Vikings Not Expected To Extend RB Alexander Mattison
It sounds like Alexander Mattison will definitely hit free agency following the upcoming season. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter) doesn’t expect the Vikings to extend the running back before the start of the upcoming campaign. The RB told the reporter that he’s “not aware” of any talks between his camp and the Vikings front office, and Tomasson hints that the RB will likely test the open market in pursuit of a starting gig.
Mattison was a third-round pick by the Vikings in 2019, and he’s transformed into a necessary backup for his oft-injured teammate, Dalvin Cook. In six career starts, Mattison has collected 693 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns on 140 touches. Those numbers account for a good portion of his career stats, and while he’s often playing behind a workhorse starter, he’s shown he can be productive when he gets the bulk of his team’s carries.
The 24-year-old set a number of career highs in 2021, running for 491 yards and three touchdowns while hauling in another 32 receptions. Pro Football Focus graded him as a below-average halfback, although his grade was partly dragged down by poor scores in both pass blocking and (especially) run blocking.
Two summers ago, the Vikings signed Cook to a five-year, $63MM deal, and it’s unlikely the front office will want to commit a whole lot more to the position. The organization used a fourth-round pick on Kene Nwangwu last year and a fifth-round pick on Ty Chandler this year, so they’re well positioned to replace Mattison’s spot on the depth chart.
Barring an unexpected breakout in 2022, Mattison probably can’t expect a significant pay day. The three free agent RBs who topped $5MM AAV this offseason were Leonard Fournette, Chase Edmonds, and Cordarrelle Patterson, and they each have more starting experience than Mattison. If a team truly believes in his potential, he could see a contract that more resembles J.D. McKissic‘s deal with Washington. McKissic has more starting experience and is an elite pass-catching back (including an 80-catch campaign in 2020), and he ended up inking a two-year, $7MM deal.
Saints Cut RB Malcolm Brown
Malcolm Brown‘s stint with the Saints ultimately lasted less than a month. The veteran running back was released today, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The Saints also signed quarterback K.J. Costello (via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football on Twitter) and safety Jack Koerner (per Sean Fazende of FOX8 in New Orleans on Twitter), and they waived/injured defensive back Bryce Thompson (via Wilson).
Brown spent the first six years of his career with the Rams, spending most of his tenure as the number-two running back behind Todd Gurley. A rookie Cam Akers and second-year Darrell Henderson led the Rams in carries in 2020, but Brown still saw the most work of his career. He finished that campaign with 581 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 124 touches. He joined the Dolphins last offseason and started three of his seven appearances, collecting 135 yards and one score. He landed on IR in late October and didn’t see the field again that season.
Alvin Kamara‘s status is still uncertain, but the Saints must feel comfortable with the rest of their RB depth. That grouping is led by Mark Ingram and also includes Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., and Devine Ozigbo.
Costello, who split his collegiate career between Stanford and Mississippi State, went undrafted in 2021. He had a brief offseason stint with the Raiders last year before joining the USFL back in May. Koerner, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, joined the Saints earlier this offseason but was waived in May. Thompson spent much of the 2021 campaign on New Orleans’ practice squad, although he did get into two games with the Saints. A lower leg injury will likely keep him sidelined for a bit, and assuming he goes unclaimed, he’ll land on the Saints injured reserve.
49ers Sign CB Ken Crawley
The 49ers have added a veteran defensive back. The team announced that they’ve signed cornerback Ken Crawley to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the 49ers waived/injured safety Leon O’Neal Jr.
Crawley has managed to stick around the NFL for six years despite going undrafted in 2016. He got into 38 games (23 starts) for the Saints between 2016 and 2018, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled 54 tackles and 17 passes defended. He was waived by New Orleans during the 2019 campaign, and after fishing the season with the Dolphins, he had offseason/preseason stints with the Raiders and Cardinals.
He ended up re-signing with the Saints for the 2020 season, and he saw time in 12 games over the past two campaigns in New Orleans. He had a minor role on both defense and special teams this past year.
Charvarius Ward is expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks, and Emmanuel Moseley is currently dealing with his own injury. Crawley is likely being added for some extra depth, but he could earn a roster spot with a strong training camp and preseason.
O’Neal Jr. suffered a strained groin that ultimately cost him his job. The Texas A&M product joined the 49ers this offseason as an undrafted free agent, and he could end up landing on the team’s IR if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/22
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from NFI: OL La’el Collins
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB JaQuan Hardy
- Placed on IR: WR Jakeem Grant (story), LB Silas Kelly
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB JaQuan Hardy, RB Stevie Scott
- Waived/injured: RB Tyreik McAllister
- Placed on IR: OLB Christopher Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Micah Abernathy, RB Dexter Williams
- Released: LS Steven Wirtel
- Waived/injured: WR Osirus Mitchell
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB B.J. Emmons
- Placed on IR: RB Darius Anderson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Auzoyah Alufohai
- Waived/injured: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Released: WR Jordan Veasy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB DeAndre Torrey
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jets): DE Hamilcar Rashed
- Waived/injured: LB Ulysees Gilbert
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Jameson Houston
- Waived: OL Keenan Forbes
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: S Michael Griffin II
Latest On 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo continues to practice on the sideline as the 49ers front office continues to seek a trade for the veteran QB. However, assuming a trade doesn’t materialize, the 49ers may be willing to wait until the last second to move on from their former starter. Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, the 49ers may wait to release Garoppolo to prevent him from acclimating with a new team…particularly the Seahawks.
Garoppolo’s contract doesn’t become guaranteed unless he’s on the roster for the first game of the 2022 campaign. As a result, the 49ers could truly wait until the Tuesday before their season opener to release the QB, allowing the organization to create an immediate cap savings of $25.55MM. If they release Garoppolo between September 6 and September 10, they’d owe him a game check worth $1.34MM, which is still a minor fee to prevent him from immediately going to, say, a division rival.
As Barrows notes, the last thing the 49ers want to do is release Garoppolo, watch him sign with the Seahawks, and allow him to “get acclimated and become the starter early in the season.” For what it’s worth, the 49ers play the Seahawks in Week 2. Assuming Garoppolo is released before Week 1, there would still be a week for the QB to prepare for a start with Seattle. However, in this scenario, there’s a better chance Seattle rolls out one of Geno Smith or Drew Lock for that division showdown.
If a deal doesn’t materialize, could the 49ers look to rework Garoppolo’s contract instead of cutting him? Unlikely, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, who could only envision the 49ers committing to the QB if Trey Lance or Nate Sudfeld suffer an injury. Garoppolo has one year remaining on his contract, with a non-guaranteed salary of just over $24MM.
While it isn’t much of a surprise, it sounds like the quarterback has mentally moved on from San Francisco. According Barrows, Garoppolo was offered the chance by the 49ers to attend meetings with his fellow QBs, but he declined. Throughout this ordeal, there haven’t been any hints of tension between the two sides, and Garoppolo’s decision to stay away from meetings makes sense when he could better spend his time physically preparing for the upcoming season.
Lions Sign OL Kendall Lamm
Kendall Lamm is heading to Detroit. The Lions announced that they have signed the free agent offensive tackle.
Despite going undrafted in the 2015 draft, Lamm has put together a respectable seven-year career. He spent the better part of those seven seasons with the Texans, where he started 24 of his 55 appearances. He spent a pair of seasons in Cleveland before joining the Titans last August.
The 30-year-old ended up seeing time in 12 games (one start) for Tennessee last season, and he pretty much split his playing time between offense and special teams. Lamm didn’t play enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but his score would have ranked toward the bottom of the OT list. However, the site was much more favorable of his performances in 2020 and 2019, and despite his ugly 2021 score, he still earned a solid grade in run blocking.
The Lions don’t have a whole lot of offensive tackle depth behind starters Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. Lamm will be competing with the likes of Dan Skipper, Matt Nelson, and Darrin Paulo for backup reps.
Meanwhile, the Lions announced that they’ve placed offensive tackle Zein Obeid on the reserve/retired list. Obeid is now the third member of Detroit’s 12-man UDFA class to retire.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/22
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/injured: DT Bryce Rodgers
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from PUP: RB Kyren Williams
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Reverted to IR: RB Nathan Cottrell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Matt Dickerson
- Waived: LB Shilique Calhoun
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: C/G Cameron Hunt
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from PUP: WR Warren Jackson, RB Kyren Williams
- Released from IR: TE Kyle Markway
New England Patriots
- Activated from NFI: G Chasen Hines
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Jordan Brown, DE T.J. Carter, LB Chase Hansen
- Activated from NFI: WR Rashid Shaheed
- Waived/injured: CB Dylan Mabin
New York Giants
- Released: OL Matt Gono
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Caleb Benenoch
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Ron’Dell Carter
- Activated from PUP: DE Tyson Alualu
- Waived/injured: LB T.D. Moultry
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Matt Cole
- Reverted to IR: WR Jequez Ezzard
Saints LB Kiko Alonso To Retire
After just signing with the Saints the other day, Kiko Alonso is calling it a career. The veteran linebacker is retiring, according to Brooke Kirchhofer of WWLTV (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Saints To Sign LB Kiko Alonso]
Alonso hadn’t seen the field since the 2019 season, but he decided to reunite with the Saints on Thursday. Two days later, he’s hanging up his cleats. According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell (on Twitter), Alonso’s reverse decision had nothing to do with his health. Rather, the veteran simply changed his mind, with Terrell noting that it’d be tough for the linebacker to return after such a lengthy absence if he wasn’t 100 percent committed.
Once a longtime starter, Alonso has not played since suffering an ACL tear in New Orleans’ wild-card loss to Minnesota in January 2020. During that 2019 campaign, Alonso started four of his 13 appearances and collected 31 tackles. Prior to his season in New Orleans, the linebacker had stints with the Bills and Dolphins. While Alonso never came close to replicating his 159-tackle rookie season (in which he earned PFWA NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors), he still topped 110 tackles for three straight seasons between 2016 and 2018.
Alonso will retire having compiled 588 tackles, seven forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions in 86 career games.
Since Alonso’s last regular-season game, the Saints drafted Zack Baun in the 2020 third round and Pete Werner in the 2021 second. The latter profiles as a better bet to start alongside Demario Davis this season. Rookie fifth-round pick D’Marco Jackson is currently sidelined, so Alonso was expected to provide at least some temporary depth at the position. As Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football points out on Twitter, the Saints may need to sign another middle linebacker to fill out their roster.
49ers Sign OT Jordan Mills
Jordan Mills has found a new home. The veteran offensive tackle has signed with the 49ers, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter).
Mills has bounced around the NFL since his four-year stint with the Bills ended in 2018. He started two of his three games for the Cardinals in 2019 before suffering a knee injury that ultimately sidelined him for the rest of the season. The lineman spent most of the 2020 campaign on the Cowboys practice squad before catching on with the Saints last offseason. In total, Mills has seen time in 100 career games (87 starts), and he started a single playoff game for Buffalo in 2017.
The 31-year-old ended up getting into 10 games (three starts) for New Orleans in 2021. It wasn’t a great performance; while he didn’t play enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ list, he would have ranked in the bottom-four among tackles with at least 200 offensive snaps.
Mills was recently in for a visit with the 49ers along with fellow linemen Tyree St. Louis and Caleb Benenoch. Jaylon Moore is currently sidelined with a lower leg strain, and he had mostly been serving as the primary swing tackle behind Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey. Mills will get some extra reps while Moore is out, and the veteran addition will likely be competing with the likes of Colton McKivitz and Justin Skule for a roster spot.
OT Duane Brown Visiting Jets
Could Duane Brown be heading east? The veteran offensive tackle is visiting with the Jets and will attend their Green & White scrimmage tonight, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter).
Brown started all 17 games last season for Seattle and earned his first Pro Bowl nod since the 2017 campaign. He ended up ranking a respectable 37th among 83 eligible tackles on Pro Football Focus, with the site grading him pretty much the same for both pass blocking and run blocking.
Despite his performance, Brown remains unsigned in August. There have been rumblings throughout the offseason that the Seahawks could re-sign him, but that ship probably sailed once the team selected Mississippi State LT Charles Cross with the ninth-overall pick in the draft. The Panthers were also briefly connected to the soon-to-be 37-year-old lineman, but that’s about it for reported suitors. Off the field, Brown was arrested back in July after trying to go through security screening with a gun in one of his bags, and he was booked on possession of a concealed firearm.
The Seahawks had deployed Brown as Russell Wilson‘s blindside blocker since acquiring him in a trade with the Texans in October 2017. After starting each of his 133 games for Houston, Brown started all 70 of his appearances in Seattle. The five-time Pro Bowler missed 16 games between 2015 and 2019, but he hasn’t missed a start over the past two years.
The Jets have been seeking some offensive tackle depth. They previously had Riley Reiff in for a visit before he signed with the Bears. It sounds like George Fant won the LT competition and is going to head into the season as the starter, with Mekhi Becton being demoted to the RT spot. Fant underwent offseason knee injury, while Becton was limited to only one game in 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Brown would provide an experienced and reliable option behind that duo, especially over the likes of rookie Max Mitchell, Chuma Edoga, and Conor McDermott.