HEADLINES

Month: August 2023

49ers, CB Anthony Averett Agree To Deal

August 3rd, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

An injury to one depth cornerback has resulted in the signing of another in San Francisco. The 49ers have agreed to a deal with Anthony Averett while placing Terrance Mitchell on IR, per a team announcement.

Averett spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, seeing a notable jump in playing time with each passing campaign. The former fourth-rounder served as a full-time starter in 2021, and he posted career-highs in tackles (54), interceptions (three) and pass deflections (11) that year.

Those numbers only earned him a one-year contract on the open market, though, and Averett spent the past season with the Raiders. The 28-year-old was limited to just seven games in his lone Vegas campaign, with thumb and toe injuries leading to IR stints. Averett put up lackluster numbers as part of a Raiders secondary which struggled throughout the season, leading to his lengthy stay on the open market this time around.

The Alabama product will now join a 49ers defense which is among the league’s best in the hopes of carving out a depth role. San Francisco has Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir in place as starters on the boundary, where Averett has spent the majority of his career. His 27 career starts would give the team notable experience if Averett is called into action, presuming he manages to cement a spot on the 53-man roster over the next several weeks.

Mitchell has seen time with six different teams during his eight years in the NFL, including the Titans last season. He was in position to add further to that list in San Francisco, but by being placed on IR he will sidelined for the entire 2023 campaign. The 31-year-old will turn his attention to rehab in advance of next year’s free agent period.

Titans Release OL Jamarco Jones

August 3rd, 2023 at 4:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

The right tackle situation in Tennessee remains in flux, with one competitor for the starting role being let go. The Titans announced on Thursday that Jamarco Jones has been released.

The 27-year-old was involved in a pair of scuffles during training camp practices this week, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Turron Davenport. Jones took part in a confrontation with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on Tuesday, then executed a crackback block earlier today. The dust-ups caused by his actions will see his time in Nashville cut short with one year remaining on his contract.

Jones was due $2.45MM this season, but moving on post-June 1 will allow the Titans to see $2MM in cap savings. That financial benefit will be balanced against the loss of a potential right tackle starter to open the season. The gambling suspension handed down to Nicholas Petit-Frere will leave him unavailable for the first six weeks of the campaign. Jones, who started seven of his 36 career games with the Seahawks, had been receiving first-team reps during practice as a contender to fill in for Petit-Frere in the short term.

That will no longer be the case, but Tennessee does have recent signing Chris Hubbard available to win the RT job. The former Steeler and Brown could have a clear path to the starting spot with first-round rookie Peter Skoronski being used at guard and Jones now no longer in the picture. The latter will need to move quickly to find a new home with training camps well underway.

Jones did not play in 2022, after spending much of the season on IR. That missed action, coupled with the reason for his Titans release, will surely hinder his market as a free agent. Finding an opportunity as a swing tackle will likely be the best-case scenario for the former fifth-rounder. The Titans, meanwhile, will move forward with what they hope will be more orderly practice sessions and a sufficient number of contingences regarding their offensive line situation.

Texans OL Scott Quessenberry Suffers ACL, MCL Tears

August 3rd, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Justin Britt hit the reserve/NFI list last season, the Texans called on Scott Quessenberry to fill in at center. Quessenberry did, starting 16 games. The team will not be able to use the veteran as a stopgap center this season.

Quessenberry suffered ACL and MCL tears during a Texans practice, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (on Twitter). The Texans had re-signed Quessenberry just before free agency this year.

This development may prevent the Texans from delaying second-round pick Juice Scruggs‘ starting lineup entrance. Scruggs had been working as the Texans’ second-team center thus far during training camp, but the Penn State product stands to be the next man up as a result of this Quessenberry setback.

Scott Quessenberry is the third Quessenberry brother to play for the Texans, following David and Paul. Scott, 28, is a sixth-year veteran who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers. Scruggs loomed as a clear candidate to usurp him this year, but even when that inevitably happened, the elder blocker would have represented depth. This deals a blow to the Texans in that department.

Houston does have another veteran option in the form of Michael Deiter. The former Dolphin has 57 appearances and 23 starts to his name, but he alternated between heavy usage and barely seeing the field on offense during his four years in Miami. Deiter played sparingly and only on special teams in 2022, meaning he is likely not a threat for Scruggs with respect to the latter seeing starter’s snaps from Day 1.

Plenty of time remains for the Texans’ incumbent interior O-line options to earn their roles over the remainder of the offseason, but a free agent addition could be possible as well. Houston currently has $13.3MM in cap space, meaning they could afford to take a flier on one of the few veterans still on the market with experience in the middle. In any event, the team will be shorthanded up front for the season while Quessenberry looks to rehab in advance of next year’s free agency.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Texans, CB Steven Nelson Agree On Reworked Contract

August 3rd, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Higher-profile contract situations have overshadowed Steven Nelson‘s in Houston, but the veteran cornerback had both changed agents and skipped voluntary offseason activities. The veteran cornerback and the Texans reached a resolution Thursday.

Nelson agreed to terms on a revised deal that ups his max earnings in 2023, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. It is unclear what incentives are present, but Wilson notes Nelson’s max earnings will bump from $4.5MM to $6.5MM for the 2023 season. This comes not long after a report indicated the parties had discussed this contract.

Formerly with the Chiefs, Steelers and Eagles, Nelson signed a two-year, $9MM contract with the Texans in 2022. It does not sound like any years have been added to Nelson’s deal, keeping him on track to play out a contract year in 2023. But this does appear to bring this low-key standoff to a close. Nelson had reported to minicamp and training camp, though the ninth-year veteran also made a reference to his dispute with GM Nick Caserio in an Instagram post earlier this offseason.

Despite Nelson being signed to play in Lovie Smith‘s system, DeMeco Ryans plans to keep him around for his first season as Houston HC. It would have cost the Texans $1.75MM in dead money by releasing Nelson, though the move would have also come with nearly $4MM in cap savings.

Nelson, 30, started 15 games for the Texans last season. The former Kansas City third-round pick has made 99 career starts, having worked as both a boundary and slot defender. The 5-foot-10 cover man has settled in as an outside corner and has done fairly well in earnings beyond his rookie contract. Nelson signed a three-year, $27MM Steelers deal in 2019; he played two years on that contract. If Nelson plays out his Texans deal this season, he will surpass $30MM in career earnings.

Houston has Derek Stingley in place as its cornerback centerpiece, with veteran Desmond King entering his second year with the team as well. The Texans did sign Jaguars castoff Shaquill Griffin in May, bringing in some depth. The team also re-signed backup/special-teamer Tavierre Thomas this offseason.

Michael Pittman Jr. Seeking Colts Extension

August 3rd, 2023 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Michael Pittman Jr. has a long way to go to catch Jonathan Taylor for contract-related drama, but the Colts’ No. 1 wide receiver resides in the same boat. Both were second-round picks in 2020, putting each in a contract year.

While Taylor has expressed extreme dissatisfaction with how the organization has proceeded regarding his return from an ankle injury and its approach to his contract extension, Pittman may still be the team’s top extension candidate. The fourth-year vet expressed interest in a Colts extension, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 notes.

The Colts have rewarded a host of contract-year players under GM Chris Ballard. Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly signed big-ticket re-ups ahead of their walk years. Ditto Shaquille Leonard, with Nyheim Hines also re-signing in his fourth NFL offseason. Like Leonard and Smith, Taylor and Pittman are ex-Day 2 selections. No fifth-year options exist in their contracts.

But the Colts are in a different place compared to recent offseasons. They are coming off a 4-13 season and have hired a new HC (Shane Steichen). As they may want to see how Pittman and Taylor look in Steichen’s system, Chappell adds the team should not be expected to hand out deals to the contract-year skill-position players before this season.

Taylor has obviously outperformed Pittman, but the latter plays a more valuable position in the modern game. Pittman, 25, took over for T.Y. Hilton as the Colts’ top target early in his career and has a 1,000-yard season on his resume. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver totaled a career-high 1,082 yards during Carson Wentz‘s season at the helm and finished last year with 925 during a season in which the Colts saw their QB plan crater. Three passers (Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles) started games for the 2022 Colts, and with Taylor out for six games and the team’s O-line not performing on the level it did in recent years, Pittman was not exactly set up for success.

The second-generation pro will have an opportunity to bounce back, but the prospect of Anthony Richardson being the Week 1 starter could work against Pittman’s hopes at a second 1,000-yard season. The Colts will be eager to trot out the raw rookie, though that might not be ideal for Pittman’s contract year. Still, Taylor will bring a much cheaper franchise tag in 2024. This would leave Pittman, 25, as the team’s clear-cut top extension candidate.

Teams’ extension decisions in 2022 — for the likes of A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf and Diontae Johnson — left the 2023 free agent market thin at receiver. As of August, Pittman joins Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Marquise Brown as the top wideouts eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024.

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Rams, Nwosu

August 3rd, 2023 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

It has long been expected Kyler Murray will miss time to start the season. The Cardinals have not kept a great secret regarding their rebuilding strategy, and even if the team’s new regime had assembled a team on the contender radar, rushing a dual-threat quarterback in a return from an ACL tear would not be a good idea. Murray addressed this matter recently, and ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss notes the two-time Pro Bowler was not sure he can make it back by Week 1. The fifth-year passer, who is aiming to return by the season’s outset, refused to put a timetable on his recovery.

The Cardinals placed Murray on the active/PUP list, which could be a precursor to his being stashed on the reserve/PUP list. The latter designation requires a four-game absence to start the year. Colt McCoy, who missed time this offseason due to an elbow ailment, sits as the presumptive Week 1 starter if Murray can’t go. McCoy will turn 37 just before the regular season. Though, the team also rosters David Blough and drafted Clayton Tune in Round 5.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The player Murray advocated for in the first round, Paris Johnson, is working with Arizona’s first-string offensive line to start camp. During their offseason program, the Cardinals had not determined if the No. 6 overall pick would play guard or tackle. For now, the Ohio State product has lined up at tackle. Johnson began camp at right tackle, opposite D.J. Humphries, and has remained there into August, per GOPHNX.com’s Bo Brack and Weinfuss (Twitter links). The Cardinals re-signed Kelvin Beachum, their three-year right tackle starter, to a two-year, $5.15MM deal in March. With Will Hernandez and Elijah Wilkinson working as the team’s first-string guards, it will be interesting to see how the Cards proceed with Beachum and contract-year blocker Josh Jones, who replaced Humphries at left tackle after a midseason injury.
  • Staying on the subject of O-lines, both Joseph Noteboom and Alaric Jackson are back in action after moving past their respective issues (Achilles tear, blood clots), per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required). The two have split time at left tackle in camp. Jackson is battling Joseph Noteboom for the Rams‘ left tackle job. While Noteboom was mentioned as a guard candidate — if he loses out on the blindside gig to Jackson — Rodrigue adds the loser of this battle is likely ticketed for a swing backup role. That would be quite the fall for Noteboom, who signed a three-year deal worth $40MM in 2022. Due to an offseason restructure, Noteboom is not a realistic cut candidate.
  • Uchenna Nwosu‘s three-year, $45MM Seahawks extension will pay out $16.6MM in full guarantees, according to OverTheCap. The deal moved the edge rusher’s 2023 cap hit down, by about $3MM, to $10.1MM. In 2024, Nwosu’s cap hit will drop, checking in at $8.1MM. His 2025 number spikes to $21.5MM. Nwosu’s 2025 base salary checks in at $14.5MM, and ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson notes $6MM of that total is guaranteed for injury at signing (Twitter link). That $6MM shifts to a full guarantee by February 2024, giving Nwosu partial security a year out. An incentive-based escalator (based on Nwosu’s sack totals) is in place for 2026, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds, with Henderson noting it could increase the ’26 payout by $6MM (Twitter links)
  • After four seasons in Kliff Kingsbury‘s Air Raid offshoot, the Cardinals look to be prepared to take advantage of their tight end depth under new OC Drew Petzing. The ex-Browns staffer is preparing to lean on two-tight end formations featuring both Zach Ertz and Trey McBride, Adam Caplan of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. Chosen in last year’s second round, McBride caught 29 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. The Colorado State product played 599 offensive snaps as a rookie, but much of that work came after Ertz’s midseason ACL tear. McCoy confirmed (via Weinfuss) the Cards should be expected to line up in 12 personnel more frequently than they did under Kingsbury.

Broncos LB Jonas Griffith Tears ACL

August 3rd, 2023 at 11:46am CST by Sam Robinson

One of many Broncos to miss extended time due to injury last season, Jonas Griffith is now expected to miss the entire 2023 campaign.

The former UDFA suffered an ACL injury during training camp, 9News’ Mike Klis reports (on Twitter). The young linebacker has indeed sustained a torn ACL, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel tweets. This marks the second season-ending injury the Broncos have sustained this week. Tim Patrick, who missed all of 2022 with an ACL tear, went down with an Achilles tear Monday. Patrick is now on IR.

A former 49ers UDFA whom the Broncos traded for in 2020, Griffith started eight games for the team last year. As the Broncos attempt to shake their injury-prone reputation, this week has brought a reminder of the team’s recent past.

For Griffith, this brings more of the same as well. The Indiana State alum suffered a dislocated elbow during Denver’s preseason slate last year. While he recovered in time to start the regular season, a foot injury sustained during a November practice knocked Griffith out for the rest of the year. Thursday’s setback will effectively lead to a 1 1/2-season hiatus for Griffith, and the pattern of maladies form a hurdle of sorts for a player who has been a regular since debuting for the Broncos in 2021.

Griffith played 255 defensive snaps in 2021, and although the foot injury limited him to nine games last season, the 26-year-old off-ball linebacker topped that with 336 last season. Griffith made 46 tackles in both 2021 and ’22, serving as a special teams regular as well. The Broncos tendered him as an ERFA in March. They will have the option of placing the low-end RFA tender on the Division I-FCS product next year, but this ACL injury may affect his future in Denver.

The Broncos have re-signed both their top ILBs — Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton — in consecutive offseasons. Singleton agreed to terms on a three-year, $18MM deal in March. The team used a third-round pick on Arkansas’ Drew Sanders, a hybrid player who has lined up as an off-ball ‘backer and on the edge.

Colts Not Dismissing Jonathan Taylor Trade

August 3rd, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts-Jonathan Taylor impasse has showed no signs of ending, as the second week of a training camp observational period begins for the talented running back. Jim Irsay has indicated the Colts will not honor Taylor’s trade request, but this escalating situation might be moving the team toward at least considering a deal.

Trading Taylor is a subject that has not been completely shut down at Colts headquarters, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports, adding multiple NFL execs believe a trade market exists for the 24-year-old back. Going into his fourth season, Taylor is a more attractive commodity compared to the lot of late-20-somethings on the free agent market.

A team that acquires Taylor could attempt to slow-play this, as the Colts are doing by indicating no extension offer is coming soon, with a 2024 franchise tag available. But it should be considered likely a team that acquires the contract-year back would have a contract ready to go. Multiple teams are believed to be open to a trade-and-extend scenario involving the former rushing champion.

Indianapolis’ goal remains to retain Taylor, Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes, and have him back in his starting role to begin the Anthony Richardson era (subscription required). As this offseason has shown, running back leverage has cratered. Midlevel free agent contracts, cap-casualty decisions, pay cuts and a franchise tag deadline coming and going without an extension has turned this into a crisis point for the position. Derrick Henry has initiated talks among backs about their position’s standing, per TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick, and Taylor voiced frustration after the tag deadline hit without Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs or Tony Pollard landing a deal.

A host of anonymous executives informed Howe a trade should not be considered likely, due to the cost of a second contract and the supply-and-demand issue plaguing the position. While Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott were listed by two such execs as cheaper options, Taylor would represent a higher class of player at this stage of his career. The Colts RB has 860 career touches; Cook and Elliott are at 1,503 and 2,186, respectively. A team could view Taylor as a much better asset and pull off a trade, and an extension — despite the carnage on the RB market this year — could line up well as the salary cap booms. That said, no team has even authorized a $12MM-per-year RB deal since the Browns paid Nick Chubb in July 2021. Due to his age and the cap rise, Taylor could logically be targeting the Christian McCaffrey–Alvin Kamara bracket, but no team has signed off on a $14MM-AAV deal for a back since the Saints inked Kamara in August 2020.

The Colts, particularly Irsay and GM Chris Ballard, have been surprised by Taylor’s attitude at camp, per Holder. Taylor hired a new agent this offseason and has not only become frustrated by his contract situation, but Holder adds the Colts’ approach to injury management has irked the Wisconsin alum. Taylor underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery in January, and the procedure was not expected to keep him out too long. Irsay pronounced him as ready to roll for camp. But Holder adds the Colts wanted Taylor to return to Indianapolis shortly before camp. This request did not go over well with Taylor, who interpreted it as a team push to return to action before he was 100%.

Taylor played hurt during last year’s miserable Colts campaign, finishing the season despite needing ankle surgery. Holder echoes the Sunday report regarding Taylor complaining of back and hamstring pain when coming to camp. Taylor has denied he notified the Colts of back pain, a subject that led to the rumor the Colts could shift him from the PUP list to the NFI list — a matter that could affect Taylor’s salary. That rumor only further intensified this situation, though Holder adds the PUP-to-NFI shift is unlikely.

Still, Taylor remains out of action. It is unclear if the ankle injury sustained in October 2022 is truly keeping him off the field or if this is a hold-in measure. The Colts, who have also lost Zack Moss to a broken arm, worked out Kenyan Drake on Wednesday.

It will be interesting to see if any viable trade offers come in for Taylor, who is set to be part of a big free agency class — one that, as of now, would include Barkley, Jacobs, Pollard, Henry, Austin Ekeler, J.K. Dobbins, AJ Dillon. We are still far away from that point, but it represents another factor that would work against him leaving Indianapolis via a 2023 trade.

Joe Mixon Addresses Bengals Pay Cut

August 3rd, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Joining Aaron Jones in accepting a pay cut off a $12MM-per-year contract this offseason, Joe Mixon accepted a steeper pay slash compared to the Packers running back. The seventh-year Bengals back is now tied to what can be labeled a two-year, $11.5MM deal — one that gives the Bengals flexibility to move on after the 2023 season.

Mixon entered the offseason as one of eight backs tied to eight-figure-per-year extensions. While he remains under contract nearly three years after agreeing to a four-year, $48MM Cincinnati extension, the former second-round pick is now making a fraction of the AAV he signed up for in 2020. With Samaje Perine gone, however, Mixon is the clear-cut Bengals starter. And it is not out of the question his workload increases in 2023.

“I see the bigger picture. I see the task at hand and what we’re trying to build and in order to keep other players here and pieces here, sometimes you have to sacrifice,” Mixon said, via Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “I felt like this year was the year to sacrifice on the Super Bowl team we can potentially be.

“That was my stance on it. We agreed on a number with great compensation this year with the incentives. Off my last deal, I feel like they allowed me to work to be able to make that money back. That’s cool. I’ll go work for it.”

Mixon, 27, took a $4.39MM pay cut for this season and trimmed $4.67MM off his 2024 salary. Although the Packers slashed Jones’ 2023 salary by $5MM, he received $8.52MM in guarantees in exchange for the cut. While Mixon is at $11.5MM over the next two years, Jones is at $23MM. It will cost the Packers $12.4MM in dead money — in a non-post-June 1 scenario — to release Jones in 2024; Mixon can be cut for just $2.75MM in dead money next year.

Had Mixon refused the pay cut, he would have joined the likes of Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Kareem Hunt as proven veterans unsigned in a year when the running back market crashed. This undoubtedly influenced the Bengals’ terms when they approached Mixon with the long-rumored cut. But Mixon will be Cincinnati’s starting back for a seventh year. With 71 starts to his credit, Mixon will move into third place on the Bengals’ all-time list — behind James Brooks and Corey Dillon — early this season. He sits just more than 1,000 rushing yards shy of Brooks for second in team history in rushing.

Mixon is coming off a down season and has totaled 1,545 career touches. The Oklahoma product will have a chance to prove last year (1,255 scrimmage yards, down from 1,519 during the Bengals’ Super Bowl LVI season) did not mark a clear sign of a decline while operating as the lead back on what again looks like one of the NFL’s best teams.

NFL Injury Updates: Kupp, Moss, Anderson

August 2nd, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last night, the Rams suffered a scare as former All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp left a Tuesday night practice early with a hamstring injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The veteran underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the damage early this morning.

While many players who talked with the media didn’t see the injury occur, it’s believed that he was forced to pull up while running a redzone route, leading to concern as a non-contact injury. Without details being released, a spokesperson for the team confirmed the injury.

Kupp’s presence in the Rams’ offense is vital. A year after winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, Kupp once again led the team in receiving yards last season. What’s amazing about that is that, this time, he did it despite missing eight games due to injury. If he had continued to play the remainder of the season and produce at the same pace, he would have finished the season with the third-most receiving yards in the league last year, behind only Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill.

After Kupp missed the back half of the season last year with a high ankle sprain, the team is going to be delicate with any injury situation heading into the preseason. They will be cautious with Kupp moving forward, but Los Angeles does expect that he may be able to return “for scrimmages in a few weeks.”

Here are a couple of other updates on injuries from around the league:

  • One of Denver’s newest young cornerbacks will be cutting it close to play in Week 1 of his rookie season, according to Troy Renck of Denver7. The Broncos‘ second of two third-round picks, former Iowa cornerback Riley Moss underwent “core/sports hernia surgery” this week in Philadelphia. The recovery is expected to take around four weeks, which will have Moss back just in time to debut for the regular season if he can avoid any setbacks.
  • The Patriots were really hoping to see former Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson step up and compete for a starting tackle job on their offensive line this summer. Unfortunately, Anderson began camp on the non-football illness list with an undisclosed illness. When asked about a timeline for Anderson’s return, head coach Bill Belichick gave the noncommittal response of, “We’ll see how it goes,” telling reporters that he doesn’t have a crystal ball. It’s unclear what form of illness could be holding Anderson out for such a long period of time without hope for reprieve, but based on Belichick’s answer, New England may need to start looking at other options in their tackle competition.
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