Buffalo Bills agree to terms with DT Tim Settle on two-year deal

New defensive lineman heading to the #Bills:

The Buffalo Bills have made their first addition to the defensive line during the 2022 free agency period.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, defensive tackle Tim Settle has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Bills.

On Monday, the NFL’s “legal tampering period” began. Pending free agents and teams can agree to terms on contracts, however, they cannot officially be signed until Wednesday at 4 p.m., this deal falls under that umbrella.

In Settle, the Bills sign a younger free agent. The 24-year-old hits the market after starting his career with the Washington Commanders.

Settle was selected by Washington in the fifth-round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Virginia Tech. There, Settle was college teammates with Buffalo’s starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Settle’s departure from the Commanders likely has to do with his desire for more playing time.

In Washington, Settle was buried on the depth chart behind Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne in the middle of the defensive line.

In Buffalo, Settle will have company, but he might get a better look actually getting on the field even with the rotation the Bills play on their defensive line.

Pro Football Focus recently named Settle a “free-agent fit” for the Bills. The football analytics outlet also gave Settle a career-high grade in 2021, a 70.1 overall mark.

Stay up-to-date with all of the Bills’ movement during the 2022 free agency period with Bills Wire’s full tracker below:

Tracker: Full list of Bills transactions as free agency window opens

 

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Commanders 2022 free agency preview: Tim Settle will have options

Tim Settle is a free agent, and he will have options. Washington should seriously consider retaining him.

The Washington Commanders have arguably one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat and Chase Young are all former first-round picks.

So, it is sometimes easy to forget about Washington’s other defensive linemen. Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle are Washington’s reserve defensive tackles, and both could start for other teams. Ioannidis remains a part-time starter and key rotation piece for the Commanders.

What about Settle?

After four years in the NFL, Settle is a free agent and will for an opportunity to start somewhere. He should have multiple options after showing flashes during his time with the Commanders.

 

Washington inactive players vs. Eagles

Washington released its inactive list for Tuesday’s game vs. Eagles.

The Washington Football Team announced its Week 15 inactive list ahead of their Tuesday evening game at Philadelphia. The list contained a pair of surprises.

Here’s the list:

  • WR Curtis Samuel
  • DE James Smith-Williams
  • DT Tim Settle
  • TE Sammis Reyes
  • WR Antonio Gandy-Golden

Settle and Smith-Williams recently cleared COVID-19 protocols and were activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Settle was activated before the 4:00 p.m ET deadline and flew to Philadelphia to arrive in time for the game.

So, it’s a surprise to see Settle inactive unless his conditioning is an issue. Smith-Williams is another surprise. The second-year defensive end took over as a starter once Chase Young was lost for the season and missed last wee’s game vs. Cowboys. If he’s healthy, it’s a curious decision by Washington coach Ron Rivera.

It does help the WFT that Montez Sweat is back and active for the game.

Reyes also cleared COVID protocols, but he was dealing with a concussion and ruled out. Fortunately for Washington, tight end Ricky Seals-Jones is active, giving the WFT two solid options at tight end, along with rookie John Bates.

Curtis Samuel will miss his ninth game of the season. Washington placed running back J.D. McKissic on injured reserve earlier Tuesday, which was a bit of a surprise. Why not place McKissic on IR sooner?

Washington makes multiple moves ahead of Week 15 game vs. Eagles

Washington made multiple roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s game vs. Eagles.

The NFL moved Washington’s Week 15 game against the Eagles to Tuesday after the WFT’s COVID-19 outbreak last week. Washington saw over two dozen players added to the reserve/COVID-19 list, including its top two quarterbacks in Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.

Now that the deadline has passed and Heinicke and Allen will remain on the COVID-19 list, Washington announced multiple roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s game.

Only three Washington’s players were activated from the reserve/COVID list. Washington activated defensive tackle Tim Settle, defensive back Troy Apke and tight end Sammis Reyes, but Reyes is dealing with a concussion and is ruled out for the game.

That means Washington will be without top cornerback Kendall Fuller, All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff and right tackle Cornelius Lucas, among others.

Washington also placed running back J.D. McKissic on injured reserve, dealing another tough blow to Washington’s decimated offense.

Washington activated the following players to fill out the roster:

  • FB Alex Armah
  • LB De’Jon Harris
  • QB Kyle Shurmur
  • OT David Steinmetz

In some good news for Washington, it has most of its defensive line back, including Montez Sweat — except for the injured Chase Young.

Washington’s two active quarterbacks will be Garrett Gilbert and Shurmur. Gilbert, 30, will make his second career NFL start. File that under things you never thought you’d see.

Kendall Fuller and Tim Settle are latest Washington players to land on COVID list

Kendall Fuller and Tim Settle are the latest additions to the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The hits just keep on coming for the Washington Football Team. On Monday, Washington placed four players on the reserve/COVID-19 test, including star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. That gave Washington nine players on the COVID list.

On Tuesday, Washington added two more defenders to the list as cornerback Kendall Fuller and defensive tackle Tim Settle were placed on the COVID list.

That means Washington now has 10 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list — nine of which are defensive players. On Tuesday, the lone bit of good news was cornerback Darryl Roberts being activated from the list.

Here’s the complete list, per John Keim of ESPN.

Washington currently holds the No. 7 playoff spot in the NFC and has a massive game this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have the same record [6-7] as Washington. As of now, it looks like the WFT could have a difficult time even fielding a defense in Week 15.

 

Don’t expect Washington to make any moves before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline

Don’t expect Washington to do anything before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

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The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. This season, we’ve already seen some action with the Eagles trading tight end Zach Ertz to the Cardinals, and the big move happened on Monday when the Broncos sent future Hall-of-Fame pass-rusher Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams.

The biggest name as it pertains to trades is Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Don’t expect any trade for Watson on Tuesday until his legal issues are resolved.

At 2-6 on the season, the Washington Football Team would be a prime candidate to unload some talented players on expiring contracts. Washington isn’t going to contend this season, so why not get some value for players like J.D. McKissic, Ricky Seals-Jones, Tim Settle and others?

Sure, trades are a two-way street. You need interest from others. But it would be wise for Washington to tell other teams it would listen on virtually everyone, except wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

No, it doesn’t mean you are giving up on Chase Young or Montez Sweat; it would just be wise to listen. Washington still needs plenty of help, and if it’s going to go all-in on a quarterback in 2022, it will need more assets.

Don’t expect anything to happen. Washington certainly shouldn’t be trading any future assets for veteran players on Tuesday. However, the team should certainly listen to inquiries from other teams.

We named four players last week Washington should consider trading, with defensive tackle Daron Payne among them. It’s not as if Washington wants to trade Payne, but he could bring more value than the others.

When you are a 2-6 team halfway through the season, you should consider every option to make your team better in the future.

Top quotes: DL coach Sam Mills emphasizes hard work and depth in elite unit

Washington’s new defensive line coach knows that he has a talented group on his hands, and he will make sure they work hard.

As we continue to hear from some of the new coaches in Washington for the first time since being hired this offseason, it was defensive line coach Sam Mill’s turn on Monday, as he met with media members in Washington to discuss his transition to a new team, and what his outlook was for the coming season.

Mills is in a unique position as far as coaches in Washington go, as the defensive line is supposed to be far and away the best unit on the team. While the rest of the positional units on the team will be working to develop young players and best strive for a bright future, the time is now for Washington’s defensive line. Here are some of the top quotes from what Mills had to say about that.

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Who have been the last 10 players drafted 163rd overall?

Bears GM Ryan Pace has found gems in the later rounds. And there are some gems with the last 10 picks at No. 163.

While Bears general manager Ryan Pace has struggled with early-round picks during his tenure, he’s known for finding gems in the later rounds.

So perhaps it’s somewhat encouraging that Chicago has five draft picks between Rounds 5-7 in the 2020 NFL Draft — including pick 163.

When considering the previous players that have been taken at 163rd overall, there are some encouraging signs on this list that show that, if you get the right guy, he could evolve into a solid contributor.

Let’s take a look at the last 10 picks at No. 163.

2019: P Jake Bailey, Patriots

AP Photo/Ron Schwane

As a rookie, Bailey saw immediate action for the Patriots. He started all 16 regular-season games, as well as New England’s lone playoff contest, where Bailey averaged 44.9 yards per punt, including a long of 65 yards and 36 punts within the 20 yard line.