HEADLINES

Month: September 2022

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/22

September 1st, 2022 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams continue to tinker with their rosters after hundreds of players were cut earlier this week. We’ve tracked all of today’s minor moves below:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Texans To Sign TE O.J. Howard

September 1st, 2022 at 4:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:53pm: The Texans and Howard have struck a deal, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The former Buccaneers first-rounder will become by far the most experienced tight end on the Texans’ active roster.

3:04pm: O.J. Howard‘s Bengals visit has not produced an agreement yet, and the defending AFC champions added a tight end (Devin Asiasi) via waivers on the same day they met with Howard. The former first-round pick remains in search of a third NFL team.

The Texans are looking into adding the former Buccaneers and Bills pass catcher. The rebuilding AFC South team is meeting with Howard on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The sixth-year tight end is taking a physical at Texans headquarters.

While this sounds similar to the Howard-Cincinnati development, the Texans are thinner at tight end. The team used the waiver wire to add a Davis Mills complementary weapon (ex-Howard teammate Tyler Johnson). Now, a late free agency addition may further boost the second-year quarterback’s receiving corps.

If Howard signs in Houston, he will join Jordan Akins among tight ends to join the team. Though, the former Texans tight end is back on a practice squad agreement. Those now regularly turn into elevations to the 53-man roster, but the Texans still feature an uncertain crop at this spot.

Houston let Akins depart in free agency and re-signed Pharaoh Brown. Midway through training camp, Lovie Smith took the step to declare the veteran the team’s starter. Brown, however, has never topped 200 receiving yards in a season. The team also has 2021 fifth-rounder Brevin Jordan and rookie fifth-rounder Teagan Quitoriano. The latter, however, will miss at least four games after being placed on IR this week.

The No. 19 overall pick in 2017, Howard was faring decently with the Bucs during his first two seasons (997 combined receiving yards, 11 TDs). But he never seemed to catch on under Bruce Arians. After Tom Brady‘s Tampa arrival preceded a Rob Gronkowski reunion, Howard became an afterthought in the Bucs’ offense. Following a 2020 Achilles rupture, Howard did not regain much of a role in the team’s passing game. Howard played 17 games but only totaled 135 receiving yards and one touchdown. The Bills did not see enough from a player they guaranteed $3.5MM in training camp, leading him to this spot.

But the Texans would appear to offer a chance for Howard, 27, to re-establish the form he displayed in Dirk Koetter‘s offense years ago. (Although Koetter worked under Smith in Tampa, the current Texans HC was gone by the time Howard arrived.) Will this lead to a deal? Houston’s attempt to acquire Adam Shaheen in a trade from Miami failed, but it still looks like the rebuilding team’s position could use bolstering — for Mills’ sake, if nothing else.

Giants Release LB Blake Martinez, Claim G Tyre Phillips

September 1st, 2022 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants had Blake Martinez on their initial 53-man roster, but as of Thursday afternoon, he is a free agent. New York released the veteran linebacker.

This removes a seventh-year veteran from Big Blue’s linebacking corps. Martinez accepted a pay cut this offseason, coming after he suffered an ACL tear early during the 2021 slate. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets, this was a peculiar move by the Giants; the team basically guaranteed him an extra $2MM before ultimately cutting him. This is believed to be a mutual parting, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). Martinez was at practice Thursday but had been excused Wednesday.

Martinez’s departure will clear a path for Tyre Phillips, the former Ravens guard whom the Giants claimed earlier Thursday. The Ravens waived Phillips on Wednesday. The Ravens had hoped Phillips would clear waivers and return to the team via a practice squad agreement, per ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter), but the former Baltimore starter did not make too far down the league’s priority list.

A former Packers fourth-round pick, Martinez posted four straight seasons of at least 140 tackles over his final three Green Bay years and his 2020 Giants debut. During an offseason that featured then-GM Dave Gettleman dole out big contracts to Martinez and James Bradberry, the former signed a three-year, $30MM deal. Following Martinez’s ACL tear, Gettleman stepped down. Big Blue’s new regime worked with Martinez to bring him back in March, but the team may be moving toward younger pieces at the lower-value linebacker spots.

Martinez, 28, played in two of the Giants’ preseason games after sitting out their August opener. Former seventh-rounder Tae Crowder is in line to start for the Giants, who used a fifth-round pick on Micah McFadden this year.

A 2020 third-round pick, Phillips, 25, started 13 games for the Ravens over his two seasons with the team. He became the team’s Week 1 starter as a rookie and was in position as Baltimore’s starting left guard to start last season as well. But multiple injuries derailed Phillips’ time in Maryland. The Ravens moved on with Ben Powers and Ben Cleveland as their non-Kevin Zeitler guard contingent.

The Giants have been busy up front this offseason. After injuries ransacked their 2021 O-line, the Giants added four first-string blockers (center Jon Feliciano, guards Mark Glowinski and Joshua Ezeudu, tackle Evan Neal). They also placed guard Shane Lemieux on IR Wednesday, sidelining him for at least four games. Phillips would represent a veteran alongside Ezeudu, a third-round rookie.

Cooking Accident Sends Cardinals CB Antonio Hamilton To NFI List

September 1st, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

A part-time starter in his first season with the Cardinals, Antonio Hamilton was on track to be a full-time player in Arizona’s secondary this season. But he will not be starting his second Arizona campaign on time.

The Cardinals placed the veteran cornerback on their reserve/non-football injury list Thursday because of a cooking accident at his home, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hamilton explained on Twitter that he suffered a second-degree burn on his feet.

Kliff Kingsbury confirmed Hamilton was set to be a starter this season for the Cards; the fourth-year Arizona HC said Hamilton told the team about the accident earlier this week. Kingsbury said Hamilton had the best camp of any Cards defender. This is certainly an odd development, and it is unclear if the kitchen mishap occurred before or after the Cardinals agreed to acquire Trayvon Mullen from the Raiders. Either way, Hamilton is out for at least Arizona’s first four games.

Arizona has Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson in place as its top holdover corners, but Hamilton played 29% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. The 29-year-old defender has played with four teams across a six-year career — the Raiders, Giants, Chiefs and Cards — but has never started more than two games in a season. With the former UDFA having made a midcareer climb to the top of a team’s depth chart for the first time, this represents a tough break and another blow to a Cards cornerback corps that has been in need for a while now.

The Cardinals added both Mullen and corner Javelin Guidry at the position this week. The latter, a former standout sprinter, is coming over from the Jets via waiver claim. As a result of this development, cornerback Christian Matthew will be re-signed, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds (on Twitter). A seventh-round rookie, Matthew was waived to make room for Guidry on Wednesday.

Dolphins, DB Justin Bethel Agree To Deal

September 1st, 2022 at 3:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Justin Bethel has turned his talents on special teams into a lengthy NFL career, he did not make the Patriots’ 53-man roster this year. But another AFC East team will provide an opportunity.

Bethel is signing with the Dolphins. As a vested veteran, Bethel bypassed the waiver process and will head to Miami after spending the past two-plus seasons in New England. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Dolphins placed safety Clayton Fejedelem on IR.

The former sixth-round pick has 10 seasons under his belt; three of those (2013-15) produced Pro Bowl nods. While those honors came during Bethel’s run as a part-time cornerback in Arizona, they were associated with his special teams acumen. Bethel, 32, never worked out as a corner but has become one of the league’s top special-teamers.

The Patriots used Bethel on 84% of their special teams plays in 2020 and had him out there on 79% of such sequences last season. High-level valuers of special teams performance, as Matthew Slater‘s career illustrates, the Pats still could not find a roster spot for the veteran this year.

While Bethel did not have a regular role on defense in New England, he will rejoin former Pats cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer, who is going into his third season as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. Bethel will see his previous teammates in Week 1.

Eagles Claim RB Trey Sermon

September 1st, 2022 at 3:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers’ plan to stash Trey Sermon on their practice squad will not come to pass. The Eagles intervened via a waiver claim, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Sermon will take the Philadelphia roster spot vacated by Wednesday’s Jalen Reagor trade.

Although Sermon flamed out quickly in San Francisco, he will head to a team that is coming off a season in which its rushing attack led the NFL. The Eagles will add the 2021 third-round pick to a backfield stable that includes Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and 2021 draftee Kenneth Gainwell.

The Eagles engaged in trade talks with the 49ers for Sermon last week, per Schefter, but nothing came to pass (Twitter link). San Francisco was holding one of its 16 practice squad slots for the back it traded up to land at No. 88 last year. But Sermon never quite escaped Kyle Shanahan‘s doghouse. He will attempt to start over in Philly.

Sermon, who was productive at both Oklahoma and Ohio State, is going into his age-23 season. He did average 4.1 yards per carry last season, but it came on just 41 handoffs. Sixth-round rookie Elijah Mitchell leapfrogged him by Week 1 of last season, and after it appeared Sermon was going to be a major part of San Francisco’s run game, he never gained a foothold in Shanahan’s offense. Despite Mitchell battling multiple injuries last season, Sermon started just two games and cleared 35 rushing yards in just one contest.

Philadelphia pivoted to its ground game midway through last season, and the Sanders- and Jalen Hurts-driven attack ended the campaign atop the league in rushing yards. It might be difficult for Sermon to carve out a regular role in Philly this season, though Sanders and Scott are going into contract years. Sermon, who averaged north of seven yards per tote in his junior and senior seasons (albeit with limited workloads), showing enough this year could earn him a bigger role down the line. Three years remain on Sermon’s rookie contract.

Steelers Move WR Calvin Austin, S Damontae Kazee To IR

September 1st, 2022 at 2:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the two rookie wideouts the Steelers drafted this year will not start the season on time. Calvin Austin III joins safety Damontae Kazee in being moved to IR ahead of Week 1.

Because Pittsburgh carried both through to IR following Tuesday’s roster cut, each can return after four games. The NFL both increased the IR-return timetable from three games to four this season and, after unlimited IR comebacks could ensue in 2020 and 2021, limited players coming off IR to eight this year.

With Austin and Kazee shifting off the roster for the first four weeks, the Steelers re-signed linebacker Marcus Allen and offensive lineman Trent Scott. Allen has been with the team since 2018, while Scott — a Panthers spot starter over the past two seasons — initially caught on with Pittsburgh in May.

After flashing this offseason, Austin sustained a foot injury that has forced him to miss time. The Steelers took the Memphis in the fourth round (138th overall), doing so just before the Ravens planned to select him. The Austin pick came two rounds after Pittsburgh selected George Pickens. Pittsburgh’s second-rounder is expected to join Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool as the team’s top receivers. The Steelers, as they are wont to do, reloaded in the draft at the position — after letting JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington walk in free agency.

The Steelers had prepared to place Kazee on IR since his injury in their preseason finale. A 15-game Cowboys starter last season, Kazee is expected to miss extensive time due to a wrist injury. The Steelers placed safety Karl Joseph on IR before the season, but because they waited until after setting their roster to shift Kazee to the injured list, the latter is eligible to return during the year.

Falcons Place LB Deion Jones, CB Isaiah Oliver On IR

September 1st, 2022 at 1:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons removed Deion Jones from their active/PUP list last week, but the veteran linebacker will still miss the season’s first four games. Atlanta placed Jones on IR Thursday.

This turned out to be part of a bigger Atlanta IR shift. In addition to the Jones placement, the Falcons moved cornerback Isaiah Oliver, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield and tight end John FitzPatrick to IR. All are now ineligible through Week 4.

[RELATED: Falcons Claim T Chuma Edoga]

With one of the free roster spots, the Falcons brought back linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. The team had included the former Bears and Raiders defender among its Tuesday cuts. Atlanta also re-signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson and offensive lineman Colby Gossett.

Linked in trade rumors for months, Jones underwent shoulder surgery in May to quiet those. He did not return to practice until late August. The seventh-year defender is set to count for a Falcons-most $20MM against the 2022 cap. The team added Kwiatkoski, former Dean Pees Titans charge Rashaan Evans and second-rounder Troy Andersen at the position — one also housing third-year cog Mykal Walker — this offseason. That and the Falcons having moved on from most of their Super Bowl LI nucleus, as they attempt to rebuild, has naturally inserted Jones’ name into departure rumors.

It should not be completely ruled out Jones could be dealt by the Nov. 1 deadline, but Thursday’s transaction — continuing an injury hiatus into the season — further complicates that status.

Oliver went down with a season-ending knee injury in October of last year. Despite that, the former second-round pick re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year, $2.39MM deal. A 33-game Falcons starter, Oliver will have missed at least a year of football by the time he is able to return. Davidson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last month. Mayfield lost his right guard job to journeyman Elijah Wilkinson during camp.

Titans Give RB Derrick Henry Raise

September 1st, 2022 at 1:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derrick Henry will collect a bit more money than expected this season. The Titans authorized a $2MM raise for the two-time rushing champion, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Tennessee is taking $2MM off Henry’s 2023 salary, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter), bumping his 2022 wages from $12MM to $14MM. Thursday’s agreement does not change Henry’s contractual timeline, however. Henry remains signed through the 2023 season, but this deal bumps him to the top of the running backs list for 2022 cash, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds (via Twitter).

This raise is contingent on Henry’s availability, but it also will provide cash to the All-Pro sooner in the form of a $9MM signing bonus, Florio adds. This popular genre of restructure will create cap space for the Titans, who have dropped Henry’s 2022 base salary from $12MM to $4MM. The other $1MM in the $2MM bump will be available through gameday roster bonuses, which will only pay out if Henry is active for Tennessee contests. Henry missed nine of those last season.

This does set up the possibility of 2022 being Henry’s final year on his current deal. Should the bulldozing back re-emerge from his injury-abbreviated 2021 season with another strong year, the Titans may end up rewarding him again. This restructure also stands to make it more difficult for the Titans to move on from Henry in 2023. Prior to Thursday’s reworking, the Titans would have only incurred $3MM in dead money by releasing Henry. A higher charge would come from such a transaction now. Henry’s 2023 cap hit also will rise from its previous $15.5MM place.

The prospect of a new Henry deal emerged earlier this offseason. His current pact (four years, $50MM; agreed to at the 2020 franchise tag deadline) is not exactly out of step with the slow-moving (at the top, at least) running back market, but Florio adds the thinking behind this move is a third Henry contract could come to pass before next season. Henry’s deal is in line with the contracts given to Nick Chubb Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon — each of whom being attached to a contract between $12-$12.6MM per year — though it does sit behind Christian McCaffrey ($16MM), Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara ($15MM).

A discussion on releasing Henry next year is obviously premature, but running back declines happen earlier than they do at just about every other position. The Jones fracture the former Heisman winner suffered derailed a monster 2021 season — one in which he still finished in the top 10 in rushing yards despite the two-month absence — and does invite questions about his future form. Henry will turn 29 before season’s end.

That said, Tennessee should need Henry more in 2022 than it did last season. After letting backup D’Onta Foreman walk in free agency, the Titans traded A.J. Brown to the Eagles. The player the team brought in to replace the Pro Bowl wideout, first-round pick Treylon Burks, has also not shown readiness to be a locked-in early-season starter. With trade acquisition Robert Woods also coming off an ACL tear, the Titans will need their cornerstone skill player to bounce back.

Tennessee also lost two of its 2021 starting O-line, cutting guard Rodger Saffold and letting right tackle David Quessenberry leave as a UFA for Buffalo, potentially raising the degree of difficulty for Henry’s seventh season. Prior to Henry’s foot fracture, however, he had missed just two games through 5 1/2 seasons. The Titans will hope the previous career trend, despite the steep mileage put on Henry’s odometer from 2019-21, is more indicative of Henry’s path than his 2021 season is.

Saints S Marcus Maye Arrested For Aggravated Assault With Firearm

September 1st, 2022 at 12:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saints safety Marcus Maye was arrested Thursday morning on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football reports (on Twitter).

Maye’s attorney (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, on Twitter) said his client “vehemently denies” an allegation that stems from a motor vehicle incident. Maye signed a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Saints this offseason. This arrest, however, marks his second in as many years. Ahead of his final Jets season, Maye was arrested for DUI. Thursday’s arrest could have a considerable impact on Maye’s NFL future.

The Saints are moving to a new safety duo this year, having signed Maye to team with New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu. The veterans are replacing Malcolm Jenkins, who retired, and Marcus Williams, who signed with the Ravens. Maye’s path toward doing so could become complicated.

Maye, 29, did well to cash in despite suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon in 2021. The Jets kept him off the market via the franchise tag last year, and the sides did not come to an extension agreement. The former second-round pick scored $14.5MM in guarantees from the Saints. Those guarantees would be vulnerable, should the NFL suspend Maye under the personal conduct policy.

New Orleans’ secondary came into the week as one of the NFL’s deepest. The team was confident enough in this group to trade away promising slot cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who will move to safety with the Eagles.

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