Raiders OL Alex Leatherwood Getting Reps At RT
The Raiders’ selection of RT Alex Leatherwood with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2021 draft was one of the most-scrutinized choices of last year’s first round. The early returns on Vegas’ investment appeared to prove the naysayers correct, as the Raiders were forced to shift Leatherwood from right tackle to right guard during his rookie season due in large part to his struggles on the edge.
Still, the club’s former regime was reportedly prepared to move the Alabama product back to his original position, and the new Josh McDaniels-led staff is at least willing to entertain the notion. As Tashan Reed of The Athletic writes, the Raiders have been moving Leatherwood around during OTAs, and that includes giving him time at right tackle.
“Each one of the guys up front, we’ve got some guys [at] center and guard, we’ve got some guys playing on the right side and the left side, we’ve got some guys playing tackle and guard,” McDaniels said. “[Playing tackle] was a little bit of a focus of that today for [Leatherwood], but ultimately, we’re going to try to figure out who the best five are that can give us the best chance of success every play. He’s certainly working his butt off right now to try to give us the right stuff wherever we put him. … [Leatherwood] has done a good job. He false-started once today, but that’s going to happen.”
The only major addition that the Raiders made to their O-line this offseason is Dylan Parham, whom the club selected in the third round of last month’s draft. And in keeping with McDaniels’ desire to get his blockers some burn at multiple positions, Parham has been received reps at center even though he is listed as a guard, as Reed reports.
Andre James spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign as the Raiders’ starting pivot following last year’s Rodney Hudson trade, and the former UDFA held his own. It would seem that he and LT Kolton Miller are the only two O-linemen to have a firm grip on their starting jobs, so Parham is likely getting some cross-training at center merely to broaden his skills and to see if he might be an option in the event of a James injury.
With left guard, right guard, and right tackle jobs all there for the taking, the result of the competition this summer between the likes of Parham, Leatherwood, Denzelle Good, Jermaine Eluemunor, John Simpson, Alex Bars, and Brandon Parker could prove to be instrumental to the Raiders’ success in 2022, even if most of the names on that list don’t elicit much enthusiasm from fans of the Silver-and-Black.
Falcons Convert Avery Williams To Running Back
The Falcons selected Avery Williams, a Boise State cornerback, in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. In his rookie campaign, Williams appeared in 121 defensive snaps but factored more prominently into Atlanta’s ST unit, as he was on the field for 73% of the club’s third team snaps. That included considerable time as a return specialist, as he handled 20 punts and 23 kickoffs.
Neither his limited run as a defensive back (11 completions allowed on 14 targets) nor his efforts as a return man (7.7 yards per return on punts, 21.3 yards per return on kickoffs) generated much excitement. And while he may still compete for return duties, the club is moving Williams from cornerback to running back, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets.
The switch is somewhat telling of the team’s belief (or lack thereof) in Williams’ upside as a defender. The Falcons have A.J. Terrell and free agent acquisition Casey Hayward locked in as a strong pair of boundary corners, but there is not much depth behind them, especially since Atlanta did not select a CB in last month’s draft. Although the team re-signed Isaiah Oliver to serve as its top nickel back, Oliver was limited to just four games in 2021 due to a knee injury, and 2021 second-rounder Richie Grant — who saw some time in the slot last year due to Oliver’s injury — is expected to work primarily as a safety in 2022.
Despite that, it appears that 2021 fourth-round selection Darren Hall will have the chance to continue honing his craft as a corner, while Williams will be tasked with carving out a role in a crowded offensive backfield. The Falcons just signed Jeremy McNichols several days ago, and they brought in Damien Williams shortly after free agency opened in March. The club also picked up Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round of this year’s draft and is of course still rostering 2021 revelation Cordarrelle Patterson. Qadree Ollison and Caleb Huntley round out the current RB depth chart.
Patterson is hardly a prototypical back, and he will likely continue to be utilized in a hybrid receiver/running back role. Damien Williams, meanwhile, has only received more than 100 carries in a season once in his seven-year career (not including his 2020 COVID opt-out), and there is a reason McNichols was still available in late May. So there is a chance that Avery Williams can make some headway in a rushing attack that ranked near the bottom of the league in every major statistical category in 2021, but with the sheer number of bodies in Atlanta’s running back room at the moment, it’s difficult to argue that this positional change bodes well for his professional future.
Jody Allen Unlikely To Sell Seahawks In Near Future
Russell Wilson‘s new team, the Broncos, are on the market and are expected to sell for roughly $5 billion. Wilson’s former team, the Seahawks, are not expected to be sold anytime soon, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.
Seahawks owner Jody Allen, 63, inherited the team from her brother, Paul Allen, who passed away in October 2018, and rumors of a sale have cropped up periodically since Jody took the reins. For instance, Condotta cites a story that NFL.com published a month after Paul’s death in which it was reported that the club would ultimately be sold, and that Paul had filed a succession plan with the league directing that the proceeds from such a sale be distributed to the Paul G. Allen Foundation.
A recent report from Portland-based writer and talk show host John Canzano has brought the conversation back to the foreground. Per Canzano, the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers — which Jody also inherited from Paul — are in line to be sold within the next six to 18 months, and the Seahawks could be on the auction block shortly thereafter.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Jody has been selling other family assets in recent months, including a parcel of property in Los Angeles and a nearby compound, which fetched a combined $110MM. That, according to Canzano, is in keeping with the directive of Paul’s trust, which provides that all assets, including his sports franchises, must be sold.
Even if Jody does eventually sell the Seahawks, nothing is imminent on that front, according to Condotta’s own source. The team is not currently for sale, and that is not expected to change in the near future.
Like her brother, Jody had kept a low profile during her first several years as owner, but she began to reverse course as her franchise neared a crossroads late in the 2021 season. As the ‘Hawks were entering the home stretch of an uncharacteristically poor campaign, Jody became “very involved” in the team’s operation, which signaled that major changes could be on the horizon.
At the time, the Seattle futures of head coach Pete Carroll, GM John Schneider, and Wilson were decidedly uncertain, as Jody reportedly did not believe that the Seahawks’ poor 2021 performance was a mere blip in the radar. Ultimately, of course, Wilson was traded to Denver while Carroll and Schneider were retained, and Carroll said during last month’s draft that Jody told him and Schneider that they are “back in your wheelhouse,” meaning that they again have the necessary draft capital and salary cap space to build a legitimate championship contender.
Indeed, although Jody has still not given an interview, her statement in the team’s press release following the Wilson trade — in which she indicated that Wilson himself wanted out of Seattle — was a strong one. And she was plenty visible at the draft, when she was seen in the Seahawks’ war room during the first round and in photos posted on the team’s website.
All of that paints a picture of an owner who is engaged and in no hurry to sell. Plus, as Condotta posits, there is absolutely no reason for her to be in a rush. Per a piece published by Forbes Magazine last fall, the value of NFL teams has increased by 14% over the past five years, and the fact that the Broncos are poised to sell for around $5 billion — more than double what the Panthers sold for in 2018 — suggests that Jody should be content to wait to put the Seahawks on the market.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/22
We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Nick Grant, OL Greg Long
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Tre Webb
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jared Scott
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: QB Felix Harper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Willie Johnson IV
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Jalen McCleskey
Texans Sign First-Rounder Kenyon Green
Several days after agreeing to terms with No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans have signed the second of their two first-round choices in 2022. Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, Houston has inked No. 15 overall selection Kenyon Green to his rookie deal.
It will be a four-year, $15.9MM pact for Green, all of which is fully-guaranteed. Of course, the contract will also come with a fifth-year option.
Green, a Texas A&M product, was widely seen as the top guard in the draft, and he was indeed the first guard off the board. Said Houston GM Nick Caserio, “[h]e’s been a really productive, consistent player. He played tackle. He played guard. I would say he is probably a better guard than he is a tackle. I think he is probably more of an inside player, but we’ll put him in the mix. Local kid, so I’m sure all of the Texans, fellow Texans, will be happy about that.”
Green was an All-SEC Freshman performer at right guard for the Aggies in 2019, then became the full-time starter at left guard in 2020. As Caserio noted, Green spent time at several positions along the O-line in 2021: two games at right tackle, one game at left tackle, two games at right guard, and seven games at left guard. He presently projects as the Texans’ starting left guard, and his presence should be a boon for second-year QB Davis Mills and new running backs Marlon Mack and Dameon Pierce.
The 6-4, 323-pounder was a finalist for the Lombardi Award in 2021, given to the nation’s top collegiate O-lineman. As one AFC scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com before the draft, “[m]ost of his bad reps were when he was playing tackle this year, when guys were hurt. His guard tape is first round for me.”
Commanders, Chargers Put In Claims For G Wes Martin
Guard Wes Martin, who was waived by the Giants last week, generated a fair amount of interest on the waiver wire. The Jaguars have top waiver priority due to their league-worst 3-14 record in 2021, so they were awarded the Indiana product when they put in a claim, but as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, the Commanders and Chargers put in claims as well.
Had Washington’s claim been successful, it would have represented a reunion for player and team. The Commanders made Martin a fourth-round pick in 2019, and he started 10 games for the club over the 2019-20 seasons. He did not survive the 53-man cut in advance of the 2021 campaign, though he signed with Washington’s p-squad after clearing waivers. He was poached by the Giants in late September and ultimately appeared in seven games (one start) for Big Blue.
With the Commanders, Martin would have served as useful guard depth behind presumptive starters Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner, both of whom were signed this offseason. The Chargers likewise appear to be on the lookout for interior OL reinforcements behind Matt Feiler and first-round rookie Zion Johnson.
In Jacksonville, Martin is obviously not going to unseat the newly-acquired Brandon Scherff at right guard, though he could theoretically push 2020 fourth-rounder Ben Bartch for the starting LG gig. Bartch started 11 games for the Jags in 2021 and played well at times, though his 62.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is underwhelming.
Josh Lambo Sues Jaguars
Free agent kicker Josh Lambo has filed a lawsuit against the Jaguars, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com writes. The suit alleges that former head coach Urban Meyer created a hostile work environment and that the organization did nothing to rectify the situation.
Lambo missed a kick in each of Jacksonville’s first two preseason games in 2021, and during a practice before the final preseason game, Lambo alleges that Meyer kicked him in the leg and said, “Hey dips—, make your f—ing kicks!” When Lambo told Meyer, “Don’t you ever f—ing kick me again!” Meyer replied by saying, “I’m the head ball coach. I’ll kick you whenever the f— I want.” The suit further avers that Lambo notified his agent, Richard Irvin, of the interaction and that Irvin made the team’s counsel aware of the matter the following day.
These allegations became public in December, and at the time, the Jaguars released a statement saying that the team immediately responded to Irvin’s query and that, “[c]ounsel offered to speak with Josh, or to assist Josh in speaking with coaching or any other football personnel, if he was comfortable with her sharing the information. Any suggestion otherwise is blatantly false.”
The day after the alleged incident, Lambo claims that Meyer approached him and said, “if you ever speak to me like that again, you’ll be out of here. You’re the first player I’ve ever let speak to me that way in my career, and if you do it again, you’re gone.”
Though Lambo remained on the roster and operated as the Jaguars’ kicker through the first several games of the 2021 season, he missed all three of his field goal attempts and two of his seven PATs. He was released in October before catching on with the Steelers’ taxi squad. Pittsburgh dropped him a week later.
In 2019, Lambo led the NFL with a 97.1% field goal conversion rate. Then, in 2020, he lost the bulk of the year to injury, but went 5-of-5 on his FG tries while making 8-of-10 extra point attempts. His suit alleges that Meyer’s physical and verbal abuse impacted his ability to maintain his previous levels of performance, and he is seeking backpay and other damages.
Prior to the 2019 campaign, Lambo signed a four-year extension that was scheduled to run through the 2022 season. He was set to earn $4MM in 2022, but as a vested veteran, he did collect the full $3.5MM salary he was owed in 2021, and he took home $14K while on the Steelers’ p-squad.
Meyer, who was fired in December before completing one season as Jaguars’ HC, flatly denied Lambo’s allegations.
NFL Investigation Does Not Substantiate Hue Jackson’s Claims That Browns Incentivized Tanking
The investigation into former Browns head coach Hue Jackson‘s allegations that Cleveland incentivized tanking during Jackson’s time as HC has concluded. In a statement released by the league, it was announced that the investigation — which was conducted by former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White, along with a team of lawyers from the Debevoise law firm — could not substantiate any of Jackson’s claims.
According to the statement, the investigation saw full cooperation from the Browns, including owner Jimmy Haslam and current and former members of the organization. Jackson himself originally agreed to meet with investigators but ultimately declined to do so.
Jackson, who has also claimed that the Browns set him up for failure by pitting him against an analytics-driven front office, accused the team of paying bonus money to him, current GM Andrew Berry, current chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, and former executive VP Sashi Brown to tank during the 2016-17 seasons.
“We were paid for it,” Jackson said in February. “You’re going to see it as losing, but the way the team was built there was no chance to win at a high level. My record that year [2016] was 1-15. There was a four-year plan that was crafted, and I have documentation that any coach would cringe if he saw it, because it talked things that had nothing to do with winning. Aggregate rankings, being the youngest team, having so many draft picks — none of those things lead to winning.”
After 2016’s 1-15 campaign that Jackson referenced, the Browns finished 0-16 the following year and started the 2018 season 2-5-1 before Jackson was fired. Under interim HC Gregg Williams, Cleveland finished 2018 on a 5-3 run, which the team was quick to point out when Jackson first levied his accusations.
So while Haslam is still dealing with the PR backlash of the Deshaun Watson acquisition and the uncertainty that continues to swirl around that matter, he has at least avoided the type of fallout that would have ensued had the league substantiated Jackson’s allegations.
Jackson, meanwhile, was recently hired to be Grambling State’s head coach.
Seahawks Were High On QB Sam Howell
New Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, whom Washington selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, had a lot of supporters in the Seahawks organization, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required). Seattle, which of course traded franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Broncos earlier this offseason, was connected to collegiate QBs throughout the predraft process, but the team decided against drafting a signal-caller.
Part of the reason for that is the Seahawks’ opinion of Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Head coach Pete Carroll has consistently praised Lock since acquiring him in the Wilson deal, and Smith flashed when filling in for an injured Wilson for a few games in 2021. Plus, as Fowler adds, the team wanted to improve the overall depth of its roster since it had only three selections in the 2021 draft.
The ‘Hawks are particularly high on fourth-round cornerback Coby Bryant, whom they believe only fell to the middle rounds because of injury concerns, and second-round running back Kenneth Walker III, who will pair with Rashaad Penny to create a potentially formidable 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield. Plus, since a quarterback like Howell would almost certainly be behind Lock and Smith on the 2022 depth chart, Seattle felt its draft resources would be better-utilized on immediate contributors like Bryant and Walker instead of a QB3. If the team is still in need of a signal-caller next year, the 2023 draft offers more intriguing quarterback talent than the 2022 draft did.
That is not to say, of course, that another QB addition is off the table. Although Carroll said he does not believe the Seahawks will trade for a passer (like well-documented trade candidates Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo), injuries could always change that stance. And if Mayfield and/or Garoppolo should be released by their current clubs and become free agents, Seattle could be interested at that point.
The team is also rostering Jacob Eason and rookie UDFA Levi Lewis at the moment.
Colts Open To Veteran QB Addition
The Colts will be deploying Matt Ryan, who will turn 37 in two days, under center in 2022 (and perhaps for several years beyond that). But as Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star writes, the club remains open to adding a veteran passer.
At the Colts’ rookie minicamp on Friday, head coach Frank Reich was asked specifically about the possibility of signing Nick Foles, who was released by the Bears at the end of April. “We’re always looking at who makes this team better, at every position,” Reich said. “Who are the available veterans? Who can we still sign? [GM] Chris [Ballard] is very methodical about that process. We’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.”
Of course, Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when Foles, filling in for an injured Carson Wentz, led Philadelphia on a magical run to its first Lombardi Trophy. Foles and Reich have a strong relationship, and Foles recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have.”
Foles’ subsequent stints with the Jaguars and Bears were eminently forgettable, but he would certainly represent a qualified backup for Ryan. And that could be critical for a team that saw firsthand in 2021 how an inexperienced QB2 can negatively impact a season.
In a close game against the Rams in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, Jacob Eason replaced (coincidentally) Wentz, who had suffered two sprained ankles. Eason, a 2020 fourth-rounder who was seeing his first regular season action, promptly threw a crippling interception and finished the game 2-for-5 for 40 yards and the pick. He was waived a month later.
Indianapolis is high on 2021 sixth-rounder Sam Ehlinger, and it would not be surprising to see him as Ryan’s clipboard holder come Week 1. However, he has not thrown a regular season pass in the NFL, and the same can be said for James Morgan and rookie UDFA Jack Coan, who round out the current QB depth chart.
As such, Foles could be an attractive option. Aside from him, the pickings on the free agent quarterback market are pretty slim, with Cam Newton at the top of a list that also includes Ryan Fitzpatrick — who is 39 and who suffered a season-ending hip injury in the first game of the 2021 season — Mike Glennon, and A.J. McCarron.