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Yodny Cajuste

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/8/24

January 8th, 2024 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • OL Barry Wesley

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, WR Davion Davis, CB D’Angelo Mandell

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/24

January 6th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Ely Allen

The last week of pregame transactions and gameday callups for several teams this season:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Placed on IR: T Mike McGlinchey
  • Activated from IR: T Alex Palczewski
  • Signed to active roster: CB Art Green
  • Elevated: S Devon Key

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Placed on IR: TE Hunter Henry
  • Signed to active roster: TE La’Michael Pettway
  • Elevated: TE Matt Sokol, OL Andrew Stueber

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Several teams whose season is set to come to an end tomorrow have elected to move injured players to injured reserve in order to create roster spots for practice squad options, particularly those who have had their three gameday elevations exhausted. In the case of the Broncos, McGlinchey will see his debut campaign in the Mile High City come to a premature end. Signed to a five-year, $87.5MM deal, the 28-year-old was part of a revamped O-line which did not produce the desired rebound on offense. Manning his usual right tackle spot, McGlinchey was charged with eight sacks and 49 pressures allowed by PFF, resulting in an overall grade of 67.5.

While the Giants will have an interesting decision to make with respect to Xavier McKinney‘s future, they will have Pinnock on the books for at least one more season. The latter’s rookie contract is set to expire following the 2024 campaign, one in which he will no doubt remain a vital member of New York’s secondary. Pinnock has recorded 85 tackles, two interceptions (including a 102-yard pick-six), six pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles while logging over 1,000 defensive snaps this season. A return to health and a continuation of his 2023 level of play will be sorely needed next fall.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/23

October 10th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released: WR Xavier Malone

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: FB Jack Colletto

Anthony Firkser will provide the Lions with some veteran tight end depth. Darrell Daniels has mostly transitioned to a fullback role and James Mitchell is sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright as the two healthy TEs on the roster. Firkser has seen time in 69 regular season games, hauling in 115 catches for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns. The 28-year-old tight end got into 11 games for the Falcons in 2022, finishing with nine catches for 100 yards.

Yodny Cajuste is back in New York after getting cut by the Jets back in August. The former third-round pick got into 17 games (five starts) for the Patriots between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was waived by New England back in May before catching on with the Jets for the preseason.

Injury Updates: Cajuste, Armstead, Johnson

August 18th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some updates on recent injury situations from around the league:

  • After agreeing to an injury settlement yesterday with the Jets, former Patriots offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste is expected to be back to form fairly soon. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the former third-round pick is expected to be back to 100 percent in just two weeks. The West Virginia alum disappointed in New England, only starting five games in his first two injury-plagued seasons. With New York struggling with their depth at tackle, getting Cajuste to full health soon could be big.
  • After only recently returning to the field at the turn of the month, Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead received a scare as he was carted off the field yesterday with an apparent lower leg issue. Luckily, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network informed us that Armstead will not require any surgery for the injury and will continue working to be ready to play in Week 1 of the regular season, a goal confirmed by Armstead himself (Twitter).
  • We’ve all seen the viral clips of two teams getting into it at joint practices. There were fights picked recently between the Panthers and Patriots, the Jets and Buccaneers, and the Ravens and Commanders. The last team on that list saw an injury result from the added aggression that tends to come in these unregulated practice environments. Reportedly, Washington cornerback Danny Johnson sustained a shoulder injury when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews allegedly “slammed him to the ground,” per Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Whether the play was overly aggressive or not, it resulted in an injured rotator cuff for Johnson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/23

August 17th, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OT Trevor Reid

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: WR Tyler Adams

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Released from IR: WR D.J. Turner

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Players placed on injured reserve during training camp or the preseason can’t be activated during the 2023 campaign. However, if they’re released from IR (often via an injury settlement), they’re free to sign and play elsewhere. For instance, Anthony Averett will surely be a player who can catch on with a new squad. The cornerback has seen time in 51 games (27 starts), collecting 114 tackles, three interceptions, and 23 passes defended. He had a career season in 2021 with the Ravens, starting all 14 of his appearances while chipping in 54 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three picks. He spent the 2022 season with the Raiders, starting six of his seven appearances while dealing with a pair of IR stints. He caught on with the 49ers earlier this month.

Among today’s signings, Davion Taylor is an intriguing addition to the Bears linebackers room. The former third-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Eagles, including a 2021 campaign where he started six of his nine appearances while compiling 41 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles. A knee injury ended that breakout campaign early, and he spent most of the 2022 season on the Eagles’ practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/23

August 9th, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor transactions from around the league as we wrap up training camp and officially head into the preseason:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: RB Stevie Scott

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived/injured: T Nicolas Melsop

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/23

August 8th, 2023 at 8:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: WR Johnny King
  • Waived: T Chim Okorafor
  • Activated from active/PUP list: WR Devon Allen

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived/injured: CB Andrew Whitaker

Washington Commanders

Flowers, who agreed to terms with the Patriots earlier today after a workout, suffered a foot injury in October of last season. That setback cut short a Dolphins run after four games. Flowers, who will turn 30 next week, last played for the Patriots in 2018.

McNichols joined Duke Johnson, Brian Hill and Jason Huntley at a recent 49ers workout. The 49ers are without Elijah Mitchell for what is expected to be a short stretch. A five-year veteran, McNichols most recently saw action for the Titans in 2021, helping the team as a pass-catching back (28 grabs for 240 yards) while Derrick Henry missed time with a foot fracture.

Allen suffered an injury while competing in the opening rounds of the 110-meter hurdles competition at the USA Track and Field Championships in July. The two-time Olympian owns the sixth-fastest hurdle time this year (13.04 seconds) but missed a key chunk of Eagles camp. This marks his second bid to make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. Allen, 28, spent last season on the Eagles’ practice squad and stayed with the team via a reserve/futures contract in February.

The Panthers’ regular kicker, Eddy Pineiro, is battling a groin injury. Carolina gave Pineiro, their 2022 kicker, $2.25MM guaranteed earlier this offseason. The Jaguars’ primary kicker in 2021, Wright kicked in four Steelers games and two Chiefs contests last season.

A rookie UDFA, Whittaker suffered a torn patellar tendon in a recent Seahawks practice, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Matthews also sustained a season-ending injury — a torn ACL — during a Texans workout, Wilson adds (on Twitter).

Jets To Sign OL Yodny Cajuste

May 30th, 2023 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Yodny Cajuste‘s trip to the Big Apple has quickly resulted in a contract. The veteran offensive lineman is signing with the Jets, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Cajuste visited both the Jets and Giants last week, and he will elect to remain in the AFC East. The 27-year-old saw his time with the Patriots come to an end earlier this month, but he has not needed to wait long to find another opportunity.

The former third-rounder made 17 total appearances over the past two years in New England, including five starts. His play this season drew a solid PFF evaluation in run blocking in particular, and did enough for the Patriots to tender him as an RFA. However, the team has been busy along the offensive front this offseason, signing veterans Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson. Their additions left Cajuste on the outside looking in at the tackle spot, and he will now join another crowded room at that position.

The Jets suffered a slew of injuries up front last season, and they have plenty of unanswered questions at the tackle spots this offseason. Former first-rounder Mekhi Becton has gone public with his displeasure at being used at right tackle, though the door may still be open to him claiming the starting role on the blindside. Doing so would require Becton remaining healthy and beating out veteran Duane Brown during training camp, after the latter made 12 LT starts last season. Brown is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, though, and will be 38 by the start of the season.

On the right side, New York added Billy Turner as a starting-caliber option who has plenty of familiarity with new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets also have 2022 fourth-rounder Max Mitchell as an option on that side, after he made five starts as a rookie. New York spent another Round 4 selection on a tackle this year, adding Carter Warren. Cajuste will use the coming weeks to carve out a role for himself on the team’s tackle depth chart, as the Jets look to take a much-needed step forward in protection in 2023.

OL Yodny Cajuste To Visit Jets, Giants

May 22nd, 2023 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

After earning his walking papers from the Patriots, Yodny Cajuste is drawing interest from both New York squads. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), the free agent offensive lineman visited the Jets today and will visit the Giants tomorrow.

Cajuste had a standout career at West Virginia, earning Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2018. That performance ultimately led to him being selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2019 draft.

The lineman struggled to stay on the field through his first two seasons in the NFL. He spent his entire rookie campaign on NFI after undergoing quad surgery, and his 2020 season was wiped out thanks to a knee injury. The lineman finally made his NFL debut in 2021, starting two of his seven appearances. He saw a similar role in 2022, starting three of his 10 appearances while spending a chunk of the season on IR.

The 27-year-old’s gig in New England was on thin ice even after he signed his non-guaranteed RFA tender earlier this offseason. The team already brought in tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson to an OT grouping that also includes starter Trent Brown.

Both the Jets and Giants could use some depth at OT. While Cajuste has struggled to take the field, he’s been useful when he’s in the lineup. He graded out as an above-average offensive tackle in 2022, per Pro Football Focus, with the site giving him especially high marks for his run-blocking ability.

Despite his underwhelming performance with the Patriots, Cajuste was actually the last member of New England’s dreadful 2019 draft class to stick with the organization. The team’s entire 10-man class from that season is either playing elsewhere or is out of the league.

Patriots Waive OL Yodny Cajuste

May 18th, 2023 at 3:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a busy draft along their offensive line, the Patriots parted ways with Yodny Cajuste. They waived the fourth-year O-lineman on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

The team tendered Cajuste — a 2019 third-round pick — as an RFA earlier this offseason, keeping him on the low-end number ($2.74MM). But Cajuste will hit the waiver wire. This move will clear the entire $2.74MM from the Pats’ cap sheet.

Despite being chosen in the 2019 draft, Cajuste did not see any playing time until the 2021 season. He entered the RFA tender equation due to spending all of 2019 on the non-football injury list. While Cajuste started five games between the 2021 and ’22 campaigns, the young tackle likely saw his status in the organization change after the draft and in free agency. New England chose three O-linemen from Rounds 4-5, doing so after having signed tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson.

The Pats used one of their eight injury activations on Cajuste last year, and he replaced Isaiah Wynn at right tackle upon being activated. Cajuste started three straight games following his return from injury but saw his playing time reduced soon after. Midseason add Conor McDermott saw more playing time down the stretch, starting in each of the Patriots’ final six games. Pro Football Focus graded Cajuste as a middle-of-the-pack tackle in a 197-snap season. Only six of those snaps came after his run of starts ceased.

While Trent Brown remains in place at tackle for New England, the team has now separated from Cajuste and Wynn. Reiff received $4.15MM fully guaranteed, while Anderson signed a two-year, $7MM deal that includes $4MM locked in. The Pats still roster McDermott as well. Any team that claims Cajuste would be responsible for the RFA tender amount, making it a bit more likely he lands in free agency.

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