NFC South Notes: Saints, Panthers, Edmonds
The Saints made a key tweak to their front office Tuesday, announcing Khai Harley will move into the assistant GM role. Harley has been with the Saints for 16 years, most recently serving as the team’s VP of football administration. Mickey Loomis has credited Harley as being one of the chief architects behind the franchise’s aggressive strategy with regards to the salary cap. Omar Khan used this background to become the Steelers’ GM, and Harley rising to this post may put him on the radar for interviews.
New Orleans also Scott Kuhn as director of football administration, Zach Stuart as director of analytics and Rishi Desai as a scouting assistant. Gaining extensive experience on the analytics front, Kuhn spent 16 years with the Vikings. Stuart spent the past three years as the Jets’ analytics coordinator. Additionally, former safety Matt Giordano is now an assistant on Dennis Allen‘s staff. Giordano, 40, spent one season with the Saints (2010); the 30-game starter also played for the Colts, Packers, Raiders and Rams from 2005-13. Giordano had spent six seasons as head coach of Buchanan High School in his native Fresno, concluding that tenure after the 2021 season.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Although Payton Turner carries a first-round pedigree, he is unlikely to beat out Carl Granderson for the starting role Marcus Davenport vacated this offseason. The Saints are more likely to turn to Granderson — a former UDFA — than Turner opposite Cameron Jordan, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes. Granderson, 26, has stood out in training camp and has two five-plus-sack seasons over the past three years. Turner entered camp after two iffy years, and while the Saints are likely to give the 2021 first-rounder another shot, a rotational role looks to be how this will play out.
- Jordan’s two-year, $27.5MM Saints extension is fully guaranteed, and it will also include sack incentives. Jordan can pick up an extra $500K with a 10-sack season this year, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. The 34-year-old defensive end can add $250K by reaching $250K in 2024 and 2025. Sitting 23rd on the official sack list (115.5), Jordan has six double-digit sack slates on his resume — including a 12.5-sack showing in 2021.
- Frank Reich is in place as the Panthers‘ play-caller to start his HC tenure, but OC Thomas Brown continues to loom as a future option for the post. The first-year Carolina HC said the long-term goal remains to make Brown the play-caller, Darin Gantt of Panthers.com tweets. This is Brown’s first OC post, but he has already booked HC interviews and received interest from other teams regarding their respective OC jobs. A former Rams assistant, Brown earning play-calling responsibilities this year would enhance his case for a top coaching job.
- Deion Jones‘ one-year Panthers agreement is worth $1.17MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That doubles as the veteran minimum, though Wilson adds the former Falcons mainstay will receive a $75K bonus for making the Panthers’ 53-man roster. The Falcons gave Jones a four-year, $57MM extension before the 2019 season, but the team cut bait on that deal before the 2022 trade deadline. The Browns also removed a year from Jones’ contract, and scant interest came his way this offseason. This will be a key year for the 29-year-old linebacker.
- The Panthers included four void years in Justin Houston‘s contract, dropping his cap hit to $2.13MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Houston signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $6MM deal earlier this month. The contract will include sack incentives, with Wilson adding Houston will receive $500K by reaching 11 sacks and could earn another $500K by hitting 12 (Twitter link). These are classified as not likely to be earned; Houston has one 11-sack season since 2015.
- As the Buccaneers prepare to use Rachaad White as their starting running back, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes offseason addition Chase Edmonds is locked into the third-down role. Edmonds, who received just $153K guaranteed on a one-year Bucs deal, operated as a solid pass catcher for the Cardinals but is coming off a down year. The Dolphins included him as salary filler in the Bradley Chubb trade, and the Broncos made him a cap casualty in March.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Stevie Scott
- Released: P Matt Haack
- Waived/injured: OL Lachavious Simmons
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/injured: WR Frank Darby
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Garrett McGhin
- Placed on IR: OT Tommy Doyle (story), DE Shane Ray
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DT Marquan McCall
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: S Adrian Colbert
- Waived/injured: TE Jared Pinkney
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from PUP: TE Mitchell Wilcox
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Josh Hammond
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to IR: RB Mohamed Ibrahim
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Marvin Pierre
- Placed on IR: TE Tyler Davis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Juwan Green
- Waived/injured: WR Kekoa Crawford
- Released from IR: DB Anthony Witherstone
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: QB James Blackman
- Waived/injured: CB Tino Ellis
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR: OL Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Aron Cruickshank, LB Kuony Deng
- Waived/injured: WR Hakeem Butler, WR Cody White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
- Waived: DL Tomasi Laulile
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Sal Cannella
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Richard LeCounte
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley
Brian Hill comes to San Francisco with 48 career games under his belt. He had a career year for the Falcons back in 2020, compiling 664 yards from scrimmage in 16 games. The RB has bounced around the NFL a bit since, spending time with the Titans, Browns, and 49ers (two stints). Following stints in the CFL and XFL, the 27-year-old will now add some depth to a San Francisco running backs room that already includes Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Jeremy McNichols.
Trevon Coley started 29 games for the Browns through his first two seasons in the NFL, but he’s struggled to stay on the field since. The defensive lineman got into seven games for the Colts in 2019 and (most recently) six games for the Cardinals in 2020. In total, the 29-year-old has 100 career tackles and 3.5 sacks on his resume.
Adrian Colbert won’t play for the Bears in 2023 after being placed on IR, although there’s a chance he’s cut loose and allowed to play for another squad. The veteran safety has played in 41 career games, starting 22. He’s been limited to only 14 games since the 2020 campaign, including a two-game stint with the Bears in 2022.
Panthers Sign CB Troy Hill
The Panthers have been graced this summer with an unfamiliar status of health in their cornerbacks room. That hasn’t stopped them from bringing in some veteran, starting depth at the position. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Carolina has agreed to terms with cornerback Troy Hill. 
After seeing both of its top cornerbacks, Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn, miss extended periods of time over the last few years, Carolina is finally ready to see both players on the field and healthy together. After suffering a minor foot injury in the spring, Horn has been 100 percent in camp. And Jackson, coming off an Achilles tear from last season, has received full clearance, as well.
Regardless, the team will be adding Hill to the fold. The 31-year-old undrafted cornerback has stuck around for eight years in the NFL, so far, and will be joining his sixth NFL team for the 2023 season.
After sputtering around as an undrafted rookie in 2015 with the Bengals and Patriots, Hill landed in St. Louis off waivers at the very end of his rookie season. The Rams’ subsequent move to Los Angeles marked a new start for Hill, as well. In his sophomore season, Hill made four starts for the Rams despite entering the year as the team’s fifth cornerback. Over a few more years in the Rams’ system, Hill solidified his role as part-time starter and heavy-rotation contributor.
When Los Angels finally gave Hill a chance to be a full-time starter, he had a career year, setting career-highs in tackles (77), passes defensed (10), and interceptions (3). He proved dangerous with the ball in his hands, as well, returning two of those picks for touchdowns and leading the league with 119 interception return yards.
The breakout performance in a contract year resulted in him signing a four-year, $24MM contract with the Browns. Cleveland’s system forced him to play out of his skillset a bit, resulting in a severe dip in production in coverage but a career-high in both sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (7). After only one season with the Browns, Hill was traded back to Los Angeles for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick. Hill returned to his role as a starter for the Rams, but a restructured contract meant that he would find his way to free agency at the end of the season.
Hill joins a talented, young group in Carolina. Jackson and Horn are the clear favorites to start, but there is plenty of talent behind them with former first-round pick C.J. Henderson coming off the bench and former safety Jeremy Chinn playing in the slot. Hill’s role among this group isn’t immediately clear, but he brings plenty of experience to contribute. All of a sudden, fully healthy, cornerback is looking like a position of strength for the Panthers.
Latest On Mekhi Becton, Jets’ Offensive Line
As the Jets’ months-long issue along the offensive line moves into the mainstream, via a brief Hard Knocks segment, the team still has not turned to Mekhi Becton as a first-stringer during training camp.
After showing promise as a rookie, Becton saw extensive injury troubles and weight issues sidetrack his career. The 2020 first-round pick has not played since Week 1 of the 2021 season, but he lost around 50 pounds this offseason. Becton criticized the Jets’ coaching staff for moving him to right tackle last year, a switch he believes led to his knee reinjury. But the talented blocker is now believed to be onboard with playing on the right side. The Jets are trying Becton at right tackle Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, marking the first time that has taken place during this year’s camp.
The Jets still have not used Becton as a first-stringer this year. Despite Duane Brown remaining on Gang Green’s active/PUP list, Becton has worked behind Billy Turner and Max Mitchell at tackle. Even as the team’s depleted front has struggled in joint practices with the Panthers and Buccaneers, Saleh is waiting on giving Becton extended run.
“The biggest thing for Mekhi is to show that he can play a game without having to be spelled out,” Robert Saleh said, via the New York Post’s Brian Costello. “It’s unfair to the team to prepare a guy to start if you are not sure he can make it through a game. He is moving in the right direction.”
While Becton brings a much higher ceiling compared to Turner and Mitchell, his injury baggage is among the most extensive in recent NFL history. Missing nearly two full seasons, Becton also missed practice time earlier in camp and asked out of the Jets’ Hall of Fame Game. He did return to play 27 snaps against the Panthers last weekend, marking a good sign. The Jets may soon have no choice but to bump Becton into their starting lineup, given the state of their line. But Saleh continues to proceed cautiously.
As injuries mounted last season, the Jets shifted emerging guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to right tackle. The 2021 first-rounder suffered a season-ending triceps injury while at that position, but the team returned him to guard this offseason. The team is again considering Vera-Tucker at tackle, Saleh said (via Costello), though the third-year HC reminded that the team loves the USC alum at guard. Vera-Tucker has also missed recent time due to injury, along with the Jets’ other guard starter — Laken Tomlinson. Neither practiced against the Bucs on Wednesday.
Should the Jets try a “best five” scenario in Week 1, Cimini offers that Wes Schweitzer — who is competing with Connor McGovern at center — could be shifted to guard as Vera-Tucker slides back to right tackle. Although Schweitzer is competing at center, the ex-Atlanta and Washington starter has extensive guard experience. He started at right guard against Carolina last weekend. The Jets also have second-round rookie Joe Tippmann in the mix, rounding out a deep O-line interior on a team that has faced tackle questions for months.
While Saleh has said Vera-Tucker has All-Pro potential at guard, urgency to place a competent line in front of Aaron Rodgers may supersede the team’s long-term plan for the third-year blocker. As for Brown, Saleh said the team’s preferred left tackle option is moving closer to a return from offseason shoulder surgery.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: DE Jalen Redmond
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Dwayne Washington
- Reverted to IR: K Elliott Fry
- Waived: DT Forrest Merrill
Detroit Lions
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Trey Quinn
Green Bay Packers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Jeff Cotton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Reverted to IR: CB Anthony Witherstone
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Matt Hankins
- Waived/injured: CB Kemon Hall
New York Giants
- Reverted to IR: T Devery Hamilton
- Waived/injured: LB Troy Brown
New York Jets
- Waived/injured: CB Javelin Guidry
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: QB Chris Streveler
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: DE Darryl Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Michael Dwumfour
- Waived: OLB Zach McCloud
Fry goes unclaimed on the waiver wire after being waived with an injury designation yesterday by the Broncos. This could mean that Brett Maher won’t be able to run away with the job to replace longtime kicker Brandon McManus this year. With Fry remaining on the roster, Maher will need to stay sharp in order to stay the only active kicker on the team’s depth chart.
Guidry is expected to undergo surgery after injuring his knee in a joint practice with the Buccaneers today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Jets will hope he lasts through waivers as he has impressed so far in camp. If he does, New York will likely revert him to injured reserve in order to keep him on the roster.
Panthers Place WR Damiere Byrd On IR
Returning to the Panthers this offseason, Damiere Byrd no longer appears in the team’s plans. The Panthers placed the veteran wide receiver on IR on Wednesday.
The team moved Byrd off its 90-man roster in order to sign defensive back Collin Duncan, a rookie out of Mississippi State. Byrd suffered what Frank Reich called a significant hamstring injury, one that will sideline the well-traveled pass catcher for at least eight weeks. Byrd will require surgery, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets.
With the Panthers moving Byrd to IR now, only an injury settlement — which would relocate him from Carolina’s IR to free agency — would allow him to play this year. Byrd could resurface once recovered from this malady, but he will be on the shelf for an extended period. Waiting on Byrd to recover — ahead of a potential in-season IR stay — would have required Carolina to use one of its 53-man roster spots. Instead, Byrd is out of the picture.
The Panthers, who rostered the 5-foot-9 speedster from 2016-18, brought him back on a one-year, $1.32MM deal that included just $153K guaranteed. Since leaving Charlotte back in 2019, Byrd had been with the Cardinals, Patriots, Bears and Falcons. He spent one season with each team over the past four years but was competing for a backup role with the Panthers.
With Carolina readying to use Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Jonathan Mingo as its starters, Byrd was battling for one of the team’s final receiving spots. Terrace Marshall is assured of a job, with Laviska Shenault likely still in the team’s plans as well. Byrd, 30, averaged 20.8 yards per catch last season (13/268) with the Falcons last year. His best year came in New England, when Cam Newton — Byrd’s QB during his first Carolina stint — targeted him regularly during a 47-catch, 604-yard season.
Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo In Line For Starting Spot?
- Panthers rookie Jonathan Mingo is listed as a starter on the team’s first depth chart, as noted by Joe Person of The Athletic (subscription required). The latter adds that such a development is a slight surprise, given the relatively quiet offseason the second-rounder has had to date. If Mingo does indeed land a first-team spot amongst veterans Adam Thielen and DJ Chark, the likes of Laviska Shenault and Terrace Marshall would be relegated to backup duties. Shenault, a Swiss Army-type player since his arrival in the league with the Jaguars, is in line to handle more rushing duties this season. Marshall, meanwhile, is assured of a roster spot under new head coach Frank Reich after he played sparingly for much of his first two seasons in Carolina.
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NFL Injury Updates: McGlinchey, Browns, Shaheed, Byrd
The Broncos endured a scare yesterday when new offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey was rolled up on in camp. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, it sounds like they avoided disaster as their starting right tackle only suffered a sprained knee.
Denver brought on McGlinchey, who was one of this offseason’s most prized free agents, at the open of free agency, shortly after also signing former Ravens guard Ben Powers. It showed how serious the team was about bulking up their offensive line to protect a veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson, who struggled last year in a new system.
Luckily, it sounds like McGlinchey avoided serious injury. This shouldn’t end up anything like the torn quadriceps injury that cut his 2021 season short. Klis claims that McGlinchey should only miss two to three weeks. He’ll have to take it easy for the entire preseason, but he should be ready to make his Broncos debut in the team’s season opener against the Raiders.
In the team’s first released depth chart of the season, veteran swing tackle Cameron Fleming is listed as McGlinchey’s primary backup. He should get a good run over the next few weeks in case McGlinchey’s recovery leaks into the regular season.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the league:
- The Browns also experienced a couple of minor scares when two second-year defensive ends went down with “significant knee injuries,” according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Both Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas suffered injuries this week that had head coach Kevin Stefanski thinking they would each “miss an extended period of time.” Luckily, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update today that, after undergoing arthroscopic surgery, both players are expected to return “early in the season.” Although Wright started five games last year, both players are considered rotational backups. The position’s depth takes a hit, but the stars are still there.
- Cleveland is down another second-year player in running back Jerome Ford, who is reportedly “week-to-week” with a hip injury, according to Browns staff writer Anthony Polsal. Although Ford’s main contribution as a rookie came returning kickoffs, he’s been expected to take the next step at running back this year with the departure of Kareem Hunt. He had been “receiving a considerable amount of reps” in camp before limping off the practice field on Monday. The team will turn to Demetric Felton, John Kelly, and undrafted rookie Hassan Hall in Ford’s absence, but they believe there’s a chance Ford could be back by Week 1.
- Saints second-year wide receiver Rashid Shaheed missed another practice today, according to NOF Network. The surprise rookie contributor from last year has been missing a bit of time through camp with a groin injury. The report claims that, while Shaheed is expected to miss a few weeks, he should be ready to go for the team’s regular season opener.
- The Panthers depth at wide receiver took a hit yesterday as veteran Damiere Byrd suffered “a significant hamstring injury,” according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. New head coach Frank Reich says that Byrd could need surgery. If so, it’s expected that the wideout would “miss at least eight weeks.” The new-look top-end remains the same with free agent additions Adam Thielen and DJ Chark and second-round rookie Jonathan Mingo. Behind them, Carolina still sports a strong backup group including Terrace Marshall, Laviska Shenault, Shi Smith, and others.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/23
Here are the minor transactions from around the league as we wrap up training camp and officially head into the preseason:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Stevie Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP: DE Jalen Redmond
- Waived from PUP: DL John Penisini
Chicago Bears
- Activated from NFI: WR Dante Pettis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Ra’Shaun Henry, WR JJ Koski
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Waived: WR Avery Davis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from NFI: DL Neil Farrell
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived/injured: T Nicolas Melsop
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Joe Giles-Harris
New Orleans Saints
- Waived/injured: G Koda Martin
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: T Yodny Cajuste
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: CB Terrance Mitchell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Anthony Montalvo
- Reverted to IR: CB Andrew Whitaker
- Waived/injured: OLB Josh Onujiogu
Panthers, Brian Burns Not Close On Deal
Extension-eligible since January 2022, Brian Burns is approaching the point of playing into a contract year. Two weeks into training camp, the two sides have some work to do.
The Panthers and Burns are not believed to be close on terms, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. This extension has been on the Panthers’ radar for a while, initially coming up in April 2022, and the Panthers have made an offer. But Burns remains tied to his rookie contract.
Carolina has changed head coaches and defensive coordinators, with Ejiro Evero calling the shots for Frank Reich‘s team on defense. Scott Fitterer was not in place as GM when the Panthers drafted Burns, but that has not stopped the team from planning this extension. This has brought a drawn-out process, however, and Fowler adds Burns does not sound like he is leery of beginning his fifth-year option season without an extension in place. Thanks to the Fitterer-Matt Rhule tandem picking up that option, Burns is tied to a $16MM guaranteed salary for 2023.
Trade talks also stand to embolden Burns, whose next contract will likely place him in the top five among edge rusher AAV. The Panthers turned down a two-first-rounder offer from the Rams for Burns before the 2022 trade deadline. If that were not enough, Burns’ camp can point to Fitterer and Co. refusing to deal him to the Bears in March’s exchange for the No. 1 pick — a swap that required the Panthers to send D.J. Moore to Chicago.
The top domino on the edge market has yet to fall, which also could be impacting Burns’ talks with the Panthers. The 49ers and Nick Bosa remain in negotiations, as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year stages a holdout. Bosa has long been on the radar to eclipse Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM-per-year salary, which leads the pack among defenders. Burns is not a candidate to compete with Bosa, but a new salary ceiling would stand to benefit the fellow 2019 first-rounder.
Burns, 25, has missed all of two games as a pro. He is coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks (to go with 22 QB hits), getting there despite the Panthers having let Haason Reddick walk in free agency. Carolina did not acquire a comparable Reddick successor last year, but the team did bring in Justin Houston — with a $6MM guarantee — over the weekend. Houston’s presence figures to help Burns, but with the former going into his age-34 season, no issue exists regarding who is the Panthers’ centerpiece pass rusher.
As of now, the $23.5MM-per-year mark represents the fifth spot in the edge defender salary pecking order. It should be expected Burns is aiming to pass the Bradley Chubb–Maxx Crosby point, with the salary cap on track to make another big jump in 2024. The next level would be the Joey Bosa–Myles Garrett tier. The Browns All-Pro is tied to $25MM per year, while the injury-prone Chargers ace is at $27MM AAV. That will be tougher territory to enter, but the Panthers’ recent trade talks and their cap sheet — one now featuring Bryce Young‘s rookie contract — all represent positive developments for the ascending sack artist.