HEADLINES

Ben Skowronek

Steelers Cut S Terrell Edmunds

November 9th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Terrell Edmunds‘ second stint with the Steelers has come to an end. The team announced today that they’ve released the veteran safety. Edmunds will now be subject to waivers before officially hitting free agency.

Edmunds was snagged off the Jaguars practice squad in early September and proceeded to get into five games with Pittsburgh. He was splitting time between defense and special teams in 2024, getting into each of the Steelers five games before their bye. This past week, the veteran missed a handful of practices with an illness designation.

The former first-round pick spent the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, starting 75 of his 84 appearances while compiling 417 tackles, five sacks, and five interceptions. He joined the Eagles ahead of the 2023 campaign but was dealt to the Titans midway through that season. He spent this past preseason with the Jaguars before landing on Jacksonville’s taxi squad to begin the campaign.

The Steelers weren’t done making moves today, as both linebacker Tyler Matakevich and wideout Ben Skowronek were activated from IR. Matakevich (hamstring) and Skowronek (shoulder) both suffered injuries in Week 2 that ultimately landed them on IR. The duo will likely make their main contributions on special teams for the stretch run of the season.

To make more room on the roster, the team also cut running back Jonathan Ward. The veteran journeyman got into four games with Pittsburgh this season, collecting 22 yards from scrimmage on five touches.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/24

November 6th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Gross-Matos was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on October 5, sidelining him for San Francisco’s last four games. He now has 21 days to practice with the team before he must be added back to the activ roster or revert to season-ending IR. He signed a two-year, $18MM contract with the 49ers in the offseason but struggled with his new team with just one tackle in 81 snaps across three appearances.

Steelers Promote WR Ben Skowronek

September 14th, 2024 at 9:19am CST by Ben Levine

Ben Skowronek has once again earned a promotion to the Steelers active roster. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers have called up the wideout from the practice squad.

The former seventh-round pick was traded to the Texans this past offseason but was among Houston’s final cuts. He subsequently landed on Pittsburgh’s practice squad and earned a promotion for Week 1, with all 11 of his snaps coming on special teams.

Skowronek showed some flashes during his time with the Rams, including a 2022 campaign where he hauled in 39 receptions for 376 yards. Third-round rookie Roman Wilson was limited at practice this week while dealing with an ankle injury, so Skowronek provides Pittsburgh with some reinforcement on the depth chart.

Speaking of injuries, quarterback Russell Wilson has officially been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. The veteran reportedly made the trip to Colorado with the intent to play his former team (per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). Of course, Wilson also traveled to Atlanta for Week 1 before eventually being listed as out, so we shouldn’t read too much into this decision.

If Wilson can’t go, Justin Fields would earn another start with his new squad. There was uncertainty atop the depth chart heading into the season opener, but Fields had the luxury of taking all of the first-team reps this past week. The speedy QB admitted that the extra practice time should help his performance if he does indeed start tomorrow.

“I guess it helps me a little bit,” said Fields (via the team’s website). “But like I said last week, I come into every week the same with the same approach that I’m going to play. I’d rather be ready and just have that mindset.

“So, I guess it helps a little bit. But it’s really the same process for me.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/24

September 7th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.

Steelers Sign WRs Ben Skowronek, Quez Watkins To Practice Squad

August 30th, 2024 at 6:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers have officially become runners-up for Brandon Aiyuk, so questions will remain with respect to their receiver depth. The team will have options available on the practice squad once the season begins, though.

Ben Skowronek was added to Pittsburgh’s taxi squad on Friday, per a team announcement. The 27-year-old spent his first three seasons with the Rams, making 11 starts in 2022. His offensive snap share for the other two campaigns was only 19%, however, and Los Angeles made the decision to move on this offseason. Skowronek was dealt to the Texans in May.

The former seventh-rounder joined a crowded receiver room in Houston, and both he and Noah Brown were among the Texans’ final roster cuts. Skowronek cleared waivers, leaving him free to sign with any team. He will now attempt to earn a promotion to Pittsburgh’s active roster while the team sorts out its receiver pecking order. George Pickens will operate as the Steelers’ top wideout, with Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller and third-round rookie Roman Wilson in place as complementary options.

The Steelers also announced that Quez Watkins has inked a practice squad deal. The former Eagle signed with Pittsburgh in free agency, a move which he believed offered him the opportunity of a starting spot. Instead, Watkins was one of the team’s cuts earlier this week. As a vested veteran, he immediately hit the open market; like many players around the league, the 26-year-old has elected to remain with the same organization by taking a taxi squad deal.

Watkins averaged an impressive 15 yards per catch during his second year in the league. His role shrank over the past two seasons, though, leaving him out of Philadelphia’s plans for 2024 and beyond. It will be interesting to see if he and/or Skowronek mange to find themselves on the active roster relatively soon or if Pittsburgh’s other receivers prove to be sufficient in a scheme now led by quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Texans Place Case Keenum On Season-Ending IR, Reduce Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several vested veterans hit the chopping block in Houston. Here is how the defending NFC South champions reached 53 today:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Placed on IR/designated for return:

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:

Placed on reserve/suspended list:

Keenum was headed into the second season of a two-year deal with his original NFL team, but a major injury will sidetrack the veteran arm. A foot injury will sideline the 36-year-old quarterback, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Keenum is expected to be down for three or four months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds. Houston still has Davis Mills, who is in a contract year, as its top backup behind C.J. Stroud.

A calf injury will shut down Harris for the time being, Wilson adds. The Texans used both their allotted IR-return moves. The team used the 2022 third-round pick as a 12-game starter last season. Harris has played at least 71% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in both of his seasons, explaining his being prioritized via the NFL’s IR rule tweak. Despite being a 2022 UDFA, Hinish has been a key rotational player in Houston in each of his two pro seasons.

Horton is in remission from his bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The second-year player completed his final treatment this spring but did not practice with the team during training camp. The Texans’ run of WR cuts leaves 2022 second-rounder John Metchie, who missed his rookie season after a leukemia diagnosis, and Robert Woods on the roster behind starters Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. Cutting Jordan, a sixth-round pick from Louisville, leaves Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers rostered behind Joe Mixon.

Texans To Cut WRs Ben Skowronek, Noah Brown; CBs C.J. Henderson, Desmond King Also Released

August 27th, 2024 at 10:11am CST by Sam Robinson

For a second time this year, a team has made plans to waive Ben Skowronek. When the Rams were close to doing so in May, they found a trade partner. As of now, the Texans do not have a trade in place.

Houston is moving on from a wide receiver it acquired from Los Angeles, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reporting Skowronek will be cut. He will not be the only wideout Houston is releasing. The team is cutting Noah Brown, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets. Brown totaled 567 receiving yards in his Texans debut. That said, the Texans entered the week with a crowded wide receiver room.

Additionally, the Texans are moving on from cornerback C.J. Henderson, per Wilson. The team added the former Jacksonville top-10 pick in March, bringing him in along with ex-Lions top-five CB draftee Jeff Okudah. But Henderson has struggled during his pro career, being benched by the Panthers during a rocky three-season tenure. Henderson is a vested veteran and will return to free agency.

The Texans are also moving on from Desmond King, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. King, who began a second stint with the team after the Steelers cut him last year, re-signed with the Texans this offseason. The veteran was competing for the team’s slot cornerback role.

Second-round pick Kamari Lassiter is slated to start opposite Derek Stingley. The Texans also signed ex-Patriots slot defender Myles Bryant in late March. Okudah remains on Houston’s roster, being given a one-year deal worth $4.75MM. The Texans gave Henderson a one-year, $2MM pact; only $500K was guaranteed.

Some of these players figure to be under consideration for Texans practice squad spots, but they also may have options in free agency. Brown impressed as a fill-in player for an injury-plagued receiving corps last year, and the longtime Cowboys option signed a one-year deal worth $4MM. With Brown being guaranteed $3MM, it is a bit surprising the team is moving on from a player with back-to-back 500-plus-yard seasons on his resume.

The Texans, however, acquired Stefon Diggs via trade and have Tank Dell returning from injury. The team also used a 2022 second-round pick on John Metchie. Despite the Alabama alum and leukemia survivor generating trade interest, he remains with the club. So does Robert Woods, who is tied to a two-year, $14MM deal. The Texans gave up only a 2026 sixth-round pick for Skowronek, who functioned as a utility player of sorts for the Rams.

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.

Rams To Trade WR Ben Skowronek To Texans

May 9th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Rather than moving on from Ben Skowronek by cutting him, the Rams will do so via trade. The fourth-year wideout is being dealt to the Texans, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Reports from Thursday indicated the Rams were planning on waiving the 26-year-old. That process would have left all NFL teams available to put in a claim. Houston will jump the line by agreeing to swap sixth- and seventh-round picks with Los Angeles in 2026, per Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport. One year remains on Skowronek’s rookie contract.

As would have been the case by waiving the former seventh-rounder, this transaction will create just over $1MM in cap savings for the Rams. The Texans, meanwhile, have made another addition to their WR room, one which of course now includes Stefon Diggs. He will be counted on as a key member of the team’s passing attack, but Skowronek’s run blocking and special teams acumen will make him a valued role player.

The latter had a negligible role on offense in 2021 and ’23. In between that time, however, he logged a snap share of 82% and made 39 catches. Skowronek will not be counted on to command many targets in Houston, considering the other pass-catchers the team has aside from Diggs. The Texans return the likes of Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Robert Woods at the receiver position. They also have tight end Dalton Schultz under contract for the next three years.

Expectations will be high for the Texans moving forward after their surprise run to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2023. If Skowronek is able to hold down a depth role this season, he could set himself up for an extended stay in Houston or boost his free agent market in 2025. For the Rams, meanwhile, this move will place an increased emphasis on starters Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua remaining healthy and productive moving forward, as they were last season.

Los Angeles re-signed both Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson this offseason, and the latter in particular will be counted on to serve as depth WR contributor. The Rams also have new tight end Colby Parkinson in place as another secondary pass-catcher. They will proceed without Skowronek’s third phase contributions as they look to build off their own postseason appearance from last season.

Rams To Waive WR Ben Skowronek

May 9th, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Adam La Rose

As teams around the NFL continue to churn out the bottom of their offseason rosters, Ben Skowronek is set to see his time in Los Angeles come to an end. The former seventh-round wide receiver will be waived, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Skowronek joined the team in 2021, and during his rookie campaign he played all-but exclusively on special teams. Things changed the following season with respect to his playing time, however. Skowronek logged an offensive snap share of 82% in 2022, a season in which the Rams dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball. He totaled 376 scoreless yards on 39 receptions.

Los Angeles had Cooper Kupp available for 12 games this past season, and he and standout rookie Puka Nacua formed an effective receiver tandem. That relegated Skowronek back to a rotational role on offense, although his special teams abilities gave him a heavy third phase workload. The 26-year-old was a team captain in 2023, but this move will bring an end to his Rams tenure.

Skowronek had one year remaining on his rookie contract, and a release will save the Rams just over $1MM in cap space. Los Angeles entered Thursday with $11.3MM in breathing space, although a portion of that will be required to sign the team’s rookie class. Moving on from Skowronek will create a bit more flexibility for late offseason additions.

If he clears waivers, the Notre Dame product will now be free to join a new team as many veterans seek out deals in the post-draft wave of free agency. Skowronek’s limited production will hurt his market, but his experience and blocking abilities could lead to interest from teams seeking out WR depth.

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