Patriots Offered Rams’ Nick Caley OC Job
Nick Caley‘s name resurfaced on the OC radar this offseason, but only with one team. The Rams assistant took two interviews with the Patriots, his employer from 2015-22. This process ended with a job offer.
In place on Bill Belichick‘s staff — primarily as tight ends coach — for nearly a decade, Caley joined the Rams once the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as OC in 2023. The Pats separated from Belichick but revisited their Caley OC search a year after he did not land the job. The team’s effort included a high-end offer to call plays under Jerod Mayo, SI.com’s Albert Breer said during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand (via NBC Sports Boston).
Although Caley is an aspiring first-time coordinator, Breer notes the Patriots presented him an offer of nearly $3MM per year to take their OC position. That is toward the top of the coordinator spectrum, though coaching salaries do not have to be disclosed in the way player contracts do. Somewhat surprisingly (based on what we now know), Caley passed. The job went to recently dismissed Browns OC Alex Van Pelt, who is a play-calling OC for the first time in 15 years.
A Caley hire would have fit in with how the Patriots built their team and coaching staff this offseason. Despite Belichick’s ouster, the Pats promoted Mayo and elevated DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator. Caley would not have been a direct promotion, but considering his past in Foxborough, he certainly made sense as a return candidate given the way this offseason played out in New England. A host of re-signings and extensions followed the club’s coaching decisions, including a three-year, $27MM deal for ex-Caley pupil Hunter Henry.
The Rams have since moved Caley to pass-game coordinator under Sean McVay and OC Mike LaFleur. Caley, 41, is still in charge of the Rams’ tight ends but carries a new title that often matters when OC-needy teams are conducting searches. He is also tied to a team that has sent several assistants to coordinator roles and coordinators to HC positions.
Last year brought more interest in Caley, with the Texans and Jets joining the Patriots in interviewing the promising assistant. Caley was on an expiring contract in 2023 but still had a chance to stay. Post-Belichick interest remained, though it is worth wondering if that door is now closed despite the sides’ lengthy history.
Prior to joining McVay’s staff, Caley’s only NFL work had come in New England. He left the college ranks for a Pats assistant job in 2015, eventually collecting two Super Bowl rings and being given the chance to coach Rob Gronkowski in the final years of the all-time great’s Patriots run. The Pats gave Caley increased responsibility in 2022 as well, and other teams took notice.
As injuries force the Rams into numerous changes early this season, Caley is taking his chances as an assistant under one of the NFL’s top HCs. It stands to reason the northeast Ohio native viewed his current position as one that would help him land other coordinator interviews down the road. It should be expected Caley resurfaces on the coordinator carousel next year, but this certainly qualifies as a notable “what if?” involving he and the Patriots.
Broncos Work Out T Cameron Fleming
Suddenly shorthanded at tackle along a high-priced offensive line, the Broncos are set to turn to a UDFA who missed all of his 2023 rookie season. As Alex Palczewski prepares to take over for Mike McGlinchey, Denver is looking into veteran options as well.
The Broncos brought in a familiar face for a Thursday workout. Cameron Fleming auditioned for his most recent NFL employer, 9News’ Mike Klis tweets. Fleming joined recently cut Commanders O-lineman Braeden Daniels at the workout.
[RELATED: Broncos OL Quinn Bailey Out For Season]
Fleming, 32, would supply the Broncos experience they lack. Denver has Palczewski and ex-Giants swingman Matt Peart in place as backup options for McGlinchey and Garett Bolles. The team did not need to turn to backup help much in 2023, with four of its five O-line starters (all but McGlinchey) playing 17 games. McGlinchey was available for the team’s first 16, but to start this season, the veteran RT is on IR with an MCL sprain. For the time being, Palczewski — an Illinois standout who spent all of last season on IR — will be asked to start opposite Bolles.
Fleming started in place of McGlinchey in Week 18 and saw more action for less healthy Broncos O-lines in 2021 and ’22. Brought in initially after Ja’Wuan James suffered an Achilles tear away from the team’s facility in 2021, Fleming started four games for that Denver edition but was needed for 15 starts in 2022. The Broncos used a different Week 1 right tackle starter each year from 2013-23. Fleming took his turn on that carousel in 2022, with his 15-game season coming two years after he served as the full-time Giants RT.
Pro Football Focus graded Fleming as a solid option, particularly in pass protection, in 2022. He re-signed with a rebooted Broncos team in 2023. Not too much interest came the journeyman blocker’s way this offseason, though the tackle-needy Browns auditioned him in August. The Broncos had struggled to provide sufficient protection for Bo Nix with their starting quintet in place, and the McGlinchey-to-Palczewski experience gap is obviously rather wide. Fleming could help fill the void, having familiarity with Sean Payton‘s system.
Daniels enjoyed a short Texans stint following his Commanders cut, as the rebuilding NFC East team cut five 2023 draftees. Houston also moved on from the second-year player, doing so this week. Daniels, 24, profiles as more developmental option; the former fourth-round pick has yet to play a regular-season snap.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Rams, Metcalf, Cards
Trent Williams‘ absence secured him a significant guarantee midway through the life of a six-year contract. The All-Pro 49ers left tackle had shown up to minicamp but staged a training camp holdout that surpassed one month. Williams did not talk to Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch for more than two months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes (subscription required). This ended with Shanahan calling the disgruntled tackle to express the team’s need for his return, with Russini indicating that the eighth-year HC’s overture took place eight days before San Francisco’s season opener.
The parties ended up agreeing to their rework, which provided Williams with a three-year deal worth $82.66MM ($26.9MM guaranteed at signing), less than 48 hours later. Williams, who remains signed through 2026, is by far the 49ers’ best O-lineman and is gunning for a tackle-record 12th Pro Bowl nod.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
- Brock Purdy will already be without McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel against the Rams, but the third-year 49ers QB also may not be able to target George Kittle in a game featuring concerning injury trouble for both California teams. Hamstring tightness led Kittle to a DNP on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The All-Pro tight end practiced Wednesday but appears to have come out of the workout worse for wear. Kittle, 31 next month, has dealt with a number of injuries in his career but has managed to avoid extensive absences since missing much of the 2020 season. Eric Saubert would likely step in as San Francisco’s starter if Kittle joins CMC and Samuel in being unable to go.
- The 49ers also recently worked out slot cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Chandon Sullivan, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A longtime Jaguars slot player, Herndon caught on with the Giants in June but did not make their 53-man roster. Sullivan, who has played for the Packers, Vikings and Steelers in a six-year career, has been a free agent since March.
- A tweaked hamstring led Darious Williams to the Rams‘ IR list just before the season. Williams preceded a host of Rams regulars — including Puka Nacua, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila and John Johnson — in heading to IR before Week 3. Williams had been battling hamstring trouble this summer and will be eligible to return in Week 5, with ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop noting the Rams are not yet concerned the recently reacquired cornerback will need to miss more time. Hamstrings, of course, can cause uncertain timetables. For Williams, this is his first IR trip since 2021. It is not a good start to his age-31 season, as the former Super Bowl starter is attached to a contract that becomes a pay-as-you-go accord beyond 2024. Williams will be due $8MM if on the Rams’ roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
- The Seahawks recently created some cap space by restructuring D.K. Metcalf‘s three-year deal. Seattle converted $11.88MM of Metcalf’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $9.5MM in cap room, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fizgerald notes. The team saw its cap-space figure balloon from around $4MM to $13MM-plus via this conversion, creating breathing room and inflating Metcalf’s 2025 cap number (now $31.88MM). Seattle added three void years to Metcalf’s deal as well; as a result, the team would take on $7.13MM in dead money if Metcalf is not re-signed before the 2026 league year begins.
- The Cardinals and Patriots each posted 4-13 records last season, but New England’s tiebreaker both provided access to the No. 3 overall pick (Drake Maye) and a better waiver position. The Pats took advantage recently, claiming recent UDFA tackle Demontrey Jacobs off waivers from the Broncos. Arizona had also submitted a claim for Jacobs, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss offers, only to lose out by one priority spot.
Rams Place Jonah Jackson, John Johnson On IR; Cooper Kupp To Stay On Active Roster
SEPTEMBER 19: Kupp will be in a cast for the next week before beginning his rehab, McVay said, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required). He added the injury will not require surgery, which is another positive development. McVay also said a final decision on injured reserve has not been made yet in Kupp’s case, however, so he could still be shut down for notable stretch.
SEPTEMBER 18: This season is skidding off track quickly for a Rams team that carried higher expectations compared to 2023. More IR placements are on tap for Sean McVay‘s team.
Jonah Jackson and John Johnson are heading to IR, the team announced. Jackson joins O-linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom on the injured list, with more injury trouble persisting on the team’s front beyond the IR crew.
That said, some good news has come out of this early-season bloodbath. Cooper Kupp is not currently viewed as an IR candidate, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Kupp is again battling an ankle injury. McVay had previously said Kupp was an IR candidate.
[RELATED: Steve Avila Undergoes MCL Surgery]
Previously the last man standing among Rams starters in terms of health and overall availability entering Week 2, Jackson aggravated the shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of training camp and the preseason. The free agency addition must now miss at least four games. Jackson must sit until at least Week 8, while Avila and Noteboom are out until at least Week 7. The Rams have their bye in Week 6. That suddenly looms as an important recovery period, despite it coming so early in the season.
The Rams gave Jackson a three-year, $51MM deal days after re-signing Kevin Dotson (three years, $48MM) to remain at right guard. A four-year Lions left guard starter, Jackson has bounced between LG and center early in his Rams tenure. But injuries have overshadowed the entire O-line’s work thus far. Dotson is playing through a sprained ankle.
Alaric Jackson‘s return from a two-game suspension will help a Rams team in crisis. That will give the team three of its five O-line starters available, with longtime RT Rob Havenstein returning in Week 2. But the team is battling injury issues at multiple spots. Johnson sustained a hairline scapula fracture and had loomed as an IR candidate. Re-signed to continue his second Rams stint in July, Johnson had started one game for a Rams team otherwise retooling at safety.
As the Rams’ O-line injury issues remind of their 2022 problems, Kupp’s most recent trouble is familiar as well. Kupp suffered a foot injury in October 2022 but then went down with a more significant ankle malady a month later. The All-Pro receiver underwent season-ending tightrope surgery to repair the issue, and while he returned in time for training camp in 2023, a hamstring issue delayed his debut last season.
Kupp has missed 13 games since his dominant 2021 season, stalling the crafty wideout in his early 30s. The Rams gave Kupp a big raise after his Super Bowl MVP showing — during an offseason in which the team paid Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald — but have not seen much to justify it since.
Kupp, 31, does lead the NFL with 18 receptions through two games; that total came despite leaving the Rams’ Week 2 loss early. The team has Puka Nacua on IR as well, leaving the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington as Stafford’s top targets.
Panthers Not Expected To Explore Bryce Young Trade
10:17pm: Canales has since said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) a Young trade is “not something we’re really considering.” The rookie HC said he still believes Young can be a franchise quarterback but noted it is all hands on deck for this week.
12:57pm: The Panthers have gone through with a historically quick benching involving a No. 1 overall pick. With Dave Canales indicating this is not a mere reset effort involving Bryce Young, the 2023 top draftee’s status is in limbo after only 18 starts.
As Andy Dalton prepares to take the reins of an NFC South team’s offense early in a season for the second time in three years, the Panthers are coming to grips with the fact they traded a monster asset package — headlined by D.J. Moore and the 2024 No. 1 overall pick — for a player who is already drifting away from their big-picture plan.
Young is not taking this especially well, as could be expected. The 2021 Heisman winner is “pissed” about the Panthers’ decision, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Appeasing veterans — and potentially ownership and the front office — became a key factor here, as the team’s wide receivers were showing considerable frustration early. Young’s long-term development is on hold — potentially for good. This could soon start one of the more shocking QB searches in recent memory, considering the Panthers’ carousel and what they gave up to obtain the Young draft slot.
While Young has performed poorly — for the most part — since Carolina deployed him as its Week 1 starter last season, he was first asked to lead a poorly constructed offense with some conflicting voices in his ear before having to learn Canales’ system this offseason. Considering the dysfunction surrounding the Panthers during David Tepper‘s ownership tenure, many have voiced support for Young despite his shaky on-field work.
It is not known if Young will start again for the Panthers, but Fowler adds the team is not expected to explore an early trade. This would station Young as the backup, barring a Dalton injury, for the season’s remainder. Given the quick hooks involving many passers from the 2021 and 2022 draft classes, Young being elsewhere in 2025 would not be a complete shock. Though, NFL history does not provide many examples of a No. 1 overall pick ditched so soon.
All but one quarterback chosen first overall in the common draft era (1967-present) has remained with his original team at least four seasons. Even the lone exception here — Raiders mega-bust JaMarcus Russell — was given three years before being released in 2010. Among this lot, Jeff George (traded in 1994) and Baker Mayfield are the only other QBs to last fewer than five years with their first NFL franchises. Young being ditched after Year 3 would mark another blow to a Panthers franchise that has sustained many under Tepper’s leadership.
The Panthers still view Young as having the skillset to enjoy a productive NFL career, Fowler adds, making this benching strange due to this season being framed as the 5-foot-10 passer’s bounce-back year. Carolina’s offseason investments came about due to organizational interest in bettering Young’s situation. Despite the Panthers signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to big-ticket contracts and trading for Diontae Johnson, Young has not shown improvement. He ranks last in QBR by a wide margin.
The fallout from this benching could certainly determine Young’s Carolina future, and the Panthers determining they need to start over yet again would cast doubt about the team having the organizational infrastructure necessary to solve this long-running issue. For now, Young remains in the Panthers’ plans.
While it would break with NFL precedent for the Panthers to bail on Young as quickly as the Steelers, Falcons and Titans separated from their 2022 draftees (Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis), those moves certainly show an early divorce is possible. Carolina, of course, would recoup nowhere near the value it gave up to acquire Young if a trade did ultimately come to pass.
The QB Market’s Substantial Growth
A year after a host of young quarterbacks jockeyed for position to form the $50MM-per-year club, the Cowboys made Dak Prescott the first 30-something member of this contingent. Facing historic player leverage, Dallas greenlit a deal that separated Prescott from the pack.
The NFL has managed to climb from $30MM being its highwater salary point to Prescott’s $60MM-AAV place in barely six years. It took more than 30 years for the league to climb from its first $1MM quarterback to Matt Ryan‘s $30MM-per-year deal from 2018, illustrating the booming market — as the salary cap continues to spike — the current crop enjoys.
Since the 1993 offseason brought the league’s first $5MM-per-year player, here are steps taken to move the market to where it currently stands:
July 15, 1993
- Steve Young signs five-year, $25.25MM 49ers extension
As the free agency era began, the franchise tag also made its debut. Young was in the first class of tagged players, and the 49ers rewarded the reigning MVP by making him the NFL’s first $5MM-per-year player. Young’s agreement, which narrowly surpassed fellow future Hall of Famer John Elway‘s 1993 extension, covered four seasons before the southpaw passer landed another 49ers re-up in 1997.
March 2, 2001
- Packers give Brett Favre 10-year, $101.5MM deal
Dubbed as a “lifetime contract,” Favre’s deal made him the league’s first eight-figure-per-year player. This contract ended up being acquired by the Jets in 2008.
December 29, 2005
- Carson Palmer lands six-year, $97MM Bengals extension
Acting early, the Bengals re-upped Palmer late in his second season as their starter. Three years remained on Palmer’s rookie deal at the time. The former No. 1 overall pick did not receive a new one until after his 2011 trade to the Raiders.
July 13, 2012
- Drew Brees ends franchise tag period with five-year, $100MM Saints accord
It took a bit longer for the NFL to get from $15MM per year to $20MM on average, as the 2011 CBA did not bring cap growth until the mid-2010s. Brees agreed to terms shortly before the July tag deadline, with this deal coming with a grievance that ruled the Saints QB’s tag counted as his second even though his first tag (2005) came from the Chargers. Brees winning the grievance worked as precedent in cases like Kirk Cousins‘ down the road.
June 23, 2017
- Derek Carr secures five-year, $125MM Raiders payday
Admitting he left some money on the table, Carr still became the NFL’s first $25MM-per-year man. He played on that contract through the 2021 season, before agreeing to terms on a third Raiders pact — one that came with a notable escape hatch — in 2022.
May 3, 2018
- Falcons break $30MM-AAV barrier by giving Matt Ryan five-year, $150MM deal
The floodgates began to open following Carr’s accord and Cousins’ fully guaranteed Vikings pact. Ryan did not land a deal after his 2016 MVP season, but following another Falcons playoff berth in 2017, their longtime starter reaped rewards. Ryan remained attached to this deal following a 2022 trade to the Colts.
April 16, 2019
- Seahawks give Russell Wilson four-year, $140MM extension
Meeting their starter’s deadline, the Seahawks hit $35MM per year on the dual-threat standout’s third contract. Wilson played three seasons on this deal. Leery of another negotiation, Seattle bailed in 2022 via a blockbuster trade. Denver then authorized an extension — one it shed to set a dead money record — days before Wilson’s debut with the team.
July 6, 2020
- Chiefs construct outlier Patrick Mahomes contract worth $450MM over 10 years
Mahomes became the first NFLer to hit both the $40MM- and $45MM-per-year benchmarks, signing a deal that upped the market but gave the team tremendous flexibility. The Chiefs reworked Mahomes’ contract in 2023 but have gone to the restructure well three times, including this offseason. No one else has signed a contract spanning more than six years since, and Mahomes is the only NFLer tied to a team through 2031.
March 8, 2022
- Aaron Rodgers scores three-year, $150.82MM Packers extension
As trade rumors (most notably involving the Broncos) followed Rodgers since his feud with Packers management became known on draft weekend 2021, the four-time MVP agreed to stay for what turned out to be one more season in Green Bay. The Packers constructed the contract to include a bonus structure that allowed for an easier trade. Both the Packers and Jets restructured Rodgers’ deal, which did still tag Green Bay with more than $40MM in dead money, in 2023.
September 7, 2023
- Bengals reward Joe Burrow with five-year, $275MM extension
An offseason of one-upping that involved Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert ended with Burrow setting the market at $55MM per year. Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love hit this AAV in 2024.
September 8, 2024
- Dak Prescott secures four-year, $240MM Cowboys extension
Armed with unique leverage and wielding it during his latest round of extension talks, Prescott upped the market by $5MM per annum in becoming the NFL’s first $60MM-per-year performer. As they did during seminal 2021 negotiations, the Cowboys included no-tag and no-trade clauses in their starter’s accord.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/18/24
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed from practice squad: OLB Dondrea Tillman
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: OL Justin Dedich
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin
- Placed on IR: TE Nick Muse
New England Patriots
- Signed from Bears’ practice squad: DE Jamree Kromah
- Placed on IR: OLB Oshane Ximines
A five-year Giants contributor, Ximenes logged 14 defensive snaps through two Patriots games. A rookie UDFA out of James Madison, Kromah has not played in a regular-season game yet. Because the Pats poached Kromah from the Bears’ P-squad, he must remain on New England’s 53-man roster for three weeks.
Additionally, free agent defensive back Alex Brown received a three-week suspension, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Brown has not been on an NFL roster since 2021 and has not played in a game since 2019.
Broncos Place RT Mike McGlinchey On IR
The Broncos enjoyed near-perfect attendance along their offensive line last season. As the team attempts to develop Bo Nix, one of its blockers will be out of the mix for a while.
Not intending to go week-to-week with Mike McGlinchey‘s MCL sprain, Denver is placing (via 9News’ Mike Klis) its right tackle on IR. The high-priced blocker went down during the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers and will be unable to return until at least Week 7.
This move comes weeks after the team lost swing backup Quinn Bailey for the season. Alex Palczewski, a 2023 UDFA who did not play as a rookie, is set to step in, per Sean Payton. Palczewski spent all of last season on IR, being placed on the injured list just before last season.
Given a five-year, $87.5MM deal, McGlinchey started 16 games in his Broncos debut. This came as Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Lloyd Cushenberry and Quinn Meinerz suited up for 17 contests. This remarkable run of health contrasted from the 2022 season, when Denver played stretches without Bolles, Cushenberry and Meinerz. That year also featured RT instability, leading to yet another investment in a position the franchise had struggled to fill since the Peyton Manning years.
In Week 1, McGlinchey became the first Bronco to open back-to-back seasons at right tackle since Orlando Franklin from 2012-13. The Broncos poached the veteran from the 49ers, who had stood down while paying Trent Williams top LT money, and gave him a contract that called for his 2025 salary ($17.5MM) to become fully guaranteed in March 2024. McGlinchey’s 2025 money vested after he submitted a middling first season in Denver. Though, the Broncos could find a gulf between a seventh-year vet — who was a top-10 pick — and a UDFA set for his third career game.
The team signed Matt Peart as a swing option this offseason, and the veteran played both right and left tackle in New York. Palczewski, 25, earned second-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-America acclaim in his final Fighting Illini season. After being in Payton’s system for a year (albeit on IR), he will be entrusted to help protect Nix amid the rookie QB’s sluggish start.
Chiefs Sign RB Keaontay Ingram From Practice Squad
Kareem Hunt‘s return to Kansas City may not come with an immediate return to the team’s active roster. The Chiefs first chose to bump up one of their current practice squad running backs.
Keaontay Ingram is now on the defending champions’ 53-man roster, while Hunt is officially on their practice squad. Ingram joins Samaje Perine and rookie UDFA Carson Steele on Kansas City’s active roster.
Initially catching on with the Chiefs’ P-squad in late November of last year, Ingram was originally a Cardinals sixth-round pick in 2022. The Cards selected Ingram in Steve Keim‘s final draft as GM but waived him midway through last season, Monti Ossenfort‘s first running the front office. Ingram played in 20 games with Arizona, logging 62 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown in limited duty. Ingram has not played in a regular-season game as a Chief.
Hunt can be elevated from the practice squad up to three times, but as a vested veteran, the former rushing champion can move back and forth to the Chiefs’ P-squad and 53-man roster — should the team take this route after the elevation period ends — up until the day after the trade deadline. Players of all experience levels are subject to waivers following that point. Hunt, however, should probably be expected to move to the Chiefs’ 53-man roster and stay once his elevation period ends.
The Chiefs are in this bind because Clyde Edwards-Helaire landed on the reserve/non-football illness list before Isiah Pacheco‘s fibula fracture. Andy Reid said the team’s starter is undergoing surgery today. Pacheco is aiming to return at some point during the season’s second half. Additionally, the Chiefs signed linebacker Cole Christiansen from their practice squad and officially announced Pacheco’s IR move.
Cowboys To Place DT Jordan Phillips On IR
One of two 30-something defensive tackles the Cowboys acquired just before the season, Jordan Phillips will not make it to Week 3 on the team’s active roster. The team is placing the veteran D-lineman on IR, per the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins.
A wrist injury will move Phillips off the roster. This is familiar territory for the well-traveled veteran, who finished last season on IR due to a wrist ailment. The Giants traded Phillips to the Cowboys in mid-August, with that transaction preceding the team’s Linval Joseph addition.
The Cowboys are planning to sign Carlos Watkins to take Phillips’ roster spot, All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill tweets. Watkins is currently on the Commanders’ practice squad, meaning he must spend at least three weeks on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster due to this poaching. Watkins played the 2021 and ’22 seasons in Dallas before moving on.
Offering an interesting take on this development, Phillips said Wednesday (via Hill) nothing is wrong with his wrist. As such, his status with the organization will be worth monitoring after two games in uniform. The Cowboys are, however, calling this a sprained wrist and are exercising caution, Calvin Watkins adds. Phillips underwent surgery following his 2023 injury, per the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore, but is not expected to need another procedure. This is an interesting back-and-forth, though Phillips’ place on the backup tier reduces its relevance.
Phillips, who will turn 32 this week, must miss at least four games. He has played in both Cowboys contests as a backup, recording two tackles on 34 defensive snaps. The Cowboys brought in Phillips and Joseph to help shore up their run defense. That effort has not gone especially well, with the Saints rampaging for 190 yards on the ground in their stunning Week 2 romp. Joseph has logged 37 snaps as a backup DT.
The Giants signed Phillips, whose Bills tenure overlapped with Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, this offseason but dealt him to their division rivals in a low-end pick-swap agreement. The Cowboys sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Giants for Phillips and a 2026 seventh-rounder. By playing in two games, Phillips has already satisfied the conditions of the trade in order for the picks to transfer.
Buffalo turned back to Phillips as a starter following DaQuan Jones‘ pec tear last season, and the multi-stint Bill started nine games with the team. Pro Football Focus rated Phillips as one of the league’s worst interior D-linemen in 2023. Phillips’ best work came in 2019, when he led the Bills with 9.5 sacks ahead of a nice Cardinals contract. Arizona bailed on that deal after two seasons, leading the former Dolphins second-round pick back to Buffalo in 2022.
Watkins, 30, also brings extensive experience to the equation. One of a few ex-Cowboys to rejoin Dan Quinn in Washington, Watkins landed in the nation’s capital after the Rams cut him late last month. Watkins joined Washington’s practice squad soon after. Watkins started 18 Cowboys games from 2021-22. He played in one Commanders game this season but will now be set to join Joseph, Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa on Dallas’ DT depth chart.