HEADLINES

Month: April 2022

Packers Eyeing Draft For WR Additions?

April 12th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

While the Packers were able to maintain most of their core during this offseason, they have a sizable hole at the wide receiver position. With the draft coming up at the end of the month, the team could add multiple rookies at the position, as noted by ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. 

[RELATED: Packers To Target WR Upgrades]

Green Bay has traditionally avoided taking wideouts early in the draft – the last time they used a first-round pick on one was in 2002 – but the team is in need of multiple additions this year. Having traded away Davante Adams and lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, the Packers will be rebuilding the top of the depth chart in the near future. General manager Brian Gutekunst recently indicated a willingness to spend multiple picks on the position.

“I think it’s too early to tell, but I think my history and even with Ted [Thompson’s] history, I don’t think we’ve ever shied away from taking multiple players at one position in a draft” he said. “So certainly if the right players are there, we wouldn’t shy away from that.”

Green Bay currently hold picks No. 22 and 28 in the first round. That will, in all likelihood, leave them out of contention for top options such as Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams. Prospects closer to their range include Treylon Burks and Jahan Dotson, as well as a number of second-round candidates who will be available when the team picks 53rd and 59th overall.

While established players like Julio Jones and Jarvis Landry are still available as free agents, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Green Bay were to draft at least one impact wideout to help offset this year’s losses. While doing so would be somewhat out of character, the rarer scenario of selecting two also cannot be ruled out.

Eagles Host WRs Jameson Williams, George Pickens

April 12th, 2022 at 10:56am CST by Adam La Rose

With wide receiver being touted as one of the Eagles’ top needs in the upcoming draft, it comes as no surprise that the team is hosting some of the position’s top prospects. In a pair of tweets, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP reports that the Eagles are meeting with Jameson Williams today, having already done so with George Pickens. 

[RELATED: Eagles’ Reagor Drawing Trade Interest]

Williams played one season at Alabama, having transferred there from Ohio State. 2021 was the only year in which he put up significant numbers, but his performance rightly earned him first-round consideration. In 15 games, he made 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those totals place him among the best receivers in school history in terms of single-season statistics, a list which also includes 2021 Eagles first-rounder DeVonta Smith.

The biggest concern surrounding the true junior, of course, is his health. Williams tore his ACL in the National Championship Game. As a result, his stock has taken a hit, but he is still expected to hear his name called on the first night of the draft. His combination and size and speed would compliment Smith in the Eagles’ receiving corps.

There is much less certainty regarding Pickens’ expected draft position. He had a productive freshman year with Georgia, posting 727 yards and eight touchdowns. He only managed to play in 12 games since then, however, having missed most of the 2021 season due to a torn ACL. His size and production (when on the field) still likely places him within the top-10 wideouts in this year’s class, though, meaning he could be taken in the second round.

After last week’s trade with the Saints, Philadelphia currently owns picks No. 15 and 18, both of which could put them in Williams’ range. Their second-round selection (51st overall) might also allow them to take Pickens if they turn their attention to other positions on Day 1. Ultimately, the Eagles will have a number of options if they wish to upgrade their pass-catching corps for 2022.

TE James O’Shaughnessy Visits Bears

April 12th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Adam La Rose

James O’Shaughnessy may be close to finding his next home in the NFL. The veteran tight end has visited the Bears, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson (Twitter link). 

O’Shaughnessy, 30, began his career with the Chiefs in 2015. He hardly saw the field in Kansas City, though, and he was traded to New England in 2017. Before that campaign started, the Jaguars claimed him off waivers, beginning a five-year stint in Jacksonville.

O’Shaughnessy took over the starting role with the Jaguars in 2018. The 2020 campaign was his most productive, when he posted 28 catches for 262 yards. The seasons before and after that one, however, saw the former fifth-round pick miss significant time due to injuries. Overall, he played 57 games in Duval County, totalling 104 receptions, 1,022 yards and three touchdowns.

The Jaguars made a notable addition to the tight end room this offseason, signing former Giant Evan Engram. While there is a possibility he could see time as a slot receiver, his addition adds a different element to the position than what the team previously had. The Jaguars also have Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold under contract for the 2022 season.

In Chicago, O’Shaughnessy would join a rebuilding Bears offense. The team already has Cole Kmet at the top of the depth chart, along with veteran Ryan Griffin. Still, O’Shaughnessy could provide experienced depth at the position as he looks to extend his career.

Jaguars Waive LB Dylan Moses

April 12th, 2022 at 8:55am CST by Ben Levine

Dylan Moses will have to revive his football career elsewhere. The Jaguars have waived the linebacker, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).

Moses was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, and he quickly lived up to the hype during his time at Alabama. He had a standout 2018 campaign, but that was cut short by a foot injury. He missed the entire 2019 season with a knee injury, but he managed to earn third-team All-American honors when he returned to the field in 2020.

Still, thanks to the lack of track record and a torn meniscus suffered during that 2020 campaign, Moses went undrafted in the 2021 draft, and he ended up catching on with the Jaguars. He went under the knife last February, so he ended up spending his entire rookie season on the non-football injury list. He was expected to be healthy enough to compete for a roster spot this year.

The Jaguars have already seen some turnover at linebacker this offseason. The team added Foyesade Oluokun on a three-year deal, and they also moved on from Myles Jack.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/11/22

April 11th, 2022 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Signed:

ERFAs

Signed:

49ers Release, Re-Sign DL Maurice Hurst

April 11th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

For a brief moment today, Maurice Hurst was a free agent. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), the 49ers released the defensive tackle before re-signing him to a one-year contract.

Clearly, this was a procedural move that surely saved the team a small chunk of cap, but we won’t know how much the 49ers saved until terms are announced. Hurst re-signed with the 49ers in March, inking a veteran salary exception worth a bit more than $1MM. While the veteran presumably signed the same deal this time around, the front office could have pushed some money down the road (per David Lombardi of The Athletic on Twitter).

Hurst was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, and he ended up spending three seasons with the team. After collecting 31 tackles and four sacks in 13 games (10 starts) as a rookie, Hurst only started seven games and compiled four more sacks in his final two seasons with the organization.

The 26-year-old caught on with San Francisco last offseason, and after starting the season on injured reserve, he ended up getting into only a pair of games for his new squad.

Texans Meet With CB Steven Nelson

April 11th, 2022 at 4:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

A free agent in April for the second straight year, Steven Nelson paid a visit to one of the league’s rebuilding teams. The Texans brought in the veteran cornerback for a meeting, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

Nelson signed with the Eagles just before training camp last year, having hit free agency after a Steelers release. The former third-round pick worked as a starter with Philadelphia last season, but the Texans were one of the teams interested before the Eagles landed him.

The Texans re-signed Desmond King this offseason and have Lonnie Johnson going into a contract year. The team has starter needs at a few positions, and Nelson would qualify as a short-term answer at corner. Nelson turned 29 this offseason and is approaching his eighth NFL season.

The ex-Chief has experience outside and in the slot and has been a steady starter for most of his career. Nelson has not missed more than one game in a season since 2017. His best recent season came in 2019 — his first in Pittsburgh — when he allowed a 50% completion rate, a 65.8 passer rating as the nearest defender and ceded zero touchdowns. Over the past two years, Nelson has allowed 12 TDs and seen his other coverage figures rise as well.

Broncos GM On Trades, Draft, Free Agency

April 11th, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Since George Paton took over as Broncos GM last year, the team traded the previous regime’s highest-profile player and now has a new one. Both transactions came via blockbuster trades, with the capital acquired from the first helping the Broncos pull off the second.

Denver dealt Von Miller to Los Angeles for second- and third-round 2022 picks. That ended up being a win-win-win deal, with the Rams claiming a Super Bowl title, the Broncos having enough draft picks to feel comfortable parting with a big haul for Russell Wilson, and Miller’s post-trade rebound enticing the Bills to submit a strong free agency offer. The Broncos’ years-long quarterback issue hovered at the root of the Miller trade.

“I love Von, but we knew we weren’t good enough with Von to get to where we needed to go at that point,” Paton said via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required). “I knew in the next year or two we needed to get a quarterback. We needed to break through, [be it] trading up in the draft or via trade; free agency, you’re probably not going to get your franchise guy. So we were just going to keep accumulating picks until we got a quarterback. It’s hard to win if you don’t get that guy.”

Paton successfully filled one of the NFL’s longest-standing needs by acquiring Wilson for a package that included three players, two first-round picks, two second-rounders and a fifth. The Miller trade, however, leaves the Broncos with three Day 2 picks this year. Without first-rounders this year and next, the second day of this year’s draft figures to be quite important for a Denver team that will have a franchise-quarterback salary on its books in the not-too-distant future.

Denver, which had started 11 quarterbacks since Peyton Manning‘s retirement, has not carried a notable QB salary on its books since Joe Flacco‘s in 2019. Wilson is set to count just $24MM against the Broncos’ cap this season. While an extension is fully expected to commence by the 2023 season, it is not yet certain a new deal will be in place this year.

“You build a different way,” Paton said of how the Broncos will need to construct future rosters. “You aren’t going to go on a spending splurge every free agency; you just can’t. The model doesn’t work like that. We realize — we had all of these talks about how, three years down the road, how this impacts us.

“Do we have to hit on picks? Yeah. Everyone has to hit on their picks. But the stakes are higher. You gotta hit on the sixth-rounder, the seventh-round safety or else the model doesn’t work. We embrace the challenge just as we embrace the opportunity to have a guy like Russ.”

Paton’s first Broncos draft included cornerstones like Patrick Surtain and Javonte Williams, along with rookie-year contributors in offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz (Round 3), safety Caden Sterns (Round 5), linebacker Baron Browning (Round 3) and edge rusher Jonathon Cooper (Round 7). Nathaniel Hackett has Meinerz, who became a starter after a midseason Graham Glasgow injury, installed as the team’s starting right guard. With a Wilson extension expected to be in the $50MM-per-year ballpark on the horizon, the Broncos will need more low-cost contributors in this draft.

Bills Bring Back T Bobby Hart

April 11th, 2022 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

After bouncing on and off the Bills’ 53-man roster last season, Bobby Hart is back in Buffalo for another go-round. The Bills re-signed the veteran tackle Monday.

Agreeing to a one-year deal, Hart will attempt to make Buffalo’s roster and play an eighth NFL season. Hart’s run as a starter came to an end last season, one the former seventh-round pick spent with three teams.

The Bills signed Hart in March 2021 but cut him just before the season. The ex-Giants draftee made his way to the Dolphins as a practice squad player before rejoining the Bills early in the season. Injuries on the Titans’ offensive line led Hart to Tennessee, where he started a game and played in two more. The Bills then signed Hart back in November, making the reverse transaction by adding him off the Titans’ taxi squad, and kept him for the rest of the season.

Hart’s first six seasons were a bit smoother, minus his late-season Giants release in 2017. The Florida State product spent the first three years of his career with the Giants and the next three with the Bengals, starting 67 games. That is a rather high number for a 27-year-old blocker expected to be a backup. The Bills have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown at tackle, with guard/tackle Cody Ford on the roster as well. Hart stands to compete for a swing job this year.

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