HEADLINES

Stephen Weatherly

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/22

August 6th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

  • Activated from reserve/retired list: LB Tre Walker

Weatherly was in line for a rotational role with the Browns this season behind entrenched starters Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. The 28-year-old was coming off of a sack-less campaign with the Vikings last year, but has 73 games and 17 starts on his NFL resume. In his absence, the Browns will depend not only on another mostly healthy season for Clowney, but also third-round rookie Alex Wright and recent USFL signing Chris Odom in the edge rush department.

Just yesterday, Walker surprisingly ended his NFL career before it began, briefly becoming the second young Commander this offseason to hand up his cleats unexpectedly. Hours later, however, the UDFA changed his mind and asked to be reinstated. Having signed him to his rookie contract, Washington held the rights to the San Jose State alum and were free to bring him back into the fold. He will once again look to make the team’s roster – something he has a decent chance at, given the lack of proven options Washington has down the depth chart at ILB.

Browns Sign DT Sheldon Day, DE Stephen Weatherly

April 18th, 2022 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sheldon Day will soon vie to keep his role as a Browns rotational defensive tackle. The veteran re-signed to stay in Cleveland on Monday, but the Browns did not stop there in adding pieces up front.

Stephen Weatherly, an edge player who was in Minnesota during part of Kevin Stefanski‘s run with the Vikings, also agreed to terms with the Browns. Weatherly, 28, finished last season with the Broncos, being part of the team’s post-Von Miller edge-rushing corps.

Cleveland has seen some upheaval on its defensive line. Jadeveon Clowney is unsigned, as is fellow 2021 starter Malik Jackson. The Browns did not extend a tender to Malik McDowell, whose off-field struggles continued with an arrest in January. The Browns also let defensive tackle Andrew Billings walk; Billings is now a Raider. This leaves the door open for others to step in, both on the edge and the interior.

Despite the presences of Jackson, McDowell and Billings, Day was a regular in the games he played. The former Jaguars, 49ers and Colts contributor did not make the Browns’ 53-man roster out of training camp but stayed on as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad. Day, 27, eventually rose to the active roster and played in seven games, playing 46% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in those games. Day, who started for the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, registered a sack and deflected two passes during his first Browns season.

While Day has a history with Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods, from the duo’s time in San Francisco, Weatherly was with Minnesota from 2016-19. He backed up Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen during much of that time, making seven starts. After spending the 2020 season with the Panthers, Weatherly re-signed with the Vikings last year. Minnesota traded him to Denver, where he saw more run on a Broncos edge crew that was without Miller and an injured Bradley Chubb for most of the season. Weatherly recorded 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in nine games with the Broncos.

Update On Broncos’ Fant, Chubb, Gordon

February 17th, 2022 at 12:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

With a new head coach in place, the Broncos now face a number of key decisions on their roster. In a recent conversation with the team’s website, general manager George Paton outlined his views on a number of players and position groups, including tight end Noah Fant, edge rusher Bradley Chubb and running back Melvin Gordon. 

The team needs to decide by May whether or not to pick up Fant’s fifth year option. Considering Paton waited until after the draft to make that same decision with Chubb, it may be a while before the former 20th-overall pick learns his fate. When asked about Fant, Paton said, “he probably wasn’t as productive as he would have liked… He needs to work in the run game, and he knows that”, while still acknowledging his pass-catching ability. Fant has put up almost identical numbers the past two seasons, averaging 65 catches for just over 630 yards and seven total touchdowns in that span.

As for Chubb, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, Paton remains optimistic that he can recover from the ankle surgery that cut his 2021 season short. Even though Chubb was held without a sack in seven games, Paton said “I expect great things from him”. More work will be done with the team’s pass rushers, though, as Malik Reed and Stephen Weatherly are pending restricted and unrestricted free agents, respectively. Paton made clear his desire to add a “mismatch-type rusher”, especially given the void left by Von Miller.

Finally, Paton seemed to open the door to Gordon returning. The 28-year-old signed with Denver two years ago, but is now a pending UFA. While he topped 1,100 scrimmage yards in both seasons with the Broncos, the presence of 2021 second round pick Javonte Williams has many feeling the veteran will need to find a new home. Paton said, though, that Gordon “had a heck of a year”, adding ” I like Melvin a lot”.

The decisions made with those three players – and within their respective position groups – will go a long way to shaping the rest of the team’s offseason moves, and in turn, their attempt to return to the postseason.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

January 5th, 2022 at 11:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/30/21

December 30th, 2021 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s reserve/COVID-19 list updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Activated from virus list: OL Cody Ford, CB Cam Lewis
  • Activated from practice squad virus list: TE Quintin Morris

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Placed on practice squad virus list: LB Omari Cobb

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Broncos To Acquire Stephen Weatherly From Vikings

October 23rd, 2021 at 2:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos and Vikings agreed on a trade Saturday, one that will send Stephen Weatherly to Denver. The Vikings are trading the veteran edge defender to the Broncos in a deal that will see the teams swap seventh-round picks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Weatherly and a 2023 seventh-rounder will go to Denver, which is sending a 2022 seventh to Minnesota. This will reunite Weatherly with new Broncos GM George Paton, who was with the Vikings when they drafted the sixth-year vet back in 2016. Weatherly sought a trade, according to Pelissero (on Twitter), and the Vikings obliged for low-level compensation.

This move will give the Broncos some much-needed depth. Denver finished its Thursday game without all four of its starting linebackers. Von Miller avoided serious injury, but the team is still without Bradley Chubb for an extended stretch. Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper served as the Broncos’ primary edge rushers in Thursday’s 17-14 loss to the Browns.

Weatherly, 27, has played less than 20% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in each of their past four games. He has served as a key special-teamer for the Vikings and started nine games for the Panthers in 2020. The Broncos are decimated at linebacker, having lost both starters and special-teamers, so Weatherly will likely be plugged in on special teams soon with his new squad.

The Panthers signed Weatherly to a two-year, $12.5MM deal in March 2020 but cut bait after one season. The Vikings brought him back this year. Less than $1MM remains on Weatherly’s contract, which runs through season’s end. The Broncos are not exactly up against the cap, however, holding more than $15MM in space.

To clear a roster spot, the Broncos moved linebacker Micah Kiser to IR. The former Rams ILB starter suffered a groin injury during the Broncos’ Thursday tilt. Vic Fangio said the Broncos are looking for help at this position as well.

Vikings’ Stephen Weatherly Takes Pay Cut

September 9th, 2021 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Stephen Weatherly took a pay cut in order to stick with the Vikings (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press). Instead of earning $2.5MM, the defensive end will make $2MM in 2020. On the plus side, that sum is now fully guaranteed since he is a vested veteran.

The Vikings considered cutting Weatherly after he lost his first-string spot to D.J. Wonnum. That would have left the club with $500K in dead money, so this was a much more logical compromise.

The 27-year-old started his career in Minnesota and came back to where it all began in March. He started out as a seventh-round pick in 2016 and went on to record six sacks between 2018 and ’19 for the Vikings. Last year, he moved on to the Panthers and began the year as a starter. Then, when finger injury derailed his season, second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos stepped into his role.

Weatherly recorded zero sacks in Carolina, so he’ll aim for a more productive 2021. It all starts on Sunday when the Vikings face the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

NFL Contract Details: 3/10/21

March 10th, 2021 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Deetz on some of the more recent deals in the NFL, via Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter):

Britt missed the 2020 season but seems to have a solid opportunity ahead of him in Houston. The Texans just released Nick Martin last week, opening up playing time at the center position.

Vikings Sign DE Stephen Weatherly

March 4th, 2021 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

Stephen Weatherly has agreed to sign with the Vikings, per an announcement on his Instagram. The 26-year-old defensive end started his career in Minnesota and now he’s headed back to where it all began.

Weatherly came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2016. He went on to record six sacks between the 2018 and ’19 seasons before joining up with the Panthers last March. Weatherly began the year as the team’s defensive end starter opposite Brian Burns before suffering a finger injury. That meant surgery, which meant a mid-season IR stint. After that, second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos took his place. Weatherly recorded zero sacks in Carolina.

Last time around, Weatherly scored a two-year, $12.5MM deal in free agency. His return to the Vikings likely comes at a lesser rate, but still more than his original seventh-round contract.

Panthers Release P Michael Palardy, DE Stephen Weatherly

February 19th, 2021 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to jettisoning Tre Boston, the Panthers parted ways with two other contributors Friday. They released three-year punter Michael Palardy and 2020 defensive end starter Stephen Weatherly.

Together, these moves will create nearly $8MM in cap space for the Panthers. Combined with the releases of Boston and Kawann Short this week, the franchise will save around $16.4MM. Both Palardy and Weatherly were released with failed-physical designations, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

The Panthers signed Palardy midway through the 2016 season, picking him up after placing previous punter Andy Lee on IR. Carolina kept Palardy around for the next three seasons, doing so via three-year, $7.52MM extension. One season remained on that deal. Palardy, 28, suffered a torn ACL last summer, leading the Panthers to use rookie UDFA Joseph Charlton as their punter.

Weatherly, 26, inked a two-year, $12.5MM deal with the Panthers last March and opened the season as the team’s defensive end starter opposite Brian Burns. Weatherly suffered a finger injury that required surgery, sending him to IR after nine games. The Panthers then turned to second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos. Both Burns and Gross-Matos can be controlled through the 2023 season on their rookie contracts.

A seventh-round Vikings pick in 2016, Weatherly has managed to stick around beyond his rookie deal. He recorded six sacks between the 2018 and ’19 seasons and replaced Mario Addison as a Panthers starter last year. The Vanderbilt product did not register a sack with the Panthers, however.

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