AFC East Notes: Patricia, Dolphins, Armstead, Jets
If you’re keeping track at home, Matt Patricia now appears to be the favorite to be New England’s offensive play-caller. As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, Patricia was the only coach calling plays from the Patriots sideline during last night’s preseason contest. This is a change from the preseason opener, when Patricia alternated play-calling duties with Joe Judge.
Bill Belichick has continued to play coy on the entire situation, and he even hinted after the game that Patricia was merely communicating with Mac Jones vs. calling plays. Regardless of who ends up calling plays on offense, it’s clear that the organization is going with a committee approach to replace departed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“It’s still a process,” Belichick told reporters after the game (via NESN.com). “He (Matt Patricia)… communication with the quarterback? Yeah. But as far as calling the plays, there’s a whole other process on that.
However, if you ask some NFL sources, then it may be neither Patricia nor Judge calling offensive plays for the Patriots in 2022. As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, there are a “lot of smart NFL people who know the Patriots well” and believe it will ultimately be Belichick who ends up calling plays for Jones and the Patriots offense. Breer cautions that the head coach will end up calling plays “at some point this season,” perhaps a hint that the organization may role into the season with one of Patricia/Judge but will be prepared to pull the plug on the experiment.
More notes out of the AFC East…
- A Patriots‘ seventh-round rookie may end up missing the entire season. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, offensive tackle Andrew Stueber doesn’t have a timetable for his return from the NFI list. Stueber suffered an injury while training after the draft, and Reiss hints that the injury could end up delaying the Michigan product’s NFL debut until the 2023 season.
- Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has told league executives that he intends to leave the Dolphins organization to his family, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). While this isn’t a huge surprise, it seems pretty clear that Ross won’t be leaving the franchise to limited partner Bruce Beal. Both Ross and Beal were slapped with suspensions following Miami’s tampering investigation.
- The Dolphins inked left tackle Terron Armstead to a massive deal this offseason. However, the offensive lineman has never been able to make it through an entire season healthy, and that includes a 2021 campaign when he was limited to only eight snaps. If Armstead is forced to miss any time, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests (on Twitter) that the coaching staff could end up moving right tackle Austin Jackson or guard Liam Eichenberg to LT, although the reporter notes that coach Mike McDaniel prefers to keep players at their starting position instead of shifting them around.
- Duane Brown‘s two-year, $22MM deal with the Jets includes a $7.88MM signing bonus and three void years, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). As a result, the offensive tackle’s cap hit for the 2022 season is only $3.69MM. The veteran will earn a base salary of $1.12MM in 2022, but he’ll see that number jump to $9MM.
Patriots' Nelson Agholor Unlikely To Be Cut, Traded
- Kyed tweets that one of the surprise omissions from the Patriots’ depth chart, according to some, could be Nelson Agholor. However, he notes that cutting him would not be financially viable (doing so would incur a dead cap charge of $10MM), and adds that teams which could be interested in trading for him are not willing to do so at his current salary of $9MM. More to the point, the team’s new offense could allow the 29-year-old to enjoy a bounceback season from the underwhelming 37-473-3 statline he produced last year.
[SOURCE LINK]
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Josh Hokit
- Released: LB Jessie Lemonier
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Drew Ogletree (story)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LB Kenny Young
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Jalen Wydermyer
- Placed on IR: RB James White (story)
New Orleans
- Signed: OL Derek Schweiger
- Waived (injury designation): OL Sage Doxtater
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Austin Proehl
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Max Borghi
- Waived (injury designation): RB Master Teague
Young signed with the Raiders in May, as part of their re-vamped linebacker corps. The 27-year-old gradually grew into a larger defensive role with the Ravens before being traded midseason to the Rams in 2019. He was dealt once again last year, from Los Angeles to Denver. Starting all 13 games he appeared in between the two teams, the UCLA product had a career-year in 2021, but hasn’t done enough during training camp to catch on in Sin City. The Raiders will move forward with the likes of Denzel Perryman, Divine Deablo and free agent signings Jayon Brown and Micah Kiser in the middle of their defense.
Patriots Place CB Malcolm Butler On IR
It sounds like Malcolm Butler‘s comeback attempt with the Patriots has come to an end. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots have placed the cornerback on injured reserve. Considering the timing of the transaction, Butler is ineligible to be activated during the 2022 campaign.
[RELATED: Joejuan Williams Suffers Season-Ending Shoulder Injury]
Butler returned from his one-year hiatus and inked a two-year deal with the Patriots this offseason. There was initial fanfare surrounding the signing, with some hoping the former Super Bowl hero could slide into a secondary that lost Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in less than a calendar year. However, reports indicated that he was falling down the depth chart throughout training camp, with Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus suggesting the veteran could even be a cut candidate. Instead of saving a hair under $1.5MM by cutting Butler, the Patriots decided to place him on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, a hint that the team may look to keep him around for the 2023 season.
After joining the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Butler served as a reserve corner until being called into action in Super Bowl XLIX and making one of the most famous interceptions in NFL history. Butler was awarded the starting gig the following year and kept that job until signing with the Titans as a free agent in 2018. He continued to start in Tennessee for three years before being released as a cap casualty after the 2020 season. Butler rebounded quickly, signing a deal to join the Cardinals, but just prior to the start of the 2021 season, Butler decided to retire for personal reasons. The last time he played, Butler collected a career-high 100 tackles and four interceptions in 16 starts for Tennessee in 2020.
The Patriots are now down two cornerbacks after the team revealed earlier today that Joejuan Williams suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Jalen Mills has come on strong in training camp, and he’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by free agent acquisition Terrance Mitchell and nickelback Jonathan Jones. Third-round rookie Marcus Jones and (especially) fourth-round rookie Jack Jones have earned high praise during minicamp and training camp, and their presence may have made Butler’s “injury” a bit more tolerable.
Patriots CB Joejuan Williams Suffers Season-Ending Shoulder Injury
The cornerback room has been one receiving plenty of attention this offseason in New England, but the unit has taken a hit before the regular season. Joejuan Williams has suffered a shoulder injury which will keep him sidelined for the entire campaign (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). 
The 24-year-old has made 36 regular season appearances across his three years in New England, but only one start. It came this past season, as his defensive playing time has steadily increased from one year to the next. He also started the team’s playoff loss to the Bills, but has yet to find his footing with respect to a full-time role.
A second-round pick in 2019 (whom the Patriots traded up for), Williams’ struggles in pass coverage and the fact that he has yet to record an interception left his roster spot in question last month. Moving on from the six-foot-three, 212-pounder during roster cuts would, of course, represent another major disappointment for that year’s draft class; the Patriots have already traded away their top selection, N’Keal Harry, for a seventh-round pick.
Given the injury, doing just that is now a more logical move for the team. Even if he is placed on IR, Williams will head to free agency next offseason with an underwhelming track record and a full campaign spent on the sidelines. In any case, New England will move forward with the likes of Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills, Malcolm Butler, Terrance Mitchell and rookies Marcus Jones and Jack Jones at the CB position.
The Patriots will have further moves to make on the backend to finalize their perimeter defenders, but the roster is now closer to coming into focus. Williams’ rehab, meanwhile, will go a long way in determining his NFL future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/22
We will keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: DL Kingsley Keke, OL Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi, OL Greg Long, RB Ronnie Rivers, CB Breon Borders
Buffalo Bills
- Released: TE Jalen Wydermyer, CB Olaijah Griffin, OL Jordan Simmons, OL Derek Kerstetter
Carolina Panthers
- Released: RB Darius Bradwell, TE Nate Becker, LB Kamal Martin, OL Wyatt Miller, CB Chris Westry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: CB Abu Daramy-Swaray, RB Shermari Jones, WR Pooka Williams Jr.
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: K Ramiz Ahmed
- Released: K Gabe Brkic
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Devin Hafford
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: OL William Dunkle, LB Ali Fayad
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from active/PUP list: TE Charlie Woerner
The most notable name amongst the Cardinals’ cuts is Keke. The 25-year-old made 17 starts with the Packers over the past two seasons, and was claimed off waivers by the Texans in February. Houston cut him in May, however, leading him to the Cardinals. In the waning months of the offseason, the 2019 fifth-rounder will need to find another NFL home in time for Week 1.
Another recent Packers draftee being let go is Martin. The 2020 fifth-rounder made six appearances last season with Carolina, playing all-but exclusively on special teams. Each of the team’s other roster cuts had yet to play in for the Panthers, including Westry, who had showed potential in 2021 when briefly starting for the Ravens.
Matt Patricia, Joe Judge Split Patriots Offensive Play-Calling Duties
Last night’s preseason opener represented the next significant opportunity for observers to assess the Patriots’ approach with respect to their offensive play-calling. Over the course of the game, both Matt Patricia and Joe Judge operated as de-facto offensive coordinators, keeping the matter as unclear as it has been throughout the offseason. 
Patricia called plays to begin the game, during which time Brian Hoyer was the quarterback. After the Patriots replaced him with fourth-round rookie Bailey Zappe, however, Judge assumed the role of play-caller, as detailed by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
That development comes after the team officially unveiled the titles for their coaching staff last month, including offensive assistant/quarterbacks for Judge and senior football advisor/offensive line for Patricia. While each staffer is coming off of a recent (and underwhelming) head coaching gig elsewhere, they have years of experience working on the sidelines under head coach Bill Belichick. Neither of them have offensive play-calling on their resumes, however.
When asked after the game about the decision to split the duties, Belichick said, via PFT’s Mike Florio, “We did a lot of things in this game that are going to be beneficial in the long run, whether it was on the coaching staff, playing time, players that played and so forth. That’s all part of the process.”
With the Patriots electing not to employ an official OC – something they also did in 2010 – the question of who will call plays in the regular season has been an ongoing one through the spring and summer. Patricia was initially considered the favorite for the role, but with both he and Judge being auditioned yesterday, it appears the final decision has yet to be made.
On that topic, Belichick added, “don’t worry about that. We’ll work it out… We’re going through a process.” The outcome of that process will be one worth watching as the preseason continues.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Gesicki, Lawson
Jake Bailey signed an extension with the Patriots earlier this month, and we’re now getting details on the punter’s new deal. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter), Bailey earned a four-year pact worth $13.125MM, with $6.275MM of that deal fully guaranteed.
Bailey got a raise on his 2022 salary, jumping from $3.986MM to $4.5MM. The move lowered his cap number, however, reducing it from $4.058MM to $2.025MM. Next year, Bailey’s cap number will increase to $3.415MM before going to $3.79MM in both 2024 and 2025.
“I’m just so happy and blessed I get a few more years here,” Bailey said last week (via the team’s website). “I was just kind of on the phone with my agent and I was like, ‘Alright, that’s it. We’re good with that,’ and it wasn’t like a crazy big moment. But it was fine and a huge milestone in my life and just thankful God put me in this position.”
The 2019 fifth-round pick out of Stanford has spent his entire career in New England, including a 2020 campaign where he earned first-team All-Pro honors.
More notes out of the AFC East…
- While you should never put too much stock into preseason depth charts, Volin points out on Twitter that the Patriots‘ initial depth chart shows that the team is committing to Trent Brown at left tackle and Isaiah Wynn at right tackle. The two offensive lineman are swapping positions following a 2021 campaign that mostly saw Wynn at LT and Brown at RT.
- Mike Gesicki leads the Dolphins in receptions since the beginning of the 2019 campaign, but the tight end may find himself as a secondary target for Tua Tagovailoa in 2022. As Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com points out, Gesicki will likely be fourth in line for targets behind wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson. As new head coach Mike McDaniel noted, the offense won’t try to force the ball to the tight end, but there will surely be situations where the team is counting on Gesicki to contribute. “It’s something that we’ve talked to the tight ends about at length — it comes in waves,” McDaniel told Beasley. “There have been practices where he’s got seven or eight … he had more targets maybe Practice 7 — it was 7 or 8 — than Tyreek had. It’s just one of those things that you try in the game of football, especially when you are a pass receiver at any position, to really focus on what you can control. You can’t control the defenses. You can’t control the progression. You can’t control the pass rush.”
- Veteran defensive end Shaq Lawson is back in Buffalo after re-joining the organization this offseason. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic expects Lawson to ultimately make the Bills 53-man roster, but he’s fallen behind the likes of A.J. Epenesa and Boogie Basham on the depth chart and will likely serve as the team’s fifth defensive end. The 28-year-old started seven games for the Jets in 2021, collecting 23 tackles and one sack.
- If Tre’Davious White isn’t ready for the start of the regular season, then there’s a good chance the Bills will be starting a rookie cornerback opposite Dane Jackson. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, first-round rookie Kaiir Elam would be a natural choice, but he’s struggled during training camp. As a result, sixth-round rookie Christian Benford could find himself in the starting lineup come Week 1.
Patriots RB James White To Retire
Injury questions have clouded James White‘s timetable for months now. Although White re-signed with the Patriots on a two-year deal this offseason, the veteran receiving back will instead walk away from the game.
The eight-year veteran announced Thursday (via Twitter) he will retire. White, 30, sustained a severe hip injury in September 2021 and had not resumed practicing. One of the steadier Pats skill-position players of the Bill Belichick era, White was uncertain to regain the form that made him a trusted passing-down back. But he will retire as a key member of four Patriots Super Bowl teams. Three of those won championships, one doing so with significant White contributions.
White followed in the footsteps of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen. While Woodhead and Vereen enjoyed nice runs as Tom Brady outlet options, White lasted much longer in the role. The Patriots valued White to the point they signed him to four contracts as a pro. The most recent, coming in March of this year, was worth $5MM.
The Wisconsin alum will be best known for his work in Super Bowl LI, arguably the signature night for the Belichick-Brady Patriots. While Brady understandably ran away with MVP honors, White scored three touchdowns in a performance that doubled as one of the greatest aerial displays by a running back in NFL history. The former fourth-round pick caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. White added six carries for 29 yards and two scores — the last of which being a walk-off TD to end the only overtime game in Super Bowl history. White’s 5-yard TD reception began the Patriots’ rally from a 28-3 deficit; his 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter (preceding Danny Amendola‘s two-point conversion) sent the game to overtime.
Vereen was still in place during White’s rookie season, minimizing the latter’s role in the Pats’ Super Bowl XLIX-winning campaign, but the Pats let Vereen walk in free agency in 2015. White took over and held the gig for the better part of the next seven years. White surpassed 400 receiving yards from 2015-19, topping out with 751 during the Pats’ most recent Super Bowl year (2018). From 2015-20, no running back topped White’s 3,161 receiving yards.
But White’s 2021 signaled a clear turning point. He suffered a hip subluxation injury in Week 3 of last season and landed on the Pats’ active/PUP list to start training camp. His Week 1 availability and 2022 role altogether were in doubt because of the malady. The Pats’ final White contract only guaranteed him $500K, giving the team options in case its trusted passing-down option could not recover from the injury.
New England drafted two backs this year — Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong — and returns starter Damien Harris and second-year contributor Rhamondre Stevenson. None of these players caught more than 20 passes last season. With Brandon Bolden(41 catches in 2021) following Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas, a questions as to who will pick up White’s job will linger for New England.
White, whose top contract came in 2017 (four years, $12MM), retires as one of the most prolific pass-catching running backs in playoff history. His 59 receptions rank fourth all time for running backs in the postseason, behind only Thurman Thomas, Tony Nathan and Roger Craig. White’s 381 regular-season catches rank eighth in Patriots history, just behind Faulk — a 13-year veteran who finished with 431 career grabs.
Pats Moving Jonathan Jones From Slot?
- The Patriots have primarily used Jonathan Jones as a slot cornerback. His 2019 extension came as a result of slot play, and Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-tier cover man in 2020. But New England has been using Jones on the outside in recent days at camp, Doug Kyed of PFF notes, with third-round rookie Marcus Jones working in the slot. The Pats have been searching for an outside corner alongside Jalen Mills, and the recently unretired Malcolm Butler has yet to seize that gig. Marcus Jones is also viewed as the likely Pats punt returner, per Kyed.