Cowboys To Sign James Washington
After losing two key members of their receiving corps, the Cowboys are adding a new wideout. The team is signing James Washington to a one-year deal (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
Washington, who will be 26 next season, is a native of Texas. He had spent four seasons with the Steelers, who drafted him in the second round in 2018. Many felt he would be the next in a long line of productive wideouts developed in the Steel City, especially when he posted 44 catches for 735 yards and three touchdowns in his second season.
However, he has seen his role reduced since then. As the team has continued drafting at the position, bringing in Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, Washington has been on the field for less than half of the team’s plays in each of the past two seasons. During that stretch, he totalled 54 receptions for 677 yards and seven touchdowns.
The news comes after the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Browns and saw Cedrick Wilson leave for Miami in free agency. While the team still has CeeDee Lamb, along with franchise-tagged tight end Dalton Schultz, the vacancy left by the former two should leave plenty of opportunities for the once (Oklahoma State) Cowboy.
Meanwhile for the Steelers, this marks the second departure in the WR corps in a matter of hours. JuJu Smith-Schuster reportedly agreed to a one-year deal in Kansas City earlier today. There is now an opening on their roster to add at least a complimentary pass catcher.
Chiefs To Sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
After long being linked to one another, a deal has reportedly been made between the Chiefs and wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, he is signing a one-year, $10.75MM contract (Twitter link). NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo adds that the deal carries a base value of $3MM, with the remainder being available through incentives (Twitter link). 
The 25-year-old has spent his entire five-year career with the Steelers. A second round pick, he established himself as the ultimate compliment to Antonio Brown during his rookie season, posting 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. He took a step further the following campaign, totalling 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and another seven scores. That production earned him a Pro Bowl nod.
He failed to match those totals in the proceeding three years, however. Taking on an increased role in Brown’s absence, he has still put up noteworthy totals, but has generated a reputation as being best suited to a secondary workload. He played in just five games in 2021, totalling 15 catches.
On Kansas City, he certainly won’t need to be the focal point of the offense. The team already has All-Pro pass catchers in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but they have made it clear adding a third piece to compliment them was a priority. The Chiefs were named as a serious contender for Smith-Schuster last offseason, who ultimately chose to remain in the Steel City on a one-year pact to play his way into a new, more lucrative deal.
While this contract is also only one year in length, it is still a raise compared to the $8MM he earned in 2021. With the likes of Allen Robinson, Davante Adams and Chris Godwin off the market, the USC product was one of the top remaining options at the position. Now, he will join a team long interested in acquiring him, and which is likely to remain a Super Bowl contender.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-Signed: LB Ezekiel Turner
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Marquel Lee
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-Signed: LB Luke Gifford
Denver Broncos
- Re-Signed: DL DeShawn Williams
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
Miami Dolphins
- Re-Signed: TE Durham Smythe
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Jamil Douglas
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: KR/PR Gunner Olszewski
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-Signed: OL Kyle Fuller
49ers Sign WR/PR Ray-Ray McCloud
The 49ers are adding a special teams ace. San Francisco is signing wide receiver/return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). The deal is worth up to $10.4MM, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
The former sixth-round pick bounced around the NFL during his first two years in the league, but he found a home in Pittsburgh over the past two saeasons. He got into 16 games during his first year with the Steelers, but he took a significant step forward in 2021.
McCloud made a name for himself on special teams, leading the NFL in punt return yardage at 367. He also returned 35 kickoffs for 776 yards. He wasn’t a scrub on offense, either; he hauled in 39 receptions for 277 yards, and he added another 15 yards on two carries.
Now, the 25-year-old is off to San Francisco. The Steelers made an effort to retain McCloud but the 49ers made a “stronger commitment,” according to Fowler (on Twitter).
Steelers To Re-Sign Ahkello Witherspoon
The Steelers are holding on to Ahkello Witherspoon. The cornerback has reached agreement with the team on a brand new two-year deal, according to a league source who spoke with Josina Anderson of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The deal is worth $8MM, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Steelers Cut Joe Schobert]
While Witherspoon is staying put, the Steelers may be bracing for Joe Haden‘s departure. Haden is out-of-contract and in talks with other clubs and the Steelers have already added Levi Wallace on a low-cost deal. Haden, in theory, could still be brought back, but it’d have to be at something near the veteran’s minimum.
Witherspoon is not a world-beater but he did have some strong performances down the stretch of the 2021 season. He’s also got youth on his side as he’ll turn 27 early next week.
Last year, Witherspoon notched a new career with three interceptions and 15 total tackles in just nine games (three starts). If he’s healthy, he should be in line for more substantial work in 2022.
Steelers Cut Joe Schobert
The Steelers have released Joe Schobert, per an official team press release. With free agency underway, the inside linebacker is now free to sign with any club in the NFL.
[RELATED: Steelers To Sign M. Jack]
Schobert — a.k.a. Joe-bert or Joe The Show — worked as a Browns starter for three seasons. He led the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017, earning him a Pro Bowl nod, and he led the Browns in stops in 2018 and ’19 as well. Then, he signed with the Jaguars in 2020 on a five-year, $53.75MM deal. The veteran ‘backer paced the Jags in tackles in 2020 (141 stops), but the effort came for a historically dreadful team. So, in August of 2021, the Jags shipped him to the Steelers for a 2022 sixth-rounder.
Schobert saw time in 16 games last year for the Steelers, including 15 starts. He notched 112 tackles, one interception, and six passes defensed, but the Steelers didn’t think he was worth his contract. They’ll save $7.8MM by releasing him with a modest $1.88MM in dead money left over.
There wasn’t much room for the 28-year-old (29 in November) following the addition of Myles Jack. Jack also comes at a cheaper rate with a two-year, $16MM deal.
Steelers Release T Zach Banner
The Steelers were prepared to use Zach Banner as a starter at multiple points, but that path did not pan out for the veteran tackle. Pittsburgh released Banner on Wednesday, wrapping his four-year run with the franchise.
This move will create a notable amount of cap space for the Steelers, who are opening up $5MM because of Banner’s exit. The Steelers gave the former Colts fourth-round pick a two-year, $9.25MM deal in 2021.
Pittsburgh paid Banner despite the 2020 right tackle starter suffering a torn ACL in Week 1 of that season. Banner played in seven games last season but battled more injury trouble and did not regain his starting job. The Steelers were unable to regroup up front in 2021, but as of now, Banner is not in line to be part of their 2022 solution. Overall, the 6-foot-8 blocker played 22 games as a Steeler, making two starts.
The team re-signed its 2021 right tackle starter, Chukwuma Okorafor, to a deal averaging nearly eight figures annually. Pittsburgh also signed interior linemen James Daniels and Mason Cole this week.
Steelers To Sign LB Myles Jack
It didn’t take long for Myles Jack to find his next gig. The former Jaguars linebacker is signing with the Steelers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It’s a two-year deal worth $16MM.
[RELATED: Jaguars To Release Myles Jack]
Jacksonville’s spending spree was going to come with a cost, and the team ultimately decided to move on from their leading tackler yesterday. Jack inked a four-year, $57MM deal ($33MM guaranteed) with Jacksonville back in 2019.
With that said, Jack is still a productive player. He finished last season with 108 tackles in 15 starts, and he had a career-high 118 tackles as recently as 2020. The former second-round pick won’t turn 27 until September, so it makes sense that the Steelers still think he’s got something in the tank.
Many of the Steelers initial FA moves were focused on offense, but the team has started adding to their defense. We learned yesterday that the team was signing cornerback Levi Wallace to a two-year deal.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Eagles: G Nate Herbig
- Falcons: WR Olamide Zaccheaus
- Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard
- Raiders: S Dallin Leavitt
- Rams: K Matt Gay
- Steelers: S Marcus Allen, LB Robert Spillane ($2.433MM)
- 49ers: LB Azeez Al-Shaair, OL Daniel Brunskill
Non-tendered:
- Bengals: WR Stanley Morgan
- Buccaneers: DE Pat O’Connor
- Eagles: RB Boston Scott, WR Greg Ward
- Titans: FB Khari Blasingame
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: WR Jalen Guyton, T Storm Norton
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2022 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2022 draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2021 offseason.
This year, the NFL awarded 39 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.
This year’s formula also includes the changes made last year, when teams began receiving third-round comp picks due to the hiring of minority head coaches and general managers. Seven such picks were awarded this year. The 49ers landed two additional third-rounders this year, obtaining the extra selections for the Jets’ 2021 Robert Saleh hire and the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel this year. Miami’s McDaniel hire will give San Francisco another third-rounder in 2023.
The Chiefs obtained a third-rounder for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, while the Browns landed a third because of the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah GM hire. The Ravens collected their second third-round for the Texans’ 2021 David Culley hire; Culley has since been fired. The Saints and Rams obtained one apiece after seeing the Falcons and Lions hire minority execs Terry Fontenot and Brad Holmes as GMs in 2021. New Orleans and Detroit also landed thirds because of players given high-value contacts last year (Trey Hendrickson and Kenny Golladay, respectively).
Here is the full list of 2022 compensatory selections:
By round:
Round 3: Lions (No. 97 overall), Saints (98), Browns (99)*, Ravens (100)*, Saints (101)*, 49ers (102)*, Chiefs (103)*, Rams (104)*, 49ers (105)*
Round 4: Steelers (No. 138), Ravens (139), Packers (140), Ravens (141), Rams (142), Titans (143)
Round 5: Cowboys (No. 176), Lions (177), Cowboys (178), Colts (179)
Round 6: Rams (No. 211), Rams (212), Falcons (213), Chargers (214), Cardinals (215), Colts (216), Lions (217), Rams (218), Titans (219), 49ers (220), 49ers (221)
Round 7: Chargers (No. 254), Chargers (255), Cardinals (256), Cardinals (257), Packers (258), Chiefs (259), Chargers (260), Buccaneers (261), 49ers (262)
By team:
San Francisco 49ers (5)
Los Angeles Rams (5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Arizona Cardinals (3)
Baltimore Ravens (3)
Detroit Lions (3)
Dallas Cowboys (2)
Green Bay Packers (2)
Indianapolis Colts (2)
Kansas City Chiefs (2)
New Orleans Saints (2)
Tennessee Titans (2)
Atlanta Falcons (1)
Cleveland Browns (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
* = special compensatory selection