Category: 2024 free agency

Free agent CB Avonte Maddox re-signs with Eagles after visiting Saints

Free agent defensive back Avonte Maddox re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after visiting the New Orleans Saints:

So much for that. Free agent defensive back Avonte Maddox is re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles after having visited the New Orleans Saints, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A career slot corner who could have mentored Alontae Taylor in that role or taken it for himself, Maddox instead returns to where he’s spent most of his pro career.

These things happen. Teams agree to let their free agents test the market, gauge interest from other teams, and offer them the opportunity to match an offer all the time. It’s just disappointing for the Saints to swing and miss at such an important position.

Something needs to change in their plans for guarding the slot. Teams picked up on Taylor’s inexperience in the role quickly and picked on him often in 2023. No player was targeted more often when guarding the slot, according to Pro Football Focus charting, and nobody allowed more catches for more yards than Taylor did.

Head coach Dennis Allen needs to choose whether to commit to teaching Taylor the position full-time or bring in someone who’s done it before. Asking Taylor to split his time learning that role and competing to start out wide with other players only did him a disservice. With Maddox off the board, the Saints will need to explore other options.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

New Orleans Saints sign another free agent linebacker

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints signed another free agent linebacker, adding Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders:

Here’s more help at linebacker. The New Orleans Saints are signing free agent Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who says it’s a one-year deal. Hudson played a lot of snaps on both defense (405) and special teams (344) last season, and he’s looking to build on that growth in 2024. He had 74 tackles in 2023.

A former fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan, Hudson is stepping into a good situation to compete. The Saints lost Zack Baun in free agency and have not re-signed special teams aces like Andrew Dowell, Ryan Connelly, or Ty Summers. Another one of their top backups, Nephi Sewell, isn’t expected to be ready in time for training camp after suffering a late-season ACL tear. Hudson has a good shot at making the team.

So the Saints will have Demario Davis starting at one spot and Pete Werner competing with Willie Gay next to him. Hudson enters the mix with Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, Anfernee Orji, and Monty Rice to round out the depth chart. Last year five linebackers made the 53-man roster and four more were kept on the practice squad, so we should expect more additions in the months ahead.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

The 40-year-old free agent Cowboys should pursue

There are cheap options who appear to be perfect solutions waiting in the free agent market for the Cowboys, says @ReidDHanson.

Father Time is undefeated. Whether a working stiff lacing up for rec league ball or a pro athlete suiting up in the bright light lights of prime time, at some point age makes its presence felt. For NFL players, age sneaks up fast. The ultra-physical nature of the sport works in direct contrast to physical longevity or long-term well-being. Being on the wrong side of 30 is bad in the NFL. Being just a month away from 40? Madness.

Every once in a while, a savvy quarterback or kicker figures out how to avoid the big hits and unnecessary abuse and survive to age 40, but more often than not, the decline is too severe and the abuse too compounded for these players to continue on. It’s what makes Marcedes Lewis such a sight to behold and possibly even an appealing target for the Cowboys.

Born during Ronald Reagan’s first term as president, Lewis is one of the oldest active position players in the NFL today. The UCLA tight end was drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. At 6-foot-6, 265-pounds, he quickly established himself as one of the most physically imposing TEs in the NFL. He went on to hone his skills as a blocker, carving out a stellar career as one of the best run-blocking TEs in the league.

He’s also impervious to age.

Maybe not impervious, but in May, Lewis will turn 40, and in his own words has his sights set on a 19th NFL season.

“I want to play,” Lewis said in January. “I knew I wanted to play a month ago. My energy, my mind for it, my film.”

Playing for Jacksonville, Green Bay, and Chicago, Lewis has thrived in a number of systems. While he hasn’t dropped jaws with his receiving numbers, he’s made his presence felt with his contributions in the running game.

If he’s signed by someone in 2024, it’s safe to say it will be as a blocking specialist in a backup role.

The Cowboys are understandably high on Jake Ferguson as he enters his third season. Just as they are optimistic about Luke Schoonmaker, who’s entering his second season.

But Lewis fills a niche. He’s a blocker and doesn’t pretend to much more than that. He hasn’t had a 25-reception season since 2013 so it’s safe to say he’s not going to step on Ferguson’s toes. If anything, he’ll challenge Schoonmaker who is recovering from offseason surgery.

Schoonmaker struggled as a blocker his rookie season and overall failed to make the impact the Cowboys were hoping for when they made him their second-round pick. Having Lewis on the roster won’t just insulate Dallas from Schoonmaker’s injury and development, it will elevate their overall effectiveness running the ball.

Graded as the fifth highest performing TE in 2023, Lewis showed he still has plenty left in the tank these days. He has consistently graded as a top tier blocker year after year, all while working in a part-time role the last half-decade.

In Dallas he would improve the Cowboys standard run offense as well as their short yardage and three-TE sets. And if needs be, he can still catch too.

At age 40, Lewis is unlikely to have delusions of grandeur, demanding a bigger role on offense than what Dallas needs. He’s the perfect solution to the Cowboys TE situation and will elevate a part of the game in which the Cowboys have been struggling.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Cowboys, OL Chuma Edoga agree to terms for 2024 return

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran started 6 games last season for Dallas and now looks to provide depth for an O-line that’s lost two starters this offseason.

The Cowboys know they have depth concerns along the offensive line. They did some covering of their bases on Wednesday by coming to terms with Chuma Edoga to return for a second season with the team.

Edoga, a former third-round draft pick by the Jets in 2019, signed with Dallas last March as a free agent and appeared in all 17 regular-season games in 2023, though he played just a handful of special-teams snaps in several of those contests.

Overall, Edoga played 35% of the offense’s snaps on the season. He started six games at left tackle, subbing for Tyron Smith in Weeks 1 through 4, Week 8, and Week 16.

The versatile 26-year-old can play guard or tackle, although the club reportedly feels he performed better last year at tackle. He’ll be in the mix during camp to patch up an offensive line that lost two starter- Smith and center Tyler Biadasz- to free agency. The Cowboys are widely expected to also look to the draft for an offensive lineman prospect in the early rounds.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Matt Waletzko, T.J. Bass, Asim Richards, Josh Ball, and Earl Bostick Jr. are among the other depth linemen currently on the Cowboys roster.

Edoga will re-sign on a one-year deal. The terms of the contract were not immediately made public.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01htjmve3n9nm8jk2fvh playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01htjmve3n9nm8jk2fvh/01htjmve3n9nm8jk2fvh-49b1f6e465808318aacb50a397020387.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Tyrann Mathieu eager to reunite with Willie Gay: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with his former Chiefs teammate Willie Gay, who he sees as a great fit in New Orleans: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with Willie Gay. The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker joined Mathieu (and other old teammates like Tanoh Kpassagnon, Khalen Saunders, and Ugo Amadi) on the New Orleans Saints this offseason, and Mathieu says he believes Gay will be a great fit. He discussed what the free agent pickup has to offer on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“It’s amazing. Like coach says, it clears up the picture for you,” Mathieu said, considering the role Gay will play in Dennis Allen’s defense. “He is athletic, man. I think in the game today, when you have linebackers who can run just as fast as a slot receiver, who can handle the Darren Wallers in space, like it gives your defense an advantage, you know what I mean?”

The Saints had some trouble guarding tight ends and slot receivers last year. Pete Werner struggled in those assignments, and Gay will be competing with him for the starting job next to Demario Davis. Pro Football Focus charting found Werner allowed a career-high 470 receiving yards last season (another outlet, Pro Football Research, had him at 450), mostly to tight ends like Waller, T.J. Hockenson, and Luke Musgrave. Gay gives them a better option in those matchups.

Mathieu continued: “He’s going to be big-time for us. I think him coming in on a one-year deal, that’s going to allow him to be hungry, to be motivated. I already reached out to him, kind of talked to him, and let him know.”

And those movement skills in coverage make up just one area Mathieu points to as a strength. He also anticipates Gay bringing positive energy to the locker room, and for the linebacker to quickly endear himself to a new fanbase.

“The city is going to love him. Because he is so high energy, right, all day long. I think the fans are going to love him. Obviously the team will love him. He’s a good dude, a great teammate, he’s one of those linebackers that you’ve got to find a spot for him,” Mathieu said. “On third downs, can’t take him off the field.”

Gay himself has said he hopes to get on the field with Davis and Werner when the Saints run their base defense, but he might be their best bet at stopping the pass on third downs and in obvious passing situations, as Mathieu alluded to. That’s something they’ll be working to find out in training camp this summer. Wherever he’s lining up, Gay is expected to make a positive impact. Those expectations are coming from veteran teammates like Mathieu.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

ESPN says the Saints still have a major roster hole ahead of 2024 draft

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell says the Saints have yet to address a major team need going into the 2024 NFL draft. It’s obvious they need more help at offensive tackle:

It’s hardly a surprise to see someone suggesting the New Orleans Saints aren’t good enough at offensive tackle — watching any of their games from last season will give them all the proof they need to back that statement up. Still, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a deeper dive than most in exploring why this is such a problem, and how the Saints can clean it up.

The good news is that the Saints have just one outgoing free agent at the position, and it shouldn’t be hard to re-sign them; the question is whether Andrus Peat will agree to return to New Orleans at a price point that makes sense for the team, or if he’ll try to find a better offer in free agency. Barnwell says that’s the easiest solution for their problem at left tackle, where Trevor Penning hasn’t met expectations.

But James Hurst had a rough year at left guard and Ryan Ramczyk’s degenerative knee condition makes leaning on him tricky. So far, the team has only added Oli Udoh, one of first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s former players on the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s how Barnwell laid it out:

Hurst and Ramczyk took pay cuts to stay as opposed to the sort of classic contract restructures the Saints use in which they pay a player in full but spread the money over five seasons. The only addition they have made on the edge is Udoh, who had served as a utility lineman for the Vikings before tearing his quadriceps muscle in September and missing most of the 2023 season. He’s more likely a replacement for Hurst as the swing lineman (with Hurst penciled in as the full-time left guard) than a potential starting tackle. Landon Young, who took over for Ramczyk in December before getting injured himself, is also on the roster.

Young was less-than-impressive when stepping in for Ramczyk, and he suffered his own injury that sidelined him for the last two weeks of the season; veteran backup Cameron Erving (an unsigned free agent, at the moment) came up from the practice squad to take his place. If nothing else, the Saints need more depth than they worked with a year ago. Signing Peat could achieve that but the Saints could have already brought him back if they viewed him as a priority. Head coach Dennis Allen has left the door open for a reunion but it doesn’t sound very likely.

So what’s the best path forward? Again, Barnwell argues, re-signing Peat could make the most sense. But it’s not the only option. Here’s what he proposes with the 2024 NFL draft on the horizon:

It would have made sense to agree to a deal with Peat before the start of the new league year to mitigate the dead money on his deal, but the Saints might have been more optimistic then about Ramczyk’s chances of being healthy. Peat’s market hasn’t developed, and there aren’t many other players left in free agency with a track record of playing left tackle. David Bakhtiari and Mekhi Becton have significant injury histories, and Peat might have been better than Charles Leno and Donovan Smith a year ago. Reuniting with Peat would also afford New Orleans the flexibility of moving Hurst to left tackle and bumping Peat back inside to guard.

The Saints also have the 14th overall pick and could use that on a tackle prospect, but would there be any hesitation on their end after seemingly swinging and missing on Penning? This organization has used five first- or second-round picks on offensive linemen going back to Peat’s selection in 2015, and while that’s a perfectly reasonable way to build a football team, they have needs elsewhere that they can’t fill with high-end veterans in free agency. At the same time, if they’ve given up on Penning and Ramczyk can’t play, they might need to re-sign Peat and use their top pick on an offensive lineman.

The Saints have invested a ton of draft capital into their offensive line over the years and going back to that well might be their best path forward. We’ll have to see if they make any more additions in free agency over the next month, or if they’re counting on one of their early-round picks (at Nos. 14 and 45 overall) to cure what ails them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Fowler: Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott open to reunion, popular Texas RB also set for visit

From @ToddBrock24f7: There’s mutual interest in bringing Zeke back to Dallas, even as Texas RB Jonathon Brooks is scheduled for a 30 visit with the club.

There is reportedly mutual interest between the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott in bringing the three-time Pro Bowl running back to Dallas for the 2024 season.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler cited sources in a Saturday report, adding that while a deal has not been reached, both sides are apparently open to the idea.

The 28-year-old two-time rushing champ played in all 17 games of New England’s regular season last year, his first and only away from the Cowboys. And while his rushing attempts, rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards-per-carry average were all career lows, it’s thought that his 6-foot, 226-pound body can still deliver punishment out of the backfield and in pass blocking, components that were largely missing in 2023 with Tony Pollard shouldering the load in Dallas.

Over seven seasons with the Cowboys, Elliott racked up over 8,200 rushing yards and scored 68 touchdowns on the ground. His familiarity with the Dallas offense and his chemistry with teammates and coaches would be a huge plus in a season where the Cowboys must come out of the gates hot and stay comfortably in playoff contention wire to wire.

Whether the fanbase were to view an Elliott return as a step in the right direction after a frustratingly quiet offseason or just another reason to write the team off and look to a 2025 reset is up for debate.

But the Cowboys are at least interested in younger options at the running back position, too.

Texas prospect Jonathon Brooks is among the top running backs who will be available in the upcoming draft, and he already has a 30-visit scheduled with the Cowboys.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Brooks didn’t work out at the combine or the school’s pro day, as he is still rehabbing a November ACL tear that prematurely ended his only season as the Longhorns’ starter. But in 11 games, he gained over 1,100 yards, scored 10 touchdowns, and showed enough size, speed, strength, and agility to perhaps make the redshirt sophomore an intriguing roll of the dice.

Additionally, Brooks’s surgery was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ head physician, perhaps giving the team an inside track on his progress. And Brooks himself claims he’s on track to be cleared in time for training camp this summer.

The native of Hallettsville, Tex. is considered an explosive runner with good quickness, but perhaps not home-run speed. Weighing just 207 pounds, he may not be as much of a bruiser as Elliott was in his prime (or even is now), but he could prove to be effective as part of the right backfield committee.

Maybe even one in Dallas that also includes Ezekiel Elliott.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hsvk90v992f8t42efj playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hsvk90v992f8t42efj/01hsvk90v992f8t42efj-379302fa39b23dc361f9b156b0e4d589.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys loss of Tyron Smith illustrates the need for salary cap exceptions

Should the NFL mimic the NBA in how they deal with veterans who have been with the club that drafted them for an extended period of time? | From @ReidDHanson

No one wants to remember Joe Montana finishing his career with Kansas City, or Joe Namath ending up in Los Angeles. Johnny Unitas was last seen as a Charger and even the great Emmitt Smith was last seen with a bird on his helmet. Those sights are affronts to rationality.

With the dawn of the NFL salary cap, situations such as these grew in prevalence. Would Tom Brady have left New England if money weren’t a factor? What about DeMarcus Ware leaving Dallas for the Broncos? What about Tyron Smith going to the Jets here in 2024? Jerry Jones recently mentioned Smith’s departure and likened it to Ware’s. He said the money was a problem.

“You know how highly he is thought of by us,” Jones said. “[But] We can’t afford that. We can’t afford that. If he makes all of those incentives and things like that, we would be really wrecked.”

While not directly blaming the NFL’s salary cap specifically in this situation, Jones has discussed the limits a hard salary cap places on the franchise many times previously. It’s been used to justify the Cowboys frugal spending habits in free agency and used as leverage against players negotiating new extensions.

It’s certainly possible the most valuable franchise in the world isn’t liquid enough to pay game incentives on a contract, but it’s more likely Jones was pointing to the cap health and not his pocketbook when he said the word “wrecked.”

While the salary cap is highly malleable and not as restrictive as some owners would have fans believe, it isn’t completely fake either. Players do count against the ledger and salaries eventually have to be accounted for in some way. If certain veteran exceptions were made, maybe more franchise cornerstones like Smith and Ware would be able to finish their career on the team they had always played for.

The NBA saw the issue in their league and added a thing called “bird rights” to certain veteran contracts. It’s to make it easier for teams to retain players over the cap and subsequently reduces the number of superstars bouncing around from team-to-team year after year. The NFL could do something similar.

Maybe a player who’s played “x” number of years for the team that drafted him no longer counts against the cap? Some owners probably wouldn’t like it because they wouldn’t have the cap excuse to fall on, but teams focused on maximizing the success of their roster would certainly profit. Fans would certainly like it.

If the number of years for this veteran exemption is set at 10, someone like Dak Prescott would come off the books in 2026. It would give a team like the Cowboys a major advantage having a franchise QB exist off the ledger.

Maybe each year under an exemption would come with a player option to hit unrestricted free agency? These legendary players would have the right to demand a good team around them or they could look for a better situation elsewhere. Of course, leaving would mean the exemption dissolves and whatever outside contract is signed would count against the cap of the new team.

At a time of the offseason when the NFL owners meet to discuss rules changes and other matters of business, it’s an interesting topic to think about. Such an exception would benefit teams strong in drafting and would keep legends with the same team in which they began their career.

Because no Cowboy should have to finish their career with a bird on his helmet.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

The Cowboys toughest free agent loss to fill in the 2024 NFL draft

The Cowboys are leaning on the draft to fill many of the holes on their roster but which hole is the hardest to fill in 2024? | From @ReidDHanson

To say the 2024 free agency period has been a tough one for Cowboys fans is a bit of an understatement. Dallas took their usual approach to the annual swap meet, letting the high-ticket items sort themselves out and waiting for the bargains to slip through the cracks and into their waiting arms.

The Cowboys came to terms with a handful of their own free agents, locking up RB Rico Dowdle, CB Jourdan Lewis, special teamers C.J. Goodwin and Trent Sieg. They even signed an outside free agent in LB Eric Kendricks to a reasonable deal. Yet all of these signings pale in comparison to their losses. It’s clear the Cowboys have a net loss in talent on their roster and will need the draft if they hope to climb out of the hole free agency has put them in.

Since not all positions are created equal and some solutions are easier to find in the draft than others, strategy will need to be employed if the Cowboys hope to build a contender in 2024. In the strategy sessions leading up to the draft, Dallas would be wise to identify the hardest positions to fill and prioritize accordingly.

But what position is hardest? Which free agent loss will be the most difficult to fill in the 2024 NFL draft?

The free agent departure who signed for the most APY and highest guaranteed happens to Dorance Armstrong. The Cowboys rotational DE played a big part on Dan Quinn’s defense in 2023 so it’s understandable Quinn took the young man with him to Washington. Joining Armstrong in the move to our nation’s capital is DE Dante Fowler. The two players combine to leave behind a significant hole at DE, making it an underrated need in Dallas this offseason.

Dallas’ leading rusher Tony Pollard followed the money out of town, leaving the Cowboys in a tough situation at the RB position. But RBs, much like LBs, can be found all over the draft so replacing Pollard should be a relatively doable task, provided the Cowboys do their individual scouting well.

The OC position is another spot which sustained a significant loss in free agency. But options are everywhere throughout the draft and the OC position is a spot where Dallas could tread water with even below average play.

The one position they can’t fake it is the position tasked with protecting Dak Prescott’s blind side. LT, vacated by Tyron Smith in free agency, is the most important position , and the hardest, to fill in the draft. Premium LTs are typically only found in the first round so the Cowboys can’t afford to miss out with their top pick this April.

Helping the Cowboys in this difficult task is the presence of Tyler Smith. Smith has LT ability and the Cowboys have expressed a willingness to use him at LT if they need to in 2024.

With Smith on the roster, Dallas wouldn’t be required to draft a plug-and-play LT because Smith could man the post in the short-term. It would allow the Cowboys to draft someone like Amarius Mims or Tyler Guyton who are more developmental in nature, but still require first-round investment.

The Cowboys sure didn’t make things easy for themselves this offseason but if they prioritize correctly, they should be able to fill many of their needs in the draft.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dennis Allen leaves the door open to an Andrus Peat return

Andrus Peat remains on the market despite a free agent visit with the Titans. A return to the Saints could help both parties, at the right cost:

Dennis Allen met with media at the NFC coaches breakfast on Tuesday during NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., and he touched on a range of topics. One of those centered on free agent offensive lineman Andrus Peat, who has yet to sign with a team despite visiting the Tennessee Titans after his Saints contract expired.

“I think all things are on the table in terms of how we want to fill out our roster,” Allen said Tuesday. That’s hardly an endorsement for bringing Peat back, but it isn’t a door-slams-shut moment, either. “And so there’s a business aspect that goes along with all these decisions, so we’ll see.”

That sounds like the typical coach-speak to say the door is open on Peat returning to the team. This is likely just a sign there’s no bad blood between him and the team, but a return should be firmly on the table. The Saints do not have the luxury of being comfortable at offensive line.

The one move the Saints made in that position group was signing Oli Udoh. Udoh is a depth signing with limited potential. When you break down his value to New Orleans, it’s very similar to Peat but with seemingly a lower floor. Udoh is a depth piece that provides versatility at left guard and left tackle. He’s played both position, but has limited starting experience in the NFL at either spot.

Peat on the other hand has a lot of experience at both left guard and tackle. He could easily start at either position next year. The longer he stays on the market could be a sign of his value to teams. Udoh can improve depth but  his presence shouldn’t deter a reunion with Peat, at the right price. With Trevor Penning’s progress stalling out at left tackle and Ryan Ramczyk’s future in doubt at right tackle, they need to make more moves.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]