Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/22
We will keep track of all of today’s minor moves here:
Tennessee Titans
- Released: QB Kevin Hogan. After the Titans selected Liberty QB Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft, the writing was on the wall for Hogan, who has not thrown a regular season pass since 2017. In addition to Willis and presumptive starter Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee is also rostering Logan Woodside, whom the club re-signed in March.
Eagles Sign UDFA QBs Carson Strong, EJ Perry
The Eagles will go into the 2022 season with Jalen Hurts under center, and perhaps Hurts will prove, in his second full season as the starting quarterback, that he is the club’s long-term answer at the position. But Philadelphia has added two intriguing UDFA passers to the QB room just the same.
Per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, the Eagles are not only signing former Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, they are furnishing him with a massive (for a UDFA, anyway) $320K guarantee (Twitter link). GM Howie Roseman doubled down on undrafted signal-callers, signing former Boston College and Brown QB EJ Perry as well.
Strong, who elected to forego his senior season and enter the 2022 draft — possibly motivated by a weak collegiate class of quarterbacks — was not among the draft’s 262 selections. That is despite a tremendous run for the Wolfpack that saw him complete over 70% of his passes in the 2020 and 2021 seasons and earn Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors in both years. During that time, he threw for 63 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, and his combination of arm strength and touch has been praised by scouts.
The concern with Strong is his medical chart. As Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports writes, Strong suffers from osteochondritis dissecans, a knee condition that includes cartilage problems. Strong has had multiple surgeries on the knee, so that will need to be monitored throughout his professional career, and it is expected to limit his mobility in a big way.
Still, from a pure talent perspective, the Eagles will have a great deal to work with as they attempt to develop Strong. The 6-4, 226-pounder is currently projected to compete with Reid Sinnett for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, but he could be bumped up the pecking order if he shows promise and if Philadelphia elects to trade current QB2 Gardner Minshew. With Hurts’ future still somewhat uncertain, and with Minshew’s contract expiring at the end of the 2022 season, it’s easy to see why Strong elected to sign with the Eagles.
Perry, meanwhile, will likely be fighting for a practice squad spot unless there is a trade or injury. He earned Ivy League Player of the Year acclaim in 2021 after throwing for 3,033 yards and 23 TDs in just 10 games and adding another 402 yards and seven scores on the ground, showcasing his dual-threat capabilities.
WR Rumors: McLaurin, Parker, Harry
The 2019 draft was rife with wide receiver talent, and a few WRs from that class — the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel, the Titans’ A.J. Brown, the Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf, and the Commanders’ Terry McLaurin — have been prominently featured in PFR pages in recent weeks. That is largely because those players are extension-eligible for the first time this offseason, and they have all done enough in their first three professional seasons to command massive multi-year extensions.
Samuel, Brown, and McLaurin have elected to sit out at least the on-field portion of their teams’ offseason programs in their pursuit of new contracts, though Samuel is the only member of that trio to request a trade at this point. McLaurin, who has career averages of 1,030 receiving yards per year and 13.9 yards per reception despite a less-than-ideal QB situation, has not been mentioned as a trade candidate, and Washington head coach Ron Rivera said in February that he hopes to hammer out a new contract for McLaurin sooner rather than later.
The Commanders’ OTAs begin on May 23, and the club wants McLaurin on the field no later than that in order to start building chemistry with new QB Carson Wentz. ESPN’s Dianna Russini hears from her sources that a deal will indeed get done.
Now for more WR news and notes:
- Shortly after the trade that sent DeVante Parker from the Dolphins to the Patriots, we heard that, while a number of other clubs were pursuing Parker, the 2015 first-rounder wanted to be dealt to New England. Albert Breer of SI.com confirms as much, and he passes along a quote from Parker himself. “I chose to get traded [to the Patriots],” Parker said. “My agent hit me up, just telling me what the situation was, and the options I had for the teams to go to. The first on my list was the Patriots. I’m just excited we were able to get everything done.” It is notable that the Dolphins not only allowed Parker a say in his next destination, but were willing to deal him to a division rival.
- N’Keal Harry, a less successful member of the above-referenced 2019 class of wide receivers, may have been on his way out of New England even before the Patriots acquired Parker, but the Parker trade seemed to definitively signal an end to Harry’s tenure in Foxborough. He remains on the roster for now, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes that the Arizona State product was not with the team for the start of the offseason program last week. Harry’s agent says his client is training away from the team facilities, and that he and the Patriots continue to have “positive dialogue” about a potential trade (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network). 2022 will be a critical season for Harry, whose fifth-year option will almost certainly be declined and who will therefore be eligible for free agency next year.
- The Jets are said to be “all in” on Samuel, but the 49ers are reportedly not even entertaining trade offers at this time.
- Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has said Brown isn’t going anywhere, and it sounds as if Tennessee may have offered the 2020 Pro Bowler an extension with a $20MM AAV. Even if that’s the case, we do not know any of the more important details like guarantees and cash flow, and it sounds like there is still plenty of negotiating to be done before Brown puts pen to paper.
Seahawks Open To Duane Brown Return, Interested In Trevor Penning
We heard in March that the Panthers were pursuing free agent LT Duane Brown, though nothing has materialized on that front just yet. Brown, who spent the last 4+ seasons as Russell Wilson‘s blindside blocker in Seattle, could still return to the Seahawks, according to head coach Pete Carroll (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times on Twitter).
While Carroll has said the door to a reunion remains open, Condotta expects the team to wait until after the draft (which is now just four days away) to make a decision with respect to Brown or other veteran OTs. Indeed, the Seahawks hold the No. 9 overall pick in the draft as a result of the trade that sent Wilson to the Broncos, and they may want to use that pick on a collegiate left tackle from a class that offers a great deal of high-upside talent at the position.
Alabama’s Evan Neal and NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu are widely expected to be off the board by the time Seattle is on the clock with its No. 9 selection, and none of the sources that Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network has spoken to believe that Mississippi State’s Charles Cross will fall past the Panthers’ No. 6 choice. Assuming the ‘Hawks do not have a chance to draft any of those players, Pauline hears that the team is prepared to pull the trigger on Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning.
The small school product did not necessarily profile as a top-10 prospect at the start of draft season, but his stock has risen considerably since the Senior Bowl, and his 6-7, 321-pound frame certainly projects well to the professional ranks. And, although his FCS competition level should certainly be taken into account when evaluating his NFL future, Pro Football Focus’ analysis of Penning includes a 99.9 run-blocking grade, the highest mark that PFF has ever given out.
The Seahawks and Panthers are the only teams to be connected to Brown thus far this year, and if both clubs fill their LT vacancies with high-end rookies, one would assume that they would no longer be interested in the five-time Pro Bowler. Still, there will be teams with a left tackle need once the draft is over, and Brown should be able to find a starting role on a short-term contract despite the fact that he will turn 37 in August.
Jets “All In” On Deebo Samuel
The Jets have been connected to virtually every wide receiver who is, was, or could be on the trade block this offseason, and they are “all in” on 49ers WR Deebo Samuel, as Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports. New York currently holds the Nos. 4 and 10 overall selections in this week’s draft, and GM Joe Douglas is prepared to use the No. 10 choice as part of a package to acquire Samuel, who has requested a trade.
As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, Douglas would obviously prefer to acquire Samuel without giving up either of his top-10 picks, though that seems like a pipe dream. San Francisco is said to have “zero intention” of trading its dynamic offensive weapon, and Cimini writes that, if the Niners do elect to make Samuel available, the Jets expect them to “ask for the moon.” Several days ago, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reported that the 49ers are not even listening to offers at this time.
Assuming San Francisco power brokers John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan do not deviate from that position, the Jets are going to have fill their WR need through the draft. Which may not be a bad thing. There are plenty of talented wideouts in this year’s collegiate class, and such a player would be cost-controlled for at least three seasons. Samuel, meanwhile, wants a deal with an AAV of at least $25MM, and though the Jets were willing to dole out that kind of money for Tyreek Hill, it’s still a steep price to pay, especially when combined with the draft capital that it will take to acquire Samuel.
The 49ers, who are coming off an NFC Championship Game appearance and who have designs on making another deep postseason run, obviously want to give presumptive QB Trey Lance as many weapons as possible. While the Jets’ No. 10 pick and (presumably) a handful of other draft choices would help to mitigate the loss of Samuel and would keep a hefty cap charge off the books in the coming seasons, Lance’s rookie contract affords plenty of cap flexibility in the near-term, and Samuel’s All-Pro presence would be difficult to replace.
Samuel is prepared to sit out the 49ers’ offseason program until he and the team reach an agreement on a long-term pact.
Logan Ryan Files Grievance Against Giants
Safety Logan Ryan was signed by the Buccaneers in March, one day after being released by the Giants. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Ryan has filed a grievance against Big Blue (Twitter link).
The Ryan release was not necessarily part of new Giants GM Joe Schoen‘s efforts to shed payroll and make his club cap-compliant; the transaction was only expected to net about $775K of cap space for 2022, since Ryan was not designated a post-June 1 cut. Instead, parting ways with Ryan had more to do with the fact that he is 31 and was deemed to be an imperfect fit in New York’s new defensive regime (and it did clear $12.25MM off the books for 2023).
Ryan was due an $8.5MM salary in 2022, and $5.5MM of that figure was fully-guaranteed. The remaining $3MM, which is at issue in the grievance, was guaranteed for injury. As Duggan reports in a separate tweet, Ryan underwent postseason finger surgery, so his position is that the injury guarantee should kick in and that he is entitled to an additional $3MM. Until the matter is resolved, 40% of the disputed amount, or $1.2MM, will remain on the Giants’ cap.
Schoen has just two safeties on the roster at the moment (2019 fourth-rounder Julian Love and 2020 second-rounder Xavier McKinney). The Giants currently hold the Nos. 5 and 7 overall picks and will therefore have a good chance to draft star Notre Dame safety/do-it-all weapon Kyle Hamilton, but with plenty of other holes at more valuable positions, the club may choose to pass on the former Golden Domer and address its safety needs with later picks or in post-draft free agency.
Ryan, meanwhile, went from a rebuilding team to a championship contender. By reuniting with former Patriots teammate Tom Brady in Tampa, Ryan will have a chance to add a third Super Bowl ring to his collection as part of a safety group that includes Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Edwards, and fellow free agent acquisition Keanu Neal.
Steelers, Saints Likely To Take QB In First Round?
As those who even casually follow the NFL predraft process know by now, this year’s collegiate class includes an intriguing but flawed set of quarterbacks, which has led to seemingly unprecedented variance in how executives throughout the league are evaluating the prospects who play the most important position in sports.
ESPN draftnik Todd McShay said, “[w]hat’s wild about this year’s class — more so than any previous year that I can remember — is the difference of opinions when I get off the phone with one guy in the league versus the next guy. And I’m not just talking about scouts, I’m talking general managers, guys who are making the decisions” (via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com).
Per McShay, one club has Ole Miss’ Matt Corral ranked as the top passer in the class, while several teams have Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder at the top of their respective draft boards. Liberty’s Malik Willis has frequently been mentioned as the QB with the highest ceiling, and while McShay suggests some teams prefer Willis to his draftmates, other clubs have Willis as the fourth-best signal-caller. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, meanwhile, is generally viewed as either the best or second-best quarterback.
As one might expect in light of these differences in QB evaluations, there have been plenty of conflicting reports regarding how many passers might actually be selected in the first round. On Friday, Matt Miller of ESPN.com reported that it would not be a surprise to see Pickett as the only QB picked on Day 1, but Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network wrote on Saturday that the Saints and Steelers look like “sure bets” to nab a first-round quarterback, and that at least three QBs will hear their name called among the first 32 picks.
The Saints now have two first-round choices (Nos. 16 and 19 overall) by virtue of their trade with the Eagles earlier this month. McShay and others have opined that New Orleans did not make that move with the goal of selecting a quarterback, but it certainly puts the club in good position to do exactly that. Indeed, one thing that all evaluators do seem to agree on is that this year’s highest-profile QBs are not top-10 prospects, and are actually mid- to late-first-round talents. As such, even if the Saints do not want to package their two first-rounders in an effort to move into the top-10 and assure themselves of the opportunity to nab their preferred passer, they theoretically could still have their pick of the litter just by staying put (though the premium that teams place on the quarterback position suggests that such a strategy would be a risky one if New Orleans really does want to come away from the draft with its highest-rated quarterback in tow).
The Saints took top-30 visits with Corral, Pickett, Willis, and UNC passer Sam Howell, and that same quartet also met with the Steelers. Pittsburgh has heavily scouted this year’s quarterbacks and is said to prefer Pickett, though ESPN.com’s Jordan Reid (in the same Triplett piece linked above) reports that the Steelers are high on Ridder — with whom they also visited — and could be poised to pounce on the former Bearcat if he falls past the Saints.
Pauline writes that both Ridder and Corral are building first-round momentum, and he also hears that the Seahawks — who presently hold the No. 9 overall selection — could try to move into the back end of the first round to pick up a passer to groom behind Drew Lock. Earlier reports maintained that Seattle could use its top-10 choice on a QB, but Pauline’s piece implies that the club has other ideas for that pick. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reiterates that the ‘Hawks truly think Lock can be a legitimate NFL starter, which suggests that if team brass is targeting a quarterback in the draft, such a player would be acquired with the No. 40 or No. 41 pick or by packaging one or both of those picks to trade up 10 spots or so.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on DL, OLB Needs: “We’re Not Done Yet”
The Ravens thought they had brought pass rusher Za’Darius Smith back into the fold in March, only to see him back out of his deal and then sign with the Vikings. Baltimore also made a strong offer for linebacker Bobby Wagner, who chose to sign with the Rams instead.
While the team mitigated those disappointments to some degree by agreeing to terms with Calais Campbell and Josh Bynes this week, GM Eric DeCosta is not kidding himself about the team’s front seven. In discussing his OLB and DL needs, DeCosta said, “we’re not done yet” (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).
DeCosta made that comment prior to the Campbell signing, which gives him a defensive front comprised of Michael Pierce, Derek Wolfe, and Campbell, a group that features age and injury concerns. 2020 draftees Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington offer more youthful support, but Madubuike did not take the step forward last season that many expected, and Pro Football Focus’ metrics did not think highly of either player. As such, even after re-upping Campbell, another DL might be in the cards. Longtime Raven Brandon Williams is still a free agent, and the team recently met with Eddie Goldman, a six-year starter for the Bears.
At this point, the pass rush is a bigger concern. 2021 first-rounder Odafe Oweh showed promise in his rookie campaign, but aside from him and Tyus Bowser — who is more of a jack-of-all-trades player than a true pass rusher — the cupboard is largely bare. Smith would have represented an ideal bookend to Oweh, and now the FA market includes players like Justin Houston (who played reasonably well in his first Ravens season last year), Jadeveon Clowney, Trey Flowers, Carlos Dunlap, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Jerry Hughes. Not all of those players are perfect scheme fits for Baltimore, and they all come with age, injury, and/or injury issues.
The Ravens could still elect to sign a member of that group, and the club is always on the lookout for cap casualties from other organizations. DeCosta has also shown a willingness to be aggressive on the trade market. Before making any move for a veteran player, however, Baltimore may first see what materializes in the draft. The team is interested in Oregon edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux, who could fall to the team’s No. 14 overall selection, and it will be interesting to see if DeCosta prioritizes his potential need for an offensive tackle over his need for a pass rusher.
Eagles Notes: Cox, Lurie, Kirk
The Eagles released longtime DT Fletcher Cox last month to avoid having $18MM of what he was due under his prior contract becoming fully-guaranteed. The club then re-signed him to a one-year, $14MM contract several days later, which, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, is “real” (meaning that Cox will actually earn that money and that the $14MM figure is not inflated by incentives). However, the deal does include two void years to flatten the cap charge, which was especially important since the release already created considerable dead money on the Eagles’ books for the 2022-23 seasons.
Even though Cox is coming off a season in which his play showed noticeable signs of decline and in which he publicly complained about the club’s defensive scheme, his $14MM payout is still $4MM more than what any other free agent interior D-lineman received on a per-year basis this offseason. That has led to plenty of questions about why the Eagles authorized such a contract, but owner Jeffrey Lurie suggested other clubs were willing to pony up for the six-time Pro Bowler, thereby necessitating the financial outlay.
McLane reports that the Eagles did call at least three teams in March to discuss a Cox trade, but just like their in-season trade talks in 2021, the more recent discussions were undermined by Cox’s prior contract and GM Howie Roseman‘s high asking price.
Now for more out of Philadelphia:
- In the same piece linked above, McLane details the growing role of Lurie’s son, Julian Lurie, within the organization. Now 26, the younger Lurie participated in the NFL’s two-year program for prospective executives upon his graduation from Harvard, he took part in the Eagles’ head coaching interviews in 2021 — ultimately advising his father as the team transitioned from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni — and even spearheaded the interviews for the team’s analytics department. Assuming he wants to take up the mantle, it seems that Julian Lurie will someday succeed his 70-year-old father at the top of the franchise.
- In a piece exploring whether Jeffrey Lurie is too involved in his team’s personnel decisions, which will be of particular interest to Eagles fans, McLane reports that, in 2018, the team was prepared to select one of two receivers in the second round: Ohio State’s Parris Campbell or Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Roseman and then-VP of player personnel Joe Douglas wanted Campbell, but Lurie preferred Arcega-Whiteside, and after Lurie successfully curried Pederson’s support, Roseman and Douglas felt compelled to go along with their wishes. That has led to broader questions about whether Lurie really values Roseman as a GM as much as he says he does, or if he simply likes that he can use Roseman as a “conduit” to the team.
- The Eagles have not yet acquired a cornerback this offseason, and while Sirianni hyped the unproven contingent of players behind CB1 Darius Slay on the current depth chart — a group that includes Zech McPhearson and Tay Gowan — McLane says the team will almost certainly add a CB or two at some point. The Eagles will hold a “30” visit with top CB prospect Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, and while Gardner may be off the board by the time Philadelphia is on the clock with its No. 15 overall pick, a player like Washington’s Trent McDuffie or LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. could be an option should Roseman decide to select a first-round corner for the first time in his history as a GM.
- The Eagles have taken some swings at high-profile FA targets this offseason but have mostly come up short (with all due apologies to Haason Reddick and Zach Pascal). In addition to his pursuit of receivers like Allen Robinson and Robert Woods, Roseman also made an offer to former Cardinals wideout Christian Kirk, as McLane writes in a separate article. Kirk, though, received a four-year, $72MM deal from the Jaguars, a move that many have decried as more desperate spending on the part of Jacksonville. Though Kirk would doubtlessly have been an asset to Philadelphia’s WR corps, his $18MM AAV presently looks like an overpay.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Still In The Mix For Lions’ No. 2 Pick
Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, once considered a surefire top-5 pick in this month’s draft, is reportedly in danger of falling out of the top-10. That is largely due to concerns not about his physical abilities, but about his effort and coachability. As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News writes, Thibodeaux said at this year’s scouting combine, “I tell a coach that there’s nothing he can tell me that I don’t already know, right? It’s because I’m honest with myself and I watch the tape. So if you’re a student of the game you know what you can get better at.”
However, the Lions could save Thibodeaux from his rumored tumble down draft boards. According to Rogers, Thibodeaux is still “very much in the conversation” for Detroit’s No. 2 overall pick.
The Lions have a clear need for a pass rusher, which is why they have been connected to Thibodeaux and Michigan edge defender Aidan Hutchinson throughout the predraft process. Thibodeaux’s collegiate production — which includes three sacks in seven games in 2020 and seven sacks in 10 games in 2021 — has not been enough to offset the questions about his intangibles, but it should be noted that, last season, he posted those seven sacks and 12 total tackles for loss while playing through an ankle injury.
His size (6-5, 250), and impressive combine performance are further evidence of his high ceiling, and the Lions have thoroughly evaluated him. The club met with him at the combine, had GM Brad Holmes and others in attendance at his pro day, and will bring him in for a top-30 visit this week. Head coach Dan Campbell said of Thibodeaux, “[h]ey, listen, he’s an explosive athlete. He’s a playmaker. He’s got a good, quick first step. I mean, he’s something else. He’s pretty special on tape.”
The Lions are willing to trade down from the No. 2 pick, but if they keep it, Campbell is looking for a player who can contribute from Day 1 (in other words, probably not a QB prospect from a 2022 class whose shortcomings have been one of this year’s most-discussed draft topics). “That’s really what you’re trying to acquire, a guy that you can feel like can come in and he’s going to be able to have solid production for you,” Campbell recently said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “I mean, that’s kind of the idea. We need to feel like, all right, this guy comes in, it may take just a little bit, but you’d like to believe by the time you hit your first game that this player’s starting for you and is going to be able to produce.”
Though Campbell did not rule out the possibility of selecting a quarterback with the No. 2 pick if the team falls in love with a passer, he also suggested that having an elite QB is not necessarily a prerequisite for long-term success. When combined with his desire to nab an immediate contributor with his top draft choice, Campbell’s sentiments leave the door open for a Thibodeaux selection, though there are plenty of other non-quarterback prospects who figure to make an impact right away.