Patriots Working To Re-Sign Duron Harmon
The Patriots are pushing to re-sign safety Duron Harmon, and a deal is expected to come together, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
New England’s secondary is in flux, as the club has agreed to sign cornerback Stephon Gilmore away from the Bills and is reportedly considering a trade involving Malcolm Butler. Harmon would remain a constant in the defensive backfield if re-signed, however, as he’s appeared in 63 of a possible 64 game during his four-year run with the Patriots.
Harmon, 26, has never been a full-time starter in New England, instead serving as the team’s designated nickel safety. That’s an important role in today’s passing league, however, and the ability to cover the deep section of the field is a skill that could lead to a large paycheck. As such, PFR ranked Harmon as the No. 2 free agent safety and the No. 12 overall free agent.
Eagles Out On Brandin Cooks; Pats, Titans In
The Saints are expected to trade Brandin Cooks by the end of the day, and the Patriots and Titans both remain in contention for the wide receiver, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Eagles aren’t mentioned in Rapoport’s report, and are presumably out on Cooks after signing Torrey Smith earlier today.
The Patriots are thought to be mulling a trade of cornerback Malcolm Butler for Cooks, although the Saints may want even more. A package that includes a defensive contributor plus a draft pick is thought to be the asking price for Cooks. New England has also previously offered its first-round pick (No. 32) for Cooks, but the offer was reportedly rebuffed. At one point, the Titans were thought to be in the lead for Cooks, but it’s unclear exactly what they offered.
In 2016, Cooks caught 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns. His yards-per-reception average of 15.0 was a career high and his 66.7% catch rate was a slight step up from his 2015 showing.
Redskins To Sign DT Terrell McClain
The Redskins will sign free agent defensive tackle Terrell McClain to a four-year, $21MM+ deal, tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post.
One of the more underrated free agents on the board, McClain witness no shortage of interest during the legal tampering period. The 49ers, Seahawks, Falcons, and Dolphins were all thought to have been eyeing McClain, while the Cowboys were also hoping to re-sign him. With that level of interest around the league, McClain was able to garner an annual salary north of $5MM.
McClain, 28, is coming off the best season of his career, as he started more 12 or more games for the first time since 2012. In 15 starts, McClain put up 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. PFR ranked him as the No. 11 free agent interior defender.
Bears To Sign Quintin Demps
The Bears have agreed to sign safety Quintin Demps to a three-year deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Demps will get $13.5MM with $5MM in his first year, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. 
Demps is entering his age-32 campaign, which theoretically could have depressed his value, but he’s started 26 games over the past two years and is coming off a season in which he graded as the league’s No. 12 safety, according to Pro Football Focus. After earning only $1.5MM in 2016, Demps should be in a for raise, but he’s not going to break the bank in a safety market that also included Eric Berry, Tony Jefferson, and T.J. McDonald.
The secondary was an obvious area of need for the Bears this offseason, and now Demps will pair with third-year pro Adrian Amos in the back end. Paired together, the duo isn’t spectacular, but Demps and Amos represent at least an average starting safety duo. Next up, Chicago will likely need further address it defensive backfield by tackling the corner position.
PFR had Demps as our No. 11 ranked safety heading into today, ahead of J.J. Wilcox, Mike Adams, Jairus Byrd, and Rashad Johnson.
Jets Tender RFA Wesley Johnson
The Jets have tendered center Wesley Johnson at the second-round level, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Johnson, 26, appeared in 15 games last season with eight starts. He did a solid job of holding down the fort while Nick Mangold was out of action and it makes sense that Gang Green would protect him. Mangold, of course, is now out of the picture, so he should play a significant role in 2017.
Browns To Sign J.C. Tretter
The Browns have agreed to sign former Packers offensive lineman J.C. Tretter, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Tretter offers versatility along the line, but he will indeed serve as Cleveland’s center, per Garafolo.
It’s a three-year, $16.75MM deal for Tretter, who will see $10MM in guarantees, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This has been just a portion of a busy day for Browns offensive linemen.
Cleveland is investing heavy resources on its front five on the first official day of free agency, as the club has already agreed to a long-term extension with left guard Joel Bitonio. They also signed Kevin Zeitler to a guard-record $12MM-AAV deal.
Tretter’s signing will have more wide-ranging implications for the rest of the offensive line, and could specifically signal a displeasure with former first-round pick Cameron Erving. Erving struggled during his first season as a full-time starter at the pivot, and while he could potentially move to another position (right tackle or guard), he may simply shift to the bench.
Tretter was never a permanent member of Green Bay’s offensive line during his time there, but he exceeded expectations when asked to start. In 2016, the 26-year-old graded as the No. 9 center in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and started nine games while filling in for Corey Linsley. Linsley is expected to return as the Packers’ center in 2017, leaving the club little room to play Tretter.
Tretter, a former fourth-round draft choice, ranked as PFR’s No. 6 free agent interior offensive lineman.
Browns Still In On Terrelle Pryor?
Although the Browns have already agreed to sign wide receiver Kenny Britt, they’re not completely out of the race for fellow pass-catcher Terrelle Pryor, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It still appears “unlikely” that Cleveland will re-sign Pryor, however. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com echoes this sentiment, pointing toward a future that sees Pryor depart northeast Ohio (Twitter link).
The Browns opted not to use the franchise nor the transition tag on Pryor, instead allowing him to become a free agent despite possessing gobs of cap space. While reports have indicated Pryor is looking for $12MM on the open market, it’s unclear if any club is actually willing to meet that demand — indeed, his ceiling may be in the $10MM range. So far, he’s been linked to the Steelers, Giants, 49ers, Eagles, and Titans.
As a 27-year-old who possesses size (6-foot-4, 223 pounds) and speed, Pryor is one of the most attractive free agent receivers on the market. Despite having to work with five quarterbacks in 2016, most of whom were mediocre or worse, Pryor (an ex-QB himself) piled up 77 receptions, 1,007 yards and four touchdowns on 140 targets in his first serious action as a receiver.
Eagles Will Not Tender Kenjon Barner
The Eagles will not place an RFA tender on running back Kenjon Barner, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. 
Barner, 28 next month, has spent the past two seasons with the Eagles, racking up more than 55 carries during that time. While he’s managed 4.6 yards per carry in that span, he was never able to garner a larger workload. A low tender offer would have cost nearly $2MM, so it’s possible Philadelphia will non-tender Barner now before re-signing him on a cheaper deal.
For now, the Eagles’ backfield is comprised of Ryan Mathews, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles, Byron Marshall, and Terrell Watson, though Mathews is thought to be a candidate for release.
Jaguars To Sign Calais Campbell
One of the top free agent defenders is now off the board, as the Jaguars are expected to sign defensive lineman Calais Campbell, reports Dianne Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Campbell’s new deal will average $14MM per season, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Redskins were the runner-up in the bidding for Campbell, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Jacksonville is no stranger to spending on its defensive line, as the club invested in Malik Jackson just last year. With Campbell now in tow, the Jaguars will feature a front four that includes Jackson, Dante Fowler Jr., Roy Miller, and Yannick Ngakoue, among others. While Jacksonville’s defense showed improvement in 2016, the presence of Campbell may help the unit take another leap during the 2017 campaign.
Despite entering his age-31 season, Campbell was one of the prizes of this year’s free agent market — he ranked as PFR’s No. 9 overall free agent and No. 1 interior defender. Capable of playing tackle or end, Campbell placed as the No. 2 interior player in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, earning strong marks against the run and pass. Last year, he managed eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception while playing more than 800 snaps.
Campbell will now leave Arizona after nine seasons, joining Tony Jefferson — who has signed with the Ravens — as free agent defections. The Cardinals were fully expecting to lose Campbell after using the franchise tag on Chandler Jones, but they can probably expect to reap a 2018 compensatory pick as a result.
With Campbell now under contract, the interior defender market is now topped by the likes of Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Williams, Dontari Poe, Chris Baker, and Bennie Logan.
AFC Rumors: Stills, Siemian, Revis, Texans
Kenny Stills may have had another contract proposal from at least one other club before re-signing with the Dolphins, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Bears and Eagles were the two known teams with interest in Stills, but it’s entirely possible other clubs also pursued him. Ultimately, Stills re-upped with Miami at a cost of $32MM over four years.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- If the Broncos end up signing the recently-released Tony Romo, they could end up discussing a Trevor Siemian trade with the Jets, opines Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). To be clear, this is only speculation on the part of Pelissero, but it’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine potential destinations for Siemian if Romo lands in Denver. Siemian isn’t the only semi-starting quarterback that could be affected by a Romo pursuit: if the Texans ink Romo, some executives think Houston will trade Tom Savage to the 49ers.
- Former Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis showed evident signs of decline last season, and a developing legal issue led to the Jets ultimately cutting the veteran. One general manager recently told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he wouldn’t pursue the veteran cornerback even if he was willing to play “for free.” Another executive told Mehta that “you respect the body of work throughout his career, but all good things come to an end.”
- The Texans re-signed kicker Nick Novak last night, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) has the details on the new pact. Novak’s one-year deal is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K signing bonus.
Zach Links contributed to this post.