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Chukwuma Okorafor

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/24

September 19th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

New England Patriots

New York Jets

The Patriots sustained a blow to their offensive line depth when Okorafor left the team after being benched after just 12 snaps in Week 1. New England received a five-day roster exemption for Okorafor’s initial absence but was forced to move the offensive tackle to the reserve/left team list when the exemption expired. He is now ineligible to return this season.

Watson was drafted by the Browns in the sixth round of the 2024 draft and made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster. He appeared in the team’s first two regular-season games, playing 33 snaps on special teams.

Latest On Chukwuma Okorafor’s Patriots Departure

September 18th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Following an ugly Week 1 cameo, Patriots offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor was placed on the exempt/left squad list after suddenly stepping away from the team. We heard at the time that this was “not a temporary decision,” and ESPN’s Mike Reiss echoes that sources aren’t expecting the veteran to play for the Patriots again this season.

Now, the organization will have to work with the player to determine how much of the guaranteed money he’ll end up receiving. As Reiss notes, Okorafor earned a $2MM signing bonus (of which $600K was deferred until 2025) and a guaranteed $1.125MM base salary. Reiss hints that the two sides may be facing impending negotiations to determine how much of the $3.125MM in guaranteed money Okorafor will ultimately get to keep. Indeed, coach Jerod Mayo revealed that the front office has already had talks with the player’s camp (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald).

The lineman also stepped away from more than $4MM in incentives. Okorafor would have earned $850K for a variety of snap milestones, including appearing from 50 to 90 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. After being “checked out mentally” and leaving the organization, there’s little chance Okorafor will hit most of those milestones even with a sudden return.

Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal provides some more insight into the player’s departure, with the reporter noting that the player is “contemplating his future in football.” Giardi also passed along quotes from Mayo, with the coach noting his own concern for Okorafor the person (vs. the player).

“I called him, and it had everything to do with the man,” Mayo said. “I wanted to make sure that he was good, in a good space and really considering and taking into consideration that this is what he wanted to do.”

After spending the past four years as the Steelers starting right tackle, Okorafor joined the Patriots this offseason to replace Trent Brown on the left side of the line. The acquisition struggled in his Patriots debut, allowing six QB pressures in his six pass-blocking opportunities, leading to him quickly being replaced by Vederian Lowe. The fill-in has already been ruled out for tomorrow, and Giardi notes that Caedan Wallace will likely get the call at LT against the Jets.

Patriots T Chukwuma Okorafor Leaves Team

September 14th, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots made a pair of transactions today ahead of their matchup tomorrow with the Seahawks. One of those transactions was essentially an announcement as offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was placed on the exempt/left squad list, per Patriots staff writer Evan Lazar.

According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Okorafor informed the team that he would be leaving. As Kyed puts it, “the team’s understanding is that this is not a temporary decision” as Okorafor “has been checked out mentally over the past month or so.” These events must have taken place in the last 24 hours or so as Okorafor was present in the locker room yesterday. This is the second year in a row that New England has seen a player voluntarily walk away, though quarterback Matt Corral did not give notice of his departure before leaving the team last season.

After six years of playing right tackle for the Steelers, Okorafor was asked to step in as a left tackle for New England in 2024 after the departure of Trent Brown this offseason. In 12 snaps of football during the team’s Week 1 game against the Bengals, Okorafor was asked to pass block six times. In those six passing snaps, Okorafor allowed three quarterback pressures. He was quickly replaced by Vederian Lowe, who played on the first-team offense for the remainder of the game.

Lowe seems to be the next man up as the Patriots move forward without Okorafor. A former sixth-round pick for the Vikings in 2022, Lowe was traded to the Patriots last year for a 2024 sixth-rounder and made eight starts in 11 games for New England at both left and right tackle. The swingman will once again be asked to step into a starting role.

In addition to placing Okorafor on the exempt/left squad list, the team also called up offensive guard Michael Jordan as a standard gameday practice squad elevation for the second straight week. Jordan was promoted in Week 1 as the Patriots expected starting guard Sidy Sow to miss the game with an ankle injury. Jordan ended up starting the game and playing all 64 snaps at left guard. With Sow expected to miss this week’s game, as well, Jordan could be lined up with the first-team offense, once again.

Practice squad players can only be called up as gameday elevations twice, so if the team has plans to start, or even play, Jordan any more after this week, they will need to sign him to the active roster. After doing so, they can still cut Jordan and return him to the practice squad, where he can be called up twice again.

OL Notes: Broncos, Wattenberg, Raiders, Cowboys, Beebe, Patriots, Giants, Neal

August 22nd, 2024 at 8:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The center position sticks out on Denver’s offensive line. Four eight-figure-per-year contracts populate the Broncos‘ front, giving Bo Nix a solid batch of blockers as he begins his career. But the team did not bring in a starter-caliber player to replace Lloyd Cushenberry, who signed a big-ticket deal with the Titans. A matchup of recent Day 3 picks in training camp is close to being resolved. Luke Wattenberg has started Denver’s two preseason games, and the coaching staff views the 2022 fifth-rounder as having made great strides ahead of his third season. Wattenberg should be considered the favorite to start over 2023 seventh-rounder Alex Forsyth (despite the latter having been Nix’s 2022 center at Oregon), per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson.

A Washington alum already going into his age-27 season, Wattenberg has two seasons left on his rookie contract. He has played 128 career snaps. This will be an adjustment for the Broncos, who used Cushenberry as a starter for four seasons. But Wattenberg’s fifth-round contract will mesh well on a line with Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Mike McGlinchey and now Quinn Meinerz on pricey deals.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:

  • The Patriots will of course look into additions on the waiver wire, when hundreds of cut players will be available come Wednesday, but de facto GM Eliot Wolf said (via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian) the team is content with its current mix up front. In addition to being without left guard Cole Strange, the Pats have not named their starting tackles. It appears to be trending toward 2023 late-August trade pickup Vederian Lowe at LT and street FA addition Chukwuma Okorafor at RT, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed writes. Jerod Mayo both said he had wanted an O-line settled before the third preseason game and that Drake Maye‘s short outing in the preseason opener came from an uneasiness about the front five. This does not paint a picture of stability entering the season, which would make it rather interesting if Mayo and Wolf opted to open the year with Maye starting.
  • Cooper Beebe had been mentioned as a strong candidate to replace Tyler Biadasz as the Cowboys‘ center, but Brock Hoffman — a 2022 UDFA who started two games last season — had worked exclusively in that spot during most of training camp. Beebe, however, has received first-team work recently, Saad Youself of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Since that insertion, Beebe looks to be moving toward landing the gig. The third-round rookie appears the more likely starter, Yousef adds, with Hoffman — despite his weeks-long run with the first unit — seemingly ticketed for a backup role.
  • After a shoulder injury kept Jackson Powers-Johnson out of OTAs, and a concussion sustained at minicamp sidelined the second-round pick for months. Powers-Johnson only returned to Raiders practice recently. The team had hoped the Oregon center would win its LG job from the jump, but the time off will likely delay his start to the season. Antonio Pierce said (via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed) Powers-Johnson is unlikely for Week 1. Free agent signing Cody Whitehair has worked as Las Vegas’ starting LG and is poised to keep that role to open the season. The Bears demoted the longtime starter midway through last season, making his Raiders fit — with ex-Bears OC Luke Getsy calling the shots — interesting. But the 32-year-old blocker looks like a Week 1 starter.
  • Last year’s Raiders RG starter, Greg Van Roten is reprising his right-side tandem with Jermaine Eluemunor in New York. If Giants center John Michael Schmitz misses time, however, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan expects the recently added guard to slide to center. Free agent pickup Aaron Stinnie would replace Van Roten, 34, at guard in this scenario.
  • Duggan drops another concerning nugget about Evan Neal‘s status as well, indicating the displaced RT starter is not a lock to be active on gamedays due to only taking reps at right tackle since coming back from ankle surgery. Joshua Ezeudu, who has worked at both left and right tackle spots during camp, would be the Giants’ swing tackle if Neal’s transition from top-10 pick to healthy scratch actually happens.

Patriots Eyeing OT Depth?

August 10th, 2024 at 9:51am CST by Ben Levine

With the Patriots now out of the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, the team will pivot to improving other offensive positions. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots are expected to “turn their full attention” to acquiring offensive tackle depth. The organization could consider a number of different routes as they seek reinforcement, including a trade, a veteran free agent, or an inexperienced tryout player.

[RELATED: Latest On Patriots G Cole Strange’s Knee Injury]

With Trent Brown now out of the picture, the Patriots lack experience at both offensive tackle spots. At the moment, there are four clear candidates for the two starting gigs (per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald): Chukwuma Okorafor, Vederian Lowe, Calvin Anderson, and rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace. One team source told Kyed that Okorafor and Lowe are likely in the lead at the moment, although Anderson was recently playing with the starters while Okorafor nursed an undisclosed injury.

As Kyed notes, Jerod Mayo is hoping to have his Week 1 starters locked in before the team’s third preseason game. So, if the Patriots plan to bring in another option at the position, the acquisition will only have a couple of weeks to make a good impression.

The current free agent market includes the likes of Donovan Smith, David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, and Jason Peters. If the rebuilding Patriots intended to bring in one of these veterans, they probably would have already done so. More likely, the Patriots will continue to explore the trade market for some depth, and they could also hold out for players who shake loose at the end of the preseason (although that won’t help their starting lineup uncertainty).

Whatever combination of players the Patriots settle on for their offensive line, it’s unlikely to stick throughout the entire regular season. Former first-round guard Cole Strange will eventually return from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. Whenever Strange comes back, the Patriots could consider moving Michael Onwenu back to offensive tackle, although the recent extension recipient has exclusively played guard throughout training camp.

Chukwuma Okorafor Likely To Start For Pats; Latest On Team’s Tackle Competitions

August 8th, 2024 at 9:47am CST by Sam Robinson

As the Patriots continue to hand big-money deals to Bill Belichick-era acquisitions, they remain thin at tackle. Plans to keep Michael Onwenu at right tackle have been scrapped — for the time being, at least — and a host of uncertain options are vying for gigs in New England.

Neither Pats tackle post is settled yet, and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed writes four primary candidates are in the mix. The only one who appears destined to start, Chukwuma Okorafor, is not currently practicing. Okorafor has missed the past three Pats practices, but Kyed adds the longtime Steelers right tackle starter is likely to start at either left or right tackle to open the season.

After Trent Brown‘s second New England exit opened a starting job, this is quite the fluid process. The Pats, who had designs on flipping Okorafor — the Steelers’ RT starter from 2020 until his midseason benching last year — to the left side, but Kyed adds he has been since relocated back to right tackle. This would make sense, as the 27-year-old blocker has played all of two LT snaps during the 2020s.

Third-round pick Caedan Wallace practiced primarily at left tackle last week, with the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin indicating he began camp on the right side. Vederian Lowe, a 2023 trade pickup, has also operated as the Pats’ starting LT extensively. He spent five straight practices in that role recently, per Kyed, who adds a Patriots evaluator mentioned the former Vikings draftee and Okorafor being the two most consistent options at camp thus far. Continuing the confusion here, Lowe split his snaps almost evenly (236-239) at LT and RT last season.

Former Broncos swingman Calvin Anderson, who is coming off a strange 2023 that featured a malaria diagnosis, is also involved in the competition. Anderson has primarily worked at right tackle during camp, also missing time due to injury last week. A 12-game starter in Denver from 2020-22, Anderson made it back last season to play in five games and start two. All of Anderson’s 2023 snaps came at right tackle.

When the Pats re-signed Onwenu on a three-year, $57MM deal, the plan appeared to be the fifth-year blocker — who has played extensively at guard and tackle — remaining the team’s right tackle starter. Those plans changed rather quickly, and Volin adds the high-priced blocker is now locked in at right guard. Both Volin and Kyed note an Onwenu-at-tackle scenario may well be one the Patriots revisit, with the Herald reporter indicating Cole Strange‘s eventual return — from a torn left patellar tendon — could kick Onwenu back to RT and slide current left guard Sidy Sow to RG.

Strange, who has yet to live up to his first-round draft status, returning would help stabilize New England’s O-line. For now, this is quite the unsettled situation. None of the team’s options appear especially appealing, either, creating some questions about Drake Maye‘s development.

The No. 3 overall pick, whom the Pats chose rather than accept big offers from the Giants or Vikings, is currently behind Jacoby Brissett for the QB1 gig. But the Pats are giving Maye first-team work. While Brissett may well begin the season as the team’s starter, Maye will almost definitely make 2024 starts. This muddled tackle situation could threaten to hinder the North Carolina product’s progress.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/24

August 6th, 2024 at 9:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DE Zach Morton

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: WR Dax Milne
  • Waived/injured: DT Tomari Fox

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: QB Luis Perez
  • Waived: LB Savion Jackson

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

CeeDee Lamb isn’t usually mentioned in this type of post, but the transaction involving the wideout was simply procedural. As ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, placing Lamb on the reserve/did not report list opens up a roster spot for the Cowboys, something that was necessary after the team signed three players today. This move doesn’t impact negotiations, and Lamb can be activated once he returns to practice. Lamb continues to holdout while he waits for a new deal, but the front office is working hard to get him back in the building.

Justin Herbert‘s recent foot injury necessitated some extra depth at the position. The team ended up opting for Luis Perez, who led the UFL last season in completions (225), passing yards (2,309), and touchdowns (18). Perez will soak up some temporary snaps alongside Easton Stick, Max Duggan, and UDFA Casey Bauman.

Latest On Patriots’ LT Plans

July 6th, 2024 at 2:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Just after the draft, we took a quick first look at the Patriots’ position battle at left tackle. A month ago, we did a big of a deeper dive on the candidates likely to vie for the position. With Trent Brown now in Cincinnati, New England lacks a player with NFL experience on the blindside, and according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, the team may have already given up on one of their replacement options.

In our first look, we tabbed free agent addition Chukwuma Okorafor, third-year lineman Vederian Lowe, and rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace as the likeliest options to take over the starting gig. The problem with this picture arises from the fact that both Okorafor and Wallace have exclusively played at right tackle in the past five years, while Lowe has only eight starts at the NFL level (four of them at left tackle).

It seemed early as if drafting Wallace out of Penn State was intended to address that left tackle job. Head coach Jerod Mayo claimed to be working Wallace and Okorafor at multiple positions while making it clear that there was no intention to move starting right tackle Michael Onwenu to the blindside. Since that time, though, Volin seems to be under the impression that the team has “already scrapped their plans to move (Wallace) to the left side” of the line, utilizing him mostly at right tackle during minicamp.

That leads us back to Okorafor who played only right tackle during a six-year tenure with the Steelers. Becoming a full-time starter after two seasons in Pittsburgh, Okorafor was benched last year after “acting out” before Broderick Jones seemed to take over the position for good. Okorafor did play his final two seasons at Western Michigan at left tackle before getting drafted in the third round, but he’s now six years removed from that experience against much lesser talent in the MAC Conference.

Lowe is another possibility after making eight starts for the team last year as an injury replacement. He split those starts between left and right tackle, but like Okorafor, he does have extensive left tackle experience from his college days with the Illini. As a trade acquisition last year, Lowe came up clutch for the Patriots when Brown was down, but asking him to take over the starting job for a full season is a lot more to ask of the third-year player.

The only other two options appear to be Calvin Anderson, a former undrafted free agent who has 14 starts under his belt in five years of NFL play, and Tyrone Wheatley, an undrafted player back in 2020 whose NFL experience consists of five special teams snaps last year. Anderson’s case is also hurt by an extensive injury history.

With Wallace now seemingly out of the running for the left tackle job, it’s seeming more and more likely that a veteran free agent addition might be necessary to, at the very least, bolster some depth at the position. Okorafor or Lowe may end up being the answer to start, but veteran contributions from players like David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith, or Charles Leno surely wouldn’t hurt.

Latest On Patriots’ LT Plans

June 7th, 2024 at 2:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Trent Brown no longer in the fold, the Patriots will have a new left tackle starter in 2024. Neither of the team’s top options to replace him have NFL experience on the blindside, though, leaving open the question of a free agent addition.

Chukwuma Okorafor has been taking the majority of first-team reps during OTAs, and that will likely continue through the summer. The former Steelers third-rounder has 59 NFL starts to his name, but his last action on the blindside came in college. Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is also a candidate for the left tackle gig, but his Penn State tenure consisted of playing on the right side.

Head coach Jerod Mayo noted that both newcomers are seeing time at multiple spots as the team works out its plan up front. He made it clear, though, that moving Michael Onwenu from right tackle to the blindside is not under consideration. Onwenu re-signed on a three-year, $57MM deal this offseason and he will remain a key member of New England’s O-line regardless of who winds up winning the first-team spot opposite him.

“I mean, I think, look, we’re always trying to bring in good players,” Mayo said when asked about the possibility of an outside addition (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). “Those guys are doing well. We’ll see what happens as the roster continues to play out. Realistically, we’re still early in the process, and training camp will reveal a lot.”

Indeed, evaluations of players on both sides of the line of scrimmage is challenging in the non-padded practices of OTAs and minicamp. More will be known about Okorafor, Wallace and former UDFA Calvin Anderson with respect to their blindside viability this summer. If it is deemed necessary, the Patriots could explore adding a veteran such as David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith or Charles Leno.

Each of those linemen remain on the open market well after the initial waves of free agency and the draft, and they should be available on a low-cost deal for New England or any other interested teams. The Patriots currently have the most cap space in the league with over $46MM available, so funds would not be an issue if a left tackle move was pursued. It will be interesting to see if that winds up being the case later on, or if they elect to stay in house at the position.

AFC East Rumors: Patriots OL, Saleh, Milano

May 26th, 2024 at 6:38pm CST by Ely Allen

With veteran left tackle Trent Brown departing in free agency, the Patriots are looking to fill his old role this offseason. As organized team activities have opened, free agent addition Chukwuma Okorafor has been taking first-team snaps at the position, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Okorafor, a former third-round pick for the Steelers, has spent the first six years of his NFL career in Pittsburgh. His first two seasons only saw the Nigerian find starting time as an injury replacement. After Okorafor finished out his rookie contract with two straight seasons as a starter, the Steelers rewarded him with a three-year, $29.25MM extension. After losing his starting job to first-round rookie Broderick Jones last year, though, the Steelers released Okorafor to free agency.

Now in New England, Okorafor will have the opportunity to re-earn a starting job and fill in for the departed Brown. Okorafor’s competition for the job will be Vederian Lowe, who started eight games in injury relief for the Patriots last year, and third-round rookie Caedan Wallace out of Penn State.

In additional offensive line news out of New England OTAs, second-year lineman Atonio Mafi was seen taking snaps at center behind starter David Andrews. Mafi, a former fifth-round pick who converted from defensive line to guard at UCLA, had yet to seen time at center while making five starts at left guard as a rookie. New offensive line coach Scott Peters and assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler seem to have some interest in expanding his role on the line.

Here are some other rumors coming out of the AFC East:

  • We had reported previously that Jets head coach Robert Saleh had explored the idea of reducing the role of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. This exploration came after the seeing Hackett seemingly lost for options after the loss of starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the season. A more recent report from ESPN’s Rich Cimini claims that Saleh is now taking a deeper role in the offense himself. The former defensive coordinator seems to be keeping a close eye over the shoulder of Hackett as their jobs both heat up in 2024.
  • Long-time Bills starting linebacker Matt Milano missed 12 games after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. The team is looking to pair Milano back up with last year’s emergent starter Terrel Bernard, but that won’t be happening in OTAs. According to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN, Milano is on schedule with his recovery, but “it’s probably going to be more closer to training camp until” he sees the field again.
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