Sam

Mustipher

Wattenberg grades well as both a pass protector and run blocker, earning a 70.9 PFF offense grade. With Wattenberg sidelined, the Broncos signed C Sam Mustipher off the Chargers’ practice squad. Broncos C Alex Forsyth will operate as the starter with Wattenberg sidelined. Mustipher is his backup.

The 2024 sixth-round pick was crowded out by a new GM who brought in a pair of fourth-round picks. Jackson did not play in the preseason. The Titans also waived: WR TJ Sheffield, DT Josiah Bronson, DT TJ Smith, OLB Desmond Evans, ILB Amari Burney, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Clarence Lewis, CB Jermari Harris, CB Davion Ross, S Julius Wood, and S Joshuah Bledsoe. They released DE Joe Gaziano, G Arlington Hambright, and C Sam Mustipher while putting a waived/injured designation on Matt Landers.

The team signed C Sam Mustipher and OT Oli Udoh in corresponding moves. Petit-Frere failed to meet expectations after the Titans spent a third-round pick on him in 2022, allowing 35 or more quarterback pressures in 2-of-3 NFL seasons.

Mustipher bolsters the Chargers’ offensive line, having started 42 games in four combined seasons with the Ravens and Broncos. The Chargers also signed TE Eric Tomlinson to the practice squad while waiving CB Robert Kennedy.

Mustipher spent last season with the Ravens, appearing in seven games while also making two starts. The former Bear has started 42 games over his four-year career, and could be in line for a significant role after last year’s starter, Lloyd Cushenberry, joined the Titans this offseason.

Washington was Baltimore’s starting slot CB for the first two weeks of the season. He joined the Ravens as a 2021 UDFA and earned a big role after the preseason injury to Marlon Humphrey, but now Baltimore’s secondary is even thinner. CB Arthur Maulet is likely next man up. C Sam Mustipher was signed to the 53-man roster in a corresponding move.

Mustipher has started 40 games for the Bears over the last three seasons, which included 34 consecutive games at center. The Ravens already have second-year center Tyler Linderbaum in place after he was graded as one of the top centers in the league per PFF. Mustipher will likely serve as added depth for the Ravens, who struggled in years past to solidify the center position.

Jenkins was the Bears’ second-round pick in the 2021 draft and was initially projected to start at left tackle for the Bears this season. However, it’s not hard to understand why the Bears are auditioning other options. In five games last season, Jenkins played very poorly; among 263 offensive linemen who logged at least 100 snaps, Jenkins ranked 247 in Pro Football Focus’ overall grades. Unfortunately, it’s not clear that the Bears actually have a better option. The Bears ended minicamp with fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones playing with the first team. Left tackle is also not the only major question mark on the line. Sam Mustipher ranked 228 in overall grade while playing 17 games last season, and appears in line to start at right guard. The Bears ranked dead last in Football Outsiders’ adjusted sack rate last season. With Jason Peters and James Daniels no longer on the team, a major question mark at right guard, and a fifth-round rookie currently poised to protect Justin Fields’ blind side, 2022’s line play could be an outright disaster.

Mustipher (6'2/304) has been one of the most consistent member of the Notre Dame lineup over the last two years, as Murphy notes, and he hasn’t missed a start in two years. The Fighting Irish are losing two players who were taken in the top 10 of last year’s draft in Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, so returning players like Mustipher will be key to Notre Dame being able to run the football like they did in 2018.