Bengals To Sign T Trent Brown
In need at right tackle following Jonah Williams‘ Cardinals signing, the Bengals are bringing in a longtime starter who has extensive experience on both sides of the line.
Trent Brown will leave New England for Cincinnati, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who notes the recent Patriots left tackle starter is joining the Bengals on a one-year deal. The nine-year veteran is in Cincinnati on a visit Tuesday.
This could be a high-upside move for the Bengals. Though, the one-year deal is logical due to the high-variance nature of the 6-foot-8 blocker’s career. Brown, 31 next month, has played well when available. But the veteran tackle has run into various health issues throughout his career. This includes a run of absences last season.
Brown’s age-30 season included a No. 11 grade among tackles from Pro Football Focus and the second-best mark at the position in one-on-one situations, per Next Gen Stats. Brown also found himself in one-on-one assignments 88.3% of the time, which checked in as the most at the position. He also missed six games and only started eight in 2023, which continued a pattern of unavailability during the talented tackle’s career.
The Patriots reacquired Brown from the Raiders in 2021, after his then-record right tackle deal did not pan out. Although Brown made the Pro Bowl in 2019, he missed five games. A COVID-19 contraction then introduced complications in 2020, leading to just five Brown starts. The Pats, who had turned to Brown as their starting left tackle during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, moved him to the right side in 2021. The team, however, slid Brown back to LT upon re-signing him in 2022. Over his career, the 49ers draftee has worked as a right tackle starter in five seasons and a left-side starter in three.
The Bengals will ask the 370-pound O-lineman to give it a go on the right side once again, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, as Orlando Brown Jr. is entrenched on Joe Burrow‘s blindside. The team moved Williams to RT during the 2023 offseason, as a trade request followed. Williams played out his contract year but left to join the Cards on a two-year, $30MM agreement. In Brown, the Bengals are acquiring a higher-ceiling blocker but one whose career has brought speedbumps.
In addition to the Patriots included weight clauses in Brown’s past two contracts, they were believed to be frustrated with Brown’s inability to stay on the field. Brown missed eight games in 2021 but did suit up for all 17 games in ’22. Ankle and knee injuries hampered the Pats’ starting left tackle last year, and internal frustration with the big-bodied blocker developed within the building. The Patriots removed Brown from their injury report late last season but made him a healthy scratch. Brown did not start after Week 13 of last season and was inactive over the Pats’ final two games.
This signing could still precede the Bengals drafting a longer-term solution soon, but Brown appears positioned as the favorite to start on the right side. The Bengals still roster D’Ante Smith and Jackson Carman, but Brown (93 starts) a two-Brown O-line — so long as the larger of the two Browns is healthy — is probably the plan as of now. Should Trent Brown stay healthy, this would be one of the largest tackle tandems in NFL history, with Orlando Brown Jr. going 6-8, 345.
Bills, Colts Interested In S Mike Edwards; S Julian Blackmon Visits Buffalo
Just ahead of free agency, the Bills disbanded one of the 21st century’s top safety duos by cutting Jordan Poyer. Micah Hyde remains unsigned, but after seven years of the Poyer-Hyde tandem, the Bills have shifted in a different direction.
With both players going into their age-33 season, it is understandable the Bills viewed another year with this successful duo as a bridge too far. The Dolphins have since added Poyer on a lower-cost contract. The Bills are still looking for answers to fill the veterans’ spots. Two options — on what quickly became a crowded safety market — have emerged.
The Bills scheduled meetings with Julian Blackmon and Mike Edwards, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz and the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. Buffalo looks to have one box checked at the position, re-signing Taylor Rapp, but another starter-caliber solution will be necessary for the four-time reigning AFC East winners.
Colts GM Chris Ballard authorized third contracts for Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart this offseason, re-signing Tyquan Lewis and Taven Bryan as well. One of the few players from PFR’s top 50 free agents still available, Blackmon could still be in the team’s plans. But the former second-round pick is gauging his options on a market that became saturated with experienced safety starters.
In addition to Hyde, the Seahawks and Broncos made Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Justin Simmons available. The Saints cut Marcus Maye, while the Bears released Eddie Jackson. These players’ availability makes Blackmon, Edwards, Hyde and other UFAs’ quest to land notable contracts more difficult.
Blackmon is just 25, however, and should be a starter somewhere next season. Kamren Curl‘s underwhelming Rams contract did reveal a divide between what the Packers gave Xavier McKinney and the lower ceiling for the rest of the market this offseason. No other safety collected more than $7.5MM per year. It is safe to assume Blackmon, despite being a four-year Colts starter who played across the secondary in Gus Bradley‘s scheme, will land midlevel money at best — perhaps on a short-term deal as a way to improve his stock for another free agency run.
Edwards spent last season with the Chiefs, being thrust into a starting role following Bryan Cook‘s season-ending injury in early December. The former Buccaneers safety, who has now started in two Super Bowls, joined the Chiefs on a low-cost deal last year. He intercepted two passes — the second during Kansas City’s playoff run — and recovered two fumbles, returning one 97 yards during Week 18. Edwards, 27, played 97% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII.
The Colts also met with Edwards, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. He would seem to profile as a lower-cost solution for Indianapolis, which has been busy retaining defenders this month. Blackmon departing would leave a hole at safety — on a defense already needing more help at outside corner.
Seahawks To Sign DT Johnathan Hankins
After playing multiple seasons in Dallas, Johnathan Hankins will relocate again. The well-traveled defensive tackle will commit to the Seahawks, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes.
On a Seattle visit Tuesday, Hankins will agree to head west after spending 1 1/2 seasons in Dallas. Acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, Hankins re-signed with the Cowboys in 2023. He played a key role in Dallas’ run-stopping efforts, and the Seahawks will expect the same on a defensive line already housing Dre’Mont Jones and the recently re-signed Leonard Williams. Hankins will follow former Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde to Seattle, which hired the England-born coach as its defensive coordinator.
Hankins, who will turn 32 next week, has joined Jadeveon Clowney in signing one-year contracts over the past several years. He agreed to four with the Raiders and one with the Cowboys. Given his age and contractual history, it would surprise if this Seahawks pact covered multiple seasons.
The Cowboys’ defense featured Hankins as a key presence at nose tackle; the team used him as a 14-game starter in 2023. It certainly missed Hankins’ presence in late-season losses to the Bills and Dolphins, with the Buffalo defeat bringing a James Cook rampage on the ground. The Seahawks struggled defending the run last season, ranking 31st in yards allowed and 27th in yards per carry yielded. A full season of Williams stands to help on this front, and Hankins will come over to aid the cause as well.
Mike Macdonald‘s first Seattle defense will feature a veteran-heavy front. While the team will lose considerable experience at linebacker due to Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks‘ departures, it will have Williams, Jones, Hankins and Jarran Reed on its D-line. Reed signed a two-year contract last season. The team lost Mario Edwards in free agency; he joined the Texans earlier today. Hankins profiles as more of a base-set player than one used in sub-packages, but the Seahawks are now deep at D-tackle.
Vikings To Sign CB Shaquill Griffin
Waived during the 2023 season, Shaquill Griffin has now played for three teams since his Seahawks rookie contract expired. He now has a chance to add another team to his resume.
The Vikings will add Griffin, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. A former multiyear Seahawks and Jaguars starter, Griffin spent last season with the Texans and Panthers.
Griffin’s stock has certainly dipped over the past few years. The Jaguars gave him a three-year, $40MM deal in 2021, bringing him over after a successful run with the Seahawks. A back injury in 2022 led to Griffin being a cap casualty after the season, as no guaranteed money remained on the deal for 2023. The Texans then waived Griffin, whom they used as a Derek Stingley Jr. injury replacement, in November. The Panthers claimed the former third-round pick, but he only played in three games with the team.
For his career, Griffin has 79 starts. He made six last season. This included a Bengals game in which Griffin notched a key interception in the team’s road win over a team that still had Joe Burrow healthy. Pro Football Focus ranks Griffin 53rd among corners last year. That is a mid-pack mark. While Griffin only allowed a 71.4 passer rating as the closest defender, Stingley’s return prompted the Texans to relegate him to the bench. After only playing on special teams in his final Houston weeks, Griffin hit the waiver wire.
A steady starter with the Seahawks to close out his rookie contract, Griffin will join a Vikings team that features Byron Murphy as its top corner. The team returns auxiliary options Josh Metellus, Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans. While the Vikes have made bigger commitments to bolstering their front seven in free agency — from signing Jonathan Greenard to Blake Cashman to Andrew Van Ginkel — Griffin represents their most notable DB addition thus far.
Tre’Davious White To Visit Giants, Titans
Tre’Davious White‘s itinerary is starting to look like a first-round prospect’s. After his Rams and Raiders meetings, the former Bills cornerback has booked two more visits.
The Giants and Titans have scheduled meetings with the former All-Pro, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Both visits will take place this week. The Bills designated White a post-June 1 cut recently, wrapping a seven-year tenure that saw injuries impede the talented cover man while on his big-ticket extension.
Finding a connection between White and the Giants is not difficult. Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen were in Buffalo during most of White’s tenure there, with Schoen on board when the Bills extended the Pro Bowl corner in 2021. The Giants are in the market for a starter opposite Deonte Banks. While the team signed Jalen Mills, the team is viewing the versatile DB as a safety. That makes sense, considering the loss of Xavier McKinney, but the Giants also saw three-year CB starter Adoree’ Jackson become a free agent. Jackson is not expected back.
The Titans did add a key option early in free agency, agreeing to terms with Chidobe Awuzie. But the team lost Sean Murphy-Bunting to the Cardinals as well; Kristian Fulton remains unsigned. The Titans have seen injuries play a key role in their cornerback equation — among other areas on the roster — with Fulton and former first-rounder Caleb Farley running into regular trouble on that front. The team still has 2022 second-rounder Roger McCreary on his rookie contract, but it is still looking for pieces here.
White suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving 2021; it took him a full year to return. White was ready to go for the 2023 season, but an Achilles tear in Week 4 became part of another injury-laden Buffalo defense. The Bills had White in place as their No. 1 corner for several years, seeing him land All-Pro honors in 2019 and 2020. They were largely forced to play without the 2017 first-rounder over the past three seasons, and with cap trouble surfacing, the perennial AFC East champs moved on as a secondary overhaul is taking place.
White, 29, has generated extensive interest and figures to land a second opportunity soon. The deal may need to be incentive-laden, with injuries coming to define White in recent years.
Cardinals To Add C Evan Brown
A 16-game starter for the Seahawks last season, Evan Brown has a deal in place to relocate within the NFC West. The Cardinals are signing the veteran interior O-lineman, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Brown agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM Cardinals contract, one that can max out at $2.9MM. Brown worked as a low-cost solution for the Seahawks up front, and while that season did not elevate the ex-Lions blocker into the upper echelon of this year’s center market, he will have another opportunity in 2024.
While the Seahawks used Brown at center, he has extensive experience at guard as well. The Lions plugged in Brown at guard in 2022, using him as their primary fill-in option for Halapoulivaati Vaitai that year. He had previously worked as Frank Ragnow‘s center replacement in 2021. Brown has made 40 career starts. This signing will give the Cardinals another option inside.
Pro Football Focus rated Brown as its No. 27 overall center last season — eight spots behind Cardinals starter Hjalte Froholdt. The latter remains under contract with the Cardinals, who also re-signed guard starter Elijah Wilkinson. Brown could compete for either position, with both starters attached to low-end contracts. Wilkinson re-signed on a one-year, $1.83MM deal, per CardsWire’s Howard Balzer, who adds $1.58MM is guaranteed. Froholdt is attached to a two-year, $4.6MM deal he signed in 2023. PFF rated Arizona’s O-line 25th last season, and the unit will be without D.J. Humphries — a recent post-June 1 cut — next season.
PFF rated Brown 17th among centers in 2021 and viewed him as a mid-pack guard in 2022. At worst, the Cardinals have a player capable of providing swing depth. A former UDFA going into his age-28 season, Brown will attempt to commandeer a starting job and use this season as a chance to command a better payday down the line.
Colts To Re-Sign DT Taven Bryan
For the first time since his Jaguars rookie contract expired, Taven Bryan has a deal in place that would allow him to play for the same team in consecutive seasons.
The Colts are re-signing the former first-round defensive tackle on a one-year deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This follows a 2023 agreement between the parties. The Colts continue to be active in retaining talent, with this move coming after the team re-signed Kenny Moore, Grover Stewart and Tyquan Lewis.
Bryan’s disappointing stint in Jacksonville saw him serve as mostly a backup. He had a one-year stop in Cleveland in 2022 and started a career-high 16 games, earning him a contract from the Colts last offseason.
He got into all 17 games for his new squad, starting seven contests in 2023. He finished the campaign with 22 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus ranked him only 99th among 130 qualifying interior defenders, although he did land in the top-half of his position for his pass-rush ability.
The Colts should return most of their defensive tackle corps in 2024, with DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart getting the bulk of the snaps at the position. Bryan and Eric Johnson II pretty much split the leftover snaps in 2023, but the team has since brought in Raekwon Davis for even more depth.
Chargers To Meet With CB Kristian Fulton
Kristian Fulton‘s contract year did not go as he’d hoped. The season included a benching and an IR placement. That impeded the multiyear Titans starter on this year’s market, but interest is still there.
The Chargers are bringing in the former Mike Vrabel-era Titans second-rounder, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating Fulton will meet with Bolts brass beginning Wednesday as part of a two-day meeting. The Chargers have made some major roster changes under Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, and they have some lineup openings as a result.
While the Bolts’ cornerback situation pales in comparison to what has happened at wide receiver, the team did lose starter Michael Davis to a Commanders deal. Asante Samuel Jr., whose stock has fluctuated during his rookie contract, joins Ja’Sir Taylor as holdover corners in Los Angeles. And the team will see how Fulton fits.
Fulton will not turn 26 until September, but while ex-Titans teammate Sean Murphy-Bunting collected $14.2MM guaranteed from the Cardinals on a three-year deal, Fulton has needed to schedule a meeting to kickstart his free agency. The Titans used Fulton as a 37-game starter from 2020-23, but he has never played more than 13 games in a season, missing 25 games over his rookie contract. Pro Football Focus graded the LSU alum as a bottom-10 corner last season, with another injury — a hamstring ailment — leading to a season-ending IR placement.
With the Titans having a new coaching staff in place, their new leader — Brian Callahan — brought in an ex-Bengals charge (Chidobe Awuzie) last week. Fulton fared better across the board 2021 and 2022, topping out in ’21 with a 71.3 passer rating and 51.4% completion rate allowed as the closest defender that year. His 2022 marks were in line with that number, though multiple injuries marred Fulton’s third year.
The Chargers are still eating dead money from the J.C. Jackson misstep; the since-traded cornerback is on the Bolts’ 2024 payroll at $20.8MM. The team will also eat $12.5MM from the Mike Williams cut and $11.6MM as as result of the Keenan Allen trade. No notable contracts are on the Bolts’ books at corner, however, so the team could benefit from a veteran coming in to work for new DC Jesse Minter.
Saints DE Chase Young To Undergo Surgery
A knee injury represents a significant reason Chase Young is now with the Saints, after a declined fifth-year option led him to free agency. But the former Defensive Rookie of the Year will spend extensive time rehabbing another issue this offseason.
Young will undergo neck surgery, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who adds the talented edge rusher is expected to be sidelined into training camp. The Saints expect Young to be ready for the season, and while they were comfortable with the fifth-year veteran’s neck issue upon signing him Monday, it will be a while before he is in uniform again.
This procedure helps explain why Young ended up with a “prove it” deal. Even on a market featuring some starter-caliber edge rushers with upside, Young’s talent stood out. But his 2021 knee trouble — a torn ACL and ruptured patellar tendon — sidelined him for nearly all of the 2022 season. With that in his rearview mirror and this nick issue a factor as well, Young did not land a multiyear contract. Though, the Saints did give the former Heisman finalist a $13MM guarantee for the 2024 season. That illustrated other teams were willing to bet on Young now.
The Saints indeed secured exclusive negotiating rights with Young until March 2025. That will give the NFC South team a chance to evaluate a player whose trajectory once seemed to be soaring beyond “prove it” deal territory. But Young lost nearly two seasons due to the knee injury. After he started off well with the Commanders before a midseason trade last year (five sacks), he was unable to display the same form with the 49ers, registering 2.5 sacks in eight games. Still, Young is going into only his age-25 season. He has time to rebuild his value ahead of a potentially lucrative third contract.
That said, this neck surgery will introduce another complication here. It is certainly possible the Saints will want to see an extensive run of Young health before considering an extension. Young also may be interested in proving it to enhance his 2025 market, seeing as he was not planning to discuss a new Commanders deal until after the 2024 season. The Saints will wait on the once-prized prospect for a while, as it now appears less than a lock Young will be ready for Week 1.
Jets Still Interested In Odell Beckham Jr.?
The Ravens swooped in for Odell Beckham Jr. last year, adding the former Pro Bowler with an offer that surpassed where the Jets were willing to go. But Beckham confirmed he is set to be a Baltimore one-and-done, opening the door to the talented pass catcher joining a fifth NFL team.
The Jets came up over the weekend as a team to watch on the OBJ front once again, and SNY’s Connor Hughes adds some in the organization remain high on the former Giants star. While the Jets certainly do not believe Beckham is particularly close to his peak at this point, the team appears to remain on the radar to sign the 31-year-old receiver a year after missing out.
It took a $15MM guarantee for the Ravens to add Beckham last year, though Hughes indicates the Jets were eyeing a deal that could have neared the $12MM mark. This differs from an April 2023 report that suggested the Jets were eyeing Beckham on a low base salary. The team would not be targeting OBJ at anything close to that $12MM number now, per Hughes, but the nine-year veteran and Aaron Rodgers have discussed the prospect of playing together on several occasions.
Last year’s Jets receiver plan busted, with Garrett Wilson still effectively on his own. While Beckham appeared a luxury on a team that added Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman early in free agency, neither signing worked out. Beckham was not especially consistent in Baltimore, but his 565-yard, three-TD season far outpaced the production Lazard, Harman and Randall Cobb gave the Jets. Bringing in another of Rodgers’ preferred targets would come with risk, given the 2023 performances of Lazard and Cobb, but the team remains pot-committed to the outspoken quarterback. With the Jets still a Rodgers-centric operation, it would surprise if Beckham was not strongly considered.
Tyler Boyd is still on the team’s radar, with Hughes adding Wilson has made recruiting pitches to the former Bengals slot player. Though, the Jets view Wilson as capable of doing the most damage in the slot; this could hinder a pursuit of a veteran who has spent much of his career in the slot. The Jets have hosted Mike Williams as a free agent, joining the Panthers and Steelers in scheduling a meeting with the recently released talent.
As the team will be adding to its receiver stable soon, the draft will be an avenue to do so as well. For now, the Jets’ attention is on the veteran market. Beckham could be a backup plan, but given Rodgers’ influence in the building, they may also be the favorites (once again) for the former Super Bowl-winning wideout.