Bengals, Sam Hubbard Agree To Extension
The Bengals and Sam Hubbard have reached agreement on a four-year, $40MM extension (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Hubbard has been of the few bright spots in the Bengals’ front seven. Now, they’ve got him locked up for years to come.
Hubbard has split time at defensive end and linebacker, racking up 177 tackles and 16.5 sacks since his 2018 debut. Over the last three seasons, he’s proven to be one heck of a third round find. The Bengals hope for similar results from this year’s crop of mid-round linemen — Joseph Ossai, Cameron Sample, and Tyler Shelvin. But, even if they all don’t pan out, they’ll have the 26-year-old leading the charge for years to come.
The bulk of Hubbard’s 16.5 career sacks came in his first two pro seasons. Last year, he had just two, thanks in part to a mid-year elbow injury. The Bengals are counting on him more than ever now that Carl Lawson (5.5 sacks in 2020) has moved on to the Jets.
This year, the Ohio State product will be joined by a number of new faces, including ex-Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson. As a first-time full-time starter, Hendrickson notched 25 QB hits, and 13.5 sacks. Between Hendrickson and continued improvement Hubbard, the Bengals are expecting much better results than last year when they finished one of the worst pass rush units in the NFL.
Eagles Sign CB Steven Nelson
The Eagles have signed cornerback Steven Nelson to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. Nelson’s one-year deal will furnish him with $2.5MM in base salary with the chance to make up to $4.125MM with incentives (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). To make room on the roster, the Eagles have released defensive tackle William Henry. 
The Steelers released Nelson way back on March 23rd. Ever since, he’s been fielding interest from roughly half the league. Fourteen different teams reportedly reached out to him, including the Texans, Bears, Bengals, and Bills. Ultimately, the Eagles came away with the veteran.
Nelson was originally drafted by the Chiefs in the third-round in 2015. After a four-interception 2018 season for Kansas City, he signed a three-year, $25.5MM pact with Pittsburgh. He’s started 30 games for the Steelers over the last two seasons. And, in 2020, he notched nine passes defended and two interceptions.
Nelson has been a solid starter, and has received strong marks from Pro Football Focus. In fact over the last two years, PFF has him graded as the NFL’s 11th-best cornerback. Now, the 28-year-old will look to boost the Birds’ secondary, likely starting opposite of Darius Slay. The duo will be supported by rookie Zech McPhearson with slot support from natural nickel Avonte Maddox.
Saints To Sign Brian Poole
The Saints are adding a veteran cornerback to their roster. No, it’s not Richard Sherman or Xavien Howard, but it’s still a player who should be expected to make a significant impact. According to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, New Orleans will sign Brian Poole to a one-year deal tomorrow (Twitter link).
Poole signed with the division-rival Falcons as a UDFA in 2016, and despite his undrafted status, he served as the club’s primary nickel corner over his three seasons in Atlanta. The Falcons opted not to tender him as a restricted free agent following the 2018 campaign, and the fact that Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics graded him as the No. 81 cornerback in the NFL out of 110 qualified players that season justified the decision. He also ranked as bottom-three corner in success rate, per Football Outsiders’ charting data.
But the Florida product hooked on with the Jets shortly after being non-tendered by the Falcons, and he elevated his game with Gang Green. Operating primarily as a slot defender, just as he did in Atlanta, Poole allowed a 71.6 passer rating in 2019 and a 64.7 rating in 2020. PFF gave him strong coverage grades in both seasons.
The thought has been that the Saints would be looking for an outside corner to line up opposite Marshon Lattimore and to serve as a replacement for cap casualty Janoris Jenkins, but as Poole’s experience has mostly been at nickel, he does not fill that void. If New Orleans does not make any other additions, perhaps Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who has generally played well in the slot, will be added to the mix for the team’s CB2 role.
Poole’s 2020 season was cut short due to shoulder and knee injuries. Given that, and in light of his extended stay on the open market — this is the first reported interest in him this offseason — his contract with the Saints is almost certainly light on guaranteed dollars. He does have some chops, though, so a strong showing in 2021 may lead to a lucrative multi-year pact.
Titans Sign Third-Round LB Monty Rice, Wrap Up Draft Class
The Titans became the latest team to finalize their 2021 draft class on Saturday. Tennessee agreed to terms with third-round linebacker Monty Rice, their last remaining unsigned draft pick, the team announced.
Rice was the 92nd pick of this past draft coming out of Georgia. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2020 after making second-team the year before. He became a starter in his sophomore season and was a finalist for the Butkus Award this past season.
In nine 2020 games for the Bulldogs he finished with 49 tackles, four for a loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles. The Titans have Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans, and David Long ahead of him at inside linebacker right now, so they likely won’t be counting on him to play a ton as a rookie. They did recently decline Evans’ fifth-year option, and Brown is entering a contract year as well, so Rice could be looked at as the future.
With Rice under contract, all eight of the Titans’ picks are now wrapped up:
Round 1: No. 22 Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
Round 2: No. 53 Dillon Radunz, OT (North Dakota State)
Round 3: No. 92 (from Packers) Monty Rice, LB (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 100 Elijah Molden, CB (Washington)
Round 4: No. 109 (from Texans via Panthers) Dez Fitzpatrick, WR (Louisville)
Round 4: No. 135 (from Packers) Rashad Weaver, DE (Pittsburgh)
Round 6: No. 205 Racey McMath, WR (LSU)
Round 6: No. 215 (from Chiefs) Brady Breeze, S (Oregon)
Bears Trade Anthony Miller To Texans
The NFL dead period is officially over, and things are heating up as training camps open. The Bears have agreed to trade receiver Anthony Miller to the Texans, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Here are the details of the deal, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
Texans Receive
- Anthony Miller
- 2022 seventh-round pick
Bears Receive
- 2022 fifth-round pick
A divorce between Miller and Chicago has seemed likely most of this year, and now it’s official. Back in March we heard the team was shopping him, and about a month later it was reported the Bears had held trade talks with a number of teams. The 51st overall pick of the 2018 draft, Miller has flashed lots of potential at times but was a big disappointment in 2020.
The emergence of rookie Darnell Mooney last year made Miller expendable in Chicago. It never really kept him off the field, but Miller dealt with significant shoulder issues in both 2018 and 2019. His rookie season he caught seven touchdowns, and he had 656 yards as a sophomore. But he took a step back last season, only finishing with 49 catches for 485 yards despite playing all 16 games.
From the Texans’ perspective, it makes a lot of sense. They’re almost certainly entering a rebuilding year in 2021, so it can’t hurt to take a look at a young player entering the final season of his rookie deal. Miller has shown some promise in the past, and Houston has a pretty uninspiring receiving group outside of Brandin Cooks after letting Will Fuller walk in free agency.
Vikings To Sign Dede Westbrook
We heard yesterday that free agent receiver Dede Westbrook would be visiting the Seahawks on Sunday. It sounds like that visit has been scrapped. Westbrook will instead be signing a one-year deal with the Vikings on Sunday, a source told veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (Twitter link).
Westbrook worked out for Minnesota earlier today, and apparently that workout went well. It was reported yesterday that Seattle, the 49ers, and the Bengals were all still on his radar, but the Vikings edged them all out. There’s a connection here, as Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell was Westbrook’s position coach in Jacksonville.
A fourth-round pick in 2017, Westbrook spent the first four years of his pro career with the Jaguars. In 2018 and 2019, he had at least 63 catches, 660 yards, and three touchdowns both season. Last year he only played in two games before tearing an ACL in October, finishing with just one catch for four yards.
We don’t have the financial terms yet, but coming off that injury he likely had to settle for something pretty cheap. It certainly took a while for his market to heat up.
The Oklahoma product has also shown plenty of potential as a returner. The Vikings of course have Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, but not a ton else at receiver beyond them, so this is a decent depth signing. Westbrook says he’s fully recovered from the ACL tear, responding “most definitely” when Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press asked if he’d be ready to roll for the start of training camp on Wednesday (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/21
Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on active/PUP list: CB Essang Bassey, LB Baron Browning, CB Duke Dawson
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Ray Wilborn
- Placed on active/PUP list: RB Patrick Taylor
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chris Claybrooks
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on NFL list: DE Malik Herring
- Placed on active/PUP list: DB Armani Watts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE De’Quan Hampton
- Placed on active/PUP list: TE Cameron Brate, WR Justin Watson
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on NFI list: C Aaron Brewer
- Placed on active/PUP list: RB Jeremy McNichols, OT Ty Sambrailo
Titans Place DT Abry Jones On Reserve/Retired List
The Titans signed Abry Jones in early June, but it does not look like the longtime Jaguars defensive tackle will suit up for the team. Tennessee placed Jones on its reserve/retired list Saturday.
Jones played eight seasons with the Jaguars and exited the 2020 season as the team’s longest-tenured player. The now-Urban Meyer-led franchise did not re-sign the veteran defensive tackle this offseason, leading him to the Titans.
This transaction follows Kevin Johnson‘s retirement, which came a day after Jones signed with the Titans. Tennessee signed Johnson in March, but the veteran cornerback opted to retire in June. Jones, 29, appears to be following suit.
A 2013 UDFA out of Georgia, Jones started 52 games with the Jags but operated as a regular since his second season. The 318-pound D-lineman was a starter for the top-tier Jacksonville defenses in 2017 and 2018, working as the team’s nose tackle. He played in just five games last season, suffering an ankle injury that led him to IR.
Jones recorded 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss with the Jaguars. Pro Football Focus rated Jones as a top-10 interior D-lineman in 2016; that season led the Jags to give him a four-year, $16MM extension ahead of his free agency. The Titans signed Jones to a one-year, $1.1MM deal, but the pact did not include any fully guaranteed money.
Browns Sign WR Anthony Schwartz, Finalize Draft Class
And just like that, the Browns have finished signing their draft class. After signing cornerback Greg Newsome II, the team completed the signing of their rookies by inking third-round receiver Anthony Schwartz to his pact (per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter). The four-year deal is worth $4.86MM.
[RELATED: Browns Sign First-Round CB Greg Newsome II]
Schwartz made a name for himself as a high school athlete, setting a number of sprint records. He ultimately joined Auburn to play football, and he saw time in 33 games across three seasons with the Tigers, hauling in 117 receptions for 1,433 yards and six touchdowns. Thanks to his explosive speed, Cleveland selected the wideout in the third round (No. 91) of the draft.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry sit atop the depth chart in Cleveland, but Schwartz could find himself generating some offensive snaps if he can beat the likes of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, and KhaDarel Hodge. There’s also a chance the rook contributes on special teams, although he’d have to beat out Peoples-Jones and D’Ernest Johnson for those roles.
With the signing, the Browns have officially inked all eight of the draft picks:
Round 1: No. 26 Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
Round 2: No. 52 (from Panthers) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 3: No. 91 (from Saints) Anthony Schwartz, WR (Auburn)
Round 4: No. 110 (from Eagles) James Hudson, OT (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 4: No. 132 Tommy Togiai, DT (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 153 (from Lions) Tony Fields II, LB (West Virginia) (signed)
Round 5: No. 169 (from Rams) Richard Lecounte III, S (Georgia) (signed)
Round 6: No. 211 Demetric Felton, RB (UCLA) (signed)
Browns Sign First-Round CB Greg Newsome II
Another first rounder has put pen to paper. Browns first-round cornerback Greg Newsome II has inked his rookie contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The No. 26 pick in the draft will get the standard four-year contract worth $12.75MM.
Newsome had a standout career at Northwestern, starting 18 games and guiding the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten title games. After earning first-team All-Big-Ten honors in 2020, the defensive back declared for the draft. While Newsome was the fourth cornerback off the board, that was still good enough to warrant a first-selection.
The 6-foot-1 cornerback is a strong candidate to start opposite Denzel Ward in Cleveland, although Greedy Williams will give the rookie a run for his money as the veteran looks to return from a season-long shoulder ailment. No matter what role Newsome ends up playing, he’s ready to contribute however he can.
“My goal honestly is just to do whatever I can to help the team win,’’ Newsome said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “Obviously, I would love to start at corner. I think any corner in the room would love to be a starting corner. At the end of the day, if I am helping the team win, that is all I can ask for.”
Newsome was the 29th first-round pick to ink their rookie contract, although his delay was inevitabl3 after switching representation earlier this offseason. Following the signing, the only unsigned first-round picks are Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (No. 2), 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (No. 3), and Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater (No. 13).