Buccaneers To Sign LS Scott Daly
Plenty of unsigned veterans attended rookie minicamps around the NFL this past weekend on a tryout basis. Long snapper Scott Daly was among them.
Daly was in place with the Buccaneers during their rookie camp, as noted by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. His time there clearly went well, seeing as an agreement has been reached. Auman reports Tampa Bay is signing Daly, and by doing so allowing him to compete for the team’s long snapper position.
Undrafted rookie Wesley Brown was also in place for minicamp, but today’s news certainly points to an uphill battle in his case for remaining on the roster through cutdowns at the end of the summer (if not earlier). Daly will now join incumbent Evan Deckers as a long snapper on the Buccaneers’ roster. Deckers has been in place with Tampa Bay for the past two years.
Daly spent three seasons in Detroit before a two-year run in Chicago. The Notre Dame product was limited to eight games in 2023, but he has otherwise been healthy during his career. Daly, 32, is a veteran of 78 combined regular and postseason contests. That makes him a more experienced option than Deckers, who has totaled 28 games to date.
The Buccaneers found themselves near the bottom of the league in terms of cap space entering Monday. This Daly deal will use up some of the team’s $9.35MM in available funds, but it will no doubt check in at or near the league minimum. Tampa Bay is now in position to carry multiple long snappers into training camp, regardless of what happens with Brown.
Bills Sign OLB Mike Danna
Mike Danna‘s Bills visit has resulted in a deal. The veteran edge rusher signed a one-year contract with Buffalo on Monday, per a team announcement.
Available in free agency since his Chiefs release, Danna did not generate a strong market early in the spring. His recent Bills visit was his only known summit with an interested team. It comes as little surprise an agreement has now been reached, though, with Buffalo seeking further depth along the defensive front.
Buffalo will change to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. That will lead to returnees Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht, free agent signing Bradley Chubb and second-round rookie T.J. Parker handling pass rush duties. Danna, 28, will look to chip in on that front with his new team.
The six-year Kansas City contributor might also be used inside, though. The Bills have Ed Oliver and T.J. Sanders on the defensive tackle depth chart, with 2025 third-rounder Landon Jackson a candidate to be used as a defensive end. Danna may also be used in that regard. Either way, he will look to bounce back from an underwhelming two-year span. Danna posted 6.5 sacks in 2023, but that figure fell to 3.5 the following season and just 1.5 in 2025.
That decline in output played a part in the Chiefs’ decision to move on from Danna in a cost-shedding move. Instead of playing out 2026 as the final year of his Kansas City pact, the former fifth-rounder will begin the next phase of his career. Buffalo finished 28th against the run last season, and improving in that regard will be key during Parker’s first year as DC. An uptick in sack production would also be welcomed after the Bills ranked 20th in that regard, though.
Buffalo entered Monday with just over $10MM in cap space. This Danna contract will no doubt represent a low-cost addition, leaving the team with room for further roster tweaks as the offseason continues.
Chargers, TE David Njoku Agree To Deal
David Njoku recently visited the Chargers. That summit clearly went well, as a contract agreement is now in place between Los Angeles and the veteran tight end.
Team and player have finalized a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He adds this pact has a maximum value of $8MM. After nine years in Cleveland, Njoku’s next career phase has been lined up.
The tight end position has seen plenty of turnover this spring in the case of the Chargers. Will Dissly and Tucker Fisk are still on the market deep into the offseason. Tyler Conklin, meanwhile, left via free agency. Los Angeles added Charlie Kolar in March, but the team did not select any tight ends during the draft. That left the door open to a deal for Njoku, and one is now in place.
Over the course of his Browns tenure, Njoku regularly found himself atop the tight end depth chart. The former first-rounder battled injuries and inconsistencies along the way, but he secured a big-money deal in 2022. Njoku’s best season came one year later (81-882-6 statline) and resulted in a Pro Bowl nod. His playing time dropped in 2024 and again in 2025, however, and the Browns have Harold Fannin Jr. in place as their starting tight end for the foreseeable future after a standout rookie campaign. It has been clear since February Njoku would not be coming back to Cleveland.
Jim Harbaugh remains in place as the Chargers’ head coach, but 2026 will mark the first year of his NFL coaching career in which Greg Roman is not his offensive coordinator. Mike McDaniel is in place as the Bolts’ new OC, his first gig since being dismissed as head coach of the Dolphins. It will be interesting to see how McDaniel uses Njoku and Kolar as Los Angeles looks to find improved efficiency in the passing game this season.
The Chargers entered Monday with over $45MM in cap space. That figure will be lowered once the Njoku deal is officially in place, but it will leave plenty of available funds for further late-offseason additions.
Bears Could Still Add Pass Rusher; Team Was High On CB Colton Hood
The Bears entered the 2026 draft with a major pass rushing need, and our mock draft predicted Chicago would address that need in the first round. However, the team did not use any of its seven picks on a pass rusher, so as Albert Breer of SI.com writes, it would not be surprising to see the Bears fortify their Montez Sweat-fronted EDGE contingent with a veteran at some point in the near future.
There are still a number of recognizable names on the market, including players like Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, Von Miller, and Haason Reddick. We recently heard Clowney is drawing interest, though it is presently unclear which teams are considering him. As Breer observes, Clowney fits the mold of the long, rugged pass rusher that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen favors, and Jordan and Allen spent a number of years together with the Saints. Either of those players could be a fit for Chicago, even if (as Breer suggests) such a deal might not come together until we get closer to training camp.
Meanwhile, the team will continue to evaluate Dayo Odeyingbo, whose first season with the Bears was cut short by a torn Achilles. Through eight games in 2025, the former Colt recorded just one sack, and 2024 fifth-rounder Austin Booker – another key piece of Chicago’s pass rushing plans last season – missed time due to injury as well. Booker ultimately posted 4.5 sacks in 10 games, and the Bears tallied the fifth-fewest sacks in the league.
That led to the speculation that GM Ryan Poles would add a true pass rushing talent this offseason, but that has not happened yet (although Poles did at least explore the possibility of acquiring Maxx Crosby from the Raiders). Despite winning the NFC North and narrowly missing a trip to the NFC championship game in 2025, the Bears finished in the bottom-10 in terms of both total defense and scoring defense, so an established EDGE player or two would surely help spur another deep postseason run.
Poles did authorize eight-figure contracts for safety Coby Bryant and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore in free agency, and he further fortified those positions in the draft with S Dillon Thieneman (No. 25 overall) and DT Jordan van den Berg (No. 213). According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears believe they got a steal in both players, as they did not expect Thieneman to fall to them and think van den Berg was one of the most talented DTs in his class (his sixth-round status notwithstanding).
Fowler says Chicago was also interested in cornerback Colton Hood, whom the Giants selected with the No. 37 choice. If Thieneman was unavailable, as the Bears thought he would be, Hood may have been the selection at No. 25.
5 Key Stories: 5/3/26 – 5/10/26
May marks the beginning of voluntary practices around the NFL, with rookie minicamps kicking things off. Plenty of unanswered questions remain with respect to veterans, but the past few days have seen a number of interesting developments. In case you missed this week’s top stories, here is a quick recap:
- Hall, Jets Agree To Extension: To help ensure outside teams would not submit an offer sheet this offseason, the Jets placed the franchise tag on Breece Hall. GM Darren Mougey pointed to the post-draft period of the spring as a target for an extension to be worked out, though, and a deal is now in place. Hall agreed to a three-year, $45.75MM contract which will take the place of his tag. The pact contains $29MM in guarantees, all of which will be paid out across 2026 and ’27. The final year of the pact is thus far from assured, but Hall is in line to receive roughly the same as he would have by playing on two straight tags. His effective average annual value of $14.5MM ranks fourth among all running backs and marks a sharp rise from his rookie contract. Hall, 25 later this month, is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing campaign and he will be counted on as an offensive focal point moving forward.
- Broncos Extend Paton: 2026 represented the final year of Broncos general manager George Paton‘s deal, and an extension loomed as a distinct possibility during the offseason. As expected, a new agreement has been reached. Paton finalized a five-year contract to remain in Denver, where he has been leading the front office since 2021. The Broncos’ run of losing seasons continued during Paton’s first three years, but the team has steadily improved recently. Denver reached the playoffs in 2024 and topped the AFC’s regular-season standings last year. A strong tandem between Paton and head coach Sean Payton has yielded success, and those two will continue working together well into the future.
- Colts Follow Through With Moore Release: Earlier this offseason, Kenny Moore requested a trade. No swap took place, setting up the Colts to proceed with a release in his case. The nine-year veteran asked to be cut following the draft, and the team has granted the request. Moore, 30, saw his role diminish during Lou Anarumo‘s first year in place as defensive coordinator. A new scheme fit will be sought out deep into the offseason. Moore earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and has been a regular in the slot throughout his career. Teams eyeing cornerback depth could show interest at least around the time when training camps begin.
- Jennings Signs With Vikings: One player who did not wind up staying on the market through to July is Jauan Jennings. The veteran wideout has taken a one-year deal with the Vikings. Minnesota authorized $8MM in base pay for Jennings, who can earn up to $13MM in 2026. It became clear this spring a return to the 49ers would not be taking place in this case, and the five-year San Francisco contributor remained unsigned thanks to a tepid market. The Vikings already have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in place at the WR spot, but Jennings will look to serve as a productive complementary option in the passing game. Minnesota’s offense currently faces uncertainty at the quarterback position, of course. Nevertheless, strong play under center could set Jennings up for a robust free agent spell in 2027.
- New NFLRA CBA Agreement Reached: The threat of replacement officials handling NFL games has been removed. The league and the NFL Referees Association have finalized a new collective bargaining agreement. Recent progress resulted in a deal being struck; an increase in pay to officials will be taking place over the course of the seven-year pact. The league managed to secure several objectives, such as increases in access to officials during the offseason, a bench of new referees and larger sway in giving playoff assignments based on performance over seniority. The two sides traded public barbs earlier this offseason in a sign a deal was not imminent, with plans being laid for replacements to be called upon. That will no longer be necessary, however.
Latest On Texans OL Keylan Rutledge; Team Explored Trade Back Into Round 1 For DT Kayden McDonald
With their first selection (No. 26 overall) in the 2026 draft, the Texans added Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, who was seen as a reach in certain circles. NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah had Rutledge as the 47th-ranked player on his board, and we recently heard some members of the Seahawks’ front office graded Seattle fifth-round pick Beau Stephens more highly than Rutledge.
Still, the division-rival Titans were prepared to make Rutledge a first-round choice as well, and one NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the former Yellow Jacket was the top guard in the class (ahead of even Vega Ioane, who went to the Ravens at No. 14 overall). Fowler – who reported prior to the draft that Houston had done a great deal of work on Rutledge – says Texans brass “identified him as a favorite.”
General manager Nick Caserio’s other offseason moves (which included signing longtime Browns guard Wyatt Teller and re-signing 2025 RG1 Ed Ingram) make it unclear exactly where Rutledge will line up as a rookie or if he will begin his pro career as a reserve. If a guard spot is not an option, he could compete with Jake Andrews for the starting center job.
Just as Caserio traded up several spots in the first round to secure the opportunity to select Rutledge, he did the same in the second round to grab Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald at No. 36. Caserio swung a deal with the Raiders to move up from No. 38, but as Fowler reports, the Texans GM was prepared to go as high as No. 33 and even explored a trade back into the first round after selecting Rutledge.
That underscores the Texans’ belief in McDonald, who should find a notable role in the club’s DT rotation alongside returnees Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai. Houston, which boasted perhaps the best defense in the league in 2025, lost Tim Settle to free agency, thereby opening an immediate vacancy for McDonald.
Consistent with a report made by NFL insider Jordan Schultz when the Texans turned in the card for McDonald, Fowler says there was some belief the Giants – who had traded DT Dexter Lawrence before the draft and who held the No. 37 choice – may be a threat for the Ohio State alum. Perhaps out of fear of losing one of his top targets to another team, Caserio made sure to leapfrog Big Blue, though a New York source told Fowler that CB Colton Hood was the player they wanted all along.
Texans Sign 12-Man UDFA Class
On Friday, the Texans announced the signing of 12 undrafted free agents. After focusing the majority of their eight draft picks on the offensive line and defensive front seven, Houston used undrafted free agency to add depth at a number of other positions. Here are the 12 UDFAs that complete the team’s 20-man rookie class:
- Dominic Bailey, DT (Tennessee)
- Sam Hagan, OL (South Dakota State)
- Stephen Hall, CB (Missouri)
- Sabastian Harsh, DE (NC State)
- James Neal III, OL (Iowa State)
- Joshua Pitsenberger, RB (Yale)
- Treyvhon Saunders, WR (Colgate)
- Daniel Sobkowicz, WR (Illinois State)
- Jack Stonehouse, P (Syracuse)
- Jalen Walthall, WR (Incarnate Word)
- Noah Whittington, RB (Oregon)
- Collin Wright, CB (Stanford)
Houston shelled out decent money to land some if its UDFA class. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Hall received $175K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus, on his UDFA deal. Similarly, per Wilson, Bailey’s deal has $150K of guarantees as well as a $10K signing bonus. The five-year Volunteer finished with career highs in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (7.5) in 2025.
The Texans also landed a couple UDFAs who were expected to be gone by the conclusion of the draft. After notching four interceptions and nine passes defensed in his last two years with the Cardinal, Wright was receiving sixth-round grades from some analysts. After a four-year career at Oregon (and a six-year collegiate career overall), Whittington’s 5.7 yards per carry average as a Duck was thought to make him draftable near the end of Day 3, as well.
Lastly, Houston brought in some competition for punter Kai Kroeger, who spent his rookie season punting in New Orleans. Stonehouse set records during his time with the Orange, and as the son and cousin of former NFL players, he has the pedigree to be an NFL punter. Head coach DeMeco Ryans sees a punting competition playing out between the two youngsters over the course of the offseason, per Wilson.
Giants Preview Three-Way Kicking Battle
In 2025, the Giants featured four different placekickers throughout the season as regular kicker Graham Gano struggled to say on the field for the third year in a row. Big Blue had enjoyed three good years from the Pro Bowl leg following his seven-year tenure in Carolina, but after appearing in only 23 of a possible 54 games since 2023, Gano was dropped by New York after the season ended.
Now, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, a three-way kicking competition will commence for the offseason. The participants in this three-way contest will be the incumbent Ben Sauls, veteran free agent addition Jason Sanders, and undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada.
Sauls didn’t join the G-Men until halfway through his rookie season. With five years of experience kicking at Acrisure Stadium while at Pitt, Sauls initially signed with the Steelers after going undrafted last year. He was waived near the end of the preseason in the run up to final roster cuts and landed on the Falcons’ practice squad nearly a month after clearing waivers. The Falcons dropped him from their taxi squad in early November, and he landed on New York’s a week later.
At this point in the Giants’ season, the team had seen a three-game stint of Jude McAtamney as an injury replacement for Gano and was preparing for a five-game look at Younghoe Koo replacing Gano after he went down for a second time. Sauls didn’t get an opportunity to kick for New York until making his NFL debut down the stretch in the final three games of the regular season. The Giants signed him to the active roster on a deal that would keep him under contract through the 2026 season after his first game with the team, and in his three-game opportunity, he went 8-for-8 on field goal attempts and converted all seven extra point attempts.
Sanders signed with the Giants early in the offseason and just before the team released Gano. A one-time first-team All-Pro, Sanders is joining only his second NFL team after an eight-year stay with the Dolphins, who drafted him. Sanders alternated strong and poor performances over his first four years in the league but showed consistent improvement over each of the next three. He was coming off a campaign in which he posted career highs in field goals made (37) and 50+-yard field goals made (12), showing incredible accuracy in both areas, when he missed the entire 2025 season with a hip injury that did not require surgery.
Zvada makes his way to the NFL after four years as a primary kicker at the collegiate level. He started his career at Arkansas State where he missed only one field goal attempt and extra point attempt as a true freshman. Following his second year with the Red Wolves, Zvada transferred to Michigan and put on another one-miss performance in each kicking category for the Wolverines. After each of those two seasons, in which he went 38 of 40 on field goal attempts, he had letdown years, combining to go 34 of 47 in 2023 and 2025. He showed off his strong leg in college, as well, with double-digit makes over 50 yards in his collegiate career.
According to new head coach and former special team coach John Harbaugh, “it’s going to be a competition…right out of the gates.” During rookie minicamp, Zvada got his opportunity to make a first impression and went 5-for-5 with a make from 55 yards out. Sauls has familiarity with his surroundings, but with a new long snapper, holder, and special teams staff in the building, his incumbency doesn’t amount to much, while Sanders will have to prove that he is back to his old self after a lengthy injury recovery. This battle could run to the end of the preseason, and it looks like every participant holds a decent shot at winning the job.
Buccaneers Add 13-Man UDFA Class
The Buccaneers were lauded for their ability to add value with their seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. When the event came to an end, the team went to work adding more young players to the roster to form a 20-man rookie class. Here are the 13 undrafted free agents who signed on with Tampa Bay:
- Wesley Brown, LS (Fresno State)
- Ja’Qurious Conley, S (Charlotte)
- Jalon Daniels, QB (Kansas) (story)
- Kenny Fletcher Jr., TE (Rutgers)
- Ayden Garnes, CB (Arizona)
- Josiah Green, DT (Duke)
- Aidan Laros, P (Kentucky)
- Henry Lutovsky, G (Nebraska)
- Deshawn McKnight, DT (Arizona)
- Jack Pyburn, DE (LSU)
- Eric Rivers, WR (Georgia Tech)
- Paul Rubelt, T (UCF)
- Noah Short, WR (Army)
The Buccaneers were fortunate to add Pyburn after the LSU one-year rental slipped out of the back of the draft. Extremely effective as a run-stopper, Pyburn was thought to be a potential sixth- or seventh-round option, but perhaps his lack of a pass rush kept teams from using draft capital on him. He was seemingly a popular option as a free agent, though. Aaron Williams of KPRC 2 reports that Tampa Bay’s deal with Pyburn has $115K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus.
Other than Pyburn, only guys like Lutovsky, Garnes, and Rivers stood a chance at landing at the back of the draft, but even they were pretty likely to land as undrafted free agents. Lutovsky looks the part of an OL depth piece after serving as a two-year starter for the Cornhuskers. Garnes had a breakout year in 2023 with 13 passes defensed and two picks at Duquesne before ending at Arizona with nine passes defensed and an interception last year. Once a 1,000-yard, 12-touchdown receiver at FIU before transferring to Atlanta, Rivers has the speed to earn an NFL opportunity as a slot or return man.
Lastly, Tampa Bay will use their UDFA class to take a look at some rookie specialists. With punter Riley Dixon and long snapper Evan Deckers both playing on contract years, Laros and Brown could both stand an outside chance at earning a roster spot or practice squad contract.
Colts Sign 12 Undrafted Free Agents
The Colts focused on defense in the 2026 NFL Draft with five of their first six picks coming on that side of the ball. After also taking swings at running back and wide receiver to close the draft, Indianapolis signed the following 12 undrafted free agents to add a few more long-shot options to their 20-man rookie class:
- Cameron Ball, DT (Arkansas)
- Austin Brown, S (Wisconsin)
- Tahj Chambers, LB (Mississippi)
- Sahmir Hagans, WR (Duke)
- E.J. Horton, WR (Purdue)
- Mitchell Melton, DE (Virginia)
- Lincoln Pare, RB (Texas)
- Nolan Rucci, T (Penn State)
- Raylen Sharpe, WR (Arkansas)
- Geno VanDeMark, C (Alabama)
- Jordon Vaughn, RB (Abilene Christian)
- West Weeks, LB (LSU)
Though the Colts were able to add some more young bodies on offense with this UDFA class, most of their notable signings here were on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Brown has all the right tools to be a roaming safety that drops down into the slot and box in the NFL but was unable to produce impact plays with any regularity for the Badgers. He must’ve had a number of suitors, though, as NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that Indy gave Brown $272K in guaranteed money in order to secure his signature.
At 6-foot-3.5 and 310 pounds, Ball’s imposing frame had evaluators expecting teams to take a chance on him some time on Day 3 of the draft. He’s a formidable run blocker who will need to develop some pass rush ability to stay on the field at the next level.
Finally on offense, Rucci was teammates with Brown for two years before transferring to Happy Valley. He only spent one season as a full-time starter for the Nittany Lions, but at just over 6-foot-8, 314 pounds, Rucci has an ideal frame on which the team can build upon. Some technique work and strong coaching will be needed in his future, but he’s a worthy project for the Colts to take on.