts, the team was prepared to go through with a release if no salary reduction took place, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes. Alaric Jackson beat out Noteboom for the Rams’ starting left tackle gig last season; the Rams have kept their blindside starter via second-round RFA tender.

A former third-round pick, Noteboom opened the season as the Rams’ right guard. But trade acquisition Kevin Dotson overtook him for this role early in the season. Dotson has since re-signed on a three-year, $48MM deal. The Rams then added Jonah Jackson to be their other guard starter — on a three-year, $51MM pact — in a move that should shift 2023 second-rounder Steve Avila to center. Noteboom, who has made 31 career starts at tackle and guard, is set to reprise his role as a swingman.

Additionally, the Rams reached a restructure agreement with Aaron Donald. The move drops the all-time great’s cap number by nearly $10MM, reducing it to $24.97MM, according to OverTheCap. Donald remains tied to the three-year, $95MM deal he agreed to in 2022.

The Rams have gone to the void years well with Donald, dropping his 2024 base salary to $1.1MM. While this created cap space, a $38.5MM dead money bill could await the team in 2025. If Donald is not extended before the 2025 league year, the Rams will see that dead cap figure move onto their ’25 payroll. That number would top Tom Brady‘s void years-driven Buccaneers bill ($35.1MM).

After threatening to retire in order to secure his landmark raise in 2022, Donald has not been tied to retiring. The soon-to-be 33-year-old defensive tackle has, however, seen Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins‘ contracts far surpass his on the guarantee front. Considering Donald’s resume dwarfs even Jones’, as the former landed an eighth first-team All-Pro honor last season to match Reggie White and Bruce Smith for most by a D-lineman in NFL history. It will be interesting to see if Donald pushes for more guaranteed money this year or if the no-doubt Hall of Famer opts to play out his contract ahead of a free agency bid.

Bengals To Re-Sign TE Tanner Hudson

March 15th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Coming into free agency in need of a new tight end depth chart, the Bengals may be close to finished restocking the position. The team’s 2024 tight end group will look similar to its 2023 contingent.

After re-signing Drew Sample, the Bengals have an agreement in place to bring back Tanner Hudson, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Hudson agreed to a one-year contract Friday. Hudson, who initially landed with the Bengals in 2023, is coming off his best receiving season.

Outside addition Mike Gesicki will join Hudson and Sample. While a rookie could be added to supplement this trio, the Bengals appear to have their top three tight ends under contract. Gesicki will offer the highest receiving ceiling among this trio, with Sample the top blocking presence. But Hudson accounted himself fairly well succeeding Hayden Hurst as the Bengals’ top pass catcher last season. Despite Hurst and C.J. Uzomah being available once again, the Bengals are largely sticking with their 2023 tight end plan.

A UDFA out of Southern Arkansas, Hudson emerged as an unlikely player to lead Bengals tight ends in receiving yards. The team signed Hudson to its practice squad in December 2022, but after a reserve/futures deal commitment, he did not make the 2023 Bengals’ roster. The team promoted the 29-year-old pass catcher from the practice squad last year, and he led the team’s TEs in yardage — despite Cincinnati rostering Irv Smith Jr. — by nearly 200. Hudson had never previously cleared 150 receiving yards in a season.

The Bengals have opted not to allocate notable funds at tight end for a bit, bringing in Hurst and Smith on low-cost one-year contracts. Sample signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal earlier this week. With Joe Burrow the NFL’s highest-paid player and Tee Higgins on a franchise tag, it makes sense the Bengals are keeping costs low in other areas. The team also move Joe Mixon‘s reworked contract off the books this week, trading him to the Texans after signing Zack Moss on a cheaper accord.

Rams To Sign S Kamren Curl

March 14th, 2024 at 11:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kamren Curl‘s market will not end with a deal in the Xavier McKinney ballpark, and the Rams will land an ascending safety on a midlevel deal. The Rams are signing the four-year Washington starter, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero report.

The former seventh-round pick is signing a two-year deal worth up to $13MM. Curl will join a Rams team that has top safety Jordan Fuller unsigned. Fuller, a four-year Rams starter, visited the Panthers this week.

[RELATED: Rams Bring Back CB Darious Williams]

Turning 25 earlier this month, Curl came into the market as one of its youngest UFAs. Beyond McKinney, however, the safety contingent has seen teams come in with lower offers. Although Curl’s base value is not yet known, his deal may land in the Darnell Savage–Geno Stone–Brandon Jones neighborhood. As Jessie Bates‘ was on last year’s market, McKinney’s Packers contract (four years, $68MM) may become an outlier this year.

Curl does not bring a proven record of turnover production, which undoubtedly affected his market. The Arkansas alum has not intercepted a pass since his three-INT rookie season, but he should still be coming into his prime. Pro Football Focus ranked Curl second among all safeties in 2022, which was a much better year for the Commanders’ defense compared to last season. After Washington ranked last defensively in 2023, two higher-end free agents coming out of its secondary — Curl, Kendall Fuller — are accepting midrange pacts over two years. While the Miami accord (two years, $16.5MM) is Fuller’s third NFL deal, Curl should have a chance to play himself into better terms on this Rams agreement.

Several teams cutting ties with safeties recently did not help the UFAs’ cause. While McKinney sailed to a top-five contract, the likes of Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs Jordan Poyer and Kevin Byard becoming street free agents hurt some of the younger players’ causes. McKinney is the only safety thus far in free agency to land a contract north of $7.5MM per year.

The Rams have typically not paid safeties much under their current regime. During the Sean McVay years, they have let starters John Johnson, Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott walk in free agency. The 2018 Lamarcus Joyner franchise tag proved an exception here, and while this Curl deal technically does as well, the team appears to be getting good value on a player who started 53 games and resided as one of Washington’s defensive cornerstones over the past four seasons.

This certainly marks an overhaul for the retooling Commanders, who have lost 2023 starters Curl, Fuller, Montez Sweat and Chase Young over the past five months. The team has brought in a host of free agents on defense, a few of whom having played under Dan Quinn. Curl will now go to work attempting to help Russ Yeast and Co. in Los Angeles’ secondary. Curl and Williams stand to infuse experience into a young DB corps.

Chargers Trade Keenan Allen To Bears

March 14th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers’ cap crunch has forced the team to move on from their longest-tenured player. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chargers are dealing wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Bears. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer was first with the news.

Los Angeles will receive a fourth-round pick in return. Per Albert Breer of TheMMQB, the Chargers are receiving the earliest of the Bears’ two fourth-round picks (No. 110).

With the Chargers needing to clear $27MM to reach cap compliance, eyes immediately focused on their four massive cap hits: Allen, Mike Williams, Khalil Mack, and Joey Bosa. The front office put in extra work yesterday before the mandatory cap deadline, releasing Williams and reworking the contracts of both Mack and Bosa. Those three transactions didn’t mark the end of their efforts, however.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chargers approached Allen about taking a pay cut today. The receiver refused, and the organization promptly dealt the player to Chicago. The wideout is attached to a $34MM-plus cap hit in 2024, and on top of his $18MM-plus base salary, he’s due more than $5MM via a roster bonus this month. Allen is still attached to a four-year, $80.1MM extension he signed with the Chargers back in 2020.

Even while the Chargers’ cap sheet continued to be untenable following yesterday’s machinations, an Allen trade is still a shocking development. When asked last month about his future in Los Angeles, the receiver definitively stated he’d be back with the team in 2024. And as the organization navigated their impending cap crunch, reports indicated that the veteran wideout was the safest among the team’s four highest-paid players.

Instead, Allen’s tenure with the organization will end after 11 seasons. The receiver wasn’t able to catch former tight end Antonio Gates‘ many receiving records, but Allen will still leave the organization ranked second in receptions (904) and receiving yards (10,530) and third in touchdown receptions (59). The former third-round pick earned six Pro Bowl nods throughout his career with the Chargers, and he’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in five of his last seven seasons. This includes a 2023 campaign where the 31-year-old hauled in a career-high 108 catches for 1,243 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

After acquiring D.J. Moore last offseason, the Bears are making another splashy move at the position. The expectation is that the Bears will trade Justin Fields and select USC’s Caleb Williams with the first-overall pick, and they’re certainly preparing the incoming rookie for success. The Bears have also added running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett to the offense, providing their 2024 quarterback with plenty of worthy targets.

Regardless of who is under center next season, it shouldn’t take long for Allen to get acclimated. New Bears receivers coach Chris Beatty spent the previous three seasons with the Chargers, so the coaching staff surely knows what they have in the veteran acquisition.

Things aren’t nearly as rosy in Los Angeles. Justin Herbert has watched as his top two receivers (Allen, Williams), his top tight end (Everett), and his top running back (Austin Ekeler) have all left the organization this past week. The Chargers did use a first-round pick on Quentin Johnston last year, and the organization will surely be banking on a big season from the second-year pro. The Chargers are also armed with the fifth-overall pick in the draft. That might not be enough to draft someone like Marvin Harrison Jr., but the organization should still be able to snag one of the draft’s other elite WR prospects.

Chiefs To Sign WR Marquise Brown

March 14th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a season of inconsistency from Chiefs receivers, the organization is adding a notable name to Patrick Mahomes‘ arsenal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Chiefs are signing wideout Marquise Brown.

“Hollywood” is signing a one-year deal worth up to $11MM, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Albert Breer of TheMMQB clarifies that the former first-round pick will earn a $7MM base with another $4MM via incentives and/or bonuses.

While free agency’s other top receivers (Calvin Ridley, Gabe Davis) earned multi-year deals, Brown ultimately had to settle for a one-year prove-it deal before hitting the market again next offseason. That arrangement seemingly intrigued a number of teams, as Russini notes that Brown garnered interest “from all around the league.”

It was uncertain if the Chiefs would be willing to open up the checkbook for an offensive weapon this soon. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted the prevailing sentiment was that the organization needed to trade L’Jarius Sneed before making a big-name signing. Instead, the Chiefs locked up a talented wideout on a reasonable deal.

Brown’s career has been highlighted by his own inconsistency. He started his career tied to one of the NFL’s most run-heavy offenses, but he still managed to build on his numbers in each of his three seasons with the Ravens. This culminated in a 2021 campaign where he topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage, although his six touchdowns marked his lowest total during his Baltimore tenure.

Despite the growing offensive role, Brown expressed discontent with his team’s offense and asked for a trade. The Ravens found a taker in Arizona, with the Cardinals sending a first-round pick for Brown and a third-round selection in 2022. The move reunited Brown with his college quarterback in Kyler Murray, but the receiver wasn’t able to elevate his play during his time in the desert.

Of course, that wasn’t entirely Brown’s fault. The Cardinals started seven different QBs over the past two seasons, which was thanks in part to Murray suffering an ACL tear during the 2022 finale. Brown struggled with his own injury woes, battling through foot and heel issues over the past two years. After finishing with 67 catches for 709 yards during his first season in Arizona, Brown was limited to only 51 catches for a career-low 574 yards in 2023.

Still, Brown provides the Chiefs with a high-upside target, and they’ve showed that they can win despite WR issues. Rashee Rice emerged as a rookie in 2023, and Travis Kelce will continue to command many of Mahomes’ targets. But other than that duo, the QB’s top options included the likes of Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, and Kadarius Toney.

Just Brown’s 1,000-yard pedigree gives him a higher upside than many of his teammates. Entering his age-27 season, Brown could help the offense rebound following a relatively underwhelming regular-season performance in 2023.

Commanders To Trade QB Sam Howell To Seahawks

March 14th, 2024 at 10:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Marcus Mariota in place for the Commanders, Sam Howell will indeed be playing elsewhere in 2024. The latter quarterback has been traded to the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Washington will send Howell along with a fourth- and sixth-round pick to Seattle. In return, the Seahawks will send a third- and fifth-round pick. All selections are in the upcoming draft. Mariota’s free agent signing suggested the Commanders would pair him with a rookie selected second overall in April. Doing so would have left Howell on the outside looking in, leading to questions about his future in the nation’s capital.

The Seahawks have (in incremental fashion) committed to veteran Geno Smith as their starter for 2024. The former Comeback Player of the Year earned a new deal last offseason as Seattle’s undisputed starter despite the presence of Drew Lock, a piece of the Russell Wilson trade. Smith will hold down first-team duties again this year, but he will have a new backup in place.

Lock took a one-year deal with the Giants, leaving Seattle in need of a QB2. Howell served that role for all but one week of his rookie year in 2022, but his play to close out the regular season informed the decision to release Carson Wentz. Then-head coach Ron Rivera showed confidence in Howell as the Commanders’ starter this past year, but that decision did not yield the desired results. The 23-year-old led the NFL in sacks taken and interceptions, seeing himself lifted mid-game on more than one occasion late in the campaign.

Still, Howell could profile as an option with some upside. The former fifth-rounder led the NFL in passing yards at one point during the 2023 campaign, one in which Washington fielded a less-than-stellar offensive line and posted a 4-13 record amidst struggles on defense. Rivera was fired, as expected, after the end of the season and Dan Quinn has been brought in to replace him. He and new general manager Adam Peters comprise a different regime than the one which drafted Howell, and they will now commit to whichever passer is added with the second overall pick in April.

Drake Maye – who replaced Howell as the starter at North Carolina – is one of the options Washington will likely have at No. 2 (with Caleb Williams presumed to be hear his name called first). LSU’s Jayden Daniels could also be the Commanders’ selection, but in any case the rookie passer will be positioned as a starter for the present and future given Mariota’s status as a backup during much of his post-Titans career. As a result of this deal, the Commanders will now own six of the top 100 picks in the upcoming draft.

Seattle, meanwhile, will have a Lock replacement on the books for at least two more years given the term remaining on Howell’s rookie pact. Smith is also under contract through 2025, but none of his base salary for that season is guaranteed. The Seahawks may have acquired the 33-year-old’s eventual replacement.

Cardinals, Falcons Finalizing Desmond Ridder Trade

March 14th, 2024 at 10:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

That was fast. Falcons talks with teams about a Desmond Ridder trade will produce a deal; the Cardinals are finalizing an agreement to acquire the third-year quarterback, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.

Wide receiver Rondale Moore is coming back to Atlanta in the deal, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. One season remains on Moore’s rookie deal; two years are left on Ridder’s contract. No picks will be moved in this deal.

The Falcons made their Kirk Cousins signing official Wednesday, as the new league year began, and they still have backup Taylor Heinicke under contract on his two-year, $14MM accord. He is due a $5MM nonguaranteed salary. Heinicke would stand to represent some insurance and, if nothing else, an arm capable of leading the team through offseason workouts as Cousins finishes up his Achilles rehab. The Falcons have determined Ridder is no longer a fit.

Moore will join Darnell Mooney as new Falcons complementary wideouts; the ex-Bears 1,000-yard weapon signed a three-year, $39MM deal. A 5-foot-7 target used mostly near the line of scrimmage in Arizona, Moore is a former second-round pick. The slot player may be set to be a regular alongside Mooney and Drake London in Atlanta. Though, the Purdue alum had not maintained a grip on the Cardinals’ slot job. Greg Dortch usurped Moore during the 2023 season, as a new coaching staff changed the Kliff Kingsbury offense in which Moore was drafted to play.

Chosen 49th overall, Moore has shown some intriguing form as a tertiary target in a Cousins-guided offense. Although Moore has only cleared 10 yards per catch in one of his three seasons (2022), he has totaled 1,201 yards in that span. Moore posted back-to-back 400-yard seasons as part of DeAndre Hopkins-fronted receiving crews. New Cardinals OC Drew Petzing gave Moore 26 carries last season as well; he turned them into 178 yards and a touchdown. In coming from the NFC West, Raheem Morris and Falcons OC Zac Robinson have seen plenty of Moore.

Moore’s worst yardage total as a Cardinal (352, in 2023) would have been second among Falcon wideouts last year. Mack Hollins‘ 251 yards led the London wingmen; Hollins has since signed with the Bills. Ridder’s form contributed to that low number, and the Falcons also funneled targets to Kyle Pitts and the since-cut Jonnu Smith. They appear to be shifting to an offense that features more reliable wideouts and one primary receiving tight end. Minnesota and Washington largely operated this way with Cousins, who fed slot receivers K.J. Osborn and Jamison Crowder steady targets. This trade could benefit Moore as a 2025 free agent.

Ridder, 24, ranked 26th in QBR last season, finishing with a 12-12 TD-INT ratio and a 7.3 yards-per-attempt number. After the Cincinnati alum sat behind Marcus Mariota for much of the 2022 season, the Falcons gave him 17 total starts. Passing on a veteran arm last year, the Falcons put considerable faith in Ridder. But Arthur Smith, who ended up on the chopping block, benched him twice. Coming out of last season, word immediately surfaced Atlanta was aiming to upgrade at QB. Enter Cousins and another big contract.

Ridder’s rookie deal calls for $985K and $1.1MM base salaries over the next two seasons. That will pair well with Murray’s $46.1MM-per-year extension. The Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to the Vikings at last year’s deadline; Dobbs is now a free agent. Arizona has 2023 fifth-rounder Clayton Tune signed for three more seasons.

It will be interesting to see if Ridder will be given the QB2 job or if Tune will be placed on even footing. Given Murray’s 2022 ACL tear and his history of short-term absences, the Arizona backup role may well lead to opportunities next season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/24

March 14th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Cardinals To Sign WR Chris Moore

March 14th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

After swapping Rondale Moore for Desmond Ridder, the Cardinals are quickly adding some receiver depth. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Cardinals are signing wideout Chris Moore to a one-year deal.

[RELATED: Cardinals, Falcons Finalizing Desmond Ridder Trade]

The former fourth-round pick spent five forgettable seasons in Baltimore before catching on with Houston in 2021. After hauling in 21 receptions during his first season with the Texans, Moore saw a much larger offensive role in 2022. He finished that season with 48 catches for 548 yards, earning him a contract with the Titans last offseason.

The 30-year-old started five of his 17 appearances for Tennessee, snagging 22 receptions for 424 yards. He also returned a handful of kickoffs for the first time since 2019. Adding to Moore’s intrigue is his blocking ability; Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-20 pass-blocking WR in 2023.

With Marquise Brown still unsigned, the Cardinals could be eyeing a new receivers corps in 2024. The team’s depth chart is currently topped by Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch, but the Cardinals should be in prime position to select the draft’s top receiver prospect, Marvin Harrison Jr., with the fourth-overall pick.

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