DB Notes: Lions, Joseph, Oliver, Cardinals
A scary scene transpired during the Lions‘ Week 5 matchup with the Patriots. An ambulance transported Saivion Smith off the field, and the Lions defensive back said he feared paralysis following a collision with Patriots running back Damien Harris. Smith left the game after the next play, after falling to the turf after a routine tackle attempt on Hunter Henry. The backup DB, however, said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Jeff Seidel) he made a failed attempt to return to the stadium from the ambulance and regained arm and leg movement at the hospital. The neck injury he suffered ended up requiring spinal fusion surgery.
Smith received full Lions clearance in April, re-signing with the team that month. The 25-year-old cover man’s deal is worth $940K and contains no guaranteed money, giving the Lions — who overhauled their secondary this offseason — flexibility to move on free of charge. The Lions moved Smith to safety last season, but he offers versatility. With the Lions adding two other DBs with extensive backgrounds at both safety and corner — C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Brian Branch — Smith stands to compete for a backup role.
Here is the latest news from NFL secondaries:
- After years of shuttling Jimmie Ward between safety and the nickel role, the 49ers let the veteran defender walk (to the Texans) this offseason. They will use free agency addition Isaiah Oliver to replace Ward in the slot, per new DC Steve Wilks. “When [another Ward deal] didn’t happen, we wanted to make sure that we sort of got the best nickel in free agency, and that’s what we went out and did,” Wilks said, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). “So I’m excited about Oliver. He’s long; he’s physical, can tackle, can cover. He’s going to be a good blitzer for us, everything that we do within this defense.” A former second-round pick, Oliver spent the past five seasons with the Falcons. The 210-pound defender is ticketed to work alongside outside corners Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.
- Kelvin Joseph may be in the Cowboys‘ nickel plans. After acquiring Stephon Gilmore via trade, the Cowboys are trying Joseph in the slot at OTAs, Jon Machota of The Athletic notes. The former second-round pick has worked as an outside corner over his first two seasons, though he has only played 330 career defensive snaps. The Cowboys lost both Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown to season-ending injuries last year. While Lewis remains on the roster, Brown, a longtime slot player, is unsigned.
- Third-round Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams received slightly more than the rookie-scale minimum to sign, per GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer, who notes the bumps come in Years 2-4 of his contract (Twitter link). This year’s No. 72 overall pick will earn between $1MM and $1.5MM from 2024-26. Third-rounders’ four-year deals are only partially guaranteed. Williams, a Syracuse alum, received a $1.1MM guarantee.
- The Panthers brought back safety Sam Franklin earlier this offseason, tendering him as an RFA. But the fourth-year defender agreed to sign for slightly less than the low-end tender price. Rather than signing for $2.627MM (the tender number), Franklin is back in Carolina on a one-year, $2.51MM deal, Balzer adds (on Twitter). The Panthers gave the 27-year-old DB a $1.5MM signing bonus, which is spread through 2027 via void years. Franklin has been a core special-teamer in Carolina while working as a defensive backup.
Bills Expected To Sign T Brandon Shell
Brandon Shell had expressed interest in staying with the Dolphins, but the veteran tackle looks set to join another AFC East squad. The Bills are finalizing an agreement, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com tweets.
Austin Jackson‘s Week 1 ankle injury led to Shell going from not being on a roster to start last season to becoming the Dolphins’ primary right tackle. Miami brought former New England tackle Isaiah Wynn in as Jackson insurance this year. That will help lead Shell, 31, to Buffalo. The sides are moving toward a one-year agreement, with the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson indicating the pact can be worth up to $2.1MM.
The Bills have made a few additions along their offensive line this offseason. They signed guards Connor McGovern and David Edwards in free agency and drafted guard O’Cyrus Torrence in the second round. The team has been quieter at tackle, and Shell will bring seven seasons’ worth of experience to Buffalo.
Shell’s Bills agreement coming to pass will mean a third AFC East employer for the former fifth-round pick. The Jets drafted Shell in 2016 and turned to him as a starter early during his rookie-contract years. After starting two seasons for the Seahawks and 11 games for last year’s Dolphins edition, Shell has totaled 72 as a pro. He stands to provide the Bills with a proven swing option.
The Dolphins gave Shell a one-year deal worth the league minimum, signing the South Carolina alum ahead of Week 2. They made the in-season addition a practice squad call-up initially, using the standard elevation tactic the 2020 CBA permits, but turned to him as a starter beginning in Week 5. Despite Shell’s late arrival, Pro Football Focus graded him as a middle-of-the-pack tackle last season and slotted him in the top 15 in the run-blocking department. Overall, PFF has rated Shell consistently as a midlevel option, placing him between 38th and 56th among tackles each year from 2017-22.
A knee injury ended Shell’s season early, sidelining the veteran for the Dolphins’ wild-card game in Buffalo. And Miami moved in a different direction to protect Tua Tagovailoa‘s blind side this offseason. Planning to give Jackson another shot to stick at right tackle, the Dolphins are letting Shell walk. Wynn and veteran backup Cedric Ogbuehi are in place as insurance options.
Buffalo has Dion Dawkins locked in at left tackle, while Spencer Brown has operated as the team’s primary right tackle since he arrived as a 2021 third-round pick. PFF rated Brown as one of last season’s worst tackle regulars. The team still has David Quessenberry as a swing option, and 2021 fifth-round pick Tommy Doyle remains rostered as well. Doyle played in one game last season.
Texans Eyeing Tytus Howard Extension
Not many areas on the Texans’ roster can be classified as true strengths, but the rebuilding team has devoted significant resources to fortifying its offensive line. Houston has already doled out two extensions up front this offseason — to Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason. Another might be coming soon.
Earlier this year, Tytus Howard expressed interest in an offseason extension. The Texans are expected to make this a priority, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. It sounds like Howard has moved to the top of Houston’s extension queue, doing so despite arriving as a first-round pick during Brian Gaine‘s short GM tenure.
The Texans fired Gaine just after the 2019 draft, which featured Howard as the team’s top investment. Some inconsistency — in terms of performance level, availability and positional alignment — has ensued during Howard’s rookie contract, but Houston exercised the former No. 23 overall pick’s fully guaranteed fifth-year option in May 2022. Howard is tied to a $13.2MM salary this season. It should be expected an extension will cost more, in terms of average annual value.
Howard, who turned 27 last week, played a 17-game season for the first time as a pro. He worked almost exclusively at right tackle, after spending much of the 2021 season at guard and left tackle. That ’21 season assignment came largely due to Tunsil’s early-season injury. Last season, Tunsil and Howard stayed healthy. This did not exactly translate to success, with the Texans going 3-13-1, or quarterback progress. But the team has a new passer in place this year. It looks like the Texans plan to pair C.J. Stroud‘s rookie contract with two lucrative tackle accords.
For the second time, the Texans made Tunsil the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman. The Pro Bowler is signed to a three-year, $75MM deal, which runs through 2026. Stroud’s rookie contract will span four years as well, with the fifth-year option making it possible for the deal to go through 2027. Either way, Stroud’s deal will make it possible for the Texans to devote more money to starters at other spots for the foreseeable future. Not long after the Tunsil re-up, the team moved further down this road by extending Mason, giving the guard trade acquisition a three-year, $36MM deal. This came after Houston chose center Juice Scruggs in the second round.
While both those contracts cover Stroud’s rookie-deal time, it should be expected a Howard pact will tie the Alabama State alum to the team into the late 2020s. Pro Football Focus rated Howard just outside the top 40 among tackles last season, marking a nice improvement for the Division I-FCS product. Howard could set himself up for a bigger payday by continuing this momentum in a contract year, but opting for a commitment ahead of that point makes sense as well.
Howard should not be expected to join Tunsil as a top-three highest-paid player at his position. The Chiefs moved the right tackle bar to $20MM per year, via their Jawaan Taylor agreement, and Lane Johnson subsequently topped it. Howard could take aim at the five-year, $87.5MM deal the Broncos handed 2018 first-rounder Mike McGlinchey. Though, the latter’s superior track record might make that difficult. Two other tackles — the Colts’ Braden Smith and Panthers’ Taylor Moton — are tied to deals in the $17MM-AAV ballpark.
Tunsil’s status as the league’s highest-paid lineman and Howard’s smaller sample size of promising work could complicate negotiations, but it looks fairly clear GM Nick Caserio will make an effort to have both the team’s tackles locked down soon.
Raiders Reworked Jimmy Garoppolo’s Deal; Tom Brady Not Realistic Emergency Option?
While Derek Carr did not exactly bring a high ceiling at quarterback for the Raiders, the nine-year starter is one of the NFL’s most durable quarterbacks. Carr missed two regular-season games (and one playoff contest) due to injury with the Raiders. Las Vegas’ plan to replace Carr is not off to a great start.
Shortly after Jimmy Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal, he underwent surgery to repair the fractured foot he sustained in early December. Faint hopes had kept the door narrowly ajar for a Garoppolo return for Super Bowl LVII, which would have been as a backup given Brock Purdy‘s stunning production, so the new Raiders QB being sidelined likely until training camp raised a red flag. The Raiders ended up making a change to protect themselves.
A delay between Garoppolo’s free agency agreement and the signing of the contract commenced in March. In that time, the Raiders inserted a clause that will offer them protection in the event Garoppolo cannot pass a physical, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. This addendum gives the Raiders an out in the event the left foot injury keeps Garoppolo off the field, and it converted $11.25MM from roster bonus to base salary.
Garoppolo’s reported agreement featured $33.75MM guaranteed at signing. The $11.25MM bonus — due on Day 3 of the 2024 league year — comprised part of that total. Garoppolo’s other guaranteed cash comes from a $22.5MM 2023 base salary, which the Raiders will only be on the hook for if Garoppolo passes a physical. To some degree, their situation resembles a fifth-year option setup during the period in which the options were guaranteed for injury only. But teams could only cut those former first-rounders free of charge if said player passed a physical a year later; Garoppolo failing his opens the door to a free-of-charge Raiders release.
This reality would introduce significant concerns for Las Vegas, which dumped Carr for one of the NFL’s most injury-prone players. Garoppolo has missed 33 games due to injury since suffering an ACL tear in September 2018 and has only finished two of his past five seasons. In the two Garoppolo did complete, he started Super Bowl LIV and piloted the 49ers to the 2021 NFC championship game. But calf, thumb and shoulder injuries — the latter two requiring surgeries — affected him during the latter season. At 31 and coming off three straight injury-plagued years, Garoppolo is certainly a poor bet to make it through this season unscathed.
On the other side of this, Garoppolo passing a physical removes the clause from the equation, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur report (subscription required). Josh McDaniels, who coached Garoppolo in New England from 2014-17, said everything is on schedule for the 10th-year veteran, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore indicating the team believes the clause will be moot (Twitter link).
A window exists for the Raiders to release Garoppolo before he passes his physical. Of course, they would be doing so with limited options at the position. The team has used offseason addition Brian Hoyer as its first-stringer during OTAs thus far, per The Athletic, though the 37-year-old passer is far past his prime and would invite obvious questions about the Raiders’ competitive viability this season. The Raiders attempted to keep Jarrett Stidham, but he signed with the Broncos to be Russell Wilson‘s backup. The team hosted the draft’s top five QB prospects and discussed a trade for the No. 1 pick with the Bears. But the Raiders did not make their QB move until the fourth round (Aidan O’Connell). The ex-Purdue arm is viewed as a developmental player.
Carson Wentz stands as the top passer available, and new Raiders pass-game coordinator Scott Turner did coach Wentz as Commanders OC last season. Teddy Bridgewater resides as the other starter-caliber QB left in free agency. Ryan Tannehill could become an option, though the Titans making that move — one rumored earlier this year — could remove them from contention consideration this season.
Moving into elephant-in-the-room status by virtue of his agreement with Mark Davis to buy a piece of the Raiders, Tom Brady looms as well. But owners will need to approve the recently retired quarterback’s purchase. As was the case with the Brady-Dolphins rumors during his first retirement, they would be unlikely to do so if he returned to play. In fact, a league source informed Bonsignore that Brady’s Raiders stake could come with a provision he will only serve as an owner — and not a player — for the franchise.
The Raiders looked into Brady as a free agent — before retirement No. 2 — this offseason. Brady’s past with McDaniels would make him the top emergency solution for the Raiders, even ahead of an age-46 season. But owners were unlikely to approve Miami’s long-rumored Brady plan in which he would have served as a player and owner. Twenty-four “yes” votes will be required for Brady to buy a piece of the Raiders. That could be contingent on the 23-year veteran staying retired. Were Brady dead-set on making a second comeback, he could simply back out of his ownership agreement.
Absent that long-shot solution, the Raiders will need to hope Garoppolo can finish his latest rehab effort. But the team’s quarterback stability has taken a substantial hit this offseason.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Davis, Giants
Once again positioned as a Super Bowl frontrunner, the Eagles did lose both their starting safeties (Marcus Epps, C.J. Gardner-Johnson) and three-down linebackers (T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White) in free agency. The team has retooled at those spots, placing outside additions (Terrell Edmunds, Nicholas Morrow, third-rounder Sydney Brown) and holdovers (Reed Blankenship, Nakobe Dean) in the starter picture. Dean, a former Georgia standout who unexpectedly dropped into the 2022 third round, will be expected to start, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes, adding Edmunds and Blankenship are the early expected starters at safety. But more help will probably be on the way. The spring additions aside, McManus expects the defending NFC champions to add both at safety and linebacker before the season. The Howie Roseman-era Eagles have a history of late-offseason supplementation on defense, having acquired Gardner-Johnson barely a week before last season and having traded for Ronald Darby in August 2017.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- The Cardinals’ tampering violation involving Jonathan Gannon may have impacted Vic Fangio‘s decision-making this offseason. Fangio likely would have become the Eagles’ defensive coordinator had the Cardinals and Gannon been upfront about the process that led to the two-year Eagles DC leaving for Arizona, Adam Schefter of ESPN said during a recent appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic’s John Kincade Show. Cards GM Monti Ossenfort confessed to inappropriate contact with Gannon after the NFC championship game. The Cardinals officially requested a Gannon HC interview on Super Bowl Sunday, but discussions occurred before that point. The Eagles had previously eyed Fangio, who had served as a consultant for the team last season, as a Gannon replacement. Ex-Fangio lieutenant Sean Desai is now running Philly’s defense, and the team would have needed to pay up to keep Fangio, who is earning upwards of $4MM per year with the Dolphins.
- Lane Johnson played in all three Eagles playoff games, coming back in limited form after suffering a late-season adductor injury that required offseason surgery. With that operation successful, Johnson alerted fans this week (via Twitter) he is good to go. This injury was not expected to threaten Johnson’s training camp availability, and the Eagles are on track to have their right tackle back — and on a new deal — well in time for the season.
- Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis will miss offseason time after undergoing a cleanup procedure on his knee, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets. This procedure occurred earlier this year and should be considered unlikely to threaten the third-year defender’s chances of starting the season on time. A 2021 first-round pick, Davis worked as a full-time starter in Washington last season, making 104 tackles (nine for loss) and tallying three sacks.
- The Giants are making some changes to their scouting department. D.J. Boisture, a second-generation Giants staffer who had been with the team for a decade, is no longer in place as its West Coast area scout, Neil Stratton of InsidetheLeague.com tweets. Pro scout Steven Price is also out, per the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, who notes this may be a case of neither’s contract being renewed. Price spent the past three years with the Giants. GM Joe Schoen did not make many changes to Big Blue’s scouting staff last year, but the post-draft period often sees shuffling in these departments. The Giants are also promoting Marcus Cooper — an ex-Bills exec — to a national scout role. Cooper has been with the Giants for five years. Blaise Bell, who has been in the organization since 2019, will also rise to an area scout role.
- Oshane Ximines‘ deal to stay with the Giants will be worth the league minimum. The fifth-year outside linebacker will be tied to a one-year, $1.1MM deal, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, who notes the Giants are guaranteeing the former third-round pick $200K (Twitter link).
NFL’s Gambling Investigation Into Lions Continues
Three of the four Lions hit with gambling suspensions in April are no longer on the roster. The team waived wide receivers Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill and released special-teamer C.J. Moore, who re-signed in March. But the Lions’ gambling issue is not entirely in the rearview mirror, it appears.
The NFL is investigating a fifth Lions player for a potential violation of the league’s gambling policy, Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic reports (subscription required). The league has not yet interviewed the unknown player, but seeing as the Lions have cut three players and fired multiple staffers for violations of the policy, it is safe to say this is a widespread issue within the NFC North franchise.
The one player remaining on the roster after a gambling ban, Jameson Williams, said he was not aware he was breaking an NFL rule by placing a bet on a non-NFL game at a Lions facility. Williams and Berryhill incurred six-game suspensions for making bets on non-NFL games while at the Lions’ facility (or while with the team on the road), Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Cephus, Moore and Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney received indefinite suspensions, which will cover at least one full season, for betting on NFL games.
“It hit me out of the blue, and it hit a couple other players around the league and on my team out of the blue,” Williams said, via Birkett. “I wasn’t aware of this situation, but as it happened, like I said, I took it on the chin, I was ready to move forward as things moved on and I got the consequences, so that’s been my whole plan moving forward from things and just looking at the better days.”
In addition to a potential fifth Lions player being suspended, ESPN.com’s David Perdum reports the NFL is conducting an investigation into more gambling violations. Since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that opened the doors for sports betting outside of its traditional hubs (primarily Nevada), 33 states and Washington D.C. have opened legal betting markets. Once a beneath-the-surface topic in the NFL, wagering on games and players (via daily fantasy sites) is now regularly promoted. The NFL has partnered with three sportsbooks in recent years.
In the time since the Supreme Court’s ruling, seven players have been popped for gambling policy violations. Defensive back Josh Shaw and wideout Calvin Ridley served indefinite suspensions, with Ridley being recently reinstated. Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin also received a gambling ban. Following the April bans, the NFLPA sent an email to agents reminding of the league’s policy preventing bets on mobile apps while at team facilities, Perdum adds.
As for the Lions, they will be without Williams — last year’s No. 12 overall pick who missed most of his rookie season due to ACL rehab — for six games and may soon see another player suspended. This issue has affected Detroit most, and cleanup measures regarding NFL policy comprehension and messaging has almost definitely taken place there. But the NFL investigation could soon see more teams impacted on this front.
Von Miller Addresses Return Timetable
Von Miller previously made it back from an ACL tear in time to start the following season, returning ahead of the 2014 slate despite suffering the injury in December 2013. Miller did not miss a game in 2014 and was available for every Broncos contest for the ensuing four years.
At 34, Miller is approaching his second such comeback differently. It does not sound like the Bills edge rusher is targeting Week 1 as a surefire comeback date from the ACL tear sustained on Thanksgiving. A return before the midseason point is squarely on the future Hall of Famer’s agenda, however.
“No, I don’t,” Miller said (via the Buffalo News’ Mark Gaughan) when asked if he had a firm return timetable. “I did in 2013 when I tore my ACL I wanted to get back as fast as possible and play and show guys you don’t need to take nine months to recover from an ACL. But my goals are different now. I want to be here for my team when they need me the most.
“I feel like late in the season when it really got tough, I wasn’t able to be there because I was injured. So the most important thing for me is to be available when my team really needs me. If that’s Week 1, then I’ll be happy for that. If it’s Week 6, I’ll happy for that. But I guarantee it won’t be any later than that.”
The 12-year veteran had kept the door open for a possible late-season return, as initial reports did not indicate an ACL tear. But doctors subsequently discovered a tear to lead to the shutdown. Miller missed the Bills’ final eight games.
The team’s caution with Tre’Davious White, who suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving 2021, would point to Miller missing the start of the season. While the two injuries are not equal, and full-year absences are not the norm for ACL recoveries. But the injuries occurring on Thanksgiving injects a rather key similarity. White did not come back to action until the Bills’ Thanksgiving game in Detroit. As such, Miller and White have barely shared the field thus far. Like the Bills missed White during their playoff shootout in Kansas City, their 2022 edition’s pass rush certainly lacked the punch it had when Miller was healthy.
Buffalo seems likely to place Miller on the active/PUP list when training camp starts. That camp-only designation will give the Bills flexibility, as they can either go game by game with Miller or stash their perennial Pro Bowl edge defender on the reserve/PUP list upon setting their roster. The latter course of action would sideline Miller for the season’s first four games — matchups against the Jets, Commanders, Raiders and Dolphins — while saving a roster spot.
Miller signed a six-year, $120MM Bills accord in March 2022, with the AFC East team outflanking the Rams and Cowboys for the former Super Bowl MVP’s services. Guarantees into Year 3 helped seal the deal. Miller produced early for his third NFL team, totaling eight sacks and 12 QB hits in 11 games. The Bills have re-signed a few defenders this offseason — Jordan Poyer, Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson among them — but did not make a major addition at defensive end. The team did not draft a D-lineman and will be counting on Miller to return to form.
Jaguars Trade K Riley Patterson To Lions
The Lions’ decision to cut Riley Patterson led him to Jacksonville in August 2022. Nearly a year later, Detroit will step in to prevent Patterson hitting the waiver wire.
After the Jaguars announced they were cutting Patterson — complete with the customary farewell tweet — they have reached an agreement to trade him to the Lions. Patterson kicked in seven Lions games during the 2021 season. The Jags replaced Patterson with longtime Bronco Brandon McManus earlier Thursday.
Patterson provided the Jaguars with some rare kicker stability last season, kicking in all 19 games for the team after seven kickers came through from 2020-21. McManus obviously provides Jacksonville with much more experience, but the team will still collect an asset for its 2022 kicker. The Lions are sending the Jags a late-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. That asset will be a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
The Lions initially added Patterson off the Patriots’ practice squad in November 2021. The former UDFA out of Memphis then finished that season as Detroit’s primary kicker. Patterson made 13 of 14 field goals for the Lions that year, but the team waived him coming out of the preseason. In Jacksonville, Patterson made 30 of 35 field goal tries during the regular season and missed just one extra point (36-for-37). He also notched a game-winning field goal to complete a 27-point Jags comeback win over the Chargers in the wild-card round.
Patterson, 23, is due a $940K base salary this season. He can be retained via RFA tender next year. The Jags tendered Patterson as an ERFA in March, but the Broncos’ decision to cut McManus — in part due to cap savings, as they designated him a post-June 1 release — changed the AFC South team’s plans. It will impact the Lions’ path at kicker as well.
In signing XFLer John Parker Romo last week, the Lions already roster two kickers. They finished last season with Michael Badgley in that role. Badgley kicked in 12 games for the Lions last season and re-signed with the team in March. Badgley is tied to a one-year, $1.2MM deal. The Lions guaranteed their incumbent just $350K, opening the door to a kicking competition. Badgley made 20 of his 24 kicks as a Lion last year; both he and Patterson went 2-for-3 from beyond 50 yards.
This trade allowed Detroit to avoid losing Patterson via the waiver wire; the Lions’ 9-8 finish gave them the No. 18 spot in the waiver order. The Lions waived wide receiver Keytaon Thompson to make room for Patterson on the Roster.
Steelers, OLB Alex Highsmith Begin Extension Talks
Although the Steelers have the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher on their cap sheet, signs continue to point to the team strongly considering making room for an Alex Highsmith extension as well. The T.J. Watt sidekick is going into a contract year, and the team has begun talks on a new deal.
Highsmith confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) his agent has started extension talks with the Steelers. The fourth-year pass rusher expressed optimism a deal will be completed, and given the dialogue over the past several months — including a strong endorsement on this front from GM Omar Khan — optimism makes sense.
[RELATED: Steelers Sign OLB Markus Golden]
With Watt out for a chunk of last season due to a pectoral injury, Highsmith stepped forward as Pittsburgh’s stop pass rusher. The former third-round pick tallied 14.5 sacks, the most by a non-Watt Steeler since James Harrison‘s 2008 Defensive Player of the Year season. That number tied for the fifth-most in Steelers history, and Highsmith’s 17.5 sacks over his past 20 games rank second in the NFL. This stands to put the franchise to a decision. It appears the Steelers are angling to keep Highsmith as a long-term Watt complementary presence.
Early optimism notwithstanding, these could be tricky negotiations. Highsmith, 25, zoomed onto the radar for a big payday last season, a showing that also included an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. Highsmith could bet on himself and aim for a big contract year, putting the Steelers to a choice of franchise-tagging him or reaching a deal to prevent a free agency departure. But just three of Highsmith’s 2022 sacks came during the seven games Watt missed. Watt naturally creates favorable matchups for the Steelers’ other pass rushers, but the team viewing Highsmith as a clear No. 2 edge could lead to negotiations beginning at a lower rate.
The Chargers are the NFL’s only team with two edge rushers (Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack) earning more than $20MM on average. The Giants now have two interior D-linemen (Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence) signed to deals in that neighborhood, but Williams is in a contract year. Pittsburgh will be expecting Watt to play at this level for several more years, and a Highsmith re-up would need to accompany his $28MM-per-year salary.
The Steelers have some flexibility here, with Kenny Pickett on a rookie contract and only one offensive player (Diontae Johnson) tied to an eight-figure-per-year deal. But Highsmith could certainly push for an extension north of $15MM per year. The Steelers will likely attempt to keep the price south of $20MM per annum, but while the franchise did not extend Bud Dupree after franchise-tagging him in 2020, it has a history of using this blueprint. Harrison and LaMarr Woodley teamed up on veteran extensions in the early 2010s, with Harrison signing his first extension in 2009 and Woodley joining him in 2011. Woodley stayed in Pittsburgh through the ’13 season. Highsmith’s resume is not quite where Woodley’s was prior to his extension, so it will be interesting to see what numbers emerge here during these talks.
Highsmith checked in as Dupree’s eventual replacement, coming from a mid-major program (Charlotte). Khan extended both Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick last summer. With the Steelers preferring to hammer out extensions before the candidate’s walk year, a resolution here should be expected in the coming weeks.
Javonte Williams Participating In OTAs
Javonte Williams‘ timetable continues to point to the talented running back being ready well before the Broncos’ regular season begins. After Sean Payton indicated Williams had a shot to avoid the active/PUP list and begin training camp on time, the third-year back was on the field for Denver’s OTA session Thursday.
Payton confirmed (via 9News’ Mike Klis) Williams worked in a limited capacity Thursday. Considering Williams’ position and the nature of his injury, any participation in OTAs represents good news for a Broncos team that lost much of its starting lineup to injury last season.
The Broncos lost Williams in Week 4 of last season, four days before they lost left tackle Garett Bolles for the year. Williams suffered ACL and LCL tears, along with posterolateral corner damage, and GM George Paton‘s April assessment — which hinted a return at some point during the 2023 season — did not paint a rosy outlook for the North Carolina alum. But everything since looks to signal Williams, barring a setback, will be ready in time for Week 1.
With Melvin Gordon out of the picture, Williams has a clear path toward the lead role in Denver’s backfield. Known for his tackle-shedding ability, the former second-round pick totaled 1,219 scrimmage yards as a rookie while playing alongside Gordon, who started for most of that 2021 season. The Broncos not only lost Williams on offense but played without Bolles, tackle Billy Turner, center Lloyd Cushenberry and wide receivers Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler for most or all of last season. Patrick, who suffered an ACL tear during training camp last year, has received full clearance to return.
Although Gordon and Mike Boone are no longer on the roster, the Broncos are expected to make free agent acquisition Samaje Perine a major part of their offense. Denver gave Perine a two-year, $7.5MM deal that came with $3MM guaranteed. Perine turned down a similar Bengals offer due to the prospect of increased playing time. With Payton often using multiple backs regularly — from the Pierre Thomas–Reggie Bush tandem to the more recent Alvin Kamara–Mark Ingram setup — it should be expected Perine will be asked to play a big role alongside Williams this season. From the looks of this situation in May, however, it does not appear Perine will be called upon to start in place of Williams early in the season.