Rory Parks | Pro Football Rumors

2022 Expected To Be Tom Brady’s Final Season; Latest On Rob Gronkowski

By Rory Parks | at September 11, 2022 10:09 am

For a few weeks, it seemed as if 2021 was Buccaneers QB Tom Brady‘s last season as a player. The future Hall of Famer announced his retirement on February 1, only to reverse that decision just before the start of the new league year on March 13. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, however, Brady is expected to hang up the cleats after the 2022 campaign.

This should not be especially surprising. After all, Brady did retire for a brief time just months ago, he has long stated that he wants to play until he is 45 — he just hit that milestone on August 3 — and he is out of contract at season’s end. Back in July, Brady acknowledged he was winding down, saying, “I would say it’s year to year. Could this be my last year? Absolutely. Could I change my mind? Absolutely. I’ve realized I don’t have five years left. I want to do it my way. I want to give it everything I got and see where I’m at. My body feels really good.”

Brady took an 11-day hiatus in the middle of this year’s training camp, which was planned but which nonetheless generated countless headlines, like most things that Brady does. We knew that Brady spent that time at a Bahamas resort with his family, and as Rapoport notes, Brady had promised his wife while he was still retired that he would vacation with the family in August for the first time in a long time. His absence amounted to nothing more than a fulfillment of that promise.

Of course, given Brady’s competitive nature, a return for the 2023 season remains a possibility. One source close to the 15-time Pro Bowler confirmed as much to Rapoport, though it presently seems more likely that, regardless of who is hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end, Brady will begin working as a Fox analyst on a healthy 10-year, $375MM contract. If he does choose to keep playing, he would be free to sign with any team, and while one source reiterated the affection and respect that Brady has for the Buccaneers’ organization, that source did not say that Brady would only play for Tampa Bay.

As for one of Brady’s favorite targets over the years, Rob Gronkowski? Despite Gronk’s recent adamance that he is retired for good, the Bucs reportedly were holding out hope that, if they are in the middle of a playoff chase this season, the enigmatic tight end could be convinced to return. However, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes, Tampa Bay believes Gronkowski is truly done with football.

The four-time First-Team All-Pro did post 55 catches for 802 yards and six TDs in just 12 games last year. If the Bucs are indeed in the mix for another Lombardi this season, they and Brady may well check in to see if Gronk might consider a second unretirement.

14 comments Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rob Gronkowski Tom Brady

Offseason In Review: Detroit Lions

By Rory Parks | at September 4, 2022 10:30 pm

The Lions may not compete for a playoff spot in 2022, but they will hope to show signs of improvement in Year 2 of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell partnership. The club did not make a play for a franchise quarterback in a draft class widely considered weak at the position, instead opting to focus on other areas of need while giving 2021 trade acquisition Jared Goff another year under center.

However, Holmes did make one major draft-day splash, moving up 20 spots from No. 32 overall to No. 12 overall to nab Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams. While Williams, who tore his ACL in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, is not expected to see game action until the middle of the season, Detroit clearly sees him as a foundational piece of its offense in the long term.

Aidan Hutchinson, meanwhile, will be asked to make an impact right away. The No. 2 overall pick from the University of Michigan, Hutchinson was a menace to collegiate offenses in 2021, racking up 14 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles in his final year with the Wolverines. That performance made the Michigan native a Heisman Trophy candidate as well as a candidate to be the first player taken in this year’s draft. While he fell just short of both honors, he has been penciled into a starting DE job since Holmes turned in the card for him, and he should provide a jolt to a defense that posted the third-fewest sacks in the league in 2021.

As might be expected for a rebuilding outfit, the Lions did not make many notable free agent acquisitions. They will hope that their young talent proves itself to be the core of a future contender, a core than can be supplemented with more outside help — including, perhaps, a new quarterback — in 2023.

Trades:

Traded pick nos. 32, 34, and 66 to Vikings for pick nos. 12 and 46; selected Williams with no. 12 pick, selected DE Josh Paschal with No. 46 pick.

Just as they largely avoided making any major moves in free agency, the Lions did not pull the trigger on any notable trades other than the draft-day transaction that netted them the opportunity to draft Williams. The club’s 3-13-1 record in 2021 gave it the No. 2 overall selection, and it had acquired the No. 32 overall pick from the Super Bowl champion Rams as part of last year’s Matthew Stafford/Goff trade. Los Angeles’ championship victory stuck Detroit with the lowest possible first-round choice, and Holmes was not content to wait until the bottom of the round to land another possible difference-maker after picking Hutchinson.

Instead, he catapulted up the board to take Williams, whose ACL tear is obviously a concern but whose delayed start to the 2022 campaign was not a major deterrent for a team that does not have realistic postseason expectations this year. Williams had a breakout performance in 2021 after transferring from Ohio State to Alabama, finishing with 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns, earning him a First Team All-American nod.

A strong route runner with good hands and dangerous speed, it is easy to see the appeal in Williams, who could perhaps add weight to his 179-lb frame but who has the size (6-2) and length to make the most of his tools. Though he will need to improve against press coverage and in making contested catches, Williams will pair with 2021 draftee Amon-Ra St. Brown to form an intriguing tandem at or near the top of Detroit’s future WR depth charts.

Because of his team’s defensive struggles in 2021 — the Lions surrendered 27.5 points per game last season, the second-worst mark in the NFL — it was not surprising to see Holmes continue to fortify that side of the ball even after the Hutchinson selection. Paschal, who was selected with the other pick acquired in the trade-up for Williams, may not provide a significant lift in the edge rush department, though he should always be stout against the run and can be effective as an interior rusher in sub-packages. In his final season at Kentucky, he produced five sacks and 15 tackles for loss, earning Second Team All-SEC acclaim for his efforts.

Like Williams, Paschal will need to wait a bit to make his professional debut. During spring workouts, Paschal aggravated a core injury that he initially sustained in college, and he was forced to undergo offseason surgery. He was recently placed on the reserve/PUP list, so he will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

Notable free agency additions:

Chris Board, LB. One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Isaiah Buggs, DL. One year, $965K.
DJ Chark, WR. One year, $10MM. Fully-guaranteed.
Jarrad Davis, LB. One year, $1.04MM. Released 8/29/22. Signed to practice squad 8/31/22.
DeShon Elliott, S. One year, $965K.
Devin Funchess, TE. One year, $1.04MM. Released 8/30/22.
Garrett Griffin, TE. One year, $965K. Released 8/15/22. Signed to practice squad 8/31/22.
Mike Hughes, CB. One year, $3.5MM. $1MM guaranteed.
Kendall Lamm, OL. One year, $1.12MM. Released 8/30/22.
Nate Sudfeld, QB. One year, $1.04MM.

Chark’s contract was far and away the biggest commitment that the Lions made to an outside free agent this offseason, and his signing, combined with the Williams selection and the re-signing of fellow wideout Josh Reynolds, demonstrated a clear organizational desire to stockpile skill-position talent (at one point this offseason, the team was rumored to be interested in swinging a trade for 49ers star Deebo Samuel). With Chark, St. Brown, Reynolds, tight end T.J. Hockenson, and (eventually) Williams on the field — to say nothing of a quality offensive line and a competent 1-2 punch of D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams in the backfield — the offense should be well-positioned to improve on its poor yards-per-game (322.6) and points-per-game (19.1) numbers in 2022.

A fractured ankle limited Chark to just four games in 2021, his final season with the Jaguars, and he missed time in 2020 as well. In 2019, however, he earned a Pro Bowl nod after authoring a 73/1,008/8 line, and he still has youth on his side (he will turn 26 in September). A 6-4 receiver with legitimate big-play ability, a strong display in the Motor City could put Chark in line to take advantage of the exploding WR market next offseason, though much of his success will of course depend on the rapport he develops with Goff and whether he can shake the health issues that have hampered him over the past several years.

Holmes made a few modest FA signings to bolster his defense, though one of those (Davis) was recently cut and added to the taxi squad. Davis, whom the Lions selected in the first round of the 2017 draft, was a full-time starter over his first three years in the league before seeing his playing time cut dramatically in 2020, the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. He appeared in nine games (five starts) with another defensively-challenged club, the Jets, in 2021, and reunited with the Lions in March.

Given that Detroit’s LB corps is presently comprised of options that are generally underwhelming (Alex Anzalone) or unproven (2021 fourth-rounder Derrick Barnes and sixth-round rookie Malcolm Rodriguez), it would not be surprising to see Davis promoted to the active roster at some point. On the other hand, Davis has never really lived up to his first-round billing despite strong tackle numbers in the first several years of his career, and the fact that he could not crack a 53-man roster that is so light on linebacker talent is telling.

Board, on the other hand, made the roster and is presently penciled in as a starter alongside Anzalone. The Ravens signed the North Dakota State product as a UDFA in 2018, and he instantly became a key member of the club’s special teams unit. He eventually earned more burn on the defensive side of the ball, appearing in 25% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps in 2020 and 33% in 2021. That increased playing time was largely a function of the Ravens’ own second-level struggles; Pro Football Focus graded Board as an average-to-below-average performer in terms of run defense, pass defense, and coverage in 2021, so he is unlikely to offer the boost that the Lions really need. At present, the team’s LB collection appears to be the weakest position group on the roster.

In an effort to improve the team’s secondary, Holmes added another ex-Raven in safety DeShon Elliott. Elliott, a 2018 sixth-rounder, has always had the potential to be at least a competent starter at the NFL level, but injuries have marred his young career. He missed all of his rookie season due to a fractured forearm, and he appeared in only six games in 2019 thanks to a knee injury. He finally suited up for a full slate of contests in 2020, and he played reasonably well, grading out as a plus-defender in coverage and against the run in the eyes of PFF. He was enjoying a similar performance last year before a biceps and pectoral injury suffered in Week 8 knocked him out for the rest of the campaign.

A big hitter who has enough speed to adequately patrol the back end of a defense, Elliott would have been in line for a much larger payday if not for the injury concerns. If he can stay healthy in 2022 while producing at the level he appears capable of, he could pull down a multi-year pact in 2023. His addition moved Will Harris, a 17-game safety starter in 2021, to cornerback, and Harris is expected to line up both outside the boundaries and in the slot.

Hughes is all-too-familiar with the harsh reality of health problems. The former first-round pick of the Vikings appeared in only six games in his rookie season in 2018 due to an ACL tear, he missed time with a neck ailment in 2019, and more neck issues limited him to only four games in 2020. Being traded to the Chiefs last May was apparently the tonic he needed, as Hughes appeared in all 17 regular season games for Kansas City and all three of the club’s postseason contests. He also earned an excellent 79.6 overall grade from PFF, which was especially fond of his coverage ability. Despite that, and despite reports of a robust market for his services, Hughes had to settle for a one-year, $3.5MM accord. Still, he should get plenty of opportunity to prove his injury woes are a thing of the past and to post a second strong platform year as a member of a CB corps that has some upside but that has no proven performers outside of Amani Oruwariye.

Notable re-signings:

Alex Anzalone, LB. One year, $2.25MM. $1.75MM guaranteed.
David Blough, QB. One year, $1.15MM. $205K guaranteed. Waived 8/31/22.
Tim Boyle, QB. One year, $2MM. $1.75MM guaranteed. Released 8/29/22.
Evan Brown, OL. One year, $2.03MM. $600K guaranteed.
Jason Cabinda, FB. Two years, $4.1MM. $2.035MM guaranteed.
Charles Harris, DE. Two years, $13MM. $7MM guaranteed.
C.J. Moore, DB. One year, $1.75MM. $800K guaranteed. Waived/injured 8/30/22.
Kalif Raymond, WR. Two years, $5MM. $2.85MM guaranteed.
Josh Reynolds, WR. Two years, $6MM. $2.7MM guaranteed.
Tracy Walker, S. Three years, $25MM. $17MM guaranteed.
Josh Woods, LB. One year, $1.55MM. $750K guaranteed.

While the Lions were not especially active in acquiring outside free agents, they did make a concerted effort to retain some of their own talent. The largest contract given to the club’s own pending FAs went to Walker, who landed a three-year accord following a 2021 season in which he started all 15 games he played and recorded 108 tackles. He has always been a sure tackler, but his abilities in coverage have been more questionable. Last year, he yielded a 97.6 passer rating on passes in which he was the closest man in coverage, and though that is a significant improvement over the 122.8 and 117.2 marks he posted in the prior two seasons, it is still less than ideal. The hope is that he will continue to better himself in that regard while maintaining his tackling prowess. He and Elliott will likely be called upon a great deal given the porousness of the linebackers in front of them.

One way to minimize the weak spots in the second and (perhaps) third levels of coverage is to give opposing quarterbacks minimal time to throw, and to that end, the Lions retained Charles Harris, who was something of a revelation in 2021. A first-round pick of the Dolphins in 2017, Harris never made much of an impact in Miami and was dealt to Atlanta in May 2020 in exchange for a seventh-round pick. In his first season in Detroit, Harris appeared in all 17 games (14 starts) and notched 7.5 sacks after posting 6.5 total sacks over his first four professional seasons.

Harris and Hutchinson give the team a pair of young DE bookends with first-round pedigree, and after adding Paschal in the second round of this year’s draft and selecting players like NT Alim McNeill and DE Levi Onwuzurike with Day 2 selections in 2021, it has become clear that Holmes is taking the tried-and-true approach of building his defense from the inside out.

As noted above, however, Holmes has paid plenty of attention to his pass catchers. The GM was the Rams’ director of college scouting when Los Angeles selected Reynolds in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and he claimed Reynolds off waivers from the Titans in November. The move reunited the Texas A&M product with Goff, and Reynolds rewarded his new team with a 19/306/2 line in seven games (five starts) to close out the season. The club also re-signed Raymond, who had made a name for himself as a return specialist for Tennessee in 2020 and who caught 48 passes for 576 yards and four TDs for the Lions in 2021, all of which were easily career-best marks. He also returned 21 punts, and considering the new additions to the WR room, he may asked to concentrate primarily on special teams, especially when Williams is healthy enough to play.

The Lions re-signed backup signal-callers Blough and Boyle this offseason but ended up parting ways with both of them. Sudfeld, signed on August 31 after being released by the 49ers, will operate as Goff’s clipboard holder.

Notable losses:

A silver lining of having a 3-13-1 season is that there are not many difficult departures to endure in the ensuing offseason. Far and away the biggest name on this list of notable losses is Flowers, who signed a massive five-year, $90MM contract in 2019, a deal authorized by the Lions’ previous regime. Flowers did record seven sacks in his first Detroit season, but he played in just seven games in each of the subsequent two campaigns due to injury. The move saddled the Lions with a significant dead money charge, although the cap savings of $10.4MM made it an easy decision. Flowers did not generate much reported interest this offseason, and he signed with the Dolphins at the end of August.

Campbell expressed a desire to retain Reeves-Maybin, which makes sense given the aforementioned lack of LB talent. Detroit’s 2017 fourth-rounder, who played 62% of the club’s defensive snaps in 2021 after operating primarily as an ST player over his first four NFL seasons, decided to head south instead, signing a two-year, $7.5MM pact with the Texans.

Draft:

Round 1: No. 2 Aidan Hutchinson, DE (Michigan)
Round 1: No. 12 (from Vikings) Jameson Williams, WR (Alabama)
Round 2: No. 46 (from Vikings) Josh Paschal, DE (Kentucky)
Round 3: No. 97 Kerby Joseph, S (Illinois)
Round 5: No. 177 James Mitchell, TE (Virginia Tech)
Round 6: No. 188 (from Seahawks through Jaguars and Eagles) Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (Oklahoma State)
Round 6: No. 217 James Houston, DE (Jackson State)
Round 7: No. 237 (from Saints through Eagles) Chase Lucas, CB (Arizona State)

Other:

Claimed DL John Cominsky off waivers (Falcons).
Exercised Hockenson’s fifth-year option.
Moving back to 4-3 defense.
Parted ways with offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn; promoted Ben Johnson to OC.
Working on extension for Oruwariye.

Considering the Lions’ offensive struggles in 2021 and the fact that Campbell took over play-calling duties from Lynn in November, it was no surprise to see the team move on from Lynn. Johnson worked as an offensive quality control coach in 2019 before becoming tight ends coach in 2020, and he saw expanded responsibilities once Campbell became the play-caller. Johnson will have a little more talent to work with than Lynn did, and it is clear the current brain trust — which retained Johnson even though he was originally hired by the prior administration — thinks highly of his abilities.

One of the bright spots on the offensive side of the ball during the past several seasons has been Hockenson, who earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2020 after posting a 67/723/6 line that year. A thumb injury cost him the final fives games of the 2021 season, but he was on pace to match or exceed his 2020 totals, and the team exercised his fifth-year option. That locks Hockenson in to a $9.39MM salary for 2023, although player and team may well hammer out an extension before then.

In addition to a new deal for Hockenson, Holmes is also prioritizing a re-up for Oruwariye, who enjoyed a breakout in 2021. A fifth-round pick in 2019, Oruwariye picked off six passes last season, and while PFF assigned him a mediocre 59.0 overall grade for his efforts — which was only marginally better than his 50.4 mark in 2020, his first year as a full-time starter — he allowed a meager 74.1 QB rating as the closest defender. This appears to be an instance where a player’s PFF grade is not reflective of his actual performance, and it seems the Lions will be relying heavily on Oruwariye to lock down one boundary for the foreseeable future.

Starting opposite Oruwariye will be Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 who missed seven games as a rookie and then suffered a torn Achilles during Detroit’s season opener last year. There was some question as to whether Okudah would beat out Harris for a starting job, and considering his draft status, it would have been hugely demoralizing if he had been unable to do so. Luckily, Campbell has stated that Okudah has been “trending in the right direction” in recent weeks, so he will get another shot to prove his worth. His 2022 performance will doubtlessly have a significant impact on how Holmes addresses his secondary in 2023.

Top 10 cap charges for 2022:

Jared Goff, QB. $31.15MM.
Taylor Decker, LT. $14.4MM (via 9/3/22 restructure).
Jeff Okudah, CB. $9.14MM.
Michael Brockers, DT. $8.98MM.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, G. $8.73MM.
Frank Ragnow, C. $7.55MM.
T.J. Hockenson, TE. $6.51MM.
Aidan Hutchinson, DE. $6.49MM.
Penei Sewell, RT. $5.48MM.
Jamaal Williams, RB. $4.63MM.

Goff guided the Rams to a Super Bowl LIII appearance at the end of the 2018 season, a campaign in which he earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod. It appeared that he and Rams HC Sean McVay were in the early stages of a long and fruitful relationship, and Los Angeles handed Goff a four-year, $134MM ($110MM guaranteed) contract in advance of the 2019 season. Goff, however, was unable to replicate his 2017-18 success over the 2019-20 campaigns, and his relationship with McVay eroded over time.

When Holmes swung the Stafford/Goff trade last year, he was clear that he took on Goff’s contract not just as a means to pry additional draft capital from the Rams, but also because he believed Goff could return to his Pro Bowl level of performance. Of course, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft was unable to approach anything close to those heights in 2021, and while the lack of offensive talent surrounding him is certainly a major reason for that, it might not be a stretch to characterize 2022 as a make-or-break year for Goff.

Although the dead money ramifications of a release made it all but certain that Goff would return this season, the Lions can release him in 2023 and save over $20MM against the cap, with a palatable $10MM dead money charge. If he struggles in 2022, he may well be on his way out of Detroit. On the other hand, his $20.6MM base salary next year would represent a bargain for a Pro Bowl passer, so if the team’s improved weaponry leads to better results, it is certainly possible that Holmes will bring him back. With the 2023 collegiate class of QBs considered to be much stronger than this year’s class, though, Holmes could have a career-defining decision to make if he is in position to select one of those players.

7 comments Detroit Lions Offseason In Review PFR Originals

Browns Sign OL Joe Haeg

By Rory Parks | at September 4, 2022 9:59 am

The Browns are signing veteran offensive lineman Joe Haeg, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets. Haeg was released by the division-rival Steelers at the end of August.

Pittsburgh signed Haeg in March 2021, and the North Dakota State product wound up seeing action in 12 games (two starts) last year. His 307 offensive snaps represented his highest total since 2018, and he spent a little time at all O-line positions except for center.

It appeared as if the Steelers would keep Haeg around as a depth piece in 2022, but the club recently acquired fellow OL Jesse Davis in a trade with the Vikings, and that transaction cost Haeg his roster spot. He became a popular free agent upon his release, and he lined up visits with multiple teams, including the OL-needy Raiders, before opting to sign with Cleveland.

Browns RT Jack Conklin is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon, and as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets, head coach Kevin Stefanski has not yet indicated whether Conklin will be ready to suit up for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Panthers next Sunday. Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal adds that Chris Hubbard — who played in just one game in 2021 due to a triceps issue — has not practiced in more than a week, so the Browns are clearly in need of some RT insurance.

Haeg, 29, can provide that, and he can also play guard if necessary. A fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2016, Haeg started 29 games over his first two years in the league, lining up at both RG and RT. He earned solid PFF scores of 67.9 and 64.1 for his work during those two seasons, but his play slipped a bit in 2018, and an ankle injury limited him to just eight games that year. In 2019, the final year of his rookie contract, he was used almost exclusively as a special teamer.

He hooked on with the Bucs in 2020 and earned a Super Bowl ring, though he was on the field for just 127 offensive snaps.

Jaguars Re-Sign DL Adam Gotsis, Add DL Mario Edwards To P-Squad

By Rory Parks | at September 4, 2022 9:53 am

The Jaguars released DL Adam Gotsis during final cutdowns, but the veteran defender will be returning to Duval. Per a team announcement, Jacksonville is re-signing Gotsis to its active roster.

Considering how thin the club is along its defensive line, retaining Gotsis is certainly a logical move to make. A second-round pick of the Broncos in 2016, the Georgia Tech product saw 25 starts over the 2017-18 campaigns. During that time, he averaged 39.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks per season while earning solid overall grades from Pro Football Focus.

Things began to go south in 2019, as Gotsis struggled to adjust to the scheme implemented by Vic Fangio, who had been hired as Denver’s head coach earlier that year. Gotsis was also battling knee trouble at the time, trouble that ultimately necessitated surgery. He has spent each of the past two seasons with the Jaguars, and it looks as if he is in line to have another significant role on the Jags’ defense after appearing in 52% of the team’s snaps in 2020 and 43% in 2021. He will operate behind starters Roy Robertson-Harris and Folorunso Fatukasi.

In addition to bringing Gotsis back into the fold, the Jags have supplemented their practice squad with some veteran D-line help. According to the same announcement, Mario Edwards — who was released by the Bears last week — has agreed to join Jacksonville’s taxi group. The former Raiders second-round pick had settled into a rotational role in the Windy City over the past two seasons, but he joins most of Chicago’s front-seven vets of recent years in being jettisoned by a new-look front office.

Edwards, 28, recorded six sacks during his two-year Bears tenure, logging 26% and 27% defensive snap rates during that span. However, he did miss time due to injury during this year’s training camp.

WR Jaylon Moore has also been added to the p-squad. Moore signed with the Ravens as a UDFA in 2020, and he spent each of the last two years on Baltimore’s practice squad. He obviously intrigued the team enough to stick around, but he never earned a look during a regular season contest. The Ravens waived him several weeks ago, and he was claimed by the Giants. Big Blue sent him to the waiver wire again, only to add him to the practice squad before waiving him a second time.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com first reported that Edwards and the Jaguars had agreed to terms (Twitter link).

0 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Transactions Adam Gotsis Jaylon Moore Mario Edwards Jr.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/22

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 7:55 pm

We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:

Baltimore Ravens

Waived: P Cameron Dicker

Chicago Bears

Waived (non-football illness): OL Jean Delance

Cleveland Browns

Waived: DE Curtis Weaver

Dallas Cowboys

Waived: DE Markaviest Bryant, T Amon Simon, OL James Empey, WR T.J. Vasher

Green Bay Packers

Waived: LB Ty Summers

Las Vegas Raiders:

Placed on IR: RT Brandon Parker, DT Tyler Lancaster, LB Tae Davis (story)
Waived: TE Nicke Bowers, WR Justin Hall

New Orleans Saints

Waived: DL Josh Black, RB Abram Smith, OL Khalique Washington, CB Brian Allen, T Derrick Kelly, CB Quenton Meeks

San Francisco 49ers

Waived: CB Ka’dar Hollman

Seattle Seahawks

Waived: CB Jameson Houston, TE Cade Brewer, LB Aaron Donkor, RB Ronnie Rivers
Placed on reserve/PUP list: CB Tre Brown

Washington Commanders

Released via injury settlement: DE Bunmi Rotimi

Summers is a 2019 seventh-round pick who has just one career start but who has established himself as a key contributor on Green Bay’s special teams unit over his first three seasons in the league. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com expects the TCU product to generate interest on the waiver wire (Twitter link). Indeed, Packers HC Matt LaFleur said that the team made the decision to part ways with Summers now in order to give him a chance to hook on with a new club before the wave of impending cuts that will soon flood the market (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).

The Seahawks’ decision to move Brown to the PUP list means that he will be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. That marks a disappointing start to his second NFL campaign; the fourth-rounder had two separate IR stints last year. That limited him to just five games (three starts), during which he registered 10 tackles and one pass deflection. Seattle has seen plenty of roster turnover at the CB position this offseason, leaving Brown in line for at least a rotational role. In his absence, the team will rely even more on starters Sidney Jones and Artie Burns, with rookies Coby Bryant likely to play in the slot.

0 comments Baltimore Ravens Chicago Bears Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers Las Vegas Raiders New Orleans Saints San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Transactions Washington Commanders Aaron Donkor Abram Smith Amon Simon Brandon Parker Brian Allen Bunmi Rotimi Cade Brewer Cameron Dicker Curtis Weaver Derrick Kelly James Empey Jameson Houston Josh Black Justin Hall Ka'dar Hollman Khalique Washington Markaviest Bryant Matt LaFleur Quenton Meeks Ronnie Rivers T.J. Vasher Tae Davis Tre Brown Ty Summers Tyler Lancaster

Browns DE Chris Odom Out For Season

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 12:42 pm

Browns defensive end Chris Odom suffered a torn ACL during the team’s preseason finale against the Bears on Saturday, per head coach Kevin Stefanski (Twitter link via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com). Odom will miss the 2022 season as a result.

This is an especially difficult blow for Odom, who earned United States Football League Defensive Player of the Year honors following the rebooted league’s inaugural season this year. A second-round pick of the Houston Gamblers in the USFL draft in February, Odom went on to post 41 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and four blocked field goals. He auditioned for the Bengals, Cardinals, Chiefs, Saints, and Texans this summer before finally signing with the Browns.

Now 27, Odom signed with the Falcons as a UDFA in 2017. He saw action in seven regular games with the Packers that year after being waived by Atlanta, and his performance with a different alternative league in 2018 — the now-defunct Alliance of American Football — led to another contract with the Falcons in 2019. But he was waived again during final cutdowns in August 2019 and subsequently hooked on with Washington’s practice squad. He ultimately appeared in four games for Washington.

A stint with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders preceded his successful run with the Gamblers. His admirable perseverance in continuing his playing career will be tested yet again as a result of the ACL tear.

Of course, it is unclear if the Arkansas State product would have made the roster anyway, as the Browns’ edge rush contingent consists of two drafted rookies — Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas — trade acquisition Chase Winovich, and others behind starters Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.

In 11 regular season NFL contests, Odom has 16 tackles and two sacks.

1 comment Cleveland Browns Chris Odom

Browns WR Anthony Schwartz Not At Risk Of Being Cut

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 12:06 pm

The Browns are not planning to cut wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed as much to reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, after the team’s preseason loss to the Bears on Saturday.

Given that Schwartz was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, Stefanski’s announcement should not come as much of a surprise. However, Schwartz was largely quiet in his rookie year, posting 10 catches for 135 yards and a score while playing one-third of the Browns’ offensive snaps, and he has struggled mightily this preseason.

In Saturday’s matchup with Chicago, the Auburn product dropped three passes, giving him a total of six drops through the club’s three preseason contests. His third drop elicited a chorus of boos from the crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium, and the social media reaction to his performance led to Stefanski’s being asked about the wideout’s job security.

“Respectfully, we’re going to make sure that we deal with things that are important, which are our players and how they respond to these things,” Stefanski said. When asked if Schwartz was at risk of being waived, Stefanski simply said, “no.”

In addition to his draft pedigree, the Browns’ collection of WR talent offers another reason for the team to retain Schwartz. After parting ways with Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Rashard Higgins over the past 10 months, Cleveland’s receiver room boasts little by way of proven talent outside of trade acquisition Amari Cooper. The team has steadfastly maintained that it feels no pressure to acquire another veteran pass-catcher, and at present, the depth chart is topped by Cooper, 2020 sixth-rounder Donovan Peoples-Jones, and third-round rookie David Bell.

Schwartz slots in somewhere behind that trio, along with sixth-round rookie Michael Woods II. So while Schwartz might not see much more playing time in 2022 than he did in 2021, it seems he will at least have a roster spot.

8 comments Cleveland Browns Anthony Schwartz

Raiders TE Darren Waller Leaves Klutch Sports

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 11:03 am

Per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Raiders tight end Darren Waller has left Klutch Sports, the agency founded by NBA superstar LeBron James and his close friend, Rich Paul. Waller signed with Klutch less than a year ago.

Waller’s decision is particularly notable because of his contract status. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is slated to earn non-guaranteed base salaries of $6.25MM in 2022 and ’23, and given his elite performance and his importance to the Raiders’ offense, he was naturally mentioned as a candidate for a new contract earlier this year.

Subsequent reports suggested that an extension for Waller is a “priority” for Las Vegas, and we heard in June that a deal was “imminent” (though that June report also indicated that the team may be trying to delay the matter to 2023, and as clubs generally do not like to negotiate contracts with players who have multiple years of club control remaining, that could well be the case).

Waller did report to training camp on time, but he has been dealing with a hamstring injury and has practiced just once since July 30. The fact that the ailment is considered a minor one has led to speculation that Waller’s absence is more a function of his contract situation than his health, though there is nothing to substantiate those rumors at this point.

Whatever the reason, the fact remains that Waller has decided to change representation at a time when he is looking to sign the most lucrative contract of his career. The extension he signed in October 2019 was something of a gamble on the Raiders’ part, as the former sixth-round pick of the Ravens was suspended multiple times during his stint in Baltimore for violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy, including a year-long ban in 2017. The Raiders plucked him off the Ravens’ taxi squad in November 2018, and they handed him his current deal, a ~$7.5MM/year accord, after a few encouraging performances to open the 2019 season.

Over the 2019-20 campaigns, Waller rewarded the team’s faith in him by averaging just under 100 catches for 1,170 yards. Although the 2021 season saw him miss time due to a knee injury, the Georgia Tech product ranks second among tight ends in catches and yards over the past three years, behind only Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

The remaining club control, along with last year’s knee injury and the current hamstring issue, could prevent a deal from getting done this summer. But assuming there are no long-term health concerns, Waller will undoubtedly be shooting for the top of the tight end market, which is currently paced by George Kittle‘s $15MM AAV and $40MM in practical guarantees. He must wait until Wednesday to hire a new agent, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that the plan is to retain super agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Such a hire would seem to indicate that Waller has no intention of waiting until 2023 to see his name at or near the top of the TE pay scale.

3 comments Las Vegas Raiders Darren Waller

Patriots Notes: Wynn, RBs, Thornton

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 9:52 am

The Patriots are reportedly open to trading OT Isaiah Wynn, who has been moved from left tackle to right tackle this year after lining up exclusively on the blindside over his first few seasons in the NFL (aside from a 2020 cameo at LG and some training camp work at RT as a rookie). As expected, however, outside interest in the former first-rounder is limited at this point, as Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets.

Although Wynn did play in 16 regular season contests in 2021, he comes with an extensive injury history. He is also tethered to a $10.4MM salary for 2022 since New England exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, and at least some teams consider him a tackle-guard “tweener.” All of that suggests that the Pats — who must also consider the injury history of LT Trent Brown and the underwhelming training camp performances of backups Justin Herron and Yodny Cajuste — may not fetch a high enough return to pull the trigger.

Now for more out of Foxborough:

Per Mike Giardi of the NFL Network, Brown was not told he would be lining up at left tackle when he re-signed with the Patriots this offseason (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has taken all of his snaps on the right side of the line since 2019, and one wonders if he would have signed the contract, which pays him $6.5MM per year over the next two years, if he had known he would be playing a premium position. Giardi also tweets that Wynn — perhaps as a result of a position switch in his platform year — is not a “happy camper,” so there is plenty of intrigue surrounding the team’s OL bookends in 2022.
As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, Patriots running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris will be part of a timeshare this year, but as opposed to 2021, they are more likely to remain on the field on third downs. In light of James White‘s retirement, New England is unlikely to have a defined “passing down back,” and that is especially true in the wake of the ankle injury that Ty Montgomery suffered during the team’s preseason finale on Friday. Reiss notes in a separate piece that Montgomery seemed like a roster lock as a third option behind Stevenson and Harris, and the Pats are still awaiting word on the severity of his injury.
On Monday, rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton underwent surgery to repair his fractured clavicle, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. It was previously reported that Thornton is expected to return to the field sometime in October, and the six-to-eight-week recovery timeline that Fowler provides jibes with that report.
The injury that landed rookie OL Andrew Stueber on the reserve/NFI list is a torn hamstring, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports (via Twitter). Stueber sustained the injury while training after the draft, and it could sideline him for his entire rookie season.

7 comments New England Patriots Andrew Stueber Damien Harris Isaiah Wynn Rhamondre Stevenson Trent Brown Ty Montgomery Tyquan Thornton

Steelers To Consider Extension For CB Cameron Sutton

By Rory Parks | at August 28, 2022 8:31 am

Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton, who is under club control through 2022, recently indicated that he does not expect to sign a new contract before the 2023 league year. Although a report from earlier this month confirmed that no extension talks had taken place between player and team, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that a new deal for Sutton remains “a very real possibility.”

Dulac does not say whether contract discussions have commenced, so it is difficult to handicap the likelihood of an agreement at this point. Still, newly-promoted GM Omar Khan has extended three contract-year players — Minkah Fitzpatrick, Chris Boswell, and Diontae Johnson — in recent weeks, and a Sutton extension would certainly not be as costly as the Fitzpatrick and Johnson deals. As such, there should still be time to get something done before the start of the regular season on September 11.

Sutton, 27, was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 draft. He worked as a rotational player throughout his first three years in the league, finally exceeding 50% of the team’s defensive snaps in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal in 2020. His performance that season was enough to land him a two-year, $9MM contract last March, and in the 2021 campaign, he started all 16 games in which he appeared and logged 99% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps.

That increased playing time exposed some weaknesses in Sutton’s game. He allowed a 104.9 passer rating as the closest defender and 8.6 yards per target — numbers well north of his 2019 and ’20 marks — and graded outside Pro Football Focus’ top-75 at the position (PFF considered Sutton a top-30 corner in 2020).

Nonetheless, the Tennessee product is in line for another significant role in 2022. The expectation is that he will line up on the boundaries in base sets and then move to the slot in sub-packages, meaning that he will rarely leave the field.

Sutton, Levi Wallace, and Ahkello Witherspoon are the top three players on the Steelers’ CB depth chart, and none of them are playing on contracts with an AAV in excess of $5MM. Pittsburgh presently has just shy of $10MM in cap space, so there is room for a Sutton extension, both from a salary cap standpoint and when considering the team’s other commitments to the cornerback position.

7 comments Pittsburgh Steelers Cameron Sutton

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Author: Rory Parks