Dolphins To Sign DB Siran Neal
Siran Neal will be sticking in the AFC East. The former Bills defensive back/special teams ace is signing with the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
The 2018 fifth-round pick had spent his entire career in Buffalo, missing only a pair of regular season games in six seasons with the organization. Neal got a look on defense for a handful of years before mostly playing on special teams between 2022 and 2023 (108 defensive snaps vs. 658 special teams snaps). Over that two-year span, Neal has compiled 32 tackles, giving him 115 for his career.
Thanks to his special teams performance in Buffalo, Neal was becoming a popular name on the free agent circuit. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported earlier this week that the special teamer was expected to meet with the Giants, and Wolfe later added that Neal was set to meet with the Falcons.
Ultimately, the Dolphins won out. Neal will be following his teammate Jordan Poyer to Miami, as the veteran safety agreed to a deal with the organization yesterday. While Neal will likely see a similar role with his new squad, he could end up earning some defensive snaps. At the moment, the Dolphins are only rostering five other cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey, Cam Smith, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, and Ethan Bonner.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/24
Here are today’s free agent tender decisions:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Giants: CB Nick McCloud
- Rams: LB Michael Hoecht
- Seahawks: CB Michael Jackson, LB Jon Rhattigan
Non-tendered:
- Cardinals: DL Jonathan Ledbetter
- Commanders: LB Jabril Cox, RB Derrick Gore, LB De’Jon Harris
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Panthers: RB/KR Raheem Blackshear
- Titans: LB Jack Gibbens
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, OL Matt Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tony Brown, TE Giovanni Ricci
- Re-signed: P Corey Bojorquez
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT David Sharpe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Caleb Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: RB Salvon Ahmed
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: FB Adam Prentice
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DL Kevin Givens
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Nick Harris
- Re-signed: CB Artie Burns
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB Julius Chestnut
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: S Jeremy Reaves
Patriots To Sign DT Armon Watts, G Nick Leverett
Armon Watts is heading to New England. The veteran defensive tackle is signing with the Patriots, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s a one-year for Watts, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The contract is worth $3MM.
The former sixth-round pick spent the 2023 campaign in Pittsburgh, collecting 15 tackles in 15 games. He had plenty of starting experience in his prior stops, including a career-high 12 starts with the Bears in 2022.
Watts has shown some ability to get after the QB, as he finished the 2021 campaign with a career-high five sacks while playing for the Vikings. The Patriots moved on from Lawrence Guy earlier this offseason, so there could be an opportunity for some snaps on the Patriots defensive line. Still, the 27-year-old Watts probably profiles as more of a backup piece on New England’s depth chart.
The Patriots also added some reinforcement on the offensive line today. Josina Anderson reports that the Patriots are signing offensive lineman Nick Leverett. The guard spent the past three seasons in Tampa Bay, appearing in 16 games. 11 of those appearances came during the 2022 campaign when he started a career-high 10 games.
Leverett will be hard pressed to carve out a starting role in New England, but his ability to play center and both guard spots could afford him a backup spot. He’ll compete with the likes of Jake Andrews, Michael Jordan, and Atonio Mafi for reps.
Chiefs To Re-Sign DL Mike Pennel
Currently on his second stint with the organization, Mike Pennel will be sticking with the Chiefs for at least another year. The team announced that they’ve re-signed the veteran defensive lineman. It’ll be a one-year deal for Pennel.
The former UDFA had stints with the Packers, Jets, and Patriots before landing with the Chiefs in 2019. He ended up getting into 22 regular season games during his first two seasons in Kansas City. He also appeared in six playoff games, including a 2019 Super Bowl-winning run when he started two postseason contests.
Pennel spent time with the Bears and the Falcons between 2021 and 2022 before landing back in Kansas City last October. He initially joined the practice squad and only got into three regular season games, but he saw a much larger role in the playoffs, starting three of his four appearances. This included a Super Bowl win where he compiled six tackles.
The Chiefs have been busy retaining their DT depth. Of course, Pennel’s new deal will pale in comparison to the massive contract that fellow DT Chris Jones earned from the organization.
Vikings To Re-Sign DE Jonathan Bullard
Jonathan Bullard is inking a third contract with the Vikings. The team announced that they’ve resigned the veteran defensive lineman.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Bullard inked a one-year deal worth a max value of $3.25MM.
Bullard has spent the past two seasons in Minnesota, starting 21 of his 29 appearances. During his age-30 season in 2023, he got into a career-high 644 defensive snaps, compiling 44 tackles and a pair of sacks. Pro Football Focus ranked him 115th among 130 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did give him a glimmer of hope for his run-stopping ability.
The former third-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears, where he got into 46 games. He bounced around the league a bit before finding a home in Minnesota, spending time with the Cardinals, Seahawks, and Falcons.
The Vikings will be counting on Bullard to provide some continuity on their defensive line. The veteran will likely continue to slot in next to Harrison Phillips on the Vikings defensive line in 2024.
49ers Place Second-Round RFA Tender On WR Jauan Jennings
Wideout Jauan Jennings is a restricted free agent, and the 49ers are assuring some kind of compensation if he signs elsewhere. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the 49ers have placed a second-round tender on Jennings.
[RELATED: 49ers Eyeing Extension For WR Jauan Jennings]
Jennings will now be tied to a one-year deal worth $4.89MM thanks to the tender. The wideout could still join another team if he signs an unmatched offer sheet, although that’d require a suitor to sacrifice a second-round selection to the 49ers.
The second-round tender always seemed like the likeliest route for the organization. San Francisco could have tendered Jennings at his original-round level ($3.12MM), but an unmatched offer sheet would have only resulted in a seventh-rounder as compensation.
The former seventh-round pick has spent his entire career with the 49ers, appearing in 45 games across three seasons. Jennings has settled into the WR3 role behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, although that’s still led to plenty of targets. Jennings had a career year in 2022, finishing with 35 catches for 416 yards and one touchdown. His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2023 (19 catches, 265 yards), but Jennings turned it on in the playoffs. In three games, the receiver hauled in 10 catches for 111 yards and a score.
John Lynch previously implied that the 49ers could explore an extension with Jennings, and today’s move doesn’t do anything to reduce those chances. Still, the receiver will have to juggle a long-term commitment vs. a near-$5MM salary for 2024.
Bengals Agree To Deal With DT Sheldon Rankins
The Bengals are set to add some reinforcement on their defensive line. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team is closing in on an agreement with free agent defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. The agreement is expected to be finalized tonight. Indeed, a two-year deal is now in place which will pay Rankins $26MM, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
[RELATED: DT D.J. Reader To Meet With Lions]
Following a two-year stint with the Jets, Rankins inked a one-year, $10.5MM deal with the Texans last offseason. He ended up starting all 15 of his appearances for Houston, finishing with 37 tackles, one forced fumble, and six sacks, with that latter stat marking his highest total since the 2018 campaign. Even with that newfound pass-rush ability, Rankins only ranked 51st on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.
The former first-round pick brings plenty of experience to Cincinnati. Rankins has appeared in 109 games with the Saints, Jets, and Texans, compiling 228 tackles and 29.5 sacks. After serving as a rotational piece during his final seasons in New Orleans and first year in New York, Rankins has emerged as a starter in recent years.
The Bengals have been in the market for some “firepower up front,” according to Fowler. The organization does still possess some depth at DT; B.J. Hill has started 33 games over the past two seasons, while Zach Carter has been a worthy injury fill-in with 14 starts in 33 games.
Still, the Bengals are assuring they have a full depth chart up front, and despite adding Rankins to the mix, the front office may not be done. Fowler adds that the Bengals are also still interested in retaining D.J. Reader, although the free agent defensive tackle is currently on his way to Detroit to meet with the Lions.
Titans To Re-Sign K Nick Folk
Nick Folk is sticking in Tennessee for another season. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the veteran kicker is re-signing with the Titans.
Folk is inking a one-year, $3.755MM deal that can max out at $4.13MM via incentives. Folk played out the 2023 campaign on the final season of a two-year, $5MM extension he signed with the Patriots back in 2022.
The Titans were the fifth team that Folk added to his NFL resume, as he was traded to Tennessee from New England last offseason. During his age-39 season, Folk ended up having one of the most efficient seasons of his career. He converted a league-leading 96.7 percent of his field goal attempts, and he hit 28 of his 30 XP tries.
Kickoffs were a concern during Folk’s final season in New England. The veteran took on the responsibility in 2022 after Jake Bailey went down with injury, but the Patriots eventually had to promote another kicker to handle the duties. He rebounded a bit in Tennessee; after only 9.1 percent of his kickoffs resulted in a touchback in 2022, that number improved to 50.8 percent this past season.
With at least another season under his belt, Folk can continue to climb the NFL’s all-time scoring list. Folk currently sits 23rd all time, and he’s fourth among active players (behind Mason Crosby, Matt Prater, and Justin Tucker).
Cardinals To Sign OT Jonah Williams
The Cardinals have already found a replacement for D.J. Humphries. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals are expected to sign offensive tackle Jonah Williams.
[RELATED: Cardinals Release OT D.J. Humphries]
Williams is inking a two-year deal worth $30MM. According to Rapoport, Arizona was the free agent’s preferred landing spot.
Williams returned from his 2022 postseason knee injury to start all 17 Bengals games this past season. Pro Football Focus graded him only 59th among offensive tackles, although the lineman could get some benefit of the doubt thanks to an unexpected position change.
The Bengals blindsided Williams last year by signing Orlando Brown Jr. to a $16MM-per-year deal, pushing the former first-round pick from left tackle to right tackle. Williams wasn’t happy with the move ahead of his impending free agency and requested a trade. He ended up sticking in Cincy for the 2023 campaign, but it seemed likely that Williams would be looking for a new home in free agency.
The Alabama product’s first two seasons were highlighted by injuries. He missed his entire rookie campaign thanks to a torn labrum, and he was limited to only 10 games in 2020. Williams has bounced back over the past few years, however, missing only a pair of regular season games since 2021.
It’s unlikely he gets his desired LT role in Arizona, as the Cardinals will likely turn to 2023 first-round pick Paris Johnson Jr. to replace Humphries, who was cut by the organization earlier this evening. Williams will slide to the right side of the offensive line for a second-straight season, with veteran Kelvin Beachum providing some veteran depth behind the starting duo.