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Billy Price

OL Billy Price Announces Retirement

May 25th, 2024 at 11:24am CST by Ben Levine

Billy Price is retiring from the NFL due to health complications. The offensive lineman revealed on Instagram that he recently underwent emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove blood clots in his lungs. Price decided to retire because the “risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.”

“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away,” Price said in his statement. “On April 24th I had emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of my lungs. As a healthy 29 year old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today. Unfortunately, I will be retiring from the NFL as the risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.

“I am truly thankful for the opportunity to have played in some of the greatest atmospheres around the world. I am thankful to have trained and played alongside men who will continue to make Pro Bowls, All Pro Rosters and Hall of Fame recognitions.”

The Ohio State product was a first-round pick by the Bengals in 2018. After earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors following his first NFL campaign, he saw a reduced role in Cincinnati over the next two seasons. This culminated in a 2020 season where the lineman only started one of his 16 appearances, leading to him getting traded to the Giants.

He’s since bounced around the league, also spending time with the Raiders, Cardinals, Saints, and Cowboys. He started all 11 of his games for Arizona before splitting the 2023 campaign between the New Orleans and Dallas practice squads.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/23

December 13th, 2023 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: T Joey Fisher

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: G Henry Byrd

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/23

November 15th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Price was brought in to serve as center depth after an injury to starting center Tyler Biadasz. He ended up losing the backup center job to Brock Hoffman, who has played in nine games and started one of them for the Cowboys this year.

Verrett, a veteran cornerback, has been stuck on the Texans practice squad for just over a month now without making an appearance. Despite following former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to Houston, he reportedly didn’t fit the plan for the team moving forward, mostly due to the fact that he doesn’t play on special teams. This extends Verrett’s NFL absence as he has still not seen regular season action since September of 2021.

Cowboys Add C Billy Price To Practice Squad

September 27th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys have officially added a third center to their practice squad today, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. The team reportedly signed former first-round pick Billy Price to a deal today, joining him with current practice squad centers Sean Harlow and Brock Hoffman.

Price’s addition has fans concerned about the severity of active roster center Tyler Biadasz‘s recent injury. Biadasz was forced to miss the team’s Week 3 loss to the Cardinals after suffering a hamstring injury in practice last week. With Biadasz sidelined, Hoffman started for Dallas at center in Arizona. It looks like Hoffman will now have some competition if Biadasz continues to miss time.

Price was a first-round pick for Cincinnati back in 2018. After failing to catch on with the Bengals, Price was eventually traded to the Giants in exchange for defensive lineman B.J. Hill. Price started 15 games for New York the following season, but his fifth-year option had already been declined by the Bengals, making him a free agent after his first full year as a starter.

Price would eventually land on the Raiders’ practice squad before being signed off of it to join the Cardinals’ active roster. Price would start the remaining 11 games of the season in Arizona, and after hitting free agency once again, he would sign with the Saints. A non-football injury contributed to Price’s eventual release a month later as he failed to solidify a depth role at center for New Orleans.

Price will now have the opportunity to provide that same depth behind Biadasz in Dallas. If Biadasz is forced to miss extended time, the Cowboys now have a center on the roster with full-time starting experience throughout the past two years. Price will compete with Harlow and Hoffman for the honor of getting called up for regular season action.

Saints Release C Billy Price

July 20th, 2023 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

After signing with the Saints last month, Billy Price‘s stint with the organization has already come to an end. The team announced today that they’ve released the veteran center with a non-football injury designation. The team also announced that they placed tight end Miller Forristall on the physically unable to perform list.

When the Saints first signed Price a month ago, it was assumed the veteran would provide some experienced depth behind starting center Erik McCoy, who has missed nine games over the past two seasons. While Price’s “non-football injury” likely contributed to his release, there’s also a chance the Saints are optimistic about their backup center options heading into 2023. Assuming the team wants to keep Cesar Ruiz at guard, then UDFA Alex Pihlstrom will likely be in the drivers seat for the backup center gig.

Price has 45 games of starting experience under his belt, so a center-needy team will likely consider adding him to the ranks. The former first-round pick found himself in and out of the Bengals’ starting lineup to begin his career, but he’s recently settled into a starting role elsewhere. He started 15 of his 16 appearances for the Giants in 2021, and after starting the 2022 campaign on the Raiders’ practice squad, he started all 11 of his appearances for the Cardinals last year. Pro Football Focus didn’t love his performance in Arizona, grading him as the 35th center among 36 qualified players.

Forristall was a two-time champion at Alabama before going undrafted in 2021. He got into six games with the Browns between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Saints back in January. With Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, and Taysom Hill leading the tight ends depth chart, Forristall’s best chance of making the Saints roster will likely come via special teams.

Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz Still Has Potential Future In New Orleans

June 17th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Ely Allen

In three years of professional football, interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz has struggled to live up to his first-round potential. Despite the Saints essentially echoing that sentiment by declining his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis seems to have implied that Ruiz still has a future with the team, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports.

After excelling as a pass-blocking center at Michigan in college, Ruiz hasn’t been able to find the same success at the NFL level. He has spent most of his time in New Orleans as the team’s primary right guard while filling in at times at his old center position. Ruiz found starts as a rookie thanks to injuries to Andrus Peat and Nick Easton and became a full time starter in his sophomore season.

He’s started every game he’s appeared in since taking over as a starter but has missed four games over his career, including three to end the 2022 regular season. Ruiz suffered a Lisfranc injury that held him out of the team’s final games of the year. He hasn’t practiced since the injury but was scheduled this week for a procedure to remove hardware from the initial surgery to repair his foot. The follow-up procedure was set to take place yesterday, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com, which should give him enough recovery time to be back for training camp.

Given his on-field and injury struggles, it’s hard to see where his future lies with the Saints. According to Nowak, Loomis referred to Ruiz as an “ascending player,” saying he has high expectations for the fourth-year player. So why decline his fifth-year option?

Declining Ruiz’s fifth-year option makes 2023 a contract year for the lineman. He’ll have one year to prove he deserves a fifth year with the team and beyond. This season, he’ll need to prove that he is improving and ascending, as his general manager hopes. He’ll also need to display an ability to rebound from the season-ending injury from last year. Lisfranc injuries have a tendency to linger, but if Ruiz’s health holds up throughout the season, Nowak feels that an eventual extension is inevitable.

New Orleans signed veteran center Billy Price this week, as well. The move could be insurance in case Ruiz is unable to recover fully. It could also be in service of the goal to keep Ruiz at guard full-time. Without Price, Ruiz is the team’s primary backup at center behind Erik McCoy. If Price can earn the backup role, it would allow Ruiz to focus solely on his work at guard, potentially helping him to ascend to a level worthy of an extension.

Saints Sign C Billy Price

June 15th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints aren’t done making moves on offense. After adding a pair of pass-catchers earlier today, the team has now added an offensive lineman. The team announced that they’ve signed veteran offensive lineman Billy Price.

[RELATED: Saints Sign WRs Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden]

Price was a first-round pick by the Bengals back in 2018. The lineman missed a chunk of his rookie season due to a foot injury, but he otherwise started all 10 of his appearances. After that, he found himself in and out of Cincy’s lineup. Price started 10 of his 16 appearances during the 2019 campaign, and he started only one of his 16 games in 2020 (while appearing in a career-low 207 offensive snaps).

The lineman had his fifth-year option declined before getting dealt to the Giants for the 2021 season. He started 15 of his 16 appearances in New York, but he still had to settle for a practice squad gig with the Raiders to begin the 2022 campaign. He eventually caught on with the Cardinals and proceeded to start all 11 of his appearances for his new squad. Pro Football Focus didn’t love his performance in Arizona, grading him as the 35th center among 36 qualified players.

Price didn’t grade much better at his previous stops, but he’ll still provide New Orleans with some experience at the position. Per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com (via Twitter), the Saints have been hunting around for some reinforcement at center. Erik McCoy has a firm hold of the starting center gig, but the lineman has missed nine games over the past two seasons. If McCoy goes down again (and if the team hopes to keep Cesar Ruiz permanently at guard), then they’d be looking at UDFA Alex Pihlstrom as their only option at center.

Earlier today, the team added Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden to their squad. The team also cut wideout Malik Flowers, running backSaRodorick Thompson, and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.

Cardinals Waive WR Andy Isabella, Sign C Billy Price Off Raiders’ Practice Squad

October 4th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Months after shopping Andy Isabella in trades, the Cardinals are cutting bait. The team waived the former second-round pick Tuesday, doing so to make room on the roster for Billy Price.

The Cardinals are signing Price off the Raiders’ practice squad. The team hosted the veteran center as a free agent in May, when it was not known if Rodney Hudson would be back, but Price found his way to Las Vegas. He will move to the NFL’s other desert team this week.

Isabella never came too close to justifying the Cards’ draft investment. The former No. 62 overall pick has played in three Arizona games this season, catching two passes for 21 yards. Despite DeAndre Hopkins‘ suspension and the injuries to Rondale Moore and A.J. Green, the Cards did not turn to Isabella as a steady contributor. He will be available on the waiver wire.

A standout at Division I-FCS UMass, Isabella arrived in Arizona months after Kliff Kingsbury did. The 5-foot-9 slot receiver topped out at 224 yards and two touchdowns — on 21 receptions — in 2020. Isabella, who caught nine passes in 15 games as a rookie, was one of three receivers the Cards chose in that 2019 draft. The other two, fourth-rounder Hakeem Butler and sixth-rounder KeeSean Johnson, are out of the league. This came during a rich receiver draft, which saw D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and Diontae Johnson chosen after Isabella went off the board on Day 2. The Cards shopped Isabella before free agency and then during the draft but found no takers.

Arizona drafted the 5-7 Moore in the 2021 second round and used their 2022 first-round pick in the Marquise Brown trade. Greg Dortch, who also goes 5-7, became Moore’s primary replacement to start this season. It will be interesting if another team takes a flier on Isabella, whose rookie deal expires at season’s end.

The Bengals drafted Price in the 2018 first round but benched him in his second season. Cincinnati traded Price to the Giants for defensive tackle B.J. Hill last year. Price did not see any action for the Raiders. Hudson is battling a knee injury, though he has not missed any time yet, while Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com adds guard Justin Pugh is also dealing with an injury situation.

The Cards traded for guard Cody Ford before the season, but a subsequent injury led the ex-Bill to IR. Kingsbury said (via Urban) Ford will not return to practice when first eligible this week; the former second-round pick is at least a couple weeks away from his practice window opening. Price will soon move into position as an interior backup in Arizona, his fourth NFL team.

Raiders Work Out Kelechi Osemele, Oday Aboushi, Billy Price

September 14th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 14: The Raiders signed Price to their practice squad Wednesday. This comes as Aboushi landed on the Rams’ taxi squad. A former No. 21 overall pick, Price lost his Bengals starting center gig in his second NFL slate (2019). But the 27-year-old blocker is coming off a full season of starter work with the Giants.

SEPTEMBER 13: Kelechi Osemele did not play in the NFL in 2021, but retirement is not yet in the cards. Two teams have now worked out the former All-Pro guard over the past several days.

The Raiders brought in their former interior starter for an audition, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Osemele, whom the Raiders traded to the Jets during the 2019 offseason, has not played since a Chiefs-Raiders game in October 2020. In addition to Osemele, the Raiders brought in O-linemen Oday Aboushi, Billy Price and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves for early-season workouts.

[RELATED: Raiders Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman]

Osemele, 33, suffered tendon tears in both knees. A similar injury development halted longtime Texans right tackle Derek Newton years ago. Newton went down in October 2016, missed all of 2017 and played in just one more game (in 2018) before hanging up his cleats. Newton was also younger than Osemele was at the time of those tendon tears. But both the Bears and Raiders have kicked the tires on Osemele, whose two career Pro Bowl nods came during his time with the Raiders.

A big-ticket Raiders free agent signing in 2016, Osemele earned Pro Bowl invites in 2016 and ’17. The ex-Ravens second-rounder started three seasons for the Raiders, but months after the team parted ways with ex-GM Reggie McKenzie, its Jon Gruden-led power structure traded Osemele to the Jets. A shoulder injury hijacked the veteran guard’s Jets season (2019) as well, and a memorable dispute with the team ensued on his way out. Osemele played in five Chiefs games, working as a starter for the eventual AFC champions early in the 2020 campaign.

Aboushi is also attempting to come back after an injury; an October ACL tear ended his Chargers run. By lining up as a Bolts starter last year, Aboushi became a rare player who has been a starter for six teams (Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions, Chargers). The 31-year-old blocker started five games with the Bolts, who have since moved on via their first-round Zion Johnson pick.

A 2018 first-round Bengals selection, Price spent last season with the Giants. Traded straight up for then-Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill before last season, Price returned to a full-time starter role after being benched in Cincinnati. The Ohio State product started 15 games for a battered Giants offensive line. Hargreaves, a 2016 Buccaneers first-round pick, played in 12 games for the Bengals and Texans last season.

Despite fielding a below-average offensive line last season, the Raiders did not make any big additions to that unit. In Week 1, they used a few different combinations up front. Josh McDaniels‘ team kept left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard John Simpson and center Andre James on the field throughout but made in-game changes on the right side. The Silver and Black started Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle and third-round rookie Dylan Parham at right guard.

Center Billy Price To Visit Cardinals

May 8th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Former first-round pick Billy Price is looking to join the third team of his career. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Price will be visiting the Cardinals with hopes to end his stint as a free agent. 

Price was drafted No. 21 overall in 2018 to become the new starting center for the Bengals. After starting the first two games of his rookie season, Price injured his foot and missed six games before returning to start the rest of the season. He started his sophomore season on the bench, returning to the starting lineup intermittently throughout the year. In his third season, Price was much more consistently on the bench, starting only one game in 2020, his last start as a Bengal. The Bengals declined his fifth-year option at the conclusion of the season, making the 2021 NFL season a contract year for Price.

Just prior to the 2021 season, Cincinnati traded Price to the Giants in exchange for defensive tackle B.J. Hill. Price didn’t start Week 1 for the Giants, possibly due to the short acclimation period, but earned the starting center job for the rest of the season, only sitting out a Week 17 game to heal from a personal family loss.

Last year, Arizona traded for then-Raiders center Rodney Hudson. While Hudson performed well during his first year in Arizona, he did miss five games throughout the year, some with rib and shoulder injuries and some with COVID-19. Arizona no longer rosters Max Garcia who filled in for Hudson last year, and the only other center on the roster is Marcus Henry who has appeared in six games since joining the league in 2016 without ever making a start.

If signed, Price would add some quality depth to the Cardinals’ offensive line, giving them a solid back up option should Hudson need to miss any games next year.

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