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Nick Boyle

Steelers Audition LS Nick Boyle, To Host LB Kwon Alexander

May 15th, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers have already gone through with a linebacker revamp effort. They released Myles Jack, let Devin Bush sign with the Seahawks and did not retain Robert Spillane, who joined the Raiders in free agency. Offseason signings Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts are now in the fold.

A more accomplished veteran is on the team’s radar as well. The Steelers are meeting with Kwon Alexander tonight, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Alexander spent last season with the Jets, reuniting with former 49ers DC Robert Saleh. While Alexander remains on the Jets’ radar, the Steelers are interested as well.

Despite a notable injury history and not having signed with the Jets until training camp last year, Alexander played all 17 Gang Green games and started 12. The former Buccaneers standout saw action on 49% of the Jets’ defensive plays, logging 559 defensive snaps — his most with one team since his 2017 Pro Bowl year in Tampa. While Alexander played 667 snaps in 2020, the 49ers traded him to the Saints midway through the season.

Pro Football Focus has graded Alexander as a top-50 linebacker in each of the past three seasons, slotting him 44th in 2022. He joined C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams as the Jets’ primary linebackers, helping the team to a remarkable bounce-back effort in Saleh’s second season running the defense. Alexander finished with 69 tackles (six for loss) and a forced fumble last year.

Both the Saints and Jets have sought Alexander, 28, for his experience; the Steelers could ask him to play a similar role. The eight-year veteran has 86 starts on his resume. Alexander did miss five games in 2021 due to an elbow injury, but he has avoided major maladies since his late-2010s trouble. Alexander suffered a torn ACL in 2017 and missed 18 games between the 2018 and ’19 slates.

The Steelers did add Tanner Muse this offseason and are also carrying ex-Giants starter Tae Crowder as a potential backup option. Alexander would obviously represent an upgrade and could certainly emerge as a starting option in the team’s 3-4 look.

Pittsburgh also brought in former Baltimore tight end Nick Boyle, per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (on Twitter). Boyle attended the Steelers’ rookie minicamp over the weekend but did so as a long snapper. The longtime Ravens tight end is attempting to continue his career as a long snapper. This low-profile job can allow players to play into their late 30s or even early 40s, though it is the NFL’s lowest-paying on-field role. The Steelers have Christian Kuntz in place as their deep snapper, a role he has played over the past two seasons.

TE Nick Boyle Transitioning To LS?

April 13th, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Adam La Rose

Nick Boyle spent eight seasons with the Ravens at the tight end spot, becoming one of the league’s best blockers at that position. However, with his career now at a crossroads, he is attempting to make a name for himself at a different one.

Boyle, 30, recently attended Maryland’s pro day as a long snapper, the position at which he is now trying to make an NFL return, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (subscription required). Boyle played as a long snapper at the high school level, so it isn’t an entirely unfamiliar role, but his goal is still a noteworthy one.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Boyle started 53 of 90 appearances in Baltimore. He never totaled more than 31 receptions, 321 yards or two touchdowns in a campaign, but was instrumental in the team’s run game as a strong blocking presence. His career took a turn for the worse in November 2020 when he suffered a massive knee injury from which he has not been able to effectively recover.

Boyle has made 17 appearances and just three starts over the past two seasons, and the Delaware product’s offensive role dropped considerably. That made it little surprise when the Ravens released him in January, a move which allowed him to pursue the opportunity to land a roster spot as a long snapper. Baltimore has had Nick Moore at the LS spot for the past two years, and he is under contract through 2024. Boyle will thus need to catch on with a new team if he is to extend his career.

The latter has more than $25.7MM in career earnings from his time with the Ravens, particularly due to a three-year, $18MM deal he signed in 2019. His financial prospects would look far worse at the long snapper spot, since the position has only one member currently averaging over $1.5MM per season. If Boyle can land a training camp spot to compete for the snapping role somewhere, though, he will give himself the opportunity to begin an interesting second chapter in his playing career.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/10/23

January 10th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: CB Duron Lowe

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23

January 7th, 2023 at 4:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Contract Notes: Hughes, Walker, Boyle

May 14th, 2022 at 9:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on a deal recently reached in Houston:

  • Jerry Hughes, DT (Texans): Two-year, $10MM. The deal , reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $4.5MM comprised of a $2.5MM signing bonus and Hughes’s 2022 base salary of $2MM. The contract has two different per game active bonuses for each year. In 2022, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. In 2023, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $58,823 for a potential season total of $1MM.

Here’s an interesting detail in the contract of the 2022 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick:

  • Defensive end Travon Walker‘s first NFL contract currently has a detail that no other rookie contract from this year holds: the deal contains no offset language, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Offset language usually pertains to what will happen to a player’s salary if he should be cut in his first four seasons (the duration of each drafted rookie’s contract). Breer reports that it’s currently the only such deal this year. He also points out that it only occurred with two players from last year’s Draft: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Jacksonville has clearly started a trend of being uniquely generous to their first-round picks.

Here are some details from a contract recently restructured in Baltimore:

  • Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Two-year, $13MM. According to Yates, Boyle agreed to rework his contract, lowering his 2022 salary from $5MM to $1.12MM with a signing bonus of $2.63MM and possible incentives of $1.25MM. His 2023 salary was lowered $1MM with that money being converted to a roster bonus for that year. The deal creates $2.57MM of new cap space for the Ravens to work with.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/12/22

January 12th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Maxx Williams (remains on IR)

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: TE Mark Vital

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

  • Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Tyler Bray

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

  • Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT David Bada

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/6/22

January 6th, 2022 at 9:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the Thursday additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Ravens Activate TE Nick Boyle

November 8th, 2021 at 4:26pm CST by Ben Levine

After being sidelined for the past year, it sounds like Nick Boyle‘s return is imminent. The Ravens activated the veteran tight end from injured reserve today. That means he’ll be eligible to play in Thursday’s game against the Dolphins.

The veteran suffered a severe knee injury last November, and Boyle naturally landed on injured reserve prior to this season. There was initial hope that Boyle would be ready to go toward the beginning of the 2021 campaign, but a clean-up procedure delayed his comeback. Boyle returned to practice in late October.

“Nick obviously has been a really good player for us,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman recently said (via Clifton Brown of the team’s website). “It was a big loss for us last year, but he’s been really working to get back. I mean, Nick is a guy with a unique skillset that keeps getting better. We’re just going to have to bring him into the fold gradually and get him to where he’s feeling really comfortable out there so he can be Nick Boyle.”

Boyle made a name for himself as one of the league’s premier blocking tight ends, although he’s managed to stay relevant in the passing game (including a 2019 campaign where he set career-highs with 31 receptions and 321 receiving yards). The organization showed their commitment to the 28-year-old when they inked him to a two-year, $13MM extension this past offseason.

Mark Andrews will still serve as the top tight end (and one of Lamar Jackson‘s favorite targets), but Boyle should see plenty of snaps. The team is also rostering tight end Josh Oliver.

Ravens Designate Nick Boyle For Return

October 20th, 2021 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have designated tight end Nick Boyle to return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. Meanwhile, they’ve reversed course on their waiver claim of Brandon Knight, as the former Cowboys offensive lineman did not report to the team. Instead, the Ravens pivoted to veteran offensive lineman James Carpenter. 

[RELATED: Ravens Activate Bateman, Phillips From IR]

Boyle opened the year on IR as he was still healing up from his November knee injury. A recent microscopic surgery helped somewhat, but also elongated his rehab. The good news is that Boyle is back to provide blocking for a Ravens squad that will be without Ronnie Stanley. The All-Pro left tackle opted to go under the knife this week, ruling him out for the rest of the year.

Boyle’s best season as a receiver came in 2019, when he had 31 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens still have him under contract through 2023 thanks to the two-year, $13MM extension he inked back in January.

Ravens Activate Bateman, Phillips From IR

October 16th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Rory Parks

Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman will make his NFL debut this weekend in a heavily anticipated matchup between two exciting young QBs in Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert. Head coach John Harbaugh apprised reporters of the news today (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).

Baltimore activated both Bateman and guard Tyre Phillips from IR Saturday. Phillips has been out since Week 1 due to a knee injury that required cart transportation. He began the season as the Ravens’ starting left guard. This move comes shortly after the Ravens placed rookie fill-in Ben Cleveland, who has split time at left guard with Ben Powers, on IR. Baltimore promoted Le’Veon Bell and tackle Andre Smith from its practice squad as well.

The Ravens have managed a 4-1 record despite a rash of injured stars and key contributors, including their top two RBs — J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards — CB Marcus Peters, LT Ronnie Stanley, and many others besides. Bateman, the 27th-overall pick of this year’s draft, joined the club’s MASH unit after suffering a significant groin pull in training camp that ultimately required surgery. Baltimore put its rookie wideout on IR and designated him for return at the end of September.

The Ravens’ ground game, which was the club’s calling card over the past several years, has been subdued in 2021 thanks in large part to the aforementioned injuries to Dobbins and Edwards (and thanks to opposing defenses gearing up to stop the run). But Jackson has elevated his passing abilities and his receivers have played well, allowing Baltimore to sustain a productive aerial attack, which Bateman should further bolster.

Unfortunately (but not unsurprisingly), Bateman’s debut coincides with the loss of fellow wideout Sammy Watkins. Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Ravens this spring, and he had developed a strong rapport with Jackson, catching 18 passes for 292 yards (good for a 16.2 YPR mark, which would be the second-highest figure of his career). Watkins suffered a hamstring injury in Monday’s dramatic win over the Colts, and he has been ruled out for the Chargers game this week (Twitter link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). There is no definitive timetable for Watkins at this point, but it does not sound like the team will put him on IR just yet.

Meanwhile, Baltimore continues to be without TE Nick Boyle. Boyle is an effective ancillary receiving target in his own right, but his primary contribution has been as a blocker. He is regarded as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, and his return could help the running game get back on track. As with Watkins, there is no definitive return date for Boyle, but Harbaugh said the Delaware product will come off of IR soon (Twitter link via Hensley).

Boyle has been recovering from a severe knee injury he suffered last November, which ended his 2020 season prematurely.

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