Giants Activate LB Azeez Ojulari
Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari has been activated off the club’s NFI list, per Michael Eisen of the team’s official website. Ojulari practiced with the team on Sunday, the first time he has done so since camp opened late last month.
The 2021 second-rounder had been dealing with a hamstring injury, so his return to the field is a welcome sight for an outfit that is looking to start emerging from a rebuild. As a rookie, Ojulari led the team with eight sacks, which represented a franchise record for first-year players. He played in all 17 of New York’s games, starting 13 of them. His 58.3 overall grade and 56.9 pass rushing grade from Pro Football Focus were suboptimal, but his surface-level stats — which also included 13 quarterback hits — show plenty of potential.
Between Ojulari, Leonard Williams, and first-round rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants have the foundation of a potentially formidable pass rush. In addition to Thibodeaux, the team also added Jihad Ward in free agency this year and invested a fourth-round pick in Elerson Smith. 2019 third-rounder Oshane Ximines remains on the roster, along with 2021 waiver claim Quincy Roche.
Big Blue also made a series of cuts on Sunday, parting ways with DB Michael Jacquet, G Josh Rivas, and S Jarrod Wilson. Wilson spent the first five years of his career with the Jaguars, the last two of which saw him operate as a full-time starter at safety. He saw action in nine games (three starts) last season, which he split between the Jets and 49ers. The veteran defensive back just signed with the Giants earlier this month.
Jacquet, who signed with the Eagles as a UDFA in 2020, has seen action in eight games (two starts) between Philadelphia and Jacksonville over the past two seasons. The Giants had signed Rivas, a Kansas State product, as part of their own UDFA class earlier this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DL Trent Harris
- Waived: S Denzel Williams, WR Devon Williams
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/retired list: DE Wyatt Hubert (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Deante Burton, TE David Wells
- Waived: DB Terrell Bonds, WR Brandon Lewis
Bengals DE Wyatt Hubert Announces Retirement
One of the members of Cincinnati’s extremely successful 10-man 2021 rookie class has unfortunately decided to walk away from football. In a tweet this afternoon, Bengals defensive end Wyatt Hubert cited his physical health as the root cause of his retirement. 
“Unfortunately I have dealt with many injuries that have taken a permanent toll on my game, body, and performance on the field,” Hubert elaborated. “This decision has been difficult and humbling as I have been blessed to have made it to the NFL and be drafted by a great organization in the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Hubert never made it to the field at the NFL-level. In college, Hubert was a key contributor at Kansas State, starting about 2.5 of the 4 seasons he spent in Manhattan. After redshirting his first year, Hubert started seven of twelve games as a redshirt freshman ranking third in the nation among freshman in sacks per game. He started every remaining college game of his career after that, earning first team All Big 12 honors after leading the Wildcats in tackles for loss (12.5) and sacks (7.0) as a redshirt sophomore.
Despite playing in two fewer games as a redshirt junior, Hubert increased his career highs with 13.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, good enough to earn him a second-consecutive year on the All Big 12 first team. As the only unanimous first team All Big 12 selection on defense, Hubert also earned votes as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year.
His two-year run of success led him to forgo his final year of college eligibility and declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Hubert was selected by Cincinnati in the seventh-round, but suffered a torn pectoral muscle before the season began, landing him on the reserve/non-football injury list.
A year later, it seems injuries like that have taken their toll on the 24-year-old, influencing him to change his career path before it harms him beyond repair. While the Bengals never got the privilege of seeing his contributions on the field, those who watched him rock the royal purple in college, know what a loss Cincinnati’s defense has suffered.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from active/PUP list: DT Eli Ankou
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: CB Devin Jones
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR with injury settlement: LB C.J. Avery
Houston Texans
- Released from IR with injury settlement: WR Davion Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: OT Jason Spriggs
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks
- Placed on IR: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR with injury settlement: CB Dylan Mabin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: WR Keric Wheatfall
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on IR: WR Javon McKinley
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: S Leon O’Neal
Tennessee Titans
- Released from IR with injury settlement: OL Daniel Munyer
Panthers Add Two Tight Ends
The Panthers added a pair of tight ends today. The team signed Nate Becker to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The team also announced the signing of veteran Ryan Izzo. To make room on the roster, the Panthers waived/injured cornerback Devin Jones. They also cut wide receiver Andrew Parchment from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).
A former seventh-round pick, Izzo spent the first three seasons of his career with the Patriots, getting into 18 games. He started each of his 12 games during the 2020 campaign, hauling in 13 receptions for 199 yards. He spent time with four different organizations during the 2021 campaign, including stints with the Titans, Giants, Seahawks, and Titans.
Becker went undrafted out of Miami (OH) in 2019. Following a brief stint with the Lions, he caught on with the Bills, and he spent the better part of two seasons with the organization. He spent most of his tenure in Buffalo on the practice squad, although he did get into one contest. The 26-year-old spent the 2021 campaign unsigned.
All of Ian Thomas, Colin Thompson, and Josh Babicz are currently sidelined with injuries, leaving the squad with Tommy Tremble, Stephen Sullivan, and Jared Scott as their only healthy TEs. Izzo and Becker will temporarily provide some extra depth at the position.
Jones just joined the Panthers last week, and he’ll likely land on IR unless he’s claimed on waivers. Parchment recently landed on injured reserve after getting waived/injured with an undisclosed injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR: LB Christian Albright
Cleveland Browns
- Released from IR: CB Reggie Robinson
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: RB Tyreik McAllister
Green Bay Packers
- Reverted to IR: WR Osirus Mitchell
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Brian Allen
- Released: DT Jaleel Johnson
- Reverted to IR: DB Bryce Thompson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB DeAndre Torrey
- Waived/injured: WR Keric Wheatfall
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed:WR Christian Blake
- Waived/injured: WR Javon McKinley
- Reverted to IR: LB Ulysees Gilbert
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR: S Leon O’Neal Jr.
Dolphins Trade TE Adam Shaheen To Texans
AUGUST 11: Shaheen has been given a failed physical designation by the Texans due to a pre-existing knee condition, and as a result, the trade has been voided (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe). The issue wasn’t serious enough to cost Shaheen any time during training camp, but he will now return to the Dolphins.
AUGUST 9: The Dolphins acquired tight end Adam Shaheen via trade and have now moved on from him in the same manner. Per a team announcement, they have sent Shaheen and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Texans for a 2023 sixth-rounder. 
The 27-year-old was a second-round pick of the Bears in 2017. Over the course of three seasons in Chicago, he racked up 25 starts out of 55 games played, but never registered more than 12 catches in any one campaign. By sending him to Miami in 2020, the Bears managed to get a seventh-round pick in return instead of cutting him outright, but that deal nevertheless represented a disappointing end to his tenure there.
In his first season with the Dolphins, the Ashland alum set a new career-high in snaps played with 367. He also registered a PFF grade of 66, another personal watermark. That earned him a two-year extension, but he once again played a depth role on offense in 2021. Finding himself on the roster bubble again, Shaheen has now been traded in an almost identical situation to 2020.
The Dolphins have Mike Gesicki at the top of their TE depth chart. He will play on the franchise tag this year, but should be an extension priority next offseason given his production. Behind him, they still roster Durham Smythe, Cethan Carter and 2021 third-rounder Hunter Long.
In Houston, Shaheen will join a rebuilding Texans’ offense short on established pass-catchers. Veteran Pharaoh Brown was recently reported to be the team’s starting TE to begin the season; he, along with recent fifth-rounders Brevin Jordan and Teagan Quitoriano form the competition for snaps and targets Shaheen will now face in a contract year.
Patriots RB James White To Retire
Injury questions have clouded James White‘s timetable for months now. Although White re-signed with the Patriots on a two-year deal this offseason, the veteran receiving back will instead walk away from the game.
The eight-year veteran announced Thursday (via Twitter) he will retire. White, 30, sustained a severe hip injury in September 2021 and had not resumed practicing. One of the steadier Pats skill-position players of the Bill Belichick era, White was uncertain to regain the form that made him a trusted passing-down back. But he will retire as a key member of four Patriots Super Bowl teams. Three of those won championships, one doing so with significant White contributions.
White followed in the footsteps of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen. While Woodhead and Vereen enjoyed nice runs as Tom Brady outlet options, White lasted much longer in the role. The Patriots valued White to the point they signed him to four contracts as a pro. The most recent, coming in March of this year, was worth $5MM.
The Wisconsin alum will be best known for his work in Super Bowl LI, arguably the signature night for the Belichick-Brady Patriots. While Brady understandably ran away with MVP honors, White scored three touchdowns in a performance that doubled as one of the greatest aerial displays by a running back in NFL history. The former fourth-round pick caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. White added six carries for 29 yards and two scores — the last of which being a walk-off TD to end the only overtime game in Super Bowl history. White’s 5-yard TD reception began the Patriots’ rally from a 28-3 deficit; his 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter (preceding Danny Amendola‘s two-point conversion) sent the game to overtime.
Vereen was still in place during White’s rookie season, minimizing the latter’s role in the Pats’ Super Bowl XLIX-winning campaign, but the Pats let Vereen walk in free agency in 2015. White took over and held the gig for the better part of the next seven years. White surpassed 400 receiving yards from 2015-19, topping out with 751 during the Pats’ most recent Super Bowl year (2018). From 2015-20, no running back topped White’s 3,161 receiving yards.
But White’s 2021 signaled a clear turning point. He suffered a hip subluxation injury in Week 3 of last season and landed on the Pats’ active/PUP list to start training camp. His Week 1 availability and 2022 role altogether were in doubt because of the malady. The Pats’ final White contract only guaranteed him $500K, giving the team options in case its trusted passing-down option could not recover from the injury.
New England drafted two backs this year — Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong — and returns starter Damien Harris and second-year contributor Rhamondre Stevenson. None of these players caught more than 20 passes last season. With Brandon Bolden(41 catches in 2021) following Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas, a questions as to who will pick up White’s job will linger for New England.
White, whose top contract came in 2017 (four years, $12MM), retires as one of the most prolific pass-catching running backs in playoff history. His 59 receptions rank fourth all time for running backs in the postseason, behind only Thurman Thomas, Tony Nathan and Roger Craig. White’s 381 regular-season catches rank eighth in Patriots history, just behind Faulk — a 13-year veteran who finished with 431 career grabs.
Saints Cut RB Malcolm Brown
Malcolm Brown‘s stint with the Saints ultimately lasted less than a month. The veteran running back was released today, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The Saints also signed quarterback K.J. Costello (via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football on Twitter) and safety Jack Koerner (per Sean Fazende of FOX8 in New Orleans on Twitter), and they waived/injured defensive back Bryce Thompson (via Wilson).
Brown spent the first six years of his career with the Rams, spending most of his tenure as the number-two running back behind Todd Gurley. A rookie Cam Akers and second-year Darrell Henderson led the Rams in carries in 2020, but Brown still saw the most work of his career. He finished that campaign with 581 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 124 touches. He joined the Dolphins last offseason and started three of his seven appearances, collecting 135 yards and one score. He landed on IR in late October and didn’t see the field again that season.
Alvin Kamara‘s status is still uncertain, but the Saints must feel comfortable with the rest of their RB depth. That grouping is led by Mark Ingram and also includes Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., and Devine Ozigbo.
Costello, who split his collegiate career between Stanford and Mississippi State, went undrafted in 2021. He had a brief offseason stint with the Raiders last year before joining the USFL back in May. Koerner, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, joined the Saints earlier this offseason but was waived in May. Thompson spent much of the 2021 campaign on New Orleans’ practice squad, although he did get into two games with the Saints. A lower leg injury will likely keep him sidelined for a bit, and assuming he goes unclaimed, he’ll land on the Saints injured reserve.
49ers Sign CB Ken Crawley
The 49ers have added a veteran defensive back. The team announced that they’ve signed cornerback Ken Crawley to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the 49ers waived/injured safety Leon O’Neal Jr.
Crawley has managed to stick around the NFL for six years despite going undrafted in 2016. He got into 38 games (23 starts) for the Saints between 2016 and 2018, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled 54 tackles and 17 passes defended. He was waived by New Orleans during the 2019 campaign, and after fishing the season with the Dolphins, he had offseason/preseason stints with the Raiders and Cardinals.
He ended up re-signing with the Saints for the 2020 season, and he saw time in 12 games over the past two campaigns in New Orleans. He had a minor role on both defense and special teams this past year.
Charvarius Ward is expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks, and Emmanuel Moseley is currently dealing with his own injury. Crawley is likely being added for some extra depth, but he could earn a roster spot with a strong training camp and preseason.
O’Neal Jr. suffered a strained groin that ultimately cost him his job. The Texas A&M product joined the 49ers this offseason as an undrafted free agent, and he could end up landing on the team’s IR if he goes unclaimed on waivers.