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Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/20

July 28th, 2020 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon. With teams having until August 16 to cut their rosters from 90 to 80 players, many are doing so before on-field camp work begins.

Carolina Panthers

  • Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): LB Kyahva Tezino
  • Waived: OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Waived/NFI: WR Zimari Manning

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Bengals, Joe Burrow Agree To Deal

July 28th, 2020 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

At long last, the Bengals have reached agreement with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow on his rookie deal (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Per the terms of his slot, the LSU quarterback will receive $36.1MM over the course of four years, including a $23.88MM signing bonus. 

Like the league’s other 31 clubs, the Bengals were skittish about forking over millions of dollars in the midst of economic uncertainty. Ultimately, Burrow got the payout structure he wanted – he’ll get 100% of his signing bonus within 15 days of the contract being executed, per Schefter. The deal will be formally signed later this week, after Burrow takes his physical.

Burrow joined Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield as consecutive Heisman winners to be drafted No. 1 overall. The Bengals’ Burrow infatuation was the league’s worst-kept secret. After a 2-14 finish to the 2019 season, they’re hoping that Burrow will help right the ship and put them in contention in the not-too-distant future.

An Ohio native, Burrow posted arguably the greatest quarterback season in the history of college football in 2019, completing 76.3% of his passes for 60 touchdowns. That TD total is an NCAA record, and he did it while throwing only six picks. Fresh off of a National Championship, the LSU star is now weeks away from his pro debut.

Vikings’ Michael Pierce Opts Out

July 28th, 2020 at 11:47am CST by Zachary Links

Vikings nose tackle Michael Pierce is opting out of the 2020 season, according to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). the Vikings signed Pierce in March to shore up their defensive front – without him, they’re left thin on the interior with weeks to go before the start of the season.

Pierce inked a three-year, $27MM deal to help replace Linval Joseph, following his departure to the Chargers. The 6-foot, 340-pound defensive lineman was slated to start, but he’ll sit out the year after assessing the risk. Pierce has a history of respiratory trouble, meaning that the coronavirus could put him in serious jeopardy.

In 2019, with the Ravens, Pierce logged 35 tackles (two for loss) in 14 starts. Previous to that, Pierce graded as one of the top interior defenders in football in 2017 and ’18, per Pro Football Focus, before dipping to a middle-of-the-pack spot in his contract year.

Pierce is just the latest NFL notable to opt out of the upcoming season. The full and ever-growing list can be found here, on PFR’s 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker.

Steelers Sign RB Wendell Smallwood

July 28th, 2020 at 11:12am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have signed running back Wendell Smallwood, per a club announcement. Smallwood, at the time of this writing, is the seventh running back on the club’s roster.

Amidst a flurry of opt outs around the league, Smallwood is enlisting himself to play in 2020. It’s possible that the Steelers are simply looking into new backfield options in advance of camp, but it’s also possible that the Steelers are bracing for more opt outs. Starter James Conner – who found his way back to the game after a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – will in fact play this year, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The status of the club’s other RBs remains to be seen.

Smallwood, who spent his early NFL seasons with the Eagles, joined Washington last year. In 15 games, he registered 22 carries for 81 yards, good for a 3.7 yards per tote average.

Bills’ Star Lotulelei Opts Out

July 28th, 2020 at 10:56am CST by Zachary Links

The hits just keep on coming. Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will opt out of the 2020 season, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

Lotulelei has been in the Bills’ starting lineup for each of the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been high on the veteran, but he was set to return as a first-stringer in 2020. In 2019, Lotulelei was on the field for 516 snaps and recorded two sacks from the interior.

The former Panthers first-round pick may be swapped out for another ex-Panther. Vernon Butler, who joined the club earlier this year, could be the next man up. There’s also former Seahawks lineman Quinton Jefferson on hand – one of those two players may wind up as Ed Oliver‘s partner in the middle.

Upwards of 20 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season, as of this writing. The Patriots have arguably been hit the hardest, with six opt outs including linebacker Dont’a Hightower, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, and safety Patrick Chung.

Bears’ Eddie Goldman Opts Out

July 28th, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman will opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 health concerns (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Goldman’s decision leaves the Bears with a major void to fill up front, with just over a month to go before the scheduled start of the season.

[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower Opts Out Of 2020 Season]

Goldman was set to continue on the four-year, $42MM+ extension he signed in the fall of 2018. Now, his $4.75MM in guaranteed salary will toll into 2021 and his full contract will run through 2023.

Last year, Goldman suited up for 15 games, notching 29 tackles and a sack. As a big man in the middle, his true value isn’t really captured by the traditional stats. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus framed him as the 35th best interior defender in the league out of 118 qualified players, thanks in part to his work against the run. For Goldman, that was actually a down year, and he’s provided steady pressure against quarterbacks over the last two seasons.

The opt outs are piling up quickly, and there are surely more on the way. NFL players have until Friday to formally make the call.

Ravens’ Andre Smith Opts Out Of 2020 NFL Season

July 28th, 2020 at 9:07am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens offensive lineman Andre Smith has opted out of the 2020 season, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). More than a dozen players have opted out as of this writing and that number figures to grow larger between now and the Aug. 1 deadline.

[RELATED: Patriots’ Hightower Opts Out]

Smith, 33, hooked on with the Ravens at the end of the 2020 season to bolster their blocking unit in the playoffs. A former top-10 pick, Smith was once one of the game’s better protectors. He’s way past his prime, but the Ravens were hoping to have him around for depth. In total, Smith has appeared in 116 regular season games during his career, but he’s been somewhat limited since 2016 thanks to multiple injured reserve trips. He hasn’t earned a quality score from PFF since 2014.

Smith, who boasts 90 career starts and tons of earnings over the years, probably didn’t need the money this year. That’s especially true since his contract was at, or near, the veteran’s minimum.

Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower To Opt Out Of 2020 Season

July 28th, 2020 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower will opt out of the 2020 season, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hightower wrestled with the decision, but ultimately decided to skip the season in order to protect his 2-week-old son. 

“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family,” Hightower explained.

With that, Hightower becomes the fifth Patriots player to opt out. Running back Brandon Bolden, right tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale, and guard Najee Toran have also decided against playing. Hightower is the highest profile player of the Pats bunch, and one of the more notable players league-wide to opt out.

Hightower was slated to make $8MM in base salary before reaching free agency in March. Now, his contract will toll, with that final year being moved to 2021. With Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts out of the picture, the Patriots were counting on Hightower to hold down the fort at linebacker. There aren’t a ton of impact off-ball linebackers left on the open market, so the Patriots will likely have to work with what they have on hand.

Hightower, 30, has been a staple in the Patriots’ starting lineup since entering the league in 2012. Injuries aside – including a mostly lost 2017 – he’s served as the club’s locker room leader and the point guard of the defense. Last year, Hightower earned his second Pro Bowl trip and even managed 5.5 sacks from the middle.

Hightower’s opt-out falls under the “voluntary” label, meaning that he’s entitled to a $150K salary advance (likely negated by his 2020 earnings to date). Cannon, meanwhile, is “higher risk,” which means he’ll get a $350K stipend (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Cannon had two years to go on his current deal with a total of $9.5MM in base pay. His contract will also toll, with his 2020 season being bumped up to 2021.

15 NFL Players Land On NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 List

July 27th, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys and Buccaneers have placed players on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list. Here’s the full rundown, per the league’s transactions wire:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. In turn, these players are removed from the roster and allowed to return after three weeks.

Giants, First-Round Pick Andrew Thomas Agree To Deal

July 27th, 2020 at 3:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants have finalized an agreement with first-round pick Andrew Thomas on his rookie contract, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets. Thomas will receive a fully guaranteed $32.4MM, and the fifth-year option included in his deal would tether him to the Giants through 2024.

Of the several high-end tackle prospects this year, Thomas went off the board first. The Giants using the No. 4 overall pick on a tackle, despite deploying the No. 31-ranked DVOA pass defense last season, illustrates their need for a long-term piece at this position. New York has struggled to fill its tackle spots for several years.

Thomas declared for the draft after his junior season at Georgia. He started for the Bulldogs as a true freshman, protecting fellow 2020 draftee Jake Fromm for the past three seasons. Thomas is expected to start his career at right tackle, replacing Mike Remmers, before being projected to move over to the left side after Nate Solder‘s Giants tenure ends — likely after the 2020 season.

Here is the Giants’ 2020 draft class:

1-4: Andrew Thomas, T (Georgia): Signed
2-36: Xavier McKinney, S (Alabama)
3-99: Matt Peart, OT (Connecticut): Signed
4-110: Darnay Holmes, CB (UCLA)
5-150: Shane Lemieux, G (Oregon)
6-183: Cameron Brown, LB (Penn State)
7-218: Carter Coughlin, LB (Minnesota)
7-238: T.J. Brunson LB (South Carolina)
7-247: Chris Williamson, CB (Minnesota)
7-255: Tae Crowder, LB (Georgia): Signed

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