Published Mar 22, 2020
Trojans in the NFL: Tracking all the offseason moves for USC's former stars
Ryan Young  •  TrojanSports
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The initial flurry of NFL offseason activity came last week with free agency officially starting on Wednesday. Many big names have already changed teams, including a number of notable former USC standouts.

We break down the status of all the former Trojans in the NFL as of Sunday evening:

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Signings/Trades 

WR Nelson Agholor -- Las Vegas Raiders

Agholor spent his first five NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the first round (20th overall) in 2015. He's coming off a down season, where he caught 39 passes for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns -- and generated as much attention for the passes he didn't haul in -- after back-to-back season with at least 60 receptions. His career highlight in Philadelphia was a memorable one, though, as he had 9 catches for 54 yards in the Eagles' Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots.

He enters a pivotal season for his career, signing a one-year deal with the Raiders, who were one of the most WR-needy teams entering free agency.

It's a solid opportunity for Agholor to compete for a major role and give his career a boost.

DT Jurrell Casey -- Denver Broncos (traded by Tennessee Titans)

Jurrell Casey has been perennially productive for the Tennessee Titans, piling up 51 sacks, 84 tackles for loss and 5 Pro Bowl selections over his nine seasons with the franchise since being selected out of USC in the third round of the 2011 draft.

So he was understandably confused when the Titans shipped him to the Denver Broncos for a seventh-round draft pick in what can only be viewed as a salary-shedding move.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t confused and hurt, but it’s a business!” he wrote on Instagram. “But, I am comforted with every text, call, comment, tweet and DM I have received. Y’all are showing your boy some real love and encouragement! Hoping I left my mark in TN because y’all will forever be in my heart.”

Casey has three more years left on his contract and now joins a star-studded defensive front for the Broncos, who feature Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

DL Leonard Williams -- New York Giants (re-signed)

The Giants acquired Williams from the New York Jets late last season and retained him via the franchise tag for $16.1 million. Per ESPN, Williams racked up 20 QB pressures and 14 hurries in his eight games after joining the Giants. Overall, he has 17.5 sacks over his first five seasons in the league after being drafted in the first round (6th) overall out of USC in 2015.

OLB Devon Kennard -- Arizona Cardinals

After being released by the Detroit Lions, Kennard signed with the Arizona Cardinals a day later on a three-year deal.

ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss says Kennard will be competing with Hasson Reddick for the edge rusher role opposite Chandler Jones. Kennard tallied 7 sacks each of the last two seasons for the Lions after starting his career with the New York Giants.

OT Zach Banner -- Pittsburgh Steelers (re-signed)

Banner signed a one-year $1.75 million contract to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he

The Steelers lost guard Ramon Foster to retirement and OG/C B.J. Finney to the Seattle Seahawks, but they also signed OG/C Stephen Wisniewski as a free agent. ESPN's Brooke Pryor expects Banner to compete with Chuks Okafor for playing time or a preferred backup role.

CB Nickell Robey-Coleman -- Philadelphia Eagles

The LA Rams did not pick up their contract option on Robey-Coleman, who played the last three seasons for the franchise after starting his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills. He had 36 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles last season.

He has signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Josina Anderson.

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OG Jordan Simmons -- Seattle Seahawks (re-signed)

Simmons made three starts in 2018 but missed last season due to a knee injury and was non-tendered by the Seahawks, though the expectation all along was that they would re-sign him to a different contract and that is indeed the outcome.

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Notable Free Agents

DE Everson Griffen 

With the Minnesota Vikings in a salary cap crunch, defensive end Everson Griffen and his agent announced he will not be resigning with the franchise that drafted him in the fourth round out of USC in 2010. Griffen has played all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Vikings, earning four Pro Bowl selections.

Griffen had a typically productive season in 2019 with 8 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and his second career interception.

He'll be in high demand on the free agent market.

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OLB Clay Matthews

The LA Rams released Clay Matthews despite a productive season (8 sacks in 13 games), as part of a series of salary-shedding moves.

Matthews has 91.5 career sacks in his 11 seasons in the NFL, the first 10 of which were spent with the Green Bay Packers.

Status Quo ...

QB Matt Barkley, Buffalo Bills: Barkley remains the backup to Bills starter Josh Allen. He got into two games last season, passing for 359 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs.

WR Deontay Burnett, Philadelphia Eagles: Burnett was promoted from the Eagles practice squad to the active roster for Week 17 last year and had 2 catches for 48 yards. He has bounced around between the practice squads of the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, also seeing some action in 2018 with the Jets.

QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets: Darnold enters his third season after showing some progress last year, finishing with 3,024, 19 TDs and 13 INTs in 13 games after being sidelined early on with mono.

OT Chuma Edoga, New York Jets: Edoga made eight starts last season as a third-round rookie.

OG/C Nico Falah, Denver Broncos: Falah has yet to play in a game for the Broncos, but he spent the bulk of the 2018 season on the active roster before missing 2019 with a torn Achilles tendon.

DT Rasheem Green, Seattle Seahawks: Green played in all 16 games last season, starting 8, and notched 4 sacks.

DE Porter Gustin, Cleveland Browns: Gustin waited a while for his opportunity last year after going undrafted and getting cut by the New Orleans Saints. He ended up getting into six games, finishing with 13 tackles and a sack.

CB Adoree' Jackson, Tennessee Titans: Jackson had 45 tackles and 0 interceptions last season in 11 games last season as a third-year pro. The former first-round pick is facing a pivotal year ahead.

RB Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jones enters the pivotal third year on his rookie contract after breaking out for 724 rushing yards (4.2 YPC) and 6 TDs plus 31 catches for 309 yards last season.

QB Cody Kessler, New England Patriots: The Patriots signed Brian Hoyer to a one-year deal as he joins Jarrett Stidham and Kessler as the three QBs on the roster at this point with Tom Brady off to Tampa Bay.

WR Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars: After a prodigious collegiate career with the Trojans, Lee has had trouble staying healthy in the NFL. He missed the 2018 season after tearing several ligaments in his left knee and then was limited to six games last season (3 catches for 18 yards) before going back on IR with a shoulder injury. Overall, he has 174 catches for 2,184 yards and 8 TDs during his time with the Jaguars.

CB Iman "Biggie" Marshall, Baltimore Ravens: With the Ravens choosing to Brandon Carr leave, there could be an opportunity for Marshall to continue to work his way up the depth chart after playing in just three games last season as a fourth-round rookie.

WR Steven Mitchell Jr., Houston Texans: Mitchell has appeared in four games for the Texans over the last two seasons (including three last year) after going undrafted in 2018, and he made 2 catches for 37 yards -- the first of his NFL career -- in the 2019 regular-season finale.

OLB Uchenna Nwosu, LA Chargers: Nwosu enters his third NFL season with 59 tackles and 5.5 career sacks.

LB Cam Smith, Minnesota Vikings: Smith spent the first five weeks of last season on the Vikings' practice squad as a fifth-round draft pick before being promoted to the active roster, where he then got into five games while totaling 6 tackles.

LB Malcolm Smith, Dallas Cowboys: Smith played in two games for the Cowboys last season after signing with the team in December. The eight-year veteran previously spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year as well.

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers: Smith-Schuster saw a major dropoff in production as the Steelers struggled to replace injured Ben Roethlisberger at QB. The star wide receiver had just 42 catches for 552 yards and 3 TDs after posting 111 catches for 1,426 yards and 7 TDs the year before.

OT Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys: The veteran standout continues to anchor the Cowboys' offensive line heading into his 10th year in the league.

CB Marvell Tell, Indianapolis Colts: With the Pierre Desir leaving the Colts, Tell should have an opportunity for a larger role after playing in 13 games (1 start) as a fifth-round rookie last year. He had 26 tackles and 5 pass breakups.

RB Aca'Cedric Ware, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ware joined Tampa Bay's practice squad in mid October last season after going undrafted.

OT Chad Wheeler, Seattle Seahawks: Wheeler started 19 games for the New York Giants in 2017-18. He was promoted to the Seahawks active roster for the playoffs last year.

WR Isaac Whitney, Houston Texans: After initially being signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2017, he's spent the last two seasons with the Texans on the team's practice squad.

DT Antwaun Woods, Dallas Cowboys: Woods was limited to 10 games last season due to injury, but he remains a key cog for the Cowboys entering his third season with the team.

WR Robert Woods, LA Rams: Woods has been one of the most productive wideouts in the NFL the last two seasons, averaging 88 catches and more than 1,100 yards.

Other Free Agents

RB Javorius Allen: Allen carried the ball just 10 times for 36 yards in 10 games last season for the New York Giants, adding 1 catch for 9 yards. He is an unrestricted free agent.

C Ryan Kalil: Kalil started seven games for the New York Jets last season after 12 years with the Carolina Panthers.