NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Good ol' Marv Levy turned 98 years old.

 

The Eagles are adding some veteran depth up front.

Philadelphia has agreed to terms with Josh Andrews, according to agent Brett Tessler.

Andrews, 32, started his career with the Eagles back in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. He played 13 games for the team in 2015 and three games in 2016.

Andrews didn’t make his first career start until 2020, when he appeared in 15 games with four starts for the Jets.

Last season, Andrews played six games with five starts for the Saints.

He’s also spent time with the Vikings, Colts, and Falcons.

NBC

 

Vikings sign free-agent wide receiver N'Keal Harry



The Vikings now have four receivers who were drafted in the first round after Sunday's signing of N'Keal Harry, who played his first three seasons in New England before moving on to Chicago a year ago.

The last pick of the 2019 first round, Harry, 25, played in only 33 games, starting 18, with 57 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons with New England. The Patriots gave up on him, trading him to the Bears for a 2024 seventh-rounder last year.

Harry had ankle surgery last summer and failed to produce with Chicago. In seven games, he caught only seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Harry fills the roster spot opening created when the Vikings placed defensive lineman James Lynch on injured reserve. Lynch suffered a season-ending knee injury in Thursday night's practice.

The 6-4, 213-pound Harry had 22 touchdown catches at Arizona State. He now joins Vikings first-round picks Justin Jefferson (2020) and Jordan Addison (2023), as well as Jalen Reagor, whom the Eagles drafted one spot before Jefferson and traded to the Vikings last season.

STARTRIBUNE

 

The Eagles continue to churn their roster on Sunday and have now added a pair of linebackers.

Philadelphia has signed Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham to one-year deals, the team announced.

Jack who turns 28 in September, appeared in 15 games with 13 starts for Pittsburgh last year. He finished with 104 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three passes defensed in 692 defensive snaps.

A Jaguars second-round pick in 2016, Jack has appeared in 103 games with 95 starts.

Cunningham, 28, started six games for the Titans last year, spending much of the season on injured reserve. He entered the league as a second-round pick with the Texans in 2017 and played 72 games for the franchise before he was let go midway through the 2021 season.

Cunningham has recorded 6.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, 19 passes defensed, and an interception in 82 career games.

NBC

 

Kareem Hunt could be part of the Saints’ plan to fill in for Alvin Kamara at the start of the regular season.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Hunt will visit with the Saints. Kamara was suspended for three games last week after pleading no contest to a breach of peace charge stemming from his involvement in a February 2022 altercation in Las Vegas.

Hunt was released by the Chiefs in 2018 and served an eight-game suspension of his own after signing with the Browns in 2019 after the release of a videotape that showed him striking a woman. Hunt spent the rest of that season and the last three seasons in Cleveland.

Hunt ran 123 times for 468 yards and three touchdowns last season. The Saints also have Jamaal Williams and third-round pick Kendre Miller as options behind Kamara.

NBC

 

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin said the competition for the Bears RB1 job “likely comes down to pass protection.”


Roschon Johnson has been hyped by many as the team’s best pass-blocking back in camp, which could give him an inside edge on the starting job. Cronin notes that both Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman have split first-team reps while adding Johnson “might carry the most potential as a three-down back.” Herbert is a holdover from last year’s roster, and Foreman was signed as a free agent this offseason. While Johnson, a rookie fourth-round pick, will have to overcome both for playing time, it sounds like there’s a chance he could earn a significant role early on.

 

Calvin Ridley lands in starting lineup for Jaguars

The Calvin Ridley comeback is right on track.

Ridley, a budding star with the Falcons who was suspended for more than a year after violating the NFL’s gambling policy, has rocketed to the top of the depth chart in Jacksonville.

In the team’s first officially unofficial depth chart of the preseason, Ridley is listed as a starting receiver. The Jags go with three WR1’s — Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Ridley.

Last year, the Jaguars gave the Falcons two draft picks for Ridley’s contractual rights: a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round selection. The fourth-round pick can become a third-round pick if Ridley achieves certain performance triggers this season, and it will become a second-round if he’s signed to an extension.

Ridley is due to make $11.116 million this year, in the fifth-year option of his first-round rookie contract. He will be eligible for free agency in 2024.

PFT

 

The Bears announced a handful of roster moves on Tuesday morning.

The team has signed tight end Lachlan Pitts and linebacker Barrington Wade to the 90-man roster. Kicker Andre Szmyt and tight end Jake Tonges were waived in corresponding moves.

Pitts went undrafted in April. He caught 28 passes for 543 yards and five touchdowns at William & Mary last season.

Wade had one tackle in four appearances for the Broncos in 2021. He has also spent time with the Ravens and the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Szmyt’s departure leaves the Bears with Cairo Santos as their only kicker. Santos is in his fourth season with the Bears.

PFT

 

Trey Flowers returning to Patriots after stints with Lions, Dolphins

The game of "Musical Chairs: Free-agent Edge Rusher Edition" continues to play out ahead of the first full week of preseason games.

The New England Patriots are signing pass rusher Trey Flowers, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday morning, per a source informed of the situation. The team has since announced the news.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old worked out for the Pats on Monday.

It's a reunion for Flowers in Foxborough, a former fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2015.

Flowers won two Super Bowls in New England before signing a big-money contract in Detroit in 2019 -- joining former Pats DC Matt Patricia, the Lions coach at the time. The five-year, $90 million pact didn't work out for Detroit, who cut Flowers after three injury-riddled seasons in which he totaled 10.5 sacks (including 1.5 in seven games in 2021).

Flowers appeared in four games for Miami in 2022 before going on injured reserve due to a foot injury.

Now Flowers returns to New England, where he enjoyed his best seasons. The veteran should provide depth to the Pats' defensive line ahead of preseason action kicking off against Houston on Thursday.

Flowers is the latest veteran free-agent edge rusher to find a landing spot, joining Justin Houston (Panthers) and Yannick Ngakoue (Bears).

NFL.com

 

Report: Saints are expected to sign Kareem Hunt, Anthony Barr



The Saints had a pair of veteran free agents in for visits on Monday and they are reportedly set to add both of them to their 90-man roster.

Dianna Russini of ESPN reports that the Saints are expected to sign running back Kareem Hunt and linebacker Anthony Barr. Both signings are contingent on the players passing their physicals with the Saints.

Hunt will join Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller as options in the backfield during Alvin Kamara’s three-game suspension to start the year. Eno Benjamin was also in the mix, but he will miss the year with a torn Achilles.

The Saints also lost linebacker Andrew Dowell to a torn ACL and that may have helped Barr land on their radar screen. Veteran starter Demario Davis is also out with a calf injury, but the Saints do not expect him to miss an extended period of time.

NBC

 

In my opinion, the Saints just got better.

 

Kareem Hunt could be upgrade for the Saints running game Anthony Barr does he?have any game left his best years were in Minnesota

 

As for Hunt, its a bit confusing. Some reports said he was going to sign with Saints... Less than 2 hours after that, he says he's on his way to Indianapolis to visit the Colts, so its all up in the air so far.

 

Out of all the backs out there I like Hunt the best. Although Cook is right there with him.

 

Linebacker Anthony Barr’s search for a new team has taken a lot of twists and turns over the last couple of days.

A report on Tuesday morning indicated that Barr was expected to sign with the Saints, but he left his visit with the team without a deal. That was followed by a report that he was working to schedule a visit with the Giants, but that won’t be happening either.

Giants General Manager Joe Schoen said on Wednesday morning, via Darryl Slater of NJ.com, that the team will not be visiting with Barr at this time. Schoen said he wants to have a longer look at younger linebackers Darrian Beavers and Micah McFadden as they vie for playing time with Bobby Okereke in the team’s linebacking corps.

It’s not clear where that leaves Barr, who is heading into his 10th season after playing eight years in Minnesota and one year in Dallas.

PFT
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Strange goings on when you visit the Saints.

 

I wonder if players that visit the Saints have concerns about how the Saints historically kick contracts down the road in order to manage their cap space.

 

Both of these players are more than likely 1 year contracts, so I doubt that would come into play. But, you never know.

All things being equal from a contract perspective, I would prefer Cook.. However, I'm sure his demands are higher than Hunt, so that might curtail me to agree with you. It depends on the numbers. I like Hunt, honestly, with the lack of suitors, I wouldn't mind if the Browns took a second look at a contract.

 

Barr left Indy without a deal today.

 

Marlon Mack who was signed on the 4th by the Cardinals, tore his ACL, gone for season.

 

Colts sign RB Jason Huntley, TE Ricky Seals-Jones

Kareem Hunt didn’t sign with the Colts on Wednesday, but the team did add a running back to the roster.

The Colts announced the signing of Jason Huntley on Wednesday afternoon. They also signed tight end Ricky Seals-Jones while waiving tight end La’Michael Pettway and safety Michael Tutsie with injury designations.

Huntley played in six games for the Colts in 2020 and 2021. He ran 18 times for 70 yards and caught one pass for no gain in those appearances.

Given the current state of the Colts backfield, Huntley may be in for a lot more action. Jonathan Taylor is on the PUP list and away from the team, Zack Moss has a broken arm, and Deon Jackson also missed practice time with an injury.

Seals-Jones was out of the NFL after being released by the Giants last September. He played in 13 games for Washington in 2021 and has also seen regular season action with the Chiefs, Browns, and Cardinals. He has 90 catches for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns in 54 career games.

NBC