Broncos Open To Kareem Jackson Return
Kareem Jackson says the door to a Broncos return is “not entirely closed.” And, over the weekend, Broncos GM George Paton echoed those sentiments, as Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. 
“With Kareem, we had great conversations with his agent,” Paton said. “We tried to get something done but we couldn’t. We left the door open for Kareem to come back.”
When the two sides couldn’t agree on a restructured deal, the Broncos declined the veteran safety’s option to save $7.1MM in cap space. Jackson, 32, joined the Broncos on a three-year, $33MM deal back in 2019. He quickly became a favorite among teammates and the coaching staff for hard-hitting style. Over the last two years, he started in all 29 of his games for Denver, tallying 160 tackles, 14 passes defended, and three interceptions.
One way or another, the Broncos need to fill the safety spot alongside Justin Simmons. However, it’s likely that Jackson will explore his options before considering a lesser offer from the Broncos. Meanwhile, Paton says he won’t rush the process.
“It’s a priority,” Paton said of the position. “It definitely is but we have a long time. There’s free agency, there’s a lot of safeties on the market, including Kareem, and then we have the draft. There’s also the trade market. The good thing is we don’t play a game for a while. We have a lot of time.”
Panthers To Sign TE Dan Arnold
Tight end Dan Arnold has agreed to sign with the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal reunites Arnold with his former Saints coach, Joe Brady. 
Arnold’s two-year deal is worth $6MM, according to Schrager. Not bad for a UDFA out of Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. Arnold was used sparingly as a rookie in New Orleans, but he made the most of his 12 receptions by taking them for 150 yards and a touchdown. Then, last year, he reemerged with the Cardinals and finished out with 31 grabs for 438 yards and four touchdowns.
The Panthers just lost tight end Chris Manhertz to the Jaguars in free agency, so there’s an opportunity for Arnold to play. Still, even with Arnold’s pass-catching ability, the Panthers might need to replace Manhertz’s blocking on the TE depth chart.
Eagles To Meet With Adoree’ Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson is going on an NFC East tour. After his scheduled meeting with the Giants, the former Titans cornerback will get together with the Eagles (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). In addition, the Rams, Chiefs, Raiders and Cardinals have also shown interest, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Jackson]
The Eagles have yet to add a cornerback this week, even though it’s one of their biggest needs. The group is headlined by Darius Slay, but they don’t have much after that. Also, Slay was less-than-stellar in 2020. With Avonte Maddox set to return to his preferred slot duties, the Eagles will need to find a CB2 one way or another. Jackson, who looked to be one of the league’s best young corners in 2019, wouldn’t be a bad choice.
Jackson would also be a good fit for the Rams, who have yet to make their mark in free agency this year. They probably won’t be able to offer him the best deal, but the USC product could be swayed by the opportunity to return home.
Jets To Sign Tyler Kroft
The Jets have signed tight end Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal, per an announcement from his agent. Kroft, a former third-round pick of the Bengals, has spent the last two seasons with the Bills. 
The Rutgers product will be about an hour-and-a-half away from his old stomping grounds with a real opportunity for targets. Chris Herndon isn’t necessarily locked in as Mike LaFleur‘s top tight end, which opens the door for Kroft.
Kroft did his best work with the Bengals, particularly in 2017 when he totaled 42 catches, 404 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. That year helped propel him towards a three-year, $18MM free agent deal with Buffalo. He hasn’t come close since, but he did manage 12 grabs for 119 yards and three touchdowns last year.
Bears To Sign Desmond Trufant
Cornerback Desmond Trufant has agreed to join the Bears on a one-year deal, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Trufant will try to fill the Bears’ post-Kyle Fuller void, though he’s unlikely to match his production. Fuller left Chicago with passes defended (82), good for top-five in franchise history. He also ranked in the top-20 for tackles (390) and interceptions (19).
After his best seasons with the Falcons, Trufant was rewarded with a five-year, ~$69MM mega-contract. In 2019, the Falcons dropped him, even though he managed four interceptions in just nine games. Then, the Lions released Trufant earlier this month to escape the rest of his two-year, $21MM deal. The Lions saved $6MM but were left saddled with ~$6.2MM in dead money.
Injuries were the culprit once again — Trufant played in just six games for the Lions, tallying one interception, four passes defended, and 20 total tackles. The Bears, who clearly need help in the secondary, could give him a chance to restore his value.
Giants To Meet With Adoree’ Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson is set to meet with the Giants (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This marks the first known visit for the former Titans first-round pick, who was released earlier this week. 
Jackson graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 overall corner in 2019. It was a big step up from ’17 and ’18, though he still garnered top-40 finishes in each year. Unfortunately, a knee injury limited him to just three games in 2020. After a bad platform year, Jackson finds himself looking for work in the worst possible climate. Also, the Titans didn’t do him any favors by releasing him just this past Tuesday.
The Giants’ D was awful in 2019, but things improved last year under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The G-Men ranked 12th in yards per game (349), ninth in points allowed (22.3), and a much more respectable 16th in passing yards surrendered (237). Teamed with James Bradberry and Logan Ryan, Jackson could nudge the secondary along even further.
Bills To Sign Jacob Hollister
Jacob Hollister is saying goodbye to Seattle. On Friday, the former Seahawks tight end agreed to aa one-year deal with the Bills (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
Hollister gets to reunite with his old Wyoming teammate Josh Allen, which could mean an uptick in targets. After two years of limited usage in New England, Hollister enjoyed a breakout 2019 season with the Seahawks, hauling in 41 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Then, he went from 59 targets to just 40 looks in 2020. He finished out with 25/209/3.
The writing was on the wall for Hollister — the Seahawks’ new one-year deal for Gerald Everett pushed him out of the equation. Everett, who will earn $7MM on his free agent contract, is coming off a career-year with 41 catches for 417 yards and one TD for the Rams.
Falcons To Sign Brandon Copeland
The Falcons have agreed to a one-year deal with Brandon Copeland (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The former Patriots linebacker missed much of last season with a torn pec, but he’s closing in on a complete recovery. 
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign Harris]
Copeland, an ex-Jets and Lions contributor, also drew interest from the Giants. It’s not clear whether the incumbent Pats tried to bring him back or not. Before the injury, Copeland was ticketed for a major role as Dont’a Hightower’s fill-in. He wound up playing in just six games with four starts, but Pro Football Focus gave him strong grades in that limited sample.
His 2018 Jets season marked his only year as a starter. In 16 games, he notched five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. So far, that’s his only season with more than two sacks.
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but this could prove to be a strong value signing for Atlanta. At least, that’s the hope, given how quiet the Falcons’ week has been.
Patriots To Sign LB Raekwon McMillan
The Patriots aren’t done shopping. On Friday, Bill Belichick & Co. agreed to sign linebacker Raekwon McMillan to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
[RELATED: Patriots Bring Back David Andrews]
McMillan spent the early part of his career with the Dolphins before being shipped to the Raiders last August. He came off the bench in most games, finishing the year with 27 stops and one forced fumble.
The hard-hitting linebacker came into the league as a second-round pick in 2017. He flashed at times and even ranked as Miami’s best defensive player in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins considered a long-term extension for him at one point but, ultimately, they were unwilling to commit. The timing wasn’t great either — talks petered out amidst the pandemic.
McMillan’s pass coverage is suspect, but he’s a solid run-blocker who should see time in the Patriots’ rotation. He’ll be joined by fellow new arrival Matt Judon in that group, along with scores of other fresh faces in the locker room.
Bengals Trade QB Ryan Finley To Texans
Ryan Finley isn’t getting cut after all. On Friday, the Bengals agreed to trade the quarterback to the Texans in an exchange of late-round picks. The Bengals will move up ~30 spots in the swap as they send Finley and a 7th-round pick to the Texans for a sixth-round pick (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Rather than their original sixth-rounder, the Texans are sending the choice that originally belonged to Miami. 
[RELATED: Bengals Release Geno Atkins]
Finley wound up starting as a rookie when Andy Dalton got the hook. The 2019 fourth-round pick was 0-3 in his starts with two touchdowns against two interceptions. He got a chance to start once again in 2020 when the Bengals faced the Steelers in Week 15. He absorbed a devastating hit in that game and only completed about half of his 13 throws, but he did manage to emerge as the winning QB.
The Texans have been actively bargain shopping in recent days. Needless to say, this isn’t the Houston QB news that everyone has been waiting on. At last check, the Texans are still refusing inquiries on Deshaun Watson. Meanwhile, Watson is making headlines for a string of off-the-field allegations.