HEADLINES

David Quessenberry

Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw Will Require Season-Ending Surgery

October 25th, 2024 at 10:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

10:17pm: Darrisaw’s injury impacted both the ACL and MCL, per an update from Rapoport. He has been moved to injured reserve, something which opens up the roster spot needed to activate tight end T.J. Hockenson. The latter’s presence will be welcomed by Minnesota’s offense, but the unit will nevertheless be severely shorthanded the rest of the way.

1:25pm: The Vikings’ offense took a massive hit on Thursday night with Christian Darrisaw leaving the game late in the first half of their Week 8 matchup with the Rams with a knee injury.

On Friday, an MRI confirmed the worst: Darrisaw will require season-ending surgery, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Darrisaw has developed into one of the league’s best left tackles since being drafted by the Vikings with the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft. He allowed just 10 pressures and two sacks in 392 snaps this year, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His pass protection and run blocking have been crucial to the Vikings’ 5-2 start this year, pairing with Bryan O’Neill to form one of the best tackle duos in the NFL.

Now, Minnesota will have to turn to another option at left tackle with veteran David Quessenberry and rookie Walter Rouse on the roster. Rouse is listed as Darrisaw’s backup on the Vikings’ depth chart, but Quessenberry took over at left tackle on Thursday night, indicating that he will be the team’s starter moving forward. That will move Rouse into a swing tackle job backing up both Quessenberry and O’Neill. Practice squad offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson could be in line for game day elevations for depth, or even a promotion to the active roster once the Vikings move Darrisaw onto injured reserve.

Quessenberry made a few spot starts at left tackle in Minnesota last year, so head coach Kevin O’Connell might be comfortable with playing the veteran for the rest of the season. A quality tackle is unlikely to be available on the trade market, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could scour the free agent ranks for an available veteran like D.J. Humphries, who recently visited the Giants. The Vikings are also plenty familiar with former division rival David Bakhtiari, who has not officially retired after being released by the Packers, but he would need to address concerns about his health before a signing.

Darrisaw signed a four-year, $104MM extension with the Vikings in July, getting $43.73MM fully guaranteed and additional rolling guarantees as the contract progresses. While he will certainly be aiming to recover from his knee surgery and play out the rest of his contract, Darrisaw serves as a powerful example of the importance of players seeking guaranteed money in their contracts to secure their financial futures.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/24

March 11th, 2024 at 10:51pm CST by Ely Allen

On the busiest transaction day of the NFL year, here are a few moves that maybe didn’t make the headlines:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Woerner is probably one of the bigger names on this list. After serving as a reliable run-blocking tight end with the 49ers for the duration of his rookie contract, Woerner earns a new three-year deal worth up to $12MM to head to Atlanta, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.

Brandel may be the next biggest deal on this list. After making five starts in 39 game appearances with the Vikings during his rookie deal, Brandel earned a new three-year, $9.5MM contract to remain in Minnesota. Quessenberry joins him as a depth lineman sticking around.

Lewis also gets to stick around on a multi-year deal, signing a two-year, $4MM deal to remain in Buffalo. A valuable special teamer, Lewis has done a good job of getting himself worked into the rotation on defense a good amount over the course of his rookie deal.

Olszewski earns another year in New York after solving a big issue on punt returns for the Giants last year. Baun heads to Philadelphia as a strong backup after starting 14 games for the Saints during his first four years in the league.

Vikings Sign T David Quessenberry, Place RB/KR Kene Nwangwu On IR

August 31st, 2023 at 4:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 31: Quessenberry’s Vikings deal is official. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Vikes shuttled kick returner Kene Nwangwu to IR. Minnesota’s kick returner for the past two seasons, Nwangwu suffered a back injury that has forced him to miss multiple weeks of practice. The third-year running back has already ripped off three kick-return touchdowns. That is the most in the NFL over the past two seasons; only one other player (Nyheim Hines) has more than one in that span. The Vikings also signed Myles Gaskin to help on the running back depth front behind Alexander Mattison.

AUGUST 30: Beaten out for the Bills’ swing tackle position, David Quessenberry is on track to have another opportunity. The Vikings are planning to sign the veteran offensive lineman, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Quessenberry, 32, spent last season as Buffalo’s swing tackle. Rookie UDFA Ryan Van Demark, however, beat out the experienced blocker for the job. This will be an active-roster addition, Garafolo adds.

The Vikings have Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill in place at tackle. Oli Udoh replaced O’Neill when he went down late last season. The former Minnesota guard starter resides as the only backup tackle option on the team presently, but if Quessenberry passes a physical, that will soon change.

Best known for his AFC South work, Quessenberry has 26 career starts on his resume. Seventeen of those came for the 2021 Titans. As the Titans struggled to replace Jack Conklin, Quessenberry gave them a full season of starter work at right tackle. The team’s Isaiah Wilson whiff preceded its Dillon Radunz pick not producing a ready blocker, leading to Quessenberry taking over. A 2013 Texans sixth-round pick, Quessenberry will bring extensive experience to a Vikings team flush with homegrown O-linemen.

Only Minnesota and New Orleans boast starting O-lines housing five homegrown first- or second-round picks. O’Neill represents the longest-tenured Vikings blocker and their only big-ticket contract. He missed time to close last season. Quessenberry is set to join Udoh, Austin Schlottmann and Blake Brandel as Vikes backup blockers.

Bills To Release T David Quessenberry, G Ike Boettger

August 29th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills look to be making a change at their swing tackle spot. They are releasing David Quessenberry, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.

This marks more change for Buffalo’s second-string tackle situation. Brandon Shell slid to the reserve/retired list during training camp, while Tommy Doyle suffered a season-ending injury. Quessenberry, who held the Bills’ swing job last season, will now be bumped off the roster.

Buffalo may well be prepared to give its swing job to Ryan Van Demark, a rookie UDFA. Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown remain in place as the team’s starters. While the Bills are fairly deep at guard, rostering David Edwards and Ryan Bates behind likely starters Connor McGovern and O’Cyrus Torrence, the defending AFC East champs may look around to upgrade at tackle.

Regarding that interior depth, the Bills are also cutting veteran guard Ike Boettger, per the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski. Although Boettger re-signed with the team this offseason, the Bills’ investments in Torrence, Edwards and new left guard starter Connor McGovern made him a cut candidate.

Boettger, 28, rehabbed a severe injury last season, coming off the Bills’ PUP list late in the year. Boettger had started 17 games for Buffalo between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, and while it is possible the Bills circle back to him after making PUP- or IR-related moves, he is no longer with the team.

Quessenberry, 32, worked as the Titans’ primary right tackle starter in 2021, helping the team compensate for some issues staffing the position post-Jack Conklin. The Bills picked up the veteran blocker in 2022, and he made three starts for the team. Considering teams’ interest in acquiring O-line depth, Quessenberry figures to generate interest on the open market.

Latest On Bills’ Offensive Line

August 25th, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown and Mitch Morse are locked into Week 1 starting roles for the Bills, but uncertainty clouds the guard spots. And recent developments have Buffalo’s swing tackle role in flux.

If healthy, Connor McGovern is in place as the Bills’ starting left guard. The Bills gave the former Cowboys starter a three-year, $22.35MM deal early in free agency. The fifth-year blocker, however, suffered a knee injury this week. No return timetable has emerged for the team’s top guard investment, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg notes. Considering the team has already held a long-running right guard battle, McGovern’s availability adds to the confusion here. For what it’s worth, McGovern does not believe this is a serious injury, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran.

Ryan Bates and second-round rookie O’Cyrus Torrence have competed for the RG role. Although the Bills matched a Bears RFA offer sheet (four years, $17MM) for Bates last year, Torrence may be close to overtaking him for the starting gig. The Bills have given Torrence two preseason starts and used him throughout Josh Allen‘s cameo in the second exhibition game. This usage points to a starting assignment coming soon, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia writes (subscription required).

Pro Football Focus graded Bates as a mid-pack guard last season, ranking him 41st at the position. The team chose Torrence 59th overall — the earliest O-line investment for the Bills since the Cody Ford pick (39th) in 2019 — and ESPN’s Scouts Inc. graded the Florida product as the draft’s best pure guard prospect. Torrence made 34 straight starts to close his college career, and Buscaglia adds the Bills have been pleased with his development.

McGovern being unavailable for Week 1 would open the door to Bates (19 career starts) keeping a starting role, though the team also has UFA addition David Edwards as an option. A three-year Rams starter, Edwards signed a low-end Bills deal (one year, $1.77MM) this offseason. A concussion limited Edwards to four starts last season, but the former Super Bowl starter has made 45 first-string appearances. Edwards’ arrival also complicates matters for longtime Bills blocker Ike Boettger, who worked with the third-team O-line during the first two preseason tilts. Boettger (17 career starts) sticking around for a sixth Bills season may hinge on his performance against the Bears tonight, Buscaglia adds.

The Bills have run into hurdles to fill the swing post behind Dawkins and Brown. Brandon Shell retired midway through training camp, and Tommy Doyle suffered a season-ending injury. David Quessenberry, a former Titans starter who filled this role last year, has not impressed this summer, and Buscaglia notes rookie UDFA Ryan Van Demark is battling the veteran for the job. Quessenberry, who turned 33 this week, has 26 career starts.

It would be interesting to see if the Bills will look outside to address this swing issue. Jason Peters, who began his career with the team, said recently he is looking to play a 19th season. Peters, 41, may be a name to watch, per Buscaglia. Peters caught on late with the Cowboys last year, signing on Sept. 5, and played both tackle and guard as the team dealt with injuries.

AFC Rumors: Quessenberry, Jones, Meyers, Anudike-Uzomah

August 19th, 2023 at 2:10pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills seemingly signed veteran offensive tackle Brandon Shell with the intention that he would plug in as a full-time starter, much like he had done in Miami, Seattle, and New York over his career. Shell’s sudden retirement decision days ago threw a bit of a wrench in those plans.

At left tackle, Dion Dawkins slots in as the obvious left tackle starter, as he has since his rookie year. The starter across from him, for right now, is currently Spencer Brown. Brown has started 24 games over his first two years in the league, but the ability of the former third-round pick to start long term has yet to be proven.

If Brown struggles or if he or Dawkins go down with injury, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports that David Quessenberry is expected to slot into the primary backup, swing tackle role. Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of depth beyond Quessenberry, and this late in the season, that’s not too likely to change.

Tommy Doyle and Ryan Van Demark both sit on the depth chart behind Quessenberry and should make a push for the initial 53-man roster, if not solely due to the lack of depth. But Quessenberry should be the first name off the bench in the case that Brown or Dawkins aren’t there for any reason.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of the AFC, starting with another team in the AFC East:

  • The Patriots have been operating the past two weeks without veteran starting cornerback Jonathan Jones. The long-time staple in New England’s secondary has been absent with an undisclosed injury. Luckily, whatever the ailment is, Karen Guregian of MassLive reports that Jones is expected to be back for the team’s regular season opener. The Patriots are reportedly being careful with him, but the plan is for him to be starting a couple Sundays from now.
  • Last month, the Raiders concluded a deal that would eventually help them bring in veteran cornerback Marcus Peters. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team converted $3.92MM of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers‘s base salary for 2023 into a signing bonus and added two voidable years. The move takes his base salary down from $5MM in 2023 to $1.08MM but freed up $3.14MM of cap space, helping Las Vegas to continue building their roster this offseason.
  • Staying in the AFC West, the rich got richer when the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs added Kansas State pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the end of the first round this past April. Most of the team’s pass rushing comes from interior lineman Chris Jones, but with Frank Clark gone, a starting role was open across from George Karlaftis III. Kansas City signed Charles Omenihu to potentially fill that role, but he is set to serve a six-game suspension to start the season. Still, according to The Athletic contributor Nate Taylor’s recent update, the plan for Anudike-Uzomah appears to be for him to appear out of a rotation. The team may explore adding an additional veteran pass rusher to help holdover the role in Omenihu’s absence, but in the long run, they don’t want to rush Anudike-Uzomah out on the field until he’s ready.

Bills Re-Sign OL David Quessenberry

March 21st, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills are bringing back a depth piece on their offensive line. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Bills are re-signing offensive lineman David Quessenberry.

The former sixth-round pick turned into a useful OL piece during his time with the Titans, culminating in him starting all 17 games at right tackle for Tennessee in 2021. The advanced stats point to a productive showing that year, with Quessenberry finishing as Pro Football Focus’ 18th-best offensive tackle.

He joined the Bills last offseason and ended up seeing time in all 17 games. He started three total games at both tackle spots while filling in for Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. He graded last season as PFF’s 66th offensive tackle (among 81 qualifiers).

The Bills added guard Connor McGovern last week, but they’ll otherwise return the same depth from last season. That means Quessenberry will likely enter the season as a backup OL.

Bills Sign OL David Quessenberry

April 21st, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have made an addition on their offensive line. The team announced on Thursday the signing of veteran David Quessenberry.

The 31-year-old was drafted in 2013, but didn’t make his NFL debut until the end of the the 2017 campaign. The delay was caused by his successful treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which opened the door to playing time with the Texans. Those two games to finish the season, however, ended up being his only appearances in Houston.

The San Jose St. product remained in the AFC South, being added to the Titans’ practice squad in 2018. One year later, he made his debut with Tennessee. Even though he was cut by the team in October of that season, he remained in Nashville through 2021.

This past campaign saw him spend a full season as a starter for the first time in his career. Occupying the right tackle spot, he acquitted himself very well, considering his lack of playing experience despite his age. He earned an 80.6 PFF grade, which ranked him 18th out of 83 qualified tackles. While he only committed two penalties, he did allow 11 sacks, however.

Quessenberry now joins Rodger Saffold as former Titans signing with the Bills. He will, at a minimum, provide quality depth along the right side of their offensive line.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/20

October 27th, 2020 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: LB Andre Smith
  • Released from reserve/retired list: DB Isiah Brown

Denver Broncos

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/24/20

October 24th, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is another spree of Saturday minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Moved from IR to reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Michael Joseph

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Promoted: CB Dylan Mabin

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Activated from IR: OL Cameron Clark
  • Promoted: K/P Sergio Castillo, LB Bryce Hager

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

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