Panthers Cut Jacob Eason, Preston Williams
As the Panthers prepare to begin their Bryce Young era, they have Andy Dalton in place as the No. 1 overall pick’s mentor. With Dalton under contract as a possible bridge option, the team will trim one of its holdovers from the roster.
The Panthers waived Jacob Eason on Thursday, moving their quarterback room down to three. Matt Corral, whom the then-Matt Rhule-led team traded up for during the 2022 third round, remains under contract. Corral missed all of his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury.
In addition to Eason, Carolina cut wide receiver Preston Williams. Since showing promise as a rookie UDFA with the Dolphins in 2019, Williams has been unable to return to that production level. Although the Dolphins used the 6-foot-5 pass catcher regularly when he was healthy in 2020, injuries ended up defining his time in Miami. An ACL tear and a foot injury limited Williams to 16 games (14 starts) from 2019-20.
Williams, 26, barely played in 2021 and wound up in trade rumors during training camp last year. The Dolphins wound up cutting him, leading to a Panthers flier. A former Laviska Shenault teammate at Colorado State, Williams saw far less playing time for the 2022 Panthers. He suited up for one game last season.
That matches Eason’s output. The former Georgia and Washington starter attempted five passes during another season of Panthers quarterback instability. Eason, 25, has now been cut from two Frank Reich-led teams.
The Colts drafted Eason in the 2020 fourth round but waived him a year later, with 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger becoming the primary backup to Carson Wentz and then Matt Ryan. Eason spent 2022 with three teams. After the Seahawks cut him, the Panthers added him to their practice squad. Carolina released Eason from its P-squad, leading to time with the 49ers, but circled back to him via a reserve/futures deal in January.
While Corral landed in trade rumors earlier this year, he remains Carolina’s third-string quarterback heading into OTAs. With Young and Dalton around now, however, the Ole Miss product’s Charlotte future is foggy.
Patriots Waive OL Yodny Cajuste
After a busy draft along their offensive line, the Patriots parted ways with Yodny Cajuste. They waived the fourth-year O-lineman on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The team tendered Cajuste — a 2019 third-round pick — as an RFA earlier this offseason, keeping him on the low-end number ($2.74MM). But Cajuste will hit the waiver wire. This move will clear the entire $2.74MM from the Pats’ cap sheet.
Despite being chosen in the 2019 draft, Cajuste did not see any playing time until the 2021 season. He entered the RFA tender equation due to spending all of 2019 on the non-football injury list. While Cajuste started five games between the 2021 and ’22 campaigns, the young tackle likely saw his status in the organization change after the draft and in free agency. New England chose three O-linemen from Rounds 4-5, doing so after having signed tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson.
The Pats used one of their eight injury activations on Cajuste last year, and he replaced Isaiah Wynn at right tackle upon being activated. Cajuste started three straight games following his return from injury but saw his playing time reduced soon after. Midseason add Conor McDermott saw more playing time down the stretch, starting in each of the Patriots’ final six games. Pro Football Focus graded Cajuste as a middle-of-the-pack tackle in a 197-snap season. Only six of those snaps came after his run of starts ceased.
While Trent Brown remains in place at tackle for New England, the team has now separated from Cajuste and Wynn. Reiff received $4.15MM fully guaranteed, while Anderson signed a two-year, $7MM deal that includes $4MM locked in. The Pats still roster McDermott as well. Any team that claims Cajuste would be responsible for the RFA tender amount, making it a bit more likely he lands in free agency.
Texans To Sign DT Byron Cowart
Byron Cowart will join a second team this offseason. The former Patriots starter caught on with the Chiefs in March, but the defending champions quickly cut him. The Texans will take a flier.
Houston is signing Cowart, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. Best known for being a full-time starter with New England in 2020, Cowart has not started a game since. He spent last season with the Colts. Texans GM Nick Caserio was with the Patriots when they drafted Cowart in the 2019 fifth round.
Cowart saw an injury derail his 2021 season. The Patriots stashed the 300-pound defender on their reserve/PUP list to start the season but later allowed his return-to-practice period to expire. That ended his season, and the Pats moved on just before training camp began last year. The Colts picked up Cowart and used him as a backup in 17 games. He made 12 tackles (two for loss) during a season in which he played 227 defensive snaps.
Pro Football Focus did not rank Cowart highly last year, slotting him outside the top 100 among interior D-linemen. He will aim to bounce back with a rebuilding team. The Colts claimed Cowart’s rookie deal last summer, but after the Chiefs bailed on a veteran agreement, the former Maryland and Auburn D-lineman will attempt to stick on a veteran contract in Houston.
The Texans have added some D-tackle help this offseason, signing Sheldon Rankins and ex-DeMeco Ryans 49ers charge Hassan Ridgeway. The team also returns Maliek Collins, who signed during Caserio’s first offseason. The Texans, however, did not draft an interior D-lineman.
Giants Sign Round 1 CB Deonte Banks
The highest Giants cornerback pick in seven years, Deonte Banks is now under contract. The No. 24 overall pick agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.
Banks’ contract — worth $13.58MM due to his draft slot — will be fully guaranteed. The deal contains a fifth-year option, which the Giants will need to decide on by May 2026. For the foreseeable future, however, the Maryland product will be attached to this deal.
Although the Giants put in considerable work on this year’s lot of first-round-caliber wide receivers, they saw all four chosen from Nos. 20-23. GM Joe Schoen made an attempt to trade up into receiver territory, with Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison believed to be on the team’s radar. Once those pass catchers ended up going off the board — to the Ravens and Vikings at Nos. 22 and 23, respectively — the Giants decided to trade up one spot (via the Jaguars) to take Banks.
Just as he later did with the Bills during their trade talks, Jaguars GM Trent Baalke made Schoen confirm the Giants’ trade-up move was not for an offensive lineman. (The Jags eyed Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison, whom they eventually took after both trade-down moves.) The Giants also expressed concern the Ravens would take Banks (video link). Baltimore represented one of Banks’ many pre-draft visits.
One of the teams to bring in Banks for a pre-draft visit, the Giants will make him the centerpiece of their cornerback plan. The team released James Bradberry shortly after the 2022 draft and has current No. 1 corner Adoree’ Jackson going into a contract year. As of now, no extension plans are in the works re: Jackson, who is set to play out his three-year contract this season. With Banks possibly signed through 2027, he will be expected to commandeer a starting job this year.
Banks bounced back from a shoulder injury that ended his 2021 season after two games, but the 6-foot cover man emerged as a Terrapins starter as a true freshman in 2019. Banks held up against potential 2024 top-five pick Marvin Harrison Jr. last season, helping limit the Ohio State superstar to five receptions for 68 yards and no touchdowns. Banks broke up two passes in that game and blocked an extra point. For the season, Banks totaled eight pass breakups and an interception.
The Giants used a first-round pick on eventual bust Deandre Baker in 2019 but last chose a corner higher than Banks seven years ago (Eli Apple, at No. 10 overall). The team will need Banks to perform better than each to justify this investment. The team played without both its boundary corners — Jackson and Aaron Robinson — for much of last season. Robinson was lost for the year due to an early-season knee injury. Banks will be expected to surpass the former third-round pick on the Giants’ depth chart this season.
Jets, Carl Lawson Agree To Reworked Deal
A Carl Lawson contract adjustment will create considerable cap space for the Jets. Going into the final year of his deal, the veteran defensive end will now be tied to a partially incentivized structure in 2023.
The Jets will create $12.7MM in cap space by reworking Lawson’s contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Previously due a nonguaranteed $15MM in base salary, Lawson will now be tied to a $9MM paragraph 5 number. But $8MM of the new total is guaranteed, Yates adds.
Although this represents a salary reduction, Lawson can make $3MM back via incentives. The Jets signed the former Bengals fourth-rounder to a three-year, $45MM deal in 2021. Thursday’s move bumps the Jets to nearly $19MM in cap space. Lawson’s cap number will now check in at $3MM, with ESPN’s Rich Cimini adding (via Twitter) the contract now contains void years. Four void years are now present, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. This would stick the Jets with a dead-money cost if they do not re-sign Lawson before the 2024 league year.
This marks a bit of an interesting call, considering Lawson’s status as the Jets’ most proven edge rusher. The team’s D-line setup hinges on the seventh-year veteran, who anchors an edge group now featuring two recent first-round picks in Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald. Lawson finished with seven sacks last season, adding 24 quarterback hits in his first year back from a summer 2021 Achilles tear.
Robert Saleh indicated earlier this offseason Lawson’s status was secure, despite the $15.4MM in cap savings the Jets would have collected by moving on a year early. Given Lawson’s production, he did not seem in danger of not earning the $15MM in base pay — a number that would have been guaranteed once he landed on the Jets’ 53-man roster for Week 1 — but Cimini notes the Jets deemed the $15.7MM cap number too high (Twitter link). Rather than push the team to an impasse, Lawson will collect come guaranteed dough early.
Lawson led Jets edge players in sacks last season, though Quinnen Williams‘ 12 paced the team overall. Lawson’s return made a considerable difference in the Jets vaulting from last defensively in 2021 to fourth place last year. The 27-year-old pass rusher has yet to produce a 10-plus-sack season as a pro, but he has compiled four seasons of at least 20 QB hits. He stands to be one of the top edges available in free agency next year, should the Jets not come back to the table regarding an extension before the 2024 legal tampering period begins.
Thursday’s move also lays some groundwork for Aaron Rodgers‘ expected restructure, one that will increase the future Hall of Famer’s 2023 cap number. The recently acquired quarterback is tied to just a $1.2MM cap hit this year and a monstrous $107.6MM number in 2024. The Packers restructured Rodgers’ deal on his way out, and Jets GM Joe Douglas was surprised by how that came to pass. The team will hope Rodgers comes back for a 20th season next year, but an obvious contract adjustment will need to take place before that happens.
Coaching Notes: Raiders, Castillo, Colts
The Raiders have made four new additions to their coaching staff for the offseason, naming their Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellows. On offense, Las Vegas will be mentoring Torrey Gill. On defense, Jamie Sharper and Troy Vincent Jr. will be joining the staff. Lastly, Matt Willis was hired with a focus on special teams.
Gill is currently an offensive graduate assistant at Oregon State. He’s previously coached wide receivers at New Mexico State and Whittier College after playing the position at Itawamba Community College and NAIA Tabor College.
Sharper is former Super Bowl champion linebacker for the Ravens who spent time with the Texans and Seahawks, as well. He just finished the 2022 XFL season where he worked as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for the DC Defenders. He previously worked as a scouting intern for Houston before serving as linebackers and defensive line coach for Georgetown.
Vincent is the son of NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent. His career has thus far consisted mainly of roles in Georgia high school football.
Willis is a former NFL wide receiver who spent time with the Ravens, Broncos, and Lions. He’s had two other stints with the fellowship, working with the Bears in 2017 and 2018.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFL:
- The Commanders have made some minor adjustments to their offensive staff, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. Juan Castillo, who was hired to coach tight ends despite his wealth of experience with the offensive line, has been working more with the offensive line at camp recently. They expect that he will be “toggling between the two positions” under the new title of run-game coordinator. The current assistant offensive line coach, Travelle Wharton, is expected to be promoted to offensive line coach, while Todd Storm will remove the “assistant” from his title to become tight ends coach.
- Colts head coach Shane Steichen has added a new assistant to his staff, according to Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports. The staff now rosters Charlie Gelman, who will serve as game manager.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: P Daniel Whelan
- Waived: CB Benjie Franklin
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jordan Murray
- Waived: P Joe Doyle
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Willie Taylor III
- Placed on IR: WR Jaylon Moore
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Tyler Hudson, S Jaiden Woodbey
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Hakeem Butler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Alize Mack
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/23
The only NFL rookie to sign his four-year contract today:
Green Bay Packers
- TE Tucker Kraft (third round, South Dakota State)
Kraft helped lead the Jackrabbits to an FCS National Championship last year. The 2022 season was a bit down for him statistically after a breakout junior season, but over his last two years in Brookings, Kraft caught 92 balls for 1,121 yards and nine touchdowns. He figures to work alongside Packers second-round rookie Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State to replace the production of Robert Tonyan, who signed with the division rival Bears this offseason.
Broncos Sign Third-Round LB Drew Sanders, Wrap Draft Class Deals
The Broncos did not have many draft choices this year, but they will have all their picks under contract before OTAs begin. Third-round linebacker Drew Sanders agreed to terms on his rookie deal Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
After Denver traded into the back of the second round for Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims, the team stuck with its No. 67 draft slot — obtained in a 2022 deal with the Colts, who traded up for safety Nick Cross — to select Sanders. The Arkansas prospect will be tied to a four-year deal worth approximately $5.7MM.
Sanders transferred from Alabama to Arkansas in 2022 and came through with strong sack production — especially for an off-ball linebacker. The 6-foot-4 defender totaled 9.5 sacks as a junior last year, pairing that eye-catching number with 103 tackles. Sanders skipped the Razorbacks’ Liberty Bowl game to prepare for the draft and will be expected to carve out a key role on Sean Payton‘s first Broncos team.
After cutting ties with Super Bowl 50 ILB starter Brandon Marshall in 2019, the Broncos have not devoted much in the way of resources to the off-ball linebacker spots. They do have both their starters from last season — Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton — attached to similar contracts. Tied to a two-year, $11MM pact, Jewell — a former fourth-round pick — is going into a walk year. The Broncos re-signed Singleton (three years, $18MM), but the former UDFA is heading into his age-30 season.
The Broncos have not made a notable edge defender investment this offseason; the team released 2022 trade acquisition Jacob Martin last week. Randy Gregory, Baron Browning and 2022 second-rounder Nik Bonitto remain in place as Denver’s top OLBs. With Gregory missing much of last season, the Broncos may be in the market for one of the many veteran edge defenders still available. The team’s situation also opens up a potential hybrid role for Sanders, who forced three fumbles last year.
Here is how the Broncos’ draft class turned out:
- Round 2, No. 63 (from Chiefs through Lions): Marvin Mims, WR (Oklahoma) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 67 (from Colts): Drew Sanders, LB (Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 83 (from Seahawks): Riley Moss, CB (Iowa) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 183 (from Lions): JL Skinner, S (Boise State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 257 (from Saints): Alex Forsyth, C (Oregon) (signed)
Vikings Sign Round 1 WR Jordan Addison
This year’s draft set a record with four consecutive wide receivers picked in the first round. The last of those picks, Jordan Addison, is now under contract. The Vikings agreed to terms with Addison on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The No. 23 overall pick, Addison is now under contract through 2026. The former Pitt and USC wideout’s deal includes a fifth-year option for 2027. Minnesota made the automatic call to pick up Justin Jefferson‘s fifth-year option, and Addison’s rookie contract will become part of the team’s changing wide receiver cost structure.
As Jefferson has become a superstar pass catcher, the Vikings separated from their other well-paid wideout. They dropped Adam Thielen this offseason, leading the Minnesota native to Charlotte. Addison is now locked into a rookie contract through at least 2026, and with teams reluctant to extend non-first-round QBs before their contract years, it is a good bet the first-rounder will be tied to his rookie-scale deal for the next four seasons. The Vikings also have complementary wideout K.J. Osborn heading into a contract year. Addison’s arrival also represents insurance against a 2024 Osborn free agency exit.
Addison broke through as a first-round talent during his 2021 sophomore season, helping Kenny Pickett solidify himself as a first-rounder. The 5-foot-11 receiver caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns during his second season at Pitt, but he transferred to USC following that season. His Trojans slate did not feature similar dominance, ending with 875 yards and eight TDs. But the quality route runner helped Lincoln Riley’s offense produce a third Heisman-winning quarterback (Caleb Williams) over the past six years.
Addison also emerged on the Giants, Chiefs and Saints’ radars. But the Vikings beat other teams to the punch to pause the receiver run last month. Being opposite Jefferson, Addison figures to draw favorable matchups on his rookie contract. With Addison signed, 13 of the 31 first-rounders in this year’s class are under contract. Of the four wideouts chosen from Nos. 20-23, all but the Ravens’ Zay Flowers (No. 22) are signed.