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Chris Reed

Restructure Details: Bolts, Bucs, Bills, Jets

March 11th, 2023 at 2:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams continue to be aggressive in creating cap space ahead of Wednesday’s start to the 2023 league year, when franchises must be in compliance with the new $224.8MM salary cap. Here are the latest moves teams made to get there:

  • Reasonable Chargers activity in free agency should be expected. The team that began the week well over the cap has now created more than $40MM in space over the past couple of days. Following the moves to restructure Keenan Allen and Mike Williams‘ contracts, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets the team created $25.99MM by tweaking Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack‘s deals. Mack’s 2023 cap number drops by $10.8MM, while OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald adds Bosa’s drops by $15.2MM. Bosa’s 2024 number ballooned to $36.6MM because of the move. That will, then, necessitate more maneuvering down the line. The Bosa, Mack, Allen and Williams moves have created a total of $40.37MM in space, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com tweets. They are now more than $19MM under the cap.
  • In completing four restructures, the Buccaneers have now created more than $44MM in cap space. They redid the deals of Vita Vea, Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen and Carlton Davis, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The Bucs have moved to being barely $5MM over the cap, after beginning March at nearly $60MM north of the salary ceiling. Cuts of Leonard Fournette, Cameron Brate and Donovan Smith have helped the team along the way as well. That said, Fournette and Brate cannot be released until after the start of the league year, Greg Auman of Fox Sports notes (on Twitter). The Bucs being unable to realize those savings until after 3pm Wednesday will force them to find a few other ways to create that space.
  • The Jets adjusted the deals of Laken Tomlinson, D.J. Reed and Tyler Conklin — all free agency additions from 2022 — to create $15.2MM in cap space, Yates tweets. Still working to land Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are now $11.5MM under the cap.
  • The Raiders are among the leaders in cap space, but Yates tweets they adjusted Maxx Crosby‘s deal to create $7.5MM in additional funds. Las Vegas holds more than $43MM in cap space, sitting third overall ahead of free agency.
  • Bills defensive tackle Tim Settle agreed to a $600K pay cut for 2023, Yates adds (on Twitter). The 2022 free agency addition still has $2.1MM in guaranteed money for 2023, with the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran adding Settle can earn up to $4.41MM this year via incentives. The Bills are moving closer to the deadline with a lot of work left ahead; they are more than $19MM over the cap.
  • The Vikings and swing backup O-lineman Chris Reed agreed to a renegotiated deal that trims his cap number by around $1MM, per Yates. Minnesota still has work to do ahead of the cap-compliance deadline, sitting more than $7MM over the cap.

Vikings Place RT Brian O’Neill, OL Austin Schlottmann On IR

January 4th, 2023 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 4: O’Neill is believed to have suffered a partially torn Achilles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fifth-year tackle will miss the rest of the season. The partial tear is in addition to the calf injury O’Connell confirmed he sustained, per Andrew Krammer and Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune. O’Neill will undergo surgery.

Coming into this year, O’Neill had never missed an NFL game due to injury. He appears likely to miss some of the Vikings’ 2023 offseason program as well, with O’Connell adding he is hopeful a recovery before the start of next season will commence.

JANUARY 3: The Vikings lost two offensive line starters during a blowout loss to the Packers on Sunday, and both may be done for the season. The team placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and interior O-lineman Austin Schlottmann on IR on Tuesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.

O’Neill left Sunday’s game due to a calf injury Kevin O’Connell called “pretty significant,” while Schlottmann — who had been filling in for injured center Garrett Bradbury — suffered a fractured fibula, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. While it can be safely assumed Schlottmann is done for the season, Tuesday’s transaction will sideline O’Neill for at least four games. Only a Vikings Super Bowl LVII trip could extend the veteran tackle’s season.

The team added former Rams guard Bobby Evans to the practice squad and signed veteran center Greg Mancz to its 53-man roster, but the losses of two starters — particularly O’Neill, who has been a Vikings first-stringer since the early part of his 2018 rookie season — stands to sting for a team that has relied on close wins to reach this perch. The Packers preyed on the Vikes’ vulnerable front in Week 17, a result that knocked the Vikings off their long-held No. 2 spot in the NFC. Minnesota now holds the conference’s No. 3 seed.

Minnesota’s offensive line features five homegrown first- or second-round picks, separating it from the rest of the league this season. Only one of those players, however, is signed to a long-term veteran contract. The Vikings extended O’Neill in 2021, giving the former second-rounder a five-year, $92.5MM extension. He has been a key part of Minnesota’s surge this season. Pro Football Focus rates both Vikings tackles — O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw — in the top seven at the position this season. O’Neill, who has started 75 games, checks in at No. 7.

Signed as a free agent after beginning his career in Denver, Schlottmann has become a key presence in Minnesota since Bradbury’s injury. Schlottmann started each of the Vikes’ past four games, matching his career-high total. Losing both he and O’Neill in the same game forced major adjustments to a line that had been healthy for most of this season.

A lower-back injury has sidelined Bradbury. While the former first-round center missed two games due to the injury sustained on the field, a December car accident affected his recovery. Bradbury said the minor accident caused his back to tighten up. O’Connell said Bradbury’s earliest return window will be in the playoffs, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (on Twitter). Bradbury has not practiced since the Dec. 17 crash.

For now, offseason addition Chris Reed — a former Colts spot starter — is set to snap to Kirk Cousins. Fourth-year blocker Oli Udoh, a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Vikings, slid to tackle to replace O’Neill in Green Bay. A 2019 third-round pick, Evans made 12 starts for the Rams on his rookie contract. But the team did not view him as a regular option; its slew of O-line injuries this season led to four Evans starts. The Rams waived Evans this season. Mancz has made 32 career starts, most of them coming with the Texans.

Vikings C Garrett Bradbury In Danger Of Losing Starting Job

August 7th, 2022 at 1:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Vikings center Garrett Bradbury is in danger of losing his starting job, as Mark Craig of the Star Tribune writes. Although Bradbury has handled all of the first-team reps in training camp thus far, head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the NC State product does not have the gig sewn up.

That is largely a result of Bradbury’s struggles in pass protection. Over his first three years in the league, his Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades have ranked last, last, and second-to-last among centers. He is more accomplished as a run blocker, and O’Connell made sure to mention Bradbury’s running game prowess while acknowledging the need for him to improve in pass pro.

“[Pass-blocking is] where we’re challenging him each and every time; technique, technique,” O’Connell said. “He’s got a good anchor when he’s got his feet underneath him. I think he has the strength to hold up. I think he has the technique to hold up. I think we can do some things with how we protect to try to limit some of the [one-on-one] situations by how we scheme up certain fronts.”

Bradbury missed four games in 2021 but has otherwise started every game for the Vikings since turning pro in 2019. Selected in the first round (No. 18 overall) of that year’s draft, his struggles in protecting the quarterback forced Minnesota to decline his fifth-year option for 2023, thereby turning 2022 into a platform year.

As such, Bradbury’s earning power hangs in the balance. A marked improvement in his game could lead to a lucrative multi-year pact, whereas a demotion could see him hit free agency after having spent a full season as a reserve and with major questions marks about his viability as a starting pivot.

If he ends up ceding his starting role, free agent acquisitions Austin Schlottmann (seven career starts) and Chris Reed (29 career starts) could fill the void, although Reed has never played a regular season game at center. Schlottman has been working as the second-team center.

O’Connell believes that Reed can handle a center’s duties, but one would imagine that his preference would be to have Bradbury step up and seize the job. He has yet to do that, having been burned repeatedly by the Vikings’ interior pass rush in the first several weeks of camp.

NFC North Notes: Bears, OL, Vikings, Barrett

August 3rd, 2022 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mentioned in trade rumors to start the week, Teven Jenkins has not practiced with the Bears since Day 1 of training camp. Due to the unknown ailment he is currently battling and last year’s back injury, Jenkins has participated in just one training camp practice since being chosen in the 2021 second round. He does not look to be factoring into Chicago’s first-string tackle mix. Recently signed veteran Riley Reiff does, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune expects the 11th-year blocker to be the team’s left tackle starter. Reiff spent most of his career as an NFC North left tackle but played on the right side for the Bengals last season. Larry Borom, Chicago’s primary right tackle during his 2021 rookie season, should be considered the favorite to stay in that role, Biggs adds. The Bears ditched their five-year tackle setup last summer, cutting Bobby Massie before the ’21 draft and releasing Charles Leno after selecting Jenkins. Leno has since signed a three-year, $37.5MM extension with the Commanders.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Irv Smith Jr. worked his way back from the knee injury that wiped out his 2021 season, but the third-year Vikings tight end has run into more trouble. Smith underwent thumb surgery, Kevin O’Connell said. While the first-year Minnesota HC added Smith should be back by Week 1, he will miss the preseason. Having let Tyler Conklin hit the market and defect the Jets, the Vikings are counting on Smith to be their starter this season.
  • Jesse Davis has worked as the Vikings’ first-string right guard to start training camp, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. The Vikings used fellow free agent signing Chris Reed as the primary first-stringer here during a recent Davis day off. Minnesota is also incorporating second-round pick Ed Ingram into this competition, per O’Connell. Davis, who shuttled between guard and tackle with the Dolphins for years, signed for one year and $3MM. Reed, a recent Colts backup, signed a two-year, $4.5MM pact. Reed has also worked at center in his initial months with the Vikes.
  • The Packers promoted Jon-Eric Sullivan recently. The veteran executive is now serving as the team’s VP of of player personnel. A Packers staffer since 2004, Sullivan has worked his way up from the regional scouting ranks. When Brian Gutekunst was hired as GM in 2018, Sullivan became the team’s co-player personnel director alongside John Wojciechowski. Green Bay also promoted Chris Gaines and Sean Linton to college scouts.
  • J.T. Barrett is breaking into the coaching ranks. The former Ohio State quarterback is now on the Lions‘ staff as an offensive assistant. Barrett, 27, caught on with the Saints, Seahawks and Steelers as an NFLer but never saw regular-season time. He also spent time with the CFL’s Edmonton Elks.

Vikings, OL Chris Reed Agree To Deal

April 1st, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Reed loomed as a potential option to replace Mark Glowinski in the Colts’ starting lineup, but he will take another opportunity instead. The veteran guard signed with the Vikings on Friday.

The Colts showed interest in re-signing Reed, who made six starts for them last season, but agreed to a two-year Vikings deal, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Reed played collegiately at Division II Minnesota State, where he was teammates with Adam Thielen, and becomes the second starter-caliber O-lineman to sign with the Vikings this week, following ex-Dolphin Jesse Davis.

Reed, 29, subbed for both Glowinski and Quenton Nelson at points last season and spent the 2020 campaign as a full-time Panthers starter, being a first-stringer in each of the 14 games he played that year. Reed and Davis were briefly teammates with the 2019 Dolphins, and the former UDFA spent the first four seasons of his career as a Jaguars backup. The two may wage a battle for the Vikings’ right guard spot soon, with Tomasson viewing Davis as the favorite for the gig (Twitter link). The loser would fit as a valuable swingman.

Minnesota lost three-year contributor Dakota Dozier in free agency but has left guard Ezra Cleveland under contract for two more seasons. The team is poised to return four starters from last season’s O-line and now has options to fill the other slot, with primary 2021 right guard Oli Udoh still under contract.

Indianapolis lost Glowinski early in free agency, with the team’s longtime right guard signing with the Giants. While Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith form the core of a top-tier O-line, the Colts will look to replace two starters — Glowinski and left tackle Eric Fisher, whom they are not expected to re-sign. Unless the Colts are eyeing a veteran guard, 2020 fifth-round pick Danny Pinter will have an opportunity replace Glowinski, CBS4’s Mike Chappell tweets.

Colts To Sign Chris Reed

April 1st, 2021 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have agreed to sign Chris Reed to a one-year veteran benefit deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Reed, who started in 14 games for the Panthers last year, gives the Colts another experienced option on the offensive line.

Reed joined the Panthers towards the end of the 2019 season, after he was dropped by the Panthers. He worked as Carolina’s left guard in 2020, earning a so-so 63.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his 892 snaps. He fared better in 2019 with a 70.3 grade, though that came in a very limited sample of 106 snaps.

Reed joins fellow vets Sam Tevi and Julien Davenport in Indianapolis, providing reinforcements to a group that was battered by injuries last year. Although their starters were among the best in the league, their reserves left something to be desired while tackles Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith were sidelined. Now, they’re without Castonzo altogether following his January retirement.

Panthers Pick Up Chris Reed’s Option

February 26th, 2020 at 9:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have exercised Chris Reed‘s option for the 2020 season, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Reed figures to provide depth along the interior line, addressing a lower priority item on the Panthers’ offseason checklist.

Reed, 28 in July, was with the Dolphins up until his late-season release. The Panthers claimed him in December and put him on the field for three games down the stretch.

His play got them curious enough to see what he can do in camp. By exercising the option, the Panthers will have Reed under contract for one more season at $1.425MM. The sum is non-guaranteed, however, so the Panthers aren’t necessarily bound to him. Reed will occupy a spot on the 90-man roster and aim for making the 53-man cut in September.

Earlier this week, the Panthers declined the option for wide receiver Jarius Wright, which will free up a few extra dollars in mid-March. Meanwhile, they seem intent on keeping former MVP Cam Newton as their starting quarterback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/19

December 5th, 2019 at 6:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Claim WR Mack Hollins

December 4th, 2019 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another veteran wide receiver will head to Miami via waiver claim. The Dolphins submitted a successful claim for former Eagles wideout Mack Hollins on Wednesday.

Hollins follows Trevor Davis, whom the Raiders recently cut, to south Florida. The Dolphins have lost multiple receivers to season-ending injuries in recent weeks.

The Dolphins also signed offensive lineman Evan Brown off the Giants’ practice squad. They waived offensive lineman Chris Reed and cornerback Ken Crawley, the latter with an injury designation, to make room on their 53-man roster.

With their receiver situation battling injuries for most of the season, the Eagles gave Hollins extensive work. He played in at least 50% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps in six games this season but produced just 10 receptions for 125 yards. The 2017 fourth-round pick’s rookie contract runs through 2020, so the Dolphins will have a chance to evaluate him in the offseason as well.

The Dolphins signed Reed to a low-end two-year deal this offseason; he played in five games with one start. Brown is a rookie UDFA out of SMU who’s played three snaps this season. A former Saints corner, Crawley played in four Dolphins games this season.

Contract Details: Dennard, 49ers, Fins, Jets

March 25th, 2019 at 10:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest contract details from around the league:

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