Minor NFL Transactions: 7/18/23
As teams welcomed in rookies for camp this week, they began to reorganize their rosters. Today’s minor moves:
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on NFI: CB Ethan Bonner
- Placed on IR: LB Zeke Vandenburgh
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on NFI: WR Shaquan Davis, RB Kendre Miller, WR A.T. Perry
- Placed on PUP: CB Anthony Johnson, G Nick Saldiveri
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Darren Evans
- Waived/injured: CB Leonard Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on PUP: CB Darrell Luter Jr.
Vandenburgh, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois State, suffered an injury while training this offseason, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). His placement on IR means he won’t be able to play for the Dolphins in 2023, but he could work his way onto the field with another squad. Bonner, meanwhile, is dealing with a minor illness and should be good to go later this week.
Miller, a third-round pick by the Saints, is still recovering from a meniscus injury that kept him off the field for TCU’s National Championship game. The Saints were always planning to ease in the running back during training camp, and it sounds like he’s still expected to be a full-go by the time the regular season comes around.
Giants Place LB Jarrad Davis On IR
The knee surgery Jarrad Davis underwent will prevent him from playing for the Giants this season. The team placed the veteran linebacker on IR on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Davis missed minicamp due to an unspecified knee injury and underwent surgery to repair the problem. Players have been able to return from IR for over a decade now, but they must be carried over to the 53-man roster in order to do so. Davis landing on IR more than a month before rosters are set removes him from that equation.
An injury settlement that removes Davis from the Giants’ IR list would be the only way the former first-round pick can play in 2023. He would do so for another team in this scenario. Of course, it is not known if Davis will be healthy enough to play this year. It does not look like he will be, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter noting the injury Davis sustained at OTAs is season-ending (Twitter link). Davis re-signed with the team on a one-year deal worth $1.18MM. None of the money is guaranteed.
The Giants signed Davis off the Lions’ practice squad in December, and the Florida alum started both Big Blue’s playoff games at inside linebacker. Although New York added Bobby Okereke on a $10MM-per-year deal, Davis was the favorite to start alongside him. The team will need to look in another direction. It already started doing so recently, working out Joe Giles-Harris and Kyahva Tezino.
Davis did not work out with the Lions, being benched late in his initial stint with the team. But the former No. 21 overall pick has made 51 career starts. His absence will leave an experience void on the Giants’ defensive second level. For the time being, second-year ILBs Darrian Beavers and Micah McFadden will vie for the job alongside Okereke. Beavers, a sixth-round pick, missed all of his rookie year with an ACL tear. Chosen in Round 5 last year, McFadden started seven games as a rookie.
Lions Sign Round 2 S Brian Branch, Wrap Draft Class Contracts
The Lions are the latest team to finalize their draft class agreements, signing second-round pick Brian Branch to his four-year rookie deal. This agreement also should help other teams in finalizing second-rounders’ deals.
A defensive back out of Alabama, Branch went to the Lions at No. 45 overall. Entering Tuesday, no one chosen between Nos. 40 and 49 had signed their respective rookie contracts. The Lions striking a deal with a player in the middle of that glut should break some of the ice regarding guaranteed money.
[RELATED: Lions Ink First-Round RB Jahmyr Gibbs]
Carolina gave No. 39 overall pick Jonathan Mingo three years fully guaranteed with a partial Year 4 guarantee. That has held up the players chosen immediately after Mingo. It will be interesting to see the terms Branch agreed to, seeing as second-rounders continue to make strides on the guarantee front — so much so this year’s top second-round picks (Joey Porter Jr., Will Levis) are undoubtedly angling for fully guaranteed rookie contracts.
Branch saw extensive time at safety and in the slot for the Crimson Tide; he joins a team that has committed significant resources to improving its secondary. The Lions have added corners Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley along with safeties Branch and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The latter two are each experienced in the slot, and Gardner-Johnson — a former New Orleans disciple of current Detroit DC Aaron Glenn — is expected to see more time inside compared to his Philadelphia role at safety. That could impact Branch’s rookie-year contributions, but CJGJ is signed to a one-year deal.
Branch will be under contract through 2026. The SEC standout was on the radar to be a first-round pick, reaching that level after being the only Division I-FBS player to total at least 90 tackles, 14 TFLs and two interceptions in 2022. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranked Branch as this year’s 30th-best prospect. He figures to be a key factor for the Lions in the long term, but with Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker in place at safety, it is uncertain what the versatile DB’s role will be in 2023.
Here is the Lions’ 2023 draft class:
Round 1, No. 12 (from Browns through Texans and Cardinals): Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 1, No. 18: Jack Campbell, LB (Iowa) (signed)
Round 2, No. 34 (from Cardinals): Sam LaPorta, TE (Iowa) (signed)
Round 2, No. 45 (from Packers): Brian Branch, DB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3, No. 68 (from Broncos): Hendon Hooker, QB (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 3, No. 96 (from Cardinals): Brodric Martin, DT (Western Kentucky) (signed)
Round 5, No. 152: Colby Sorsdal, OT (William & Mary) (signed)
Round 7, No. 219 (from Texans through Vikings and Eagles): Antoine Green, WR (North Carolina) (signed)
Jets, DT Quinnen Williams Agree To Extension
JULY 18: Williams’ deal includes $47.835MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. That number certainly looks to have been based on the Simmons deal, which included $47.830MM locked in. Williams’ full guarantees now top the defensive tackle market.
The guarantees cover a $24.5MM signing bonus and Williams’ 2023 and ’24 base salaries, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Part of Williams’ 2025 base salary ($15.65MM) is fully guaranteed, with Florio adding $6.24MM of that total is already locked in. The rest of that money, however, does not become guaranteed until March 2025. At that point, $5MM of Williams’ $20.75MM salary for 2026 becomes guaranteed as well. The rest of Williams’ 2026 base and his full 2027 base are nonguaranteed.
JULY 13: Talks between the Jets and their emerging defensive star have, as foreshadowed yesterday, yielded a deal. Quinnen Williams has agreed to terms on an extension, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The Jets have since announced the agreement.
Williams, 25, will earn $96MM over four years, making this the NFL’s second-largest contract handed out to a defensive tackle. The mega-contract includes $66MM in guaranteed money, Pelissero adds. One of the key points in contract talks was length, rather than financial terms, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, who tweets that Williams got his preferred four- (rather than five-) year pact. 
The 2023 offseason has seen the DT market erupt, and it comes as no surprise that Williams has become the latest to cash in. The former No. 3 pick enjoyed a career-year in 2022, recording 12 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and 28 QB hits. Those figures helped earn him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, and gave him considerable leverage at the negotiating table.
Williams made it clear that he intended to have an extension worked out by April, under the threat of skipping out on voluntary OTAs. In the time that has passed since, then, other young producers along the defensive interior have inked deals of their own. Jeffery Simmons (Titans), Daron Payne (Commanders), Dexter Lawrence (Giants) and Ed Oliver (Bills) are among the beneficiaries of the new, lucrative market, and Williams has now surpassed each of them with this pact.
The Alabama product will earn $24MM per season on his second contract, just ahead of Simmons’ $23.5MM AAV but still well short of Aaron Donald‘s $31.67MM figure. Williams was already on the books for this season via the fifth-year option (valued at $9.6MM), so his time in the Big Apple will run through the 2027 campaign at a far more lucrative rate.
By securing this deal, the Jets have retained a homegrown high-impact player for the first time in the Joe Douglas era. Williams is the first Jets first-rounder to secure a second contract with the team since 2011 draftee Muhammad Wilkerson. A number of other young players Douglas has added will likely receive extensions of their own in the intermediate future, but today’s is a signficant sign of progress for the win-now franchise.
New York inked linebacker Quincy Williams to a three-year extension earlier this offseason, so he and his brother now have a shared future with the Jets. From a league-wide perspective, it will be interesting to see how much of an impact today’s news has on negotiations between the Chiefs and Chris Jones. The latter has been angling for a deal which will place him in the No. 2 spot amongst defensive tackle compensation, and a report from earlier this week indicated a agreement could be imminent. Kansas City may have to up their offer to satisfy Jones’ goal of surpassing all DTs behind Donald in the pecking order.
Given their acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 2023 (and, perhaps, a season or so beyond that) is a campaign holding considerable expectations for the Jets. While the future Hall of Famer should elevate the team’s offense, its defense will still be counted on to perform at the elite level it showcased last season. Williams will be at the heart of that effort now and for many years in future.
Lions Sign RB Jahmyr Gibbs To Rookie Deal
Although Monday afternoon’s news paints an ugly picture of the present running back position, two teams used top-12 picks on backs in April. The second of those, Jahmyr Gibbs, is now signed.
Shortly after Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard did not come to terms on extensions, tying them to franchise tag salaries this year, the Lions announced they signed Gibbs to his four-year rookie contract. Gibbs does not have to worry about future negotiations at this point, even as his position’s value plunged off another cliff this offseason. The rookie Lions back is signed through 2026, with a fifth-year option that could push the deal through 2027. His contract is fully guaranteed.
The Lions view Gibbs as a weapon capable of making impactful contributions as a runner and receiver. The Alabama product combined for 904 receiving yards from 2021-22, with this skill rocketing him up the draft board. While it seemed Bijan Robinson would be drafted well before any other back, late buzz during the pre-draft cycle pointed to Gibbs joining the Texas phenom in the first round. Not only did Gibbs do so, he heard his name called 12th overall in Kansas City.
Position-based criticism came the Lions’ way for how they proceeded in Round 1, which ended with Detroit selecting Gibbs and off-ball linebacker Jack Campbell. GM Brad Holmes remarked he probably could have nabbed the Iowa linebacker later had he traded down, but the Lions were prepared to grab Gibbs earlier than they did. The Lions were close to selecting Gibbs sixth overall — over Robinson — before the Cardinals offered them a trade to move back to No. 12.
Two days after drafting Gibbs, the Lions traded their dual-threat incumbent — 2020 second-rounder D’Andre Swift — to the Eagles. That deal included a seventh-round pick swap and a 2025 fourth-rounder coming Detroit’s way. Swift was a Bob Quinn-era investment; this offseason brought two notable Holmes pickups at the position. In addition to the Lions taking Gibbs at 12, they gave ex-Bears starter David Montgomery a three-year, $18MM deal ($8.75MM guaranteed).
After this Gibbs agreement, the Lions have just one unsigned draftee — second-rounder Brian Branch. Chosen 45th overall, Branch is part of a glut of unsigned Round 2 picks. Guaranteed money stands as the main issue keeping a batch of second-rounders unsigned.
Jaguars, TE Evan Engram Agree To Deal
JULY 17: Further details on the Engram pact are in, courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The 28-year-old’s two-year base earnings will fall just short of what he would have made by playing on consecutive franchise tags this season and next, thanks to the fully-guaranteed $24MM. Incentives could push his two-year compensation slightly past that point, however, making the deal a market value one from both a team and player perspective.
As for 2025, Engram will see $1.5MM of his $14.75MM base salary vest just ahead of the league year that offseason, giving him further insurance if he remains with the Jaguars through that point. Doing so should not be in doubt given his performance last season and the resultant commitment Jacksonville has given him.
JULY 16: Franchise-tagged tight end Evan Engram has agreed to a three-year deal with the Jaguars. His agent, Mike McCartney, was the first to report the news (via Twitter), which has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.
The contract is worth $41.25MM and includes $24MM in guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Given that the franchise tag would have paid Engram roughly $11.35MM in 2023, Engram essentially landed a two-year “extension” of about $30MM. His average annual value of $13.75MM across all three years of the pact is the fifth-highest figure among the league’s tight ends, though the $14.95MM AAV for the 2024-25 “extension” seasons is the third-highest mark, behind only Darren Waller and George Kittle. The $24MM of guaranteed money reported by Rapoport and Pelissero is fully-guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and it qualifies as the fifth-highest amount of full guarantees ever given to a TE.
After an up-and-down five-year tenure with the Giants to begin his career, Engram inked a one-year, $9MM contract with the Jaguars in March 2022, which turned out to be a savvy investment for a club that has historically had difficulty getting high-end production from the tight end position. In his first year in Duval, Engram set Jacksonville’s single-season tight end records with 73 catches and 766 receiving yards, and he was instrumental in the growth that quarterback Trevor Lawrence displayed in his second pro season. Engram caught 74.5% of his regular season targets, which was a personal best, and he added 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the Jags’ two playoff contests.
With Engram having signed a multiyear pact, the Jaguars have a strong core of skill-position talent under club control through at least 2025, a group that also includes Lawrence, running backs Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, and wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. Plus, wideout Calvin Ridley will return to the field this season after serving a one-year gambling suspension, so there is every reason to think that the Doug Pederson-led offense can remain productive for the foreseeable future.
Tagged players have until 3pm CT on Monday to ink multiyear deals, and of the four tag recipients who were still in contract talks with their respective clubs, Engram was seen as the likeliest to come to terms on a long-term accord. On Friday, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network suggested that there was a roughly 50-50 chance that Engram and the Jags would strike a deal, while the prognosis is not nearly as good for the Giants-Saquon Barkley and Raiders-Josh Jacobs negotiations.
Updates on Tony Pollard‘s discussions with the Cowboys have been scarce, but unlike his RB peers, Pollard has signed his franchise tender and may be content to play out the 2023 season on the tag. While tight ends might be undervalued, the fact that Engram has secured a new deal while the three tagged RBs have not reinforces the notion that running back is presently the league’s most devalued position.
Eagles Sign Fourth-Round CB Kelee Ringo, Finalize Draft Class Deals
With training camp continuing to draw closer, the Eagles have finished the business of signing their draft class to their initial NFL contracts. The team announced on Monday that cornerback Kelee Ringo has inked his four-year rookie deal. 
Philadelphia continued its recent practice of adding ex-Georgia defenders during the 2023 draft. Both of the team’s first-rounders (defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith) spent their college careers with the Bulldogs, as did Ringo. The latter was a key contributor in the secondary of the team’s back-to-back national title campaigns.
Ringo recorded a pair of interceptions and eight pass breakups in 2021, which led to increased expectations (and plenty of buzz regarding his draft stock) entering last season. The 6-2, 210-pounder once again notched two picks, and added seven PBUs, but his work in coverage led to underwhelming reviews. In a deep cornerback class, Ringo found himself having to wait until Day 3 to hear his name called.
Aside from the long list of college teammates Ringo will have in Philadelphia, the NFC champions represent a positive environment for him to begin his NFL tenure in. The Eagles retained Darius Slay on a two-year deal after appearing to be on the verge of releasing him, and gave fellow CB starter James Bradberry a three-year, $38MM pact. The continued presence of those two veterans will give Philadelphia notable stability in the secondary considering the exodus of several other key players in free agency, and allow Ringo to be brought along slowly as he adapts to the pro game.
With Ringo on the books, here is the final breakdown of the Eagles’ 2023 rookie class:
Round 1, No. 9 (from Bears): Jalen Carter, DT (Georgia) (signed)
Round 1, No. 30: Nolan Smith, LB (Georgia) (signed)
Round 3, No. 65 (from Texans): Tyler Steen, G (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3, No. 66 (from Cardinals): Sydney Brown, S (Illinois) (signed)
Round 4, No. 105 (Texans through Cardinals): Kelee Ringo, CB (Georgia) (signed)
Round 6, No. 188 (from Saints through Texans): Tanner McKee, QB (Stanford) (signed)
Round 7, No. 249 (from Chiefs through Lions): Moro Ojomo, DT (Texas) (signed)
NFL Staff Updates: Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens, Lions, Chiefs, 49ers, Saints, Caminiti
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has made analytics a focus since joining the staff three years ago. That trend has continued into 2023 as Dallas made three hires this week, all of them in the analytics department. The Cowboys even took a page out of another sport’s book, as baseball has taken the lead in analytics over the past several years.
Bryant Davis will join the team as a strategic football analyst, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. For the last four years, Davis has been a research and development analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB. Even in a sport that’s already more analytical than football, the Rays are one of the more advanced teams in their use of analytics.
Joining Davis as a strategic football analyst, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, is William Britt, a former Steelers staffer. Britt spent the past two seasons as a data analyst in Pittsburgh. Along with Davis and Sarah Mallepalle, this is the third person the Cowboys have hired to that role this offseason.
Finally, Dallas has convinced Max Lyons to return to the NFL in the role of football data engineer, according to Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus. Lyons has been out of the league for about ten years, founding and maintaining the website Gridiron Rank over that period. After working with the Eagles and Jaguars all the way back in 2012, he finally makes his return to the league.
Here are some other staff updates from around the NFL:
- After joining the Falcons as a scouting assistant a year ago, Hakeem Smith has been promoted to assistant pro scout, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Before coming to the NFL, Smith had spent three years working in the Pittsburgh Panthers recruiting department. Another scouting assistant hired last summer out of the college ranks, James McClintock has been promoted to a BLESTO scout for Atlanta, according to Stratton. McClintock’s time in the collegiate ranks was spent at Auburn, North Carolina, and Liberty.
- The Ravens are also reportedly hiring out of the college arena. According to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, Baltimore is expected to hire Adam Neuman as chief of staff and special advisor to the president. Not to be confused with Adam Neumann, the founder of WeWork, Neuman has served the last four years as chief of staff for strategy and operations for college football’s Big Ten conference.
- There’s been a promotion in the Lions‘ analytics department, according to Seth Walder of ESPN. After joining the team in 2020 as an analytics assistant, Caio Brighenti will now be in the role of football information manager. Brighenti has served as football information analyst for Detroit since March 2021.
- Chiefs‘ staffer Anthony McGee has finally climbed the ranks to become a pro scout, according to Stratton. After interning for the team in different roles from 2018 to 2021, McGee was hired in the personnel department as a player personnel assistant. Two years later, he’ll get his chance at a scouting role.
- A personnel staffer who got his chance as a pro scout last year, J.P. Crowley Hanlon of the 49ers has been promoted to West Coast area scout, according to Stratton. Crowley Hanlon joined San Francisco after gaining some experience with the Eagles and a sports agency.
- The Saints poached an analytics staffer from the Jets this week, according to Walder. After serving in New York as football analytics coordinator since 2020, Zach Stuart will head south to New Orleans as director of analytics.
- Lastly, the Patriots will lose a scout this summer, according to Stratton. Chris Caminiti will be departing for a role to head the Disruptive Sports firm’s coaching representation division. Caminiti has been an area scout for New England since 2021 after serving in operations and coaching roles previously with the Browns, Chiefs, and Chargers.
Bengals, Joe Mixon Finalizing Restructure
Possibly in danger of becoming a cap space casualty, running back Joe Mixon agreed to restructure his contract in order to remain with the Bengals, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The veteran rusher will return for his seventh season in Cincinnati in 2023. 
Mixon’s uncertain future with the team has been a topic of discussion over the last few months. If the team had decided to cut the former Pro Bowler, they stood to save over $7MM by releasing him and over $10MM if they did so as a post-June 1 cut. The Bengals had already seen the departures of running back Samaje Perine, tight end Hayden Hurst, and safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III, but with a big money addition like offensive tackle Orlando Brown and a new contract for linebacker Germaine Pratt, it seemed like Cincinnati might need to start nickeling and diming where it could. This point seems even more prudent when considering the young star talent like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who both will need hefty new contracts in the near future.
It became public knowledge that the Bengals would pursue a pay cut for Mixon months ago. In 2020, they had signed the tailback to a four-year, $48MM contract that made him a top-five paid running back in the league at the time. After Mixon rewarded the Bengals’ faith in him with a career-year that saw Mixon reach career-highs in rushes (292), rushing yards (1,205), and rushing touchdowns (13), the Bengals seemed content carrying Mixon into 2022 despite an $11.42MM cap hit. A $12.76MM cap hit in 2023 after missing three games and only amassing 814 rushing yards last year was going to be a tougher pill to swallow. A misdemeanor charge in April didn’t help things.
Still, head coach Zac Taylor vouched for the 26-year-old, establishing that Mixon’s future was “with the team,” and the front office continued to try to work towards an agreeable number on a pay reduction. As time went on, it began to seem that the only route that led to Mixon retaining his roster spot was a pay cut. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic laid out that “Mixon was always going to either take a paycut (sic) or decide to take a walk.” In the end, the franchise’s first ever successful restructured contract, according to Dehner, resulted in Mixon staying put.
The deal is not only beneficial for Mixon, who gets to remain in the only NFL home he’s ever known. The Bengals also get some security at the running back position. Even with Mixon still in the fold, Cincinnati was looking into the addition of experienced rushers to supplement the group behind Mixon. Returning backups Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans combined for 30 rushing yards last season, and rookie fifth-round pick Chase Brown is the only other back expected to make the 53-man roster. The lack of experienced depth behind Mixon is troubling, but if Mixon were to have left, it would’ve left Cincinnati in a desperate position.
Instead, Mixon returns to a very clear role as RB1. The team may still add another veteran running back for depth down the line, as it’s hard to see Mixon in a three-down role in 2023, but the Bengals secured what is likely the most important piece in their rushing game in a way that benefits both parties. Mixon takes less money than he was originally due but avoids what has been a treacherous running back free agency market in the process.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/14/23
Today’s only minor move:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Nikola Kalinic
Kalinic, a former second-round pick in the Canadian Football League after going undrafted in the NFL draft, finally made his NFL debut last year with the Colts. While playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2019 & 2021, Kalinic reeled in 23 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns. His first season in the NFL started out on the practice squad, but Kalinic was eventually promoted to the active roster last year. He failed to register any stats on offense but started two of seven appearances in Indianapolis. He was waived by the team back in May. Kalinic will have to work for snaps in a crowded tight end room led by Tyler Higbee and including Brycen Hopkins, Hunter Long, and rookies Davis Allen and Christian Sims.