HEADLINES

Month: August 2023

Steelers To Trade Kendrick Green To Texans

August 29th, 2023 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans have been busy fortifying their offensive line this summer. After signing George Fant and trading for Josh Jones, Houston has another deal in place.

Kendrick Green will move from the Steelers to the Texans, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Steelers have now shipped out two former starters this week, moving Kevin Dotson to the Rams on Sunday and now sending Green to the Texans. A former Steelers center starter, Green has been unable to impress in Pittsburgh.

Two years remain on the former third-round pick’s rookie contract. The Steelers have made several free agency moves along their O-line over the past two offseasons. These affected Green’s standing with the organization. He will now have another chance elsewhere. The Texans will send the Steelers a 2025 sixth-round pick for Green, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Enjoying a healthy season along their offensive front, the Steelers did not use Green at all in 2022. The team had inserted Green as its starting center during Ben Roethlisberger‘s finale, but the Illinois product struggled as a rookie. Pittsburgh then signed Mason Cole in 2022, demoting Green. The Steelers have tried Green at guard and even fullback — for a brief period during this year’s training camp — but are cutting bait.

Green will join a Texans team that has run into some injury trouble on its interior O-line. Center Scott Quessenberry landed on IR earlier this summer, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes second-round rookie Juice Scruggs suffered a strained hamstring against the Saints. Second-year guard Kenyon Green is also battling a shoulder injury, with Wilson adding the 2022 first-round pick is dealing with multiple maladies.

This helps explain the Kendrick Green move, but Kenyon Green’s issue may cost the latter regular-season time. The 2022 draftee will undergo an MRI to determine if an IR stint is necessary to start the season, per Wilson. The Texans are already without right tackle Tytus Howard, with Wilson adding the former first-round pick is not certain to be back for the team’s opener. Fant is in place at right tackle sans Howard, with Michael Deiter in place of Kenyon Green presently. Among Houston O-linemen, only Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are firmly on track to start the season on time.

Bears To Release QB Nathan Peterman

August 29th, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears have now jettisoned both the veteran quarterbacks behind Justin Fields on their depth chart. Following P.J. Walker‘s release, Chicago will cut Nathan Peterman, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

This may not be the end of the road for the Bears and Peterman. They would like to bring him back on a practice squad deal, per Pelissero. A seventh-year veteran who has settled into a reserve role since a rough stretch of early-career game cameos, Peterman spent last season with the Bears.

More interestingly, the Bears now have only rookie UDFA Tyson Bagent behind Fields on their active roster. With Walker and Peterman off the 53-man roster, Bagent has been the Bears’ top backup option during training camp and the preseason, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin adds. It would still qualify as unusual to give this job to a rookie UDFA out of a Division II program (Shepherd), but unless the Bears add another arm on the waiver wire or in free agency between now and Week 1, Bagent is on track to be a surprising QB2.

Peterman found himself in the same transaction last year. The Bears were a bit deeper at quarterback in 2022, rostering Trevor Siemian as well. But they prioritized Peterman via a P-squad deal. This arrangement led to Peterman starting a rather important game — for draft purposes — last season. The ex-Bills draftee completed 11 of 19 passes for 114 yards in a Week 18 loss to the Vikings — a defeat that ended up securing Chicago the No. 1 overall pick. Betting on Fields, the Ryan Poles regime traded the pick to the Panthers for a package that will help the team bolster its roster around Fields.

That game marked Peterman’s first start since his disastrous Buffalo work. Despite that historically bad four-start sample in Buffalo, Peterman has managed to remain a relatively coveted commodity. He spent nearly four years as a Raiders backup, covering almost all of Jon Gruden’s second stay with the team, and has another opportunity awaiting ahead of his age-29 season.

Chiefs To Acquire DT Neil Farrell From Raiders

August 29th, 2023 at 12:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

While dealing with a high-profile absence along the defensive interior, the Chiefs are turning to a division rival for depth. Kansas City is acquiring defensive tackle Neil Farrell from the Raiders in return for a sixth-round pick, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Farrell was a fourth-round selection for Vegas last season, making him one of the initial draftees under general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels. His time with the team will prove to be very short lived, however, consisting solely of a rookie season during which he played nine games. Farrell was used in a rotational capacity, logging 158 defensive snaps.

The LSU alum recorded 12 tackles and a pair of quarterback hits during the season, making him one of several members of the Raiders’ front seven who failed to make much of a statistical impact. Moving on so quickly in his pro career – and in particular, by shipping him to Kansas City – is certainly surprising. Vegas will incur a dead money charge of $180K in each of the next three seasons, while seeing annual cap savings of between $870K and $1.1MM over that span.

The Chiefs have been without All-Pro Chris Jones during the offseason, and he recently spoke about the possibility of his holdout extending into the regular season. One year remains on Jones’ deal, but he is seeking a considerable raise on another multi-year Chiefs pact. This move will give the defending champions another depth option at the DT spot, but it could also represent an acknowledgement that Jones may not be in the lineup by Week 1.

In any case, Farrell will join a Chiefs team which also has Derrick Nnadi and Danny Shelton in place along the defensive front, along with sixth-round rookie Keondre Coburn. The Raiders will move forward with a group led by Jerry Tillery, John Jenkins, Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler and rookie third-rounder Byron Young as they look to take a needed step forward on defense in 2023.

Broncos To Acquire K Wil Lutz From Saints, Release Brett Maher

August 29th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

12:45pm: In a corresponding (and unsurprising) move, Maher will be released, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. After losing out on the Broncos’ job, Maher will now need to move quickly to find another opportunity as teams sort out their kicking positions amidst roster cutdowns.

11:20am: The previously rumored Sean Payton-Wil Lutz reunion is happening. The Saints are sending the Pro Bowl kicker to the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. New Orleans will receive a 2024 seventh-round pick for the veteran specialist, 9News’ Mike Klis adds.

Denver cut nine-year kicker Brandon McManus early this offseason and had gone into training camp with an Elliott Fry–Brett Maher competition. After a Fry injury, Maher finished out the preseason on his own. But the team had been looking for another option. Lutz loomed as the most logical choice, assuming the Saints were OK going with a rookie UDFA at kicker. With Blake Grupe winning the job, Lutz is now en route to Colorado.

This marks the second trade between Payton and his former team this year. The Saints sent tight end Adam Trautman to the Broncos during the draft. Despite Greg Dulcich‘s presence, Trautman has worked as Denver’s starting tight end. It appears the Broncos have not seen enough from Maher, with Lutz set to resume kicking under Payton.

Lutz, 29, has been the Saints’ kicker since 2016. Payton’s final New Orleans season did not feature Lutz, who suffered an offseason injury that led to four kickers — one of them Maher — kicking for the team that year. Although Lutz earned Pro Bowl acclaim in 2019, he has not been as accurate since. Coming off a groin injury that required two surgeries — the second after a setback — Lutz made a career-low 74.2% of his field goal tries last season. In 2020, Lutz connected on just more than 82% of his attempts. He cleared an 86% make rate from 2017-19, earning an extension for his early-career work. Lutz did fare well during training camp this year, however, per NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan.

The Saints, naturally, reworked Lutz’s contract this offseason, reducing his salary from $3.7MM to $2.2MM. The adjustment gave Lutz a $500K signing bonus. He is tied to a $1.25MM base salary in the final year of this contract. The Saints will eat more than $1MM in dead money by making this trade, but they will have a rookie-contract kicker in place.

McManus had been the Broncos’ kicker since 2014, but Payton signed off on making him a post-June 1 cut. As the Broncos used some of those savings to sign Frank Clark, their Fry-Maher competition had underwhelmed. Both players missed kicks in their first preseason game, and Maher is coming off one of the worst playoff games a kicker has ever gone through. The veteran followed up his four-PAT-miss wild-card game by missing another in the Cowboys’ divisional-round loss to the 49ers. It is safe to expect Maher to be cut before the 3pm CT deadline today.

Patriots To Trade K Nick Folk To Titans

August 29th, 2023 at 12:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after it was learned Nick Folk could be on the move, the veteran kicker is indeed on his way out of New England. The Patriots are trading him to the Titans, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Colleague Tom Pelissero adds that Tennessee will send back a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Earlier today, Folk was reported to be on the trade block with the Patriots needing to make a decision at the kicker position. It has now been made, and fourth-round rookie Chad Ryland will serve as Folk’s successor. For the Titans, meanwhile, this move will presumably bring their 2023 kicking carousel to a halt.

Tennessee relied on Randy Bullock for each of the past two seasons, and the veteran delivered performances in line with his career averages during that time. He was one part of the team’s notable cap purge in the offseason, however, which left an opening for younger, less expensive option in the kicking game. The team’s attempts to find a replacement had not fared well until today.

Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff each had an opportunity to win the kicking gig during the offseason, but they were both waived once Michael Badgley had been brought in. The latter’s Titans deal continued a whirlwind offseason which saw him sign a deal with, then be released by, the Lions and Commanders. He struggled upon arrival in Tennessee, so the Titans followed the same path of quickly cutting bait with Badgley. As a result, they entered today without a kicker on the roster.

Folk, 38, spent the past four seasons in New England. His strong, consistent performances with the team led to multiple contracts, but they were not enough to stop the Patriots from investing a fourth-round pick in Ryland this April. The latter will face the task of carrying on Folk’s track record of success while providing a long-term answer at the position.

This trade will incur a dead cap charge of just $585K for the Patriots while creating $2.2MM in cap space. For the Titans, meanwhile, Folk’s $1.69MM base salary will prove to be money well spent if he can deliver a 2023 performance similar to the ones he had in New England.

Colts To Release DE Al-Quadin Muhammad

August 29th, 2023 at 11:38am CST by Adam La Rose

Al-Quadin Muhammad‘s reunion with the Colts has proven to be rather brief. The veteran defensive end has been released, as noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Muhammad began his career with the Saints, but his best years came in Indianapolis. Between 2018 and ’21, he played 64 games, logging 25 starts. The 28-year-old took on full-time starting duties in his final season with the team, and his increased playing time resulted in a career-high six sacks and 13 quarterback hits.

The former sixth-rounder parlayed that into a two-year Bears deal on the open market. The deal allowed him to follow former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to Chicago with the latter taking over as head coach. Things did not go according to plan for either party this past season, though.

Muhammad recorded only one sack with the Bears as a member of the team’s highly underwhelming edge rush contingent. It thus came as no surprise that he was released ahead of free agency, leaving him on the open market for the second straight offseason. A return to the Colts seemed to give him the opportunity to regain at least a depth role with his former team, but his ability to do that will now need to come via the practice squad if he is retained.

The Colts have former first-rounder Kwity Paye and free agent addition Samson Ebukam set to start on the edge this season, with the likes of Tyquan Lewis and Dayo Odeyingbo in place as key reserves. Muhammad could find himself amongst the latter contingent at some point in the season if he begins the campaign on the taxi squad and is later elevated to the active roster. For the time being, however, his future is uncertain.

Saints To Release CB Bradley Roby

August 29th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have informed Bradley Roby he will not be on their 53-man roster, Jordan Schultz of The Score tweets. The former first-round pick has been with the team since the 2021 season.

Going into his age-31 season, Roby was attached to a deal the Saints reworked last year. With the 10th-year cornerback being a vested veteran, he is off that contract and heading to free agency. The Saints will pick up more than $3.3MM in cap savings by making this move.

As they transitioned into a rebuild, the Texans dealt Roby’s three-year, $36MM contract to the Saints just before the 2021 season. Roby worked as a key backup in Sean Payton’s final season with the team but moved into a role as a regular starter last season. Despite this offseason bringing a reunion between Roby and former Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods — hired to replace the Ryan Nielsen-Kris Richard co-DC setup of 2022 — the former Super Bowl 50 cog tweeted he will not be part of this Saints edition.

Roby sustained a foot injury in October of last year, and Pro Football Focus graded his abbreviated season poorly. The advanced metrics site slotted Roby in the bottom 10 among qualified corners, marking a significant step down for the experienced cover man. Roby should generate some interest on the market, but his age will limit his value.

The Ohio State product served as part of Denver’s famed No Fly Zone secondary in the mid-2010s. Working with Chris Harris and Aqib Talib at corner for those teams, Roby helped the Broncos win a Super Bowl. The Broncos did not re-sign Roby, leading to a two-year Texans stay. Roby has made 60 career starts, though that is somewhat deceiving due to the veteran’s work as a regular alongside base-set starters Harris and Talib in Denver.

New Orleans has recent Day 2 draftees Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor in place alongside perennial Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore. They also added Lonnie Johnson Jr. this offseason. It will be interesting to see if Roby lands with a contending team in the near future.

Commanders To Release C Tyler Larsen

August 29th, 2023 at 10:51am CST by Adam La Rose

A regular with the Commanders for the past two seasons, Tyler Larsen will only be able to continue his time with the team via the practice squad. The veteran center is being released, reports Ben Standig of The Athletic.

Standig notes that Larsen is a candidate to be brought back, and his missed game time due to injuries should limit the interest shown by other teams. The 32-year-old has been held to 18 appearances across his two seasons in Washington, but he has made 11 starts in that span. Even a temporary absence would thus be felt along the Commanders’ new-look offensive line.

The center position was brought into doubt with Chase Roullier dealing with multiple injuries over recent years. He was released as a result, and has since retired. His absence left a notable vacancy for a starting position up front, something Larsen filled to close out the 2022 campaign. Washington used both free agency and the draft to acquire new options in the middle, however.

Nick Gates is in line to serve as a first-teamer after signing a three-year, $16.5MM deal in March. The ex-Giant has experience at guard, but he served as New York’s starter at center in the 2020 season, one where he logged a 100% snap share. The Commanders added competition for Gates in the form of third-rounder Ricky Stromberg. With Larsen out of the picture (at least for now), that pair will work at the pivot to start the season.

Larsen was set to play on the veteran’s minimum this season, making his contract an easy one to move on from for Washington. The Commanders will save $940K via his release, while incurring just $153K in dead money. The two parties may not have to wait long to reunite, as players cut on Tuesday are eligible to be brought back as early as Wednesday.

Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne Generating Trade Interest; Team Taking Calls On Nick Folk

August 29th, 2023 at 10:17am CST by Sam Robinson

Kendrick Bourne is back in trade rumors, but after a disappointing 2022 season, the veteran wide receiver may have improved his standing within the organization.

Teams have called the Patriots on Bourne, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, but they have informed interested parties he is not available. Bourne is expected to go into this season as New England’s No. 3 wideout behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker. One season remains on Bourne’s Pats contract.

A different story may be developing around Nick Folk. The veteran kicker looks to be available, with the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi noting the team is taking calls. The Pats have used Folk as their primary kicker since acquiring him in 2020, having agreed to multiple contracts with the longtime specialist. But New England also used a fourth-round pick on a kicker (Chad Ryland) in April.

The possibility has been raised throughout the offseason of the Patriots keeping both Folk and Ryland on the active roster, but such a move is rare. The former would quickly find a new home if he were to be let go, but there is always risk involved with waiving rookies – especially those selected as high as the latter – during cutdown season. Dealing Folk would represent a sign of confidence in Ryland regarding his ability to continue the success the veteran has enjoyed during his time in New England.

Folk, 38, has converted 108 of 121 field goals (good for a success rate of 89.3%) with the Patriots, including 12 of 17 attempts from beyond 50 yards. One year remains on his contract at a cap hit of $2.79MM; New England would see $2.2MM in savings by cutting or trading him. Several teams are in need of a kicker at the moment, either to immediately operate on a full-time basis or to at least fill in as a known commodity to start the campaign. That should give the Patriots a few options to choose from if they do elect to move Folk.

Vikings Receiving Trade Calls On WR Jalen Reagor

August 29th, 2023 at 10:04am CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings traded for Jalen Reagor almost exactly one year ago, but he could be on the move again soon. Minnesota has fielded calls on the availability of the former first-round receiver, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Reagor was one of six wideouts to hear his name called on Day 1 of the 2020 draft, but his NFL tenure has not gone as well as some of his classmates. He saw a healthy 67% snap share in each of his two seasons with the Eagles, collecting 695 yards on 64 receptions over that span. He also served as Philadelphia’s punt returner in 2021, but his struggles in that capacity left him on the trade block last offseason.

The 24-year-old was dealt to the Vikings during roster cutdowns, which provided him a fresh start and allowed the Eagles to move forward with their new 1-2 punch at the position in the form of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Reagor played all 17 games in Minnesota, but he was buried on the depth chart and logged only 82 snaps on offense. As a result, his statline (eight catches, 104 yards, one touchdown) left plenty to be desired.

With his fifth-year option understandably having been declined, Reagor is entering the final season of his rookie pact in 2023. A strong showing proving that he can translate his success as a deep threat at TCU would help his free agent stock considerably, and potentially price him out of Minnesota. The Vikings have extensions for Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson to attend to amongst their pass-catchers, so recouping draft capital for Reagor at this time of year or closer to the trade deadline would come as little surprise.

Given his struggles to produce either as a receiver or a returner, a tepid market is likely in place for teams looking to acquire Reagor on what could be a one-year rental. His age and draft stock could help him land an expanded role in another new environment, though, so it will be worth watching how the Vikings proceed in the coming hours as teams sort out their final roster cuts.

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