HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

NFL Front Office Updates: Panthers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Raiders

May 4th, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Oftentimes, when there are staff and front office changes on NFL teams, a Black Monday-type of exodus can happen following the NFL Draft. With mere months or even weeks between the time of a new staff’s hiring and the draft, it can be advantageous to utilize the scouting and personnel department already in place. Though, after the draft concludes, those same teams may opt to clear house and in their own preferred employees.

The Panthers are one such team, with Joe Person of The Athletic reporting that both director of pro scouting Rob Hanrahan and assistant director of pro scouting Tyler Ramsey have been let go. Hanrahan had been with the team for seven years, while Ramsey had been there for three.

The two weren’t alone as Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com reported the departure of northeast area scout Michael Coe and senior personnel executive Jeff Morrow, as well. New general manager Dan Morgan had forecasted changes after the draft, which we’re seeing now.

Here are some other changes in NFL personnel departments:

  • Stratton also informs us that the Cardinals have parted ways with director of college scouting Josh Scobey. The former Arizona running back had just finished his second year in the role after 12 seasons as a part of the team’s scouting department.
  • The Buccaneers have also moved on from personnel department employees with Stratton reporting that neither veteran scout Mark Ellenz nor assistant director of pro scouting Alex Smith will return in 2024. Smith had been with the team for seven years and was elevated to his most recent position after four seasons as a pro scout.
  • The Raiders are the next team mentioned by Stratton with director of scout development Keith Kidd reportedly being removed from the team’s website.

NFL Workouts: Averett, Jacobs, Harvin, Eason, Ollison

May 4th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Ely Allen

NFL teams often use rookie minicamp as an opportunity to bring in some veterans for workouts. Here are a few such instances of teams who invited some veteran free agents for the weekend:

  • The Steelers invited a former division-rival in cornerback Anthony Averett, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pittsburgh acquired veteran Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson in the trade that sent Diontae Johnson to Carolina, and Jackson is expected to start across from last year’s rookie starter Joey Porter Jr. Behind them, though, the team’s depth chart shows seventh-round rookie selection Ryan Watts and last year’s seventh-round pick Cory Trice as the top backup options. After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, Averett played the 2022 season with the Raiders before getting place on injured reserve. He spent a little time with the 49ers in the preseason before getting signed to the Lions’ practice squad. He could provide starting, veteran experience to a young corners group in Pittsburgh.
  • The Jaguars also brought in a veteran cornerback from Detroit, inviting Jerry Jacobs, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Despite coming in as an undrafted free agent, Jacobs started 29 of his 40 game appearances for the Lions. Jacksonville is apparently looking to add some depth to the position after replacing Darious Williams with Ronald Darby as the starter opposite Tyson Campbell.
  • The Buccaneers brought in some competition for their punter of the past two years, Jake Camarda, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Tampa Bay invited former Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III after he was waived by Pittsburgh in February. Harvin isn’t likely to impact the depth chart, though, after Camarda set Tampa Bay’s franchise record for single-season punt average just last year.
  • The Packers invited an extra arm to the rookie minicamp, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, bringing in Jacob Eason. Green Bay just drafted Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round to compete with last year’s fifth-round pick Sean Clifford for the backup job. Alex McGough is also in the room but has yet to make an NFL debut despite being drafted back in 2018. Eason has in-game experience with the Colts and Panthers and could certainly find himself in the running for a roster spot with an impressive performance.
  •  Finally, the Jets brought in veteran running back Qadree Ollison, per Wilson. Ollison’s only NFL touches came over two years ago during his stint with the Falcons, so it’s unlikely that he’ll make an impact on the depth chart in a young running backs room that includes 2022 second-round pick Breece Hall, last year’s fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda, rookie fourth-round pick Braelon Allen, and rookie fifth-round pick Isaiah Davis.

Chiefs Sign 17-Man UDFA Class

May 4th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The rich got richer last week when the winners of the last two Super Bowls drafted seven players, with the first three selections joining the team’s well-established offense. The Chiefs expanded their rookie class to 24 players by signing these 17 undrafted free agents:

The Chiefs return their top three rushers in Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and La’Mical Perine, but after finishing a middling 19th in the league in rushing yards, Kansas City may be taking some flyers on potential upgrades at the backup positions behind Pacheco. Bailey comes in after two seasons at Louisiana and two seasons at TCU. At each school he had a season in which he scored eight touchdowns, and he racked up 1,209 rushing yards in 2023. Steele arrives after two years at Ball State and one at UCLA. He led his team in rushing yards all three seasons and was first-team All-MAC in 2022 after leading the conference with 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Driskell was a surprising prospect to end up undrafted. He’s raw and needs NFL coaching to develop a role with the Chiefs, but his towering 6-foot-8 frame was expected to land him somewhere in the fifth or sixth round of the draft. Lovett was likewise expected to land in the fifth or sixth round but slipped out to an undrafted position unexpectedly. He has the ability to flash as a rotational defensive lineman, but a lack of consistency could cost him a spot on the 53-man roster.

After trading away L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason and drafting Kamal Hadden in the sixth round out of Tennessee, the Chiefs bring in three more prospects including Roland-Wallace. Roland-Wallace spent his final season with the Trojans after four years as a starter at Arizona. His quick twitch helped him rack up four interceptions and 29 passes defensed in college.

Even Rehkow was expected to get drafted after four years with the Cougars. The four-year punter saw his punting duties skyrocket in 2023 as BYU’s offense struggled mightily in their move to the Big 12.

Jets Sign 17 UDFA Rookies

May 4th, 2024 at 2:21pm CST by Ely Allen

The first five of the Jets’ seven draft picks last week focused on the offensive side of the ball. Luckily, they were able to add a number of defensive rookies who fell out of the draft as undrafted free agents. Here are the 17 players heading to New York as UDFAs:

Latham, a four-year starter for the Razorbacks spent nearly all of his time as a left guard at the collegiate level. His father was an All-Conference center for Oklahoma back in the 1980’s, and some NFL teams thought Latham had potential to follow his father’s footsteps as a center at the next level.

Many saw McGregor as a draft-and-develop prospect that could go on Day 3 of the draft, but instead the 22-year-old leaves Ann Arbor as an undrafted free agent. He’s long, fast, and explosive but will need to get coached up in order to turn those attributes into starting potential.

Taylor falling out of the draft altogether was one of the more surprising outcomes from last weekend. A former 5-star recruit for the Hurricanes, Taylor racked up five sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons. A disappointing junior year had teams questioning whether the lack of production came from discipline on the field or perhaps an inability to buy-in. Still, the raw talent available to Taylor was thought to warrant at least an early-Day 3 selection. Instead, he falls to the Jets, where he could find rotational playing time behind two excellent role models in Javon Kinlaw and Quinnen Williams.

Taylor is joined in New York by two former teammates who spent time in the transfer portal. Harrell only spent one year in Coral Gables after transferring from Alabama, where he also spent only one season. A burner with track experience, Harrell showed the most potential during his final year at Louisville in 2021, when he averaged 29.1 yards per catch and caught six touchdowns. Blades spent his final year of eligibility at Duke but played his first four seasons at Miami. He had two strong seasons for the Hurricanes in 2019 and 2020, nabbing four interceptions and 13 passes defensed, but was quiet the following two years until he transferred to Durham, where he led the Blue Devils in passes defensed with 10 in 2023.

Commanders Add 11 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 11:35am CST by Sam Robinson

TODAY, 11:35am: The Commanders have made a late addition to their UDFA class. According to Nicki Jhabvala, the team has signed Notre Dame linebacker Bo Bauer. The rookie is expected to compete for a spot on defense and a spot as a long snapper.

WEDNESDAY, 9:00am: The first Adam Peters-Dan Quinn UDFA group has surfaced. Here is the result of the Commanders’ post-draft signing period:

Rated as the 12th-best QB prospect in this draft (per ESPN’s Scouts Inc.), Hartman will join a team that selected the No. 2 player at this position. The Commanders now have Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel, Jake Fromm and Hartman on their 90-man roster. Neither Driskel nor Fromm is tied to any guaranteed money; Hartman outranks the two vets, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating the team gave the Notre Dame alum a $225K base salary guarantee. Prior to transferring in 2023, Hartman put up big numbers at Wake Forest, producing 38- and 39-touchdown pass seasons to close out his Demon Deacons career. Piloting Notre Dame to a 10-3 record last season, Hartman threw 24 TD passes, eight INTs and averaged a career-best 8.9 yards per attempt.

Washington is going further to bring in Anusiem. The Colorado State product drew interest from around half the league, per Pelissero, who adds the Commanders are giving him a $300K base salary guarantee and a $50K signing bonus. This gives Anusiem a boost toward sticking around as a UDFA. After four years at Cal, Anusiem was a two-season regular with the Rams.

The team is allocating $245K to Owens, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, in the form of a base salary guarantee and $25K signing bonus. Only working as a full-time starter in one of his five college seasons (spent at Texas and Texas Tech), Jones played both safety and in the slot last season. He joins a team that lost Kamren Curl from its safety depth chart in March.

Jones and Wiley join a team that lost Antonio Gibson this offseason. After signing Austin Ekeler, Washington did not draft a running back. Brian Robinson and 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez remain on the roster. Neither Jones nor Wiley topped 800 yards rushing in a season during a combined 10 years in the Pac-12. A Stanford transfer, Jones rushed for 477 yards alongside MarShawn Lloyd for the Trojans last season. Jones, who gained 705 on the ground in Lincoln Riley’s USC debut, rejoins 2023 Trojans assistant Kliff Kingsbury in Washington.

Raiders Add 17 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

After adding eight rookies via the draft, the Raiders are continuing to add young players to their roster. The team announced that they’ve signed 17 undrafted free agents:

Carter Bradley is one of the most notable names on the list, as the QB tossed 47 touchdowns for South Alabama between 2022 and 2023. The Raiders needed to pay up to add the rookie to their roster. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Bradley will earn a $25K signing bonus plus $100K in guaranteed base salary. The front office also gave significant chunks of cash to two undrafted offensive linemen. Furman guard Jake Johanning got a $25K signing bonus and $75K of his base salary guaranteed (via Wilson) while TCU tackle Andrew Coker got a $20K signing bonus and $75K of his salary guaranteed (via Wilson).

On defense, the Raiders gave Ron Stone a $20K signing bonus and $150K in guaranteed base salary (per Wilson). The Washington State product wrapped up his college career with a 2023 campaign where he compiled five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, Maryland cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard got a $25K signing bonus and a whopping $205K of his base salary guaranteed (via Wilson). Sheppard finished his lone season with the Terrapins with 31 tackles and eight passes defended.

Seahawks Sign 16 UDFAs

May 4th, 2024 at 8:30am CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks front office has had a busy week. In addition to signing first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy to his rookie contract, the organization has added 16 undrafted rookies to the roster:

A handful of Seattle’s UDFAs earned notable bonuses. After compiling 2,993 yards and 21 touchdowns at Boise State over the past three years, running back George Holani got a $15K signing bonus and $100K of his base salary guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Elsewhere on offense, Jack Westover earned a $25K signing bonus and $50K guaranteed on his salary, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The Washington tight end was a productive member of the offense over the past two years, hauling in 77 catches for 775 yards and five touchdowns. South Dakota State offensive lineman Garret Greenfield got the most guaranteed money of the bunch. Wilson notes that the rookie got $195K in guaranteed money, including a $20K signing bonus.

On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks paid of a pair of undrafted defensive linemen. After collecting 17 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Houston, Nelson Ceaser got $110K guaranteed, including a $10K signing bonus, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Grambling State’s Sunny Anderson got the same guarantees to catch on with Seattle, per Wilson.

Dolphins, Odell Beckham Jr. Agree To Deal

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins’ long-anticipated receiver addition is set to take place. Miami has agreed to terms with Odell Beckham Jr., Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.

Team and player have long been linked in this case, and the post-draft wave of free agency has now produced an agreement. While an April report suggested Beckham could turn down Dolphins interest due to his asking price, he has in fact taken a deal worth far less than his 2023 Ravens pact.

Rapoport reports this one-year deal is worth up to $8.25MM. The base value, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, is $3MM. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald adds the team was not prepared to raise its offer in terms of guaranteed compensation, but incentives led to this agreement.

The three-time Pro Bowler joined Baltimore on a pact featuring $15MM guaranteed, a surprising figure considering the missed time which preceded it. Beckham had his most productive campaign since 2019 last year (35 receptions, 565 yards), and his 16.1 yards per catch average was the highest mark of his career. An increase in volume will no doubt lower the latter figure, but Beckham is in position to fill Miami’s stated desire for a capable third receiving option.

Not long after the 31-year-old visited the Dolphins in March, a mutual interest was reported to exist. That was confirmed in short order when Miami submitted an offer to Beckham, though Rapoport notes he had more lucrative options on the table. In the end, however, the former Rams Super Bowl winner has accepted the chance to work in a complementary role to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Those two will command a large share of Miami’s targets, but the team lost Cedrick Wilson Jr. in free agency, leaving slot receiver/returner Braxton Berrios as the lone in-house depth WR option featuring much experience. A veteran of 110 games, Beckham will certainly help in that department. A strong season would also boost his market value on a new Dolphins pact or interest from outside teams in 2025.

Miami entered Friday with just over $2.9MM in cap space, so this deal (along with signing the team’s rookie class) will eat up much of the remaining funds available for the time being. Cap space brought about by Xavien Howard‘s release will become available after June 1, but the Dolphins have already accomplished a key secondary roster-building goal with this agreement.

No Expected Restrictions For Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Ely Allen

Aaron Rodgers‘ debut playing for any team other than the Packers last year could not have gone any worse, ending only four snaps into the Jets’ season-opener with a torn Achilles tendon. What followed was weeks and weeks of will-he-won’t-he for a 2023 comeback.

In the end, despite several months of speculation on whether or not Rodgers would succeed in rushing back from what most consider to be a season-ending injury, Rodgers would be resigned to the sideline for the remainder of the 2023 season. He had seemingly proven his point, improving his health well enough to be activated off of injured reserve, but the coaching staff opted not to play him, keeping future seasons in mind.

That future season now appears on the horizon. With phase three of the offseason, consisting of 10 organized team activities practices, starting in two weeks, Rodgers is reportedly expected to come in with no restrictions, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Head coach Robert Saleh expanded on that report, saying, “Once phase three hits, we’re not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can’t do with him.”

In addition, Cimini reports that rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Travis won’t be ready as soon but should be healthy enough to participate by training camp. The backup quarterback out of Florida State is coming off a brutal ankle injury that many believe cost the Seminoles a spot in the College Football Playoff last year.

Luckily, the team isn’t relying on Travis to be ready as a rookie. After last year’s disaster and subsequent quarterback struggles, the team signed a major improvement at backup quarterback in veteran Tyrod Taylor. Taylor will likely join Rodgers for OTAs, as will undrafted rookie Peewee Jarrett out of West Florida who became the first Argonauts quarterback in school history to throw for over 5,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards. Those three arms should be plenty until Travis can join the group for training camp later in the summer.

49ers GM John Lynch: ‘We’re Past’ Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Trade Talks

May 3rd, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Leading up to the draft and through the event’s first round in particular, the possibility of a 49ers receiver being dealt was a major talking point around the league. No deals materialized, though, and general manager John Lynch now considers the matter closed regarding any discussions in at least the near future.

“During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely they do,” Lynch said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News). “We’re past that now.

“We’re thrilled to add to that group (of) Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and now you add Ricky Pearsall, Jake Cowing. We made an already strong group even stronger.”

San Francisco looked for a pick in the middle of the first round in any potential Aiyuk trade, but no offers of that caliber came in. The team ultimately stayed in place by keeping him and retaining the No. 31 pick, but using it on Pearsall raised eyebrows. Aiyuk has been tied to trade rumors based on his contract status, whereas moving Samuel could help make an Aiyuk extension (along with one for quarterback Brock Purdy down the road) more feasible.

For that reason, Samuel has also drawn trade interest recently. However, Lynch confirmed that after the draft’s first round had concluded, San Francisco did not give consideration to a trade involving Day 2 or 3 capital. That leaves Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings (who is also entering a contract year) in place as the team attempts to keep as many skill-position contributors in the fold as possible. Aiyuk is set to play out his fifth-year option, valued at $14.12MM, in 2024; a long-term deal will check in at a much larger price regardless of which team it comes from.

Aiyuk and the 49ers are not believed to be close on extension talks, and the 26-year-old has publicly made his frustrations known. Samuel is on the books for two more years, meanwhile, but his $16.6MM 2025 base salary is not guaranteed. Especially with Pearsall now in the picture, future movement at the WR spot will no doubt be a source of questions and speculation for San Francisco. For now, though, the Aiyuk-Samuel-Jennings trio is set to remain intact.

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