HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Colts S Khari Willis Announces Retirement

June 15th, 2022 at 1:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Colts starting safety for most of the past three seasons, Khari Willis informed the team he will retire from the NFL. Willis intends to pursue a ministry career, he said (via Instagram).

The Colts had excused Willis from their minicamp last week, and he had also missed their OTAs. Willis, who became eligible for a contract extension in January, will walk away from the league after just three seasons.

This represents a blow to the Colts’ defense. Willis, 26, had started 33 of the 39 career games he played. After breaking into Indianapolis’ starting lineup as a rookie, Willis was a first-string regular over the past two seasons. He intercepted four career passes, including two last season, and made 219 career tackles.

The Colts traded up for Willis in the 2019 fourth round, and he teamed with Julian Blackmon as the team’s primary safeties over the past two seasons. Blackmon missed 11 games last season, suffering an Achilles tear. Willis played through injury issues, but an IR stint and a COVID-19-related absence limited him to 11 games in 2021. Calf and knee trouble led Willis to IR last season. He missed time due to a concussion and broken ribs in 2020.

Indianapolis has been active at safety this offseason. The team traded up in the third round to select Maryland safety Nick Cross. That move came after the Colts signed longtime Eagles starter Rodney McLeod. Indianapolis also added ex-Kansas City backup safety Armani Watts earlier this year. Cross should be expected to team with Blackmon in the long-term, though Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star notes McLeod may get the call to start this season as Cross develops.

Ravens Host DE Steven Means

June 15th, 2022 at 12:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens may be bringing back a familiar face soon. The team has worked out veteran defensive end Steven Means amongst its tryout invites, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Ravens Reach Injury Settlement With D. Wolfe]

Means found himself on Baltimore’s practice squad not long after he was released by the Buccaneers, who had drafted him in the fifth round one year earlier. He didn’t see much playing time with the Ravens, however, eventually being signed by the Eagles in 2015.

Despite his limited role the following season, Philadelphia extended Means just before the 2017 campaign began. He still played primarily on special teams that year, though; it wasn’t until he joined the Falcons that he saw the field more often. His playing time shifted further towards defensive snaps starting in 2018, when he registered four starts, 14 tackles and one sack.

That led to optimism for his 2019 season, but an Achilles injury sidelined him until the following year. Over the past two campaigns, he has become a starter, racking up 81 stops, eight QB hits and three sacks (half of his career total) over that span. In an effort to boost their league-worst pass rush, however, the Falcons have turned to a number of younger options in the edge department this offseason.

Means, 31, would represent another veteran along the Ravens’ defensive front. The team already has the likes of Calais Campbell, Michael Pierce and Brent Urban on the d-line, but experience is lacking in their pass-rushing room. Baltimore hosted Jason Pierre-Paul last week, signalling their interest in a veteran at that position. In the absence of Derek Wolfe, Means could represent a less expensive option to fill that void.

Steelers Sign Minkah Fitzpatrick To Record-Setting Extension

June 15th, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers have reached agreement on an extension with All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The fifth-year defender signed a four-year contract which will pay him more than $18.4MM per year. The Steelers have announced the signing.

Schefter adds that the pact includes $36MM in guaranteed money. The deal comes as the 25-year-old was soon to begin a contract year in 2022. He was already on the books for one more season at $10.6MM, by virtue of his fifth-year option being picked up. Now, he is set be with the Steelers for the long-term.

Fitzpatrick quickly lived up to his draft stock as the No. 11 overall pick in 2018 with the Dolphins. His time in Miami was very short-lived, however, as he was dealt to Pittsburgh midway through the 2019 campaign. The Steelers paid a significant price to acquire him, sending a package which included a first-rounder, but Fitzpatrick has been worth it up to this point. Starting in all 46 contests he has appeared in with Pittsburgh, he has registered 203 tackles and 11 interceptions.

His level of play has earned him a pair of Pro Bowl nods and two appearances on the First-Team All-Pro list. As a result, the matter of an extension had long been seen as one of the top priorities for the Steelers’ front office, now led by Omar Khan. The possibility was raised of the Alabama alum conducting a ‘hold-in’ during mandatory minicamp to try and leverage a new deal, but that will no longer be necessary.

The value of this contract will make Fitzpatrick the league’s all-time highest-paid safety. Jamal Adams had held the top spot at $17.5MM-per-season, but this deal is the new watermark in a positional market which could continue to be on the rise with subsequent deals. Extensions for the likes of Derwin James and Jessie Bates will no doubt be influenced by this one.

“Minkah is one of the top safeties in the NFL and we are thrilled he will be in Pittsburgh through at least the next five years” Khan said, via the team’s website. “When we traded for him, we knew he was going to be an integral part of our defense and we look forward to that continuing as we prepare for the upcoming season.”

With fellow defensive pillar T.J. Watt under contract for the long-term already, the Steelers have another foundational player signed through the transition into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. While questions remain on the offensive side of the ball heading into this season, the team’s pass defense will have one of its most important elements in place for the foreseeable future.

Jets Expect Mekhi Becton To Be Ready For Training Camp, Undecided On Position

June 15th, 2022 at 10:07am CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets’ Mekhi Becton waiting game has lasted a while, and this lengthy delay has led to doubts about his living up to the potential he showed as a rookie in 2020. But the Jets do have a timetable for their large left (or right) tackle.

Robert Saleh said Wednesday the team expects Becton to practice when training camp opens July 26, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Becton later said he is close to 100% (Twitter links). Since suffering a dislocated kneecap and sprained MCL in Week 1 of last season, Becton has been on the mend. He did not show for OTAs but has been at Jets minicamp, though not as a participant.

Issues about Becton’s weight and his position continue to surround the Jets’ offensive line. Becton was connected to being over 400 pounds at the end of last season, and the team was not happy with his conditioning before he sustained the knee injury last year. Saleh did not confirm Wednesday if Becton is currently at a Jets-preferred weight, and Becton later declined to share his present weight. Doubts aside, Saleh said the third-year Louisville alum is a “transcendent” talent when healthy, Cimini tweets.

Health issues have plagued Becton since his rookie year. While the team’s then-unquestioned left tackle only missed two full games in 2020, he needed to be subbed out at points in others for health reasons. George Fant‘s play at left tackle last year has thrust the ex-basketball convert to a place in which he very well could relocate Becton up front. Saleh said the team is not sure if Becton will be the Jets’ first-string left tackle to start training camp, but the prospect of Fant playing there and Becton switching to the right side has been floated this offseason.

The Jets were connected to tackles in the first round, but they veered toward more pressing needs, giving Becton better odds at keeping a starting job. The team did, however, host veteran Riley Reiff on a recent visit. Reiff would seemingly represent Becton insurance. The team lost 2021 right tackle Morgan Moses in free agency, clearing a path for a Fant-Becton tackle tandem. Fant has experience on both the left and right sides, primarily playing right tackle during Becton’s 2020 rookie year. It will be interesting to see how the Jets configure their O-line — one that now has ex-49er Laken Tomlinson joining Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard — come camp.

Latest On Commanders’ Talks With WR Terry McLaurin, DT Daron Payne

June 15th, 2022 at 9:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Terry McLaurin is one of the few players who have opted to skip his respective team’s minicamp without an excused absence. Washington’s top wide receiver for the past three seasons, McLaurin will have a high price tag — thanks in large part to 2022’s soaring wideout market.

Although McLaurin has not been at the Commanders’ facility in weeks, showing up only to the team’s early voluntary sessions as an observer and then disappearing around draft time, Ron Rivera is nevertheless optimistic the team will finalize an extension this year. The third-year Washington HC cited the team’s successful talks with Jonathan Allen last year, noting the team began discussing McLaurin’s deal earlier this offseason than it addressed Allen’s in 2021. Rivera believes the McLaurin talks are “headed in the right direction,” per ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter).

“We understand what Terry is trying to do,” Rivera said, via Keim (on Twitter). “We want him here; he’s going to be here. We believe in him as a football player.”

That belief will be costly, with the wideout market changing dramatically since Rivera backed a McLaurin extension in February. The former third-round pick is undoubtedly asking for more than the Jaguars gave Christian Kirk (four years, $72MM) and likely has set his sights on being the 12th wideout attached to a deal north of $20MM annually.

McLaurin has yet to receive a Pro Bowl invite, but two other members of the $20MM-AAV club — D.J. Moore, Mike Williams — also have not been such honored. Escalating price notwithstanding, Keim expects a deal to be completed this year (Twitter link).

While McLaurin is the Commanders’ unquestioned passing-game centerpiece, the team’s other top 2022 extension candidate — Daron Payne — finds himself on less sturdy terrain. Washington indeed addressed Allen’s contract last year — via a four-year, $72MM pact that makes him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid interior defensive lineman — and has other D-line cogs to take care of. Montez Sweat is extension-eligible, but thanks to the fifth-year option, Washington can table potential Sweat talks until 2023. The team’s no-brainer re-up prospect, Chase Young, becomes eligible for a second contract next year.

Payne showed up for Commanders minicamp this week, after missing some OTA time, but has refrained from doing team drills due to his contract situation, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets. The urgency in Washington’s Payne talks does not match the team’s approach with McLaurin, and it recently used a second-round pick on another Alabama defensive tackle — Phiadarian Mathis. Payne declined to elaborate on where any negotiations stand, per NBC Sports Washington’s Bijan Todd.

Payne would seemingly sit behind McLaurin in the team’s franchise tag queue, if neither signs an extension this year. But the former would be an attractive 2023 free agent. Payne, 25, is coming off his most productive season, one in which he tallied 4.5 sacks and notched a career-high 15 quarterback hits. The well-regarded interior lineman has also missed just one game in four seasons, adding to his value.

Richard Sherman Joins Amazon, Still Considering NFL Options

June 14th, 2022 at 10:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Richard Sherman is officially heading to broadcasting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s hanging up his cleats. NFL on Prime tweeted that they’ve added the former All-Pro defender to their Thursday Night Football team.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero cautions (on Twitter) that the move isn’t an indication that Sherman will be calling it a career. According to the reporter, Sherman isn’t retiring from playing just yet, and he’ll continue to train as he prepares for a potential gig.

“No, no, I’m still leaving that door open as long as I can,” Sherman said of his NFL career during an appearance on NFL Network (via Nick Shook of NFL.com) . “I’m obviously going to keep training and staying in shape, but gotta take the opportunities when they’re there, and this is an amazing opportunity with Amazon, so I couldn’t pass it up.

“But I’m going to leave that door open, if somebody wants to call late December, and needs some help, I’m happy to help.”

We heard recently that Sherman was in talks to join Amazon but was still keeping his options open regarding a return to the field. While the veteran started five games for the Buccaneers last season, he wasn’t able to stay healthy, and his season eventually ended on injured reserve after he suffered an Achilles injury. He finished the season with 11 tackles and one interception.

A fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011, Sherman put together an iconic career as a main member of the Legion of Boom, earning himself a Super Bowl ring and five Pro Bowl/All-Pro nods. While his accomplishments and experience can’t be denied, he’s also 34 years old and has been limited to only 10 total games over the past two years. There’s a chance a team could be desperate enough to give him a final run, especially if a contender is struggling with injuries late in the season…but there’s a better chance his playing career has come to an end.

AFC East Notes: Poyer, Becton, Jets, Patriots

June 14th, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Jordan Poyer continues to pursue a new contract, but that won’t keep him away from mandatory minicamp. The Bills All-Pro safety is in attendance for practice this week, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

The impending free agent is seeking a new deal, and the Bills have been in communication with the player’s camp. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, Poyer’s participation may be limited in a pseudo-holdout move.

“I think Jordan is in a good place mentally,” said defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. “He’s still staying in touch with his teammates, and hopefully, we’ll see him soon.”

Poyer has been a consistent starter on the Bills defense since joining the organization in 2017, missing only a pair of games. After collecting 100+ tackles between 2018 and 2020, the safety earned his first career All-Pro nod in 2021 after finishing with 93 tackles, three sacks, and five interceptions. The veteran inked a two-year extension with the organization in 2020.

More out of the AFC East:

  • The Jets could turn to a committee approach as they look to replace Jamison Crowder‘s spot at slot receiver, writes ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Many assumed that Braxton Berrios would slide into the role, but head coach Robert Saleh admitted the team is “working through it” and prefers to slide players in and out of the spot to keep things unpredictable. Elijah Moore and rookie Garrett Wilson are among the receivers who could join Berrios in the slot rotation.
  • Jets defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd rejected a better offer to re-sign with the Jets on a one-year, $1.1MM deal, according to Cimini. Incredibly, the 2018 draft pick is the team’s longest-tenured player, and he’s earned a reputation as a hard worker and loyal player. As Cimini notes, Shepard is now the biggest player on the team with Folorunso Fatukasi gone, and that could mean the veteran will see a more significant role in run-stopping situations.
  • Jets offensive lineman Mekhi Becton made it to mandatory minicamp after having sat out previous voluntary sessions, tweets ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The lineman didn’t practice, presumably because he’s still rehabbing his surgically repaired knee. Meanwhile, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes that the player’s ability to return to the field could ultimately influence the left tackle competition between Becton and George Fant. “The faster that you can stamp ‘Hey, this is what we feel like is going to be our best going into Week 1 vs. Baltimore,’ the faster we can do that the better,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said (via Vacchiano). “I think it will play itself out fairly quickly. When we get back (for training camp), we’re rolling, we’re running the football, and we’re going to see. It’ll all play itself out.”
  • At least one “prominent” member of the Patriots offense believed the coaching staff was unprepared at the start of the team’s offseason workout, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus. Following Josh McDaniels move to Las Vegas, the Patriots haven’t replaced anyone as their offensive coordinator, with former ST coordinator Joe Judge and former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia apparently taking on larger roles on offense. However, it sounds like the coaches are settling into roles, with Kyed describing Judge as the “passing game coordinator” and Patricia as the “running game coordinator.” Naturally, head coach Bill Belichick recently swatted away any questions about the offensive play calling. “If you’re asking about game plans, we’re months away from that — months,” Belichick said. “Months away. Months. What plays are we calling? Mini-camp plays?”

Bengals Sign Cordell Volson, Finish Signing Draft Class

June 14th, 2022 at 8:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bengals have finished signing their draft class. The team announced that they have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Cordell Volson to his rookie contract.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman set a school record at North Dakota State University by appearing in 65 career games (including 41 straight starts). His consistency earned him a pair of Associated Press FCS All-America first team nods, and he also won four FCS national championships during his six years at the school.

At 23 years old, Volson was one of the oldest prospects in the draft; he redshirted his freshman season and opted to use his extra year of college eligibility in 2021. The Bengals ultimately used the No. 136 pick in the draft to select the offensive lineman, making him the 11th offensive tackle off the board. The rookie will join a long list of newcomers on the offensive line, but unlike some of those acquisitions (center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La’el Collins), there’s little chance Volson starts, at least to start his career.

With this signing, the Bengals have officially completed the signing of their draft class:

Round 1: No. 31 Daxton Hill, S (Michigan) (signed)
Round 2: No. 60 (from Buccaneers through Bills) Cam Taylor-Britt, CB (Nebraska) (signed)
Round 3: No. 95 Zachary Carter, DL (Florida) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 Cordell Volson, OL (North Dakota State)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Cardinals through Eagles, Texans and Bears): Tycen Anderson, S (Toledo) (signed)
Round 7: No. 252 Jeffrey Gunter, DE (Coastal Carolina) (signed)

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/22

June 14th, 2022 at 7:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Washington Commanders

Latest On Chargers S Derwin James

June 14th, 2022 at 7:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Chargers safety Derwin James had offseason shoulder surgery that has limited him during the early part of minicamp, reports USA Today’s Tyler Dragon (on Twitter). While James is limited, it’s a good sign that he’s already on the field, and Dragon notes that the defensive back is expected to be a full participant by the time training camp comes around.

[RELATED: Latest On Derwin James Extension Talks]

“Derwin didn’t participate in any of the seven-on-seven this spring because of him coming off the labrum surgery,” coach Brandon Staley told reporters (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry). “We wanted to make sure he stayed out of the competitive seven-on-seven. He did all the individual work … he was in all our 11-on-11 team stuff.”

“It was more just precautionary in nature and if you know anything about Derwin, it killed him that he wasn’t out there, for sure.”

James missed a pair of contests in 2021 because of a hamstring injury, but he otherwise started 15 games. As Thiry observes, James did land on the injury report early in the season with a shoulder ailment, but it didn’t force him to miss any time. The former first-round pick earned his second Pro Bowl nod in 2021 after finishing with 118 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions. The safety was limited to only five games in 2019 before sitting out the 2020 campaign, so it was a positive sign for both the player and organization that he could return to his Pro Bowl status.

With James entering the final year of his rookie contract, Dragon tweets that the two sides have started “preliminary” discussions on a long-term deal. There have been recent reports that the organization and the safety were both optimistic that they’d agree on an extension before the start of next season. The two sides are expected to continue negotiating with the expectation that they’ll agree to a deal before the start of next season.

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