Ndamukong

Suh

Suh announced his retirement in a heartfelt post on X early Saturday morning, bringing up a conversation he had with his father before the latter’s passing as the deciding factor of his decision. “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter,” Suh reflects. The five-time All-Pro amassed 600 combined tackles in 199 games during his 13-year professional career, winning Super Bowl LV as a member of the Buccaneers during the 2021 season. He last played for the Eagles in 2022 before failing to catch on as a free agent the following two seasons.

There have been rumblings throughout the year of Suh looking to land with a contender but no real movement up until now. It appears as though he did visit the Dolphins on Wednesday; although, we have no indication of how the meeting went or if there’s any movement on a potential deal. Suh, 36, played eight regular season games for the Eagles last season after signing with the team in November. While he’s not as dominant as he used to be, Suh’s presence still improved the Eagles’ run defense considerably last year.

Suh, 36, played eight regular season games for the Eagles last season after signing with the team in November. The team’s rush defense improved in the final half of the season with Suh in the defensive interior. It would hardly be surprising if Suh waits until the fall to sign with a team, avoiding the rigors of training camp.

Suh and Linval Joseph are both active after signing this week. Eagles TE Tyree Jackson was cleared to return from the PUP list and should be in the mix for snaps with Dallas Goedert sidelined. The Eagles inactives are QB Ian Book, RB Trey Sermon, CB Josh Jobe, OL Josh Sills, and OL Sua Opeta.

The Eagles have reacted quickly to their perceived hole up the middle after Washington and Houston were able to run all over them the last two weeks, signing Linval Joseph and now Suh. The real answer for Philly will likely be getting Jordan Davis back off injured reserve, but both Joseph and Suh could be stopgap answers. Suh was a plus run defender in his prime, but had a 57.1 PFF grade in run defense last season at age 34.

Cabot is refuting a report from last week that linked Suh to the Browns. Suh is a free agent after spending three years in Tampa Bay. He has had talks with the Vikings and Raiders, though neither team has pulled the trigger. A reunion with Tampa Bay looked unlikely at the start of free agency, but the deeper into summer we get the lower Suh’s asking price might drop. Cabot mentioned Sheldon Richardson as a possible option instead of Suh. The defensive tackle played in Cleveland for two years before joining Minnesota for the 2021 season.

The Vikings and Raiders have also talked with Suh while the Bucs aren’t expected to bring him back after drafting DL Logan Hall with the No. 33 pick. Cleveland has a need at defensive tackle after letting Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell walk in free agency. Suh would give the Browns an upgrade over projected starters Taven Bryan and Jordan Elliott. The 35-year-old is expected to sign closer to the start of training camp.

Suh said Tuesday that it “looks like the Bucs are out of the picture” as a potential suitor for the veteran in 2022, echoing a May report from The Athletic’s Greg Auman that Tampa was unlikely to bring back Suh, 35. In 2021, Suh started all 19 games (including the playoffs) for Tampa but his days as an every-down lineman have come and gone, with Suh’s snap rate dropping under 70 percent for the first time in his career. Suh still had six sacks and 13 quarterback hits in his scaled back role. In Vegas, Suh would join a Raiders defensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s sixth best pass rush unit in 2021.

Bucs GM Jason Licht said drafting DL Logan Hall with the No. 33 pick didn’t “shut the door” on Suh returning, but the 35-year-old is unlikely to be back given Tampa’s cap situation. The Bucs’ remaining cap space is expected to go towards signing draft picks and potentially re-signing TE Rob Gronkowski. The Bucs didn’t place a UFA tender on Suh, who played at a $9 million salary last year, and won’t get draft compensation if he signs with another team.

Suh’s interest comes a day after the Bucs promoted DC Todd Bowles to replace Bruce Arians. The 35-year-old started all 19 games (including playoffs) for Tampa last year but his days as an every-down lineman have come and gone, with Suh’s snap rate dropping under 70% for the first time in his career. Suh still had six sacks and 13 QB hits in his new scaled back role. The five-time Pro Bowler played last season on a $9 million salary and should be open to returning on a one-year deal.