AFC North Rumors: Trubisky, Apple, Pratt, Johnson
With Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson (tentatively) being cemented behind center in Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, respectively, Pittsburgh is working to name their starting quarterback to open the 2022 NFL season. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the current situation points towards free agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky being named the starter for the Steelers’ season opener in Cincinnati.
On 105.7 The Fan, Dulac was quoted saying, “I think the plan is, and I don’t think there is any question about this, unless something would dictate otherwise including injury, I think Mitch Trubisky will go into the regular season as the starter.” He continued, “NFL teams don’t draft quarterbacks No. 1 to have them be the third quarterback and a gameday scratch. I expect Kenny Pickett to be the guy who dresses on gameday (as the primary backup).”
When asked where that leaves five-year veteran Mason Rudolph, Dulac thinks the Steelers will have “a little bit more respect than to keep him around as the third quarterback and a gameday scratch.” Dulac believes Pittsburgh would rather have the two parties mutually move on and try to find him a trade to a desirable location.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC North, starting with a couple rumors from the division (and conference) champions from last year:
- When detailing some training camp position battles in Cincinnati this summer, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic asserted that six-year veteran cornerback Eli Apple will be favored to keep his starting job over rookie second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt. After the rollercoaster start of his career, Apple played well last year for the Bengals. Despite the team spending heavy draft-capital on his position by drafting Taylor-Britt early, Apple has reportedly responded very well to the pressure and kept his eye on the ball. Taylor-Britt may eventually unseat the incumbent, but, for now, expect to see Apple across from Diontae Johnson or Chase Claypool to open the season this September.
- Expanding further on the Bengals’ offseason to-do list, Dehner Jr. reported on some possible extension candidates in Cincinnati, claiming that, for now, the Bengals don’t view linebacker Germaine Pratt as an extension candidate. Since Cincinnati selected him in the third-round of 2019, Pratt has been a formidable defender, racking up 76 tackles as a rookie as well as 89 and 91 tackles in the two seasons since. Despite his defensive tenacity, it doesn’t appear that Pratt does quite enough to force an early decision from the Bengals on his future. Instead, Pratt will want to put together a contract year that will either convince Cincinnati to keep him around or convince another franchise to spend big to bring him in. The Bengals will allow him to play out the last year of his rookie deal and assess his value before free agency.
- Despite the recent one-year deal running back D’Ernest Johnson signed earlier this month to remain in Cleveland, ESPN’s Jake Trotter believes that Johnson could still potentially find himself as the odd man out of a loaded running back room for the Browns. With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt cemented as 1-2 at running back, Johnson is competing with 2021 draft pick Demetric Felton and 2022 Draft pick Jerome Ford for playing time behind them. Since both Felton and Ford offer versatility to rush and receive out of the backfield, along with cheap rookie deals, it’s not out of the question to imagine Johnson on the outside looking in. In this case, the Browns may want to find a trade-partner to take Johnson and make sure they don’t completely waste the deal they awarded him weeks ago.
Trae Waynes Generating Interest; CB Leaning Toward Retirement
Ahead of what would be his age-30 season, Trae Waynes is not exactly making hard plans to find another NFL gig. The seven-year veteran cornerback said he is retired, though no announcement has emerged.
The Bengals released the former first-round pick earlier this year, moving off a contract that did not work out. Cincinnati signed the ex-Minnesota starter to a three-year, $42MM deal in 2020, but Waynes missed all of that season. Last year, Waynes played in just five regular-season games due to injury. Although he played in each of the Bengals’ four playoff games, the team had replaced him in the starting lineup.
“It’s open, but I’m not really exploring anything, to be honest with you,” Waynes said, during an appearance on the Geary & Stein Sports Show podcast (via NFL.com), of playing an eighth NFL season. “Multiple teams have actually called. Honestly, in my head, I’m done. I’m not officially doing it just because I don’t give a [expletive]. But I’m retired, but it’s not like I announced it or anything.”
One of those opportunities came from the Eagles, who employ former Vikings DBs coach Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator and have ex-Viking safety Anthony Harris back as a projected starter. It does not look like anything will come to fruition here. The Eagles have since signed James Bradberry.
“I actually almost went to Philly to go back with JG and Ant. But at that point I was like, ‘I’m ready to be done,'” Waynes said. “Could I easily keep playing several more years? Yes. But I got a family, I want to be around with my kids more.”
Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer-era run of first-round cornerbacks began with Waynes, the No. 11 overall pick in 2015. He had not shown signs of durability issues with the Vikings, missing just six games in five seasons on his rookie contract. The Michigan State product started 53 games during his five-year Minneapolis stay. The Vikings let both Waynes and Mackensie Alexander join the Bengals in 2020, but Waynes wound up on injured reserve before the season began. A torn pectoral muscle felled him that summer.
Waynes’ 2021 re-emergence encountered resistance early. A hamstring injury forced Waynes to begin the season on IR, and he aggravated the issue after two October games. Waynes, 29, did not return until mid-December. The Bengals were deploying a Chidobe Awuzie–Eli Apple–Mike Hilton cornerback trio by the postseason, and Waynes did not play any defensive snaps in those four games. In Super Bowl LVI, Waynes played three special teams snaps.
“It didn’t feel like a Super Bowl to me because my time in Cincinnati has just been injuries,” Waynes said. … “That’s something that I never really experienced in Minnesota.”
“… I was supposed to play in the Super Bowl — well I played a little bit — but I was supposed to go in, but I ended up getting hurt again. … I told my wife this after the game, I was like ‘There’s nothing more frustrating knowing you’re supposed to be out there but you physically can’t because your body is just failing.'”
Bengals Sign Cordell Volson, Finish Signing Draft Class
The Bengals have finished signing their draft class. The team announced that they have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Cordell Volson to his rookie contract.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman set a school record at North Dakota State University by appearing in 65 career games (including 41 straight starts). His consistency earned him a pair of Associated Press FCS All-America first team nods, and he also won four FCS national championships during his six years at the school.
At 23 years old, Volson was one of the oldest prospects in the draft; he redshirted his freshman season and opted to use his extra year of college eligibility in 2021. The Bengals ultimately used the No. 136 pick in the draft to select the offensive lineman, making him the 11th offensive tackle off the board. The rookie will join a long list of newcomers on the offensive line, but unlike some of those acquisitions (center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La’el Collins), there’s little chance Volson starts, at least to start his career.
With this signing, the Bengals have officially completed the signing of their draft class:
Round 1: No. 31 Daxton Hill, S (Michigan) (signed)
Round 2: No. 60 (from Buccaneers through Bills) Cam Taylor-Britt, CB (Nebraska) (signed)
Round 3: No. 95 Zachary Carter, DL (Florida) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 Cordell Volson, OL (North Dakota State)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Cardinals through Eagles, Texans and Bears): Tycen Anderson, S (Toledo) (signed)
Round 7: No. 252 Jeffrey Gunter, DE (Coastal Carolina) (signed)
Poll: Which AFC Team Had Best Offseason?
Due to a flurry of additions, the 2022 AFC presents a crowded competition for playoff and Super Bowl LVII access. Some of the top-tier teams addressed key weaknesses, and several middle-class squads took big swings in respective aims to improve their chances this season.
The fallout paints a picture in which barely any AFCers can be truly counted out for playoff contention. Future Hall of Famers, potential Canton inductees, and Pro Bowlers moving from the NFC — along with various intra-AFC changes — have made for one of the most captivating offseasons in modern NFL annals. While the offseason is not yet complete, most of the acquisition dominoes ahead of training camp have fallen. Which team did the best work?
With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, the AFC West’s Wilson-Patrick Mahomes–Derek Carr–Justin Herbert quartet appears of the great quarterback armadas any division has fielded in the five-plus-decade divisional era. The Broncos gave up two first-round selections in a five-pick deal but were able to hang onto their young receivers. Denver, which moved to a younger coaching staff headed by first-time HC Nathaniel Hackett and two rookie coordinators, also added defenders Randy Gregory and D.J. Jones. Going from the Teddy Bridgewater–Drew Lock combo to Wilson represents one of the top gains any team made this offseason, but Denver’s divisional competition will not make improvement easy.
Entering the final year in which Herbert must be tied to his rookie contract, the Chargers addressed several needs. They added defensive help in free agency, via J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, and traded second- and sixth-round picks for Khalil Mack. The team also extended Mike Williams at $20MM per year — days before the wide receiver market dramatically shifted — and drafted right guard Zion Johnson in Round 1.
The Raiders were partially responsible for the wideout market’s explosion, trading first- and second-round picks for Davante Adams and extending him at $28MM per year. That came shortly after the team’s Chandler Jones addition. Las Vegas’ Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime has greenlit extensions for Reggie McKenzie– and Jon Gruden-era holdovers — from Carr to Maxx Crosby to Hunter Renfrow. Will a Darren Waller deal follow?
Of last season’s conference kingpins, the Chiefs and Titans endured the biggest losses. Hill and Tyrann Mathieu‘s exits will test the six-time reigning AFC West champs, while last year’s No. 1 seed balked at a monster A.J. Brown extension by trading him to the Eagles for a package headlined by a 2022 first-rounder. Both teams did address some needs early in the draft, but the Bengals and Bills look to have definitively improved their rosters.
Cincinnati augmented its bottom-tier offensive line by signing La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. The defending AFC champions retained almost their entire defense, though Jessie Bates is not especially happy on the franchise tag. Buffalo reloaded as well, adding Von Miller to a defensive line that has lacked a top-end pass rusher for a while. The team swapped out ex-UDFA Levi Wallace for first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam, and James Cook is the Bills’ highest running back draftee since C.J. Spiller 12 years ago. How significant will the Brian Daboll-for-Ken Dorsey OC swap be?
Although Cincy’s AFC North competition made improvements, some caveats come with them. The Ravens filled their center and right tackle spots, with first-rounder Tyler Linderbaum and veteran Morgan Moses, and are now flush with safeties following the arrivals of Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. But Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson situation has reached a strange stage, with the top three Ravens power brokers indicating the former MVP has not shown extension interest. Cleveland landed Amari Cooper for Day 3 draft capital and, on paper, rivaled Denver’s QB upgrade. Historic draft compensation and a shocking $230MM guarantee was required for the Browns to pull it off. But their Deshaun Watson trade has generated considerable drama — to the point the ex-Texans Pro Bowler cannot be considered a lock to play in 2022.
Oddsmakers do not expect the Jaguars’ moves to translate to 2022 contention, but the team did hire a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and spend wildly for lineup upgrades — from Christian Kirk to Brandon Scherff to Foye Oluokun — and used two first-round picks (Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd) to further upgrade its defense. Going from Urban Meyer to Pederson should offer stability to a franchise that has lacked it, never more so than in 2021.
The Jets chased big-name receivers for weeks but came away with Garrett Wilson in a highly praised three-first-rounder draft. New York’s last-ranked defense now has new pieces in first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson, along with DBs Jordan Whitehead and D.J. Reed. Miami made a stunning coaching change by firing Brian Flores, which produced a tidal wave of controversy, but the now-Mike McDaniel-led team also paid up for splashy additions in Hill and Terron Armstead while retaining steady edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.
Are there other teams that warrant mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the new-look AFC in the comments section.
Which AFC team had the best offseason?
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Denver Broncos 13% (421)
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Las Vegas Raiders 12% (388)
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Miami Dolphins 11% (369)
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Los Angeles Chargers 10% (326)
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Cincinnati Bengals 9% (305)
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New York Jets 8% (262)
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Buffalo Bills 6% (211)
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Pittsburgh Steelers 6% (185)
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Baltimore Ravens 5% (165)
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Kansas City Chiefs 5% (163)
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Cleveland Browns 4% (137)
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Indianapolis Colts 4% (119)
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Houston Texans 2% (80)
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New England Patriots 2% (69)
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Jacksonville Jaguars 1% (35)
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Tennessee Titans 1% (23)
Total votes: 3,258
Injury Notes: Beathard, Glasgow, Jones, Texans, Bengals
The Jaguars number-two QB went down with an injury yesterday. C.J. Beathard was carted off the field during OTAs, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). According to the reporter, Beathard suffered a groin injury, and an impending MRI will reveal the extent of the injury.
The former third-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers. Beathard went 2-10 as a starter, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Jaguars last offseason, and he got into two games as Trevor Lawrence‘s backup, completing his pair of pass attempts.
If Beathard is forced to miss an extended amount of time, the Jaguars will likely turn to Jake Luton or rookie EJ Perry as Lawrence’s primary backup.
More injury news from around the NFL…
- Broncos lineman Graham Glasgow broke his ankle last November, but the veteran is back at practice and is competing to regain his starting spot. “I’m no stranger to competition,’’ Glasgow said (via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver). “I’ve competed in the past and I’ve competed for starting jobs in the past. This whole offseason, I’ve been competing with myself to get better in my rehab stuff. If I’m healthy, I’m just going to go out there and do what I can and do what I do. We’ll see what comes out of that.” The 29-year-old guard/center has started 78 of his 82 career games, but Klis notes that Quinn Meinerz and/0r Netane Muti could push him for a starting gig.
- Daniel Jones is apparently over his neck injury. Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that if the season started today, then the Giants starting QB would be fully cleared to play (per Dan Duggan of The Athletic on Twitter). After going 4-7 in his 11 starts, Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 campaign with a neck injury. Despite his struggles, the former sixth-overall pick is expected to keep his starting gig in 2022, although the organization did bring in veteran Tyrod Taylor as competition.
- Texans wideout DaeSean Hamilton is set to have knee surgery tomorrow, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The receiver suffered the injury during a non-contact drill, but he didn’t tear his ACL and is expected to make a full recovery at some point during the regular season. Hamilton was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos in 2018, and he only missed a pair of games through his first three seasons. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, and he caught on with the Texans back in March. The 27-year-old has 81 receptions in 46 games.
- Bengals defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin suffered a wrist injury that will shut him down for the rest of the offseason program, per the team’s website. Coach Zac Taylor told reporters that the former fourth-round pick avoided a serious injury, but the player still needed to go under the knife to repair the ailment. Shelvin got into three games as a rookie, collecting four tackles.
Free Agent Stock Watch: DT Larry Ogunjobi
We were very close to not having to write this Stock Watch. In mid-March, free agent defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi signed a deal to join new head coach Matt Eberflus and new general manager Ryan Poles in Chicago. A failed physical led the Bears to call off the agreement, returning Ogunjobi to free agency. 
“As I said before, Larry Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear,” Poles said in a statement. “He is a special person and player. During the league’s negotiating window earlier this week, we agreed to terms with him, subject to him passing a physical here. After a standard and thorough physical and medical review with Larry yesterday afternoon, our medical team deemed him to have failed his physical and, therefore, unfortunately, we are not signing him today. This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears.”
Ogunjobi’s second free agent deal was set to earn $40.5MM over three years. He would have been entitled to a guaranteed $26.35MM at signing. Compared to his one-year, $6.2MM deal with Cincinnati last year, Ogunjobi was set for a substantial raise. Now, the 28-year-old is back on the market, searching for his next home.
Ogunjobi was a third-round pick out of Charlotte in 2017, getting drafted by the Browns. As a rookie, Ogunjobi was a rotational player. He played in 14 games, earning one start. Ogunjobi recorded 32 tackles, 1.0 sack, and 4.0 tackles for loss as a rookie.
He was named a starter on the line in his sophomore season and held down the job for the rest of his rookie deal, only missing two regular season games over his three years as a Browns’ starter. His second and third seasons were nearly identical. In each year, he recorded 5.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss. His stats dropped a little bit during his last year in Cleveland, but over his last three seasons with the Browns, he totaled 148 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and 25.0 tackles for loss.
Ogunjobi signed with the Bengals last offseason on the one-year deal mentioned above. Ogunjobi got back to his normal ways with his best season to date. He recorded 49 tackles, but added 7.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss. Ogunjobi set himself up to be a premier, young pass-rushing defensive tackle.
Unfortunately, Ogunjobi was injured during the Bengals’ Wildcard victory over the Raiders. The foot injury would require surgery, ending Ogunjobi’s season with the Bengals. It was reported shortly after his contract with the Bears was cancelled that the failed physical stemmed from that injured foot. Poles offered that the failed deal would have prevented them from adding other free agents during the legal tampering period, as well, so the failed physical became a non-starter.
Regardless, the Bears set a clear market for the defensive tackle heading into his sixth NFL season. A three-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $13.5MM is a nod to the accomplishments of Ogunjobi’s young career, but maybe includes a knock for injury. The deal would have given him the tenth-highest AAV in the league. Besides outliers like three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, who is on a six-year deal, and expert run-stopper Brandon Williams, who just finished a five-year deal with the Ravens, most of the top defensive tackles in the league are signing three- to four-year deals.
Who lands Ogunjobi, then? Atlanta could certainly use a playmaker in the middle of the defensive line. Many thought they would make a move for UConn’s Travis Jones, who ended up going to Baltimore in the 2022 NFL Draft. Giving Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees Ogunjobi to pair with Grady Jarrett could do wonders for that defense. Similarly, the Saints would be more than happy to put Ogunjobi alongside David Onyemata. Shy Tuttle is currently set to start next to Onyemata, and Ogunjobi would be a big upgrade in production.
Ogunjobi visited the Jets in early May, but no deal was reached. You probably can’t rule out the Bears, though. Despite the unfortunate outcome, there was enough of a connection that the two reached a deal initially. The Bears did sign Justin Jones to fill their tackle role, but if Ogunjobi is able to pass a physical with the team, he would represent a substantial upgrade over Jones.
Whoever does decide to reach a deal with Ogunjobi, a similar contract to the Bears’ offer should be expected. Ogunjobi should expect a three- or four-year contract from $12MM-$15MM per year. The once-failed physical may take a chunk out of his guaranteed money, but Ogunjobi should still be looking forward to a big payday once he signs the dotted line.
AFC Staff Notes: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers
The Ravens saw David Blackburn get promoted into their director of college scouting position recently. According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, Blackburn was not alone in his promotion. This week, Baltimore announced promotions for Mark Azevedo, Houegnon Attenoukon, Patrick McDonough, and Derrick Yam, as well.
Azevedo was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in his 18th year with the team, assisting the Ravens’ two directors of player personnel, Joe Hortiz and George Kokinis. Attenoukon, known in the clubhouse as “Q,” is entering his sixth year with the team and was promoted to a full-time role as an area scout. The area he will cover has not yet been determined. McDonough is becoming the team’s northeast area scout. Yam was promoted from his role of quantitative analyst into the position of manager of data and decision science. Yam conducts data-based player evaluations for both college and professional players. He builds statistical models from a variety of data sources designed to assess player value, performance, and development.
Here are a few other notes concerning staff moves in the AFC North, starting with the reigning division champions:
- ESPN’s Ben Baby reports that Bengals scout Trey Brown has been promoted to senior personnel executive. Brown drew lots of hiring interest in the most recent job cycle, including an interview for the Raiders’ open general manager position, so the promotion is likely a preventative maneuver to keep him in-house.
- The Steelers recently lost pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt to the Eagles, and, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, the team will also be without college scouting coordinator Rick Reiprish in the upcoming season. Ed Bouchette, also of The Athletic, added that long-time scout Bruce McNorton will no longer be with the Steelers either. McNorton had been a part of the Pittsburgh franchise for 22 years. The mass exodus is not a huge surprise as Omar Khan replaces Kevin Colbert as general manager. Khan recently hired Sheldon White to replace Hunt, so he’ll likely be looking for candidates to fill in the vacancies left by Reiprish and McNorton, as well.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Planning To Retire
After 17 seasons, Ryan Fitzpatrick looks set to retire. The veteran quarterback texted former teammates, including ex-Bills running back Fred Jackson, who shared Fitz’s intentions via Twitter.
Amazon is negotiating a deal with the exiting QB, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Fitzpatrick’s 17th season only featured a handful of snaps in Washington’s Week 1 game, which included a season-ending hip injury. But the Harvard grad left an imprint on the game.
He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have started for nine different teams. No other QB has started for more than seven. The 39-year-old passer, despite being a seventh-round pick, will exit the NFL having started for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Washington. Stretches as a backup ensued, and an earned rollercoaster reputation followed Fitzpatrick, but the former 250th overall pick continued to deliver NFL relevance into his late 30s.
What looks like the NFL’s final Fitzmagic dose occurred late in the Dolphins’ 2020 season, when the bearded vet pulled off a game-winning drive in relief of Tua Tagovailoa in Las Vegas. During the second of his two Bucs seasons (2018), Fitz averaged 9.6 yards per attempt. That remains tied for eighth-best in a season in NFL history — behind only Kurt Warner among post-merger QBs. While that figure formed during a seven-start season, that form helped the popular passer stay a viable option to take snaps into the twilight of his career.
Financially, Fitz did quite well for himself. Even after the Bills bailed on his most notable contract — a six-year, $59MM extension in 2011 — in 2013, he collected a few other nice checks on short-term deals. After Fitzpatrick broke Vinny Testaverde‘s 17-year-old Jets record for single-season touchdown passes, tossing 31 in 2015, Gang Green gave him a one-year, $12MM deal after an offseason impasse. The Dolphins signed Fitz to a two-year, $11MM pact in 2019, and Washington upped that price by inking the then-38-year-old QB to a one-year accord worth $10MM. Despite only playing 16 snaps last season, Fitz collected every penny.
After backing up Marc Bulger and Carson Palmer in St. Louis and Cincinnati, respectively, Fitzpatrick broke through in Buffalo. Taking over for a Bills team that had tried J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards for a fairly lengthy stretch, Fitz started 53 games for the Bills from 2009-12. None of those seasons produced a winning record, however, during the Bills’ near-two-decade-long playoff drought. The Titans and Texans then bolted on two-year contracts after one season apiece.
The Jets brought in Fitz in 2015, after Geno Smith had started two seasons. Backup linebacker I.K. Enemkpali punching Smith in the locker room likely altered his backup’s career trajectory. Fitzpatrick stepped in for a team rostering Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and tallied a career-high 3,905 passing yards to go with the 31 TD throws. This produced the Jets’ most successful season of the past decade, a 10-6 campaign. While Fitz struggled in a crucial season finale, he re-established himself as a starter option.
Following his surprisingly explosive Jameis Winston fill-in season, which featured some memorable press conference attire, Fitzpatrick led a woeful 2019 Dolphins roster to five wins — something that produced a major NFL controversy years later — and concluded that season with a stunning upset in New England. That result game gave the Chiefs a first-round bye, catalyzing the eventual champions’ Super Bowl LIV push.
For his career, Fitz finishes with 34,990 passing yards (32nd all time), 223 touchdown passes (36th) and 169 INTs. This somewhat amazingly never translated to a single playoff appearance in 17 years, with his starter record 59-87-1. But this sub-.500, regular-season-only run certainly generated considerable attention and delivered a host of memorable moments.
Eight Teams Submitted Waiver Claims For DL John Cominsky
The Falcons no longer viewed John Cominsky as a fit, waiving him after three seasons Friday. But a fourth of the NFL remains at least somewhat intrigued by the young defensive lineman’s potential. Eight teams made waiver claims for the fourth-year veteran, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Cominsky is now with the Lions, who hold the No. 2 spot in the offseason waiver order. While the Jaguars (No. 1 on the waiver list) did not try to claim him, the Commanders, Colts, Browns, Texans, Cardinals, Vikings and Bengals did.
A 6-foot-5 defensive lineman out of Division II Charleston (West Virginia), Cominsky only factored in prominently on defense for the 2020 Falcons, who used him on 398 defensive snaps as mostly a backup. Otherwise, the Cleveland-area native has played just 113 non-special teams plays as a pro. The Falcons took Cominsky in the 2019 fourth round (135th overall); Tuesday’s claim volume makes it fairly clear other teams believe some of the potential that led the former Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year to the Senior Bowl and 2019 Combine remains.
As a senior at Charleston, Cominsky totaled 16.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. This potential has not yet translated to the pro level, with the ex-Falcon finishing the 2020 season with a sack and 10 pressures. The Falcons used him on 13 defensive plays last season. But the 285-pound defender offers some versatility, as a defensive end and D-tackle.
The Lions will aim to see if the small-school product can carve out a role under second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. If he cannot, Tuesday’s waiver summary points to a third chance for the contract-year defender.
Bengals Set To Complete Offensive Line Renovation
The Bengals fell just short of their first ever Super Bowl win in their third appearance in the league’s season finale. As the final seconds ticked away, analysts’ fingers started pointing, with many of them directed at Cincinnati’s lackluster offensive line. 
In their loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Bengals fielded Trey Hopkins at center, Jonah Williams at left tackle, Isaiah Prince at right tackle, Hakeem Adeniji at left guard, and Quinton Spain at right guard. Hopkins and Spain are free agents, no longer on the roster. Adeniji and Prince retain their roster spots, but are no longer projected to start. Williams, perhaps the only bright spot on the line last year, will return as the blindside blocker.
The Bengals worked ferociously in the offseason to address their deficiencies on offensive line. They signed three free agent offensive lineman who are all expected to come in and start right away. Ted Karras comes to Cincinnati after starting experience at center in both New England and Miami. Alex Cappa comes to town after three strong seasons as the Buccaneers’ starter at right guard. La’el Collins is ready to bookend the line with Williams after years of starting experience at right tackle in Dallas.
With Karras at center, Collins and Williams at tackle, and Cappa at right guard, that leaves one position up for grabs. The current favorite to start at left guard is 2021 second-round draft pick Jackson Carman. Carman served mainly as a backup last year for the Bengals earning six starts on the year while playing in every game. The main concern with starting Carman is the fact that he couldn’t supplant any of the lackluster starters from last year. Perhaps with a year of NFL football under his belt now, Carman will blossom into a strong starter at left guard.
The other favorite to man the last spot on the offensive line comes from Cincinnati’s most recent draft class, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. The Bengals used one draft pick this year on an offensive player, bestowing that honor upon the 23-year-old tackle out of North Dakota State, Cordell Volson. Volson served as the Bison’s right tackle in his last college years, but had experience at all four guard and tackle positions during his time in Fargo. That versatility will certainly come in handy as many college tackles tend to move to an interior lineman position if they aren’t projected to dominate as a tackle at the next level. Volson is sure to give Carman a run for his money as the Bengals look to put the finishing touch on their full offensive line renovation.
All the players mentioned above are the favorites to contribute on the offensive line this year, but the following players will attend camp with the hopes of stealing a starting job. At center, Cincinnati also rosters Trey Hill, Lamont Gaillard, and undrafted rookie Ben Brown. At guard, the Bengals’ roster lists D’Ante Smith and undrafted rookie Desmond Noel. The only tackle on the roster that wasn’t already mentioned is undrafted rookie Devin Cochran.