Steelers To Sign WR Justin Hunter
The Steelers have signed wide receiver Justin Hunter, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The former second-round pick has yet to justify his draft status but the Steelers are apparently intrigued by his athleticism and speed. 
The Steelers now have eight wide receivers under contract (Antonio Brown, Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Demarcus Ayers, Canaan Severin, and Hunter), so something has got to give. Hunter probably has only a little bit of guaranteed cash on his deal or perhaps no guarantee, so it’s not a given that he’ll make the 53-man roster.
The Patriots were linked to Hunter last week, but they might have backed off their pursuit after installing Brandin Cooks at the top of their WR depth chart. Hunter closed out the year with the Bills, but we didn’t hear any word of them trying to retain him.
Ravens Cut C Jeremy Zuttah
UPDATE: The Ravens have traded Zuttah to the 49ers.
The Ravens are releasing center Jeremy Zuttah, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). Zuttah has been a starter for Baltimore for the last three years. 
By cutting Zuttah, the Ravens will save $2.392MM in cap space. They’re also going to need a new center though some of the best options, like new Browns addition J.C. Tretter, are off the board. Veteran Nick Mangold is among the bigger names still available, but he’s not the player he used to be. Multiple teams, reportedly, have asked him to switch positions and that’s not a great sign. Alternatively, the Ravens could fill the void from within by putting John Urschel in the starting role.
Zuttah, 31 in June, started in all 16 games for the Ravens last season. Generally, he has had a pretty good attendance record over the course of his nine-year career with the exception of 2015 when he missed six regular season contests. Last year, Pro Football Focus rated Zuttah as the 13th best center in the NFL. His 82.7 score was his best showing since his rookie season (86.7).
Connor Barwin To Visit Rams
Connor Barwin will meet with the Rams on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). This marks the veteran’s second free agent trip since being released by the Eagles earlier this month. Earlier this week, he met with the Bengals, but he left Cincinnati without a deal. 
The Rams will be running a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and that could be a good fit for Barwin. Days ago, the Rams jettisoned William Hayes to the Dolphins because he was not an ideal fit for their gameplan. Barwin could come in and start opposite of Aaron Donald with Michael Brockers in the middle.
The 30-year-old was in the midst of a six-year, $36MM contract when the Eagles released him last week. Last season, Barwin racked up 34 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble. He also appeared in every single regular season game for the sixth consecutive season. Those numbers all sound good, but the advanced metrics aren’t so high on him. Barwin graded out as just the No. 100 edge defender in the NFL last year out of 109 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus. He had respectable overall scores with Philly in 2013 and 2014 (76.2, 78.5), but he has dipped in the last two seasons with scores of 50.8 and 42.1.
Latest On Dont’a Hightower
Linebacker Dont’a Hightower is slated to choose between three offers today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’s deciding between the Steelers, Jets, and Patriots, though that’s not necessarily in order. Those close to the situation still believe he’ll remain in New England. 
The Jets, apparently, have offered “far and away” more money than anyone else. Still, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, he doesn’t seem inclined to accept Gang Green’s offer. The Jets have offered more than $12MM per season, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report hears (on Twitter).
The Steelers reportedly told Hightower their offer to him would disappear if he left town without signing on the dotted line. Hightower, it seems, is either still in Pittsburgh, or the Steelers were making an empty threat to coax him into signing.
All along, the expectation has been that Hightower would circle back to the defending champs. Still, money talks and this will probably be the largest deal the 27-year-old ever signs. Soon, we’ll know the verdict.
Rams Hosting RB Lance Dunbar On Visit
Free agent running back Lance Dunbar is visiting the Rams today, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). This is Dunbar’s first known visit since free agency started six days ago. 
Dunbar was buried on the Cowboys’ depth chart last season and had just nine carries on the year with one score. He added 16 catches for 122 yards. Dunbar was never a starter in his five years for the Cowboys, but that was the least amount of burn he ever received in a healthy season. Even when he played in only nine games in 2013, he still managed to get 30 carries (he averaged 5.0 yards per carry in that limited sample).
The Rams could use some depth behind Todd Gurley. Currently, he has Malcolm Brown and Aaron Green – a pair of former undrafted free agents – as his understudies. Dallas’ level of interest in a reunion is unclear, but if Dunbar were to return, he would be stuck behind Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris.
Cardinals Sign Jarvis Jones
The Cardinals have signed linebacker Jarvis Jones to a one-year deal, the club announced today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Jones was expected to sign with Arizona.
Jones joins the Cardinals hours after the team lost outside linebacker Alex Okafor to the Saints. Having already seen veteran defender Calais Campbell sign with the Jaguars, Arizona is now seeking to rebuild an edge rush that ranked third in adjusted sack rate in 2016. Chandler Jones (no relation to Jarvis) has already been extended on a hefty contract, and now Jarvis Jones will add another element to the pass rush.
Selected 13th overall in 2013, Jones has only posted six sacks in four NFL seasons. He recorded a career-high 43 tackles in 2016, however, and started nine games for the Steelers, playing on slightly less than half of the club’s defensive snaps. While he’s not a pure pass rusher, Jones is still a solid run defender, and graded as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 49 edge player last year in large part due to his stoutness against opposing rushing attacks.
The Rams were hoping to meet with Jones, but Arizona did not let him leave without a deal. The Rams were said to be “very intrigued” by the fifth-year pass-rusher.
Latest On Steelers, Dont’a Hightower
The Steelers have made an offer to free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, they don’t want Hightower to use their proposal for leverage with the Patriots. He has been told that if he gets on the plane to leave Pittsburgh without agreeing to terms, the offer will be off the table. 
Hightower has been making the free agent rounds, but it certainly sounds like his goal is to return to the Patriots. After Hightower spoke with the Jets and Titans, both teams were skeptical about his willingness to actually leave New England, though the Jets still sound quite interested. The Jets may be willing to drive up the price on the rival Patriots, but the Steelers want no part of that game. They’ve made their offer to Hightower and if he does not quickly accept, they’ll redirect that cap space in another direction.
Adding a superstar like Hightower would certainly lessen the blow of Lawrence Timmons leaving for the Dolphins. Soon, we should know whether Hightower will shock everyone and join up with Pittsburgh.
Vikings Sign Datone Jones
The Vikings announced that they have signed defensive end/linebacker Datone Jones. Jones’ deal with the Vikings is a one-year, $3.75MM pact, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He can make up to $5MM through incentives. 
Jones, 26, spent the 2016 campaign playing outside linebacker in Green Bay’s 3-4 front after playing the early part of his career as a defensive end. The Vikings run a 4-3 scheme, so he might be in store for a return to end. Through four seasons with Green Bay, the former first-round pick appeared in 59 games but only started in seven games.
Last year, Jones recorded one sack and 22 tackles on 548 defensive snaps, making him the league’s No. 61 edge defender among 109 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. PFR ranked Jones as the ninth-best free agent edge defender heading into the offseason.
The Vikings are projected to start Everson Griffen and Brian Robison at defensive end. They also have Danielle Hunter, Tom Johnson, and Stephen Weatherly under contract as reserves. The linebacker group, meanwhile, is looking thin with just five players under contract.
Latest On Kirk Cousins
“There’s a growing belief in some circles” that the Browns will try to acquire Kirk Cousins from the Redskins via trade, one league source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Redskins have the ability to trade Cousins now that he has signed his one-year franchise tender. 
Depending on who you believe, Cousins either requested a trade last week or simply asked whether he would be getting moved. But, another source tells Florio that Cousins was concerned about the fact that the Redskins can now trade him. Specifically, the source says, he was concerned about being traded to the Browns.
Last month, there was conflicting word on whether Cousins would be open to joining the Browns. One reporter said that Cousins would only want a trade to the 49ers while another said that he finds the Browns to be “intriguing.” Cousins cannot formally block a trade, but he could deter a team from trading for him by refusing to negotiate a long-term deal.
In theory, a team like the Browns could roll the dice and trade for Cousins without an agreement for a multi-year deal in place. Then the two sides would still have several months to hammer out a contract before the July 15th deadline. If that’s unsuccessful, they would have him for $23.94MM in 2o17 with the option of tagging him again for $28MM+ in 2018.
Of course, there’s also the matter of getting a trade done with the Redskins. As Florio writes, an offer of the No. 12 overall pick plus their newly-acquired second round choice from Houston could get it done.
Dontari Poe To Visit Dolphins
Defensive tackle Dontari Poe is scheduled to travel to Miami tonight for a visit the Dolphins, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. He has not left Georgia yet, however, so one has to wonder if he could possibly reach agreement with the Falcons before the Fins get face time with him. 
Poe visited the Colts on Sunday and the meeting reportedly went well. After that, it was on to the Jaguars and Falcons, Poe is huddling up with the Jaguars. The 26-year-old has also garnered interest from the Raiders, and 49ers.
The market has been slow to develop for Poe. The Colts, supposedly, are open to a long-term deal, but he might prefer a one-year pact that would allow him to restore his value and try the open market in 2018. Word is that teams are concerned about Poe’s back issues. He’s still waiting for real traction with his suitors, but he shouldn’t feel too bad as fellow top defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins also remains on the board.
In the Dolphins’ 4-3 set, Poe could form a menacing interior duo with Ndamukong Suh while Jordan Phillips serves as the top reserve DT. The Dolphins project to start Andre Branch and Cameron Wake on the ends with the newly-acquired William Hayes in rotation.