Chris Manhertz

Lawrence Cager, Theo Johnson Vying For Giants’ Pass-Catching TE Role?

In between the Evan Engram and Darren Waller New York stays, Daniel Bellinger worked as the Giants’ primary tight end. During Waller’s latest time off the field due to a hamstring injury last season, the 2022 fourth-rounder returned to a role as the team’s top TE. It would, then, stand to reason the Giants would turn back to Bellinger following Waller’s retirement.

If that is to happen, the team is taking a roundabout route to that depth chart arrangement. The Giants’ offseason program featured Lawrence Cager and fourth-round rookie Theo Johnson splitting first-team reps, per the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. Bellinger missed time due to an unspecified injury, Brian Daboll said (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan), adding the injury occurred weeks ago.

[RELATED: Darren Waller Details Retirement Decision]

Teams do not have to disclose players’ offseason injuries, and Daboll noted the Giants are proceeding cautiously with the third-year tight end. The third-year HC expects Bellinger to “be fine,” though Schwartz adds the parties do not appear on the same page regarding the injury. Considering Bellinger’s extensive playing time over the past two seasons, his role during training camp and the preseason will be a topic to monitor as the Giants transition from Waller.

Despite the Giants trading a third-round pick for Waller in March 2023, they used Bellinger on a career-high 688 offensive snaps. The San Diego State product moved back into the top TE slot during Waller’s five-game absence midway through last season, though the Giants have not involved him heavily in the passing game. Bellinger, who started 11 of the 12 games he played as a rookie, has not eclipsed 275 receiving yards in a season. While Bellinger missed five games due to injury in 2022 and was behind Waller for much of 2023, he did not exceed 375 yards in a season with the Aztecs.

A converted wide receiver, Cager earned praise from Daboll at the conclusion of the offseason program. It should be expected Bellinger will remain a regular for the Giants, but ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes it appears Cager and Johnson are being groomed to take over receiving responsibilities at the position. Daboll referred to Cager as one of the team’s most improved players this offseason. Considering Cager’s past as a frequent practice squad stash, his move to regular duty would be a notable development for a Giants team again grappling with the loss of a productive tight end. In 17 Giants games since his 2022 arrival, Cager has just 17 receptions for 154 yards.

Although Waller continued to battle health issues in New York, he totaled 552 receiving yards in his 12-game Giants stint. Only Engram has topped that among Giants TEs since 2013. Waller’s summer exit leaves a gaping hole in the Giants’ skill-position corps.

The Giants did not add a receiving tight end in free agency but did use their first Day 3 pick on Johnson, who caught seven touchdown passes at Penn State last season. Johnson topped out at 341 yards in a Nittany Lions campaign, but he averaged 16.4 yards per catch as a junior in 2022. Johnson measured 6-foot-6 and ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the Combine.

Additionally, Duggan notes Chris Manhertz exited the offseason program ahead of the other UFA tight end the team added (Jack Stoll). The Broncos released Manhertz, a blocking tight end, this offseason. Manhertz making the roster would cut into the above-referenced trio’s work, as he would be of use to the Giants’ post-Saquon Barkley rushing attack, one still expected to feature the struggling Evan Neal at right tackle.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/24

Friday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

  • Released: OL Roy Mbaeteka

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Irwin gets a crack at a WR3 role in Cincinnati as Tyler Boyd heads to free agency. Irwin also holds experience as the team’s backup return man, filling in last year when Charlie Jones was injured.

Heck rejoins the Texans on a one-year deal worth up to $3.3MM. He’ll add some key depth at an important position.

Rozeboom was a restricted free agent who wasn’t tendered. Regardless, the two sides work out a fully guaranteed deal for 2024.

Feeney joins the Vikings on a one-year deal. Though far removed from a consistent starting role with the Chargers, Feeney has continued to find starts throughout his career as a valuable body off the bench.

The Giants bring in two tight ends without much receiving experience. Manhertz, a veteran whose played for the Panthers from 2016-20, has extensive starting experience as a blocking tight end with 53 starts in his career.

Broncos To Release TE Chris Manhertz

A key blocking presence in Denver last season, Chris Manhertz is moving off the Broncos’ roster amid a cap crunch. The team will release the veteran tight end, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets.

The Broncos gave Manhertz a two-year, $6MM deal to rejoin Sean Payton last year. Better remembered for his time with the Panthers and Jaguars, Manhertz is an eight-year veteran. His release will save the Broncos just more than $2MM in cap space.

I’ve played long enough in this league to where whatever happens, it’s just business,” Manhertz said, via 9News’ Mike Klis. “Is it disappointing news? Sure. But it’s just business. You take it for what it is.”

Manhertz, 31, played 367 offensive snaps over 16 games for the Broncos last season. Denver’s rushing attack struggled for the most part, and Manhertz (two catches, 16 yards) was a non-factor in the passing game. Manhertz was viewed as one of the game’s better pass-blocking tight ends last year, per Pro Football Focus. Prior to coming to Denver, the former UDFA had spent two seasons in Jacksonville and more than four in Carolina. He only played three games for the Saints; those came in 2016.

The Broncos will need a better answer at tight end in 2024, however, as 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich has been an IR mainstay due to chronic hamstring trouble. Denver is close to cap compliance, being less than $1MM over as of Friday afternoon. But the team will need to do more work with its roster to be able to afford some free agency upgrades. The Manhertz release comes a day after the Broncos cut their longest-tenured player, Justin Simmons, to end an eight-season partnership.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/23

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Nixon was a first-team All-Pro returner for the Packers this year. He’s signed to a new one-year deal with a maximum value of $6MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Wharton’s new one-year deal is reportedly worth $2.03MM, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The contract has a guaranteed amount of $850,000 consisting of a $500,000 signing bonus and $350,000 of the base salary (worth $1.01MM total).

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/1/22

Here are the New Year’s Day activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Oli Udoh

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Bryce Hall

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Jaguars To Sign Chris Manhertz

The Jaguars are staying busy. On Tuesday, tight end Chris Manhertz agreed to sign with Jacksonville on a two-year, $7.25MM deal (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 

Manhertz is primarily a blocking tight end. After stops with the Bills and Saints, he found his way to the Panthers in 2016. In 2017, he found a regular role in the offense and got even more playing time while Greg Olsen was out with injuries. For his career, he has 70 starts with just 12 catches for 142 yards and one touchdown.

Manhertz’s deal will become officially official later this week, once the legal tampering period ends and free agency begins in earnest.

Panthers Re-Sign TE Chris Manhertz

The Panthers re-signed tight end Chris Manhertz, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Manhertz was scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason, but he’ll instead return on a new two-year deal. 

Manhertz began training camp on the PUP list thanks to a Jones fracture in his left foot. Fortunately, he rebounded in time for the season and saw a larger role during Greg Olsen‘s absence. The 26-year-old (27 in April) appeared in all 16 games and started in four, playing primarily as a blocking tight end. He had just two catches on the year for 52 yards, bringing his grand career total to five grabs for 79 yards. He did, however, catch his first touchdown pass in Week 15 against the Saints.

Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Manhertz will presumably see a bump from his 2018 salary of $630K.

Extra Points: Cardinals, Cooks, Gregory, Manhertz, McCluster

Larry Fitzgerald will be back for a 15th season in Arizona, and the long-time Cardinals wideout is set to hit free agency next offseason. Of course, the future Hall of Famer can’t envision himself playing elsewhere, as he essentially told Jace Frederick of TwinCities.com that he’d hang up his cleats if he wasn’t retained by Arizona.

“If I’m not playing in Arizona, I won’t be playing anywhere,” he said. “I’ve built a good life for myself down there. Playing in the same place for 15 years is a true blessing.”

Fitzgerald is one of only two players (along with Antonio Brown) to compile 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards over the past three seasons. Despite turning 35 years old this fall, Fitzgerald says he isn’t slowing down.

“It doesn’t really matter about the age, it’s about what you put into it and your mind-set,” he said. “Everybody kind of takes numbers and assumes this is when it’s supposed to end. As an athlete, fortunately, you write your own script. If you still produce and you play at a high level, you kind of determine how long you want to play. If I can stay at a high level, I still keep destiny in my own hands.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • We learned earlier today that wideout Brandin Cooks had inked a five-year, $80MM extension with the Rams. NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora tweets that the new deal contains $20.5MM in guaranteed money and a $50.5MM injury guarantee. NFL.com’s Albert Breer clarifies (via Twitter) that the deal will actually total $81MM, with the $16.2MM average annual value trailing only Brown, Mike Evans and DeAndre Hopkins.
  • Cardinals general manager Steve Keim pleaded guilty today to extreme DUI, and the Cardinals subsequently fined and suspended the executive. Kent Somers of AZCentral tweets that there won’t be an interim general manager during Keim’s absence, as the team will ultimately divide his responsibilities. Terry McDonough will likely handle the “evaluation side,” while Mike Disner will focus on contracts and the cap. Somer adds that Keim won’t face further discipline from the NFL.
  • Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that Keim’s suspension “doesn’t preclude” the Cardinals from working out a long-term deal with running back David Johnson, echoing that Disner would likely negotiate the contract. The Pro Bowler skipped mandatory minicamp last month as he looks for a raise on his $1.8MM base salary.
  • Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. The 26-year-old underwent offseason surgery after suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot. The team is hopeful that Greg Olsen‘s primary backup will be ready for the start of the regular season. As Person points out, Manhertz’s absence will provide fourth-rounder Ian Thomas with an opportunity to contribute during training camp.
  • Earlier today, the NFL reinstated Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory on a conditional basis. Naturally, after appearing in only two games over the past two seasons, the 25-year-old is excited about the prospect of returning to the NFL. “I’m very excited,” Gregory said (via the Dallas News’ Jon Machota on Twitter). “Thanks to the ones who supported me and stood by me. It’s a lot more to the story than it seems and it took me a lot to get to this point. Now I’m ready to make some plays.”
  • Former NFL running back Dexter McCluster has caught on with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL (via CFL.ca). The 29-year-old played in six games with the Chargers during the 2016 season. During his four years with the Chiefs, McCluster compiled 662 rush yards, 1,500 receiving yards, and more than 2,000 return yards.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/18

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/18

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Promoted to active roster: T Blaine Clausell
  • Placed on injured reserve: TE Chris Manhertz

Kansas City Chiefs