Eric Wilson

Packers Prepared To Use Jordan Morgan At Guard; LB Edgerrin Cooper Not Likely To Start

The Packers’ offensive line is starting to take shape, and it looks likely to include the team’s first-round pick at a new position. Jordan Morgan returned to practice after missing time with a shoulder injury, and he is on track to work at guard.

Drafted shortly after the Packers released David Bakhtiari, Morgan became only the second Green Bay first-round pick allocated to offense over the past 12 years. The Arizona product began training at left tackle during the Packers’ offseason program and would seem positioned to be a long-term answer at one of the team’s tackle spots. For now, however, the team wants to see its rookie on the field.

Despite Morgan’s arrival, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom are locked in at left and right tackle (subscription required). Tom returned from an offseason pectoral tear recently and has reclaimed his RT post. Morgan may be see sporadic tackle reps for preparation purposes, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein notes the team has been using the No. 25 overall pick at right guard. It is likely Morgan remains there in what looks like a “best five” scenario for a Packers front that also carries Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins at left guard and Josh Myers at center.

Tackle-to-guard moves from college to the pros are certainly not uncommon, and Morgan moving inside would represent yet another transition involving a 2024 first-round tackle. If Duke tackle Graham Barton counts, nine college tackles were chosen in this year’s first round. Of that group, most are changing positions. Joe Alt (Chargers) is sliding from left to right tackle, while JC Latham is moving from right to left tackle with the Titans. The Saints flipped Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga to the blind side, while the Steelers are readying Washington LT Troy Fautanu for a Week 1 RT role. The Cowboys are shifting Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton from right to left tackle. The Bucs are moving Barton from left tackle to center, though that was widely expected.

Walker and Tom are each under contract through the 2025 season. While two teams (the Cardinals and Steelers) have flipped 2023 first-round tackles (Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones) to left tackle ahead of their second seasons, the Packers could have Morgan at guard for multiple years. Though, it is still early here. Morgan being moved inside opens the door for a swing role, and Andre Dillard — after starting at right tackle in Green Bay’s preseason opener — may be in the lead on Caleb Jones and 2023 UDFA Kadeem Telfort, Schneidman adds.

Elsewhere on the Packers’ depth chart, second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper looks unlikely to start at linebacker in Week 1. Rumored to be a candidate to take over at one of Green Bay’s ILB spots, Cooper has missed multiple weeks due to a hip injury. The Texas A&M product had not yet unseated Eric Wilson or fourth-year cog Isaiah McDuffie when he was practicing, per Schneidman. While Cooper will undoubtedly be given an extended chance to earn a starting role alongside Quay Walker eventually, he may be parked as a backup to open the season.

NFC Contract Details: Packers, Moore, Maddox, Burns

Here are some details on recent new contracts around the NFC:

  • Eric Wilson, LB (Packers): One year, $1.38MM. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Wilson’s new contract with Green Bay includes a base salary of $1.21MM and a signing bonus of $167.5K.
  • Kristian Welch, LB (Packers): One year, $1.21MM. Demovsky also tells us that Welch’s re-signed deal will have a base salary of $1.13MM and a signing bonus worth $20K. Welch can earn an additional $20K with a workout bonus as well as a per game active roster bonus of $2,647 for a potential season total of $45K.
  • Chris Moore, WR (Cardinals): One year, $2MM. Moore’s contract with the Cardinals will have a guaranteed amount of $750K comprised of $250K of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $1.28MM) and a $500K signing bonus, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports. Moore will add another $50K with a workout bonus and an additional $10K per game that he’s on the active roster for a potential season total of $170K in per game active roster bonuses.
  • Avonte Maddox, CB (Eagles): One year, $1.5MM. Maddox’s new deal will have a guaranteed value of $875K consisting of $500K of his base salary (worth $1.13MM in total) and a $375K signing bonus.
  • Brian Burns, OLB (Giants): Five years, $141MM. We noted recently that Burns’ deal was not worth the reported $150MM amount and was actually for $141MM. Thanks to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, we now know that the $9MM difference comes from incentives wherein he can earn an additional $1.8MM for each year that he either reaches 12.5 sacks, makes a Pro Bowl, or earns first-team All-Pro honors. He’s reached that sack total once in 2022 and made two Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022, but because he didn’t reach any of those achievements last year, the potential $1.8MM won’t count against New York’s cap space in 2024.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/24

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Washington Commanders

A former Vikings starter, Wilson has spent the past two seasons with the Packers. While he started 25 games in Minnesota, the seven-year veteran has worked mostly on special teams in Green Bay. Wilson, 29, did play 121 defensive snaps last season and stands to give the Pack some LB depth post-De’Vondre Campbell.

Pierre will come to Washington from Pittsburgh, where he played out his rookie contract. Pierre started six games with the Steelers, clearing 260-snap barrier in 2021 and ’22. Last season, however, the former UDFA returned to a special teams-only role.

Contract Notes: Jaguars, Singletary, Packers

The Jaguars reworked safety Rayshawn Jenkins‘ contract earlier this week, creating a chunk of cap space. Per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, the team converted more than $6.4MM of Jenkins’ salary into a signing bonus and added three void years to the contract. As a result, the team dropped the defensive back’s cap number from $10.5MM to $5.3MM, thus opening more than $5MM in cap space.

Jenkins’ 2024 cap number will rise by more than $1MM. In the event the Jaguars eventually move on from the player, they’ll be left with a dead cap hit of $5.1MM in 2024 or $3.85MM in 2025.

We’ve collected more contract notes below:

  • Calais Campbell‘s one-year, $7MM deal with the Falcons includes a $4MM guaranteed salary and a $3MM signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter). He can earn another $2MM via incentives, including marks for sacks and playing time. According to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein (on Twitter), $500K of Campbell’s incentives are likely to be earned.
  • Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins inked a one-year, $1.16MM deal with the Cowboys that also includes an $152K signing bonus, per Wilson (on Twitter). After starting 116 of his 117 appearances between 2014 and 2021, Hankins only started four of his 10 appearances for the Raiders and Cowboys last season.
  • Running back Devin Singletary‘s new deal with the Texans includes up to $1MM in incentives, per Wilson (on Twitter). Half of those bonuses come via playing time incentives, and he can earn another $500K for certain statistical milestones above 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
  • Dallin Leavitt’s one-year contract with the Packers is worth $1.4MM, including a $1.08MM base salary, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). He can earn up to $170K in roster bonuses, all via $10K per-game roster incentives. Demovsky also passes along that Justin Hollins got an $155K signing bonus and $45K workout bonuses from the Packers, while Eric Wilson got an $152K signing bonus.
  • Defensive lineman Carlos Watkins got a one-year, $1.67MM deal from the Cardinals, according to Howard Balzer (on Twitter). This includes a $250K signing bonus, an $1.08MM signing bonus, and up to $340K in per-game roster bonuses. That all results in an $1.57MM cap hit.
  • Jordan Phillips‘ contract with the Bills is for one year worth $3MM, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Buffalo News (on Twitter). He’ll earn $1.22MM in guaranteed money, and he can earn up to $4.6MM thanks to incentives.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/22

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Designated for return from IR: WR Calvin Austin

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cine has now undergone two surgeries in London to repair his leg fracture. The first-round pick underwent a preparatory procedure before his Tuesday operation to repair the compound fracture he sustained. The Georgia product will stay in England for the time being, with Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press noting (via Twitter) doctors want to ensure no infections develop. Cine could travel back to Minnesota as soon as this weekend.

Following Latavius Murray off the Saints’ practice squad this week, Wilson did not see any action for the team this season. The former multiyear Vikings starter signed a one-year, $2.75MM Eagles deal in 2021, but Philadelphia bailed on that contract during the season. Wilson, 28, finished last season with the Texans. In his lone full season as a Vikings starter (2020), Wilson made 122 tackles, registered three sacks and intercepted three passes.

Addison signed with the Texans shortly after the draft, joining fellow ex-Bills edge rusher Jerry Hughes in joining the rebuilding team on a two-year deal. The Texans placed Addison on IR with a groin injury; he is eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster this week. Teams can make eight activations from their injured lists — be it IR, PUP or NFI — this season.

Saints Cut Roster Down To 53

New Orleans got a head start on the deadline for roster cuts this weekend with several moves, but the team found its way to the 53-man limit today. Here are the moves the Saints made today to get there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/injured:

Placed on reserve/suspended by commissioner:

The big story of the day for New Orleans was the trade this morning that sent defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to Philadelphia. The defensive back had pushed for an extension, staging a hold-in effort early in camp, but ultimately found himself on his way to Pennsylvania, paving the way for the Saints to hold onto six safeties. Safety Daniel Sorensen is on the roster for his special teams contributions, but Justin Evans will really be given a chance to contribute at safety in the absence of Gardner-Johnson.

Despite seeing fellow defensive tackle Huggins head to injured reserve, rookie sixth-round pick Jackson was unable to hold onto a roster spot, being the only member of the Saints’ rookie draft class who failed to do so. The offseason addition of Kentavius Street was likely the determining factor that left Jackson off the 53-man roster.

The team did see an undrafted free agent make the final roster as offensive lineman Lewis Kidd worked his way out of Montana State to make the Saints’ initial 53. He’ll serve as a depth piece on an offensive line with quite a few injury questions.

A position group that definitely looks improved on paper is the receiving corps who gets back Michael Thomas and added first-round pick Chris Olave and veteran Jarvis Landry in the offseason. These new targets will combine with the tight ends group, that includes swiss-army man Taysom Hill, as weapons for quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton.

Besides all the above, the team will look fairly similar in composition to last year’s. The running backs, special teams, defensive ends, and cornerbacks will look largely the same as the team heads into the 2022 NFL season. Where things could end up looking different is on the practice squad. After clearing waivers, many of the players above will have the opportunity to rejoin the Saints’ 16-man squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/22

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Waived: DE Carson Taylor

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

 Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions 

Green Bay Packers 

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts 

Jacksonville Jaguars 

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins 

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/22

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Saints Sign LB Eric Wilson

The Saints continue to add veteran help post-draft. While Eric Wilson is not a New Orleans native like Tyrann Mathieu or Jarvis Landry, he represents a veteran with starter experience to join the team in recent days.

Wilson signed with the Saints on Monday, joining running back Devine Ozigbo in doing so. This will be Wilson’s fourth NFL team.

A full-time Vikings starter in 2020, Wilson broke through for a team that previously used him as a part-timer alongside Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. With the latter suffering a season-ending injury that September, Wilson recorded 122 tackles (nine for loss) and added three sacks and three interceptions. Still, major interest did not come his way in free agency. The former UDFA out of Cincinnati signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in April 2021 but received in-season walking papers. He finished last year with the Texans.

Wilson, 27, will join a Saints off-ball linebacking corps fronted by 10th-year performer Demario Davis. Beyond Davis, the Saints did not have a full-timer at linebacker last season. They started Pete Werner and Kwon Alexander in eight games apiece. Alexander is no longer with the team. Werner is a 2021 second-round pick who should have an inside track to play alongside Davis. The Saints also roster 2020 third-rounder Zack Baun. Wilson, who also started 10 games from 2018-19, stands to represent some insurance for a Saints team that has veterans across its defense.

Ozigbo, who played in 19 games with the Jaguars from 2019-21, caught on with the Saints last year. He will rejoin a Saints backfield stable that consists of Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Tony Jones and Dwayne Washington. To make room on their roster, the Saints waived offensive lineman Cohl Cabral, wide receiver Jalen McCleskey and linebacker Joel Dublanko.