Tag: 2022 free agency

5 replacements Saints should consider with Trevor Penning out indefinitely

Eric Fisher, Jason Peters, and Alex Leatherwood are among replacements the New Orleans Saints should consider with Trevor Penning injured, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints will need to rush to the open market with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that rookie tackle Trevor Penning is out indefinitely with a torn ligament in his foot. He was likely not going to make a push for a starting spot yet, but looked to be solid depth while he developed. Now, their current backup tackle is Derrick Kelly who is likely not ready to be thrown into action in the regular season.

There will be more names available in the coming days with roster cuts looming, but for now there are a couple of very intriguing names available to the Saints if they want to get a head start:

List of remaining unsigned Bears free agents

The Bears have a number of free agents who remain unsigned. Here’s a look:

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of the final phase of their offseason program, where they’re gearing up for the final week of Organized Week Activities (OTAs) before veteran minicamp wraps things up ahead of training camp.

The Bears have a number of remaining free agents that still aren’t signed, including several familiar faces who were cut this offseason including defensive lineman Eddie Goldman, linebacker Danny Trevathan and running back Tarik Cohen (who recently tore his Achilles while training).

Here are the Bears free agents that still remain unsigned to this point (via Spotrac).

Cowboys DT Brent Urban signs new deal with Baltimore

The native Canadian played just 6 games in Dallas before a triceps injury ended his season. Now he’ll wear the purple and black in 2022. | From @ToddBrock24f7

After six game appearances in Dallas in 2021, veteran defensive tackle Brent Urban is returning to the team that originally drafted him.

Urban has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. The sources on this move are pretty airtight: Urban’s own wife tweeted the news Friday evening.

The native Canadian was a fourth-round pick out of Virginia in 2014, as well as a second-round selection by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Urban elected to stay in America, though, and played his first four pro seasons for the Ravens. He began the 2019 season in Tennessee but was released partway through the year and signed with Chicago.

Urban inked a one-year contract with the Cowboys in March of 2021 and was expected to beef up the interior of the Dallas defensive line along with Neville Gallimore, Trysten Hill, free agent Carlos Watkins, and then-rookies Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna.

But injuries plagued the tackles group, and Urban himself was bitten by the bug in late October. A triceps injury landed him on IR and then closed the book on his 2021 campaign.

As with his signing in Dallas and his season-ending surgery in November, this latest news of the free agent’s signing with Baltimore was broken by Urban’s own wife via social media.

The writing had been on the wall that the 6-foot-7, 308-pounder would likely not return to the Cowboys. Rookie nose tackle John Ridgeway had already been issued Urban’s No. 95 jersey for minicamp.

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PFF believes Bears had an average 2022 offseason

PFF believes the Bears had an underwhelming offseason under new GM Ryan Poles, where Chicago earned a C grade.

There’s been a lot of discussion about how the Chicago Bears have approached this offseason under new general manager Ryan Poles, which hasn’t inspired a lot of confidence heading into the 2022 season.

Pro Football Focus graded all 32 NFL offseasons, where the Bears were just average with a C grade. Breaking it down, Chicago earned an average free agency and a B- NFL draft.

PFF noted that the new Bears regime was in a difficult position when they took over. Specifically as Poles had to tear down the roster before building it back up. That included trading Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers and parting ways with players with hefty salary cap hits.

But they also noted that Chicago lost their top player on both offense and defense in Mack and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Receiver Byron Pringle and offensive lineman Lucas Patrick represent the kind of low-price roll of the dice they were interested in making, as they were hoping to upgrade incrementally without much cash outlay while building through the draft.

When it came to draft time, the team went defense with their first two selections before finally finding some help for Justin Fields. Velus Jones Jr. looked excellent in his last season in college, but he is two years older than Fields and will be a 25-year old rookie. On Day 3, they added four different offensive linemen, hoping that one or more sticks and upgrades an ugly-looking unit on paper. The team didn’t have much room to maneuver this offseason, but it still feels like they did little to ensure their most important player (Fields) succeeds.

The main point of contention revolves around the Bears seemingly not doing enough to help second-year quarterback Justin Fields. Poles added some unproven wide receivers in Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown in free agency while adding Lucas Patrick to serve as the starting center. The Bears also drafted Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of the NFL draft and added four offensive linemen on Day 3.

Aside from Darnell Mooney, the Bears don’t have a proven wideout on the roster — although there is plenty of potential among the group. There are also questions along the offensive line, including a glaring hole at right guard.

While the Bears have been criticized for their offseason, it’s clear Poles has a vision for this roster in 2022 and beyond.

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PFF believes this free-agent offensive tackle would be sense for Bears

The Bears still have questions on their roster, including on the offensive line. Should they sign this free-agent left tackle?

The Chicago Bears enter the remainder of the offseason with plenty of questions on offense, including most importantly the offensive line. While Chicago added four offensive linemen on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft, there are still plenty of questions in the trenches.

The Bears could turn to the free agent market to add some experience on the offensive line, where Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey believes left tackle Duane Brown would be a good fit with the Bears.

Brown, who’s one of the best tackle prospects still on the market, has spent the last four years with the Seattle Seahawks and is coming off a Pro Bowl season.

The Bears threw some darts at the offensive line on Day 3 of the draft, but their two projected starters at tackle are still Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom. A lot is riding on those two taking big steps forward in their second seasons.

Brown isn’t a long-term solution at the position, but he can step in as a starting left tackle Justin Fields and the rest of this offense can have confidence in. Brown’s 71.5 PFF grade in 2021 was his lowest since his rookie season in 2008, but it was still a middle-of-the-pack mark among qualifiers at the position. Even if he doesn’t bounce back in 2022, that represents an upgrade at a key position for the Bears.

Chicago has experimented with different alignments along the offensive line this offseason, including switching Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins at the left and right tackle positions. But there’s still a glaring hole at right guard and more tinkering could be on the way.

There are options currently on the roster — including with a couple of rookie prospects in Zachary Thomas and Ja’Tyre Carter — but it’s likely the Bears turn to a veteran in this case.

Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair appear locked in at center and left guard, respectively. But if the Bears were to sign Brown to play left tackle, Chicago could perhaps plug in Jenkins or Borom at right tackle and kick the other inside to right guard.

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ESPN: Anthony Barr would bring needed veteran experience to Cowboys LB corps

The former 1st-round pick had a major injury in 2020, but could pair with Leighton Vander Esch in a young LB group with availability issues. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans are hoping that patience is a virtue that pays off for their team before the 2022 season begins. The Dallas front office mostly sat on their hands for the wildest free agency period in recent memory, watching big-name talent bounce around the league as massive paychecks followed.

Stephen Jones has said that the team was “not done yet” in free agency, perhaps waiting until after the draft to add a veteran at a post-frenzy price. And now that the compensatory pick deadline has passed, the Cowboys could grab a remaining free agent without giving up a middle-round draft pick in the future.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN has sifted through the free agent pool to find a good home for ten of the most notable veterans out there, and he sees Dallas as a perfect match for four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr.

Barr was the ninth overall pick by Minnesota in the 2014 draft. The UCLA alum started 98 games for the Vikings, compiling 495 tackles, five interceptions, eight forced fumbles, 17.5 sacks, and 31 passes defensed along the way.

But now Barr, 30, is an unrestricted free agent, available to sign with any team that offers him a deal.

Writes Barnwell:

“In 2019, the Jets signed Barr to a five-year deal in the $70 million range amid rumors that they were going to turn the linebacker into an edge rusher. Barr backed out of the deal and re-signed with the Vikings, but while he saw occasional reps on the edge, the Vikings didn’t unleash Barr as a pass-rusher. He racked up four sacks over three seasons while missing 22 games, most notably with a torn pec in 2020.

“Now that he’s a free agent, what if a team took a chance on using Barr in more of a hybrid role? We saw the Cowboys unlock something truly special from Micah Parsons by using their 2020 first-round pick as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher a year ago. Barr isn’t Parsons, but after Dallas lost Randy Gregory this past offseason, Barr would give the Cowboys another eligible rusher who is also capable of playing a more traditional linebacker role.

“Barr and Leighton Vander Esch would each be leverage against the other’s injury history, and senior Cowboys defensive assistant George Edwards served as Barr’s defensive coordinator between 2014 and 2019.”

The Cowboys are encouraged by their current linebacker corps, but there are indeed uncertainties at the position. Second-year man Jabril Cox had a promising start last season as a rookie, but is now coming off an ACL tear. Damone Clark out of LSU could prove to be a fifth-round steal, but may not play at all in 2022 as he rehabs from spinal fusion surgery. After Parsons and Vander Esch, there’s just Luke Gifford, Devante Bond, and sixth-round selection Devin Harper.

Safety Jayron Kearse is expected to take on some linebacker duties in a hybrid role, but some experienced depth in the middle level would be a significant and welcome addition to Dan Quinn’s defense.

And now the price may be right.

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Raiders sign free agent LB Kenny Young

Raiders sign former Rams, Broncos LB Kenny Young

With a couple of roster spots available after the draft and undrafted free agent signings, the Raiders continue to add players today. They have signed former Rams and Broncos linebacker Kenny Young.

The 6-1, 235-pounder was originally a fourth round pick by the Ravens in the 2018 draft out of UCLA.

After spending the better part of two seasons with the Rams, he was traded to the Broncos midway through last season.

Young started 13 games split between the Broncos and Rams in 2021 putting up 75 combined tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks, making for his best season in the pros.

The 27-year-old inside linebacker joins a group led by Denzel Perryman coming off his first Pro Bowl in 2021. The Raiders also added Jayon Brown, Micah Kiser, and Kyler Fackrell this offseason.

Also see: Top 5 wide open position battles for Raiders

Predicting Jags’ starting offensive lineup after 2022 NFL Draft, free agency

The Jags’ offense is going to have various new starters this season, and that’s especially the case on the offensive line and at receiver.

The process of adding major additions to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster is pretty much over as free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft have concluded. Along the way, the Jags spent the most money in NFL history to add veteran talent and also use the draft to mostly upgrade their defense from the front of the draft order.

Now, we have several months to monitor how each new addition fits in with the players who were on the team last season, as well as figure out what players will make it onto the final 53-man roster. Early this week, we took an early swing at predicting the roster, but now it’s time to take a deeper dive into the team and guess who the starters could be. 

That said, here are our super early predictions of how the offensive lineup could shake out:

25 best remaining free agents the Bears should target after NFL draft

With the NFL draft in the books, the third wave of free agency has begun. Here are some players the Bears should consider targeting.

The 2022 NFL draft is in the books, and the Chicago Bears have welcomed 11 new rookies to the roster.

Now, the third wave of free agency is underway, where general manager Ryan Poles has an opportunity to address some positions that still need attention following the draft, including wide receiver, linebacker and defensive line.

Also, beginning this week, all free agency signings will no longer count against the compensatory formula. Unfortunately, Chicago isn’t slated to have any compensatory picks in 2023.

Here’s a look at some of the best available free agents the Bears could target in this third wave of free agency:

13 Bears free agents are still unsigned

Now that the NFL draft has concluded, here’s a look at the 13 Bears free agents who remain unsigned.

The 2022 NFL draft has concluded, and the Chicago Bears have added 11 new rookies to their roster.

But this is also a time when NFL teams will be looking to free agency again to address roster needs coming out of the draft. Chicago still has needs at wide receiver, linebacker and defensive line, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see general manager Ryan Poles look to this current free agent market to address them.

There are 13 Bears free agents who are still unsigned, which includes several players who were released this offseason (like Eddie Goldman, Tarik Cohen, Danny Trevathan and Nick Foles). Here’s a look: