Michael Jackson

Panthers Claim Three Cornerbacks, Add DB Lonnie Johnson

The Bryce Young trade prevented the Panthers from using their 2-15 record to land an impact prospect atop the draft. Carolina’s consolation prize comes months later, and the rebuilding team will use its top waiver position.

Cornerbacks are coming to Charlotte in droves. The Panthers have already used three claims on corners, bringing in Tariq Castro-Fields, Keenan Isaac and Shemar Bartholomew, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The Commanders, Buccaneers and Jets respectively released the CBs, who will join a Panthers team in need.

Carolina also claimed linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Jamie Sheriff from the Seahawks, per Pelissero and veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. The Panthers will soon follow with cuts, as this marks a multi-position makeover for the NFC South club. In addition to the CB waiver claims, Pelissero reports Lonnie Johnson — whom the Texans released Tuesday — is signing with the Panthers’ practice squad, Pelissero adds. Carolina is expected to elevate the veteran DB by Week 1.

Initially a 49ers sixth-round pick, Castro-Fields played eight games with Washington last season. A 2023 UDFA, Isaac saw action in two Bucs games last year. Bartholomew was part of the Jets’ UDFA contingent this year. Johnson went to camp with Houston, which originally drafted him in Round 2. He played in 12 Saints games last season, working primarily on special teams.

This lot of inexperienced players, along with Johnson, will join a Panthers team that traded Donte Jackson and placed Dane Jackson on IR due to a hamstring injury. Carolina kept six cornerbacks on its active roster, including veteran slot man Troy Hill and recent trade pickup Michael Jackson, so some shuffling will soon occur.

As the team begins clearing roster space, the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye notes rookie UDFA wideout Jalen Coker received word he will be waived. The Panthers also claimed former 49ers guard Jarrett Kingston. The Panthers also cut wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, guard Cade Mays, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy and Demani Richardson. Mays started seven games at guard over the past two seasons.

Seahawks Trade CB Michael Jackson To Panthers For LB Michael Barrett

Thursday has seen its third NFL trade take place. The Seahawks have dealt cornerback Michael Jackson to the Panthers in return for rookie linebacker Michael Barrett. The move has been announced by both teams.

Jackson is a veteran of five seasons, having spent time with three different teams. The former fifth-rounder was selected by the Cowboys, but his regular season debut came during his rookie season with the Lions. After making a single appearance with Detroit, he played in only one game the following season with the Patriots. Jackson had found a regular role in Seattle over the past three years, though.

The 27-year-old played sparingly during his debut season in the Emerald City, but in 2022 he served as a full-time starter. Logging over 1,000 defensive snaps, Jackson collected 75 tackles, 12 pass deflections and the lone interception of his career. After the Seahawks drafted Devon Witherspoon with their top pick in last year’s draft, though, Jackson lost his first-team gig. Witherspoon and Riq Woolen will remain in place as starters this season, and Seattle’s latest rookie additions at the CB spot (Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James) will join Artie Burns, who re-signed this offseason.

Jackson agreed to a restructured contract in May, providing him with a six-figure signing bonus. None of his $1.06MM base salary is guaranteed, though, which led to questions about his grip on a roster spot. The pending free agent will have a strong chance of finding a role in Carolina given the team’s need in the secondary. The Panthers have long been mentioned as a candidate to add a corner, and the team made an offer to Stephon Gilmore before he signed with the Vikings.

Carolina traded away Donte Jackson this offseason, leaving free agent pickup Dane Jackson as a key member of the CB room. The latter is dealing with a hamstring injury, and he could begin the season on injured reserve. That ailment drove the Panthers to pursue an addition, and today’s move will meet that goal while marking the rare move of trading a rookie before they have made their debut.

Barrett was selected in the seventh round of this year’s draft, and he will now turn his attention to landing a roster spot in Seattle. Jerome Baker – signed in free agency – is currently on the mend from a hamstring injury of his own, leaving the Seahawks on the lookout for depth. As a Michigan alum, Barrett is a familiar face to head coach Mike Macdonald, who served as the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator in 2021.

Seahawks, CB Michael Jackson Agree To Revised Deal

Michael Jackson was among the players tendered as a restricted free agent by the Seahawks this offseason. The veteran corner recently signed his RFA tender, valued at just over $3MM.

Jackson and the team have worked out a new arrangement, however. Per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Jackson will now receive a base salary of $1.06MM in 2024, a figure which is not guaranteed. The 27-year-old will collect a $168K signing bonus, however, increasing his up front compensation compared to what it previously was. This agreement will create $1.89MM in cap space – notable breathing space given the team’s lack of financial wiggle room entering Monday.

A fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2019, Jackson actually made his regular season debut with the Lions that year. He then spent a single season in New England before beginning his Seahawks tenure. The Miami alum has made 36 appearances with Seattle, and in 2022 he served as a full-time starter. That year, Jackson recorded 75 tackles, one interception and 12 pass deflections while allowing a completion percentage of just under 56%.

In 2023, however, the arrival of fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon led to a sharp decrease in Jackson’s playing time. The latter saw his defensive snap share fall from 94% to 40%, and it yielded a fall-off in production. Jackson will nevertheless have the opportunity to play at least a rotational role in the Seahawks’ secondary in 2024.

Seattle re-signed Artie Burns this offseason, and the team used two draft picks (Nehemiah Pritchett in the fifth round, followed by DJ James in the sixth) on cornerbacks. Jackson will thus have plenty of competition for playing time this summer as he prepares for a fourth season in the Emerald City.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/24

Today’s minor moves:

Seattle Seahawks

The long list of Seahawks signings are mostly formalities. Each of the players were previously tied to the organization either via restricted free agency or exclusive right free agency.

Among the players who officially re-signed, Jackson had the most significant role in 2023, starting four of his 17 appearances. The former fifth-round pick started all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2022, finishing with 75 tackles and one interception.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/24

Here are today’s free agent tender decisions:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Seahawks Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon Competing For Starting Role

The Seahawks return two starting cornerbacks next year in Michael Jackson and Tariq Woolen, as well as Coby Bryant, who started six games as the team’s primary nickel cornerback last year. Still, Seattle decided to draft Illinois’s Devon Witherspoon as the draft’s first cornerback off the board at No. 5 overall. Despite his high draft pedigree, Witherspoon will have to compete with the incumbent starters to establish his role as a rookie.

The team is currently running Witherspoon in the slot with two former college teammates out of Miami (FL) in Jackson and Artie Burns on the outside, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN. Burns is simply filling in for a currently injured Woolen, while Bryant has reportedly been sidelined lately, allowing Witherspoon more time in the slot early.

There are some early ideas out of workouts concerning how the depth chart might shape up. Henderson posits that the team may work with Witherspoon starting on the outside across from a healthy Woolen in base packages. When the defense needs to add an extra defensive back, Witherspoon will shift inside to the slot with Jackson replacing him on the outside.

His spot in the starting lineup isn’t guaranteed, though, as Henderson reports that Jackson is have a strong spring with regular dominant outings in 7-on-7. Jackson was a surprise for the Seahawks’ defense last year, starting every game despite only having appeared in four games in his first three seasons of NFL play before that. Playing alongside the rookies in what was perhaps the league’s least-experienced cornerbacks group, Jackson was third on the team with 75 total tackles, adding an interception, 12 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. If he continues to impress throughout the summer, it’s not out of the question that he may retain a starting role.

In that case, Witherspoon will likely start games at nickelback and rotate in when needed on the outside. In situations when a slot corner is needed while Witherspoon is outside, Seattle can go back to Bryant or even turn to safety Julian Love, who has experience working in the slot, as well. He hasn’t been working at the position much lately, though, as the team has opted to keep Love working at safety, in case Jamal Adams‘s return to the field takes longer than anticipated, but Love does have the requisite experience.

So for now, the depth chart appears to have Woolen and Witherspoon as the top outside options with Jackson and Burns behind them, though Jackson has a chance to retain his starting spot by continuing to impress. At the slot, Witherspoon should be the first option, moving out of his outside position, with Bryant and, potentially, Love behind him. The most experienced members of the position room, Burns and Love, are contributing as depth pieces in what is expected to continue being one of the youngest cornerbacks rooms in the league.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/23

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Teams with returning head coaches are now free to begin offseason workouts, leading to this high number of RFA and ERFA tenders being signed. Bryant and Reaves signed the low-end tender, while the Packers gave Nijman a second-round tender. Bryant and Reaves are tied to $2.62MM salaries; Nijman is attached to a $4.3MM number. Nijman has both played left and right tackle, settling in at the latter spot after the Packers moved Elgton Jenkins back to guard last season. ERFAs are two years from unrestricted free agency; RFAs are one year away.

An August shoulder injury cost Williams his 2022 season, but the former second-round pick was trending in the wrong direction with the Patriots. New England chose Williams 45th overall in 2019 but used him as a starter only once. New Vikings DC Brian Flores was no longer with the Pats when they drafted Williams, 25, but the team will take a flier on the Vanderbilt alum.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/22

A bunch of teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and these front offices are now starting to prepare for the offseason. Today, a number of players were inked to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/22

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/1/22

The first minor moves of 2022:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texas

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team