Lions Yet To Engage In Serious Aidan Hutchinson Extension Talks
As the Cowboys receive more attention for a prolonged negotiation with a standout player, not much is coming out of Detroit, where another edge-rushing domino sits. The Lions’ Hutchinson process could throw a wrench in the Cowboys’ long-running Micah Parsons talks, but it does not sound like the former No. 2 overall pick is in a hurry.
Although Detroit acted early with a market-resetting Penei Sewell extension, beating the Cowboys to the punch may not be in the cards. Coming off a broken leg, Hutchinson could benefit by waiting out this Parsons-Dallas squabble. As it stands, GM Brad Holmes said substantive talks have not yet transpired between team and player.
“Look, we’ll definitely get some dialogue going soon here, but those things take time, especially the larger the deal is,” Holmes said during a 97.1 The Ticket appearance.
In May, a report pointed to Hutchinson’s recovery (from fibula and tibia fractures) accelerating extension talks. It is interesting that has not happened two-plus months after he received full clearance. Holmes did acknowledge “it is very important” to extend Hutchinson, who spoke excitedly at his position’s offseason market rise at the outset of Lions training camp.
Just as Parsons has spoken of his price rising as other EDGE dominoes fall, Hutchinson can operate similarly. Parsons is undoubtedly looking to create distance between himself and T.J. Watt‘s record-setting $41MM-per-year contract, as the Cowboys’ top player is (at 26) nearly five years younger than the future Hall of Fame Steeler. The Cowboys finally giving in on Parsons’ price point would place Hutchinson in a commanding position, seeing that he is heading into an age-25 season and has shown difference-making ability.
Hutchinson, whose 62 QB pressures in 2023 paced the NFL by 12, had zoomed to 7.5 sacks when he went down in Dallas. Continuing on his 2024 pace may well have both been enough to drop Patrick Surtain to Defensive Player of the Year runner-up while also giving the Lions a much better chance to book a Super Bowl berth. Hutchinson still led the injury-battered team in sacks by a notable margin last season. The former Michigan star’s importance to the Lions is not in question, so Hutchinson does not exactly need to show his post-injury form to command a $40MM-plus-AAV extension. But doing so would help his cause.
Still, the Lions have some time before the season to finalize an agreement. They came to terms with Taylor Decker last July and showed they were fine with in-season extensions by re-upping Alim McNeill last October. The door will certainly not close for the Lions with Hutchinson once the season starts, but if the ascending pass rusher wants to wait out Parsons, the team would be effectively forced to operate on his timetable. Holmes was preparing for Hutchinson to clear $40MM per year before the Watt terms surfaced, so it is not as if that development changed the Lions’ calculous.
Detroit has Hutchinson signed through 2026, after making the easy decision to exercise his fifth-year option. The option buys more time if the parties do not begin true negotiations before Week 1. Most of the high-end edge rusher deals are done, however. Nearing 31, Trey Hendrickson agreeing to Bengals terms likely will not impact the Lions’ talks with a soon-to-be 25-year-old talent. Parsons’ deal being completed would set this market. It will be interesting, however, to see if the Lions make a big offer before the Cowboys are done with their slow-paced negotiation.
DB Rumors: Savage, Jaguars, Horn, Steelers, Sutton, Lions, Texans, Patriots
The Jaguars‘ Jourdan Lewis signing covers their slot cornerback position, moving Darnell Savage into a pure safety role. Savage had split time between the slot and traditional safety responsibilities last season, but Lewis’ arrival narrows the former first-rounder’s path to playing time. Savage is not a lock to start alongside FA pickup Eric Murray, however, with ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco indicating veterans Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson are competing for the other Jags safety spot. Wingard appears a slight favorite entering the preseason slate, per DiRocco.
Moving to a backup role would be a blow for Savage, who is tied to a three-year, $21.75MM deal. While the Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime authorized that contract, it would cost the Jags more than $10MM to cut Savage and more than $8MM to trade him. Both scenarios defray money to 2026, as we are well past June 1, so the 2025 cap hit would be manageable in each case. But this will be a position battle to watch. Wingard’s six Jags seasons make him the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only punter Logan Cooke, but while he has been a part-timer (28 starts), Savage has logged 82 starts between his time in Green Bay and Jacksonville. That said, DiRocco adds Wingard had beaten out Johnson — a 2023 fifth-rounder who has now made 11 career starts — for a gig alongside the since-departed Andre Cisco last year. A preseason knee injury scuttled that plan.
Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:
- The Panthers saw a car accident alter their quarterback plan last year. The minor injuries Andy Dalton sustained in a wreck near the stadium moved Bryce Young back into the starting lineup. Carolina looks to have dodged a bullet in another car-accident storyline, as Jaycee Horn is believed (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to have sustained minor maladies in a crash Wednesday morning. Horn confirmed as much (on Twitter). Injuries have hounded Horn throughout his career, but the Panthers gave the 2024 Pro Bowler a $25MM-per-year extension.
- Rock Ya-Sin‘s veteran-minimum Lions contract (one year, $1.17MM) now includes a position switch. The defending NFC North champs are trying the journeyman cornerback at safety, Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman notes. New safeties coach Jim O’Neil had told Ya-Sin to prepare for some safety work in camp; Ya-Sin had not played safety since high school. The Lions are deep at corner, housing Avonte Maddox and Ennis Rakestraw as backups behind a Terrion Arnold–D.J. Reed–Amik Robertson top three. Ya-Sin may now be vying for a spot behind standout safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
- Former Lions CB starter Cameron Sutton received his walking papers after a spring 2024 arrest produced a domestic battery by strangulation charge. His case has since been dismissed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. The Lions cut bait on a three-year, $33MM deal, leading Sutton to the Steelers. The NFL handed him an eight-game suspension last season. Sutton, 30, is a free agent after starting two Steelers games last season.
- The Steelers checked in on C.J. Henderson via a Tuesday workout (per Wilson). A former top-10 Jaguars pick, Henderson auditioned for the Falcons last week. The Steelers, who rostered Henderson for part of last season, signed another CB from that workout (Daryl Porter Jr.). After 22 Panthers starts from 2021-23, Henderson landed on the Steelers’ IR in November, not playing a 2024 snap.
- Jalen Mills joins Sutton and Henderson in being unsigned; the Eagles, Patriots and Jets regular completed a Texans workout Tuesday, Wilson adds. Mills, 31, made eight starts with the Jets last season, running his career total — split between safety and corner — to 91.
- A sixth-round Seahawks pick in 2024, DJ James spent most of last season on the Patriots‘ practice squad. While James has yet to play a regular-season snap, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed expects him to make the Pats’ 53-man roster. With Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez being held out of team drills, James has worked alongside Alex Austin as first-teamers filling in. James failed to make Seattle’s 53-man roster last August.
Raiders Work Out Terrell Edmunds, Expect Lonnie Johnson Jr. To Return During Season
Already authorizing significant changes in their secondary after losing the likes of Tre’von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs and Marcus Epps in free agency, the Raiders will see one of their imports sidelined for a while.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. sustained a broken fibula during a weekend scrimmage, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Although Johnson has not started a game since 2021, the former second-round pick had been a key backup during a journeyman career. He had also been seeing regular time with the Raiders’ top defense, moving to safety when Jeremy Chinn would slide into the slot in sub-packages.
This represented a bump for Johnson, who has combined to play 300 defensive snaps over the past three seasons, but this is not viewed as a season-ending injury. Pete Carroll said (via Bonsignore) a genuine belief exists Johnson will be able to return this season, “sooner rather than later.” Yes, Carroll was known as rather optimistic regarding injuries during his Seahawks tenure, but Johnson having a chance to return from a broken leg in-season is certainly notable news for the Las Vegas secondary.
Johnson, 29, has played for four teams over the past four seasons. That does not include a nonplaying stint with the Chiefs, who acquired him via trade in 2022. Johnson spent three years with the Texans before migrating to the Titans (2022), Saints (2023) and Panthers (’24). The Raiders added him on a one-year, $1.69MM deal that came with just $175K guaranteed.
The small guarantee would give the Raiders a minimal dead money penalty to move on after this injury, but for now, Johnson does not appear likely to be cut as a result of this major setback. The Raiders can either use one of their allotted two IR-return designations before setting their 53-man roster to stash Johnson, but such a move would count against the team’s eight-activation total. The other option would be carrying Johnson through to their 53-man roster and then placing him on IR, retaining some flexibility in the event the team passes on using an injury activation on the nomadic DB during the season.
The Raiders will need some help at safety, even in a depth role. On that note, Terrell Edmunds stopped through Las Vegas for a Tuesday workout, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Edmunds, 28, has drifted off the starter track since a five-year Steelers stint (75 starts) ended after the 2022 season. While Edmunds made it back to Pittsburgh for a 2024 cameo, he had since been primarily a backup with the Eagles, Titans and Jaguars.
Vegas signed Chinn to work as a starter and re-signed Isaiah Pola-Mao to do the same. Thomas Harper and Christopher Smith filled in for Johnson after the injury, per Bonsignore. Smith is a 2023 fifth-round pick, while Harper — a 2024 Chargers UDFA — joined the Raiders via waiver claim last August.
Bills Have Discussed Extensions With Connor McGovern, David Edwards
Set to return the same starting offensive line from 2024, the Bills are in good shape at these positions. They have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown locked up long term, and right guard O’Cyrus Torrence‘s rookie deal runs through 2026.
The group’s other two starters, however, are in contract years. Connor McGovern is going into the final season of a three-year, $22.35MM deal; David Edwards‘ two-year, $6MM accord expires after the season. These walk-year statuses create questions for the perennial AFC East champions.
Although the Bills have already completed four notable offseason extensions — for Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Christian Benford and Gregory Rousseau — and are negotiating with hold-in running back James Cook, the two walk-year O-line starters are not out of the mix for new deals. Both players said (via the Niagara Gazette’s Nick Sabato; subscription required) extension talks have commenced, though Sabato indicates deals are not imminent.
Buffalo’s extension spree spanned a few weeks in the spring, with Benford’s wrapping March 29. That quartet clearly landed in the team’s first tier in terms of extension priorities, and all four agreed on deals outside the top echelon of their respective positions’ markets. The two interior O-line starters’ contract situations lingering into training camp, when Cook exists as a seemingly higher priority, points to at least one — perhaps both — playing out a contract year.
McGovern landed the better deal as a 2023 free agent, and he completed a guard-to-center transition after the Bills’ 2024 Mitch Morse release. ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranked McGovern 14th among all interior O-linemen last season, and Pro Football Focus graded him 10th among centers. A former Cowboys third-round pick, McGovern has made 62 career starts and is going into an age-28 season.
The Bills as a team posted top-six rankings in pass block win rate and run block win rate, with Edwards also serving as a key presence. Two appearances in concussion protocol during the 2022 season — a slate Edwards managed only four games — impacted the former fourth-rounder’s 2023 market. The Super Bowl LVI Rams starter commanded only a one-year, $1.77MM deal, and he served as a backup in his first Bills season. Morse’s exit opened the LG position, after McGovern’s switch, and Edwards made 16 2024 starts. PFF rated Edwards 28th among guards last season; his final two healthy Rams years (2020, ’21) produced top-30 PFF placements as well.
McGovern talks began at the Pro Bowl (where McGovern was an alternate), per Sabato, pointing to the sides being apart in value. Though, McGovern did come up as an extension candidate in February. The center market saw both Lloyd Cushenberry and Drew Dalman land top-two center money — at the time of signing — during the past two free agency periods, and McGovern’s guard past would give interested teams options come 2026. The Bills also have 2024 fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger rostered at center as a potential contingency option; he is signed through 2027.
With Torrence likely an extension candidate next year, the Bills will have a decision to make. It is certainly possible only one of the McGovern-Edwards duo is retained, and the latter stands to be a more affordable option. This season also figures to be a bit more important for Edwards, as his career earnings do not quite align with his start count (61). Like McGovern, Edwards will play an age-28 season in 2025.
Elsewhere on Buffalo’s O-line, top backup Alec Anderson will be out for a stretch. The former UDFA underwent arthroscopic knee surgery recently, per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia. The Bills regularly used Anderson in six-O-lineman formations last season. Classified as week-to-week, Anderson has some time to get ready for Week 1.
Cardinals Meet With G Will Hernandez
Will Hernandez spent the past three seasons with the Cardinals, starting every game he played. An ACL tear moved him out of Arizona’s lineup early last season, and the veteran guard remains a free agent.
The Cardinals still have Hernandez on their radar, however. They brought him in for a recent visit, per AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. The team has the recently re-signed Evan Brown in place at left guard but a question at the other spot. Hernandez returning to full strength in late July could provide an answer, though no signing has happened yet.
A former Giants second-round pick, Hernandez signed two Cardinals contracts since his New York rookie deal expired. Initially catching on for a near-veteran-minimum deal in 2022, Hernandez re-signed on a two-year, $9MM pact in 2023. Hernandez started 13 games in 2022 and 17 a year later, being a priority despite the Cardinals changing regimes in that span.
Pro Football Focus graded Hernandez as a top-30 guard in each of his first two Cardinals seasons. Last season brought a similar graded, albeit on just 280 offensive snaps. Overall, the UTEP product has made 91 career starts and appears likely to find a home somewhere before Week 1. This will be Hernandez’s age-30 season.
After Hernandez went down, the Cards turned to Trystan Colon-Castillo and Isaiah Adams at right guard. Colon-Castillo logged 372 snaps at the position, while Adams — a 2024 third-round pick — made 444. Adams started Arizona’s final five games, though Urban previously pointed to a late-summer addition. Hernandez would obviously qualify at this point, and he has two seasons in Drew Petzing‘s system.
The Cardinals’ third-round investment in Adams would point to the Cardinals wanting him in the RG role, and he entered camp in pole position. The Cardinals also have free agency addition Royce Newman, a 24-game Packers starter, as an option. A Hernandez return would certainly change the equation, and this visit puts a reunion on the radar.
Browns To Start Shedeur Sanders In Preseason Opener
AUGUST 6: Kevin Stefanski confirmed (via Cabot) the Browns will indeed turn to Sanders to start their preseason opener. It is not yet certain if Huntley will play, Stefanski added (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling). With Flacco not suiting up and Huntley uncertain, Sanders would stand to see significant game time due to Cleveland’s injury situation.
AUGUST 5: Injuries have stalled the Browns’ four-man quarterback competition. They will lead to an unlikely starter to open Cleveland’s preseason docket.
Shedeur Sanders, who has yet to take a first-team snap during training camp, is expected to start the Browns’ exhibition opener Friday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Recently deemed a long shot to win the starting job, Sanders will receive this opportunity due to injuries sustained by Kenny Pickett and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel.
The Browns will pass on Joe Flacco playing in this game, per Cabot, and they added Tyler Huntley — who spent the 2024 offseason in Cleveland — as another option for this contest. Pickett has acknowledged he is losing ground due to the hamstring injury he sustained, one that has Flacco positioned as the best bet to start in Week 1. The Browns have plenty of intel on Flacco, so holding out their 40-year-old option makes sense.
Sanders’ participation in the game is interesting by itself, as the fifth-round rookie is battling a sore shoulder. It is evidently not a notable enough issue to prompt the Browns to sideline him for their preseason debut against the Panthers. Gabriel joins Pickett in nursing a hamstring injury.
Mentioned for months as a likely first-round pick, Sanders saw his stock nosedive during a pre-draft process he handled poorly. The second-generation NFLer’s attitude alienated teams, and a lower-than-expected football IQ preceded a stunning drop to the fifth round. Sanders arrived two rounds after the Browns chose Gabriel, calling ownership involvement into question. Jimmy Haslam has said GM Andrew Berry made the call to draft Sanders, who was certainly a value add at No. 144. But he has not been deemed a serious threat to open the season as Cleveland’s starter. Two speeding infractions since being drafted also brought unwanted attention to the polarizing prospect.
That said, Sanders has shown improvement since being buried on the depth chart during the Browns’ offseason program. Still, not taking a first-team rep during camp does not point to a likely regular-season starting assignment. Flacco’s age and Pickett’s shaky NFL work to date could open the door for Gabriel or Sanders to make starts at some point, but Gabriel losing time to this hamstring issue does not help his cause.
Sanders’ preseason outing will give him a chance Gabriel now lacks, and it will be interesting to see if the Browns’ view of the two rookies — Gabriel has held an edge on the two-year Colorado starter throughout his short Cleveland stay — heading into the second preseason week.
Bucs’ Chris Godwin Uncertain For Week 1
The Buccaneers did not outbid the Patriots for Chris Godwin, but they won the free agency derby to complete yet another high-profile retention. Godwin returned on a three-year, $66MM deal, marking the second time the Bucs paid their longtime No. 2 wide receiver coming off a major injury.
Godwin sustained a dislocated ankle in Week 7 of last season, stopping a big season. When Godwin went down, he was the NFL’s second-leading receiver. That created momentum, but he passed on Steelers interest and what he said was a $30MM-AAV Pats offer to stay in Tampa once again. The third-contract player, though, is not certain to start the season on time.
Placed on the active/PUP list after undergoing a second ankle procedure, Godwin is hitting checkpoints during his rehab. Jason Licht said (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) the ninth-year veteran is not considered certain to be ready by Week 1. More notably, Licht did not rule out the reserve/PUP list for the standout receiver. That outcome would sideline Godwin for at least four games. Godwin, 29, went down Oct. 21, 2024.
Tampa Bay saw Godwin make it back from late-December ACL and MCL tears in time for the 2022 season, debuting in Week 1 of that year. This came months after the Bucs extended him on a three-year, $60MM deal. Godwin returned but did not match his best form over the next two seasons, even though he tacked his third and fourth 1,000-yard years onto his resume. Last season brought 82.3 yards per game, which reminded of his 2019 breakout (95.2; 1,333 in total). It is possible the Bucs will need to wait longer for that form to resurface.
The team is rather deep at receiver, however. The Bucs rebuffed trade interest for their No. 19 overall pick, staying and making a somewhat surprising move — considering the Godwin re-signing and 2024 third-rounder Jalen McMillan‘s presence — to select Emeka Egbuka. The Texans, Broncos and Rams were eyeing the Ohio State talent, who will assuredly play a big Bucs role early. But the team still has McMillan (eight rookie-year TDs) and, of course, Mike Evans. The latter is again in a contract year, however, and Egbuka provides some insurance in case no fourth contract keeps Evans in Tampa beyond 2025.
The Bucs will hope this Godwin story is in the past early in the season, as he and Evans continue to move up the ranks in terms of all-time WR duos. For now, though, the team may need to again lean on McMillan while preparing Egbuka for a slot role Godwin has also played. Once Godwin returns, an interesting quartet would be available to Baker Mayfield.
Chiefs Giving Jaylon Moore Guard Reps; RT Jawaan Taylor Underwent Knee Surgery
The Chiefs cycled through four left tackle starters last season, seeing their final O-line form — one with Joe Thuney kicking out to LT — shredded in Super Bowl LIX. Big changes came on the left side of Kansas City’s front this offseason, with two LT options added and Thuney traded to Chicago.
Kansas City first added Jaylon Moore on a two-year, $30MM deal and then drafted Josh Simmons in Round 1. The Chiefs had not drafted an O-lineman in Round 1 since Andy Reid‘s first draft, when Eric Fisher — as part of an underwhelming 2013 prospect pool — was drafted first overall. The Chiefs have not been able to find a long-term replacement for Fisher, whose tenure wrapped in 2020, but Simmons is moving toward locking down the job despite entering the offseason with injury concerns.
Coming back from a patellar tendon tear that affected his draft stock (along with character concerns), Simmons is taking regular first-team snaps at left tackle and looking likely to open the season there. That would leave Moore in limbo. Moore would be an overpriced backup, at $15MM per year, but Jawaan Taylor‘s 2025 salary guarantee would place him as such as well. Taylor is due a fully guaranteed $19.5MM this season. The Chiefs are experimenting with a “best five” scenario that could keep Moore among the top quintet.
Moore has seen reps at left guard, according to ESPN.com’s Nate Taylor. Mike Caliendo and 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, converted from tackle after an early-season benching last year, had been viewed as the LG competitors in St. Joseph, Mo. (the Chiefs’ training camp home), but Moore’s presence would change the equation. Nate Taylor notes Moore and Suamataia look to represent the primary competition here.
This presents an interesting competition since both players have not logged notable reps at guard. Moore has logged 827 career offensive snaps; all have come at either left or right tackle. Suamataia played 31 guard snaps as a rookie. Moore established a nice market by filling in for Trent Williams last year. Though advanced metrics did not view him favorably, the Chiefs pounced. It would be odd if Moore became a backup, but with Simmons taking all the first-team LT reps (per Taylor), that is a realistic outcome here.
The Chiefs handed Suamataia their Week 1 LT job last year, but after a poor showing against Trey Hendrickson in Week 2, the BYU product did not receive another chance. The Thuney trade, however, led to the Chiefs trying him at guard.
Taylor could be released with modest dead money in 2026, as no guarantees remain on his deal after this year. The penalty maven has underwhelmed on a $20MM-AAV contract, not justifying his contract, but he did play through a knee injury last season. Taylor underwent arthroscopic surgery to address a knee ailment sustained in Week 5 last season, Nate Taylor adds. Jawaan Taylor said he did not consider surgery in-season on what he called a partially torn meniscus; the ex-Jaguar did not miss any games due to injury last year.
Taylor began Chiefs camp on the active/PUP list, giving Moore some work at a more familiar position. But Taylor is expected to keep the RT gig. A 2026 Chiefs O-line configuration housing Simmons at LT and Moore at RT, after a Jawaan Taylor release, has surfaced as a potential outcome. For now, Taylor — Pro Football Focus’ No. 61 tackle last season — will be positioned for a third season as the Chiefs’ RT starter.
Vikings’ Jordan Addison Handed Three-Game Suspension
Jordan Addison‘s DUI case recently wrapped, and the Vikings wide receiver has since learned his NFL punishment. The NFL handed Addison a three-game suspension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
This suspension, one the Vikings have since announced, will sideline Addison for games against the Bears, Falcons and Bengals. Addison was arrested in mid-July 2024 and hit with DUI charges a year ago today. Several court proceedings in this case had taken place between then and now, including a plea agreement entered late last month. That brought finality to the case, leading to the three-game ban.
Minnesota did well in drafting Addison 23rd overall in 2023. An immediate starter, the former USC and Pittsburgh wideout filled in for Justin Jefferson as the Vikes’ No. 1 receiver while the superstar battled a significant hamstring injury. Addison totaled 911 receiving yards as a rookie and added 875 last season. He missed two games in 2024; those were his only NFL absences to date.
Combining for 19 touchdown receptions over his first two seasons, Addison has provided considerable value at an important time. The Vikings have Jefferson tied to a $35MM-per-year extension, with T.J. Hockenson also on a top-market tight end contract. Addison, 23, has provided important rookie-contract production. He does not become extension-eligible until January. This DUI incident naturally would stand to give the Vikings pause on a potential extension, and having him signed through 2026 — likely 2027, assuming the team exercises the contract’s fifth-year option by May — should provide more evaluation time.
This ban also emerges as Jefferson has missed a run of training camp practices due to another hamstring issue. Jefferson’s regular-season availability is not believed to be an immediate concern, even as he missed a sizable chunk of the 2023 campaign due hamstring trouble, but Addison’s absence does shine a brighter spotlight on the impact veteran’s recovery. Jefferson is not expected to play in the preseason, per Kevin O’Connell, who proclaimed he has “zero worry” about the top Viking’s Week 1 status.
Addison is eligible to participate in Minnesota’s preseason slate but will be shelved until Week 4 as a result of the substance-abuse policy punishment. The Vikings have Jalen Nailor and third-round pick Tai Felton as complementary options while Addison is sidelined. The team also signed Rondale Moore in free agency.
Titans To Re-Sign S Quandre Diggs
Quandre Diggs recently returned to full strength, opening the door to another opportunity. The veteran safety will land in a familiar spot, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting a Titans deal will come to pass.
The former Lions and Seahawks standout joined the Titans last year. Diggs received clearance to return to action, after suffering a season-ending Lisfranc, injury last year, in late July, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes.
Diggs was among the injured performers during a brutal health season for the Titans’ secondary. Cornerback imports L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie both lasted less than half the season, with Diggs’ eight-game slate also falling into that category. The Titans released Awuzie and have Sneed on their active/PUP list to open training camp. Diggs, though, will be back in position to provide a veteran presence in this secondary. This signing comes a year and a day after Diggs’ initial Titans agreement, though his experience last season will provide a different level of familiarity.
Adding both Diggs and Jamal Adams last year, the Titans preferred the older of the two ex-Seahawks starters. Diggs started all eight games he played last season (as Tennessee cut Adams in-season), but a lengthy rehab odyssey became necessary after the significant foot setback. The Titans rostered Diggs on just a one-year, $3MM deal last season. Considering the injury, it would surprise if Diggs surpassed that this year.
A Pro Bowler from 2020-22, Diggs became a Seahawks cap casualty early in Mike Macdonald‘s HC tenure. Diggs showed no durability concerns in Seattle, starting every Seahawks game — as Adams routinely ran into injury trouble — from 2020-23. Pro Football Focus graded Diggs’ abbreviated Titans season positively as well, slotting him 20th among safety regulars.
The Titans were busy at the position this offseason, adding Xavier Woods and using a third-round pick on Kevin Winston Jr.. The latter is coming off a partial ACL tear suffered while at Penn State. Winston, though, avoided the active/NFI list and has been developing during the Titans’ preseason workouts. Diggs would stand to be a stopgap while Winston learns, but Woods’ arrival alongside secondary staple Amani Hooker could relegate the “new” arrival to a high-profile backup role. Indeed, veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky notes Diggs is competing for the fourth safety role. (Of note, Diggs is also a cousin of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.)
Tennessee also added safety Joshuah Bledsoe while waiving safety Mark Perry and edge rusher Titus Leo to clear roster space.