Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/24
Today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: G Mike Caliendo, S Nazeeh Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Max Pircher
- Placed on reserve/retired list: RB Bryant Koback
Giants Sign WR Miles Boykin
After spending his first five seasons in the AFC North, Miles Boykin will be looking to continue his career in the NFC. The Giants announced today that they’ve signed the veteran wide receiver.
The former third-round pick showed some promise through his first two years in the NFL. In 32 games with the Ravens between 2019 and 2020, Boykin hauled in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.
Things haven’t gone nearly as well over the past three seasons. Between 2021 and 2023, the receiver has only caught six passes in 41 games with the Ravens and Steelers. His offensive role has basically dried up; after averaging 485 offensive snaps per season through his first two years in the NFL, he’s only averaged 96 offensive snaps per season over the past three campaigns. Still, he’s managed to contribute on special teams, culminating in a 2023 season where he got in a career-high 316 ST snaps.
The Giants haven’t done a whole lot to address their WR situation this offseason. Prior to today’s move, the team added Isaiah McKenzie to a group of holdovers that includes Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Isaiah Hodgins.
Texans Waive DE Myjai Sanders
Active on the waiver wire last year, the Texans have seen two of their defensive lineman claimed in 2023 — Derek Barnett and Teair Tart — sign contracts. Barnett is back, while Tart joined the Dolphins. Another front-seven Texans claim will follow Tart off the roster.
The team is waiving Myjai Sanders, a 2022 Cardinals third-round pick. Sanders initially came to Houston via waivers, after the new Cardinals regime bailed on the Steve Keim-era draftee early. Two seasons remain on Sanders’ rookie contract.
Houston claimed Sanders before adding Barnett and Tart via waivers, picking up the former Cincinnati standout in mid-October. The young edge rusher played in seven games (138 defensive snaps) for the Texans, operating as a backup behind Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard. Sanders, 25, did not record a sack with Houston. He did, however, play 43 defensive snaps in the Texans’ wild-card win over the Browns.
This marks the second Sanders waiver exit in six months. The Cardinals cut Sanders from their IR, doing so after designating him for return. Sanders played only four games with the Cards last season; he suited up for 13 as a rookie, registering three sacks. The Texans have Barnett and 2023 fourth-round pick Dylan Horton, who recently announced he was in remission after a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, as D-end backup options behind Anderson and Greenard replacement Danielle Hunter.
The Texans also signed wide receiver Alex Bachman and waived safety Josh Thompson. Bachman has not seen any game action since the 2021 season.
DB Logan Ryan Announces Retirement
Nearly two months after returning to the Super Bowl stage, Logan Ryan is stepping away from football. The versatile defensive back announced his retirement after 11 seasons Tuesday morning (video link).
The former Patriots draftee later made his way to the Titans, Giants, Buccaneers and 49ers. The San Francisco agreement did not come to pass until early December, shortly after Talanoa Hufanga‘s season-ending injury. Ryan, 33, went from spending most of 2023 out of football to playing 62 defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII. He closes his career with 19 interceptions.
That marked Ryan’s third Super Bowl appearance. The 2013 third-rounder was a backup cornerback in Super Bowl XLIX but a starter by the time the Patriots returned to a Super Bowl two years later. Ryan played every Patriots defensive snap in their historic comeback past the Falcons, parlaying that season into a three-year, $30MM Titans contract.
A Rutgers alum, Ryan started 124 games and suited up for 19 playoff contests. Primarily playing cornerback in New England and Tennessee, Ryan was one of the top tacklers at the position during this NFL period. That helped a transition to safety commence during his Giants tenure. The Giants picked up Ryan late in the 2020 offseason and handed the New Jersey native an extension (three years, $31MM) months after that signing.
During Ryan’s final Titans season (2019), the team voyaged to its first AFC championship game since 2002. The 5-foot-11 defender had returned from a broken leg that ended his 2018 season. Ryan helped the 2019 Titans’ cause by making 113 tackles — 31 more than any other corner registered that season — as primarily a slot defender. Ryan’s 2019 playoffs included a pick-six on Tom Brady, ending the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII title defense in the wild-card round. Ryan also intercepted a pass and sacked Brock Osweiler during the Patriots’ divisional-round win over the Texans in 2016.
The COVID-19-marred 2020 offseason led to several veterans lingering in free agency for months, as visits were shut down for an extended period. Ryan belatedly landed with the Giants on August 31, 2020, soon completing the transition to a safety role. This came after he displayed high-level blitzing chops, tallying 8.5 sacks over his final two Titans seasons.
Teaming with Xavier McKinney in 2021, Ryan notched a career-high 117 tackles in his second Giants season. Ryan’s two Giants years overlapped with ex-Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge’s New York tenure. The team moved on shortly after hiring Joe Schoen as GM, cutting Ryan and letting Jabrill Peppers join the Patriots in free agency. The Giants have since passed on re-signing ex-Ryan safety teammates McKinney and Julian Love, effectively starting over at the position.
The Buccaneers gave Ryan an opportunity in 2022, but a foot fracture limited his on-field work in Tampa. Ryan played in nine games with the Bucs, starting six, but the team did not bring him back in 2023. The 49ers reached out to Ryan following Hufanga’s injury, encouraging him to go on a booked cruise with his family before joining the team for the stretch run. After playing 12 defensive snaps over his first three 49ers games, Ryan was on the field for every San Francisco defensive play in Week 17, as the team wrapped up home-field advantage. He then played 100% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps against the Packers in the divisional round.
Ryan moved into the San Francisco slot role by Super Bowl LVIII and was the closest defender in coverage on Mecole Hardman‘s game-winning touchdown — one that wrapped the NFL’s longest Super Bowl — but the veteran safety/corner provided the 49ers with some pivotal reps leading up to that point. Discounting a short-field, one-play TD possession in the third quarter, it took the Chiefs until overtime to mount a touchdown drive against the 49ers. Ryan played in both the NFL’s overtime Super Bowls.
Over his career, Ryan earned just more than $69MM. The Titans authorized Ryan’s biggest contract, one he played out in the late 2010s, but he earned more than $15MM with the Giants as well.
Giants Re-Sign Isaiah Simmons
APRIL 10: Simmons will stay with the Giants on a one-year deal worth $2MM, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. The deal will include $1.4MM guaranteed for the former Cardinals starter.
APRIL 5: Last summer, Isaiah Simmons saw his time with the Cardinals come to an end. The former top-10 pick was dealt to the Giants with the hope of finding a consistent role on his new team.
Simmons succeeded in earning himself an extended stay in New York. The Giants announced on Friday that he has been re-signed, allowing him to continue his play from the 2023 campaign. Simmons, 25, appeared in all 17 games last season while starting four. He logged a defensive snap share of just 33%, but he chipped in on special teams as well.
Last year injected more instability into Simmons’ situation. Already a hybrid player whose role fluctuated in Arizona, the Cardinals shuttled him from linebacker to safety on a full-time basis. Simmons is believed to have requested the move, but the Cardinals’ new regime instead accepted a low-end return — a seventh-round pick — to ship him to the Giants.
This came after the Cardinals, joining the Ravens (Patrick Queen), Seahawks (Jordyn Brooks) and Chargers (Kenneth Murray), declined the fifth-year option for their 2020 first-round ILB pick. All four of the 2020 draft’s first-round linebackers have since relocated. New York then returned the Clemson alum to a linebacking role but did not install him as a starter.
Simmons, 25, had started 30 games for the Cardinals from 2021-22, including all 17 during the ’21 season. In New York, he played behind Micah McFadden and free agency addition Bobby Okereke. McFadden logged nearly 300 more defensive snaps than Simmons last season, though Pro Football Focus still viewed the trade pickup as a top-35 player at the position. Simmons did return an interception for a 54-yard touchdown — in a midseason win over the Commanders — and start the final three games, but he only saw a full-time workload in one game as a Giant. This brought a change from his high-usage Cardinals past.
After adding Okereke on a $10MM-per-year deal in 2023, the Giants have not made any outside moves at the position this offseason. McFadden remains under contract, but the Giants do have a new defensive coordinator — in Shane Bowen — calling the shots. It will be interesting to see if the new DC is intrigued by the prospect of a former top-10 pick being in the mix and offers an opportunity to vie for a starting role alongside Okereke.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
49ers Sign TE Eric Saubert
The 49ers made it clear they were looking for tight end depth during their failed pursuit of Brock Wright. The team has found at least a partial answer in Eric Saubert. The 49ers announced today that they’ve signed the veteran tight end to a one-year deal.
[RELATED: Lions Match 49ers’ Brock Wright RFA Offer Sheet]
Saubert has bounced around the NFL since being selected by the Falcons in the fifth-round of the 2017 draft, spending time with nine different organizations through his seven professional seasons. The six-foot-five, 253-pound TE has mostly served as a blocker in the NFL, although he did haul in 15 catches for the Broncos in 2022.
Saubert had stints with the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Texans in 2023. He got into nine games last season with Houston, hauling in three catches while splitting snaps between offense and special teams.
The 49ers have been hunting for tight end depth after they lost backup Charlie Woerner to the Falcons. The team tried to steal Wright away from the Lions, but Detroit ended up matching the three-year RFA offer. Saubert has similar size to Woerner and should be a fine replacement in the blocking role alongside TE1 George Kittle. However, if Kittle goes down with an injury, the 49ers will be eyeing a TE corps that also includes the likes of Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu, and Jake Tonges…a grouping that’s combined for zero NFL receptions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/24
Today’s minor moves:
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Myles Adams, G McClendon Curtis, CB Mike Jackson, OT Raiqwon O’Neal, LB Joshua Onujiogu, LB Jon Rhattigan, TE Brady Russell
- Released: DL LaTrell Bumphus
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.
Falcons Sign DE James Smith-Williams
The Falcons have added their second defender of the day. Atlanta has signed defensive end James Smith-Williams to a one-year deal, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.
Smith-Williams was a seventh-round pick by the Commanders back in 2020. He ended up playing out his rookie contract in Washington, appearing in 55 total games. After playing mostly on special teams as a rookie, Smith-Williams saw a more significant role on defense over the past three years, appearing in at least 40 percent of his team’s defensive snaps while serving as Chase Young and Montez Sweat‘s primary backup.
Following a 2022 campaign where the defensive end started all 14 of his appearances while filling in for an injured Young, the 26-year-old started seven of his 13 appearances in 2023, with his playing time seeing an uptick following the Commanders’ DL trades. Smith-Williams finished this past season with 22 tackles, one sack, and eight QB hits. Pro Football Focus only graded him 87th among 112 qualifying edge defenders, although the site did give him solid grades for his coverage ability.
Smith-Williams has some connections to Atlanta’s regime, as the defensive lineman was drafted when former Commanders vice president of player personnel (and current Falcons assistant GM) Kyle Smith was at the helm. The edge rusher will likely see a similar role in Atlanta as he did in Washington, serving as a rotational pass rusher alongside Arnold Ebiketie, DeAngelo Malone, and Lorenzo Carter.
Earlier today, the Falcons provided some depth to the secondary by adding former Packers cornerback Kevin King to the mix.
Falcons Sign CB Kevin King
Sidelined for the past two seasons, Kevin King is set to make an NFL return in 2024. The veteran cornerback signed with the Falcons on Monday, per a team announcement. 
King had a five-year run with the Packers upon being drafted in 2017. He made a total of 51 appearances during that span, including 42 starts. The former second-rounder racked up seven interceptions with Green Bay, along with 30 pass breakups. Five of his picks and 15 of his PBUs came during the 2019 campaign.
After he was limited to 11 games in 2020 and 10 contests the following year, however, King elected to sit out the 2022 campaign while healing various nagging injuries. That decision appeared to set him up for a return to action last offseason, but an Achilles tear suffered in the spring left him out of action once again. Now, he will look to earn a roster spot in Atlanta this summer.
Atlanta has added veterans Antonio Hamilton and Tre Flowers on one-year deals this offseason. Those pacts are both low-cost investments, however, and fellow corner Mike Hughes is only on the books for one more season with just $750K of his scheduled $3.17MM in compensation guaranteed. As a result, the Falcons are in the market for an addition capable of starting opposite A.J. Terrell.
The latter is set to play on his $12.34MM fifth-year option in 2024. Terrell has been a full-time starter throughout his Falcons tenure, and he will be in line for a notable raise on his next contract. While he seeks to continue upping his value, Atlanta will evaluate King’s health on what will no doubt be a short-term flier. If he can remain on the field this season, though, King could prove to be a starting-caliber addition to the Falcons’ secondary.
Chiefs Sign QB Carson Wentz
APRIL 6: Wentz’s one-year deal has a base value of $3.325MM, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal includes $2.2MM in guaranteed money, and Wentz can earn another $1.1MM via per-game active roster bonuses.
This is a solid improvement on the one-year, $1.3MM deal that Wentz signed with the Rams in November. Of course, it’s also a massive drop from the four-year, $128MM deal he signed with the Eagles in 2019.
APRIL 1: Patrick Mahomes has a new backup. The Chiefs have signed veteran Carson Wentz, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. The veteran QB got a one-year deal from Kansas City.
The former second-overall pick spent the 2023 campaign as Matthew Stafford‘s backup on the Rams. Wentz ended up getting into two games, including a start against the 49ers in the regular season finale. The 31-year-old completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts in that game, throwing for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in an eventual Rams victory. Wentz was also active on the ground in that game, compiling 56 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushes.
The Rams ended up pivoting in a different direction at QB2 this offseason, signing Jimmy Garoppolo despite the veteran’s impending suspension. That move all but ended Wentz’s chances of re-signing in Los Angeles, but he’s apparently landed on his feet with the defending Super Bowl champs.
Chad Henne served as Mahomes’ backup for a few years before Blaine Gabbert took on the QB2 role in 2023. Gabbert ended up getting into a pair of games for Kansas City (including one start), tossing three interceptions. The former first-round pick hit free agency after the season, leaving the Chiefs with only Chris Oladokun and Ian Book as the backup quarterbacks.
Wentz will surely slide into that primary backup role, with the veteran bringing 93 games of starting experience to Kansas City. He got his last extended look as a starter with Washington in 2022. In seven starts (eight appearances) that season, Wentz completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Wentz was briefly demoted to QB2 after returning from a fractured finger, but he regained the starting gig down the stretch of that season.
Of course, the Chiefs are hoping Wentz will barely see the field in 2024. Mahomes has been incredibly healthy in his six years as a full-time starter, only missing four regular season games.