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Joe Flacco Aiming To Play Two More Seasons

January 5th, 2024 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Flacco will have a chance to start in a playoff game for the first time since a Ravens-Patriots divisional-round matchup nine years ago. This improbable development already had the 38-year-old quarterback planning to suit up in 2024; this stunning re-emergence also looks to be pointing the QB toward an age-40 season.

Considering Flacco was out of football from the time his most recent Jets contract expired in March until a Browns search — in the wake of Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury — led to a free agency addition, it is borderline shocking the former Ravens mainstay will be suiting up at all in a playoff game. But he now has designs on playing through the 2025 season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes.

It should be considered a bit early to guarantee Flacco — a backup from 2020-22 after suffering injuries in 2018 and ’19 — can be a viable option through an age-40 season. Several passers have reached that point throughout NFL history. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Vinny Testaverde operated as regular starters past 40 this century, while Josh McCown, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Brad Johnson, Doug Flutie and Warren Moon played into their 40s since 2000. Aaron Rodgers turned 40 last month but saw his comeback from Achilles surgery fall short; the Jets QB is signed through 2024 and joins Flacco in aiming to play through 2025.

Going on a 4-1 march with Flacco as their starter, the Browns are interested in having Flacco back for his age-39 season. With Watson coming back, that would be an interesting dynamic. While Flacco has impressed as a fill-in starter, teams have viewed him as a backup since a neck injury ended his Broncos season in 2019. Flacco signed to back up Sam Darnold in 2020 and agreed to be the Eagles’ QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in 2021, being traded back to the Jets to play behind Zach Wilson.

No one was especially interested in Flacco this year, but he has probably changed that conversation for 2024. Injuries to starters across the league could result in clubs placing a higher priority on backups come March, and Flacco will join the likes of Darnold, Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota among possible bridge or QB2 options who could fare decently in free agency. Breer estimates Flacco could command around $10MM per year, particularly if a team authorizes a two-year contract. He played for $1.5MM in 2020 and $3.5MM in each of the past two years.

If Flacco’s price creeps toward the eight-figure-AAV range, it is conceivable the Browns would pass due to the Watson commitment. Flacco did decline offers to join other teams’ 53-man rosters while on Cleveland’s practice squad, prioritizing fit at this stage of his career. It will be interesting to see how the 16th-year veteran’s market looks come March; his postseason start will help determine what kind of offers come in for a player essentially discarded last year.

Browns Add G Rodger Saffold

January 3rd, 2024 at 9:12am CST by Sam Robinson

Rodger Saffold spent two months on the Jets’ practice squad but never made his way into a game uniform in his 14th NFL season. The Jets released Saffold from their P-squad Tuesday, opening the door for another opportunity.

The Browns will add the veteran guard, announcing Wednesday he is now part of their 16-man taxi squad. Saffold, 35, is a Cleveland-area native who has started 173 career games. He will now represent depth for the playoff-bound Browns.

Prior to this season, Saffold was viewed as a surefire starter. The Bills used him as such throughout last season. Saffold spent nine years with the Rams and the next three with the Titans, coming to Tennessee on a big-ticket free agency pact following Super Bowl LIII. Tennessee released Saffold last year, leading him to Buffalo.

Injuries have ransacked the Browns up front this season, though they somehow have not deterred Joe Flacco during his surprising renaissance in his age-38 slate. The Browns are without tackle starters Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin, with replacement first-stringer Dawand Jones out for the season as well. Cleveland has been healthier at guard, seeing Pro Bowlers Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller miss just one game combined. But the team now has Saffold in place as a veteran insurance piece.

A second-team All-Pro during Sean McVay‘s first season with the Rams (2017), Saffold received two Pro Bowl invites as an alternate over the past two seasons. In 2021, he helped D’Onta Foreman effectively replace an injured Derrick Henry as the Titans booked the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That came three years after Saffold started in Super Bowl LIII for the Rams. The Titans gave him a four-year, $44MM deal in 2019.

Saffold joins Flacco as well-paid veterans who accepted a Browns P-squad deal. It remains to be seen if the veteran blocker will also follow the quarterback onto Cleveland’s active roster.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/24

January 2nd, 2024 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: S Jeremy Lucien

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: TE E.J. Jenkins
  • Placed on practice squad injured list: TE Cole Fotheringham

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn
  • Released: LS Alex Matheson

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts Jan. 8. P-squad contracts expire seven days after the regular season concludes, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reminds teams are not limited regarding the number of times they can elevate a player from a taxi squad during the playoffs. In the regular season, players are capped at three gameday elevations.

The Panthers are expected to sign Boone to a futures deal next week, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. After three years with the Vikings and two with the Broncos, Boone played in nine games with the Texans this season. As for Wright, this marks a reunion. While Wright’s first Panthers stay did not last long (Aug. 26-30), Carolina may need him due to Eddy Pineiro‘s hamstring injury.

Amid the Jets’ wave of O-line injuries, they signed Saffold. While the former Rams, Titans and Bills starter was with the Jets for several weeks, he did not see any game action in his 14th NFL season.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

January 1st, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

It took the Bears until Week 18 for the No. 1 draft slot to become a reality; the Panthers did not make them wait that long this year. Carolina’s struggles will give Chicago the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year. How the Bears will proceed with that pick will become one of the NFL’s defining 2024 storylines.

The Cardinals’ unexpected conquest in Philadelphia knocked them down two slots in the 2024 draft order. As a result, the Commanders — who resided in the fourth position before the Patriots’ Christmas Eve upset ended the Russell Wilson era in Denver — hold the No. 2 pick going into the regular season’s final Sunday.

The Commanders benched Sam Howell in back-to-back weeks and were set to, prior to a midweek Jacoby Brissett setback, shelve him for Week 17 as well. The Ron Rivera era is in its final days, with front office changes likely as well. A Commanders-Caleb Williams connection has emerged, which would make Washington quite interested in what Chicago does at No. 1 overall — or key another round of Bears talks about dropping from 1 to 2, which took place with the Texans this offseason. With the Bears likely considering another Justin Fields season and the Cardinals having Kyler Murray tied to a $46.1MM-per-year contract, the Commanders are suddenly a team to watch regarding a QB investment.

Bill Belichick is also perched as a key 2024 domino, but with the legendary HC not eager to leave New England, one of the most important decisions in franchise history awaits Robert Kraft. Belichick or his replacement could hold a top-three pick in 2024, though another Pats win — they have the Jets in Week 18 — would complicate an effort to land a top-tier QB prospect.

Entering Week 18, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Washington Commanders: 4-12
  3. New England Patriots: 4-12
  4. Arizona Cardinals: 4-12
  5. New York Giants: 5-11
  6. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-11
  7. Tennessee Titans: 5-11
  8. New York Jets: 6-10
  9. Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
  10. Chicago Bears: 7-9
  11. Las Vegas Raiders: 7-9
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
  13. New Orleans Saints: 8-8
  14. Denver Broncos: 8-8
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 8-8
  16. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8
  17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
  19. Green Bay Packers: 8-8
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8
  21. Indianapolis Colts: 9-7
  22. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-7
  23. Los Angeles Rams: 9-7
  24. Buffalo Bills: 10-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6
  26. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5
  27. Detroit Lions: 11-5
  28. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  29. Miami Dolphins: 11-5
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 12-4
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 13-3

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/23

December 29th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Badgley has officially been tabbed as the leg to depend on for the remainder of the season as well as for the Lions’ first playoff run since 2016. Detroit waived Riley Patterson two weeks ago, allowing Badgley to stake his claim on the job once again.

The Cabinda departure is a little surprising, considering the Lions just utilized one of their injured reserve activations on the former linebacker yesterday. Because of that investment, it would make sense to see Cabinda return to Detroit on a practice squad deal here in the next few days.

Browns To Sign Jeff Driskel Off Cardinals’ Practice Squad

December 29th, 2023 at 1:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Joe Flacco‘s stunning resurgence has lifted the Browns to a playoff berth, injuries have still defined the team’s season at quarterback. Flacco’s backup, and Deshaun Watson‘s top reserve to start the season, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is on IR.

The Browns had brought P.J. Walker back to their 53-man roster, but they now have some additional insurance. The team signed Jeff Driskel off the Cardinals’ practice squad Friday, GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer tweets. Driskel will join Flacco and Walker on Cleveland’s active roster.

[RELATED: Browns Have Discussed Re-Signing Joe Flacco]

Because the Browns are poaching Driskel off another team’s P-squad, he must remain on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. Driskel represents the latest Browns-Cardinals QB move, with the teams exchanging Josh Dobbs in August. Driskel moving from Drew Petzing‘s system to Kevin Stefanski‘s will make for a smooth transition, seeing as Petzing was the Browns’ QBs coach previously.

This will be team No. 7 for Driskel, who had been with the 49ers, Lions, Bengals, Broncos and Texans before joining the Cardinals in April. During a busy period for the Browns at quarterback, the 30-year-old passer joins a team that has two signal-callers on IR, a starter who was out of football until November and a backup who had been demoted to the practice squad.

A 2016 49ers sixth-round pick, Driskel has not thrown a pass this season. The Cards reshuffled their QB room by drafting Clayton Tune and trading for Dobbs four months later. Dobbs became Arizona’s starter, late arrival notwithstanding, and Tune his backup as Kyler Murray finished off his ACL rehab. Although the Cardinals moved on from Colt McCoy and David Blough, Driskel remained as a P-squad arm.

Driskel is just a 59.2% career passer, at 6.1 yards per attempt, and has a 1-9 record as a starter. Most of those starts came for struggling Bengals and Lions teams (2018-19), with Driskel filling in for Andy Dalton and then Matthew Stafford. He started one game for the Texans last season. It is unclear if the Browns will want Driskel as their backup, but Walker has completed just 48.6% of his passes (6.1 Y/A), regressing from his Panthers form.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/23

December 28th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed off 49ers practice squad: OT Ilm Manning

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Germain Ifedi‘s underwhelming stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran offensive lineman joined the Bills this past offseason and was expected to provide some experienced depth. Instead, Ifedi was inactive for every game this season, and the Bills have decided his roster spot could be put to better use. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg believes this move will likely open a spot for defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Browning, Steelers

December 27th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

In between the Browns going public with Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury and the team signing Joe Flacco, GM Andrew Berry gave his top two front office lieutenants an assignment. Berry asked assistant GMs Glenn Cook and Catherine Raiche to independently rank the veteran QB options, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, while doing the same himself. Although this process produced different second- and third-place finishers, Flacco ranked first across the board. Kevin Stefanski reaching out to ex-Vikings coworker Gary Kubiak on Flacco also helped the veteran’s cause, Breer adds. Flacco’s OC with the Ravens in 2014, Kubiak spoke highly of the former Super Bowl MVP. One of Flacco’s best seasons came under Kubiak in 2014, helping the latter become the Broncos’ HC.

After years as a backup, Flacco has taken the reins in Cleveland and has the team on the cusp of its second playoff berth over the past 20 years. Out of football until November, Flacco is now interested in playing next season. The Browns are interested in Flacco staying in Cleveland to do so.

Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • Jake Browning took a step back in a Bengals Week 16 loss, but coming into that Steelers matchup, Joe Burrow‘s backup had been highly effective. The fifth-year veteran, who had never taken a regular-season snap until this year, still carries a 72% completion rate and an 8.5-yard average per attempt. Browning, 27, moved up from third-stringer to backup this year, with the Bengals letting Brandon Allen walk in free agency, and Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes he is interested in seeing what is out there for him in free agency. A 2024 free agent, Browning would at least generate appeal as an intriguing QB2. Teams have been burned by signing backups to be starters in recent years — as the additions of Brock Osweiler (Texans) and Nick Foles (Jaguars) have most famously shown — but this is a rather valuable position. Browning finishing the season strong will only up his price for 2024.
  • Patrick Peterson made his first start at safety in Week 16, intercepting Browning. Replacing Minkah Fitzpatrick in a depleted Steelers secondary, Peterson views the move as something that could extend his career. Aiming to play through at least the 2025 season (which would be his 15th year), the All-Decade cornerback said the move could be a prelude for his future. “I feel like this is a great move for me at this stage of my career,” Peterson said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter. “We have good corners who can be a cornerstone for this team. This could be my second career.” The Steelers had some safety work in mind when they signed Peterson to a two-year, $14MM deal. It will be interesting to see how Peterson, 33, is used moving forward. Steelers have Keanu Neal on IR and Damontae Kazee suspended for the regular season’s remainder.
  • Browns linebacker Anthony Walker underwent arthroscopic knee surgery recently, per ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. The veteran defender missed Week 16 and is week-to-week. Walker suffered a torn quad tendon last year, ending his season after three games, but re-signed with the Browns and has started 12 games this season. Pro Football Focus ranks the ex-Colts draftee 32nd among off-ball ‘backers this season. Walker is not on IR, but he joins a growing number of unavailable Browns defenders. Ogbo Okoronkwo, Grant Delpit and Rodney McLeod are out of the mix as well. Delpit is on IR but could return in the playoffs, while Okoronkwo remains on the active roster despite a torn pec.

Browns Attempted To Acquire Calvin Ridley In 2022

December 26th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

It took some moving parts for Amari Cooper to end up in Cleveland. In addition to the Cowboys determining his contract would no longer fit on their payroll, Cooper’s Browns arrival also looks to have been contingent on trade talks with the Falcons falling through.

Before the Browns turned their attention to Cooper in March 2022, they were one of the teams in on Calvin Ridley, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. A Ridley-Eagles “what if?” also represents one of the wide receiver dominoes from a significant offseason in the position’s history; the Browns now loom here as well.

The Eagles nearly acquired Ridley before his suspension surfaced, but the Browns engaged with the Falcons on a deal as well. The team expected Chris Godwin and Mike Williams to be franchise-tagged, Breer adds. Only Godwin was, but Williams re-signed with the Chargers on a deal that matched Cooper’s 2020 terms (three years, $60MM) just before the 2022 free agency period. This took pieces off the table for the Browns, who were moving into position to trade for Deshaun Watson.

With Ridley off the board due to the suspension, the Browns landed Cooper at a much lower cost compared to what it took the Cowboys to pry him from the Raiders in 2018. The Cowboys, who sent the Raiders a first-round pick for Cooper in 2018, traded him to the Browns for a fifth-rounder and a swap of sixths. Other teams waited to see if the Cowboys would cut Cooper, per Breer, but his contract no longer looks particularly onerous. Jerry Jones said last year Cooper became unrealistic to retain, and the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb on their extension radar. But the Browns have reaped considerable benefits from what amount to a flier on Cooper last year.

Upon breaking Josh Gordon‘s Browns single-game receiving record (with 265 yards), Cooper soared past his single-season career high Sunday. The ninth-year veteran is now at 1,250, which tops his previous career best of 1,160 — set with the 2022 Browns. Cooper, 29, now has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his career. For a team that has started four quarterbacks, the former top-five pick has been vital to it staying afloat in the playoff race.

The Browns did well to acquire Cooper before the receiver market exploded last year. His five-year, $100MM contract runs through 2024, and it began to look better after the run of receiver extensions that shaped the ’22 offseason. Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill raised the market’s ceiling, which still sits at $30MM per year, and the Eagles started the run on extensions for the 2019 class by giving A.J. Brown $25MM per year and a position-record $56.5MM fully guaranteed. After the likes of Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf signed, Cooper’s $20MM AAV dropped into a tie for 11th at the position. Cleveland has Cooper on a $23.8MM cap number in 2024. An extension, which would drop that figure, is likely on the AFC North team’s radar.

While the Browns and Eagles made their receiver moves during Ridley’s suspension, more clubs entered the Ridley mix before last year’s trade deadline. A few offers came the Falcons’ way, but after the team worked with the suspended wideout, he made his way to the Jaguars in a two-pick trade in which the compensation is not yet final.

The Jags sent a 2023 fifth-rounder and a conditional 2024 pick to the Falcons. That pick has already become a fourth, by virtue of Ridley making Jacksonville’s 53-man roster this year; it would rise to a second if the contract-year pass catcher signs an extension with the Jags. Ridley, 29, has produced an up-and-down season for the Jags, accumulating 871 yards. With Christian Kirk signed through 2025, it will be interesting to see if Jacksonville will be willing to part with a second-round pick by extending Ridley.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 26th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers, Cardinals and Commanders continued their losing ways in Week 16, the Patriots’ effort in Denver shook up the top of the 2024 draft. New England has dropped from second to fourth in the ’24 order.

In a strange spot in which Broncos fans and and undoubtedly many Pats supporters wanted the Russell Wilson-driven comeback to succeed, Chad Ryland‘s 56-yard game-winning field goal dropped New England out of the No. 2 spot, injecting doubt about the team’s ability to nab a top-flight QB prospect without trading up next year.

The Bears (via the Panthers) remain atop the table, holding a one-game lead on the Cardinals. Carolina closes its season with two games against eight-win teams — the Jaguars and Buccaneers. Arizona will face Philadelphia and Seattle, and with Carolina’s strength of schedule at .522 and Arizona’s at .561, the draft-order tiebreaker reaffirms the Bears’ placement on the doorstep of entering a second straight offseason holding a No. 1 overall pick. The Justin Fields matter remains an important big-picture NFL topic, but GM Ryan Poles is close to having his pick of the 2024 QB prospects.

It is not clear if the Commanders will be interested in a quarterback in the first round, but they will have a new regime running the show. The last time Washington held a top-three pick (2020), it passed on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert due to having drafted Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 first round. With Sam Howell struggling as of late, Josh Harris‘ next set of decision-makers may want to bring in their own prospect. The Cardinals could stand in the Commanders’ way, via another trade in the top three, but suddenly Washington could be a player for a 2024 first-round QB.

Ahead of Week 17, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Arizona Cardinals: 3-12
  3. Washington Commanders: 4-11
  4. New England Patriots: 4-11
  5. New York Giants: 5-10
  6. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-10
  7. Tennessee Titans: 5-10
  8. Chicago Bears: 6-9
  9. New York Jets: 6-9
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 7-8
  11. New Orleans Saints: 7-8
  12. Green Bay Packers: 7-8
  13. Las Vegas Raiders: 7-8
  14. Denver Broncos: 7-8
  15. Minnesota Vikings: 7-8
  16. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-7
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-7
  20. Indianapolis Colts: 8-7
  21. Seattle Seahawks: 8-7
  22. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-7
  23. Los Angeles Rams: 8-7
  24. Buffalo Bills: 9-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-6
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 10-5
  27. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  28. Detroit Lions: 11-4
  29. Miami Dolphins: 11-4
  30. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-4
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 11-4
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 12-3
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