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Denzel Perryman

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

January 1st, 2022 at 4:46pm CST by Ely Allen

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

Panthers Trade LB Denzel Perryman To Raiders

August 25th, 2021 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Denzel Perryman is heading west again. The Raiders and Panthers agreed to a deal Wednesday night that will send the veteran linebacker to Las Vegas, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Panthers have announced the trade.

The former Chargers starter will return to the AFC West in a pick-swap trade, with the Panthers receiving a sixth-round pick and the Raiders acquiring Perryman and a seventh-rounder, per Schefter (on Twitter). This will represent another fresh-start attempt for Perryman and give the Raiders some help on their suddenly weakened defensive second level.

Carolina signed Perryman to a two-year, $6MM deal, guaranteeing the former second-round pick $2.99MM. The 28-year-old defender is due to earn base salaries of $990K and $1MM on this contract. The Panthers had seen Jermaine Carter perform well enough during training camp to anoint him as a starter alongside Shaq Thompson. Carter becoming Carolina’s starting middle linebacker left Perryman in limbo, a familiar position for the formerly supplanted Bolts starting inside ‘backer.

Las Vegas is currently down starter Nicholas Morrow, and Jon Gruden said the fifth-year Raider may be out a while. Backup Raiders linebacker Javin White is also on the mend, amplifying a need here. Perryman, however, has also battled injuries this year. He missed time at Panthers training camp due to a hip injury and is battling foot trouble after at teammate stepped on one of his feet this week, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

A bonus for Perryman’s hopes of stabilizing his career: this move will reunite him with former Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, whom the Raiders hired this year. Perryman, who will follow longtime Charger teammate Casey Hayward to Vegas, showed promise early in his career with the Bolts, recording 16 tackles for loss over his first two seasons. Injuries intervened over the next two seasons, but he later signed an extension to stay in Los Angeles. Despite the six-year vet’s playing time dwindling on that second Bolts deal — down to 31% of L.A.’s defensive snaps last season — Perryman graded as one of Pro Football Focus’ top run-defending linebackers in 2020.

Panthers To Sign LB Denzel Perryman

March 17th, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having seen his Chargers role reduced in recent years, Denzel Perryman will receive a fresh start in the NFC. The veteran linebacker intends to sign with the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

The Panthers are adding the six-year veteran on a two-year deal, Fowler adds (via Twitter). After Carolina took a low-cost swing with Tahir Whitehead to succeed Luke Kuechly last year, the team will bring in Perryman at middle linebacker.

Although the Bolts re-signed Perryman two years ago, they transitioned away from him upon trading up for Kenneth Murray in last year’s first round. While Murray experienced acclimation issues in Los Angeles as a rookie, Perryman played just 31% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. He should be expected to have a bigger role in Charlotte.

Various injuries have also plagued Perryman during his career. Hamstring and knee trouble ended his 2018 and ’19 seasons, respectively. While the 28-year-old linebacker has encountered myriad issues in his career, Pro Football Focus viewed his most recent work sample favorably. He graded as one of the top off-ball linebackers last season — a 48-tackle slate across 13 games. Perryman showed promise earlier in his career as well and will attempt to stabilize it in Carolina alongside Shaq Thompson.

Chargers LB Denzel Perryman To Test Market

March 7th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by Rory Parks

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman will hit the open market. The 28-year-old has not ruled out a return to the Bolts, but he will first look to see what other clubs have to offer, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link).

LA’s fortunes have been undermined by injuries in recent seasons, and Perryman has certainly dealt with his fair share of health problems. He appeared in only seven games in 2017, only nine the following year, and has never played in more than 14. Even in his injury-marred campaigns, though, he generally operated as a starter. But in 2020, he was utilized in more of a rotational role, starting a career-low six contests.

Despite that, 2020 may have been one of his best seasons. He scored a terrific 83.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus — which would have been fifth-best in the entire league if he had met PFF’s snap minimum — and he demonstrated a marked improvement in his coverage abilities. Long lauded for his hard hitting and run-stuffing prowess, Perryman was more of a complete player last season, which certainly won’t hurt his value.

However, his injury history and the reduced salary cap are both working against him, and those factors could force him to accept a modest one-year pact, as many “middle class” free agents are expected to do in 2021. And with the Chargers also rostering younger players like Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, and Kyzir White, Perryman may feel that a one-year deal on a club that will utilize him in a more prominent role will give him a better chance to make hay in 2022.

Chargers LB Denzel Perryman Restructures Contract

March 13th, 2020 at 4:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chargers have been busy today. So far they’ve franchise-tagged Hunter Henry, released Brandon Mebane and Thomas Davis, and now they’ve also adjusted a contract. 

Los Angeles agreed to a restructure with linebacker Denzel Perryman that will keep him with the team for the 2020 season, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Originally set to make a little over $6MM in the final year of his current deal, he’ll now need to hit some incentives to reach that figure, Rapoport reports. Perryman was due a $1.5MM roster bonus on the third day of the new league year, and there had been some speculation that the Chargers might move on.

The hard-hitting inside linebacker has been a big part of their defense the past handful of years when healthy, but he’s had some trouble staying on the field. He appeared in only seven games in 2017, only nine the following year, and has never played in more than 14. Linebacker has been a weak spot for the Chargers’ otherwise talented defense, and with the release of Davis it’s a position they’ll certainly be addressing further this offseason.

Perryman was drafted 48th overall out of Miami back in 2015. He also got in a bit of trouble with head coach Anthony Lynn last year, as he was sent home before the team’s game against Jacksonville after missing a team meeting.

Extra Points: Schobert, Panthers, Chargers

December 9th, 2019 at 9:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Joe Schobert is having one of his best NFL seasons, but the Browns haven’t reached out about signing the impending free agent. The linebacker told reporters that he hasn’t received any offers from the organization (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Twitter).

The former fourth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl nod back in 2017, and he’s followed that up with two additional 100-plus-tackle seasons. That includes the current 2019 campaign, as Schobert has compiled 110 tackles, two sacks, nine passes defended, four interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles.

If the linebacker were to hit free agency, there would surely be teams lining up for his services. For what it’s worth, Schobert told reporters that in a “perfect world,” he’d be in a Cleveland uniform come 2020.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Kyle Allen has filled in admirably for Cam Newton, but it doesn’t sound like he has a solid hold on the Panthers starting gig for the rest of the season. Interim head coach Perry Fewell told reporters that the quarterback situation is a “day to day, week to week situation” (via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue on Twitter). Even if Allen doesn’t struggle, it makes sense for Carolina to see what they’ve got in rookie third-rounder Will Grier. The West Virginia product hasn’t seen the field this season, while Allen has tossed 16 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions in his 11 games (11 starts).
  • Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said it was a “coach’s decision” to send home linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Roderic Teamer on Saturday, according to Jeff Miller of the LA Times (on Twitter). ESPN’s Eric Williams tweets that the pair missed a morning meeting in Jacksonville, all leading to Lynn’s decision. Perryman has started 11 games this season, while Teamer has appeared in seven games.
  • Cowboys safety Jeff Heath said he may need shoulder surgery to repair labrum damage (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News on Twitter). The 28-year-old continues to play through the injury, and Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that there’s hope Heath can avoid the procedure until the offseason. The safety has started 10 games this season, compiling 45 tackles and five passes defended.

AFC Notes: Brown, Steelers, Chargers

March 9th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been more than a full day since the report that a deal was “close” to being done for Antonio Brown, but the Steelers haven’t moved yet. We still don’t have any word yet on where he’s heading, and it’s become clear that part of the holdup with trade negotiations is the fact that Brown wants a pricey new contract wherever he goes. After Odell Beckham Jr. signed his record-breaking deal last year, Brown “took note of the new money hitting the receiver market” and wanted to get in on it, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.

While Brown has apparently been plotting on how to get a new contract for a while, Fowler does caution that the “notion that Brown sought a trade and publicly criticized his team solely over a new deal is misguided.” In his article, which is worth a full read, Fowler breaks down how Brown is “working the system” to get a huge new deal while he still has three years left on his current one with the Steelers.

Here’s more from around the AFC with the start of free agency right around the corner:

  • Speaking of Brown’s contract, we have more clarity on what exactly he’s seeking. Yesterday we heard he was looking to become the highest paid receiver in the NFL, and now we have more on his demands. Brown wants between $18 and $20MM per year on any new deal, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears (Twitter link). That explains why things have been taking so long. Beckham got $18MM per year on his deal, and Brown will have a hard time getting more than that. Beckham was 25 when he signed his deal, and Brown is 30. If any team is going to pay him quarterback money, they’re not going to want to give the Steelers any compensation for the right to do it. If that’s really what Brown is holding out for, it might be a while before this is resolved.
  • Denzel Perryman and the Chargers agreed on a new two-year deal yesterday, and now we have the details. The inside linebacker will earn $12MM over the course of the two years, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Perryman, who was set to be an unrestricted free agent, has been a good run-stuffer for the Chargers when he’s been able to stay healthy. The 2015 second round pick out of Miami has missed 16 games over the past two years. If he can stay on the field next year, it’ll be a huge boost to Los Angeles’ talented defense.
  • In case you missed it, tight end Martellus Bennett could come out of retirement to join his brother with the Patriots.

Chargers, Denzel Perryman Agree To Deal

March 8th, 2019 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Denzel Perryman‘s injury trouble over the past two seasons, the Chargers plan to give him another chance. They are re-signing the inside linebacker to a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A former second-round pick, Perryman has had stretches of quality play but has also been known for the time he’s missed. The Bolts’ top middle linebacker has been unavailable for 22 games during his career, 32 of which coming in the past two seasons.

But when he was healthy in 2018, Perryman was productive. Pro Football Focus graded the second-level defender as its No. 32 linebacker. The Chargers had to get creative at linebacker in the playoffs, using defensive backs in that role against the Ravens and Patriots. The strategy had mixed results, but the Bolts are hoping Perryman’s return can help stabilize the unit.

Following the New England defeat, Tom Telesco said he would make a point to address the team’s linebacker situation this offseason.

Perryman started 11 games during the 2016 season but underwent ankle surgery during the 2017 offseason before suffering a hamstring injury after returning late that season. Perryman’s 2018 campaign ended early because of an LCL injury. He will return to a promising Chargers team, albeit one that has experienced persistent injury trouble on both sides of the ball in recent years.

Chargers Working To Re-Sign Denzel Perryman

March 6th, 2019 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are working to retain linebacker Denzel Perryman before he hits free agency, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). Perryman has dealt with injuries in the past, but he has been a real difference-maker when healthy.

Last year, Perryman suffered LCL and hamstring injuries and had to be shut down in November. Before that, the 26-year-old tallied 51 total tackles and an interception across nine games. The inside linebacker didn’t log any sacks, but, at the time of his injury, he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best linebacker on the strength of his pass rush pressure.

Perryman, a second-round pick in 2015, is no stranger to the injury bug. In 2017, Perryman started the year on IR and went right back after seven games. Still, the Chargers are hopeful that he can stay on the field and provide the team with continuity in the front seven.

If Perryman is re-signed, the Bolts will more or less have the band back together, though defensive tackle Corey Liuget could be out after the club declined his 2019 option.

Chargers’ Denzel Perryman Done For Year

November 12th, 2018 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers star linebacker Denzel Perryman suffered an injury to his LCL and probably needs hamstring surgery as well, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The double whammy will land him on injured reserve, ending his season. 

The Chargers have been one of the league’s surprise successes this season and Perryman deserves serious credit for their 7-2 start. Through nine games, the 25-year-old (26 in December) tallied 51 total tackles and an interception. The inside linebacker doesn’t have any sacks, but he is ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best linebacker on the strength of his pass rush pressure.

Perryman, a second-round pick in 2015, is no stranger to injury. Last year, Perryman started the year on IR and went right back after seven games.

Without Perryman, the Chargers will likely turn to Korey Toomer or Nick Dzubnar in the middle. It also stands to reason that they’ll add a linebacker, especially since Kyzir White is on IR and Chris Landrum is healing up from a hip injury.

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