HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Latest On 49ers’ Offensive Line Situation

June 4th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year saw the 49ers advance to their second NFC Championship game in the last three years, but the offensive line that took them there is set to look a bit different as San Francisco readies for the 2022 NFL season. The 49ers’ left guard for the last five seasons, Laken Tomlinson, is now a Jet, Tom Compton, who started seven regular season games and all three playoff games at right tackle for the team when Mike McGlinchey went down with an injury last year, is now in Denver, and last year’s starting center, Alex Mack, officially announced his retirement this week. 

San Francisco should be set at left tackle and right guard with 12-year veteran Trent Williams manning the blindside and Daniel Brunskill starting just right of center for the past two seasons. Though Compton, who played well in his time as an injury-replacement last year, is gone, the 49ers do return McGlinchey from injury to fill the right tackle spot. McGlinchey is heading into a contract year and will try to earn himself a solid second deal with his production this season. He’s been strong while run-blocking in his career, but started off with some struggles in pass-protection. McGlinchey was showing some improvement in his pass-pro before his injury last season, and the 49ers will likely give him a chance to show he can be the whole package.

With those three spots manned, the conversation now turns to left guard and center. The favorite to fill in at left guard is 2021 second-round draft pick Aaron Banks. Banks was slowed in his rookie-season by a preseason shoulder injury, leading to him appearing in nine games but only seeing five offensive snaps last season, getting most of his playing time on special teams. McGlinchey’s former-teammate at Notre Dame made tremendous progress throughout the season, though. Head coach Kyle Shanahan even said that Banks could have replaced Brunskill in the lineup late last season, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The team held off on making that switch as they surged into the postseason with plenty of success, but with an opening at guard this year, it’s hard to imagine Banks not getting his opportunity.

At center, the options are much less clear-cut. With Mack gone, the only player on the roster with an NFL start at center is former undrafted free agent Jake Brendel, who started three games for the Dolphins in 2018. Brendel has been taking first-team snaps at center in practices, according to another article from Branch. General manager John Lynch claims that the team has “a lot of confidence in (Brendel’s) ability,” despite Brendel not being “a household name.” The 49ers also brought in their own undrafted rookie this year in Dohnovan West, who was Arizona State’s starting center all three years of his collegiate career.

Unless San Francisco plans to try some other rostered offensive line reserves at center this year, they may need to go to the free agent market. This would continue a trend that Lynch and the Niners have followed over the past few years of signing an impact free agent interior lineman in the weeks after the Draft. 2017 saw the addition of eventual starting right guard Brandon Fusco in early May, 2018 saw the addition of eventual starting right guard Michael Person in early May, and 2019 saw the addition of part-time starting center Ben Garland in late April.

Available free agent centers include NFLPA president J.C. Tretter, former Broncos and Panthers center Matt Paradis, former Bengals starting center Trey Hopkins, and former Texans lineman Nick Martin. Lynch may mean what he says and Brendel may be their man in the middle, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 49ers act on some of the available experience out there on the market.

With three spots filled with experienced starters and two very real options to fill the other two spots, San Francisco is on their way to building their offensive line for next season. Whether the five lineman running with the first team now will be the Week 1 starters is yet to be seen, but Lynch and Shanahan are aware of their options and may not be done addressing the position group just yet.

Browns Reach Agreement With RB D’Ernest Johnson

June 4th, 2022 at 2:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns showed their interest in retaining running back D’Ernest Johnson when they gave him an RFA tender. Today, they have come to terms with him on a one-year deal (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

The contract is worth up to $2.433MM – the exact amount of this year’s right of first refusal tender. However, as detailed by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (on Twitter), this is a new deal, rather than a matter of Johnson simply signing the tender. The pact includes $900K in guaranteed money.

The 26-year-old has been with the Browns since 2019. He saw a significant amount of playing time on special teams, including opportunities as both a punt and kick returner. That continued the following year, but he did see a slight uptick in offensive snaps as well. It was in 2021 that he took a significant step forward in terms of production.

Appearing in all 17 games (including two starts), the former UDFA turned 100 carries into 534 rushing yards and three touchdowns; he added another 137 off of 19 receptions. For the third straight season, he averaged no fewer than five yards per carry, though that figure holds much more weight in the context of his 2021 workload. Given that efficiency, it came as little surprise that the Browns tendered him.

Still, the fact that Johnson sits third on the team’s RB depth chart (behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt) makes this move a relatively expensive one. Cleveland currently has Chubb on one of the most lucrative deals in the league at the position, along with Hunt under contract for one more season at a cap hit of $6.25MM. The latter is still part of the team’s long-term plans, despite the presence of Johnson, Demetric Felton and fifth round rookie Jerome Ford. For the upcoming campaign, Johnson will remain a proven depth option available for at least a rotational role.

Latest On Seahawks’ LB Situation

June 4th, 2022 at 1:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

The most significant departure from the Seahawks this offseason was Russell Wilson, but the team also lost a future Hall of Famer at the middle linebacker spot. With that position being a significant talking point, analysis from ESPN’s Brady Henderson sheds light on the team’s 2022 plans. 

Especially with Bobby Wagner now in Los Angeles, the door would seem to be open for a reunion between the Seahawks and K.J. Wright. The 32-year-old has made it clear he wishes to return to Seattle; “I just want to go back home” he said last month. “I think it’s that simple. Seattle knows that I want to come back. They know how much they mean to me.”

However, Henderson writes that while the two sides have “discussed a possible return”, general manager John Schneider has indicated that such a reunion “would probably be in a non-playing role”. Wright spent last season with the Raiders after a decade in Seattle during which time he was a key member of the ‘Legion of Boom’.

Assuming he doesn’t return to the field, that would point to Cody Barton assuming the starting role alongside 2020 first-rounder Jordyn Brooks. The 25-year-old has made 48 appearances across three seasons in Seattle, but only registered five starts during his tenure, including two in place of an injured Wagner last year. That is likely to change, given that the team didn’t sign a starting-caliber ‘backer in free agency, and elected not to draft one in April.

A Brooks-Barton pairing would represent a further turning of the page on defense for Seattle, a unit which will be led by new DC Clint Hurtt. If the former can build off of his highly productive season in 2021 (in which he made 184 tackles), and the latter can handle a starter’s workload, though, the absence of both Wagner and Wright could be mitigated.

XFL Assigns Franchise-Coach Pairings

June 4th, 2022 at 12:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

The identities of the head coaches who will be on the sidelines when the XFL begins its third iteration were already known. Today, though, it has been revealed which franchise each coach will be working with when the league re-starts in 2023. 

[RELATED: XFL Announces HCs For 2023 Season]

As detailed by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), Wade Phillips has been assigned to the Houston franchise. That will mark the second stint coaching a professional team in that city for the soon-to-be 75-year-old, as he took over interim HC duties for the Texans during his time there in 2013. This will mark his first time on the sidelines since 2019, when he served as defensive coordinator of the Rams.

The list of XFL coaches also includes decorated former players. One of them is Hines Ward, who will be joining Phillips and Bob Stoops in the state of Texas by coaching the San Antonio franchise. The former Super Bowl MVP worked as an offensive assistant with the Jets in 2020 and 2021; he spent the past campaign as the WRs coach at Florida Atlantic. The XFL post will mark his first time as a head coach at any level.

Another brand-name player the XFL will be featuring on the sidelines is Rod Woodson. The Hall of Fame corner has more experience than Ward with respect to time spent as a positional coach at the NFL level, including two separate stints as the CBs coach of the Raiders. In his case as well, though, the XFL will provide a first-time HC opportunity. He will take the reins of the Las Vegas team.

Long before the league unveiled its batch of HCs for the upcoming season, the XFL announced a formal partnership with the NFL. While the former will not organize itself as a strictly developmental league for the latter, there will be notable collaboration between the two on a number of matters, including the NFL’s Alumni Academy. While it remains to be seen if the third time proves to be the charm for the enterprise now co-owned by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, these agreements, along with the interest generated by these coaches, should give the league a chance at long-term success.

Here is the full breakdown of the franchise-coach pairings, per Wilson:

Eagles S Marcus Epps In Line For Starting Spot?

June 4th, 2022 at 10:24am CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles have made a number of notable additions on both sides of the ball, but a starting role at the safety position is up for grabs this offseason. According to Zach Berman and Bo Wulf of the Athletic (subscription required), the favorite for that spot is Marcus Epps. 

After the departure of veteran Rodney McLeod, the Eagles have a number of options to consider, but not much in the way of NFL experience. Epps, 26, began his career with the Vikings in 2019. After just eight games in Minnesota, however, he was waived; that began his tenure with the Eagles, where he has played a rotational role.

The former sixth-rounder has appeared in 30 games over the past two seasons, seeing an uptick in playing time from 2020 to 2021. Over that stretch, he totalled 109 tackles, three interceptions and nine pass deflections. That production leaves him as a logical candidate to take on an even larger workload for the 2022 season, the final year of his rookie contract.

As Wulf writes, 2020 fourth-rounder K’Von Wallace could be “closer to being off the roster entirely” than to the vacant starting role. The Clemson alum has made six appearances in two seasons, playing primarily on special teams. Other young options include Andre Chachere and Jared Mayden, leaving uncertainty in terms of depth behind Anthony Harris and “front-runner” Epps as starters.

Berman makes note of the push the Eagles made to sign Marcus Williams in free agency as evidence of the front office’s perception of the depth chart at the position. Their attempt to add the former Saint, who ultimately landed in Baltimore, coupled with the fact that Harris, 30, re-signed on only a one-year deal for less than what he earned last season, could leave general manager Howie Roseman busy in attempting to make at least one more addition. On that point, Berman posits that Roseman should be inquiring about trading for veteran Raven Chuck Clark, something multiple teams have already done.

While more could still be done at the position, then, it appears as though Epps can be penciled in as a starter for the time being. If he does ultimately land – and hold on to – the spot, he could help offset the loss of McLeod and earn himself a larger payday in free agency in the process.

Colts’ Julian Blackmon Could Be Healthy By Training Camp

June 4th, 2022 at 9:05am CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts have reason for optimism on the health front with respect to safety Julian Blackmon. Head coach Frank Reich recently said that it’s “not a stretch” he could be back to a full workload by training camp (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4). 

[RELATED: Latest On Colts’ Leonard, Ankle Injury]

The 23-year-old tore his Achilles in October, ending his second season in the league. Blackmon almost immediately established himself as a starter in his rookie campaign, notching a pair of interceptions and six pass deflections. The injury limited him to only six contests in 2021, though.

The former third round pick would be a welcomed sight for Indianapolis if he were indeed able to return to full strength by July. However, as Chappell notes, the team “won’t push him too hard too soon” as he continues to recover. Upon his return, Blackmon would likely have a clear path to his starting role.

The Colts have re-made much of their secondary, headlined by the signing of All-Pro corner Stephon Gilmore. At the safety spot, the team brought in Armani Watts, and, days later, Rodney McLeod. Indianapolis added further depth via the draft, including third-rounder Nick Cross. Amidst the many changes, veteran Andrew Sendejo has not been re-signed.

Entering a season with higher expectations for the team, Blackmon will have a significant role to play, assuming he is healthy by the fall at the latest. If not, the Colts will have a number of other options to turn to on the backend.

Steelers Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Tuitt, Loudermilk

June 3rd, 2022 at 10:34pm CST by Ely Allen

As Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick enters the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, the 25-year-old is looking for an extension from the team that acquired him via trade three years ago. According to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, Fitzpatrick is a likely candidate to perform a “hold-in” if he doesn’t have a new contract by training camp.

As opposed to the traditional contract hold-out, a “hold-in” would see Fitzpatrick attend training camp while not participating in any serious manner. Due to rules in the new CBA, a player has to be fined $50,000 per day for skipping training camp. Fitzpatrick’s teammate, defensive end T.J. Watt, performed the same inactive action last year.

Here are a few other rumors from the Steel City:

  • Defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt‘s retirement this past week has some effect on the Steelers’ cap spending in the next few years, according to a separate article from Kaboly. As a post-June 1 designation, the Steelers will save just over $9MM against the cap this year. Because they put voidable years into Tuitt’s contract last year to spread out his cap hit, though, they will still accrue dead money of $4.9MM this year and $4.8MM next season. They do have the option to recoup a portion of Tuitt’s signing bonus from the contract’s initiation, but Pittsburgh has never pursued this course of action with any other players who took early retirements, so it’s unlikely they will do so with the grieving Tuitt.
  • One of the places Pittsburgh will look to replace Tuitt is internally. According to a third Kaboly-article, the Steelers have some hope that last year’s fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin, Isaiahh Loudermilk, will be able to replace some of the retired defensive lineman’s production. Other internal options are Tyson Alualu, Chris Wormley, and 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal. Alualu is coming off a broken ankle, Wormley struggles against the run, and Leal is unproven and a tad undersized. Loudermilk saw plenty of action last year and proved himself as a sure run-defender, while struggling to create any pass-rush. Since the Steelers have pass-rushers aplenty in Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cameron Heyward, being a stout run-defender might make Loudermilk the perfect option to take Tuitt’s snaps.

Former RB Ajayi Receives Loss-Of-Value Insurance Settlement

June 3rd, 2022 at 9:43pm CST by Ely Allen

Former Dolphins and Eagles running back Jay Ajayi received the settlement for his $5MM loss-of-value insurance policy this week, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It was a much-deserved payoff that was undeservedly delayed due to years of resistance from the insurance company. 

Ajayi’s career was an incredible flash in the pan. The Boise State-legend was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft to Miami. The Dolphins had little use for rookie-Ajayi as he sat behind bell-cow back Lamar Miller. He entered his sophomore season as a backup, as well, as Miller and former Texans running back Arian Foster traded places in free agency and Foster was named the starter to begin the season.

The first four weeks of the year saw Foster suffer an injury and retire mid-season, leaving Ajayi to take the reins running the ball. In his second, third, and fourth starts, Ajayi racked up 204, 214, and 111 yards, respectively, becoming only the fourth player in NFL history, along with O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell, and Ricky Williams, to rush for over 200 yards in two consecutive games. Ajayi would go on to be named a Pro Bowler at the end of his second season, despite starting the year as a backup.

The next year, Ajayi was traded mid-season to Philadelphia, where he would go on to win a Super Bowl ring. Ajayi would finish out his rookie contract with the Eagles, but would only see four games of action before tearing his ACL and missing the remainder of the last season of his contract. Suffering a season-ending, long-term injury in a contract year is a nightmare scenario for any young player. Fortunately for Ajayi, he was prepared.

According to Rapoport, Ajayi’s business manager, Josh Sanchez, disclosed that the then-25-year-old running back had purchased a loss-of-value insurance policy that covered the year to protect him against loss of free agent value due to injury. He had purchased a similar policy the prior year, a policy that tends to run in the range from $80,000-$100,000. The policy covered a maximum loss-of-value of $5MM, meaning that if it could be proven that an injury negatively affected the value of Ajayi’s next contract, Ajayi would be entitled to the difference in value up to $5MM.

Despite a bit of a down year following his Pro Bowl season, Ajayi likely would’ve been one of the premier, young running backs to hit free agency. Instead, after his injury, Ajayi re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal. His second contract was only worth $805,000. Clearly, Ajayi had a case to cash-in on his insurance policy.

Unfortunately, in the world of insurance, successful insurance companies make money by finding loopholes and delaying payment for as long as possible. The insurance companies handling NFL loss-of-value policies are no different. Thus ensued a multi-year battle for Ajayi to get what he deserved.

Again, unfortunately, the battle doesn’t appear to have been a victory, but rather a draw, a compromise. The fact that Ajayi received a “settlement” insinuates that Ajayi did not receive the full $5MM maximum award, despite only appearing in three games after his injury, the ACL tear effectively ending his career. Regardless, it should still be seen as a small win that Ajayi will receive something for his foresight and proper preparation.

AFC Staff Notes: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers

June 3rd, 2022 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens saw David Blackburn get promoted into their director of college scouting position recently. According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, Blackburn was not alone in his promotion. This week, Baltimore announced promotions for Mark Azevedo, Houegnon Attenoukon, Patrick McDonough, and Derrick Yam, as well.

Azevedo was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in his 18th year with the team, assisting the Ravens’ two directors of player personnel, Joe Hortiz and George Kokinis. Attenoukon, known in the clubhouse as “Q,” is entering his sixth year with the team and was promoted to a full-time role as an area scout. The area he will cover has not yet been determined. McDonough is becoming the team’s northeast area scout. Yam was promoted from his role of quantitative analyst into the position of manager of data and decision science. Yam conducts data-based player evaluations for both college and professional players. He builds statistical models from a variety of data sources designed to assess player value, performance, and development.

Here are a few other notes concerning staff moves in the AFC North, starting with the reigning division champions:

Latest On Eagles G Isaac Seumalo

June 3rd, 2022 at 7:03pm CST by Ely Allen

After missing 21 games in the last two seasons, Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo is healthy and looking to stay that way, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com. Not only is Seumalo ready to return to the field, but offensive coordinator Shane Steichen seemed to imply that Seumalo was running with the first team. 

After being drafted in the third-round out of Oregon State in 2016, Seumalo spent two years as a key backup, starting six games while appearing in 23. Seumalo entered the 2018 season as a backup until forcing Stefen Wisniewski to the bench in Week 5. Seumalo would start the next nine games of the season, only allowing Wisniewski back on the field for the last three games of the year, when Seumalo suffered a pectoral injury.

Once Seumalo had established himself as the team’s starter at left guard, though, the Eagles locked him up, signing him to a three-year, $15.92MM extension in 2019. Seumalo responded to the new contract by starting every game of the season for the Eagles that year, proving he was a worthy investment. Unfortunately, injuries began to bite the young guard. A knee injury forced him to miss seven games in 2020 on injured reserve. Last year, Seumalo suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 3 of the season and failed to return to the field for the remainder of the year.

Due to his inability to stay on the field and the back-loaded nature of his extension, Seumalo was seen in some league circles as a potential cut candidate. In the final year of his extension, Seumalo is set to have a cap hit of $7.67MM. The Eagles played Nate Herbig and Jack Driscoll quite a bit in Seumalo’s absence last year. Herbig is now with the Jets, but among backup lineman Driscoll are Andre Dillard and Jack Anderson. Philadelphia also drafted Cameron Jurgens in the second round this year. While Jurgens is widely seen as the successor for center Jason Kelce‘s eventual retirement, he may too talented to keep off the field.

All of this information seemed to point to Seumalo’s eventual exit from Philadelphia, but Steichen’s comments seem to imply that Seumalo is heading in a more positive direction. If Seumalo can stay healthy and provide the Eagles with a reliable starting guard, Steichen and company may be much more willing to pay the large cap number.

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