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Seahawks Sign RB Ricky Person Jr.

June 24th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks added to their backfield today. The team announced that they’ve signed running back Ricky Person Jr. to a contract.

After collecting more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four seasons at North Carolina State, Person Jr. caught on with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2022. After spending most of his rookie season on the practice squad, the running back joined the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL.

Person played sparingly as a backup in 2023, but he saw a larger role this past season. The running back finished the campaign with six touchdowns, and he notably collected 102 rushing yards in his team’s championship win.

In Seattle, Person will be competing for a bottom-of-the-depth-chart spot behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. The newest addition will be going against the likes of 2023 seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh and undrafted rookies George Holani and Kobe Lewis.

The team also announced that they’ve waived a trio of undrafted rookies. The grouping includes cornerback Ro Torrence, defensive end Rason Williams, and running back TaMerik Williams.

Jets Release CB Tae Hayes

June 24th, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Ely Allen

JUNE 24: Hayes’ Jets tenure has come to an end. The team announced on Monday he has been released.

JUNE 23: Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019, cornerback Tae Hayes has been a journeyman as a depth piece in the NFL. The challenge of staying on NFL rosters will get a bit more difficult for Hayes after he was reportedly arrested this morning for marijuana possession, per Charean Williams of NBC Sports.

Coming undrafted out of Appalachian State, Hayes signed first with the Jaguars. He has since spent time with the Dolphins, Vikings, Cardinals, Panthers, Birmingham Stallions (USFL), Panthers again, Patriots, Lions, Ravens, and Jets. After his first two stops, Hayes has failed to stay in a single place for more than five months. In fact, his stints in Detroit and Baltimore each lasted less than a month, with both stints spanning from August 4 to September 12 last year.

Anywhere Hayes has gone, he’s functioned as a depth piece for the defense, either appearing in minimal snaps and special teams or playing as an emergency option. In his career, he’s appeared in games for six of the above teams, tallying 14 game appearances, 18 total tackles, two passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.

The arrest occurred in Hayes’ home state of Alabama just before four o’clock in the morning. He was released a little over an hour later after posting a $300 bond. The Jets released a statement saying that they are aware of the incident, but they are refraining from comment since it’s a pending legal matter.

Chiefs To Release DT Isaiah Buggs

June 24th, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Adam La Rose

Amidst a number of legal issues, Isaiah Buggs‘ time with the Chiefs is set to come to an end. The veteran defensive lineman has been informed by Kansas City he will be released, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Buggs was the subject of two arrest warrants on misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, and he turned himself in earlier this month. The 27-year-old was later arrested for alleged domestic violence and burglary, adding to his off-field troubles. A $5K bond was initially posted in the latter case, but Pelissero notes it has since been revoked. As a result, Buggs is currently in prison as his legal situations play out.

Kansas City signed the former sixth-rounder rounder to a futures contract in February, giving him an opportunity to carve out a roster spot during training camp. That pact – worth the veteran’s minimum – contained only $250K in guaranteed salary along with a $100K signing bonus, though, making it feasible from the team’s perspective to move on. The decision to release Buggs will result in $350K in dead money and $803K in cap savings.

Buggs spent his first three NFL seasons with the Steelers, making 29 appearances and seven starts. He spent the past two years in Detroit, logging a heavier workload than he had during his time in Pittsburgh. The Alabama product racked up 58 tackles and a pair of sacks in 27 games as a Lion. Detroit waived him in January once Alim McNeill returned to full health.

The Chiefs have Chris Jones in place as the focal point of their defensive front. That group is filled out by low-cost contributors, including the likes of Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel and Tershawn Wharton. Kansas City entered Monday with roughly $15.6MM in cap space, a figure which will jump slightly once the Buggs release become official. The team will therefore have the financial wiggle room to make a summer addition along the D-line if one is deemed necessary. Buggs’ NFL future, meanwhile, is in doubt.

Steelers Sign WR Jacob Copeland, Claim DT

June 21st, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Ely Allen

It may not be the veteran contributor that Steelers fans would prefer to see, but the team added some depth today at the wide receiver position, signing Jacob Copeland, according to Steelers.com writer Teresa Varley. Aaron Williams of KPRC 2 adds that the team was also awarded defensive tackle Willington Previlon off of waivers after he was waived from Atlanta.

Copeland went undrafted a year ago after a five-year playing career at Florida and Maryland. Copeland originally signed with the Gators as a consensus top-100 recruit in the nation. He spent his first three years in Gainesville buried on the depth chart under names like Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts but proved to be an effective deep threat, averaging 18.9 yards per reception in his redshirt sophomore season with 435 yards and three touchdowns on only 23 receptions.

With Toney and Pitts (and quarterback Kyle Trask) gone in 2021, Copeland finally got to lead the room, tying for the team-lead in receptions (41) and receiving touchdowns (4) while leading the school with 642 receiving yards. Copeland made the decision to transfer for his redshirt senior season, opting to join the Terrapins in College Park. At Maryland, Copeland failed to make the same impact on the offense, finishing fourth on the team with 376 receiving yards to go along with 26 catches and two touchdowns, though he did lead the team with 14.5 yards per reception.

After signing initially with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, Copeland has spent short stints of time with the Vikings, Steelers, and Chiefs. He’ll now return for a second try with Pittsburgh.

Previlon has been floating around the NFL a little longer than Copeland after going undrafted in 2020. The former Rutgers big man was disruptive for the Scarlet Knights, totaling three sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in his final two collegiate seasons. He’s bounced around since then, spending time with the Packers, Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Falcons before getting claimed by Pittsburgh.

Dolphins To Sign DL Calais Campbell

June 21st, 2024 at 9:46am CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 21: Campbell’s Miami return will see him receive the veteran’s minimum ($1.21MM) for a base salary, per Over the Cap. The pact includes a $790K signing bonus, resulting in a cap charge of $2MM. If Campbell can remain healthy in 2024, he should be able to provide cost-effective play against the run and pass for the Dolphins.

JUNE 13: The Dolphins are not stopping at Shaquil Barrett as a front-seven addition. They are adding one of this era’s most accomplished defensive linemen. Calais Campbell is coming back to South Florida.

After a season in Atlanta, Campbell intends to sign with the Dolphins, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Campbell is a Denver native but played collegiately at Miami back in the 2000s. This will be the consistent D-lineman’s 17th NFL season. The agreement will also reunite Campbell and new Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, who coached the stalwart interior defender with the Ravens.

Plenty of time has passed since Campbell’s previous Miami stay; he was college teammates with Frank Gore, Devin Hester and Antrel Rolle. Campbell joined the Hurricanes 20 years ago, redshirting during the 2004 season. The 37-year-old defender did return to Florida for his memorable Jaguars stay; this will complete a journey back to where he starred in college. Campbell will join a Dolphins team that lost top interior pass rusher Christian Wilkins this offseason.

Although Campbell will turn 38 in September, he is still performing at a high level. The former Cardinals draftee totaled 6.5 sacks last season, pacing the Falcons, and produced his most quarterback hits (17) since the 2019 season. His 10 tackles for loss also doubled as the most he had notched since 2019. Campbell also notched a third career safety during a productive Atlanta stay, but after the Falcons changed coaching staffs, the productive veteran will rejoin his former position coach in Miami.

New Falcons HC Raheem Morris said in April he looked forward to a Campbell meeting, keeping the door open to a return. Atlanta, which has Grady Jarrett on the road back from an ACL tear, used three draft choices to bolster its D-line this year. While the Falcons took heat for drafting Michael Penix Jr. in Round 1 and punting on its glaring need for a pass rusher, the team did circle back to help its front on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.

Standing 6-foot-8, Campbell has been one of this era’s premier inside rushers. He will enter the 2024 season with 105.5 career sacks. Among players currently on NFL rosters, only Von Miller (123.5) and Cameron Jordan (117.5) have that beat. Campbell, who is also one of the great kick blockers in NFL history, entered the NFL three years before those edge-rushing standouts. He will continue to serve as the longest-tenured defender in football.

Campbell made all six of his Pro Bowls from 2014-20, serving as a key part of the Cardinals’ successful mid-2010s defenses before anchoring the Jaguars’ “Sacksonville” efforts later in the decade. Campbell’s free agency accord with Jacksonville in 2017 played a central role in the team making a stunning run to the AFC championship game. He totaled a career-high 14.5 sacks that season and followed that up with 10.5 in 2018. As the Jags’ nucleus splintered, Campbell wound up in Baltimore via trade. He spent three seasons with the Ravens, making a Pro Bowl in 2020 and totaling 5.5 sacks in 2022.

The Dolphins lost both Wilkins and Raekwon Davis off their defensive line in free agency. While the team extended Zach Sieler last year, Wilkins broke through as a pass rusher in his contract year and signed a monster Raiders deal in free agency. The Dolphins had not ruled out retaining Wilkins, but their cap situation made that virtually impossible.

Campbell has a better record as a pass rusher, though his age obviously brings down his price tag. The historically experienced pass rusher joins Jonathan Harris, Da’Shawn Hand and Teair Tart as Miami offseason D-line additions. Campbell played for $7MM last season; it should be expected his Dolphins contract will not check in too much higher than the deals given to the other UFA D-linemen Miami added this year.

Patriots, RB Rhamondre Stevenson Agree To Extension

June 20th, 2024 at 10:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, the Patriots and Rhamondre Stevenson have worked out a deal. The fourth-year running back has agreed to a four-year, $36MM extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

The pact includes $17MM fully guaranteed, Schefter notes. With Stevenson having been set to play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, this agreement will keep him in place through 2028. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds the 26-year-old will collect an $8MM signing bonus.

Stevenson’s deal also includes $12MM in incentives, per Rapoport. Reaching 1,400 yards and earning Pro Bowl or All-Pro acclaim will add to the former fourth-rounder’s earnings on his New England extension, which can max out at $48MM. Stevenson has operated as the team’s lead back for the past two seasons, and he will now face increased expectations moving forward with a $9MM AAV. That figure ranks seventh in the league amongst running backs.

Last week, Stevenson publicly stated he felt an agreement on a long-term deal was close. That was followed in short order by a report that progress was being made, so today’s news comes as little surprise. The Patriots regime which drafted him – one which did not make a habit of investing in running backs – is no longer in place. New head coach Jerod Mayo spoke highly of a potential deal, though, and his tenure at the helm will no doubt feature plenty of usage for Stevenson in the backfield.

The Oklahoma product has a career yards per carry average of 4.5, although that figure checked in at 4.0 during his injury-shortened 2023 campaign. Ezekiel Elliott handled RB1 duties to close out the season in Stevenson’s absence, but he has since re-joined the Cowboys. To fill the veteran vacancy at the position, New England signed Antonio Gibson in free agency. The latter has shown an ability as a pass-catcher in particular, but early down responsibilities will no doubt lie with Stevenson for years to come.

While the 2024 offseason has seen a changing of the guard along the sidelines and in the front office for the Patriots, new general manager Eliot Wolf has made a number of moves aimed at keeping in-house players on the books. Deals for the likes of safety Kyle Dugger, right tackle Michael Onwenu and tight end Hunter Henry prevented what would have been notable free agent departures. Instead of testing the market in 2025, Stevenson will likewise be tied to New England for the foreseeable future.

The Patriots’ offense will feature a number of new faces in 2024, headlined by first-round rookie Drake Maye presumably taking on starting quarterback duties at some point. The team’s array of pass-catchers features veteran signing K.J. Osborn and a pair of rookies (second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk, fifth-rounder Javon Baker), but the ground game will no doubt remain a key element of the team’s attack. That will leave Stevenson as a focal point for the Patriots’ offense in 2024 and beyond as he seeks to justify this lucrative investment.

49ers Sign First-Round WR Ricky Pearsall, Wrap Up Draft Class Signings

June 20th, 2024 at 8:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers wrapped up their rookie draft class contracts today, inking their first-round pick, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. With their rookie contracts done, San Francisco’s front office can shift their focus toward the other priorities of the offseason.

Pearsall benefitted from a busy first round that featured an unprecedented run of offensive prospects to start the night. Despite being projected by some outlets as a second- or third-round pick, Pearsall found himself getting selected at the back of the first round as the sixth wide receiver off the board and one of seven on Day 1.

Pearsall, an Arizona-native, originally opted to attend college at nearby, in-state Arizona State, seeing minimal time in his first two years with the Sun Devils. In his third year with the team, Pearsall became a full-time starter, leading the team in all three receiving categories with 48 receptions, 580 receiving yards, and four touchdowns off of the arm of this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Jayden Daniels.

Like Daniels, Pearsall hit the transfer portal after 2021 and headed to the SEC, joining the Gators in Gainesville. In his first year with the team, Pearsall led Florida with 661 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. With a new quarterback in 2023, Pearsall continued to lead the Gators in receiving production with 65 catches for 965 yards. His college offenses also took advantage of his speed on the ground. Over his five years, he added 21 rushes for 253 yards and five rushing touchdowns to his ledger.

In San Francisco, Pearsall comes in as the prototypical style of wide receiver that the 49ers love. Along with the advantage of having already shared a wide receivers room with Brandon Aiyuk in Tempe, Pearsall was utilized in Gainesville in a very similar fashion to the team’s other top wideout, Deebo Samuel. Pearsall’s abilities made him usable all over the field, much in the same way Samuel is currently utilized in San Francisco. While Pearsall may not be ready to step into that role right away, his presence makes a potential Samuel-departure in the future much easier to stomach.

With Pearsall’s contract taken care of, only eight rookie draft picks remain unsigned: Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., Cincinnati’s Amarius Mims, New York’s Malachi Corley, and Arizona’s Trey Benson.

Here’s a breakdown of the entire 2024 rookie class for the 49ers:

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/20/24

June 20th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Thursday’s minor NFL transactions:

Denver Broncos

  • Waived: LB Alec Mock

Jacksonville Jaguars

Today’s minor moves are the side effects of recent signings by both teams. The Broncos needed to make room after signing recent UFL champion linebacker Dondrea Tillman. Mock, one of this year’s class of undrafted free agents, finds himself off the roster as a result. The Air Force-product will still have the option to sign with another squad this summer.

McGowan’s release comes as a result of today’s signing of Denzel Mims. The WR corps in Jacksonville will have quite a different look, besides Christian Kirk and a few other faces, but it’s quickly gotten crowded with the addition of Mims, pushing out McGowan, who signed just six days ago.

Packers Claim K James Turner

June 20th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Perhaps the Packers will indeed go into training camp with three kickers. After the team waived Jack Podlesny to bring its kicker count to two post-minicamp, another specialist is now on the roster.

Green Bay submitted a successful waiver claim for James Turner on Thursday, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. The Lions waived Turner to make room for UFL addition Jake Bates. Turner will join Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph on the Packers’ 90-man offseason roster.

While Podlesny was given a reserve/futures deal in January, Turner entered the league as a UDFA months later. He spent the past four years as a primary kicker, first at Louisville before a final season at Michigan. Turner’s transfer allowed him to kick for the national championship-winning Wolverines last season.

Turner served as Louisville’s primary kicker from 2020-22 before using his COVID-19 year of eligibility at the Big Ten program. Turner made 90.9% of his field goal tries during his final season at the ACC school (20-for-22); he connected on 85.7% of his tries (18-for-21) with the Big Ten program. While Turner struggled with the Cardinals in 2021, his past two years served as a rebound of sorts. Turner showed enough to secure an offseason commitment from the Lions, but the UFL’s Michigan team ended up affecting the NFL club’s kicker setup.

The Packers used a sixth-round pick on Carlson last year, and he replaced 16-year kicker Mason Crosby. Counting the playoffs, Carlson missed six extra points last season and misfired on four field goals in the regular season’s second half — before missing a 41-yarder in a three-point divisional-round loss to the 49ers. The Packers added Joseph in late March.

A recent rumor about the Packers considering a three-kicker training camp competition lost some steam with the Podlesny move, but Green Bay will use Detroit’s recent UFL addition to keep that reality in play.

Browns DE Lonnie Phelps Arrested For DUI

June 20th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

3:08pm: The Browns have cut ties with the recently arrested defender. The team announced Thursday afternoon it waived Phelps.

1:19pm: Lonnie Phelps was arrested Wednesday night after he crashed his SUV into a Key West restaurant, as detailed by 7News Miami. The second-year Browns defensive end now faces charges for DUI and damaging property.

Phelps’ vehicle crashed into the Red Shoe Island Bistro just before 9:00pm on June 19 with the passenger side “embedded in the wall,” per the police report. The Hyundai SUV also sustained damage in the front, and airbags on both sides deployed. Phelps and his girlfriend were present at the time of the crash.

The parties were seen arguing upon exiting the vehicle, and the report indicates Phelps showed signs of intoxication. He refused a breathalyzer test and was uncooperative with officers before ultimately being booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. Damages from the crash have been estimated at $300K.

Phelps joined the Browns last spring as an undrafted free agent. He spent his first three college seasons at Miami (Ohio), collecting 16 sacks in 38 games. Transferring to Kansas in 2022 paved the way for him to have a strong final campaign at the college level with seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. Phelps did not see any game time as a rookie, but he remained in Cleveland by signing a futures contract in January.

The Browns’ edge group contains the likes of Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Alex Wright. That quartet consists of returning players, and they will be expected to shoulder the load once again during the 2024 campaign. Phelps will again look to carve out a roster spot during training camp this summer if Cleveland elects to keep him in the fold. If the team were to let him go, he would be subject to waivers.

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