Dolphins To Sign Tutu Atwell, Marco Wilson
After four years with the Rams, wide receiver Tutu Atwell is headed to South Florida. The Dolphins are adding the Miami native on a one-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
In addition to Atwell, the Dolphins are bringing in cornerback Marco Wilson on a one-year pact, according to Schefter. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Florida Gator spent the past year-plus with the Bengals.
The value of Atwell’s contract is unknown, but it is unlikely to approach the $10MM guarantee the Rams handed him a year ago. At the time, Atwell was coming off his first 17-game season and one in which he set career highs in receptions (42) and yards (562). The 26-year-old was unable to build on those numbers during an injury-shortened 2025. Atwell missed seven games as a result of a hamstring injury. During the 10 Atwell played, he did not offer a strong complement to the all-world Puka Nacua–Davante Adams duo. Atwell caught just six of 15 targets and one touchdown, though he did average a robust 32.0 yards per grab.
As a 2021 second-round pick, Atwell likely did not develop into the type of impact receiver the Rams thought they were getting five years ago. The Louisville product had a catch-less, eight-game rookie season that ended with a mid-November trip to IR. The Rams won the Super Bowl without him just under three months later. Atwell went on to total 105 receptions for 1,535 yards (14.6 YPC) and five TDs over his last four years with the Rams.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Atwell will now have a chance to earn a roster spot on a Miami team that needs capable complements to No. 1 receiver Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, leaving new quarterback Malik Willis with Atwell, Malik Washington, Terrace Marshall and Theo Wease behind Waddle.
Wilson is the latest in a long line of defenders to reach short-term agreements with the Dolphins this week. Like Atwell, Wilson entered the league as a member of the 2021 draft class. The Cardinals used a fourth-rounder on Wilson, who lasted two-plus years in their uniform.
Although Wilson started in 37 of 43 games and intercepted three passes in Arizona, the team cut him in December 2023. Wilson has played a combined 21 games with the Patriots and Bengals since then, but he has not gotten another start or added any more picks. The 27-year-old appeared in four of Cincinnati’s games in 2025 before succumbing to a season-ending hamstring injury in late November.
Jets To Sign G Dylan Parham
The Jets are signing former Raiders guard Dylan Parham, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. He will secure a a two-year deal worth up to $20MM.
The Jets have been heavily active this week, but this is their first offensive line addition. With guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker set to reach free agency, it was known the Jets would have to make at least one move up front.
Simpson (Ravens) and Vera-Tucker (Patriots) left, paving the way for Parham to join the Jets’ line. He will reunite with reacquired Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who was the Raiders’ signal-caller last season.
A third-round pick in 2022, Parham was a starter for the Raiders for his entire four-year rookie contract. The 332-pound Memphis product was durable in Las Vegas. He played 17 games in each of his first two years before putting together back-to-back 15-game campaigns from 2024-25.
Parham logged significant action at both guard positions during his tenure in Las Vegas. He took all 843 of his snaps at left guard last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the 26-year-old’s play a solid 37th among 79 qualifying guards. Parham is expected to remain on the left side in New York, per Connor Hughes of SNY.
With Parham joining the fold, the Jets may already have next season’s starting line in place. They at least have a capable Parham-Joe Tippmann guard tandem and two cornerstone tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. There may be room to upgrade on center Josh Myers, though the Jets inked him to a two-year, $11MM extension in December.
49ers, TE Jake Tonges Agree To Deal
The 49ers and restricted free agent tight end Jake Tonges have agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Tonges’ contract includes $5.5MM in guarantees.
This is a nice raise for the 26-year-old Tonges, who was relatively anonymous entering last season. At that point, Tonges had not even caught an NFL pass since he entered the league as a UDFA with Chicago in 2022. Tonges played four games with the Bears as a rookie, but he did not stay in the organization for a second year.
After Chicago waived Tonges in August 2023, the former Cal pass catcher returned to the state to join the 49ers’ practice squad. Tonges did not see any game action in his first year with the 49ers, but he played a big role on their special teams in 2024. He racked up 232 ST snaps, good for fourth on the team, over 16 games.
Tonges put up his second straight 232-snap season on special teams last year. He also became a contributor on the 49ers’ offense, which turned to him for 399 snaps.
A Week 1 hamstring injury to star tight end George Kittle enabled Tonges to step up. He caught his first three passes, including a touchdown, in their season-opening win over the Seahawks. Kittle did not return until Week 7. By then, Tonges had already hauled in 25 passes for 234 yards and three scores. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder finished the year with 34 catches on 46 targets, 293 yards and five TDs in 17 games.
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers’ wild-card round win over the Eagles. The injury will cost Kittle at least some of next season, making it even more important for the 49ers to keep Tonges as insurance.
Commanders To Sign S Nick Cross
The Commanders have agreed to a deal with safety Nick Cross, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. It’s a two-year pact worth up to $14MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cross spent his first four seasons in Indianapolis, which grabbed him in the third round of the 2022 draft. The former Maryland Terrapin went down as a quality pickup for the Colts. Cross only missed one game in his first two years, but he saw more action on special teams than as a defender.
Cross’ role changed significantly in 2024, when he became a full-time starter. He went on to conclude his Colts tenure with 34 straight starts over the past two years. The 6-foot, 212-pound box safety combined for a whopping 266 tackles (11 for loss) during that span. He also pulled in four interceptions, including a career-high three in 2024. While ranking third among safeties with 16 pressures last season, Cross recorded personal bests in QB hits (six) and sacks (2.5).
The durable Cross played 99.91% of the Colts’ defensive snaps in ’24 and followed it up with a 95.53% mark last year. Between his track record of availability and solid production, Colts general manager Chris Ballard wanted to keep the 24-year-old. The Colts and Cross were in talks on a new deal as of late February, but an agreement never materialized. Indianapolis will now see another defensive starter exit, having already waved goodbye to Kwity Paye and Zaire Franklin in recent days.
Meanwhile, for the Commanders, Cross is the latest noteworthy addition to a defense that was among the NFL’s worst in 2025. The Commanders finished 27th in the league in points allowed and last in yardage. Along with Cross, they have picked up edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal, DT Tim Settle and cornerback Amik Robertson at the outset of free agency.
Dolphins To Sign DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. has lined up his next NFL gig. The veteran defensive back has agreed to a one-year deal with the Dolphins, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Miami will be the latest in a long line of stops for Johnson, who entered the league as a second-round pick in 2019. The Kentucky product spent his first three years in Houston, where he logged 19 of his 22 career starts. Johnson has since gone through one-year stints with the Titans, Saints, Panthers and Raiders. He also had brief offseason runs in Kansas City and another in Houston along the way.
Johnson posted his most productive season in 2021, a 55-tackle, three-interception effort over 14 games with the Texans. In 48 games since then, Johnson has recorded just 56 tackles and one pick.
Johnson’s year in Las Vegas got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered a broken fibula in an August practice. When the Raiders assembled their season-opening roster later that month, they placed Johnson on IR with a designation for return. The Raiders activated Johnson toward the end of October. He wound up starting in two of nine games and making 25 tackles. The 30-year-old worked as a free safety for the majority of his snaps (243 of 321).
Johnson is the third depth signing of the day for Miami’s defense. The Dolphins previously agreed to deals with edge rusher Josh Uche and linebacker Willie Gay.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post…
Falcons To Sign DL Chris Williams
The Falcons have agreed to a one-year contract with defensive lineman Chris Williams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It’s a $2MM deal.
Undrafted out of Wagner in 2020, Williams caught on with the Colts and spent his rookie season on their practice squad. The 298-pounder went on to play sparingly with Indianapolis from 2021-22, during which he appeared in 13 games and made six tackles.
After the Colts cut Williams in the spring of 2023, he had brief runs on practice squads in Kansas City and Cleveland. Although he did not play a snap for the Browns, they got some value from Williams in an August 2024 trade. The Browns sent Williams and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Bears for a ’25 sixth-rounder. Ian Cunningham, now the Falcons’ general manager, was the Bears’ assistant GM when they acquired Williams.
During his two-year run in Chicago, Williams played in 31 games and clearly impressed Cunningham along the way. In 2024, his lone 17-game season, Williams racked up 23 tackles, seven QB hits and three sacks on 367 defensive snaps. The 27-year-old was on the field for 14 games and 219 defensive plays last season. He finished the year with 14 tackles, two QB hits and a sack.
The Falcons’ defensive line took an obvious hit when David Onyemata left for the Jets on Monday. They have since added Williams and Cameron Thomas in low-cost moves.
49ers Plan To Release Brandon Aiyuk; Commanders Most Likely Landing Spot?
The Brandon Aiyuk saga is nearing an end in San Francisco. The 49ers plan to release the wide receiver, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports. The team could cut Aiyuk as early as today, per Wagoner, who points to the Commanders as his most likely landing spot.
A 49er since they spent the 25th pick on him in 2020, Aiyuk immediately became a key part of head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s offense. During his best season, 2023, Aiyuk hauled in 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns to earn second-team All-Pro honors. A lengthy contract standoff between Aiyuk and the 49ers occurred during the next offseason.
Unable to reach a deal, San Francisco had an Aiyuk trade in place with Pittsburgh in August 2024. However, after the Steelers’ extension offer for Aiyuk fell short, he agreed to stay with the 49ers two weeks later.
The 49ers kept Aiyuk around with a four-year, $120MM proposal that included $76MM in guarantees, but they will end up receiving little to nothing from the investment. Over his first seven games in 2024, Aiyuk caught just 25 of 47 targets for 374 yards and no scores. His season ended with a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7. Aiyuk has not suited up since then.
While Aiyuk was recovering from his injury last July, the 49ers voided the remaining guarantees on his contract. The team had issues with his rehab effort, and Shanahan revealed that Aiyuk was “extremely distant” during the process. Aiyuk could have filed a grievance against the 49ers through the NFLPA, but he let the 50-day window expire and lost over $26MM.
With Aiyuk still on the reserve/PUP list at the beginning of December, general manager John Lynch expressed hope that he would return down the stretch. Any chance of that vanished when the 49ers put the 27-year-old on the reserve/left squad list on Dec. 13. Lynch said in late January that the 49ers would move on from Aiyuk this offseason, though he has held out for a trade. With the new league year commencing Wednesday afternoon, it does not appear Lynch will find a taker for Aiyuk.
If the 49ers designate Aiyuk a post-June 1 release, they will spread almost $35MM in dead money over the next two seasons ($13.33MM in 2026, $21.25MM in ’27). The team will save $1.32MM on next year’s cap, though those funds will not be available until June.
Once he reaches the open market, Aiyuk will immediately become one of the most talented players available. However, considering the bizarre turn his 49ers tenure took, the 6-foot, 200-pounder will likely have to settle for a short-term contract.
For multiple reasons, Washington has stood out as an obvious Aiyuk fit for months. The team is cognizant of how much he wants to play there, according to John Keim of ESPN. Aiyuk would reunite with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels seven years after the two established a rapport at Arizona State in 2019. Adam Peters, now the Commanders’ GM, was in the 49ers’ front office when they drafted Aiyuk a year later.
With the Commanders in need of receivers beyond No. 1 option Terry McLaurin, Peters has been aggressive on this year’s market. Peters tried to sign Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs before they reeled in lucrative paydays elsewhere. Having come up empty in those pursuits, Peters could turn his attention to Aiyuk soon.
Dolphins To Sign Josh Uche
After a one-year stint with the Eagles, edge rusher Josh Uche is returning to his native Miami. The Dolphins are signing Uche to a one-year pact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
A Patriots second-round pick in 2020, Uche was at his best during an 11.5-sack outburst in 2022. He has been unable to reach those heights since then. Over the past three seasons, which he divided among the Pats, Chiefs and Eagles, Uche combined for six sacks in 40 games.
Uche has started just four of 76 games in the NFL. The 6-foot-3, 226-pounder continued in a rotational role last season in Philadelphia, where he came off the bench in all 12 appearances.
Across 244 defensive snaps, Uche registered just three QB hits and one sack. While those numbers are uninspiring, Uche accrued 23 pressures and 21 hurries, per Pro Football Focus. PFF assigned Uche an impressive 85.1 grade for his work as an Eagle.
Now that Uche is heading to Miami, he will reunite with new Dolphins linebackers coach Al Washington. He coached Michigan’s LBs in 2018, when Uche notched seven sacks during his junior year with the Wolverines.
Teaming up with Washington again, Uche could log more playing time on a rebuilding Miami club devoid of edge rushers beyond Chop Robinson. Bradley Chubb led last year’s Dolphins with 8.5 sacks, but they released him in a cost-cutting move. If Uche is successful in helping to fill Chubb’s void, he could set himself up for a better deal a year from now.
Patriots To Release Anfernee Jennings
Although the Patriots shopped outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings before last November’s trade deadline, he ended up finishing the season with the AFC champions. The team is now set to release Jennings, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
This will end a lengthy tenure in New England for Jennings, who joined what was then a Bill Belichick-led franchise in 2020. Initially an inside linebacker, the former third-rounder from Alabama made minimal impact as a reserve during his first three seasons. Jennings missed his entire second year with an undisclosed injury.
After a 16-game, three-start 2022, Jennings took on a much bigger role the next season. As a 14-game starter in 15 appearances, Jennings totaled 66 tackles and 14 TFL over 677 defensive snaps. Jennings only put up 1.5 sacks, but he was a force against the run. The Patriots were impressed enough to hand Jennings a three-year, $12MM deal during the ensuing offseason.
Jennings remained in a starting role in 2024, the Patriots’ lone season with Jerod Mayo as their head coach. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder recorded career highs in snaps (831), tackles (78), starts (16), QB hits (nine) and sacks (2.5).
In a move that helped spark a drastic one-year turnaround for the Patriots, Mike Vrabel replaced Mayo in 2025. Jennings played 14 games under Vrabel and a new staff, but his impact diminished. Across 280 snaps and three starts, Jennings logged 26 tackles, seven QB hits, five TFL and a pair of sacks. He chipped in another 16 tackles and two sacks in the Patriots’ four-game playoff run. Pro Football Focus ranked Jennings’ regular-season performance a middling 57th among 119 qualifying edge rushers, though he earned a top-20 grade against the run.
In releasing the 28-year-old Jennings, the Patriots will save around $3.8MM. The club lost edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to the Commanders earlier Wednesday, but it prepared for his exit in agreeing to sign Dre’Mont Jones on Monday.
Cowboys Unlikely To Pursue Maxx Crosby
The Cowboys were among the teams in talks for Maxx Crosby before the Ravens agreed to acquire him from the Ravens last Friday. The Ravens were prepared to part with two first-round picks until they shockingly backed out of the deal on Tuesday night. Crosby’s status is once again in limbo as the new league year begins.
The Raiders could still move Crosby, but the Cowboys are not expected to get involved in a new round of talks, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Baltimore called off the blockbuster swap after Crosby, who is recovering from a full meniscus repair, failed its physical. Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ team physician, has expressed concerns over Crosby’s knee, Jane Slater of NFL Network told 105.3 The Fan.
Less than a year after shipping Micah Parsons to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, the Cowboys would have sent a first- and a second-rounder to the Raiders for Crosby. While a healthy Crosby would have given the Cowboys a credible Parsons replacement, they have since pivoted to Rashan Gary in another trade with the Packers. Further pass-rushing acquisitions could still be on the way for Dallas, but it appears Crosby is off the table for owner Jerry Jones & Co.
Although Crosby’s balky knee scared off the Ravens and Cowboys, the five-time Pro Bowler is off crutches and “on schedule” in his recovery, Adam Schefter of ESPN relays. The goal is for Crosby to be ready for Week 1 next season.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Crosby’s surgery, told Schefter: “Maxx Crosby is doing very well in the early part of his rehab and recovery from surgery to treat a significant meniscus tear and the related stress injury to the bone and cartilage in his knee. He is certainly on track in his planned program….he feels very well and is already much improved compared to before surgery.”
Dr. ElAttrache continued: “We truly respect the work of the Ravens staff with Maxx regarding the contract physical exam. We also understand the challenge the staff faces when tasked to provide a future risk assessment based on an evaluation early in the recovery process.”
While he added that “the apparent risk will lessen as [Crosby’s] recovery progresses,” neither the Ravens nor Cowboys are willing to make a significant investment in the 28-year-old. The Ravens moved on to fellow star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, whom they added on a four-year, $112MM deal on Wednesday. It appeared there was finally an answer on Crosby’s future last week, but now it is murkier than ever.