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Saints Work Out Brian Allen, Add Chris Reed; Team Signs Shane Lemieux From Practice Squad

September 25th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following a 2-0 start featuring a suddenly explosive offense and their veteran-laden defense performing well, the Saints lost in Week 3 and came out of it worse for wear. Plenty of questions now face New Orleans, which was missing several key contributors at practice Wednesday.

Among them, the last two members of the team’s Drew Brees offensive lines. Erik McCoy is heading to IR, and right guard Cesar Ruiz is battling both knee and ankle injuries. Coming into the season with issues up front, New Orleans now has injury hurdles to negotiate early. As a result, reinforcements are coming.

One of them will move up from the practice squad, with another coming from outside the organization. Shane Lemieux is being signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, while NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill indicates Chris Reed is joining team’s P-squad.

While Reed comes to New Orleans from Minnesota, his Vikings tenure did not overlap with new OC Klint Kubiak‘s. Reed spent the previous two seasons in Minnesota, after Kubiak had moved on, and worked as a Vikings backup. Reed, who worked as a Panthers regular starter in 2020 and a Colts fill-in starter in 2021, will mix in at a reeling position group.

Oli Udoh, who started 16 games at guard for the Vikings during Kubiak’s 2021 season as OC, moved into the lineup once McCoy went down against the Eagles. Udoh kicked Lucas Patrick from left guard to center, and the Saints figure to lean on the versatile blocker’s experience there for the foreseeable future. The Saints have a younger option as well in Nick Saldiveri, a 2023 fourth-round pick. The Old Dominion alum began training camp working as the first-string left guard. Patrick eventually won the job, but both Udoh and Saldiveri could be summoned if Ruiz cannot go in Week 4.

Lemieux, who became a Giants starter as a rookie, battled constant injury trouble during his final three seasons in New York. A severe foot injury sidelined the former fifth-round pick for almost all of the 2021 and ’22 seasons. Lemieux returned in 2022 but played in only one game. A biceps injury in practice last October ended Lemieux’s contract year on a familiar note. This represents another shot for a player who has played in just six games over the past three seasons.

Reed joined Brian Allen and others, ex-Colts backup Josh Sills among them, at Wednesday’s workout. Formerly the Rams’ starting center in Super Bowl LVI who worked as the team’s starter for three seasons during an injury-plagued run in Los Angeles, Allen lost his job to Coleman Shelton last season and became an offseason cap casualty. Previously given a three-year, $18MM Rams deal, Allen could not make the Browns’ 53-man roster in August.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/24

August 4th, 2024 at 5:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions to close out the weekend:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington Commanders

The Browns were looking forward to stashing Allen’s starting experience as a reserve lineman on the interior. Unfortunately, he suffered a calf injury that ended his season before it even began. Only on a one-year contract anyway, Allen will now get a head start on the free agency he would’ve faced at the end of this season.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson will not be coaching his son, Josh, this season, it appears. The 26-year-old tight end appeared in three games under his father in 2023.

Browns Place OL Brian Allen On IR

July 29th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns’ interior offensive line depth has been dealt a blow well before the start of the season. Brian Allen was placed on injured reserve Monday, per a team announcement.

Allen has been dealing with a calf injury since the third day of training camp, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes. The ailment is obviously a serious one, as today’s move means Allen will not play in 2024. The 28-year-old signed with the Browns after the draft in a bid to put together a healthy campaign on a new team.

Allen started each of his appearances with the Rams from 2019-22, but injuries hindered his Los Angeles tenure. The former fourth-rounder missed the 2020 campaign altogether, and he was limited to five games (and no starts) last season. To little surprise, he was released by the Rams in a move which set up his Browns arrival.

Cleveland’s offensive line was decimated by injuries in 2023, so added depth across the board was welcomed in the offseason. Allen has exclusively played at center during his career, but he did take practice reps at guard prior to suffering the injury. Now, the Browns’ plans along the interior will no longer include him for 2024. The team still has Ethan Pocic in place as a starter in the middle, along with the well-regarded tandem of Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio at guard.

Allen’s Cleveland contract was a one-year accord, as could be expected given his injury issues during his Rams tenure. His attention will now return to rehab in anticipation of free agency next spring. After another full season spent on the sidelines, though, it is safe to assume his market will not be strong once he returns to full health. In a corresponding move, the Browns signed guard Zach Johnson.

Browns Sign C Brian Allen

April 30th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brian Allen‘s six-year Rams run ended this offseason, as the Rams released him following a season as a second-stringer. Allen will have a chance to rebuild elsewhere.

The former Super Bowl starter secured a chance with the Browns on Tuesday, according to his agency. Cleveland will see if Allen, who has battled injuries for much of his career, can contribute to an O-line that otherwise features a host of expensive pieces.

Although the Browns limped to the finish line last season up front, their line still houses high-priced guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller — along with Jack Conklin‘s upper-crust right tackle salary and Jedrick Wills‘ fifth-year option. The team also paid Ethan Pocic after a productive 2022 season; the veteran center is tied to a three-year, $18MM deal. Pocic received $10MM guaranteed at signing last year.

Pocic’s 2023 terms matched what the Rams authorized for Allen in 2022, but the Super Bowl LVI first-stringer again ran into injury trouble. Allen, who missed seven games in 2019 and all of 2020 due to injury, did not play in 10 of the Rams’ 17 games during an injury-plagued 2022 campaign for the defending champions’ O-line. Allen was unable to retain his starting spot last season, as the Rams went with former UDFA Coleman Shelton. Even as Shelton departed (for the Bears) in free agency, the Rams made Allen a cap casualty.

Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the league’s 10th-best center in 2021, offering some potential upside for the Browns. But while the former fourth-round pick made 20 starts for the Super Bowl-winning team, he played part of the season with a UCL tear in his elbow and missed a game due to an MCL sprain. ACL and MCL tears midway through the 2019 season ended up costing Allen all of his 2020 season, and he sustained another knee setback in Week 1 of the ’22 season. Allen, 28, suited up for only five games last season, as Shelton started all 18 Rams contests.

PFF graded Pocic as last season’s 13th-best center, and the Browns also drafted Michigan guard Zak Zinter in Round 3. The latter is coming off a season-ending broken leg sustained during Michigan’s win over Ohio State. As Zinter is assured of at least a swing role this coming season, the Browns will see if Allen can also become part of their equation up front.

Rams Release C Brian Allen

February 21st, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Displaced as the Rams’ starting center, Brian Allen is now off the team’s roster. The Rams announced Wednesday they have released Allen, who had one season remaining on his contract.

Allen, who started for the team in Super Bowl LVI, had re-signed with the Rams on a three-year, $24MM deal back in 2022. The veteran only played 34 offensive snaps last season, however. The Rams will save $4.9MM by making this move.

Allen’s contract called for a $5MM base salary next season. Due to a restructure that included void years, the Rams will take on $3.15MM in dead money by releasing the six-year veteran. The Rams found Allen in the 2018 fourth round, turning to him as one of many Day 3 draftees to become regular starters. While Allen did enough to command a nice second contract, he found himself on the bench this past season.

The Rams turned to Coleman Shelton as their primary center in 2023, reorganizing their O-line. In 2022, the Rams had re-signed Allen and Joe Noteboom to respectively work as their center and left tackle starters. Neither deal panned out. The Rams drafted Steve Avila in the second round and acquired Kevin Dotson via trade last year; Alaric Jackson also beat out Noteboom for the left tackle gig. The shuffling left right tackle Rob Havenstein as the only Super Bowl starter remaining.

Injuries impeded Allen, 28, for much of his Rams career. He suffered a knee injury in Week 1 of the 2022 season, missing time due to a minor surgery. Allen ended up starting only seven games that season, with thumb and calf issues finishing his season early during a year that featured rampant Rams health issues up front. Allen also missed the entire 2019 season due to ACL and MCL tears, bouncing back to become the Rams’ starting center from 2020-21.

Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the league’s 10th-best center in 2021, but while he made 20 starts for the Super Bowl-winning Rams team, he played part of the season with a UCL tear in his elbow. The season still secured him a ring and a nice payday. The center market did not produce much of consequence last year, however, with a handful of teams being able to re-sign their pivots for cheap. This and a run of injuries does not bode too well for Allen, though the Michigan State alum has made 32 career starts and been in that role for two playoff teams.

Latest On Rams’ Offensive Line

May 30th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ offensive line staffing issues extended to the point three in-season signings — Matt Skura, Ty Nsekhe, Oday Aboushi — needed to step into starting roles last season. Skura and Nsekhe ended up making eight starts for a team mired in a near-season-long blocking crisis.

None of these veterans remain with the team, as it will attempt to reconstruct a line with capabilities near the level of its 2021 Super Bowl-winning group. As of OTAs, however, only one spot appears locked down. Rob Havenstein, the only constant for Los Angeles up front last season, is on track to man the team’s right tackle spot for a ninth season. Beyond the St. Louis-era holdover, competition will ensue in the coming months.

Although the Rams re-signed Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen last year, neither may be a lock to enter the season as a starter. Allen will compete for the center job he has held for three of the past four seasons — excepting a full-season 2020 absence — while Noteboom, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue will likely vie for the left tackle gig with Alaric Jackson, one of the other Rams to suffer a season-ending health issue last year (subscription required).

Noteboom, Jackson, Allen, David Edwards, Tremayne Anchrum and 2022 third-round pick Logan Bruss were lost for the season. Week 1 right guard Coleman Shelton missed time as well, leading to numerous O-line combinations during a disastrous Super Bowl title defense. Of this group, all are back except Edwards, a three-year guard starter who signed a low-cost deal with the Bills in March.

Noteboom, who signed a three-year, $39MM deal ($16.5MM fully guaranteed) to succeed Andrew Whitworth, suffered an Achilles tear in mid-October. He is not yet a full OTAs participant but is expected to be full-go by training camp. The other in-house option at left tackle, Jackson, filled in for Noteboom but did not play past Week 9 due to a blood clot issue. The Rams cleared Jackson (six 2022 starts) earlier this spring, Rodrigue notes, giving the third-year UDFA an interesting opportunity. It would stand to reason Noteboom will be favored, given his contract and previous role as Whitworth’s top backup, though Rodrigue adds the former third-round pick could be a left guard option as well. Noteboom played guard in 2019, but a season-ending injury closed that path. Jackson played both guard and tackle last season, filling in for both Noteboom and Edwards, offering flexibility for the regrouping Rams this offseason.

Allen started at center throughout the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season but suffered a Week 1 knee injury and saw a calf ailment end his season three games early. Suffering an ACL tear midway through the 2019 season and missing all of 2020 as a result, Allen played just seven games last season. While he worked his way back from the ACL setback en route to a two-year, $10MM deal, the guarantees on that pact have been paid out. Allen figures to match up with last year’s Week 1 right guard, Shelton, at center. Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the NFL’s 10th-best center in 2021; it slotted Shelton as a bottom-tier interior lineman last year.

While Shelton (13 starts last season) will also be an option at right guard again, the Rams have used their top pick on a guard in each of the past two years. Bruss, who suffered ACL and MCL tears during a preseason game, has received clearance to return. The Rams chose TCU’s Steve Avila 36th overall. Avila should be ticketed for a starting guard role. Bruss was in competition for the right guard gig last year, but Avila’s draft slot would make it a bit of a surprise if he was not penciled in to start in Week 1. A former seventh-round pick, Anchrum has minimal game experience and is coming off a September fibula fracture. He will likely vie for a swing job.

Over the past two offseasons, the Rams have lost considerable experience. Whitworth’s retirement and the free agency exits of Edwards and Austin Corbett have created an interesting (and mostly unproven) mix here. The Rams could have re-signed Edwards for next to nothing, as he is tied to a one-year, $1.77MM contract, but they will aim to build around Avila. The team, which also added new O-line coaches (Ryan Wendell, Zak Kromer), may field a new-look front five come Week 1.

NFL Restructures: Okwara, Allen, Fatukasi

March 26th, 2023 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a few details on recent contract restructures around the league:

  • Lions edge rusher Romeo Okwara came to an agreement to restructure his contract at the beginning of the week. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the renegotiated contract reduces his cap hit in 2023 from $14.5MM to $5.65MM.
  • After center Brian Allen reportedly agreed to a renegotiated deal, the Rams benefitted from a bit of cap relief. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Allen’s restructured contract saved approximately $3.2MM in cap space for Los Angeles.
  • The Jaguars were able to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi recently. The team converted $7.38MM of Fatukasi’s base salary into a signing bonus and added three void years. The moves resulted in about $5.9MM of additional cap space in 2023.

NFC Injury Rumors: Rams, Peat, Buccaneers

December 25th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Injuries continue to hamper the Rams in the final stretch of the season. News earlier this week confirmed that calf strains to center Brian Allen and wide receiver Ben Skowronek “are severe enough to sideline them for the rest of the season,” according to team staff writer Stu Jackson. That leaves Los Angeles down two more starters as the Super Bowl hangover continues.

Allen has had a disappointing season, health-wise. After missing five weeks while dealing with a knee injury early on in the year, then two more with a thumb issue, the calf strain has finally put an end to Allen’s tumultuous 2022 season. Starting guard Coleman Shelton, who has plenty of past experience at center, moved inside when Allen left last week’s game and will continue to start at center for the remainder of the season. To replace Shelton at right guard, the team will choose between backup linemen Bobby Evans, Oday Aboushi, and Zach Thomas.

Not that there was much damage left to do to the battle-worn Rams, but Skowronek is yet another damaging loss to the team. With starting receivers Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson already on injured reserve, Skowronek was Los Angeles’s leading wideout still on the active roster. With the former Notre Dame tight end joining Kupp and Robinson as out for the remainder of the year, quarterback Baker Mayfield will be passing to Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Brandon Powell, Austin Trammell, and Lance McCutcheon.

Allen and Skowronek add their names to the litany of Rams’ starters who have gone down for the year. Here are a few other injury rumors from around the NFC, focusing on a couple teams in the South:

  • Saints starting guard Andrus Peat left Saturday’s win over the Browns with an ankle injury and did not return. Peat is no stranger to injuries, having struggled with them throughout his NFL career. His absence, though, puts New Orleans in a tough spot as it succeeded in remaining in the NFC South race with Saturday’s victory. Already down starting right guard Cesar Ruiz, who is out for the year with a Lisfranc injury, the Saints are having to put together a patchwork offensive line. Peat’s usual backup, Calvin Throckmorton, started the game in place of Ruiz. With backup guard Lewis Kidd inactive, New Orleans had to turn to Josh Andrews, a practice squad center who had been a gameday elevation. The severity of the injury has yet to be determined, but an extended absence from Peat would make it even more difficult for the Saints to clinch a playoff spot down the stretch.
  • The Buccaneers ruled out three starters for today’s matchup with the Cardinals, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Starting tackle Donovan Smith, defensive tackle Vita Vea, and cornerback Jamel Dean have all been ruled out, as has outside linebacker Carl Nassib. With the bad news comes the good news that Tampa Bay’s other starting tackle Tristan Wirfs is expected to play today. Backup tackle Josh Wells, who was also questionable coming into this week, will likely start in place of Smith. Vea’s role should be filled by Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Dean will likely be replaced by a combination of Sean Murphy-Bunting, Dee Delaney, and Zyon McCollum.

Matthew Stafford Cleared For Week 11 Return

November 18th, 2022 at 6:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Rams were on the losing end of an all-backup quarterback battle last week, but they are set to have their starter available under center on Sunday. Matthew Stafford has been removed from the team’s injury report and is in line to play against the Saints.

Stafford had missed Los Angeles’ loss to the Cardinals in Week 10 due to a concussion. He made steady progress in recent days, though, lining him up to be cleared in time for Sunday’s game. The Rams turned to backup John Wolford in Stafford’s absence, with the exception of a handful of snaps given to rookie Bryce Perkins.

Stafford being back at the helm will be a welcomed sight, despite that fact that his second season with the Rams has not gone as smoothly as his first. The 34-year-old has an 8:8 touchdown-to-interception ratio (after throwing five in the first two games, and one in three consecutive contests between Weeks 4 and 6) while averaging 46 fewer passing yards per game than 2021.

Overall, the Rams rank 17th in the league in that regard, as they have struggled mightily on offense. The run game has fared even worse, of course, but a healthy Stafford could especially be needed moving forward given the fact the the team’s most consistent contributor is now out of the picture.

Cooper Kupp‘s high ankle sprain required surgery and has landed him on IR, leaving him sidelined for at least four games. With the Rams sitting at 3-6, that has led to questions about whether the the reigning Offensive Player of the Year will see the field again in 2022. An offensive resurgence will be needed to bring the team back into playoff contention.

Stafford – who like Kupp and Aaron Donald – signed a big-ticket extension this offseason – entered the campaign with concerns over his throwing elbow, though the more significant concern has become the offensive line in front of him. On that note, ESPN’s Sarah Barshop reports that neither guard David Andrews nor center Brian Allen will be available against the Saints (Twitter links). That will induce even more alterations to the injury-ravaged unit, while the Rams look to end their three-game skid with the No. 1 QB back in the fold.

Coleman Shelton To Miss Extensive Time

October 4th, 2022 at 4:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The injuries continue to mount for the Rams on their interior offensive line. The defending Super Bowl champions lost another starter up front, with Sean McVay indicating Tuesday that Coleman Shelton will be sidelined due to a high ankle sprain.

Shelton, who won the team’s right guard competition out of training camp, had moved to center after Brian Allen‘s Week 1 injury. Allen has not yet returned, but McVay said Shelton will face a four- to six-week return timetable as a result of the injury he sustained against the 49ers. An IR stay seems likely for Shelton.

The Rams played without their starting center (Allen) and left guard (David Edwards) against the Niners, and other options are out of the picture inside as well. The team’s top 2022 draft choice, guard Logan Bruss, suffered ACL and MCL tears in August; right guard replacement Tremayne Anchrum is also out for the year. The Rams finished with third-string options at center (Jeremiah Kolone) and right guard (Alaric Jackson) by game’s end, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (on Twitter).

A UDFA who has been with the Rams for four seasons, Shelton earned his first crack at a starting job this season. He was the team’s only interior-line constant during the first four games, playing guard and center for the injury-battered front. The Rams will need to make another adjustment before facing the Cowboys in Week 5.

The 49ers dropped Matthew Stafford seven times in Week 4, marking the second game this season in which Stafford has taken seven sacks. The Bills began the year with a seven-sack showing, doing so as the Rams lost Allen to injury. Allen underwent a knee procedure shortly after Week 1, but the Rams did not place him on IR. After missing three games, the veteran snapper should be back soon. It might not be this week, however, Rodrigue adds (via Twitter). Edwards was placed in the team’s concussion protocol over the weekend, leaving his status uncertain for the Dallas matchup. The Rams still have their tackles — Joe Noteboom and Rob Havenstein — available, though Noteboom allowed three of San Francisco’s sacks Monday.

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