Steelers To Acquire Joe Schobert From Jags
Aug. 15: The Jags are paying $3.65MM of Schobert’s 2021 pay, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. That is exactly half of Schobert’s $7MM base salary plus $300K in per-game roster bonuses. Schobert is also converting $2.36MM of his remaining salary into a signing bonus in order to decrease his cap charge on Pittsburgh’s 2021 books.
Schobert’s non-guaranteed salaries of $8.75MM, $10.25MM, and $10.75MM from 2022-24 will remain unchanged.
Aug. 12: Joe Schobert is headed back to the AFC North. The Jaguars are trading the veteran linebacker to the Steelers, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The Steelers will send a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Jags to complete this deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Schobert will end up having spent just one season in Jacksonville, with the team’s new regime moving in a different direction. The Steelers will pick up the sixth-year vet’s five-year, $53.75MM contract. This addition comes a few weeks after longtime Pittsburgh inside linebacker Vince Williams announced his retirement.
The Steelers are plenty familiar with Schobert, who worked as a Browns starter for three seasons prior to his March 2020 departure for Jacksonville. Schobert led the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017, earning him a Pro Bowl nod, and he led the Browns in stops in 2018 and ’19 as well. Schobert, 27, paced the Jags in tackles in 2020, with 141, but the effort came for a team that capped a 15-game losing streak that produced the No. 1 overall pick. That led Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer to Jacksonville, where changes are taking place.
Pittsburgh has Devin Bush returning from a torn ACL; Schobert will provide the team with a proven starter alongside its 2019 first-round pick. A former fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Schobert is set to earn $7MM in base salary this year. This move will hand the Jaguars a few million in dead-money charges, but the team leads the NFL in cap space as of Thursday.
Mike Tomlin has been high on Schobert’s coverage ability for a while, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). Pro Football Focus did not view Schobert as a plus coverage ‘backer in 2020, but he graded in the top 15 overall at the position in 2018. Schobert will soon adjust to his fourth defensive system in four seasons. Of course, that was already the case with the Jaguars retooling their staff under Meyer.
Schobert and Myles Jack resided as the most productive players in the Jags’ lineup last season, with numerous backups joining them in the lineup as the season careened off course. The team has since signed Damien Wilson and used a fourth-round pick on Jordan Smith at linebacker. They also added ex-Alabama standout Dylan Moses as a UDFA, though he remains on the team’s NFI list.
Bold Take Pod’s Eric Dilla was the first to report a trade was in the works (Twitter link).
WFT Cuts Lamar Miller, Kelvin Harmon
The Washington Football Team has cut RB Lamar Miller and WR Kelvin Harmon, the team announced. Washington has also cut DB Chris Miller and activated WR Curtis Samuel off the PUP list.
L. Miller is the most recognizable member of the trio of players now seeking new employment. The 2018 Pro Bowler, who has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons on his resume, suffered a torn ACL during the 2019 preseason and missed all of the 2019 campaign as a result. He hooked on with the Patriots last August but did not survive final cutdowns. He ultimately wound up on the Bears’ practice squad and appeared in one game for Chicago before being poached by WFT. Washington re-signed him to a one-year pact in March and has now cut him loose after one preseason game.
L. Miller, 30, actually had a fair showing in that preseason contest against New England on Thursday evening. He had three carries for 14 yards and three receptions for 10 yards and a TD. WFT, however, has elected to move on with the likes of J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, and Jonathan Williams behind Antonio Gibson on its RB depth chart.
Harmon, a 2019 sixth-rounder, at one time looked like he might have a real future with Washington. His collegiate resume, size, and upside suggested he could have been a much higher draft choice, and he showed some flashes towards the tail end of his rookie season, finishing with 30 catches for 365 yards. Unfortunately, a torn ACL last July wiped out his entire 2020 season, and the club added Samuel and Adam Humphries in free agency this offseason while using a third-round pick on Dyami Brown. John Keim of ESPN.com classifies Harmon’s departure as a bit of a surprise but notes that the team is comfortable with its other options (Twitter link).
WFT will certainly be happy to have Samuel, who was dealing with a groin issue, back on the field. Samuel landed a three-year, $34.5MM contract from Washington in March, and his speed and abilities as a receiver and runner should complement WR1 Terry McLaurin nicely.
C. Miller, meanwhile, signed as a UDFA with the Seahawks last year and also spent some time on the taxi squads of the Titans and Cardinals. Arizona waived him in May, and WFT liked him enough to claim him off waivers, but not enough to keep him on the roster at this stage of the summer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/21
Here are Saturday’s minor moves, coming (thus far) exclusively out of Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from active/PUP list: OT Le’Raven Clark
- Waived: WR Adrian Killins, TE Caleb Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: LB Tegray Scales
Bears, OT Jason Peters Agree To Deal
Jason Peters will have a chance to play an 18th NFL season. The longtime Eagles left tackle agreed to terms with the Bears, according to his agency (on Twitter). Peters will join the Bears on a one-year deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
The nine-time Pro Bowler will join a Bears team that is transitioning at tackle. Chicago parted ways with both Charles Leno and Bobby Massie, its starting tackle tandem of the past five years, and has much younger cogs in place at those posts. A 39-year-old blocker will now be in this mix, with Matt Nagy confirming Saturday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, on Twitter) that Peters will vie for the team’s left tackle job.
Peters said in January he planned to play in 2021, and he waited patiently as an opportunity came seven months later. The acclaimed tackle spent the past 12 seasons in Philadelphia, beginning his tenure blocking for Donovan McNabb and ending it with Carson Wentz. The Eagles have embarked on an interesting retooling effort, with a new coaching staff now in place.
While Peters re-signed with Philly last summer, he was not connected to another reunion with the team. This signing will, however, reunite Peters and Bears O-line coach Juan Castillo, who was Peters’ position coach in his first two seasons in Philly.
The Bears drafted Teven Jenkins in this year’s second round and signed former Broncos swing tackle/injury replacement Elijah Wilkinson this offseason. Jenkins is currently sidelined with a back injury. Peters obviously resides several tiers above each for accomplishments, though he certainly brings age- and injury-related questions. He suffered season-ending injuries midway through the 2017 and 2020 seasons, with a toe injury sidelining him last season. Peters last played 16 games in 2018.
That said, Pro Football Focus graded Peters as its No. 6 overall tackle in 2019. The former Bills UDFA has made 203 starts and made the Pro Bowl with both Buffalo and Philadelphia. The Bears, who now have a high-end quarterback investment to protect in Justin Fields, appear to be somewhat concerned about their tackle situation. They will see how much Peters has left in the tank.
Chicago’s Peters move carrying him into his 18th season will place the Hall of Fame candidate in rarefied air. Among non-quarterbacks and specialists, the Rams’ Andrew Whitworth is the NFL’s only other 39-year-old player on a roster. Only one player has started more than eight games at tackle at age 39 or older — Ray Brown, 2004 — so the two veterans will aim to further distinguish their careers this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR Thomas Ives
Green Bay Packers
- Reverted to IR: LB Randy Ramsey
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OT Tytus Howard, OT Roderick Johnson, OT Laremy Tunsil
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Isaiah Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Lawrence Woods
- Waived: LB Quentin Poling
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Keith Washington
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Nate Meadors
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Davin Bellamy
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: DE Sam Renner
Giants Sign OL Ted Larsen
Ted Larsen will receive an opportunity to join a new team and potentially play an 11th season. Following a Friday workout, the Giants signed the veteran offensive lineman.
Larsen joins the Giants after making a late-season cameo with the Buccaneers. The longtime guard’s second Tampa Bay stint did not involve similar responsibilities, with the Bucs using him as a depth piece rather than a starter, but he collected a Super Bowl ring despite not playing in the regular season. Larsen was on Tampa Bay’s active roster during the playoffs and logged 38 offensive snaps in the team’s wild-card win in Washington.
Prior to that second Tampa Bay stay, Larsen played spent time in Miami and Chicago. The Dolphins used Larsen as a regular guard starter from 2017-18, though they cut him during their 2019 rebuilding project. The former Patriots sixth-round pick did not stick in New England but has made 88 starts with the Bucs, Dolphins, Cardinals and Bears. While Larsen has been a starting center, most of his NFL experience has come at guard.
The Giants survived an early-camp scare, when starter Shane Lemieux managed to return to practice days after being carted off. Lemieux and Will Hernandez are in position to be Big Blue’s guard starters. Larsen, who is now 34, would profile as insurance.
In other Giants roster moves Friday, the team waived running back Mike Weber and defensive back Jordyn Peters.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/21
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB James Conner, TE Darrell Daniels, DL Leki Fotu, DB Charles Washington; the four were deemed high-risk close contacts
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to IR: RB Michael Warren
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Dominique Martin
- Waived/injured: LB Randy Ramsey
Indianapolis Colts
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Gary Jennings
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed (from Giants): DL R.J. McIntosh
- Reverted to IR: WR Jalen McCleskey
New York Jets
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Brendon White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Eddie Vanderdoes
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Darece Roberson
- Waived: CB Bryan Mills
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Reggie Floyd
- Waived: WR Kalija Lipscomb
- Waived/injured: OL Adam Coon
49ers Place Tony Jefferson On IR
Tony Jefferson‘s season is over. On Thursday, the 49ers placed the veteran safety on injured reserve due to groin and hamstring issues. 
Jefferson hasn’t played since 2019, when he tore his ACL. Then, the pandemic slowed his rehab, keeping him off the field throughout 2020. Under normal circumstances, Jefferson would have been mostly healed by April.
“I was really getting into a groove with my workouts and my rehab,” Jefferson said in April. “Now, I’m waiting two or three weeks just to get a medicine ball.”
After spending the early part of his career with the Cardinals, Jefferson inked a four-year, $34MM contract with the Ravens in 2017. He started in all 35 of his games for Baltimore from 2017-2019, but the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus weren’t fond of his five-game 2019 season. The Ravens released Jefferson in February of 2020, but he wasn’t healthy enough to land a deal until this summer when the Niners added him on a one-year pact.
Jefferson was gearing up to support free safety Jimmie Ward and strong safety Jaquiski Tartt. Instead, he’ll have to rest, recover, and maybe even consider life beyond football. His snaps will be absorbed by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who agreed to terms on Wednesday.
To take his place on the roster, the 49ers have signed defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes. The 26-year-old (27 in October) is hoping to see his first live action since 2019, when he appeared in three games for the Texans.
Lions Cut Quinton Dunbar
The Lions have released cornerback Quinton Dunbar, per a club announcement. In a related move, they’ve added running back Craig Reynolds to the 90-man roster. 
Dunbar joined the Lions in April on a one-year contract. However, it was a veteran salary benefit deal with a modest signing bonus of just $137.5K, so the Lions won’t be on the hook for much.
Dunbar — once entangled in a bizarre legal situation with friend Deandre Baker — was traded from Washington to Seattle last year. Injuries cut his season short, but the Seahawks and Cardinals still showed interest in him as a free agent. The young corner was set to join forces with Jeff Okudah, helping to replace Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman. Now, Dunbar could now wind up on his fourth team in three years.
Dunbar broke through in 2019, rating as one of Pro Football Focus’ top corners and nabbing four interceptions. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 61.2 passer rating that year, but saw just six games in 2020 thanks to knee surgery.
To date, the ex-UF Gator has 31 starts to his credit across six seasons.
Bucs Sign Earl Watford
The Buccaneers have signed guard Earl Watford. He’ll take the spot of defensive tackle Sam Renner, who has been waived to make room on the roster.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Extend DC Todd Bowles]
Watford was with the Bucs throughout 2019 season, starting in four of his 15 appearances. He’s a favorite of Bruce Arians, having played in 43 games (21 starts) for him in Arizona from 2014-2017. Now in his third stint with the Bucs, Watford will provide depth in the wake of several OL injuries. The team is currently practicing without Robert Hainsey, Donell Stanley, Josh Wells, and Chidi Okeke, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
“[Watford] can walk in any play four positions for us,” Arians said earlier this year “Guys that have been in this system for a while, veteran players – when you lose a guy, you try to look for veteran players rather than young guys who might not be ready.”