2024 September - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Steelers, Pat Freiermuth Agree To Extension

September 6th, 2024 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

To little surprise, a deal is now in place for Pat Freiermuth. The Steelers’ push for an extension in time for the start of the season has resulted in a long-term accord.

Team and player reached agreement on a four-year extension Friday, per his agency (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). Freiermuth will collect $48.4MM on his new deal. He was attached to the final year of his rookie contract for the coming campaign, so he will now be on the books through 2028. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds the pact includes $23.38MM guaranteed.

A report from earlier Friday pointed to the sides making progress toward a deal. As a result, this news comes as little surprise. Freiermuth played a key role in the Steelers’ offense during his first two seasons in the league, notching back-to-back years with 60 receptions. He scored nine touchdowns during that span, though his production took a step back in an injury-shortened 2023 campaign. At the age of 25, however, Freiermuth has emerged as a key figure in Pittsburgh’s long-term offensive planning.

The former second-rounder’s $12.1MM AAV ranks ninth at the position, in between Cole Kmet and Dalton Schultz. The top of the position’s market remains set with Travis Kelce, T.J. Hockenson and George Kittle leading the way, but Freiermuth was never expected to reach those heights on his second contract. He will nevertheless become one of the team’s top earners on the offensive side of the ball.

The Steelers have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in place as an inexpensive quarterback tandem. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are on their rookie contracts, as are three starters on the offensive line. With Diontae Johnson no longer in the fold, George Pickens (who will not be eligible for an extension until next year) is in place as the team’s top receiver. Freiermuth’s cap charge will likely not spike to a cumbersome figure with this extension, but he will take up a larger piece of the allocated resources when general manager Omar Khan evaluates the offense in the future.

Questions linger entering the season about Pittsburgh’s depth in the receiving corps. Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller and third-round rookie Roman Wilson will be counted on to complement Pickens after a trade agreement with the 49ers over Brandon Aiyuk did not result in a swap taking place. Aiyuk inked a San Francisco extension, leaving future cap resources available to Freiermuth and others. He will be expected to deliver a rebound in 2024 and beyond while playing out a lucrative new contract.

Extension Talks Progressing Between Steelers, TE Pat Freiermuth

September 6th, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cameron Heyward has a new deal in place ahead of Week 1 after the Steelers’ push for an agreement proved to be successful. An extension for tight end Pat Freiermuth is also a priority, and he too may soon work out a deal.

Team and player are making progress on an extension in Freiermuth’s case, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Brooke Pryor report. The 25-year-old has one year remaining on his rookie contract, so getting a contract worked out now would prevent the possibility of a free agent departure. Finalizing a second Pittsburgh accord has long been known to be on the team’s radar.

A Freiermuth extension was floated in July as a possibility, and the Steelers have clearly made it a goal to keep him in place beyond the coming campaign. The Penn State alum had a strong start to his career, posting 60 and 63 receptions during his first two years with the Steelers. This past season saw him limited to 12 games due to injury, however, and his production took a step back. General manager Omar Khan and Co. are confident a rebound will be possible now and in the future given the pursuit of an extension.

Pittsburgh’s offense will be led by Arthur Smith, who is expected to rely on a run-heavy approach during his first season in charge. Both of the team’s top two running backs (Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren) are pending free agents, leaving plenty of uncertainty surrounding their futures. Likewise, the receiving corps has been a talking point through the offseason as few known commodities are in place beyond George Pickens.

The 2022 second-rounder is expected to operate as Pittsburgh’s clear-cut No. 1 this season after Diontae Johnson was traded away. The Steelers had a trade agreement worked out with the 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk, but he wound up signing a San Francisco extension. That leaves Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller and third-round rookie Roman Wilson in place as complementary pass catchers. Freiermuth will be leaned on in that regard as well for at least the 2024 season, but he could very well remain in place beyond that point.

Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Not Expected To Be Suspended In 2024

September 6th, 2024 at 11:12am CST by Adam La Rose

Rashee Rice made his season debut on Thursday, and he is positioned to remain available for the Chiefs throughout the season. The second-year Chiefs wideout faces eight felony charges stemming from a March street racing incident, but the NFL does not plan to place him on the commissioner’s exempt list.

That move is generally reserved for cases of domestic violence allegations. In Rice’s situation, the league has followed its standard procedure in waiting for the legal process to play out before conducting an investigation and issuing discipline under the personal conduct policy. Criminal charges are pending for Rice and former SMU teammate Teddy Knox, the other driver involved in the crash which caused multiple injuries before they left the scene. As Nate Taylor and Dianna Russini of The Athletic note, though, no criminal trial date has been set (subscription required).

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds that the earliest a trial could take place is likely December, meaning Rice is set to play out the season before any further developments take place (video link). A civil suit has also be filed by two of the victims, with $10MM being sought in damages. A date for that trial has been set; it will take place in June 2025. Between now and then, Rice should be expected to play a key role in Kansas City’s passing attack just as he did during his rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old’s pre-draft process was affected by character concerns, and an incident during his SMU days was on NFL teams’ radars. The Athletic piece notes that at least three teams took Rice off their draft boards as a result, but that did not hurt his stock. The Chiefs – who have acquired and retained a number of players faced with off-field issues over time – selected Rice 55th overall.

Kansas City’s offseason included multiple moves at the receiver position after production from that position (with the exception of Rice) proved hard to come by. Free agent pickup Marquise Brown was out for Week 1, but first-round rookie Xavier Worthy had an impressive debut with a pair of touchdowns. Those two speedsters are joined by the likes of Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster at the receiver spot. It remains to be seen how that group will fare compared to last season, but Rice will be an important member of the unit for the foreseeable future.

Bengals Have Submitted ‘Significant’ Offer To WR Ja’Marr Chase

September 5th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although several deals — most notably the one in Minnesota — transformed the wide receiver market this year, no more tectonic shifts remain for the Bengals to observe. The market’s next seismic move figures to come out of Cincinnati. Will the sides hammer out a deal now or end up waiting until 2025?

Ja’Marr Chase has practiced in a limited capacity in each of the past two days, doing so after previously yo-yoing between a hold-in and participating. While this bodes well for Chase’s availability in Week 1, this situation is not yet settled. The fourth-year wideout is not viewed as a lock to be on the field against the Patriots.

Not known as a team that gives in on these matters, the Bengals may be forced to deviate from their usual contract practices to lock down Chase. The team does not offer non-quarterbacks guarantees beyond Year 1 of extensions, making the Bengals among the few NFL teams who still proceed this way. Jefferson, however, reset the market by securing $110MM guaranteed ($88.7MM at signing), and the Cowboys soon gave CeeDee Lamb $100MM guaranteed ($67MM at signing). The market is effectively set for Chase, who is a year younger than both players.

Chase is angling to top Jefferson’s $35MM-per-year accord, and while the guarantee structure figures to present more complications for the Bengals than reaching that AAV will, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the team has submitted a “significant, significant” offer to the All-Pro talent (video link). The team had recently intensified its effort to extend Chase, and this process is going down to the wire.

It is not known if the parties will shut down negotiations after the regular season begins, but recent Bengals negotiations have proceeded this way. Tee Higgins and the team stopped talking after a below-market offer annoyed the team’s WR2, and the most lucrative receiver contract in Bengals history — A.J. Green‘s four-year, $60MM deal — was agreed to on Sept. 11, 2015. That resolution occurred two days before the regular season that year.

No Bengals player is currently tied to a contract that included upfront guarantees between $146.5MM (Joe Burrow‘s) and $31.1MM (Orlando Brown Jr.‘s signing bonus). Chase will need to land well north of Brown’s number to sign, and he has used this practice pattern to effectively ramp up negotiations with the Bengals. With no other receiver dominoes to fall, Chase slow-playing matters — something the Bengals viewed him as doing earlier this offseason, as the Jefferson-Vikings negotiations finished up — is no longer necessary. Six wideouts are now tied to deals worth more than $30MM per year, compared to one in 2023. At 24, Chase can pair his accomplishments (three Pro Bowls, one second-team All-Pro nod) with youth to push the Bengals to the brink.

Some among the Bengals have bristled about the notion the franchise needs to adjust its guarantee structure to accommodate Chase, but contract structure has been an issue during these talks. Mike Brown had pointed to a 2025 agreement being more likely, when addressing the matter early in training camp, but called Chase the team’s second-highest priority behind Burrow. With the club not expected to give Higgins a long-term deal — in large part because of Chase’s upcoming payday, be it this year or next — the runway is clear for the former No. 5 overall pick to sign. All that remains is an old-school organization offering a market-value extension.

Chase topping Jefferson’s number would make for four receivers setting a position AAV record this year. Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Jefferson have done so. St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith have been paid among 2021 first-round wideouts. It would look strange — despite every team in the rookie-scale contract era waiting until Year 5 to extend a Round 1 WR, before this offseason changed the game — if Chase was left on his rookie deal for a fourth season. That is close to happening, as the LSU alum continues to angle for the top WR payday.

Offseason In Review: Washington Commanders

September 5th, 2024 at 9:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera became one of the more obvious lame ducks in recent NFL history last year. A new owner taking over, along with the Commanders’ eight-game losing streak to close last season, made it easy to predict wholesale changes. Josh Harris made them, tapping into the 49ers’ success by hiring John Lynch‘s right-hand man to lead his football operation. How Washington filled its HC and OC chairs generated more intrigue, and the Adam Peters–Dan Quinn duo did not leave too many pieces in place from Rivera’s final Commanders lineup.

Coaching/front office:

Fired HC Ron Rivera; named Dan Quinn as replacement
Added Adam Peters as president of football operations
Hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, Joe Whitt as DC
President Jason Wright to depart after 2024 season
Hired Lance Newmark as assistant GM; reassigned GM Martin Mayhew, exec Marty Hurney
Brought in ex-Panthers GM Scott Fitterer as personnel executive
Moved Doug Williams back to personnel role; did not renew senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes‘ contract
Added Brian Sosna as SVP of football ops, David Blackburn as player personnel director
Brought in ex-Eagles OC Brian Johnson as pass-game coordinator, Anthony Lynn as run-game coordinator
Added David Blough, William Gay to coaching staff

Although Harris brought in Rick Spielman and former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers to help the Commanders find a new football ops leader, the team made a down-the-middle hire. Peters joined the 49ers shortly after the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan regime started, and the recent San Francisco assistant GM certainly comes from a franchise that has sustained success in rather unique ways. That success certainly helped Peters’ cause in beating out Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham for the job.

The 49ers have managed to assemble a steady Super Bowl contender despite one of the worst draft decisions in NFL history. Trading two future first-round picks and a third-rounder to climb up for Trey Lance could have ruined the Lynch-Shanahan regime; the 49ers withstanding Lance’s failure may say more about Shanahan’s abilities than the front office’s, but Lynch, Peters and ex-staffer-turned-Titans GM Ran Carthon played key roles as well. Peters declined Titans and Cardinals interviews last year, and after Chargers and Raiders requests, zeroed in on the Commanders gig.

Harris offered Peters full control of football ops; not every GM position features that power. Washington’s last setup featured a head coach carrying final say, but Peters will report directly to Harris. The 45-year-old exec has three Super Bowl rings from his tenures as a Patriots scout and Broncos scouting director. Peters’ scouting history became relevant quickly, with Washington’s No. 2 overall pick — along with the selections obtained in the Montez Sweat and Chase Young trades — made the job appealing. Rivera did not enjoy these luxuries upon being hired by Dan Snyder, and the team could not make a jump after its 2020 NFC East title season.

That season came with multiple asterisks, as Washington won the division with a 7-9 record thanks in part to Dak Prescott‘s ankle injury and Doug Pederson‘s curious decision to yank Jalen Hurts from a winnable season finale. Rivera’s team completed seven- and eight-win seasons in 2021 and ’22, but the quarterback issue that has plagued Washington since Kirk Cousins‘ free agency defection was too much to overcome.

Dwayne Haskins arriving in Bruce Allen‘s final draft as honcho hamstrung Rivera, whose team passed on Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa in 2020 due to Haskins’ presence. Acquisitions Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell did not move the needle for the franchise, with the Howell confidence being rather interesting — given Rivera’s tenuous grip on the job last year — after the team made aggressive QB pursuits in 2022.

The former Super Bowl HC will give way to Quinn, who brought in a host of his former players to help on defense and offense. Quinn, however, may have been the Commanders’ third choice. The team pushed back on this notion, but it is widely known the club chased Lions OC Ben Johnson. Once Johnson hopped off the HC carousel early for a second straight year, the Commanders are believed to have offered the job to Mike Macdonald. A six-year Seahawks offer swayed the Ravens’ DC out of the Mid-Atlantic region, leaving Quinn — an HC carousel veteran who rebuilt his stock in Dallas.

Quinn, 54 next week, left Dallas after a dreadful defensive performance in the Cowboys’ wild-card loss, but he had immediately elevated a unit that surrendered the most points in franchise history in 2020. Quinn’s defense ranked in the top five in points allowed in each of his three seasons in Dallas, as he completed a rebound — after his Falcons tenure featured a steady decline post-Super Bowl LI — that gave him some options in recent years. The Broncos did pass on Quinn to hire Nathaniel Hackett in a regrettable 2022 move, but the Cowboys’ DC left the 2023 hiring derby early. Quinn’s defense sustaining its success without Trevon Diggs helped the play-caller’s case, as DaRon Bland set an NFL record with five pick-sixes.

Whitt loomed as a Cowboys DC frontrunner as well, but after following Quinn from Atlanta to Dallas, Whitt accepted an offer to head to Washington. The Cowboys’ defensive play-caller for three seasons, Quinn handed Whitt that responsibility. This will be Whitt’s first crack at this role at any level. The Cowboys blocked Quinn from taking staffers Al Harris and Lunda Wells with him. Unlike Whitt, Kingsbury has no history with Quinn. It also took some maneuvering to convince the former Cardinals HC to head east.

Kingsbury, who spent last season as USC’s quarterbacks coach, backtracked on a commitment to be the Raiders’ OC. He quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the Commanders. Minority owner Magic Johnson is believed to have played a key role in convincing Kingsbury to bail on Las Vegas. Between that and the Commanders ending up with the quarterback Antonio Pierce wanted in the draft, an interconference rivalry that peaked in the early 1980s may reignite.

Drawing more interest than he did following his Cardinals ouster, Kingsbury comes to Washington after an inconsistent Arizona stint. Although the former Texas Tech HC received criticism throughout his Cardinals tenure, Kyler Murray received two original-ballot Pro Bowl nods — beating out Tom Brady in 2020 — during his first three seasons. Kingsbury, 45, coached top-eight offenses in those seasons and helmed the Cards to their first playoff berth since 2015, doing so largely without the services of DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt. That regime’s 2022 unraveling injects some concern into Kingsbury’s status, but it certainly was not all bad in Arizona.

While Rivera is out, the two ex-GMs he brought with him — Mayhew and Hurney — remain on staff. Mayhew, a former Washington cornerback-turned-GM, is in place as an advisor to Peters; Hurney, a two-time Panthers GM, is a Maryland native who began his front office career under Super Bowl-winning Washington GM Bobby Beathard in San Diego. He holds an advisory position as well. Williams had previously spent time in Washington’s front office under Allen. After being moved to the side early in Rivera’s tenure, the former Super Bowl MVP is back in the mix. Newmark spent 25 years with the Lions but will make the jump for a second-in-command post.

Peters spoke with Bill Belichick, his former boss, about the job; however, this fell short of a formal interview. Harris is not believed to have coveted a workflow setup in which a coach resides atop the personnel pyramid. Harris also spoke with Robert Kraft about the legendary HC in December; Kraft is not believed to have given glowing references. While Belichick may well be in the NFC East next year, Washington is the only team to which he has not been closely tied following this offseason’s hiring outcomes.

Free agency additions:

Tyler Biadasz, C. Three years, $30MM ($17.7MM guaranteed)
Dorance Armstrong, DE. Three years, $33MM ($16.13MM guaranteed)
Frankie Luvu, LB. Three years, $31MM ($14.63MM guaranteed)
Nick Allegretti, G. Three years, $16MM ($9MM guaranteed)
Bobby Wagner, LB. One year, $6.5MM ($6.1MM guaranteed)
Marcus Mariota, QB. One year, $6MM ($5.39MM guaranteed)
Austin Ekeler, RB. Two years, $8.43MM ($4.12MM guaranteed)
Jeremy Chinn, S. One year, $4.11MM ($3.5MM guaranteed)
Clelin Ferrell, DE. One year, $3.75MM ($3.1MM guaranteed)
Zach Ertz, TE. One year, $3MM ($1.96MM guaranteed)
Tyler Ott, LS. Three years, $4.39MM ($1.61MM guaranteed)
Dante Fowler, DE. One year, $3.25MM ($1.43MM guaranteed)
Michael Davis, CB. One year, $3.2MM ($1.38MM guaranteed)
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR. One year, $1.29MM ($380K guaranteed)
Michael Deiter, OL. One year, $1.8MM ($320K guaranteed)
Noah Igbinoghene, CB. One year, $1.29MM ($250K guaranteed)
Jeff Driskel, QB. One year, $1.15MM ($150K guaranteed)
Noah Brown, WR. One year, $1.21MM

Six of these free agency additions played for Quinn previously. Wagner dates back to the HC’s Seattle days, while Fowler played with Quinn in Atlanta and Dallas. Among the ex-Quinn charges, two former Cowboys are in place as the best bets to be multiyear starters from this group.

Biadasz became the NFL’s sixth active center with an eight-figure AAV, joining Lloyd Cushenberry as 2024 free agents who entered this club. Quinn observed Biadasz become a quick study, rising from fourth-round pick to three-year starter. Ranking eighth in run block win rate in 2022 (Tony Pollard‘s Pro Bowl season), Biadasz started 53 games with Dallas. He joins Allegretti, Andrew Wylie and Sam Cosmi as O-line starters on veteran contracts.

One of the Cowboys’ answers after their Randy Gregory negotiation combusted in 2022, Armstrong fared well as a rotational edge rusher over the past two years. PFR’s No. 21 free agent, Armstrong amassed 16 sacks over the past two seasons and got there despite starting just three games. Armstrong undoubtedly benefited from the attention paid to other Cowboy rushers, and while he did not ran inside the top 60 in pressures in either season, the Commanders bet on a Quinn cog who is going into his age-27 season.

It will be interesting to see how Armstrong holds up as a full-time starter, as this will be a big jump for the former Cowboys fourth-rounder. Fowler, 30, combined for 10 sacks in two Cowboys seasons and was more effective as a rotational piece than a high-priced Falcons DE.

Tracing Ekeler’s value drop is interesting. The NFL values three-down running backs, and Ekeler led the league in touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. Outplaying predecessor Melvin Gordon with the Chargers, the former UDFA did not generate much trade interest on a team-friendly contract when given permission to shop in 2023. This came before Ekeler’s high ankle sprain, which limited him in a season with 1,064 scrimmage yards (in 14 games) and six TDs.

One of this period’s most versatile backs settled for a guarantee south of where the Giants went for Devin Singletary. Joe Mixon, who has logged nearly 600 more carries than Ekeler’s 990, tripled the ex-Charger in guarantees.

This could be a good value play by Washington, as Ekeler stands to complement Brian Robinson and give Jayden Daniels a high-end outlet option. Eighth-year RBs certainly bring risk, but the 29-year-old weapon’s carry count is low enough he should have bounce-back potential. Given the Commanders’ uncertain pass-catching corps behind Terry McLaurin, Ekeler could be important.

Wagner finds himself in an unusual situation. Part of a perennial contender — or, at least a team off the rebuilding tier — in Seattle, the future Hall of Famer agreed to rejoin Quinn as a mentor-type presence. Working with Quinn during the latter’s two-year Seattle DC stay (2013-14), Wagner has become one of the league’s all-time great off-ball ‘backers in the years since. He is riding a 10-season streak with either a first- or second-team All-Pro honor. Washington’s current situation appears incongruent with Wagner’s trajectory, but the 34-year-old ILB does offer scheme familiarity to help an overhauled defense. Wagner, who had been linked to reuniting with Quinn in Dallas previously, led the NFL with 183 tackles last season.

Memorably leaving the Falcons after his late-season benching in 2022, Mariota still commanded a decent backup-level guarantee following his Eagles one-off. Never a true threat to Daniels’ QB1 status despite the alleged competition that took place, Mariota commanded a higher guarantee than Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco and Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. The Commanders joined the Broncos in looking into Sam Darnold, but the recent 49ers QB2 preferred a Vikings team with better weaponry.

Ertz reunited with Kingsbury before free agency, giving the Commanders a low-cost tight end to replace Logan Thomas. Ertz is a more accomplished player who will bring scheme familiarity from his Cardinals days, though the former Eagles standout is also entering his age-34 season and coming off two injury-plagued slates. Ertz ripped off five straight 800-plus yard Eagles seasons, and his 574-yard 2021 Cardinals offering — in 11 games after a midseason trade — helped Kingsbury’s team to the playoffs. Ertz suffered an ACL tear in 2022 and went down with a quad injury midway through last season. For now, he looks like Washington’s clear-cut top receiving tight end.

The Commanders added two defensive pieces off a 2-15 team, but both Luvu and Chinn enjoyed productive stretches in Carolina. The Panthers’ defense was not the trainwreck its offense proved to be last year, either. Luvu put together back-to-back seasons of at least 5.5 sacks and 110 tackles, performing as a Demario Davis-like presence (albeit for a largely overlooked defense) over the past two years. Washington had cap space to throw around, and while it did not splurge for top-market free agents, Luvu ranked 29th on PFR’s 2024 list. The off-ball LB will make for an interesting Wagner complement, as both have enjoyed success as blitzers in recent years.

The 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up who played multiple spots with Carolina, Chinn did not fit in Ejiro Evero‘s scheme. The former second-round pick will aim to create a better market this season. The Quinn followers, ex-Panthers and holdovers will attempt to revive a defense that ranked 32nd in scoring and yardage.

Re-signings:

Jeremy Reaves, S. Two years, $6MM ($2.63MM guaranteed)
Cornelius Lucas, LT. One year, $2.8MM ($2.21MM guaranteed)
Jamison Crowder, WR. One year, $1.26MM

Going into Year 11, Lucas has become a regular in Washington. He has filled in extensively at both tackle spots since joining the team in 2020. The journeyman played left tackle at points in 2020 and 2023 and worked at a RT regular in 2021 and ’22, combining for 31 starts in that span. Lucas, 33, represents middling insurance in the event third-rounder Brandon Coleman is not ready for the LT gig.

Notable losses:

Bastions of Jack Del Rio‘s secondaries, Curl and Fuller were in place when the bottom fell out last season. The Commanders plummeted to last place defensively, firing their fourth-year DC in-season. This year brought a light free agent CB market — after removing the two tagged players (L’Jarius Sneed, Jaylon Johnson) from the ranks — but Fuller did not fare as well as expected. The two-time Washington CB signed a two-year, $15MM Dolphins deal. As the safety market went through a macro reevaluation, Curl only fetched a two-year, $9MM Rams pact.

Traded to the Chiefs in the 2018 Alex Smith deal, Fuller re-signed on a four-year, $40MM deal to return in 2020. Washington used Fuller as both an outside and slot corner, and he helped cover for the team’s William Jackson FA miss. Fuller was charged with giving up a whopping nine touchdown passes as the closest defender last season. Despite going into only his age-25 season, Curl — after working his way up from seventh-round pick to reliable starter — needed to settle for a Rams deal that came in south of even the midlevel market that had formed.

Curl will attempt to rebuild his stock in Los Angeles, while Fuller’s days of commanding eight-figure-per-year pacts are probably over. The Commanders still roster outside starter Benjamin St-Juste, with Emmanuel Forbes set to have another chance on the perimeter after a shaky rookie season. Chinn is set to replace Curl.

Samuel did much better in free agency, despite not eclipsing 700 receiving yards in a Washington season. The Bills gave the former $10MM-per-year Commander a three-year, $24MM deal, showing the value in short-term second contracts. Samuel, 28, was Washington’s second-leading receiver in 2023. After devoting considerable money and a first-round pick to Terry McLaurin‘s supporting cast, the Commanders are starting over here.

The team also moved much of its 2023 draft class off the roster. After a 26-snap season, third-round center Ricky Stromberg did not make the cut under Quinn. Only Forbes and second-rounder Quan Martin remain on the 53-man roster from the Commanders’ 2023 draft class, representing quick hooks from the new regime.

Draft:

Round 1, No. 2: Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU) (signed)
Round 2, No. 36: Johnny Newton (DT, Illinois) (signed)
Round 2, No. 50 (from Saints through Eagles): Mike Sainristil (CB, Michigan) (signed)
Round 2, No. 53 (from Eagles): Ben Sinnott (TE, Kansas State) (signed)
Round 3, No. 67: Brandon Coleman (OL, TCU) (signed)
Round 3, No. 100 (from 49ers): Luke McCaffrey (WR, Rice) (signed)
Round 5, No. 139: Jordan Magee (LB, Temple) (signed)
Round 5, No. 161 (from Buccaneers through Eagles): Dominique Hampton (S, Washington) (signed)
Round 7, No. 222: Javontae Jean-Baptiste (EDGE, Notre Dame) (signed)

Caleb Williams rumors effectively ceased in April, and while the Commanders made their much-discussed group visit, their preference emerged not too long after the Bears’ became clear. Washington met with Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr., and buzz circulated about Daniels’ camp not being too happy with the group arrangement. But the 2023 Heisman winner received the most access during that trip, being the only QB prospect to sit at length with Josh Harris. Both Peters and Kingsbury were high on Daniels, and teams seemed to know it would take plenty to convince the Commanders to move off No. 2 overall. Maye generated multiple trade offers at No. 3, but only one proposal — most likely from the Daniels-obsessed Raiders — came in for the Commanders’ pick.

Dan Snyder interference once being common during Washington drafts, Peters kept his inner circle small ahead of the first post-Snyder selection event. Even though the Bears viewed a wide gap between Williams and this class’ other QBs, some coaches had rated Daniels above the USC product. After the 2023 season began with Maye closely behind Williams, Daniels changed the hierarchy. By December of Daniels’ Heisman season, the tide was already shifting. Daniels dropped a 3,812-yard passing season (11.7 per attempt) while adding 1,134 on the ground, accounting for 50 touchdowns. Like Penix and Bo Nix, Daniels used a transfer to transform his draft stock. His first-round contract reflects the success.

Quinn and his staff paid lip service to a competition between Daniels and Mariota, but no true battle waged. Daniels will follow Robert Griffin III in taking the reins as a dual-threat No. 2 overall pick in Washington. The Commanders have not seen their first-round efforts succeed here, with RG3, Haskins and Jason Campbell failing to pan out as starters this century. But Daniels is the Peters-Quinn regime’s centerpiece player; he will be given some time to develop — as fantasy GMs join Commanders fans in eagerly awaiting the early returns.

Washington’s new staff was busy on Day 2, making five picks thanks to the Sweat and Young trades and the Eagles climbing up to No. 40 for Cooper DeJean. The Commanders collected the Eagles’ No. 53 overall pick in exchange for moving down 10 spots, leading to the five-man output. A host of starter-caliber talents join the free agency brigade, with Newton — a first-round talent who fell due to injury — chief among them.

A first-team All-American last season, Newton has since undergone two surgeries on his right foot. Newton racked up 13 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss from 2022-23. While the Commanders are starting over at defensive end, they are loaded on the interior. Newton may be a long-term replacement for Jonathan Allen alongside Daron Payne, but for now the franchise’s DT stalwarts — as the new staff is uninterested in an Allen trade — remain together.

Sainristil is ticketed to handle slot duty from the start. Two Commanders regimes have now targeted CBs with monster final college seasons. After Forbes’ pick-six rampage at Mississippi State, Sainristil snagged six INTs, took two back for scores and accumulated 232 return yards for the national champion Wolverines last season.

Coleman is in line for a bigger role than all three second-rounders, facing minimal competition en route to the left tackle gig. Some expected Coleman to slide to guard, where be played part-time at TCU, but the Commanders parked him at LT early. He will take over for cap casualty Charles Leno, the team’s three-year LT who remains in free agency. Lucas represents decent insurance, but the team does not have a good answer — during a season in which QB protection will be rather key — if Coleman is not ready.

The Commanders’ attempt to move back into Round 1 following the Daniels pick centered on Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan, whom the Packers chose 25th overall. Instead, the team will see if the No. 67 pick can handle the gig early. Coleman missed the team’s preseason slate as well, further clouding this situation.

Ertz is a bridge tight end, with Sinnott (1,123 receiving yards from 2022-23) the heir apparent. Just as the Commanders will soon see what they have in Sinnott, McCaffrey suddenly does not have many notable obstacles toward regular work. The latest of the McCaffrey clan to enter the NFL, Luke caught 13 TD passes in 2023. The door is wide open for him to claim a role alongside Terry McLaurin, which perhaps also reflects the lack of options within this receiving corps.

Trades:

Dealt WR Jahan Dotson, 2025 fifth-round pick to Eagles for higher of Philly’s 2025 third-rounders, lower two of ’25 sevenths
Obtained Nos. 78, 152 from Seahawks for QB Sam Howell, Nos. 102, 179
Acquired K Cade York from Browns for conditional seventh-round pick
Sent DT John Ridgeway to Saints in exchange for conditional 2025 seventh-round pick

While the Dotson deal did not exactly register on the level of 2010’s Donovan McNabb swap, Washington and Philadelphia are not typically trade partners. With no clear No. 2 wide receiver rostered, the Commanders dealing a first-rounder with two years of rookie-deal control within the division reflects their view of Dotson’s trajectory. During a month that featured Washington’s rebooted staff bail on several of the previous power brokers’ investments, this was probably the most notable subtraction.

Dotson clashed with Eric Bieniemy but topped 500 receiving yards in each of his two seasons. Last year saw the Penn State product’s YPC plummet to 10.6, with ESPN’s open score metric slotting him 132nd (out of 152 qualified pass catchers). Needing a WR3 for a bit now, the Eagles took a flier in a deal that reminded of their Kenny Pickett trade construction. The Commanders added Noah Brown, who has proven resurgent, but mostly backup-level veterans join McLaurin and McCaffrey in this WR cadre.

The Seahawks beat out three teams to acquire Howell, who had been the centerpiece of Washington’s 2023 offseason. Though the 2022 fifth-rounder had moments, he took the most sacks by a non-David Carr QB in a season this century (65) and also paced the NFL with 21 INTs — albeit on a league-high 612 attempts. Mariota is a less inspiring backup option, at this stage of his career at least, but the Commanders predictably replaced their 2023 starter upon landing the No. 2 overall pick. Howell is the only Geno Smith backup on Seattle’s 53-man roster.

A sexual assault allegation led McManus off Washington’s roster. While a judge tossed the two anonymous flight attendants’ civil suit this week, the plaintiffs are expected to refile. The Commanders ended up paying the former Jaguars and Broncos kicker his $1.5MM signing bonus, after giving him a one-year, $3.6MM deal. After an emergency Ramiz Ahmed signing and subsequent Riley Patterson waiver claim, the Commanders entered cutdown day in search of another outside hire. Enter York, the fourth kicker to land on Washington’s roster since 2023 option Joey Slye‘s contract expired.

The Browns have moved on from York in each of the past two summers. The 2022 fourth-round pick missed eight field goals as a rookie and did not see any game action last season. York’s pro resume, his 58-yard game-winner in his NFL debut notwithstanding, does not impress. The Commanders may not be done kicker shopping, but they will give the LSU alum a shot to open the season.

Extensions and restructures:

Reached four-year extension agreement ($45MM guaranteed) with G Sam Cosmi

The Peters-Quinn regime’s resources have gone to free agents and draftees this offseason; Cosmi became a late exception. The 2021 second-round pick benefited from 2023 guard switch, scoring a deal (worth up to $76MM) that places him among the league’s top-10 highest-paid guards. Cosmi’s guarantees match fellow 2021 Day 2 pick Quinn Meinerz for the sixth-most at the position. Meinerz has started at guard for most his Broncos tenure; Cosmi managed to score this deal — from a new regime, no less — with one season of guard work.

PFF ranked Cosmi fourth among guards last season, representing a Teven Jenkins-like ascent after kicking inside. Rather than move the fourth-year veteran back outside and starting anew, Quinn’s staff will keep Cosmi at right guard and ex-Bieniemy Chiefs cog Andrew Wylie at RT.

Rivera and Co. did not end up extending perennial Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff, leading to two franchise tags and an eventual free agency departure. But the newly assembled front office will devote considerable funds to one of Rivera’s investments. Mayhew remaining on staff may well have helped Cosmi’s cause.

Other:

Declined LB Jamin Davis‘ $14.48MM fifth-year option
Did not make serious effort to acquire 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

Teams have viewed the off-ball linebacker fifth-year option as unreasonable over the past two offseasons. None of 2020’s first-round ILBs, including Patrick Queen, saw their options exercised in 2023. Micah Parsons is now being classified as a defensive end, leaving Davis as the 2021 draft’s only first-round inside ‘backer. Quinn has since demoted the 36-game starter, who is set to play behind Wagner and Luvu.

Davis has made strides since a rough rookie year, but virtually no chance existed he could warrant this guarantee. Given his ties to the Rivera-Jack Del Rio setup, the Kentucky alum (six sacks from 2022-23) is likely auditioning for a 2025 free agency bid.

Aiyuk would have accepted a trade to Washington, as the team drafted his 2019 QB (at Arizona State). The 49ers’ long-running negotiations with Aiyuk featured a Steelers trade agreement, but the Commanders — who have McLaurin on a similar deal (three years, $69.6MM) to San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel pact — did not show extensive interest. Ahead of a season that looks to feature another McLaurin-dependent receiving crew, it should be expected a WR2 will be a high priority in 2025.

Top 10 cap charges for 2024:

Terry McLaurin, WR: $24.1MM
Daron Payne, DT: $21.61MM
Jonathan Allen, DT: $21.44MM
Andrew Wylie, RT: $9.42MM
Jayden Daniels, QB: $6.86MM
Bobby Wagner, LB: $6.5MM
Marcus Mariota, QB: $6MM
Dorance Armstrong, DE: $5.14MM
Jamin Davis, LB: $4.39MM
Tyler Biadasz, C: $4.39MM

Daniels’ development represents the runaway lead storyline in the Peters-Quinn partnership’s first year. Quinn will naturally be tied to the coaches the franchise also pursued this offseason, but this is probably his last chance as a head coach. Projected to hold the NFL’s most 2025 cap space, Washington has the opportunity afforded to teams with rookie-scale contracts. With Daniels tied to rookie terms through 2026, this season will probably feature the team’s least talented roster in that span.

The Commanders may not push for 2024 playoff contention, and they have not built a steady contender since Joe Gibbs‘ first stint (which ended more than 30 years ago). With the Snyder mess in the rearview mirror, however, the franchise’s latest reconstruction project will present fewer obstacles.

Patriots Bracing For Full-Season Christian Barmore Absence

September 5th, 2024 at 9:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Christian Barmore has been out of the mix for the Patriots since late July, when it became known the ascending defensive tackle had been dealing with blood clots. Barmore is now on New England’s reserve/non-football illness list, and it does not sound like the team is expecting him back anytime soon.

The Patriots are bracing for Barmore to miss the entire 2024 season, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Viewing the recently extended defensive tackle as a building-block player, the Pats intend to be cautious here. They will not rush Barmore back. Given the Patriots’ big-picture situation and one example from the recent past, it might surprise if Barmore played again before the 2025 season.

New England’s spree of extensions and re-signings notwithstanding, this is not viewed as a contending roster. In addition to campaigning in a difficult division placed in what still looks like the tougher of the two conferences, the Patriots are not yet turning to Drake Maye at quarterback. Jacoby Brissett is starting the season, giving off a placeholder vibe while the team grapples with a shaky offensive line. Barmore not playing in 2024 also stands to strengthen the Patriots’ chances of securing a pick near the top of the 2025 draft.

A Patriots squad with much loftier ambitions dealt with a similar situation as well. David Andrews missed the entire 2019 season due to blood clots. The veteran center needed to be hospitalized because of the issue in late August of 2019. Andrews missed the Pats’ most recent Super Bowl title-defense season and was not cleared to resume his career until early May 2020. No two cases are alike, of course, but the organization — as its Tom Brady heyday wound down — saw a key starter miss a full season after receiving a similar diagnosis to the one Barmore heard this summer.

Prior to this concerning issue surfacing, Barmore proved himself to be an impact inside pass rusher. With Matt Judon down for most of last season, Barmore led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks. This came on only six starts. The former second-round pick then signed a four-year, $84MM extension — a move that impacted the futures of Judon and Davon Godchaux this offseason — that ties him to the Pats through 2028.

Beyond Godchaux, however, the Patriots are light sans Barmore at D-tackle. Jeremiah Pharms, Daniel Ekuale and Eric Johnson round out New England’s DT depth chart. Pharms is a 2023 UDFA who played 90 defensive snaps as a rookie; a fifth-round Colts draftee in 2022 whom the Pats claimed on waivers, Johnson has no career starts. The most experienced non-Godchaux option as a five-year veteran, Ekuale made his last start in 2020.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/24

September 5th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Signed: DL Tyler Manoa

Carolina Panthers

Signed: RB Dillon Johnson

New York Giants

Signed: LB Carter Coughlin

Coughlin also appeared in today’s Minor NFL Transactions installment, but as a vested veteran, he does not need to clear waivers in order to join a team’s practice squad. Coughlin, who has been a core Giants special-teamer since 2020, re-signed with the team in March.

Broncos, Saints Discussed Tim Patrick Trade

September 5th, 2024 at 7:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tim Patrick regularly saw time with Broncos starters during training camp and the preseason, but it now looks like the team was attempting to showcase the recovered wide receiver for trades. After the Broncos tried to trade Patrick, they ended up releasing him.

This led the veteran wide receiver to the Lions’ practice squad. Patrick is expected to move up to Detroit’s 53-man roster soon, and a role as an auxiliary wide receiver — for a team that saw previous Amon-Ra St. Brown complementary target Josh Reynolds sign with the Broncos — appears on tap. But Patrick was nearly traded to a team that features more questions at receiver.

Patrick said Thursday (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) the Broncos informed him of talks with the Saints before cutdown day. A Saints-to-Broncos pipeline has certainly formed since Sean Payton‘s Denver arrival, but this would have sent a player the other way. Patrick, 30, does have a tie in New Orleans; new Saints OC Klint Kubiak was in Denver for multiple stints during Patrick’s career. Kubiak served as an offensive assistant from 2016-18, overlapping with Patrick’s Denver P-squad time and 2018 move onto the active roster, and returned as QBs coach in 2022.

The Saints have an established top two of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed; questions exist beyond this duo, however. New Orleans considered Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and ended up with recent Dolphins WR3 Cedrick Wilson Jr. on their roster. The team drafted A.T. Perry in the 2023 sixth round, as part of a trade that sent tight end Adam Trautman to Denver, and used a fifth-round pick on Bub Means this year.

Although Payton has touted the Broncos’ newfound receiving depth, the team is attempting to elevate Marvin Mims to a regular role post-Jerry Jeudy and may need to rely on Reynolds alongside Courtland Sutton as well. The Broncos drafted two Day 3 wideouts (fourth-rounder Troy Franklin, seventh-rounder Devaughn Vele), only keeping five on their 53-man roster. Denver memorably turned down a third-round offer for Sutton (from the 49ers, in what would have effectively been a three-team trade that sent Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers), despite trading Jeudy to the Browns for fifth- and sixth-round picks in March.

With the team since the final days of its Demaryius Thomas–Emmanuel Sanders duo, Patrick excelled as an auxiliary receiver for the Broncos from 2020-21. Denver gave the former UDFA a three-year, $30MM extension but saw him suffer ACL (2022) and Achilles (2023) tears during training camp. Patrick has made it back, playing in Denver’s first two preseason games and catching a touchdown pass from Bo Nix against the Packers.

The Lions will attempt to get him up to speed, as a role alongside St. Brown and Jameson Williams could await despite Detroit not needing to part with any trade compensation.

Browns Waive WR David Bell

September 5th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have used third-round picks on wide receivers three times under GM Andrew Berry. Two of those are now off the roster.

Chosen in the 2022 third round, David Bell made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster. But the team informed the Purdue product Thursday he would be waived. While the Browns could bring Bell back via a practice squad agreement, the former No. 99 overall pick would need to clear waivers first.

Bell arrived in Cleveland in between the Anthony Schwartz (2020) and Cedric Tillman (2023) third-round investments. The Browns moved on from Schwartz last September. Tillman remains on Cleveland’s 53-man roster, which houses five receivers presently. Behind starters Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, Tillman and rookie fifth-rounder Jamari Thrash remain. The Browns already have four receivers (Michael Woods, James Proche, Lideatrick Griffin and Jaelon Darden) on their practice squad.

One of Aidan O’Connell‘s targets at Purdue, Bell has been unable to make a big impact with the Browns. He scored three touchdowns last season but ended the year with 14 receptions for 167 yards in 15 games. A two-time 1,000-yard receiver with the Boilermakers, Bell accumulated 214 receiving yards as a rookie.

Cleveland’s receiver room now consists of three trade acquisitions and two homegrown draftees. The Bell cut also comes less than a year after the team traded Donovan Peoples-Jones, a 2020 sixth-round pick, in his contract year. Teams have until Friday afternoon to submit claims for Bell, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/24

September 5th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 2024 season kicks off, here are the day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Removed from IR via injury settlement: DB Josh Thompson

Baltimore Ravens

Signed from practice squad: LB Josh Ross
Elevated: CB Ka’dar Hollman, RB John Kelly
Placed on IR: RB Rasheen Ali
Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Isaiah Washington

Carolina Panthers

Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Cam Gill

Chicago Bears

Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Dante Pettis

Las Vegas Raiders

Removed from IR via injury settlement: DL Ron Stone Jr.

Miami Dolphins

Removed from IR via injury settlement: OL Ryan Hayes

New York Giants

Released: LB Carter Coughlin

Philadelphia Eagles

Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Joseph Ngata

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: DL Ben Stille
Placed on IR: DL Earnest Brown
Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Shaun Peterson, DL Lwal Uguak

Tennessee Titans

Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB JoJo Domann

Washington Commanders

Removed from IR via injury settlement: DT Taylor Stallworth

The Ravens drafted Ali in this year’s fifth round. He entered the week joining Derrick Henry and Justice Hill as running backs on Baltimore’s 53-man roster. Kelly has since replaced him as Baltimore’s RB3. He will now join Keaton Mitchell as being on an injured list; the latter remains on the Ravens’ reserve/PUP list, sidelining him for at least four games. This designation shelves Ali for that period as well. The Ravens could use one of their injury activations to bring Ali back to the roster at that point.

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