CB Rumors: Flott, Giants, Sneed, Titans, Hill, Bengals, Barron, Broncos, Diggs, Packers

The Giants used a first-round pick on Deonte Banks in 2023 but have not seen the Maryland product justify his draft slot yet. This led to the Paulson Adebo signing. While Adebo is entrenched as a first-stringer, Banks may not be merely set to slide from New York’s No. 1 cornerback to a sidekick role. Cor’Dale Flott‘s latest summer ascent continues, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the fourth-year defender received the first crack at the CB2 role during team drills. This appears a full-on competition. Flott had received minicamp work with the 1s, doing so after he impressed last summer en route to a slot-to-boundary shift.

Banks has started all 29 games he has played; being unable to hold off Flott would represent another setback for the former No. 24 overall pick. Flott would not have a path back to the starting slot role were he to lose this battle, as 2024 third-rounder Dru Phillips resides there now. This competition represents a big chance for the 2022 third-round pick, who is due for free agency in 2026.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

Nathaniel Hackett Joins Packers Staff

A familiar face is back with the Packers. Coach Matt LaFleur revealed today that former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is back with the organization in “an analyst role for our defense,” per Albert Breer of TheMMQB.

Hackett was once one of the bright, young offensive minds in the NFL. After cutting his teeth as the Bills offensive coordinator, he took the same role with the Jaguars in 2016. Jacksonville had a pair of dismal seasons during Hackett’s three years on the sideline, but their one successful campaign saw the offense finish the year ranked fifth in points scored.

He caught on with LaFleur’s new staff in Green Bay ahead of the 2019 season. Working alongside Aaron Rodgers, Hackett helped guide the Packers offense to three relatively successful seasons. This included a 2020 season where Green Bay led the league in points scored, and the team followed that up with a 10th-place showing in 2021. Rodgers also won back-to-back MVPs while playing in Hackett’s system.

That performance helped earn the coach his first (and, at the moment, only) head coaching gig in Denver, but things couldn’t have gone much worse. After guiding the Broncos to a 4-11 start, Hackett was fired from his role, making him only the fifth head coach since 1970 to not make it through a full season with his new club. Still, his relationship with Rodgers helped get him the OC job with the Jets in 2023.

We’re all familiar with how that went. Rodgers’ season-ending injury in 2023 helped buy Hackett another season, but when Jeff Ulbrich took over as interim HC following Robert Saleh‘s firing in 2024, the OC was stripped of his play-calling duties. Predictably, Hackett was let go by the end of the campaign.

Now, he’ll resurface in a familiar spot in Green Bay. It’s interesting that he’s been hired for a defensive role, although it’s not particularly rare in today’s day and age. Just last year, the Packers made a similar hire with Saleh, as the ousted Jets coach was hired to provide a defensive viewpoint to the team’s offense.

“I just think it’s a fresh perspective,” LaFleur said (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). “You kind of, especially when you take a defensive guy and put them on offense and vice versa, and offensive guy and defense, it gives you a little different lens to see it through and talk through. And so, he’s sitting in with all our, with our defensive staff, and he’s been in the linebacker room and kind of just going through the film and, you know, gives them a good offensive perspective.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25

With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravend

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.

Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Packers Give T Zach Tom Four-Year Extension

The Packers are signing right tackle Zach Tom to a four-year, $88MM extension, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The Packers had been working on Tom’s extension throughout the offseason, and with training camp starting this week, the team managed to get it across the finish line. The 26-year-old tackle is now under contract through 2029 and will continue to be a key part of Green Bay’s offensive line. Originally a fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2022, Tom played every position except center as a rookie before settling in at right tackle for the last two years.

Tom’s deal has a maximum value of $92MM, per Pelissero, which includes a $30.2MM signing bonus, the biggest for any offensive lineman in league history. The previous record holder was David Bakhtiari, another Packers offensive tackle.

That’s no coincidence: Green Bay typically does not guarantee any money outside of the signing bonus, so they regularly hand out large signing bonuses (and roster bonuses that vest early in the offseason) to address players’ cash flow and guarantee concerns. That makes it likely, though not certain, that Tom’s guarantees top out at $30.2MM as well, which would trail the rest of the OT market.

However, the overall value of Tom’s deal reflects his ascension from versatile fourth-rounder to one of the league’s best right tackles. His $22MM APY is the fourth highest among right tackles and tied with Jordan Mailata for 10th among all offensive lineman, fitting for a player who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best tackle in 2024 (subscription required).

Tom’s extension will likely put pressure on the Packers to address Elgton Jenkins‘ contract. The 2019 second-round pick entered the league as a left guard, where he has played a vast majority of his snaps, with multiple starts at center and both tackle spots. He is expected to move to center – a lesser-paid position – this offseason, so he has requested an adjustment to the extension he signed in 2022. That deal runs through 2026, when Jenkins has a $24.8MM cap hit that the Packers might find untenable for a center, especially with no remaining guaranteed money. (In 2025, the highest cap hit for a center is Lloyd Cushenberry at $14.255MM, per OverTheCap.)

Green Bay’s precedent will make it very difficult for Jenkins to add guaranteed money to his deal, so he may have to pursue an outright extension. That route will be complicated by the pending free agency of left tackle Rasheed Walker, a late seventh-round pick in 2022 who took over for an injured Bakhtiari in 2023 and never looked back. With significant capital already invested in both guard spots – a $77MM contract for Aaron Banks and a first-round pick on 2024 draftee Jordan Morgan – Jenkins might be the odd man out if the Packers ultimately prioritize Jordan Love‘s blind side over his snapper.

No matter how Jenkins’ contract situation shakes out, Love will be able to count on Tom to protect his strong side for the foreseeable future.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/25

Training camps are underway around the league, bringing more and more roster adjustments every day. Here are the latest minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Will Sheppard
  • Released: K Alex Hale

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn

Minnesota Vikings

  • Placed on active/PUP: TE Gavin Bartholomew, LB Chaz Chambliss

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: CB Kam Alexander, DT Justin Rogers
  • Waived/NFI: CB Zy Alexander

Martin, a 12-year veteran who signed with the Panthers this offseason, is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, per Joe Person of The Athletic.

The Cowboys’ trio of cornerbacks were all expected to be placed on their respective lists given where they are in the rehab process, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The same is true of Overshown, who recently shared a positive update on social media (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

An eye injury will sideline Hale for several weeks, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, forcing the Packers to release him. Hale was not expected to push Brandon McManus for the starting job in Green Bay, but the team will need another kicker for training camp.

The Seahawks swapped undrafted cornerbacks, adding Alexander out of Oregon and waiving Alexander with a non-football injury designation. Rogers, meanwhile, was signed after a successful tryout.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/18/25

Here are today’s minor NFL transactions as we head into the weekend:

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

San Francisco 49ers

The Lions have added three players to the roster today after a working them out. Bootle has had a cup of coffee with a few teams in the league after going undrafted in 2021. Small didn’t see the field at all as an undrafted rookie with the Titans last year, and Russell becomes the latest undrafted rookie free agent to sign a deal this year. His tenacity has been rewarded two and a half months after the draft.

Packers Finish Rookie Signings After Inking T Anthony Belton

The Packers announced today that they have signed second-round offensive tackle Anthony Belton to his rookie contract. Belton was the last Packers rookie to sign his four-year deal, meaning that Green Bay has concluded its rookie signings.

Originally coming out of high school in Tallahassee as an unranked recruit but still wanting to play football, Belton took the junior college route, attending Georgia Military, where he was teammates with Buccaneers linebacker YaYa Diaby. After two years at the institution, Belton gained a bit more traction in recruiting as a three-star JuCo prospect, fielding offers from the likes of Houston, West Viriginia, South Carolina, and TCU.

Ultimately, he committed to NC State, redshirting his first year in Raleigh as the staff helped him get into good shape with a better weight room and training staff available to him. In 2022, he took over the starting left tackle job vacated by former first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu but was benched after only eight starts. He showed improvement the following year, as he returned to the starting left tackle role, and even more improvement in 2024.

In Green Bay, the Packers have watched two tackles drafted in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2022 draft bookend the starting offensive line. Still, for the second year in a row, the team has drafted a college left tackle in the first two rounds of the draft. And, perhaps also for the second year in a row, that left tackle may not continue playing tackle. Last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, played 121 snaps off the bench at right guard and started one game at left guard in his rookie season after playing exclusively at left tackle over his five years at Arizona. Early reports show that Belton, who also played exclusively at left tackle, has been working at right tackle and guard so far in Green Bay.

While Belton may end up shifting inside like Morgan, he stands a better chance at sticking as a tackle, with some believing that he could be one of Zach Tom or Rasheed Walker‘s heir, as both are set to play the 2025 season on a contract year. While Belton only stands at 6-foot-6 (technically five and a half), he boasts a huge frame at 336 pounds. That stout form makes him a difficult player to move, and his long arms make up for a below average lateral speed. He’s a mauler that erases defenders and an active, aggressive blocker in the run game. He may not see time early in Green Bay, but he and Morgan seem to be the budding future of the offensive line.

With Belton wrapping up the rookie signings in Green Bay, here’s a final look at the Packers’ rookie draft class:

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

Packers Expected To Extend RT Zach Tom

The Packers are expected to sign right tackle Zach Tom to a long-term contract extension before the start of the regular season, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He served as a versatile backup in his first season with snaps at both tackle spots and left guard before emerging as Green Bay’s starting right tackle in 2023. Tom took his game to another level in 2024 and earned the third-most All-Pro votes at his position behind Penei Sewell and Lane Johnson, per Schneidman. Tom’s 85.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked sixth among right tackles last year.

As a result, the 26-year-old should be in line for a contract with an APY well over $20MM. The top of the right tackle market has been just as strong as the blind side with Sewell and Johnson both clearing $25MM per year on their last contracts.

Tom’s negotiations with the Packers will likely be centered around guaranteed money. Green Bay has historically resisted offering guarantees outside of the signing bonus; only star quarterback Jordan Love was able to break that precedent. Since he plays a critical position, Tom could push for some guaranteed salary in his contract, but that could draw out negotiations with a front office that prefers to provide players with job security via roster bonuses due early in the offseason.

Tom was a full participant in the Packers’ offseason program, which is unlikely to change in training camp even if contract talks take longer than expected.

“Being here with the guys, I think that’s worth a lot more,” said Tom (via Schneidman).

Show all