Titans DT Teair Tart Signs RFA Tender
The Titans will have one of their starting defenders in place in time for the start of minicamp today. Defensive tackle Teair Tart has signed his restricted free agent tender, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
Tennessee tendered him at the second-round level in March, leaving open the possibility of an offer sheet. As expected, nothing emerged on that front, though, and Tart will remain in the fold for the 2023 season. He will earn $4.3MM this year, but a continuation of his play to date could set himself up for more in the future.
The former UDFA joined the Titans in 2020, and he was used in a rotational capacity right away with a 31% snap share on defense. He took on starting duties the following season, seeing an uptick in usage along the way. His level of play in his second campaign increased expectations for he and the team heading into 2023, and Tart did not disappoint.
The 26-year-old was a full-time starter last season, and he set new career-highs across the board. Tart racked up 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, 12 QB pressures, one fumble recovery, one interception and six pass deflections. Those totals helped result in a new personal mark in terms of PFF evaluation, as well; the Florida International alum earned an overall grade of 73.1, which ranked 22nd among all DTs in the NFL.
Tart is in line to remain a first-teamer alongside Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons on the interior of the Titans’ defensive line. That unit helped Tennessee rank first in the league in run defense last season, and the team has responded by making only a minor depth addition (in the form of Jaleel Johnson) so far in free agency. Tart will look to replicate his success of the past two seasons, knowing a strong performance this season could yield another signficant jump in compensation in 2024.
Browns Release OL Joe Haeg
Joe Haeg had two years remaining on his current Browns contract, but he will now hit the open market once again. Cleveland announced on Monday that they have released the veteran offensive lineman. 
Haeg’s deal includes $500K in guranteed money for 2023, so the Browns will incur a dead cap charge of that amount for the season. This move will still yield $2MM in savings this year, though, along with $2.9MM in 2024. The Browns entered the day mid-pack in terms of cap space, and they have now added further flexibility for the summer.
Haeg joined the Browns in 2022, continuing his recent stretch of bouncing around the league. He had previously had one-year stints in Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay prior to joining Cleveland, logging five starts across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The 30-year-old is best known for his four years with the Colts, though, during which time he made 35 starts and 55 total appearances.
The former fifth-rounder played just one offensive snap in Cleveland, after seeing a 37% snap share with the Steelers. He has not seen full-time starting duties since his third season with the Colts (2018), though his versatility could help land him a new contract. Haeg has seen time at every spot on the offensive line except center during his career, including at least 43 snaps at each tackle and guard position in 2021. While unspectacular, his PFF evaluations have remained relatively consistent during his career.
The Browns also announced the signings of wide receiver Ra’Shaun Henry and offensive tackle Hunter Thedford. Both players are former UDFAs, and have yet to make a regular season appearance in the NFL. Moving on from Haeg was necessary to keep the team at the 90-man roster limit, and the latter will now search for a new opportunity for the fourth consecutive offseason.
Colts Sign WR Breshad Perriman
JUNE 5: Perriman’s workout has indeed resulted in a contract. The Colts announced on Monday that a deal has been signed with the journeyman, who will look to carve out at least a depth role in the team’s new-look WR room. A successful season could yield some stability for Perriman as he continues to search for a long-term home. In a corresponding move, the Colts have waived undrafted free agent wideout Tyler Adams.
JUNE 2: Already playing for four teams since arriving in the NFL as a 2015 first-round pick, Breshad Perriman may soon have an opportunity to contribute with a fifth.
The Colts brought the veteran wide receiver in for a workout Friday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes (via Twitter) the sides are in discussions about a deal. Perriman spent the past two years with the Buccaneers, working as a depth piece during the final two seasons of the team’s Tom Brady era.
Although Perriman, 29, did not make much of a statistical impact during the Bucs’ Brady period, he posted 500-plus-yard receiving seasons for the 2019 Bucs and 2020 Jets. The 210-pound wideout amassed a career-high 645 receiving yards with the Bucs in 2019 and added 505 for the ’20 Jets. The Colts have some questions at receiver after No. 1 option Michael Pittman Jr., and Perriman could be in play to become at least a second-string presence for the retooling team.
New Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter was with the Jets — as running backs coach — during Perriman’s Big Apple season. The Colts used a second-round pick on Alec Pierce last year and added multiple slot options — free agent Isaiah McKenzie, third-round pick Josh Downs — this offseason.
One of four first-round receivers the Ravens have chosen since 2015, Perriman did not work out in Baltimore. He missed all of his rookie year due to injury and totaled just 77 yards during an 11-game 2017 audition. A one-year Cleveland stay (2018) revealed some promise, and Jameis Winston‘s final Bucs season included a somewhat memorable finish from Perriman. The Central Florida alum closed the QB’s high-variance year with three straight 100-yard receiving performances. During the 2020 season in New York, Perriman finished second in Jets receiving yardage.
Tampa Bay continued to rely on its Mike Evans–Chris Godwin combination with Brady but also rostered Antonio Brown, Russell Gage and Julio Jones during the all-time great’s stay. While Brady connected with Perriman on a walk-off touchdown to beat the Bills in 2021, the backup receiver totaled just 277 receiving yards over the past two seasons.
The Colts let Zach Pascal walk in 2022 and did not re-sign Parris Campbell in March. Pierce is expected to remain their No. 2 wideout, with McKenzie and Downs in place to follow Campbell as inside presences. The team also employs backup/spot starter Ashton Dulin and third-year player Mike Strachan.
Front Office Rumors: Vikings, DeLuca, Saints
The Vikings made a number of staff moves this past week. They’ve got one season under their belt with new head coach Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and Minnesota continues to make adjustments to the front office.
The first such adjustment was the release of a longtime staffer in director of football quantitative methods and pro scout Scott Kuhn. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, the two parties decided to part ways after 16 years together. Kuhn first came to Minnesota in 2007, following former general manager Rick Spielman in his move from Miami. The former Dolphins staffer worked his way through multiple roles in Minnesota before finally landing his most recent role back in 2016.
Here are few other front office moves from around the NFC, mostly coming out of the Twin Cities:
- In further efforts to shape the front office to his liking, Adofo-Mensah brought a big piece over from Cleveland in Sam DeLuca, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. DeLuca had been with the Browns since 2013, serving mostly in the role of assistant director of pro scouting. He also spent some time with the Eagles before he joined Cleveland. In Minnesota, DeLuca will claim a role as the Vikings’ senior assistant director of pro personnel.
- The Vikings will reportedly also be adding a new scout, according to Stratton. Minnesota is poaching Matt Kelly from the Senior Bowl staff, where he served as director of football operations. With the Vikings, Kelly will be the team’s new West Coast area scout.
- Lastly, the Saints also parted ways with a longtime staffer, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, letting go of a top analytics researcher in Ryan Herman. Herman joined the Saints back in 2017 after working with New Orleans’ assistant general manager Jeff Ireland in Miami, when Ireland was the Dolphins’ general manager. Herman’s seven years in Miami culminated in his role as the director of football administration before taking the job in New Orleans. After six years with the Saints as the team’s head of football research and strategy, New Orleans allowed Herman’s contract to expire.
Dolphins Sign Three Of Four Draft Picks
Thanks to a forfeited first-round pick and multiple trades, the Dolphins had a relatively small draft class in 2023. After seven rounds, Miami walked away with only four drafted rookies. The team tweeted out today that they had succeeded in signing three of the four rookies to their initial four-year contracts. 
Texas A&M running back Devon Achane was the Dolphins’ third-round selection. Not only did Achane excel on the gridiron for the Aggies, he was also a participant in several track and field events including the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, and the indoor 60m. The elite sprinter displayed his abilities when he put up the third-fastest 40-yard dash time (4.32) at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. According to the coaches in the conference, Achane was a first-team All-SEC selection at both the running back and all purpose slots. In his final two seasons, Achane totaled 2,012 rushing yards for 17 touchdowns and caught 60 passes for 457 receiving yards for four more scores.
Achane joins a running backs room that returns four players from last year’s team. He likely should slot ahead of Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin on the depth chart, but he may need to earn his stripes before taking any snaps away from Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert. His speed may make him a perfect fit for a strong special teams role as a rookie, as well.
In the sixth round, the Dolphins decided to add a developmental receiver in Elijah Higgins. While he never had his hand in the dirt at Stanford, Higgins reported that 28 of 32 NFL teams saw him as a tight end at the next level. Higgins improved every year as a Cardinal wideout, racking up 1,380 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his college career. As a rookie, Higgins’s focus will likely be on adding the right kind of weight and transforming his body for the position change. In the meantime, he should still be able to add some receiving ability to a tight end group that hasn’t recently put up big numbers between Durham Smythe‘s 129 yards, Tyler Kroft‘s 57 yards, and Eric Saubert‘s 148 yards in 2023.
Lastly, the team signed seventh-round offensive tackle Ryan Hayes out of Michigan. In five years as a Wolverine, Hayes was a two-time All-Big Ten selection who started 29 of 40 college appearances. He had a cemented role at left tackle in Ann Arbor and, at 6-foot-7, 305 pounds, Hayes has a favorable frame to remain at the position in the NFL. Miami acquired some tackles with starting experience this offseason in Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbuehi to go along with returning starters Austin Jackson and Terron Armstead, as well as Kendall Lamm. The Dolphins won’t have any need to ask much of Hayes anytime soon, which should allow the seventh-rounder some time to develop and adjust to the NFL game.
With Achane, Higgins, and Hayes all signed, that leaves only South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith as the team’s lone unsigned draft pick. The team selected Smith in the second round, making him the Dolphins’ highest draft pick and only pick on defense this year.
Bills Sign WR Marcell Ateman
Marcell Ateman‘s Thursday workout with the Bills will lead to a deal. The former Raiders wide receiver — and recent XFL pass catcher — agreed to terms with the Bills on Thursday.
The former NFL backup will join the Bills on a one-year deal. Both Ateman and wideout Preston Williams auditioned for the Bills today. Although Williams has been in the NFL since 2019, the Bills are going with Ateman, who last played in a regular-season game during the 2021 season and last caught a pass in 2019.
Ateman played for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL this season. He will join spring teammates Hakeem Butler and Darrius Shepherd in securing an NFL opportunity. Butler signed with the Steelers last month; Shepherd caught on with the Chargers today. While Butler and Shepherd each finished in the top five in XFL receiving yards, Ateman totaled 259 and did not score a touchdown. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught 19 passes during his Missouri stay, though he did amass 99 yards (on 11 targets) during a game against the Seattle Sea Dragons.
In the NFL, Ateman has played only for the Raiders in the regular season. The Oklahoma State alum trekked to Oakland as a 2018 seventh-round pick. Between the 2018 and ’19 seasons, Ateman totaled 20 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown. Ateman spent part of training camp with the Cardinals last year, but the Bills sending Cody Ford to Arizona via trade led to the receiver’s exit.
Ateman, 28, should not be considered a safe bet to stick with the Bills. Despite moving on from Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder this offseason, Buffalo added Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield and fifth-round pick Justin Shorter. That trio joins Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and second-year cog Khalil Shakir.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/1/23
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DT Brandin Bryant
- Waived: WR Braydon Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Darrius Shepherd
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Montreal Braswell, CB Benjie Franklin
- Waived: RB Chris Smith, NT LaTrell Bumphus
Shepherd has not played in an NFL game since 2020, when he finished a two-season stint with the Packers. Shepherd did go to training camp with the Broncos last year, and he spent time on Denver’s practice squad. This year, the North Dakota State product finished as a top-five receiver in the XFL. Playing for the St. Louis BattleHawks, Shepherd hauled in 48 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns. Both the BattleHawks’ top two wideouts — Shepherd and Hakeem Butler — have received NFL opportunities. Only Butler’s eight receiving TDs topped Shepherd’s total. The Steelers added Butler last month.
P Brett Kern Announces Retirement
One of this era’s most experienced punters, Brett Kern will wrap his career after 15 seasons. The former Broncos, Titans and Eagles specialist announced Thursday he is retiring.
Best known for his Tennessee tenure, Kern punted in 197 games with the AFC South team. Although Oilers legends Bruce Matthews and Elvin Bethea have that number beat for the franchise, Kern has logged the most games — by a considerable margin — during the organization’s Tennessee period. Punters occupy the top two spots on the Tennessee section of that list, with Kern surpassing the player he replaced (Craig Hentrich).
Kern, 37, finished his 13-year Titans career with three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro honor. The Titans gave promising UDFA Ryan Stonehouse the job out of training camp last year, and while Kern spent most of the season away from the game, he finished his career by helping the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. Kern replaced an injured Arryn Siposs in December for the Eagles, punting in six games. Though, Siposs’ recovery from a December injury ended up booting Kern off Philly’s active roster just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Titans acquired Kern in 2009, claiming him a day after the Broncos waived him in-season. Kern signed three Titans extensions, including two deals that paid him at least $3MM per season. The most recent — a $12.65MM deal — came during the 2019 offseason. Despite playing the NFL’s second-lowest-paid regular position (ahead of long snapper), Kern earned more than $29MM during his career.
Kern led the NFL with 49.7 yards per punt in 2017 and finished four other seasons north of 47 years per boot. Following his three-year Pro Bowl run, Kern placed a career-high 59.5% of his punts inside the 20-yard line in 2020. He placed a career-high 39 punts inside the 20 in 2018.
Colts Sign DE Genard Avery
The Colts will add some pass-rushing depth, bringing in veteran Genard Avery. The team announced the signing, which will send the sixth-year defender to a fourth team.
Avery, who played last season as a Buccaneers backup, will attempt to catch on in Indianapolis after spending 2022 with two teams. The Steelers signed him in March 2022 but moved on before cutdown day in August, leading to the Bucs taking a flier. Tampa Bay did not re-sign Avery this offseason. In a corresponding move, Indianapolis waived running back Darius Hagans.
A former Browns fifth-round pick, Avery has played both on the edge and as an off-ball linebacker. The Eagles used the 2018 fifth-round pick in the latter capacity in 2021, running him out as a 12-game starter. The Memphis product played 358 defensive snaps that season, making 43 tackles (four for loss) and registering a sack. Pro Football Focus ranked Avery 56th among regular linebackers in ’21.
In 2022, the Bucs reduced Avery’s workload (72 defensive snaps) but deployed him as a regular special-teamer. In just nine games, Avery logged 164 ST snaps. He finished last season on IR due to an abdominal injury. Avery, 28, picked up 4.5 of his career 8.5 sacks during his 2018 rookie year in Cleveland. During their Freddie Kitchens season, the Browns traded him to the Eagles.
Indianapolis has not re-signed Gus Bradley favorite Yannick Ngakoue, who led the team with 9.5 sacks last season. Ngakoue resides as one of the top free agents still available, but the Colts — as of now, at least — are prepared to give their young pass rushers more run. Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo are heading into their third seasons. Free agent acquisition Samson Ebukam, who worked as one of Nick Bosa‘s 49ers sidekicks last year, brings a cheaper veteran presence compared to Ngakoue. Avery will attempt to join this rotation.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/31/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Jordan Swann
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Tommy Hudson
- Waived: RB Tyreik McAllister, RB Jacques Patrick
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Damon Lloyd
Tight end Tommy Hudson got into five games with the Titans last season, hauling in three catches for 31 yards. He’ll join a relatively deep tight ends group in Denver that includes Greg Dulcich, Chris Manhertz, Adam Trautman, and Albert Okwuegbunam.