HEADLINES

Germain Ifedi

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

August 28th, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Baltimore Ravens

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed:

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Browns Release RB D’Onta Foreman, Trim Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns kept four quarterbacks on their active roster, using other position groups to make their way down to 53. Here is how Cleveland maneuvered there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR:

Placed on commissioner exempt list:

Kevin Stefanski pointed to Foreman not being out of the picture, alluding this only being the team’s initial 53-man roster. The veteran back, who signed as a depth/rotational option this offseason, should be expected back, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets. Teams can use up to six practice squad slots on vested veterans. This is Foreman’s fourth team in four years, but he has managed to play regular roles for each. The Browns also have their two other high-profile options — Chubb and Hines — out for at least four games, as they recover from 2023 injuries.

Cleveland considered trading Jameis Winston or Tyler Huntley, with second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson showing enough improvement to have made the 53-man roster. But the team stopped short and made the rare move to carry four active-roster arms. One of the non-Deshaun Watson passers could be vulnerable, however, as the waiver wire will come into play soon. Winston and Huntley are vested vets and would head straight to free agency if released; Thompson-Robinson would need to pass through waivers. Teams often prioritize those players on cutdown day.

Hall is out of the picture for the foreseeable future, as his legal issue runs its course, and Wypler is out for the year with a broken ankle. The Browns designated Dunn for return. This will cut into Cleveland’s eight injury activations, and while the veteran blocker will miss at least four games, the team prioritized his comeback enough to use this early designation. Dunn has been with the team since 2020.

Latest On Browns’ T Situation

August 18th, 2024 at 4:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns entered yesterday’s preseason game with starting tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin still on the mend from the injuries which shortened their 2023 campaigns. Several other O-linemen were banged up during the loss to the Vikings, but Cleveland is not seeking out additional depth at this point.

Germain Ifedi suffered a hand injury on Saturday, but head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated he should not miss practice time. That will be the case, however, for James Hudson and Hakeem Adeniji. Ankle and knee injuries, respectively, will keep those blockers sidelined for a stretch; Stefanski said Adeniji will be on the shelf for “a little bit of time.” As he continues to rehab an MCL sprain, meanwhile, Wills will not practice this week as he remains on the active/PUP list.

“We feel really good about the people we have in this building,” Stefanski said when speaking about the offensive tackle situation (via the team’s website). “We got guys that are working hard to get back and we’ll just deal with it day to day.”

Wills is on the books for 2024 via his fifth-year option, and a Browns restructure lowered his cap hit for this season. That move set Cleveland up for a dead cap charge of $11.81MM in 2025 if he were to depart in free agency, though, so returning to full health and serving in a first-team role will be critical for team and player. Conklin has three years left on his pact, but no guaranteed salary is in place beyond the coming season. His level of play when back on the field will also be key in determining his financial future.

Stefanski also confirmed that quarterback Deshaun Watson is still on track to suit up for the Browns’ preseason finale. That will mark Watson’s first game action since Week 10 of the 2023 season as he continues to rehab from a season-ending shoulder injury. It will be interesting to see how healthy Cleveland’s offensive line is for that contest and, more importantly, when the regular season begins. For now, an addition should not be expected despite the numerous injury situations the Browns are dealing with.

Latest On Browns’ Interior OL Depth

July 12th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The Browns have been set at guard for the last five years. Joel Bitonio has held down a starting job in Cleveland since getting drafted in 2014, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last six seasons and earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2022. Wyatt Teller has joined Bitonio as a starter since being traded from Buffalo in 2019 and has joined Bitonio in the last three Pro Bowls. The team’s depth behind the two is set to look a little different in 2024, though.

The need for depth hasn’t been critical during the tenure of Bitonio and Teller. Bitonio missed 17 games back in his second and third seasons but didn’t miss any games after that until this past season. Teller has only missed two games in the past three years but hasn’t quite shown the durability of Bitonio in a shorter career. Still, with Bitonio heading into his 11th season in which he’ll turn 33, it makes sense to have an eye on the future.

While Michael Dunn has been a serviceable injury replacement, starting two games in each of the last three years, he doesn’t provide much upside as the future starter at the position. For that reason, the Browns made two key additions to the roster this offseason, signing former Seahawks starter Germain Ifedi and drafting Michigan rookie Zak Zinter in the third round of this year’s draft.

The preferred option here is likely Zinter, who’s had an excellent camp, according to Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Cleveland got an excellent value on Zinter after the former Wolverine needed to have a steel rod placed in his leg, preventing him from working out for teams throughout the pre-draft process. He was able to participate fully in organized team activities and minicamp and showed enough to have the Browns excited about his potential to eventually replace Bitonio or Teller as a top guard.

Without the opportunity to start this year, Zinter should still have the chance to push Dunn for the primary backup role at guard. If, for any reason, Zinter isn’t quite ready to step into that role, Cleveland has Dunn and an experienced starter in Ifedi to hold down the role until he is.

Browns Sign OL Germain Ifedi

April 18th, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have added depth to their offensive line ahead of the upcoming draft. Germain Ifedi signed with Cleveland on Thursday, per a team announcement.

Ifedi spent his first four seasons in Seattle, seeing time at both right guard and right tackle. The former first-rounder did not develop as hoped despite serving as a full-time starter, though, and the team’s decision to decline his fifth-year option led to a free agent departure in 2020. Ifedi played on a pair of one-year contracts with the Bears following his Seattle tenure.

The 29-year-old saw 23 starts and 25 total appearances in Chicago, splitting his time between guard and tackle during that span. His PFF evaluations improved compared to his Seahawks tenure, with pass protection being viewed as the strong point of his skillset. Still, Ifedi has struggled to find a permanent home in the NFL, having bounced around to the Falcons, Lions and Bills over the past two years.

The Texas A&M product played sparingly in Atlanta in 2022, logging only eight snaps on offense. He was set to join the Lions last offseason but was ultimately let go before final roster cutdowns. Back on the market, Ifedi signed with the Bills in a move which provided the team with depth ahead of the campaign. During a year in which the Bills remained healthy up front, though, Ifedi did not see the field throughout the 2023 season.

Cleveland, by contrast, dealt with a number of injuries along the O-line last year. The team has had a quiet offseason to date up front, as Ifedi represents the only outside addition made before the draft (reserve guard Michael Dunn was previously re-signed). The Browns could certainly still look to add a rookie offensive lineman next week, but Ifedi will give them a veteran of 83 starts capable of competing for a roster spot in training camp.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/23

December 28th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed off 49ers practice squad: OT Ilm Manning

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Germain Ifedi‘s underwhelming stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran offensive lineman joined the Bills this past offseason and was expected to provide some experienced depth. Instead, Ifedi was inactive for every game this season, and the Bills have decided his roster spot could be put to better use. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg believes this move will likely open a spot for defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.

Bills To Sign OT Germain Ifedi

August 29th, 2023 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills have added some veteran depth to their offensive line. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Bills are expected to sign offensive tackle Germain Ifedi. The organization worked out Ifedi earlier today.

[RELATED: Bills To Release T David Quessenberry, G Ike Boettger]

Ifedi was a first-round pick by the Seahawks in 2016 and proceeded to spend four years in Seattle, starting all 65 of his appearances (regular season and playoffs). He became a free agent in 2020 after the Seahawks declined his fifth-year option.

He caught on with the Bears, where he proceeded to get into 25 games (23 starts) across two seasons with the organization. He joined the Falcons last offseason and got into all 17 games without a start, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He signed with the Lions earlier this offseason but was cut by the organization this week.

While Ifedi barely played on the offensive line in 2022, he graded out as an above-average lineman as recently as 2021, per Pro Football Focus. That season, the site gave him particularly high marks for his pass-blocking ability, a skill that’s been a theme throughout his career.

It seemed inevitable that the Bills would add some offensive line depth. Brandon Shell was placed on the reserve/retired list during training camp, and Tommy Doyle has since suffered a season-ending injury. Then, the organization made the surprising move today when they let go of David Quessenberry, who was the organization’s primary swing tackle last season.

Lions Cut 11 Players Prior To Deadline

August 27th, 2023 at 10:33pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions made a big move on the road that eventually leads to a 53-man roster today, tweeting out that they have parted ways with 11 players.

Released:

Waived:

The losses of Hart and Ifedi seem like fairly large blows to the offensive line, but the Lions are set to return four of last year’s five starting offensive linemen in Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Jonah Jackson. The fifth spot will be re-filled by Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who missed last season due to injury but started at right guard the previous two years. Detroit is absolutely set on their starting five offensive linemen. Hart and Ifedi could’ve likely provided strong depth, but with both at 29 years old, they should land on their feet and perhaps find starting opportunities like they’ve had in the past.

Lions To Add OL Germain Ifedi

May 23rd, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are adding another offensive line depth piece. They are signing veteran Germain Ifedi, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The Falcons released Ifedi last week.

Despite re-signing with Atlanta earlier this offseason, Ifedi received his walking papers shortly after the draft. The former first-round pick will return to the NFC North, doing so during an offseason in which the Lions already added one of their former starters — Graham Glasgow — to the mix.

While Glasgow is an interior lineman, Ifedi has worked mostly at right tackle during his time as a pro. The Lions have Penei Sewell entrenched at that position. Ifedi, 29 next month, has also seen some time at guard as a pro. He will likely compete for a swing role for the Lions, who return most of their starting offensive line from last season.

Ifedi previously spent two seasons, the 2020 and ’21 campaigns, in the division as a member of the Bears. The seven-year veteran started at both guard and right tackle in Chicago during that span. For his career, the Texas A&M product has made 83 starts. Though, none of those came last season. Ifedi suited up for all 17 Falcons games but did not start any. The team enjoyed good health at tackle in 2022 and re-signed right-sider Kaleb McGary this offseason.

Upon drafting Ifedi 31st overall in 2016, the Seahawks made him a fixture at right tackle during the late 2010s. While Ifedi never emerged as an upper-echelon performer at that position, he has been a starter for four playoff teams (three in Seattle, one in Chicago. Pro Football Focus graded Ifedi as a top-40 tackle during his 2020 season in Chicago, his last as a full-season starter, but has not slotted him inside the top 60 in any other year.

The Lions return Sewell, Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson from their starting O-line. Multiyear sub Evan Brown signed with the Seahawks, but the Lions are hoping to have Halapoulivaati Vaitai back after a lost 2022 season due to injury. Glasgow represents competition for the veteran guard, who agreed to a reduced contract this offseason. Ifedi will offer Detroit a backup option at both tackle and guard.

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