Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DE Byron Cowart
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: CB Robert Rochell
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Troy Dye
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OL Jack Driscoll
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: G Tremayne Anchrum Jr.
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Seattle Seahawks
Byron Cowart has found another new home in 2023. The veteran defensive lineman has agreed to terms on a deal with the Dolphins, his agency announced on Tuesday. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes this will be a practice squad arrangement.
Cowart began his career with the Patriots in 2019, and he made five appearances as a rookie. His playing time saw a notable spike the following year, as he started all 14 games he played in while logging a 48% snap share. An injury in 2021 cost him that entire season and led to the eventual end of Cowart’s tenure in New England, however, and his career has seen him bounce around the AFC since then.
The 27-year-old spent last season with the Colts. He played every game with Indianapolis, though he did so while seeing the field for only 20% of the team’s defensive snaps. Cowart totaled 12 tackles during the campaign, and he received by far the worst overall PFF grade (30.4) of his brief career. It thus comes as little surprise that he has struggled to find a full-time opportunity throughout the past several months.
Cowart signed with the Chiefs in March, but he was let go shortly thereafter. That allowed him to join the Texans in a return to the AFC South. Houston’s general manager, Nick Caserio, was with New England when Cowart was drafted. That familiarity did not pay off for the latter, however, as he was among the Texans’ final roster cuts. After a few weeks on the open market, he will now get another opportunity to crack an active roster.
The former fifth-rounder will likely be elevated on gamedays from the Dolphins’ taxi squad as he looks to find playing time in a depth capacity. Miami has leaned heavily on Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins along the defensive front, and that will continue so long as they are both healthy. Seiler is on the books through 2026 after inking a three-year, $30.75MM extension last month. Wilkins, however, was not able to come to terms on a new Dolphins deal in the summer and his contract talks will be paused until the offseason. With a strong showing, Cowart could play his way into an extended look in South Beach.
The Texans are in the midst of a rebuild, but that doesn’t make their roster decisions any easier. The organization ultimately settled on 53 players today:
Three veteran tight ends were let go in Mason Schreck, Eric Tomlinson, and Nick Vannett. Vannett has the most epxerience of the bunch, having seen time in 86 career games. He spent the 2022 seasons with the Giants and Saints, hauling in six catches. Tomlinson has appeared in 85 career games, including 34 over the past two seasons. He started 12 of his 17 appearances for Denver in 2022, serving mostly as an extra blocker.
Adam Humphries was an 800-yard receiver with the Buccaneers in 2018, but he’s compiled only 985 yards in three years since. He didn’t get into a game during the 2022 season, but he did haul in 41 catches for Washington in 2021.
Here are a few details on recently-signed contracts/extensions:
Trubisky was already under contract through 2023, and he was due an $8MM salary for the upcoming year. So, as Florio notes, the 28-year-old passer essentially gave the Steelers two more years of club control without any increase in 2023 pay and without securing any guaranteed money in the two tack-on years. It seems that after Pittsburgh unexpectedly re-signed fellow signal-caller Mason Rudolph, Trubisky was worried that he might be released, so in order to lock in the $8MM he was already planning to earn this season, he agreed to a team-friendly extension.
His contract is now due to expire when Kenny Pickett‘s rookie deal expires, so the Steelers will at least have a high-end backup on hand as Pickett seeks to establish himself as Pittsburgh’s franchise QB.
Byron Cowart will join a second team this offseason. The former Patriots starter caught on with the Chiefs in March, but the defending champions quickly cut him. The Texans will take a flier.
Houston is signing Cowart, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. Best known for being a full-time starter with New England in 2020, Cowart has not started a game since. He spent last season with the Colts. Texans GM Nick Caserio was with the Patriots when they drafted Cowart in the 2019 fifth round.
Cowart saw an injury derail his 2021 season. The Patriots stashed the 300-pound defender on their reserve/PUP list to start the season but later allowed his return-to-practice period to expire. That ended his season, and the Pats moved on just before training camp began last year. The Colts picked up Cowart and used him as a backup in 17 games. He made 12 tackles (two for loss) during a season in which he played 227 defensive snaps.
Pro Football Focus did not rank Cowart highly last year, slotting him outside the top 100 among interior D-linemen. He will aim to bounce back with a rebuilding team. The Colts claimed Cowart’s rookie deal last summer, but after the Chiefs bailed on a veteran agreement, the former Maryland and Auburn D-lineman will attempt to stick on a veteran contract in Houston.
The Texans have added some D-tackle help this offseason, signing Sheldon Rankins and ex-DeMeco Ryans 49ers charge Hassan Ridgeway. The team also returns Maliek Collins, who signed during Caserio’s first offseason. The Texans, however, did not draft an interior D-lineman.
Here are the league’s minor moves from today:
Arizona Cardinals
Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks
Bowden will now be searching for the fourth team of his young NFL career. The former third-round pick was traded to Miami before his rookie season began. In South Beach, he recorded 243 yards from scrimmage with 28 receptions and nine rush attempts. After missing his sophomore season on injured reserve, Bowden was waived just before last season and signed to the Patriots practice squad.
Friday’s minor moves in the NFL:
Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Today’s minor transactions:
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Giants
The much-discussed Deshaun Watson trade between the Dolphins and Texans never came to fruition, in part because Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted Watson to settle the 22 civil suits that have been brought against him. As Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes, Ross also wanted to speak with Watson directly and requested permission to do so, but because there was no chance that Watson’s legal situation would be resolved by the November 2 trade deadline, there was no point in having a conversation just yet.
However, if Houston and Miami reopen talks this offseason, it seems that a sit-down between Ross and Watson will be necessary before a deal can be struck.
Now for more from the AFC East, starting with another item out of South Beach: