HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Tyreek Hill: Dolphins Contract Talks ‘Positive Right Now’

August 1st, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tua Tagovailoa‘s extension is in place, leaving Tyreek Hill‘s contract as a key financial priority remaining for the Dolphins to address. The latter is aiming to use the latest surge in the receiver market to secure a raise, although he is not interested in a trade taking place to make it possible.

Hill has been taking part in training camp while negotiations between agent Drew Rosenhaus and Dolphins continue. No deal is considered imminent at this point, but progress could be taking place based on Hill’s latest comments. The five-time All-Pro spoke about where things currently stand, and contract talks appear to be headed in a positive direction.

“I know it’s gonna come,” Hill said of an extension (video link via David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). “Whenever it happens. My agent is doing his thing, I just got done having a conversation with him. Conversations are positive right now, so we’re gonna keep it positive. Right now, I’m gonna keep practicing every day trying to help this team win games.”

Three years remain on Hill’s current deal, but no guaranteed salary is in place after 2024. The final season of the pact includes a $43.9MM salary (and $56.31MM cap hit) which has long led to the presumption an adjustment of some kind would take place before that point. Miami has already handed out a $28.25MM-per-year extension to fellow wideout Jaylen Waddle this offseason, moving him into fifth in the league for AAV at the position. Hill currently sits fourth at $30MM.

Tagovailoa’s extension is one of several quarterback mega-deals worked out over the past two years, and as expected he is now among the signal-callers attached to an AAV above $50MM. He and Waddle are set to remain foundational members of the team’s offense for years to come with their respective pacts, but Hill’s outlook will be determined by whatever arrangement (if any) is worked out in the near future. The 30-year-old hopes to finish his career in Miami.

Hill has topped 1,700 receiving yards in both of his Dolphins campaigns, and he is positioned to once again be a contender to lead the league in production through the air in 2024. It remains to be seen if he will have a new contract in place by Week 1, but his latest remarks suggest an agreement could be reached relatively soon.

Browns RB D’Onta Foreman Hospitalized

August 1st, 2024 at 1:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

1:05pm: X-rays and a CT scan have both come back negative, per the team’s latest update on Foreman’s situation. He is expected to be released from hospital later this afternoon as a result.

11:07pm: Browns practice produced a frightening scene on Thursday. Running back D’Onta Foreman was taken to hospital after suffering a neck injury.

“During practice today, Browns RB D’Onta Foreman sustained a direct blow to the head that resulted in neck pain,” a team statement reads. “The Browns athletic training staff deployed their standard emergency action procedures to immobilize Foreman. He was taken to an ambulance and is being transported via helicopter to a Medical Center in Roanoke, VA to undergo further medical evaluation. Foreman had movement in all his extremities.”

Veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson adds Foreman is alert, an encouraging sign for his status. The 28-year-old has spent the offseason competing for a roster spot in a Browns backfield which will likely not have Nick Chubb available at the start of the season. Foreman signed a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum in March in a bid to play for a fifth career team.

He and Pierre Strong entered camp in danger of being cut as Cleveland proceeds with the likes of Jerome Ford and Nyheim Hines in the backfield while awaiting Chubb’s return. Foreman is a veteran of 52 games, with his best campaign coming as a member of the Panthers in 2022. He rushed for 914 yards and five touchdowns that year, but he logged a much smaller workload last season in Chicago.

Ford is positioned to handle lead back duties until Chubb is healthy, and Hines has established himself as a capable pass-catching and returner option. With those backs seemingly locks for a roster spot, missed time will be critical in Foreman’s case. His progress in recovering from today’s injury will be worth watching closely as he hopes to avoid any serious ailment to his head or neck.

Steelers Re-Sign OLB Markus Golden

August 1st, 2024 at 11:32am CST by Adam La Rose

Markus Golden is back in the fold for the Steelers. The veteran edge rusher re-signed with Pittsburgh on Thursday, per a team announcement.

Golden was released by the Cardinals last offseason after a disappointing campaign. The 33-year-old recorded just 2.5 sacks in 2022 after reaching double-digits for the third time in his career the previous season. He took a one-year Steelers contract shortly after hitting free agency in the spring, weighing offers from other suitors in the process.

No assurances were made with respect to Golden’s playing time in Pittsburgh, an unsurprising acknowledgement from the Missouri alum considering the presence of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith along the edge. Golden made 16 appearances during his debut Steelers campaign, but he logged only 230 defensive snaps. Despite that limited role, he managed to post four sacks and ten QB hits.

Watt and Highsmith are still in place atop the depth chart, so Golden will likely handle a similar workload if he makes the 53-man roster out of training camp this time around. Pittsburgh did not have an experienced edge rusher aside from the starters prior to today’s Golden reunion. A veteran of 127 games, the former second-rounder will spend the coming weeks getting back up to speed with a familiar defense.

Golden started Pittsburgh’s wild-card loss with Watt out of the lineup through injury. Missed time on the latter’s part or Highsmith’s could pave the way for first-team responsibilities. For now, though, Golden will aim to secure the rotational role he held last year as he prepares for a 10th career season.

Broncos Place OL Quinn Bailey On IR

August 1st, 2024 at 10:50am CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 1: Bailey is indeed out for the year. He was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. His attention will now turn to rehab ahead of free agency next March. Rookie O-lineman Oliver Jervis was signed in a corresponding move.

JULY 31: Cameron Fleming worked as the Broncos’ swing tackle over the past two seasons, but the team did not re-sign the veteran in 2024. This left Quinn Bailey as a player vying for that role; he entered camp continuing to battle for a backup role he has held for multiple seasons. But the sixth-year Bronco saw that pursuit come to a likely end Wednesday.

Sean Payton said it “looks like” Bailey sustained a fractured ankle during practice, via 9News’ Mike Klis, who adds the veteran backup’s right leg was immobilized with an air cast. Bailey, 28, re-signed with the Broncos — on a one-year, $1.1MM deal with no guarantees — in March.

The Arizona State alum is set to undergo surgery, Klis adds. Fleming, 31, remains a free agent. Bailey is one of the Broncos’ longest-tenured players. He is among only five — along with Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Justin Strnad — left over from John Elway‘s GM tenure.

A former UDFA, Bailey started a game apiece over the past two seasons. The Broncos enjoyed good health along their offensive line last season but needed Fleming extensively in 2022. Bailey worked as a swing backup more that season, playing 132 offensive snaps. Many of those came at left guard, but the Broncos will be needing to look elsewhere on their roster for swing work.

Denver added Matt Peart on a one-year deal in March as well, and ex-Payton Saints charge Calvin Throckmorton also joined some of his former teammates in Denver. For interior depth, the team could turn to one of the losers of the center competition, which is primarily being waged between 2022 fifth-round pick Luke Wattenberg and 2023 seventh-rounder Alex Forsyth.

RB Tarik Cohen Retires

August 1st, 2024 at 10:32am CST by Adam La Rose

Tarik Cohen‘s 2024 comeback bid has fallen short. The veteran running back informed the Jets on Thursday that he is retiring, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Cohen had a successful stint with the Bears to begin his career. The former fourth-rounder made an immediate impact in the return game during his rookie season, totaling 1,578 return yards. The following year, he earned a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro acclaim for his abilities as a punt returner. Injuries have derailed his ability to remain a strong third phase contributor and to return to action, however.

An ACL tear suffered in 2020 limited Cohen to just three game that year, and he has not managed to make a regular season appearance since then. The 29-year-old appeared set for a return to action in 2022, but a torn Achilles set him back in that regard once again. Cohen saw time on the Panthers’ practice squad last year before he took a deal with the Jets in May.

That pact was aimed at allowing him to thrive once more as a returner. The NFL’s new kickoff rules are expected to increase the rate of runbacks, and a number of teams have made free agent additions with that in mind. Instead of continuing to vie for the return job in New York, Cohen will hang up his cleats. The Jets primarily used Xavier Gipson as their returner last season, and today’s news means he could remain in that role for the 2024 season.

Cohen’s NFL career will come to an end after 52 combined regular and postseason appearances. Thanks in large part to the Bears extension he signed in 2020, his career earnings stand at roughly $14.7MM. The 2024 campaign could have offered the opportunity to land a roster spot with the Jets or, later, another team. In the wake of his injuries, however, Cohen will now turn his attention to his post-playing days.

Cowboys Line Up DE Workouts

August 1st, 2024 at 9:53am CST by Adam La Rose

In need of depth along the edge, the Cowboys have scheduled four workouts for veterans who remain on the market. Carl Lawson, Shaka Toney, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Justin Hollins are set to visit Dallas today, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Sam Williams suffered an ACL tear which will keep him sidelined for the 2024 campaign. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence remain on track to handle a heavy workload, but Williams’ absence leaves the team short on valuable depth. In the wake of his injury, the Cowboys started evaluating the available options still in free agency.

Lawson faced high expectations upon signing with the Jets in 2021, but an Achilles tear delayed his debut New York campaign by one year. He managed seven sacks upon returning to health, but last year he logged only 101 defensive snaps and did not make a statistical impact. The 29-year-old has taken visits with the Dolphins and Panthers this offseason, and he will aim to turn his Dallas visit into an agreement.

Toney entered the league as a Commanders seventh-rounder, and he played primarily on special teams during his two seasons in Washington. A gambling suspension kept the 26-year-old out of the NFL last season, but he was reinstated in April. That was quickly followed by his Commanders release, leaving him free to sign with an interested team. This is Toney’s second known visit and his first since May.

Muhammad is a veteran of 84 games and 34 starts, but he did not see any regular season game action last season. He received a six-game PED suspension late in the 2023 campaign; since the Colts did not make the playoffs, that ban will include the first week of the coming season. Muhammad did not make a strong impact during his one-year Bears stint in 2022, but he served as a full-time Indianapolis starter the previous year and collected six sacks.

Hollins, 28, has spent time with five different teams in his career. His most productive campaign came in 2022 (3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss) while playing for the Packers and Rams. Hollins made at least one appearance with three teams in 2023, playing primarily on special teams. A third phase role would likely await him in Dallas.

The Cowboys entered Thursday with just over $12MM in cap space, enough flexibility to make a low-cost addition along the edge. Each of those four players will no doubt be available on team-friendly deals, and their performances today will impact Dallas’ decision at the position.