Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/24
Today’s minor transactions as we head into the weekend:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Ro Torrence
- Waived: LS Cameron Lyons
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Corey Crooms
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Hunter Kampmoyer
- Waived: DT Brandon Matterson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Geor’quarius Spivey
- Waived: WR Izaiah Gathings
New England Patriots
- Signed: T Kellen Diesch, S A.J. Thomas
- Waived: RB DeShaun Fenwick, T Tyrone Wheatley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Mason Fairchild, TE Kevin Rader
- Reverted to IR: TE Tommy Hudson
- Waived: TE Jesper Horstead
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Brandon Smith, CB Tre Swilling, WR Isaiah Winstead
- Waived: TE Kevin Foelsch, WR Marcus Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to IR: LB David Perales
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OLB Jay Person
- Placed on IR: G Sua Opeta (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from active/PUP list: T Nicholas Petit-Frere
Petit-Frere has been rehabbing back from a medical procedure he underwent on his knee. The third-year lineman will now get an opportunity to enter the team’s position battle at right tackle.
RB Tarik Cohen Retires
Tarik Cohen‘s 2024 comeback bid has fallen short. The veteran running back informed the Jets on Thursday that he is retiring, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Cohen had a successful stint with the Bears to begin his career. The former fourth-rounder made an immediate impact in the return game during his rookie season, totaling 1,578 return yards. The following year, he earned a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro acclaim for his abilities as a punt returner. Injuries have derailed his ability to remain a strong third phase contributor and to return to action, however.
An ACL tear suffered in 2020 limited Cohen to just three game that year, and he has not managed to make a regular season appearance since then. The 29-year-old appeared set for a return to action in 2022, but a torn Achilles set him back in that regard once again. Cohen saw time on the Panthers’ practice squad last year before he took a deal with the Jets in May.
That pact was aimed at allowing him to thrive once more as a returner. The NFL’s new kickoff rules are expected to increase the rate of runbacks, and a number of teams have made free agent additions with that in mind. Instead of continuing to vie for the return job in New York, Cohen will hang up his cleats. The Jets primarily used Xavier Gipson as their returner last season, and today’s news means he could remain in that role for the 2024 season.
Cohen’s NFL career will come to an end after 52 combined regular and postseason appearances. Thanks in large part to the Bears extension he signed in 2020, his career earnings stand at roughly $14.7MM. The 2024 campaign could have offered the opportunity to land a roster spot with the Jets or, later, another team. In the wake of his injuries, however, Cohen will now turn his attention to his post-playing days.
Bears Sign WR D.J. Moore To Extension
D.J. Moore is sticking with the Bears long-term. The wideout has agreed to a four-year, $110MM extension with the organization, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes $82.6MM in guaranteed money.
Moore still has two years remaining on the extension he inked with the Panthers back in 2022, although his guaranteed money was about to dry up. Moore’s extension locks in a lot more guaranteed cash, and it also keeps the veteran tied to Chicago through the 2029 campaign.
Moore’s first season with the Bears couldn’t have gone much better. After the wide receiver was dealt from Carolina in the trade involving the top-overall pick, the three-time 1,000-yard receiver put together the most productive season of his career. Despite inconsistent play from Justin Fields (plus four starts of Tyson Bagent), Moore finished the year with career-highs in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), and total touchdowns (nine).
With top-overall pick Caleb Williams now under center, the Bears will continue to lean on Moore. Of course, that didn’t stop the organization from adding more talent around their franchise quarterback, with the team bringing in both Keenan Allen and ninth-overall pick Rome Odunze this offseason. Still, Moore is entrenched as the WR1, and Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times passes along that the organization was making sure Moore was satisfied with his contract even before they added Allen’s significant cap hit. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin adds that the front office wasn’t “necessarily going to go in order of who’s up next for contract,” and they decided to push Moore ahead of other extension-eligible players.
The Bears also managed to avoid the $30MM average annual value mark that was exceeded by the likes of Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Amon-Ra St. Brown this offseason. Moore’s $27.5MM AAV will only come in seventh at his position, although that chunk of guaranteed cash will only trail Jefferson and Brown. Moore himself noted that he was not overly interested in putting himself near the top of the heap in terms of AAV but was (wisely) more interested in guaranteed money.
“You’ve got to follow it,” Moore said of the dizzying heights the WR market has reached with respect to annual averages (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “They’ve all been breaking new heights, going to 35 (million per year), but I wasn’t really in that mindset to go to the top-top. I was just like, What’s a good number? Let’s go from there.”
“Security,” Moore added. “The guaranteed money was awesome. That was the main part I loved out of the whole thing.”
Despite Moore’s focus on the guaranteed cash, his deal does represent the richest contract in franchise history in terms of AAV, as Schefter notes. Montez Sweat and his $24.5MM previously held that honor. Moore was unable to crack Khalil Mack‘s $90MM in guaranteed money, although that was part of a six-year extension.
With Moore’s contract now added to the market, the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk will only have more examples to cite in their pursuit of new contracts.
NFL Workout Rumors: Dawkins, Lions, Akers
The name of recent UFL linebacker Noah Dawkins is starting to make the rounds in NFL camps. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Dawkins worked out recently with both the Cowboys and Bears.
Dawkins’ introduction to the NFL came in 2019 when he signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following an impressive pro day at The Citadel. He was signed off the team’s practice squad to the Buccaneers active roster, appearing in 10 games without recording any defensive statistics. In the next three years, he spent time with the Jets and Bears.
He spent this past UFL season with the Michigan Panthers, totaling 35 tackles and an interception. He wasn’t part of the initial rush of players from the UFL getting NFL interest, but he seems to be growing in popularity. In addition to his recent workouts, Wilson reports that Dawkins has garnered interest from multiple other teams.
Here are a couple other workout rumors from around the NFL:
- The Lions entered training camp with one of the league’s more intriguing position battles as Michael Badgley and UFL phenom Jake Bates duked it out for the kicking job in Detroit. The incumbent Badgley was forced out of the battle when he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury on Thursday. Despite this setback, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp isn’t simply handing the job to Bates. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Fipp and the Lions brought in a slew of legs to compete with Bates this summer including Matt Ammendola, Lucas Havrisik, Matt McCrane, and Andre Szmyt. Bates was shining at points of his viral UFL campaign but got cold down the stretch. After Bates missed three of eight field goal attempts in practice yesterday, per Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman, it makes sense for Fipp to bring in some competition to keep the UFL star honest.
- Former second-round running back Cam Akers has struggled to find his place in the NFL but recently signed with the Texans for his next opportunity. Interestingly, Wilson notes that, before his successful workout in Houston resulted in a contract, Akers was scheduled for a workout with the Raiders this past week. Akers has his chance now to battle for time behind Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce in Houston, but his chances may have been a bit better in Las Vegas. The Raiders have a few names in Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah, but White is relatively inexperienced with just four starts to his name, Mattison struggled in his first season of full-time starting duty last season in Minnesota, and Abdullah hasn’t eclipsed 200 yards rushing in a season since 2017. It’s interesting to see Akers sign with Houston when he may have had an opportunity for more playing time with the Raiders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/24
Here are today’s minor moves to close out the weekend:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Demetric Felton
- Placed on exempt/international player list: P Tory Taylor
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from active/NFI list: TE Erick All
Dallas Cowboys
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): CB Kemon Hall
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from active/PUP list: G Joe Thuney
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB David Long
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Josiah Bronson
- Activated from active/NFI list: RB Antonio Gibson
- Activated from active/PUP list: RB Terrell Jennings
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: G Tremayne Anchrum, T Jesse Davis
- Placed on IR: OL Justin Herron
- Waived: OL Mark Evans II
New York Giants
- Signing: CB Breon Borders
- Activated from active/PUP list: TE Theo Johnson
- Waived: QB Nathan Rourke
Thuney has been working his way back from a pectoral injury. After suffering the strain in a Divisional Round win over the Bills, the injury held Thuney out of the team’s final two wins over the Ravens and 49ers. Having passed his physical, Thuney will return to practice in order to take the next steps on his way back to the field.
The Giants weren’t the only team to submit a waiver claim for Rourke as he continues to try and turn his success in the Canadian Football League into an NFL opportunity. Now, after being buried on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito, Rourke is able to look elsewhere for that chance at playing time in the NFL.
Latest On Bears, OL Teven Jenkins
In June, Teven Jenkins made it known attempts from his camp to pursue a Bears extension were unsuccessful. His latest comments on the matter provide further clarity on the timing of a potential deal being worked out. 
The fourth-year offensive lineman said on Monday (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) the Bears informed his agents any potential extension would take place no earlier than the team’s bye week. As a result, Jenkins will be a pending free agent in 2024 through at least Week 7. Plenty will depend on his level of play as he continues to operate along the interior.
Jenkins entered the league with the expectation of being able to serve as a right tackle starter. He struggled in that role, but moving to guard allowed him to take a notable step forward. The 26-year-old was PFF’s third highest-rated guard in 2022, and he ranked 14th last season, one in which he missed the first four games of the campaign. Jenkins (who took snaps at both left and right guard in 2023) would up his market value with another strong showing this fall.
Chicago has 2022 fifth-rounder Braxton Jones in place on the blindside with 2023 10th overall pick Darnell Wright at the right tackle spot. The former has two years remaining on his rookie deal, while the latter can remain under team control through 2027 via the fifth-year option. Pairing those two with a Jenkins extension would ensure stability up front for the Bears.
Jenkins in particular and the team as a whole will face expectations on an offense featuring a new quarterback (Caleb Williams) and several acquisitions at the skill positions (led by running back D’Andre Swift and receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze). The play of the offensive line will be key, of course, and Jenkins’ financial future will be determined if he continues his strong guard play and convinces the Bears to make a multi-year commitment in him.
Chicago is currently projected to have over $47MM in 2025 cap space, so affording a second Jenkins contract should be feasible. If the team elects not to extend the Oklahoma State alum, he could look to benefit from the upward trajectory of the guard market in free agency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/24
Today’s minor transactions to wrap up this final weekend before training camps begin:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: S Jordan Toles
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Javin White
- Activated from active/NFI list: TE Gerald Everett
Denver Broncos
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Drew Sanders, S Caden Sterns, S Delarrin Turner-Yell
Detroit Lions
- Placed on active/NFI list: T Giovanni Manu
- Placed on active/PUP list: S Brian Branch, DE Marcus Davenport, DT D.J. Reader
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Corey Ballentine, T Caleb Jones, WR Jayden Reed
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Izaiah Gathings
- Activated from active/NFI list: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Waived (with injury designation): TE Gerrit Prince
NFL Workouts: Texans, Quarterman, Fromm
The Texans appear to be looking for another body in the running backs room. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Houston hosted veteran rusher Deon Jackson and undrafted Ohio State rookie Miyan Williams for workouts today.
Jackson spent his first two seasons out of Duke with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. Due to injuries to Jonathan Taylor, Jackson saw extended time in two starts during his sophomore campaign. He recorded career highs in carries (68), yards (236), and touchdowns (1) that season. Last year, Jackson bounced around, playing games for the Colts, Browns, and Giants.
Williams played four seasons for the Buckeyes in five years with the team, spending most of his time as a backup. Injury trouble for TreVeyon Henderson in 2022 opened the door for Williams to have a breakout season, rushing for 825 yards at 6.4 yards per clip and scoring 14 touchdowns. In 2023, a healthy Henderson and an influx of new talent severely reduced Williams’ role.
With free agent addition Joe Mixon and third-year back Dameon Pierce in place atop the depth chart, Jackson and Williams are trying out for an opportunity to push Dare Ogunbowale and sixth-round rookie Jawhar Jordan for a backup job.
Here are a couple other workouts from around the league recently:
- The Bears looked at some potential linebacker depth yesterday in Shaquille Quarterman, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After four years with the Hurricanes, Quarterman returned to his hometown as a fourth-round pick for the Jaguars. While he never started a game over the course of his rookie deal in Duval, Quarterman became a core special teamer. He earned some defensive snaps in his second season with the team, totaling 30 tackles that year and, though his time was even more limited in 2022, he made the most of it, forcing a fumble on Derrick Henry in a division matchup. Chicago returns their top three linebackers, so Quarterman is likely looked at only as a potential depth addition.
- The Packers worked out a notable name at quarterback today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, hosting former Georgia championship-winning passer Jake Fromm. Since being drafted by the Bills in the fifth round in 2020, Fromm has bounced from Buffalo to the Giants to the Commanders. His only playing time came in New York where he started two losing efforts, completing 45 percent of his passes for 210 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Green Bay hopes to not need anyone behind Jordan Love, but perhaps they are seeking a bit more experience in a camp arm than the two draft picks from the last two years they currently roster.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Attempted To Skirt Tax Implications Of Rookie Contract
JULY 19: Despite the efforts from Williams’ camp to land a precedent-setting pact, Florio confirms the deal falls firmly in line with the standard rookie-scale structure. Even the matter of offset language is as expected based on typical rookie contracts. Moving on from Williams with term left on the deal would indeed leave the Bears in line for offsets, though team and player will of course hope such a situation does not arise.
This is a bit of a surprise as Joel Corry of CBS Sports notes that the Bears made such concessions on offsets for Mitchell Trubisky, whom the team drafted No. 2 overall in 2017, and Justin Fields, No. 11 overall in 2021. It’s not even like either of those situations came back to bite them as Trubisky played out the entirety of his rookie contract in Chicago and Fields, while no longer with the team, had his contract taken over by the Steelers when they acquired him via trade.
JULY 17: The Bears signed No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams to his rookie contract today, and we’ve already reported on a number of intriguing negotiation tactics utilized by Williams throughout this process. These include the lack of an NFLPA-certified agent, opting instead for a “board of directors” approach, and the quarterback’s aim to secure a no-franchise tag clause in the deal. 
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, though, these weren’t the only tactics Williams pursued. After already trying to set new precedents with the no-franchise tag clause, Williams reportedly also attempted to break new ground on how his rookie salary will be taxed. Williams’ father has experience working in commercial real estate, providing his camp with unique insight into tax law.
One of the attempts employed by Williams’ camp reportedly tried to get Williams paid as an LLC. As a corporation, Williams would face different tax laws than those of an individual. While the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t appear to have any stipulations limiting this approach, the NFL ultimately made the overarching call to deny Williams, telling the Bears that a player’s money can’t go to a business entity other than the individual.
A second approach saw Williams attempt to model his rookie contract payments after a forgivable loan. In this scenario, Williams could have received the money tax-free until the loan was forgiven in as many as 10 years. Once again, through the league’s advice, Chicago ultimately turned down this option, as well.
Other rumors suggest a situation in which the contract would’ve included “language that will void future guarantees,” bringing up questions of whether or not the Bears would be entitled to receive an offset should they release Williams with guaranteed money remaining and he signs with a new team.
Credit where credit is due, Williams and his crew were extremely creative in their attempts to maximize the value of Williams’ new source of income. The Bears appeared to be willing to play ball but were time and again blocked by the league. While unsuccessful in these attempts, Williams may have opened the door for future first-round picks to have more grounds for negotiation in their rookie contracts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/24
Here are Friday’s minor transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on active/NFI list: RB Jonathon Brooks
- Placed on active/PUP list: OLB Amare Barno, WR Jalen Coker, T Yosh Nijman, OLB D.J. Wonnum
Chicago Bears
- Placed on active/NFI list: TE Gerald Everett
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Rory Starkey, WR Jalen Wayne
- Waived (with injury designation): QB Alex McGough
New England Patriots
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jontrey Hunter
- Placed on active/PUP list: RB Terrell Jennings
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from active/NFI list: WR Dee Williams
Brooks’ appearance on this list doesn’t come as much of a shock. After suffering a torn ACL as a Longhorn last November, he is not going to be cleared for the start of camp, though he can be activated at any time. His injury is considered a “non-football injury” because it occurred before his NFL career began, otherwise he would’ve been on the PUP. Wonnum’s presence on the PUP was also not a surprise as he deals with complications from his offseason quadriceps surgery.
Everett’s appearance, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise. To date, no injuries have been reported this offseason on the veteran tight end, leaving a bit of a mystery as to the cause of his unavailability.
Williams, who was placed on the NFI list yesterday, lasted one day before passing his physical and getting activated off the injured list. As can tend to be the case, some situations this early can be more precautionary than a tell of something more serious.