One minor move to pass along today:
Las Vegas Raiders
After spending his rookie season with the Rams, Meredith caught on with the Raiders in 2022. He spent most of that season on the practice squad but earned a larger role in 2023. The lineman finished this past season having appeared in all 17 games, including one start. A major portion of his snaps came on special teams, but he still got looks on offensive beyond his one start.
The Commanders are continuing to add to their running backs room. The team announced that they’ve signed running back Jeremy McNichols.
The 2017 fifth-round pick will now be joining his 10th NFL team. The running back got his longest look in Tennessee in 2020 and 2021, getting into 30 total games. He served as Derrick Henry‘s primary backup/third-down back during his first season with the Titans, finishing with 259 yards from scrimmage.
When Henry missed half of the 2021 campaign, McNichols still only served as a change-of-pace back, although he did garner a career-high 69 touches for 396 yards. The 28-year-old spent the 2023 season bouncing between the 49ers’ active roster and practice squad.
Austin Ekeler is now atop the depth chart in Washington, and the Commanders are still rostering Brian Robinson, who is coming off a season where he topped 1,100 yards from scrimmage and scored nine touchdowns. McNichols will likely compete for the RB3 spot with 2023 sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez, who got 53 touches as a rookie playing behind Robinson and Antonio Gibson.
The Seahawks lost four-year guard starter Damien Lewis in free agency, seeing him sign a lucrative deal with the Panthers. Seattle has also not re-signed their primary 2023 right guard, Phil Haynes. Some guard work is on tap for Mike Macdonald‘s team.
A guard addition should be expected soon. The Seahawks are interested in Tomlinson, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds they have also discussed bringing in Cody Whitehair for a visit.
Ex-Rams O-lineman Tremayne Anchrum signed with the Seahawks last month, but Macdonald made it clear (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson) the team was not done with its guard shopping. Tomlinson and Whitehair offer considerable experience, though neither is coming off an especially good season. The Bears benched Whitehair last year, and Tomlinson did not show his 49ers form often with the Jets. New York released its two-year guard starter before free agency.
One thing Tomlinson certainly offers is durability; over the past six seasons, the veteran blocker has missed all of one start. Tomlinson turned 32 this offseason and graded 58th and 53rd among guards, per Pro Football Focus, during his two Jets seasons. But he excelled with the 49ers, giving them guard stability for five seasons. Tomlinson earned a San Francisco extension, and his 49ers work commanded a three-year, $40MM deal from the Jets in 2022.
Whitehair, 31, spent eight seasons with the Bears. While he became an expected cap casualty this offseason, the veteran has extensive experience at guard and center. Chicago’s attempt to move Whitehair back to center — to accommodate UFA addition Nate Davis — did not pan out, but Whitehair still saw considerable time at left guard (666 snaps) last season due to injuries. Overall, the 2016 second-round pick has made 118 starts; Tomlinson, a former Lions first-rounder, exited the 2023 season with 138.
This year’s free agency class included a deep guard crop. Lewis was among those who did very well on the market. The Panthers gave Lewis a four-year, $53MM deal with $26.2MM guaranteed at signing. While the top guards are long gone, a host of veterans are still available. In addition to Whitehair and Tomlinson, the likes of Dalton Risner, Andrus Peat, Greg Van Roten and Mark Glowinski are unsigned. Anchrum signed for just $1.2MM and just $100K guaranteed, potentially putting the Seahawks in search of two new starting guards.
The reach of Saints-based inside jokes expanded once again for the Broncos on Monday. Sean Payton is bringing in another of his former New Orleans charges, with 9News’ Mike Klis indicating offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton is joining the Broncos.
Although the Broncos released Chris Manhertz this offseason, they re-signed Wil Lutz, Adam Trautman and Lil’Jordan Humphrey last month. The team also signed defensive tackle Malcolm Roach from the Saints. Throckmorton competed against Roach in practice for two seasons but spent the 2023 campaign with the Panthers and Titans.
[RELATED: Broncos Sign T Matt Peart]
The Panthers waived Throckmorton last year, doing so after he had made seven starts for a team that lost guard starter Brady Christensen in Week 1 and had Austin Corbett out of the mix until late October. Also sustaining a number of injuries up front, the Titans claimed Throckmorton and used him as a backup in six games. The Titans made Throckmorton an offer, per Klis, but he will instead opt to rejoin Payton (and former O-line coach Zach Strief) in Denver.
Throckmorton, 27, made 14 starts for the Saints in Payton’s final New Orleans season (2021). He has worked almost exclusively at guard in the pros. During the 2021 slate in New Orleans, the 2020 UDFA logged 626 snaps at left guard and 282 at right guard. The Saints lost Andrus Peat to a torn pec midway through that season, and they played five games without center Erik McCoy as well. Throckmorton added six starts in 2022.
Pro Football Focus has not viewed Throckmorton as a quality guard, ranking him near the bottom among regulars throughout his career. The Oregon product, however, obviously brings familiarity with Payton and Strief. The Broncos enjoyed good health along their O-line last season; starting guards Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers started throughout. Both remain under contract, but Throckmorton will enter the mix to work as an interior swingman. Peart is tentatively in place as the team’s swing tackle, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noting his one-year deal is for $1.3MM ($368K guaranteed).
The team losing center Lloyd Cushenberry (to the Titans) in free agency could lead to one of the 2023 backups — 2023 seventh-rounder Alex Forsyth or 2022 fifth-rounder Luke Wattenberg — moving into the lineup, though the team could still add a higher-level investment at the spot as well. One of the holdovers moving into the lineup would free up an interior backup spot. Throckmorton supplying 27 career starts, along with his familiarity with the Broncos’ offensive system, would stand to help his cause at making Denver’s 53-man roster.
APRIL 1: Rice retained legal counsel, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson. The wide receiver’s new legal representative said Monday (via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins) his client is cooperating with local authorities.
MARCH 31: A car accident Saturday night has produced a police investigation centering around Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice. Police are searching for Rice in connection with the crash, Kelli Smith and R.J. Coyle of the Dallas Morning News report.
This “major accident” involving a vehicle believed to be registered or leased to Rice occurred around 6:20pm Saturday on a Dallas highway. A driver of a Chevrolet Corvette and a driver of a Lamborghini SUV were speeding on a stretch of the North Central Expressway, per Dallas police, causing the accident.
Both drivers lost control of their vehicles in the crash, causing a high-speed collision when the Lamborghini barreled into a center median wall in a six-car accident. The two drivers fled the scene before providing any information, according to the Morning News. The two vehicles were believed to be racing, per WFAA’s Pete Freedman and Rebecca Lopez. Three men were in the Lamborghini; Rice is believed to have been driving the Corvette.
Two others involved in the accident suffered minor injuries and needed to be hospitalized. No arrest has been made, but a police call sheet confirms Rice is at the center of a search, Smith and Coyle note. Rice will have some questions to answer ahead of his second NFL offseason, though WFAA notes Dallas police have not named the 23-year-old NFLer a suspect at this point.
The Chiefs chose Rice 55th overall out of SMU in last year’s draft. A year after the team chose Skyy Moore in the second round, Rice joined a squad in need at wide receiver. The Chiefs’ receiver trouble became well documented last season, as drops plagued the defending Super Bowl champions. The team’s uneven season at the position also featured backup wideout Justyn Ross landing on the commissioner’s exempt list and eventually receiving a six-game suspension.
Rice emerged as the team’s most dependable wideout and finished his rookie year with 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Rice’s touchdown and yardage totals each ranked second for a rookie in Chiefs history. As the team could not coax steady production from its more experienced wide receivers throughout last season, its 6-foot-2 rookie — obtained after efforts to trade up for a receiver in last year’s first round did not produce a deal — came through.
Rice added an eight-reception, 130-yard showing in the Chiefs’ wild-card win over the Dolphins, and he caught six passes in the team’s Super Bowl LVIII win. He will be expected to be a key part of Kansas City’s 2024 receiving corps, which will also include Marquise Brown and perhaps another notable addition. But the results of this investigation could put Rice on the radar for an NFL suspension.
3:07pm: The Eagles will give Blankenship $3.94MM fully guaranteed over the next two years, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Another $1.38MM is available in Pro Bowl- and playing time-based incentives. The third-year safety would receive $375K by playing 70% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, which he did last year. That number would spike to $875K if Blankenship reaches the 90% rate; he fell short of that in 2023. The Pro Bowl component would bring a $500K bonus.
2:14pm: Reed Blankenship spent last season as a full-time safety starter for the Eagles. The team is making a move that will keep the former UDFA under contract beyond the 2024 season.
Blankenship’s rookie deal runs through 2024; he entered Monday eligible for restricted free agency next year. The Eagles reached a deal that will bypass the RFA process; the new contract runs through 2025. This will keep Blankenship signed until he is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026.
While the Eagles ran into considerable trouble on defense last season, Blankenship was a bright spot. He intercepted three passes, made 113 tackles (18 more than any other Eagle last season) and added 11 pass breakups. The Middle Tennessee State product finished the season ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 safety.
The Eagles saw Blankenship, a 2022 post-draft signee, become a locked-in starter after they let Super Bowl LVII regulars C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps walk in free agency. Despite Philly signing Terrell Edmunds and drafting Sydney Brown in Round 3, Blankenship remained a regular whom Kevin Byard joined upon being acquired before the trade deadline.
The Eagles have made some changes at safety once again. Brown went down with an ACL tear in January, and the team released Byard despite trading two draft picks for him in October. Philly turned back to Gardner-Johnson this year, giving the brash DB a three-year, $27MM deal that includes $10MM guaranteed at signing. Brown may well begin next season on the reserve/PUP list.
Blankenship, 25, was set to make $985K in base salary this season. While the Eagles’ 2022 draftees are not extension-eligible, Blankenship is due to his UDFA status. Considering this move merely shifts his RFA year — one that would have required a tender for retention — into a contract campaign, it would surprise if this was a substantial raise. But it will prevent Philly from needing to consider a second-round RFA tender in 2025. That number ballooned to $4.89MM this year, making it likely it would cost more than $5MM to use in ’25.
Vontae Davis, who played 10 NFL seasons as a cornerback, has died. He was 35. Davis was found at a Southwest Ranches, Florida, residence, according to Julian Quintana of 7News.
Personnel from the Broward County Medical Examiners Office, along with Davie Police, were at the scene Monday. No foul play is believed to have been involved, according to police, though a death investigation is underway, 7News reports. The Southwest Ranches home is owned by Davis’ grandmother.
Jim Irsay has confirmed Davis’ death, calling the former Colts cornerback a “great guy, teammate and player.” The younger brother of former tight end Vernon Davis, Vontae played for the Dolphins, Colts and Bills from 2009-18. He spent most of his time in Miami and Indianapolis, becoming a Pro Bowler after being traded to the Colts.
The Dolphins used a first-round pick on Davis in 2009, selecting him 25th overall out of Illinois. Entering the NFL four years after his brother, Vontae played three seasons in Miami. He started 36 games for the Dolphins but ended up a Colt during training camp in 2012. Joe Philbin‘s first Dolphins season produced a memorable Hard Knocks segment in which Davis trade negotiations unfolded. The Colts ended up acquiring the talented corner for a 2013 second-round pick and a conditional selection that did not end up conveying.
The Colts did not extend Davis immediately, waiting until the 2014 free agency period to re-sign him. That decision paid off. Davis re-signed on a four-year, $36MM deal and continued his run as a starter with the team. Indianapolis deployed Davis as a starter in 76 games, never using him as a backup. This stretch led to Pro Bowl invites in 2014 and 2015.
Davis was a key starter during the Colts’ early Andrew Luck years, helping the team win three playoff games — including a 28-point comeback over the Chiefs in the 2013 wild-card round. Davis made a big impact in the 2014 playoffs, breaking up seven passes as the Colts toppled the Bengals and Broncos en route to the AFC championship game. That wrapped a memorable season for the accomplished CB. Pro Football Focus viewed Davis as a dominant corner in 2014, ranking him first overall at the position that year. His 93.3 grade doubles as the best cornerback season the advanced metrics website has graded in its existence, which spans back to the mid-2000s. Davis intercepted four passes that year and broke up 18.
Signing with the Bills in 2018, Davis memorably retired at halftime of his first game with Buffalo. He told his position coach he was done just before the half in the Bills’ ’18 opener. That abruptly concluded a career that included 22 interceptions, 97 pass breakups and 113 starts.
Jeff Driskel will soon have a chance to play a ninth NFL season. An eighth team will give the veteran quarterback an opportunity.
The Commanders signed Driskel on Monday, putting him on track to compete for one of the team’s reserve jobs. Driskel joins Marcus Mariota and Jake Fromm as Washington QBs presently, though a rookie passer is almost definitely going to join this trio — most likely at No. 2 overall. Driskel will turn 31 later this month. It is a one-year deal, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
[RELATED: Commanders Trade Sam Howell To Seahawks]
Although Driskel is 1-10 as a starter since coming into the league as a 2016 sixth-round pick, he has continued to find work as either a backup or third-string option. The 49ers draftee has bounced to the Bengals, Lions, Broncos, Texans, Cardinals and Browns. He split last season between Arizona and Cleveland, starting the Browns’ Week 18 game despite joining the team just before New Year’s Day.
Driskel’s Cardinals stay did not overlap with Kliff Kingsbury‘s; the Cards added the former Florida and Louisiana Tech passer just before the 2023 draft. Arizona shook up its QB room just before last season, cutting Colt McCoy and David Blough and adding Joshua Dobbs via trade. But Driskel remained part of the equation, residing on the Cardinals’ practice squad — behind Dobbs, Clayton Tune and later Kyler Murray — for most of last season.
The QB-needy Browns poached Driskel off the Cards’ P-squad in late December. Resting Joe Flacco for the playoffs, Cleveland gave Driskel the Week 18 start. He completed a 13-for-26 outing with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. For his career, Driskel is a 58.6% passer (6.1 yards per attempt) who has thrown 16 TD passes and 10 INTs. Most of his starts came in place of an injured Andy Dalton back in 2018; he went 1-4 for the Bengals down the stretch that year.
Washington’s decision at No. 2 overall represents the lead plotline in this year’s draft, with the Bears all but certain to draft Caleb Williams. The Commanders have been connected to Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy with the second pick. Dan Quinn effectively confirmed Washington would leave this draft with a quarterback, though the new HC did not specify where that passer would be drafted. That said, it would be quite surprising if the rebuilding team did not select a passer at 2. Driskel will likely have a chance to compete for the third-string job, with Mariota receiving $5.39MM guaranteed on a one-year, $6MM deal.
The 2024 tackle class has drawn rave reviews in the lead-in to this month’s draft, but Graham Barton is among those expected to play on the inside upon entering the NFL. The Duke product has nevertheless helped his draft stock recently.
Barton was already gaining steam as a rising prospect before his Pro Day, as noted by ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He battled injuries during the 2023 season and was forced to miss the Senior Bowl as a result, but the two-time All-American managed to take part in the Blue Devils’ Pro Day last week. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reports Barton’s performance was highly impressive, and it secured his status as a Day 1 prospect.
Following up on the strong workout, Reid notes Barton could now work his way into the top 15 come draft night. Many NFL teams view the first-team All-ACC selection as a center, but he could also see time at guard at the pro level. Wherever he lines up as a rookie, Barton will face high expectations and no doubt draw the attention of many teams near the top of the order in need of reinforcements up front.
Here are some other draft-related notes from around the NFL:
The Panthers have a vacancy at the cornerback spot for the time being, with Donte Jackson having been traded to the Steelers for Diontae Johnson and C.J. Henderson departing in free agency. Carolina has since signed Dane Jackson, but another move could be coming relatively soon. 
Carolina is interested in bringing back Stephon Gilmore, who had a one-year tenure with the team in 2021. That season was limited to eight games, but the former Defensive Player of the Year still managed to earn a Pro Bowl nod. Gilmore remained healthy during his subsequent campaigns with the Colts and Cowboys, and he is one of the top defensive free agents still on the market.
A new Dallas deal is on Gilmore’s radar, but the 33-year-old could see starting duties if he were to re-join the Panthers. Gilmore would play alongside Jadeveon Clowney in that event, as the former No. 1 pick joined Carolina last week. The two attended the same South Carolina high school, and that connection could help convince Gilmore to take on a Panthers deal. Short of that, though, the team could be in need of a rookie CB addition.
Joe Person of The Athletic predicts the Panthers will select a corner “fairly high” in the upcoming draft if Gilmore or no other veteran is not signed (subscription required). Carolina has Jaycee Horn in place as a starter for at least one more season; a decision on his fifth-year option will be made this spring. The former top-10 pick has battled injuries in his career, though, so a long-term investment in the secondary would come as little surprise.
Dane Jackson will play a part in the team’s efforts to improve against the pass, having signed a two-year deal in free agency. The 27-year-old was drafted when Panthers GM Dan Morgan was a member of Brandon Beane‘s Bills staff, and Person notes Morgan lobbied for Carolina to sign Jackson when he became available. Jackson is in line to serve as a slot starter on his new team, one which has undergone several changes on both sides of the ball this offseason.
Carolina ranked third against the pass in 2023, and the retention of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero points to a repeat of that success being possible this season. At least one notable move at the CB spot will likely be required, however, whether it is a reunion with Gilmore or an early emphasis on the position in the draft.