Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/24
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Alex Gubner
- Waived: P Ryan Rehkow
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: DL Daviyon Nixon
Tennessee Titans
- Waived/injured: OL X’Zauvea Gadlin
Gubner comes to the Chiefs after winning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors at Montana last season. Spending six years at the Division I-FCS program, Gubner totaled 28.5 tackles for loss during his college career. The Chiefs also have cleared the runway for Matt Araiza‘s second chance. The recently added specialist is now the only punter on Kansas City’s roster, with Rehkow signing as a UDFA in May.
A former fifth-round Panthers pick, Nixon played 14 games with his original team but did see any game action in 2023. Both the Panthers and Seahawks waived Nixon in 2022. After Nixon had spent last season out of football, the Dolphins signed him in March.
Bears To Sign WR DeAndre Carter
DeAndre Carter spent some time with the Bears during the 2020 season. A new coaching staff and front office will invite the veteran wide receiver/return man back for a second go-round.
After spending the 2023 season in Las Vegas, Carter is coming back to Chicago, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Carter has spent time with 10 NFL teams and has now completed two reunion agreements, having signed with the Raiders seven years after a short Oakland stop.
The Ryan Pace-Matt Nagy regime initially brought in Carter in 2020, claiming the 5-foot-8 wideout off waivers from the Texans and keeping him through season’s end. Carter, 31, played in four Chicago games that season but then trekked to Washington for the 2021 campaign. Carter visited the Bears early in the Ryan Poles-Matt Eberflus regime’s run but played the 2022 season with the Chargers. He has not played for the same team in consecutive seasons since spending parts of the 2019 and ’20 slates in Houston.
Formerly a 2015 Ravens UDFA, Carter has a 538-yard receiving season on his resume — a 2022 showing in a year that featured Keenan Allen and Mike Williams injuries — but has been a special teams fixture during the 2020s. A handful of teams have made the return game a priority following the NFL greenlighting a trial run of the XFL kickoff; the Bears are following suit.
Carter operated as the primary return man in Washington, L.A. and Vegas over the past three seasons. Also seeing return-game work for the Texans and Bears in 2020, Carter notched a kick-return touchdown with Washington in 2021. Being the Raiders’ preferred option to return both kickoffs and punts in 2023, Carter averaged 23.8 yards per kick return and 9.7 per punt return. Carter ranked 12th in the latter category last season.
It will be kick returns that generate more attention this season, and Carter follows the likes of Cordarrelle Patterson, Laviska Shenault and ex-Bear Tarik Cohen among returners signed following the rule change. The Bears used Velus Jones Jr. as their primary kick returner last year; he averaged 27.2 yards per return. Trent Taylor worked as Chicago’s primary punt returner; Taylor has since returned to the 49ers.
Broncos Sign LB Andre Smith
Andre Smith has established a steady career as a special-teamer, moving around the country as a backup linebacker who primarily contributes on fourth downs and kickoffs. The veteran found another gig Thursday.
A day after the Broncos concluded their minicamp, they reached an agreement to add Smith. The team announced the signing, and Smith will replace tight end Dylan Leonard on the team’s roster. The Broncos, whom 9News’ Mike Klis notes auditioned Smith at minicamp this week, waived Leonard with an injury settlement.
Smith, 27, joins the Broncos after a year with the Falcons. Denver will be Smith’s fourth NFL destination in four seasons and fifth team overall. A former Panthers seventh-round pick, Smith became one of many in the Carolina-to-Buffalo pipeline in recent years by being traded to the Bills in 2020. After two years in Buffalo, Smith stopped through Tennessee in 2022.
With the Falcons last season, Smith played 11 games and made his first career start at linebacker. While the former Carolina draftee logged a career-high 112 defensive snaps in 2023, the bulk of his work still came on special teams. Smith played 211 ST snaps, marking the fourth time during his career he has surpassed 200 plays in that phase.
The Broncos lost six-year linebacker Josey Jewell to the Panthers in free agency but signed Cody Barton as an option alongside Alex Singleton. The team also extended backup and special-teamer Jonas Griffith in February but lost hybrid LB Drew Sanders to an offseason Achilles tear. A 2023 third-round pick, Sanders was on the field for 297 special teams plays as a rookie.
Buccaneers Sign Round 1 C Graham Barton, Conclude Rookie Deals
While Graham Barton technically qualified as part of this draft’s run on first-round tackles, the Duke blocker is shifting to center in Tampa. The Buccaneers have first-string plans for Barton in 2024, and the sides have checked one item off their Year 1 to-do list.
Barton signed his rookie contract Thursday, the Bucs announced. The No. 26 overall pick will be tied to a four-year, fully guaranteed contract that includes a 2028 fifth-year option. The Bucs now have all their 2024 draftees signed.
Tampa Bay fared remarkably well with its last first-round O-line swing, as Tristan Wirfs is now firmly in play to sign an extension that establishes the new benchmark for tackles. The team had not, however, used a first-round pick on an interior blocker since guard Davin Joseph back in 2006. That makes Barton a Jason Licht-era first. Unsurprisingly, the team is likely to plug the Duke prospect into its starting lineup in Week 1.
The Bucs saw their center plan drift off course during training camp in 2022. Re-signed to pair again with an unretired Tom Brady, Ryan Jensen suffered a severe knee injury that kept him off the field for nearly the season’s entirety. While Jensen returned in time for the Bucs’ wild-card game against the Cowboys, he missed all of last season and has since retired.
Tampa Bay used Robert Hainsey as its center for the past two seasons. The former third-round pick displayed durability by going 34-for-34 in starts, but Pro Football Focus graded him 32nd at the position last season. Now in contract year, Hainsey will still have a shot to win the Bucs’ left guard role. But Barton is on track to work as Tampa Bay’s pivot.
Although Barton spent the past three seasons as Duke’s starting left tackle, he played center as a freshman. Teams were eyeing the experienced Blue Devils blocker for an interior role. The Steelers were believed to have shown interest, but they went with tackle Troy Fautanu in Round 1. This left Barton, a first-team All-ACC tackle in 2022 and ’23, for the Bucs. Barton, who also drew All-American acclaim last season, only made five college starts at center. But the Bucs will bank on the first-rounder providing a big upgrade inside.
Jensen started 65 games for the Bucs, operating as the team’s center starter for six years. The Bucs will hope Barton can become a true long-term answer. Here is how Tampa Bay’s draft class breaks down:
- Round 1, No. 26: Graham Barton (OL, Duke) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57: Chris Braswell (EDGE, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 89: Tykee Smith (S, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 92 (from Lions): Jalen McMillan (WR, Washington) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 125: Bucky Irving (RB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 220: Elijah Klein (G, UTEP) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 246: Devin Culp (TE, Washington) (signed)
Dolphins Sign First-Round DE Chop Robinson, Finish Draft Class Deals
By the time the Dolphins donned their cold-weather gear for the wild-card game in Kansas City, their edge-rushing contingent included multiple emergency free agent pickups. As both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips continued their rehab efforts months later, Miami used its first-round pick to bolster this position.
The Dolphins, who lost Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency, chose Chop Robinson 21st overall. With Phillips going down with an Achilles tear in late November and Chubb sustaining an ACL tear (the second of his pro career) on New Year’s Eve, the Dolphins have both their top edges rehabbing this offseason. Robinson, who will join Shaq Barrett as an offseason Dolphins reinforcement, will be tasked with providing immediate aid while developing as a pro.
Robinson signed his first-round rookie deal Thursday, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting it will be a $14.98MM deal. That contract, which will run through 2027 and feature a fifth-year option, comes fully guaranteed.
Impressing at the Combine, Robinson would be positioned to play behind Chubb and Phillips once the duo returns to full strength. With Chubb a candidate for the reserve/PUP list — especially considering the former top-five pick has now sustained two ACL tears since the 2019 season — Robinson stands to be an important part of Miami’s defense early this season.
Robinson followed up his Penn State career by blazing to a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. The edge rusher put himself on the NFL map following a solid 2022 campaign where he finished with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. His numbers were not as strong in 2023 (four sacks, 7.5 TFLs). Still, Robinson managed to stick in the first round.
The Dolphins are set to have three first-rounders and a former single-season sack leader manning its edge positions. Once Chubb and Phillips recover, Anthony Weaver’s defense will have some interesting options to pressure quarterbacks. The Dolphins have Phillips signed for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option, and have Chubb — via the five-year deal he agreed to following the 2022 trade with the Broncos — signed through 2027.
Here is how Miami’s 2024 draft class wrapped up:
- Round 1, No. 21: Chop Robinson (EDGE, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 55: Patrick Paul (T, Houston) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 120 (from Rams through Steelers and Eagles): Jaylen Wright (RB, Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 158: Mohamed Kamara (EDGE, Colorado State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 184 (from Bears): Malik Washington (WR, Virginia) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 198: Patrick McMorris (S, Cal) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 241: Tahj Washington (WR, USC) (signed)
Packers Sign Round 1 OL Jordan Morgan, Finalize Draft Class
After David Bakhtiari‘s knee trouble led to another near-full-season absence, the Packers moved on via release and soon deviated from a defense-based strategy atop the draft. Jordan Morgan is now in place as an heir apparent.
The Packers, who had chosen one offensive player in the first round from 2012-23 (Jordan Love), went with Morgan at No. 25 this year. The team now has a deal in place with the former Arizona tackle, who will be tied to fully guaranteed money through 2027. Assuming Morgan remains on Green Bay’s roster come 2027, Green Bay will eventually have a fifth-year option decision to make.
Bakhtiari’s ACL tear during a New Year’s Eve 2020 practice created considerable trouble for the Packers, who spent most of the next three seasons without their All-Pro left tackle. Morgan also has an ACL tear in his recent past, suffering the injury in November 2022. The Pac-12 standout bounced back this past season, solidifying his value as a first-round-caliber prospect. The Commanders had attempted to trade back into Round 1 for Morgan, but the Packers pounced with their top pick.
Morgan shook off the major injury to become a first-round pick despite this draft oozing tackle options for teams. A three-year starter at Arizona, Morgan started 37 games at left tackle. His post-ACL journey included a first-team All-Pac-12 nod last season. Morgan played in parts of five seasons with the Wildcats, working almost exclusively at left tackle.
Former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker replaced Bakhtiari at left tackle last season, while Zach Tom worked at RT. Tom is currently rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, but the young blocker is expected to return before training camp or at some point before the regular season. The Pack view Morgan as a left tackle, which would point Walker to an eventual swing role once the rookie is ready to take over. Walker and Tom are each signed for two more seasons. The Packers, who played 42 regular-season games without Bakhtiari since 2020, also added Andre Dillard as potential depth this offseason.
As the Packers head toward training camp, here is how their draft class breaks down:
- Round 1, No. 25: Jordan Morgan (T, Arizona) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 45 (from Broncos through Saints): Edgerrin Cooper (LB, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 58: Javon Bullard (S, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 88: MarShawn Lloyd (RB, USC) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 91 (from Bills): Ty’Ron Hopper (LB, Missouri) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 111 (from Jets): Evan Williams (S, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 163 (from Bills): Jacob Monk (C, Duke) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 169: Kitan Oladapo (S, Oregon State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 202: Travis Glover (T, Georgia State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 245: Michael Pratt (QB, Tulane) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 255: Kalen King (CB, Penn State) (signed)
Bills Sign Round 2 WR Keon Coleman, Wrap Draft Class Deals
JUNE 13: Providing details on the Coleman accord, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes his salaries are fully guaranteed for the first three years. $1.74MM is guaranteed for injury in 2027; that year also has a $75K workout bonus. Coleman will receive a $4.15MM signing bonus.
JUNE 12: The makeup of the Bills’ rebuilt wide receiver room suggests Keon Coleman will need to hit the ground running. Buffalo passed on multiple wideouts late in the first round before identifying Coleman as their centerpiece fix post-Stefon Diggs.
This year’s first player chosen in the second round, Coleman is now under contract. The Bills inked the Florida State wideout to his four-year rookie contract Wednesday; this agreement concludes the draft signing portion of Buffalo’s offseason.
Last year’s first player off the Round 2 board, Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., did not receive a fully guaranteed contract. Neither did Titans QB Will Levis (No. 33). Coleman’s Bills pact could set a precedent, and with second-rounders making notable guarantee gains during this signing period, Coleman’s Year 4 salary guarantee will be a number to watch. The Steelers guaranteed $1.4MM of Porter’s $2MM final-year salary; the Bills will be expected to move beyond that point for Coleman.
Buffalo traded Diggs to Houston, with the Texans’ offer of a 2025 second-rounder changing the perennial AFC East champions’ plans with their previous WR1. The team also let Gabe Davis walk in free agency. While the Bills signed slot/gadget performer Curtis Samuel and signed some midlevel veterans — including ex-Chief Marquez Valdes-Scantling — Coleman seems likely to contribute regularly this season.
The Bills seem likely to be counting on a player who did not eclipse 800 receiving yards in a season with Michigan State or Florida State. After a 798-yard showing with the Spartans in 2022, he totaled 658 in 12 Seminoles contests last year. Coleman, 21, also lumbered to a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. The 6-foot-3 weapon’s top speed of 20.36 mph in the Combine gauntlet drill was the fastest measured over the past two years, however.
With the Bills giving Josh Allen some input on this year’s receiver class, the superstar QB endorsed Coleman. The Bills passed on the likes of Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette at the end of the first round, picking up additional draft capital by trading down twice. The team faced criticism for allowing the Chiefs to climb up to No. 28 for Worthy, with the Patriots believed to have made an offer for the pick as well. After Buffalo traded out of Round 1 (via Carolina), it will not have a fifth-year option on Coleman.
Moving toward training camp, here are the Bills draftees set to vie for jobs:
- Round 2, No. 33 (from Panthers): Keon Coleman (WR, Florida State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 60: Cole Bishop (S, Utah) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 95 (from Chiefs): DeWayne Carter, DT (Duke) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 128: Ray Davis (RB, Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 141 (from Giants through Panthers): Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (C, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 160 (from Packers): Edefuan Ulofoshio (LB, Washington) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 168 (from Saints): Javon Solomon (EDGE, Troy) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 204: Tylan Grable (T, Central Florida) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 219 (from Packers): Daequan Hardy (CB, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 221 (from Panthers through Titans and Chiefs): Travis Clayton (T, England) (signed)
Brian Daboll Addresses Giants’ QB Situation
Daniel Jones‘ progress on a return from a November ACL tear has not included 11-on-11 work at the team’s minicamp, but the sixth-year quarterback has long been expected to be back by training camp. When Jones returns, the starting job will be his once again.
Rumblings about Drew Lock potentially challenging Jones for the gig have come up at multiple points during the offseason. Seahawks GM John Schneider was responsible for once such instance, saying the Giants “basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.” Brian Daboll became the latest to insist no QB competition will be on tap for training camp, indicating Jones — barring a setback on his nearly complete rehab journey — will be the Giants’ starter for a sixth season.
[RELATED: Daniel Jones Addresses Giants’ Offseason QB Pursuit]
“We’ve talked about that. [Lock] understands his role,” Daboll said (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) of the team’s Jones-Lock QB depth chart. “He has been a true pro. He has definitely improved since he has gotten here. Good to get two more workdays here with the guys that he might not necessarily get as many reps with once we get to training camp.”
The six-year mark provides an interesting line of demarcation for Giants starting quarterbacks. Kerry Collins and Fran Tarkenton‘s time as New York QB1s stopped after five seasons; Y.A. Tittle‘s tenure stopped at four. Over the past 75 years, Jones will join only Eli Manning, Phil Simms and Charlie Conerly as Big Blue passers to operate as primary starters for at least six seasons. The Giants have not seen a great return on their investment — from either the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 or 2023’s four-year, $160MM extension — but their decision-makers have continued to aim for another Jones opportunity.
A Jones-Lock depth chart appeared to be Plan B for the Giants, who submitted an offer to the Patriots that included Nos. 6 and 47 and the team’s 2025 first-round pick. The Pats cut off both the Giants and Vikings’ Drake Maye interest by drafting the North Carolina passer at No. 3. With next year’s QB class not generating the reviews this one did — albeit at this early juncture — the Giants reside in uncertain territory after passing on the likes of Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. By default, the team’s game plan remains Jones-centric.
Chosen 36 picks after Jones in 2019, Lock signed a one-year deal worth $5MM ($4.95MM guaranteed). Jones’ injury history is believed to have played a role in Lock’s decision to join the Giants, but the ex-Broncos and Seahawks passer does not yet look to have a path to playing time. Jones has missed 21 starts due to injury as a pro. A late-season situation could also come up in which the Giants opt to sit their starter to ensure he can pass a 2025 physical; Jones being unable to do so would put the Giants on the hook for an additional $12MM in injury guarantees for 2025.
Lock has made 23 career starts. The Broncos had hoped he would become a reliable option, but the team demoted him after a 2020 season in which he led the NFL in interceptions. Lock could not beat out Geno Smith for Seattle’s starting gig in 2022. As of now, he is set as New York’s QB2.
Barring a major injury, the Giants can move on from Jones (via a post-June 1 cut) next year and incur only $11.1MM in 2025 dead money. The Maye pursuit certainly points to the team having doubts about Jones’ future, with his injury history playing the lead role on that front. After Jones’ 2022 showing convinced the current Giants regime to buy back in after the team had declined his fifth-year option, the oft-doubted starter is set for another “prove it” season.
Jets Not Closing Door On Haason Reddick Extension
Aaron Rodgers‘ surprise — to most — no-show for Jets minicamp has generated more attention this week, but Haason Reddick‘s situation qualifies as the more newsworthy story. Unlike Rodgers, Reddick did not show for the entirety of New York’s offseason program.
Seeking a new contract since the end of his Eagles run, Reddick stayed away from OTAs and this week’s minicamp. The sides do not appear on the same page regarding the team’s plan, which may well be to let the trade acquisition play out his contract and reassess after the season. Given Reddick’s age (30 in September), it is not too surprising he is attempting to force the issue in a contract year.
The Jets indeed look to prefer waiting on a Reddick extension, per ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, but the veteran reporter adds the team has not ruled out the prospect of a new deal for the recently acquired edge rusher. Although the Jets remain confident Reddick will resurface and enjoy a productive season, this is certainly not a good start to the relationship.
Teams who trade for impact players disgruntled with their contracts often have new deals ready. That makes this Jets situation tricky, especially as the Eagles signed four-year Jet contributor Bryce Huff to replace Reddick weeks before the trade was finalized. The Eagles also reached a resolution with Josh Sweat, effectively ensuring Reddick would be traded. New York sent Philadelphia a third-round pick for Reddick in late March, but he and Robert Saleh had not spoken until this past weekend. Saleh confirmed (via Cimini) he reached out to the eighth-year vet.
Upon agreeing to take on Reddick’s three-year, $45MM contract, GM Joe Douglas deemed John Franklin-Myers as too expensive to retain. The Jets sent the dependable D-lineman to the Broncos, who then reworked his deal. (Franklin-Myers turned down a Jets pay-cut proposal, one that did not approach the numbers he is now tied to in Denver.)
Reddick has shown a much higher ceiling by comparison, stringing together four straight double-digit sack seasons — with three different teams — after being miscast as an off-ball linebacker early in his career. Reddick proved his legitimacy in Philly, spearheading a dominant 2022 pass rush en route to Super Bowl LVII, but has seen his $15MM-AAV deal become an upper-middle-class (at best) edge rusher accord. After the Huff, Danielle Hunter, Jonathan Greenard, Brian Burns and Josh Allen accords were finalized this offseason, Reddick’s deal has fallen into a tie for 19th among edge defenders.
Reddick’s 50.5 sacks since 2020 rank fourth in the NFL. The former first-round pick agreed to the Eagles deal ahead of his sixth season, however, as it took him some time to prove his 2020 Cardinals contract year was not fluky. This timeline may be costing the Temple alum here, with Cimini adding Douglas generally prefers not to extend players 29 and older or those acquired via trade. Reddick checks both boxes, adding another complication to this offseason saga.
After deploying Huff as a pass-rushing specialist, the Jets are expecting Reddick to play an every-down role. Unless Reddick wants to rack up $50K-per-day fines in training camp, he will report for his new team’s workouts next month. It will be interesting, then, to see if the trade pickup opts for the increasingly popular hold-in strategy — even though it is unclear if the team is planning any contract talks — come July.
Commanders Sign Second-Round DT Johnny Newton
The Commanders, perhaps against the previous regime’s wishes, retooled at defensive end at last year’s trade deadline. But the team kept its veteran defensive tackles and continues to devote early-round picks to this position. Another piece joined the team in this year’s second round.
Washington hoarded Day 2 draft capital via trades, but its first second-round choice — Illinois DT Johnny Newton — came with the team’s own draft slot (No. 36 overall). The Commanders now have Newton signed to a four-year rookie deal, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicating the contract comes 86% guaranteed.
Newton’s first three years are fully guaranteed; the 2023 All-American will see $800K of his Year 4 base salary ($2.13MM) guaranteed as well, Wilson adds. Last year’s No. 36 overall pick, Rams O-lineman Steve Avila, received a $201K guarantee of his Year 4 base salary. As Newton has some security, he is currently going through a second round of foot rehab this year.
After undergoing a procedure to repair an injury to his right foot in January, the Commanders defensive tackle needed another foot procedure — the second one on his left foot. Newton sustained a fracture at an unknown point of Washington’s offseason program and underwent surgery in early May. The team is optimistic about Newton returning by Week 1, but it is safe to say a stay on the active/PUP list to begin training camp will take place.
Newton sustained a partial foot fracture that led to the January procedure; this operation caused a weekslong delay in Newton’s pre-draft preparation. He did not participate in Combine workouts but did recover in time to hold a belated pro day in mid-April. He played through the previous foot issue during part of last season to cement a first-team All-American showing, which included 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Newton totaled 14.5 TFLs for the Fighting Illini in 2022. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. rated Newton as this year’s No. 21 overall prospect; the foot trouble helped knock him out of the first round.
The Commanders still roster Jonathan Allen, despite intermittent trade rumors, and gave Daron Payne an extension last year. The Ron Rivera regime also used a 2022 second-round pick on another Alabama DT (Phidarian Mathis), but he has not yet found his footing. Mathis will now compete with Newton for playing time, as the latter comes in attached to the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn partnership.