Saints QB Jake Haener Diagnosed With Skin Cancer
AUGUST 2: Haener will undergo his procedure this coming Monday, as noted by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. He and the team expect him to be available for Wednesday’s practice, a sign of confidence the 25-year-old will be able to recover without issue. If all goes according to plan, the cancer diagnosis will not prove to be a burden in terms of long-term health or short-term training camp availability.
JULY 26: Saints backup quarterback Jake Haener has had a slow start to his NFL career. A fourth-round pick last year out of Fresno State, Haener was forced to miss time his rookie year due to a suspension. Now, as his sophomore campaign opens up, Haener may be forced to reckon with missed time yet again. According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Haener has been diagnosed with skin cancer. 
Haener chose not to disclose exactly what type of cancer he was diagnosed with but noted that it is rare to see at his age and is not life-threatening at the moment. He made the announcement while sporting a bandage on his face, where he had noticed an “odd-looking bump” that continued to grow. After having the bump biopsied the week before training camp, it was discovered to be cancerous.
The next step includes a consultation next week to determine what comes in the next several days. “I have to get a different procedure done on my face,” Haener explained. “So we’re just trying to take the necessary steps in order to see how long I can wait until I have to get that procedure done.”
He explained that there is a bit of concern in waiting too long to take care of the necessary procedures. Delaying the procedures could allow time for the cancer to spread to areas where it could potentially be more harmful. It’s unclear for now whether the necessary procedure will force Haener to miss any time, but it’s a positive sign that Haener has been a full participant in all of New Orleans’ training camp sessions thus far.
At the moment, Haener’s attendance at camp is crucial. He is currently battling rookie fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler for the backup quarterback job behind Derek Carr. Both quarterbacks have been rotating between snaps on the second- and third-team offenses while veteran Nathan Peterman lurks just in the background.
Haener becomes the second Saints player to receive a diagnosis of some type of cancer in as many years. Tight end Foster Moreau announced just over a year ago that his cancer was in full remission after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in March of 2023. Here’s hoping for a similar successful battle for Haener.
Rams G Jonah Jackson Out For Preseason
The prospective start of offensive guard Jonah Jackson‘s new tenure with the Rams hit a bit of a bump in the road yesterday. After leaving practice Tuesday with a member of the team’s training staff, Jackson was absent at today’s walkthrough. Initially, the team called Jackson’s shoulder injury a day-to-day ailment, but ESPN’s Sarah Barshop reports the update that Jackson is set to miss the preseason with a bruised left scapula. 
Jackson just played out his rookie contract with the Lions. When the two sides were unable to come together on an extension agreement in the offseason, the Rams swooped in and collected on Detroit’s loss. Los Angeles signed Jackson to a three-year, $51MM deal including $34MM in guarantees.
The guarantees came despite a recent trend of Jackson missing a handful of games in the last two seasons. He was unavailable for four games in 2022 and five games last year as he dealt with wrist, ankle, and knee injuries. Noting the history, Rams head coach Sean McVay insisted that, while Jackson was “in good shape,” the team was trying to be “smart” with how they were utilizing him at practices throughout the offseason. Their plan was for him to be full-go at training camp — a plan which has backfired as they can now add “shoulder” to the above list of body parts with recent injuries.
While Jackson’s sidelined for the rest of the preseason, the team will likely give players like Logan Bruss and Mike McAllister some run in his spot. Bruss is a former third-round pick who has yet to appear in an NFL contest. His rookie season was lost to a torn ACL and MCL in the Rams’ second preseason game that year, and he spent last season on the practice squad. McAllister was an undrafted rookie interior lineman a year ago who has also failed to see any NFL action. Joseph Noteboom could potentially backup Jackson at the position, but he’s already backing up an injured Alaric Jackson at left tackle, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
The lack of sufficient, experienced depth is a bit of a concern for the Rams, but they do think Jackson has a chance to return for the start of the regular season. The Rams open with the team that refused to meet Jackson’s contract demands as they head to Detroit for Week 1. They’ll hope Jackson is ready to face his former team, but if not, they may need to invest in a more secure backup situation.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/24
Wednesday’s minor transactions to close out the month:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived (with injury settlement): DT Rayshad Nichols
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Terrell Burgess
- Waived: P Jack Browning
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Dillon Johnson
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Daewood Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: G Lewis Kidd
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Jaylen Watson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: LB Darien Butler
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Willie Snead
- Waived: DT Mario Kendricks
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Abraham Beauplan
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): CB Mario Goodrich
- Released (with non-football injury designation): CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Tarik Black
- Waived: DL Jonathan Marshall
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Rodney Mathews, RB Kairee Robinson
- Waived: LB Easton Gibbs
- Waived (with injury settlement): RB Ricky Person
Snead is the latest veteran wideout to join the Dolphins receiving corps. He hasn’t really contributed much to the NFL since his 2020 campaign with the Ravens, but he’ll get another chance this summer in South Beach.
Carolina brings in Johnson just a day after watching veteran Rashaad Penny hang up his cleats. In order to make room for Johnson, the Panthers let good of Davis, the team’s recent signee from the UFL.
Butler was waived after a failed physical two days ago. After going unclaimed, he’ll get to stay in Vegas by taking a place on the reserve/PUP list.
Buccaneers G Sua Opeta Suffers Torn ACL
The Buccaneers saw injury at the left guard position lead to a change in starter last year as Aaron Stinnie stepped in for a hurt Matt Feiler midseason. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the injuries didn’t wait for the season to start this year. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports today that guard Sua Opeta tore an ACL at practice this Tuesday, ruling him out for the 2024 NFL season. 
Stinnie won’t come to the rescue this year, as the five-year veteran now plays in New York. To replace him and Feiler, who is currently unsigned on the free agent market, the Buccaneers signed Opeta and former Giants starter Ben Bredeson. Bredeson and Opeta were set to compete for the starting left guard job this summer, but with no Opeta, it should be Bredeson’s job to win.
An undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2019, Opeta spent most of his rookie season on the Eagles’ practice squad, getting called up in December but not appearing in any games. In his sophomore campaign, he was called up from the practice squad and made his NFL debut in Week 3. He started two games in eight appearances that year before getting placed on injured reserve. Over the next two seasons, Opeta would make two starts in 17 more game appearances for Philadelphia.
Last year, Opeta found some starting snaps in six games as an injury replacement for Cam Jurgens. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) utilized Opeta’s starting sample to grade him out as the NFL’s 58th best guard, 17 spots over Bredeson, who graded out at 75th. Despite not having Bredeson’s starting experience, many believed Opeta stood a strong chance at beating out Bredeson for the job.
With Opeta lost for the year, though, Bredeson should have an open lane for the starting gig. Since being traded from the Ravens to the Giants after his rookie campaign, Bredeson has made 25 starts in 35 game appearances, including 16 last year. He has not graded out favorably in the eyes of PFF over the years, but without many other options, Tampa Bay will need Bredeson to deliver.
Cowboys’ Sam Williams Tears ACL
JULY 29: Williams also suffered a partial MCL tear yesterday, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. That will add further to his recovery time as he turns his attention to the 2025 campaign and his ability to rebuild his free agent value.
JULY 28: The Cowboys were set to enter the 2024 NFL season with defensive end as a position of strength. Unfortunately, an early training camp injury has changed that picture a bit in Dallas. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, defensive end Sam Williams is reported to have suffered a torn ACL, ending his third year in the league before it had a chance to get off the ground. After initial speculation from Pelissero and the team, Ian Rapoport was the one to confirm the positive MRI results. 
Williams joined the Cowboys’ defensive front in 2022 after getting drafted out of Ole Miss in the second round. His rookie year saw him buried on the depth chart behind Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler, yet he still managed to tally four sacks while rotating in. He also showed his disruptive nature in other ways, finishing only behind Parsons on the team with 10 tackles for loss.
In his sophomore campaign, Williams worked his way past Fowler on the depth chart and even outproduced Lawrence, finishing the season third on the team in sacks with 4.5. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has been friendly to Williams over the years, ranking him as the 54th-best pass rusher out of 119 at the position in 2022 and the 51st out of 112 in 2023 — both years in limited time. Last year, PFF graded him with the 37th-best pass rushing grade in the league.
Up to now, health had hardly been an issue for Williams. In two years of NFL play, Williams only missed two games, both in his rookie season, and one of them was the result of a car accident. He was arrested shortly before the 2023 season but didn’t end up missing any time as a result of the incident.
With two of his competitors for snaps, Armstrong and Fowler, now set to take starting reps for the division-rival Commanders, Williams was in line for a larger responsibility and snap share in 2024. After running fifth and fourth on the depth chart in his first two seasons, Williams had once again worked his way up and was set to run as the third defensive end for the year.
The team utilized a second-round pick on Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland in April to helps minimize the impact of Armstrong and Fowler’s departures, but now, Kneeland will likely be asked to step up into the role Williams was set up for. Kneeland wasn’t an elite pass rusher for the Broncos, only amassing 13.0 sacks in five years; his seasons in college actually much resembled the NFL production of Williams’ first two years, so perhaps he’s well-equipped to step into that role.
Unless Dallas turns to the veteran free agent market, which they may have to do, the Cowboys will have to rely on other players for that lost depth. Viliami Fehoko returns in 2024. A fourth-round rookie last year, Fehoko failed to make any game appearances before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury in mid-November. He was activated in January but still didn’t see the field. Tyrus Wheat is the other depth option after appearing in 12 games for the Cowboys last year as an undrafted rookie.
While that may not be enough for Dallas, and they may need to seek some free agent help, one thing that’s certain is that Williams will not be able to contribute this year. That makes 2025 a crucial year for Williams as it will be the final year of his rookie contract and his final chance to show what he can bring to a defense that already rosters an All-Pro star in Parsons.
Patriots DT Christian Barmore Diagnosed With Blood Clots
The Patriots endured a scare this weekend when head athletic trainer Jim Whalen noted a bruise on the back of defensive tackle Christian Barmore‘s calf. Whalen insisted that the breakout lineman from last year get it checked out. Upon doing so, Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. After avoiding disaster, Barmore is now receiving treatment and focusing on his health, per a statement from the Patriots. 
A former second-round pick out of Alabama, Barmore had a slow start to his NFL career. In his rookie season, Barmore earned a good amount of playing time as a rotation sub. He only started two games, but he played nearly as much as the starters at the position. He functioned mainly as a run-stopper with 46 tackles on the season. The following year, his role increased slightly, as he earned three starts, but he was limited to only 10 games due to a knee injury.
Last year, fully healthy, Barmore broke out in a big way. He only started six games, but he played more defensive snaps than any other lineman. With that time, Barmore recorded career highs in sacks (8.5), total tackles (64), tackles for loss (13), quarterback hits (16), pass deflections (6), and forced fumbles (1). Analytics reflected his breakout season, as well, as Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the eighth-best interior defender in the NFL, lauding his pass rushing abilities which they graded at the NFL’s seventh-best at the position.
New England rewarded Barmore’s impressive outing by helping him to avoid a contract year, signing the lineman to a four-year extension worth up to $92MM. The Patriots appreciated his contributions so much that they ensured Barmore would anchor their defensive line for the years to come, keeping him under contract through the 2028 season.
Following his diagnosis, though, that future is up in the air. The focus is, rightfully, on Barmore’s health at the moment and not on his potential return to the field. Undiagnosed, his blood clots could’ve provided the worst-possible outcome for the young defender who celebrates his 25th birthday today. Once securing his health, Barmore can then turn his thoughts to the field, but for now, there is only one focus.
To speculate, though, blood clots have provided a variety of outcomes in the past. Most recently, we saw center Billy Price retire after undergoing emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering his lungs. Price felt that the risk of internal bleeding while on blood thinners was too great to continue playing. Jets tackle Max Mitchell‘s rookie season was cut short due to blood clots in his lung and calf. The condition was treatable with medications, and Mitchell returned to start seven games last year. Rams tackle Alaric Jackson saw a similar situation end his 2022 season after only eight games, requiring blood thinning medication before returning to the field.
It’s hard to say what any of that means for Barmore. Obviously, the few examples provided show the possibility that we may not see Barmore in 2024. While these instances all were season-ending, both Mitchell and Jackson returned to play the following season. Barmore’s health is more important than his career, at the moment, though, so any decisions on his future will have to wait.
If Barmore is forced to miss time, this will push the Patriots depth at the position. They were set to roll with Barmore and Davon Godchaux starting while Deatrich Wise and last year’s second-round rookie Keion White battled for that last starting spot. If Barmore is out, both Wise and White will likely join Godcheaux on the starting front while the Patriots count on depth pieces like Daniel Ekuale, Armon Watts, and others to contribute off the bench.
While we wait to hear more, those of us at PFR commend Whalen on his level of care and attention and wish only the best for Barmore moving forward.
NFL Workout Rumors: Dawkins, Lions, Akers
The name of recent UFL linebacker Noah Dawkins is starting to make the rounds in NFL camps. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Dawkins worked out recently with both the Cowboys and Bears.
Dawkins’ introduction to the NFL came in 2019 when he signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following an impressive pro day at The Citadel. He was signed off the team’s practice squad to the Buccaneers active roster, appearing in 10 games without recording any defensive statistics. In the next three years, he spent time with the Jets and Bears.
He spent this past UFL season with the Michigan Panthers, totaling 35 tackles and an interception. He wasn’t part of the initial rush of players from the UFL getting NFL interest, but he seems to be growing in popularity. In addition to his recent workouts, Wilson reports that Dawkins has garnered interest from multiple other teams.
Here are a couple other workout rumors from around the NFL:
- The Lions entered training camp with one of the league’s more intriguing position battles as Michael Badgley and UFL phenom Jake Bates duked it out for the kicking job in Detroit. The incumbent Badgley was forced out of the battle when he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury on Thursday. Despite this setback, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp isn’t simply handing the job to Bates. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Fipp and the Lions brought in a slew of legs to compete with Bates this summer including Matt Ammendola, Lucas Havrisik, Matt McCrane, and Andre Szmyt. Bates was shining at points of his viral UFL campaign but got cold down the stretch. After Bates missed three of eight field goal attempts in practice yesterday, per Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman, it makes sense for Fipp to bring in some competition to keep the UFL star honest.
- Former second-round running back Cam Akers has struggled to find his place in the NFL but recently signed with the Texans for his next opportunity. Interestingly, Wilson notes that, before his successful workout in Houston resulted in a contract, Akers was scheduled for a workout with the Raiders this past week. Akers has his chance now to battle for time behind Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce in Houston, but his chances may have been a bit better in Las Vegas. The Raiders have a few names in Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah, but White is relatively inexperienced with just four starts to his name, Mattison struggled in his first season of full-time starting duty last season in Minnesota, and Abdullah hasn’t eclipsed 200 yards rushing in a season since 2017. It’s interesting to see Akers sign with Houston when he may have had an opportunity for more playing time with the Raiders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/24
Here are today’s minor moves to close out the weekend:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Demetric Felton
- Placed on exempt/international player list: P Tory Taylor
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from active/NFI list: TE Erick All
Dallas Cowboys
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): CB Kemon Hall
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from active/PUP list: G Joe Thuney
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB David Long
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Josiah Bronson
- Activated from active/NFI list: RB Antonio Gibson
- Activated from active/PUP list: RB Terrell Jennings
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: G Tremayne Anchrum, T Jesse Davis
- Placed on IR: OL Justin Herron
- Waived: OL Mark Evans II
New York Giants
- Signing: CB Breon Borders
- Activated from active/PUP list: TE Theo Johnson
- Waived: QB Nathan Rourke
Thuney has been working his way back from a pectoral injury. After suffering the strain in a Divisional Round win over the Bills, the injury held Thuney out of the team’s final two wins over the Ravens and 49ers. Having passed his physical, Thuney will return to practice in order to take the next steps on his way back to the field.
The Giants weren’t the only team to submit a waiver claim for Rourke as he continues to try and turn his success in the Canadian Football League into an NFL opportunity. Now, after being buried on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito, Rourke is able to look elsewhere for that chance at playing time in the NFL.
Cowboys Submit New Extension Offer To WR CeeDee Lamb
Still dealing with a rare contract situation in which three players are in the mix for market-setting extensions, the Cowboys have Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb positioned ahead of Micah Parsons in their queue. Differing reports have come out regarding whether Dallas’ quarterback or top wide receiver is the first priority, but the most recent update would point to the latter being in that slot. 
COO Stephen Jones told NFL.com’s Jane Slater on Saturday the team has submitted another proposal to Lamb. Jones views the conversations with Lamb’s camp as positive, as the team attempts to hammer out an agreement that will likely be similar to the Vikings’ megadeal for Justin Jefferson.
After indicating both Lamb and Parsons wanted to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, Jones backtracked by saying the fifth-year wide receiver is not demanding that. At $35MM — with guarantees at $110MM (total) and $88.7MM (full) — Jefferson set a high bar this offseason, one that eclipsed Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-AAV deal as the league’s top non-QB contract.
A report earlier this week, coming out just before Lamb made his long-rumored holdout official, indicated the Cowboys had not yet entered substantial talks with the 2020 first-rounder. It appears that has changed, with this offer — which emerged Friday — not being the first during this negotiation. The Cowboys had Lamb on their extension radar last year but did not appear to enter serious talks. That has driven up the price now that Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and A.J. Brown have upped the market this offseason.
On the quarterback front, Jones told the reporters that, apart from Lamb’s deal yesterday, the team also made a contract offer to Prescott’s agents “a few days ago,” per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. With yesterday’s extensions of Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love, it’s likely that the offer will get tossed aside in order to process the newest information. With Tagovailoa’s deal falling just short in annual average value of the league leaders and Love’s extension tying him with Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence as the highest annual earners of all time, it’s easy to envision a situation in the near future wherein Prescott becomes the NFL’s highest-paid player of all time.
A reason that the Cowboys seem to be a step behind the rest of the league on getting these new deals done could be Jones’ father, Jerry Jones. The elder Jones acts as the team’s owner, president, and general manager. This is of note due to what seems to be Dallas’ view on the salary cap affecting negotiations.
Watkins reports that Jones fears that the league’s monopoly case with DirecTV could affect the NFL’s revenue in the future, ultimately pushing for a reduction, or at least a slower inflation, in the salary cap. Subjectively, this feels like a bit of an empty threat. Aside from the COVID-19-affected 2020 season, NFL revenue has increased at the rate of $1BB per year each year since 2017. Regardless of the result of the DirecTV lawsuit, the NFL has secured broadcasting deals with CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, YouTube TV, Amazon, and most recently, Netflix. According to Matt Johnson of sportsnaut.com, the league’s estimated revenue for the 2023-24 season approached $20BB.
Jones claims to know where the NFL salary cap is headed better than anyone else, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. Perhaps he does have information other general managers aren’t privy to, but for now, it projects as a bit of grandstanding in order to excuse a slow resolution to multiple big contract negotiations. With recent offers out to Lamb and Prescott, it seems progress is being made, but there is a lot more work to be done in Dallas.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
49ers Rumors: RG, Hufanga, Pearsall
For much of the offseason, we have broadcast the 49ers’ right guard position battle as a challenge between Spencer Burford, who watched the job slip through his fingers last season, and Jon Feliciano, the man who took his job. In the meantime, we’ve logged third-round rookie Dominick Puni as a promising name to watch if he breaks out in training camp.
According to Cam Inman of The Mercury News, Puni’s time may be coming up sooner than expected. This revelation comes as Puni’s competition, Burford and Feliciano, both deal with injuries so far in training camp. Burford has suffered a fractured right hand, an ailment that could require surgery. If Burford undergoes surgery, that could keep him out for a bit of training camp, if not longer.
Feliciano has been dealing with a knee issue in recent days. The nine-year veteran has been preparing for what he has announced to be his final NFL season. As an experienced starter, Feliciano could just be playing it safe, getting the benefit of the doubt from coaches while making sure he’ll be ready for the regular season. The more time Feliciano sits out, though, the more first-team reps he’ll be allowing for his competition. Regardless of the position battle, Feliciano’s status last year as the sixth-man of the offensive line makes his health paramount at the moment.
With both Burford and Feliciano out, it’s been Puni taking those first-team reps. The team has praised Puni’s versatility after the Kansas-product made a strong first impression this spring. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster has lauded Puni’s strong frame and intelligence as he makes the adjustment to the NFL game.
Here are a couple of other injury updates from the Bay Area:
- In more positive injury news, former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga is recovering well in his return from a torn ACL. With Week 1 as a targeted return date, Hufanga is seemingly on track. Inman reports that Hufanga is expected to make his practice debut in mid-August around the time that the team will be taking part in joint practices with the Saints. With Hufanga sidelined, Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum have been running with the first-team defense with Malik Mustapha, Tayler Hawkins, and Erik Harris all providing quality depth.
- Another positive update, rookie first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall reportedly has a strong chance to make his training camp debut on Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pearsall has missed training camp so far with a hamstring injury, and while it’s not a guarantee that he’ll make is return next week, it’s a positive step in the right direction.