Rams Cut C Tim Barnes
The Rams are in the market for a center. The team released center Tim Barnes on Thursday, agent Matt Brei tweets.
Barnes made 32 consecutive starts for the Rams. Now, he’s free to sign with any club.
Last year, Barnes re-signed with the Rams on a two-year, $5.6MM deal with $2.5MM guaranteed. His $750K roster bonus would have become guaranteed for injury if he remained on the team on the third day of 2017 league year (later this week). That would have become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster through June 17.
In 2015, he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 29th-best center out of 39 qualifiers. This past season, PFF ranked him 31st out of 38 qualifiers.
Browns Claim C Marcus Martin Off Waivers
The Browns claimed center Marcus Martin off waivers, according to longtime NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter). Martin was waived by the 49ers on Wednesday.
The former third-round pick started 24 of his 26 games over three seasons with the Niners. Martin only played in five games last season before being placed on the injured reserve. In college, the lineman started 33 starts over three seasons with USC.
Martin will now serve as a backup for center J.C. Tretter. Tretter signed with Cleveland today on a lucrative three-year deal. After missing more than half of the 2016 season, Tretter will need a quality understudy. The Browns may feel they have that with Martin.
Titans Make Standing Offer For Brandin Cooks
The Titans have put their cards on the table. They have a standing offer out to the Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Tennessee has been working to land Cooks for the past week or so. The Eagles dropped out of the Cooks chase – and we can say that with certainty now that they’ve signed Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith – but the Patriots are still very much in pursuit. It’s not yet known what the Titans have offered to the Saints, but it may involve first-round compensation. The Titans own the No. 5 overall selection as well as the No. 18 overall pick. One scenario floated recently involved the Titans swapping their No. 5 pick for the Saints’ No. 11 pick.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are reportedly considering a trade that would involve cornerback Malcolm Butler going to New Orleans in exchange for the superstar wide receiver.
Photo courtesy of PFR on Instagram.
Eddie Lacy To Visit Seahawks, Vikings
Eddie Lacy could leave the Packers but stay in the division. The running back is set to visit the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, as well as the Seahawks. Lacy will also meet with the Packers.
The Seahawks are obviously in the market for a veteran running back as they also have meetings scheduled with Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles. Lacy would probably represent the most attractive option of the three, though he does come with some injury and conditioning concerns.
The Vikings are without a No. 1 running back after declining Adrian Peterson‘s $18MM option, but they’re obviously quite familiar with Lacy. The 26-year-old has thus far spent his entire career with archrival Green Bay, which selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. Lacy has since recorded a pair of 1,100-yard rushing seasons, though his production has dropped over the past two campaigns. The ex-Alabama star averaged a so-so 4.1 yards per rush and posted a career-low three touchdowns over 187 carries in 2015, and after bouncing back with a 5.1 YPC through five games last year, he landed on injured reserve in October because of an ankle issue.
Lacy, who expects to be at full health by next month, made it clear in late February that the Packers wanted him back. Green Bay was unable to keep him from hitting the market, though, and will now have to compete with other teams for his services. Lacy stands as one of the top players available in free agency.
Dolphins To Cut DB Isa Abdul-Quddus
The Dolphins plan to cut Isa Abdul-Quddus today due to a failed physical, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets. The defensive back suffered a serious neck injury late in the 2016 season.
Abdul-Quddus was signed to a three-year, $12.75MM deal prior to the 2016 to play opposite of Reshad Jones in the secondary. While he was on the field in the regular season, he did a good job of living up to his contract. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked Abdul-Quddus as the No. 31 safety in the NFL out of 92 qualified players. His season ended with 78 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and five passes defended in 15 games.
It’s not immediately clear if when he’ll be ready to resume football activities.
Latavius Murray To Visit Seahawks
Running back Latavius Murray is set to visit the Seahawks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Murray, 27, has spent his entire career in Oakland to date. Now, he could be an option for the Seahawks as they mull possibilities in the backfield. As reported earlier today, Jamaal Charles is also slated to meet with Seattle.
Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter, a post he ascended to late in the 2014 season. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2015 but rushed for only 788 last season.
The Raiders are interested in bringing him back as a free agent after he tests the market. Although Oakland has been connected to Adrian Peterson, the Silver and Black aren’t enamored at this point by adding the future Hall of Famer.
In other running back news, Cardinals free agent running back Chris Johnson intends to continue playing and will visit teams next week. It is unclear at this time whether a return to the Cardinals is in play.
Bills Sign S Micah Hyde
The Bills have signed safety Micah Hyde, according to a team announcement. Within the release, they also announced the signing of fellow safety Jordan Poyer, formerly of Cleveland. Hyde will receive $30MM over a five-year term, with the chance to earn as much as $32.5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. $14MM is guaranteed.
Hyde had spent his entire four-year career in Green Bay, though its interest in bringing him back for a fifth season never seemed all that high. The team may have not even made Hyde an offer. If the 26-year-old’s career with the Packers is over, it’ll end with 63 regular-season appearances out of a possible 64, 33 starts, eight interceptions, five forced fumbles and four sacks.
Hyde is coming off a 16-game, 11-start season, in which he tied a career high with three picks and ranked a decent 53rd among Pro Football Focus’ 112 qualified cornerbacks. Hyde also has experience at safety, so his track record of versatility, productivity and durability should enable him to land an appreciable raise over his $1.671MM base salary from 2016.
Hyde was among my Top 50 Free Agents, a list built on projected earning power.
Eagles To Sign G Chance Warmack
The Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with guard Chance Warmack, Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets.
The former first-round pick has played the past four seasons with the Titans. After missing only two regular season games and starting 46 games over the first three years of his career, Warmack was limited to only two appearances in 2016. The lineman was ultimately forced to undergo surgery on an injured hand.
While Warmack didn’t earn high ranks from Pro Football Focus for his two games last season, his previous campaigns received some impressive grades. 2015 was a “down year” for the lineman based on the website’s metrics, but Warmack still would have ranked in the top-50 had that performance taken place in 2016.
Warmack will be joining a depth chart that already features guards Allen Barbre, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, Matt Tobin, and Josh Andrews.
Patriots Re-Sign S Duron Harmon
He’s not going anywhere. In the midst of an active week for the Patriots, they are maintaining some stability. Safety Duron Harmon has re-signed with the team, Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald tweets. It’s a four-year, $20MM deal (with $3MM of that money coming via incentives). Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets that the deal includes $6.5MM in guaranteed money, which will all translate in 2017 ($1.5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus).
Harmon will join Devin McCourty as Patriot safeties signed long-term, providing some continuity to what could be a rearranged secondary come 2017. The Patriots now have them both locked up through at least 2019.
New England could lose both Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler this offseason. Ryan is a UFA and hasn’t signed elsewhere yet, but the Patriots and Saints are potentially set to complete a momentous trade that would send Butler to New Orleans and Brandin Cooks to Massachusetts. The Pats added Stephon Gilmore today as well to infuse some additional talent into this group.
Harmon functioned as a part-time starter for the Pats during his four-year rookie-deal tenure. This contract likely will point him toward more work. He made 27 tackles and picked off one pass last season, starting four games.
Eagles Sign Alshon Jeffery
The Eagles are signing Alshon Jeffery, according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The deal will be for one-year and $14MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The former Bears star is coming off of a so-so year that included a four-game ban for performance-enhancing drugs, but he’s still a major talent and a proven performer. In 2013, Jeffery flashed his full potential when he caught 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns. In the following season, he had 85 catches for 1,133 yards and ten scores. Injuries slowed him in 2015 and he struggled in the Bears’ sluggish offense last season, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that he can rebound in the right system.
Jeffery, 27, has been linked to the Eagles for some time, as Philadelphia was known to be targeting more weapons for quarterback Carson Wentz. Having already signed Torrey Smith, the Eagles have now added Jeffery, the top wide receiver on the market and the No. 2 free agent overall. They’ll get Jeffery at a one-year cost of $14MM, roughly $3MM less than what Jeffery would have earned on a second franchise tag in Chicago
The Titans, 49ers, and Vikings were all thought to be interested in securing Jeffery. Terrelle Pryor is now the best free agent receiver on the board, along with the likes of Terrance Williams, Markus Wheaton, and Cordarrelle Patterson.