AFC West Rumors: James, Waller, Hobbs, Waitman
Back in June of 2021, Ravens offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James filed a grievance against the Broncos seeking $15MM consisting of his 2021 and 2022 salaries of $10MM and $5MM, respectively. James has reportedly settled with his former team and will receive $1.09MM, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports.
The grievance stems from a torn Achilles that James suffered while working out away from the Broncos’ facility during the 2021 offseason. He missed out on a $9.85MM guaranteed salary that Denver claimed was only guaranteed for injuries sustained at the team facility.
James has not played since the injury and is currently listed as the backup to Baltimore’s starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Ravens fans are hoping not to have to see James come in, but, historically, Stanley has only played in two games since signing a contract extension in October of 2020.
Here are a few more rumors from the AFC West, starting with two rumors out of Sin City:
- Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters that star tight end Darren Waller returned to practice today, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. Waller had missed six practices since mid-August due to a hamstring injury. Adding Waller back to the mix gives Las Vegas a dangerous array of pass catchers with Waller and receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow.
- After the trade yesterday that sent former second-round pick Trayvon Mullen to Arizona and with Darius Phillips not making the initial 53-man roster, Raiders nickel cornerback Nate Hobbs is finally set to move to an outside cornerback gig, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. The team’s coaches have long been boasting of their plans to move Hobbs around on defense, and they now have a prime opportunity to see what he can do on the outside of the secondary.
- The Broncos surprised quite a few when punter Sam Martin failed to make their initial 53-man roster. Instead, Denver will move forward with former-Steelers punter Corliss Waitman. General manager George Paton attempted to defend the cut by telling reporters that the move was not a reflection of contracts but one of abilities, according to Troy Renck of Denver 7. Martin has been a starting punter since being drafted in the league back in 2013 by the Lions. He had signed a three-year, $7.05MM contract to join the Broncos and was headed into the final year of the deal set to make $2.25MM. Martin reportedly refused to take a pay cut for the 2022 season and Denver now will rely on the leg of Waitman, who holds an $825K cap hit. According to Paton, though, the $1.4MM cap room cleared by cutting Martin had nothing to do with it. Also according to Paton, Waitman, who has two games of NFL play under his belt, simply beat out the veteran kicker with 139 games of NFL experience. Broncos fans will get to judge for themselves when they see Waitman’s regular season debut in a Broncos uniform in Seattle on Monday Night Football.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Denver Broncos
Re-signed:
- NT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson
Signed to practice squad:
- DL McTelvin Agim, OL Quinn Bailey, CB Faion Hicks, WR Kendall Hinton, QB Josh Johnson, OLB Jonathan Kongbo, LB Kana’i Mauga, CB Ja’Quan McMillian, G Netane Muti, RB Devine Ozigbo, TE Dylan Parham, WR Darrius Shepherd
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed to practice squad:
- DB Zayne Anderson, G Mike Caliendo, LB Jack Cochrane, RB Jerrion Ealy, WR Daurice Fountain, TE Jordan Franks, S Nazeeh Johnson, DE Azur Kamara, LB Elijah Lee, QB Chris Oladokun, WR Cornell Powell, C Austin Reiter, DT Danny Shelton, DT Taylor Stallworth
Las Vegas Raiders
Released from IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Curtis Bolton, CB Isiah Brown, CB Bryce Cosby, S Matthias Farley, TE Cole Fotheringham, QB Chase Garbers, C Hroniss Grasu, G Jordan Meredith, OT Bamidele Olaseni, WR Dillon Stoner, DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, DE Zach VanValkenburg, RB Austin Walter, WR Isaiah Zuber
Los Angeles Chargers
Signed:
- RB Sony Michel (story)
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- T Zack Bailey, WR Michael Bandy, DL Christian Covington, DL Joe Gaziano, CB Kemon Hall, CB Michael Jacquet, TE Hunter Kampoyer, OLB Carlo Kemp, S Raheem Layne, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, WR Jason Moore Jr., WR Joe Reed, T Foster Sarell, DB Mark Webb Jr.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Chicago Bears
Claimed:
- DB Josh Blackwell (from Eagles), DL Kingsley Jonathan (from Bills), OL Alex Leatherwood (from Raiders), DL Armon Watts (from Vikings), LB Sterling Weatherford (from Colts), TE Trevon Wesco (from Jets) (story)
Released:
- LB Joe Thomas
Waived:
- LB Caleb Johnson, CB Duke Shelley, G Zachary Thomas, DT Khyiris Tonga
Placed on IR:
- WR Tajae Sharpe
Signed to practice squad:
- TE Chase Allen, C Dieter Eiselen, RB Darrynton Evans, CB Thomas Graham Jr., DL Sam Kamara, QB Nathan Peterman
Detroit Lions
Claimed:
- DT Benito Jones (from Bills)
Waived:
Released from IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Maurice Alexander, LB Jarrad Davis, TE Derrick Deese, T Obinna Eze, TE Garrett Griffin, DL Bruce Hector, LB James Houston, RB Justin Jackson, WR Tom Kennedy, CB A.J. Parker, LB Anthony Pittman, T Dan Skipper, CB Saivion Smith
Green Bay Packers
Signed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- QB Danny Etling, WR Travis Fulgham, CB Rico Gafford, RB Tyler Goodson, LB La’Darius Hamilton, DL Jack Heflin, T Caleb Jones, LB Kobe Jones, DL Chris Slayton, RB Patrick Taylor, CB Kiondre Thomas, LB Ray Wilborn, WR Juwann Winfree
Minnesota Vikings
Waived:
Darren Waller Targeting Raiders Extension ‘Soon’
Although the prospect of the Raiders tabling an extension to 2023 surfaced during the offseason, Darren Waller is now with Drew Rosenhaus. The powerful agent said the plan is to hammer out a deal as soon as possible, via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
After leaving Klutch Sports recently, Waller signed with Rosenhaus on Wednesday. This notable representation switch could push this matter to a front-burner item for the Raiders, who have already done a few big-ticket extensions this offseason. Waller’s current contract has been out of step with his value for a while; the Pro Bowl tight end appears to be taking action.
A $16MM-per-year contract has been floated during Waller’s talks with the Raiders, though extension conversations are not believed to have progressed too far. Two years remain on Waller’s current contract, one that has — in terms of AAV — dropped to 17th among tight ends. The veteran pass catcher is tied to $6.25MM base salaries in 2022 and 2023.
Despite changing regimes this offseason, the Raiders paid Derek Carr, Hunter Renfrow and Maxx Crosby. Renfrow is now tied to a $16MM-per-year deal — more than double Waller’s $7.6MM-AAV accord. Waller signed his deal back in 2019, when he was in the process of crafting a belated breakout after substance-abuse issues nearly derailed his career. But the tight end market has changed considerably since then, with George Kittle and Travis Kelce pushing it past $14MM on average. Kittle’s $15MM-per-year deal tops the market.
It is understandable why Waller would not want to wait until 2023 for a new deal to come to pass. After trading away Amari Cooper and seeing their Antonio Brown deal combust before the mercurial superstar played a game in Oakland, the Raiders relied on Waller for years. The Jon Gruden-era reclamation project rewarded the team by producing back-to-back 1,100-yard receiving seasons — a feat few tight ends in NFL history have accomplished. Far less acclaimed tight ends have passed him on the market, with David Njoku‘s $13.7MM-AAV Browns deal being the most glaring example.
Waller will also turn 30 in September and is coming off a season in which an ankle injury forced him to miss extensive time down the stretch. With Waller dealing with a hamstring malady now, the Raiders could also exercise caution and force him to prove his value in a new offense. It will be interesting to see how the parties proceed here, as this now appears to be an issue that will not wait until 2023.
Raiders Trim Roster To 53 Players
The Raiders have been busy today, trading former second-round cornerback Trayvon Mullen to the Cardinals for a conditional seventh-round pick. The Raiders have since completed their 53-man roster, cutting a number of players:
Released:
- WR Keelan Cole
- C Hroniss Grasu
- S Matthias Farley
- CB Darius Phillips
- DT Kyle Peko
Waived:
- G Alex Bars
- LB Curtis Bolton
- CB Isaiah Brown
- CB Bryce Cosby
- S Qwynnterio Cole
- TE Cole Fotheringham
- QB Chase Garbers
- G/T Alex Leatherwood (story)
- G Jordan Meredith
- OT Bamidele Olaseni
- WR Dillon Stoner
- DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
- DE Zack VanValkenburg
- RB Austin Walter
- WR Isaiah Zuber
Placed on IR:
Keelan Cole started 11 of his 15 games for the Jets last season, finishing with 28 receptions for 449 yards and one touchdown. He was expected to serve as an end-of-the-depth-chart option at wide receiver (and in the return game), but he ultimately lost out on the gig to Tyron Johnson and DJ Turner. Wideout Dillon Stoner and Isaiah Zuber were also candidates for the fourth or fifth receiver gig, but they were cut.
Matthias Farley saw time in all 17 games for the Titans last season, finishing with 16 tackles. He has extensive special teams experience, but the Raiders ended up pivoting to younger options to round out their roster, Darius Phillips was also a candidate to contribute on special teams following a 2021 campaign where he returned 25 punts for the Bengals.
Austin Walter had a career-high 28 touches for the Jets last offseason, but he wasn’t able to crack the Raiders roster even with the release of Kenyan Drake. The Raiders RB room is still plenty crowded, with Josh Jacobs, rookie fourth-round pick Zamir White, special teams ace Brandon Bolden, rookie seventh-round pick Brittain Brown, and veteran Ameer Abdullah all earning roster spots.
Raiders To Send CB Trayvon Mullen To Cardinals
High-round Jon Gruden-era Raiders picks continue to fly off the now-Josh McDaniels-led team’s roster. Former second-rounder Trayvon Mullen is following Alex Leatherwood out the door.
The fourth-year cornerback is heading to the Cardinals, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. One season remains on Mullen’s rookie contract. This helps a corner-needy Cardinals squad while also leading yet another early recent Raiders pick off their roster.
This move saved Mullen from being waived, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the Cardinals will send the Raiders a conditional seventh-round pick (Twitter link). The pick could bump to sixth-round value depending on Mullen’s playing time. The Cardinals have now acquired three first- or second-round picks from the 2019 draft this year, adding Marquise Brown (Round 1) in April and Cody Ford (Round 2) earlier this month.
The No. 40 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Mullen was traded minutes after the No. 40 pick in 2020 (Ross Blacklock) was dealt. Unlike the former Texans second-round choice, Mullen had been a regular starter with the team that drafted him. The Clemson product started 31 games with the Raiders, including all 16 during the 2020 season.
For the Cardinals, this could be a valuable move. They have been in need at the corner position for a while. Arizona’s agreement with former first-round pick Jeff Gladney preceded the ex-Viking dying tragically in a May car accident. While Kliff Kingsbury indicated in June the Cards would look at veteran corners, only Josh Jackson arrived as a notable investment. The Cards cut Jackson on Monday but were still rumored to be searching at the position. Mullen represents a starter-caliber option alongside Byron Murphy.
Mullen, however, is coming off an injury-plagued stretch. A foot injury limited him to five games last season, and that issue required a procedure in May. That surgery led to Mullen missing the start of Las Vegas’ training camp. The Cardinals will bet on Mullen staying healthy in his contract year. Although Pro Football Focus has never viewed Mullen as an upper-crust corner, Arizona is limited on options here. It would not surprise if the team was not done tinkering at this spot.
As for Vegas, the team has now moved on from primary starters Mullen and Casey Hayward this year. Hayward signed with the Falcons in free agency. The Raiders did acquire Rock Ya-Sin in the Yannick Ngakoue trade and have emerging slot player Nate Hobbs under contract for three more seasons. The team also signed former Baltimore corner Anthony Averett this offseason.
Raiders To Waive OL Alex Leatherwood
The Raiders are bailing on the Alex Leatherwood experiment after one season. Despite going in the 2021 first round, Leatherwood will be waived Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
A surprise pick at the time, Leatherwood did not do much to impress either of the two Raiders regimes to come through during his time in Las Vegas. The Dave Ziegler–Josh McDaniels regime will cut bait despite three seasons remaining on his rookie contract.
That contract will now turn into a big dead-money hit for the Raiders. By cutting Leatherwood before his second season, the Raiders will be tagged with more than $11MM in dead cap. While that can be spread through 2023, with $7.9MM staying on Vegas’ payroll this year, the defrayed signing bonus hits will lead to one of the bigger dead-cap hits on a rookie contract in recent memory. But the Raiders could not find a place for Leatherwood, after trying him at both tackle and guard.
All options were believed to be on the table with Leatherwood, whom the team attempted to trade. His 2021 performance, contract and perception as a first-round reach certainly impacted those efforts.
The Raiders quickly moved Leatherwood to right guard last season, and Pro Football Focus viewed the Alabama product as one of the league’s worst guard regulars. A move back to tackle did not take. Even after Brandon Parker was lost for the season in training camp, Leatherwood could not seize the gig.
Las Vegas’ O-line plan as a whole has been unusual throughout this offseason. With the exception of left tackle Kolton Miller, the Raiders bring question marks at their other spots. Although Andre James is fairly established at center, though his extension was authorized by the Jon Gruden regime, the team has glaring issues on the right side of its O-line. Ex-Patriot spot starter Jermaine Eluemunor has been a big factor at right tackle, while Lester Cotton — a UDFA who has played in five career games and never started any — has worked as the team’s starting right guard. The Raiders seem primed to scour the waiver wire in the coming hours.
Leatherwood’s departure obviously also shifts the spotlight back to the Gruden-Mike Mayock drafts. Leatherwood and 2020 first-round picks Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette are gone. Clelin Ferrell has long been shifted to a backup role, and his status with the Raiders is tenuous. The new Raiders front office also did not pick up the fifth-year options on fellow 2019 first-rounders Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram. After the team traded Reggie McKenzie-era first-rounders Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper and accumulated first-round capital, there is little to show for those moves.
Raiders, TE Darren Waller Discussing Record-Setting Extension?
Not much has come out regarding Darren Waller‘s extension talks with the Raiders. From the team hoping to table contract talks to 2023 to the new regime still viewing Waller as an essential piece, the situation stood in a holding pattern throughout the offseason. But Waller’s agency change may make this a front-burner matter soon.
With Waller expected to add Drew Rosenhaus as his agent this week, the matter of his below-market contract will come up. The Pro Bowl pass catcher has already discussed a lucrative deal with the Raiders, however, with CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson noting (via Twitter) a contract that would make Waller the league’s highest-paid tight end has come up.
The deal would be in the $16MM-per-year range, per Anderson, though specifics remain light. And Waller’s agency change does not seem to indicate anything was close. George Kittle‘s $15MM-per-year contract continues to top the market, though the wide receiver market’s boom now makes tight ends collectively –particularly those on the Kittle-Waller-Travis Kelce–Mark Andrews tier — look underpaid.
Las Vegas has changed regimes, but the Dave Ziegler–Josh McDaniels pairing has taken care of Derek Carr and Hunter Renfrow this offseason. The team also traded for Davante Adams and extended him at $28MM per year. Renfrow is also tied to a deal worth more than double Waller’s $7.6MM-per-year figure. It is unsurprising the accomplished tight end may be trying to force the issue, given his age (30 in September), importance to recent Raider teams and the contracts the new team brass has handed out.
Waller’s contract ranks 17th among tight ends for AAV, with the likes of Will Dissly and C.J. Uzomah moving past him this offseason. Waller is one of a handful of tight ends in NFL history to post two 1,100-yard seasons. However, he is coming off a year in which an ankle injury sidelined him for much of the Raiders’ stretch run.
For now, Waller is attempting to move past a hamstring injury that has forced him to miss time during training camp. All parties have pointed to that as a minor ailment, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. This three-week absence emerging as the contract matter unfolds may or may not be a coincidence. For now, Waller is tied to a $6.25MM base salary that becomes guaranteed in Week 1.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/22
We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: P Cameron Dicker
Chicago Bears
- Waived (non-football illness): OL Jean Delance
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: DE Curtis Weaver
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: DE Markaviest Bryant, T Amon Simon, OL James Empey, WR T.J. Vasher
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: LB Ty Summers
Las Vegas Raiders:
- Placed on IR: RT Brandon Parker, DT Tyler Lancaster, LB Tae Davis (story)
- Waived: TE Nicke Bowers, WR Justin Hall
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Josh Black, RB Abram Smith, OL Khalique Washington, CB Brian Allen, T Derrick Kelly, CB Quenton Meeks
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Ka’dar Hollman
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Jameson Houston, TE Cade Brewer, LB Aaron Donkor, RB Ronnie Rivers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: CB Tre Brown
Washington Commanders
- Released via injury settlement: DE Bunmi Rotimi
Summers is a 2019 seventh-round pick who has just one career start but who has established himself as a key contributor on Green Bay’s special teams unit over his first three seasons in the league. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com expects the TCU product to generate interest on the waiver wire (Twitter link). Indeed, Packers HC Matt LaFleur said that the team made the decision to part ways with Summers now in order to give him a chance to hook on with a new club before the wave of impending cuts that will soon flood the market (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
The Seahawks’ decision to move Brown to the PUP list means that he will be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. That marks a disappointing start to his second NFL campaign; the fourth-rounder had two separate IR stints last year. That limited him to just five games (three starts), during which he registered 10 tackles and one pass deflection. Seattle has seen plenty of roster turnover at the CB position this offseason, leaving Brown in line for at least a rotational role. In his absence, the team will rely even more on starters Sidney Jones and Artie Burns, with rookies Coby Bryant likely to play in the slot.
Raiders RT Brandon Parker Out For Season
The Raiders’ right tackle competition has seen an unfortunate development. Per a team announcement, projected starter Brandon Parker has been placed on injured reserve, ending his 2022 season. 
The 26-year-old was in line to operate with the first team, but suffered an injury which was recently confirmed as being serious. In his absence, Vegas had several options available as replacements, and were subsequently reported to not be eyeing a free agent addition.
Parker has starting experience dating back, primarily, to his rookie season and the 2021 campaign. He re-upped with the team in free agency on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, a contract which would have given the team a cost-effective lineman and allowed the former third-rounder to earn a more lucrative pact next offseason. Instead, his market will be weighed down by this year-long absence.
For the past few weeks, Vegas has weighed their options at the position, which include veteran Jermaine Eluemunor, seventh-round rookie Thayer Munford and 2021 first-rounder Alex Leatherwood. The latter struggled during his rookie season, resulting in a shift to guard. He has been similarly underwhelming during this offseason, potentially leaving his roster spot in jeopardy despite his age and draft status. Indeed, the team’s braintrust – now featuring GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels – has explored the possibility of trading Leatherwood, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Between that possibility and a minor ailment for Munford, Eluemunor can be considered the RT favorite at least to start the season. Especially given the expectations surrounding the Raiders, though, that spot (along with the 0-line as a whole) will be heavily scrutinized, particularly if Vegas holds firm on using internal options to replace Parker.
The team also confirmed on Sunday that defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster and linebacker Tae Davis have been placed on IR. Lancaster had been a rotational presence throughout his four-year Packers tenure before signing in May; Davis, meanwhile, primarily played on special teams with the Giants and Browns to begin his career. He missed the 2021 campaign, and had recently been released by the Texans.