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NFC West Notes: Seahawks, 49ers, Higbee

November 20th, 2024 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Signed to similar contracts during the summer of 2022, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf have each become two of the NFL’s better wide receivers — each being chosen in the 2019 second round. The Seahawks nabbed Metcalf at No. 64 via trade-up, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes the team had aimed to first draft Samuel at No. 35. GM John Schneider had worked out a trade-up from No. 37 to No. 35, via the Raiders, but Schefter adds the Silver and Black backed out of the deal. The Raiders instead dealt with the Jaguars, who drafted Jawaan Taylor at 35. The 49ers chose Samuel at 36.

The Seahawks still do not know why the Raiders reneged on the trade, Schefter adds. The Seahawks initially held a higher second-round choice than the Jags, who picked at 38. After Samuel went off the board, Seattle dealt 37 to Carolina (Greg Little) and drafted safety Marquise Blair at No. 47. The Seahawks had planned to pair Samuel and Metcalf, rather than the Ole Miss product — who famously fell to No. 64 after having teams divided during the pre-draft process — being a Samuel fallback option. Though, Metcalf as a WR contingency plan — with Doug Baldwin retirement rumors circulating during the draft — rather than pairing him with Samuel makes a bit more sense due to Tyler Lockett being just 27 at the time. Samuel and Metcalf are going into the final year of their contracts; each team rebuffed trade offers this year.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Samuel’s San Francisco status may have changed once Brandon Aiyuk suffered an ACL tear. The older 49ers WR had been a rumored 2025 trade chip, as the team prepares for a Brock Purdy payday. Although some around the league have wondered if the 49ers will pay Purdy the going rate (mentioning a Kirk Cousins trade as a backup plan), The Athletic’s Matt Barrows expects Purdy to indeed receive a top-market deal from San Francisco. Purdy going from Mr. Irrelevant to a deal in the $55-$60MM-per-year range would represent one of the most dramatic rises in NFL history; the 2025 offseason is the window for that to happen.
  • Staying on the 49ers-in-2025 theme, the team has seen promising early returns from second-round rookie Renardo Green. The 49ers have viewed Green as a player who can work inside and on the perimeter; that matches Deommodore Lenoir‘s profile. Lenoir is now signed long term, but All-Pro Charvarius Ward is in a contract year. With Lenoir locked in, Ward appears headed back to free agency. As such, Barrows adds Green should be considered the favorite to start opposite Lenoir on the boundary in 2025. Pro Football Focus rates Green as the sixth-best CB regular this season, albeit on only 298 snaps.
  • While Sean McVay said right tackle Rob Havenstein could be back this week, the eighth-year Rams HC indicated (via ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop) Tyler Higbee remains weeks away from returning. Higbee is still rehabbing the ACL and MCL tears sustained during the Rams’ wild-card loss to the Lions. The ninth-year tight end remains on Los Angeles’ reserve/PUP list. Havenstein has missed the Rams’ past two games with an ankle issue.
  • Jake Moody missed time due to injury this season, being one of three 49ers kickers to go down, and did not impress upon return. Moody missed three field goals against the Buccaneers, prompting a heated Samuel to take issue with the recovered kicker (and long snapper Taybor Pepper). John Lynch said later the 49ers have not considered replacing Moody. “We didn’t blink,” Lynch told KNBR (h/t The Athletic’s David Lombardi). “We have a lot of faith in this kid. We all have rough days. There’s a lot of context to put in these things and Jake has earned a lot of respect from this organization.” Moody’s third-round contract runs through 2026.

Rams LG Steve Avila Undergoes MCL Surgery

September 13th, 2024 at 2:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

An MCL sprain suffered in Week 1 made Steve Avila a candidate for injured reserve. The second-year offensive lineman was indeed moved to IR on Wednesday as part of the Rams’ injury-related moves.

Avila will miss at least the next four weeks as a result, but he underwent surgery to help his recovery. The 24-year-old’s procedure took place yesterday, head coach Sean McVay said. The plan behind that move, he added, was accelerating Avila’s healing process, and his recovery timeline will be watched closely as the Rams move forward with a shorthanded O-line.

Left tackle Joe Noteboom is also on injured reserve, although replacing him may be a matter of simply inserting Alaric Jackson into the starting lineup as early as Week 3. Jackson was hit with a two-game suspension to begin the season due to a personal conduct policy violation. Along the interior, how the Rams proceed in Avila’s absence will depend in large part on where Jonah Jackson lines up.

Added in free agency on a three-year, $51MM deal, Jackson played at guard during his Lions tenure. Avila’s success at left guard as a rookie prompted the team to keep him there, though, and use Jackson at center. Changes to that arrangement will likely be needed now that Avila is out of the picture for the time being. The TCU product’s absence will be acutely felt given the nature of his rookie campaign, during which he logged over 1,100 snaps and ranked 35th amongst qualifying guards in terms of PFF grade.

In other news along the O-line, McVay added that he expects right tackle Rob Havenstein to be available for Week 2. Having him in place would lead to Warren McClendon taking on left tackle duties in the wake of Noteboom’s injury, he added (h/t Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic). McVay also said right guard Kevin Dotson should be be to suit up on Sunday, a positive sign for the Rams’ offensive interior. That unit will nevertheless be without Avila for the foreseeable future, and his success in rehab following surgery will be worth monitoring.

NFL Injury Updates: Rams OL, Wingard, Jackson, Oweh

August 3rd, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

Earlier this week, the Rams received unfortunate news that presumed starting left guard Jonah Jackson would miss the entire preseason with a shoulder injury. The hits keep coming as we learn that two other Rams’ starting lineman are dealing with injuries this preseason, according to Rams senior staff writer Stu Jackson.

Head coach Sean McVay listed left tackle Alaric Jackson and right tackle Rob Havenstein as “week-to-week” in a recent update. Normally, a week-to-week status wouldn’t pique much interest, but with Jonah already out, the Rams will be without three starting linemen in the coming weeks.

With the Jackson’s and Havenstein all out, Los Angeles will be fielding a “Rolodex of guys” in the meantime. While McVay claims that he isn’t too concerned about the injuries, the starters’ absences in the coming weeks will take away from the potential chemistry of the group as a whole. When incorporating a new starter in Jonah Jackson and moving last year’s left guard Steve Avila to center, that lost time could prove harmful to the group’s effectiveness early in the season.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • The Jaguars lost some depth in their secondary recently, per Josh Alper of NBC Sports. Head coach Doug Pederson gave an update recently informing the media that veteran safety Andrew Wingard had suffered a knee injury. While the extent of the injury is as of yet unknown, Pederson predicted that Wingard could miss “significant time” with potential to even miss regular season games. Currently second-year safety Antonio Johnson and former Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds are competing for the starting job. Wingard’s presence provides additional starting experience that Jacksonville will go without until he can return.
  • 49ers pass rusher Drake Jackson missed the second half of last season with a knee injury and is reportedly still making his way back from the issue. After the losses of Chase Young, Clelin Ferrell, and Randy Gregory in free agency, San Francisco is likely hoping to see Jackson step into a bigger role this year. That will need to wait, though, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Jackson will miss the remainder of training camp, “at a minimum,” as he continues to work his way back from injury. Free agent signing Leonard Floyd will have to hold down the spot across from Nick Bosa, in the meantime.
  • Ravens pass rusher Odafe Oweh is having an outstanding camp out in Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, despite the fourth-year defender reportedly having undergone a minor surgery in the offseason. Oweh didn’t specify what the procedure was or what he got repaired, but it doesn’t seem to have hindered him at all. The Ravens are desperately hoping to see his impressive ability to pressure the passer turn into sacks this year after watching Jadeveon Clowney walk in free agency.

Latest On Rams’ Offensive Line

May 30th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ offensive line staffing issues extended to the point three in-season signings — Matt Skura, Ty Nsekhe, Oday Aboushi — needed to step into starting roles last season. Skura and Nsekhe ended up making eight starts for a team mired in a near-season-long blocking crisis.

None of these veterans remain with the team, as it will attempt to reconstruct a line with capabilities near the level of its 2021 Super Bowl-winning group. As of OTAs, however, only one spot appears locked down. Rob Havenstein, the only constant for Los Angeles up front last season, is on track to man the team’s right tackle spot for a ninth season. Beyond the St. Louis-era holdover, competition will ensue in the coming months.

Although the Rams re-signed Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen last year, neither may be a lock to enter the season as a starter. Allen will compete for the center job he has held for three of the past four seasons — excepting a full-season 2020 absence — while Noteboom, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue will likely vie for the left tackle gig with Alaric Jackson, one of the other Rams to suffer a season-ending health issue last year (subscription required).

Noteboom, Jackson, Allen, David Edwards, Tremayne Anchrum and 2022 third-round pick Logan Bruss were lost for the season. Week 1 right guard Coleman Shelton missed time as well, leading to numerous O-line combinations during a disastrous Super Bowl title defense. Of this group, all are back except Edwards, a three-year guard starter who signed a low-cost deal with the Bills in March.

Noteboom, who signed a three-year, $39MM deal ($16.5MM fully guaranteed) to succeed Andrew Whitworth, suffered an Achilles tear in mid-October. He is not yet a full OTAs participant but is expected to be full-go by training camp. The other in-house option at left tackle, Jackson, filled in for Noteboom but did not play past Week 9 due to a blood clot issue. The Rams cleared Jackson (six 2022 starts) earlier this spring, Rodrigue notes, giving the third-year UDFA an interesting opportunity. It would stand to reason Noteboom will be favored, given his contract and previous role as Whitworth’s top backup, though Rodrigue adds the former third-round pick could be a left guard option as well. Noteboom played guard in 2019, but a season-ending injury closed that path. Jackson played both guard and tackle last season, filling in for both Noteboom and Edwards, offering flexibility for the regrouping Rams this offseason.

Allen started at center throughout the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season but suffered a Week 1 knee injury and saw a calf ailment end his season three games early. Suffering an ACL tear midway through the 2019 season and missing all of 2020 as a result, Allen played just seven games last season. While he worked his way back from the ACL setback en route to a two-year, $10MM deal, the guarantees on that pact have been paid out. Allen figures to match up with last year’s Week 1 right guard, Shelton, at center. Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the NFL’s 10th-best center in 2021; it slotted Shelton as a bottom-tier interior lineman last year.

While Shelton (13 starts last season) will also be an option at right guard again, the Rams have used their top pick on a guard in each of the past two years. Bruss, who suffered ACL and MCL tears during a preseason game, has received clearance to return. The Rams chose TCU’s Steve Avila 36th overall. Avila should be ticketed for a starting guard role. Bruss was in competition for the right guard gig last year, but Avila’s draft slot would make it a bit of a surprise if he was not penciled in to start in Week 1. A former seventh-round pick, Anchrum has minimal game experience and is coming off a September fibula fracture. He will likely vie for a swing job.

Over the past two offseasons, the Rams have lost considerable experience. Whitworth’s retirement and the free agency exits of Edwards and Austin Corbett have created an interesting (and mostly unproven) mix here. The Rams could have re-signed Edwards for next to nothing, as he is tied to a one-year, $1.77MM contract, but they will aim to build around Avila. The team, which also added new O-line coaches (Ryan Wendell, Zak Kromer), may field a new-look front five come Week 1.

Contract Details: Watt, Rams, Texans

September 8th, 2022 at 9:49pm CST by Ben Levine

With teams preparing their cap sheets for the start of the NFL season, we’ve seen a number of front offices rework some contracts. We’ve compiled some of the recent contract maneuverings (as well as some details on recent signings and extension) below:

  • T.J. Watt, LB (Steelers): restructured contract yesterday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The move opened $6.75MM in space for Pittsburgh. Watt inked a four-year deal worth up to $112MM (including $80MM guaranteed) last September.
  • Rob Havenstein, OT (Rams): three-year extension. The deal is worth $34.5MM, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The extension includes $24.1MM guaranteed and offers $6MM in incentives.
  • Tyler Higbee, TE (Rams): restructured contract earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The team converted $4.75MM of Higbee’s base salary into a signing bonus, creating $3.8MM in space.
  • Jalen Thompson, S (Cardinals): three-year extension. The $40MM deal includes $24.5MM in guaranteed money and a $10MM signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter).
  • Lane Johnson, OT and Jake Elliott, K (Eagles): restructured contracts today, according to Yates (on Twitter). The Eagles converted $5.88MM of Johnson’s base salary and $2.715MM of Elliot’s base salary into signing bonuses, creating about $6.9MM in cap space.
  • O.J. Howard, TE (Texans): one-year deal. The contract is worth $1.035MM, according to Wilson (on Twitter). The tight end will receive $910K in offset from the $1.945MM guaranteed base salary he got from his previous deal with the Bills. When coupled with the $1.25MM signing bonus he got from Buffalo, Howard will earn a total of $3.25MM this year.
  • Eric Murray, S (Texans): restructured contract yesterday, per Yates (on Twitter). Specifically, the team converted $1.465MM of his contract into a signing bonus, opening $732.5K in cap space.
  • Ka’imi Fairbairn, K and Cameron Johnston, P (Texans): restructured contracts earlier this week, per Wilson (on Twitter). The two moves saved the Texans $2.1MM in cap savings.

Rams Sign RT Rob Havenstein To Extension

September 7th, 2022 at 8:33pm CST by Ben Levine

The Rams have extended their right tackle. The team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve signed Rob Havenstein to a contract extension. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported (on Twitter) that the two sides were close to a deal.

Havenstein was set to play out the final season of his contract in 2022. Despite inking his four-year, $32.5MM deal back in 2018, the veteran lineman still ranked among the 10 highest-paid right tackles in the NFL last year. According to Fowler, his new extension should “bolster his spot” in the top-10, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweeting that Havenstein received a three-year deal.

The 2015 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Rams, starting all 99 of his regular-season appearances. After bouncing around the offensive line early in his career, Havenstein has settled in as the team’s full-time RT since 2017.

Other than a 2019 campaign where he was limited to only nine games thanks to a knee injury, the offensive lineman has appeared in at least 13 games in each of his NFL seasons. The 30-year-old has also been along for all of the team’s recent playoff runs, starting each of his 10 postseason appearances, including all four during last year’s Super Bowl run.

Havenstein was named a first-time captain this year following another standout campaign in 2021. Last year, he ranked as the league’s ninth-best tackle among 83 qualifying players, making it the third time in four seasons that he’s ranked within the site’s top-15.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

December 22nd, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Rams Rework OL Rob Havenstein’s Contract

October 23rd, 2021 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

The Rams have opened some much-needed cap space. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Rob Havenstein has agreed to restructure his contract.

Specifically, the Rams converted $3.84MM of Havenstein’s salary into a bonus. The team also added three void years to the deal. Overall, the move saved the organization $3.072MM against the cap. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the team previously had about $150K in cap space, so this will provide the front office with some necessary breathing room.

Rapoport also adds that the Rams have used in-season restructurings to move about $48.222MM to future seasons. Teams generally shuffle around cap space as they look to make promotions and midseason signings, but Los Angeles has taken it to another level as they look to contend for a championship.

Havenstein was a 2015 second-round pick by the Rams, and he’s spent his entire career with the organization. The veteran has started all 90 of his regular season appearances, and he’s appeared in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps through the first six weeks of the season. The 29-year-old inked a four-year, $32MM extension with the Rams in 2018.

Rams Rework Rob Havenstein’s Contact

April 24th, 2020 at 3:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jared Goff isn’t the only Ram whose contract is getting restructured today. Los Angeles has also restructured offensive tackle Rob Havenstein‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The Rams converted $2.34MM of Havenstein’s 2020 base salary into a signing bonus, per Yates. That move will create $1.56MM in cap space for Los Angeles, giving the club even more room to fit in the newly-announced signings of Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson.

Havenstein signed a four-year $32.5MM extension with the the Rams in 2018. He’s regressed a bit since then, but he’s still locked in as LA’s starting right tackle. He’s under contract through the 2022 campaign.

Rams C Brian Allen Out For Season

November 11th, 2019 at 9:15pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters earlier today that starting center Brian Allen had suffered a season-ending MCL injury, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. It remains unclear whether Allen’s injury could impact him next season or in the offseason, but he is definitely done in 2019.

Allen supplanted John Sullivan as the starter at center this season. While the entire Rams offensive line has struggled, Allen has played a major role in those issues. Trade deadline acquisition Austin Corbett had experience at both guard and center and seemed like a possible replacement for Allen, but instead slotted next to Allen at left guard.

When Allen left Los Angeles’ game on Sunday, starting right guard Austin Blythe slid over to center and backup Coleman Shelton replaced Blythe at right guard. Shelton was an undrafted free agent out of Washington last season who bounced between the 49ers and Cardinals practice squads before joining the Rams active roster this season.

The Rams were surely disappointed with Allen’s performance on the interior line, but are no better off with even less depth. If Los Angeles chooses to look at free agent options, Sullivan remains available on the open market.

In addition to Allen, Los Angeles could be without starting right tackle Rob Havenstein for two weeks, as veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. Havenstein is dealing with a knee injury.

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