49ers C Weston Richburg To Retire
Injuries will end up ending Weston Richburg‘s career after just five seasons and change. The former 49ers big-ticket free agency addition will not return for the 2021 season. Kyle Shanahan confirmed Richburg intends to retire, via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch (on Twitter).
Richburg, 29, missed all of 2020 with injuries, including a torn patellar tendon, and was set to undergo hip surgery earlier this offseason. The former Giants second-round pick last played in December 2019.
The 49ers gave Richburg a five-year, $47.5MM contract in 2018, and the Colorado State alum started 28 games with the team. He fared well as San Francisco’s center, and his injury threw the team off course. The 49ers used Ben Garland for the 2019 stretch run, which ended in a Super Bowl LIV berth, and re-signed him for last season. But the veteran backup/spot starter was one of many 49ers to land on IR early last season. San Francisco added Alex Mack, who played for Shanahan in Atlanta, early in free agency this year.
After Super Bowl LIV, Richburg was targeting a return for the 49ers’ 2020 training camp. Those goal posts eventually moved, and the veteran blocker wound up on the 49ers’ reserve/PUP list. Torn patellar tendons are among the most severe injuries on the NFL spectrum; Richburg becomes the latest to see his career end because of one.
For his career, Richburg started 78 of the 79 games he played. A concussion ended his 2017 season early, and the Giants ended up going in a different direction. Big Blue has yet to find a surefire long-term replacement. The 49ers have Mack in place as a stopgap. The 49ers will be hit with nearly $7MM in dead money, stemming from the prorated bonuses on Richburg’s deal.
Steelers Sign Round 2 TE Pat Freiermuth
The Steelers are nearly done signing their 2021 draft picks. Shortly after they agreed to terms with first-rounder Najee Harris, the Steelers announced second-round selection Pat Freiermuth signed his rookie deal.
Freiermuth played three seasons at Penn State and declared for the draft after his junior year. Staying in Pennsylvania to start his pro career, Freiermuth profiles as Pittsburgh’s long-term tight end hopeful. Eric Ebron remains on the Steelers’ roster, but he is under contract through the end of the 2021 season only. Feiermuth is set to earn $6MM over four years, with a $1.74MM signing bonus.
Penn State used Freiermuth frequently in the red zone; the 6-foot-5 tight end totaled 15 touchdown receptions between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Freiermuth topped out at 507 receiving yards as a sophomore but still managed north of 300 in a four-game 2020 slate. He suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery last November. Even playing just three seasons, one of which abbreviated by injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, Freiermuth totaled 16 career touchdown catches — a Penn State tight end record.
Despite glaring offensive line needs, the Steelers went with Freiermuth with the No. 55 overall pick. That certainly reveals confidence he could become their sought-after Heath Miller replacement as a long-term option at the position. Of the Steelers’ draftees, only third-rounder Kendrick Green is unsigned.
Washington To Sign TE Ricky Seals-Jones
Logan Thomas‘ productive season lessened Washington’s need at tight end, but the team will still add some depth to the position. The defending NFC East champions are signing Ricky Seals-Jones, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Seals-Jones spent last season with the Chiefs but did not factor into the AFC champions’ offense much. He played in just two games and wound up on the waiver wire in January. While the Chiefs brought the young tight end back to their active roster, he did not catch a pass in 2020. Washington also signed recent Chiefs tight end Deon Yelder earlier this month.
The team still figures to rely on Thomas as its starter, but it did use a fourth-round pick on Boise State’s John Bates this year. Washington entered the 2020 season with a gaping hole at tight end, having Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis‘ tenures end in the same offseason, but Thomas’ 72-reception, 670-yard season established the ex-quarterback as a viable starter going into 2021.
Originally a Cardinals UDFA who converted to tight end after playing wide receiver at Texas A&M, Seals-Jones served as a part-time starter in Arizona in two seasons with the team. He totaled 46 catches for 544 yards and four touchdowns as a Cardinal and played a role for a 2019 Browns team that was without David Njoku for most of that season. Seals-Jones added four TD grabs that year and averaged 16.4 yards per catch. The 26-year-old pass catcher figures to vie for a depth role in Washington.
Steelers Sign First-Round Pick Najee Harris
The Steelers have their guy. Pittsburgh has officially signed first-round pick running back Najee Harris to his rookie contract, the team announced Tuesday.
It’ll be a four-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $13.1MM for the 24th overall pick. Harris will collect a signing bonus of $6.85MM. Harris to the Steelers was one of the most buzzed about connections leading up to the draft, and the rumors turned out to be accurate. He was the first running back off the board, taken one pick before Clemson’s Travis Etienne.
Pittsburgh was widely expected to draft a runner early, as they’ve emphasized the need for a revamped ground game after they got nothing from their rushing attack in 2020. They let James Conner walk in free agency, and opted for the former Alabama star to replace him.
Harris will slot in as the team’s immediate starter, and the Steelers are reportedly planning on having him play a big role as a pass-catcher. The California native rushed for a ridiculous 26 touchdowns last season, and averaged at least 5.8 yards per carry in all four of his college seasons.
He’ll now be lining up behind and next to Ben Roethlisberger, at least for one season. Harris has the talent to be a top back in the league, the question now is how the Steelers’ new-look offensive line will perform.
Broncos Sign P Max Duffy
The Broncos are bringing in some competition for Sam Martin. The team announced today that they’ve signed punter Max Duffy.
The Australian-born athlete spent a handful of years in the Australian Football League, but he announced his retirement from that league in 2017 as he pursued a career in American football. He ended up catching on with Kentucky, appearing in 34 games during his collegiate career. Duffy averaged 46 yards on his 151 collegiate punts, and he earned All-SEC honors in both 2019 and 2020. He also received a unanimous first-team All-American nod in 2019.
Duffy was actually drafted by Toronto in the fourth round of April’s CFL Draft, but the 28-year-old will instead try his luck in the NFL.
In Denver, Duffy will have to compete with Martin for a roster spot. The veteran punter joined Denver last offseason on a three-year, $7MM deal, and his final 2020 punting numbers (including 46.8 yards per punt) were on-par with his career marks. Martin did struggle a bit on kickoffs, averaging a career-low 57-yards per kick.
Raiders Sign First-Round OL Alex Leatherwood
Alex Leatherwood has put pen to paper. The Raiders first-round pick has signed his rookie deal, the team announced this evening.
Offensive line was one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft, and the Raiders made sure they secured one of the top offensive line prospects. While some pundits believe GM Mike Mayock may have reached a bit to select the Alabama product at No. 17, there’s no denying Leatherwood’s potential.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman was a standout during his four years at Alabama, winning a pair of championships and a long list of individual accolades (including unanimous first-team All-American and All-SEC nods in 2020). Leatherwood earned his high draft stock due to his performance at offensive tackle, and he’ll likely slot in at right tackle for the Raiders in 2021. Long term, there’s a chance the team uses him as an offensive guard.
The Raiders have now signed four of their seven draft picks:
Round 1: No. 17 Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
Round 2: No. 43 (from 49ers) Trevon Moehrig, S (TCU)
Round 3: No. 79 (from Cardinals) Malcolm Koonce, DE (Buffalo)
Round 3: No. 80 Divine Deablo, S (Virginia Tech)
Round 4: No. 143 (from Vikings via Jets) Tyree Gillespie, S (Missouri) (signed)
Round 5: No. 167 (from Seahawks) Nate Hobbs, CB (Illinois) (signed)
Round 7: No. 230 (from Jets via 49ers) Jimmy Morrissey, C (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Johnnie Dixon
Detroit Lions
- Signed: T Darrin Paulo
Green Bay Packers
- Released: CB KeiVarae Russell
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Texans): OL Cohl Cabral
Falcons To Add WR Tajae Sharpe
A week after the Chiefs released Tajae Sharpe, the veteran wide receiver found a new home. The Falcons are signing the former Titans draftee, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
After Sharpe spent 2020 in Minnesota and Kansas City, he will reunite with former Tennessee assistant Arthur Smith. The new Falcons HC was with the Titans throughout Sharpe’s tenure and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2019, Smith’s final Tennessee season.
Although Sharpe caught on with the Vikings and Chiefs last year, he does not have a regular-season reception since his Titans tenure ended. The former fifth-round pick caught 92 passes for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in three Titans seasons. Smith played out his rookie contract in Tennessee but only saw action in three of those seasons, missing all of 2017 due to injury. He played in four games with the Vikings last year.
Bigger news has obviously encircled the Falcons’ receiving corps, with Julio Jones no longer looking likely to play an 11th season in Atlanta. Trade noise has followed the perennial Pro Bowler for weeks now, and Jones said Monday he expects to be dealt. Should Jones be traded, Sharpe would have an easier path to Atlanta’s 53-man roster.
The Falcons have Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus in place as their top non-Jones receivers. They also drafted Frank Darby in this year’s sixth round.
Panthers Sign DT Caraun Reid
Caraun Reid will receive an opportunity in yet another city. The Panthers are signing the veteran defensive tackle, bringing him aboard Monday. To make room on its roster, Carolina waived linebacker Chris Orr.
A veteran of seven NFL teams since coming into the league in 2014, the veteran defensive lineman will have a chance to accomplish a rare NFL feat. Should he make the Panthers’ 53-man roster, Reid will have played for six teams in the past six years.
Reid, 29, spent the 2020 season bouncing on and off the Jaguars’ active roster. He played in seven games with Jacksonville last season — all as a backup. He started three games for the 2019 Cardinals and played for the Cowboys, Lions and Chargers in the three years prior. Reid also spent time with the Colts and Washington but never saw regular-season action with those teams. Overall, the Princeton alum has played in 54 games and started 16 since entering the league as a fifth-round pick.
Reid joins ex-Titans starter DaQuan Jones as veteran interior D-linemen to sign with the Panthers this year. Carolina also used multiple draft picks to address this position, selecting Daviyon Nixon in Round 5 and Phil Hoskins in Round 7.
Raiders Sign OL Patrick Omameh
Despite waiving Patrick Omameh during the 2020 season, the Raiders have the veteran offensive lineman back on their roster. They re-signed the well-traveled guard Monday.
Omameh initially caught on with the Raiders in September of last year, after the Saints released him. He played in six games with Las Vegas, which was down Richie Incognito following Week 2. But the team cut Omameh in December. He later caught on with the Chiefs but did not see action in any of their playoff games.
During an offseason in which the Raiders have said goodbye to multiple longtime O-line staples — Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson — they have also re-signed several blockers. Incognito, Denzelle Good and now Omameh are back in the fold after spending time in free agency.
Omameh, 31, spent the bulk of his first five seasons as a starter but did so in a few cities. The former UDFA started at least seven games for the Buccaneers, Bears, Jaguars and Giants from 2014-18. The Giants, however, cut him midway through the ’18 season. Omameh has worked as a backup over the past two years, playing with the Saints and Raiders.
He stands to compete for a depth role for a team that has Incognito, Good and 2020 draftee John Simpson set to vie for first-string guard spots.