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Latest On 49ers’ RG Position Battle

June 1st, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the 49ers saw an unexpected battle emerge at right guard. After watching Spencer Burford start for much of the season, versatile veteran interior lineman Jon Feliciano emerged as a better starting option near the end of the season and ended up grading out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-best guard in the NFL (subscription required). The team has prepped for another position battle between the two this offseason, throwing third-round rookie Dominick Puni into the mix, as well.

Feliciano should be the favorite for the job. Although run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster doesn’t see Feliciano as the most-talented option, his experience and consistency have been proven to get the job done for San Francisco. After earning the starting job late in the year last season, Feliciano started all three postseason games for the 49ers, as well. Only an injury saw the reemergence of Burford in the starting lineup, and it eventually resulted in Burford allowing a critical pressure to end the team’s hopes of winning the Super Bowl.

Still, Burford is going to be given every opportunity to win the job back. According to Cam Inman of The Mercury News, Foerster sees Burford as the most talented of the group. “We’re just looking for that consistency,” Foerster told the media. “Maybe it comes from Spencer this year. Obviously, he’s the most talented of the players. I think he’s as talented or more than Puni. Puni will push that from that. And Jon’s just a guy that is a veteran, good player that knows how to get it done.”

The 2022 fourth-round pick out of UTSA had been a starter in each of his first two seasons until getting benched for Feliciano. Even after losing his job as the starter, Foerster continued to find ways to get Burford on the field. If Burford can find that consistency that Foerster craves, he could find himself back in the starting lineup in 2024.

As Foerster mentions, though, Puni will push both players in terms of talent and consistency. Bookending a single season at left guard with four years at tackle while at Kansas, Puni may not have the ability to start at tackle in the NFL, but many view him as a starter on the interior at the next level. Unfortunately, Puni played all but seven games on the left side of the line in college, so he’s currently being slotted as the backup to left guard Aaron Banks. If he continues to show starting ability and consistency and can make the transition to the right side of the line, he could push both Feliciano and Burford for the starting right guard position.

Foerster and the 49ers have plenty of options. Feliciano showed last year that he has the stuff to get the job done as a starter and has lots of motivation to keep the job in what could be his final NFL season. If he does lose the starting position, though, his versatile experience across the interior of the offensive line should help him stay active as the effective sixth-man on the offensive line, a role he held for much of last season. If he does lose the starting role, it will be because one of the two options that Foerster sees as more talented have demonstrated enough consistency to be confidently slotted in as a starter.

AFC South Rumors: Lawrence, Pierce, Skowronek

June 1st, 2024 at 5:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Many are under the impression that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence could be the next NFL passer to sign a big extension. Jacksonville is on board with that opinion as talks with Lawrence continue to progress. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco believes that, when a Lawrence extension does occur, it will look a lot like that of recently extended Lions quarterback Jared Goff in many regards.

This prediction comes from talks with NFL front office executives from outside of Jacksonville, who expect Lawrence’s average annual salary to just outpace Goff’s figure of $53MM per year. They also expect the deal to resemble the structure of Goff’s deal, which spans four years and included a $73MM signing bonus, spreading that amount over five years. Like most long-term contracts, the deal also guarantees two lower-paid salaries at the start of the deal while incentivizing future talks as salaries skyrocket in Year 3 of the contract.

Essentially, this executive is under the impression that, as of right now, Lawrence has done enough to help push the ever-growing value of quarterback contracts but has not done enough to eclipse Bengals passer Joe Burrow‘s league-high AAV of $55MM per year.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC South:

  • Texans running back Dameon Pierce put up an impressive rookie season as a fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2022 but saw an unprecedented drop off during a sophomore slump last season. After nearly breaking the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his first season, Pierce watched his starting job get stolen by veteran free agent Devin Singletary midway through his second season. Now, in Year 3, Pierce will have to compete with another veteran free agent addition in Joe Mixon, who is widely expected to start for Houston in 2024. Head coach DeMeco Ryans claims that, despite Pierce’s nearly cemented status as RB2, we can expect to see a fairly healthy dose of the third-year rusher as part of a one-two punch with Mixon next season, per Michael Shapiro of Chron.
  • Lastly, the Texans recently traded for Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek, making yet another trade addition to their receiving corps this offseason. Already rostering, Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and John Metchie, adding another receiver hardly seemed like a priority. Well, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Skowronek not only adds some much-needed size to the room, but he also emerged as an effective special teams contributor in Los Angeles. Skowronek’s special teams prowess should help him to potentially hold on to a roster spot come September.

Latest On Steelers’ Depth At OLB

June 1st, 2024 at 3:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Outside linebacker is not a position of need for the Steelers. Star pass rusher T.J. Watt led the NFL last year with 19.0 sacks, and though the team’s other starter Alex Highsmith only notched seven last year, he showed what he’s capable of with a 14.5-sack campaign in 2022. Those two are going to be on the field a majority of the time, but after watching Watt miss the playoffs last year and seeing an aged Markus Golden depart in free agency, Pittsburgh has made a number of offseason moves to solidify their depth at the position.

Last year’s rookie fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Nick Herbig, is the only other edge rusher returning from last year’s roster. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Herbig is getting first dibs at the OLB3-role in 2024. In his first season of NFL play, Herbig saw less than a quarter of the snaps that Watt and Highsmith did but was up there in playing time with Golden. Despite the limited snaps, Herbig made the most of his time on the field, logging 27 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

That means this year’s rookie third-round pick, NC State’s Payton Wilson, will not be the first outside linebacker off the bench in his first season. Wilson also wasn’t necessarily known as a pass rusher in Raleigh, so it might just mean that Herbig and Wilson will sport different roles in 2024. Herbig may be the first player off the bench in pass rushing situations, and Wilson may be the first guy in during rushing or drop back scenarios. Wilson is on the roster as an outside linebacker for the Steelers as Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts patrol the middle. Wilson was disruptive in college, sporting 48.0 tackles for loss to his name, but only logged 15.0 sacks in that time. His versatility as a linebacker with seven career interceptions and 20 passes defensed in college mean that Wilson and Herbig could both be utilized off the bench equally but in very different situations.

Another offseason addition the team made was the claiming of former division-rival Jeremiah Moon off of waivers. A former undrafted player from Florida, Moon spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad for the Ravens but made one start in eight game appearances in 2023. Like Wilson, Moon has never been much of a pass rusher but was an effective tackler during his time in Gainesville.

Joining the position room as rookies alongside Wilson are undrafted signees Julius Welschof and Jacoby Windmon. Windmon, who saw time in college at UNLV and Michigan State, is more in the mold of Wilson and Moon. Welschof, who attended school at Michigan and Charlotte, is a former defensive lineman, though he wasn’t much of an established pass rusher in college.

While Golden only played 70 more snaps in the regular season than Herbig in 2023, when Watt was injured in the playoffs, that OLB3 role became huge. With Watt being no stranger to injury over the past two seasons, who will man that role going forward is an important distinction. As of right now, Herbig is getting the first opportunity to earn that role. He’ll likely hold onto that responsibility as the top pass rusher off the bench while Moon and the rookies fill more versatile roles on the defense in 2024.

Contract Details: Jennings, Slayton, Maye

June 1st, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recently agreed upon deals from around the league:

  • Jauan Jennings, WR (49ers): Two years, $15.39MM. We noted a couple of details in our original report of Jennings’ one-year bump, but thanks to OvertheCap.com, we now have a few more details. First, we see that San Francisco is taking advantage of the recent void year trend that continues to grow in popularity. Jennings’ deal contains four void years at the conclusion of his contract, spreading $14.15MM of his cap hit from 2026 to 2029. Because of this, his cap hits for the next two years will be $2.77MM and $4.26MM, respectively, but if he doesn’t sign a new deal by 2026, he will hold an $8.3MM cap hit despite not being on the roster that year. We originally noted the reported guarantees as $10.54MM, but we now know that he is guaranteed $8.44MM at signing consisting of his $6.21MM signing bonus and both years’ base salaries (worth $1.06MM in 2024 and $1.17MM in 2025).
  • Darius Slayton, WR (Giants): Two years, $12MM. We recently saw the Giants add some incentives to a restructured deal for their leading receiver of the past few years. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports that, as a result of the new deal, New York will see Slayton’s cap hit drop from $8.15MM to $7.75MM. His base salary in 2024 also sees a reduction from $2.7MM to $2.5MM. He should receive a $2.4MM roster bonus, a $350K workout bonus, and could earn up to $750K for the year in per game active roster bonuses.
  • Drake Maye, QB (Patriots): Four years, $36.64MM. Most rookies don’t get much say in how their first NFL contracts look. Overall contract value for first-year players is determined by their draft slot. One point of negotiation, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, appears to be the time it takes for a rookie to receive guaranteed money like signing bonuses. On this note, New England’s new passer will receive all $23.47MM of his signing bonus within 14 days of signing the deal, a huge, timely payout for the North Carolina-product.

Broncos Sign WR Troy Franklin, Complete Draft Class Signings

June 1st, 2024 at 12:27pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos have officially completed their draft pick signings. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the Broncos have signed Troy Franklin to his rookie deal.

The wideout’s four-year rookie contract is worth $4.875MM and includes an $854K signing bonus. Franklin was Denver’s only remaining unsigned draft pick.

After barely missing out on a 900-yard campaign in 2022, Franklin easily topped that mark in 2023. The Oregon product finished the season with 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a second-team All-American nod.

Franklin landed in an ideal situation, as he’ll team up with his college QB Bo Nix, who was Denver’s first-round pick. While the Broncos moved on from Jerry Jeudy this offseason, the team is still rostering Courtland Sutton. The veteran will be joined by former second-round pick Marvin Mims Jr. and new addition Josh Reynolds atop the depth chart, but Franklin should have an easy path to the WR4 role ahead of Tim Patrick and rookie seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele.

The Broncos’ seven-man draft class is officially signed. The grouping includes:

Latest On Josh Jacobs’ Role With Packers

June 1st, 2024 at 11:43am CST by Ben Levine

While the Packers are set to have plenty of continuity on offense next season, the team will be welcoming in a new starting running back in Josh Jacobs. As Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journals writes, Jacobs was limited through the first few weeks of team workouts thanks to a hamstring injury. However, the veteran was able to recently participate in his first 11-on-11 drills of the offseason, and Jacobs believes he’s just about back to 100 percent health.

After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Raiders, Jacobs is trying to quickly get acclimated to his new environment in Green Bay. There’s the added pressure of replacing long-time RB Aaron Jones atop the depth chart, so the newest acquisition is hoping to hit the ground running.

“The guys on the team make it real easy from that standpoint. They’re like, ‘Man, we’ve played against you, we’ve watched you, we know what you can do, we know who you are,’” Jacobs said. “(But) for me, it’s big to be able to show and prove myself to the team. I think that’s important no matter what you’ve done in the past. I think it’s important for the guys to see that so they can respect it.

“That’s the only thing where I’m like, ‘I’m ready to go!’”

Jacobs established himself as one of the NFL’s prolific rushers during his time with the Raiders, but he saw an inconsistent role in the passing game. During his most productive seasons, Jacobs topped 50 receptions per season, but he’s coming off a 2023 campaign where he was limited to 37 catches. Pro Football Focus didn’t put that entirely on the Raiders’ QB play, as they graded Jacobs as a bottom-10 pass catcher at his position.

Still, as Wilde notes, Packer head coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, and running backs coach Ben Sirmans are hoping to get Jacobs more involved in the passing game than he was in Las Vegas.

“I think the biggest thing with him is he’s an explosive player,” Sirmans said. “Obviously, he’s big, he’s physical, he’ll be able to break tackles. He’ll be able to give us a lot of production in different ways than Aaron did.”

Browns Taking Methodical Approach With Deshaun Watson’s Recovery

May 31st, 2024 at 10:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Starting just six games for the second straight season, Deshaun Watson played only 383 snaps — four fewer than his suspension-shortened 2022. The Browns have received an alarmingly low return on the historically expensive trade with the Texans, but the contract they were required to authorize in order to win the 2022 sweepstakes continues to tie the team to the former Pro Bowler.

Going into season three of that five-year, $230MM guaranteed deal, the Browns are bringing their quarterback along slowly. Watson suffered a fractured shoulder socket and a partially torn labrum last season. He is not yet a full participant in the team’s offseason program, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot notes the eighth-year QB threw in front of the media for the first time this week.

Watson, 28, participated in individual drills and threw to receivers during the practice portions not involving a defense. Jameis Winston took the reps in seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 periods, Cabot adds. The team is gradually bringing its high-priced passer along, with Kevin Stefanski indicating (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling) Watson is not throwing at every OTA session. Stefanski said Watson is throwing every other day during OTAs, though the fifth-year Cleveland HC noted that is expected to change at next month’s minicamp.

“He threw the ball down the sideline, a vertical throw today, and that’s one I hadn’t seen from him a lot,” new Browns OC Ken Dorsey said, via Cabot. “We haven’t pushed him to do it, so that was good to see. The more he grows and feels comfortable with it, the more you’ll start seeing those things get ramped up more and more.”

The Browns had played games without Watson prior to his season-ending shoulder injury last year, with the likes of P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson making starts. Watson’s shoulder trouble, a micro tear of his rotator cuff, ultimately leading to a Nov. 21 surgery, preceded Joe Flacco‘s stunning resurgence. Watson also suffered a high ankle sprain last season. The team booked a playoff berth despite missing its starting QB, its top three tackles and Nick Chubb. Flacco is now in Indianapolis, indicating he was surprised Cleveland did not re-sign him, and Winston is the Browns’ Watson insurance policy.

While this certainly represents a pivotal year for the Browns and Watson, the team is still tied to the former Texans standout through 2026. Unlike last year, the Browns have not restructured Watson’s contract. That places what would be a record-smashing $63.77MM cap number on Cleveland’s cap sheet. No player has ever brought a $45MM cap charge in a season. Three-plus months away from Week 1, the Browns, Cowboys (Dak Prescott) and Broncos (part one of Russell Wilson‘s dead money) are in line to move past that benchmark. Barring a restructure, Watson’s cap number would top both players this season.

Watson’s surgery was to require a six-month recovery timetable. Shortly beyond that point, this process will be one to monitor as the Browns attempt to finally enjoy an extended run of quality QB play with their hired gun.

Bills Sign Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler Gable Steveson

May 31st, 2024 at 10:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have made an intrigue addition to their offseason roster. The team announced on Firday that Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson has been signed. He will aim to make the jump to the NFL as a defensive lineman.

Steveson enjoyed a decorated career at Minnesota, winning three conference championships and a pair of national titles. He was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 2022, and twice took home the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top wrestler. The 24-year-old won gold at the Tokyo Olympics for freestyle wrestling. He joins seventh-round rookie Travis Clayton (a former rugby player drafted in the seventh round in 2024) as a player aiming to lock down a roster spot via an unusual route.

“I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport but am looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills may translate to football,” Steveson said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “I am grateful to [head coach] [Sean] McDermott, [general manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”

Steveson’s agent indicated a recent workout with the Bills led to interest from other NFL teams as well. He has elected to sign with Buffalo, though, a team with a coach (McDermott) who has a background as a high school champion wrestler. The Bills will use the remainder of the offseason to begin what will be a steep development process likely involving time on the practice squad during the 2024 season.

Steveson will attempt to join the likes of Lam Jones and James Jett as athletes who won Olympic gold before playing in the NFL (although the latter two did so as sprinters). Longtime Cowboys wideout Bob Hayes – a member of the United States Olympic Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame – is the only athlete to win both an Olympic gold and a Super Bowl to date.

In a corresponding move, the Bills released punter Matt Haack. The veteran served as Buffalo’s punter during the 2021 season before moving on to the Colts the following year. He returned this offseason, but today’s move will leave him on the move once again. Veteran Sam Martin and undrafted rookie Jack Browning remain in place as the team’s punting options moving forward.

The Wide Receiver Market’s Evolution During Rookie-Scale Era

May 31st, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jaylen Waddle‘s Dolphins extension includes a franchise record in guaranteed money. It also comes during an offseason in which Tyreek Hill has angled for an adjustment to his contract, which previously paced the NFL in wide receiver AAV — at $30MM per year.

Three players have passed that this offseason, a list that now includes Justin Jefferson, with a CeeDee Lamb extension on the radar in Dallas. The bar could be moved again before Week 1. Two years after Hill raised the WR contract ceiling during an eventful offseason for the position, this summer promises fireworks atop the market.

On that note, here is a look at where the WR market has climbed during the rookie-scale era, which has set a firm structure on when teams could negotiate with players. This is how the top wideout salary has evolved since the 2011 CBA was ratified:

August 20, 2011

The eventual 17-year veteran played four seasons on this deal before reworking it ahead of the 2015 season

March 14, 2012

The Hall of Fame talent pushed the receiver AAV bar to $16.21MM, finishing his career on this contract four seasons later

March 8, 2016

February 27, 2017

Brown played two seasons on this deal before being traded to the Raiders in March 2019

August 27, 2018

Beckham played four-plus seasons on this extension, being traded to the Browns in March 2019. Cleveland cut OBJ midway through the 2021 campaign.

July 31, 2019

Thomas spent four seasons on this contract, battling injuries before signing a reworked Saints deal in March 2023

September 7, 2019

Jones played out this contract, which the Falcons traded to the Titans in June 2021

September 8, 2020

Months after acquiring Hopkins via trade, the Cardinals added guaranteed money to the All-Pro’s through-2022 Texans extension. This pushed the position’s AAV ceiling to $27.25MM, which set up the 2022 offseason’s developments. Hopkins played three seasons on this deal, being released in May 2023.

March 17, 2022

March 23, 2022

April 24, 2024

April 25, 2024

June 3, 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/31/24

May 31st, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Tucker Fisk

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: OL Matt Cindric 

New York Giants

New York Jets

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