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Rock Ya-Sin

Lions To Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin

March 20th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions are signing cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Ya-Sin spent the 2024 season with the 49ers, appearing in 13 games with a majority of his snaps on special teams. He was targeted three times on defense, allowing a three-yard touchdown and breaking up the other two passes. He will provide experience and depth to a Lions defense that already added D.J. Reed earlier this month.

Ya-Sin is a six-year veteran who began his career as a 2019 second-rounder selected by the Colts. He started 29 games over his first three seasons before being traded to the Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue in 2022.

Ya-Sin started nine games in silver and black before landing on injured reserve. He then signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Ravens in 2023 and played a rotational role on defense and special teams.

The veteran signings will round out a Detroit secondary that added cornerbacks with their first two picks in the 2024 draft. First-rounder Terrion Arnold started 15 games, while second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw mostly played special teams before an injury in November forced him onto the IR.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

August 28th, 2024 at 9:30pm 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 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Arizona Cardinals

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

49ers Activate Talanoa Hufanga, Move Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two 49ers remain out out of the mix (but definitely not out of headlines, in Brandon Aiyuk‘s case), though both standouts are still employed by the team. Though, Trent Williams remains on the reserve/did not report list. Here is how the defending NFC champs pared their roster to 53 by today’s deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Activated from active/PUP list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (return designation):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Hufanga’s status represents a positive development for a 49ers team in need of them. The All-Pro safety had been rumored to join Greenlaw on the reserve/PUP list. Avoiding it does not guarantee Hufanga will be ready for Week 1, but it keeps the fourth-year defender in the equation for the 49ers’ first four games. They are choosing to carry Hufanga on the 53-man roster and go week-to-week with him. This undoubtedly led to Walker being moved off the roster.

Conversely, Mitchell’s time with the team may be over. San Francisco surprised most by vaulting the 2021 sixth-round pick into a starting role to open that season, dropping Trey Sermon to a backup spot. Mitchell operated as San Francisco’s preferred starter — as long as he was healthy, which was sporadic — until the October 2022 Christian McCaffrey trade. The 49ers now have Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo as CMC backups.

A hamstring injury has sidelined Mitchell, potentially opening the door to an injury settlement. Davis will be able to return this season for the 49ers; Mitchell’s designation would prevent that. The 49ers are down to seven IR activations as a result of the Davis decision. A 2022 sixth-round pick, Davis remains in the team’s plans despite injuries largely keeping him out of action. Davis has played just three NFL games, and he suffered another injury — a knee issue requiring surgery — during camp.

The 49ers, who will bring many of these players back to the practice squad, cut two recent third-round picks — Gray and Latu. The latter has not played yet as a pro, missing his entire rookie season with an ACL tear. Gray has been unable to carve out a role on a 49ers team that has seen Jauan Jennings stick as the team’s WR3; rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are also in the mix now.

49ers Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin

April 11th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are not stopping at Isaac Yiadom at cornerback this offseason; they are adding another veteran outside cover man to the mix. Rock Ya-Sin is signing with the team, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes. The 49ers have since announced the agreement.

Ya-Sin, who spent last season with the Ravens, is joining the 49ers on a one-year deal. The former second-round pick will be part of the team’s boundary CB mix, joining Yiadom and a few others in the running to see regular time alongside Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.

Not signing with Baltimore until after last year’s draft, Ya-Sin did not stay on his path of starting jobs. A regular starter for both the Colts and Raiders, Ya-Sin only started one game with the Ravens. That came in Week 18, when the team rested much of its starters due to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed previously. He logged a 29% defensive snap share last season, playing behind Marlon Humphrey and late-summer pickup Ronald Darby. Ya-Sin made just 13 tackles and broke up two passes as a Raven. He was on the field for just two defensive plays in the playoffs.

For his career, Ya-Sin has 39 starts on his resume. Nine of those came for the Raiders in 2022, though the former Colts draftee missed six 2022 games and has not played more than 13 in a season since his 2019 rookie year. A knee injury ended Ya-Sin’s Raiders season early. The Colts traded Ya-Sin to the Raiders straight up for Yannick Ngakoue; that relocation came in Ya-Sin’s contract year. The Temple alum, who worked as a Colts starter for parts of three seasons, will try for another bounce-back season.

Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin as a mid-pack corner during his Raiders and Ravens years. In 2021, however, the advanced metrics site slotted Ya-Sin 29th at the position. Primarily playing on the outside, the soon-to-be 28-year-old defender will join a 49ers team that will feature an adjusted CB group from its Super Bowl LVIII plan. Logan Ryan primarily operated as San Francisco’s slot cog during the overtime loss to Kansas City; Ryan retired earlier this week.

The 49ers appear to be looking for an outside regular opposite Ward, which would allow Lenoir to shift to the slot in sub-packages. Lenoir and Ward are going into contract years. The 49ers added Yiadom and Ya-Sin to a group that includes Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack. The defending NFC champs are casting a wide net in hopes of finding CB stability.

Ravens Not Likely To Push For CB Marcus Peters

July 3rd, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

When veteran cornerback Marcus Peters‘s contract expired at the end of the season, the starting cornerback spot across from Marlon Humphrey became a big point of concern for Ravens fans. Aside from times when one or the other was injured, Peters and Humphrey have manned the boundary corner positions in Baltimore together since 2019. While not completely out of the realm of possibility, it’s not looking likely to continue into 2023, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

In a mailbag Q&A, Zrebiec fielded several questions from fans inquiring about the likelihood of Peters returning to Baltimore. Peters struggled a bit in his return from an ACL tear that held him out of the entire 2021 season. He still served as a starting-caliber cornerback that could limit damage, but his playmaking, shutdown defense was nowhere to be found in 2022. Now two years removed from seeing Peters playing his best football, the Ravens haven’t shown any sign of prioritizing the return of the 30-year-old.

Peters visited the Raiders in mid-May and has remained in close contact with the team, but as of yet, no deal seems certain. Zrebiec points out that there’s no risk in Peters waiting. Better offers or opportunities may still come his way and, until camps start, there’s truly no rush.

In Baltimore, the Ravens eventually addressed the hole in the roster by signing Rock Ya-Sin. Ya-Sin doesn’t have the resume that Peters does, but he’s younger and has shown better football more recently than Peters. Even with Ya-Sin on the roster, Baltimore still didn’t rule out the possibility of bringing Peters back. They know he fits in the locker room, but in order for him to return, he’s going to have to be realistic on his value.

In a market bereft of lockdown, star cornerback talent, Peters may be one of the top options, but he’s not so good that he’ll earn past his value. The Ravens could certainly still make a different addition to the room before training camp. Several veterans remain free agents, such as Ronald Darby, Byron Jones, Bryce Callahan, Casey Hayward, and former Raven Anthony Averett. If Peters isn’t willing to meet the Ravens halfway on a new contract, Baltimore has plenty of other avenues they can explore.

The team also seems to like what they have in house right now, even going so far as to move Brandon Stephens back to his rookie position of safety following a season at cornerback last year. They’re hoping to see big jumps in the sophomore seasons of Damarion Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis and know they have serviceable depth pieces in Daryl Worley and Kevon Seymour. They also re-signed Trayvon Mullen and added Kyu Blu Kelly in the fifth round of the draft. They may want to bolster the room with a veteran who can slot in as CB3 still, but if they miss out on Peters because of value, they won’t beat themselves up too much over it.

So, for now, it appears most likely that Peters is Vegas bound. He appears to be waiting out the options, and the Ravens appear to be open to his return without pushing past their limits. A return to Baltimore isn’t impossible, but it will need to feel right with both sides.

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Ossai

May 18th, 2023 at 12:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lamar Jackson‘s foray as his own agent involved years of proposals and counterproposals, and while the former MVP received criticism for playing out his rookie contract, the Ravens rewarded their centerpiece player with a record-setting deal. That $52MM-per-year contract includes $135MM fully guaranteed. While that is not in the Deshaun Watson stratosphere — a range Jackson sought to enter — it places the sixth-year veteran second for full guarantees. One of Jackson’s proposals along the way included a three-year, $156MM fully guaranteed deal, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. The Ravens did not relent on term length, but Jackson’s proposal probably factored into the final result. By March 2024, Jackson will see his guarantee total balloon to $156MM.

The Ravens made a seismic bet Jackson (11 missed games since 2021) will stay healthy, as this contract locks them in through 2025 at least. Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • While the Steelers drafted Joey Porter Jr. 32nd overall, he was in consideration for their first-round selection. Had the Steelers not traded up to draft tackle Broderick Jones at No. 14, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly notes they likely would have chosen Porter at 17 (subscription required). Teams often paint rosy pictures of their draft plans in the aftermath, but Porter — who visited the Steelers’ facility, a place he is quite familiar with due to his father’s history with the team — was viewed as a first-round talent who slipped a bit. The Steelers did make it known the 32nd pick was available, and as Will Levis also fell out of Round 1, they received multiple offers. But they now have Jones and Porter in the fold.
  • Joseph Ossai‘s final-seconds hit on Patrick Mahomes may well have denied the Bengals a second straight Super Bowl berth, giving the Chiefs a better chance of avoiding overtime. Following Harrison Butker‘s game-winning field goal, Ossai headed toward a rehab-filled offseason. The edge rusher suffered a torn left shoulder labrum during a December game against the Browns and played hurt the rest of the way. Ossai, who had rebounded from a full-season rookie absence (due to a meniscus injury) to play 19 games last season, is expected to be ready for training camp, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
  • When the Steelers brought Bud Dupree in for a visit, they wanted to re-sign their former first-round pick back to a two-year deal, Kaboly adds. A previous report indicated the Steelers did not discuss terms with Dupree, but it does appear the club had a preferred contract range — one that would have helped keep the edge rusher’s 2023 cap number low. Dupree signed a one-year, $3MM Falcons deal that could spike to $5MM.
  • On the subject of contracts that did come to pass, Rock Ya-Sin‘s one-year Ravens deal will be worth $4MM. That amount is fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. This will give the former Colts and Raiders cornerback a chance to re-establish his value for a possible 2024 free agency bid.
  • Shifting back to Pittsburgh, the Steelers will see some front office turnover. Mark Gorscak, who has been with the team for 28 years, will retire from his scouting post this offseason, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes. Also known for his role as the Combine’s 40-yard dash starter, Gorscak follows another Steelers staffer in place since the 1990s — assistant coach John Mitchell — as mainstays departing the team this offseason.
  • The Steelers are hiring former Raiders southeast area scout Zack Crockett to work in the same capacity, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. Crockett, who enjoyed a 13-year career (mostly with the Raiders) as a fullback, spent the past 14 years as a Raiders scout. Las Vegas’ Dave Ziegler– and Josh McDaniels-led regime parted ways with Crockett, 50, earlier this offseason.

Ravens Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin

May 3rd, 2023 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:48pm: The deal is done. The Ravens announced the agreement with Ya-Sin, who will likely become the frontrunner to start opposite Humphrey.

3:34pm: Rock Ya-Sin visited the Ravens in March and has remained one of the top free agents available since. The Ravens brought in the veteran cornerback again, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports this latest meeting is expected to produce an agreement (Twitter link).

The Ravens gave Ya-Sin a physical Wednesday, and barring any complications, the team is planning to add him on a one-year deal. The former second-round pick spent last season with the Raiders but missed some time due to injury. He will represent a veteran presence for a team that has not re-signed Marcus Peters.

Rock Ya-Sin (vertical)Ya-Sin’s contract is set to be worth up to $6MM, Schefter adds (on Twitter). Considering his experience, the Ravens look to have done well to land the former second-round pick on these terms. Both Ya-Sin and the player the Raiders included in the Colts trade last year — Yannick Ngakoue — entered May unsigned. With signings no longer counting against the 2024 compensatory formula — as of Monday — the Ravens figured to be in the mix for some vets at corner and outside linebacker.

No team prioritizes comp picks more than the Ravens, so it is unsurprising they waited here. They kept in touch with Ya-Sin since his March visit, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, who adds this May agreement would not jeopardize the projected fourth-round compensatory choice the team is in line to receive for Ben Powers‘ Denver departure (Twitter link).

Ya-Sin, who will turn 27 later this month, has 38 starts on his resume. Nine of those came for the Raiders last season, though the former Colts draftee missed six 2022 games and has not played more than 13 in a season since his 2019 rookie year. A knee injury ended Ya-Sin’s Raiders season early, and while the AFC West team was a candidate to re-sign him early in free agency, Ya-Sin remained unattached during the market’s initial waves.

Pro Football Focus slotted Ya-Sin 50th among corners last season, but the advanced metrics site graded the Temple product as a top-30 performer at the position during his final Colts campaign. Indianapolis turned to Ya-Sin as a regular during most of Matt Eberlus‘ DC stay. While he was shipped out at the start of Gus Bradley‘s Indy run, Ya-Sin joined Kenny Moore as Colts cornerback fixtures under Eberflus. The Raiders still gave the 6-foot cover man more run, using him on 665 defensive snaps despite the knee trouble limiting him. In Indianapolis and Las Vegas, Ya-Sin worked as a boundary corner.

Marlon Humphrey remains Baltimore’s corner anchor, but Peters — a Raven from 2019-22 — is a free agent heading into what would be his age-30 season. Baltimore did not address its corner spot until Round 5 (Kyu Blu Kelly) but did re-sign Kevon Seymour earlier this offseason. Two years also remain on Brandon Stephens‘ contract. A Peters fill-in, Stephens has 15 starts on his resume.

AFC North Draft Rumors: Steelers, Ravens, Bengals

April 15th, 2023 at 6:06pm CST by Ely Allen

There have been quite a few rumors surrounding the Steelers’ potential approach to the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette held a Q&A this week to discuss his thoughts on some of those rumors.

Many fans had questions about potential options at wide receiver, and Dulac made his thoughts very clear: no higher than the third round. With Diontae Johnson and George Pickens in place, Dulac doesn’t see any need to dip into the first two rounds to add to the group. He mentions Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo as a name to lookout for, as Mingo has been predicted to go around the third or fourth round.

Another fan asked about the possibility of Pittsburgh trading up in the first round. Dulac dismissed the rumors as just that, insinuating that looking into trades is a common occurrence for the Steelers that doesn’t always lead to action. He referenced last year, when the team reportedly looked into trading up for quarterback Kenny Pickett, who would end up falling to them at their original position, anyway.

Here are a few other draft rumors from around the AFC North:

CB Rock Ya-Sin To Visit Ravens

March 17th, 2023 at 9:45am CST by Sam Robinson

The top cornerbacks on this year’s market have agreed to deals, but there are a few other higher-end veteran options still available. Rock Ya-Sin is one of them, and he will explore a relocation soon.

Ya-Sin will meet with the Ravens, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The former second-round pick spent last season with the Raiders, who showed some interest in bringing him back. But the former Colts draftee will look for a job elsewhere.

Marcus Peters is a free agent, and Ya-Sin, at 27, is three years younger. The Ravens have Marlon Humphrey signed to a big-ticket extension but are in need of more help at the spot. Peters, who is going into his age-30 season, was up and down during his return from a summer 2021 ACL tear. The Ravens ranked in the top 10 defensively in 2022, rebounding after a tough start. But Baltimore’s run defense bettered its pass coverage; the playoff-bound team ranked 26th against the pass, seeing the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence lead fourth-quarter comebacks.

The Colts traded Rock Ya-Sin straight up for ex-Raven Yannick Ngakoue in 2022, sending the three-year starter to Las Vegas ahead of Josh McDaniels‘ first season in the desert. Pro Football Focus slotted Ya-Sin as the league’s No. 50 overall corner during his contract year, one interrupted by a knee injury that ended up sending him to IR. Ya-Sin missed six games last season. He allowed a career-low 82.6 passer rating as the closest defender in 2022, though his completion percentage yielded ballooned from from 53.3% in 2021 to 60.9% last year. PFF graded Ya-Sin as a top-30 player at the position in 2021.

The Raiders brought back Brandon Facyson, who played for the team during Gus Bradley‘s DC season, but seemingly still have a need for at least one starter-caliber outside corner. This year’s cornerback market has featured three of the top names — Jamel Dean, James Bradberry, Jonathan Jones — staying put, while Byron Murphy left for the Vikings and Cameron Sutton defected from the Steelers to the Lions. The rest of the cornerback-seeking teams have undoubtedly looked into Ya-Sin, though this Baltimore trip points to the Temple product’s market not coming in where he hoped it would.

AFC Free Agency Rumors: Jackson, Broncos, Ya-Sin, Raiders

March 11th, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Ely Allen

In a recent interview, ESPN’s Adam Schefter expounded a theory on why so many teams are coming out and voicing their disinterest in Lamar Jackson, who received the non-exclusive franchise tag last week and is allowed to negotiate terms with other teams than the Ravens. The theory has nothing to do with Jackson and his outstanding abilities; it has to do with the Ravens’ player personnel staff.

One of the advantages that we teased in earlier reports on the situation was that, by tagging Jackson with the non-exclusive tag, the team would effectively be allowing other teams to do their negotiating for them, since they would likely match any offer opposing teams would make. There was speculation that the Ravens could do this to essentially allow the market to set the value on Jackson.

Schefter theorizes that other teams have no interest in doing Baltimore’s homework for them. Other franchises are fully aware that the Ravens have no intention of letting Jackson walk, so any offer they might make just does the Ravens’ job for them of organizing a new deal for Lamar.

Another added detriment for other teams is that the Ravens would have five days to match the offer or accept Jackson’s departure. In the meantime, the offering team would be stuck in salary cap purgatory, not knowing whether or not it would be taking on the contract of a premier veteran quarterback or not. This is extremely unattractive as free agency is due to open next week. If a team is stuck for five days not knowing their financial position, it becomes difficult to negotiate with other free agents.

Here are a few other free agency rumors from around the conference:

  • An example not too unsimilar from the above phenomenon may occur in Denver, where new Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has recently arrived from Arizona. Joseph may also bring along a former player as, according to freelance journalist and former Cardinals staff writer Mike Jurecki, the Broncos reportedly have lots of interest in Cardinals pending free agent defensive end Zach Allen. Allen is expected to earn an impressive contract this offseason after a standout contract year in Arizona.
  • In a recent mailbag with Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Vincent Bonsignore, a question was posed about the potential for the Raiders to re-sign cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. According to Bonsignore, the team is certainly open to bringing Ya-Sin back, for the right price. Ya-Sin followed up an impressive 2021 season in Indianapolis with a decent year in Las Vegas after being traded straight up for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The team could certainly use Ya-Sin as their cornerback depth has been whittled down over the years, and a semi-down year for the young corner could assist in setting up the “right price” for the Raiders.
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