Bears Place OL Dakota Dozier On IR
Dakota Dozier will not play for the Bears this season. The former full-season Vikings starter signed with the Bears this year, but the team placed the veteran offensive lineman on IR on Tuesday.
While eight players can return from IR per team this year, that only applies if they are carried through to the 53-man roster on final cutdown day later this summer. Any player who lands on IR before that date cannot play for that team this season. Dozier’s only path to suiting up in 2022 will be via an injury settlement that leads him off Chicago’s IR list, assuming the ninth-year blocker will be healthy enough to play this season.
The Bears gave Dozier a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum in late March and did not include any fully guaranteed money in the pact. Dozier, 31, appeared to be a depth piece in Chicago, but Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) he did see some first-team reps at right guard during the Bears’ offseason program. Cody Whitehair and Sam Mustipher are positioned as Chicago’s guard starters. The team also used three Day 3 picks on interior O-linemen in this year’s draft, but Dozier would have represented a swingman candidate.
A former Jets fourth-round pick, Dozier has started 27 career games. Many of them came with the Vikings in 2020. Dozier started all 16 Minnesota games that year. Last season, he played in six contests as a Vikings backup. Dozier previously served in that role with the Jets, playing out his rookie deal in 2018 and catching on with the Vikes.
To replace Dozier on their 90-man offseason roster, the Bears signed defensive back Jayson Stanley. A UDFA out of Georgia, Stanley has played eight regular-season games — all with the 2020 Seahawks.
Seahawks To Re-Sign DT Bryan Mone
Bryan Mone will remain in Seattle for the next three years, and is set to receive a significant raise. The defensive tackle is signing a two-year, $12MM extension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). The deal includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, and can reach a maximum value of $13.8MM. 
The 26-year-old has been with the Seahawks since 2019. He was cut from the 53-man roster in September during his rookie season, but immediately brought back on the team’s practice squad. He made just four appearances that season, but showed enough in his limited opportunities to remain in the fold for the following two years.
In 2020, the Michigan alum played 10 games, once again in a rotational role. He was tendered as an ERFA, keeping him in place for another year. This past season, he set a new personal high in snaps, and registered the first five starts of his career. He totalled 35 tackles and 1.5 sacks, making it an easy decision for the Seahawks to tender him once again this past April.
That decision locks in the former UDFA to a salary of $965K this season. This extension will keep him on the books through 2024, however, at a substantially higher rate. Seattle will be counting on his continued career ascension as he takes on a larger workload. It also represents the second straight year in which Seattle has signed an interior d-linemen to an extension before they played out the upcoming season on a tender, doing so in 2021 with Poona Ford.
Mone will remain in Seattle through its transition to a 3-4 base defense starting this year. As an appropriate scheme fit at nose tackle, he will look to take another step forward in production, knowing he is under contract for the intermediate future.
Chiefs CB Deandre Baker Signs ERFA Tender
The Chiefs have another member of their secondary officially in the fold. Cornerback Deandre Baker has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 
The 24-year-old was originally a first round pick of the Giants in 2019. He started 15 of 16 games, but struggled in coverage, totalling 61 tackles and eight pass breakups. Expectations were high for a step forward the following year, but the end of his rookie season was his last action in New York.
Baker faced armed robbery charges for an incident in May 2020, which were later dropped. By that time, though, the Giants had cut ties with him, so the Georgia product was free to join any team as a free agent. He quickly did so, signing onto the Chiefs’ practice squad. He has been in Kansas City ever since.
Baker made just two appearances during the remainder of that 2020 campaign, but he did enough to earn a spot on the roster for this past season. He took on a larger workload than his first year with the Chiefs, but still started just one of the eight games he played in. By signing his tender, he is now in line to continue operating in a rotational capacity.
The Chiefs drafted Trent McDuffie in the first round of this year’s draft, adding a starting-caliber piece to their CB room. He will pair with L’Jarius Sneed at the top of the depth chart, along with Rashad Fenton as another key contributor. Baker will be in competition for a spot at the backend of the roster as he looks to further extend his second act in the NFL.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/17/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: QB Kurt Benkert
Houston Texans
- Waived: RB Scottie Phillips
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Chris Lammons, WR Aaron Parker
- Waived: CB Luq Barcoo
- Waived (injury-designation): WR Matthew Sexton
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Darryl Williams
New York Giants
- Received two-game suspension: LB Justin Hilliard
Benkert spent the 2021 season with the Packers, after three years with the Falcons. He was signed just over one year ago to provide insurance with the future of Aaron Rodgers in doubt, and Jordan Love as the only other signal-caller on the roster. He made one regular season appearance, but with Rodgers now signed to an extension and Love still under contract for at least two more years, the team is less in need of the 26-year-old this year.
Hilliard’s ban comes as a result of PED usage (Twitter link via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). The former UDFA tweeted an explanation, stating that he mistakenly took the wrong prescription medication, and that he will not appeal the suspension. The Ohio State alum played in two games with the Giants last season, logging 15 special teams snaps. This news will weaken what was already, as Schwartz notes, his tenuous grip on a 53-man roster spot.
Ravens Sign DE Steven Means
Just two days after hosting him as a tryout, the Ravens are indeed adding a veteran to their pass-rushing group. The team announced on Friday that they have signed defensive end Steven Means. 
The 31-year-old spent one season with the Ravens in 2014. He stayed on the team’s practice squad for all but one game, and was waived before the start of the 2015 campaign. That led him to Philadelphia, already the third team in his career after he was drafted by the Buccaneers. He carved out enough of a role with the Eagles to earn an extended stay with the team, but he remained primarily a special teamer with them.
That began to change in Atlanta, his most recent home. He registered the first four starts of his career with the Falcons in 2018, not surprisingly setting a new career-best in tackles along the way. His workload continued to rise in each of the past two seasons; after playing 332 total defensive snaps entering the 2020 campaign, he saw the field for 1,335 plays across 2021 and 2022.
That increased usage came after an Achilles injury cost the former fifth-rounder the entire 2019 campaign. His return to health earned him significant playing time, although he has yet to record more than three sacks in a season. In Baltimore, he will likely take on a rotational role within the team’s edge group which, if Tyus Bowser is unable to start the season, will include a number of much less experienced players.
This deal lessens the chances of the Ravens landing free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, who visited the team recently, and could affect the future of Justin Houston, on whom the team used the UFA tender. In any event, Baltimore has a familiar face to add to its front seven.
Eagles Sign S Jaquiski Tartt
Turning the page at safety from its Rodney McLeod–Malcolm Jenkins era this offseason, with McLeod following Jenkins out the door, the Eagles entered the week with some questions on their defensive back line. They added a veteran to help answer those Friday.
The team announced an agreement with former 49ers starter Jaquiski Tartt. It’s a one-year deal. Tartt will join veteran Anthony Harris as the most accomplished safeties on Philadelphia’s roster.
Tartt, 30, continued to battle back from injuries to remain a 49ers starter. He spent three games on IR last season but started 17 of the team’s 20 contests (counting San Francisco’s three playoff tilts). Although Tartt’s NFC championship interception muff will not soon be forgotten, given the conclusion of that game, he has been one of the league’s longer-tenured safety starters. Since coming into the NFL as a 2015 second-round pick, Tartt has started 64 games.
Injuries have prevented the Division I-FCS product from making more lineup appearances. A broken arm sidelined Tartt in 2017 — a nine-game season — while a shoulder malady limited him to eight games in 2018. Rib trouble cost Tartt four games during the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV-qualifying season, though Tartt was on the field for the team’s playoff run. A turf toe bout ended his 2020 campaign after just seven games. That lingered into the 49ers’ training camp last year, when he began it on the active/PUP list. But Tartt is coming off a relatively healthy year, save for a three-game IR stint due to a knee contusion.
Tartt scored a two-year, $13MM extension in April 2018 but re-signed with the 49ers on a league-minimum deal last year. It is likely Tartt’s Eagles deal comes in closer to the latter accord. The 49ers were not expected to re-sign him. With Philadelphia, Tartt will have a chance to start opposite Harris. The Eagles were prepared to give Marcus Epps a clear path toward that job, and while the two-year Philly spot starter might still move into the lineup full-time, Tartt represents experienced competition for that post.
Lions Sign DE Josh Paschal, Wrap Draft Class
The Lions made a clear effort to upgrade at defensive end in the draft. The second of those pass rushers added is now under contract, wrapping up the draft pick-signing portion of Detroit’s offseason.
Second-round pick Josh Paschal signed his four-year rookie contract Friday. This comes weeks after the Lions inked Aidan Hutchinson to his four-year pact (feat. the fifth-year option).
As the No. 46 overall pick, Paschal will be in line to see a hefty portion of his rookie deal guaranteed. Every first-round pick thus far has received a fully guaranteed deal, with a handful to start the second round receiving three years fully guaranteed. No. 44 overall pick John Metchie received two years fully guaranteed and 56% of his third-year salary locked in at signing. Paschal’s camp likely pushed for a similar setup.
A Kentucky product, Paschal did not put up big sack numbers in the SEC. He registered 13 in five seasons with the Wildcats, topping out at five last year. The 268-pound performer did post 15 tackles for loss last year and has contributed as an inside pass rusher as well. Paschal and Hutchinson join a Lions defensive line housing pass rushers Michael Brockers, Romeo and Julian Okwara. The Lions, who cut Trey Flowers after three seasons, will certainly lean on Hutchinson this season. How much Paschal contributes remains to be seen.
Here is the Lions’ 2022 draft class:
Round 1: No. 2 Aidan Hutchinson, DE (Michigan) (signed)
Round 1: No. 12 (from Vikings) Jameson Williams, WR (Alabama) (signed)
Round 2: No. 46 (from Vikings) Josh Paschal, DE (Kentucky) (signed)
Round 3: No. 97 Kerby Joseph, S (Illinois) (signed)
Round 5: No. 177 James Mitchell, TE (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 6: No. 188 (from Seahawks through Jaguars and Eagles) Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 217 James Houston, DE (Jackson State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 237 (from Saints through Eagles) Chase Lucas, CB (Arizona State) (signed)
Falcons Sign OL Jonotthan Harrison, Cut RB Jeremy McNichols
Jonotthan Harrison‘s Atlanta stopover for Falcons minicamp this week produced an agreement. The veteran offensive lineman signed with the Falcons following his minicamp audition.
In addition to signing Harrison, the Falcons added defensive lineman Jalen Dalton. To make room on their 90-man offseason roster, the Falcons released running back Jeremy McNichols and waived wide receiver Austin Trammell.
Although Harrison has been in the NFL since 2014, he has not played in a regular-season game in three years. The former Colts and Jets starting center has spent the past two years bouncing on and off the Giants’ practice squad. Harrison, 30, caught on with the Giants in 2020 but did not play in a game for the team. The former UDFA has started 42 regular-season, including 10 as a rookie for a Colts team that ventured to the AFC championship game and 10 in 2019 with the Jets.
The Falcons signed McNichols earlier this offseason. The rebuilding NFC South squad does not feature much in the way of high-level investments in the backfield, but it did use a fifth-round pick on BYU’s Tyler Allgeier and sign Damien Williams earlier this offseason. Also re-signed, Cordarrelle Patterson is expected to begin the season as the team’s starter.
McNichols, 26, played in 30 Titans games over the past two seasons. He received a look to be the team’s primary Derrick Henry replacement last season, but that role ended up going primarily to D’Onta Foreman.
A former Bears UDFA in 2019, Dalton has not played in a regular-season game. He joined Harrison at this week’s tryout. Trammell, who caught on with the Falcons as a 2021 UDFA, played in two games for the team last season.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/17/22
Here are the latest mid- and late-round picks to sign their four-year rookie contracts:
Cleveland Browns
- K Cade York (fourth round, LSU)
New England Patriots
- RB Pierre Strong (fourth round, South Dakota State)
The Browns made York the highest-drafted kicker since 2016 (Roberto Aguayo, Round 2) by selecting him 124th overall. The team was eyeing Evan McPherson in the 2021 draft, and after seeing the Bengals pounce on the talented specialist, the Browns decided to make an early move for York. LSU’s kicker for three seasons, York earned second-team All-America acclaim in 2020. York will be poised to take over Browns kicking duties, which Chase McLaughlin held last season. Cleveland has gone through a number of kickers in the past decade. The team has not featured the same primary kicker in consecutive seasons since Billy Cundiff from 2013-14.
Chosen 127th overall, Strong surpassed 1,000 yards three times during his career at the Division I-FCS program, doing so in each season not interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He amassed a Division I-FCS-best 1,668 rushing yards last season. Strong will join a Patriots backfield that features Damien Harris, who is going into a contract year, and Rhamondre Stevenson.
Bills Release, Later Re-Sign Jake Kumerow
Jake Kumerow had a busy day. The Bills wideout was released and later re-signed by the organization, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter).
The transaction was merely procedural, but it did save Buffalo a small chunk of money. Kumerow inked a one-year deal with the Bills back in March that would pay him the league minimum (four-plus years of service). That contract was worth a hair more than $1MM.
Kumerow went undrafted out of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2015, and he spent the first two-plus seasons of his career in the Bengals organization. He finally made his regular season debut with the Packers in 2018, and he ended up getting into 14 games with Green Bay in 2019.
He’s spent the past two seasons in Buffalo. After getting into only six games in 2020, he appeared in a career-high 15 games in 2021. He finished with only two touches on offense, but he did add five special teams tackles.
Kumerow will be battling for a role towards the end of the depth chart with the likes of Khalil Shakir, Marquez Stevenson, Isaiah Hodgins, and Tavon Austin. More than likely, the 30-year-old is likely destined for the practice squad.