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Bills To Bring Back DT Quinton Jefferson

November 6th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Sam Robinson

By cutting Quinton Jefferson before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Browns allowed the veteran defensive lineman to avoid the waiver wire. Picking his next destination, Jefferson will choose one of his former teams.

The well-traveled defender will return to his 2020 club, with cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reporting the Bills are making an addition. Jefferson continued his nomadic career after a 2020 Buffalo one-off, but after Cleveland cut him Tuesday, he will fill one of the Bills’ open roster spots.

Buffalo cleared up a spot by putting defensive end Dawuane Smoot on IR. While Jefferson and Smoot’s skillsets do not overlap entirely, the former will still capitalize on an opportunity to jump from a 2-7 squad to the AFC-leading club that sits 7-2.

Jefferson, 31, had drifted to healthy-scratch status in Cleveland, seeing the Browns drop him out of their DT rotation after authorizing a one-year deal worth $4MM. The Browns shopped him but did not end up finding a trade partner. He will rejoin Ed Oliver in Buffalo’s DT corps, which also includes DaQuan Jones, Austin Johnson and Zion Logue.

This return comes three-plus years after the Bills released Jefferson. Buffalo had been the former Seattle draftee’s first free agency stop, signing him to a two-year, $13.5MM deal. Jefferson played all 16 games in 2020, logging four starts during the first of the Bills’ four Sean McDermott-era AFC East championship teams. After the release, Jefferson made his way to Las Vegas (2021), back to Seattle (’22) and to the Jets (’23).

Although Jefferson only tallied one sack in five games this season, he posted a career-high six with the Jets last year and finished with 5.5 during a return one-and-done with the Seahawks. He also combined for 42 QB hits from 2021-23, providing the Bills with some inside-rushing potential after they did not make a defensive addition at the deadline. Jones’ two sacks represent the most from a Bills D-lineman this season, as Oliver has not built on his 9.5-sack 2023; the former first-rounder has one to go with five QB hits through nine games.

Commanders Acquire Marshon Lattimore From Saints

November 5th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders’ push to add Marshon Lattimore has resulted in an agreement. The veteran corner is headed from New Orleans to Washington, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal is now official.

The Saints had been asking for a Day 2 pick in the 2025 draft, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. An agreement on that front has now been reached, and Lattimore will be on the move for the first time in his career. The four-time Pro Bowler had spent seven-plus seasons in New Orleans. He will be eligible to return to the Superdome on December 15 when the two teams meet.

Here is the full breakdown of the trade terms, courtesy of veteran insider Josina Anderson and ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

Commanders receive:

  • Lattimore
  • Fifth-round pick

Saints receive:

  • Third-round pick
  • Fourth-round selection
  • New Orleans’ original sixth-rounder exchanged in the John Ridgeway trade

Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero notes all picks being swapped are for the year 2025. New Orleans will look to restock at a few positions this spring, with cornerback likely being one of them. Lattimore had served as a full-time starter during his tenure with the team, and Paulson Adebo – who is out for the year with a broken leg – is a pending free agent. Multiple new starters could be added in the secondary as a result.

A report from earlier today indicated talks on the Lattimore front were heating up, and multiple teams were believed to be in play. Among them were the Commanders, whose approach to the deadline has no doubt been influenced by the team’s surprisingly strong start to the 2024 campaign. Washington sits atop the NFC East at 7-2, and adding in the secondary could aid the team’s chances of remaining on track for a home postseason game. Lattimore is not strictly a rental, however.

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year adjusted his contract this offseason, something which has been commonplace for years in New Orleans with the team constantly in need of cap relief. Lattimore is only owed the remainder of his $1.21MM base salary for this season, a figure the Commanders can easily afford. For the 2025 and ’26 campaigns, though, he is due a total of $36.5MM. Much of that comes in the form of non-guaranteed base salaries which, coupled with modest option bonuses, have him on track for major cap hits in each of the next two years.

An adjustment will therefore be likely upon arrival in Washington or at least after the current season is over. In the meantime, Lattimore will provide the Commanders with an impact defender capable of aiding the their secondary. That unit has had plenty of room for improvement for some time now, especially with last year’s first-round investment in Emmanuel Forbes not panning out. His market is being gauged ahead of this afternoon’s deadline, and it will be interesting to see if a deal is worked out now that Lattimore is headed to the nation’s capital.

In any case, the likes of Benjamin St-Juste and second-round rookie Mike Sainristil will now have a new contributor alongside them in the Commanders’ secondary. Washington already ranks fifth against the pass this season, but the team sits mid-pack in total and scoring defense and has recorded only three interceptions. Lattimore has just two picks since the start of the 2022 campaign, but his previous ball production could add a key element to his new team’s defense.

The Commanders’ pursuit of a starting-caliber corner included calling the Jets about D.J. Reed, Russini reports. To little surprise, they were told the pending free agent is not available with New York still eyeing a run at the postseason in 2024. Washington’s contingency plan has resulted in a notable deal, though, and Lattimore could help the team remain among the NFC’s best teams through the second half of the year.

Steelers Acquire Mike Williams From Jets

November 5th, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Allen Lazard‘s IR trip, the Jets will not hang onto Mike Williams. Instead, he will be the Steelers’ long-sought-after receiver upgrade.

Pittsburgh is sending New York a fifth-round pick for the recent free agency addition, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pick exchanged is a 2025 choice. The Steelers have been in on Williams for a bit, checking in with the Jets shortly after their Davante Adams acquisition prompted them to shop the March addition. And the Steelers, at long last, have a George Pickens complementary piece. New York will receive the lower of Pittsburgh’s fifth-round selections, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero clarifies.

Williams, 30, is not having a good season. Signing a one-year deal worth $10MM, the former Chargers 1,000-yard target has just 12 receptions for 166 yards this year. He will join Mecole Hardman as a Jets free agent WR pickup to be traded months later. Williams, of course, has produced on a higher level before. The Steelers will hope the former top-10 pick has some of his Chargers-years form left.

While the Steelers have been in on a Williams trade for a bit, they were interested in him during the period between his Chargers release and Jets signing. Pittsburgh joined Carolina in scheduling free agency visits with Williams, but after his New York meeting, both the other trips were cancelled. The fit with the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets, however, did not pan out.

A late-game slip led to a crucial Bills interception in Week 6, the Jets’ first post-Robert Saleh loss, but Williams had never quite found his footing in the team’s offense prior to that sequence. Rodgers criticizing Williams’ route postgame probably did not help matters. Coming back from a September 2023 ACL tear, Williams debuted on time with New York but saw Lazard — Rodgers’ longtime teammate from his Packers years — effectively usurp him in the Jets’ WR hierarchy. With Adams now in the fold alongside Garrett Wilson, there did not appear much meat on the bone left for Williams.

Even though Lazard’s Week 9 IR trip threw a wrench into the Williams trade market, the Jets may also have tried to use it as leverage by attempting to convince teams they would just keep Williams. Now, the Jets will go with the likes of Malachi Corley and Xavier Gipson behind their top two in the meantime. Williams has a path to becoming the Steelers’ WR2 in a now-Russell Wilson-centered offense.

Williams has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. The Chargers mostly used the Clemson product — the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft — as a deep threat, but the 6-foot-4 target showed more range to his game during Joe Lombardi‘s OC run. The Bolts gave a longer look at Williams as a versatile weapon from 2021-22, and he turned in his best season in ’21 to help Justin Herbert become the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter. Williams posted 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdowns that season, making crucial catches during a season-ending Raiders clash that nearly booted the Steelers from the playoffs — a game-winning Las Vegas field goal then eliminated the Chargers, who would have qualified with a tie.

The 2022 season, however, brought more injury trouble. After missing time earlier in the season, Williams suffered a back fracture in a meaningless Week 18 game in Denver. This weakened Los Angeles’ aerial attack ahead of the Jacksonville wild-card tilt, which became an infamous chapter for the AFC West franchise, which blew a 27-point lead without its talented WR2. With Brandon Staley’s seat warm after the Williams injury the previous season, the longtime Keenan Allen sidekick then went down with an ACL tear in Week 3 of last season.

Despite using his contract to reach cap compliance in March, the Chargers also looked into a trade with the Jets. But the Bolts are standing down, though more than two hours remain until the trade deadline. Williams’ early career brought a 10-touchdown 2018 and an NFL-leading 20.4 yards per reception in 2019; those long-game numbers may be relevant again thanks to Wilson’s deep-ball prowess. Then again, Williams is at a slightly different point in his career. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers attempt to tap into the long-range skillset that Williams displayed in his early 20s.

The Steelers will take on the remainder of Williams’ salary, Schefter adds, following the Jets’ lead in doing so after a wide receiver trade. Though, the bill will be much lower for Pittsburgh. Williams is due roughly $2.5MM the rest of the way. Although the Steelers have seen slot weapon Calvin Austin fare better in Wilson’s starts, Williams likely moves ahead of him and Van Jefferson in the team’s aerial hierarchy soon. Though, the Steelers will certainly need to manage their trade pickup due to his injury past.

This wraps a fascinating odyssey for the Steelers, whose initial Williams look preceded extensive work on WRs. The Steelers asked about Deebo Samuel during the draft and then agreed to trade framework with the 49ers during the Brandon Aiyuk saga. After Aiyuk chose a 49ers extension over a Steelers trade, the team regrouped before being in on the Adams and Cooper Kupp markets. The latter did not exactly last too long, as the Rams have now won three straight to return to playoff contention. Interest in Courtland Sutton and Darius Slayton emerged as well, but the Steelers have their hired gun in Williams.

As Williams will have a chance to play a bigger role and potentially create a decent market for himself in 2025, the Jets will attempt to get by with younger tertiary targets. Known more for trading away wideouts than acquiring them, the Steelers will hold Williams’ exclusive negotiating rights until the March legal tampering period.

Packers Trade Preston Smith To Steelers

November 5th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers are not done on the trade front. Edge rusher Preston Smith is being added from the Packers, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

[RELATED: Steelers Add Mike Williams From Jets]

With the Packers fielding a number of younger options on both sides of the ball, Smith has remained in place as one of the team’s elder statesmen. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has been with Green Bay since 2019, operating as a full-time starter during that span. A heavy workload should not await him in Pittsburgh, but he will be able to step into a key rotational role. Pittsburgh is sending along a 2025 seventh-round pick, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Smith reached an 80% snap share twice during his Packers tenure, but over the past two years he has seen his playing time decrease. The former second-rounder still managed to handle more than half of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024, though. With Rashan Gary in place for the long term along with recent draftees Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare, Smith found himself on the trade block leading up to today’s deadline.

The Steelers already boast one of the league’s top edge rush tandems with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Watt has one year remaining on his pact after this one, while Highsmith landed a four-year extension last summer; he is on the books through 2027 as a result. Smith will operate as the team’s OLB3 behind that pair, one which has combined for 9.5 sacks this season.

On the whole, though, the Steelers have not been as impactful in terms of sack production (19, 22nd in the NFL) in 2024 as they have in recent years. Smith – who has topped eight sacks six times in his career – will aim to provide veteran depth on that front for at least the remainder of the campaign. He is not a pure rental, however; the Mississippi State product is under contract for 2025 and ’26.

Smith is owed a total of $27.5MM over that span, and he is currently on track to carry cap hits of $17.5 and $18.2MM across the next two years. As a result, it could come as no surprise if team and player were to work out a restructure at some point relatively soon. For the time being, attention will be placed on Smith’s ability to add to a defense which already ranks top-1o in both points and yards allowed per game.

Sitting at 6-2 on the year, Pittsburgh currently leads the AFC North. That left the team as a clear buyer ahead of the deadline, and general manager Omar Khan has not been shy about adding via trade during his tenure at the helm. It will be interesting to see how this latest move contributes to the Steelers’ postseason push.

Giants Waive CB Nick McCloud

November 5th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

During a mostly anticlimactic trade deadline today, there was a dramatic transaction in New York, where the Giants shockingly waived cornerback Nick McCloud after starting him in five games this year, according to Giants senior managing editor Dan Salomone. Additionally, the team released veteran punter Matt Haack.

The Giants claimed McCloud off waivers after he was waived by the Bills, Bengals, and Bills a second time after going undrafted in 2021. Since arriving in New York, McCloud has found a consistent contributing role, starting 16 games in 38 appearances since 2022. After three years of favorable grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McCloud is having a down year analytically, grading out as the 104th-best cornerback out of 110 players graded in the league.

Though he hasn’t played up to his potential this year, McCloud still provided some essential versatility to an injury-riddled secondary, being able to roam to the nickel and safety positions when needed. The need to waive McCloud was exacerbated by a want for cap space. According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, the Giants approached McCloud about taking a pay cut to open up some much-needed cap space and help them navigate the remainder of the season financially. McCloud declined the pay cut and now finds himself in free agency.

Haack was signed to help fill in for regular punter Jamie Gillan. Gillan was questionable heading into the team’s Week 6 matchup with a hamstring injury, and Haack came in to relieve him for the next four games as injury continued to limit Gillan’s availability. With Haack being released, it could be assumed that Gillan is soon to come off the injury report and return to play.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/24

November 5th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Free Agent

We don’t have a reason for Moreland’s suspension yet, but we know that it will last three weeks. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021, but if a team were to sign him, he wouldn’t be available for three games.

DT Brandon Williams Retires With Ravens

November 5th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

Old Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was often known to dip into the lower levels of collegiate football and pluck diamonds out of the rough. A prime example would be Missouri Southern defensive tackle Brandon Williams. The Division II athlete spent nine of his 10 NFL seasons in Baltimore and retired today with his long-time team, per Ravens staff writer Clifton Brown.

Taken at the back end of the third round in 2013, Williams arrived in Charm City to mixed expectations. With All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata nearing the end of his reign in Baltimore and former second-round pick Terrence Cody failing to live up to his draft stock, the Ravens took a swing on Williams hoping that he may be the defensive tackle of the future for a storied NFL defense.

As a rookie, Williams only appeared in seven games as he grew accustomed to the increased speed and level of talent in the NFL. Still, in limited time, Williams shone, with Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranking him the 19th best interior defender of 201 graded players at the position. Once he took over as a full-time starter the following year, his graded excellence continued with the increased playing time. His highest rankings came in 2014 and 2015, when he ranked 12th of 199 players and 15th of 221 players, respectively.

By 2016, Williams was firmly entrenched as an immovable force in the middle of the defensive line. While he never stunned with his pass rushing abilities, he was renowned for his run stopping prowess. Also by this time, the Ravens had finally found a suitable player to pair with Williams in the middle after signing another small school defender in undrafted Samford defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who rejoined the Ravens in 2022 after two years away from the team.

Near the end of his career, Williams struggled with some minor injuries that kept him out for a couple games each year, but he still remained a reliable interior defender on some of the NFL’s better defenses in Baltimore. He spent his final year in the NFL with the Chiefs in 2022, playing five games (and three more in the playoffs) and winning a Super Bowl on the Kansas City roster.

Williams got his ring with the Chiefs but gave his best years, which included a Pro Bowl selection in 2018, to the Ravens. In 10 years of NFL football, Williams made 114 starts in 128 games, recording 325 total tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits, and seven sacks. His last game came with the Chiefs in their Super Bowl win over the Eagles. He’ll now ride off into the sunset with that Super Bowl victory but will do so as a member of his long-time team in Baltimore.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/5/24

November 5th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Broncos Extend OLB Jonathon Cooper

November 5th, 2024 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 5: With $6MM in escalators comprising this deal, it checks in at $54MM in base value. The Broncos upped their offer Friday, per Klis, leading to Cooper’s commitment. Sack-based incentives cover the $6MM. Cooper’s AAV now checks in 21st among edge rushers.

The deal includes a $4MM guaranteed roster bonus in 2025; Cooper’s base salary for next year ($5.64MM) is also guaranteed at signing. Cooper’s $11.49MM 2026 base salary will vest a year out, with Klis adding it converts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. The Broncos guaranteed Cooper’s $12.99MM 2027 base for injury; $3MM of that becomes locked in on Day 5 of the ’27 league year.

NOVEMBER 4: Minutes after the Broncos traded Baron Browning to the Cardinals, a report displaying their commitment to another edge rusher emerged. Jonathon Cooper, who had been Browning’s teammate since the 2021 draftees’ Ohio State days, is now signed beyond this season.

The Broncos agreed to terms on an extension with Cooper over the weekend, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. It is a four-year deal for the former seventh-round pick, who has emerged as a starter for the Broncos. This agreement will tie Cooper to the team through the 2028 season.

Agreed to Saturday, this contract will include $60MM in total value, 9News’ Mike Klis reports, adding that $33MM will be guaranteed. While this represents a nice payday for the late-round draftee, it also profiles as middle-class EDGE money based on where the market has gone. Cooper’s $15MM-per-year deal checks in tied for 19th in edge rusher AAV, matching Haason Reddick and Uchenna Nwosu.

Although Broncos GM George Paton has been rightfully criticized for his biggest moves — the Russell Wilson trade and extension and the Nathaniel Hackett hire — the veteran NFL exec assembled a quality first draft class in charge. Cooper is now the third member of that class to be paid, following the deals for third-rounder Quinn Meinerz and first-rounder Patrick Surtain.

Cooper, 26, took a longer road to NFL success due to being the No. 239 overall pick three years ago. A heart condition contributed to the fall, but a 2021 procedure put that behind the ex-Buckeye. Cooper started five games as a rookie and nine in 2022, with the Broncos freeing up a spot alongside Browning by trading Bradley Chubb at the deadline. Cooper has started every Broncos game over the past two seasons, finishing with 8.5 sacks last season and starting this one with 5.5. Cooper produced 13 QB hits in 17 games last year; he already has 11 through nine games this season.

The Broncos rank behind only the Giants in sacks this season, with 31; Nik Bonitto leads the way with six for Vance Joseph‘s defense. Although the Broncos took a step back via their blowout loss to the Ravens, the 5-4 team remains a defense-powered outfit. Denver now has Cooper committed and Bonitto signed to rookie terms through next season. It will be interesting to see how the Cooper pact affects Bonitto, who will likely aim higher as a younger player who joins his teammate in being on pace for a double-digit sack season.

It is interesting that Cooper will tie himself to Denver for four more seasons at a rate outside the top 15 at his position. The EDGE market also figures to feature a few more $30MM-AAV deals come 2025, when the likes of Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett figure to come up in extension rumors. Cooper is obviously not in that class, but he certainly could have pursued better terms had he hit free agency after his most productive season. Rather than bet on himself, Cooper secured significant money now.

This also marks a more cost-effective extension for the Broncos, who had traded both Chubb and Von Miller during Paton’s tenure. It cost the Broncos a defender-record sum to extend Miller in 2016, and Chubb ended up signing for then-top-five EDGE money in Miami shortly after that 2022 trade. Cooper represented one of the pieces Paton retooled around. With Browning now out of the picture, the Broncos will anchor their OLB corps around the former Day 3 draftee while likely determining a long-term plan for Bonitto.

49ers To Bring Back S Tashaun Gipson

November 5th, 2024 at 5:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers considered a Tashaun Gipson reunion this offseason but stood down, and the veteran safety’s ensuing suspension put his career in limbo. Now that the Jaguars have moved on, however, the Niners are back in.

Gipson is joining San Francisco’s practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Released on Monday, Gipson found a familiar landing spot. The 13th-year defender spent the past two seasons with the 49ers, and he will return to the Bay Area to provide some insurance.

Now 34, Gipson has not played since his previous 49ers stint ended. The Jags added him in August, shortly after word of the PED suspension surfaced. Jacksonville cut Gipson, who had played three seasons with the club (2016-18), rather than move him onto its 53-man roster. Gipson now has a path back to the 49ers’ active unit.

Talanoa Hufanga remains on IR but is in play to return from his latest injury — a wrist issue — this season. Though, it is not a lock that occurs. Gipson started alongside Hufanga for two seasons, impressing in 2022 by intercepting five passes for DeMeco Ryans‘ unit. Gipson started all 33 regular-season games he played from 2022-23, providing the 49ers with stability.

The team has used 2023 third-round pick Ji’Ayir Brown and rookie Malik Mustapha as its starting safeties as of late, with Hufanga running into the wrist trouble not long after the 49ers activated him from the PUP list. The 2022 All-Pro was not available for the team’s stretch run last season, suffering an ACL tear. With Hufanga’s return timeline uncertain, the 49ers will add a player with their scheme. San Francisco now houses significant experience at safety on its taxi squad, having Adrian Amos there as well.

San Francisco cut Anders Carlson from its P-squad to make room, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Carlson kicked in two games for the defending NFC champions this season, being one of the team’s Jake Moody fill-in options. As Moody moves closer to returning, the 49ers cutting Carlson brings a good sign the 2023 third-round pick will be ready to return following the team’s recent bye.

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