Buccaneers Sign OL Matt Feiler
APRIL 20: After the Bolts passed on the final season of Feiler’s three-year contract, the Bucs added the veteran O-lineman at a low rate. Feiler will be tied to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM, Greg Auman of Fox Sports tweets. Incentives can bump the value to $3.25MM, and Auman notes the Bucs added four void years for cap purposes. That continues a recent Tampa Bay trend.
APRIL 13: The Chargers made Matt Feiler a cap casualty early in free agency. A month later, the veteran offensive lineman found a new team. The Buccaneers and Feiler agreed to terms Thursday, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager reports (on Twitter).
Feiler will join the Bucs on a one-year deal. The former Steelers guard and tackle spent the past two seasons with the Chargers; he has been a regular starter for the past five seasons.
This contract will certainly be worth far less than Feiler’s Bolts deal, a three-year pact worth $21MM, but the Bucs are in need at guard after trading Shaq Mason to the Texans last month. Tampa Bay, which also released longtime left tackle Donovan Smith, struggled up front last season. Injuries affected the team during Tom Brady‘s finale. Feiler, who is going into his age-31 season, should have an opportunity to fill in at one of Tampa Bay’s guard spots.
Feiler started 33 of a possible 34 regular-season games during his two-season Chargers run, providing some stability for an offensive front that encountered injury issues at other spots. The Bolts saved more than $6MM by releasing Feiler. The Bucs will swoop in and provide another chance for the former UDFA. Pro Football Focus graded Feiler just outside the top 60 at guard last season but viewed the experienced blocker as far better in 2021, slotting him 12th overall at the position in his Chargers debut.
The Bucs re-signed Aaron Stinnie, a former swingman who filled in for an injured Alex Cappa in the 2020 playoffs, but the veteran guard missed all of last season with an ACL tear. The team still rosters swingman Robert Hainsey, who saw Ryan Jensen‘s MCL and PCL tears move him into a starting role, and Nick Leverett. Luke Goedeke, a 2022 second-round pick, is going into his second NFL season. But the team’s Shaq Mason trade removed the top guard from the equation. The Bucs traded for Mason in the wake of Ali Marpet‘s retirement and Cappa’s free agency defection to Cincinnati, but he will reunite with ex-Patriots exec Nick Caserio in Houston. A constant on an O-line constantly in flux, Mason started all 18 Bucs games last season.
The Steelers used Feiler at both tackle and guard, but he has settled in as an interior blocker in recent years. The Bucs have a need at left tackle — unless Tristan Wirfs moves over to fill it — but Feiler makes more sense as inside help. Feiler started 39 games for the Steelers from 2018-20, parlaying that run into the Chargers deal. He will attempt to provide another team with guard stability soon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/19/23
Here are the minor moves for today from around the league:
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: WR Tarik Black
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Dee Delaney
Delaney, an undrafted free agent out of Miami (FL) in 2018, has appeared in all but two games for the Buccaneers since signing with the team in 2021, starting three. With Logan Ryan and Sean Murphy-Bunting departing in free agency, bringing Delaney back adds some much-needed experienced depth in the cornerbacks room. Delaney is a strong contributor on special teams, as well.
Eagles To Add WR Olamide Zaccheaus
The Eagles lost one of their auxiliary wideouts in free agency, seeing Zach Pascal join the Cardinals. They will pick up another. Former Falcon Olamide Zaccheaus agreed to terms with the Eagles on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Zaccheaus, 25, spent the past four seasons in Atlanta, playing a regular receiving role despite joining the team as a UDFA. The fifth-year wideout is coming off a season in which he established career-high numbers in both receptions (40) and yards (533). This also represents a homecoming for Zaccheaus, who attended high school in Philadelphia.
As the Falcons changed regimes, they gutted their receiving corps. In 2020, Zaccheaus resided behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage. By 2022, all three were out of the picture. Zaccheaus worked as Drake London‘s top complementary receiver last season, finishing as Atlanta’s second-leading pass catcher. The Virginia alum also topped 400 receiving yards in 2021, stepping up in responsibility after Ridley’s midseason departure.
Barring multiple injuries, no such role will be in the cards for Zaccheaus in Philly. The Eagles return their A.J. Brown–DeVonta Smith–Dallas Goedert trio, and Quez Watkins is going into a contract year. Zaccheaus marks an interesting addition due to limited special teams experience. He has five career returns and has not cleared a 30% special teams usage rate since his rookie season. Of course, Zaccheaus goes 5-foot-8, 193 pounds.
This should establish a fairly clear divide between the Eagles’ top four at receiver and the other players rostered. The team still employs Greg Ward, but he did not play in 2022. Returner Britain Covey and ex-Bronco Tyrie Cleveland are also under contract. The team retained Olympian hurdler Devon Allen via a reserve/futures deal, though it remains to be seen if the former Oregon slot receiver will make a serious push at a roster spot after spending 2022 on Philly’s practice squad.
Titans Sign WR Chris Moore
Following a recent visit, Chris Moore is officially part of the Titans’ offseason roster. The veteran wide receiver agreed to terms with Tennessee on Wednesday.
Moore will change AFC South teams after enjoying his most productive season. With the Texans last year, Moore totaled 48 receptions for 548 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans will give Moore a chance to play an eighth NFL season.
[RELATED: Titans Sign LB Ben Niemann]
Although Moore has spent most of his career as a backup who contributes primarily on special teams, his 2022 yardage total topped all Titans pass catchers. Tennessee can be expected to further upgrade its receiving corps in the draft, particularly with a new GM in charge. But Moore will head east and attempt to carve out a role in Nashville.
This signing will reunite Moore with former Texans OC Tim Kelly, whom the Titans promoted back to the coordinator level this offseason. Kelly coached Moore in 2021. The Texans gave Moore one-year contracts in 2021 and ’22. Under Kelly in 2021, the former Ravens backup caught 21 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens employed Moore, 29, for five seasons; he surpassed 200 receiving yards just once (2017) in that span. Moore logged at least a 50% snap rate on special teams from 2016-19 and did so again in 2021. He topped 200 ST plays during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. That stands to give the Titans some options as they assemble their receiver depth chart.
Tennessee’s decision to trade A.J. Brown backfired quickly, and the team’s passing attack cratered. Robert Woods led the Titans in receiving; he is now with the Texans after a release. First-round pick Treylon Burks missed six games and totaled 444 yards, matching Austin Hooper‘s total. Hooper is also off the roster, having signed with the Raiders. The team lost intriguing Day 3 draftee Kyle Philips to an early-season injury. While Nick Westbrook-Ikhine remains on the roster, it is hard to envision the Titans not adding at least one more piece at this position.
Jets Re-Sign T Cedric Ogbuehi
The Jets needed Cedric Ogbuehi to start on five occasions last season, and with George Fant no longer on the roster, the team will keep the former first-round pick in the fold.
Ogbuehi re-signed with the Jets on Tuesday. This agreement will give the journeyman tackle a chance to play a ninth NFL season and gives the AFC East team some depth at a position where questions exist at both starting spots.
After stints with the Jaguars, Seahawks, Ravens and Texans, the former Bengals first-rounder played a regular role for the Jets, who picked him up off Houston’s practice squad in late September. Injuries hamstrung the Jets at tackle last season, leading Ogbuehi from a P-squad slot on a rebuilding team to a Jets starter in a matter of weeks.
Fant, Mekhi Becton, Duane Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell each went down last year. The Jets slid Vera-Tucker to right tackle in an emergency circumstance, but the former first-round guard draftee suffered an ACL tear that brought Ogbuehi into the starting lineup. Ogbuehi, however, did not last too long before going down himself. A groin injury sent the veteran spot starter to IR, but he re-emerged to start in New York’s finale in Miami.
The Jets have Brown under contract, though he underwent offseason surgery ahead of what will be his age-38 season, but Fant is a free agent. Becton, whom the team moved to right tackle last year, is making strides; but the former top prospect has played one game over the past two seasons. Gang Green has been connected to a first-round tackle investment in this year’s draft. With the Jets’ No. 13 overall pick not expected to factor into an Aaron Rodgers trade — should that move even be made by the draft — tackle is an obvious place for the suddenly intriguing team to focus.
Ogbuehi, 31 next week, did not live up to his No. 21 overall draft slot. But the Texas A&M product has managed an eight-year career. He accompanies Mitchell as depth pieces in New York; Mitchell joined Ogbuehi in starting five games last season. But blood clots led to Mitchell’s rookie year ending early.
Eagles, QB Jalen Hurts Agree To Extension
The first major domino in terms of 2023 quarterback deals has fallen, and in historic fashion. The Eagles announced on Monday that they have agreed to terms on an extension with Jalen Hurts. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the contract is five years in length and has a base value of $255MM. 
That figure makes Hurts the highest-paid player in NFL history with respect to annual compensation, and brings his new-money average to $51MM per season. Pelissero adds that the extension includes $179.3MM in guarantees, as well as a no-trade clause, something which is a first in Eagles history. Another $15MM in incentives exists, which could push Hurts’ earnings to $54MM per season, per Pelissero (Twitter link).
The 24-year-old had one season remaining on his rookie contract, meaning he will be on the books in Philadelphia through 2028. This offseason marked the first in which Hurts was eligible for an extension, something which was quickly named as a priority for the NFC champions. The Eagles have, as expected, seen a number of notable defensive departures recently, but the foundation of their offense will be in place for the foreseeable future with this deal.
Hurts will earn the second-highest in total guarantees in league history, behind only the $230MM given to Deshaun Watson by the Browns last offseason. Pelissero and colleague Ian Rapoport detail that Hurts will receive $110MM fully guaranteed at signing, the third-highest such total in the NFL behind only Watson and Russell Wilson. The Eagles will pay out a signing bonus of $23.3MM in 2023, and give Hurts $64MM over the course of the first year of the pact. Needless to say, this news marks a massive development for all parties involved.
Hurts entered the 2022 season with questions about his ability to develop into a legitimate franchise quarterback. He put those to rest with his performance during the year, which helped Philadelphia earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and put the former second-rounder in the MVP conversation. Hurts was named a Pro Bowler and earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career, guiding one of the league’s best rushing and passing offenses. His development in the latter category convinced the team that such a massive investment would be a safe one.
The Alabama product took a massive step forward as a passer in 2022, totaling 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air. He added 760 yards and 13 yards on the ground, remaining the focal point of the team’s ground attack. Aside from one hugely costly fumble, his Super Bowl performance garnered widespread praise and put an extension at the top of the Eagles’ to-do list this spring. With that now taken care of, the effect the deal will have on the rest of the QB market will be worth monitoring closely.
Hurts’ deal comes at the same time that Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are all eligible for massive second contracts of their own. The Ravens, Bengals and Chargers remain in negotiations with their respective passers, though Baltimore’s talks with Jackson have been the most public and tenuous. This Hurts pact represents the latest non-Watson one to feature less than 100% in guarantees, though its AAV will no doubt help young QBs up for their own extensions establish a floor for negotiations.
The Eagles enjoyed one of the best seasons in franchise history in 2022, given the success of general manager Howie Roseman had in acquiring short- and long-term additions on the trade, free agent and draft fronts. With Hurts in place for the long-term, the team’s most important piece is on the books during what could be a lengthy Super Bowl window. Whether this sets off a chain reaction of other mega-deals at the QB position in the coming weeks, meanwhile, will have significant effects on several other teams around the league.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Ethan Greenidge
Chicago Bears
- Signed ERFA tender: DL Andrew Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Michael Dunn
- Signed ERFA tender: DB Thomas Graham, DL Ben Stille
Detroit Lions
- Signed ERFA tender: TE Brock Wright, TE Shane Zylstra
Green Bay Packers
- Signed RFA tender: OL Yosh Nijman
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Blake Hance
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Shaun Jolly, LB Christian Rozeboom
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Joejuan Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed RFA tender: CB Myles Bryant
New York Jets
- Signed ERFA tender: DT Isaiah Mack
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed ERFA tender: WR Jauan Jennings
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: T Jarrod Hewitt, CB Chris Steele, RB Darwin Thompson, WR Connor Wedington
- Signed ERFA tender: DT Myles Adams, CB Michael Jackson, LB Jon Rhattigan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed ERFA tender: G Nick Leverett
Washington Commanders
- Signed RFA tender: S Jeremy Reaves
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.
Chargers Bring Back WR Jalen Guyton
Jalen Guyton‘s September ACL tear cost him most of the season, and it led to the Chargers nontendering him as a restricted free agent last month. But the deep threat remains in the Bolts’ plans.
The Chargers and Guyton reunited Monday; the fifth-year wide receiver signed a new deal with the team ahead of the Bolts beginning their offseason workouts. After a month as an unrestricted free agent, the 6-foot-1 wideout will return to work for the franchise that has employed him since 2019.
[RELATED: Chargers Re-Sign TE Donald Parham]
While Josh Palmer ascended to what has become a vital WR3 role for the Bolts last season, Guyton served as a key auxiliary Justin Herbert target in each of their two full slates working together. Guyton’s 2020 and 2021 yardage totals (511, 448) were third among Chargers wideouts in those seasons, with the latter total surpassing Palmer’s in his rookie year. Guyton and Palmer, who has two years left on his rookie contract, will attempt to fill in alongside Keenan Allen and Mike Williams once again.
The Chargers initially picked up Guyton, a Cowboys post-draft signee, as a practice squad addition in October 2019. He is perhaps best known for being on the receiving end of a 2021 Herbert laser that traveled more than 60 yards in the air. Guyton, 25, recovering from his ACL injury would certainly bolster the Bolts’ depth. The North Texas product caught three touchdown passes in 2020 and ’21, and the Chargers missed his deep-threat capabilities at points last season.
Thus far, the Bolts are running it back at receiver. Tom Telesco shot down the notion Allen could be traded to create cap space. The team has its Allen-Williams-Palmer-Guyton quartet back in the fold, but after both the veteran targets missed extensive time last season, an early-round wideout draft choice is on the radar. Such an addition could complicate Palmer and Guyton’s roles. For now, the two will be back as the team’s top supporting-cast wideouts.
Bills Re-Sign LB A.J. Klein
Familiar faces on defense continue to re-sign with the Bills. Following the team’s moves to retain Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson, A.J. Klein will remain in the fold.
The veteran linebacker agreed to terms Monday on a one-year deal that will give him another shot in Buffalo. Klein, who has enjoyed two stints with the Bills, finished last season with the team. Though, Klein enjoyed a complex route back to Western New York.
Thirteen months ago, the Bills released Klein from the three-year, $18MM contract he signed in 2020. The former Saints starter remained out of the league to start the season but resurfaced in October and proceeded to take a four-city tour over the next six weeks. The Giants added Klein to their practice squad in October; the Ravens poached him three days later. Klein began his 2022 game work with Baltimore, suiting up for two contests, but the Ravens included him in their Roquan Smith trade. The Bears then used Klein in two contests but waived him, leading the former Luke Kuechly backup back to Buffalo to finish out the season.
The contingent of ex-Panthers on the Bills’ roster has thinned, given the time that has passed since Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane were with the NFC South team. But Klein is still going. The former Panthers fifth-round pick will attempt to play an 11th NFL season. Both the Bills and Ravens used Klein as a one-game starter last year.
Klein, 31, started 15 games for the Bills on his original contract with the team; he has made 82 starts during the course of his career. Klein finished with 75 tackles and five sacks for the 2020 Bills, who began the franchise’s three-year streak of AFC East titles, but played just 29% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps a year later. He logged just 104 defensive snaps last season but was a Bills regular on special teams.
Buffalo lost five-year starter Tremaine Edmunds in free agency but still rosters Matt Milano, Tyrel Dodson, 2022 third-rounder Terrel Bernard and veteran special-teamer Tyler Matakevich. Klein will likely factor into the competition for a second-string role as the Bills begin their offseason work.
Titans Sign LB Ben Niemann
Ben Niemann‘s June Cardinals signing last year led to considerable playing time. After a season in Arizona, the former Kansas City UDFA will end up in Tennessee.
The Titans and Niemann agreed to terms Monday. This is likely a low-cost accord, but Niemann will have a chance to compete for a job on Mike Vrabel‘s team soon. The Titans began their offseason workouts today.
Despite being a mid-June Cardinals addition, Niemann ended up starting nine games for the struggling team. The nine starts marked a career-high total for Niemann, who spent four seasons with the Chiefs but did not generate much interest in free agency last year. Niemann, 27, will join a Titans team in transition at linebacker.
Tennessee moved on from both David Long and Zach Cunningham this offseason, releasing Cunningham and letting Long sign with the Dolphins on just a two-year, $11MM deal. New Titans GM Ran Carthon added ex-49ers starter Azeez Al-Shaair on a one-year, $5MM pact. The former Fred Warner–Dre Greenlaw sidekick should be expected to anchor Tennessee’s linebacking corps, which did not have Long or Cunningham available too often last season.
The team should also be viewed as a candidate to draft a linebacker fairly early this year, but Niemann will have an opportunity to join Al-Shaair and 2021 third-round pick Monty Rice as a regular. Cunningham remains unsigned.
An Iowa product, Niemann tallied a career-high 70 tackles last season; Pro Football Focus viewed his part-time work as effective. The advanced metrics site graded Niemann just inside the top 30 among off-ball linebackers last season, grading his 2022 as far better than his Chiefs seasons. Niemann, who has six career fumble recoveries, started 12 games with the Chiefs from 2018-21.
Prior to signing Niemann, the Titans worked out he and two other linebackers. Nick Kwiatkoski and ex-Niemann Cardinals teammate Tanner Vallejo auditioned for the Titans, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. Vallejo, 28, started five Cardinals games last season. After his Raiders release, Kwiatkoski, 29, spent the season with the Falcons; he played in 12 games with no starts in 2022.