Titans Re-Sign DE Marlon Davidson
Marlon Davidson will be back with the Titans in 2024. The former second-round defensive end has re-signed in Tennessee, per a team announcement. 
Davidson entered the league with considerable expectations based on his college production. Things did not go according to plan in Atlanta, however, and he was released midway through his third season with the team. That move set up a deal with the 49ers last spring, but Davidson was among San Francisco’s final roster cuts.
The Auburn product was retained via the practice squad, but he did not see any regular season game action with the 49ers. He signed to the Titans’ taxi squad in October not long after being released. That led to a number of gameday elevations and time spent on Tennessee’s 53-man roster. As a result, Davidson appeared in five games last season, making three starts along the way.
Logging a career-high 48% snap share, the 25-year-old posted 10 tackles (including two for loss) and one sack during his time in Tennessee. That production has resulted in a post-draft agreement keeping him in the fold through at least training camp. Davidson will look to carve out a roster spot this summer amongst the Titans’ other options along the defensive front.
Tennessee has Jeffery Simmons, Sebastian Joseph-Day and rookie T’Vondre Sweat in place as D-linemen set to occupy the defensive interior. Along the edge, the team has Harold Landry and Arden Key in place as starters. Davidson will look to earn a rotational role alongside Rashad Weaver; doing so could set him up for a full-time campaign on the team’s 53-man roster.
Patriots Begin Top Executive Search
Eliot Wolf has been at the helm of the Patriots’ front office this offseason, holding down de facto general manager duties through the draft. As expected, however, New England is prepared to bring in another important executive in the near future. 
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports the Patriots have begun their search for a “top football executive.” Questions have been raised about whether or not a new hire would work alongside or underneath Wolf, but Jones adds the role being interviewed for is believed to be one which will “outrank all other football positions in the building.”
Wolf – brought in following his time with the Packers – received positive reviews leading up to the draft, and as such many have pointed to him being the ultimate choice for the unnamed executive position. As of the most recent update on the matter, Wolf is certainly still in the running to have his duties at the head of the personnel department carry on through the remainder of the offseason and beyond. Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald confirms that is the case as New England sends out external interview requests.
As Jones notes, there is precedent for teams waiting until well into the offseason and beyond the draft to hire a new general manager. On the other hand, the Patriots have not used a typical organizational structure during this century, with Bill Belichick operating as head coach but also the top decision-maker regarding roster building. With Belichick no longer in the fold, Jerod Mayo is handling his responsibilities on the sidelines.
In the front office, however, there is room for either a new executive to lead the personnel department or an enhanced title to be given to Wolf. The son of Ron Wolf has ushered in a new structure with respect to player evaluation and scouting for the draft, and much of his future will of course depend on how his decisions to date have been viewed by owner Robert Kraft.
New England turned down interest shown by both the Giants and Vikings in the third overall pick. By retaining the selection, the Patriots added Drake Maye as a potential franchise quarterback. That move was followed in short order by the team finalizing a monster extension with defensive tackle Christian Barmore (the largest non-Tom Brady deal in club history).
To say the least, Wolf has already made a number of critical decisions in his brief time at the helm. Kraft will thus have plenty to evaluate as he also meets with potential options to supplant Wolf. To satisfy the Rooney Rule, the Patriots’ search process must include at least two external minority candidates, and it will be interesting to see who the team reaches out to.
Seahawks, CB Michael Jackson Agree To Revised Deal
Michael Jackson was among the players tendered as a restricted free agent by the Seahawks this offseason. The veteran corner recently signed his RFA tender, valued at just over $3MM. 
Jackson and the team have worked out a new arrangement, however. Per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Jackson will now receive a base salary of $1.06MM in 2024, a figure which is not guaranteed. The 27-year-old will collect a $168K signing bonus, however, increasing his up front compensation compared to what it previously was. This agreement will create $1.89MM in cap space – notable breathing space given the team’s lack of financial wiggle room entering Monday.
A fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2019, Jackson actually made his regular season debut with the Lions that year. He then spent a single season in New England before beginning his Seahawks tenure. The Miami alum has made 36 appearances with Seattle, and in 2022 he served as a full-time starter. That year, Jackson recorded 75 tackles, one interception and 12 pass deflections while allowing a completion percentage of just under 56%.
In 2023, however, the arrival of fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon led to a sharp decrease in Jackson’s playing time. The latter saw his defensive snap share fall from 94% to 40%, and it yielded a fall-off in production. Jackson will nevertheless have the opportunity to play at least a rotational role in the Seahawks’ secondary in 2024.
Seattle re-signed Artie Burns this offseason, and the team used two draft picks (Nehemiah Pritchett in the fifth round, followed by DJ James in the sixth) on cornerbacks. Jackson will thus have plenty of competition for playing time this summer as he prepares for a fourth season in the Emerald City.
Chargers To Host Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The Chargers have already been active in the post-draft free agent market at the receiver position. Los Angeles added DJ Chark last week, providing the team with a vertical option in the passing game. 
They may not be done on that front, however. The Chargers are set to host Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a visit Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The veteran has been on the market since his Chiefs release early in the offseason. The only team connected to him during his stay on the open market has been the Chargers.
Los Angeles created a pair of notable vacancies at the WR spot by releasing Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen. The team turned down the opportunity to add Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze at the No. 5 pick in the draft, electing instead to select offensive tackle Joe Alt. The Bolts nevertheless brought in three rookie wideouts by drafting Ladd McConkey in the second round before following up with Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh.
Those moves did not preclude further action on the part of Los Angeles’ new regime. General manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh have made it clear the team will lean heavily on the ground game based on their roster-building decisions to date, but room exists for more wideout additions. Los Angeles is among the teams which has shown interest in Tyler Boyd, though a Valdes-Scantling agreement could take the team out of the running on that front.
The latter averaged just under 16 yards per catch while helping win the Super Bowl in each of his two Kansas City campaigns. After letting him go, though, the Chiefs inked Marquise Brown in free agency and drafted fellow speedster Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft. Valdes-Scantling is thus set up to play for a new team in 2024, though the Chargers’ ongoing interest means he could still find himself in the AFC West next season.
The 29-year-old’s best season came in 2020 (33-690-6 statline), and he has remained a deep threat since then. Drops have been a talking point during his career, however, and his skillet overlaps considerably with that of Chark. Still, Valdes-Scantling could compete for a notable role with the likes of Quentin Johnston and Josh Palmer if his Chargers visit were to yield a contract.
Panthers Plan To Sign RB Rashaad Penny
Another addition to Carolina’s backfield appears to be on the way. The Panthers plan to sign Rashaad Penny, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Fowler adds the move will likely be made after the team’s rookie minicamp is completed. Provided it does, Penny will join a running back depth chart which already features second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks along with veterans Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. Despite his underwhelming performance last season, the latter is not on the trade block.
Carolina ranked 20th in the NFL in rushing yards last season, averaging 104 yards per game on the ground. That marked much better efficiency than the team’s passing attack, but it still left plenty of room for improvement. After making a pair of lucrative free agent investments along the interior offensive line (guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis), the Panthers made Brooks the first running back to hear his name called at the draft. Hubbard has one year remaining on his rookie contract while Sanders is on the books for three more years.
Penny will aim to carve out a roster spot while competing with those three (along with Tarik Cohen, Mike Boone and Raheem Blackshear) for playing time. The former first-rounder has dealt with considerable injury troubles during his career, with his best season coming in 2021 (749 yards, six touchdowns). Penny led the league with a 6.3 yards per carry average that year, but he has been limited to just eight games since then.
The 28-year-old played on a one-year deal with the Eagles last season, serving in a limited capacity. Penny received just 12 touches, and he will be aiming to secure a larger workload in Carolina. This move will represent a reunion between Penny and new Panthers head coach Dave Canales. The latter was a member of the Seahawks’ staff during all five of the former’s campaigns in Seattle.
The Panthers entered Monday with roughly $8MM in cap space, so a deal for Penny (which will no doubt be a short-term, low-cost endeavor) should be manageable. It will be interesting to see how Carolina’s backfield pecking order shakes out provided a deal is finalized in the near future.
Panthers, Stephon Gilmore Not Close To Deal
Both before and after the draft, the Panthers have been linked to a reunion with Stephon Gilmore. The former Defensive Player of the Year is among the top cornerbacks still on the market, but a Carolina agreement may not be a lock at this point. 
Joe Person of The Athletic notes there has been “no movement” between team and player in the Gilmore situation (subscription required). That has remained the case for weeks, he adds, meaning nothing is imminent regarding a deal being struck. Carolina traded away Donte Jackson in the Diontae Johnson deal, and the team lost C.J. Henderson and Shaquill Griffin during free agency.
That created a few vacancies on the CB depth chart, although Dane Jackson was added on a two-year deal. That move still had the Panthers set up to use a high draft pick on a corner, but instead the team’s only rookie addition was fifth-rounder Chau Smith-Wade. As a result, the Panthers may still be in the market for an addition in the post-draft wave of free agency.
Gilmore spent the 2021 season in Carolina, with his campaign being limited to nine games. In spite of the missed time, he still added a fifth Pro Bowl to his resume that year, and he remained a full-time starter while subsequently playing for the Colts and Cowboys. The 33-year-old expressed a desire to re-sign in Dallas earlier this offseason, but it remains to be seen if the feeling is mutual.
Carolina currently has just over $8MM in cap space, some of which will be needed to sign the team’s draft class. That will still leave sufficient funds to make a somewhat notable addition late in free agency, and Gilmore could remain a target on a low-cost arrangement. With the sides apparently not in discussion, however, it would come as a surprise if a deal were to come together in the near future. Aside from Gilmore, other free agent cornerback options include J.C. Jackson, Steven Nelson, Adoree’ Jackson and Patrick Peterson.
Patriots To Waive QB Nathan Rourke
Following the draft, New England was one of a few teams with five quarterbacks on the roster. That logjam has been addressed to a degree now, however. The Patriots are waiving Nathan Rourke, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports. 
Rourke put himself on the NFL radar with a decorated tenure in the CFL. The 25-year-old Canadian initially joined the Jaguars, but he was unable to lock down the backup spot in Jacksonville. New England claimed him off waivers in December and he was re-signed in March.
That decision came after the Patriots cycled through a number of passers during the 2023 season, including Matt Corral and Malik Cunningham (who played QB in college but may need to transition to receiver at the NFL level). Starter Mac Jones is no longer in the fold, and the position has seen considerable change over the course of the 2024 offseason. Veteran Jacoby Brissett was signed as a bridge option for a rookie added at the top of the draft.
To little surprise, the Patriots used the No. 3 selection on Drake Maye. The North Carolina product profiles as New England’s quarterback of the future, although Brissett may begin the year atop the depth chart. In any case, those two will each use up roster spots throughout the campaign, leaving the QB3 position up for grabs. With New England having used a sixth-rounder on Joe Milton, three places on the depth chart are likely accounted for regarding the 2024 season.
Reiss noted over the weekend that Rourke would likely be competing with Bailey Zappe for the fourth and final roster spot amongst signal-callers. Monday’s move means the latter will remain in place for the time being, after he made eight starts across the past two seasons. With Maye now in the fold, however, Zappe’s path to a first-team role has become unclear in New England. For Rourke, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if outside teams put in a claim; failing that, he will become a free agent.
5 Key Stories: 4/28/24 – 5/5/24
With the draft now in the rearview, most major roster-building moves around the league have taken place. A new wave of free agent signings is underway, though, and other key decisions were made in recent days. In case you missed any of the top developments from around the NFL over the past week, here is a quick recap:
- Chiefs Agree To Kelce Raise: Not long after lining up new deals for head coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and president Mark Donovan, the Chiefs hammered out a new agreement with tight end Travis Kelce. Originally reported as an extension, the deal is actually a raise which keeps the future Hall of Famer on the books for two more years. Kelce will receive $34.25MM across 2024 and 2025, with his compensation for the coming season ($17MM) guaranteed at signing. The revised pact moves the 34-year-old to the top of the pecking order in terms of annual earnings at the tight end position and ensures he will remain the focal point of Kansas City’s passing game for at least the near future. As the Chiefs pursue a third straight Super Bowl, Kelce will join defensive tackle Chris Jones in playing on a lucrative new pact.
- Patriots Extend Barmore: Over the past two years in particular, a number of ascending defensive tackles have landed sizable second contracts. Christian Barmore became the latest name on that list when he inked a four-year Patriots extension with a base value of $84MM. New England has been busy with respect to retaining players this offseason, and the team prevented a 2025 Barmore free agent departure by working out this deal. The 24-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign last season (8.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss) while logging a career-high defensive workload. The Patriots are banking on a continuation of that career development, although the structure of the contract’s guarantees (which includes $31.8MM locked in at signing) could allow them to cut bait in 2026. Still, this Barmore pact is the largest New England deal given to a player other than Tom Brady, so the team’s financial commitment is certainly a notable one.
- Cowboys, Elliott Reunite: In a move foreshadowed throughout the offseason, Ezekiel Elliott returned to the Cowboys on a one-year deal. The two-time rushing champion was released by Dallas last offseason, setting up a single campaign spent with the Patriots. Elliott posted career-worst figures on the ground in 2023, but he and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have both expressed a belief he can still operate as a starter at this point in his career. Elliott, 28, is currently in line to shoulder a notable workload in the backfield as things stand. Dallas saw Tony Pollard depart in free agency, and the team’s only veteran addition prior to Elliott was Royce Freeman. To the surprise of many, the Cowboys did not select a running back during the draft, leaving plenty of carries available for Elliott and the team’s other incumbents. The former No. 4 pick will collect $2MM guaranteed and up to $3MM in 2024.
- Steelers Decline Harris’ 2025 Option: May 2 marked the deadline for teams to decide on the fifth-year options of 2021 first-rounders. That process brought about few surprises, but the Steelers elected not to exercise running back Najee Harris‘ 2025 option. Picking it up would have locked Harris into a guaranteed salary of $6.79MM next season, but he is now on track for free agency. Pittsburgh is reportedly open to negotiating a deal with the Alabama product, but his value will be greatly influenced by his 2024 performance. Harris has served as a workhorse back to date, topping 1,200 scrimmage yards in each of his three seasons. He has been less efficient in doing so than Jaylen Warren, however, and the latter is positioned to continue splitting carries this season in an offense set to feature the run heavily. It will be interesting to see how Harris’ value is affected as the campaign progresses.
- Goodell, Owners Open To 18-Game Season: Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear he is open to adding an 18th contest to the NFL’s regular season. In the wake of him publicly backing a setup featuring just two preseason games to make up the difference (along with a Presidents Day weekend Super Bowl), a report indicated owners are in favor of such an adjustment. Expanding the schedule was a key negotiation point ahead of the 2021 CBA being hammered out; even though the agreement runs through 2030, efforts could be made to adopt the 18-game season well before it expires. Doing so would of course require concessions being made to the NFLPA, which has new leadership in place. The NFL has used a 17-game schedule for the past three seasons, but that could change in relatively short order if support increases for further expansion.
Sean McVay Addresses Matthew Stafford’s Rams Future; Stetson Bennett Back With Team
Following the first round of the draft, it was learned Matthew Stafford is seeking a revised Rams contract. Specifically, the Super Bowl-winning passer is aiming to receive guarantees beyond the 2024 campaign. 
Stafford is currently on the books through 2026, but his base salaries after 2024 are not guaranteed. He is also set to carry sizable cap hits over the remaining term on his deal, and an extension could lower those figures. Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed the team has been in discussion with the 36-year-old about a new arrangement. His recent stance on the matter suggests a willingness on the part of the team to make a post-2024 commitment.
“We were taking it a year at a time, but as long as he wants to play, we’re fortunate to have him as our quarterback,” McVay said during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio (audio link).
Stafford has faced retirement questions in the past, but he delivered a strong performance in 2023. The former No. 1 pick made posted 3,965 yards and a 24:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio, earning him a Pro Bowl nod. Stafford helped guide the Rams to a surprising playoff appearance, and if healthy he will face considerable expectations for the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles signed Jimmy Garoppolo to serve as an experienced backup, but a renewed investment in Stafford would keep him atop the depth chart past the coming season. Injuries or retirement could change the latter’s situation in a hurry, of course, but a mutual interest between team and player to remain together over a multi-year term could produce an agreement this offseason depending on how negotiations progress.
In other Rams QB news, McVay noted (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop) that Stetson Bennett returned to the team at the onset of their offseason program. The 2023 fourth-rounder spent his rookie season on the reserve/NFI list, but the team indicated in March he was expected to be back with the team in time for spring workouts. Bennett will aim to lock down the QB3 role this offseason before potentially taking over the backup spot next year. It will be interesting to see if Stafford has a new contract in place by that point.
CB Xavien Howard Medically Cleared
Xavien Howard‘s time with the Dolphins is over, but he is one of the more accomplished free agents still available. The former All-Pro corner is back to full health, so his market could soon see movement. 
Howard has received clearance for football activities, as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The 30-year-old was limited to 13 games in 2023 as he dealt with a foot injury, but he has now recovered. Miami designated Howard a post-June 1 cut, and a reunion on a low-cost deal is not in the cards.
Few developments have been seen since Howard confirmed he will be playing on a new team in 2024. The four-time Pro Bowler has, however, expressed interest in a Texans deal. Houston was busy in free agency at the cornerback spot, bringing in C.J. Henderson, Jeff Okudah and Myles Bryant this offseason. The team also used its top pick (No. 42) on Kamari Lassiter during the draft, adding another starting-caliber option into the mix.
For that reason, Howard may need to look elsewhere in terms of potential new landing spots. The Texans do, on the other hand, have over $23MM in cap space and Howard has indicated a willingness to take less on a new deal if it allows him to join a contender. After making a surprise run to the divisional round of the postseason last year, Houston would certainly qualify in that regard.
Howard has twice led the NFL in interceptions (recording seven in 2018 and 10 in 2020), but he posted just one in each of the past two seasons. The Baylor product also surrendered four touchdowns and allowed a passer rating of 101.2 in 2022, although last season the latter figure saw a notable rebound. Many veterans take one-year pacts when signed after the draft, and it would come as no surprise if Howard were to follow suit this year. Still, it will be interesting to see if he fields offers from CB-needy teams in the near future.