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2023 NFL Fifth-Year Option Results

May 3rd, 2022 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

Monday marked the deadline for NFL clubs to officially pick up their options on 2019 first-rounders. Fifth-year option seasons are no longer just guaranteed for injury — they’re now fully guaranteed, which makes these decisions a little tougher for teams.

Nineteen players had their options exercised, a tick up from 14 last year. Here’s the full rundown:

1. QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals – Exercised ($29.7MM)
2. DE Nick Bosa, 49ers: Exercised ($17.9MM)
3. DE Quinnen Williams, Jets: Exercised ($11.5MM)
4. DE Clelin Ferrell, Raiders: Declined ($11.5MM)
5. LB Devin White, Buccaneers: Exercised ($11.7MM)
6. QB Daniel Jones, Giants: Declined ($22.4MM)
7. DE Josh Allen, Jaguars: Exercised ($11.5MM)
8. TE T.J. Hockenson, Lions: Exercised ($9.4MM)
9. DT Ed Oliver, Bills: Exercised ($10.8MM)
10. LB Devin Bush, Steelers: Declined ($10.9MM)
11. OT Jonah Williams, Bengals: Exercised ($12.6MM)
12. LB Rashan Gary, Packers: Exercised ($10.9MM)
13. DT Christian Wilkins, Dolphins: Exercised ($10.8MM)
14. G Chris Lindstrom, Falcons: Exercised ($13.2MM)
15. QB Dwayne Haskins:
16. DE Brian Burns, Panthers: Exercised ($16MM)
17. DT Dexter Lawrence, Giants: Exercised ($10.8MM)
18. C Garrett Bradbury, Vikings: Declined ($13.2MM)
19. DT Jeffery Simmons, Titans: Exercised ($10.8MM)
20. TE Noah Fant, Seahawks: Exercised ($6.9MM; originally drafted by Broncos)
21. S Darnell Savage, Packers: Exercised ($7.9MM)
22. OT Andre Dillard, Eagles: Declined ($12.6MM)
23. OT Tytus Howard, Texans: Exercised ($13.2MM)
24. RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders: Declined ($8MM)
25. WR Marquise Brown, Cardinals: ($13.4MM; originally drafted by Ravens)
26. DE Montez Sweat, Commanders: Exercised ($11.5MM)
27. S Johnathan Abram, Raiders: Declined ($7.9MM)
28. DE Jerry Tillery, Chargers: Declined ($11.5MM)
29. DE L.J. Collier, Seahawks: Declined ($11.5MM)
30. CB Deandre Baker — N/A (released by Giants)
31. OT Kaleb McGary, Falcons: Declined ($13.2MM)
32. WR N’Keal Harry, Patriots: Declined ($12.4MM)

Bengals Trade Up To Take Cam Taylor-Britt At No. 60

April 29th, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals addressed another secondary position in the 2022 NFL Draft, trading up to take the Bills spot at No. 60 overall, a pick the Bills had just received from the Buccaneers one trade earlier. Cincinnati used the pick to select Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt. 

Taylor-Britt led the Cornhuskers in passes broken up last year with an impressive 11, adding six interceptions over the course of his college career. Taylor-Britt was a physical defender forcing seven fumbles and blocking a kick in his career. He earned second team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final two college seasons.

The Bengals gave up their 63rd (2nd round pick) and 209th (6th round) pick in order to move up to 60th for Taylor-Britt.

Bucs Acquire No. 57 To Take Luke Goedeke

April 29th, 2022 at 8:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Central Michigan offensive lineman Luke Goedeke finally hears his name called as the Buccaneers were tired of seeing him slide down the board. Tampa Bay traded up four spots to make sure the 23-year-old found his way to Central Florida.

Goedeke moved from tight end to offensive tackle during his redshirt season with the Chippewas, earning the team’s starting right tackle position as a redshirt sophomore. Goedeke missed the 2020 season due to a knee injury, but came back strong to earn All-Mid-American honors as a redshirt junior.

Despite spending his college career at tackle, Goedeke projects as an interior lineman at the next level. This fills a huge position of need for the Buccaneers who lost Alex Cappa to free agency and Ali Marpet to retirement.

The Bucs’ received the pick used to draft Goedeke from the Bills, giving them their No. 60 pick and No. 180 (6th round) pick in exchange.

Bills Acquire No. 23, Select CB Kaiir Elam

April 28th, 2022 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have pulled off yet another deal. Baltimore is trading pick No. 23 to the Bills, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The Ravens will receive picks No. 25 and No. 130 in return. Buffalo will use their new draft pick on Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Elam came into Gainesville as a top-100 recruit out of The Benjamin School near Palm Beach, FL. Elam wasted no time playing in all 13 games as a true freshman and earning 5 starts. From there Elam took over the starting cornerback position and became a leader on the Gators’ defense. Over his career, Elam totaled 6 interceptions and 20 pass breakups, demonstrating the ball skills that NFL teams will look for in a first round cornerback.

Elam has prototypical size and length at the position and was viewed in many circles as a potential Day One pick. Elam hoped to follow in the steps of his uncle and become a first-round draft pick and then follow in the steps of his father and become an NFL starter. He’s already accomplished that first task, and he’ll have a good chance to contribute (and maybe even start) on a Buffalo defense that could use some extra help in the secondary.

The Ravens made the first blockbuster move of the weekend when they traded receiver Marquise Brown to the Cardinals for pick No. 23. That selection will now be flipped to Buffalo, with Baltimore picking up an extra selection to move back only two spots. Following this most recent deal, the Ravens are now armed with six fourth-round picks.

Bills Sign OL David Quessenberry

April 21st, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have made an addition on their offensive line. The team announced on Thursday the signing of veteran David Quessenberry.

The 31-year-old was drafted in 2013, but didn’t make his NFL debut until the end of the the 2017 campaign. The delay was caused by his successful treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which opened the door to playing time with the Texans. Those two games to finish the season, however, ended up being his only appearances in Houston.

The San Jose St. product remained in the AFC South, being added to the Titans’ practice squad in 2018. One year later, he made his debut with Tennessee. Even though he was cut by the team in October of that season, he remained in Nashville through 2021.

This past campaign saw him spend a full season as a starter for the first time in his career. Occupying the right tackle spot, he acquitted himself very well, considering his lack of playing experience despite his age. He earned an 80.6 PFF grade, which ranked him 18th out of 83 qualified tackles. While he only committed two penalties, he did allow 11 sacks, however.

Quessenberry now joins Rodger Saffold as former Titans signing with the Bills. He will, at a minimum, provide quality depth along the right side of their offensive line.

Iowa State RB Breece Hall Getting Looks

April 20th, 2022 at 11:10pm CST by Ely Allen

While many analysts don’t predict a running back to go in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Iowa State’s Breece Hall has perhaps the best chance of any to do so. Hall has been making the rounds during the pre-draft process, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, spending time with the Texans, Bills, Giants, and Commanders.

Hall and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker are the consensus top-two running back prospects in the Draft, with Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller usually coming in as a slightly distant third. Most analysts have Walker and Hall extremely close, as well, with Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranking Walker at 35th and Hall at 41st and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network slotting Hall at 29th and Walker at 31st. The two differ a bit in body-type and playing styles with Walker being a stockier, more compact back with speed and power, whereas Hall is a big-bodied back with a smooth, elusive running style. 

In terms of depth chart, the Bills, Giants, and Commanders all have, at least, a semi-solid two-deep. The Commanders return Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. Both have had some issues with health, but, for the most part, should be a reliable 1-2 punch. The Giants have Saquon Barkley and recently acquired Matt Breida. Breida hasn’t quite looked the same since leaving San Francisco and New York might be losing patience with Barkley as his name surfaced as a potential trade candidate last month. The Bills house Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. They also recently signed Duke Johnson, who will be a huge contributor in the passing game. While both Singletary and Moss have been solid in their roles, neither have been game changers with Singletary failing to top 900 yards in each of his three seasons and Moss’s career-high topping out at 481 yards. Both are smaller backs, as well, which might make Hall an attractive option.

The Texans probably have the biggest need here. They currently are rostering Marlon Mack, Royce Freeman, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale, Darius Anderson, and Scottie Phillips. Mack is probably the favorite to lead the group in touches with Freeman spelling him and Burkhead a potential pass-catching back, but by no means should this be considered a strong position group.

In terms of draft position, a few options make sense here. The Giants and Texans aren’t likely to use any of their multiple early first-round picks on a running back, but both have early picks in the second round, as well, that might have Hall’s name written all over it. If any team were going to use a first-round pick on a running back, I could see the Bills sitting at 25 as a real option. A more likely scenario would probably see the Bills allowing a team to trade back into the first round and hoping to still land Hall in the second. The Commanders would benefit from seeing the running backs fall down the board a bit, as their second-round pick doesn’t come up until 47th overall.

It’s a bit of a crap-shoot to try and predict how the NFL will value a top college running back in any given year. Last year saw Najee Harris and Travis Etienne go back-to-back in the first round. The year before that saw Clyde Edwards-Helaire taken with the final pick of the first round. Though teams are often advised against it, you’d have to go back to the 2014 NFL Draft to find the last time no running backs were taken in the first round, when Bishop Sankey and Jeremy Hill were taken back-to-back in the second round, followed closely by Carlos Hyde.

Will Hall or Walker be able to keep the streak alive? Or will we see the streak of first-round running backs end at 7 years? Both players will have eight more days to make their case.

CB Notes: Bills, Bradberry, Giants, Gardner, Texans, Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Ward

April 20th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Losing Levi Wallace in free agency, the Bills have a cornerback need a week away from the draft. The two-time defending AFC East champions will be linked to corners early, but they are still looking into the veteran market. Brandon Beane confirmed the team has spoken with free agent corners, via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter). While Stephon Gilmore is now off the board, several other accomplished vets remain available. The player Gilmore is set to replace in Indianapolis, Xavier Rhodes, is a free agent. So is Joe Haden, whom the Steelers appear to have replaced with Wallace. Buffalo has Taron Johnson as its slot cornerback, so boundary players would seemingly be the focus on the veteran front. Jackrabbit Jenkins‘ Titans contract expired, and Trae Waynes and Kyle Fuller loom as potential bounce-back candidates. Richard Sherman is set to turn 34 this year, but he has a career’s worth of high-end zone production.

Here is the latest from the cornerback scene:

  • Lovie Smith indicated his team needs cornerback help, and it might even come at No. 3 overall. Several teams believe Ahmad Gardner could be the Texans‘ choice at 3, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tweets. Houston has also done extensive work on LSU’s Derek Stingley. Given where they are in the rebuilding process, the Texans make sense as a true best-player-available team. That would seemingly point to a tackle choice — be it Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu — but corner buzz has followed this team for a bit now.
  • Stingley played just 10 games between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, seeing injuries slow his momentum after a dominant freshman season. But the LSU product is creeping into the top-10 picture, with ESPN.com’s Matt Miller noting Stingley and Gardner are looking likely to each be top-10 selections (Twitter link). The 6-foot defender, per one evaluator who spoke to NBC Sports’ Peter King, has “the best feet of any corner I’ve ever seen.” Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent ESPN.com mock draft has Gardner going fourth to the Jets and Stingley going 12th to the Vikings. The Jaguars and Jets hosted Stingley on visits this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Washington Huskies could see two corners go in the first round. With Trent McDuffie positioning himself as the draft’s third-best corner, Miller adds a few teams do not expect Kyler Gordon to reach Day 2 of the draft (Twitter link). ESPN ranks Gordon 31st overall, though Todd McShay has him going 42nd in he and Kiper’s latest mock. The 5-foot-11 defender played four seasons at Washington, but only two (2019 and ’21) involved more than three games.
  • New Giants GM Joe Schoen said a scenario exists where the Giants retain James Bradberry, via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (on Twitter). Entering the final year of his contract, Bradberry has long expected to be dealt. The Giants have discussed their No. 1 corner with teams, and while they have said an extension for the Dave Gettleman-era signee is possible, Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number sits second on Big Blue’s payroll. The Giants ($6MM-plus in cap space) would save more than $11MM by designating Bradberry as a post-June 1 cut, if no team offers a draft pick to take on the veteran cover man’s $13.4MM base salary.
  • Denzel Ward‘s five-year, $100.5MM Browns extension includes $44.5MM fully guaranteed, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. That figure also leads all corners. In addition to his signing bonus, the Browns fully guaranteed Ward’s 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1MM, $4MM, respectively). Ward’s 2024 base ($15.3MM) shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. That same structure is present for 2025, with that base salary ($13.5MM) already being guaranteed for injury. It becomes fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2024 league year.

Eagles, 3 Other Playoff Teams Made Run At Gilmore

April 16th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Ely Allen

After discussing deals and meeting with several teams that made the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season, cornerback Stephon Gilmore ended up signing with a team that just missed the playoffs in Week 18 last season joining the Colts. Well, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the teams that pushed the hardest for the two-time All-Pro were playoff teams from last season: the Eagles, Raiders, Rams, and Bills. 

Philadelphia “made a hard play” for the ten-year veteran in their efforts to replace departing starter Steven Nelson. Nelson started alongside Darius Slay in the Eagles’ secondary last season before signing with Houston this offseason. Without Nelson, the Eagles will likely count on Avonte Maddox to take another step in his development after being a strong rotational player for the past four seasons. They may turn to the 2022 NFL Draft to address the position, but, currently sitting at 15th, they would likely miss out on the Draft’s two most exciting cornerback prospects: Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner and LSU’s Derek Stingley. Those two are even less likely to fall to Philadelphia with Baltimore sitting one spot in front of them wanting to add some depth to the position after spending most of last year without starters Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey.

Las Vegas had an impressive showing from their cornerback group last year despite losing Damon Arnette due to multiple lawsuits and behavioral issues and only seeing Trayvon Mullen play five games. The Raiders saw Casey Hayward, Nate Hobbs, and Brandon Facyson step up and contribute to a strong defense. With Hayward going to Atlanta and Facyson joining Gilmore in Indianapolis, the Raiders made addressing the cornerback position a priority. Luckily, despite missing out on Gilmore, the Raiders made strong additions acquiring Rock Ya-Sin from the Colts in exchange for Yannick Ngakoue and signing Anthony Averett, who started much of last year for the Ravens with Peters and Humphrey injured. Ya-Sin and Averett will join a hopefully full-health Mullen and Hobbs to round out a solid cornerback room.

The Rams pursued Gilmore in an attempt to replace departing starter Darious Williams after he signed with the Jaguars this offseason. Los Angeles returns star Jalen Ramsey and role players David Long and Dont’e Deayon, but they likely would’ve preferred to add another bona fide starter opposite Gilmore. Unlike the Eagles, the Rams probably won’t turn to the Draft to fill this role. They’ve made an example in the league trading draft capital for experienced veterans and won a Super Bowl doing so. Not only is it more on brand for them to seek a replacement through the trade and free agent markets, but, even if they wanted to use the Draft, they don’t have a selection in the Draft until the 104th pick.

The Bills would’ve liked to bring Gilmore back home to Buffalo after losing starter Levi Wallace to free agency. Buffalo brings back plenty of contributors from last year in Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson, and Siran Neal, but bringing back Gilmore would’ve allowed them to slip him into the void left by Wallace without asking too much of Jackson or Neal to step up. The Bills could try to slot in another veteran free agent cornerback like Joe Haden, Kyle Fuller, or Chris Harris, or, with a later first-round pick, they could try to take a flyer on one of the Draft’s less elite corners like Washington’s Trent McDuffie or Florida’s Kaiir Elam.

The targeting of Gilmore by these playoff teams speaks to his current value in the NFL. It shows something that teams contending to win it all believe he can add value to their defense. There’s also something to be said that these teams usually have a nearly complete roster, seeking Gilmore to fill in one of their last positions of need. While Gilmore may not be able to anchor a defense by himself on a fledgling defense, he can make strong contributions when surrounded by talented teammates. In Indianapolis, he’ll team up with Kenny Moore and Facyson to lead an otherwise inexperienced group of corners.

Bills Bring Back T Bobby Hart

April 11th, 2022 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

After bouncing on and off the Bills’ 53-man roster last season, Bobby Hart is back in Buffalo for another go-round. The Bills re-signed the veteran tackle Monday.

Agreeing to a one-year deal, Hart will attempt to make Buffalo’s roster and play an eighth NFL season. Hart’s run as a starter came to an end last season, one the former seventh-round pick spent with three teams.

The Bills signed Hart in March 2021 but cut him just before the season. The ex-Giants draftee made his way to the Dolphins as a practice squad player before rejoining the Bills early in the season. Injuries on the Titans’ offensive line led Hart to Tennessee, where he started a game and played in two more. The Bills then signed Hart back in November, making the reverse transaction by adding him off the Titans’ taxi squad, and kept him for the rest of the season.

Hart’s first six seasons were a bit smoother, minus his late-season Giants release in 2017. The Florida State product spent the first three years of his career with the Giants and the next three with the Bengals, starting 67 games. That is a rather high number for a 27-year-old blocker expected to be a backup. The Bills have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown at tackle, with guard/tackle Cody Ford on the roster as well. Hart stands to compete for a swing job this year.

Bills’ Jordan Poyer Eyeing Extension

April 8th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jordan Poyer has a new agent and is setting his sights on a new contract. As reported by Tim Graham of the Athletic (on Twitter), the safety and his camp have “approached” the Bills regarding an extension. 

As his new agent Drew Rosenhaus said, Poyer “would very much like to finish his career in Buffalo”. The 30-year-old has spent the past five seasons with the Bills, after three-plus campaigns in Cleveland. After mostly playing in a backup role prior to his arrival in western New York, Poyer has teamed with Micah Hyde to form arguably the league’s best safety tandem.

The 2021 season saw Poyer earn First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career, after he equalled a personal best with five interceptions. In 79 total games with the Bills, the former seventh-round pick has collected 519 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 picks and 36 pass deflections. His level of play earned him a two-year, $20.5MM contract in 2020.

That deal was re-worked last September, as Buffalo looked to manufacture some in-season flexibility. As a result, his 2022 cap charge was raised to over $10.7MM. The upcoming campaign is the final one on his contract, so a new deal could help flatten that figure while upping Poyer’s ranking amongst the league’s top safeties.

The $9.75MM average of Poyer’s most recent pact drops him further down the pecking order at the position. New deals signed by the likes of Marcus Williams (averaging $14MM) have continued the rise in value of safeties. How close Poyer could come to the top of that list on a new contract may start to become clear sooner rather than later, if the Bills reciprocate his desire to open negotiations.

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