David Andrews - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Bush, Granson, Andrews

July 12th, 2022 at 12:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Expectations were sky-high for Devin Bush when the Steelers traded up to select him in the first round of the 2019 draft. Things haven’t gone according to plan in the past two years in particular, leading to the team’s decision to decline his fifth-year option earlier this offseason.

That has led many to believe 2022 will be his final year in Pittsburgh. While the upcoming season could prove to be a critical turning point, he will still have a starting role in the middle of the team’s defense. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic notes that Bush will be a member of the first-team unit alongside free agent addition Myles Jack (subscription required).

The Michigan alum is no stranger to significant playing time, having started all but one of his games in the NFL. He will look to rebound from a disappointing 2021 campaign, where he made 41 solo tackles and allowed a passer rating of nearly 103 in coverage. Behind him and Jack at the position, the Steelers have veteran Robert Spillane and 2021 fourth-rounder Buddy Johnson available in the event of injuries or poor play.

Here are a couple of other notes from the AFC:

Facing a serious cap crunch, the Patriots re-worked the contract of center David Andrews last month. The move created some breathing room for the 2022 season, dropping his cap number from $6.375MM down to $4.275MM. In a breakdown of the other changes brought on by the restructure, ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes (on Twitter) that his cap figure in 2023 and 2024 will jump from $5.875MM to $7.175MM and $7.425MM, respectively. The 30-year-old is coming off of another solid season in 2021, earning a PFF grade of 78, and figures to reman an anchor on New England’s o-line for the foreseeable future.
The Colts will have a new player atop the tight end depth chart this season. The retirement of Jack Doyle has left Mo Alie-Cox as the No. 1 at the position in Indianapolis. While the 28-year-old is likely to eclipse his single-season career high of 394 yards with the increased workload, another incumbent could see an uptick on usage. 2021 fourth-rounder Kylen Granson “should be given every opportunity” to become a full-time contributor in the team’s offense, writes FOX59’s Mike Chappell. He made just 11 catches as a rookie, and will be competing with Alie-Cox and rookies Jelani Woods and Drew Ogletree for targets. Still, he could take on a notable receiving role in particular within Frank Reich‘s TE-friendly scheme with a strong training camp.

Pats Restructure David Andrews’ Contract

June 24th, 2022 at 8:36pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL team that currently holds the smallest amount of salary cap space for the 2022 season completed a move today in order to provide a little bit of breathing room. ESPN’s Field Yates reported today that the Patriots restructured the contract of veteran center David Andrews, granting them a bit of cap space for the upcoming season.

Andrews went undrafted in 2015, signing with New England as a free agent. Due to injuries to then-starting center Bryan Stork and backup Ryan Wendell, Andrews impressed in ample playing time during the preseason and earned the starting spot for Week 1 of his rookie season. He eventually ceded the position to his healthy teammates, but beat out Stork in an offseason competition for the starting job the following season.

Andrews has gone on to hold down the center position as a full-time starter for the past six years, excluding the 2019 season that saw him miss the entire year due to a pulmonary embolism. He did miss four games in the season immediately following 2019, but proved his health last year by playing 98.6% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, with the next closest lineman being Shaq Mason who was on the field for 86.5% of New England’s offensive snaps.

After Andrews had completed his first season as a full-time starter in 2016, he and the Patriots agreed to a three-year, $9MM contract extension. After playing out that contract to become a free agent last offseason, Andrews decided to re-sign with New England on a four-year, $19MM deal.

The restructuring completed today reportedly creates $2.1MM in cap space for the 2022 season by converting $3.15MM of compensation into a signing bonus. Andrews’ contract will now hold a cap hit of $4.28MM for the upcoming season as the Patriots look to regain supremacy atop the AFC East.

Dolphins Still Searching For Center

April 6th, 2021 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins made an offer to center David Andrews even after signing Matt Skura, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Andrews ultimately wound up back with the Patriots, but Jackson hears the Dolphins are still in the search for center support.

Andrews missed all of 2019 with a pulmonary embolism, but he managed to return for the 2020 season. Even though he missed a handful of games with a thumb injury, he suited up in 72% of the Pats’ offensive snaps across 12 games.

Presumably, the Dolphins were willing to give Andrews a deal that was in the neighborhood of his new Pats contract – $19MM over four years with $6.5MM fully guaranteed. Meanwhile, Skura was signed for just $1.75MM on a one-year deal. Between Skura’s struggles and his injury history, it’s a safe bet that he won’t be handed the starting job in South Beach.

Contract Details: Trubisky, Andrews, Carson, Jones, Reiff, Joyner

March 21st, 2021 at 6:57pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s catch up on the latest contract details from around the league:

QB Mitchell Trubisky, Bills: One-year, $2MM base salary with $1.5MM guaranteed, $500K signing bonus, and $2MM available in incentives. Via Field Yates of ESPN on Twitter.
C David Andrews, Patriots: Four-years, $19 MM, with $6.5MM fully guaranteed. More money available in play-time incentives. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Twitter.
RB Chris Carson, Seahawks: Two-years, $10.425MM, $4.5MM signing bonus and $1MM guaranteed salary for 2021. $4.5MM non-guaranteed 2022 salary and $450K in per-game roster bonuses in ‘22. Up to $1.4MM in incentives in both years. Via Dan Graziano of ESPN on Twitter.
RB Aaron Jones, Packers: Four-years, $48MM. The $13MM signing bonus is the only fully guaranteed money in the contract. A $3.5MM roster bonus is due on the first day of next league year. For 2023, a $7MM roster bonus is due on the third day of the league year. You can read the full breakdown of each year of the contract via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
OL Riley Reiff, Bengals: One-year, $7.5MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. We hadn’t known the terms of this contract yet, and $7.5MM is a pretty decent price for the Bengals for a solid starting tackle. Via Yates on Twitter.
S Lamarcus Joyner, Jets: One-year, up to $4.5MM. $2.5MM is guaranteed, with a $1MM signing bonus and $1.5MM base salary. Up to $500K in per game active roster bonuses and $1.5MM in playing time and interception incentives. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Patriots, C David Andrews Finalizing Deal

March 18th, 2021 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

David Andrews is returning to New England after all. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports (via Twitter) that the free agent center is finalizing a deal with the Patriots. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that it’s a four-year deal for the offensive lineman.

While the team captain is beloved in the locker room, it was uncertain if Andrews would end up returning to New England in 2021. We learned Tuesday night that Andrews’ camp was pivoting to other suitors’ offers after negotiating with the Patriots for much of the day. The veteran had made it clear that he wished to return to New England, and it sounded like Bill Belichick was willing to let Andrews test his market before re-signing. At one point, the Patriots didn’t expect to bring Andrews back, per Doug Kyed of NESN (on Twitter), explaining why the team added Ted Karras.

Andrews had at least one suitor outside of New England. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins were in on Andrews’ services, even after the team inked Matt Skura to a deal.

Andrews joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and he started 57 of his 60 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL. He ended up missing the entire 2019 campaign after getting diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, but he managed to return in time for the 2020 season. He missed a handful of games with a thumb injury, ultimately appearing in 72-percent of the Patriots’ offensive snaps in 12 games.

There’s going to be a bit of change on the Patriots offensive line next season, as the team traded for offensive tackle Trent Brown before watching starting lineman Joe Thuney sign with the Chiefs. Andrews will certainly be relied on to provide veteran leadership and guidance to the offensive line in 2021.

Latest On FA C David Andrews

March 16th, 2021 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Patriots had a chance to secure David Andrews‘ services today, but the center is now set to test the open market. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that after weighing New England’s offers today, the veteran is now pivoting towards offers from other suitors.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo confirms (via Twitter) that Andrews will now explore other options outside of New England. Garafolo clarified that the offensive lineman has been exploring all options this week, but he has yet to agree to any offers (Twitter link). Michael Giardi of NFL Network tweets that Andrews “has expressed a desire” to stick with New England, and the reporter wonders whether Bill Belichick is simply daring the free agent to find a superior offer elsewhere.

Andrews joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and he started 57 of his 60 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL. He ended up missing the entire 2019 campaign after getting diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, but he managed to return in time for the 2020 season. He missed a handful of games with a thumb injury, ultimately appearing in 72-percent of the Patriots’ offensive snaps in 12 games.

The Patriots offensive line is already set to look a bit different in 2021. The team traded for offensive tackle Trent Brown before watching starting lineman Joe Thuney sign with the Chiefs.

Patriots To Activate C David Andrews

October 24th, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Shaq Mason‘s recent return to practice from the Patriots’ reserve/COVID-19 list, the team will have another starter back Sunday. David Andrews will come off IR ahead of the Pats’ Week 7 game, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets.

Andrews has missed 19 of the past 21 Patriots games, being shelved for the 2019 season because of blood clots and missing the past three New England contests because of a thumb injury. He and Mason’s returns will be key for a Pats team coming off a home upset loss to the Broncos.

Prior to Andrews’ run of bad luck, he had started all but four of New England’s games since the start of the 2015 season. The Pats’ offense has looked considerably worse in Andrews’ absence the past three weeks, though other factors have contributed to that.

New England will be without right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor — placed on IR this week — but is set to have four of its five Week 1 starters back Sunday against the 49ers. The non-Week 1 starter set to play Sunday — sixth-round rookie Michael Onwenu — has been a pleasant surprise. Onwenu has played right tackle and both guard spots this season, doing so because of the Patriots’ litany of injuries up front. He will likely see time at right tackle against San Francisco.

Patriots Move C David Andrews To IR

September 26th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Andrews‘ return from a full-season absence will be on hold for the time being. The Patriots placed their starting center on IR Saturday.

The veteran snapper did not practice this week due to a thumb injury. New England is promoting center James Ferentz from its practice squad. The Pats also placed rookie linebacker Josh Uche on IR. The second-round pick is battling a foot injury.

A blood clot issue resulted in Andrews missing all of the 2019 season. But he was cleared to resume his career this offseason, and the sixth-year blocker reclaimed his spot as the Patriots’ starting center. He will be out until at least Week 6, however.

So will Uche, who has yet to make his NFL debut. The Pats made the Michigan alum a healthy scratch in Week 1, and he landed on their injury report soon after and missed the team’s Week 2 game.

Ferentz has been with the Patriots for more than three years now. The son of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz — a Bill Belichick assistant with the Browns in the 1990s — James Ferentz signed with the Patriots in 2017. He played 15 games last season, starting two. The Pats let 2019 Andrews replacement Ted Karras defect to the Dolphins in free agency.

David Andrews Cleared To Resume Career

May 5th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots are on track to have their starting center back. David Andrews, who missed all of last season due to blood clots being found in his lungs, said (via the Associated Press’ Kyle Hightower) he has been cleared to resume football activities.

Andrews is no longer on any workout restrictions, he confirmed Tuesday. After being shut down for the season last August, Andrews spent the remainder of 2019 on medication for the scary issue. The longtime Pats starter said he has stopped taking that medication as part of his progression back to full health.

New England allowed Andrews’ 2019 replacement, Ted Karras, to leave in free agency. He landed with the Dolphins. Andrews is under contract through the 2020 season and set to earn $3MM in base salary this season.

Prior to missing all of last season, the former UDFA had played in 60 Patriots games since coming into the league in 2015. He started 57. He went on to start in three Super Bowls. The Pats are moving forward without acclaimed offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who retired again this offseason, so having Andrews back will stand to help their group.

Patriots’ David Andrews Plans To Continue Playing

January 13th, 2020 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

David Andrews missed the entire 2019 season with blood clots in his lungs, but he intends to return to the field in 2020, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes.

“I feel great,” Andrews said. “I have a bunch of doctors’ appointments in February, [hopefully] get all that cleared up, and be good to go for next year.”

Andrews still has one year to go on the three-year, $9MM extension he inked with the Pats in 2017, so he should be back in New England, provided that he’s healthy enough to play. It remains to be seen who he’s be snapping the ball to, however. Tom Brady, Andrews’ longtime partner, is intent on exploring free agency for the first time in his career.

Before the blood clots, Andrews served as New England’s primary center since 2015. He went from UDFA to the Pats man in the middle for four AFC championship games and three Super Bowls.

Andrews allowed only four quarterback pressures in 2018, the fewest among Patriots linemen. In that year, he graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 center.

Without Andrews, the Patriots turned to Ted Karras as their starting center in 2019.