Saints To Release RB Latavius Murray
The Saints are set to have a new backup running back. They are releasing Latavius Murray, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that the veteran refused a pay cut Monday.
While this strips the Saints of another proven weapon, it will give other teams in need at running back an interesting option ahead of Week 1. Murray spent the past two seasons working as Alvin Kamara‘s backup. He saw extensive time during that stretch, surpassing 600 rushing yards in each season.
Murray agreed to a four-year, $14.4MM deal with New Orleans in 2019, coming over from Minnesota to replace Mark Ingram as Kamara’s between-the-tackles sidekick. The team’s pay-cut request certainly came at a late juncture; Murray, 31, was set to make $2.95MM in base salary this season.
Missing just one game during his two-year Saints stay, Murray totaled 1,293 rushing yards with the team. He scored 11 touchdowns as a Saint, filling in for an injured Kamara for short stretches in both seasons, and provided a smooth transition from Ingram. The Saints have fourth-year back Dwayne Washington and second-year UDFA Tony Jones Jr. as their active-roster backs behind Kamara. The latter appears the better bet to take over as Kamara’s primary backup. A Notre Dame product, Jones has three career carries but impressed this summer.
Texans Add K Joey Slye To Practice Squad
Not long after working out Joey Slye, the Texans will bring him into the fold. The former Panthers kicker agreed to join the Texans on a practice squad deal Tuesday. To make room, Houston released defensive back Cornell Armstrong from its P-squad.
Slye operated as the Panthers’ primary kicker for the past two seasons, succeeding Graham Gano in that capacity. After Carolina added Gano’s Giants camp competitor (Ryan Santoso) via trade, Slye landed on the waiver wire. Unclaimed, the third-year specialist will end up in Houston.
Top Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a pulled muscle, per Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), though he is still expected to kick in Houston’s opener. Slye, however, represents insurance and potential in-season competition for Fairbairn. He also stands to serve as an option for other teams in need. A team can poach Slye off Houston’s taxi squad at any point, if the Texans refuse to promote him to their active roster.
A Virginia Tech product, Slye made 29 of 36 field goals last season. Though, two of those misses came on fourth-quarter tries from 65 and 67 yards, respectively. The Texans also auditioned ex-Chargers kicker Michael Badgley. Fairbairn has been the Texans’ kicker since 2017. He signed an extension in 2020.
Seahawks To Sign CB John Reid To Active Roster
It’s been a rollercoaster of a couple weeks for John Reid, but he’s back on a 53-man roster. The Seahawks have signed the cornerback from their practice squad to their active roster, his agency announced on Twitter.
A Penn State product, Reid was a fourth-round pick of the Texans just last year. He appeared in 13 games for Houston as a rookie and started one, but was traded to Seattle for a 2022 seventh-rounder toward the end of training camp. Just a week after trading for him the Seahawks waived him, quickly adding him back on the practice squad.
Now after a week on the practice squad, he’s back on the active roster. Seattle had a lot of turnover at cornerback this offseason, most notably letting Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency. The same day they waived Reid, they also traded for former Eagles and Jags corner Sidney Jones.
They also drafted Tre Brown out of Oklahoma in the fourth-round, and now have a pretty young group of cornerbacks. It wouldn’t be surprising if Reid gets a crack at some point.
Seahawks, Duane Brown Reach Agreement
Right before the start of the regular season, the Seahawks have taken care of one of their last remaining orders of business. Seattle has agreed to a deal with Duane Brown for him to play the 2021 season under, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Seahawks will be “converting per game roster bonuses to guarantees” for this season while the veteran offensive tackle also gets an “injury protection benefit for 2022,” Rapsheet writes. We heard a couple of weeks ago the team was looking for a compromise, and they were able to get something done. Brown skipped training camp, staging a hold-in, in search of a new contract.
He didn’t get the extension he was hoping for, and will still become a free agent after this season, but at least he now has some injury protection for next year. For what it’s worth, Russell Wilson was vocal in his support for Brown this summer, not really giving the Seahawks much of a choice.
Brown will make around $10MM this year, a bargain for a blindside protector of his caliber. Despite turning 36 last month, the five-time Pro Bowler has remained a quality starter.
Brown isn’t any stranger to contract disputes, or to holding his ground. His holdout with the Texans in 2017 saw him sit out the first six games of the season, and eventually led to his trade to Seattle.
Jaguars Sign Duke Johnson To Practice Squad
The Jaguars have added running back Duke Johnson to the practice squad. He’ll take the place of fellow RB Nathan Cottrell, who has been released from the 16-man squad.
Johnson made a name for himself with the Browns, where he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and, more importantly, did some serious damage as a receiver. Playing behind Browns starter Nick Chubb in 2018, Johnson managed only 40 carries, but did post 47 catches and was one of the NFL’s most efficient receiving backs, per Football Outsiders. From 2015 through 2018, Johnson led all running backs with 2,170 receiving yards.
He enjoyed a solid 2019 with the Texans, but wasn’t quite as efficient in the rushing game in 2020. His yards-per-tote average of 3.1 yards per carry didn’t move the needle much and he was hampered by injuries, including an ankle sprain. Meanwhile, new addition David Johnson managed 4.7 yards per run, plus 33 grabs for 314 yards. The Texans dropped him in February and he went unsigned until linking up with Urban Meyer & Co.
Saints To Sign Desmond Trufant
The Saints are expected to sign cornerback Desmond Trufant, (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran impressed in his Monday workout and will join the club just in time for Week 1. 
Trufant missed the Bears’ final cut but also missed the last couple weeks of training camp due to a family situation. A first-round pick of the Falcons back in 2013, the Washington product became a quality starter in Atlanta. He was a full-time first-stringer for all seven of his Falcons seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. He received a massive payday when the Falcons gave him a five-year, $68.5MM extension in April of 2017.
The terms of Trufant’s new deal are unknown, but he’s still going to collect $3.5MM from the Lions for this season. Meanwhile, the soon-to-be 31-year-old will look to fortify the Saints’ banged up secondary.
Ravens’ Justice Hill Done For Year
Ravens running back Justice Hill tore his Achilles at a recent practice (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Hill is out for the year, leaving the Ravens with only two healthy RBs. 
[RELATED: Ravens Sign Mark Andrews To $56MM Extension]
It’s been a rough stretch for the Ravens, who just lost starter J.K. Dobbins for the year. With Dobbins out, Hill was slated to serve as the No. 2 RB behind starter Gus Edwards. Now, they’re left with Edwards, UDFA Ty’Son Williams, and no other options currently on the practice squad.
Hill, 24 in November, ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. Last year, he saw just 12 carries for 60 yards in the Ravens’ crowded backfield — 5.0 ypc in an admittedly small sample size. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait until next year to retake the field.
Hill’s injury would help to explain the Ravens’ recent interest in Royce Freeman. The Panthers beat them out on the waiver wire, but it stands to reason that the Ravens will add another experienced tailback soon.
Ravens Sign Mark Andrews To $56MM Extension
The Ravens have signed Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews to a four-year, $56MM deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With a new money average of $14MM, Andrews now stands as one of the NFL’s highest-paid TEs. 
“Mark Andrews, in my opinion, is one of the best TEs in the NFL. We’d be foolish to not try and keep him,” GM Eric DeCosta said back in January. “Those discussions will start up at some point.”
It took a little while, but he got his payday. Andrews, who turned 26 today, enjoyed a solid encore to his 2019 Pro Bowl season. In 2020, he reeled in 58 grabs for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. Over the course of three pro years, he’s got 156 catches, 2,105 yards, and 20 TDs to his credit.
As one of the Ravens’ 2018 third-round picks, Andrews was extension eligible for the first time this offseason. Fellow ’18 third-rounder Orlando Brown is no longer in the picture, but a new deal for quarterback Lamar Jackson could be just around the corner.
On a per year basis, 49ers star George Kittle ($15MM/year) remains the league’s highest-paid TE, followed by Travis Kelce of the Chiefs ($14.3MM). Andrews, at $14MM per annum, has leapfrogged new Patriots TEs Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith for third.
Texans To Start Tyrod Taylor
As expected, the Texans will roll with Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback. Head coach David Culley made the announcement on Monday, which means Taylor will be backstopped by rookie Davis Mills as embattled star Deshaun Watson remains in limbo. 
Taylor, entering his age-32 season, has started just four games since 2018. Prior to that, however, the dual-threat QB did operate as Buffalo’s starter for three seasons and overlapped with Culley in ’17. While the risk-averse passer did well to limit turnovers, he has yet to show the kind of big play upside that Watson has brought to the table.
It’s an opportunity for Taylor to reassert himself in the NFL. He’ll also have a chance to more than double his base salary. Taylor is slated to make $5.5MM, but he can also reach up to $12MM via incentives. That includes $4MM if he serves as the QB1 for the whole year — he’ll get $1MM for each playtime marker of 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%.
In addition to Taylor and Davis, the Texans will also have veteran Jeff Driskel nearby on the practice squad.