Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived/injured: WR Quincy Adeboyejo
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LS Dan Godsil
- Waived: WR Kermit Whitfield
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Fish Smithson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T.J. Green
- Waived/injured: DL Kenny Bigelow, WR Chad Hansen
New York Jets
- Waived: DL Fred Jones
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Alex Brown
- Waived/injured: OL Erik Magnuson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: S Damon Webb
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Shaun Wilson
- Waived: T Brian Wallace
Bengals Place Darqueze Dennard On PUP
- The Bengals placed Darqueze Dennard and running back Rodney Anderson on their active/PUP list. Dennard underwent offseason knee surgery, while Anderson’s college career ended after an ACL tear. The former Oklahoma running back is a candidate for the reserve/PUP list to start the season, per Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Should Anderson stay on the PUP list to start the season, he must remain there for six regular-season weeks.
Bengals Re-Sign T Andre Smith
Andre Smith is set for a fourth stint with the team that drafted him in the top 10. The Bengals and the 10-year veteran tackle agreed on yet another reunion Thursday.
The Bengals have encountered some offensive line obstacles this summer, with first-rounder and left tackle starter Jonah Williams suffering a season-ending injury and eight-year starter Clint Boling retiring. On the eve of another Bengals camp, the team landed Smith for another potential go-round.
Smith spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, working opposite Andrew Whitworth with the Bengals’ playoff teams. He has joined other teams twice — the Vikings for all of 2016 and the Cardinals for a rough few months in 2018 — but has come back to Cincinnati each time. The Bengals signed him late last season, after the Cardinals cut him, and the 32-year-old blocker looks like a potential depth option once more. Smith also visited the Jets earlier this year.
Both Duke Tobin and new OC Brian Callahan acknowledged the Bengals needed more help up front, with the latter specifying the team needed tackles. While Smith is a few years removed from his prime, the 93-game starter will compete for a spot on another Bengals roster.
The team also placed Williams on its active/PUP list. While that distinction means he could return at any point during camp, the shoulder injury the Alabama product suffered this summer is expected to keep him out until 2020.
AFC North Notes: Bengals, Green, Ravens
Here’s a look at the AFC North:
- Tyler Boyd‘s new extension will impact the ongoing extension talks between the Bengals and A.J. Green, as The Athletic’s Jay Morrison writes. Still, for what it’s worth, director of player personnel Duke Tobin says that they are separate matters. “It’s not an either/or. It’s a both,” Tobin said. “And we’ll see where we can go with the other. We would like to retain both of them, and we will work to do that and see what we can get done as we go here. It’s nice when you are not the only good receiver on a football team, it helps you. Tyler has been great in that he’s really versatile for us, and he can play a number of different positions. They are different-style guys for our game, and they complement each other well. So whether (Boyd’s) No. 1 or No. 2 or whatever, he’s a good football player and he’s been rewarded for that.”
- Good news for the Ravens. According to the transactions wire, defensive tackles Michael Pierce and Daylon Mack and outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson have all passed their physicals. This means that they’re off the non-football injury list and available to practice when things get underway on Thursday. It should be noted that their NFI designation was different from the one that would have automatically ruled them out for a portion of the year, but it’s still a promising sign for the defense.
- The Browns met with the agent for disgruntled running back Duke Johnson this week.
Bengals Seeking Offensive Line Help
Thinned by injuries and a recent retirement, the Bengals are on the lookout for offensive line help (link via team website). Duke Tobin, the club’s director of player personnel, says he’ll be keeping his ear to the street over the coming weeks.
“We’ll have to find some. Some of the guys have to be able to play multiple positions,” Tobin said. “While they’re having to compete outside, they’ll also have to compete inside. We’re going to have to look and see. As we go through the cut-down process and look at the teams and have discussions, we’ll see what if anything we can add to the group and if we add nothing, somebody in that group has to bubble up.”
It has been a rough stretch for Cincinnati. First, the club lost first-round left tackle Jonah Williams for the year to a torn labrum. Then, veteran guard Clint Boling retired due to a series of issues. Initially, the plan was to halt Cordy Glenn‘s planned switch to the interior to fill in for Williams. Already, that wasn’t ideal. Now, they’re dangerously thin in the front five.
Previously, head coach Zac Taylor expressed confidence in his current unit and indicated that they would find the help they needed from within. Now, we know that the Bengals will be keeping an eye out for available O-Linemen.
Bengals, Tyler Boyd Agree To Extension
The Bengals are signing wide receiver Tyler Boyd to a four-year, $43MM extension, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Boyd now will be under contract through the 2023 season. 
Prior to the deal, Boyd was set to play out the 2019 season before reaching free agency. Under the new pact, the Bengals have added four more years while Boyd has put himself in the top 20 at his position, in terms of new money average annual value. Furthermore, he’s now one of the league’s highest-paid slot receivers.
Following a pair of underwhelming seasons to begin his career, Boyd had a breakout campaign in 2018, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. Part of his production could be attributed to the fact that A.J. Green missed seven games, placing Boyd atop the depth chart. On the flip side, the receiver also established a career-high catch percentage and yards-per-target.
The deal is similar that of Sterling Shepard‘s contract with the Giants, which was a four-year deal worth $41MM ($21.3MM guaranteed), a watermark that Boyd personally said he had in mind. We’re still waiting on the full details, but the contract may also mirror the one Tyrell Williams signed with the Raiders (four years, $44MM ($22MM guaranteed)).
As our own Dallas Robinson previously pointed out, Boyd topped Shepard in every offensive category this past season, and he finished higher than the Giants wideout in both Pro Football Focus‘ positional grades and Football Outsiders’ receiving metrics. Boyd’s 2019 season was comparable to Williams’ 2016 campaign, although Williams was older and coming off a pair of subpar seasons when he signed his recent deal with Oakland.
With Boyd’s contract addressed, the Bengals’ focus now must shift to Green, who has one year to go on his deal. Despite Green’s recent injury trouble, both sides have expressed a strong desire to get something done.
Latest On Clint Boling’s Retirement, Bengals’ O-Line
The Bengals’ offensive line took another major hit today when Clint Boling announced his retirement. Boling, who had served as the club’s primary left guard since 2012, was expected to reprise that role in 2019. Although it looked as though he might be squeezed into a backup job (or even cut) when Cincinnati drafted LT Jonah Williams in April, Williams’ season-ending labrum tear forced the Bengals to shift Cordy Glenn from left guard back to left tackle, thereby keeping the door open for Boling.
But as reported earlier today, Boling felt compelled to end his playing career due to health reasons. Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com passes along more details on that front, reporting that Boling went to the hospital several days after the 2018 season ended due to pain his right leg. Tests revealed a blood clot, and when the issue didn’t subside, Boling returned to the hospital, at which point doctors discovered a pulmonary embolism (meaning another clot had found its way to his lungs).
Boling believes his clots were related to football, and while he considered returning to the field, he ultimately determined it wasn’t worth the risk for him or his family.
And even though the Bengals certainly respect his decision, the fact remains that the team’s O-line, already an area of concern given its performance over the last several seasons, is getting dangerously thin. But new head coach Zac Taylor expressed confidence in the unit and suggested that the team’s next left guard is already on the roster. Taylor said, per Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “[w]e have a lot of guys in there that can compete for those jobs. The left guard spot will be a competition in training camp and we’ll be excited to see what happens there. We have a lot of good guys in the mix who we are counting on to step up and do their job.”
Taylor, who also said “we’ll be good” when discussing the revolving door on the left side of the O-line, certainly makes it sound as if the club will not be looking to make any outside additions. But it would not be surprising to see the Bengals pick up a veteran or two over the next few weeks. After all, in addition to being the team’s starting LG, Boling also served as the backup LT, and the trio that is now expected to compete for the LG job — Christian Westerman, John Jerry, and Trey Hopkins — doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.
Bengals G Clint Boling Retires
On Monday, Bengals guard Clint Boling announced his retirement from the NFL. The veteran was hoping to play in 2019, but an undisclosed injury has brought his career to a close.
“After eight years in the NFL, it is time for me to step away from the game due to medical reasons,” Boling said in a press release. “This is not an easy decision, but it is the right one for me, my wife Kelly and our two young girls. I want to thank the Brown family for giving me the opportunity to play my entire career with the Bengals. I also want to thank my teammates, coaches, fans and everyone who has supported me throughout my career.”
A blood clot played heavily into this decision, Boling said (via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, on Twitter). The clot was discovered days after the 2018 season ended and required hospitalization. If not for that issue, Boling said he would have returned this season.
Boling first joined the Bengals in 2011 as a fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia. He went on to become a key figure on the offensive line with 109 starts at left guard with occasional time spent at right guard and tackle.
It’s yet another blow to the Bengals’ offensive line after the loss of first-round tackle Jonah Williams. Christian Westerman, John Jerry, and Trey Hopkins figure to compete for the LG job now that Boling is out of the running and Cordy Glenn has been kicked back to the outside.
NFL Supplemental Draft Order
The NFL’s Supplemental Draft order does not go by the inverted win/loss records of clubs. Instead, the order is dictated by a weighted lottery that uses a team’s win percentage as just part of the equation. Here, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) is the complete order of the supplemental draft:
1. Lions
2. Broncos
3. Jets
4. Cardinals
5. Giants
6. Bills
7. Raiders
8. 49ers
9. Jaguars
10. Packers
11. Bengals
12. Bucs
13. Falcons
14. Vikings
15. Redskins
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Steelers
19. Panthers
20. Browns
21. Ravens
22. Patriots
23.Cowboys
24. Seahawks
25. Eagles
26. Texans
27. Bears
28. Colts
29. Saints
30. Chiefs
31. Chargers
32. Rams
The supplemental draft is conducted via email. If multiple teams submit a pick for the same player in the same round, this order dictates which club gets the player. Of course, any team picking a player in the supplemental draft will sacrifice the corresponding pick in the 2020 draft.
DE Carl Lawson Eyeing Week 1 Return
Carl Lawson is less than nine months removed from suffering a torn ACL, but the Bengals defensive end is still confident that he’ll be ready for the start of the season. The 24-year-0ld told NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that he’s looking to return in time for Week 1.
“The goal is to be out there Week 1, and I’m feeling great,” Lawson said (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). “Thankfully I can take care of my body, I’ve got a lot of different resources, I can fly to places, I can do everything underneath the sun because I have the money to do it. So, it’s been a great rehab process.”
Lawson was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft and immediately contributed on the Bengals’ defensive line. While Cincy limited his playing time during his rookie campaign (Lawson played 41% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2017), he still managed to post 8.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits, the latter of which tied him for 19th league-wide. This past season, Lawson had posted only one sack, but still was ranked as a top-15 edge rusher, per Pro Football Focus.
The Bengals will look a whole lot different in 2019, with head coach Zac Taylor leading the new additions. The team will also welcome back a number of injured players, including Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Preston Brown and (potentially) Tyler Eifert. If the Bengals can remain healthy next season, Lawson is confident that the team can compete.
“You can expect a lot, but at the same time, in this league, that’s what separates different teams, being able to be healthy throughout the season,” he said. “I think the main thing is being able to have that depth, and that carry over, so when things do happen. You know, because everybody’s like ‘Oh, well if we were healthy, if this or that, whatever’ — not that many injuries as we had last year — but I think you can expect a lot from us.”