Dolphins To Sign Jacoby Brissett
The quarterback market is really starting to heat up now. Just moments after news broke about Andy Dalton signing with the Bears, we’ve got word of Jacoby Brissett‘s next destination.
Brissett will be signing a one-year contract with the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former Patriots and Colts quarterback will sign for a guaranteed $5MM, according to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin (on Twitter). The deal can max out at $7MM.
Ryan Fitzpatrick left for Washington last night, and Miami wasted no time in finding their new veteran backup for Tua Tagovailoa. After all the controversy last season from the Fitz/Tua flips that Brian Flores initiated, it’s a little eyebrow-raising to see them go with another high profile player behind Tagovailoa.
If Tua falters in his second season, Flores will once again have another player with lots of starting experience waiting in the wings behind him. The Dolphins have sought to establish themselves as committed to Tagovailoa ever since the season ended, amid lots of speculation that they’d try to make a move for Deshaun Watson.
Brissett’s time in Indy came to an end with the Colts trading for Carson Wentz earlier this offseason. After a shoulder injury to Andrew Luck in 2017, the Colts traded with the Patriots for Brissett and he started 15 games for them that year. In 2018 he backed up Luck but after Luck’s sudden retirement, he again started 15 games for them in 2019.
His play in 2019 was subpar, causing the Colts to go out and sign Philip Rivers last offseason, once again relegating Brissett to clipboard-holding duties. In his last season as the starter he had 18 touchdowns and only six interceptions, but averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt as he was often too conservative with the ball and failed to push it down the field.
Saints Trade Malcom Brown To Jaguars
The Saints have found a trade partner for Malcom Brown after all. New Orleans is sending the defensive lineman to the Jaguars, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
We first heard about two weeks ago that the team was shopping Brown. Then we heard last week that they were planning on releasing him after apparently finding no takers. The Jags seemingly swooped in at the last minute to avoid a release, and Saints GM Mickey Loomis was rewarded for his patience.
Brown had been set to make about $5MM with the Saints in 2021, but now after this deal the Jags are giving him a new two-year contract worth $11MM with $8MM guaranteed, Rapoport tweets. Brown went from almost getting cut, to now getting a new team, a raise, and some more security.
New Orleans signed Brown to a three-year deal worth $15MM in March of 2019. The last pick of the first-round by the Patriots back in 2015, Brown was solid enough but never lived up to his draft pedigree, and New England declined his fifth-year option. He started 29 games for the Saints the past two years, and will likely be a big part of Urban Meyer’s run defense in Jacksonville.
It’s yet another veteran addition for the Jaguars, who have been busy the past 24 hours. They just signed receiver Marvin Jones Jr, and have already added guys like cornerback Shaquill Griffin, defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, and safety Rayshawn Jenkins to the defense.
Bears To Sign Andy Dalton
Another one of the quarterback dominos has fallen. Andy Dalton will be signing with the Bears, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year deal worth $10MM that carries an additional $3MM in incentives, Schefter reports. We heard earlier this morning that the Bears were interested, and they were able to get something done. Chicago had been “circling” for a few days and the 49ers also had interest in his services, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. San Francisco’s interest is eyebrow-raising, and Dalton’s presence would’ve put some heat on Jimmy Garoppolo.
Understandably, Dalton opted to go with the team where he has a clearer path to starting duties. Financially, it’s very similar to the deal Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with Washington last night, which was also for one year and $10MM + incentives. Jameis Winston‘s new deal with the Saints is worth “up to” $12MM, so this appears to be where the bar has been set for quasi-starters with teams who have uncertain futures under center.
Mitchell Trubisky is a free agent and not expected to return to the Bears. Nick Foles is still on the roster, but Dalton can likely be penciled in as the starter for now. That being said, the commitment to him isn’t too large, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Chicago opted to still draft a rookie early or try to pull off a miracle trade. As of a couple weeks ago they were apparently all-in on a pursuit of Russell Wilson.
It’s unclear if this signing will alter those plans at all. Dalton was the Bengals’ starter from 2011-19, and had some real success, making the Pro Bowl three times and leading them to the playoffs in five straight seasons at one point. He was allowed to walk as Cincy entered a rebuild, and ended up in Dallas as a backup last year. After Dak Prescott‘s season-ending injury, he took over under center.
In 11 games and nine starts for the Cowboys, he finished with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions while averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. Not exactly eye-popping numbers, but he was in a tough situation.
There’s also a lot of familiarity here, as Bill Lazor is the Bears’ new offensive coordinator. Lazor was Dalton’s QBs coach and then OC for a few years in Cincinnati. Assuming Dalton is the starter, he’ll be tasked with saving the jobs of head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace, both of whom are on very thin ice entering 2021.
Steelers To Release Vince Williams
The Steelers are staying busy on Tuesday, releasing a long-time defensive player. Pittsburgh is cutting linebacker Vince Williams, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
As Fowler notes, the move will save the Steelers about $4MM in cap space. The Steelers drafted Williams in the sixth-round back in 2013, and he spent the past eight seasons with the team. In August of 2018 he signed a three-year extension worth $18.6MM. Not bad for a former 206th overall pick.
Williams was a part-time player earlier in his career, but has been a starter the past four seasons. This past year he appeared in 14 games, all starts, racking up 70 tackles, 14 for a loss, and three sacks. In 2017 he had eight sacks despite being an inside linebacker.
The Florida State product will now hit free agency for the first time at the age of 31. He should get picked up by a team in need of linebacking help before too long.
Steelers To Re-Sign Zach Banner
Maurkice Pouncey has retired, Matt Feiler just signed with the Chargers, and the Steelers might be looking to move on from Alejandro Villanueva, so Pittsburgh’s offensive line is going to look a lot different next year no matter what.
But not everybody is walking out the door, as the team has agreed to terms on a deal to retain tackle Zach Banner, Aditi Kinkhabwala of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a two-year, $9.5MM deal with a $3.25MM signing bonus, she reports. Not too shabby for a player with only two career starts under his belt.
A fourth-round pick of the Colts back in 2017, Banner was cut before ever playing in a game for Indy. He then had brief stints with the Browns and Panthers before landing with the Steelers. He only started one game in 2019, but played in 14 and played 22 percent of the offensive snaps.
Last offseason he won the job to be the Steelers’ new starting right tackle, but tore an ACL during their Week 1 win over the Giants. The team clearly believes in him, and it seems like they envision him winning the starting job again. Since his ACL tear came so early in the year, the USC product should be ready to go for the start of the 2021 season.
Giants To Sign John Ross
The Giants were rumored to be looking for another receiver this offseason, and now they’ve found one. New York has agreed to terms on a deal with receiver John Ross, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal that includes $1MM in guaranteed money, Garafolo reports. The move isn’t necessarily the big splash many Giants fans have been waiting for, but it’s a nice low-risk flyer with significant upside. Ross is well known for being the ninth overall pick in 2017, as well as his legendary NFL Combine 40-time of 4.22.
Things didn’t go as planned with the Bengals nearly immediately, and his four years in Cincinnati were an abject disaster. He struggled with injuries, playing in three, 13, eight, and three games during his four seasons there. He finished his run with 51 catches for 733 yards and ten touchdowns, a pitiful sum for a top ten pick.
Needless to say, the team didn’t exercise his fifth-year option and returning to Cincy was never in the cards. He’s obviously got game-breaking speed, and showed plenty of flashes during the 2019 season when he had 506 yards in only eight games, so the potential is there.
After releasing Golden Tate the Giants don’t have much at all at receiver beyond Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, as Ross has a realistic path to some playing time in 2021. Keep an eye on this one.
Cowboys To Sign Ty Nsekhe
The Cowboys just lost last year’s swing tackle when Cameron Erving signed with the Panthers yesterday, and they’re wasting no time in replacing him.
Dallas has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran lineman Ty Nsekhe, his agency Elite Loyalty Sports announced on Twitter. Nsekhe will now slide into Erving’s role and fill in for either Tyron Smith or La’el Collins if necessary. Erving ended up starting a handful of games for the Cowboys last year due to injuries.
Nsekhe has had a remarkable path, as he entered the pro ranks as an UDFA back in 2009. He started off in the AF2 and after a few years in the ill-fated AFL, finally got his first taste of the NFL in 2012. He didn’t stick on a roster until 2015, when he finally found his footing with Washington.
He would go on to start a handful of games for Washington in each season from 2016-18, always filling in solidly when the team was in a pinch. Regarded as one of the better reserve tackles out there, he signed a two-year, $14.5MM deal with Buffalo in March of 2019.
That turned out to be a pretty sweet gig for him, as he only started one game for the Bills the past two seasons. He’s 35 now, but will give the Cowboys very solid depth on the O-line.
Browns To Sign Takk McKinley
The Browns are getting some of the edge rushing help they’ve been seeking. Cleveland has agreed to terms on a deal with defensive end Takkarist McKinley, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets.
It’s a one-year pact with a base value of $4.25MM that can be worth up to $6MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Sounds like the deal is rich on incentives, which makes plenty of sense for a player in McKinley’s circumstances. The UCLA product was the 27th overall pick in 2017, but things never worked out for him in Atlanta. By the end he was butting heads with management and blasting the team on social media, which ultimately led to him getting waived.
A bizarre saga then ensued, with a number of teams trying to claim him to cash in on his potential. He was claimed by the Bengals and then 49ers, but failed physicals with both teams and reverted to waivers each time. He was then finally claimed and cleared by the Raiders, but spent the rest of last season on Las Vegas’ injured reserve.
McKinley has shown plenty of flashes and most metrics graded him very positively when on the field recently, so it’s a nice low-risk signing for Cleveland. The story all offseason was that the Browns were looking for a big-name pass-rusher to pair next to Myles Garrett, and they expressed interest in J.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, and Trey Hendrickson before they signed with different teams.
This McKinley signing isn’t as splashy as one of those other guys would’ve been, but he’s got significant upside. Still only 25, he’s got plenty of time to turn around his career narrative.
Tramon Williams Retires From NFL
Free agency is plowing full steam ahead, but signings and cuts aren’t the only thing going on. We’ve also got news of a significant retirement to pass along.
Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams is hanging up his cleats, he declared in a text to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Williams entered the league as an UDFA all the way back in 2006, and improbably defied all expectations and then some to stick in the NFL for a whopping 15 seasons. For a player at his position especially, it was a run that’s nothing short of incredible in hindsight.
Today is Williams’ 38th birthday. After initially signing with the Texans he was quickly cut and then signed to the Packers’ practice squad. He would go on to spend nine seasons in Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XLV with the team. The Louisiana Tech product then went to Cleveland, Arizona, back to Green Bay again, and then Baltimore.
The Ravens waived him back on January 18th, and he signed with the Packers one last time on January 21st just in time to suit up for the NFC Championship Game, although he didn’t end up playing in the contest.
Never a star but a quality starter for many years, Williams made one Pro Bowl in 2010. He’ll finish his legendary career having appeared in a whopping 205 games with 153 starts. He’ll go down with 153 passes defended, and 34 interceptions. There was a four-year stretch from 2008-11 where he had at least four interceptions in each season.
All of us here at PFR wish Williams the best in retirement, and a happy birthday as well!
Bengals To Sign Mike Hilton
The Bengals are continuing to add to the defense. Cincinnati has agreed to terms on a deal with free agent cornerback Mike Hilton, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s a four-year pact for Hilton, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (tweet via Ben Baby of ESPN).
The four-year deal is worth $24MM with $8.5MM coming to Hilton in the first year, Rapoport tweets. The Bengals signed fellow corner Chidobe Awuzie to a three-year deal earlier this morning, and added defensive end Trey Hendrickson on a massive four-year, $60MM deal last night. With Hilton and Awuzie now in tow and William Jackson III looking likely to depart in free agency, Cincy’s secondary is going to look completely different in 2021.
Hilton entered the league as an UDFA out of Ole Miss in 2016. He initially spent time with the Jaguars and Patriots but was cut in both places before landing on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. He quickly carved out a role with the Steelers, and was a big part of their secondary the past few years. He’ll likely be the Bengals’ new slot corner.
This past season he appeared in 12 games, starting six, and playing around 45 percent of the defensive snaps in total. Despite only being on the field half the time he managed to rack up three sacks, eight tackles for loss, seven passes defended, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. That’s a lot of playmaking.