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Transactions News & Rumors

Steelers Sign WR Saeed Blacknall

April 13th, 2020 at 10:28am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers announced that they’ve agreed to terms with wide receiver Saeed Blacknall, who formerly suited up for the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats.

Pittsburgh has shown a proclivity to sign former XFLers, and Blacknall becomes the sixth member of the now-closed league to land with the Steelers. Blacknall joins defensive end Dewayne Hendrix, linebacker Christian Kuntz, offensive tackle Jarron Jones, safety Tyree Kinnel, and defensive tackle Cavon Walker as XFL alums on Pittsburgh’s roster.

Blacknall, 24, latched on with the Raiders in 2018 after going undrafted out of Penn State. He bounced on and off Oakland’s practice squad during his rookie season, but did manage one regular season appearance on the club’s active roster.

In 2019, Blacknall spent time with the Dolphins and Cardinals, but didn’t see any game action. He was drafted by the Wildcats in November and appeared in three of the team’s five games, catching four passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Colts Sign FB Roosevelt Nix

April 11th, 2020 at 9:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Colts are adding a former Pro Bowler. Indy is signing fullback Roosevelt Nix, according to Joel A Erickson of the Indy Star (via Twitter). ESPN’s Jordan Schultz (on Twitter) was first with the news.

The former Kent State defensive end initially switched to linebacker to boost his draft stock, but Nix still went undrafted in 2014. After joining the Falcons on a three-year deal, he switched to the offensive side of the ball, changing his position to fullback. However, he didn’t end up catching on with Atlanta, as he was released during his first preseason with the team.

Following a brief stint in the AFL, Nix signed a reserve/futures deal with the Steelers in 2015. He proceeded to appear in 60 games (11 starts) during his five seasons in Pittsburgh, serving primarily as a fullback and special teamer. He’s hauled in 12 career receptions for 69 yards and one score, and he has 34 career tackles and two forced fumbles. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, replacing James Develin on the AFC roster.

Nix was named a Steelers captain prior to the 2019 season, but he was limited to only three games as he dealt with a knee injury. He ended up getting cut by the organization back in March.

Known mostly as a blocking fullback, Nix will be protecting the likes of Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins next season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/20

April 10th, 2020 at 7:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A couple of minor moves to pass along as we head into the weekend:

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Chargers

Both players came from the XFL, which just announced earlier this morning that it was shutting down. Norton is getting a two-year deal from Los Angeles, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Smith left Alabama early last season, but went undrafted. He signed with Jacksonville as an UDFA, but was released at final cuts. He played for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL. Norton is a 2017 UDFA from Toledo who has spent time on the practice squads of the Lions, Cardinals, and Vikings. He played with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL.

Ravens C Matt Skura Signs RFA Tender

April 10th, 2020 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens center Matt Skura has inked his restricted free agent tender, according to agent David Canter (on Twitter). With that, Skura will return to the club on a $2.133MM deal for 2020.

[RELATED: Ravens GM Eric DeCosta On 2020 Draft]

Skura suffered a devastating knee injury in the final stretch of the season, forcing him to go under the knife for tears in his ACL, PCL, and MCL. Before that, Skura was remarkably durable. The 27-year-old had perfect attendance dating back to 2018 and never even missed a snap.

The Ravens turned to Skura in 2018 after Ryan Jensen left to join the Buccaneers. In his first season in the middle, Skura graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 12 ranked center in the NFL. This year, it looked like he was on course for a solid multi-year pay day, up until the fateful injury in Week 12. After that, the Ravens handed things over to rookie Patrick Mekari for the last four games, plus the divisional round loss to the Titans.

Meanwhile, the Ravens’ work on the offensive line is not done. They still need more support on the interior line and GM Eric DeCosta seems open to the idea of converting one of this year’s promising rookie tackles into a guard.

Rams Trade Brandin Cooks To Texans

April 9th, 2020 at 6:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to send a second-round pick to the Rams in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a future fourth-round choice, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that, the Texans have found their replacement for DeAndre Hopkins while holding on to the second-round pick they acquired from the Cardinals. 

Cooks, interestingly enough, was shipped from the Patriots to the Rams roughly two years ago today. The well-traveled 26-year-old still has tons of potential, especially now that he’s in Deshaun Watson‘s offense. The biggest question mark, perhaps, is Cooks’ health. He has a history of concussions and one more bad blow could put his career in jeopardy.

Cooks, a 2014 first-round pick, emerged as a top-end wide receiver in 2015 when he racked up 84 catches, 1,138 yards, and nine scores. In 2017, the Saints shipped Cooks and a fourth-rounder to the Patriots for first- and third-round choices. After one year, the thrifty Pats sent him to the Rams, allowing L.A. to give him his payday. Now, he’ll continue on his five-year, $80MM deal with the Texans.

Even with Hopkins out of the picture, the Texans’ offense still projects to be a potent one. With Watson under center, their starting lineup will feature Cooks, Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, and Kenny Stills as their top receivers. Meanwhile, David Johnson and Duke Johnson will be in the backfield, with blocking specialist Darren Fells up front.

In exchange for Cooks, the Rams will receive the No. 57 overall pick in this month’s draft. Given the depth of this year’s crop, it might not be hard for them to fill the void at wide receiver. They’ll also gain some extra breathing room by unloading Cooks’ contract.

The Texans will take on the rest of his multi-year pact, which calls for an $8MM base salary in 2020. After that, he’s set to earn escalating salaries of $12MM, $13MM, and $14MM until 2023.

Chargers CB Michael Davis Signs Tender

April 9th, 2020 at 4:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers cornerback Michael Davis signed his second-round tender, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. With that, Davis will earn roughly $3.3MM in 2020 on a one-year deal. 

[RELATED: Rams-Chargers Stadium May Not Be Ready For Season]

Davis was set for restricted free agency and the Bolts tendered him at the second-round level to keep other teams at bay. Last year, Davis started in all 12 of his games as the Chargers worked around a rash of injuries in the secondary. Derwin James, Adrian Phillips, and second-round rookie Nasir Adderley all succumbed to different maladies, thrusting Davis into the spotlight.

Davis, meanwhile, missed a pair of games due to a substance-abuse policy violation. All together, the advanced metrics were not wild about Davis’ performance – he graded out as one of the NFL’s worst qualified corners, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, he managed 39 stops and the first two interceptions of his career. It was, at minimum, enough for the Chargers to hang on to him for another season.

This year, the Chargers’ secondary will be bolstered by the arrival of Chris Harris, who is expected to play in the slot. The longtime Broncos star gives the Chargers three first-team All-Pros in the unit – Harris, James, and Desmond King – plus second-team All-Pro Casey Hayward. King, who excelled in the slot last year, will likely shift to safety.

Chiefs To Re-Sign Bashaud Breeland

April 9th, 2020 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have agreed to re-sign Bashaud Breeland, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Breeland will return on a one-year deal worth $4.5MM as he looked to build off of last year’s momentum. 

Breeland suited up for every game for the Super Bowl champs last year, capping his season with a ring and an interception on the game’s grandest stage. It was a big turnaround for Breeland, who had a bizarre 2018. After inking a three-year, $24MM contract ($11MM guaranteed) with the Panthers, his contract was voided due to an infected foot. Then, the veteran corner had to wait until late September until he finally found a home with the Packers. Unfortunately, he was held back by a hamstring injury and was unable to really showcase himself.

All along, Breeland has said that he wanted to return to KC. He got his wish, though he had to wait until the second/third wave of free agency before securing his deal. The ongoing pandemic surely played a role in his prolonged free agency as well.

Although it’s a decent payday for Breeland, the deal is a clear win for the Chiefs, who have managed to keep another difference-maker on the roster while crossing a major item off of the to-do list ahead of the draft. After watching Kendall Fuller leave for the Redskins, the Chiefs are glad to move forward with at least one of their free agent CBs in the mix. Morris Claiborne, who appeared in eight regular season games for KC last year, remains unsigned.

Breeland, 28, tallied 48 tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of interceptions in the 2019 regular season.

Giants K Aldrick Rosas Signs Second-Round RFA Tender

April 8th, 2020 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although it does not appear teams are close to starting offseason workouts, the Giants will have their kicker in the fold when they do reconvene.

Aldrick Rosas signed his second-round RFA tender on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The former Pro Bowler will be attached to a $3.26MM salary.

It would make sense for the Giants to explore a Rosas extension. He’s one of only four Pro Bowl kickers in franchise history, following Josh Brown (2015), John Carney (2008) and Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983). Should Rosas not have an extension in place by next March, he will be set for unrestricted free agency.

The Giants’ kicker since his 2017 arrival, Rosas has played in 48 straight games with the team. He made 32 of 33 field goal tries in 2018 — including 6-for-6 from 40-49 yards and 4 of 5 from beyond 50. However, the former Titans UDFA missed seven field goals as a rookie in 2017 and missed nine kicks (five field goals, four PATs) last season.

The Giants held a late-season kicker workout last year, after Rosas missed two field goals in a five-point loss to the Bears. But the team did not replace him and is moving forward with its 25-year-old specialist.

Chiefs To Sign RB DeAndre Washington

April 8th, 2020 at 5:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

A four-year Raiders backup will change sides within the AFC West. The Chiefs have agreed to terms with DeAndre Washington, according to Yahoo.com’s Terez Paylor (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal.

Washington served as the backup to Latavius Murray, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Josh Jacobs during his career and, due to the lack of tread on his tires as a pro, serves as an interesting addition for the Chiefs.

The former fifth-round pick has amassed just 370 NFL touches; he topped out at 108 carries last season. He will join a Chiefs team that has Damien Williams, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson under contract. This will also reunite Washington with his former college quarterback, with the ex-Red Raider having entered the NFL one year earlier than Patrick Mahomes.

The 5-foot-8 back recently turned 27 and has not posted a yards-per-carry average north of 4.0 since his rookie season, when both he and Jalen Richard surpassed 5.0 per tote. Last season, however, he gained 162 yards in starting the Raiders’ final two games. In his final season with Mahomes, Washington rushed for 1,492 yards (6.4 per carry) and totaled 16 touchdowns.

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock opted to extend Richard, pointing to a Washington exit. Richard doubles as one of the few Reggie McKenzie-era players making the trip to Las Vegas. The Raiders, of course, are likely to have Jacobs as their backfield centerpiece for years.

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