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Minor NFL Transactions: 6/18/24

June 18th, 2024 at 7:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

  • Waived: WR Mathew Sexton

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: G Liam Fornadel

New York Jets

  • Signed: OL Kohl Levao

Jones-Smith brings six games of experience to Atlanta, with the offensive lineman seeing time with the Raiders (2020) and Ravens (2021). The majority of his career snaps have come on special teams. He’ll provide the Falcons with some OT depth behind Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary.

The Lions officially added former UFL kicker Jake Bates to their squad, so the team moved on from an undrafted kicker to make room. Turner spent four years at Louisville before joining Michigan for the 2023 campaign. He had a standout season for the Wolverines, converting 18 of his 21 field goal attempts and 65 of his 66 XP tries.

Cowboys Sign CB Gareon Conley, LB Willie Harvey Jr.

June 18th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The UFL’s first season is complete, and teams can now officially sign players who took part in the merged league. The Cowboys are among those who will do so, and their effort will bring a former first-round pick back into the NFL.

Gareon Conley is signing with the Cowboys, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. This comes after the team worked out the former Raiders first-rounder last week. The Cowboys are also adding UFL linebacker Willie Harvey, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Harvey also auditioned for Dallas at its minicamp as well.

For Conley, this will be a path back to the NFL after a lengthy hiatus. Conley was last in the league as a Texan in 2020; he has not seen game action since 2019. The Cowboys have since announced the signing, which will reunite Conley with Paul Guenther. The new Dallas assistant served as Oakland’s DC from 2018-19. The Raiders drafted Conley in the 2017 first round and used him as a starter during the 2018 and ’19 slates, trading him to the Texans midway through the ’19 season. Guenther is the Cowboys’ run-game coordinator on defense.

Dallas worked out both Conley and ex-Giants first-rounder Deandre Baker. Both played for the D.C. Defenders during this UFL season. Conley, who will turn 29 later this month, intercepted two passes this season. Despite Baker earning All-UFL acclaim, he has not landed an NFL gig yet. As Conley earned a CB spot, Watkins adds no Baker deal is expected.

Part of a lengthy line of Ohio State first-round corners, Conley saw an injury interrupt his progress. He played in just two games as a rookie but received a long look during Jon Gruden‘s early seasons at the helm. The Raiders used Conley as a 20-game starter from 2018-19. Pro Football Focus assigned the 6-foot cover man mid-pack grades from 2018-19; he finished the ’19 season — after the Raiders and Texans agreed on a trade involving a third-round pick going to Houston — as a starting CB for a playoff team. Conley, who intercepted three passes in 2018, closed the ’19 season as a full-time Texans starter who worked with the first-stringers in both Houston playoff tilts that year. Conley missed the 2020 season due to a nagging ankle injury and fell off the NFL radar soon after.

This certainly represents an interesting comeback opportunity, seeing as it has now been more than four years since Conley last logged NFL game action. But the Cowboys have shown an eye for talent out of the spring leagues in recent years, having found Pro Bowlers Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Turpin via the USFL.

The Cowboys are planning to use a Trevon Diggs–DaRon Bland–Jourdan Lewis trio atop their CB depth chart, and the team has some recent draftees — former third-rounder Nahshon Wright and recent Day 3 investments Eric Scott Jr. and Caelen Carson — as backup options. Veteran C.J. Goodwin, 34, remains on Dallas’ roster as well. While teams can stash more vested vets on practice squads compared to the setup when Conley last played, his age would complicate that route. Still, Dallas will give the former top prospect an opportunity to make an unexpected return.

Several teams showed interest in Harvey, per Pelissero, but the Cowboys workout will lead the UFL linebacker to the NFC East. Harvey, who led UFL LBs in tackles (76) while tallying four sacks, last played as a Browns reserve in 2021. Harvey, 28, played four NFL games after entering the league as a UDFA out of Iowa State in 2019.

Steelers To Waive WR Denzel Mims

June 18th, 2024 at 1:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

After residing on the trade block for multiple seasons, Denzel Mims eventually made his way to Pittsburgh after his initial 2023 relocation — from New York to Detroit — did not pan out. The Steelers are now moving on from the former second-round pick.

Adding Mims to their practice squad in early October, the Steelers rostered the 2020 draftee for the season’s remainder and gave him a reserve/futures deal in January. Eight-plus months after Mims’ Pennsylvania arrival, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes the Steelers are moving on. The team will waive the fifth-year veteran Tuesday.

The Steelers had given Mims another developmental opportunity of sorts, not elevating him from their P-squad for any games last season. Mims then received a mid-January invitation to stick around for the 2024 offseason. While the Steelers have some major questions at wide receiver beyond George Pickens, they appear to have determined Mims will not be part of the post-Diontae Johnson solution.

In addition to the Johnson trade, the Steelers released the underperforming Allen Robinson earlier this offseason. The team did not add a surefire starter in free agency, with Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson coming closest to matching that description, but did use a third-round pick on Washington’s Roman Wilson. The Steelers’ extensive track record for developing Day 2 wide receiver draftees speaks for itself, but if Wilson is not ready to go early, the team has some questions alongside Pickens.

Mims, 26, was unlikely to be a major factor in Pittsburgh’s effort to assemble a new batch of Pickens complements. He could not land a regular role with the Jets and continued to wind up in trade rumors. Mims did amass 357 receiving yards as a rookie, but his 2021 and ’22 seasons did not combine to match that total. After the Jets dealt the Baylor product to the Lions in a pick-swap deal involving 2025 sixth- and seventh-rounders, the sixth the Jets were to receive did not end up conveying due to Mims failing to make Detroit’s active roster. The Lions reached an injury settlement with Mims after placing him on IR in August, paving his way to Pittsburgh.

Two of the Steelers’ WR candidates — Jefferson and Scotty Miller — followed new OC Arthur Smith from Atlanta, while Mims arrived during Matt Canada‘s final days with the club. The Steelers gave Mims the futures deal before hiring Smith. Mims is obviously running out of chances, though it would not be shocking if the 6-foot-3 target secured a chance with another team before or during training camp.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/17/24

June 17th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: WR Devron Harper

New England Patriots

  • Waived: G Ryan Johnson

Both Harper and Johnson were among this year’s collection of UDFAs. The Vikings guaranteed Harper $15K, according to Cardinals Wire’s Howard Balzer. Johnson, who played collegiately at Youngstown State, was not part of the Patriots’ initial UDFA haul. He signed with the team last month. Harper was one of two Mercer wideouts the Vikings signed after the draft. The other — Ty James — remains on Minnesota’s 90-man offseason roster.

Chargers Sign Round 2 WR Ladd McConkey, Wrap Draft Class

June 17th, 2024 at 7:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Make that nine unsigned draft picks as of June 17. A year after 14 second-rounders entered July unsigned, the 2024 draft class has now seen every Round 2 choice agree to terms by mid-June.

The Chargers are the last team to cross the finish line here, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets they now have second-round wide receiver Ladd McConkey signed to his four-year rookie deal. As the No. 34 overall pick, McConkey will see most of his rookie contract guaranteed.

A near-$1MM gap between the Year 4 salary guarantees for the Nos. 33 and 35 overall picks (Bills WR Keon Coleman, Falcons DL Ruke Orhorhoro) undoubtedly created a natural drag in Chargers-McConkey talks. But the Georgia alum is locked in and landed more guarantees than Will Levis did after he became the second choice in last year’s second round. The Titans guaranteed Levis $8.7MM of Levis’ $9.5MM rookie deal; Rapoport adds McConkey will better that.

Even factoring in the QB premium Levis received, this year’s batch of second-rounders making notable guarantee strides pointed to McConkey bettering Levis’ contract. The salary cap’s $30.6MM jump is raising all boats, though second-rounders have continued to make progress here. In addition to three guaranteed years, Coleman’s Bills contract includes $1.74MM of his $2.1MM 2027 base salary. Coleman’s guarantee percentage betters that of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, whom the Buccaneers chose to close out the 2021 first round. McConkey probably will not be far behind here.

While McConkey’s contract will provide him key security and help the players chosen near the top of the 2025 second round, he steps in at an interesting point on the Chargers’ timeline. The team’s Jim Harbaugh hire preceded a Mike Williams release and a Keenan Allen trade to the Bears. McConkey will join Josh Palmer, DJ Chark and 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston as the top Justin Herbert targets — in what is expected to be a run-heavier offense compared to recent years.

The Chargers traded up (via the Patriots) for McConkey, moving up three spots for the national championship-winning WR. A shifty slot player, McConkey showed notable improvement from 2021 to ’22. In the latter campaign, he posted 762 yards and seven touchdowns on 58 receptions. Back and ankle injuries limited McConkey in 2023 — a season that also saw Georgia lose Brock Bowers for a stretch — but he still averaged a career-best 15.9 yards per catch. Checking in at 6-foot, 186 pounds at the Combine, McConkey improved his draft stock by blazing to a 4.39-second 40-yard dash.

Allen’s crafty route running aided Herbert’s quick NFL ascent, with Williams providing contributions — particularly in 2021 — as a downfield option. The Bolts, who now employ run-oriented OC Greg Roman, now have McConkey signed through 2027. After Johnston struggled as a rookie, the team will hope McConkey can make a quicker assimilation to help Herbert in Harbaugh’s first season back in the pros.

Finishing off this year’s second-round signings, the Chargers have completed their draft class deals. Here is how Harbaugh’s first Los Angeles class looks:

Saints Rework Taysom Hill’s Contract, Expand His Offensive Role

June 16th, 2024 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Saints went back to a familiar well to carve out some cap space for the 2024 season. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reports, New Orleans converted just under $9MM of Taysom Hill‘s base salary into a signing bonus, thereby creating $6.59MM of cap room. Hill is under contract through 2025, and he now has $9.7MM of void year charges if he is not extended before 2026.

This marks the third time in three years that the Saints have reworked Hill’s pact, and it increases his chances of remaining with the club through the end of his current deal or landing another contract. If he were to be released as a non-June 1 cut next year, the Saints would incur $17.7MM of dead money.

Of course, the Saints likely have no desire to move on from their jack-of-all-trades weapon, who racked up 114 total receiving and rushing touches and 692 yards in 2023, both of which were career bests. He also completed six of 11 passes for 83 yards and accounted for seven total touchdowns.

Under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Hill’s role could expand even further, as Matthew Paras of The Advocate details. During OTAs, Hill lined up as a running back — most of his career runs have come when taking the snap as a quarterback — and at fullback. His work at fullback naturally entailed his putting his hand in the dirt in a three-point stance and serving as a lead blocker. Just 29 of Hill’s 426 offensive snaps in 2023 came out of the backfield, and it sounds as if that might change in a big way in 2024.

Hill, who is entering his age-34 season, welcomes the new opportunities. “It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s weird to say after seven years of doing what I’ve been doing that I’m being asked to do things I’ve never done before. That is exciting to me and it’s challenging, and I love to be challenged like that. I’m grateful for those guys creating unique and fun opportunities for me.”

Kubiak & Co. will likely still give Hill a number of chances as a receiver, and it would be fair to expect him to get his customary handful of passing attempts as well. As always, training camp will shed more light on exactly what the team has in mind.

“Taysom has been phenomenal here early,” Kubiak said during rookie minicamp. “We’ve been kind of moving him in a lot of spots as he has his entire career. He’s a really intelligent guy, and we’re looking forward to giving him a lot of volume early. And then we’ll start narrowing it down as we get closer to the season.”

The Saints are now $12MM under the cap and have their entire 2024 draft class under contract, so they have plenty of room to operate (although they do have a contractual dispute with RB Alvin Kamara that will need to be resolved in some way).

Seahawks Agree To Reworked Deals With Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones

June 16th, 2024 at 8:44am CST by Rory Parks

The Seahawks recently restructured the contracts of two of their starting defensive linemen, Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones. While the goal of most such transactions is to lower a player’s salary cap charge, that was not the case with Reed, whose cap number actually increased from $6.34MM to $6.47MM.

Reed, 31, had one year and $4.47MM left on his current deal, along with $900K in incentives. As ESPN’s Brady Henderson details in a thread on X, Seattle took $530K of those incentives and added them to the contract’s base value, while also adding $510K in per-game roster bonuses. The incentive package was originally based on sacks and playing time, and the $370K of incentives that remain are based exclusively on sacks (Reed will earn $185K if he records eight sacks, and he will unlock the full $370K if he hits the 10-sack threshold).

Per Henderson, the goal of this modification was to add a small contractual sweetener for a player who saw significant snaps for the ‘Hawks last season and who appears to be an integral part of new HC Mike Macdonald‘s plans. Indeed, the performance of Ravens interior defender Justin Madubuike had a positive trickle-down effect on the rest of Macdonald’s Baltimore defense, and while no one expects Reed to replicate Madubuike’s 2023 performance, the club does hope he will continue to generate a strong interior pass rush.

Meanwhile, the reworked Jones deal did create considerable cap room for the Seahawks, who were just $1.1MM under the cap after signing their rookie class. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com details, Seattle converted nearly $10MM of Jones’ 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and added two void years to the deal. Those void years carry $4.9MM in cap charges, and Jones’ 2025 cap number increased by roughly $2.5MM to a whopping $25.65MM, but his 2024 number decreased by $7.4MM, which should give the team plenty of breathing room to operate throughout the summer and into the regular season.

Jones signed a three-year, $51MM deal with the Seahawks last March, the largest contract that the team had ever authorized for an external free agent. He did not play poorly, but he did underperform relative to expectations, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 55th-best interior defender out of 130 qualifiers (eight spots behind the more modestly-priced Reed). Despite his categorization as an interior lineman, Jones did begin to see more action on the edge last year in the wake of the season-ending pectoral strain that Uchenna Nwosu suffered in October.

As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times details, Macdonald moved Jones around the formation during minicamp and had the former Bronco line up with the outside linebackers and edge rushers as well as with the defensive tackles. One of the reasons for the Ravens’ success under Macdonald was his ability to generate a strong pass rush from veterans like Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, and he will attempt to coax the same production out of Jones.

“I think his skillset lends to trying to play a little matchup ball with him or setting another guy up,” Macdonald said of Jones. “He can do a lot of things.”

One way or another, Macdonald plans to rotate his defenders quite a bit, so the team is not expected to subtract from its perceived glut of D-linemen, a group that also includes first-round draftee Byron Murphy II. Now that the ‘Hawks are comfortably under the salary cap, there is no financial reason for them to do so anyway.

Bengals’ Tee Higgins Signs Franchise Tender

June 15th, 2024 at 10:52pm CST by Ben Levine

While there’s still uncertainty surrounding Tee Higgins‘ future in Cincinnati, the wideout is now locked in for the 2024 campaign. The wide receiver has signed his franchise tender, reports Kelsey Conway of Cincinnati.com.

With Higgins officially under contract for the 2024 campaign, the receiver is expected to be in attendance for the start of Bengals training camp. Higgins was a no-show at Bengals OTAs while his 2024 contract situation was unresolved, although he wasn’t subject to fines since he was unsigned. Higgins will now be tied to the $21.8MM WR franchise tag value for the 2024 season before hitting free agency (or potentially facing the same franchise-tag ordeal) next offseason.

While Higgins remains open to signing a long-term deal with the Bengals (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), an extension is still considered a “longshot” (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The last we heard, the Bengals did not approach $20MM per year when they last negotiated with Higgins’ camp. The two sides haven’t resumed negotiations since they ended more than a year ago. The Bengals and Higgins have until July 15 to agree to an extension, although the organization’s history suggests there probably won’t be an agreement.

In the meantime, the likes of Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and A.J. Brown have reset the receiver market to plus-$30MM annually. Higgins is rightfully pushing to be among the highest-paid at his position, but with the Bengals navigating Joe Burrow‘s pricey contract and Ja’Marr Chase‘s upcoming extension, the team doesn’t have the financial wiggle room to retain Higgins long-term. We heard the Bengals were likely going to treat Higgins as a “rental” for the 2024 campaign, with the understanding that the two sides would part ways following the season.

Still, both Higgins and the Bengals can be relieved that they’re temporarily avoiding the drama. The issues started back in March. After being eligible for an extension for more than a year, Higgins requested a trade. While he never really talked back the impending divorce, he eventually acknowledged that he’d probably stick around Cincinnati for the 2024 season…a potential hint that he’d eventually blink and sign the franchise tender.

While Higgins hasn’t matched the same top-end production as Chase, he’s still put up big numbers as the Bengals’ number-two option. The former second-round pick averaged more than 1,000 yards per season through his first three years in the NFL. Thanks in part to Burrow’s injury and a hamstring injury that limited Higgins to only 12 games, the wideout finished the 2023 campaign with career-lows in receptions (42), receiving yards (656), and touchdowns (five). He’ll be looking for a rebound season in 2024 before hitting free agency next offseason.

Jaguars Make Several Front Office Moves

June 15th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars have made a number of updates to their front office staff this week, per Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. These updates included five promotions, a move to different role, and one new hire.

John Stevenson, Ryan Stamper, Tyler Walker, Mickeel Stewart, and Holden McAbee are the recipients of the promotions. Stevenson has spent the past three years as a national scout for the Jaguars after six years in San Francisco. He’ll now serve as assistant director of college scouting. Stamper will take Stevenson’s old role of national scout after previously serving as director of player assessment. This will be his fourth season with Jacksonville after joining from Ohio State.

Walker, Stewart, and McAbee have all been promoted to college scouts. Walker has spent the last three years as a scouting assistant after time at Oregon. Similarly, Stewart was a scouting assistant, joining the team in 2022 after a little over a year at West Virginia. McAbee also moves up from a scouting assistant role he’s held for two years. He previously served as director of player personnel at Gardner-Webb University.

After 17 years with the Jaguars working in college scouting, Jason DesJarlais will become a pro scout. He joined the team in 2006 as a scouting intern before moving into a role as the BLESTO scout for the southeast and midwest areas. Prior to his time in Duval, DesJarlais was a special teams coordinator and defensive assistant at Yale.

The new hire in the group is Max Rosenthal. After a playing career as a fullback and tight end at Michigan State and Illinois, Rosenthal worked as an offensive and special teams quality control coach with the Illini, helping out specifically with the tight ends group. Now he makes his way to Jacksonville for a scouting assistant position, filling one of the roles vacated by Walker, Stewart, and McAbee.

Lions Expected To Sign UFL Kicker Jake Bates

June 15th, 2024 at 9:05am CST by Ely Allen

TODAY, 9:05am: Bates will be inking a two-year deal with the Lions, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

FRIDAY, 10:00pm: The NFL interest in UFL kicker Jake Bates has been no secret over the past several weeks. Bates has been taking the football world by storm in his season with the Michigan Panthers out of Detroit. Now, it’s seeming like he’ll get a chance to play for the city’s NFL team as Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports that the Lions are expected to add the big leg to their roster.

Bates signed with the Texans last year after going undrafted but was waived just prior to the preseason. This wasn’t extremely surprising as Bates didn’t kick any field goals in college. During time at Texas State and Arkansas, Bates was utilized singularly on kickoffs, using leg strength gained in two seasons of college soccer at Central Arkansas. Finding his place in the UFL, though, Bates has taken the football world by storm.

Bates started off the season extremely hot, making 15 of 18 field goal attempts, before eventually cooling off to end the season going 21-for-28 on field goals. While the initial accuracy was admirable, what really made an impression was his leg strength. Of his seven misses, five were from over 50 yards, yet he still ended the season seven-for-12 from long distance. Of those seven makes from 50+, three of those were from 60 yards or further.

The young kicker doesn’t shy away from the spotlight either. Two of his makes have been game-winners, including a career-long 64-yarder to open the season. His 64-yard make is second to only Justin Tucker‘s 66-yarder in Detroit’s stadium. He did miss a 53-yard game-winning attempt in the team’s regular season finale, though.

Bates has received interest from a few NFL teams, but because of his contract with the UFL squad, he was unable to sign with anyone until the team’s season came to an end. With Bates’ Panthers losing to the Birmingham Stallions last weekend, the window will soon open for Bates to sign. Wilson reports that any official deal won’t be signed until Tuesday of next week. Aside from the Lions, Bates recently visited the Packers and Commanders, per Wilson. The Ravens were also listed as a team of interest, and Wilson notes two other teams showed interest, as well.

Whenever Bates does arrive in Detroit, he will be in competition with the Lions’ incumbent kicker Michael Badgley. Badgley took over late in the season for Riley Patterson, who served as the team’s kicker for 13 games last year. In replacement duty, Badgely went four-for-four on field goal attempts, though he did miss two extra points. During the team’s run to the NFC Championship Game, Badgley was a perfect three-for-three on field goals and 11-for-11 on extra points. Despite this consistency, Badgley was rarely tested in big moments. Throughout the playoffs, head coach Dan Campbell repeatedly opted to go for it in long field goal scenarios.

The only other option currently on the roster is James Turner, an undrafted rookie from Michigan. A grad transfer for the Wolverines after four years at Louisville, Turner showed inconsistent production at the collegiate level. Turner missed eight field goals and two extra points in his sophomore season with the Cardinals. He never made more than 20 field goals in a season and only had a career-long of 50 yards, so he may not be the answer to Campbell’s hesitation from long distance.

That answer could come, though, in the form of Bates. With his first opportunity to placekick last year, Bates caught everyone’s attention with early accuracy, a strong leg, and a clutch ability in big moments. If he can carry that early success into his first NFL season, he should stand a solid chance at beating out Badgley and Turner for the job in 2024.

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