Saints Add Two Offensive Linemen
The Saints are adding to their offensive line. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans has re-signed offensive lineman Will Clapp. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the team has also signed center Christian Montano to a one-year deal.
Clapp joined the Saints as a seventh-round pick in 2018, and he’s spent time alternating between the active roster and practice squad over the past three seasons. After appearing in a career-high 14 games (with three starts) in 2019, Clapp appeared in eight games this past year. He collected only 62 offensive snaps and 41 special teams snaps, and he was responsible for only a single penalty.
Montano went undrafted last year following a standout career at both Brown University and Tulane University. He spent most of the preseason with the Steelers, but he was let go by the organization prior to the regular season.
The Saints offensive line is already set to look a bit different next season following the release of Nick Easton. Without a whole lot of financial flexibility, the Saints are going to be depending on young players like Adam Trautman and Zack Baun to protect either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill.
Rams Sign P Corey Bojorquez
With the Bills moving in a different direction at punter, Corey Bojorquez will head elsewhere. The Rams agreed to terms with the young specialist Tuesday.
Buffalo’s punter since 2018, Bojorquez will join a team that employs arguably the NFL’s premier punter. Four-time All-Pro Johnny Hekker has been the Rams’ punter since 2012 and is signed through 2023. Still, the Rams are adding Bojorquez, who is from the Los Angeles area.
The Rams may well only have room for Hekker on their final roster, but Bojorquez did lead the NFL with 50.8 yards per punt last season. The Bills signed former Dolphins punter Matt Haack early in free agency.
The Patriots added Bojorquez as a UDFA, but he did not kick in a game for them. The New Mexico alum found his way to Buffalo midway through the 2018 season and kicked in 16 games in each of the past two years. Hekker, 31, is due to count $4.94MM against Los Angeles’ cap this year.
Panthers, DT DaQuan Jones Agree To Deal
The Panthers are bringing in a longtime defensive line starter. They agreed to terms with DaQuan Jones on a one-year deal Tuesday, per Joe Person of The Athletic (subscription required). The team announced the deal, which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes is worth $4.05MM (Twitter link).
A six-year Titans starter, Jones visited the Panthers on Tuesday, Rapoport tweets. Jones’ most recent Tennessee contract expired, sending him to free agency. The Panthers marked his first offseason connection, and the seven-year veteran should be expected to play a key role with his new team.
Jones has logged 16-start seasons in five of the past six years, moving into the Titans’ lineup in 2015 and only missing time (four games) in 2017 since. Although the Titans cratered in almost every defensive aspect last season, Jones graded as a middle-of-the-pack defensive tackle — in the view of Pro Football Focus — in 2020. The former fourth-round pick registered career-high marks in tackles (49) and quarterback hits (six) last season. Jones graded as a top-30 interior defender in 2019, excelling against the run to help propel the Titans to their first AFC championship game in 17 seasons.
The 29-year-old lineman played in a 3-4 defense throughout his career but now figures to slot alongside 2020 first-round pick Derrick Brown in Carolina’s 4-3 look. The Panthers cut longtime starter Kawann Short and lost key contributor Zach Kerr in free agency. Kerr signed with the 49ers last month; Short remains a free agent.
TE Jordan Reed Intends To Retire
Jordan Reed made a return to the NFL last season, catching on with the 49ers after missing all of 2019 due to injury. But the eight-year veteran is not expected to continue his career.
Reed, 30, is planning to retire, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). While the former third-round pick quickly showed potential as a pass-catching weapon, constant injury trouble disrupted that promise. Reed, however, will walk away after a four-touchdown season, one in which he played a key role following George Kittle‘s early-season malady.
Washington nabbed Reed in 2013, and while he never surpassed 14 games in a season, the ex-Florida Gator became one of the league’s best pass-catching tight ends for a stretch. Reed followed up a career-high 952-yard, 11-touchdown 2015 season by signing a five-year, $46.5MM extension. This preceded his lone Pro Bowl, in 2016, when Reed teamed with Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder in Washington’s potent passing attack.
Injuries intervened often, however. Reed missed 53 regular-season games and suffered at least four concussions as a pro. Those head injuries came after he sustained multiple concussions at Florida. Reed also suffered two MCL sprains, battled toe trouble for years and dealt with hamstring, chest, quadriceps and thumb maladies during his career.
Most notably, Reed missed the entire 2019 season because of a preseason concussion and contemplated retirement in 2020. Washington released Reed that year, but he caught on with San Francisco as Kittle’s backup. Reed played in 10 games last season, returning to action after an MCL sprain sidelined him in Week 3.
Reed will finish his career with 355 receptions for 3,602 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those numbers rank third in catches and yards among tight ends — behind only Jerry Smith and Chris Cooley — in Washington franchise history.
Buccaneers Re-Sign QB Ryan Griffin
Two members of the Buccaneers’ most recent quarterback depth chart are now signed for 2021. Ryan Griffin is back in the fold. The longtime Bucs third-stringer re-signed with the defending Super Bowl champions Tuesday.
Griffin has been with the Bucs since 2015, serving as by far the team’s longest-tenured quarterback. The 31-year-old passer is in line to return for a seventh season in Tampa, rejoining Tom Brady ahead of his second. As Greg Auman of The Athletic points out, no Bucs QB has lasted seven seasons with the team previously (Twitter link). Griffin would certainly make for an unusual first.
Blaine Gabbert, whom GM Jason Licht indicated could potentially succeed Brady after he retires, remains unsigned. Gabbert has served as Tampa Bay’s QB2 for two seasons, backing up Jameis Winston in 2019 and Brady last year.
As for Griffin, he has suited up for two games in eight NFL seasons. The former Saints UDFA caught on with the Bucs as a 2015 waiver claim. The Bucs tendered the Tulane alum as a restricted free agent in 2017 and have since given him three new deals. Although Licht’s comments give Gabbert a clear path back to the Bucs, Griffin is currently penciled in as Brady’s backup. He stands to see plenty of time in the Bucs’ three preseason games, with Brady unlikely to play much in the league’s revamped exhibition slate.
Steelers Give Mike Tomlin Extension
After guiding the Steelers back to the playoffs, Mike Tomlin received another extension. The 15th-year head coach agreed to terms on a three-year deal Tuesday, one that ties him to the team through the 2024 season. This marks Tomlin’s sixth Steelers extension and his first three-year re-up since 2012.
Tomlin’s most recent contract ran through 2021. The Steelers, who famously have only had three head coaches since 1969, will continue their run of stability into the mid-2020s. Tomlin’s new deal comes shortly after the Steelers and longtime GM Kevin Colbert agreed to terms on another extension. Colbert’s new contract runs through 2022.
The Steelers managed an 8-8 record in 2019, doing so despite Antonio Brown‘s messy departure and Ben Roethlisberger‘s early-season elbow injury. They improved upon that mark last year, starting 11-0 and going 12-4. The Steelers led the NFL in sacks for a fourth straight season, powering the team back to the postseason. While the team endured another disappointing playoff exit, Tomlin has continually placed the Steelers in the NFL’s upper echelon. His next challenge may be daunting as well.
Pittsburgh has lost a few starters and has yet to formulate a true post-Big Ben plan, redoing their 18th-year quarterback’s contract ahead of his age-39 season. Roethlisberger struggled down the stretch and committed five turnovers in the wild-card loss to the Browns. The team ranked last in rushing and is retooling its offensive line, with multiple starters — including perennial Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey — moving on. Tomlin will also have a new offensive coordinator in 2021. The Steelers replaced Randy Fichtner with Matt Canada.
Tomlin’s new deal will allow him to coach into his 50s, should he choose to do so. He will match Bill Cowher this season, by coaching the Steelers for 15 years. While Tomlin has a ways to go to match Chuck Noll‘s 23-season tenure, he remains on solid ground.
Dolphins Re-Sign DB Nik Needham
The Dolphins are re-signing their final exclusive rights free agent. Miami has agreed to terms with cornerback Nik Needham, reports veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (via Twitter).
Needham has been one of the Dolphins’ better hidden gems in recent years. Needham went undrafted out of UTEP in 2019, and after catching on with Miami during the offseason, he was cut by the team at the end of the preseason. He subsequently joined the Dolphins practice squad, and he was promoted to the active roster in early October. He proceeded to start 11 of his 12 games that season, collecting 54 tackles, 11 passes defended, and a pair of interceptions.
Despite the addition of Byron Jones last offseason, Needham still managed to contribute in a lesser role this past season. While he started only six of his 16 games, he still finished the year with 58 tackles and two picks.
The Dolphins had previously retained their other two ERFAs: linebacker Calvin Munson and cornerback Jamal Perry. Quarterback Jake Rudock was also set to become an ERFA, but the Dolphins declined to place a tender on the player.
Dolphins To Sign OL D.J. Fluker
D.J. Fluker is joining the Dolphins. The offense lineman is set to sign with Miami, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
Following a four-year stint with the Chargers to start his career, the former first-round pick has bounced around the NFL recently. He spent the 2020 campaign with the Ravens, where he started in eight of his 16 games. He also played in a pair of playoff games for Baltimore, appearing in at least 40-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in those two games.
Fluker has shown plenty of versatility throughout his career, spending time at right tackle, left tackle, and right guard. The 30-year-old’s ability to play multiple positions should provide him with plenty of opportunities for snaps in Miami, even if he isn’t the definitive starter at any one position.
Meanwhile, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald opines (on Twitter) that this signing makes the Dolphins’ chances of selecting a lineman in the first round “even more remote.” The Dolphins haven’t necessarily been busy adding to their offensive line this offseason; they signed veteran Matt Skura and re-signed backup Adam Pankey.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/19/21
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: C Trystan Colon-Castillo (ERFA), LB Kristian Welch (ERFA)
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve-retired list: LB Jordan Mack; Mack opted out of the 2020 season
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: OT Matt Nelson (ERFA)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: RB Dare Ogunbowale (ERFA)
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DB Tyrique McGhee; McGhee received a five-game PED suspension earlier this month
New York Giants
- Re-signed: RB Sandro Platzgummer
New York Jets
- Re-signed: TE Daniel Brown, WR Jeff Smith (ERFA)
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: NT Bryan Mone
Raiders Sign CB Rasul Douglas
Former Eagles and Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas agreed to join the Raiders on Monday. The team announced the signing.
Las Vegas will begin the season shorthanded at corner, with the recently re-signed Nevin Lawson set for another two-game suspension. Douglas will attempt to be part of the solution for a team that has struggled in pass coverage for many seasons.
A 2017 third-round Eagles pick, Douglas spent three seasons with Philadelphia. The 6-foot-2 corner did not see time on defense during the Eagles’ 2017 playoff run but started in both of Philly’s 2018 postseason tilts. He has logged 29 starts over his four-year career. The Panthers gave Douglas his biggest opportunity, claiming him off waivers last September and using him as an 11-game starter.
Douglas, who intercepted five passes between the 2017 and ’18 seasons, graded as a middle-of-the-pack cornerback last season, in the view of Pro Football Focus, which slotted him just outside the top 60 at the position in 2020. Douglas, 26, filled in for Eli Apple in Carolina. The Raiders initially agreed to terms with Apple in 2020, but the deal fell through. Injuries impeded Apple with the Panthers, who turned to Douglas for much of the season.
He represents the Raiders’ first outside investment at the position this offseason. Douglas will join former West Virginia teammate Karl Joseph in Vegas’ secondary; the Raiders brought back their 2016 first-round pick earlier this month.