Justin Fields Gaining Ground To Start For Steelers
In a quarterback battle for the first time since his rookie training camp, Russell Wilson has already run into limitations due to a calf injury. This gave Justin Fields a chance to receive steady first-string reps. While Pittsburgh’s latest preseason game did not go well on offense, practice work has narrowed this competition.
Neither Fields nor Wilson averaged more than 5.5 yards per attempt against the Bills, the latter’s preseason debut with his new team. Fields was 11-for-17 with 92 yards, while Wilson was 8-for-10 for 47 yards. The younger passer added 42 yards on the ground. The Steelers did not score a touchdown in that game, inviting early concerns for a franchise that has not exactly enjoyed reliable quarterback play since before Ben Roethlisberger‘s 2019 elbow injury.
After Wilson entered camp in pole position, Fields’ car appears to be closer to the veteran’s rearview mirror. The Steelers have naturally been impressed with Fields’ athleticism, to the point Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson indicates the team views his run-game dynamism as a facet that could help provide cover while he continues to develop as a passer. That produced uneven results for the Bears, though they likely would have retained the 2021 first-rounder had an opportunity to land Caleb Williams not come up. Nevertheless, Robinson adds Fields’ odds of overtaking Wilson have improved since the offseason program.
This follows an early-camp report suggesting Fields was making strides toward the starting job. The Steelers were clear in the offseason Wilson would be the starter, with this information coming out immediately after the Fields trade occurred. This early confidence represented an interesting vote of confidence given what transpired in Denver. Wilson, 35, indeed fared better under Sean Payton compared to Nathaniel Hackett. The ex-Seahawks star cited his multiple 2022 injuries as the lead reason for his stunning regression that year, but he now finds himself battling a much younger player for a job.
Rumors about Pittsburgh exploring another contract for Wilson and/or Fields came up during the offseason, and Robinson adds the Steelers believe their long-term quarterback is indeed on the current roster. Both players’ deals expire after the season, and the Steelers will not adjust their in-season negotiating policy for this unique situation. This season will double as a critical fact-finding mission, as the team just bailed on its would-be Roethlisberger successor by unloading Kenny Pickett in a rather messy breakup.
Team brass appears pleased with the decision to move on from its QBs from last season, with Robinson adding the club is relieved not to observe another Pickett-Mitch Trubisky QB room prepare for a season. Pittsburgh’s initial post-Big Ben plan did not work, and team brass was disappointed by the previous setup’s lack of production downfield and lack of ability as playmakers. Fields, 25, certainly provides important playmaking elements but is a work in progress as a passer. Both he and Wilson have also shown a propensity to take an alarming number of sacks. Wilson took 100 during his Broncos tenure. Fields absorbed 99 in that span, with each tying for the league high (55) in 2022.
Tomlin did not call Payton about Wilson, per ESPN’s Sal Palantonio (h/t Pro Football Talk). The reference probably would not have been glowing, given the end between Denver’s HC and former QB, but the Steelers are taking a chance the potential Hall of Famer still has starter-level ability.
“I did not,” Tomlin said of placing a call to Payton. “It’s my job and our job to determine that. And so I don’t run away from responsibilities. It’s just Steelers conducting Steelers business, man. We information gather. We do our appropriate research, and we make decisions and we don’t look back. We don’t seek comfort from the opinion of others that are non-Steelers, respectfully. That’s just how we go about our business.”
The team will soon make its determination, and the fallout from Fields winning would certainly be more interesting than what would happen if Wilson held off the fourth-year passer.
Broncos Name Bo Nix Starting QB
Sean Payton has closed the book on his quarterback competition. As expected, Bo Nix will take the reins in Week 1 against the Seahawks. After solid efforts in back-to-back preseason games, the first-round pick can begin preparing with the starters.
Nix will become the first Broncos rookie QB to start in Week 1 since John Elway in 1983. The conversation will soon shift to a Jarrett Stidham-or-Zach Wilson decision, though the prospect of Denver keeping all three on its 53-man roster has come up as well.
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This situation has trended toward Nix for a while. A midsummer report pointed to this being the Oregon product’s job to lose, and considering the Broncos drafted a player who set a Division I-FBS record for QB starts (61), it would have surprised if the prospect was not ready to go immediately. Nix impressed in preseason outings against the Colts and Packers, moving the offense toward points on almost every drive he led.
Regularly connecting with Tim Patrick against Green Bay, Nix went 8-for-9 for 80 yards against the Packers’ collection of second-stringers Sunday. Nix led two scoring drives, capping the second with a TD toss to Patrick. In Indianapolis, Nix was 15-for-21 for 125 yards and a touchdown. The rookie, who rushed for 14 touchdowns in 2022 at Oregon, displayed some skills on the ground as well. Payton started Stidham in Indianapolis but gave Nix far more time. Wilson entered third in each game and had not been viewed as a serious contender, even as Payton has praised the former No. 2 overall pick.
Nix joins Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams among this year’s first-round QB sextet to be named a Week 1 starter. The Patriots have not determined if Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett will receive the call, though the veteran has long been viewed as the frontrunner. The other two passers chosen in Round 1 will not start to open seasons, with Michael Penix Jr. set to wait behind Kirk Cousins and J.J. McCarthy undergoing knee surgery that will knock him out for the season.
Payton raved about Nix’s readiness and fit in his offense this offseason, and the rookie consistently made good decisions during his preseason outings. The Broncos were 6-for-7 in scoring drives with Nix taking snaps, and the 6-foot-2 passer threw two short TD passes. Payton informed his trio of QBs after practice Wednesday. Nix is coming off a dominant season at Oregon, having thrown 45 TD passes and three INTs. Though Nix set a Division I-FBS completion percentage record (77.8%), the Broncos attempt to filter out his shorter throws to determine a better prospect value. Payton was satisfied with the result.
This will set up an interesting decision for the Broncos, as Stidham is in his second year in Payton’s system while Wilson offers more upside. With that upside, of course, comes a history of erratic play with the Jets — to the point the team benched him three times and traded him for a low-end return.
The Broncos would save $5MM by releasing Stidham, who is tied to a two-year, $10MM contract. That deal includes just $1MM in remaining guarantees; a Wilson cut would not create any cap savings. Waiving Wilson would cost Denver $2.7MM, thanks to the salary split the Broncos and Jets agreed to in April. The Broncos chose Zach Wilson as somewhat of a contingency plan, with the trade finalized days before the draft. Following the Russell Wilson debacle, the Broncos were always expected to draft a QB. And Nix-to-Denver rumblings began in February, with Payton guiding a smokescreen effort.
Six-plus months later, Nix is in position to stake his claim to being a long-term Denver starter. The Broncos have endured a maddening run of missteps trying to replace Peyton Manning. This has included some trade misses (Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Teddy Bridgewater) and draft shortcomings (Paxton Lynch, Drew Lock).
Payton will be staking his post-New Orleans reputation on Nix, which would have made it borderline shocking if he went with one of the vets early. This will also be new territory for the Super Bowl-winning HC, who has only coached veteran starters (save for a COVID-19-induced Ian Book outing). The Broncos, who are dealing with Russell Wilson’s record-smashing dead money hit for two years, will need Nix to come through as a cost-controlled solution.
Cowboys To Sign DT Linval Joseph
Jerry Jones recently hinted at more defensive line additions coming; the Cowboys appear to be following through on that. They are preparing to give Linval Joseph a shot to play a 15th NFL season.
The experienced D-lineman is signing with the Cowboys, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets. Joseph spent last season with the Bills, playing in seven games. This is earlier than Joseph caught on with teams over the past two years. He signed with Buffalo in November 2023 and joined Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LVII team in November 2022.
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Joseph will do better than he did with Buffalo or Philly, though that should perhaps be understandable since Dallas is giving him a full-season deal rather than a prorated arrangement. According to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, the Cowboys are signing Joseph to a one-year deal with $2.5MM guaranteed. Joseph can earn up to $4MM on the contract.
This will reunite Joseph with former Vikings HC Mike Zimmer. The Vikings added Joseph in free agency during Zimmer’s first offseason as HC and employed him for six seasons. Joseph started 88 games under Zimmer. While the former second-round pick was part of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI-winning team back in 2011, his most notable NFL period came in Minnesota under Zimmer. With the Vikes featuring little QB continuity, Joseph was part of three Zimmer-led playoff teams during that span.
More of a rotational DT-for-hire at this point in his career, Joseph is now on team No. 6. While he worked exclusively as a Bills backup, the former Giants and Vikings regular was a full-time starter during his Eagles stint. Philly’s NFC championship team turned to the big man for eight regular-season starts and three in the playoffs that season, doing so despite not adding him until Nov. 16.
Last season, Joseph played 35% of the Bills’ defensive snaps (during his time with the team). Prior to his two rental years in the northeast, Joseph was attached to notable Chargers and Vikings contracts. The veteran run stuffer inked two Vikings deals — the second a four-year, $50.35MM pact — and landed a two-year, $17MM Chargers accord ahead of his age-32 season. Joseph will turn 36 in October, but the Cowboys will see if he can help their effort.
The Cowboys had been adding defensive ends as of late, with Carl Lawson the latest in the team’s effort to cover for Sam Williams‘ season-ending injury. The team traded for 2023 Joseph-teammate Phillips last week. The 30-somethings join 2023 first-rounder Mazi Smith and contract-year DT Osa Odighizuwa among Dallas’ interior stoppers. The team has certainly prioritized bulk as of late, with Zimmer presumably concerned about his run defense ahead of his first NFL season since being fired as Minnesota’s HC.
NFC South Notes: Tepper, Pace, Bucs, Saints
David Tepper‘s Panthers tenure has plunged the team to its lowest point. Carolina is 0-for-6 in playoff berths under the current owner, bottoming out at 2-15 last season. Panthers fans have observed their owner play perhaps the lead role during this period. Beyond Tepper throwing a drink at a fan last season, the primary concerns about the owner have been overreach-based. Frank Reich confirmed Tepper carried considerable input into football operations last year, and Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline notes a number of league insiders indicate the Carolina czar has not cooled down on this front. Tepper, who has been tabbed as difficult to work for in the past, said at Dave Canales‘ introductory presser he would step back regarding personnel matters. This latest report suggests he has not done so.
From steering the Bryce Young trade to authorizing the monster Matt Rhule contract to firing Reich after 11 games, Tepper has made a mark in his early ownership years. Given how chaotic last year’s coaching setup was believed to be — due in no small part to Tepper’s role — the owner’s involvement will continue to be a central issue as the Panthers attempt to climb out of the NFL’s basement.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Ryan Pace will continue to move up in the Falcons‘ front office. Fired from his Bears GM post following the 2021 season, Pace received a second promotion from the Falcons recently. The team moved him from director of pro personnel to VP of football operations/personnel. Pace last promotion took place during the 2023 offseason. Pace, 47, began his Atlanta stint as a senior personnel executive in 2022. No GM interviews have come his way since the Chicago ouster. The Falcons also promoted Hakeem Smith from assistant pro scout to pro scout and hired Cami Pasqualoni and Kevin Weisman as scouting assistants. Cami is the daughter of former Lions DC and Syracuse HC Paul Pasqualoni; she had previously worked in the Orange’s recruiting department.
- The Buccaneers are not planning to bring in a kicker to push Chase McLaughlin. Todd Bowles said (via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine) it is “a little late for competition.” McLaughlin has missed two kicks during the preseason. Any type of competition might be a bit rash as well, seeing as the sixth-year specialist made 93.5% of his field goal tries (29 of 31) and all 33 of his extra points last season. This included 7-for-8 from 50-plus yards. The Bucs also re-signed McLaughlin on a three-year, $12.3MM deal in March. The kicker’s 2024 and ’25 base salaries are guaranteed.
- Justin Simmons‘ New Orleans visit effectively alerted the football world the Saints were not satisfied with the safety position alongside Tyrann Mathieu. Dennis Allen confirmed that recently, indicating no one has seized the job yet. Jordan Howden started in place of the since-cut Marcus Maye during the latter’s injury- and suspension-driven absences last season, but the Saints also re-signed former first-rounder-turned-nomad Johnathan Abram. The team has given Abram and recently added DB Will Harris starting nods, respectively, in its two preseason games. Simmons signed a one-year, $7.5MM deal with the Falcons following a multi-day visit.
Bills Shift La’el Collins To Guard; Latest On Team’s CB Situation
La’el Collins has worked exclusively at tackle since 2017. The Cowboys’ position change at the time stuck, with the former first-round guard prospect quickly establishing himself as a right tackle starter. Eight years after he last played guard in a game, the former Dallas and Cincinnati starter’s last shot with Buffalo appears to hinge on a move back.
The Bills are now viewing Collins as a guard-only option, according to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (subscription required). This has been an interesting transition for the veteran blocker, as the Bills had hoped he would become a swing backup. But Collins has struggled, putting his roster spot in jeopardy.
A pre-camp assessment of Collins’ likelihood for the 53-man roster pointed to a bubble scenario forming, but the Bills guaranteed the 86-game starter $1.5MM upon signing him in April. Collins had visited late last season but did not sign. The Bengals cut Collins from their reserve/PUP list last September, leading to a missed season. Collins had sustained ACL and MCL tears in Week 16 of the 2022 campaign, and the Bengals were generally unhappy with their three-year, $21MM free agency investment in the veteran tackle.
Cincinnati had shut the door on Collins potentially moving to guard to accommodate Orlando Brown Jr.‘s arrival last year, but it appears the Bills view him differently. Collins started 14 games at guard from 2015-16, but a foot injury ended his run as an inside presence. Dallas shifted the LSU product to tackle before the 2017 season and used him as its RT starter in four of the next five seasons. This transition scored Collins two Cowboys extensions. Now 31, he faces a challenge to reacclimate to guard.
Collins and Will Clapp have struggled during the run-up to cutdown day, Buscaglia adds, noting the Bills subbed out the veterans for younger players while the second-team offense was in the game against the Steelers. Clapp started 11 Chargers games last season, filling in for Corey Linsley after the latter’s move to the NFI list, and has made 21 career starts. Clapp, 28, and Collins represent the only veteran backup options for Buffalo up front, but the team is trying UDFA Richard Gouraige at both tackle and guard.
Gouraige, a 2023 signee, spent last season on Buffalo’s practice squad. The team has 2023 swing tackle Ryan Van Demark and rookie fifth-rounder Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, an All-American center at Georgia, locked into roster spots. Ditto Alec Anderson, a 2022 UDFA, Buscaglia adds. Anderson has yet to play a regular-season snap, but it appears the Bills trust him more than the newly acquired vets.
Collins and Clapp would provide experience, and while there might be room on the Bills’ roster for one of the two, the team may not want to carry both. Clapp signed a one-year, $1.29MM deal with $288K guaranteed.
Elsewhere on the Bills’ roster, it does not look like Kaiir Elam is expected to unseat Christian Benford at cornerback. The latter, a former sixth-round pick who quickly usurped the ex-first-rounder back in 2022, has a “vise grip” on the team’s boundary CB job opposite Rasul Douglas, the Buffalo News’ Mark Gaughan writes.
Elam has only started eight games since being the No. 23 overall pick in 2022. Benford, conversely, has made 19 starts — including 14 last season. Elam tore an ankle ligament before last season and landed on IR after attempting to play through the malady. While Gaughan indicates Elam has not accounted himself poorly, Benford has been better and appears in no danger of losing his starting job. Pro Football Focus ranked Benford as last year’s eighth-best corner.
The Bills benched Elam in November 2022 and have not relied on him as a regular starter since. Even with Tre’Davious White now in Los Angeles, Elam appears on track to enter the season as a backup.
Steelers Place LB Markus Golden On Reserve/Retired List
AUGUST 21: The nine-year veteran made it official Wednesday, turning to Instagram to announce he is indeed done playing. The Steelers have not yet made a notable move to replace Golden, making next week’s waiver frenzy worth monitoring.
AUGUST 9: Markus Golden did not make it too far into his second Steelers contract. Eight days after re-signing, the veteran pass rusher has shifted course. The Steelers placed him on the reserve/retired list Friday.
Producing three seasons of double-digit sacks, Golden operated as a Steelers rotational rusher last season. The former Cardinals and Giants edge player racked up four sacks and 10 QB hits as a Steeler in 2023, but the team will need a different plan behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith now.
The Steelers gave Golden a one-year, $1.32MM deal to play behind their standout OLBs, and he suited up for 16 games. Now, Golden follows Titans guard Saahdiq Charles by reversing course into retirement during camp. Though, Golden logged nine NFL seasons; Charles was going into Year 5. Golden is also 33, having entered the league at 24 out of Missouri.
The 2015 second-round pick will be best remembered for his two Cardinals stints. Two of Golden’s three 10-plus-sack seasons occurred in Arizona — each coming as a Chandler Jones sidekick. Golden produced a 12.5-sack season in 2016, and after an October 2017 ACL tear threw off his career trajectory, he totaled 10 sacks (and a career-high 27 QB hits) as a Giant in 2019. Following a midseason trade back to Arizona in 2020, Golden accumulated 11 sacks for a ’21 Cardinals team that — despite losing J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins to injuries — snapped a lengthy playoff drought.
Golden did not fare too well — at least, given his production — financially, never signing a deal worth more than $10MM. The Giants gave him a one-year, $3.75MM accord in 2019 and slapped a UFA tender on him a year later. He signed a two-year, $9MM deal to stay in Arizona in 2021 and agreed to a short-term extension in 2022. A retooling Cards regime cut him a year later, leading to the Pittsburgh agreement. For his career, Golden registered 51 career sacks and did run his string of short-term contracts past $22MM in career earnings.
The Steelers did not draft any outside linebackers and again have a question regarding production behind Highsmith and Watt. Nick Herbig does remain on the roster after a three-sack season, and the team will expect a bounce-back effort from stalwart D-lineman Cameron Heyward — after an injury-plagued 2023. Still, it would not necessarily surprise to see the Steelers keep looking. They made a late-summer trade for Malik Reed two Augusts ago; a similar move to replace Golden may be necessary for this defense-oriented squad.
Lions Likely To Keep Three QBs; Nate Sudfeld In Lead For QB2 Job
Jared Goff‘s career turnaround led to the former No. 1 overall pick joining the $50MM-per-year club, officially ending any speculation regarding his long-term future in Detroit. The Lions still have questions to answer behind their high-priced starter, however.
At this time last year, Detroit had signed Teddy Bridgewater to back up Goff. After playing out a one-year contract, the former first-rounder retired at 31 and is coaching high school football. This leaves Hendon Hooker and veteran Nate Sudfeld behind Goff. The reserves’ hierarchy seems out of step with where the Lions wanted it to be.
Sudfeld is leading the way to be Goff’s backup come Week 1, Dan Campbell said. Though, the Lions do not appear to be considering exposing Hooker to waivers. Campbell added, via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett, the team will likely keep all three of its QBs on the active roster. The team also recently added Jake Fromm, who would seem a practice squad candidate (at best).
“You have to have conviction that whoever that (No. 2) guy is, is going to be able to keep this ship afloat and what we know about Hooker is, Hooker is a young, developing quarterback and he needs reps and he needs time,” Campbell said. “I do know that. And Nate right now has the upper hand because he’s played more.”
The Lions viewed Sudfeld as a shaky backup option last year, bringing in Bridgewater during training camp. The former Day 3 draftee did not factor into the team’s QB plans during the regular season, being ineligible after the Lions moved him to IR before the season. The team kept two QBs on its active roster last year, stashing Hooker on its reserve/NFI list, and carried only two passers on its 53-man team to start the 2021 and ’22 seasons as well.
Sudfeld, 30, still re-signed with the team this offseason. The Lions gave their third-year reserve QB a one-year, $1.21MM deal that included $300K guaranteed. Best known for being the player Doug Pederson threw into action to replace Jalen Hurts in a winnable Week 17 game in 2020, Sudfeld has managed to stick around for eight seasons. This will be Year 9 for the former Washington sixth-rounder. Sudfeld is 25-for-37 as a pro; he has not thrown a pass in a game since that much-discussed Philly-Washington matchup.
Several teams met with Hooker before the 2023 draft. Rumors about the Tennessee prospect being a second-round pick surfaced, but the ACL tear he sustained late in the 2022 season led to a value loss and a near-full-season rehab effort. The Lions stopped Hooker’s contract from tolling late last season, removing him from the NFI list in mid-December. Bridgewater remained Goff’s backup throughout last season, but the durable starter started all 20 Detroit games.
Campbell wants to continue Hooker’s development, even if that means the second-year QB not winning the backup job immediately. Sudfeld would not seem a tremendous impediment to Hooker, should he show improvement in the coming months. But for now, the second-year passer is on track to open the season as a third-stringer. Hooker not being ready also leaves the Lions a bit vulnerable, despite Sudfeld having been in Ben Johnson‘s system since 2022.
Buccaneers’ Graham Barton, Ben Bredeson Win Starting OL Jobs
The Buccaneers’ offensive line is coming into focus. Two new starters will take their places on Tampa Bay’s front. The unit will include Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson.
As expected since the Bucs chose Barton in Round 1, the converted tackle will be the team’s starting center, Todd Bowles said. Bredeson, who signed a $3MM deal that did not come fully guaranteed, will be Tampa Bay’s left guard starter, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman tweets. Bowles has since confirmed Bredeson has won the job.
This duo will team with Tristan Wirfs, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke on a Bucs front that includes four of the five starters attached to deals that run beyond 2024. Only Bredeson, who inked a one-year contract after three seasons with the Giants, is on an expiring deal. The Bucs guaranteed Bredeson $1.75MM, but he will see the full $3MM soon, as vested vets’ salaries lock in just before Week 1. This certainly represents a solid camp performance from Bredeson, who has continued to see starter roles despite not always being teams’ first choice.
The Giants traded for Bredeson, a former Ravens fourth-round pick, in 2021. After making one start that season, the Michigan alum was an eight-game starter during the Giants’ 2022 run to the playoffs. Although injuries ransacked the Giants’ O-line last season, Bredeson held up and had won a guard job out of training camp. The Giants had expected former third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu to beat out Bredeson last summer, but the veteran won the LG job and started 16 games in a contract year.
Operating in a super-utility role of sorts, Bredeson played 180-plus snaps at all three interior O-line positions. Pro Football Focus did not grade that effort well, slotting Bredeson as the NFL’s fifth-worst guard regular. The Bucs presumably disagreed with that assessment, having added him during an offseason that saw veteran swingman Aaron Stinnie join the Giants. Fellow Tampa Bay FA pickup Sua Opeta suffered an ACL tear early in camp, but Auman notes Bredeson was ahead in the LG competition before the ex-Eagle’s injury.
The Bucs turned to Robert Hainsey as their starting center in the wake of Ryan Jensen‘s career-altering training camp injury in 2022. The former third-round pick started all 34 Bucs regular-season games over the past two seasons. PFF rated Hainsey as last season’s fifth-worst center, and the Bucs chose an interior O-lineman in Round 1 for the first time since 2006 (Davin Joseph). Barton is converting from Duke’s left tackle to Bucs center, and the team will aim for this to be a long-term partnership. One season remains on Hainsey’s rookie contract. The Notre Dame alum now stands to be important swing depth for the Bucs.
Cardinals Extend C Hjalte Froholdt
After going from journeyman to full-time starter last season, Hjalte Froholdt has landed an extension. The Cardinals are taking care of their starting center, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting the team has an agreement in place with the sixth-year blocker.
This contract, which Froholdt has now signed, runs through 2026. This represents a significant development for Froholdt, a 2019 fourth-round pick already on his fourth team. It is a two-year deal worth $12MM, Rapoport adds, indicating $8MM will be guaranteed.
A 2019 Patriots draftee, Froholdt bounced from New England to Houston to Cleveland during his first four NFL seasons. The Browns stop turned out to be important, as the Cardinals soon hired former Cleveland QBs coach Drew Petzing to be their offensive coordinator. Froholdt signed a two-year, $4.6MM deal with the Cardinals in 2023, and he won their starting center job soon after. Wednesday’s accord provides much better terms for the Danish lineman.
The Svendborg, Denmark, native did not start a game until his fourth season; the Browns used him as a six-game spot starter at center and right guard in 2022. He ended up parlaying that fill-in gig into a Cardinals deal, with the team hiring a new regime in 2023. Going into his age-28 season, Froholdt landed a deal in line with the center position’s middle class. The $6MM AAV places Froholdt in a tie at ninth at the position.
Pro Football Focus slotted Froholdt as the No. 19 overall center last season. After extensive seasoning as a backup prior to 2023, Froholdt started 17 games in his Cardinals debut. The team added former center starter Evan Brown in free agency, but that move was not expected to affect Froholdt’s starter status. This agreement certainly leaves no doubt the Cards will stick with Froholdt, who succeeded Rodney Hudson, at the pivot.
Arizona does not have too much money tied up in its offensive line. The team moved on from longtime left tackle D.J. Humphries, sliding 2023 first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. to LT to replace him. The Cardinals have Will Hernandez on a two-year, $9MM deal and splurged for Jonah Williams (two years, $30MM) to man the RT spot. The rebuilding team now has signed up for an extended run with Froholdt, who is tied to the club through the 2026 season.
Reserve/PUP List In Play For 49ers S Talanoa Hufanga
Two of the injuries the 49ers battled late last season are expected to linger into the upcoming campaign. The 49ers are prepared to stash Dre Greenlaw on their reserve/PUP list; that may be where Talanoa Hufanga starts his season.
Previously mentioned as in play to miss Week 1, Hufanga is now being connected to being kept on the PUP list to start the season. He went down with an ACL tear during the 49ers’ Thanksgiving matchup against the Seahawks. Kyle Shanahan confirmed (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch) that discussions have taken place regarding whether the All-Pro safety will need the four-game hiatus before returning.
Greenlaw and Hufanga are on the 49ers’ active/PUP list presently. If moved to the reserve/PUP list once San Francisco sets its 53-man roster next week, both are out at least four games. Greenlaw, who sustained an Achilles tear while jogging onto the field during Super Bowl LVIII, has long been expected to start the season on the PUP list. The 49ers added De’Vondre Campbell as immediate insurance; they were not as active at safety. At least, not immediately.
The 49ers can also go week-to-week with Hufanga, should they view him as likely to be ready at some point in the first four games. Hufanga said earlier this summer he was targeting Week 1 and even a return during training camp; the former fifth-round pick looks likely to need more time. That said, Branch adds the fourth-year defender did recently receive clearance to participate in drills. He remains on a ramp-up schedule, though Shanahan hopes a return next week is in the cards. Hufanga returning next week would be a good sign for the 49ers, as he would no longer be eligible for an in-season PUP stint.
While another Tashaun Gipson pact surfaced as an option, the multiyear 49ers starter was hit with a six-game suspension recently. (Gipson has since joined the Jaguars.) That took him out of the picture for a 49ers squad expected to use Ji’Ayir Brown as a full-time player this season. San Francisco eventually signed former Detroit starter Tracy Walker, adding the offseason cap casualty midway through training camp. The 49ers also roster special-teamer George Odum and used a fourth-round pick on safety Malik Mustapha. Odum has made 10 career starts; none have come during his 49ers stay.
Walker would be likelier to make San Francisco’s 53-man roster if Hufanga started the season on the PUP list. The Lions released the 43-game starter after six seasons in February. Hufanga represents an important part of San Francisco’s defense, having risen from part-timer as a rookie to first-team All-Pro in his second season. This will be a pivotal year for both he and Greenlaw, with each player on an expiring contract.