Colts Meet With OL Chris Hubbard
Although the Browns’ plan of making Chris Hubbard their right tackle starter fizzled in the late 2010s, the veteran blocker remained in Cleveland for five years — the final three as a backup. He may soon have another option to continue his career.
The Colts met with the nine-year veteran recently, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Hubbard, 32, mostly worked as a right tackle during his time with the Steelers and Browns but has guard experience as well. The Colts saw their long-reliable offensive line struggle last season, largely because of issues with their two non-highly paid blockers in the starting lineup.
Indianapolis did not re-sign Eric Fisher or bring in a veteran to replace him. The Colts instead moved swingman Matt Pryor into their starting lineup. Pryor was eventually benched, giving way to third-round pick Bernhard Raimann. Despite allowing seven sacks, Raimann ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 25 overall tackle last season. He is on track to keep his starting position opposite Braden Smith. The Colts also used multiple right guards last season, demoting Danny Pinter for Will Fries, a 2021 seventh-round pick. That position appears a bit more fluid compared to left tackle. Pryor is no longer on Indianapolis’ roster, but Fries and Pinter remain under contract.
A former UDFA, Hubbard saw early-career time as a Steelers guard but saw his most relevant Pittsburgh action at tackle, filling in for an injured Marcus Gilbert in 2017. The Browns gave Hubbard a five-year, $36.5MM deal in 2018. Upon changing GMs in 2020, the Browns reworked Hubbard’s contract and moved him to a swing role — behind offseason additions Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills. Despite the demotion, Hubbard re-signed with Cleveland last year. But he has only played four games over the past two seasons, missing almost the entire 2021 slate because of a triceps injury.
The Colts also drafted two tackles, including BYU’s Blake Freeland in Round 4, but given the way last season played out, it is understandable the team is looking for a veteran backup as well. As free agency’s third wave has formed, due largely to last week’s deadline for signings to affect the 2024 compensatory formula, Hubbard is on Indy’s radar.
Panthers To Re-Sign OL Cameron Erving
Shortly after a report indicated the Panthers still had Cameron Erving on their radar, the veteran offensive lineman is indeed returning to Charlotte. Erving agreed to terms on another Panthers deal Monday night, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This is a one-year contract, and it comes after Erving played out his previous Panthers pact. The former first-round pick will be back as a depth piece for the Panthers, who initially inked the veteran blocker to a two-year contract back in 2021.
Although the Panthers are no longer looking for Erving to be their left tackle starter — as was the case in 2021 — he represents a veteran swingman to play behind Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton. Erving, 30, played in 11 games as a backup last season. The Panthers are Erving’s fourth NFL team; the Florida State product has played for the Browns, Chiefs and Cowboys since being taken 19th overall in 2015.
During Matt Rhule‘s second offseason in charge, the Panthers gave Erving a two-year deal worth $10MM. Despite Erving being viewed as more of a backup than starter in recent years, the Panthers gave him the blindside gig to start Sam Darnold‘s first season at the controls. Erving made nine starts for a Panthers team that had struggled annually to staff its left tackle post at that point. A calf injury sidelined Erving for a stretch that year, and he finished his first Carolina season with two IR stints.
Rhule and GM Scott Fitterer decided against taking a quarterback at No. 6 overall last year, choosing Ekwonu over ex-Rhule Temple recruit Kenny Pickett, and the high draftee took over for Erving. The Panthers still value Erving as a reserve option, however, and he will have a chance to play a ninth NFL season.
After the Browns bailed on Erving two years into his career, he did become a regular Chiefs starter from 2018-19. In addition to being Eric Fisher‘s primary blindside fill-in during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season, Erving made 13 starts for the first Patrick Mahomes-led K.C. operation a year prior. Erving saw time at guard during the 2018 season and has also played center. The Panthers are not expected to have Austin Corbett to start the season; the 2022 free agency pickup will likely need more time to recover from a Week 18 ACL tear. Carolina’s other guard starter, Brady Christensen, is recovering from a Week 18 broken ankle. While the Panthers drafted Chandler Zavala in the fourth round, Erving also represents a potential emergency option inside.
Packers Sought Russell Wilson-Type Haul For Aaron Rodgers; Jets Debated Stronger Derek Carr Push
Aaron Rodgers has begun attending Jets offseason workouts, but it took an extensive process for the Packers to move him off their roster. The teams had different goals when they begun negotiations.
The Packers initially sought a trade package comparable to the haul the Seahawks received for Russell Wilson or the Lions picked up for Matthew Stafford, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports. But with Rodgers moving out of the picture in Green Bay, the Jets were never expected to pay what it would have likely cost the Broncos (or another suitor) to pry Rodgers from the Packers in 2021 or ’22. Still, the lag time between the first Rodgers-related discussion between Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Jets counterpart Joe Douglas — in January, when the latter represented the only interested party among those Gutekunst contacted — led to some uncertainty.
Just before Derek Carr committed to the Saints, Jets brass debated if they should make a stronger push for the longtime Raiders quarterback, Costello adds. The Jets hosted Carr in February and met with him again at the Combine. Though, Gang Green viewed the 10th-year veteran as its Rodgers backup plan throughout the process. With the Jets not knowing until March 12 Rodgers was even planning to play in 2023, they saw their top backup plan vanish when Carr signed with the Saints on March 6.
Shortly after the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as OC — a move widely rumored to be a Rodgers-related decision — Robert Saleh instructed his staff to study Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Tannehill, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. The former 49ers starter surfaced as a Jets option, while the longtime Titans first-stringer has been involved in trade rumors this year. But the Jets waited out Rodgers and received confirmation, via the four-time MVP’s agent contacting Douglas, his client was onboard with the Jets.
The Packers could have obtained more in a trade for Rodgers had they unloaded him in 2021 or ’22, but Jordan Love had not progressed to the point the team was ready to roll with the former No. 26 overall pick. Gutekunst sought to tell Rodgers the Packers planned to field a younger roster this season and make moves to help their salary cap, per Breer, with this meaning Rodgers favorites Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis would not be back. (Cobb is now a Jet, with Lewis potentially on the team’s radar.) Of course, Gutekunst and Rodgers never got around to a meeting regarding his future. The parties had multiple January meetings in California scheduled, Breer adds; neither came to fruition. Gutekunst dealt with Rodgers’ agent during the trade talks.
As for the trade price, one of the Jets’ counterproposals — during the sides’ off-and-on talks — involved a 2025 Packers second-round pick coming back in the event Rodgers did not return in 2024. The March Rodgers-Jets summit did not involve discussion about how much longer Rodgers would play, though that later became an understandable component of the Jets’ trade push. Instead of the Jets receiving a 2025 second from the Packers — in the event Rodgers retires after this season — the teams agreed on the deal that included the 2024 first-rounder being a conditional pick and not a locked-in 1, Breer adds. That said, Rodgers has only failed to play 65% of his team’s offensive snaps twice in his 15-year starter run. It represents a fairly safe bet the Jets will send the Packers their 2024 first-rounder in this swap.
Rather than the 65% figure, the Jets wanted to tie the 2024 draft choice to team placement, per Breer. But the Packers did this in the Brett Favre trade 15 years ago; the Green Bay icon’s biceps injury ended up leading the Jets out of the playoff race and reducing the Pack’s compensation to a 2009 third-rounder. With Packers president Mark Murphy involved in both negotiations, the Packers did not relent on a refusal to tie the pick to the Jets’ 2023 record.
Douglas was a bit leery about a potential post-draft suitor emerging as an alternative for Rodgers, Breer adds. The Jets had lost Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins in a two-team race last year. The All-Pro wideout was nearly a Jet, but when the Dolphins entered the fray, Miami became Hill’s preferred destination. This helped provide the impetus for the Jets to complete the deal by the draft, even as no other teams were closely connected to Rodgers this offseason.
The 2023 pick-swap component also did not enter the negotiations until late. That turned out to matter, with many believing the Jets were prepared to draft tackle Broderick Jones in Round 1. The Steelers moved up three spots, from No. 17 to No. 14, to prevent that from happening. New York selected edge rusher Will McDonald with its Green Bay-obtained No. 15 pick. The Packers chose Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness at 13.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/8/23
Teams are moving quickly on inking their Day 3 draftees to their four-year rookie deals, with this process involving a slot system that does not feature many complications for late-round players. Here are the latest such agreements to commence:
Carolina Panthers
- G Chandler Zavala (fourth round, NC State)
Minnesota Vikings
- DT Jaquelin Roy (fifth round, LSU)
Panthers’ Austin Corbett To Miss Regular-Season Time; Brady Christensen On Track For Week 1
Big-picture changes have taken place in Carolina this offseason, but the team is planning to place Bryce Young behind the same offensive line that protected Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold in 2022. But that configuration will not be in place to start the year.
Austin Corbett suffered an ACL tear during the Panthers’ Week 18 game in New Orleans, and Frank Reich said the expectation is the 2022 free agency pickup will not be ready in time for the season opener. In better news for the Panthers, David Newton of ESPN.com notes Brady Christensen — the other guard who suffered a major injury (a broken ankle) in Week 18 — is on track to be ready for the 2023 opener.
The Panthers gave Corbett a three-year, $26.25MM deal last year; after making every start for the Rams from 2020-21, Corbett did the same for the Panthers last season. His inability to make it through Week 18 unscathed could lead to a stay on the reserve/PUP list come August. Such a placement would shelve Corbett for at least four games next season, though the team could also keep the former second-rounder on its active roster and go week-to-week regarding a return window.
The Panthers factored the likely Corbett early-season absence into their draft, with Newton adding fourth-rounder Chandler Zavala is the most likely first-string fill-in opposite Christensen. After four years at Division II Fairmont State, Zavala transferred to NC State in 2021. He earned first-team All-ACC acclaim at guard as a sixth-year senior.
Carolina’s Ikem Ekwonu first-round pick last year led to Christensen sliding to guard on a full-time basis, and he started all 17 games. The BYU product went down six plays into the Saints rematch, but his injury ended up being slightly less severe than Corbett’s. Pro Football Focus rated Corbett as a top-20 guard last season but slotted Christensen 55th at the position. He and Corbett are signed through 2024.
Just as the Panthers dropped Pat Elflein, they re-signed center Bradley Bozeman to round out their O-line quintet. Carolina may also be eyeing more continuity up front, per Newton, who notes Cameron Erving may well remain on the radar as a swing option behind Ekwonu and longtime right tackle Taylor Moton. Erving signed a two-year, $10MM deal in 2021 and started all nine games he played for the Panthers that year. Despite Erving not being the one to stop the Panthers’ longtime left tackle merry-go-round, he appears to be under consideration for a second Carolina contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Jaquan Amos
- Waived: DE Levi Bell
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Nick Amoah, DB Justin Broiles, TE Damien Caffrey
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Broughton Hatcher, DL Antonio Moultrie
- Waived: LS Jack Coco
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Tyler Adams, WR Kody Case, T Matthew Vanderslice, DT Jamal Woods
- Waived: WR Cody Chrest, CB Tyler Richardson, RB Titus Swen, WR Braxton Westfield
New York Giants
- Reverted to PUP list: S Terrell Burgess
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: S Andre Chachere
Hatcher and Moultrie join cornerback William Hooper in landing Packers deals after the team’s rookie minicamp. Despite the Packers cutting Coco, Hatcher still has competition to become Green Bay’s long snapper. Matt Orzech, who spent the past two years as the Rams’ deep snapper, remains the favorite for the Packer gig after receiving a $300K signing bonus this offseason, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Orzech had been on Green Bay’s radar for years; the team tried to claim him off waivers in 2021.
Texans Sign LB Jermaine Carter
The Texans have steadily signed numerous veterans to low-cost, short-term deals during Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure. This offseason, they have shown a considerable interest in the linebacker position.
After signing Denzel Perryman and Cory Littleton, Houston agreed to terms with Jermaine Carter on Monday. A former Panthers full-time starter, Carter spent last season with the Browns. His signing comes a few days after the Texans re-signed linebacker/special-teamer Neville Hewitt.
This focus on the off-ball linebacker spot will create considerable competition in training camp. The Texans still roster veterans Christian Kirksey and Blake Cashman, and the team selected Christian Harris in last year’s third round. This trio came in during Lovie Smith‘s season in charge; Hewitt joined the team under David Culley two years ago. Either way, the Texans now have five linebackers entering at least their fifth NFL season. Kirksey is in Year 10, Perryman and Hewitt in Year 9, Littleton in Year 8, Cashman in Year 5. The team also drafted Alabama’s Henry To’oTo’o in the fifth round.
Carter, 28, is attempting to play a sixth NFL season. The Panthers chose the Maryland alum in the 2018 fifth round. He started 31 games with Carolina, including all 17 during the 2021 season. Perryman and Carter were briefly teammates that year as well, but the former never played for the Panthers. After a training camp trade with the Raiders, Perryman’s quick Charlotte departure left a starting spot open that Carter ended up filling. Carter made 88 tackles (three for loss) and recovered a fumble in 2021.
Last year, the Chiefs signed Carter but did not carry him through to their 53-man roster. The Browns added him to their practice squad in September and, amid a season featuring extensive injury trouble at the linebacker spot, used the former Day 3 pick in seven games. Carter played just 93 defensive snaps last season, however.
Broncos To Re-Sign S Kareem Jackson
6:04pm: Jackson is set to earn slightly more than his 2022 salary on this deal, with 9News’ Mike Klis indicating the experienced defender will collect $2.67MM on the one-year pact (Twitter link).
3:56pm: Less than two weeks after a reported offer came out, the Broncos have managed to retain Kareem Jackson. The veteran safety is re-signing in Denver on a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
This marks the third straight offseason in which Jackson has agreed to a one-year contract with the Broncos, though the cornerback-turned-safety is now set for his fifth season in Denver. After initially giving Jackson a three-year, $33MM deal in 2019, the Broncos have continued to use the veteran alongside Justin Simmons.
The Broncos and Jackson had been in talks for a bit now, and the team extended another offer to the 14th-year veteran recently. Jackson has played for less money in each of the past three seasons, coming back for $5MM in 2021 and $2MM last season. While the Broncos are moving to a third head coach in three years, Sean Payton is signing off on retaining the experienced defender. GM George Paton, who released Jackson from his above-referenced three-year deal in 2021, said in March the team still had the veteran on its radar. Paton has now authorized three Jackson one-year accords.
Although the Broncos first signed Jackson a few weeks after firing Vance Joseph from his HC post, the returning Denver DC has coached the former first-round pick previously. While working under then-Texans DC Wade Phillips from 2011-13, Joseph was the Houston defensive backs coach. Joseph joins Simmons, linebacker Josey Jewell and free agency import Zach Allen as those with experience under Joseph on Denver’s defense. Jackson, 35, and Simmons, 29, form one of the NFL’s longest-tenured safety duos in recent years.
Denver’s defense maintained top-10 form despite Vic Fangio‘s departure last year, and Jackson ended the season as one of its most consistent components. As injuries ransacked the unit throughout the slate, Jackson played 17 games, a team-most 1,139 snaps and finished with a career-high 94 tackles. Pro Football Focus ranked Jackson just outside the top 50 among safeties last season.
A physical presence at corner, Jackson moved to safety full-time when he joined Fangio’s defense in 2019. Among safeties, Simmons and Jackson each rank in the top 11 in solo tackles since joining forces four years ago. Jackson signing on for another year points to the Broncos keeping third-year safety Caden Sterns as their top backup. The primary Jackson or Simmons injury fill-in since arriving as a 2021 fifth-round pick, Sterns is coming off season-ending hip surgery and is not a lock to be ready for training camp.
The Broncos obviously have spent another offseason making sweeping changes, with Payton now in charge. But the team now has all five of its primary DB starters under contract and re-signed linebacker Alex Singleton to continue his partnership with Jewell. Denver’s starting defense has only lost Dre’Mont Jones this offseason, and Allen — who played four years under Joseph in Arizona — is ticketed to replace him, furthering the familiarity on the defensive side.
Chiefs Notes: Taylor, Smith, Pacheco, Anudike-Uzomah, Rice
The Chiefs had planned to move career right tackle Jawaan Taylor to the left side. Instead, they are flipping their tackle salary structure. Donovan Smith is now in the fold, and Taylor is now the NFL’s second-highest-paid right tackle.
Andy Reid confirmed (via ESPN’s Adam Teicher) the Chiefs will begin their offseason work with Smith, signed to a one-year deal worth up to $9MM late last week, at left tackle and Taylor on the right side. Considering Smith has only played left tackle as a pro and Taylor spending his entire Jacksonville tenure as a right-sider, it is logical the Chiefs will not rock the boat here.
This is an about-face given the Chiefs’ initial Taylor plan, and while it is interesting the defending champions are abandoning it months before pads come on, Reid did leave the door open last month for Taylor to be kicked back to the right side. A right tackle at Florida and with the Jags, Taylor represents an upgrade for the Chiefs at that post.
Smith will replace Orlando Brown Jr. While the latter earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods with the Chiefs, Smith manned the Buccaneers’ blindside spot for eight seasons. During an offseason in which the team needed to shed almost $60MM in cap space, Tampa Bay made Smith a cap casualty in early March. The soon-to-be 30-year-old blocker resided as one of the few players left unsigned among PFR’s top 50 free agents.
Kansas City making right tackle its top O-line investment deviates from recent years, when the team used low-cost vet Andrew Wylie and third-round pick Lucas Niang as its primary options at the position. But the Chiefs’ initial Patrick Mahomes Super Bowl-winning team did have two tackles — Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz — signed to veteran deals. While the team prioritized Brown in 2021 via the trade with the Ravens, right tackle did not bring similar attention. The Smith signing changes that, as Taylor signed the top O-line deal — AAV-wise, at $20MM — in free agency. Smith’s $9MM deal checks in at $4MM in base value, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.
Elsewhere on the Chiefs’ roster, Reid confirmed running back Isiah Pacheco and first-round defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah are recovering from surgeries. Pacheco underwent procedures to repair a broken hand and a torn labrum, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. He does not have a return timetable, though the Chiefs do not sound concerned the 2022 seventh-round pick will miss regular-season time. Anudike-Uzomah, this year’s No. 31 overall pick, underwent thumb surgery before the draft and could be ready by the time the Chiefs begin OTAs later this month.
At receiver, the Chiefs had Mahomes work out with a few rookie prospects. Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnston were among those to train with the reigning MVP in Texas. But Chiefs second-round pick Rashee Rice also linked up with Mahomes for a pre-draft training session. The SMU product, whom the Chiefs took in the second round, formed a connection with the superstar quarterback, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes.
The Chiefs have now taken a second-round receiver in each of the past two drafts, with Rice following Skyy Moore. These two join Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney as the Chiefs’ top receivers. Kansas City has been connected to a DeAndre Hopkins pursuit, but the Cardinals may now be prepared to keep him. The Chiefs, who lost J.J. Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to the AFC East in free agency, are also preparing to give Toney — his injury past notwithstanding — a bigger role heading into his first full K.C. season.
Cal McNair Denies Influencing Texans’ C.J. Stroud Pick
For weeks leading up to the draft, reports both connected the Texans to a pivot toward a pass rusher at No. 2 overall and having placed a value gap between Bryce Young and the field. The team then taking C.J. Stroud second overall but still trading back up from No. 12 to land Will Anderson Jr. has led to speculation regarding ownership’s role in this year’s draft.
Ahead of Nick Caserio‘s third draft as Houston’s GM, Texans ownership was believed to be more involved compared to the team’s first two Caserio-era drafts. Cal McNair did his best to shoot down rumors of his fingerprints being on the Stroud pick.
“Hannah [McNair] and I don’t make the picks. We’ll make it clear there,” McNair said, via ESPN.com’s DJ Bien-Aime. “We have a great group of scouts led by Nick and [assistant player personnel director] James [Liipfert]. They did a lot of work on the draft board, and then they followed that on draft day, and they moved up when they saw the value was there and moved back.”
Value regarding the Anderson trade-up is not a consensus view, as the Texans gave up No. 33 and 2024 first- and third-round picks to climb up for a non-quarterback. Considering how valuable the Texans’ draft slot has been from 2021-23 (No. 3, No. 3, No. 2), the Cardinals obtaining that pick could be viewed as a coup by the rebuilding team. But the Texans — as they were linked to doing for weeks ahead of the draft — prioritized an edge rusher and now have their most significant investment at that position, should J.J. Watt be classified as an interior pass rusher, since selecting Mario Williams first overall in 2006.
Stroud always seemed like the conventional choice at No. 2. The Panthers were believed to have made their early trade-up maneuver with the thought of selecting either Young or Stroud at 1. Young emerged as the runaway leader to lead off the draft, but Stroud was also viewed as a safer pick compared to Anthony Richardson or Will Levis. The Texans punted on a major quarterback investment in 2021, when Deshaun Watson spent the year as a healthy scratch amid his off-field trouble, and 2022. The team chose Davis Mills in the 2021 third round and did not make a notable investment last year, pointing to a 2023 move.
McNair attempted to make clear he did not mandate a quarterback pick, and selecting a QB represented by Watson’s agent — David Mulugheta — lends more support to the owner’s claim. This comes a bit after Caserio denied rumors he would leave the Texans after the draft. But Caserio departure rumblings surfaced late last season as well. He remains in power despite making two HCs one-and-dones to start his GM tenure, and Stroud’s development will obviously be worth monitoring regarding the Texans’ big-picture status.