Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/22
It’s been a busy day around the NFL. We’ve compiled today’s minor moves below:
Denver Broncos
- To be signed: G Ben Braden
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: TE Antony Auclair
- Claimed (from Cowboys): CB Reggie Robinson
- Restructured: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed (two years): C/G Coleman Shelton
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: TE Geoff Swaim
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: DB Troy Apke
Rams To Re-Sign Brian Allen
Another one of this year’s top free agent centers is staying put. The Rams are bringing back Brian Allen on a three-year, $24MM contract (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
[RELATED: Rams To Re-Sign Joe Noteboom]
Allen, 26, took over as the full-time starting center in 2019. An MCL injury cut that year short, however, and kept him sidelined for the entire 2020 season. This year, he returned healthy enough to start in all 16 games he played in.
Despite allowing five sacks in just over 900 snaps, PFF viewed Allen favorably. He earned a grade of 80.2, making him one of the top options on the center market, even before the recent re-signings of Ryan Jensen and Ben Jones. It made him a strong candidate to re-up with the team, despite their limited cap space.
With this signing – along with that of presumed new starting left tackle Joe Noteboom – there will be a good deal of continuity along the Rams’ offensive line. That will be significant, as the team tries to keep as many pieces of their Super Bowl-winning roster as possible. The most notable of those on offense, of course, remains Odell Beckham Jr.
With Jensen, Jones and now Allen no longer options for outside teams, even more attention will turn to Bradley Bozeman. After one season at his more comfortable center position, his play in Baltimore may very well have earned him a lucrative second contract. Los Angeles, which could have been a suitor for him had Allen departed, will now move forward with their in-house option.
Rams To Re-Sign Joe Noteboom
The Rams have agreed to re-sign offensive lineman Joe Noteboom (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The new three-year deal carries a base value of $40MM with $25MM guaranteed. Plus, through incentives, Noteboom could earn up to $47.5MM over the life of the contract.
[RELATED: Whitworth Leaning Towards Retirement]
Noteboom has served as Andrew Whitworth‘s backup for the past two seasons. He stepped in for the 40-year-old left tackle starter against the Bucs, but did not play in the NFC championship game due to a chest injury. Fortunately, he’s healthy now and ready to pick up where he left off.
The 2018 third-round pick was set to be a free agent this week, but the Rams didn’t want to let him get away. His presence could be extra critical in 2022, as Whitworth continues to contemplate retirement. Some have wondered whether Tom Brady‘s recent flip-flop could inspire the 40-year-old (41 in December) to come back for at least one more dance, but that remains to be seen.
Noteboom also offers experience at right tackle and on the interior, so he’ll be a key contributor regardless of what Whitworth decides. We should know where Whitworth stands sometime in the next couple of days as the Rams prepare for the official start of free agency.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/22
The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Commandeers: QB Kyle Allen
- Cowboys: LB Francis Bernard, OL Mitch Hyatt
- Raiders: FB Alec Ingold
- Rams: LB Troy Reeder
- Ravens: CB Khalil Dorsey
Latest On Rams’ Pending Free Agents
If the Rams hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they face a number of key decisions in the coming days. They have money still to be shed, but a number of free agents left to re-sign. 
The biggest names amongst said free agents are Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. The former made an impact on the Rams’ defense after being traded for mid-season. He registered five sacks in eight regular season games in L.A., adding another four in the playoffs. The 32-year-old earned himself a hefty payday, regardless of where he ends up.
According to Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required), the Rams may be able to keep both in the fold. She writes that the team is “confident” their offer to Miller “will be enough to convince him to stay”. She adds that said proposal is thought to be worth between $14MM and $16MM per year over a span of “perhaps” two years, though that salary figure “doesn’t seem to have a hard ceiling”. The three-time All Pro has expressed an interest in staying, but he also plans to at least test the open market, which could very well include a return to Denver.
As for Beckham, Rodrigue notes that the team is staying flexible with respect to contract offers, though it does seem inevitable he will remain there, as was previously reported. She names center Brian Allen as one more significant pending free agent the Rams could try to find the money to retain.
On the other hand, there are noteworthy players who seemed destined to land deals elsewhere, in no small part as a result of the team’s preference to keep Miller and Beckham. Among those Rodrigue predicts will find new homes is defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day. The 26-year-old played a career-high 69% of snaps this year, notching three sacks. Another is cornerback Darious Williams, whom she reports could land a deal valued at upwards of $10MM per season despite a down year in 2021.
Projected to be more than $20MM over the cap at this point, the Rams clearly have work to do. If all goes according to plan, however, they could still field one of the most talented teams in the NFL next year.
49ers, Rams, Cards Interested In Bobby Wagner
It sounds like Bobby Wagner won’t be out of work for long. The 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals are interested in the longtime Seahawks linebacker, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Seahawks Trade Wilson To Broncos]
Those NFC West teams are already familiar with what Wagner brings to the table, especially since they’ve each faced him twice per regular season. Of course, they still have to consider the finances. In the case of the star-studded Rams, there’s no room to give Wagner the type of deal he was playing under before. They won’t approach his old $16MM/year contract, but Jourdan Rodrigue of TheAthletic.com hears that they are willing to go into the $4MM-$5MM range. That may or may not work for Wagner, who would also have to cede snaps to youngster Ernest Jones.
Wagner, 32 in June, spent his entire career in Seattle, up until yesterday’s release. The 2012 second-round pick was a pillar of the Seahawks’ D from the jump, starting 15 games as a rookie and 150 games to date. His tenure also saw 16 playoff starts, including the post-2013 campaign which ended in a Super Bowl.
All together, Wagner leaves the Seahawks as an eight-time All Pro and the franchise’s’ all-time leader in total tackles. Now, the Seahawks could be on the verge of seeing him at least twice in 2022.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 3/9/22
Broncos, Chargers, Packers Among Von Miller Suitors
The Rams remain interested in re-signing Von Miller, but after the future Hall of Famer delivered another dominant postseason, he is interested in testing the market as a first-time free agent. A Miller market is starting to form, with a familiar suitor re-emerging.
After trading Miller at last year’s deadline, the Broncos are interested in a reunion, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. Despite not being in Denver when the team acquired Miller and pulling the trigger on a trade last October, GM George Paton holds the 11-year veteran in high regard, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Miller has teased on social media he is interested in coming back to Denver, mentioning his former jersey number and Broncos locker Monday (via 9News) while tweeting, “I kinda want that old thing back.. 5280,” referencing his old stomping grounds.
Although Miller has praised the Broncos consistently since being traded, a return may be contingent on the team upgrading at quarterback. The Broncos missing on Aaron Rodgers or not making a significant improvement at the position does not install confidence they will be a Super Bowl-contending team. Miller, 33 this month, will command a lucrative deal. The Broncos also have ex-Miller edge-rushing mate Bradley Chubb due for a fifth-year option salary of $13.9MM. While the Miller trade (for 2022 second- and third-round picks) made edge rusher a key need in Denver for the first time in several years, Wilson adds this might not be the star outside linebacker’s first choice.
Miller has indicated he wants to stay with the Rams, but both Wilson and USA Today’s Josina Anderson mention the Packers as a team expected to show interest (Twitter link). Around a half-dozen teams have surfaced as Miller suitors, per Anderson. The Packers may be moving on from Za’Darius Smith soon, though they are interested in extending Preston Smith. The team also has Rashan Gary on a rookie contract. A Miller addition would give Green Bay a top-tier pass rush, though the decorated sack artist likely would be uninterested in trekking to Wisconsin if Rodgers is elsewhere. The Packers are also nearly $30MM over the cap without Davante Adams on their payroll.
The Chargers also loom as an interested party, per Wilson. Staying in Los Angeles would make matters simpler for Miller, who would team with Joey Bosa with the AFC’s L.A. team. Uchenna Nwosu is a free agent and would not cost as much as Miller. The Bolts are interested in re-upping Nwosu, with Miller a moving part in this process.
Odell Beckham Jr. Expected To Re-Sign With Rams
Odell Beckham Jr. played a major role in the Rams’ Super Bowl run, leading to a mutual interest between himself and the team for a return to L.A. According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, a new contract is “expected to happen”. 
The news comes after the wideout expressed a desire to remain with the Rams, where he quickly found his form after a messy split with the Browns. He said Los Angeles “feels like home” in large part, no doubt, to his production filling in for the injured Robert Woods. Between the regular season and playoffs, Beckham posted 48 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns.
That level of play – cut short by a torn ACL suffered in the Super Bowl – has led to interest from the team’s perspective in a reunion. General manager Les Snead recently stated he would “definitely like” to keep the 29-year-old. Doing so would be tricky from a financial perspective, given the team was slated to be over the cap before the offseason began. An extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford would help open the door to keeping Beckham, though other changes are expected for the defending champions.
If he were to stay, Beckham would join Woods and Cooper Kupp to give L.A. arguably the most talented receiving trio in the league. While questions would linger about Woods and Beckham regarding their recoveries from major injuries, a healthy pass-catching corps of that caliber would give the team a chance to replicate at least the offensive output that helped earn them a title.
NFC West Notes: McGlinchey, Diggs, Rams, Polite
49ers’ offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey is set to play through the fifth-year option of his rookie contact this season. McGlinchey has been a bit of a mixed-bag for the Niners early on in his career. While grading out as one of the league’s better run-blockers, McGlinchey struggled early in pass protection. Just as he was beginning to show some real improvement in the passing game, McGlinchey saw his season come to an end in Week 9 of this past season after suffering a torn quadriceps.
While McGlinchey’s cap hit for 2022 will be $10.88MM, the 49ers have nothing to gain by cutting him, as the fifth-year option for a rookie is fully guaranteed. The team does hold two options to potentially avoid the 27-year-old’s cap hit: they can trade him or extend him. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, there is a chance that the 49ers sign McGlinchey to an extension in order to create more cap space. They would be betting on McGlinchey coming back strong from his injury, but they seem to feel good about the progress in play he showed before his injury last year.
Here are a few other notes from the NFC West, starting with a note from Seattle:
- After breaking his ankle in Week 17 of the season this past year, Seahawks’ safety Quandre Diggs is expected to be fully cleared for all football activities by June, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Diggs is set to test free agency this offseason and teams will likely take his injury recovery into account. It’s impressive progress for the 29-year-old as his doctors say he is recovering well.
- The Rams are hiring TCU running backs coach/assistant head coach Ra’Shaad Samples as their new running backs coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Samples is highly regarded as one of the up-and-coming coaches in football earning his first NFL job at the age of 27. In a corresponding move, assistant head coach Thomas Brown will now be coaching tight ends.
- Edge-rusher Jachai Polite, who spent 11 games with the Rams in 2020 after being cut by the Jets before his rookie season, has made the move to the Canadian Football League. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the former third-round pick signed a contract to join the Toronto Argonauts.