HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

DT D.J. Reader To Meet With Lions

March 12th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Ben Levine

After missing the end of the 2023 season with a quad injury. D.J. Reader is starting to generate some interest in free agency. The veteran defensive tackle will be meeting with the Lions on Thursday, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

Reader was completing a four-year, $53MM last season and appeared to be setting himself up nicely for his impending free agency. Through 14 games, the 29-year-old compiled 34 tackles and one sack while grading as Pro Football Focus’ 11th-best interior defender (among 130 qualifiers). However, a torn quad ended his season prematurely and put his free agency prospects in doubt.

The veteran tore his other quad in 2020, and while he managed to get into 15 games the following season, he was limited to only 10 contests in 2022. Injuries are now built into the defensive tackle’s profile, so Reader may be hard pressed to earn a long-term commitment.

Still, Reader would be a fit for a Lions squad that was reportedly in the market for help on the defensive line. Former third-round pick Alim McNeill has solidified himself as a starting nose tackle, but 36-year-old Tyson Alualu is currently penciled in next to him at defensive tackle. Reader would provide a high-upside option next to McNeill; even with the injuries, Reader hasn’t ranked lower than 12th on PFF’s positional rankings since 2019.

Thanks to that production, the Bengals are also hoping to retain the defensive lineman. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bengals want to re-sign Reader, but the DT is expected to explore his options in free agency with a “few” suitors looming.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/24

March 12th, 2024 at 9:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patriots To Sign TE Austin Hooper

March 12th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

After agreeing to a new deal with Hunter Henry, the Patriots aren’t done adding to their tight ends room. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have agreed to a deal with Austin Hooper.

[RELATED: Patriots To Re-Sign TE Hunter Henry]

The veteran is inking a one-year deal with New England, per Rapoport. The contract can hit a max value of $4.25MM.

The move reunites Hooper with Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was Hooper’s OC during the tight end’s two years in Cleveland. Hooper had 84 catches and seven touchdowns across two seasons with the Browns.

Hooper has struggled to match his Falcons numbers in recent years. The former third-round pick topped 500 receiving yards for Atlanta each season between 2017 and 2019. He earned Pro Bowl nods in both 2018 and 2019, and he finished that latter season with career highs in receptions (75), receiving yards (787), and touchdowns (six).

That performance earned him a four-year, $44MM deal with the Browns in 2020, but Hooper only lasted two seasons in Cleveland before getting released. He hauled in 41 catches for the Titans in 2022 before catching on with the Raiders in 2023. He finished this past season with 25 catches, his lowest total since his rookie campaign. Pro Football Focus ended up ranking him 41st among 72 qualifying tight ends, although he finished second at his position for his pass-block ability.

The Patriots brought in Mike Gesicki to replace Jonnu Smith in 2023, but the former Dolphins tight end struggled during his lone season in New England. Gesicki finished the season with 29 catches for 244 yards, his lowest totals since his rookie year.

With the Patriots eyeing a new offense in 2024, there’s a chance the organization gets more out of their tight ends. Henry is still atop the depth chart in New England, but the team has leaned heavily on their backup tight end in recent years. Besides Henry and Hooper, the only other tight end currently on the roster is La’Michael Pettway, so the Patriots may not be finished adding players at the position.

Vikings To Re-Sign WR Brandon Powell

March 12th, 2024 at 8:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Brandon Powell is returning to Minnesota. The free agent wide receiver is signing a new one-year deal with the Vikings, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The former UDFA has bounced around the NFL during his brief career, but he seemed to find a role with the Vikings in 2023. The wideout got into all 17 games last season, finishing with career highs in receptions (29) and receiving yards (324). Powell also served as the team’s primary punt returner, leading the league with 37 punt returns.

Powell previously had stints with the Lions, Falcons, Bills, Dolphins, and Rams. He’s appeared in 61 career games, hauling in 76 receptions. He also has some experience in the running game, garnering 17 carries for the Rams in 2022.

The Vikings face an uncertain offensive future in a post-Kirk Cousins era, but the organization is apparently valuing continuity in their receivers room. With K.J. Osborn sitting in free agency, Powell could have a path to a significant role in 2024 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Vikings are also rostering the likes of N’Keal Harry, Jalen Nailor, and Trishton Jackson at the position.

 

Broncos To Re-Sign TE Adam Trautman

March 12th, 2024 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Acquiring Adam Trautman during the draft last year, the Broncos needed to turn to the former Saint often due to Greg Dulcich‘s injury trouble. The Broncos are bringing back the trade acquisition.

Trautman is re-signing with the team on a two-year deal, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. While the Broncos feature some questions at tight end after Dulcich’s injury-plagued first two seasons, they will have Trautman back to help the transition to another new starting quarterback.

Sean Payton was quick to add his former TE to the Broncos roster, and the move ended up working out for Denver. Trautman had one of the most productive seasons of his career, finishing the season with 22 catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (12 starts).

The tight end was mostly brought to Denver for his blocking ability, and he finished last season with one of the top run-blocking grades at his position. Trautman will likely be eyeing a similar role in 2024, especially if the Broncos end up limiting Dulcich’s snaps. The Broncos are also rostering Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins at the position.

Patriots Submit Offer To WR Calvin Ridley

March 12th, 2024 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots’ reported interest in receiver Calvin Ridley is very real. According to Josina Anderson, the Patriots have made an offer to the free agent wideout.

[RELATED: Patriots Pursuing Calvin Ridley]

The organization is also opting to “keep a deal on the table” following today’s reports that focused on the interesting logistics of the previous Jaguars/Falcons trade. If Jacksonville re-signs Ridley before 2pm tomorrow, they’ll owe Atlanta a second-round pick. If they wait beyond that deadline and re-sign the receiver, the Jaguars would only owe the Falcons a third-round pick.

This led some pundits to believe that Ridley was destined to return to Jacksonville and was simply biding his time to provide his organization with better draft capital. However, it sounds like the Patriots are still very much in the hunt, and it’ll be interesting to see how negotiations progress over the next 24 hours.

New England holds more than $80MM in cap space, and with Ridley sitting atop the WR market, it only made sense that the Patriots would target the free agent for their new-look offense. The team moved on from Mac Jones and added veteran Jacoby Brissett, and the organization appears to be leaning towards selecting a QB with the third-overall pick. Ridley would represent an intriguing target for whoever is under center for the Patriots in 2024 and beyond.

The Patriots’ receivers struggled in 2023, although that was partly due to the team’s inconsistent play at quarterback. The team has already moved on from DeVante Parker and is looking to unload JuJu Smith-Schuster, leaving plenty of question marks atop the depth chart. The team did agree to new deals with Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor, but the rest of their depth chart features unproven options like Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshon Boutte.

Derek Watt Announces Retirement

March 12th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Derek Watt is calling it a career. The fullback announced on Instagram that he’s retiring from the NFL.

“It is with great honor and gratitude that I officially announce my retirement and the end to my career,” Watt wrote. “A career that ended up being about so much more than just the game that I love. The [seven] years with [two] great organizations, 110 career games, and lifelong friendships and memories that I’ve been fortunate enough to make have been nothing short of amazing.”

While he never hit the same career pinnacle as his brothers, J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt, Derek Watt still managed to put together a seven-year career. The former sixth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers, garnering 47 touches in 64 games.

In 2020, he inked a three-year, $9.75MM deal to play alongside T.J. in Pittsburgh. Watt ended up getting into 46 games during his three seasons with the Steelers, including 34 over the past two years. He actually had a “career season” in 2022 from an offensive perspective, collecting 32 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

Watt also had a significant special teams role throughout his career, as he averaged more than 286 ST snaps per season. He finished his career with 61 tackles.

Giants Declined Opportunity To Match Xavier McKinney Contract

March 12th, 2024 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants took a risk by letting Xavier McKinney hit free agency, and the safety ended up bolting for a lucrative deal from the Packers. Before he committed to joining Green Bay, the Giants had “strong interest” in retaining the defensive back, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

However, the front office was leery of handing McKinney the $17MM average annual value he ultimately earned from the Packers. That $17MM AAV puts McKinney in the top five of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.

The Giants decided to not place the transition tag on McKinney, a decision that would have cost the team $13.8MM. As Schwartz writes, the Giants decided to not tag the safety in a “show of good faith,” although it ended up biting them when the Packers backed in with the Brink’s truck.

However, McKinney was still willing to honor the Giants’ handshake deal. As Schwartz passes along, the safety “did circle back” with the Giants and provided them an opportunity to match Green Bay’s offer. The Giants ultimately “deemed the price was too high for a safety.” We heard previously that the Giants were not prepared to go higher than the transition tag value, meaning there was like a $3MM AAV gap between the two sides.

While McKinney does not have a Pro Bowl on his resume, he is going into his age-25 season. That separated the Alabama alum from the lot of recently released safeties. Ranking 14th on PFR’s free agents list, McKinney played every snap for the Giants last season. McKinney intercepted three passes, forced a fumble and recorded a career-high 116 tackles in his contract year. He has run into some injury trouble, suffering a foot injury that delayed the start of his career in 2020 and then sustaining injuries in an ATV accident in 2022. These chunks of missed games did not deter the Packers, who made one of the biggest free agency commitments in team history.

Giants To Sign WR Isaiah McKenzie

March 12th, 2024 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

A mini-Bills reunion is taking shape with the Giants, who have deep Buffalo ties at present. In addition to Devin Singletary being set to sign with the Giants, they are adding Isaiah McKenzie.

McKenzie will rejoin Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in the Big Apple, according to his agency. Like Singletary, the return man/slot receiver’s Bills tenure overlapped with Daboll and Schoen’s. McKenzie spent the 2023 season with the Colts.

A fifth-round pick by the Broncos, McKenzie made a name for himself in Buffalo. He spent time as both a receiver and return man, appearing in 68 games during his time with the Bills. That included a career year in 2022 when he finished with 42 catches for 423 yards and four touchdowns.

He was released by the Bills last offseason and ended up catching on with the Colts. He saw an even lesser offensive role than he experienced in Buffalo, hauling in only 11 catches in 13 games in Indy. In December, he was hit with a three-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

Now, the Giants will be hoping they can get something out of the veteran. The Giants will return much of their WR depth next season, including Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson, with the likes of Sterling Shepard and Parris Campbell hitting free agency.

The Giants are still waiting for one of their wideouts to emerge as a clear-cut WR1. They can’t expect that from McKenzie, but the veteran should at least provide some reliability towards the bottom of the depth chart.

Saints To Sign LB Willie Gay

March 12th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Ben Levine

After the Chiefs gave Drue Tranquill another contract, Willie Gay will head elsewhere. The longtime Kansas City regular will resurface in New Orleans.

The Saints are adding Gay on a one-year contract worth up to $5MM, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Considering the value Tranquill received, the Chiefs made their choice. Gay, a four-year Chiefs starter, will now look to raise his stock with the Saints.

After grading as at least an above-average linebacker through his first three seasons in the NFL, Pro Football Focus ranked Gay only 72nd among 82 qualifying linebackers this past season. The former second-round pick’s snaps declined throughout the year, although that was also due to a shoulder injury.

Still, Gay managed to finish the season with 58 tackles, and he’s only a year removed from a career year in 2022 when he finished with 88 stops and 2.5 sacks. Heading into his age-26 season, there may not be a whole lot of untapped potential, but Gay has shown that he can at least be a dependable option in the linebackers room.

The Saints have been busy working on deals with linebackers during the opening days of free agency. We learned yesterday that the organization was extending Demario Davis despite the LB still having a year left on his contract.

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