Cowboys To Sign Ty Nsekhe
The Cowboys just lost last year’s swing tackle when Cameron Erving signed with the Panthers yesterday, and they’re wasting no time in replacing him.
Dallas has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran lineman Ty Nsekhe, his agency Elite Loyalty Sports announced on Twitter. Nsekhe will now slide into Erving’s role and fill in for either Tyron Smith or La’el Collins if necessary. Erving ended up starting a handful of games for the Cowboys last year due to injuries.
Nsekhe has had a remarkable path, as he entered the pro ranks as an UDFA back in 2009. He started off in the AF2 and after a few years in the ill-fated AFL, finally got his first taste of the NFL in 2012. He didn’t stick on a roster until 2015, when he finally found his footing with Washington.
He would go on to start a handful of games for Washington in each season from 2016-18, always filling in solidly when the team was in a pinch. Regarded as one of the better reserve tackles out there, he signed a two-year, $14.5MM deal with Buffalo in March of 2019.
That turned out to be a pretty sweet gig for him, as he only started one game for the Bills the past two seasons. He’s 35 now, but will give the Cowboys very solid depth on the O-line.
Cowboys To Re-Sign C.J. Goodwin
The Cowboys haven’t been too active so far in free agency, but they’re now making a smaller move to keep one of their own in the fold. Dallas has agreed to terms on a new deal for cornerback/special teamer C.J. Goodwin, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a two-year deal for $3.5MM with $2MM guaranteed, Rapsheet notes. Goodwin only played 18 defensive snaps last year but is one of the team’s most important special teams players, as he played over 70 percent of the total defensive snaps. Goodwin came into the league as an UDFA with the Steelers in 2014, but he didn’t crack the field until 2016 with the Falcons.
He carved out a role as a special teamer, and even started a game on defense for Atlanta that year. The D2 product was cut by four different teams in 2018 before signing with the Cowboys off the Bengals’ practice squad, and he’s now been in Dallas the past three seasons. Getting $2MM guaranteed is a massive win for a player with his story, so we all tip our cap to him.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/21
Today’s “minor” moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: P Andy Lee
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: LB Tyler Matakevich
Carolina Panthers
- Released: DT Zach Kerr
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: WR Noah Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Terrence Brooks, G Justin McCray, DT Vincent Taylor, CB Tremon Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Rudy Ford
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: DT Carl Davis
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Austin Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: Rashod Hill
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/21
We’ve compiled a handful of tender decisions below:
- The Cardinals are tendering linebacker Dennis Gardeck at a second-round value, which is worth around $3.38MM. The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire three-year career with Arizona, primarily appearing on special teams. However, the 26-year-old took on a bigger defensive role in 2020, finished with seven sacks in only 93 snaps. Gardeck tore his ACL late in the season, so his status for 2021 is in doubt.
- The Chargers won’t be tendering defensive end Isaac Rochell, which comes as a bit of a surprise. The 25-year-old had a solid season for Los Angeles, starting six games while compiling 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Rochell has 9.5 career sacks and 12 QB hits in 51 career games.
- The Packers have tendered wideout Malik Taylor, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). After spending much of his rookie season on Green Bay’s practice squad, Taylor managed to appear in 15 games for the Packers this past season. He ultimately hauled in five receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. He also returned a pair of kicks and compiled three tackles.
- The Bills won’t be tendering cornerback Levi Wallace, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). However, there’s still a chance the 25-year-old lands back in Buffalo. The cornerback has started 28 games for Buffalo over the past two years, compiling four interceptions and 17 passes defended.
- The Cowboys are tendering wideout Cedrick Wilson and nose tackle Antwaun Woods. Wilson has appeared in 22 games over the past two years, compiling 25 touches for 223 yards from scrimmage. Woods has started 32 of his 39 games for Dallas over the past three years, compiling 80, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2021 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2021 draft.
These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2020 offseason. This year, the NFL awarded 36 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The Cowboys top the list (shared below) with a league-high four selections.
A change to this year’s formula took place, with the NFL awarding four picks to teams who saw one of their minority staffers become a head coach or GM. The 49ers, Rams, Ravens and Saints earned third-round comp picks this year. They will receive additional third-rounders in 2022. The Rams added a third-rounder after losing college scouting director Brad Holmes (Lions GM); the Ravens lost quarterbacks coach David Culley (Texans HC); the Saints lost assistant GM Terry Fontenot (Falcons GM). In losing VP of player personnel Martin Mayhew (Washington GM) and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (Jets HC), the 49ers will have an additional third-round pick in 2023 as well.
Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:
By round:
Round 3: Patriots (No. 96 overall), Chargers (97), Saints (98), Cowboys (99), Titans (100), Rams (101), 49ers (102)*, Rams (103)*, Ravens (104)*, Saints (105)*
Round 4: Cowboys (No. 139 overall), Patriots (140), Steelers (141), Rams (142), Packers (143), Vikings (144), Chiefs (145)
Round 5: Packers (No. 178 overall), Cowboys (179), Falcons (180), 49ers (181), Chiefs (182), Falcons (183), Ravens (184)
Round 6: Buccaneers (No. 217 overall), Saints (218), Falcons (219), Packers (220), Bears (221), Panthers (222), Vikings (223), Eagles (224), Eagles (225), Panthers (226), Cowboys (227), Bears (228)
By team:
- Dallas Cowboys (4)
- Atlanta Falcons (3)
- Green Bay Packers (3)
- Los Angeles Rams (3)
- New Orleans Saints (3)
- Baltimore Ravens (2)
- Carolina Panthers (2)
- Chicago Bears (2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2)
- Minnesota Vikings (2)
- New England Patriots (2)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2)
- San Francisco 49ers (2)
- Los Angeles Chargers (1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
- Tennessee Titans (1)
* = special compensatory selection
Cowboys Release FB Jamize Olawale
Jamize Olawale opted out of last season due to COVID-19 concerns. He will now need to find a new team. The Cowboys released the veteran fullback Wednesday.
The move will free up a bit of cap space ($1.1MM) but leave Dallas with more in dead money ($1.2MM). The Cowboys previously extended Olawale in 2019, signing him through the 2021 season.
An eight-year veteran whom the Cowboys acquired from the Raiders in 2018, Olawale plans to play next season, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken (on Twitter).
While it will not be a lock Olawale catches on elsewhere, considering he plays a fringe position and will turn 32 next month, he has managed to sign a few NFL contracts. The Raiders landed Olawale as a UDFA in 2012 and extended him in 2015. He did not make it to Year 1 of the team’s Jon Gruden regime, being traded to Dallas during an offseason that sent Cowboys fullback Keith Smith to the Raiders. The Cowboys re-signed Olawale to a three-year, $5.4MM deal in March 2019.
This move comes after the Cowboys restructured the contracts of Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and La’el Collins, creating around $17MM in cap space.
Contract Restructures: Panthers, Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Eagles, Steelers
It’s that time of year when teams are frantically maneuvering ahead of free agency. Due to the cap falling because of COVID-19, things are even more hectic than ever. We’ve seen a whole bunch of contract restructures come in, and there will be a whole lot more. Let’s catch you up on the latest batch and their financial implications:
- The Panthers restructured Christian McCaffrey‘s contract recently, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. They converted $7MM of his $8MM base salary into a signing bonus, which freed up about $5.6MM in cap space for 2021. Almost a year ago McCaffrey signed his record-breaking extension that has him locked up through the 2025 season.
- The Cowboys have had a busy week with Dak Prescott‘s massive extension now in the books, and they made a trio of moves to help clear some space. Dallas restructured the deals of Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and La’el Collins, a source told Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The reworking of the three offensive linemen’s contracts cleared up about $17MM in cap space for Jerry Jones. As Archer notes, these moves have now gotten Dallas under the cap for 2021.
- The Giants just cut top offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler as they look to clear cap space to keep guys like defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson. The Zeitler release isn’t the only shuffling they’re doing, as they also restructured the contract of tight end Levine Toilolo, and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweeted the details. Rather than a procedural restructure like you see with star players, Toilolo actually took a pay-cut to stay with the team. He had been scheduled to make $2.95MM this year but agreed to reduce that to $1.6MM, saving the Giants north of $1MM against the cap.
- We’ve got four other restructures to pass along, courtesy of this tweet from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Saints restructured the deals of safety Malcolm Jenkins to save $3.4MM and offensive lineman Andrus Peat to save $6MM. New Orleans has the worst cap situation in the league, and they desperately needed moves like this to do things like franchise tag safety Marcus Williams.
- The Eagles saved $2.4MM by reworking the deal of offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo. Philly is right up there with New Orleans in terms of bad cap situations, so GM Howie Roseman is likely far from done here.
- The Steelers saved $880K by adjusting fullback Derek Watt‘s contract. Not exactly front page news here, but it should shore up Watt’s spot on the 2021 roster. T.J. and J.J.’s brother signed a three-year, $9.75MM pact last offseason.
NFL’s Fifth-Year Option Salaries For 2021
The NFL’s 2021 salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, marking the league’s first reduction in a decade. With that, the league has also ironed out the value of this year’s fifth-round option for 2018 first-round picks.
Here’s the full rundown, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter):
1. Baker Mayfield, Browns, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
2. Saquon Barkley, Giants, RB — $7.217MM (1x Pro Bowl)
3. Sam Darnold, Jets, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
4. Denzel Ward, Browns, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
5. Bradley Chubb, Broncos, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
6. Quenton Nelson, Colts, G — $13.754MM (2x Pro Bowl)
7. Josh Allen, Bills, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
8. Roquan Smith, Bears, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
9. Mike McGlinchey, 49ers, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
10. Josh Rosen, Cardinals, QB*
11. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers, S (drafted by Dolphins) — $10.612MM (2x Pro Bowl)
12. Vita Vea, Buccaneers, DT — $7.638MM
13. Daron Payne, Washington, DT — $8.529MM (playing time)
14. Marcus Davenport, Saints, DE — $9.553MM
15. Kolton Miller, Raiders, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
16. Tremaine Edmunds, Bills, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
17. Derwin James, Chargers, S — $9.052MM (1x Pro Bowl)
18. Jaire Alexander, Packers, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
19. Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys, LB — $9.145MM
20. Frank Ragnow, Lions, C — $12.657MM (1x Pro Bowl)
21. Billy Price, Bengals, C — $10.413MM
22. Rashaan Evans, Titans, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
23. Isaiah Wynn, Patriots, OT — $10.413MM
24. D.J. Moore, Panthers, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
25. Hayden Hurst, Falcons, TE (Drafted by Ravens) — $5.428MM
26. Calvin Ridley, Falcons, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
27. Rashaad Penny, Seahawks, RB — $4.523MM
28., Steelers, S Terrell Edmunds — $6.753MM (playing time)
29. Taven Bryan, Jaguars, DT — $7.638MM
30. Mike Hughes, Vikings, CB — $12.643MM
31. Sony Michel, Patriots, RB — $4.523MM
32. Lamar Jackson, Ravens, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
* Rosen was released from his original contract and, therefore, is not option-eligible
As a refresher, the fifth-year option year is now fully guaranteed. In the past, it was guaranteed for injury only. The values are also dependent on certain performance metrics:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the 3rd-20th highest salaries at their position:
- 75%+ snaps in two of their first three seasons
- 75%+ average across all three seasons
- 50%+ in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will get the average of the 3rd-25th top salaries at their position.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/21
A handful of teams handed out free agent tenders today, and we’ve collected each of them below:
- The Cowboys are holding on to defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The 2020 undrafted free agent out of James Madison initially got $145K in guaranteed money from Dallas last summer (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com), but the team briefly let him get away from their practice squad when he was signed by the Colts early in the season. He was ultimately cut by Indy and landed back in Dallas via waivers. He appeared in three games as a rookie, collecting one tackle.
- The Broncos informed three exclusive rights free agents that they’ll be tendered, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter), a grouping that includes wideout/returner Diontae Spencer, offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, and safety Trey Marshall. Spencer, 28, has spent the past two seasons in Denver, compiling 82 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches. He’s also played a role on special teams, returning 42 punt for 461 yards and one touchdown and 30 kicks for 717 yards. After spending much of the 2019 season on Denver’s practice squad, Anderson managed to appear in all 16 games (including two starts) for the Broncos in 2020. Marshall has appeared in 30 games over the past three seasons with the Broncos, including a 2019 campaign where he finished with 25 tackles and one forced fumble.
- The Buccaneers tendered three exclusive rights free agents today: tight end Tanner Hudson, defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter, and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor. Hudson has spent the past three years with Tampa Bay, and he hauled in three receptions in 11 games this past season. O’Connor appeared in 16 games for the Buccaneers this year, collecting four tackles and one sack. Ledbetter has been around the NFL since 2017, and he compiled one sack in three games with Tampa in 2020.
As a reminder, the deadline to place tenders on restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent is March 17.
Latest On Dak Prescott’s Cowboys Deal
The Cowboys used their franchise tag on Dak Prescott on Tuesday, but the move was procedural. Dallas did give Prescott the exclusive tag, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter), for the second straight year. However, the two-year saga is still ending. Prescott agreed to a four-year, $160MM extension Monday night.
This move will further protect Prescott against a future tag down the line. A third tag would bump up the quarterback’s price to an astronomical place. A third tag in 2022 would have cost the Cowboys more than $54MM. They finalized a deal Monday, rather than have his second tag price — $37.7MM — on their books going into free agency.
Players have been tagged three times before; Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones played three seasons on the tag in the 2000s. But the system now calls for a 44% raise from the previous year’s salary. Dak’s extension contains a no-tag provision, but that applies only to this through-2024 deal. Tuesday’s second tag would make the prospect of the Cowboys tagging Prescott at the end of another contract effectively a non-starter. This will give Dak more leverage over the course of his career.
After counting $22.2MM against Dallas’ 2021 cap, Prescott will see his cap numbers spike to $33.2MM in 2022, $44.2MM in 2023 and $47.2MM in ’24, per OverTheCap. Prescott’s 2021 and ’22 base salaries ($9MM and $20MM, respectively) are fully guaranteed, with Joel Corry of CBS Sports noting the well-compensated quarterback will receive his full $66MM signing bonus — an NFL-record figure — by the end of 2021 (Twitter link).
The guaranteed base salaries and full bonus payout being due this year will give Prescott $95MM guaranteed at signing, making for another NFL record. Matt Ryan‘s $94.5MM full guarantee in 2018 previously topped that list. While Prescott’s 2023 salary ($31MM) is guaranteed for injury only, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes it will shift to a full guarantee on the fifth day of the 2022 league year. TL;DR: Prescott is now a far richer man.
Prescott’s total guarantees ($126MM) fall short of Patrick Mahomes‘ ($141MM), and the Chiefs QB still leads the football world with his $45MM-per-year average. But Prescott’s contract has now set records for signing bonus, fully guaranteed money and Year 1 payment. While Mahomes is signed through 2030, Prescott will have the opportunity to cash in again — assuming his play level does not nosedive in the early 2020s — before turning 32.