Sep 18, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gregory (5) during the second half against the Houston Texans at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Randy Gregory finished last season with the San Francisco 49ers, and may not have to go far to find a new team.
The free agent pass rusher has drawn interest from the Seattle Seahawks, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde once served as the defensive line coach with Gregory in Dallas, which may be partly fueling the interest.
I'm told the #Seahawks are among teams that have shown preliminary interest in Randy Gregory, per source.
Seattle’s interest is preliminary, but it does make sense given Durde’s previous experience. The Seahawks could also use some reinforcements on defense, as they have endured some high-profile departures already this offseason.
Gregory started the 2023 season with the Denver Broncos, but was cut as the team looked to get younger and shed salary. He caught on with the 49ers, where he became part of their defensive line rotation and collected 2.5 sacks in five games with the team.
Nov 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) after a victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Josh Dobbs became something of a cult hero last year, and his play was good enough to land him a deal with an NFC contender.
Dobbs is signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, his agent Mike McCartney announced Monday. The deal means Dobbs will have a chance to win the team’s backup quarterback job.
The 49ers also have Brandon Allen, who will be Dobbs’ chief competition for the role. Brock Purdy is firmly entrenched as the team’s starter.
Dobbs started for the Arizona Cardinals last season with Kyler Murray still recovering from his knee injury. Once Murray returned, Dobbs was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings, where he became a hero as Kirk Cousins’ replacement. At the time, there was talk that he was playing himself into a big free agent contract, but his play tailed off and he wound up benched before the end of the season.
The 29-year-old quarterback wound up throwing for 2,464 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. He added another 421 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go with those numbers.
Sep 26, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A detailed view of the Las Vegas Raiders shield logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders are bringing in a veteran running back to add some extra depth to their backfield.
The Raiders have agreed to a contract with former Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, according to Jordan Schulz of Bleacher Report. The 25-year-old was Minnesota’s leading rusher last year.
BREAKING: Free agent RB Alexander Mattison is signing with the #Raiders, sources tell @BleacherReport.
Mattison served as Dalvin Cook’s backup for several years before getting his chance as the lead back in 2023. While he managed 700 rushing yards on 180 carries, he failed to find the end zone, and the Vikings opted to cut him at the end of the season.
The Raiders need help in the backfield after Josh Jacobs left for Green Bay. Zamir White is the top in-house option and will probably get a look, but Mattison could operate out of a committee or even take the job for himself if he impresses.
Jun 13, 2023; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers helmet of quarterback Easton Stick (2) during minicamp at the Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Chargers continue to develop their version of Baltimore West.
The Chargers are signing center Bradley Bozeman to a 1-year deal.
Former #Panthers starting C Bradley Bozeman is signing a one-year deal with the #Chargers, source said. A veteran starter and leader who should make a huge impact in the new regime. pic.twitter.com/NZFGRa4ggZ
Bozeman was a 6th-round pick by the Ravens in 2018 out of Alabama. He played center two of his four seasons with the team and served as left guard the other two seasons.
Bozeman played center for Carolina the last two seasons and earned high marks from Pro Football Focus for his run blocking.
Bradley Bozeman: 71.6 run-blocking grade since 2021
Bozeman seems like a natural fit for the Chargers for a few reasons.
One, he excells in run blocking, and new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is known for wanting to control games on the ground. Two, Bozeman played under John Harbaugh in Baltimore, which makes him a natural fit to transition over to brother Jim.
The Harbaugh brothers both learned football from their father Jack, who was a college football coach. They ostensibly have similar organizational philosophies, which makes it easy for players and staff members to move from one Harbaugh brother’s organization to the other’s.
In addition to Bozeman, other former Ravens players and/or staff members to join the Chargers since Jim Harbaugh was hired include: running back Gus Edwards, tight end Hayden Hurst, offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and general manager Joe Hortiz.
The Houston Texans will have new uniforms in 2024, and it appears they were forced to unveil the look a lot sooner than expected.
A photo leaked on Reddit Monday that claimed to show what the Texans’ new uniforms look like. It was unclear if the design was legitimate until Texans owner Cal McNair came on the platform and confirmed it himself by sharing a photo of wide receivers Tank Dell and Nico Collins showing off the new threads.
McNair said there will be “way more to come in April!”
We have only seen the away version of the jersey, but it does not look all that different from what the Texans had before. The font and shoulder design have changed slightly and there is a lot less red. Some fans feel that the only difference with Houston’s new uniforms is that they look more like the Atlanta Falcons’ uniforms now.
Aug 19, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football set before the game against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay appears to have known for some time that Aaron Donald had played his last game for the team.
McVay suggested Donald told him within 24 hours of the Rams’ playoff loss to Detroit that he was planning to retire, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. As McVay told the story, Donald simply walked into McVay’s office one day after the loss and told his coach “I’m full.”
“I’m just like, And you should be. You have every right to feel that way,” McVay recalled. “What an amazing thing. The words won’t do justice to the way that he so eloquently articulated it to me and just put it in a way that, as a human being, all you’re really looking for is to be at peace and to be happy. He was full. And, man, did you feel that. You’re just so happy because he earned it too.”
McVay was presumably not surprised by Donald’s decision. After all, he came close to retiring two years ago after the team’s Super Bowl win, though he ultimately came back and played two more years.
The Rams and McVay will have their work cut out for them to try to keep the defense stable without Donald. For McVay, however, it sounds like a challenge he’s happy to take on because of what he got from the future Hall of Fame lineman.
Nov 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Deandre Ayton appears to be taking a page out of Ben Simmons’ book of excuses.
In a recent interview with The Oregonian, the Portland Trail Blazers big man Ayton opened up about his poor play to begin the season. In part, Ayton blamed it on [checks notes] sleeping on an air mattress.
“My body wasn’t just my body,” Ayton said. “People forget the humane difference of me adjusting to everything. Just being comfortable in waking up. I didn’t have a bed for quite some time. I was on an air mattress. Just trying to figure this out.”
The former No. 1 overall pick Ayton, who is in his first season as a Blazer, also said in the interview that he had family coming in and out of town as well as his son Deandre Ayton Jr. whom he had to get settled. You can read Ayton’s full interview here.
Ayton, 25, averaged an underwhelming 13-11 line through the first two months of the season on a tanking Blazers team. But he has really picked it up over the last few weeks with a 25-14 line ever since the All-Star break.
Though an air mattress cannot be too comfortable for a seven-footer like Ayton, you would expect him to be able to figure out some proper sleeping arrangements as a guy in the middle of a $133 million contract. Ayton has not quite earned the benefit of the doubt either with some of the unflattering reports about his work ethic that have followed him throughout his career. Even just with Portland this year, Ayton has faced claims that he has been tardy and has thrown tantrums.
Jan 2, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; The New Orleans Saints logo on the field before their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints have made a big defensive addition.
The Saints are expected to sign Chase Young, who was in for a visit on Monday.
Source: The #Saints are expected to sign former #49ers pass-rusher Chase Young, a new weapon off the edge.
Young, 24, was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2020. He showed promise as a rookie, recording 7.5 sacks in 15 games. But Young suffered a knee injury that cut short his 2021 season and caused him to miss nearly his entire 2022 season.
Young was part of a rotation on Washington’s defensive line last season and played 9 games for them before being traded to San Francisco ahead of the deadline. He had 5 sacks in 7 games with the 49ers, showing he can still be a disruptive player.
The Saints are estimated to have around $13 million in salary cap space available for 2024. So any deal Young agrees to with the team would likely fit within those parameters.
The Saints already have veteran Cam Jordan on their defensive line. Jordan is an 8-time Pro Bowler, but the 34-year-old only had 2 sacks last season, so Young should help strengthen the team’s pass rush.
Nov 12, 2018; Santa Clara, CA, USA; A general overall view of the San Francisco 49ers logo at midfield at Levi’s Stadium prior to the game against the New York Giants. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers are being docked a draft pick for an unusual reason.
The NFL announced Monday that the 49ers are being knocked down on the fourth round of the 2024 draft and will also lose their 2025 fifth-round pick. The league said it discovered an administrative error in the team’s payroll at the end of the 2022 league year.
The 49ers are being knocked down in the draft order – in the 4th Rd – and will lose next year’s 5th rd pick after the NFL found administrative payroll accounting errors at the close of the 2022 league year that resulted in a misreporting of their cumulative player compensation.
The league stated that the 49ers never would have gone above the salary cap even if the numbers had been correctly calculated, and that no attempt was being made to intentionally circumvent the cap. In other words, it was an honest accident, albeit one the NFL is still punishing the Niners for.
Said the 49ers in a statement: “We take responsibility and accept the imposed discipline from the NFL due to a clerical payroll error. At no time did we mislead or otherwise deceive the League or gain a competitive advantage in connection with the payroll mistake.”
While seemingly minor, the 49ers have landed the likes of George Kittle, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga in the fifth round of previous drafts. They no doubt would have preferred to keep that selection. The good news, however, is they’ll probably be able to make up for it in other ways.
Kirk Cousins will start his Atlanta Falcons career without at least one thing he would have wanted.
The Falcons announced Monday that Cousins will wear No. 18 instead of his preferred No. 8. It was not clear why, as Cousins and tight end Kyle Pitts, who currently wears the number, had both suggested their openness to making some sort of deal.
During his introductory press conference, Cousins said Pitts had offered him No. 8 in exchange for “targets every game.” As amusing as that was, it clearly was not the basis for an actual deal, so Pitts will be keeping the number, at least for the time being.
Cousins has worn No. 8 for his entire career except for his first two seasons in the NFL. Pitts wore No. 84 in college at Florida, the number most recently held in Atlanta by free agent Cordarrelle Patterson.