Saints To Sign Emmanuel Sanders
The Saints are making a big move. New Orleans has agreed to sign free agent Emmanuel Sanders to a two-year deal, the receiver told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal has a base value of $16MM and can be worth up to $19MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The receiver market has been slow to develop outside of a couple of signings, and this could help get the ball rolling. We heard last week that the 49ers were hoping Sanders would have a poor market so they could re-sign him cheaply, but obviously that didn’t happen. Even after they re-signed Amari Cooper, we heard that Dallas was interested in adding Sanders.
The Jets were also interested in reuniting Sanders with Adam Gase, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link), so it sounds like his market ended up being relatively strong. Schefter also tweeted that he spoke with the Packers as well. It’s a nice pickup for the Saints, who struggled for consistent options behind Michael Thomas last season. Thomas was obviously setting records, but Drew Brees was often throwing to a rotating cast of formerly undrafted guys beyond him.
They now have a consistent number two option, even though Sanders is getting up there in age. The SMU product turned 33 earlier this week, but he remained productive last year. Playing in 17 regular season games because of a mid-season trade from the Broncos to San Francisco, Sanders had 66 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
He had a couple of huge blowup games with the 49ers, but overall didn’t seem to have the best connection with Jimmy Garoppolo. Sanders put up some gaudy numbers with Peyton Manning, and won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. He tore his Achilles late in the 2018 season which many thought would slow him down physically, but he bounced back admirably well.
The Saints are going all in on one last championship run with Brees, so this move makes a lot of sense and shores up one of their few weaknesses. With Sanders off the market, Robby Anderson is probably the top receiver still available. Guys like Breshad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett, Devin Funchess, and Nelson Agholor are also left.
Seahawks, Cardinals, Broncos Interested In XFL QB P.J. Walker
The second incarnation of the XFL didn’t make it a full season due to COVID-19, but before that things had been going surprisingly well. Things were much smoother than in the ill-fated AAF, and some players are already starting to reap the benefits.
The Seahawks, Cardinals, and Broncos have all reached out to the Houston Roughnecks to express interest in their quarterback P.J. Walker, a source told Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). XFL players are allowed to sign with the NFL starting Monday morning, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets, and it sounds like Walker could get scooped up pretty quickly.
The Temple product signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and spent most the next three years on their practice squad. Walker became one of the first stars of Vince McMahon’s upstart league, as he led the Roughnecks to a perfect 5-0 start before the rest of the season was cancelled.
In those five games Walker had 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the league in both categories. Now we see why Indianapolis kept bringing him back each offseason. All three of the interested teams won’t be looking at Walker as anything more than a backup, but he could make for a good reserve option as all three have similarly athletic and mobile starters.
Vikings To Re-Sign Rashod Hill
Swing tackles are flying off the board left and right. Just moments after Brent Qvale was swooped up by the Texans, we’ve got word that Rashod Hill will be returning to the Vikings, via his agent Brett Tessler on Twitter. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available.
In his tweet, Tessler notes that Hill had other offers but opted to return to Minnesota. Hill originally signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and was signed by the Vikes off Jacksonville’s practice squad later that year. He then started seven games in 2017, and entered 2018 as Minnesota’s starting right tackle. He briefly shifted to left tackle for an injured Riley Reiff, and promptly got his job at right tackle taken by a rookie Brian O’Neill.
After getting demoted Hill then spent last year as the team’s swing tackle. The Southern Miss product turned 28 in January. There’s been some speculation that the Vikings could move on from Reiff this offseason, in which case O’Neill would likely switch to left tackle and Hill could possibly regain a starting job. It’s also likely Minnesota would draft a new tackle in that scenario.
Texans To Sign Brent Qvale
Another offensive lineman is off the board. The Texans are signing offensive tackle Brent Qvale, a source told Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). It’s a one-year pact Berman added in a follow-up tweet, although the finances weren’t immediately available. 
The Texans don’t have a ton of cap space, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle had tweeted yesterday that they were taking a look at swing tackles they could get on a budget. It appears they’ve now found their man. Qvale signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, and spent the past six seasons in New York. He was placed on injured reserve at the start of last season but was activated late in the year, appearing in three games and starting one.
He operated as the Jets’ swing tackle for a while, and started 11 games between 2016 and 2017. Houston will enter 2020 with Laremy Tunsil as their left tackle and Tytus Howard as their right tackle.
Latest On Yannick Ngakoue
We’ve already seen a few splash trades go down since the new league year began, and the next one many people have been talking about is the Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue. The defensive end has stated publicly that he doesn’t want to be in Jacksonville, so when the Jags franchise-tagged him anyway, many assumed it was the precursor to a tag-and-trade.
But while there’s been a ton of speculation, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that there’s nothing brewing on the trade front right now, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com (Twitter link). The fact that there’s no traction could have something to do with what Jacksonville is looking for. People around the league believe the Jaguars are looking for a compensation that “began with a first-round pick,” sources told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Jags’ demands make sense given Ngakoue’s consistent production and the fact that he’s only 24, but it also makes sense why teams would be reluctant to part with a first-round pick considering he isn’t quite considered to be among the league’s true top-tier outside rushers. The Eagles are one team that’s been linked to some pass-rushers, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that they have “a lot of interest” in Ngakoue.
Any team that trades for Ngakoue will likely immediately try to sign him to an extension, so it sounds like they’ll have to give up an early pick and dish out a big payday. The Maryland product was drafted 69th overall back in 2016. He’s had at least eight sacks in each of his four pro seasons, and made the Pro Bowl in 2017 when he had 12.5.
He’s also had at least four forced fumbles in three of those seasons, and led the league with six in 2017. Right now he’s in a bit of a stalemate with the Jaguars, and we’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
Panthers To Sign Seth DeValve
The Panthers are adding another weapon for new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Carolina is signing tight end Seth DeValve, his agent Chris Cabott told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
DeValve was drafted by the Browns in the fourth-round back in 2016, and spent his first three years in Cleveland. He was a big part of the Browns’ offense in 2017, catching 33 passes for 395 yards while operating as their top tight end for much of the year. He fell out of favor the following season, and was cut before last year before getting claimed by the Jaguars.
He played the most snaps of any tight end in Jacksonville last year, but caught only 12 passes for 140 yards as they never emphasized the position. The Princeton product could help fill a void for Carolina, as longtime tight end Greg Olsen signed with the Seahawks earlier this offseason. As of right now DeValve will compete for playing time with 2018 fourth-round pick Ian Thomas.
Chiefs To Sign Antonio Hamilton
The Chiefs are finally making a move. The defending Super Bowl champions will sign cornerback Antonio Hamilton to a one-year deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Rosenhaus told Schefter that his client turned down more money from another team, so it sounds like competing for a championship was his priority. As Schefter points out, this is the first free agent the Chiefs have signed since the frenzy started a few days ago. Kansas City has already lost a few guys in free agency, including starting corner Kendall Fuller to the Redskins, so this move will help bolster the secondary.
The Chiefs’ pass defense improved greatly last year, and is one of the main reasons they won the Super Bowl. They’re very low on cap space at the moment, so they’ve got to find value deals like this. Hamilton entered the league as an UDFA back in 2016, and started two games for the Giants this past year. The South Carolina State product was also a key player on multiple special teams units.
Patriots To Sign Dan Vitale
The Patriots continue to make smaller under the radar moves as they re-tool their team in the wake of Tom Brady‘s departure. New England is signing fullback Dan Vitale, his agent Chris Cabbott told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Pats and Bill Belichick like to use fullbacks a lot, so this is a significant move. This also could spell the end of the road for the Patriots’ longtime fullback James Develin. Develin signed with New England back in 2012 and has been their full-time fullback since 2013. He was limited to only two games in 2019 because of a neck injury, and his absence had a big impact on their running game.
We haven’t heard much about him since, and it’s possible that his neck injury is going to prevent him from playing. Either way, it looks like the Pats will be moving forward with Vitale. Vitale spent last year as the Packers’ fullback, catching seven passes for 97 yards while playing about 16 percent of the offensive snaps. In 2018, Develin was used on more than 35 percent of New England’s snaps.
Cowboys To Re-Sign Kai Forbath
The Cowboys are keeping things steady at kicker. The team is re-signing Kai Forbath, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
We heard on Monday that Dallas was interested in bringing back Forbath, but that they were also exploring reuniting free agent kicker Greg Zuerlein with their new special teams coordinator John Fassel. It’s unclear if that pursuit didn’t work out because Zuerlein will be headed back to the Rams or elsewhere, or if they simply decided to go with Forbath.
The journeyman kicker spent three games with the Cowboys down the stretch, making all ten of his field goal attempts and all ten of his extra points. Dallas got rid of their longtime kicker Dan Bailey two seasons ago to go with Brett Maher, but Maher struggled mightily last year. Eventually they cut Maher after a couple of meltdowns and went with Forbath, who also kicked for the Patriots in two games last year.
Steelers Release Roosevelt Nix
The Steelers are getting rid of a stalwart of the past handful of years. Pittsburgh has released fullback Roosevelt Nix, they announced in a release.
Nix appeared in only three games this past season due to injury, but before that had operated as their fullback for the previous four seasons. In 2017 he played more than 16 percent of the offensive snaps, and made the Pro Bowl. His offensive snaps were reduced in 2018, but he continued to play a key role on special teams. Before the start of last year, he was voted a special teams captain by his teammates.
A Kent State product, he originally signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2014 but failed to stick. He then latched on with the Steelers and made the team. He eventually earned a four-year, $6.975MM extension after the 2017 season, although he’ll end up only having made it through half of that pact.