2022 April - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders Re-Sign Johnathan Hankins

April 4th, 2022 at 1:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are keeping one of their own in the fold. On Monday, the Raiders announced that they’ve re-signed defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Terms of the deal are not yet known. Last offseason, Hankins re-upped on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, a drop-off from his previous two-year, $8.5MM accord.

The Ohio State product been with the Raiders for past four seasons. Originally a 2011 second-round pick of the Giants, Hankins spent his first four years in New York. He then signed a three-year, $30MM pact with the Colts in 2017, but was released just one season into that. He landed with the Raiders, where he’s been ever since.

He’s started at least 14 games in each of his four seasons with the Raiders, including all 16 in 2020. In 2021, he finished with 38 tackles and, despite not registering a sack, he did notch two QB hits. All in all, he’s started in 60 of his 61 Raiders games for 172 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.

Hankins, heading into his tenth pro year, has registered 356 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries over the course of his career.

This Date In Transactions History: Cowboys Release Tony Romo

April 4th, 2022 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Five years ago today, the Cowboys released longtime quarterback Tony Romo. At least, that’s how the official record reads. Romo — who had ceded the starting job to rookie Dak Prescott in 2016 — retired in order to begin his broadcasting career.

“We wish Tony and his family nothing but the best,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “As an organization, we did what he asked us to do in terms of his release, and we wanted to do what was ultimately in his best interest and in the best interest of his family. Tony has been a wonderful representative of the Cowboys organization for 14 years, and he left everything he had on the field. He will leave us with many great memories and a legacy of being, truly, one of the greatest players in Cowboys history. We are thrilled for him and his family that he will be able to continue working as a professional in the game he so dearly loves. He is a young man who is just getting started on a long journey in life. All the best my friend.”

Romo, who was on the verge of his 37th birthday, took over for Phil Simms at CBS. His health, he said, wouldn’t allow him to continue playing football. Still, even with his surgically-repaired back, the nature of his retirement led to lots of speculation. After the Cowboys granted his release, Romo was now free to sign with any team. At one point, he considered joining up with the Jets, but ultimately declined. Over the summer, Romo continued to leave the door open ever so slightly, saying that he wouldn’t rule out returning to the Cowboys in an emergency situation. That emergency call never came in though, and Romo has been in the booth ever since.

In effect, this all played out as a standard retirement. Romo didn’t leave the game exactly the way he wanted to, but he did complete a league-high 69.9% of his passes in 2014, his last full season. All in all, Romo collected four Pro Bowl nods over the course of his career in Dallas while earning upwards of $127MM in NFL earnings alone.

Browns Sign P Corey Bojorquez

April 4th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have made an addition to their special teams. Cleveland announced on Monday that they have signed punter Corey Bojorquez.

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal adds that the deal is for two years. Bojorquez originally came into the league with the Patriots as a UDFA in 2018, but it was with the Bills that he began his career that same year. The 25-year-old was in Buffalo for three seasons, including the 2020 campaign where he led the league in yards per punt with 50.8.

Bojorquez was then in a training camp battle with the Rams, which he ultimately lost to incumbent Johnny Hekker. As a result, Los Angeles traded him to the Packers. In 17 games with Green Bay, he once again held the distinction of owning the longest punt in the league at 82 yards. Overall, he averaged 46.5 yards on 53 punts.

While Green Bay’s overall special teams performance was among the worst in the league last year, many saw the individual play of Bojorquez himself (especially early in the season) as one of the unit’s bright spots. In Cleveland, he will replace Dustin Colquitt, making this the third straight year the Brows have a new punter. As Ulrich notes, the team still has work to do in the third phase, as they declined to tender RFA kicker Chase McLaughlin, leaving them with a vacancy at that position.

Panthers Sign CB Chris Westry

April 4th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers have made another move to add to their secondary. The team announced on Monday that they have signed cornerback Chris Westry.

Westry, 24, originally joined the Cowboys as a UDFA. Spending most of his two seasons there on the practice squad, he appeared in only two games in Dallas. Last offseason, he was signed by the Ravens; his performance in training camp in particular earned him a spot on the 53-man roster, with plenty of optimism he could establish himself as at least an effective role player.

Not long after the season started, though, Westry suffered a torn meniscus and was placed on IR. Despite the injury, he still appeared in six games in 2021, including two starts. With a number of other injuries throughout the Ravens’ CB room, the Kentucky alum played 45% of the team’s defensive snaps, totalling 17 tackles and three pass deflections.

Westry was non-tendered by the Ravens, as they begin the process of re-shaping their CB depth chart behind starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. In Carolina, he will join a team that has retained the likes of Donte Jackson and Rashaan Melvin at the position. Given his age and length, he will have the opportunity to compete for a rotational role in 2022.

N’Keal Harry On His Way Out Of New England?

April 4th, 2022 at 10:03am CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots made a rare trade within their division over the weekend, adding DeVante Parker to their receiving corps. One of the potential effects of that move is the end of N’Keal Harry‘s tenure in New England, as noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Reiss writes that the addition of Parker “likely means the end of the road for” Harry with the Patriots. The six-foot-three Parker profiles as a direct replacement for Harry, who has never translated his contested-catch ability from college to the NFL. In 33 games, the former first-rounder has totalled 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns.

Even without Parker being brought in, Harry found himself behind Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor on the depth chart. That led many to believe that the Patriots were likely to decline his fifth-year option later this spring, which would signal a departure sooner than later through free agency.

However, it was reported last month that the Arizona State alum was drawing trade interest. Teams looking to at least add depth to their WR room before the draft could find a spot for the 24-year-old, and with the Patriots having added Parker (and, quite possibly, looking to select another WR early in this month’s draft), he could likely be had for a reasonable trade price.

While nothing is imminent regarding Harry’s future (or lack thereof) in New England, he could very well find himself in a new NFL home relatively soon.

Giants Restructure Adoree’ Jackson’s Contract

April 4th, 2022 at 9:04am CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants have been one of the most active teams this offseason in terms of creating cap space. At the start of the process, new general manager Joe Schoen made it clear he wanted to avoid restructures as a means of accomplishing that goal, but the team has done just that for the first time. New York has converted $8.965MM of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson’s salary into a roster bonus, while adding a void year to his deal in 2024. (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates).

The move creates just under $6MM in cap space for the Giants. Given how dire their financial situation was before today – with less than $1MM to spare – it was clear New York would have to continue carving out more room. As many have noted, however, this will still only be the first of many such moves the Giants need to make to be able to afford their draft class, among other things.

How many more deals need to be re-worked will depend in large part, of course, on how the team handles fellow corner James Bradberry. With a cap hit of nearly $22MM next year, Bradberry has long been on the trade block, though most interested teams are waiting to see if he is released outright. While the Giants could also flatten that cap charge through an extension, they still face a long road to true flexibility.

Jackson, 26, was one of the top free agents one year ago after his four-year tenure with the Titans. He signed a three-year, $39MM deal with the Giants to bolster their secondary. In 13 games, he totalled 62 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups. Given the increases to his cap number and dead money charges this restructure pushes into the remaining years on his deal, the team is clearly comfortable with keeping him in the fold for the foreseeable future.

Dolphins Eyeing Nickel CB

April 3rd, 2022 at 7:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have been busy lately, but they’ve still got some items on their offseason agenda. Among the items remaining on their to-do list: finding a nickel cornerback to back up Nik Needham (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

[RELATED: Frank Gore To Retire]

Justin Coleman could have stayed on as their other slot man, but the Dolphins allowed him to sign with the Seahawks in free agency. Clearly, Needham was the priority due to his youth and his strong showing in 2021. Miami cuffed him with a second-round RFA tender, keeping him at a $3.9MM salary for the coming year.

Needham caught on with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and has played extensively, even as the Dolphins added reinforcements at his position. Needham logged a 60% defensive snap rate in 2020 and, even with Coleman in the fold, he played on 54% of Miami’s defensive plays last season. He’s snagged six interceptions in three Dolphins seasons and clearly earned his place as a first-stringer. Now, the ‘Fins just need to round out the depth chart behind him.

Besides nickel CB, the Dolphins are also on the lookout for center, punter, and nose tackle support. The Dolphins do have a little bit of extra cap room following the DeVante Parker trade, but they’re still likely to plug most of these holes via minimum salary deals and the draft.

This Date In Transactions History: Patriots Trade Brandin Cooks To Rams

April 3rd, 2022 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

When Brandin Cooks was traded to the Patriots in 2017, there was hope that the wideout would stick around New England as one of Tom Brady‘s top targets. About 13 months later, Cooks tenure with the team had come to an end. On this date in 2018, the Patriots traded the wide receiver to the Rams.

Cooks was plenty productive during his lone season in New England, with the wideout leading the air attack (alongside Rob Gronkowski) following Julian Edelman‘s season-ending injury. The receiver finished the regular season having hauled in 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, and hee continued producing in the postseason, catching another 19 receptions for 292 yards.

That performance apparently wasn’t enough, as the Patriots sent him out on April 3, 2018. Perhaps the team was wary of Cooks’ impending free agency following the 2018 campaign, or perhaps they thought Brady and Bill Belichick‘s clout would land them a comparable (and/or cheaper) receiver via free agency. Either way, New England ultimately sent Cooks and a fourth-rounder to the Rams in exchange for a first-rounder (a pick that eventually turned into lineman Isaiah Wynn) and a sixth-rounder. The Rams subsequently signed the receiver to a pricey five-year, $81MM extension (including $50.5MM guaranteed).

Even though Cooks didn’t last all that long is Los Angeles, it’s hard to be too critical of the Rams. Cooks had a 1,200-yard season during his first year with the Rams, but he fell off in 2019, compiling only 635 yards from scrimmage in 14 games. Following the season, the Rams paired Cooks with a fourth-rounder and sent him to the Texans for a second-rounder (which ultimately turned into receiver Van Jefferson).

Similarly, it’s hard to be too critical of the Patriots; after all, Wynn was a fine consolation. However, the Patriots’ motivation for the trade has never really been explained. While the financial reasons were obvious, it was assumed that the organization would subsequently replace Cooks spot in the lineup. The team was also especially shallow at wideout after Danny Amendola signed with the Dolphins.

While New England would be connected to a number of receivers throughout that 2018 campaign, the team never did anything to significantly improve their receiver corps. That 2018 squad finished without a 1,000-yard receiver, with running back James White leading the squad in receptions. Per usual, that didn’t end up mattering all that much; the Patriots still won the Super Bowl that season after beating (you guessed it) the Rams. While the Patriots selected receiver N’Keal Harry in the first round of the 2019 draft, they never really added another veteran receiver like Brady desired, an issue that was exacerbated after Gronkowski’s sudden retirement. That 2019 campaign would ultimately be Brady’s final season in New England.

Cowboys Not Moving Micah Parsons To DE

April 3rd, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Micah Parsons is expected to have another highly productive campaign in 2022. Given his prowess rushing the passer, some thought he would be in line for a full-time positional switch from middle linebacker to defensive end. In an interview with the team’s website, head coach Mike McCarthy said that won’t be happening.

“That’s a very fair question” McCarthy said, referring to suggestions Parsons line up on the edge permanently. “But we’ve made it clear: we want him moving around.”

Drafted 12th overall as the consensus top linebacker, Parsons acquitted himself quite well at the position during his time there. Early on in the season, though, he switched to DE after an injury to DeMarcus Lawrence left the Cowboys thin on edge rushers. Regardless of where he lined up on the field, the Penn State alum put up impressive numbers all year.

Parsons totalled 84 tackles, 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss across 16 games played; as a result, he was recognized with not only the DRoY award, but also Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods. As McCarthy himself noted, however, those sack totals were split between his time at either position. His overall ability to not only rush the passer, but also defend the run and drop into coverage clearly has the team eyeing more of a ‘Swiss Army-knife’ type of role for him.

The Cowboys ultimately lost Randy Gregory in free agency, and later signed Dante Fowler to help replace him. Even if they add pass-rushing help in the draft later this month, Parsons will likely still have plenty of snaps on the edge moving forward. Barring a repeat of last season’s injuries, though, he will also spend significant time in his more natural position.

Commanders, Saints Had Large Presence At Sam Howell’s Pro Day

April 3rd, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

While Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett have garnered most of the attention in terms of top quarterback prospects, North Carolina’s Sam Howell remains a highly-touted option as well. Two of the teams who sent large delegations to see him at his recent pro day were the Commanders and Saints, per Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network (Twitter link).

Pauline notes that the “big turnout” from Washington included executive VP Marty Hurney and several other staffers. The Commanders already have their starting signal-caller in Carson Wentz, whom they traded for days before the start of free agency. The price they paid – both in terms of the draft capital sent to Indianapolis and the fact that they picked up his full salary – signalled a strong commitment to the former No. 2 pick, who is under contract for three more years.

The Saints, meanwhile, had college scouting director Jeff Ireland on hand to see the former Tar Heel in person. After being in the competition for Deshaun Watson, New Orleans re-signed Jameis Winston on a two-year deal. Not long after, they also added a veteran backup in Andy Dalton.

Howell, a true junior, burst onto the scene with 38 touchdown passes in his freshman year. He improved in terms of completion percentage (68.1%) and yards per attempt (11.1) in the following campaign, but took a step back in production in 2021. Following the departure of receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, along with the team’s dynamic RB duo of Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, Howell had a down year statistically.

As a result, many have dropped the six-foot-one, 220-pounder down a tier or so in this year’s QB rankings. Howell is generally rated closer to the likes of Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder than the aforementioned Willis and Pickett. Still, it wouldn’t come as a surprise for him to be selected at some point in the first round. That could leave the Commanders and Saints (who hold the 11th and 18th picks, respectively) in play for Howell, depending on what they saw of him last week.