Commanders WR/TE Antonio Gandy-Golden Retires
Antonio Gandy-Golden was in line to make a position change this season. Instead, it looks like his NFL career will end after two years. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced Thursday the 24-year-old has retired, via ESPN’s John Keim.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Gandy-Golden will leave the league having played just 144 offensive snaps. A hamstring injury held him to six games in his rookie campaign, a stretch which included the only catch of his career. He was among the team’s final cuts in the buildup to last season but remained in the fold on their practice squad, eventually seeing action in four 2021 games.
Washington coaches wanted to see Gandy-Golden bulk up to 245 pounds, and according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Michael Phillips, the third-year player — whose receiver playing weight was just under 220 pounds — had gotten to 230 by OTAs. Instead of trying his hand at tight end, Gandy-Golden informed Rivera he planned to return to school to finish his degree. Gandy-Golden had majored in graphic design at Liberty.
“He was making good strides in OTA and minicamp, and he showed his ability. We felt this is a guy who could have been a matchup problem for us, so I was a little surprised,” Rivera said. “He just didn’t feel it right now. He wanted to finish his education and see what else is out there for him.“
Chiefs To Sign Carlos Dunlap
Carlos Dunlap‘s name had been mentioned as one receiving increased attention late in the offseason. He has now found a new home, as the Chiefs are signing him to a one-year deal worth up to $8MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
The 33-year-old is best known, of course, for his decade-plus spent with the Bengals. Over that time, he amassed 82.5 sacks, earning Pro Bowl invitations in 2015 and 2016. With the team transitioning to younger front seven options, he was traded midseason to the Seahawks in 2020, with whom he has demonstrated his continued ability to get to the quarterback.
In eight games after the trade, Dunlap registered five sacks. That performance was initially followed by his release, though Seattle did bring him back on a new deal. In 2021, the former second-rounder put up sold numbers again, with 8.5 sacks despite a snap percentage of just 38%. After being cut once again, Dunlap found himself on the open market.
The Seahawks showed interest in another reunion, but other teams became significant suitors as well. The Panthers (his hometown team) hosted him in June, and were reported to still be in the running to sign him as recently as yesterday. Instead, the Chiefs – the latest squad to work him out – have won the bidding for his services.
Kansas City added Melvin Ingram midseason in 2021, but he departed in free agency despite having the UFA tender placed on him, leaving veteran Frank Clark and first-round rookie George Karlaftis as the top defensive ends on the depth chart. That will likely remain the case, but Dunlap showed last season that he can be effective in a rotational role.
“It’s been a whirlwind trip,” he said of his visit to Kansas City. “It’s an exciting time for me and a long time coming” (Twitter links via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson).
The Chiefs had over $11MM in cap space entering today, so this deal will likely be the last significant one of their offseason. It could very well prove to be a productive one, though, as the team looks to retain its perch atop a highly competitive AFC West.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from reserve/NFI: TE Alex Ellis
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Darrion Daniels
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Bailey Gaither
- Placed on NFI: G Ben Cleveland
Chicago Bears
- Placed on PUP: DL Sam Kamara, LB Roquan Smith
- Placed on NFI: S Dane Cruikshank, CB Michael Joseph, WR Tajae Sharpe
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Drew Plitt
- Waived: CB John Brannon
- Activated from PUP: G Alex Cappa, RB Samaje Perine
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on PUP: WR Dontario Drummond, WR Michael Gallup, LB Aaron Hansford, CB Quandre Mosely
- Placed on NFI: LB Damone Clark
Detroit Lions
- Placed on PUP: FB Jason Cabinda
- Placed on NFI: S C.J. Moore
- Placed on non-football illness: T Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: Ishmael Hyman
- Released: LB Caliph Brice
- Activated from PUP: OT Caleb Jones, DE Dean Lowry, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Placed on PUP: DE Jordan Jenkins, DB Tristin McCollum, TE Teagan Quitoriano
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from PUP: DL Tyquan Lewis, S Rodney McLeod
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released (failed physical designation): DT Cortez Broughton
- Activated from PUP: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Tino Ellis
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from PUP: Nick Vannett
- Placed on NFI: LB Pete Werner
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Garrett McGhin
- Waived (failure to disclose physical condition designation): OT Kamaal Seymour
- Activated from PUP: TE Daniel Bellinger
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Luq Barcoo
- Waived: DB Jovante Moffat
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on PUP: DE Tyson Alualu
- Placed on NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Keenan Forbes, G Eric Wilson
Patriots To Extend DT Davon Godchaux
Barely a year after signing Davon Godchaux, the Patriots are extending their partnership with the veteran defensive tackle. New England and Godchaux agreed on a two-year, $20.8MM deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
A 2017 Dolphins fifth-round pick, Godchaux will see most of his new money guaranteed. The Pats are fully guaranteeing $17.85MM of this accord, per Schefter. Godchaux started 16 games for the Pats in 2021.
New England made a deal for the ex-Miami starter part of its 2021 free agency spending spree. Godchaux, 27, was previously attached to a two-year, $15MM pact. This raise and guarantee structure certainly illustrates the good relationship formed between Godchaux and the Pats’ coaching staff during his short time in New England.
The Dolphins used the 311-pound defender as a full-time starter from 2018-20 and had identified him as a player they wanted to keep. The Pats, as they did with a few players during their uncharacteristic signing binge, poached him with a midlevel offer. New England added Godchaux two days before Miami signed ex-New England D-tackle starter Adam Butler. Pro Football Focus placed Godchaux just outside the top 40 interior defensive linemen last season, one in which he played 59% of New England’s defensive snaps.
Godchaux and 2021 second-round pick Christian Barmore headline the Pats’ D-tackle corps. Both players are now signed through 2024. Despite Godchaux being known more for run-stopping abilities than sacks (just four through five seasons), this contract ranks in the top 15 among interior D-linemen. This extension should also clear up cap space for the Pats, who came into the day ranking last in the NFL with $2.7MM in available funds. Godchaux was to count $10.25MM toward the Pats’ 2022 cap.
49ers Release DE Dee Ford
The long-anticipated Dee Ford release came to pass Wednesday. The 49ers pulled the trigger on cutting the veteran defensive end, moving a player who struggled with injuries throughout his San Francisco tenure off the roster.
Given a lucrative 49ers extension (five years, $85MM) following a Chiefs tag-and-trade sequence in 2019, Ford ran into a number of issues with his second team. The injuries Ford encountered kept him off the field for most of the past two seasons. The former first-round pick played in just seven games from 2020-21.
This move does create just more than $1MM in cap savings for a 49ers team that came into Wednesday sitting 31st in cap space, but it also tags the team with more than $5MM in dead money. Ford’s contract will represent an $8MM-plus cap penalty for the 49ers in 2023. A cut before June 1 would have cost the 49ers more than $14MM in dead money. The 49ers redid Ford’s contract in 2020, 2021 and this year, inflating the dead-money figure. While they will not be rid of Ford cap hits until 2024, the team has finally moved on from a player who ran into a batch of bad breaks with his second NFL team.
Ford, who began his career with what amounted to a two-year apprenticeship behind Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, dealt with injuries with the Chiefs as well. Ford’s 2018 fifth-year option became guaranteed due to his inability to pass a physical that year — during the era before fifth-year options were fully guaranteed — because a of a back injury. That became indicative of the edge rusher’s future, but Ford managed to secure a lucrative contract between his bouts of back trouble. The 2018 season brought a Ford breakthrough; the Auburn product posted a 13-sack season. That prompted the 49ers to trade a second-round pick for him in March 2019.
In 2019, knee and hamstring trouble kept Ford off the field for five games. He still made an impact for the 49ers’ deep defensive line that year, totaling 6.5 sacks for the Super Bowl LIV-bound team. But back issues re-emerged in 2020; those would go on to define his Bay Area stay. Ford missed 15 games in 2020 and, after resurfacing as a rotational D-end to start last season, was shut down again. It would not surprise if a retirement announcement followed Wednesday’s release news, with neck trouble also impacting the 31-year-old pass rusher during the 2020s.
Panthers Place Shaq Thompson, Jaycee Horn On PUP List
Two Panthers starting defenders will begin their training camps belatedly. The team placed Shaq Thompson and Jaycee Horn on its active/PUP list.
Thompson landed on the Panthers’ PUP because of an offseason knee surgery, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. While Matt Rhule described this as a cleanup-type procedure, Thompson will still miss a chunk of time leading up to the season. Horn beginning on Carolina’s PUP may be more notable, due to the extensive time he has spent rehabbing a foot malady.
Horn indicated his surgically repaired foot was sore after the team’s conditioning test. This comes two months after the 2021 first-round pick was declared “full go” after a rehab effort over the winter and through the spring. Horn should be expected to return soon, but it obviously makes sense for the Panthers to exercise caution here. The South Carolina alum broke his foot in Week 3 of last season and missed 14 games.
Players who land on the active/PUP list can return to practice at any point during camp, but if they remain on the list beyond August 23, a minimum four-week absence must ensue beginning in Week 1. Both Panthers are expected to be back at practice before that deadline, though Horn’s return to work will generate interest considering his time away.
The Panthers re-signed Donte Jackson to team with Horn long-term, and the team’s early-season trade for C.J. Henderson may pay greater dividends this season than it did in 2021. This mix of young talent will take over after the team let Stephon Gilmore walk in free agency.
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.