Patriots To Sign QB Trace McSorley
The Patriots are adding a third quarterback to their offseason roster. Sixth-year passer Trace McSorley is joining the team, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It is a one-year deal, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).
McSorley finished the past two seasons with the Cardinals, relocating to the desert after the team poached him off the Ravens’ practice squad in November 2021. McSorley also has a tie to the Patriots, with OC Bill O’Brien having recruited him as a high school prospect when he was coaching Penn State.
O’Brien never coached McSorley at Penn State, having joined the Texans weeks before the prospect committed in 2014, but was still leading the Nittany Lions during most of the QB’s recruitment. McSorley, 27, will join a Patriots team that is in a strange place at quarterback; the former Ravens and Cardinals passer will project as a third-string option behind Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
Despite Jones’ first-round pedigree and having been New England’s starter (when healthy) throughout his career, Bill Belichick has not proclaimed the Alabama product his 2023 starter. Jones’ conduct last season, including a reported reach-out effort to Alabama staffers about the state of the Patriots’ offense, is believed to have rankled his current coach. Trade rumors have emerged regarding Jones, though the Pats may not be intent on moving him.
The Pats released veteran backup Brian Hoyer, who is believed to have voiced frustration about the team’s Matt Patricia experiment last year, earlier this year. Hoyer is now with the Raiders. The team has sought a mobile third QB option post-Hoyer, per Fowler; McSorley fits that bill. He totaled 23 rushing touchdowns over his final two seasons at Penn State and finished his senior season with 798 rushing yards.
A reserve throughout his NFL career, McSorley received his first starting opportunity last season. Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy‘s injuries sent McSorley into the fray. He started the Cards’ Christmas night game against the Buccaneers — an overtime loss — and finished that game 24-for-45 for 217 yards. McSorley also saw action in three other Cardinals games last season.
It should not be expected McSorley will factor into the upcoming Pats QB competition, but he profiles as an experienced third option for the team. It will be quite a roundabout reunion with O’Brien, who left for Houston nine years ago.
Jets To Waive P Braden Mann
When the Jets signed Thomas Morstead, they began shopping their incumbent punter. No takers emerged for Braden Mann, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports the Jets will waive the young specialist (Twitter link).
Although Mann has three years’ experience as the Jets’ punter, he is not yet a vested veteran. Teams can claim the former sixth-round pick before Friday’s waiver deadline. Mann has been Gang Green’s primary punter since 2020.
The Jets will go with a much older option at the position, eschewing a potential Mann-Morstead competition by cutting the less accomplished specialist. Morstead, 37, signed a one-year deal worth $1.32MM. The team is guaranteeing the 15th-year veteran most of that total ($1.1MM), however.
Mann, 25, is due a $1MM salary next season; one year remains on his rookie contract. The Texas A&M product averaged a career-high 46.9 yards per punt last season. After missing seven games due to injury in 2021, Mann returned to punt in all 17 Jets games last season. Morstead averaged 46.4 yards per boot last season, though his inside-the-20 percentage (45.9%) topped Mann’s (32.5%). Field position naturally affects this statistic, but Mann has never placed more than 35% of his punts inside the 20.
Because of this Mann cut, three of the four AFC East teams will feature new punters in 2023. After Morstead agreed to leave Miami for New York, the Dolphins replaced him with ex-Patriot Jake Bailey. Ex-Bronco Corliss Waitman is the only punter on the Pats’ roster presently.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/23
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: P Julian Diaz, WR Isaiah Zuber
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: LB Jamir Jones
Jets, DL Quinton Jefferson Agree To Deal
APRIL 12: The deal will check in at $3.6MM in base value, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates, who adds the veteran defender will see $2.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link). Jefferson can collect up to $4.25MM via incentives on his latest contract. The Jets tacked on four void years to minimize Jefferson’s 2023 cap hit.
APRIL 6: Quinton Jefferson is making a return to the AFC East. The Jets announced on Thursday that they have signed the veteran defensive lineman, giving them an experienced producer along the defensive front. SNY’s Connor Hughes was the first to report a deal was imminent (Twitter link). 
Jefferson has played for three teams, but is best known for his time with the Seahawks. He began his career in Seattle, operating as a starter in 2018 and 2019. His production to finish out his rookie contract earned him deals with the Bills and Raiders, with whom he enjoyed steady campaigns. A career-best 47 tackles in Vegas helped guide him back to the Emerald City in 2022, though that reunion didn’t entirely go according to plan.
Seattle ended up releasing the 30-year-old in a cost-cutting move last month. The cap savings helped the Seahawks sign Dre’Mont Jones to provide an upgrade along the defensive front, particularly in the pass-rushing department. Jefferson did, however, set a new personal mark with 5.5 sacks and six tackles for loss last season, despite logging the lowest snap share of his career since 2017.
That points to the Maryland alum being at least an effective rotational player with the Jets in 2023. New York has All-Pro Quinnen Williams in place at the heart of their defensive front, but Jefferson could step into the role vacated by the free agent departure of Sheldon Rankins. While this deal represents a notable addition on New York’s part, it might not be the only one amongst veteran d-linemen.
Hughes tweets that the Jets remain in on Al Woods, who like Jefferson has had multiple stints in Seattle. Woods has a visit lined up with New York, though a reunion with the Seahawks also may not be off the table. Hughes also names former Lion and Ram A’Shawn Robinson as a name to watch as the Jets look to continue adding depth along the interior. Regardless of what other moves they make, Jefferson is now in place as a starting-caliber option.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/11/23
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: P Ryan Anderson
Denver Broncos
- Signed ERFA tender: T Quinn Bailey
Anderson joins 2022 seventh-round pick Trenton Gill on the Bears’ offseason roster. Gill punted in all 17 Chicago games last season. After a record-setting career at Division III’s Olivet College (Mich.), Anderson set a Rutgers record with 44.4 yards per punt as a senior in 2017. Previous efforts to make an NFL roster did not pan out; Anderson, 27, has never played in a regular-season game.
Falcons Re-Sign WR KhaDarel Hodge
The Falcons have added multiple receivers this offseason, bringing in Scotty Miller and Mack Hollins. But they will keep KhaDarel Hodge in the mix as well. Hodge re-signed with the team Tuesday.
A sixth-year veteran who has worked on special teams and as a reserve wideout, Hodge will head into his second offseason as a Falcon. The team brought in the former Rams UDFA last year and used him in all 17 games.
Perhaps best known for his two-year Browns tenure, Hodge has played for four teams in five seasons. The small-school product totaled a career-high 202 receiving yards last season, catching 13 passes and scoring his first career touchdown — a 25-yarder during a Thursday game against the Panthers — during his trial run with the Falcons.
Hodge has also spent time with the Lions, who rostered the Prairie View A&M alum in 2021. The 5-foot-11 receiver played 60% of Atlanta’s special teams plays as well, making nine ST tackles last season. Hodge’s special teams experience will likely give him an edge in the competition for backup jobs come training camp.
Atlanta has not brought back Olamide Zaccheaus, a Thomas Dimitroff-era pickup, and has been connected to wide receivers during the pre-draft process. The team has an opening for a starter alongside Drake London. But Hodge, 28, is back in position to push for a depth role on Arthur Smith‘s team.
Falcons To Acquire CB Jeff Okudah From Lions
The Falcons have been busy on the defensive side of the ball so far this offseason, and Tuesday has seen another significant move made in that regard. Atlanta is acquiring cornerback Jeff Okudah from the Lions, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that Detroit will receive a fifth-round pick in return.
Okudah entered the league in 2020 with sky-high expectations as the third overall pick following a standpoint career at Ohio State. Things haven’t gone according to plan for him, however, with injuries becoming a mainstay of his pro tenure. Pelissero notes that the Lions will clear all of the $5.1MM remaining in guaranteed money on Okudah’s deal in 2023, the final season of his rookie contract (Twitter link). 
While that financial benefit is tangible, this deal still represents a hugely underwhelming return on investment for the Lions considering Okudah’s draft stock. The 24-year-old has been limited to just 22 games in his first three seasons due to multiple ailments – including an Achilles tear – earlier in his career. He did, however, manage to suit up for 15 contests in 2022, a season in which he recorded 73 tackles, one interception and seven pass deflections.
In coverage, Okudah flashed some of the potential he showed in college. He allowed a completion percentage of 59.7% and a passer rating of 87.6, figures which comfortably outpace those which he had produced in limited action during his first two seasons. He will now look to build off that success in Atlanta in advance of reaching free agency for the first time.
The Falcons have made a number of big splashes on defense in 2023, including a four-year, $64MM deal with safety Jessie Bates. Okudah will join a new-look secondary which has also seen the arrival of fellow former Lion Mike Hughes at the cornerback spot. They will join former first-rounder A.J. Terrell at the position, as the Falcons look to take a significant step forward at all three levels of their defense this year.
For Detroit meanwhile, this move creates a vacancy on a unit which struggled mightily in 2022. The Lions ranked 30th in the league against the pass last year, and a number of changes have been made to their cornerbacks room as a result. That includes the signing of Cameron Sutton as well as Emmanuel Moseley. Okudah joins Hughes and Amani Oruwariye as incumbents who will be playing elsewhere in 2023. Speculation could also pick up that a rookie could be in play for Detroit at the position.
The Lions own the No. 6 and No. 18 picks, which could put them in range for a few different cornerback options. The former selection would likely allow them to add the top prospect available at the position, presumably either Devon Witherspoon or Christian Gonzalez. With Okudah no longer in the picture, another long-term, starting-caliber investment on the perimeter would come as little surprise. Such a move carries risk, though, as evidenced by the way in which his time in the Motor City has played out and now come to an end.
Steelers To Sign DL Armon Watts
For a second straight year, Armon Watts will be heading east. The former Vikings and Bears starter agreed to terms with the Steelers on Monday night, according to his agent (on Twitter). It is a one-year deal, the Steelers announced.
A fifth-year defensive tackle, Watts spent the past two seasons as a primary starter in the NFC North. The Vikings made the surprising decision to waive him on roster-cutdown day last summer, doing so after acquiring Ross Blacklock from the Texans via trade. Watts played out his contract year in Chicago, starting 12 games for the rebuilding Bears.
The former Vikings sixth-round pick profiles as a depth addition for the Steelers, who have added both Watts and D-lineman Breiden Fehoko recently. Fehoko spent the past three seasons as a Chargers rotational cog; Watts received a bit more playing time, having started 21 games between the 2021 and ’22 seasons.
A Michael Pierce injury prompted the Vikings to use Watts as a starter two years ago, and he contributed five sacks to Minnesota’s cause that year. As the Vikings shifted to a primary 3-4 alignment for the first time in decades, they cut Watts, who did not make it too far down the waiver priority list last August. The Bears, who pivoted to a 4-3 scheme under Matt Eberflus, used the 307-pound defender on 532 defensive snaps last season. Watts finished with just one sack but added four tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus graded the 6-foot-5 defender as a top-50 interior D-lineman in 2021 but slotted him outside the top 100 players at the position — just behind Fehoko — last season.
The Steelers have used a 3-4 scheme for many years; they obviously feel comfortable enough with Watts here to take a flier weeks into free agency. Watts and Fehoko join a Steelers team that has not brought back veteran Tyson Alualu or Chris Wormley. The latter suffered a torn ACL in December. Alongside Cameron Heyward and the recently re-signed Larry Ogunjobi, the Steelers have 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams on their defensive line. Loudermilk and Adams combined for 12 starts last season.
Cardinals Sign CB Kris Boyd
While the Cardinals look to still need help at the cornerback position, they picked up some depth and a proven special teams contributor Monday. Ex-Viking Kris Boyd signed with the team.
Boyd played out his four-year rookie contract with the Vikings last season, finishing his walk year as one of the league’s most frequently deployed players on special teams. Boyd logged 403 special teams snaps for the Vikes in 2022, playing on 82% of Minnesota’s third-phase sequences.
The Vikings drafted Boyd, 26, in the 2019 seventh round out of Texas and primarily used him as a backup. Minnesota did turn to the former Longhorns defender as a starter in five games during the 2020 season, when he saw action on 343 defensive plays. Boyd allowed a 71.4% completion rate and a 121.4 rating while in coverage that year. The Vikings used him as a starter just once over the past two seasons but kept him a fixture on special teams. Boyd made 13 tackles last season and recovered a fumble, giving him four during his career.
Arizona did not retain Byron Murphy, who is now in Minnesota, and will enter the draft with a need at the position once again. The team has re-signed Antonio Hamilton and added ex-Chiefs cog Rashad Fenton, who finished his rookie deal with the Falcons. Two-year starter Marco Wilson remains on his rookie contract.
Bills To Re-Sign DE Shaq Lawson
Shaq Lawson‘s second stint with the Bills has earned him an extended stay in Buffalo. The veteran defensive end is re-signing on a one-year deal, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Lawson, 28, began his career with the Bills, spending four productive if uninspiring seasons with the team. He notched a career-high 6.5 sacks in the final year of his rookie contract, which helped earn him a three-year, $30MM deal with the Dolphins in 2020. That pact could have provided the opportunity for continued career ascension, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
The former first-rounder spent only one season in Miami, and was dealt to the Texans. Before having played in Houston, however, Lawson was traded back into the AFC East and joined the Jets in 2021. While logging a significant workload, he managed only a single sack in New York, leading to his release before season’s end. That move left his future uncertain, but a return to his original home proved to be an effective move.
Lawson inked a one-year contract last March to head back to Buffalo, where he spent much of the season in a rotational role. After the season-ending injury suffered by Von Miller, however, Lawson stepped took on a larger workload. He ended up starting six regular season games, along with both of the Bills’ playoff contests. He managed 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks, numbers which have allowed him to retain his spot as a valued member of the team’s edge rush group.
While Miller continues to recover at the start of the 2023 campaign, Buffalo will look to recent draftees Gregory Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Carlos Basham for much of their pass rushing production. Lawson will look to continue in the role he had to finish out last season, while providing depth at the position for a unit which will be without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier this year. Another season with decent production could earn him yet another Bills pact, or boost his stock for a move elsewhere.