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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/22

December 10th, 2022 at 7:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the minor moves around the league in advance of the Week 14 slate of games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Leslie Frazier An Option For Colts HC?

December 8th, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been more than a decade since Leslie Frazier last served as a head coach, but the current Bills defensive coordinator could soon get his shot. ESPN’s Dan Graziano passes along that multiples sources have connected Frazier to the Colts potential HC vacanacy.

There are a few things going for Frazier. The coach does have some connections to Indy, as he served as the Colts assistant head coach/defensive backs coach in 2006. Further, as Graziano writes, Frazier has the support of Tony Dungy, and the former head coach’s “word carries some weight” within the organization. Frazier actually interviewed for the Colts’ head coaching gig back in 2018 before the team hired Frank Reich, so there’s clearly some respect for his coaching ability.

On the flip side, Frazier’s wheelhouse is on the defensive side of the ball. Graziano writes that the organization could be seeking both a quarterback and an offensive play-caller this offseason, and some could assume that those holes would be easier to navigate with an offensive-minded coach. Further, Frazier’s track record as a head coach wasn’t great. He helped guide the Vikings to the playoffs with a 10-6 record in 2012, but the team otherwise went 11-26 during his two-plus seasons at the helm.

Still, there’s no denying Frazier’s ability to coach a defense. Since taking over as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator in 2017, the Bills have developed into one of the top defenses in the NFL, including three top-five finishes in defensive yards allowed between 2018 and 2021. Buffalo’s emergence has led to more and more head coaching opportunities for the coordinator. Just this past offseason, Frazier interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Dolphins, Bears, and Giants, and he was generally considered the runner-up for the gig in New York.

The Colts fired Reich following a 3-5-1 season. Jeff Saturday unexpectedly took over as head coach and won his first game in the position, but the Colts have since dropped three straight. Considering Saturday’s lack of coaching experience, he was always deemed a temporary solution as the HC spot.

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

December 8th, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL now has its first teams eliminated from playoff contention. The Texans and Bears, as they essentially have been doing throughout this season, are playing for next year. Other eliminations will soon follow, as the league’s playoff picture heats up.

Through that lens, the 2023 draft order will become an increasingly more pertinent topic. The 2023 draft will present an interesting subplot near its outset. Traded picks are set to produce early selections for the Seahawks, Lions and Eagles. Each of those picks currently land in the top five, as the teams on the other end of those trades — the Broncos, Rams and Saints — have disappointed, spectacularly so in Los Angeles and Denver’s cases.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order would look entering Week 14:

  1. Houston Texans: 1-10-1
  2. Chicago Bears: 3-9
  3. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  4. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  5. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  6. Carolina Panthers: 4-8
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8
  8. Arizona Cardinals: 4-8
  9. Indianapolis Colts: 4-8-1
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 5-8
  11. Green Bay Packers: 5-8
  12. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7
  13. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  14. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-7
  15. Detroit Lions: 5-7
  16. Los Angeles Chargers: 6-6
  17. New England Patriots: 6-6
  18. Washington Commanders: 7-5-1
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-6*
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 7-5*
  21. Tennessee Titans: 7-5*
  22. New York Jets: 7-5*
  23. New York Giants: 7-4-1*
  24. Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)*
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4*
  26. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-4*
  27. Dallas Cowboys: 9-3*
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-3*
  29. Minnesota Vikings: 10-2*
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-3*
  31. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1*

* = Denotes playoff team

The 2023 first round will resemble 2008 and 2016, when the Patriots were docked their Round 1 pick for their respective “gate” scandals. This year’s Dolphins saga never developed “gate” status, but the team lost a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-rounder due to the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering case. Thus, a 31-pick first round will commence.

While the Broncos, Rams and Browns lost their first-round picks due to trades for quarterbacks, the Saints passed theirs to the Eagles in this year’s pre-draft trade that allowed New Orleans a path toward moving up for Chris Olave. The No. 16 pick which was initially transferred from the Colts to the Eagles in 2021’s Carson Wentz trade was then moved to the Saints, netting Philadelphia a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second.

Bills’ Von Miller Undergoes Surgery, To Miss Rest Of Season

December 7th, 2022 at 10:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Bills had hoped Von Miller would be back this season, the veteran pass rusher did end up undergoing surgery. The exploratory procedure will knock him out for the rest of the season, Sean McDermott said Wednesday.

While Miller was not believed to have torn his ACL, this procedure ended up addressing that ligament. The operation revealed Miller’s ACL was torn, the team announced, and it has now been repaired. This procedure was not intended to repair Miller’s ACL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Instead, it was aimed at repositioning Miller’s lateral meniscus. After previous tests did not reveal a tear, the surgery ended up doing so. Miller would have been able to return this season if only the meniscus was repaired, Rapoport tweets.

Carted off during the Bills’ Thanksgiving Day game, the future Hall of Fame edge rusher had hoped to return after missing just one contest. Then, the Bills placed him on IR. This steadily worsening timetable will now leave the Bills without their top pass rusher as they attempt another Super Bowl push. The Chiefs’ loss to the Bengals opens the door for the Bills (9-3) to win out and claim the AFC’s top seed. Their hired gun was to be a big part of their championship push; the team will now have to get by with its young edge defenders carrying the load.

Wounding the Bills’ defense, this injury deals a blow to this era’s best edge rusher. Miller’s age-33 season wraps with his second ACL tear. He suffered the first such injury — in the same knee — back in December 2013. That season resulted in the Peyton Manning-led Broncos advancing to Super Bowl XLVIII without him, but Denver’s injury-plagued defense could not hold up in that game. Miller rebounded to play the lead role in the Broncos winning Super Bowl 50 two years later, but he has now suffered severe leg injuries in two of the past three years. A late-summer ankle injury wiped out Miller’s 2020 campaign.

The 2020 injury did not end up stopping Miller from playing a major role in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning effort, which catapulted Miller into free agency. The Bills won the sweepstakes with a six-year, $120MM deal that featured guarantees into Year 3. Miller cited that guarantee structure as the reason he chose the Bills over the Rams. That and the chance to be the rare player to win a Super Bowl with three different teams. Miller stands to be back for Buffalo’s Super Bowl push next season, but he will now have to battle back from another major injury — and do so in his mid-30s.

Miller still leads the Bills with eight sacks, but two of the Bills’ recent highly drafted D-ends — Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa — have shown improvement. Rousseau, a 2021 first-rounder, has registered five sacks; Epenesa, a 2020 second-round choice, has tallied 4.5. Those are each career-high totals. Though, Miller being removed from the equation will make the younger edge rushers’ work more difficult. The team also has former second-round pick Boogie Basham and reacquired veteran Shaq Lawson in the fold. The Bills are already playing without safety Micah Hyde, who was lost to a season-ending injury in September.

Latest On WR Odell Beckham Jr.

December 6th, 2022 at 9:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Odell Beckham Jr.‘s third and final visit has concluded, but it’s uncertain if a contract is imminent. Josina Anderson tweets that the wideout’s visit with the Cowboys concluded earlier this evening. This followed reports from earlier today that Dallas was concerned about OBJ’s knee.

[RELATED: Cowboys Concerned About OBJ’s Health]

Throughout the sweepstakes, there’s been persistent skepticism that OBJ would be able to contribute this season after suffering a torn ACL during last season’s Super Bowl. After opining earlier today that any team signing the wideout wouldn’t benefit until the 2023 campaign, Ed Werder adds (on Twitter) that the Cowboys “should not reasonably expect OBJ to play before [the] postseason.” Werder adds that Jerry Jones has been consistent in his assertion that a receiver acquistion needs to contribute during the regular season, but with only five games remaining, there’s a chance the executive’s stance has changed.

The wideout met with the Cowboys this week after previously meeting with the Giants and Bills. Unless something changed during tonight’s meeting, the Giants were the only reported team to put OBJ through an actual workout. This only adds uncertainty to OBJ’s readiness, although the wideout was cleared to return to the field in November.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is raising an eyebrow to the sudden leaks surrounding OBJ’s playing status. A league source told Florio that the negative info is “astounding” and wondered how the player could “even consider signing there now.” That same source questioned if the Cowboys are simply going through the motions to placate fans, and that would add to a previous sentiment that Dallas was only trying to drive up the price on their division rival.

There may be more to the Cowboys’ public posturing. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the two sides were “still aways apart” with contract negotiations heading into tonight’s meeting. Previous reports indicated that Beckham was seeking a multiyear offer with a $20MM-plus AAV, although that was always considered to be unrealistic. The Rams offered an incentive-laden deal when they pursued OBJ earlier this season, but the receiver was quick to dismiss that arrangement.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/22

December 6th, 2022 at 7:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: QB Davis Cheek

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Released: OL George Moore

Denver Broncos

  • Signed:WR Kaden Davis, QB Jarrett Guarantano
  • Released: LB Zach McCloud

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/22

December 6th, 2022 at 6:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

  • Released from reserve/PUP list: TE Dylan Soehner

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Prior to waiving Stevenson, the Bills activated the second-year wide receiver from IR, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The procedural move would allow Stevenson — should he clear waivers — to return to Buffalo on a practice squad agreement. This will still count toward Buffalo’s eight injury activations, but the team still has six remaining. A 2021 sixth-round pick, Stevenson combined for 21 punt- and kick-return reps as a rookie.

The Eagles placed Robert Quinn on IR on Tuesday but will have a reinforcement in Robinson, a 2021 Vikings fourth-round pick. The Eagles signed Robinson off the Vikings’ practice squad in mid-September. He has yet to play in an NFL game.

A former franchise-tagged player, Harris was unable to carve out much of a role in Denver. The ex-Vikings and Eagles starter only played in three games for the Broncos, who signed him just before the season. Despite having a six-INT season on his resume, the 31-year-old defender did not play a defensive snap with the Broncos.

Bills Restructure Tre’Davious White’s Deal

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:17am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills will begin their turn hosting Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday, going second on the wide receiver’s three-team itinerary that includes Giants and Cowboys summits. Buffalo created a bit of cap space as well.

The team restructured Tre’Davious White‘s contract, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). This move clears $2.29MM in cap space for a Bills team that was previously up against the salary ceiling.

White, who made his long-awaited return from a Thanksgiving 2021 ACL tear in time for this year’s Bills Thanksgiving game, is signed through the 2025 season via the four-year, $69MM extension he inked back in September 2020. The Bills had already gone to the restructure well with White, creating just more than $7MM in cap space last year. He is tied to cap numbers of $16.4MM, $16.6MM and $17MM from 2023-25, respectively.

This move will obviously benefit Buffalo even if it is not used to fit a complicated Beckham contract onto the payroll, but the team is beginning its pitch today. Beckham, 30, will be coming up from the Big Apple after his Giants meeting, which began Thursday. He is not expected to work out for any teams, but the Giants’ medical staff planned to put him through an MRI. It can be expected the Bills’ medical team will as well.

A Beckham signing would certainly cap quite an acquisition year for a team fairly unaccustomed to marquee free agency pickups. The Bills outmaneuvered the Rams for Von Miller in March, and Miller has persistently pitched Buffalo to his former Los Angeles teammate. Beckham is seeking a multiyear deal, which would benefit the three apparent finalists for cap purposes. At just more than $6MM, the Cowboys hold the most cap space among the teams meeting with OBJ.

Odell Beckham Jr. Not Planning To Work Out For Giants, Bills, Cowboys

December 1st, 2022 at 11:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Months in the making, Odell Beckham Jr.‘s free agency tour will begin Thursday with a Giants visit. Friday, Beckham will depart for Buffalo, with perhaps his most pivotal meeting — with Dallas, which is viewed as the favorite — set for Monday.

These visits will not involve any Beckham workouts, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, who notes the eight-year veteran wide receiver is not planning to audition for any of the three teams he will visit. While marquee free agents visiting teams and not working out is nothing new, Beckham’s plan will place a greater emphasis on the interested teams’ medical evaluations.

Giants doctors will examine Beckham, who has twice torn his left ACL since October 2020, and this routine will surely continue in Buffalo and Dallas over the next few days. The Giants’ medical evaluation will include an MRI, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Some skepticism regarding Beckham’s capabilities has emerged around the league recently, but the standout pass catcher is believed to have been cleared for work in November. Early December once resided on the latter end of OBJ’s projected return timetable, but his Rams contributions have still convinced teams to wait late into this season.

Beckham, 30, will meet with new Giants power brokers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, along with staffers who were with the Giants during his five-season New York stay, and reconnect with John Mara. More serious discussions will be expected to commence Friday, Schwartz adds.

The Giants gave Beckham a five-year, $90MM extension just before the 2018 season began, and while that year did include a bounce back from a lost 2017 season, OBJ’s 1,052-yard campaign also happened during a season in which he criticized Eli Manning in a TV interview. The then-Dave Gettleman-led Giants regime traded Beckham to the Browns in March 2019. Among the players exchanged in that deal, only Dexter Lawrence remains with one of those teams.

As for Beckham’s fit with the Schoen-Daboll Giants, he would slide in as a potentially lethal X-factor — depending on his readiness and grasp of Daboll’s system — and help a Giants team that has seen its receiver plan change drastically from September. Ex-Beckham teammate Sterling Shepard is out for the season; so is second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson. Kadarius Toney is now in Kansas City, and Kenny Golladay‘s $18MM-per-year pact has produced next to nothing. Months-long trade candidate Darius Slayton, who was drafted a month after the OBJ trade, is now Daniel Jones‘ No. 1 target.

Jones and Beckham never played together, but if OBJ returns to the Big Apple, he would be a critical aid to the fourth-year quarterback and the team’s quest to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. That season marks Beckham’s most recent Pro Bowl year. Despite injuries and a poor Cleveland fit, he has remained on the star tier. Teams’ offers during this unique free agency derby will be telling. Beckham is believed to be seeking a multiyear commitment.

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