Latest On Bills’ LB Situation Following Matt Milano Injury
In the wake of outside linebacker Matt Milano’s bicep tear, which will keep the 2022 First Team All-Pro on the shelf for an indefinite period of time, the Bills will need to find an adequate replacement. Per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (subscription required), Buffalo will likely give Dorian Williams the first shot at taking over for Milano.
That does not come as much of a surprise, as Williams was a third-round pick last year and had been serving as Milano’s backup throughout much of training camp anyway. However, his ascension to a starting role is still contingent upon improvement in several areas.
The most glaring weakness in Williams’ game is his coverage ability, as he frequently takes the bait on play-action fakes. While his speed is an asset and allows him to make splash plays in run defense, he remains vulnerable against the pass, and given how much the Bills ask of their linebackers – which is why they invest more dollars at the position than many other teams – the second-year pro is still in the process of learning his responsibilities.
Of course, Milano suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 5 of the 2023 season, and Buffalo initially gave Williams a crack at an increased role before ultimately turning to Tyrel Dodson. Dodson took advantage of his opportunity and parlayed his strong performance into a one-year, $4.26MM deal with the Seahawks this offseason, which gives Williams a clearer path to a starting job this time around.
Still, third-year pro Baylon Spector has looked good in camp and could be in the mix as Milano’s replacement, even though he has spent most of his time working as Terrel Bernard’s backup at middle linebacker. Veteran Nicholas Morrow is another option, though he has battled a core/groin injury. Despite the injury, Milano’s absence certainly improves Morrow’s chances of making the initial 53-man roster.
If the Bills want to take advantage of Williams’ run defense upside while mitigating his coverage liabilities, the team could bring in an additional safety on obvious passing downs and drop another safety into the second level of the defense to serve as a de facto third LB on those plays. That is what Jordan Poyer did last year, but Poyer is now with the Dolphins, and in Buscaglia’s view, safety might be the weakest position on the team, so Buffalo may not be able to line up in dime coverage as often as it might like.
The Bills could also turn to free agency or a trade if Williams et al. are not up to the challenge. However, head coach Sean McDermott prefers to address these types of issues via internal promotions, so Buffalo could eschew that route, especially in light of the above-referenced complexities that accompany the club’s linebacker positions.
Williams appeared in all 17 of the Bills’ regular season games last year, including two starts. He participated in 211 defensive snaps and recorded 40 combined tackles.
Bears Likely To Retain RB Khalil Herbert
Shortly after minicamp ended in June, we heard that Bears running back Khalil Herbert could be on the roster bubble. That is no longer the case, with Adam Jahns of The Athletic (subscription required) noting that Chicago needs Herbert and that his place on the club seems secure.
Just last year, it was reported that Herbert was the frontrunner to take over primary back duties following the departure of David Montgomery. Despite the 2023 offseason additions of D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson, Herbert was the obvious candidate for the job, as he showcased high-end potential as Montgomery’s backup in each of the prior two years. During that time, Herbert tallied 1,164 rushing yards on 232 carries (over 5.0 yards per attempt) and six TDs.
Herbert, 26, did indeed open the 2023 campaign as Chicago’s RB1, but given the rushing prowess of former quarterback Justin Fields and the fact that the Bears suffered double-digit losses in each of their first thee games of the season, he totaled just 23 totes in that span. He unfortunately sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 5 and landed on injured reserve as a result.
He reclaimed his starting job near the end of the season and posted two 100-yard performances in Weeks 16 and 17, displaying the burst that the club had become familiar with. The Bears knew, however, that they would be drafting QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and as part of their efforts to surround Williams with as much talent as possible, they signed RB D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24MM contract in March.
The addition of a Pro Bowl running back, plus the continued presence of Johnson and Travis Homer, made Herbert a potential cut or trade candidate earlier in the summer. However, Herbert is still cheap — the 2021 sixth-rounder is making just over $1MM this year, the final year of his rookie deal — he has just 364 career carries, and he managed to post 4.6 yards per attempt last season despite an ankle injury and despite playing on a below-average offense.
As Jahns notes, this may be Herbert’s last season with the team. Nonetheless, the club clearly plans to contend in 2024, and as such, it makes plenty of sense to retain a talented, inexpensive back who can serve as one more weapon in an offensive attack that suddenly looks quite dangerous (depending, of course, on Williams’ development).
49ers Notes: Hufanga, Puni, Davis
The 49ers continue to work on resolutions to their high-profile contract disputes with WR Brandon Aiyuk and LT Trent Williams, and the club is also waiting on 2022 First Team All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga. As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details, Hufanga — who sustained a torn ACL in November — was cleared to take the next steps in his rehab, but that does not yet include practice.
“We can push him a little bit harder,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Not against players. But those type of dynamic cuts. Hopefully, he has a real good week with it and we can talk about easing him into practice.”
With the start of the regular season fast approaching, the fact that Hufanga has not been cleared to practice yet suggests that he may not be ready for Week 1 as originally hoped. George Odum has been taking first-team reps in Hufanga’s absence, though fourth-round rookie Malik Mustapha is pushing the veteran for playing time.
2024 is the final season of Hufanga’s rookie contract, so an early and productive return to the starting lineup will be a major boon to his future earning power.
Now for a few more items, including several injury-related notes, from the Bay Area:
- Thanks in part to injuries to Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano, third-round rookie Dominick Puni saw immediate action as the first-team right guard in the early days of training camp. It was noted at the time that the former Central Missouri blocker, who finished his collegiate career as a tackle at Kansas, was catching on quickly to the Niners’ complex blocking scheme, and it seems he has continued to build momentum. Per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required), Puni is the presumptive RG starter, although the team wants to see further growth from him.
- Puni’s fellow starting guard, LG Aaron Banks, recently sustained a broken little finger, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Like Hufanga, Banks is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and though he has served as the full-time starter at left guard over each of the past two seasons, he has not exactly been a world-beater. A strong showing in 2024 will help him secure a notable second NFL contract, even if it does not come from the 49ers (the club has not been overly willing to pay up for interior lineman in recent years, and we heard last month that Puni could eventually take over for Banks at LG). Luckily, Banks could return for Week 1.
- The news is not as good for DT Kalia Davis, who will undergo knee surgery and who will miss half of the 2024 season as a result (as relayed by Barrows). Davis, a 2022 sixth-rounder, sustained a torn ACL during his final year of college and missed his entire rookie season as a result. He appeared in a total of 54 defensive snaps across three games last year, but he performed well in last week’s preseason opener (a sack and two backfield hits). His efforts to carve out a more meaningful role in San Francisco’s D-line rotation will be put on hold, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting that surgery is necessary to remove a floating body in Davis’ knee.
Chiefs WR Marquise Brown To Miss Time
8:41PM: Schefter provided an update this evening that Brown has arrived back in Kansas City following his release from the Jacksonville-area hospital he spent the night in. Schefter adds that, a day after his diagnosis, Brown’s status for the Chiefs’ regular season opener versus Brown’s former team, the Ravens, is still uncertain at this point.
8:17AM: Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown sustained a dislocation of the sternoclavicular (SC) joint in his left shoulder during last night’s preseason opener against the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher. The 27-year-old receiver was hospitalized, because as ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell writes, SC joint dislocation can be particularly serious due to its potential to impact critical blood vessels. Luckily, Brown was discharged from the hospital this morning and cleared to return to Kansas City, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
“Hollywood” suffered the injury on the first play of the game, catching an 11-yard pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes before being tackled and landing awkwardly on the shoulder. Significant injuries to key starters in exhibition contests always lead to a few raised eyebrows, but head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy wanted the first-year Chief to get his feet wet in live action as soon as possible.
The Chiefs’ underwhelming WR corps was a major storyline for the club last season, and while they ultimately secured a Super Bowl victory despite the struggles of some of their top pass catchers, they made a concerted effort to give Mahomes a more explosive arsenal this offseason. That included the acquisition of Brown, whose speed and route-running abilities put one in mind of a lesser version of former Kansas City standout Tyreek Hill.
Interestingly, as Nate Taylor of The Athletic (subscription required) reminds us, Brown’s injury is similar to the one that Hill himself suffered in 2019’s regular season opener (also against the Jaguars). Hill ultimately missed 34 days, and Taylor says the injury will require surgery that comes with a recovery time of four to six weeks. That timeline would force Brown to miss the regular season opener against the Ravens and jeopardize his availability for KC’s next two games as well.
Despite Brown’s speed and separation ability, he has never posted gaudy yards-per-reception numbers and has topped the 1,000-yard mark just once in his five-year career. Of course, he played on run-heavy offenses during his first three seasons in the league as a member of the Ravens – which is what compelled him to request a trade out of Baltimore – and over the last two years with the Cardinals, he played with seven different QBs while dealing with a few injury concerns.
His limited production in the desert put a damper on his market this offseason, and he ultimately signed a one-year, $7MM deal (plus up to $4MM in incentives) with Kansas City, which is a fine place for a talented receiver to play out a pillow contract given the presence of Reid and Mahomes. Brown and Mahomes had reportedly built a strong rapport over the course of offseason practices and training camp, a connection that will now be put on pause for a time.
First-round rookie Xavier Worthy, another speed merchant, will be relied upon more heavily in Brown’s absence. The Chiefs’ expect second-year pro Rashee Rice, the club’s top receiver in 2023, to be suspended for his offseason legal issues, though it remains to be seen when that ban will be handed down.
Rams LB Ernest Jones An Extension Candidate?
There continue to be conflicting reports about Rams linebacker Ernest Jones’ status as an extension candidate. Back in March, we heard that Jones was on the club’s extension radar, but GM Les Snead said just a few days later that he would not authorize a new deal for the contract-year defender in 2024.
“We prioritized spending our resources on additions rather than re-signing from within,” Snead said at the time. When making public comments, general managers will typically discuss the value of developing and extending their own players instead of making external additions, though Snead has never been afraid to zig when others zag and to be candid in his decisions to do so. Plus, the Rams have a history — at least during the Sean McVay era — of letting off-ball linebackers and safeties secure their second contracts elsewhere.
That said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrote that Jones is indeed a candidate for a second contract from the Rams, despite Los Angeles’ general unwillingness to pay big money to an off-ball LB (subscription required). Fowler notes that Jones is considered a “tone-setter” on the club’s defense, and given the 24-year-old defender’s performance and the growth he has shown since the Rams selected him in the third round of the 2021 draft, Snead could be willing to make an exception.
In 2023, Jones recorded 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 15 games (all starts) while enjoying a 93% snap share. That production is not a mere byproduct of heavy volume, as the South Carolina alum graded out as the 13th-best linebacker in the league out of 82 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Of his 145 tackles, 14 of them were behind the line of scrimmage.
Fowler did say that Jones could secure a new deal from the Rams “down the line,” so it does not sound as if anything is imminent, and it’s unclear if negotiations are even taking place. Perhaps Snead & Co. want to see him continue his ascent and replicate his 2023 performance before deviating from their modus operandi, and if Jones is successful in that regard, Los Angeles will of course have exclusive negotiating rights between the end of the 2024 season and the start of the legal tampering period in March 2025.
Jones is due to earn $3.12MM in 2024, the last year of his rookie contract.
Latest On Jaguars OC Press Taylor
For now, at least, Jaguars OC Press Taylor is still the team’s offensive play-caller. Mia O’Brien of 1010 XL noted prior to last night’s preseason opener against the Chiefs that Taylor would call the plays in that contest, and that he would do so from the field as opposed to the booth.
In 2022, Doug Pederson’s first year as Jacksonville’s head coach, Pederson himself handled play-calling duties, and the Jags finished 10th in the league in both points and total offense. Pederson handed the reins to Taylor in advance of the 2023 season, and the club slipped to 13th in both categories and 18th in DVOA. Plus, quarterback Trevor Lawrence did not take the step forward that many anticipated (though that did not stop Lawrence from securing a massive extension in June, which is more of a testament to the exploding QB market than the former Clemson star’s performance to date).
This offseason, GM Trent Baalke was rumored to be taking a hard look into the state of the club’s offense, and Taylor in particular. Obviously, both Pederson and Taylor remain in their respective posts, though the 2024 season will be pivotal for the Duval County futures of the HC/OC duo. Owner Shad Khan made some pointed comments on the matter back in June.
Referencing a New York Times piece alluding to Pederson’s job security, Khan said, “if I were in that situation, I’d want my hands on the wheel. But I don’t want to tell people ‘we need to do it’ because then things don’t work out, they look at me and say, ‘we did it because you wanted it.’ … Doug, he’s empowered. I’m going to let him decide.”
O’Brien did not indicate whether Pederson has even considered a reprisal of his role as play-caller, and it would qualify as something of a surprise if he did, given his steadfast loyalty to Taylor. Indeed, when he was serving as the Eagles’ head coach, Pederson reportedly wanted to promote Taylor – who was Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at the time – to offensive coordinator following the 2020 season. Pederson’s disagreements with team brass in that regard led to a mutual parting of the ways just two years after he stewarded the Eagles to their first and only Super Bowl title.
Pederson’s only recent comments about Taylor’s duties pertained to his protege’s move to the field from the booth. “You feel connected to the game a little more [on the field],” Pederson said. “Early in my career, I was in the box as well. Little more challenging up there.”
Nothing about that, of course, indicates that Pederson is contemplating a more dramatic change.
Giants Activate RT Evan Neal
Giants right tackle Evan Neal has passed a physical and has been activated off the PUP list, the club announced. The team also signed linebacker K.J. Cloyd and waived defensive back Kaleb Hayes.
New York selected Neal with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2022 draft, though his performance over his first two years in the pros has not aligned with his draft status. During that time, the Alabama product has started 20 games and has struggled mightily, finishing as the second-worst OT in the league in each season in the estimation of Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
In Week 9 of the 2023 campaign, Neal suffered what was initially believed to be a sprained ankle, but follow-up testing became necessary after he did not heal as expected. The additional examination revealed a broken foot that required surgery, and he is getting back on the field several weeks after training camp opened.
Now, it is fair to wonder if Neal will be able to work his way back into the starting lineup, as Connor Hughes of SNY.tv notes. In training camp, free agent acquisition Jermaine Eluemunor has been taking the first-team reps at right tackle in Neal’s absence, and he played well as the Raiders’ primary RT over each of the past two seasons. He does offer some versatility and could kick inside to guard — he lined up at LG during the Giants’ offseason practices — but his recent tackle work is far to superior to what Neal has submitted to date.
Neal could theoretically move to the interior of the line himself, though prior reports indicated that Big Blue has no plans to make such a move. Plus, the Giants recently added Greg Van Roten, who lined up at right guard alongside Eluemunor in Vegas last year and who is very much in the mix to start at RG for New York this season. Another offseason signing, Jon Runyan, appears poised to line up at left guard, and the starting center position is simply waiting for 2023 second-rounder John Michael Schmitz to return from a shoulder injury.
As such, it appears that Eluemunor and Neal are battling for the right tackle gig, and given Neal’s level of play in the NFL and Hughes’ recent report that the third-year blocker has fallen out of favor with the team — to say nothing of the notable two-year, $14MM deal that the Giants authorized for Eluemunor — Neal could start his third professional season as a backup.
Eagles Sign S Caden Sterns
The Eagles have signed free agent safety Caden Sterns, the team announced. Philadelphia cut linebacker Shaquille Quarterman in a corresponding move.
It has been a busy week for Sterns, who was waived by the Broncos on August 5, claimed by the Panthers on August 6, and subsequently put back on the waiver wire when he failed a physical with Carolina. He cleared waivers and was free to sign with any club, and as many expected, he chose the Eagles as his new employer.
Denver’s former fifth-round pick has shown potential when on the field, particularly during his rookie campaign in 2021. Sterns totaled a pair of interceptions and five pass deflections that season, and while he nearly matched both of those figures the following year, he played in just five games due to a hip ailment. Availability remained an issue for Sterns in 2023, as he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the regular season opener and was shelved for the rest of the year.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was Sterns’ head coach in Denver in 2021, and when speaking to reporters immediately after today’s acquisition, Fangio praised the 24-year-old DB’s instincts (video link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com). Fangio added, however, that Sterns will not practice for a week or so as he continues to recover from last year’s injury.
Nonetheless, Shorr-Parks believes Sterns has a real chance of making the roster, because in his estimation, Philadelphia would not have signed a player who is not yet ready to practice if the club did not think highly of that player and have a real vision for his fit on the team. Additionally, the Eagles need safety depth since C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Mekhi Garner are dealing with their own injury problems and since Sydney Brown is on the PUP list and James Bradberry is still learning the position after transitioning from cornerback (though Fangio said Bradberry is doing “pretty damn good” in that transition).
Quarterman, meanwhile, signed with Philadelphia just last week in an effort to crack the team’s LB rotation and to serve as a key special teams contributor after spending most of his first four years in the league as a third phase stalwart for the Jaguars. He will now need to seek an opportunity elsewhere.
Seahawks Nearing Deal With Connor Williams; Latest On Team’s OL Battles
AUGUST 5: A Williams-to-Seattle agreement should be expected shortly. Agent Drew Rosenhaus said during an appearance on the Joe Rose radio show Monday that a Seahawks contract should be worked out in the next 48-72 hours (h/t Sports Illustrated’s Scott Salomon). Notably, Rosenhaus added Williams will be available for Week 1, a sign of his positive ACL rehab. Getting a deal in place will provide Seattle with a starting center for at least the 2024 campaign, although the length and terms of the pact will be worth watching closely.
AUGUST 4: The Seahawks were engaged in contract talks with center Connor Williams at the end of July, and as ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes, Seattle is still interested in acquiring Williams. While the ACL tear that Williams suffered in 2023 has led to his extended stay on the free agent market and has put his availability for the start of the 2024 season in doubt, Henderson says that money, not health, is the hold-up in negotiations. 
Indeed, previous reports indicated that Williams passed his physical with the Seahawks. Per Henderson, the 27-year-old pivot simply wants more than Seattle can pay him (OverTheCap.com estimates that the ‘Hawks presently have a little over $10MM in effective cap space, which is near the bottom of the league but seemingly still enough to bring Williams into the fold, especially if they are willing to consider a multiyear deal).
For now, however, Olusegun Oluwatimi is at the top of the club’s center depth chart, with Henderson noting that the 2023 fifth-rounder has consistently gotten first-team reps ahead of free agent pickup Nick Harris. It appears that another 2023 draftee, Anthony Bradford, has the edge over third-round rookie Christian Haynes for the Seahawks’ other unsettled O-line position, right guard.
George Fant, who is in his second tour of duty in Seattle, continues to take starter’s reps at right tackle while Abraham Lucas works his way back from a knee injury. 2023 UDFA McClendon Curtis is operating behind Fant at right tackle for the time being, though Henderson says Curtis has impressed the Seahawks’ coaching staff and may still be in the RG mix. Despite a clear distribution of first-team snaps through the early stages of training camp, head coach Mike Macdonald says the starting OL has not been established.
Williams, who would have been one of the top free agents on the market this offseason if not for his injury, would certainly be a welcome addition to an offensive front that has several question marks on the interior. He is reportedly talking to other teams as well as Seattle, but those clubs have not yet been identified.
Browns Have Not Extended Paul DePodesta; Team Still Foresees Long-Term Relationship
Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta was hired by the team in 2016 after a lengthy run in Major Leage Baseball front offices. Though his hire was an unconventional one, DePodesta has clearly gained the favor of Cleveland ownership.
In 2021, we learned that DePodesta was given a five-year extension the prior season, a deal that ran through the 2024 campaign. At the time, his contract term matched those of head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, both of whom were hired in 2020.
Upon the announcement of the extension, owner Jimmy Haslam noted the logic of having his top power brokers on deals of the same length, saying, “it lines up with [Berry and Stefanski]. That makes all the sense, and we’re super excited about that. Paul’s going to be with us for a significant amount of time. Paul’s not the type, you don’t need to announce something on Paul’s behalf, but he’s going to be with us for a significant amount of time.”
The Browns have earned a playoff berth in two of the first four seasons of the Berry/Stefanski partnership, and despite the much-criticized acquisition and extension of quarterback Deshaun Watson, the club has a talented roster that has the makings of a championship contender. Berry and Stefanski were rewarded with new deals in June, though DePodesta — who also has a significant role in personnel matters and who recommended the current GM/HC pairing to Haslam — is still under contract for just one more year.
That does not mean, however, that the relationship will end at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Speaking at a recent training camp practice, Haslam said, “we’re working through the situation with Paul. It’s a little bit different because he lives in San Diego, but we’re comfortable Paul will remain with us in some very important fashion for the long term” (via Kelsey Russo of the team’s official website).
It therefore sounds like an extension for DePodesta is still in the cards, and it would not be surprising if his contract again matches the Stefanski and Berry deals in the near future.