Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/24
Wednesday’s minor transactions to close out the month:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived (with injury settlement): DT Rayshad Nichols
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Terrell Burgess
- Waived: P Jack Browning
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Dillon Johnson
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Daewood Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: G Lewis Kidd
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Jaylen Watson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: LB Darien Butler
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Willie Snead
- Waived: DT Mario Kendricks
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Abraham Beauplan
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): CB Mario Goodrich
- Released (with non-football injury designation): CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Tarik Black
- Waived: DL Jonathan Marshall
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Rodney Mathews, RB Kairee Robinson
- Waived: LB Easton Gibbs
- Waived (with injury settlement): RB Ricky Person
Snead is the latest veteran wideout to join the Dolphins receiving corps. He hasn’t really contributed much to the NFL since his 2020 campaign with the Ravens, but he’ll get another chance this summer in South Beach.
Carolina brings in Johnson just a day after watching veteran Rashaad Penny hang up his cleats. In order to make room for Johnson, the Panthers let good of Davis, the team’s recent signee from the UFL.
Butler was waived after a failed physical two days ago. After going unclaimed, he’ll get to stay in Vegas by taking a place on the reserve/PUP list.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/24
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: WR Isaiah Wooden
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Tyler Vrabel
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Quincy Roche
- Placed on IR: DE Malik Hamm
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: LB Shayne Simon
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Tayvion Robinson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Peter Bowden, CB Don Callis, CB LJ Davis
- Waived: CB Zyon Gilbert, FB Henry Pearson, K James Turner
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DE Levi Bell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DE Raymond Johnson, LB Tanner Muse
- Waived: DE Andre Carter, LB Trey Kiser
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Kyler McMichael, TE Matt Sokol
- Released: WR Marquez Callaway, DB Josiah Scott
Marquez Callaway will once again hit free agency after having bounced around the NFL last season. The wideout spent time with the Broncos, Raiders, Saints (second stint) during the 2023 campaign. He caught on with the Steelers via a reserve/futures contract in January but ultimately lasted only a few days into training camp.
The former UDFA had a breakout campaign as a sophomore in New Orleans, finishing the 2021 season with 46 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns. He saw a reduced role in 2022 before hitting the free agency carousel in 2023.
AFC North Notes: Browns, Faalele, Steelers
The Browns wrapping their Amari Cooper negotiations without an extension places Jerry Jeudy as the team’s long-term centerpiece at wide receiver. The recent trade acquisition, who received $41MM guaranteed at signing, is locked in through 2027. Cooper, 30, received $5MM in incentives but is positioned to play for a new contract this season.
In guaranteeing Cooper $20MM in 2024 — money he was almost definitely going to see once his salary became guaranteed in early September — the Browns moved $18.79MM of his salary into a signing bonus, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes, with two void years added. If Cooper is not extended by the start of the 2025 league year, the Browns would incur a $22.6MM dead money hit. For 2024, however, Cleveland created $15MM in cap space, per Spotrac. Despite skipping minicamp, Cooper said he was not considering a training camp holdout.
“Honestly, it wasn’t really about money,” Cooper said, via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling. “It was more so in the language of my contract when I signed a five-year deal with the Cowboys. Only two years is guaranteed. This is the last year of that deal, but it isn’t guaranteed until the week of the first game.”
This agreement seems a small victory for a player of Cooper’s caliber, especially after the former first-rounder established a new career-high in receiving yards (1,250) to help a depleted offense last season. The Browns have an added motivation to extend Cooper before next March now, with the looming void year-driven cap penalty working in his favor.
Here is the latest from Cleveland and the rest of the AFC North:
- Greg Newsome began Browns camp on the active/NFI list, and Kevin Stefanski shed some light on why. The fourth-year cornerback underwent hamstring surgery Thursday, and cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes the team hopes to have him back by Week 1. Newsome landing on the NFI list as opposed to the PUP list indicates he sustained the injury away from the team’s facility. Stefanski did not specify when the injury occurred. Dalvin Tomlinson, who is on the Browns’ active/PUP list, is set for arthroscopic knee surgery Friday. The team hopes, per Easterling, the veteran DT is back by Week 1. Tomlinson and the Browns decided this week surgery would be necessary. Both players were key starters for Jim Schwartz‘s No. 1-ranked defense last season.
- Third-year Ravens O-lineman Daniel Faalele‘s best shot to start this season may come at right guard. Despite being a tackle fill-in during his first two seasons, the 6-foot-8, 380-pound blocker is being given extensive work at RG, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required). Faalele is primarily competing with Ben Cleveland and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu at RG, per Zrebiec. John Harbaugh said the Ravens will move O-linemen around during camp, as Cleveland saw tackle reps this offseason, but the 17th-year HC confirmed the team is giving Faalele a shot to be a rather tall guard early in camp. It would also not surprise to see Faalele be given a shot at right tackle, where he played 157 snaps last season. Baltimore needs three new O-line starters after guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson leaving in free agency and the team trading Morgan Moses to the Jets.
- Eddie Jackson‘s Ravens deal is a one-year pact worth $1.5MM, Wilson notes. The longtime Bears starter received $1MM guaranteed. While this is a steep reduction from Jackson’s previous Chicago extension (four years, $58.4MM), he is far from the only experienced safety to accept a significant pay cut this offseason.
- Tyler Matakevich‘s Steelers contract will be worth the veteran minimum, Wilson adds. The ninth-year linebacker will be due $1.21MM in base salary, but the team has not guaranteed its former seventh-rounder anything.
Ravens Notes: Jackson, Bateman, OL, Tampa
Before veteran Eddie Jackson landed in Baltimore, the safety got a ringing endorsement from a Ravens defender. Linebacker Roquan Smith told reporters that he put in a good word to management about Jackson.
“Yes, I always tell the truth,” Smith said (via the team’s website). “I have great respect for Eddie [Jackson] and [I’ve] known Eddie since I came into the league. Like I said earlier, I think he’s a great asset for our team. [He’s] obviously been making plays in this league for a very long time, and with the pieces that we have here, and then with his talent, and having him in his role, I think it will go well for us.”
Jackson previously spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, and he played more than four of those seasons alongside Smith. After starting all 100 of his appearances in Chicago, Jackson won’t be nearly as relied upon in Baltimore. The team is mostly looking for a replacement for Geno Stone, who often played with Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton in three-safety looks.
Smith also touched on the major shakeup on the sidelines. Inside linebackers coach Zach Orr replaced Mike Macdonald as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, and the star pass-rusher is optimistic that the new defensive play-caller will seamlessly replace the former defensive play-caller.
“I think are very similar that’s here, and I have a great deal of respect for Zach [Orr and] his mindset,” Smith said. “He’s been out there on the field, and believe it or not, obviously him and Mike [Macdonald] are two totally different people, and they’re unique in their own way, but through the headset, they actually sound the same. Every voice I’ve heard through a headset all sounds the same. I’m like, ‘Is that Mike or something?’ I told ‘Z.O.’ one day during OTAs, so it’s pretty funny. I’m excited for ‘Z.O.,’ for him to showcase what he’s able to do with the pieces that we have here and showcase it to the world. We’ve all been doubted before, [how] things may not be as good as this, that or the third, but the game gives us the opportunity to prove that. I have a great deal of respect for ‘Z.O.,’ and that he’ll prove it week-in and week-out, and it’s going to start here in training camp, preparing for the year.”
More notes out of Baltimore…
- Rashod Bateman‘s 2022 foot injury ultimately led to surgery, and the receiver’s 2023 offseason was focused on recovering from that operation. Now a year removed from his rehab, the wide receiver believes he’s completely past the issue. Bateman told Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic that his foot is no longer a problem and he’s 100 percent healthy heading into training camp. Bateman hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing in Baltimore, although he did rebound from his disappointing sophomore campaign, finishing 2023 with 32 catches. The Ravens are clearly still optimistic about Bateman, as the team handed him a three-year, $15MM extension this offseason.
- Zrebiec writes that the only certainties on the Ravens’ offensive line are the starting spots for Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum, although the writer also opines that Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, Andrew Vorhees, and Roger Rosengarten will make the roster in some capacity. Beyond those six linemen, Zrebiec writes that the rest of the team’s OL corps could be competing for up to four roster spots, with the likes of Daniel Faalele, Ben Cleveland, and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu benefiting from the team’s decision to avoid veteran reinforcements.
- Fourth-round cornerback T.J. Tampa recently underwent sports hernia surgery, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. The rookie is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. The Iowa State product joins a deep cornerbacks grouping that’s headlined by Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, and rookie first-round pick Nate Wiggins.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/24
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB Daryl Worley
- Waived: DB Tre Swilling
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Ike Boettger
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from PUP: OT Zach Tom
Houston Texans
- Waived-injured: WR Jared Wayne
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Tyree Gillespie
- Waived: S Trey Dean
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Shaquil Barrett (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on PUP: CB NaJee Thompson
- Placed on NFI: RB DeWayne McBride
New England Patriots
- Waived-injured: LB Jontrey Hunter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Kevin Austin Jr.
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Nehemiah Shelton
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/24
Today’s minor transactions to wrap up this final weekend before training camps begin:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: S Jordan Toles
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Javin White
- Activated from active/NFI list: TE Gerald Everett
Denver Broncos
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Drew Sanders, S Caden Sterns, S Delarrin Turner-Yell
Detroit Lions
- Placed on active/NFI list: T Giovanni Manu
- Placed on active/PUP list: S Brian Branch, DE Marcus Davenport, DT D.J. Reader
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Corey Ballentine, T Caleb Jones, WR Jayden Reed
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Izaiah Gathings
- Activated from active/NFI list: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Waived (with injury designation): TE Gerrit Prince
Ravens To Sign S Eddie Jackson
Another member of the veteran safety market has found a deal ahead of training camp. Eddie Jackson has agreed to a contract with the Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
To little surprise, Schefter adds this is a one-year agreement. Many veterans at all positions take short-term accords at this point in the offseason, but that has particularly been the expectation at the safety spot in 2024. Jackson had spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, but he will now turn his attention to Baltimore as the next phase of his NFL tenure begins.
The 30-year-old has started each of his 101 regular season and playoff games, earning a number of accolades along the way. Jackson received first-team All-Pro honors in 2018 and he duplicated his Pro Bowl nod from that season during the following campaign. He has recorded multiple interceptions four times in his career, but his ball production has declined over time. The former fourth-rounder was named as a trade candidate ahead of the 2023 deadline, though no suitors emerged.
Jackson entered the 2024 offseason with one year remaining on his deal, and he was due $14.15MM in compensation. None of his base salary was guaranteed, though, and a message to Chicago sent in February suggested the Bears would move on. Days later, the team did indeed release the Alabama product. No reports had emerged in the following months connecting Jackson to any known suitors, but he will now spend the summer competing for a role in the Ravens’ secondary.
Baltimore still has Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton in place as starters, but the latter’s versatility was displayed last season when the team deployed three-safety looks. Geno Stone thus logged a notable workload, and his success earned him a deal from the Bengals in free agency. The Ravens added options to replace Stone during and after the draft, but Jackson represents a veteran presence capable of serving in a third safety capacity. His 87% defensive snap share in 2023 was the lowest of his career, and a 120.6 passer rating allowed illustrates his struggles in coverage.
Jackson will not be counted on as a full-time defender as long as Williams and Hamilton remain healthy. He could earn a part-time role in the secondary over the coming weeks, though, and in that event he could use the 2024 campaign to rebuild his free agent value to an extent as he joins a new team for the first time in his career.
RB Kenyan Drake Retires
Kenyan Drake has decided to bring his NFL career to an end. The veteran running back confirmed in a conversation with NFL insider Josina Anderson on Friday that he is retiring. 
“It felt like the right time,” the 30-year-old told Anderson. “I love the game, but I don’t love the business. I’m at peace with the decision. I’m healthy and ready to start the next chapter of my life.”
Drake entered the league as a Dolphins third-rounder, and over half of his regular season appearances (and his lone playoff one) came with Miami. He topped 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2018, and did so again the following year while splitting him time between the Dolphins and Cardinals. Drake’s best season came in 2020, his only full campaign in the desert.
That year, the Alabama alum rushed for 955 yards and 10 touchdowns. That success earned him a two-year, $11MM Raiders deal, but his career consisted of a series of short-term gigs from that point onwards. Drake only spent one campaign in Vegas before bouncing around to several teams in search of an opportunity. He had a pair of Ravens stints with Colts and Browns deals mixed in between August 2022 and November of last year.
Drake’s final NFL contract came from the Packers in December, and he made a single appearance down the stretch. His remarks suggest he attempted to find a new deal this offseason (something which a number of veteran backs managed early in free agency), but instead of seeking out a training camp accord or waiting for an opportunity to open up during the fall, he will turn his attention to his post-playing days.
A veteran of 105 combined regular and postseason contests, Drake racked up 5,521 scrimmage yards and 41 touchdowns across his eight years in the league. He will depart the NFL with nearly $26MM in career earnings.
Titans GM Ran Carthon Was Overruled On 2023 Derrick Henry Trade
As expected, Derrick Henry‘s Titans tenure came to an end this spring. The two-time rushing champion signed a deal with the Ravens as part of the flood of running back deals worked out early in free agency. 
It came as no surprise that Henry would up in Baltimore considering the connections between the two parties which dated back to the 2023 trade deadline. Even after the deadline passed for his contract to be restructured, the Ravens were named as a team to watch on the trade front. No deal was finalized, but an agreement was in place between Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta and his Tennessee counterpart.
Ran Carthon agreed to a trade price on Henry of a fourth-round pick with the potential to become a third-rounder, Dan Pompei of The Athletic notes (subscription required). He adds, however, that “others in the Titans hierarchy” did not approve of the swap. As a result, Henry finished out the campaign in Tennessee, offering a public, on-field farewell to the organization after the regular season finale.
The news of Carthon being overruled is particularly interesting since he left the door open to a re-signing ahead of free agency. Instead, the Titans were among the teams which moved quickly in adding a different veteran back (Tony Pollard) to pair with Tyjae Spears. That tandem will be tasked with helping second-year quarterback Will Levis develop in his first full season as a starter while Henry begins the second phase of his decorated career.
The 30-year-old took a two-year deal with the Ravens as questions linger with respect to his longevity. Henry’s age is past that at which many high-profile backs begin to slow down, and his massive workload (at least 215 carries in each of the past six seasons) was no doubt a concern for potential free agent suitors. The four-time Pro Bowler will shoulder lead back duties in Baltimore after J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards departed in free agency.
Especially with Keaton Mitchell expected to miss the beginning of the 2024 season, Henry will be counted on early and often with his new team. The former Offensive Player of the Year told Pompei he plans to continue his career for the foreseeable future, with his fitness obviously playing a big role in his ability to do so. He did add, though, that winning a Super Bowl could alter his long-term thinking. Henry’s ability to repeat his Tennessee success in Baltimore will be a key storyline to follow as the 2024 season unfolds.
Largest 2024 Cap Hits: Defense
As veteran report dates for training camps near, NFL payrolls are largely set. Extension- and trade-related matters remain, but as far as high cap numbers go, the list will not change much between now and Week 1. After we ran down the top cap charges on the offensive side of the ball last week, here are the highest 2024 figures tied to defenders:
- Maxx Crosby, EDGE (Raiders): $30.48MM
- T.J. Watt, EDGE (Steelers): $30.42MM
- Kenny Clark, DL (Packers): $27.49MM
- Joey Bosa, EDGE (Chargers): $26.11MM
- Khalil Mack, EDGE (Chargers): $25.39MM
- Montez Sweat, EDGE (Bears): $25.09MM
- Harold Landry, EDGE (Titans): $23.8MM
- Jaire Alexander, CB (Packers): $23.49MM
- Marlon Humphrey, CB (Ravens): $22.88MM
- Tremaine Edmunds, LB (Bears): $22.44MM
- Cameron Heyward, DL (Steelers): $22.41MM
- Jeffery Simmons, DL (Titans): $21.65MM
- Daron Payne, DL (Commanders): $21.61MM
- Jonathan Allen, DL (Commanders): $21.44MM
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, S (Steelers): $21.36MM
- Vita Vea, DL (Buccaneers): $20.97MM
- DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE (Cowboys): $20.46MM
- Quinnen Williams, DL (Jets): $20.4MM
- Grady Jarrett, DL (Falcons): $20.38MM
- Myles Garrett, EDGE (Browns): $20.17MM
- Trey Hendrickson, EDGE (Bengals): $20.17MM
- Derwin James, S (Chargers): $19.86MM
- Budda Baker, S (Cardinals): $19.03MM
- Charvarius Ward, CB (49ers): $18.4MM
- Marcus Williams, S (Ravens): $18.03MM
While a handful of quarterbacks are set to break the single-player record for cap hit — after this offseason’s $30.6MM cap spike — this year’s defensive hits do not check in on that level. Crosby and Watt are at $30MM, but those numbers do not match last year’s top defender cap hit — attached to then-Giants D-lineman Leonard Williams ($32.26MM). With Aaron Donald now in the dead money category following his retirement and Chris Jones extended, some new faces have climbed toward the top of this list.
The Raiders gave Crosby a $6MM 2024 pay bump to reward a former Day 3 pick who has unlocked another level while attached to an extension signed in 2022. Rather than greenlight a new deal for their top defender, the Raiders moved money around on his through-2026 extension to accommodate a rising market. This season now marks the highest cap hit on this Crosby contract.
Although the Chargers worked out pay-cut agreements with Bosa and Mack, both edge rushers are still among the most expensive — cap-wise — players in the league. The March reductions, however, moved Bosa’s cap number down from $36.6MM and lowered Mack’s from $38.5MM. With James tied to the second-highest 2024 safety figure, Jim Harbaugh‘s team — while clearing out costs on offense — remains among the top defensive spenders.
Two years remain on Watt’s deal, which has paid out its guaranteed money. With Nick Bosa having secured a defender-record extension and lower-production players — compared to Watt, at least — Brian Burns and Josh Allen surpassing the future Hall of Famer’s 2021 extension, a third Steelers-Watt agreement will likely be rumored soon. Heyward has expressed interest in a fourth Steelers contract, which would reduce his lofty cap figure, but the accomplished veteran has not heard much from the team’s side on this matter.
The Packers have begun talks with Clark on what would be a third extension. His current $17.5MM-per-year contract has fallen to 15th among active D-linemen. A new deal would update that figure for a reliable starter while reducing his 2024 cap hit. Despite rumors about the Pack separating from Alexander coming out in December, GM Brian Gutekunst shot down any such move associated with the league’s highest-paid corner.
Baker requested a trade last year, eyeing a deal closer to the James-Fitzpatrick level. The longtime Cardinal DB is in the final year of an extension agreed to back in 2020. Although the Cardinals are rebuilding, Baker has remained part of Jonathan Gannon‘s team. He expressed hope to stay in Arizona beyond 2024, and the Cardinals have the contract-year safety — the team’s longest-tenured starter, now that D.J. Humphries is off the roster — on the team going into his age-28 season.