HEADLINES

Steelers Sign Zach Frazier, Complete Rookie Signings

June 10th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers have completed their draft pick signings. The team announced that they’ve signed second-round center Zach Frazier to his four-year rookie contract.

The West Virginia product got into 47 games during his collegiate career, including a 2023 campaign where he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after not allowing a single sack. That performance helped put him firmly on the NFL map, and he was ultimately the second center off the board (behind Graham Barton) when he was selected at No. 51.

“They’re getting a hard worker who is going to give everything he has to the organization to win football games,” Frazier said in a team statement. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

The Steelers moved on from Mason Cole this offseason, opening a starting spot for Frazier. Considering the rookie’s versatility (he played both center and guard in college), the Steelers could shift Frazier around if necessary. The Steelers will also feature another rookie starting OL in first-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu.

Today’s move completes the Steelers’ draft pick signings. The team’s entire draft class includes:

WR Pharoh Cooper Announces Retirement

June 10th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pharoh Cooper did not play in 2023, and he will not pursue a comeback this summer. The veteran receiver/return specialist announced his retirement on Monday.

Cooper entered the league with the Rams in 2016, and he showed promise in the return game as a rookie. His follow-up campaign proved to be the best of his career on special teams, as he racked up 1,421 all-purpose yards while averaging 27.4 kick return yards. The former fourth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl nod along with first-team All-Pro honors that season.

The South Carolina product’s run with the Rams came to an end following an ankle injury in 2018. That marked the beginning of a span in which he bounced around the NFL while trying to remain a standout returner and carve out a role on offense. In the latter regard, his best season came in 2019 (243 yards, one touchdown on 25 catches) while splitting his time between the Cardinals and Bengals.

Cooper went on to spend the 2020 season in Carolina before joining the Giants the following season. His last game action came in 2022 when he returned to Arizona; in all three stops he saw sparse offensive usage while serving as the his team’s returner. For his career, Cooper racked up over 3,900 return yards and averaged 9.2 yards on punt returns and 23.6 yards on kick returns.

“Farewell football, I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” his retirement announcement reads in part. “I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received from my family, friends, and fans through out my career. Much love.” 

Cooper will hang up his cleats at the age of 29. A veteran of 76 combined regular and postseason games, he amassed roughly $4.77MM in career earnings. After a full season away from the game in 2023, he will turn his attention to his post-playing days.

Ja’Marr Chase Attending Bengals’ Minicamp

June 10th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ja’Marr Chase is among the wideouts eligible for a new deal who elected to remain absent from his team’s OTAs. The Bengals Pro Bowler is in attendance for Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp, however.

The likes of CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) have set themselves up for fines by choosing to skip out on minicamp, but Chase has elected to take the opposite route. The latter, to little surprise, chose to wait for Justin Jefferson to sign his Vikings extension before taking part in serious Bengals negotiations. With his former LSU teammate having reset the market, Chase can now proceed on that front.

Cincinnati has a pair of key decisions to make at the receiver position, of course, with Tee Higgins on track to play under the franchise tag. He has not taken part in extension talks for over a year, though, leading to serious questions about his long-term Bengals future. Regardless of if Higgins is retained beyond 2024, Chase will no doubt be a central figure in the team’s long-term plans. The 24-year-old is on the books through 2025 via the fifth-year option.

The Jefferson accord (carrying an historic AAV of $35MM) includes higher guarantees than Chase’s camp expected. It should help the bargaining power of all ascending wideouts around the league, and Chase is among those with the production to warrant a similar deal to Jefferson’s. Cincinnati has enjoyed the Chase-Higgins duo for the past three years, but a major investment to coincide with the one made in Joe Burrow will be needed to keep it intact.

The Bengals are not known for making long-term investments featuring guaranteed money deep into the pact, but that should be required to hammer out a Chase deal. Talks can take place now that he is back with the team, although it would be surprising if an agreement was reached any earlier than training camp next month.

Jets To Host WR Jakeem Grant

June 10th, 2024 at 12:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jakeem Grant has spent time with a few different teams this offseason, but he has been unable to land a deal so far. The veteran receiver/return specialist will now join the Jets this week in his latest bid to find a roster spot.

Grant will take part in New York’s upcoming minicamp on a tryout, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old has been busy this spring in his bid to make an NFL return. Grant took part in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp, later doing the same with the Saints. He has not played a game since 2021.

The former sixth-rounder earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, his final full campaign in Miami. That was followed up by a season split between the Dolphins and Bears, during which Grant again got a second-team All-Pro nod in addition to a Pro Bowl invitation. For his career, he has six total return touchdowns to his name along with an average of 24.5 yards per kick return.

Grant has also chipped in offensively at times, topping out at 373 yard in 2020. Expectations were high for him when he inked a three-year Browns deal, but injuries have led to a prolonged absence. The Texas Tech product suffered an Achilles tear in August 2022, followed by a ruptured patella tendon one year later. Considering the missed time, it comes as no surprise he remains a free agent deep into the offseason.

The Jets used undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson as their kick and punt returner last year. The 23-year-old racked up 319 yards and a touchdown on punt returns, adding an average of 23.2 yards on kick returns. That performance could allow him to retain his special teams role moving forward, but an impressive showing from Grant over the coming days could lead to competition being brought in.

Lions To Sign LB Ben Niemann

June 10th, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ben Niemann has found a new team for at least the near future. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a deal with the Lions, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reports.

Niemann enjoyed a four-year run with the Chiefs to begin his career, logging 12 starts during that time. A Super Bowl winner in 2019, he played a rotational role on defense while proving to be a strong special teams presence. His third phase skillset has allowed him to remain in the league with stops in Arizona and Denver over the past two years.

The former UDFA had a career year with the Cardinals in 2022. Niemann started nine games that season, collecting a personal best 70 tackles along the way. He signed with the Titans last April but ultimately wound up on the wrong end of roster cutdowns at the end of training camp. That resulted in a Broncos stint featuring time on the practice squad and active roster.

Niemann made seven appearances in Denver last season, but he did not see any defensive playing time. His special teams snap share (69%) was a career high, though, and the Lions will no doubt envision a similar usage setup for him this year. The 29-year-old will be in place to compete for a roster spot over the course of training camp and the preseason this summer.

Detroit’s linebacking corps is largely intact compared to 2023, something which should limit Niemann’s path to a notable defensive role. Anthony Pittman departed in free agency, however, creating a vacancy in the special teams department for the Lions. Niemann will aim to fill that void on his latest new team.

Latest On 49ers LT Trent Williams, TE George Kittle

June 10th, 2024 at 11:16am CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the 49ers’ offseason has revolved around the financial futures of wideouts Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Both appear to be on track to remain in San Francisco for 2024, but other members of the team’s offensive core could soon have their respective contract statuses become talking points.

During a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on the presence of “whispers around some in the industry” that left tackle Trent Williams could seek out a new deal (h/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report). The future Hall of Famer is on the books for three more seasons, but no guaranteed salary remains on his pact.

Williams inked a six-year, $138MM deal in 2021 allowing him to remain in the Bay Area for (presumably) the remainder of his career. The extent to which he will keep playing has become a talking point in recent years, with retirement being a consideration following the 2023 campaign. The 35-year-old has since named playing to age 40 as a goal, and he confirmed he will suit up for the coming season.

Recent developments in the market has seen Williams drop to fourth in the league in terms of annual average value amongst offensive tackles. He is due $20.9MM in 2024, followed by $23.35MM the following season and $33.06MM in 2026. It will be interesting to see if continued strong play from the 11-time Pro Bowler (who has earned first-team All-Pro acclaim each of the past three years) leads to an arrangement featuring new money up front or an acceleration of his future compensation.

Fowler also relayed a similar sentiment concerning tight end George Kittle. Two years remain on his pact (the third-highest at the position in terms of AAV), but he too does not have any outstanding salary which is guaranteed. Fowler notes the core muscle surgery which Kittle underwent this offseason has taken attention away from a potential contract issue toward his recovery process. On the latter note, the 30-year-old recently noted (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic) he is rehabbing as expected and is on schedule to take part in training camp.

San Francisco has new deals for Aiyuk and/or Samuel, along with a mega-extension for quarterback Brock Purdy as early as next offseason to plan for. For the time being, the futures of Williams and Kittle should not be considered an issue, but the report of potential discontent in the future could prove to be significant as the team attempts to keep as many members of its nucleus in place as possible.

WR Robbie Chosen To Visit Seahawks

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

Robbie Chosen will attempt to find a new home ahead of the NFL’s summer break. The veteran receiver has a minicamp tryout lined up with the Seahawks, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Chosen – who has undergone multiple name changes in recent years from Robby Anderson to Robbie Anderson to Chosen Anderson – has likewise bounced around the league. Following a four-year run with the Jets, he had a career year in Carolina in 2020 (95 catches, 1,096 yards). Things took a turn for the worse after that point, though, and he was traded to the Cardinals midway through the 2022 season.

The 31-year-old made minimal impact in Arizona across 10 games there. It thus came as little surprise when he was released last March. Chosen went on to sign with the Dolphins, although he was among the team’s final roster cuts. In spite of that, he was immediately retained via the practice squad and wound up making nine appearances. Chosen made just four catches in Miami, leading to his extended free agent stay.

He will look to end it this week with a strong showing in Seattle. The Seahawks are certainly set atop the depth chart with veterans D.K Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in place alongside 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The team also has Dee Eskridge on the final year of his rookie contract along with recent addition Laviska Shenault. Those two will be competing for depth spots alongside 2023 UDFA Jake Bobo.

Chosen will aim to use minicamp – which runs from Tuesday to Thursday – to earn a spot on the Seahawks’ offseason roster and as such the chance to compete for playing time in training camp. Seattle currently has a full roster and just $1.41MM in cap space at the moment, so only a low-cost offers would be feasible. Given the way Chosen’s career has gone recently, though, such a deal would no doubt be sufficient to add him.

CB Steven Nelson Announces Retirement

June 9th, 2024 at 9:53pm CST by Ely Allen

We see our second NFL player from the 2015 draft class announce his retirement today. After seeing Giants tight end Darren Waller announce his retirement at 31 years old earlier today, now Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Texans cornerback Steven Nelson has also made the decision to hang up his cleats.

Originally a third-round pick out of Oregon State, Nelson played out his rookie contract with the Chiefs, becoming a full-time starter in his sophomore campaign across from Marcus Peters. While he didn’t record an interception that year, Nelson recorded a career-high 16 passes defensed. He landed on injured reserve in 2017, missing seven games due to what would be the only major injury of his playing career. In the final year of his rookie deal, Nelson put on a huge performance, intercepting four passes and breaking up 15.

Those contract year efforts landed Nelson a three-year, $25MM contract in Pittsburgh, where he would start across from Joe Haden on the Steelers defense. Nelson played decently in Pittsburgh, racking up three interceptions and 17 passes defensed in two years, but ultimately requested permission to seek a trade. When the Steelers couldn’t find an appropriate trade partner to take Nelson, the two parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract. He landed in Philadelphia on a one-year deal, starting across from Darius Slay. After putting up similar numbers (one interception, seven passes defensed), Nelson once again hit free agency.

Nelson ended up signing in Houston, where he’s spent the past two seasons. While his first season with the Texans didn’t see any sort of special production (one interception, seven passes defensed), Nelson saw the return of his early disruptive success in 2023. While starting across from Derek Stingley and leading the team in defensive snaps played in his age-30 season, Nelson tallied 4 interceptions and 12 passes defensed, trailing Stingley in each of those categories by only one. Nelson then came up huge in the team’s first playoff victory since 2019, intercepting Joe Flacco and following it up with an 82-yard return for a touchdown during Super Wild Card Weekend.

After one of the best seasons of his career and at the age of 31 years old, Nelson made it clear that he wanted to leave the game of football on his own terms. “Retirement: after thinking it over and having some talks with my family, I think it’s time for me to take a step back and spend more time with my family,” Nelson explained in a telephone interview.

“I’m extremely proud of what I was able to do in the game of football,” Nelson continued. “Coming from a small town without a lot of resources, having to go to junior college, making it out of there to go to Oregon State, which was across the country from my family, going through a lot of trials and tribulations to get to where I am today, and to be able to persevere and make it this far. I’m extremely proud of my legacy and my career. I think I’ll be remembered, mostly by my teammates…as a leader and somebody that not only tries to lead by words but through my actions. Being a true pro and doing everything the right way.”

Before his announcement, the Texans hoped to retain Nelson’s services in 2024. Additionally, the Raiders, Giants, Rams, Commanders, and Dolphins all reached out with prospective contract offers after his deal with Houston expired.

Instead, Nelson made the decision to step away from the game for the benefit of his family, who is expecting a newborn in the coming month. According to Wilson, Nelson refused to entirely shut the door on a possible return to the sport, but for right now, Nelson is intent on retiring from the NFL to be with his family.

Giants TE Darren Waller To Retire

June 9th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Throughout much of the offseason, the future of Darren Waller has been in question. The veteran tight end has been expected to retire for some time, though, and to little surprise that is the direction he has elected to move in.

Waller has informed the Giants he will hang up his cleats, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old made it clear he would make a final decision no later than the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp. With the final aspect of New York’s offseason program set to take place over the coming days, the team can now move forward knowing Waller will not be in the fold.

The former Pro Bowler faced major expectations upon his arrival with the Giants, which came about last offseason via trade. He was attached to a three-year, $51MM pact, but much of that will now come off the books given this decision. Waller’s retirement will create roughly $11.6MM in cap space while incurring a dead money charge of just over $2.4MM in 2024 and ’25. Given the nature of the free agent market at this time of year, of course, the team will be hard-pressed to find a starting-caliber replacement.

Plenty of snaps will be available to 2022 fourth-rounder Daniel Bellinger once again. He served as New York’s starter as a rookie, but his role diminished last season with Waller in place. The Giants added Theo Johnson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he will aim to carve out at least a rotational place in the team’s offensive plans. Veterans Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are also in the picture at the tight end spot.

Waller began his career as a sixth-round pick in 2015. His Ravens tenure consisted of sparse usage and a one-year suspension in 2017 for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. After joining the Raiders, however, he saw a major uptick in production. During the 2019 campaign, the Georgia Tech product posted 1,145 yards. He followed that up with a 107-1,196-9 statline one year later, cementing his status as one of the top pass-catching options at the position around the league. Hamstring injuries became a problem over the past three years, however.

Over time, the missed action increasingly became an issue for the Raiders, and Waller’s injuries were a key factor in the decision to find a trade partner. The Giants paid only a compensatory third-round pick to acquire him last March, but Waller’s tenure in the Big Apple will go down as a notable disappointment. Injury consideration was a central component of his decision-making process with respect to attempting at least one more year in the league, something which would have seen him receive as much as $12MM.

Instead, Waller will call it a career after eight seasons and nine years in the NFL. With over $42MM in career earnings, he will now turn his attention to his post-playing endeavors. The Giants, meanwhile, will prepare for training camp with added financial flexibility but a vacancy on the TE depth chart.

Eagles Announce Numerous Updates To Front Office

June 9th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles announced a host of changes to their front office staff this week. While the litany of moves was mostly comprised of promotions and title changes, three new hires were announced, as well.

In the front office, Bryce Johnston continues to rise through the ranks as he heads into his ninth season with the team. After seeing a promotion to vice president of football transactions and strategic planning last year, Johnston now sees a promotion to senior vice president/tertiary football executive. Jeff Scott also earned a promotion with his title changing from director of football operations to vice president of football operations going into his fourth season with the team. Katie David, going on 17 seasons in the Eagles’ football operations department, has gone from football operations director to chief of staff to the general manager.

Dom DiSandro has added a new title to his position. Serving as senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer in 2023, the Eagles will add the moniker of gameday coaching operations to his job. DiSandro was involved in a sideline incident with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw that resulted in the ejection of both parties and the banning of DiSandro from the sidelines for the subsequent game. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer posits that the new title may be a preliminary measure to prevent similar discipline should any future sideline incidents occur.

Adam Berry, twin brother of Browns general manager Andrew Berry, is also receiving a promotion. After coming to the NFL after a career at Goldman Sachs last year, Berry goes from vice president of football operations to vice president of football operations and strategy. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Connor Barwin continues to work his way up the executive ladder, as well. Named the team’s player development director in 2022, Barwin will now serve as head of football development and strategy. Also a former player who retired after signing a reserve/futures deal with the team, Matt Leo earned a promotion from defensive/football operations assistant to player development assistant.

The football operations new hire is Isabel Pantle, who joins the team as a quantitative analyst. Pantle previously served as a player personnel analyst intern for the Ravens in 2022.

In the player personnel department, Charles Walls and Alan Wolking have both been named vice presidents of player personnel. Walls was hired as the Eagles’ director of player personnel in 2022 after two years as a national scout for the Browns. In the same year, Wolking had been promoted to director of player personnel, as well. Wolking is entering his 14th season with the team. Filling the vacated role of director of player personnel will be Phil Bhaya, who previously served as director of college scouting. Bhaya will have Jeremy Gray, as well, after Gray’s promotion from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant director of player personnel. Terrence Braxton joins the group as player personnel coordinator after a promotion from football operations coordinator.

On the scouting front, Brandon Hunt was promoted from director of scouting to senior director of scouting as he enters his 20th year of scouting experience. Ameena Soliman, who added the director of personnel operations title to her pro scouting duties in 2022, will now serve as director of football operations while continuing to work as a pro scout. Also, former mid-Atlantic area scout Cam Bradfield has been assigned a different area for this season. In 2024, Bradfield will cover the southwest area.

The other two new hires mentioned above were in the scouting department, as well. Laurel McHale has been hired on as a full-time scouting assistant after working last year as a player personnel and scouting associate intern. Lastly, Duke Tobin Jr., son of the Bengals’ director of player personnel for the last 25 years, was also hired as a scouting assistant. He first connected with the team as a training camp scouting intern before working a seasonal job as a player personnel associate.

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