LB K.J. Wright Retires After 11 Seasons
K.J. Wright said earlier this offseason he would retire if a deal to return to the Seahawks did not transpire. A middle ground of sorts emerged Wednesday. The Seahawks signed Wright to a one-day contract, allowing the veteran linebacker to retire with the team.
Wright will walk away from football after 10 seasons with the Seahawks and one with the Raiders. He ends his career having signed four contracts, including two Seattle extensions. Wright, who turned 33 last week, is one of the longest-tenured defenders in Seahawks history.
Playing alongside Bobby Wagner for most of his career, Wright also became one of the better off-ball linebackers of this era. He started 148 games; his 140 starts as a Seahawk are the eighth-most by a defender in franchise annals. Wagner and Wright represent one of the longest-running linebacking tandems in modern NFL history. The organization has said goodbye to each in the past two offseasons, letting Wright walk in 2021 and releasing Wagner in March. The team is expected to use Cody Barton alongside 2020 first-round pick Jordyn Brooks this season.
Wright’s 934 tackles are the third-most in Seahawks history — behind only Wagner and safety Eugene Robinson — and he added 111 more in the playoffs. This included an 11-tackle performance in Super Bowl XLIX. The Mississippi State alum totaled 68 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and 11 forced fumbles.
Being part of one of this generation’s defining defenses will be a major part of Wright’s legacy. He joined the Seahawks as a fourth-round pick in 2011 and was on a defense that housed impact players up front (Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril), at linebacker and in the secondary (Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor). Wright outlasted all of them but Wagner in Seattle. The Seahawks became the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to lead the league in scoring defense in four straight seasons, doing so from 2012-15.
The Seahawks gave Wright a four-year, $27MM extension in December 2014, locking him down not long after extending Thomas and Sherman. They decided on a third Wright pact in 2019, keeping him off the free agent market by doing a two-year deal worth $14MM. Wright recorded a career-high 132 tackles in 2019, his age-30 season, and held off Brooks to keep his job as a full-time player throughout the 2020 campaign. Last year, however, the Seahawks opted not to pair Wagner’s top-market contract with another Wright deal.
The Raiders gave Wright a one-year deal worth $3.5MM just before last season but used Wright as a part-time player. Although the SEC product played in all 17 Raider games, he was on the field for just 37% of Las Vegas’ defensive snaps. That will be a footnote for Wright, who will retire after making nearly $50MM during a career that included two Super Bowl starts and a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
Jets Move Mekhi Becton To Right Tackle
Although padded practices have yet to commence in 2022, the Jets have determined their tackle configuration. Mekhi Becton will slide to the right side, leaving George Fant at the position Becton was drafted to play.
This marks a quicker-than-expected development for the Jets, though the prospect of Becton moving to the right side surfaced in late March. While Becton is still expected to start in 2022, the move is notable.
The team used Fant at right tackle opposite Becton in 2020, when the Louisville product enjoyed a quality rookie season. Questions about Becton’s weight soon surfaced, however, and the kneecap dislocation and MCL damage he suffered in Week 1 of last season sidelined him throughout his sophomore NFL slate. Becton did not participate in the Jets’ offseason program, creating a pivotal stretch during camp. The Jets made it clear early Becton’s area of concentration.
Fant, whom the Jets removed from their active/PUP list Wednesday, is going into a contract year. Fant and the Jets have discussed his deal this offseason. A solid season as a left tackle would only stand to drive up the former Seahawk’s value. Fant, 29, is set to make $9.75MM in base salary this season. He rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 39-ranked tackle in 2021; PFF slotted Becton 31st for his left tackle work in 2020. Fant has played both left and right tackle as a pro; Becton has only worked on the left side. The Jets let 2021 right tackle Morgan Moses walk in free agency in March.
Tackle moves of this sort are not exactly unheard of. The Cardinals flip-flopped tackles in 2017, switching Jared Veldheer and D.J. Humphries‘ roles. That switch came in Humphries’ third year; he remains Arizona’s left tackle. But moves like this are still rather rare. This Jets staff, however, was not in place when Becton began his career at left tackle.
Becton was connected to being over 400 pounds at the end of last season, and the team was not happy with his conditioning before he sustained the knee injury last year. The Jets hosted Riley Reiff this offseason and were linked to first-round tackles, but the team passed on adding notable tackle insurance. This move should create more motivation for Becton, whose value has undoubtedly dipped since going 11th overall two years ago. Becton can still rehabilitate his stock on the right side, but it will represent a new challenge early in a career replete with obstacles.
Saints’ Michael Thomas Returns To Practice
Saints GM Mickey Loomis said Michael Thomas‘ stay on the team’s active/PUP list would not last long. That translated to a rather notable transaction Wednesday.
Thomas was back at practice for the Saints, marking a long-awaited return after the former All-Pro had missed the entire offseason program and the bulk of New Orleans’ 2020s game action. A Thomas return would give the Saints one of the NFL’s most intriguing wideout crews, with Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave on this year’s roster.
When Thomas last played a full season, he finished as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year after breaking Marvin Harrison‘s single-season reception record. A spate of injuries — headlined by a troublesome ankle ailment — have headlined Thomas’ 2020s career path. Thomas, 29, missed all of last season after undergoing surgery later than the Saints hoped he would. A subsequent setback that occurred during the season caused Thomas to be shut down for all of 2021.
His missing a second straight offseason program this year certainly represented cause for concern, but if the All-Pro playmaker can distance himself from this period, a path toward the Saints deploying one of the NFL’s best skill-position groups is in play. There are notable moving parts here. Thomas initially suffered his ankle injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season. This being a storyline nearly two years later remains an issue for the Saints, who have Alvin Kamara potentially set for a six-game suspension.
Prior to Thomas’ injury-plagued 2020 ending with just 438 receiving yards, he ripped off back-to-back All-Pro campaigns. The second of which included an NFL-most 1,725 yards. That performance came just after the Saints gave Thomas a five-year, $96.25MM extension. Thanks to restructuring, Thomas is on New Orleans’ 2022 payroll at $13MM. That number spikes to $28.3MM in 2023.
Panthers CB Rashaan Melvin Retires
Rashaan Melvin re-signed with the Panthers in March, but the veteran cornerback will not go through with a second season in Carolina. Instead, Melvin intends to retire.
The Panthers announced Melvin is walking away Wednesday. Although Melvin signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal to stay with Carolina, he did not report for the start of the team’s training camp Tuesday. While Melvin drifted on and off the full-time starter radar, he finished his career as a nine-year vet and played first-string roles for a few teams.
Emerging for the Panthers last year, after opting out of the 2020 season, Melvin played in 10 games with the team. The 32-year-old cover man made two Panthers starts, moving his career total to 42. Not bad for a UDFA who bounced on and off active rosters and practice squads for years before stabilizing his career with the Colts.
A Buccaneers UDFA out of Northern Illinois in 2013, Melvin moved from Tampa to Baltimore to Miami to New England before his September 2016 Indianapolis arrival preceded a multiyear stay. The Colts used Melvin as a 19-game starter from 2016-17; that stay attracted interest on the 2018 free agent market. The Raiders gave the mid-major product a one-year, $6.5MM deal in 2018. While that contract did not end up leading to the kind of stability Melvin enjoyed in Indianapolis, it represents his most notable NFL payday.
Melvin signed with the Lions in 2019 and caught on with the Jaguars in 2020, before opting out of the latter situation in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. If the Jags stay is included, Melvin spent time with nine teams. He intercepted four passes — three of those picks coming in 2017 with the Colts — and forced three fumbles over the course of his career.
Broncos Bring Back RT Cameron Fleming
The Broncos brought in two new candidates to vie for their right tackle position, a job that has seen numerous players cycle through during a 10-year period of instability. But the team circled back to one of its 2021 right tackles Wednesday.
Cameron Fleming is re-signing with the Broncos, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Fleming, one of the two post-Ja’Wuan James veterans the team added during the 2021 offseason, will be part of the team’s right tackle competition. To make room on their 90-man roster, the Broncos waived linebacker Kadofi Wright.
Fleming lost last summer’s right tackle competition to Bobby Massie but ended up starting four games at the position. Massie is not on Denver’s 90-man roster, and the longtime Bears blocker has not caught on with another team this year. Fleming, 29, joins Tom Compton and Billy Turner as veterans vying for the 2022 right-edge gig. Multiyear Broncos backup Calvin Anderson is also in the mix for the position, though Compton’s experience and Turner’s familiarity with Nathaniel Hackett‘s scheme make them likelier candidates to end up with the gig.
The Broncos placed Turner on their active/PUP list to start camp, complicating their situation. Denver has used a different Week 1 right tackle in each of the past nine seasons. Unless Massie re-emerges, that streak will run to 10. Fleming could inject some rare continuity into this situation, but this is likely an insurance move.
Almost all of Turner’s one-year, $2.5MM deal is guaranteed. Compton signed for one year and $2.25MM; $1.5MM of that is guaranteed. Neither of these sums would be too onerous, dead money-wise, to jettison before Week 1. This would be Fleming’s ninth NFL season. He worked as a starter or swing backup with the Patriots, Cowboys and Giants from 2014-20.
Seahawks Sign Three Picks, Finalize Draft Class
The Seahawks entered the day with three unsigned draft picks, but they finished signing all of their rooks today. The team announced that they’ve signed second-round linebacker Boye Mafe, second-round running back Kenneth Walker III, and fourth-round defensive back Coby Bryant.
Mafe was selected with the No. 40 pick following a standout career at Minnesota. That includes a 2021 campaign where he compiled 26 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and seven sacks en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors. In Seattle, he should temporarily provide some depth behind the projected starting linebacker trio of Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton, and Uchenna Nwosu.
Walker had a breakout season at Michigan in 2021, finishing with 1,636 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. That performance earned him a long list of awards, and the Seahawks ended up using the No. 41 pick on him, making Walker the second RB off the draft board. With Chris Carson retiring, the rookie will immediately see a role on Seattle’s offense alongside running back Rashaad Penny.
Bryant earned the Jim Thorpe award as college football’s top defensive back in 2021 after finishing with 34 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes defended in 14 games with Cincinnati. The Seahawks used the No. 109 pick on him, and he’ll provide some depth at cornerback.
With the signing, the Seahawks have signed their entire draft class:
Round 1: No. 9 (from Broncos) Charles Cross, OT (Mississippi State) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) Boye Mafe, DE (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 2: No. 41 Kenneth Walker III, RB (Michigan State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 72 Abraham Lucas, OT (Washington State) (signed)
Round 4: No. 109 (from Jets) Coby Bryant, CB (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 5: No. 153 Tariq Woolen, CB (Texas-San Antonio) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 (from Dolphins through Patriots and Chiefs): Tyreke Smith, DE (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 229 Bo Melton, WR (Rutgers) (signed)
Round 7: No. 233 (from Vikings through Chiefs): Dareke Young, WR (Lenoir-Rhyne) (signed)
Bears Sign S Jaquan Brisker, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Bears have officially signed their entire draft class. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports (on Twitter) that the Bears have signed second-round safety Jaquan Brisker.
Following a freshman season at Lackawanna, Brisker transferred to Penn State. He ended up spending three seasons with the Nittany Lions, seeing time in 34 games. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and a second-team All-American nod in 2021 after finishing with 38 tackles, six tackles for loss, five passes defended, and two interceptions.
The Bears selected Brisker with the No. 46 pick in the 2022 draft, making him the fifth cornerback off the board. Chicago used the second-round selection that they acquired in the Khalil Mack deal with Los Angeles. The rookie is expected to slide into the starting lineup, with Dane Cruikshank and Michael Joseph providing depth at strong safety.
“I gave him a big hug when I saw him,” GM Ryan Poles said today. “He’s headed in the right direction and I’m excited to see what he does this training camp.”
With the signing, the Bears have signed their entire draft class:
Round 2: No. 39 Kyler Gordon, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 2: No. 48 (from Chargers) Jaquan Brisker, S (Penn State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 71 Velus Jones, WR (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 5: No. 168 (from Bills) Braxton Jones, OT (Southern Utah State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 174 (from Bengals): Dominique Robinson, OLB (Miami University) (signed)
Round 6: No. 186 Zach Thomas, OG (San Diego State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 (from Bills) Trestan Ebner, RB (Baylor) (signed)
Round 6: No. 207 (from 49ers through Jets and Texans): Doug Kramer, OG (Illinois) (signed)
Round 7: No. 226 (from Giants through Bengals): Ja’Tyre Carter, C (Southern) (signed)
Round 7: No. 254 (from Chargers) Elijah Hicks, S (California) (signed)
Round 7: No. 255 (from Chargers) Trenton Gill, P (NC State) (signed)
Titans CB Buster Skrine Retires
With training camp set to open tomorrow, the Titans are down a cornerback. Veteran defensive back Buster Skrine has informed the Titans that he’ll be retiring, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com.
“Buster Skrine informed us that he was going to retire, so I respect that decision, and I really respect Buster as a person and as a player,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “But he made a decision that he felt like was best for him and his family, and we’ll respect that and support him however we can.”
Skrine was a fifth-round pick out of Chattanooga in 2011. He spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Browns, collecting 235 tackles and six interceptions in 64 games. He followed that up with a four-year stint with the Jets, and he’s since bounced around to the Bears, 49ers, and Titans. In total, he saw time in 158 career games (95 starts), compiling 590 tackles and 10 interceptions.
The 33-year-old joined the Titans midway through the 2021 season. He ended up seeing time in six games (three starts) for Tennessee, compiling 17 tackles, three passes defended, and one interception. Skrine also appeared in his first career playoff game, collecting a single tackle.
The cornerback was expected to stick around for the 2022 campaign as veteran depth. As McCormick notes, Greg Mabin is the only cornerback on the roster with more than two years experience, and he’s bounced on and off the roster in recent years. 2020 first-round pick Caleb Farley and former second-round pick Kristian Fulton are expected to start for Tennessee, leaving second-year nickelback Elijah Molden and rookie Roger McCreary as the top depth. General manager Jon Robinson said the Titans will likely “fill the spot” in the coming days.
“I was so proud he was a part of our team last year,” Robinson said. “After every game – we signed him midseason and he came in and contributed for us. I think he’s got 11 years in the league. The smile on his face – he gave me a big hug after every win. But you never know where guys are at health wise and with the game. I wish him nothing but the best. He was a great teammate. He worked hard. He was kind of an old soul, who showed up every day and was productive for us.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions, including a handful of notable names landing on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list as teams open up camp:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on NFI: WR Marquise Brown
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DB Allie Green, OL Willie Wright
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on PUP: OT Jack Conklin, CB Denzel Ward
- Placed on NFI: DT Sheldon Day, LB Anthony Walker Jr.
- Placed on non-football illness: WR Javon Wims
Denver Broncos
- Placed on PUP: LB Randy Gregory, WR KJ Hamler, OL Billy Turner
- Placed on NFI : LB Christopher Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Ty Clary, WR Osirus Mitchell
- Placed on NFI: WR Sammy Watkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Isaiah Ford, WR John Hurst
- Waived: WR Kekoa Crawford, DT Caeveon Patton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on PUP: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from NFI: DT Vernon Butler
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on PUP: LB Kenneth Murray
Miami Dolphins
- Released with NFI designation: WR Cody Core
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on NFI: CB Nate Hairston
New England Patriots
- Released: C Darryl Williams
- Activated from PUP: LB Raekwon McMillan
- Placed on NFI: CB Myles Bryant
New Orleans Saints
- Released: OL Derek Schweiger
- Placed on NFI: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, TE Nick Vannett
New York Giants
- Signed: S Andrew Adams, WR Marcus Kemp, OT Kamaal Seymour
- Released: DB Maurice Canady
- Waived: DB Henry Black, DT Jabari Ellis, WR Travis Toivonen
- Placed on PUP: C Nick Gates, OT Matt Peart, WR Sterling Shepard
- Placed on NFI: LB Azeez Ojulari
New York Jets
- Signed: WR/PR Rashard Davis, QB Chris Streveler, OL Isaiah Williams
- Released: CB Craig James, WR D.J. Montgomery, OL Dru Samia
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Jaedan Graham, DT Kobe Smith
- Waived: WR Josh Hammond
- Waived with NFI desgination: DT Noah Elliss
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Robert Nkemidiche
- Placed on PUP: CB Jason Verrett, TE Charlie Woerner
- Placed on NFI: DT Kalia Davis
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Jake Hausmann
- Waived with failed physical designation: LB Ben Burr-Kirven
- Placed on PUP: CB Tre Brown, LB Jon Rhattigan, OT Liam Ryan, OLB Tyreke Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: TE Codey McElroy
Washington Commanders
- Placed on PUP: C Tyler Larsen, C Chase Roullier, TE Logan Thomas, DE Chase Young
- Placed on NFI: OT Cornelius Lucas
Jets Activate Mekhi Becton, Carl Lawson, C.J. Uzomah From PUP List
JULY 26: Some good Jets news emerged Tuesday; Becton, Lawson and Uzomah are off the team’s active/PUP list in time for the start of veterans’ training camp workouts. While Lawson will be expected to anchor the team’s edge rush — a role his late-summer 2021 Achilles tear delayed — Becton has more to prove. The 2020 first-round pick has run into rampant health- and weight-related concerns. His coming off the PUP list so soon represents a nice development for the Jets, who are planning to slot him at either left or right tackle. Of course, Becton’s stock has dropped dramatically since his quality rookie season. That raises the stakes for his 2022 training camp.
JULY 21: The Jets placed five players on the physically unable to perform list today, including three offensive linemen. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter), offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, offensive tackle George Fant, defensive end Carl Lawson, tight end C.J. Uzomah, and guard Dru Samia all landed on PUP.
Becton and Fant are set to compete for the starting left tackle role, with the “loser” settling in at right tackle. However, at least to start camp, the two starting offensive tackles will be sidelined as they recover from knee injuries. Becton was limited to only one game in 2021 before suffering his injury, and since health- and conditioning-related concerns have dogged the early part of his NFL career, an early absence won’t help his case in the LT competition. Fant, meanwhile, started 15 games for the Jets last season before suffering a knee injury that ultimately required offseason surgery. If either of the two offensive tackles are forced to miss time, the Jets could turn to the likes of Connor McDermott, Chuma Edoga, and fourth-round rookie Max Mitchell.
Lawson joined the Jets last year on a three-year, $45MM pact, but a torn Achilles during preseason forced him to miss the entire campaign. Considering the Jets could easily move on from the defensive end following the 2022 season, this could end up being a make-or-break year when it comes to Lawson’s future in New York. Uzomah joined the Jets on a three-year deal this offseason after setting career-highs across the board in 2021 with the Bengals (49 receptions, 493 yards, five touchdowns). He’s currently dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Samia spent most of the 2021 season on the Jets practice squad. He’s seen time in 15 career games, including 13 appearances for the Vikings in 2020.