Steelers Expected To Promote Omar Khan To General Manager
After a thorough search, the Steelers look to have a general manager. The lengthy process that included more than a dozen executives from around the league is expected to include with an in-house staffer, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting (via Twitter) Omar Khan will be the next Steelers GM.
Khan, who was on the cusp of being the Texans’ GM last year, was one of the first names mentioned when Kevin Colbert announced he would step down after the draft. One of the six execs to receive second interviews for this position, Khan is set to rise to the top of Pittsburgh’s front office.
Shortly after the news of Andy Weidl becoming the Steelers’ assistant GM emerged, veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala pointed to a Khan hire. The Steelers will team two of their GM finalists together to head up their post-Colbert front office. While this represents a major change for the Steelers, given Colbert’s 21-plus-year tenure with the franchise, they are going with continuity.
Khan, who worked as the team’s vice president of football and business administration for the past six-plus years, has been with the franchise since 2001. Khan and Weidl’s Steelers tenures did not overlap, with Weidl wrapping his late-1990s internship before Khan’s arrival. But teaming a Pittsburgh native with a 21-year staffer goes heavy in the familiarity direction.
The 45-year-old exec was on board for the Steelers’ three Super Bowl trips from 2005-10 and has played an integral role in managing the team’s salary cap. He worked in his previous position since 2016. The longtime Steelers exec generated interest from other teams in recent offseasons, but he will end up leading the franchise he knows best.
Houston was believed to be negotiating a deal to name Khan as its GM last year, but the franchise backtracked late in the process and hired longtime target Nick Caserio. Khan also interviewed for the Panthers’ GM post in 2021, meeting with Carolina brass twice for the role. That job ended up going to ex-Seahawks exec Scott Fitterer. This year, Khan met with the Bears about their GM vacancy; they hired former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles.
Colbert presided over the team’s Ben Roethlisberger era, the second-most successful period in franchise history. After becoming one of Colbert’s top lieutenants, Khan will be paired with 16th-year HC Mike Tomlin in attempting to keep the team on the contender tier. The Steelers operated intently at quarterback in the draft, selecting their preferred passer (Pitt’s Kenny Pickett) 20th overall — two rounds before the rest of this year’s top QB prospects came off the board. Pickett and free agency addition Mitchell Trubisky will vie to be the team’s Week 1 starter, but the Khan era will be tied to Pickett in its early years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/22
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DE Joe Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
- Waived: TE Nick Guggemos
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from 49ers): DL Chris Slayton
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: C Alex Mollette
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on IR: RB Sincere McCormick
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Kahale Warring
- Waived: S Jack Koerner
Ravens Sign CB Kyle Fuller
The Ravens have made a noteworthy addition to their secondary. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year contract. 
The deal represents a homecoming for Fuller. The 30-year-old is from Baltimore, and attended high school locally. From a business perspective, it is also a fresh start him, after an up-and-down tenure in Denver.
The Broncos signed him last March to a one-year, $9.5MM deal. The move reunited him with Vic Fangio, and was a significant part of the overall cause for optimism surrounding the Broncos’ secondary. He was a starter from the onset of the season, but he struggled to replicate the success he enjoyed under Fangio in Chicago. As a result, he was benched for a stretch of the campaign, and ultimately put on the trade block.
While the Virginia Tech product did end up back on the field playing in the slot for the first time in his career after injuries, his time in Denver came up short of expectations. With the Bears, who selected him in the first round in 2014, he was an immediate starter and impact defender. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2018 and 2019, leading the league in interceptions during the former campaign.
In Baltimore, Fuller will look to return to his previous form. He joins a CB room which still features starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, but was lacking in depth after the departures of Anthony Averett and Tavon Young. At a minimum, Fuller should serve as an experienced backup, but if the position is hit by injuries like it was last season, he could once again find himself in a starting role.
Colts Sign RB Ty’Son Williams
The Colts are continuing to add depth at the running back position. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed Ty’Son Williams.
The 25-year-old joined the Ravens as a UDFA, quickly finding himself climbing the team’s depth chart last offseason. Originally intended to serve as practice squad depth, Williams was thrust into a significant role after the team lost J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill to season-ending injuries in the build-up to the campaign.
That opened the door for the BYU product to take on a starter’s workload. He produced 187 scrimmage yards during the first two weeks of the season, but things changed dramatically after that. Williams only started one more contest, totalling just 82 yards throughout the rest of the season as Baltimore leaned more heavily on veterans Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray.
That drop in usage signalled that Williams could be headed elsewhere this spring. Then, earlier this month, the Ravens rescinded his ERFA tender, making him a free agent. The move came on the same day that Baltimore signed Mike Davis as insurance behind the trio lost through injury.
In Indianapolis, Williams will face similar competition to what he would have seen in Baltimore with respect to making the opening-day roster. The Colts already have Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, along with a number of candidates to fill the No. 3 role. The team signed Phillip Lindsay last week, giving them a much more experienced option to round out the depth chart. Williams would likely have to beat out Lindsay, along with Deon Jackson and several 2022 UDFAs, to avoid landing on the practice squad.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/23/22
We’ve got a number of minor NFL transactions to pass your way:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Diego Fagot
- Released: S Chris Moore
Chicago Bears
- Waived from IR: LB Ledarius Mack
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Reggie Robinson
- Waived: QB Felix Harper
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: QB James Morgan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Malkelm Morrison
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: LB Jake Gervase
New York Jets
- Signed: WR D.J. Montgomery
- Waived from NFI: WR Rodney Adams
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Chris Slayton
Washington Commanders
- Signed: OT Aaron Monteiro
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/23/22
Here are the latest draftees to sign their four-year rookie contracts:
New York Giants
- G Joshua Ezeudu (third round, North Carolina)
New York Jets
- TE Jeremy Ruckert (third round, Ohio State)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Chig Okonkwo (fourth round, Maryland)
Eagles Claim CB Jimmy Moreland
The Eagles have added a second veteran cornerback in two weeks, with the latest also being a former NFC East cover man. Following James Bradberry‘s Philadelphia signing, the team claimed Jimmy Moreland off waivers.
Houston waived Moreland on Sunday, doing so after claiming him just before last season. A James Madison alum who became a Washington seventh-round pick in 2019, Moreland has not yet made it to free agency, being claimed twice. One season remains on Moreland’s twice-passed-around rookie contract.
Moreland, who intercepted a school-record 18 passes at James Madison and scored six defensive touchdowns, started five games for Washington in both the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He intercepted a pass in 2020 and allowed just a 74.1 rating while in coverage that season. Washington waived Moreland with an injury designation in 2021, leading to a Texans claim. He played in seven games and saw only eight defensive snaps with Houston last season.
The 5-foot-11 defender profiles as an option in the slot, with The Athletic’s Zach Berman noting he may represent competition for Josiah Scott to become Avonte Maddox‘s inside backup (Twitter link). If nothing else, Moreland provides more experience to a cornerback group that lacked it beyond Maddox and Darius Slay last week. Tay Gowan, Zech McPhearson and Kary Vincent were 2021 draftees; Gowan and Vincent did not see much playing time as rookies.
To make room for Moreland on their offseason roster, the Eagles waived defensive end Joe Ostman with a failed-physical designation.
Colts To Sign QB Nick Foles
Days after it came out that the sides were nearing a deal, the Colts are indeed signing veteran quarterback Nick Foles. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (on Twitter) that Foles has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Indianapolis. 
It was reported last week that the Colts were open to the prospect of adding a veteran to their QB room. Many believed that the signal-caller they would be most interested in would be Foles, given his connection to head coach Frank Reich. It was during their time together with the Eagles that Foles led the team to a Super Bowl title. He recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have”.
Days later, it came out that the 33-year-old was nearing a deal with the Colts. When asked about the possibility of adding the familiar face, Reich said, “we’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.” Now, almost immediately after those comments, the two have been reunited.
Foles most recently had a two-year stint in Chicago after a disappointing season spent in Jacksonville. He made seven starts in 2020, but was relegated to the No. 3 role this past year behind rookie Justin Fields and fellow veteran Andy Dalton. At the end of April, he was released, opening the door to this signing. The Colts had competition for his services, however, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the Eagles were “involved” in Foles’ free agency leading up to his decision to join the former.
In Indianapolis, Foles will provide experienced depth behind Matt Ryan, whom the team has stated a desire to maintain as their No. 1 for multiple years. Should anything happen to him, Reich will now be able to lean on a trusted former colleague for at least the immediate future.
49ers To Sign TE Tyler Kroft
San Francisco is already well-stocked at the top of the depth chart at the tight end position, but they are adding experienced depth. The 49ers are signing Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal, as announced by his agent (and passed along, on Twitter, by ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
Kroft, 29, began his career with the Bengals in 2015, who drafted him in the third round. He played a rotational role in Cincinnati for the first two seasons of his career, but took on a starter’s workload in 2017. Starting all 16 contests in that campaign, he put up personal bests across the board, posting 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdowns.
Things took a turn for the worse in 2018, however. Kroft suffered a foot injury which ultimately landed him on IR and limited him to five games. Many felt that would limit the value of his next deal, but he received a three-year contract from the Bills that offseason. He was unavailable for 11 combined games across two seasons spent in Buffalo, again reduced to a rotational role when he was on the field.
That led him to a one-year deal with the Jets last offseason. The term of that contract was more in line with what was expected coming off of his Bengals tenure. In nine games in the Big Apple, Kroft made just 16 receptions, meaning it came as little surprise that he wouldn’t be returning after the team added C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin in free agency.
In San Francisco, the Rutgers product will compete for playing time behind All-Pro George Kittle. If he can stay healthy, he should be able to contribute as a complimentary piece to the team’s passing game as they try to make another deep postseason run.
Seahawks Signing WR Marquise Goodwin
The Seahawks are bringing in some veteran competition to camp with the signing of wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Goodwin will be looking to use camp to solidify a spot on his fourth NFL team. 
Goodwin is a deep-threat wide receiver that was drafted out of Texas in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Bills. His best year in Buffalo saw him catch 29 passes for 431 yards and three touchdowns.
That performance convinced the 49ers to give him a chance and Goodwin gave them the best season of his career, catching 56 balls for 962 yards and two touchdowns. He was only able to play in 11 games the following year, but was still able to put up a career high four touchdown catches. He played in nine games to start the 2019 season, before being placed on injured reserve.
The 49ers traded Goodwin to Philadelphia in the next offseason for a swap of sixth round picks. Goodwin took the option available to all players that year: opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stipulations in the trade agreement reverted Goodwin back to San Francisco and the Eagles received a seventh-round draft pick as a result of the failed deal. The 49ers released him the next day. Last season, Goodwin signed with the Bears, getting limited looks in 14 games of action.
Seattle returns their top three wide receivers in D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Freddie Swain, but, behind them, their fourth-most productive receiver was rookie D’Wayne Eskridge who had 10 receptions for 64 yards in 2021.
The deal should be a nice win-win opportunity for both sides: Goodwin getting another chance to contribute and Seattle getting a bit of bench depth for their wide receiver corps.