Browns Sign DT Sheldon Day, DE Stephen Weatherly
Sheldon Day will soon vie to keep his role as a Browns rotational defensive tackle. The veteran re-signed to stay in Cleveland on Monday, but the Browns did not stop there in adding pieces up front.
Stephen Weatherly, an edge player who was in Minnesota during part of Kevin Stefanski‘s run with the Vikings, also agreed to terms with the Browns. Weatherly, 28, finished last season with the Broncos, being part of the team’s post-Von Miller edge-rushing corps.
Cleveland has seen some upheaval on its defensive line. Jadeveon Clowney is unsigned, as is fellow 2021 starter Malik Jackson. The Browns did not extend a tender to Malik McDowell, whose off-field struggles continued with an arrest in January. The Browns also let defensive tackle Andrew Billings walk; Billings is now a Raider. This leaves the door open for others to step in, both on the edge and the interior.
Despite the presences of Jackson, McDowell and Billings, Day was a regular in the games he played. The former Jaguars, 49ers and Colts contributor did not make the Browns’ 53-man roster out of training camp but stayed on as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad. Day, 27, eventually rose to the active roster and played in seven games, playing 46% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in those games. Day, who started for the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, registered a sack and deflected two passes during his first Browns season.
While Day has a history with Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods, from the duo’s time in San Francisco, Weatherly was with Minnesota from 2016-19. He backed up Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen during much of that time, making seven starts. After spending the 2020 season with the Panthers, Weatherly re-signed with the Vikings last year. Minnesota traded him to Denver, where he saw more run on a Broncos edge crew that was without Miller and an injured Bradley Chubb for most of the season. Weatherly recorded 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in nine games with the Broncos.
Ravens Waive WR Miles Boykin
Miles Boykin popped up in trade rumors just ahead of free agency, but the Ravens were not able to deal him. As they start their offseason program, the Ravens waived the former third-round pick.
This comes after Boykin tumbled down Baltimore’s depth chart, catching just one pass in eight games last season. This move will save the Ravens just more than $2.5MM in cap space.
A hamstring issue led to Boykin beginning last season on IR, but the Ravens had used another first-round pick on a wide receiver (Rashod Bateman) last year and had signed Sammy Watkins to play alongside Marquise Brown. After starting 24 games over his first two seasons, Boykin was relegated to backup duty during the games in which he was active. Boykin totaled 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns from 2019-20, but he entered the Ravens’ 2021 training camp on their roster bubble.
The Ravens let the injury-prone Watkins walk in free agency and did not replace him with a veteran. Baltimore’s run-centric offense led to some big-name receivers turning down offers last year, but the team does return Brown, Bateman and 2020 third-rounder Devin Duvernay, an All-Pro return man who moved past Boykin on the depth chart last year.
Browns, Denzel Ward Finalizing Extension
The Browns have made a pair of massive additions to their offense already this offseason. Today, they made another big splash, signing cornerback Denzel Ward to a lucrative second contract. Ward is inking a five-year, $100.5MM extension (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
Schefter adds that the deal includes $71.25MM in guaranteed money. That figure, along with the $20.1MM-per-year average, makes Ward the highest-paid corner in league history, putting him just ahead of Jalen Ramsey. After being the fourth-overall pick in 2018, the 24-year-old has established himself as a cornerstone of the Browns’ defense.
Ward immediately became a starter in his rookie season, recording three interceptions and 11 pass deflections. He has essentially replicated those totals throughout his four seasons in the league, earning Pro Bowl nods in 2018 and 2021. The former Buckeye has yet to surrender a completion percentage above 60.3%. He was still under contract for the upcoming campaign, scheduled to make $13.3MM on his fifth-year option. Now, he will be in the fold through 2027.
This deal makes Ward the second member of the 2018 draft class to receive an extension. The other, running back Nick Chubb, signed a $36MM extension this past July. Those two players have been integral to the team’s success, leading to their vastly different situations relative to the top pick that year, Baker Mayfield.
Ward will stay in place at the head of a CB room which also features Greedy Williams and Greg Newsome. The team doesn’t own a first-round pick as a result of the Deshaun Watson trade, but their secondary is already in solid shape without one for both the short- and long-term future.
Bears Sign TE James O’Shaughnessy
Not long after visiting Chicago, veteran tight end James O’Shaughnessy will make the city his next NFL home. The Bears announced on Monday that they have signed him to a one-year contract.
[RELATED: O’Shaughnessy Visits Bears]
O’Shaughnessy was a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2015, when new Bears general manager Ryan Poles was the team’s scouting director. His two seasons there only saw him make eight catches, however, as he played a limited offensive role. Kansas City traded him to New England in 2017, but by the time that campaign started, he had been claimed off waivers by Jacksonville.
With the Jaguars, O’Shaughnessy saw much more playing time. He never topped 262 yards in a season, but averaged just under 10 yards per catch in his five seasons there. Overall, he has compiled 112 catches for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns across 80 games played.
Availability has been a problem for the 30-year-old in recent years. The 2019 and 2021 campaigns were both cut short by significant injuries. That, along with the addition of Evan Engram in free agency by the Jaguars, left O’Shaughnessy in search of a new team.
By signing with Chicago, he will join a TE room headed by Cole Kmet. The Bears also have Ryan Griffin and Jesper Horsted on the depth chart at the position. O’Shaughnessy will represent a familiar face to the new front office, as well as a veteran presence on a rebuilding offense.
Rams Waive Kareem Orr
The Rams have waived cornerback Kareem Orr, per a club announcement. The move will free up an extra spot on their 90-man roster and give them extra flexibility heading into the draft and the subsequent undrafted free agent period. 
[RELATED: Rams’ Matt Gay Signs RFA Tender]
Orr, 25, split his college career between Arizona and Chattanooga. He broke into the league as a UDFA and spent time with the Titans in 2019 and 2020 before hooking on with the Rams last year. Orr wound up playing in two games last year and registered four tackles but didn’t impress in his Week 14 showing against the rival Cardinals.
With Orr gone, the Rams’ cornerback group consists of Jalen Ramsey, Robert Rochell, David Long, Grant Haley, and Tyler Hall. Long and Rochell are projected to start on the outside and in the slot, respectively, though this group could use some additional depth in the draft.
In other Rams news, linebacker Travin Howard has inked his $2.54MM restricted free agent tender, officially keeping him in the fold for the 2022 season. Howard, 26 in May, finished 2021 with 21 stops and one interception across 12 regular season appearances.
Cardinals’ LB Fitts Retires
After ending the season on injured reserve for the second time in his young career, linebacker Kylie Fitts has announced his retirement from professional football, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports. The career special teamer cited his concussion history as the reason for hanging up his cleats. 
Fitts was a sixth-round pick for the Bears in the 2018 NFL Draft after an injury-filled college career at Utah. He missed all but two games in his junior year after suffering a season-ending foot injury and continued to deal with injuries throughout his senior year. Despite the missed time, Fitts was invited to the Senior Bowl and found his way to Chicago.
After playing six games of his rookie season with the Bears, Fitts failed to make the 53-man roster for the following season. He quickly bounced back, signing on to the Cardinals’ practice squad days later. Fitts was promoted to the active roster in early December and played in the team’s last three games of the season.
In his second season in Arizona, Fitts appeared in 10 contests, earning one start, for the year before spending the last week of the season on injured reserve. He returned to the field to start the 2021 season, appearing in all of the team’s first six games before a severe concussion prematurely ended his season.
In an Instagram announcement, Fitts said, “Due to too many concussions and the severity of my recent one, it is no longer safe for me to continue to play.”
Fitts is the latest in a trend of linebackers (and NFL players, as a whole) who have called it quits due to brain trauma. Former Panthers’ star Luke Kuechly announced his retirement a little over two years ago at the age of 28. Many factors contributed to his decision, but nagging concussion issues were likely one of the biggest. Former 49ers’ linebacker Chris Borland retired in 2015 after just one season in the NFL. Borland had stepped up as a rookie with San Francisco veterans Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman out with injury and graded out as the fourth-best inside linebacker in the league after only having eight starts in the season. He appeared the heir apparent to Patrick Willis in the middle of the 49ers’ defense with all of his success ahead of him, but he chose to end his career days after Willis, claiming that the potential for neurological diseases wasn’t “worth the risk.”
While Fitts doesn’t hold quite the name recognition of Kuechly or Borland, seeing another young linebacker prioritize their brain over an NFL career should still get plenty of attention. The league will continue to research ways to make the sport safer, but, in the meantime, more career casualties like Fitts’ should be expected.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/15/22
Colts To Sign Stephon Gilmore
Just days after meeting with the Colts, cornerback Stephon Gilmore has decided to sign there. He is joining Indianapolis, as reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). 
ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds (on Twitter) that the deal is two years in length, and is worth $23MM, with $14MM guaranteed. It brings an end to a surprisingly lengthy free agent wait for the 31-year-old, given his pedigree. While he likely won’t reach the heights seen from the earlier parts of his All-Pro career, he demonstrated an ability to remain productive this past season.
Gilmore spent the first five seasons of his career with the Bills, but is most well-known for his time in New England. It was there that he earned four of his five Pro Bowls, his lone Super Bowl title and the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. However, his Patriots tenure came to an end in October when he was traded to the Panthers.
While his time as a Panther was still productive – he compiled two interceptions and a pair of pass deflections in eight games – the team turned its attention to re-signing fellow corner Donte Jackson this offseason. He, along with 2021 first-rounder Jaycee Horn and midseason acquisition C.J. Henderson will head their depth chart moving forward.
Gilmore met with a number of teams as the offseason progressed. The list of interested clubs included the Raiders, Chiefs, Rams and, most significantly, Colts. This signing represents another notable defensive addition, something general manager Chris Ballard recently signalled could be coming. Now, Gilmore will help replace Rock Ya-Sin, whom the team traded away to add Yannick Ngakoue. Those two, coupled with incumbents Darius Leonard and DeForest Buckner, should give the Colts an improved defense in 2022, as the look to contend in a highly-competitive AFC.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/22
Today’s minor moves, including some restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents who signed their tenders:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Blake Hance
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: P Hunter Niswander
Detroit Lions
- Signed ERFA tender: DE Jessie Lemonier
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed RFA tender: LB Marcus Allen
Rams K Matt Gay Signs RFA Tender
Matt Gay has signed his tender. The restricted free agent kicker has re-signed with the Rams, reports Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Following a breakout 2021 campaign where he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod, the Rams slapped Gay with a restricted free agent tender. The one-year tender will lock the kicker into a $2.54MM salary for the 2022 campaign.
Gay had stints with the Buccaneers and Colts before catching on with the Rams in 2020. He got into seven games during his first season with the organization, and he had the full-time gig by the time the 2021 campaign came around.
This past season, the 28-year-old connected on 32 of his 34 field goal attempts and 48 of his 49 extra point tries. Gay also came through in the playoffs, converting 80 percent of his field goals and all 11 of his extra point attempts. This included a Super Bowl-winning performance where the kicker finished with five points.