Steelers Sign Round 1 T Broderick Jones
The Steelers are now down to one unsigned draft choice. Their first-round pick, tackle Broderick Jones, agreed to terms on his four-year rookie contract Friday.
Georgia’s left tackle starter last season, Jones is now under contract through 2026. By May of that year, the Steelers can decide to pick up his fifth-year option and push the deal through 2027. For now, Jones is early in his developmental stages. While he comes to Pittsburgh expected to take over at left tackle, the ascent is not guaranteed to happen before Week 1.
[RELATED: Steelers Sign Round 2 DT Keeanu Benton]
Although Jones entered the draft pool as one of this year’s top prospects, he spent one season as a primary college starter. Granted, it was for a program that won a second straight national championship. But Jones resided as a backup during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Following eventual Chargers sixth-round pick Jamaree Salyer‘s NFL entrance in 2022, Jones took over at left tackle for the Bulldogs. He started all 15 games on Stetson Bennett‘s blind side, gliding to first-team All-SEC acclaim and setting himself up as a higher-regarded prospect than Salyer.
ESPN’s Scouts Inc. graded Jones as the No. 3 tackle available and 13th-best overall prospect. After the Bears chose Tennessee’s Darnell Wright at No. 10, the Titans went with Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. Following two non-O-line choices at Nos. 12 and 13, the Steelers swooped in with a three-spot move up the board. Steelers decision-makers have confirmed they believed the Jets were preparing to draft Jones at No. 15, leading to the trade talks with the Patriots, who enjoyed the ancillary benefit of denying the Jets a first-round-caliber tackle. While the Patriots also have questions at tackle, they preferred Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Jones will attempt to wrest the tackle job from two-year incumbent Dan Moore, a 2021 third-round pick. The Steelers have received unspectacular tackle play from Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor, leading to the team’s first Round 1 tackle investment since 1996. But Moore has thus far held his own against the high-end prospect. This matter will not be settled until pads come on, and Jones is ticketed to be Pittsburgh’s long-term answer on Kenny Pickett‘s blind side. For now, however, the 14th overall pick is not a lock to begin the season as a starter.
With Benton signing earlier today, only No. 32 overall pick Joey Porter Jr. remains unsigned from Pittsburgh’s 2023 class.
Texans Sign No. 3 Pick Will Anderson Jr.
For the first time in 2023, a top-five pick from this year’s class has inked his rookie contract. Will Anderson Jr.‘s Texans deal is now in place, as noted (on Twitter) by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 
Anderson’s contract is worth a fully guranteed $35.2MM over four years; Houston will be able to keep him on the books beyond that via the fifth-year option. He will receive a signing bonus of $22.6MM as he begins his NFL career, one during which much will be expected of him.
The Alabama alum entered the 2022 season in the running to hear his name called first on draft night. His sophomore campaign saw him rack up 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss, figures which placed him fifth in Heisman voting in that year. A step forward from those lofty totals would have boosted his stock even further, but the opposite scenario played out during the campaign.
Anderson’s production took a step back in terms of sacks (10) and TFLs (17), but they still resulted in considerable accolades. The 6-4, 243-pounder was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, winner of the Bronko Nagurski award (given to the country’s top defender) and a unanimous first-team All-American for the second consecutive season. He was thus squarely on the Texans’ radar in the build-up to the draft.
Houston appeared to take themselves out of contention for Anderson when they selected quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall. That decision was soon followed, however, by a bold move up the board to No. 3 which saw the Texans part ways with the No. 12 pick and a package including a 2024 first-rounder. Anderson’s arrival in Houston will thus be met with sky-high expectations both in his rookie season and over the course of his career.
The Cardinals will have plenty of reasons to follow Anderson’s performance in 2023 and the impact it will have on the Texans’ ability to begin heading out of the rebuilding phase. He will transition from an outside linebacker to a defensive end at the NFL level under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, a change which is not expected to slow his development. Anderson will have plenty of snaps available as a rookie member of an edge group which will be led by Jerry Hughes and Jonathan Greenard after the free agent departure of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo.
With Anderson now on the books, Stroud stands as the only Texans rookie yet to ink his rookie deal. He, along with Anderson, will be central figures in the team’s performance in 2023 and for several years beyond that.
Steelers Sign Round 2 DT Keeanu Benton
The Steelers have nearly completed the process of signing their draft class to their initial NFL contracts. Pittsburgh inked second-round defensive tackle Keeanu Benton to his four-year rookie deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Notably, Rapoport reports that Benton’s contract includes guranteed money in Year 3, something which is unprecedented for players selected in the No. 49 slot. The move likely signals the expectations Pittsburgh has for the Wisconsin product, who demonstrated a disruptive ability during his time at the college level and will be tasked with translating it to the pro game.
Benton spent four years with the Badgers, and he showcased his pass-rushing traits right away with a pair of sacks in eight games during his freshman season. The 6-4, 315-pounder was held without a sack or tackle for loss as a sophomore, but his production picked up over the past two seasons. During that span, he totaled seven sacks and 15 TFLs, adding four pass deflections and a pair of fumble recoveries along the way.
Those figures made the 21-year-old one of the top DT prospects in this year’s class, and a target of the Steelers with their third selection. Benton will join a defensive line which also features three-time All-Pro Cameron Heyward and the re-signed Larry Ogunjobi along the interior. Those veterans are under contract through 2024 and ’25, respectively, so Benton will likely see a rotational role early in his career.
Much of his playing time could come via the snaps vacated by veteran Tyson Alualu. The latter is unsigned after spending the past six years in the Steel City, a tenure he would prefer to extend. The presence of Benton gives the Steelers a short- and long-term replacement, though, and more upside with respect to their depth options along the defensive front. With the latter’s deal now taken care of, Pittsburgh’s only remaining unsigned rookies are the two selected ahead of Benton, left tackle Broderick Jones and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Rams Sign QB Stetson Bennett To Rookie Contract
The Rams have signed their first-year quarterback to his rookie contract. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Rams have signed quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Before putting himself on the NFL radar during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Bennett had issues even carving out a role in the NCAA. The Georgia walk-on transferred to Jones College after not taking a snap during his freshman season. After Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, Georgia was in need of depth at the position, and Bennett returned to the school for the 2019 campaign.
He served as a backup over the next two years, and he entered his fifth-year senior season as the second-stringer to JT Daniels. Bennett ended up getting the call after Daniels went down with an injury and proceeded to complete 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,862 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Despite a shaky performance in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia stuck with Bennett as their starter en route to the 2022 College Football National Championship.
Bennett returned to Georgia for his sixth-year senior season in 2022 and improved his numbers, finishing with 4,128 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He later earned offensive MVP of the 2023 College Football National Championship after accounting for six total touchdowns.
Considering his advanced age and somewhat limited college track record, there were some questions about where Bennett would land in the draft. The Rams ended up scooping him up in the fourth round, allowing the rookie some time to learn the offense behind Matthew Stafford. The Rams are also rostering QBs Brett Rypien and UDFA Dresser Winn.
The Rams have slowly but surely been signing their draft picks to rookie contracts. Third-round linebacker Byron Young and third-round defensive tackle Kobie Turner are the most significant names to remain unsigned.
Texans Notes: Green, Perryman, Griffin, Staff
The Texans received updates on two injury situations with the potential to bleed over into training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It looks like Houston will see a defender back at full-speed, while an offensive starter may have a bit further to go.
Firstly, Wilson reported that free agent addition Denzel Perryman is nearly back to full-strength after recovering from labrum shoulder surgery. The former Raiders linebacker missed games last year with a dislocated shoulder before ultimately undergoing the procedure. The 30-year-old has graded out as a top-30 linebacker in each of his two years in Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He’s projected to start beside Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris in 2023.
On the offensive side of the ball, last year’s rookie starter at offensive guard, Kenyon Green, is still making his way back from an arthroscopic knee surgery that he underwent this offseason. New head coach DeMeco Ryans was noncommittal on when Green would return. “We’ll see where Kenyon is come training camp,” Ryans told reporters. “For Kenyon, he has to be ready to go, and the work he puts in over the next few weeks will see if he’s ready and ready to go out and compete.”
Here are a few other rumors coming out of H-Town:
- The Texans were recently able to add free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin to their secondary. According to another report from Wilson, Houston wasn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. Griffin claims that along with his former team in Jacksonville and his new team in Houston, he felt interest from the Vikings and Commanders. He only made one visit, but his trip to Texas was enough to sell him on the team’s scheme and “energy.”
- Houston was recently able to reach an agreement to extend defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a new two-year, $23MM deal with a reported $20MM of guaranteed money. Recent updates adjust the latter number slightly. Collins was actually guaranteed $20.5MM, consisting of a $10.5MM signing bonus, Collins’s 2023 base salary of $2MM, and his 2024 base salary of $8MM. His contract will also include a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500k.
- Lastly, there was a bit of a shakeup in the Texans’ front office last weekend. According to Wilson, former chief of staff Nick Kray is no longer with the organization. Kray came over with Ryans from the same position in San Francisco when Ryans took the head coaching gig in Houston. Since his departure, assistant to the coaches Jake Olson has taken over Kray’s duties. Olson was recently added to the staff after stints as Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/23
Today’s only minor transaction across the NFL:
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: WR Sam James
James was one of 26 undrafted free agents signed by the Rams in May. James decided to forgo his final year of eligibility granted to him due to COVID-19, cashing in on a season that saw him catch 46 passes for 745 yards and six touchdowns. His career numbers at West Virginia included 190 catches for 2,229 yards and 15 touchdowns.
A bit undersized, James faced long odds to make the team’s final 53-man roster. Despite his additional experience returning kicks in college, he had to compete with 12 other receivers on a roster that is certain to include Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson and very likely to include Ben Skowronek, Demarcus Robinson, and Tutu Atwell, as well.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/21/23
Another pair of signings of late-round picks today:
Los Angeles Rams
- LB Nick Hampton (fifth round, Appalachian State)
- T Warren McClendon (fifth round, Georgia)
The team with forty rookies on the roster signed two of them today to their initial four-year contracts. Hampton turned into a physical specimen over his time with the Mountaineers, gaining 40 pounds to reach his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame. He landed on the NFL’s radar after a redshirt junior season that saw him record 11.0 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. Injuries held him up from reaching those numbers again in 2022, but he still was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection in both of his final two seasons. He may need some time before he is considered an every-down NFL linebacker, but his experience as a standup pass rusher should get him some snaps in rotation with the Rams.
McClendon was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, planted at the right tackle position. While he was never as lauded as former teammates Jamaree Salyer and Broderick Jones, who started on the opposite side of the line in each of the last two years, he didn’t allow a sack in the 2021 or 2022 seasons and earned first-team All-SEC honors as a team captain last year. McClendon provides an immediate benefit as depth in a room thin on tackles but should have the ability to move inside and help out at guard, as well, if necessary. With Hampton and McClendon now under contract, the team has six more draft picks to sign.
Extension Candidate: Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, allowing both the player and team some extra time to negotiate a long-term pact. However, there hasn’t been any reported progress when it comes to an extension.
Part of that delay could be due to the Raiders’ reluctance to invest big money on a running back. Another reason for the lack of progress could be Jacobs’ determination to keep the running back market alive. The running back seemed to allude to his negotiation logic earlier this month, tweeting that “[s]ometimes it’s not about you. We gotta do it for the ones after us.” Jacobs added some fuel to the fire today when he tweeted “bad business,” an indication that he may not be pleased about the current status of his negotiations.
It’s not a new or shocking development that teams are unwilling to pay big money to running backs, and Jacobs is just the latest player to express frustration at the declining AAV at the position. Christian McCaffrey inked a record-breaking four-year, $64MM deal with the Panthers back in 2020, and his average annual value ($16MM) and guaranteed money ($36MM) still paces the position three years later.
Since then, Alvin Kamara secured the most guaranteed money at the position ($34MM), and the likes of Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, and Nick Chubb ended up signing extensions that landed between $12MM and $12.5MM per season. Only Miles Sanders and David Montgomery secured new contracts averaging $6MM or more this offseason, and rookie Bijan Robinson will head into the 2023 campaign with the third-most guaranteed money at his position ($21.9MM). We’ve seen other position groupings setting contract records, but the running back position appears to be heading backwards.
That brings us to Jacobs, who is set to play the 2023 season under the $10.1MM franchise tag. The two sides have until July 17 to negotiate a new deal, but it’s uncertain if they’ll agree to a new deal with less than a month remaining. Saquon Barkley is still awaiting a new deal with the Giants, an extension that would likely influence Jacobs’ next deal, putting the Raiders RB in a bit of a holding pattern.
It’s uncertain what kind of specific money Jacobs is seeking on his next deal. Based on the recent signings at the position, he’d be lucky to get an offer that approaches Henry’s four-year $50MM extension he signed with the Titans in 2020. If Jacobs does sign a new deal, he’ll likely settle into that sub-$12.5MM AAV, closer to the three-year, $36.6MM deal Chubb got from the Browns.
Jacobs made it known early on that he was going to skip the Raiders’ offseason program, but the July 17 deadline would seemingly prevent a training camp holdout. Jacobs has little incentive to sacrifice money and go the Le’Veon Bell route, and if he’s determined to make a statement, it seems increasingly likely that he’ll play the 2023 campaign under the franchise tag.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/20/23
Today’s late-round draft pick signings:
Los Angeles Rams
- TE Davis Allen (fifth round, Clemson)
- WR Puka Nacua (fifth round, BYU)
The Rams are slowly chipping away at their draft pick signings, agreeing to terms with two of their four fifth-round picks today. Allen saw a jump in receptions during each of his four seasons at Clemson, culminating in a 2022 campaign where he hauled in 39 catches (for 443 yards and five touchdowns). The rookie will compete for backup reps behind starting tight end Tyler Higbee.
Nacua spent two seasons at Washington before breaking out at BYU over the past two years. Across those two campaigns, the wideout collected 1,787 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns in 21 games. He’ll serve as a back-of-the-depth-chart option during his rookie campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/20/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: DB Scott Nelson
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/injured: LB Mariano Sori-Marin
Nelson had a pair of stints on Pittsburgh’s practice squad last season, and he was retained via a futures contract after the season. The former UDFA had a productive career at Wisconsin, compiling 125 tackles and four interceptions.
Sori-Marin has been released with an injury designation, but it’s uncertain what injury the linebacker suffered. The undrafted rookie joined the 49ers back in May following a five-year stint at Minnesota. During his time with the Golden Gophers, Sori-Marin collected 274 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks.