Jason Verrett To Miss Early-Season Time
AUGUST 23: The ninth-year cornerback will indeed miss at least the 49ers’ first four games this season. Verrett landed on the 49ers’ reserve/PUP list Tuesday. GM John Lynch said (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, on Twitter) Verrett has not endured any setbacks in his recovery from an ACL tear. Given Verrett’s extensive injury history, it is unsurprising the 49ers are proceeding with caution here.
AUGUST 10: Despite having made a good case to be labeled the NFL’s most injury-prone active player, Jason Verrett has continued to receive opportunities. The 49ers have now given the former first-round pick three contracts.
Verrett, now 31, is on the team’s active/PUP list. While the ninth-year cornerback is aiming to begin the season on time, Kyle Shanahan cautioned that a past instance of hurrying back from injury proved costly. In 2019, Verrett was coming off an Achilles tear and a preseason ankle injury. He returned in Week 3 but played just four snaps. That turned out to be Verrett’s only action all season.
“If he comes back Week 1, Week 4, Week 8, the end of the year — everyone knows how talented a player he is,” Shanahan said, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). “I thought the first year we had him here was similar and I thought we brought him back a hair too early.”
Last season, Verrett went down with a torn ACL in Week 1, marking another September setback. From 2017-21, the former Chargers draftee played more than one game in a season just once. Amid a torrent of 49ers injuries in 2020, Verrett stayed relatively healthy. He played 13 games and was one of the team’s top defenders, leading to one-year, $5.5MM 49ers deal in 2021. Because of Verrett’s latest injury, he signed for the league minimum this year.
The former No. 25 overall pick’s resiliency certainly cannot be questioned. Injuries have wrecked six of the eight seasons he has played. The TCU product has torn both his left and right ACLs as a pro and encountered setbacks in other seasons that led to shutdowns. The two seasons in which Verrett has logged heavy participation — 2015 and ’20 — have ended with a Pro Bowl (2015) and a top-10 Pro Football Focus grade (2020). That has kept the 49ers interested in seeing if Verrett can put it together again. Even considering the numerous chances the 5-foot-10 cover man has received, it is hard not to view 2022 as his last chance.
The 49ers are expected to use Emmanuel Moseley and free agent signing Charvarius Ward as their starting outside cornerbacks, with Darqueze Dennard leading the way to be the team’s slot corner. Verrett returning early in the season, however, would supply San Francisco with strong depth at this position. The 49ers moving him to their reserve/PUP list, mandating a four-game absence, would also make sense considering the extensive injury history in this case.
Lions Hoping For Midseason Jameson Williams Return
The Lions made the expected move of shifting Jameson Williams to their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday. The first-round pick tore an ACL in the national championship game and was never expected to start the season on time.
Detroit is, however, hoping for a midseason Williams debut, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Williams, this year’s No. 12 overall pick, must miss at least four games because of Tuesday’s transaction.
GM Brad Holmes greenlit a 20-spot trade-up in the first round for Williams, who dominated in his one season at Alabama. After sitting behind Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Co. at Ohio State, Williams transferred and became the Crimson Tide’s top pass catcher in 2021. The import speedster caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns, teaming with John Metchie to help Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy. Both receivers went down, however, before season’s end. Metchie, chosen 44th overall by the Texans, will not play in 2022, announcing a leukemia diagnosis.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark reside as Jared Goff‘s top wideouts to start the season, but if Williams’ rehab goes according to plan, the Lions should be able to see a handful of games from their highest-drafted receiver since Calvin Johnson (2007).
The Lions also placed edge defenders Romeo Okwara and Josh Paschal and fullback Jason Cabinda on the reserve/PUP list, sidelining the trio for the season’s first four games. Okwara suffered a torn Achilles in Week 4 of last season. During spring workouts, Paschal aggravated a core injury initially sustained while at Kentucky and underwent offseason surgery. The Lions will be careful with their second-round pick, leaving Aidan Hutchinson as the only first- or second-round Detroit draftee set for September action.
Commanders Place Chase Young On Reserve/PUP List
Chase Young was not expected to return for the start of the Commanders’ season. The team’s Tuesday transaction involving the standout defensive end will ensure he is not back until October.
Washington moved Young from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list today, a decision that will sideline the third-year pass rusher for at least the season’s first four games. Teams can begin designating reserve/PUP players today; Washington also moved offensive lineman Tyler Larsen to that list.
It is unsurprising the team is being cautious with the former Defensive Rookie of the Year. Young suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 14, 2021. Beginning the season on the Commanders’ PUP list will extend his recovery timetable to nearly 11 months. Young, 23, will miss games against the Jaguars, Lions, Eagles and Cowboys.
Last season brought a step back on multiple fronts for Young, who played a major role in lifting Washington to the 2020 NFC East title. Prior to the injury, the Ohio State product registered just 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits in nine games. As a rookie the year prior, the No. 2 overall pick totaled 7.5 sacks and forced four fumbles, returning one for a touchdown.
Washington dealt with injuries to Young and Montez Sweat last season, one that featured the same number of wins as its 2020 campaign (seven) but a finish well back of the division-leading Cowboys. This could be the final year the team deploys its starting D-line of the past two seasons, with Daron Payne in a contract year. Sweat is signed through 2023, via the fifth-year option, and Young will become extension-eligible in January.
A 2022 bounce-back year will obviously help put Young in position to become one of the league’s highest-paid defenders, but his journey back will not involve game action for a bit.
Bills To Move OL Ike Boettger To Reserve/PUP List
As a way to clear roster spots in moving down to the required 80-man limit, teams can begin placing players on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday. The Bills will use this method in trimming their roster to that number.
Offensive lineman Ike Boettger will be moved from the active/PUP list — a preseason-only designation — to the reserve/PUP list, GM Brandon Beane said Tuesday morning (via NFL.com’s Mike Giardi, on Twitter). Boettger will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
[RELATED: Bills Trade G Cody Ford To Cardinals]
With Boettger suffering an Achilles tear in Week 16, such a move has been on the radar for a while. The Bills added some pieces up front this offseason as well. They signed Rodger Saffold, Greg Van Roten, Greg Mancz and David Quessenberry. They also matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for Ryan Bates, retaining the 2021 starter.
Buffalo also re-signed Boettger to a one-year deal worth $1.19MM ($1MM guaranteed), keeping the former UDFA in the fold. The ex-Iowa blocker started 10 games for the Bills last season, working as a guard. After grading Boettger as a top-40 guard in 2020 — a seven-start year — Pro Football Focus slotted him outside the top 50 among guards last season.
Saffold and Bates are expected to be the team’s guard starters this season. Boettger, 27, should be expected to return at some point during the year. Beane did add that the veteran blocker encountered a setback in his rehab, per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter). This helps explain the PUP transfer and figures to delay his return.
Jaguars To Waive K Ryan Santoso, Claim K James McCourt
10:11am: The Jags will use the waiver wire to make their latest kicker transaction. Doug Pederson said Tuesday the team submitted a claim for kicker James McCourt, whom the Chargers waived Monday. Although claims are not official until this afternoon, the Jaguars hold the No. 1 waiver priority due to their 2021 record.
A rookie UDFA, McCourt worked as the University of Illinois’ kicker for the past three seasons. He made 18 of 23 field goal tries in 2021 — a career-best mark — but could not beat out Chargers incumbent Dustin Hopkins.
9:12am: The Jaguars are waiving Ryan Santoso, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. As a result, the team does not have a kicker on its roster. The team also waived quarterback Jake Luton.
While Jacksonville will obviously not go long without a kicker — the team plans to replace Santoso later Tuesday, per DiRocco — this is a somewhat strange development. The Jags had already waived Matthew Wright, their primary 2021 kicker, earlier this offseason.
The team waived rookie UDFA Andrew Mevis late last month, after an eventfully bad training camp workout, and released his replacement (Elliott Fry) from IR via injury settlement soon after. Santoso had caught on with the Jaguars in March, and the team cut Wright a few weeks later.
Santoso, 27 later this week, kicked for the Lions and Panthers last season and made a Titans cameo in 2019 — his first NFL action. The University of Minnesota alum has only kicked in seven career games. He began the 2021 season shortly after being traded from the Giants to the Panthers and bounced on and off the Rams’ practice squad during the team’s leadup to Super Bowl LVI.
Dolphins Place Mackensie Alexander On IR
Mackensie Alexander‘s time with the Dolphins may be short-lived. The team placed the veteran cornerback on injured reserve Tuesday.
Due to the IR placement coming before roster cutdown day, the former Vikings and Bengals cover man cannot come off the injured list four games into the season. Players carried through to the 53-man roster can do so, but IR placements at this point on the calendar prevent such transactions.
The team also waived punter Sterling Hofrichter, linebacker Deandre Johnson and safety Sheldrick Redwine. Fullback John Lovett joins Alexander in being IR-bound. Teams have until 3pm CT today to pare their rosters from 85 to 80 players.
The Dolphins signed Alexander eight days ago. An injury settlement could lead the seventh-year defender off Miami’s IR list and back into free agency at some point this year — that is, if this is not viewed as a season-ending injury. Alexander, 28, could rejoin the Dolphins post-settlement. For now, however, he is off the team’s 80-man roster.
Best known for his role as Minnesota’s slot corner, Alexander spent five months in free agency this offseason. The former second-round pick is coming off a season in which Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s worst full-time corner. Alexander, however, has been a regular throughout his career. The Vikings made the Clemson product a key part of Mike Zimmer‘s quality defenses throughout his rookie contract during the late 2010s, and the Bengals gave him $4MM to sign in 2020.
The Dolphins signed the 28-year-old defender to a league-minimum accord, guaranteeing him $138K. The team has not seen 2020 first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene step up as a reliable slot player alongside veterans Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Miami also did not re-sign Justin Coleman this offseason; Coleman is back in Seattle. The team did place a second-round tender on Nik Needham, however. This Alexander move could prompt the team to resume a search for corner depth. Dozens of defensive backs will become available next Tuesday, when teams trim their rosters from 80 to 53.
Bengals’ Jessie Bates Signs Franchise Tender
Franchise-tagged Bengals safety Jessie Bates is back with the team. The fifth-year defender is at Cincinnati’s facility Tuesday and intends to sign his franchise tender, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). The Bengals subsequently announced Bates signed his tag.
Bates represented the NFL’s last 2022 no-show, but it has long been expected the former second-round pick would not miss any games. Bates and Bengals coaches kept in touch during his stretch away from the team, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets, noting the team expected him back in time to ramp up for the regular season.
While Bates and the Bengals cannot resume negotiations until 2023, the Wake Forest product continuing to stay away into the regular season would have cost him. Despite Bates voicing frustration about the tag, the $12.9MM salary represents a massive raise for the four-year starter.
The Bengals and Bates have negotiated for two offseasons but have failed to come to terms. The team’s first-round selection of Daxton Hill could be viewed as a move that separates the two sides come 2023, though fellow veteran Bengals safety Vonn Bell is also in a contract year. The Bengals are open to continuing their Bates negotiations in the 2023 offseason. However, it is far from certain if the parties will forge a long-term partnership.
Cincinnati could still trade Bates, but the defending AFC champions are not expected to do so. Bates, 25, has started all 63 Bengals games he has played. He stands to be an integral part of their veteran-laden defense in 2022. Bates missed Bengals training camp and nearly a month worth of practices. He is, however, hardly the first franchise-tagged player to have stayed away from his team during preseason workouts.
“Zero progress” is believed to have occurred during this offseason’s round of talks, which produced an offer Bates’ camp deemed unsatisfactory. The Bengals are believed to have offered a deal that included just $16MM fully guaranteed. That figure ranks outside the top 12 at the position. The safety market has also changed since the Bengals and Bates began talks this offseason. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James have signed deals north of $18MM per year, with the Chargers defender moving the market to $19.1MM on average. It is highly unlikely the Bengals will go there for Bates, who can be kept on a 2023 tag worth $15.5MM.
For now, it appears the sides will continue a year-to-year partnership. Bates is coming off a year in which he delivered a modestly productive regular season before being one of the team’s top performers during the playoffs. Bates, who graded as Pro Football Focus’ top safety in 2020, intercepted two passes and broke up six more in Cincinnati’s four postseason games this year. Although the Bengals’ decision to tag Bates spoiled a chance to cash in on a long-term deal as a 2022 free agent, another strong season would put him in position to be one of the top defenders available on the 2023 market.
Ravens Sign WR Demarcus Robinson
TODAY, 6:05pm: Robinson has officially signed his contract with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the receiver worth $1.035MM, including $895K in guaranteed money. This is a significant bump on the $320K guarantee Robinson got from the Raiders, who ended up releasing him last week.
August 19, 3:35pm: Demarcus Robinson‘s stay on the open market appears to have been very short-lived. The veteran wideout met with the Ravens earlier today, and is expected to sign with them, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Robinson signed with the Raiders in March, remaining in the AFC West after playing in Kansas City for the first six years of his career. Over that time, he saw a regular role in the team’s passing game (with the exception of his rookie season), seeing the field for between 40% and 70% of offensive snaps.
His most productive campaign came in 2020, when he hauled in 45 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns. That contrasted with quieter seasons like 2021, though, which resulted in just 264 receiving yards. Nevertheless, the Florida alum was expected to somewhat comfortably make Las Vegas’ roster as a secondary piece to the team’s passing attack. Instead, he was among the Raiders’ first round of cuts earlier this week.
In Baltimore, Robinson will provide a veteran presence to one of the least experienced receiver rooms in the league. Baltimore has long been considered a landing spot for at least one veteran wideout, after the team lost Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Miles Boykin this offseason and declined to draft any replacements. 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman is set to take on the No. 1 role, but the rest of the depth chart consists of unproven recent draftees Devin Duvernay, James Proche and Tylan Wallace – the latter two of whom are currently dealing with injuries.
Robinson should therefore have a relatively clear path to a roster spot and a rotational role with the Ravens. He might not start on a full-time basis, but he should provide the team with insurance behind Duvernay and Proche in particular. The Ravens entered the day with just under $9.5MM in cap space, leaving plenty of room for an addition such as this one. Given Robinson’s recent release, the deal likely won’t eat too much into that total, but it could prove to be worthwhile in filling a widely-perceived roster hole on a potential AFC contender.
Commanders Activate TE Logan Thomas From PUP
Logan Thomas is back on the practice field. The Commanders announced that they’ve activated the tight end from the physically unable to perform list.
Thomas suffered a torn ACL and MCL in early December, but he was recovering quickly enough that there was hope he would avoid the PUP. The Commanders ultimately gave him some extra time, and while he was back at practice today, Thomas still isn’t participating 11-on-11 drills. It’s uncertain if the tight end will be able to take the field for Week 1.
“I’d love to be out there Week 1, but I know myself and if I’m not ready to go or don’t feel like a full version of myself we can buy another week or two weeks,” Thomas told ESPN’s John Keim.
Thomas bounced around the NFL a bit before a breakout season in Washington during the 2020 season. That year, he finished with 72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns. His production was down in six games last season, although that could have been attributed to a nagging hamstring injury that forced him to miss a chunk of games early on in the year. He ultimately finished the 2021 campaign with 18 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
Washington hasn’t had much luck keeping tight ends on the field this preseason. John Bates is nursing a calf injury, while rookie fifth-round pick Cole Turner has been sidelined since the beginning of the month with a hamstring issue. To that, the Commanders made a handful of additional moves today to address the position. They signed tight end Jake Hausmann and claimed tight end Kendall Blanton off waivers from the Rams. The Commanders also placed tight end Eli Wolf on IR while releasing fullback/tight end Alex Armah from injured reserve. Defensive end Bunmi Rotimi also landed on IR today.
Bills Cut WR Tavon Austin
The Bills released a pair of veterans today. The team announced that they’ve cut wideout Tavon Austin and punter Matt Haack.
Austin had his most productive season in years in 2021. In 13 games (three starts) with the Jaguars, the veteran hauled in 24 receptions for 213 yards and one touchdown. He ended up joining Buffalo in June, and there was hope that he’d be able to slide into a back-of-the-depth-chart role behind Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Isaiah McKenzie. That didn’t end up being the case, and with the veteran out of the picture, this will probably secure an opening day roster spot for at least one of Jake Kumerow or Jamison Crowder.
There’s a chance Austin could catch on elsewhere. While he’s bounced around the NFL a bit recently, he’s still seen time in nine NFL seasons, hauling in 244 receptions and 16 touchdowns. The veteran also has extensive special teams history, although it’s been a while since he’s been a full-time punt returner.
Haack’s spot on the roster always seemed to be in risk following the emergence of ‘Punt God’ Matt Araiza. Haack was the Bills’ punter in 2021, averaging a career-low 42.9 yards on his 52 punts. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins, where he had an average punt distance of 44.7 yards.