Colts Cut DL Arthur Jones
The Colts announced that they have released defensive lineman Arthur Jones. The move will save the team $5.15MM in cap space. 
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Jones joined the Colts on a five-year, $33MM deal prior to the 2014 season. He never came close to living up to that contract. In the past three years, he has played in just 17 combined regular season games, including a completely lost 2015 season. This time last year, Jones took a pay cut in order to stay with the team. This time around, he’s being dropped altogether. Injuries and underwhelming production played a major role in his release, but Jones’ PED suspension in 2016 probably didn’t help his cause either.
In the short amount of time he spent on the field in 2016, Jones didn’t really deliver. In eight games, Jones tallied 30 total tackles. When his season ended on IR in December, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the No. 120 defensive tackle out of 126 qualified players.
Michigan’s Jake Butt Ahead Of Schedule
Michigan tight end Jake Butt says he is ahead of schedule in his rehab efforts and could be ready to play again by mid-July (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Andrew Groover). Butt suffered a torn ACL during the Orange Bowl in December, so a July return to football activities would mark a much quicker turnaround than expected. 
Early mock drafts had Butt going late in the first round or early in the second round. After the injury, however, it became difficult to gauge his stock. If he can truly take the field in the summer and be ready to play in Week 1, it’s conceivable that he could be in play at the backend of the first round. Of course, teams will want to take a close look at his scans to determine whether this timetable is legit or just wishful thinking on the part of Butt.
O.J. Howard of Alabama is pretty much universally considered to be the best tight end in this year’s draft. After him, Miami’s David Njoku, Ole Miss’ Evan Engram, and South Alabama’s Gerald Everett are considered to be among the best tight ends in this year’s class.
Redskins To Sign WR Brian Quick
The Redskins have agreed to terms with wide receiver Brian Quick, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Heading into today, we had Quick ranked as the second-best wide receiver left on the board, behind only Victor Cruz. 
Quick quietly had 44 catches for 564 yards and three touchdowns with the Rams last year, no small feat given the team’s offensive struggles. He’s now the second free agent wide receiver to join up with the Redskins this month, following Terrelle Pryor. Quick will have to fight for his targets amidst a depth chart that also features Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson.
The Quick deal gives the Redskins seven wide receivers under contract. Ryan Grant, Maurice Harris, and Reggie Diggs could find themselves on the bubble this summer.
Teams looking for wide receiver help can still find a handful of notable names left on the open market. Anquan Boldin, Vincent Jackson, Andrew Hawkins, Stevie Johnson, and Marquess Wilson are among those still looking for jobs.
Vikings, Brian Robison Agree To Extension
Defensive end Brian Robison has agreed to a contract extension with the Vikings, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In essence, it all amounts to a pay cut. 
Robison was previously slated to make up to $5.6MM for 2017, with no guaranteed money. Now, he’ll see his base salary go from a non-guaranteed $5.3MM to a fully guaranteed $3.9MM. He can add $100K through a workout bonus, but he forfeits $200K in per-game roster bonuses.
Then, in his additional year (2018), he’ll get a base salary of $3.2MM with $1.25MM guaranteed. He can also add $200K in per-game roster bonuses and $100K through a workout bonus. The overall two-year deal has a $7.5MM base value with $5.15MM guaranteed. Robison has effectively consented to a $1.4MM pay cut in 2017 to add an extra year to his pact.
Robison, 34 in April, had 28 total tackles and 7.5 sacks in 2016. Even at his age, Robison has shown to be both effective and durable. He has averaged 7.0 sacks per season since 2011 and appeared in all but one regular season game for the Vikings during that time. The new deal could allow the lifetime member of the Vikings to retire in purple. Then again, as he continues to rack up sacks, Robison might want to continue playing beyond 2018.
Panthers Extend RB Jonathan Stewart
The Panthers signed running back Jonathan Stewart to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Friday morning. Stewart is now under contract through the 2018 season. 
Stewart, 30, would be the Panthers’ starting running back if the season started today. When all is said and done, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself in a timeshare with a rookie tailback. The Panthers have the No. 8 overall pick and they should have the opportunity to land a top running back like LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, or Florida State’s Dalvin Cook.
Last year, Stewart had 824 yards off of 218 carries, giving him a less-than-impressive 3.8 yards per carry average He did, however, find the end zone nine times. He also added eight catches for 60 yards.
The Panthers re-signed running back Fozzy Whittaker earlier this month and they’ll also have Cameron Artis-Payne returning for another season.
Saints Re-Sign DL Darryl Tapp
The Saints announced that they have re-signed defensive lineman Darryl Tapp. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
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Heading into today, we had Tapp ranked as the ninth-best edge defender left in free agency, placing him ahead of guys like Devin Taylor, Eugene Sims, Howard Jones, Wallace Gilberry, Sam Acho. Notables like Dwight Freeney, Elvis Dumervil, Chris Long, Mario Williams, Connor Barwin, Paul Kruger, Trent Cole, Erik Walden, and Jason Jones remain on the board.
Tapp, 33 in September, appeared in all 16 games for the Saints and now has three consecutive seasons of perfect regular season attendance. He had just 17 tackles and half a sack last season, but the advanced metrics were fond of his work. He graded out as the 43rd best edge defender in the league last year out of 109 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. The 78.0 overall score was his best showing since 2012.
With the re-signing of Tapp, the Saints now have five defensive ends on their roster (Cameron Jordan, Paul Kruger, Obum Gwacham and D.J. Pettway are the others). The only member of the group with multiple sacks last year was Jordan, who finished with a team-leading 7.5 on a club that had the sixth fewest in the NFL. Thus, it stands to reason that the Saints will continue looking for edge rushers, especially in the draft.
Packers To Sign DT Ricky Jean-Francois
The Packers have signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $3MM deal. 
Jean-Francois was released by the Redskins earlier this month, giving him the opportunity to go elsewhere. He also had visits with the Seahawks and Bears, but he ultimately landed in Green Bay. Now, he’ll help offset the Packers’ loss of Datone Jones after he left for the Vikings. He’ll also come in handy for the first month of the season while Letroy Guion serves his suspension.
Jean-Francois ranks as PFR’s No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board. Since being released by Washington, Jean-Francois has visited the Seahawks and Bears.
Jean-Francois, 30, played in 32 games (eight starts) with Washington over the past two seasons. Last year, he saw action on roughly 40% of the club’s defensive snaps, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in that span. Heading into Thursday, we had RJ-F ranked as the No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board.
Bengals Re-Sign RB Cedric Peerman
The Bengals are re-signing running back Cedric Peerman, Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com tweets. The Bengals have confirmed the news and say it’s a one year deal. 
Peerman, 31 in October, fractured his arm during preseason last year. He missed the first three months of the 2016 campaign before being activated from IR. In his six games, Peerman was primarily used on special teams and had only six carries. This year, with Rex Burkhead out of the equation, it’s possible that he could see some more snaps on offense. Peerman earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 for his special teams work.
The Bengals now have four running backs under contract: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Tra Carson, and Peerman.
Jets Sign WR Quinton Patton
The Jets have signed wide receiver Quinton Patton, according to a team announcement. Up until this point, Patton spent his entire NFL career with the 49ers. 
The Jets now have seven wide receivers under contract. In addition to Patton, the Jets have Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, Charone Peake, Jalin Marshall, and Devin Smith under contract. It should be noted that Decker has been mentioned as a potential cap casualty this offseason and Marshall will be suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season.
In 2016, Patton caught 37 passes for 408 yards. That was no small feat given the Niners’ struggles on offense last season. He had similar numbers (30 grabs, 394 yards, one touchdown) in 2015.
We had Patton ranked as one of the 15 best free agent wide receivers remaining on the open market.
Darrelle Revis To Land With Patriots?
Could Darrelle Revis circle back to the Patriots? It’s looking “increasingly likely,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who has spoken with numerous league sources, including some close to the defensive back. 
Many, including myself, feel that Revis has lost a step and his effort was lacking in 2016. However, not all talent evaluators agree. One personnel man spoke highly of Revis when speaking to La Canfora.
“We did our work on him. He can still play. He can cover,” the anonymous exec said. “He doesn’t have that long speed anymore; he’s not going to cover a No. 1 receiver deep. But he can cover in tight spaces and he has great instincts. The film is not as bad as some would have you believe. He’s a perfect fit in that quarters scheme Belichick runs, and they have the kind of safeties who can help him out, too. We’re convinced he’s going back to New England. It just makes too much sense.”
The Patriots have already allowed Logan Ryan to walk in free agency and Malcolm Butler could be traded to the Saints in the very near future. Even after signing former Bills standout Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots will need some help in the secondary. Revis might not be able to hold down a starting outside position, but he could theoretically be used in the slot, if he’s willing to make that adjustment. Word is that we won’t be seeing him at safety for New England, so slot could be his only real option if he wants to join the defending champs.
We have Revis ranked as the second-best corner remaining on the free agent market.