Tag: dee ford

Derrick Brown named to 2024 NFL Pro Bowl

Brown will cap his most successful season in the NFL by compeiting in the Pro Bowl.

Former Auburn defensive lineman [autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag] has been named to the 2024 Pro Bowl games as a replacement for Aaron Donald.

Brown is coming off his best season as a professional for the Carolina Panthers, shining as a bright spot for an otherwise rough season in Charlotte.

The 25-year-old set the record for tackles by a defensive tackle in 2023, recording 103 total tackles en route to breaking Christian Wilkins’ 2022 record of 98 tackles.

While the record was certainly aided by the extra regular season game, Brown’s dominance shouldn’t be understated.

Auburn’s former captain is set to join New York Giants tackle Dexter Lawrence and San Francisco 49ers tackle Javon Hargrave, as the three interior defensive linemen on Eli Manning’s NFC Pro Bowl roster.

Hargrave would join Aaron Donald as an opt-out if his 49ers make it to the Super Bowl.

Brown is the first Auburn alumni to receive a Pro Bowl invite since long snapper [autotag]Josh Harris[/autotag] played for the NFC in 2022. The former first-round pick is the first defensive player from Auburn to make the All-Star game since [autotag]Dee Ford[/autotag] in 2019.

The Pro Bowl games kick off in Orlando, Florida on February 1 and continue throughout the week, ending on February 4 with a “Flag Football Showdown.”

We’ll see if Brown can help the NFC take home the crown for the second year in a row.

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4 players costing 49ers more than $17 million in dead money

The 49ers have more than $17 million in salary cap space taken up by players no longer with the team.

Virtually every NFL team carries around some amount of dead salary cap space. That’s money counted against the cap for players who are no longer on the team.

How teams accumulate their dead cap varies. Sometimes a player retires with money left on their deal. Other times a player gets cut with money remaining on their contract. Restructured contracts tend to push money into the future by limiting a cap hit now, but sending money down the road where a player will have a cap hit even after they leave the team. This is the case with most of the players who hold dead cap space for the 49ers.

San Francisco will have $17,085,988 in dead money this year. While that sounds like a lot, it’s not close to the most in the NFL. That spot belongs to the Buccaneers and their $75,323,702 in dead money. The 49ers rank 20th in the NFL. The Bengals sit at the bottom of the list with just under $600,000 in dead cap.

So, who exactly is costing the 49ers more than $17 million in cap space without suiting up for them this year? Here’s the list:

7 free agent pass rushers the Eagles could consider after Derek Barnett suffers torn ACL

Seven free agent pass rushers the Philadelphia Eagles could consider after Derek Barnett suffers torn ACL

The Eagles are down a pass rusher after Nick Sirianni confirmed that Derek Barnett suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Lions.

Barnett, the Eagles’ 2017 first-round pick is out for the season after re-signing with the team on a two-year deal this offseason.

“Derek will be out and he tore his ACL, and obviously that’s a big blow for us,” Nick Sirianni said Monday. “I love the way Derek Barnett comes to work every single day and plays with grittiness and toughness and (plays) nasty. “I am a huge Derek Barnett fan and he’ll be missed, so that sucks. I hate that for him, I hate that for this team. I can’t tell you how much I think of Derek.”

Barnett exited the game midway through the third quarter and he’s among the top edge rushers in the league when it comes to applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

Philadelphia has Tarron Jackson on the roster and could elevate from within, but we’re provided seven free agent options as well.

3 edge rushers Titans should target in free agency

A look at three edge rushers the Titans should target in the wake of Harold Landry’s injury.

The Tennessee Titans were recently dealt a tough blow after it was reported that outside linebacker Harold Landry had suffered a torn ACL in practice, ending his 2022 season before it begins.

The Titans now have to try and replace the production and hefty snap count of their sack leader from last season, which is no small task.

Chances are the Titans will go in-house to replace him, with guys like Rashad Weaver, Ola Adeniyi, Denico Autry and DeMarcus Walker all expected to chip in.

Tennessee also added former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka via waivers after placing Landry on injured reserve, and the team has 2022 UDFA and preseason standout David Anenih on the practice squad.

However, if the Titans want to bring in some help from the outside, there are some intriguing options available on the free-agent market. Here’s a look at three we’d like to see Tennessee target.

Veteran pass rusher hits free agent market as 49ers release Dee Ford

If the Cardinals have interest in bringing a veteran pass rusher into training camp, Dee Ford is now available.

The Arizona Cardinals have not done anything in free agency to address the void that was left when Chandler Jones signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. They have the opportunity to do so if it is something they wish.

At long last, the San Francisco 49rs released veteran pass rusher Dee Ford. It was a move that the team knew it would make to clear cap space after he dealt with injuries all three seasons he was with the team.

Ford, who was a Pro Bowler in 2018 with the Kansas City Chiefs and had 13 sacks, did not make it through a full season healthy in any of the three seasons he played for the Niners. His best season was 2019 when he had 6.5 sacks in 11 games. In 2020 and 2021, he played in a total of seven games and had a total of 152 defensive snaps.

He had three sacks in six games last season.

This injury history is clearly a deterrent, but if the Cardinals had interest, there is some upside. At this point, if he is going to still play, he probably will not be able to get more than a veteran minimum deal. It might be worth it for the Cardinals to sign him and give him a look in training camp and the preseason, at least to see if he can play in a limited, situational pass-rushing role.

The Cardinals have Markus Golden on one side of the defense and a combination of Devon Kennard, Dennis Gardeck and rookies Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders expected to get looks opposite Golden.

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Former Auburn defensive end cut by NFL team

The team said earlier in the offseason they were unsure if they planned to keep him on the roster.

Edge Rusher [autotag]Dee Ford[/autotag]’s future with the San Francisco 49ers has been in jeopardy for some time now, but the team finally made its decision on Wednesday.

The 49ers finally cut Ford after previously stating they weren’t sure they saw him in their future. Ford hasn’t played for the 49ers all too much, only appearing in seven games across the last two years with the team.

Ford initially came to San Francisco via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. He was a big producer for Kansas City and managed to do the same for San Francisco with a 10-sack season in 2019 in just 11 games. Injuries prevented anything further, though, and his campaign with the 49ers finally came to an end without much fanfare on Wednesday.

At Auburn, Ford particularly shined in his fifth year as a Tiger — he put up 10.5 sacks and 29 tackles and earned a First Team All-SEC nod for his efforts. He was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft with the 23rd pick overall by Kansas City.

Ford now becomes a free agent and can sign with any NFL team should he clear waivers.

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49ers release former Chiefs OLB Dee Ford

Former #Chiefs OLB Dee Ford has been released by the 49ers after a disappointing three years with the team.

Former Kansas City Chiefs OLB Dee Ford has been released from his contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

A former first-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2014 NFL draft, Kansas City traded the franchise-tagged Ford to the 49ers ahead of the 2019 NFL season in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. The 49ers in turn signed Ford to a five-year contract extension worth over $85 million. It looked like a great deal for a player coming off of a season where he recorded 55 tackles, 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles.

The problem was that Ford was unable to stay healthy in San Francisco. In three seasons with the 49ers, Ford has appeared in just 18 regular-season games of 49 possible games. He recorded just 22 total tackles, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in that span.

With concerns about the Chiefs’ pass-rushing depth, there will surely be some calls for a reunion, but don’t expect that to happen. There’s the offsides gaffe in the 2018 AFC title game that in part cost Kansas City a trip to the Super Bowl. Also considering Ford’s fit in Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 system, plus the neck and back injuries that have hampered his career since he left Kansas City, this one is probably best left in the past.

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49ers release DE Dee Ford

The #49ers have officially released DE Dee Ford.

The 49ers on Wednesday announced the release of defensive end Dee Ford.

It’s not a surprise that San Francisco is making this move after two full seasons of injury woes related to a back ailment for Ford. General manager John Lynch on Tuesday intimated a move like this was coming.

“I can tell you guys the next couple days they’re working through some things, the league PA and all that, but you know, I think you guys will see a transaction and, you know, leave it at that,” Lynch said in a press conference.

The 49ers acquired Ford in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2019 offseason and signed him to a five-year contract worth $85.5 million with $33.35 million guaranteed.

In three years with the club Ford played in 18 games and posted 9.5 sacks. San Francisco after a couple restructures will carry a dead cap hit of $5.8 million over the next two seasons, and $920,000 in three seasons after that.

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Texans should take a chance on 49ers DE Dee Ford

The Houston Texans should take a look at San Francisco 49ers DE Dee Ford, who could be a June 1 cut this offseason.

General manager Nick Caserio gathering draft capital is beneficial for the Houston Texans because it allows them the opportunity to secure veteran talent that may be on the trade block.

According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, one candidate that is on the trade block — or could be outright released after June 1 — is San Francisco 49ers defense end Dee Ford. After signing a five-year, $85 million extension with the 49ers following the Kansas City Chiefs trading their former 2014 first-rounder in the 2018 offseason, Ford hasn’t exactly been as formidable.

Before injuries derailed his career, Ford was coming off a dominant 2018 campaign in which he earned a 91.0 pass-rush grade with 78 quarterback pressures, 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles. It’s unfortunate we never got to see an attempted repeat performance, but perhaps he’ll make one last push on a new team in 2022.

The 49ers would have to eat $5.8 million in dead salary cap space if they moved on from Ford, whether by trade or by outright release. The cap savings would be paltry at $1.1 million for San Francisco.

The last four years of Ford’s contract are voided, according to Over the Cap, and the Texans would have a potential out in 2023, but he would count as an $8.6 million dead cap hit for Houston if they released him prior to June 1. However, it would give the Texans a chance to revitalize the career of an effective edge defender while retooling the defense.

For the Texans to complete the rebuild, it will involve taking chances on veteran talent that has tapered off in recent seasons. Ford is 31 years old and may still have a good season or two left in him.

Houston is already giving opportunities to older pass rushers such as Jerry Hughes, 33, and Mario Addison, 34. Ford would still have a couple good years left if he were able to restore his career in Houston.

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Auburn in the mix for in-state edge rusher who will make his decision on Thursday

2023 in-state edge linebacker listed Auburn in his final eight and also set a commitment date.

On Wednesday, 2023 edge rusher Yonzae Pierre listed his top eight schools. One of the schools listed was the Auburn Tigers. Along with Pierre listing his final eight schools, he also announced that he would be making his decision on Thursday morning.

Pierre stands at 6’4 220 pounds. It is likely that the Tigers will put him at the edge position. With his size and speed, I think he would fair well off the edge. His measurables are very similar to former Auburn defensive end [autotag]Dee Ford[/autotag]. Ford came out of high school listed at 6’2 243. Pierre could definitely add some weight before he reaches the college level. In the past two seasons at Eufaula high school, he has recorded 101 tackles and 12 sacks.

So far, Auburn has offered 17 edge rushers. Edge linebackers coach [autotag]Roc Bellantoni[/autotag] would definitely love to add Pierre to the 2023 class. As it stands now, Auburn will likely lose [autotag]Derrick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota[/autotag] to the NFL Draft after this season. A tandem of [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] and Pierre would be really nice for the foreseeable future.

Yhonzae Pierre’s Recruiting Profile

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