Seahawks Endure Injuries To Top RBs
Seattle fans may not be able to endure much more on the subject of running back injuries. They have already been put through the ringer as they’ve had to deal with constant absences from presumed franchise backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny. If you’re feeling triggered as a Seahawks fan, feel free to click away now, because shortly after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported an injury to rookie second-round pick Zach Charbonnet, Schefter’s colleague, Field Yates, reported similar bad news about returning starter Kenneth Walker. 
Head coach Pete Carroll told the media today that Charbonnet suffered a shoulder injury and would be out “indefinitely.” He also relayed that Walker has a groin injury and “could be out a while.” The nondescript timelines for these injuries may feel troubling to fans, but it sounds like they have more to do with the level of caution the Seahawks are operating under than the severity of the ailments.
“It just kind of crept up on him, really,” Carroll said of Charbonnet’s shoulder injury. “He didn’t get hit or anything like that. Just all the sudden, he started to feel something, so we’re just checking him out and being really cautious right now.”
With Walker, Carroll confirmed that they’re taking it “week-to-week” saying, “Because it’s a groin, we’ve got to make sure. He doesn’t feel bad. It’s not a terrible injury or anything like that. We just don’t want to aggravate it now and make it something that lingers through camp.”
Hopefully, Seattle fans can breathe a tiny bit easier having read that. The normal posse of former-Hurricane backup running backs was cut in half when Travis Homer signed with the Bears this offseason, so DeeJay Dallas is now taking most of the reps alongside rookie seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh. The only other running backs on the roster taking camp snaps are Bryant Koback and Wayne Taulapapa, an undrafted back out of Washington who signed with the team two days ago.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/23
Here are the minor moves around the league to wrap up the weekend:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Godwin Igwebuike
Buffalo Bills
- Waived with injury settlement: CB Cameron Dantzler
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: T Devin Cochran
Cleveland Browns
- Reverted to IR from waived/injured: CB BoPete Keyes
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Izaiah Gathings, CB Anthony Witherstone
- Placed on IR: S Nazeeh Johnson
- Waived/injured: LB Isaiah Moore
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Royce Freeman
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from PUP: T Isaiah Wynn
New York Giants
- Activated from NFI: WR Jamison Crowder
- Activated from PUP: WR Sterling Shepard
New York Jets
- Activated from PUP: WR Randall Cobb
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on reserve/retired list: FB Monte Pottebaum
- Waived: T Jarrid Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from PUP: TE Noah Fant
Igwebuike, the former safety-turned-running back, likely won’t have a role in a crowded running backs room that currently includes rookie top-ten pick Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and Cordarrelle Patterson. He does have some experience on kick return, where he could compete with Patterson and Avery Williams for a role.
The Rams added some quality, experienced depth today in Freeman. While he’s failed to reach the success he found as a primary backup in his first two seasons, Freeman should have plenty of tread on the tires at only 27 years old with minimal usage over the past three years. Behind starter Cam Akers, Los Angeles only has second-year Kyren Williams and rookie sixth-rounder Zach Evans, so bringing in an experienced backup like Freeman should be beneficial.
The Giants add two depth pieces back to their beat-up receiving corps. Getting them back into the fold will be beneficial for training camp. Meanwhile, across the way, new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get to work with his old teammate, Cobb, once again.
The retirement of Pottebaum comes as a bit of a shock so early into camp. The Iowa-product was a part of Pittsburgh’s small, seven-man undrafted free agent class this year. Not only that, but heading into camp, Pottebaum was also the only fullback listed on the roster. He was in attendance for the Steelers’ first week of training camp, as well, but now appears to be on his way out. This doesn’t leave Pittsburgh completely high and dry as the team was already exploring the option of utilizing tight end Connor Heyward in a role more similar to what he played in college. Heyward could earn a much larger role in his sophomore season by taking on a few more snaps at fullback.
Saints DE Jabari Zuniga Retires
After three short seasons, Saints pass rusher Jabari Zuniga has chosen to hang up his cleats, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. It’s unclear for now as to why Zuniga is retiring, but after spending a good portion of his rookie year on injured reserve, health might have factored into the decision. 
Zuniga came into the league with big expectations. After redshirting his true freshman year at Florida, Zuniga burst onto the scene, leading the Gators in sacks as a redshirt freshman. He never reached an elite level of play as a pass rusher, but over three and a half seasons in Gainesville, Zuniga racked up 18.5 sacks and 33.0 tackles for loss.
He entered his redshirt senior season as an All-SEC preseason pick and started the season on a strong note, but three games into the year, he suffered a high ankle sprain that would cause him to miss time throughout the rest of the season. The recurring ankle injury hurt his draft stock a bit, but the promise shown during a strong junior season helped him to still get drafted in the third round of the 2020 Draft by the Jets.
He started his rookie year on IR for New York as he dealt with a quadriceps injury. He finally made his NFL debut after seven weeks on IR, playing sparingly against the Chiefs. That minimal usage would continue throughout the rest of the season as he never logged more than 23 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in a game as a rookie.
In his sophomore season, he failed to make the 53-man roster and spent the year on the practice squad for New York, getting called up for three games. In two of those games, he got a bit more run, even earning his first (and what would end up being his only) career sack. He once again failed to make the 53-man roster last year but would sign with the Seahawks‘ practice squad instead. Seattle would release him about a month later, and he would sign with the Saints‘ practice squad and would make one appearance on the team.
The Saints liked enough of what they saw to sign Zuniga to a reserve/futures contract, keeping him on the roster for 2023. Instead, Zuniga made the decision to walk away from the game. It could be that the injuries he suffered lingered throughout the following seasons enough to keep him from ever reaching 100 percent. Regardless, he’s made his decision, and for now, his time in the league is over.
With the roster spot opened up by Zuniga’s departure, the Saints have signed offensive guard Koda Martin, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. Martin was waived earlier this week but will make his way back to camp to fill the vacancy formed by Zuniga’s retirement.
Texans Waive WR Amari Rodgers, Activate DT Sheldon Rankins From NFI List
The Texans have parted ways with a midseason addition to their receiving corps in a move which helps make room for the return of one of their top defensive free agent signings. Per a team announcement, wideout Amari Rodgers was waived while defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins was activated from the active/NFI list. 
Rodgers had a disappointing spell in Green Bay to start his career, failing to carve out a significant role for himself in the team’s offense. Fumbling issues helped lead to the Packers’ decision to move on from him in November. The Texans claimed him to begin a brief audition period, one in which the former third-rounder was used exclusively on offense after seeing time as a returner in Green Bay.
Rodgers totaled 154 yards and his first career touchdown on 12 receptions while with the Texans. The team has been busy adding at the WR position this offseason, though, by signing Robert Woods and Noah Brown while also drafting Nathaniel Dell and Xavier Hutchinson. Those arrivals, coupled with incumbents Nico Collins and John Metchie, lessened Rodgers’ chances of making the 53-man roster. The 23-year-old and the team made a mutual decision to part ways, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link).
Rankins was one of several veterans to receive a deal from Houston this offseason, with the rebuilding outfit benefiting from signficant spending power. The former Saint and Jet inked a one-year, $9.75MM deal to join a new-look Texans defense and, potentially, boost his free agent market ahead of 2024. Rankins has started 51 games and will be counted on as a pass-rushing contributor.
The former first-rounder is four years removed from his career-best eight sacks with the Saints, but he has registered double-digit pressures each season since 2020. A continuation of that form will help the Texans’ re-tooled roster take a step forward under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, especially if he can remain healthy through training camp into the fall.
The Texans also announced that cornerback Kendall Sheffield has been activated from the PUP list. The 27-year-old signed in Houston before the start of the new league year in March after a brief spell on the Cowboys’ practice squad. Sheffield has started 20 of his 38 career games, all with the Falcons.
Steelers GM Omar Khan Addresses RB Market, Najee Harris
Najee Harris is one of several high-profile running backs who has publicly aired his grievances with the downward trend of the position’s market. Conversations amongst the league’s top backs have been aimed at finding a solution to the growing trend of teams avoiding lucrative commitments on second contracts, something which will become a key topic of conversation in Pittsburgh as early as next offseason. 
Having been drafted in 2021, Harris is entering the all-important third year of his rookie contract this season. He will be eligible for an extension after the campaign, but, as a former first-rounder, the team will be able to keep him on the books through 2025 via the fifth-year option. Committing to Harris over the long-term would be complicated by the cost of extending franchise quarterbacks, however.
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure it out, but when quarterbacks’ salaries start increasing at the rate that they’re increasing, at some point, it’s going to have a residual effect somewhere on the roster,” GM Omar Khan said, via Tim Benz of triblive.com.
“Every franchise is going to handle things differently. It’s up to every franchise to decide how to build their roster, but eventually, that’s going to have an effect when the quarterback salaries are growing at a rate higher than what the cap is,” he added. “There are ways to get around whatever the cap number is, but it’s just going to be a natural effect.”
Indeed, surging prices for young quarterbacks have caused teams to find cost-effective players at other positions, and running backs are a natural target given their attrition rate. Workhorse backs are under threat of seeing a short shelf life in the NFL, something which is particularly of note in Harris’ case. The Alabama product leads the NFL in both carries (579) and touches (694) over the course of his two-year career.
He has been able to total 2,930 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns so far, but efficiency (3.9 yards per carry average) has been a concern. Those figures will play a large role in determining Khan’s willingness to extend Harris, 25, when the time comes, and the depressed nature of the market would lend itself to the team having plenty of leverage during contract talks. With plenty of time remaining before those need to begin, though, player and club are proceeding with the status quo ahead of 2023.
Khan noted that he has not discussed any hypothetical extension with Harris, while praising the latter for his on- and off-the-field contributions in his young career. How interested the Steelers become in committing to a multi-year deal sometime down the road will certainly be worth watching, however.
Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Suffered Lisfranc Injury In 2022
The Browns dealt with several losses at the linebacker spot in 2022, including a season-ending foot injury suffered by Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The former second-rounder recently provided further details on the ailment and his recovery. 
Owusu-Koramoah revealed that his foot sprain, suffered in December, was a Lisfranc injury. That put an end to his second campaign in the NFL, and began a lengthy road to recovery. Surgery was on the table, but the 23-year-old (who is an advocate of natural healing) elected to avoid the procedure.
“Surgery was obviously presented as an option,” Owusu-Koramoah said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “I wanted to more so naturally, kind of heal my foot. I just thought, personally, it was a personal decision. It wasn’t like I saw anything better on this side or not better on that side. It was more so just a personal preference.”
The Notre Dame alum was back on the field in time for minicamp last month, and he added upon arrival at training camp that his foot “feels good.” That will be a welcomed development for team and player, after Owusu-Koramoah failed to take the statistical step forward many expected in 2022. He totaled 70 tackles, four pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles, but struggled in coverage and surrendered five touchdowns as the nearest defender. His PFF grade dropped to 65.5, a notable decline from the 76.5 he earned as a rookie.
A return to full health would allow him to resume his full-time starting duties, as the Browns look to avoid the injury troubles which decimated the second level of their defense last year. Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker Jr., Jacob Phillips and Sione Takitaki all saw time on injured reserve in 2022. Each member of that quartet is still in place, though, so Cleveland will have the ability to run it back at the position this year. Owusu-Koramoah will have a central role in the unit’s success, and a full recovery from the serious injury which ended his season could pave the way for a strong third year performance.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara Plans To Meet With Roger Goodell
Saints running back Alvin Kamara recently resolved his criminal and civil cases stemming from his involvement in the assault of a man in a Las Vegas nightclub in February 2022. As PFR’s Sam Robinson observed when the resolution was reported, it is now much likelier that the league will hit Kamara with a suspension before the 2023 campaign gets underway. Before that happens, however, Kamara plans to have an in-person meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell to tell his side of the story, as Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports.
Per Duncan, the Saints encouraged Kamara to set up the meeting in an attempt to reduce the size of his suspension, which could be up to six games. It is unclear when the meeting will take place, but it seems that Kamara and Goodell will get together in the next couple of days. Kamara has told reporters that he plans to meet with the media on Wednesday, August 2, saying, “I’ll talk to you all on August 2 after I talk to [Goodell].”
The Las Vegas incident represents the first off-field transgression in Kamara’s seven-year career, as Duncan observes. Nonetheless, it is a serious one, and GM Mickey Loomis has said that the league has not provided any timeline for its decision.
Kamara’s legal matter encountered frequent delays, leaving him free to play throughout the 2022 season. The Saints were less prepared for a Kamara ban last year, but the team has made preparations this offseason. New Orleans agreed to terms on a three-year, $12MM deal with former Packer and Lion Jamaal Williams — last season’s rushing touchdowns leader — and used a third-round pick on TCU back Kendre Miller.
Nonetheless, Kamara should remain the Saints’ top back whenever he is eligible to play, and he will continue to be a focal point of the club’s offense. He is coming off something of a down year, having scored just four total TDs in 2022, but he still posted nearly 1,400 all-purpose yards on 280 touches. While he is techincially under club control through 2025 on his $15MM/year contract, it seems unlikely he will make it to that season without being released or having his contract restructured (his base salary balloons to over $22MM in 2025). If Kamara should turn in a disappointing year in 2023, New Orleans could save some cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut next year, though the team would also be saddled with a fair amount of dead money in that scenario.
The NFL has declined to comment on the Kamara-Goodell summit.
Bears Notes: J. Johnson, Wright, Warren
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he wants an extension. It was reported back in June that Johnson would be hiring a new agent to aid in that pursuit, and he recently retained the services of Chris Ellison, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Biggs does not indicate whether talks have taken place (the earlier report suggested that Johnson was not necessarily pushing for a new deal to be completed before training camp). GM Ryan Poles has expressed a desire to keep Johnson in the fold, but Poles has used second-round picks on corners (Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson) in back-to-back years, and the team also selected Terell Smith in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
As such, Poles may elect to make Johnson — who has been a regular starter but far from a world-beater in his first three professional seasons — prove himself in his platform year before committing to him on a long-term basis.
Now for more notes from the Windy City:
- Darnell Wright, the Bears’ first-round choice in the 2023 draft, is penciled in as the club’s starting right tackle. Still, the team wanted him to drop weight, and per Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic (subscription required), Wright has done just that. By conditioning like a wide receiver and hiring a personal chef, the Tennessee blocker shaved 16 pounds off his frame, and Poles noted that Wright aced the OL conditioning test. Wright’s presence could help push former Raiders first-rounder Alex Leatherwood off the roster.
- The Bears recorded just 20 sacks in 2022, the lowest total in the league. While Chicago added some reinformcents in the form of DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green in free agency, its pass rush contingent remains uninspiring. We heard last month that Poles may want to add another edge defender, and he recently confirmed that desire (Twitter link via Jahns). However, it sounds as if Poles may be having difficulty enticing free agents to the club. “It takes two to make sure it works out,” he said. Accomplished players like Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, and Robert Quinn — whom the Bears traded to the Eagles in advance of last year’s deadline — remain unsigned.
- We heard back in January that Kevin Warren, the former Big Ten commissioner whom the Bears hired as their new president and CEO role in the wake of Ted Phillips‘ retirement, would focus on the business side of the operation. However, Dan Pompei of The Athletic (subscription required) says, “[i]t would be naive to think [Warren] won’t have much to do with the football team that will play in the stadium he is trying to build.” In an expansive piece that will be of particular interest to Bears fans, Pompei notes that Warren will almost certainly hire the team’s next GM and head coach whenever those hires become necessary, and that he will have input into how Poles and current head coach Matt Eberflus operate. Indeed, Warren plans to watch game tape and will evaluate the players’ attention to detail, energy level, and passion for the game.
Saints DE Cameron Jordan Wants To Play For 3-4 More Years
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is entering a contract year, and player and team have been discussing an extension for several months. When those conversations were first reported, we heard that Doug Hendrickson, Jordan’s agent, was hoping to get a deal finalized before training camp. If that did not happen, Hendrickson suggested that negotiations would be tabled until after the season.
On the day veterans reported to camp, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported (via Twitter) that talks were ongoing, with no suggestion that they would be tabled. Hendrickson noted in May that he was hoping to secure his client a deal of at least two years in length, while Anderson says that Jordan wants to play for three or four more years.
Jordan, who is entering his age-34 season, has had a remarkably productive and durable career. A first-round pick of the Saints in 2011, the Cal product has spent 12 years in New Orleans and has missed just two games during that time. He has compiled 115.5 sacks, eight Pro Bowl bids, and one First Team All-Pro nomination. He has received Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the past six seasons.
Clearly, Jordan remains an effective player, and Saints GM Mickey Loomis has unequivocally stated that Jordan will not suit up for any other franchise. Still, the fact that a new deal is not yet in place despite motivation on both sides indicates that there is nonetheless a gap to be bridged. Per Anderson, Jordan is seeking “respectable” terms, though it is unclear exactly what that means and how far apart the two sides are.
In addition to Jordan’s age and mileage, his performance did take a bit of a dip in 2022. He recorded 8.5 sacks, down from 12.5 the year prior, and his QB hits dropped from 22 to 13. He has generally been an advanced metrics darling, and while he still earned a strong 74.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, his pass rush grade was a below-average 53.2. That is easily the lowest mark of his career, and combined with the diminished surface-level stats, it is fair to wonder if a more precipitous decline could be forthcoming.
On the other hand, Jordan posted just 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2020 before bouncing back with a more typical performance in 2021, so while Loomis may be concerned about a decline, Jordan’s camp can just as easily argue that 2022 was merely a blip and that the player’s overall body of work is more relevant to contract dicussions. In any event, in light of Anderson’s report, it seems that an agreement may still be struck at some point in the near future.
Frank Gore Joins 49ers’ Front Office
Retired running back Frank Gore has joined the 49ers’ front office. Gore recently posted an Instagram picture of himself signing an agreement with the club (via Armando Salguero of Outkick.com on Twitter).
Gore, a third-round pick of the 49ers in 2005, announced his retirement last year. During his Bay Area tenure, the Miami (FL) alum established himself as one of the best, and most consistent, backs in the league. He racked up all five of his Pro Bowl nominations during that stretch, and once he assumed the starting role in 2006, he averaged over 1,160 yards per season on a robust 4.5 yards-per-carry average.
The 49ers will employ Gore as a personnel advisor, the team announced. Gore will serve as a special advisor to GM John Lynch along with the team’s football ops department.
The 40-year-old is the franchise’s all-time leading rusher by a wide margin, and though his career also included stints with the Colts, Dolphins, Bills, and Jets, he will be best-remembered for his time with the Niners. He signed a one-day contract to officially end his playing days as a member of the team, and it stands to reason that he would begin his front office endeavors with San Francisco. In his retirement announcment, he indicated that was his goal.
“I told [49ers CEO] Jed York that I always wanted to be a Niner, so we’re working on [the one-day contract] right now, and then we’re going to also sit down with me and my agent to talk about me working in the front office,” Gore said at the time. “I love looking at talent, and I love evaluating talent, and I love ball.”
Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com says that Gore has been with the team since spring as he seeks to acclimate himself to his new role, and that he sat in on pre-draft meetings. He will work with GM John Lynch, assistant GM Adam Peters, and their staff on player evaluation.
“He’ll go out on the road with some of our road scouts to make school calls,” Lynch said. “He is a smart football mind, and we want to tap into it and he wants to learn from us, so it’s a good thing for everyone involved.”
Gore finished his career with exacrly 16,000 rushing yards, which positions him behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton on the all-time list.