Matt Corral Signs With UFL’s Birmingham Stallions
The start of Matt Corral‘s professional football career has not gone according to plan. Though he was a third-round choice in 2022, Corral has yet to play in a regular season contest in the NFL, and he recently signed with the United Football League’s Birmingham Stallions (as relayed by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).
Corral was selected by the Matt Rhule-era Panthers, and given the team’s quarterback difficulties in 2022, he likely would have had the opportunity to take regular season snaps at some point. Unfortunately, a preseason Lisfranc injury ended his rookie campaign before it started.
Rhule, of course, was fired in the middle of the 2022 season, and Carolina named Frank Reich its permanent head coach last January before signing veteran QB Andy Dalton in free agency and drafting Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick. Corral saw significant action in each of the Panthers’ three preseason games in 2023, and while Reich was reportedly pleased with Corral’s progress, the Ole Miss product was waived at the end of the preseason slate.
The club was interested in retaining Corral via a practice squad deal if he cleared waivers, but the Patriots swooped in with a waiver claim. While Corral’s availability was enough for New England to eschew its previous plans to add a veteran passer to round out the depth chart, something went awry. Corral missed multiple practices leading up to Week 1 and was absent from team meetings, which led to his placement on the exempt/left squad list, and he was subsequently waived from that list. After he cleared waivers, it appeared he would join the Pats’ taxi squad, but that never came to fruition. That was the last we had heard of Corral before the UFL announced he was joining the Stallions.
The UFL, which is the product of the recent USFL-XFL merger, will begin play next month. The Stallions won the USFL championship in 2023 and seem poised to give Corral an opportunity to showcase his talents as he (presumably) seeks to return to the sport’s highest level. If the 25-year-old should impress, it is possible that he will pique the interest of NFL teams, especially given his draft pedigree (even if the 2022 class of collegiate signal-callers was a weak one).
Birmingham is also rostering Adrian Martinez, who played quarterback for Nebraska and Kansas State before signing with the Lions as a UDFA last April. He was waived before the start of the regular season. 2020 UDFAs J’Mar Smith and Jalen Morton are the other two players on the Stallions’ QB depth chart, so Corral certainly appears to have the edge for the starting quarterback job.
Raiders Updates: Foster, Pierce, Armstead
Last we had heard, with former Raiders running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu heading to Seattle for the same position, Las Vegas had selected long-time UCLA staffer DeShaun Foster to take over as their new running backs coach. With Chip Kelly shockingly stepping down as head coach of the Bruins to take the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaching job at Ohio State, Foster has been selected as Kelly’s replacement in Los Angeles, per Pete Thamel of ESPN, forcing the Raiders to go back to the drawing board for their next running backs coach.
To fill the role, the Raiders are turning to a name millennial NFL fans will recognize. Las Vegas dipped back to the college ranks, confirmed by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, hiring Auburn associate head coach and running backs coach Carnell Williams, known during his playing days as “Cadillac.” The 2005 Offensive Rookie of the Year’s playing career ended after seven seasons in the NFL. He would eventually turn to coaching as a career, starting off at small colleges like Henderson State and West Georgia before spending a year at the high school level at the prestigious IMG Academy.
Williams followed that up with a year as a running backs coach in the Alliance of American Football league before first arriving at his alma mater in 2019. Williams has coached running backs at Auburn for the last five years, spending a stint in 2022 as interim head coach and earning the title of associate head coach this past season. The most notable name coming out of his position group in Alabama would’ve been Tank Bigsby, a third-round rookie for the Jaguars last year.
With star back Josh Jacobs, Ameer Abdullah, and Brandon Bolden all bound for free agency, Williams inherits a room that is currently only slated to hold third-year rusher Zamir White. Perhaps Williams’ input will be crucial in how the position group is formed this offseason.
Here are a few other staff updates coming out of Sin City:
- The Raiders were also able to secure their new offensive line coach, hiring former 49ers assistant offensive line coach James Cregg to the role, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Cregg, who has been in San Francisco for the past two years, will get his first full position coaching opportunity in the NFL with Vegas. He has held the assistant role with the Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers in the past and the offensive line coaching title at three different Power 5 schools at the collegiate level, but this will be his first NFL offensive line coach title.
- Also on offense, the Raiders have added new head coach Antonio Pierce‘s son DeAndre Pierce to the coaching staff, according to Myles Simmons of NBC Sports. The younger Pierce, who served in 2023 as a defensive quality control coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, will be an offensive quality control coach for the Raiders in 2024.
- Lastly, the older Pierce reportedly reached out to an old teammate from New York, Jessie Armstead for a potential front office role in Las Vegas. Armstead, who currently works as a special assistant to the general manager for the Giants, was offered a similar role with the Raiders. Las Vegas was under the impression that Armstead was going to be on staff, but the Giants were reportedly able to block the lateral move, since Armstead is still under contract, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.
Seahawks To Add Charles London To Staff
New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb have their new quarterbacks coach in former Titans assistant Charles London, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. It’s a nice get for Seattle after seeing London interview for offensive coordinator jobs is the past few offseasons.
London’s coaching experience in the NFL dates back to 2007. After three years at his alma mater, Duke, London accepted an offensive quality control coaching job with the Bears. Three years later, he would spend a year with the Titans as an offensive assistant before heading back to the college ranks for two years at Penn State. London would split the next seven years between Houston and Chicago coaching running backs.
After mostly focusing on running backs up to this point in his career, London made a switch when he accepted the Falcons quarterbacks coaching job in 2021. After two years in Atlanta handling the transition from Matt Ryan to Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, London took the same job with the Titans last year after initially interviewing for their offensive coordinator job. In Tennessee, London once again handled a quarterback transition after veteran Ryan Tannehill was benched for rookie second-round pick Will Levis following an injury.
While London’s experience in the passing game doesn’t jump off the stat sheet, he is widely respected in offensive coaching circles. Last year, the Titans weren’t the only team with interest in London as a play-caller as the Commanders also requested to interview the veteran coach. The year before saw both the Dolphins and the Rams interview London for a coordinator position, as well.
In Seattle, London will now be tasked with mentoring veteran quarterbacks Geno Smith and Drew Lock. It’s hard to envision the Seahawks moving on from Smith after seeing him rejuvenate his career in the past two seasons, but at 33 years old, Smith is getting to be one of the older starters in the NFL. Not that this is the team’s intention, but London’s experience transitioning offenses from a veteran passer to a new starter would then come in handy should Seattle need to move one from Smith in the near future.
So, after landing their running backs and wide receivers coaches earlier this week, the Seahawks get the new mentor for their veteran passer. With offensive line coach Scott Huff following Grubb from Washington (and Tuscaloosa) and Jake Peetz in place as pass-game coordinator, this leaves tight ends coach as the only position left to fill on Grubb’s offense.
Seahawks Updates: Schneider, Walker, Jackson, Polamalu
With the departure of long-time head coach Pete Carroll, who played a distinct role in the team’s roster decisions over the years, Seahawks general manager John Schneider has been handed the reins for personnel in the new regime moving forward. Schneider now also holds a new title. Previously the general manager and executive vice president, Schneider’s new role sees him take on the president of football operations title for 2024, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
According to Schneider, his new role “largely signifies (that the) coaching staff now reports to him.” The staff used to report to Carroll, but Schneider reportedly had it put into his contract six or seven years ago that he would inherit that responsibility when Carroll’s tenure ended.
While he will now function as their supervisor, Schneider claims that his role in the process of hiring assistant coaches is “very much like support.” He says that the staff will be of new head coach Mike Macdonald‘s making.
Here are a few other staff updates from the Emerald City:
- The Seahawks interviewed Raiders offensive assistant Fred Walker for their vacant quarterbacks coaching job, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. In several previous college coaching jobs, Walker’s focus was often on quarterbacks, working with such passers as former Duke Blue Devil Daniel Jones and former Mississippi State star Dak Prescott. He has spent two years in Las Vegas and is looking to earn his first NFL position coaching gig.
- Also on offense, Seattle is making the move to hire Frisman Jackson as their new wide receivers coach, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. This will be Jackson’s fourth NFL receivers job. While his first NFL coaching season in Tennessee saw an uninspired group of Rishard Matthews, Eric Decker, and Corey Davis put up pedestrian numbers, Jackson followed that up with a 2020 season in Carolina that saw D.J. Moore and Robbie Chosen reach the 1,000-yard mark with Curtis Samuel (851 yards) not far behind. He spent the past two years mentoring Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and company in Pittsburgh.
- Finally, the Seahawks are set to add veteran NFL running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu to the same position in Macdonald’s new staff, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Polamalu has a strong history of building running back tandems over his time in the NFL. After first breaking into the league with the Browns in 2004, Polamalu spent five years coaching up a legendary tandem of Fred Taylor–Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville. After returning to the college ranks for a spell, Polamalu came back to the NFL to build the Dalvin Cook–Alexander Mattison tandem in Minnesota. He’s spent the last two years coaching Josh Jacobs and the Raiders’ backs in Vegas but was not retained when Antonio Pierce took over as the official head coach following his interim tenure.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/16/24
The NFL’s only minor transaction today as we head into the first of a long series of weekends with no NFL football until August:
New York Jets
- Waived: LB Maalik Hall
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/16/24
Here is today’s only reserve/futures contract in the NFL:
Houston Texans
Haynes was a part of the Broncos’ undrafted free agent class this past year after five years at Old Dominion. He averaged just under four sacks per season in his time with the Monarchs.
Bears Cut Cody Whitehair, Eddie Jackson
Cody Whitehair has been in Chicago since 2016, but his time with the Bears will come to an end this offseason. The veteran offensive lineman has been released, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has since announced the move. Safety Eddie Jackson has also been let go. 
One year remained on Whitehair’s deal, but none of his $10.15MM salary was guaranteed. As a result, this move will yield $9.15MM in cap savings and a dead cap charge of $4.1MM. Today’s news come as little surprise, but it will give the 31-year-old a head start on free agency.
After arriving in Chicago in 2016, Whitehair saw immediate playing time at center. He remained at that position for much of his first three seasons with the team, starting every game and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2018. Things began to change after that point, though, as the former second-rounder started splitting his time between center and left guard. He operated as the full-time LG in 2021 and ’22, and that was his primary spot this past season.
Whitehair’s PFF evaluations have seen a decline in recent years, and his 45 mark represents a career low. He was charged with three sacks and 22 pressures allowed in pass protection, and the Bears will now move forward with other options along the interior of their O-line. Chicago made a sizable free agent investment in Nate Davis last offseason, and after being drafted as a tackle, Teven Jenkins has shown promise at both guard spots. They, along with 2023 first-rounder Darnell Wright, will be key pieces up front for Chicago moving forward.
Jackson, too, had one year remaining on his current contract but faced the possibility of being let go. He recently indicated a cut would be coming, and the news is now official on that front. Jackson started each of his 100 games with Chicago, but injuries and declining production weighed heavily as factors working against him being retained for 2024 and beyond.
The 30-year-old was due over $14MM next season, but his release will save roughly $12.5MM in cap space. Given the financial benefits, Jackson’s release also comes as little surprise. The Bears were already slated to be in a better situation with respect to cap space than many teams, but these moves will add to their flexibility. Whitehair and Jackson will collectively account for just under $9.7MM in dead money in 2024.
Jaquan Brisker has established himself as a key contributor at the safety position in the present and the future for Chicago, but the other starting spot will need filling this offseason. The Bears have a number of relatively inexperienced incumbent options to choose from, along with the free agent and draft avenues to pursue a Jackson replacement. The two-time Pro Bowler last played a full season in 2020, and he has recorded one or fewer interceptions in three of the past four years.
Still, he and Whitehair will be able to sign with an interested team at any time (as opposed to having to wait for the start of the new league year in mid-March). It will be interesting to see how much of a market they will manage to generate, though deals worth much less than what they were originally due should be expected. Chicago will move forward with roughly $67MM in cap space, the third-highest total in the league as cost-cutting season picks up.
Eagles Sign OLB Julian Okwara To Futures Deal
FEBRUARY 15: Okwara will earn up to $2.68MM on his one-year Eagles pact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. While Philadelphia has a number of key decisions to make amongst the edge group in the near future, Okwara can be expected to remain with the team through at least training camp and the preseason.
FEBRUARY 14: The Eagles have made a depth addition to their edge rush group. The team announced on Wednesday that Julian Okwara has been signed to a reserve/futures contract. 
Okwara had previously spent his four-year career with the Lions, starting a total of four games across the past three seasons. His time in Detroit allowed him to pair with his brother Romeo Okwara, but he saw a limited role in 2023. Julian was waived last month to make room for James Houston‘s IR activation. He found himself on Detroit’s practice squad when the team’s postseason run came to an end, but he did not receive a futures deal.
As a result, Okwara was free to sign with any team, and he has joined the Eagles. Philadelphia’s edge rush situation is in a state of flux at the moment, in large part due to team’s decision to allow Haason Reddick to seek out a trade. The two-time Pro Bowler has made it clear he wants to extend his through-2024 Eagles contract, but it will be interesting to see if team and player can reach an agreement on that front.
Defensive end Brandon Graham, meanwhile, is set to reach free agency. The franchise’s games played leader – and a member of Philadelphia’s ‘Core Four’ – intends to play at least one more season. While he would likely only sign a deal with the Eagles if one can be worked out this spring, the team currently faces a number of question marks along the edge. Okwara will aim to carve out a depth role amongst the likes of Josh Sweat and 2023 first-rounder Nolan Smith.
Okwara posted a career-high five sacks in 2021 while logging a 40% snap share. That pointed to notable potential as a situational edge rusher, but the 26-year-old has totaled only four sacks over the past two seasons. His playing time has dropped considerably in both years, and he made just nine appearances during the 2023 campaign. Over the course of the offseason, Okwara will attempt to land a 53-man roster spot on an Eagles team seeking clarity in the pass-rush department.
Commanders Updates: Tapp, Lynn, Toub
The Commanders‘ new coaching staff under head coach Dan Quinn is starting to take shape as he and his coordinators continue to hire new assistant coaches. The most recent of which sees yet another former 49ers staffer in assistant defensive line coach Darryl Tapp find his way to the nation’s capital to serve as Quinn’s new defensive line coach, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Following a long playing career that saw him travel the NFC in places like Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay, Tapp went straight into coaching, taking a defensive quality control coaching job at Central Michigan. He followed that up with two more year-long stints as a special teams quality control coach at Vanderbilt and a co-defensive line coach at Virginia Tech.
Tapp got his first NFL coaching opportunity when offered his current position of assistant defensive line coach in San Francisco. He’s held the position for the past three years, helping Kris Kocurek coach up some of the best defensive linemen in the game of football. It didn’t take long for Tapp to get his first opportunity to coach the position on his own.
Washington traded away two of their better defensive linemen this past season in Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but the team still has some extremely talented pieces in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Tapp got to work a bit with Young after the former second-overall pick was traded, so he may have a bit of insight on how to connect with the Commanders defensive line.
Here are a few other staff updates coming out of Washington:
- Speaking of former 49ers staffers, we already saw today that Washington has hired San Francisco’s assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn to their new run-game coordinator position. Well, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Lynn’s title will also include running backs coach. Lynn leaves Christian McCaffrey in California and will now coach a group that includes Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez, and Derrick Gore. Veteran back Antonio Gibson is currently bound for free agency.
- Finally, on the coaching staff, Jhabvala also reports that offensive quality control coach Shane Toub will remain on staff for the Commanders. Toub just finished his first year on staff in Washington but has four prior years of experience on the Bears’ coaching staff. He will continue to work in Washington, now under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
- Outside of the coaching staff, Jhabvala also informs that, in the front office, senior vice president of football administration Rob Rogers is set to remain in place “at least through the draft.” It’s unclear if the team has plans to switch things up in the front office after this April, but for now, Rogers’ job is safe.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/14/24
Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
- S Trey Dean, DT Matt Dickerson, TE Izaiah Gathings, RB Keaontay Ingram, DE Truman Jones, RB Deneric Prince, CB Keith Taylor, WR Montrell Washington
San Francisco 49ers
- DT Alex Barrett, DE Austin Bryant, OL Corey Luciano, DT T.Y. McGill