HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Bills LB Andre Smith Receives PED Ban

June 1st, 2022 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills are set to be without one of their top special-teamers to start the season. Andre Smith received a six-game suspension Wednesday for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Acquired via trade from the Panthers just before the 2020 season, Smith re-signed to stay with the Bills last year. His contract, which runs through 2022, calls for a $1MM base salary this season. Barring a successful appeal, Smith stands to miss out on a chunk of that.

A former seventh-round Carolina draftee, Smith has been strictly a backup and special-teamer as a pro. The 25-year-old linebacker played 47 defensive snaps in 2020 and did not log any last season. But the ex-North Carolina Tar Heel was on the field for 68% of the Bills’ special teams plays in his fourth NFL campaign. Smith made 10 tackles and recovered a fumble last season, playing in 15 Bills regular-season games and both their playoff tilts.

The Bills have one of the NFL’s deepest rosters, and they added to their group of part-time linebackers by using a third-round pick on Terrel Bernard. The team returns Tyler Matakevich and brought back Marquel Lee.

OL Notes: Browns, Bakhtiari, Pats, Bears

June 1st, 2022 at 4:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Browns signed the Seahawks’ primary center of the past two years (Ethan Pocic), they are first attempting to see if one of their recent backups can claim J.C. Tretter‘s old job. Nick Harris is working as Cleveland’s first-string center during OTAs, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal notes. A fifth-round pick out of Washington in 2020, Harris made one start in each of the past two seasons — the late-2021 outing came when Tretter contracted COVID-19 — but he practiced extensively with the Browns’ first-unit O-line last season. Tretter dealt with injuries, and while the veteran played through them, he often sat out practices or worked in a limited capacity. This gave Harris a runway to full-fledged starter action and gave the Browns enough confidence to make Tretter a March cap casualty. The NFLPA president remains a free agent.

Ditching Tretter, 30, remains a gamble for the Browns, who still hold the NFL’s most cap space. Tretter graded as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best center in 2021, started all but one game in five Cleveland seasons and provided a solid pivot on one of the league’s best lines. Here is the latest from the O-line scene:

  • The ACL tear David Bakhtiari suffered on New Year’s Eve 2020 wrecked his 2021 season, limiting him to just one game (Week 18). The Packers are proceeding cautiously with their two-time All-Pro left tackle this offseason. Matt LaFleur confirmed the team is holding Bakhtiari out of OTAs, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter), for conservation purposes. The expectation is the 10th-year veteran returns for training camp. Still, the lengthy recovery Bakhtiari required from his injury makes his status worth monitoring ahead of an age-31 season.
  • New England picked up Isaiah Wynn‘s fifth-year option in 2021, guaranteeing the injury-prone left tackle $10.4MM this season. But he has missed OTA time, leaving recently re-signed right tackle Trent Brown — the left tackle on the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl-winning team — to fill in on the left side. The Pats have made a few trades involving contract-year talent under Bill Belichick — Sony Michel, Brandin Cooks and Jamie Collins being recent examples. If New England was to dangle Wynn, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes teams would be willing to fork over a reasonable return (subscription required). That might be a bridge too far, considering the Pats already traded a veteran blocker (Shaq Mason) and saw Brown’s run of absences continue with eight more last season.
  • The Bears have 2021 second-rounder Teven Jenkins pegged as their right tackle starter. Jenkins returned from preseason back surgery to start two games as a rookie, but he was close to 350 pounds last year. The Chicago blocker is back near his listed 320-pound weight, with Adam Jahns of The Athletic noting Jenkins is checking in around 325. Larry Borom is penciled in to take over for Jason Peters at left tackle.

Texans To Use Tytus Howard At Tackle

June 1st, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tytus Howard has split his time between the tackle and guard positions in three Texans seasons. With the team picking up the 2019 first-rounder’s fifth-year option, despite that selection coming two GMs ago, Howard remains in the organization’s beyond-2022 plans.

Despite this Houston coaching staff praising the former first-rounder’s versatility earlier this offseason, new HC Lovie Smith said during an appearance on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast (via Sports Radio 610’s Brandon Scott) that Howard will be back at tackle in 2022.

The Texans used Howard as a 10-game guard starter to start the 2021 season, but he fared better replacing Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. In Howard’s four blindside starts during the season’s second half, Pro Football Focus gave him an 89.9 pass-blocking grade. He allowed just two pressures during that four-start span, one that likely contributed to Houston’s decision to pick up his fully guaranteed $13.2MM option for 2022. PFF viewed Howard as a below-average guard, where he spent much of the season during David Culley‘s year in charge.

Howard looks set to return to right tackle, with Tunsil going into his fourth year as the Texans’ left-side starter. Howard spent most of his rookie season at right tackle and was a full-timer at that post in 2020. Smith confirmed, not that there was much doubt here, first-rounder Kenyon Green will play guard as a rookie.

The then-Brian Gaine-led Texans chose Howard 23rd overall out of Alabama State in 2019. The Division I-FCS product still has some time to mold himself into a quality starter. The Texans ensured that by picking up his option. It will be interesting to see how he fares, if given a full season at tackle, on a line that has another building block in Green. Tunsil, Howard and Green represent the three Texans cornerstones up front, though Tunsil was loosely mentioned as a trade candidate before his March restructure. The team re-signed center Justin Britt and added longtime Jaguars starting guard A.J. Cann this offseason.

Steelers DL Stephon Tuitt Retires

June 1st, 2022 at 1:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After missing last season, Stephon Tuitt is walking away from the game. The longtime Steelers defensive end starter announced his retirement Wednesday.

A former second-round pick the Steelers once extended, Tuitt will step away after eight years with the team. He is leaving the game despite having just turned 29 last week. Tuitt’s status had been murky since his full-season absence. The death of Tuitt’s younger brother in a 2021 hit-and-run accident helped influence the veteran defender’s decision.

“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Pittsburgh for the past eight seasons and am blessed to leave this game with my health,” Tuitt said in a statement (Twitter link). “After the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon completing my degree from the university of Notre Dame, I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football.”

Tuitt and Cameron Heyward represented one of the NFL’s top defensive end duos, and the Steelers ensured they would remain together during the late 2010s and early ’20s via Tuitt’s five-year, $60MM extension in 2017. One year (at a $9MM base salary) remained on that deal, with the Steelers tacking void years onto the contract for cap purposes. Because of those void years, Pittsburgh will be tagged with a few million in dead money.

The team will certainly miss Tuitt’s production. He started 79 games as a pro and finished the 2020 season with a career-best 11 sacks. The high-level interior D-lineman played a major role in the Steelers’ late-2010s defensive resurgence. The Steelers led the NFL in sacks from 2017-20. Excepting a 2019 season that ended early due to chest injury, Tuitt was a regular contributor to those squads, teaming with the likes of Heyward, T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree to form the consistently productive pass rush that helped transform the Steelers from their offensively geared “Killer B’s” stretch to a team with a more reliable defense. Tuitt’s sack binge helped Pittsburgh ranked third in scoring defense in 2020, which led to an AFC North crown.

Pittsburgh drafted Tuitt out of Notre Dame in 2014. After he spent most of his rookie year as a backup, the 6-foot-6 defender joined Heyward in the starting lineup. Tuitt registered 6.5 sacks in 2015 and finished his career with 34.5. Although the 3-4 D-end was never a Pro Bowler, Pro Football Focus viewed him as a top-15 interior D-lineman from 2017-20, PFF’s Doug Kyed relays (via Twitter). The eight-year veteran represented a steady presence for the Steelers’ defense. He was the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only Heyward.

After a knee injury and the grief over losing his brother sidelined Tuitt for the 2021 season, the team used a third-round pick on Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal in April. The Steelers also return 2020 pickup Chris Wormley, who started 14 games and tallied seven sacks. Heyward’s third Steelers contract runs through the 2024 season.

Kyler Murray Reports To Cardinals’ OTAs

June 1st, 2022 at 12:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

An offseason that injected considerable turbulence into the Cardinals-Kyler Murray relationship continues to stabilize. The two-time Pro Bowler is expected to report for the team’s second set of OTAs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Murray stayed away from the team for the first round of OTAs last week, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes he was back at the Cardinals’ facility Tuesday (Twitter link). The team’s second set of OTAs begins today. With Murray back in the building for the Cards, more signs point to a resolution on a contract the quarterback’s camp wants completed before his fourth season begins. The substance of Murray’s OTA work matters far less than his presence for these voluntary sessions, considering where this situation stood months ago.

After a report of acrimony between Murray and the Cardinals surfaced shortly after their season ended, the dynamic QB removed Cardinal-related content from his social media accounts. His agent then sent out a blueprint outlining extension goals, and an ensuing report indicated Murray did not wish to play a fourth season on his rookie contract. Just about everything since, however, has resulted in some fence-mending between the parties. That trend appears to be continuing with Murray’s OTA arrival.

Although the Murray camp’s hope of an extension coming together before the draft (presumably so more teams would be open to acquiring him via trade) did not materialize, the former No. 1 overall pick said he did not wish to be traded. Steve Keim said last week he foresees an extension coming together this summer. Michael Bidwill slotted the summer as a window a deal could commence, though the owner’s comments came before Deshaun Watson‘s potentially game-changing Browns contract was finalized.

Extensions for Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer notwithstanding, the Murray negotiations will be new territory for the Cardinals. How much the quarterback’s camp pushes for Watson-like guarantees could go a long way toward determining how the next round of extension-seeking passers — a list that includes Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson — will proceed.

Murray will undoubtedly join Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr and Matthew Stafford as players tied to $40MM-per-year contracts. The extension’s timing has always been the sticking point. Murray is under contract through 2023, via the $29.7MM fifth-year option exercised in May. The Cards extending Murray with two years of team control left would not be out of step with recent QB history, though the post-extension paths of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz do serve as warnings for teams who dive in too early.

The Cardinals made some notable additions to their offense this offseason. Murray will be reacquainting himself with ex-Oklahoma teammate Marquise Brown on the field. The fellow 2019 first-rounder represents the top addition to Arizona’s offense, though the team used a second-round pick on tight end Trey McBride. Those two join an offense featuring DeAndre Hopkins and Zach Ertz as its top weaponry.

Colts Expected To Promote Morocco Brown

June 1st, 2022 at 11:11am CST by Sam Robinson

Morocco Brown has generated considerable outside interest in recent years, most recently with the Eagles interviewing him for an assistant general manager position. But the Colts are expected to keep the veteran executive.

Not long after Brown did not move forward in the Eagles’ front office rebuild effort, the Colts are expected to promote him, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. Brown currently serves as the team’s college scouting director, a position he has held since 2017.

Indianapolis hired the former Chicago, Washington and Cleveland exec shortly after the 2017 draft. The Colts’ 2018 draft proved to reflect quite well on the college scouting director position. The team added a perennial All-Pro guard (Quenton Nelson), a Division I-FCS linebacker who joins Nelson as a three-time All-Pro (Darius Leonard), a long-term right tackle (Braden Smith) and a versatile back who joins Leonard and Smith as an extension recipient (Nyheim Hines). The Colts’ 2020 draft included reigning rushing champion Jonathan Taylor and No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round.

While the Colts have missed on picks during this span as well, they have placed a premium on drafting and extending talent. This success has led to the Falcons, Bears and Steelers interviewing Brown for GM jobs over the past two years. The Browns fired Morocco Brown as they moved to their Sashi Brown– and Paul DePodesta-led relaunch in 2016, but this Colts tenure has certainly allowed for a bounce back.

It is unclear what new role Brown will play in Indy’s front office. Ed Dodds serves as the team’s assistant GM under Chris Ballard, but Brown staying in Indianapolis stands to help the team going forward.

Seahawks Sign First-Round T Charles Cross

June 1st, 2022 at 9:35am CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks’ highest draft pick in 12 years, Charles Cross is now under contract. The Seahawks and the No. 9 overall pick agreed to terms on the customary four-year rookie contract Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Cross was the last unsigned top-10 pick from this year’s class. Only five first-rounders remain unsigned. The Mississippi State-produced tackle can be kept on his rookie deal through 2026, via the fifth-year option. The slot deal is worth $21.4MM; that amount is fully guaranteed. This transaction is rather unusual, with Rapoport adding Cross is the highest-drafted player to enter the league without an agent.

The Seahawks are hoping for a long-term partnership with Cross, their first top-10 draftee since Russell Okung in 2010. Okung, who became his own agent as his career progressed, stayed with the Seahawks for six seasons. In 2017, the Seahawks traded for Duane Brown, who stayed on as their left tackle through last season. Brown remains a free agent, while the Seahawks reinvested in this prime position.

The two-year Mississippi State starter was the third tackle off the board this year, following Ikem Ekwonu (No. 6, Panthers) and Evan Neal (No. 7, Giants). Despite being closely linked to the Giants throughout the pre-draft process, Cross fell to the Seahawks, who used first- and third-round picks on tackles this year. They selected Abraham Lucas in Round 3.

A 6-foot-4 blocker, Cross will make an interesting transition in going from Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense to one of the NFL’s most run-oriented attacks. Post-Russell Wilson, Seattle’s offense — which added a second-round running back (Kenneth Walker) to the equation in April — could shift further in this direction. Discounting three games played during his redshirt year in 2019, Cross only played for the Rebels under Leach, who moved from Washington State to the SEC program in 2020. The former five-star recruit declared for the draft after his redshirt sophomore season, when he earned first-team All-SEC acclaim.

Eight Teams Submitted Waiver Claims For DL John Cominsky

June 1st, 2022 at 8:28am CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons no longer viewed John Cominsky as a fit, waiving him after three seasons Friday. But a fourth of the NFL remains at least somewhat intrigued by the young defensive lineman’s potential. Eight teams made waiver claims for the fourth-year veteran, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Cominsky is now with the Lions, who hold the No. 2 spot in the offseason waiver order. While the Jaguars (No. 1 on the waiver list) did not try to claim him, the Commanders, Colts, Browns, Texans, Cardinals, Vikings and Bengals did.

A 6-foot-5 defensive lineman out of Division II Charleston (West Virginia), Cominsky only factored in prominently on defense for the 2020 Falcons, who used him on 398 defensive snaps as mostly a backup. Otherwise, the Cleveland-area native has played just 113 non-special teams plays as a pro. The Falcons took Cominsky in the 2019 fourth round (135th overall); Tuesday’s claim volume makes it fairly clear other teams believe some of the potential that led the former Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year to the Senior Bowl and 2019 Combine remains.

As a senior at Charleston, Cominsky totaled 16.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. This potential has not yet translated to the pro level, with the ex-Falcon finishing the 2020 season with a sack and 10 pressures. The Falcons used him on 13 defensive plays last season. But the 285-pound defender offers some versatility, as a defensive end and D-tackle.

The Lions will aim to see if the small-school product can carve out a role under second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. If he cannot, Tuesday’s waiver summary points to a third chance for the contract-year defender.