Eagles Reunite With T Fred Johnson Via Trade With Jaguars

The Eagles continue to be active in the trade market in the leadup to the regular season. Following earlier trades to acquire wide receiver John Metchie from Houston and quarterback Sam Howell from Minnesota, Philadelphia is bringing offensive tackle Fred Johnson back from Jacksonville in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The swap is now official.

Johnson came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2019, initially signing with the Steelers and making the 53-man roster but getting waived in October without playing a game and being claimed by the Bengals. He spent three years in Cincinnati as a backup lineman. In those three seasons, he appeared in 23 games, making starts in eight of them. The team placed a restricted free agent tender on him in 2022, and though he signed it, he was cut.

Johnson quickly rebounded, landing with the Buccaneers, but after five game appearances, Tampa Bay waived him, as well. After clearing waivers, he signed to the Eagles’ practice squad and watched from the practice squad as they lost in the Super Bowl to Kansas City.

After signing a reserve/futures contract with the team, Johnson earned a swing tackle role behind starters Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. The team gave him a two-year contract for the role, in which he appeared in all 17 games of the 2023 season. His presence was felt even more in 2024. In addition to appearing in every game of the season, Johnson made six spot starts — one at right tackle and five on the blind side.

The Eagles allowed Johnson to walk in free agency, and the 28-year-old signed with the Jaguars. Interestingly, Jacksonville had already signed Chuma Edoga as a potential swing tackle behind Walker Little and Anton Harrison. The team had also added former Ravens lineman Patrick Mekari, who notably started games at all five positions on Baltimore’s line during his tenure there. Sure enough, it seems all that versatility made Johnson superfluous, and Jacksonville was willing to part with him for a mere seventh-rounder.

In Philadelphia, Johnson will be welcomed home with open arms. Per Zach Berman of The Athletic, swing tackle had become a position of concern for the defending champions. The Eagles had hopes that Matt Pryor or Kendall Lamm might step up and claim the role, but bringing Johnson right back into the role he played last year is all too simple a solution. On top of that, Johnson’s $1MM base salary will hardly register on the team’s salary cap, as Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com points out.

Ultimately, it was only a short time away from The City of Brotherly Love, so Johnson should be able to find his way around quite easily despite the quick approach of the team’s season opener. The Eagles will hope not to see him on the field too often, but they’ll surely sleep better knowing he’s back in the building.

Browns Make 19 Roster Cuts

The first of the Browns’ 53-man roster moves came to light this afternoon with the release of veterans Tyler Huntley and Tony Brown. Cleveland then made the following 19 cuts, per a team announcement:

Released:

Waived:

Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but he couldn’t win a backup job in Cleveland this summer. Needham, who appeared in 63 games for the Dolphins over the last six years, similarly had a shot at a nickel role in the Browns defense, but the team opted to keep their younger cornerbacks instead. The two veterans are free to sign with any team, while the other 17 cuts will be subject to waivers.

Among them are Henry and Rush, two 2023 fifth-rounders who made their way to Cleveland this offseason after failing to catch on with their original clubs. Henry started three games for the Commanders as a rookie, but was waived under Washington’s new regime last August. He spent time with the Bengals and the Cowboys before landing with the Eagles in November and finishing the season as a Super Bowl champion. Rush was a fringe third-round pick in 2023 but fell to the Colts on Day 3. He didn’t make the 53-man roster as a rookie and bounced between Kansas City and Pittsburgh across his first two seasons with five regular-season appearances for the Steelers.

Vikings Announce 10 Cuts To Open Roster Trimming

It’s been a busy day for the Minnesota front office. Amidst the chaos, the team announced the release of one veteran and waived 9 other players:

Released:

Waived:

Most of the focus in Minnesota will be on the quarterback shuffling that took place earlier in the day that saw Sam Howell and Brett Rypien depart the building as Carson Wentz was signed to back up a debuting J.J. McCarthy with undrafted standout Max Brosmer stepping into the QB3 role.

Aside from all of that action, there’s not much surprise in the announced cuts above. While Gill has earned extended looks with a couple teams, Bailey, Bell, and Steward have played minimal roles during their short NFL tenures. The remaining six players waived were all members of the Vikings’ 19-man undrafted free agent class. Several others from that class can be expected to join these six on the waiver wire before Tuesday.

Bills To Reunite With DT Jordan Phillips

Jordan Phillips is set to once again find himself in Buffalo. The veteran defensive tackle visited the Bills today, and a deal is expected.

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Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports Phillips is set to sign with Buffalo later this week. That will presumably mean a practice squad agreement, in which case this deal will not be official until at least Wednesday. In any event, a fourth Bills stint is on tap in this case.

Phillips has spent all or part of the 2018, ’19, ’22, ’23 and ’24 campaigns in Buffalo. The 32-year-old is also a veteran of time with the Dolphins, Cardinals and Cowboys, but his most common playing situation has been as a member of the Bills. Phillips has made 129 regular season appearances in the NFL; nearly half of those have come with Buffalo.

In recent years, the former second-rounder has seen a notable drop in playing time. A notable uptick in workload should of course not be expected considering his time spent in free agency this offseason. Nevertheless, Phillips will give the Bills a familiar and highly experienced depth option along the defensive line. That unit saw draft additions in the second (T.J. Sanders) and fourth (Deone Walker) rounds, and Sanders in particular has drawn strong reviews for his work in training camp.

In part as a result of that development, veteran Larry Ogunjobi has emerged as a cut candidate. The free agent signing is facing a six-game PED suspension to begin the campaign, something which – coupled with an underwhelming showing this summer – could leave him on the outside looking in. It will be interesting to see if the Phillips reunion has an impact on Ogunjobi’s status.

The Bills entered Sunday with a league-low $1.87MM in cap space. That figure will change considerably in the coming days, but regardless of where it lands after roster cuts Phillips will not require a notable investment to return to Buffalo.

Jets Release LB Jamin Davis, Waive Six Others

The Jets are also cracking the seal on roster cuts today. New York released one veteran and waived six other players:

Released:

Waived:

Davis, the 2021 first-round pick for the Commanders out of Kentucky, looked for a second like he may live up to his draft stock with a 104-tackle sophomore campaign as a full-time starter in Washington. After the team declined his fifth-year option last year, though, they attempted to move him to defensive end and eventually cut him. He bounced around a bit in the NFC North, playing four games for the Vikings, before landing with the Jets on New Year’s Eve. After an offseason with New York, it looks like Davis will be back out on the free agent market.

With Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor in place as QB1 & QB2, respectively, Martinez found himself in a battle with undrafted rookie Brady Cook for the QB3 job. Martinez getting cut isn’t much of a surprise, as it was rumored to happen all the way back in May. Oddly enough, the person who made that prediction also believed Cook would fail to make the initial 53-man roster, asserting that the Jets would carry only two quarterbacks on the active roster and that Martinez and Cook were battling for a practice squad slot.

Martinez also spent 2024 as the team’s practice squad quarterback, so the Jets have plenty of experience with him in that role. Waiving him could indicate that Cook has won the QB3 role and will remain on the active roster, but Cook could still be cut, at which point a decision would still need to be made on which young passer would be retained on the practice squad.

Bears Place CB Terell Smith On IR, Waive Six Others

As roster cuts continue the Bears get started with a placement on injured reserve and six waivings:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

The Bears lost Smith, a third-year rotation cornerback after the former fifth-rounder suffered a torn patellar tendon in the team’s second preseason game. With his placement on IR before the roster cut deadline and no designation to return, he will officially miss the entire 2025 NFL season.

Some of the players waived, like Glaser and Toure have some NFL experience here and there with other teams, but they didn’t end up sticking it out in Chicago. The Bears have a lot more work ahead of them to get the roster down to 53.

Rams Start Roster Trimming With 11 Players

The Rams got started on working down their roster to the eventual 53 players they’ll open up the season with today. In doing so, they released one veteran and waived 10 other players:

Released:

Waived:

Fields fell in an out of favor over the course of his rookie contract in Cleveland, starting 10 games between his second and third year with the team before getting waived after an ankle injury in Week 1 of last year. He signed a practice squad deal with Los Angeles with hopes of making an impact once healthy. Unfortunately, his opportunity with the Rams won’t be on the 53-man roster, though he may agree to sign back on to the team’s practice squad, since he doesn’t have to go through waivers.

This was Winn’s third stint in Los Angeles, with short stays in the CFL and UFL bridging the other two stints. He has enough familiarity with the team that he may be a name they bring back to the practice squad. No other names here draw much surprise as five of those waived were undrafted rookies.

Patriots To Add QB; Vederian Lowe, Demontrey Jacobs Seen As Trade Candidates

As things stand, the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart solely consists of Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs. The team cut Ben Wooldridge shortly after the preseason wrapped up.

As a result, the expectation exists New England will be in the market for an addition under center in the coming days. Indeed, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss) the Patriots will add a quarterback shortly. The new arrival will likely be headed to the practice squad, but nothing will be certain on that front until later this week.

Dobbs’ hold on a roster spot has been questioned, but at this point the veteran is set to operate as New England’s backup. Whether or not a replacement is sought out, finances will not be a challenge. The Patriots entered Sunday with a league-leading $60MM in cap space.

In other Pats news, Reiss’ colleague Jeremy Fowler notes trades involving one or more offensive linemen could be in store soon. That position group is one which often sees movement at this time of year as teams aim to acquire veteran depth in time for the regular season. Specifically, Fowler names Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs as players viewed as being available in a swap.

Lowe was drafted by the Vikings in 2022, but he has spent the past two seasons with New England. That span included eight starts in 2023 and another 13 last season. After the Patriots made several changes up front this spring, however – including the arrival of a new tackle tandem in the form of Will Campbell and Morgan Moses – Lowe could find himself on the move in the event of a trade.

Jacobs made 13 starts in 2024, but he too is a candidate for a reduced role under Vrabel if he remains in New England. Depending on how trade talks shake out over the next few days, one or more deals could be worked out along the O-line as the Pats try to take a much needed step forward in that respect this season.

Browns Release QB Tyler Huntley, CB Tony Brown

Among the Browns’ first moves toward a 53-man roster is the expected departure of Tyler Huntley. The veteran quarterback is being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

In addition, Schefter notes veteran corner Tony Brown is being let go. Neither move (both of which are now official) comes as a surprise, of course. Huntley in particular has long been seen as a prime candidate to be released given Cleveland’s commitment to carrying four quarterbacks on the active roster.

Joe Flacco will handle starting duties to begin the 2025 campaign, while veteran Kenny Pickett is set to remain in the fold. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are not in danger of being cut or traded, meaning Huntley’s departure represents an expected outcome. The 27-year-old has been with Cleveland for two stints, but he has yet to make a regular season appearance for the team.

Huntley will now hit the open market in search of a backup or third-string opportunity elsewhere. He has made 14 starts in his career, including five last season as an injury replacement for the Dolphins. A return to Miami should not be expected in 2025, but other gigs should be available in the near future.

Brown, 30, spent time with the Packers, Bengals and Colts before his debut Cleveland campaign. The former UDFA made six appearances for the Browns in 2024, playing exclusively on special teams along the way. After logging an 81% snap share in that capacity, his absence could be felt this season. Barring a spot on Cleveland’s practice squad, Brown will join Huntley in seeking out a new team in time for Week 1.

No guaranteed money was included in either players’ pact. As a result, Cleveland will create roughly $2MM in cap savings with these moves without any dead money charges being generated.

Bills Begin Roster Cuts

The Bills have begun trimming their roster in advance of Tuesday’s deadline for final cuts. The following seven players have been let go:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Given the highly inexperienced nature of each player listed, none of these moves comes as a surprise. The first six will hit the wire, and interested teams will have until Wednesday – when practice squads are first constructed – to put in a claim. Failing that, free agency will be in store.

DuBose signed with Buffalo on Tuesday, but his tenure in the organization has proven to be rather short-lived. The 24-year-old will revert to injured reserve once his clears waivers. In situations such as this, the next step is usually a release from IR by means of an injury settlement.