Vikings Extend Brian O’Neill For Five Years, $92.5MM
On the eve of the regular season, the Vikings are locking up a key piece. Minnesota has agreed to an extension with offensive tackle Brian O’Neill, the team announced on Wednesday.
It’s a five-year deal worth a whopping $92.5MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. That’s an average annual value of $18.5MM. He’s still pretty young, so it’s not too surprising to see O’Neill getting top-of-the-market right tackle money. With this new pact, he’s now the second-highest-paid right tackle in the league.
The deal includes $53.4MM in total guarantees and $22.6MM guaranteed at signing, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The total guarantees place O’Neill in the top three at right tackle, but the true guarantee does not. Six right tackles are signed to deals that include more than $24MM guaranteed. O’Neill will collect $40MM through the second year of this extension.
O’Neill, a second-round pick back in 2018, had previously been set to enter the final year of his rookie deal and become a free agent at the end of the season. The Pittsburgh product had his best year last season and earned pretty strong marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their 24th-best overall tackle.
O’Neill became a starter a little over a month into his rookie season and has held onto his job ever since. He started all 16 games last year and won’t turn 26 until next week.
The team drafted Christian Darrisaw in the first round out of Virginia Tech to start opposite O’Neill on Kirk Cousins‘ blindside. But as Darrisaw continues to struggle to recover from core muscle surgery, it looks like Rashod Hill will be starting the season across from O’Neill.
Texans To Sign WR Danny Amendola
Danny Amendola has found his next gig. After working out for the Texans earlier today, the veteran wideout is signing with the organization, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth $2.5MM.
The move is a bit of a homecoming for the 35-year-old; Amendola grew up in The Woodlands and went to college at Texas Tech. The move also reunited the receiver with general manager Nick Caserio, who was a former executive in New England. Thanks to the New England connection, the Texans are also rostering former ex-Patriots like Rex Burkhead and Marcus Cannon.
Following the departures of Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, and Keke Coutee, Brandin Cooks is the only holdover from last season’s receivers corps. The Texans added Chris Conley and return man Andre Roberts in free agency, traded for Anthony Miller, and drafted Nico Collins in Round 3, and Amendola will be competing with that grouping for reps.
Following a five-year stint with the Patriots that saw him earn a pair of Super Bowl rings, Amendola spent the 2018 season with the Dolphins before spending the past two campaigns with the Lions. The wideout had two solid seasons in Detroit, finishing with 108 receptions for 1,280 yards in 29 games (15 starts).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/21
We’ve compiled today’s practice squad moves below:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Qadree Ollison
- Released: C Sam Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB John Brannon
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Josh Woods
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Jake Browning
- Released: P Drue Chrisman
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Saivion Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OT Bobby Hart
New York Giants
- Signed: WR C.J. Board, OT Korey Cunningham
- Released: DB Jordyn Peters, G Kenny Wiggins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Henry Mondeaux, LB Delontae Scott, WR Tyler Vaughns
- Moved to IR: WR Rico Bussey
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Gavin Heslop
- Released: TE Mark Vital
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: K Jose Borregales
Washington Football Team
- Signed: OT Evin Ksiezarczyk
- Released: C Jon Toth
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/21
We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: C Sam Tecklenburg
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released from IR with injury settlement: LB Vince Biegel
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: DT Antwaun Woods
New York Giants
- Re-signed: S Nate Ebner
- Released: WR C.J. Board
- Waived with injury settlement: WR Austin Mack
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Broncos practice squad: CB Mac McCain
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Justin March-Lillard
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: WR Penny Hart, TE Tyler Mabry
- Placed on IR: CB Tre Brown, TE Colby Parkinson, S Nigel Warrior
Ravens To Sign RB Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell will move to the other side of one of the NFL’s top rivalries. After years with the Steelers, the former All-Pro running back agreed to terms with the Ravens on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Bell, whose Jets and Chiefs stints were far less successful, received a workout opportunity with the Ravens on Monday. Baltimore has lost J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill for the season. The Ravens, who auditioned Bell and Devonta Freeman, will bring in the former to help fill the void.
Interestingly, this is a practice squad agreement. While Bell figures to be bumped up to Baltimore’s active roster, he will join the team’s 16-man taxi squad for the time being.
This will be Bell’s age-29 season, and he is not heading to Maryland with much momentum. The accomplished back’s four-year, $52.5MM deal quickly created a sunk cost for the Jets, who dropped him midway through the 2020 season. The Chiefs added Bell soon after and used him sporadically during the regular season’s stretch run. Kansas City then made Bell a healthy scratch in two of its three playoff games, including Super Bowl LV.
In Pittsburgh, Bell was one of the NFL’s best backs. He stampeded to first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2014 and ’17, helping the Steelers assemble one of the NFL’s best offenses for a lengthy stretch in the 2010s. Although Bell’s 2018 holdout decision and subsequent Pittsburgh exit essentially serves as a line of demarcation for his career, the Ravens present an interesting redemption opportunity.
Baltimore boasts the NFL’s top rushing attack and does not have any proven backs behind new starter Gus Edwards. Second-year UDFA Ty’Son Williams has impressed this offseason, but the losses of Dobbins and Hill created an immediate need for the team.
Titans Release S Bradley McDougald
Bradley McDougald is back in free agency. Three weeks after signing the veteran safety, the Titans released him Tuesday. However, this essentially amounts to a demotion. The Titans are signing McDougald to their practice squad.
Since McDougald is a vested veteran, he does not have to pass through waivers to join Tennessee’s taxi squad. Salary guarantees may be a factor here. Teams can release vested vets now to avoid full-season guarantees, which take effect in Week 1, making it possible McDougald returns to the Titans’ active roster next week on a team-friendlier agreement.
The Titans signed McDougald to a one-year deal worth $1.1MM. That would have become guaranteed had McDougald been on Tennessee’s active roster in Week 1. The team has Dane Cruikshank and Matthias Farley in place as their backup safeties going into their season opener.
McDougald, 30, spent three seasons as a Seahawks starter before the team included him in 2020’s Jamal Adams trade. The Jets deployed McDougald as a starter during their 2-14 season but saw him go down midway through the year. The Jets let McDougald walk this year. The 49ers represented McDougald’s only non-Titans connection this offseason.
Tennessee also added offensive lineman Corey Levin and defensive back Chris Jones to its practice squad and dropped offensive lineman Derwin Gray from the 16-man unit.
Seahawks To Add Tanner Muse To P-Squad
Former Raiders linebacker Tanner Muse cleared waivers and selected a new home shortly after. The Seahawks are signing the former third-round pick to their practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Caught in a sudden roster crunch, after the Raiders both traded for Denzel Perryman and signed K.J. Wright, Muse will receive another opportunity in Wright’s old stomping grounds. The Raiders did make an attempt to keep Muse via practice squad invite, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore (on Twitter), but the young defender opted for Seattle’s offer.
This stands to be Muse’s first healthy NFL season. He missed all of his rookie year due to a toe injury. One of a few Raiders draft picks from Clemson, Muse intercepted four passes during his senior season with the Tigers and saw regular time for the ACC powerhouse’s previous two outfits.
After playing safety at Clemson, Muse moved to linebacker this offseason. While the Raiders previously had injury-created openings for linebackers during their preseason slate, ex-Gus Bradley charges Perryman and Wright filled them. Acquired during Paul Guenther‘s defensive coordinator stay, Muse ended up being jettisoned to create roster space.
The Seahawks only kept four linebackers on their active roster, giving Muse a potential early chance to contribute as a backup. Cody Barton resides as Seattle’s fourth linebacker, behind starters Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor. Teams have until Saturday afternoon to set their active 53-man for the week.
Saints To Release RB Latavius Murray
The Saints are set to have a new backup running back. They are releasing Latavius Murray, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that the veteran refused a pay cut Monday.
While this strips the Saints of another proven weapon, it will give other teams in need at running back an interesting option ahead of Week 1. Murray spent the past two seasons working as Alvin Kamara‘s backup. He saw extensive time during that stretch, surpassing 600 rushing yards in each season.
Murray agreed to a four-year, $14.4MM deal with New Orleans in 2019, coming over from Minnesota to replace Mark Ingram as Kamara’s between-the-tackles sidekick. The team’s pay-cut request certainly came at a late juncture; Murray, 31, was set to make $2.95MM in base salary this season.
Missing just one game during his two-year Saints stay, Murray totaled 1,293 rushing yards with the team. He scored 11 touchdowns as a Saint, filling in for an injured Kamara for short stretches in both seasons, and provided a smooth transition from Ingram. The Saints have fourth-year back Dwayne Washington and second-year UDFA Tony Jones Jr. as their active-roster backs behind Kamara. The latter appears the better bet to take over as Kamara’s primary backup. A Notre Dame product, Jones has three career carries but impressed this summer.
Texans Add K Joey Slye To Practice Squad
Not long after working out Joey Slye, the Texans will bring him into the fold. The former Panthers kicker agreed to join the Texans on a practice squad deal Tuesday. To make room, Houston released defensive back Cornell Armstrong from its P-squad.
Slye operated as the Panthers’ primary kicker for the past two seasons, succeeding Graham Gano in that capacity. After Carolina added Gano’s Giants camp competitor (Ryan Santoso) via trade, Slye landed on the waiver wire. Unclaimed, the third-year specialist will end up in Houston.
Top Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a pulled muscle, per Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), though he is still expected to kick in Houston’s opener. Slye, however, represents insurance and potential in-season competition for Fairbairn. He also stands to serve as an option for other teams in need. A team can poach Slye off Houston’s taxi squad at any point, if the Texans refuse to promote him to their active roster.
A Virginia Tech product, Slye made 29 of 36 field goals last season. Though, two of those misses came on fourth-quarter tries from 65 and 67 yards, respectively. The Texans also auditioned ex-Chargers kicker Michael Badgley. Fairbairn has been the Texans’ kicker since 2017. He signed an extension in 2020.
Seahawks To Sign CB John Reid To Active Roster
It’s been a rollercoaster of a couple weeks for John Reid, but he’s back on a 53-man roster. The Seahawks have signed the cornerback from their practice squad to their active roster, his agency announced on Twitter.
A Penn State product, Reid was a fourth-round pick of the Texans just last year. He appeared in 13 games for Houston as a rookie and started one, but was traded to Seattle for a 2022 seventh-rounder toward the end of training camp. Just a week after trading for him the Seahawks waived him, quickly adding him back on the practice squad.
Now after a week on the practice squad, he’s back on the active roster. Seattle had a lot of turnover at cornerback this offseason, most notably letting Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency. The same day they waived Reid, they also traded for former Eagles and Jags corner Sidney Jones.
They also drafted Tre Brown out of Oklahoma in the fourth-round, and now have a pretty young group of cornerbacks. It wouldn’t be surprising if Reid gets a crack at some point.