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Buccaneers Set 53-Man Roster

August 27th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers surprised a bit in 2023 without Tom Brady in the lineup. With Baker Mayfield leading the way, the team managed to win their division and return to the postseason for the fourth-straight season. Before the team can look to make it five consecutive trips to the playoffs, the organization had to make some difficult roster decisions today. The team announced the following moves as they set their 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

The Buccaneers have continued their trend of building around draft picks. As Greg Auman of FOX Sports points out, 44 of Tampa Bay’s 53 players were either drafted by the organization or joined as an undrafted free agent. Among starters, the only players who didn’t join the organization as rooks are QB Baker Mayfield and guard Ben Bredeson.

The team will temporarily roll with only a pair of quarterbacks in Mayfield and backup Kyle Trask. John Wolford could have brought some starting experience to the QB room, as the former Ram started four games during his time in Los Angeles. The veteran also started the 2023 campaign on Tampa Bay’s p-squad before earning a promotion, so there’s a chance he follows a similar path this year.

Buccaneers’ Graham Barton, Ben Bredeson Win Starting OL Jobs

August 21st, 2024 at 11:27am CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers’ offensive line is coming into focus. Two new starters will take their places on Tampa Bay’s front. The unit will include Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson.

As expected since the Bucs chose Barton in Round 1, the converted tackle will be the team’s starting center, Todd Bowles said. Bredeson, who signed a $3MM deal that did not come fully guaranteed, will be Tampa Bay’s left guard starter, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman tweets. Bowles has since confirmed Bredeson has won the job.

This duo will team with Tristan Wirfs, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke on a Bucs front that includes four of the five starters attached to deals that run beyond 2024. Only Bredeson, who inked a one-year contract after three seasons with the Giants, is on an expiring deal. The Bucs guaranteed Bredeson $1.75MM, but he will see the full $3MM soon, as vested vets’ salaries lock in just before Week 1. This certainly represents a solid camp performance from Bredeson, who has continued to see starter roles despite not always being teams’ first choice.

The Giants traded for Bredeson, a former Ravens fourth-round pick, in 2021. After making one start that season, the Michigan alum was an eight-game starter during the Giants’ 2022 run to the playoffs. Although injuries ransacked the Giants’ O-line last season, Bredeson held up and had won a guard job out of training camp. The Giants had expected former third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu to beat out Bredeson last summer, but the veteran won the LG job and started 16 games in a contract year.

Operating in a super-utility role of sorts, Bredeson played 180-plus snaps at all three interior O-line positions. Pro Football Focus did not grade that effort well, slotting Bredeson as the NFL’s fifth-worst guard regular. The Bucs presumably disagreed with that assessment, having added him during an offseason that saw veteran swingman Aaron Stinnie join the Giants. Fellow Tampa Bay FA pickup Sua Opeta suffered an ACL tear early in camp, but Auman notes Bredeson was ahead in the LG competition before the ex-Eagle’s injury.

The Bucs turned to Robert Hainsey as their starting center in the wake of Ryan Jensen‘s career-altering training camp injury in 2022. The former third-round pick started all 34 Bucs regular-season games over the past two seasons. PFF rated Hainsey as last season’s fifth-worst center, and the Bucs chose an interior O-lineman in Round 1 for the first time since 2006 (Davin Joseph). Barton is converting from Duke’s left tackle to Bucs center, and the team will aim for this to be a long-term partnership. One season remains on Hainsey’s rookie contract. The Notre Dame alum now stands to be important swing depth for the Bucs.

Buccaneers G Sua Opeta Suffers Torn ACL

July 31st, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers saw injury at the left guard position lead to a change in starter last year as Aaron Stinnie stepped in for a hurt Matt Feiler midseason. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the injuries didn’t wait for the season to start this year. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports today that guard Sua Opeta tore an ACL at practice this Tuesday, ruling him out for the 2024 NFL season.

Stinnie won’t come to the rescue this year, as the five-year veteran now plays in New York. To replace him and Feiler, who is currently unsigned on the free agent market, the Buccaneers signed Opeta and former Giants starter Ben Bredeson. Bredeson and Opeta were set to compete for the starting left guard job this summer, but with no Opeta, it should be Bredeson’s job to win.

An undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2019, Opeta spent most of his rookie season on the Eagles’ practice squad, getting called up in December but not appearing in any games. In his sophomore campaign, he was called up from the practice squad and made his NFL debut in Week 3. He started two games in eight appearances that year before getting placed on injured reserve. Over the next two seasons, Opeta would make two starts in 17 more game appearances for Philadelphia.

Last year, Opeta found some starting snaps in six games as an injury replacement for Cam Jurgens. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) utilized Opeta’s starting sample to grade him out as the NFL’s 58th best guard, 17 spots over Bredeson, who graded out at 75th. Despite not having Bredeson’s starting experience, many believed Opeta stood a strong chance at beating out Bredeson for the job.

With Opeta lost for the year, though, Bredeson should have an open lane for the starting gig. Since being traded from the Ravens to the Giants after his rookie campaign, Bredeson has made 25 starts in 35 game appearances, including 16 last year. He has not graded out favorably in the eyes of PFF over the years, but without many other options, Tampa Bay will need Bredeson to deliver.

NFC Contract Details: Bucs, Mayfield, Eagles, Sweat, Parker, Rams, Garoppolo, Saints

April 3rd, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the details from some of the recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFC:

  • Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Three years, $100MM. Of the $50MM in Mayfield guarantees, $40MM is fully guaranteed. The other $10MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. Mayfield can also earn $5MM per year via incentives, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes. Half of those are stat-based incentives. If Mayfield finishes in the top 10 in the NFL (or top five in the NFC) in passer rating, TD passes, yards, yards per attempt or completion percentage in any of the three years, he would earn $500K per category, Auman adds. The other $2.5MM per year comes through playoff incentives. Mayfield would earn $500K for a Bucs wild-card win, $750K for a divisional-round conquest and $500K for an NFC championship game win. If the Bucs are to win a Super Bowl with Mayfield at the helm, he would collect another $750K.
  • Darious Williams, CB (Rams). Three years, $22.5MM. Only $7MM of Williams’ $15MM guarantee is locked in at signing, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This contract’s key date will come on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, when the remaining $8MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee. Barring injury, this effectively makes 2024 a “prove it” year for the now-two-time Rams CB.
  • Josh Sweat, DE (Eagles). One year, $10MM. The Eagles’ Sweat rework will bring $9.5MM guaranteed for the veteran defensive end, per OverTheCap. Philly used four void years to spread out the cap hit, which sits at $8.1MM for 2024. If Sweat signs elsewhere before this contract’s March 2025 expiration, the Eagles will be tagged with $16.4MM in dead money.
  • Cedrick Wilson, WR (Saints). Two years, $5.75MM. The Saints are guaranteeing Wilson $2.85MM, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes. The second-generation NFL wideout will be due a $200K roster bonus in 2025; none of Wilson’s ’25 salary ($2.7MM) is guaranteed.
  • Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (Rams). One year, $3.18MM. Previously reported as including $4.5MM in base value, the Rams’ Garoppolo contract (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe) contains $3.18MM in base pay.
  • Ben Bredeson, G (Buccaneers). One year, $3MM. Bredeson’s Bucs pact includes $1.75MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.
  • DeVante Parker, WR (Eagles). One year, $1.21MM. The Patriots are paying most of Parker’s deal, with $3.19MM guaranteed remaining on his 2023 extension. The Eagles are not guaranteeing the former first-rounder anything, Volin tweets. The Pats will receive a $1.98MM cap credit if Parker plays the whole 2024 season.

Buccaneers To Sign OL Ben Bredeson, CB Bryce Hall

March 15th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two former New York residents are heading to Tampa to compete for Buccaneers jobs. The Bucs are signing offensive lineman Ben Bredeson and cornerback Bryce Hall, according to Pewter Report and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, respectively.

Bredeson spent last season as a full-time Giants starter at guard, while Hall is a former Jets starter who also played out his rookie contract in New York. Bredeson is joining the Bucs on a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.

Amid an injury-ravaged season on the offensive line, the Giants relied on Bredeson as a 16-game starter. The Giants put Bredeson — a 2020 Ravens draftee acquired in a trade a year later — in competition for guard and center spots last summer. As expected, second-round pick John Michael Schmitz won the center job. But Bredeson was in place at guard as turnover occurred across Big Blue’s front.

As could be expected on a line that gave up the second-most sacks (83) since the league began charting them in the early 1960s, Bredson graded poorly in 2023. Pro Football Focus viewed the Michigan alum as one of the NFL’s worst guard regulars last season. He has 25 starts on his resume, however. The Bucs have not re-signed guards Matt Feiler or Aaron Stinnie — during an offseason that featured higher-priority player-retention tasks — opening the door for Bredeson to compete for a starting job or settle in as a swing backup.

The Jets chose Hall in the 2020 fifth round and used him as a starter in 26 games. Twenty-four of those came over Hall’s first two years, as the Jets refrained from investing in corners. That changed in 2022, via the D.J. Reed signing and Sauce Gardner draft pick, relegating Hall to a bench role. Hall did return a fumble for a touchdown last season but only played 138 defensive snaps.

The Bucs traded Carlton Davis to the Lions this week. While Hall could conceivably be thrown into a competition to replace the veteran cover man, it seems likely the Bucs will bring in a higher-profile option as the favorite to start opposite Jamel Dean.

Saquon Barkley Suffers Ankle Sprain; Giants RB Facing Multi-Week Absence

September 21st, 2023 at 8:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 21: While previous reports indicated the contrary, Barkley confirmed tonight that he did indeed suffer a high ankle sprain, per Thursday Night Football’s Taylor Rooks (h/t Pat Leonard of New York Daily News).

The running back admitted that his injury isn’t as serious as it could have been, and he said that his absence from tonight’s game was more due to pain tolerance. Barkley also pointed out that New York’s next game is in 11 days, so he’ll have some extra time to get right before Week 4. While Barkley wouldn’t guarantee only a one-game absence, it certainly sounds like he’s leaving that door open.

SEPTEMBER 20: Although Brian Daboll stopped short of ruling out Barkley earlier this week, the Giants have done so Wednesday. Barkley will at least miss one 49ers game, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com confirms the sixth-year veteran is not battling a high ankle sprain. That stands to shorten his time away.

The Giants will also be without Andrew Thomas for a second straight game, and left guard Ben Bredeson‘s concussion will keep him out of Big Blue’s Thursday-night tilt. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari will also be down for the Giants.

SEPTEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley was sidelined for the final offensive play of the Giants’ Week 2 comeback victory, and it was feared after the game he would be dealing with a serious ankle injury. The worst-case scenario has been avoided, but he is nevertheless set to miss time.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that an MRI revealed an “ordinary” ankle sprain for the Pro Bowl back. As a result, Barkley is expected to miss roughly three weeks. At a minimum, that will keep him sidelined for the team’s upcoming Thursday night contest against the 49ers.

Barkley played all but one snap in New York’s surprise win against the Cardinals, proving his importance to the team’s offense. Given his heavy workload, replacing him will be a tall order for the Giants as they look to rebound from the struggles suffered in the first six quarters of their season. That task will fall to Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray.

After initially representing the team’s higher priority with respect to a long-term extension, Barkley saw quarterback Daniel Jones ink a four-year, $160MM pact in March. That allowed the Giants to use the franchise tag on the former No. 2 pick, though extension talks continued through to the deadline for players hit with the one-year tender. No deal materialized, with Barkley turning down offers which increased in AAV at the expense of guarantees.

In the end, a training camp holdout was avoided with the parties agreeing to a small incentive package which allows Barkley’s 2023 compensation to max out at $11MM. Individual statistical performances, along with team success, is required for his earnings to reach the maximum value, though, so any missed time is signficant from a financial outlook.

With Barkley unavailable for the time being, the Giants’ ground game will look much different. He leads the team in rushing yards with 114, putting him slightly ahead of Jones. Breida and Brightwell have combined for 19 yards on four carries, but an increased role for at least one of them will be necessary moving forward. An IR stint for Barkley is unlikely given his recovery timeline, but New York will no doubt proceed with caution with the 26-year-old given his status as an offensive focal point.

Giants Holding Competitions At All Three Interior O-Line Spots

August 8th, 2023 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Making two top-10 picks at tackle over the past four years, the Giants have no questions at those positions. They also used a second-round choice on center John Michael Schmitz, and while the Minnesota product is a decent bet to begin his career as a starter, the Giants are not ensuring that route will open up just yet.

More notably, 2022 free agency addition Mark Glowinski does not appear a lock to keep his job, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post tweets. Swingman Ben Bredeson, who is also in contention for left guard, has mixed in regularly with the first team on the right side, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll most recently noting Bredeson’s first-team RG usage (subscription required).

A 2021 trade acquisition from the Ravens, Bredeson has mixed in at all three spots along the Giants’ interior during training camp. He appears the top Schmitz competitor at center, while having begun recent practices (via Duggan) as the first-string left guard. Bredeson mixed in with Glowinski at right guard and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu on the left side Tuesday. The former fourth-round pick is going into a contract year.

Bredeson being used at all three spots suggests the Giants have a potential swing role in mind, with Ezeudu also seeing steady first-unit time at left guard. Seeing the Joe Schoen-era Day 2 draftee seize the LG job alongside fellow Schoen pickups Schmitz and Glowinski would probably be the scenario the Giants prefer. Bredeson started eight games last season, playing a career-high 541 offensive snaps. The Giants lost center Jon Feliciano and guard/center Nick Gates in free agency; Bredeson would supply experience and represent insurance alongside Ezeudu (290 rookie-year snaps) and Schmitz.

Glowinski, 31, signed a three-year, $18.3MM deal that came with $11.4MM guaranteed. The longtime Colts starter gave the Giants 16 starts at right guard last season, as a rotation formed at the other guard post. Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski as last year’s No. 29 overall guard. It would be rather odd to see Glowinski benched, but the Giants are going through several options up front. Tyre Phillips, a 2022 waiver claim from the Ravens, has also taken first-team reps at left guard, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.

This batch of blockers looks to have relegated Shane Lemieux to the roster bubble, Duggan adds. The fourth-year lineman has not been among the competitors for the Giants’ LG job. Lemieux has battled significant injury problems over the past two years, seeing a September 2021 patellar tendon tear keep him off the field until November 2022. A toe injury then limited Lemieux to one game all season. With the Giants activating former fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan from the active/PUP list Monday — after an August 2022 ACL tear — Lemieux will need to fight for a job during this year’s preseason. While Lemieux has mixed in as a backup center as well, Jack Anderson is also on the radar for that post.

The Giants chose Schmitz at No. 56 overall, viewing him as the better option compared to consideration Jalin Hyatt, whom they circled back to in Round 3. Just before the Schmitz pick, Brian Daboll said the All-Big Ten blocker could start in Week 1. Schmitz received every first-team center rep Tuesday, per Duggan and Carroll. It would surprise if he were not Big Blue’s starting pivot to open the season.

Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line

June 1st, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz in Round 2, making the Minnesota product the first pure center drafted this year, points to four positions along their offensive line being solidified. Schmitz earning the starting snapper gig would mean he accompanies Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal and Mark Glowinski on New York’s O-line.

With Glowinski stationed at right guard, left guard would seem the unit’s only question. That is, if Brian Daboll‘s draft-weekend assessment of Schmitz’s instant-starter capabilities turns out to be accurate. But the Giants are sending veteran Ben Bredeson into two position competitions, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.

The 2021 trade acquisition is vying for both the left guard and center positions, with Dunleavy adding the ex-Raven should probably be considered the favorite at the LG spot. The Giants used a rotation at that position last season, platooning Bredeson and Nick Gates. Washington signed Gates in free agency, clearing a path for Bredeson to earn the job outright in a contract year. Bredeson is going against fellow contract-year blocker Shane Lemieux and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu, per Dunleavy.

Lemieux held a starting job during the second half of the 2020 season, replacing Will Hernandez and taking over after the former starter recovered, but suffered a patellar tendon tear in September 2021. That career-stalling injury delayed Lemieux’s return until late November of last year, and the former fifth-round pick only suited up for one game last season. A toe injury added to Lemieux’s early-career health issues. Ezeudu, one of two ex-North Carolina guards the Giants drafted last year (along with fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan), played 290 offensive snaps as a rookie.

Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski, a longtime Colts starter, as a top-30 guard last season. It slotted Bredeson as the best of the rest, ranking him just outside the top 50. Bredson, a former fourth-round pick, has played guard more than center and should probably be considered a long shot to beat out Schmitz at the latter spot. With Bredeson, Lemieux, Ezeudu and McKethan rostered, along with ex-Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer and 2022 second-stringer Jack Anderson, the Giants will have some decisions to make when setting their final 53. McKethan did not play last year, suffering an ACL tear during the preseason.

None of these interior blockers is in the mix to be the team’s top tackle off the bench, with Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham and Tyre Phillips are battling for the swing gig behind Thomas and Neal. Phillips, claimed off waivers from the Ravens last year, made five starts in 2022 but worked behind the other two to start OTAs. Peart and Cunningham each have six career starts, though neither has seen much time since their respective rookie years. An outside addition to work behind Thomas and Neal should not be ruled out, per Dunleavy.

These O-line competitions will not heat up until training camp, obviously, as pads do not come on until August. Despite losing Gates and 2022 center starter Jon Feliciano in free agency, the Giants have a few options along their offensive front.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

December 17th, 2022 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Giants Designate Ben Bredeson, Azeez Ojulari, Tony Jefferson For Return

November 28th, 2022 at 2:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants were one of the surprise stories of the NFL during the early portion of the season, but the team has become increasingly hampered by injuries on both sides of the ball lately. New York will soon be receiving reinforcements, however, as the team has designated three players for return from IR.

Left guard Ben Bredeson is among the trio, something which will soon give the Giants another starting option up front. The former fourth-rounder was not projected to be a first-teamer to begin the campaign, but an injury to Shane Lemieux changed those plans. Bredeson played in a rotation with rookie Joshua Ezeudu through the first two games of the season, but then operated as a full-time starter before landing on IR last month. His return may not need to be rushed, given the fact that Lemieux has since been activated.

Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari could provide the Giants with depth at the position if he is able to remain healthy. The 2021 second-rounder impressed as a rookie with a team-leading eight sacks, but has hardly played this year. Ojulari spent time on the NFI list in the summer due to a calf injury, but was not placed on IR right away with the team hoping he could suit up at some point in September. That was the case, as the Georgia product played in Weeks 3 and 4, but a reaggravation of the previous ailment has kept him sidelined ever since. If he can regain his form from last season and serve as a bookend to rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York’s pass rush could receive a considerable boost.

Lastly, veteran safety Tony Jefferson‘s practice window has been opened. The 30-year-old has only played three games in 2022, after following Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale from Baltimore to the Big Apple. The Giants are dealing with starter Xavier McKinney currently on the shelf due to an ATV accident earlier this month. That could leave defensive snaps available for Jefferson upon his return, especially if the team opts to use more three-safety packages amidst their injuries at cornerback.

Each player now has a three-week time period within which they must be activated to be eligible to play again in 2022. If all three are brought back, the Giants will have used up each of their remaining activations for the season, but they will also have at least rotational contributors in place for the stretch run.

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