Washington Signs LB David Mayo
David Mayo is staying in the NFC East. The Washington Football Team have signed the former Giants linebacker, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. 
The Giants gave Mayo a three-year extension one year ago, but he didn’t make it very far into that new deal. He had a breakout 2019 season where he started 13 games and graded out well, per Pro Football Focus. Then, he fell out of favor with the new coaching staff led by Joe Judge. In 2020, he started just twice. The Giants released him outright earlier this month, on the same day they cut Golden Tate.
Mayo, 27, came into the league in 2015 as a fifth-round pick of the Panthers. In total, he’s appeared in 89 games with 19 starts across the last six years. His 2020 stat line — 20 tackles, two tackles for loss ,and one forced fumble — doesn’t jump off the page, but he’s not far removed from his best work. In that aforementioned ’19 campaign, Mayo registered 82 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended while playing as one of the best run-stuffing ‘backers in the NFL.
Jaguars Not Shopping Gardner Minshew “At This Point”
The Jaguars are widely expected to draft Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, which would take Gardner Minshew out of the starting lineup. Minshew is reportedly drawing trade interest, but head coach Urban Meyer says he’s not looking to deal the quarterback — at least, not right now (via NFL.com). 
“At this point, no,” Meyer responded. “At this point, I know Gardner a little bit. He came in yesterday. We had a good visit. That’s the second time I’ve spent time with him. This is all kind of new to me. I’m used to spending about five, six hours a day with our quarterbacks — that’s January, February, to get your quarterback ready to go, and you can’t do that in the NFL.”
“But there is a lot of anticipation about the first pick, and I understand there is a lot of conversation out there. But there has been no decisions made. Gardner has done some very good things here in Jacksonville. And he’s a competitive maniac, which I really appreciate that about him. So there have been no decisions made. Yesterday was the first lengthy meeting we’ve had, and we’re going to continue that here for the next few weeks.”
In 2019, Minshew went 6-6 as the Jaguars’ starter while setting franchise records in yards (3,271) and touchdowns (21) for rookie QBs. Last year, he flip-flopped with Mike Glennon amidst the Jags’ 15-game losing streak. All in all, he was 1-7 in his starts with 2,259 yards and 16 touchdowns against five interceptions. Of course, the Jaguars’ woes cannot be pinned solely on Minshew and he still has a 37-11 TD-INT ratio for his career. With the better QB2s already off the board, it stands to reason that teams will be willing to give up decent draft capital for Minshew. Meanwhile, with Lawrence likely en route to Jacksonville, it would be surprising to see him stay.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s “minor” moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Darius Clark
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Greg Senat
- Waived: T Drake Dorbeck
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Carlos Watkins
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: WR Mike Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: TE Blake Bell, RB Elijah McGuire
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: TE Johnny Mundt
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Trent Sherfield
Texans To Cut TE Darren Fells
The Texans are releasing Darren Fells (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The tight end was previously set to play out the second-year of his two-year, $7MM contract. 
Fells, who will celebrate his 35th birthday in April, set a career high with seven touchdowns in 2019. It was an unexpected jump in offensive production for the veteran, who was previously known best for his blocking prowess.
Last year, he staved off competition from Jordan Akins and third-round pick Kahale Warring, but the Texans are going younger across the board as they rebuilt. Akins led all Houston TEs with 37 grabs for 403 yards. Meanwhile, Warring stands at 6’5″ with tons of promise as a blocker. If he’s healthy, he could be a featured part of the rotation.
By releasing Fells, the Texans will save upwards of $1.2MM on the books.
Panthers To Sign Rashaan Melvin
Rashaan Melvin‘s jersey collection has grown even larger. On Thursday, the veteran cornerback agreed to join the Panthers on a one-year deal, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. 
Melvin has now signed deals with more than 25% of the NFL. His last stop with the Jaguars came to an end on Wednesday. Melvin’s $2.25MM salary for 2020 tolled into 2021 due to his COVID-19 opt out, but Jacksonville wanted to put those resources elsewhere.
Melvin’s best seasons came with the Colts. After his breakout year in 2016, Melvin delivered 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended in 2017. Pro Football Focus ranked him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks that year. He’ll try to get back to his old form — or closer to it — in Carolina.
He originally signed with the Bucs as an UDFA in 2013, but had only started two career games when he suddenly found himself a starter with Indy in 2016. His play with the Colts landed him a one-year, $5.5MM deal from the Raiders in 2018.
The journeyman has now spent various amounts of time with the Bucs, Dolphins, Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders, Lions, and Jags. Despite that, he’s still only 31.
Dolphins To Sign Matt Skura
The Dolphins are set to sign former Ravens center Matt Skura (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). The lineman’s one-year deal is worth $1.75MM, per Garafolo on Twitter.
Skura had issues snapping the ball at times last year and wound up getting the hook in favor of Patrick Mekari. In total, he made 12 starts, giving him 51 total first-string appearances over the course of four seasons in Baltimore. Originally an UDFA out of Duke in 2016, Skura spent his rookie year on the practice squad. As a sophomore he was called on to start 12 games at guard when Marshall Yanda missed most of the season.
The following year he became the team’s center, starting all 16 games. After starting 11 games in 2019 Skura tore an ACL and had significant other damage in his knee, but he made it back in time for 2020 training camp and started the season on time.
He projects as the new starter in Miami, and it’s possible his struggles last year were due to coming off such a serious injury in such a short amount of time. He turned 28 in February.
Eagles GM On Zach Ertz Trade Talks
It’s no secret: The Eagles and Zach Ertz could be headed for a divorce. Still, GM Howie Roseman says that he’ll need the right offer in order to part ways with the star tight end. 
“For us to trade any player, it’s gotta make sense for both sides,” Roseman said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). “None of us had the year we wanted to have last year, but that doesn’t define us. We know who he is on and off the field and we value that.”
The Eagles have granted Ertz permission to seek trades and several teams have spoken with the Birds in recent days. Roseman is reportedly looking for a seeking a third or fourth-round pick — so far, they haven’t gotten any takers.
Ertz, 30, has one year left on his contract with an $8.25MM salary and $12.4MM cap hit. Trading or cutting him would save $5MM with $8MM in dead money. The Eagles don’t have a ton of leverage: Ertz is coming off his worst season as a pro and their dirty laundry has been aired out for all to read. Therefore, contenders are willing to stay patient with the chance of landing the 2019 Pro Bowler — without giving up any draft picks.
Seahawks To Re-Sign Nick Bellore
Nick Bellore has agreed to a brand new deal with the Seahawks, as Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus tweets. The signing has also been confirmed by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Bellore, 32 in May, has spent the last two seasons in Seattle. Even as teams around the league have de-prioritized the position, Bellore’s blocking has been highly valued in the Seahawks offense. His return should go a long way towards appeasing Russell Wilson, who is reportedly dissatisfied with the team’s efforts to protect him in the pocket.
Bellore spent much of his career at linebacker and saw significant playing time for the 49ers in 2016. That year, he made ten starts in their 3-4 scheme and registered 83 stops and one sack in total. Then, in Detroit, he went to the other side of the ball, where he had a knack for clearing lanes. Seattle used a fullback on just 8% of its plays in 2018. That changed in 2019 when Pete Carroll signed Bellore to a two-year, $2.23MM deal.
Falcons To Sign Erik Harris
Former Raiders safety Erik Harris is heading to the Falcons, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
After spending his first season with the Saints, Harris found his way to Oakland in 2017. Since then, he’s spent the last four years with the Raiders, all the way through 2020 in Las Vegas. Playing primarily at free safety, he’s made 30 starts for the Raiders out of 61 total appearances. Harris, 31 in April, finished 2020 with 61 total stops, five passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
Harris will help Atlanta replace Ricardo Allen, who was cut recently to save $6.25MM against the cap. Safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal are also out of contract and seem likely to sign elsewhere. For now, that group is headlined by Harris and 2020 fourth-round pick Jaylinn Hawkins.
Steelers, JuJu Smith-Schuster Still In Talks
The Jets want JuJu Smith-Schuster, but a return to the Steelers hasn’t been ruled out, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The two sides are still in talks, so a deal could come together at the right price. 
Smith-Schuster’s production has tailed off over the last two seasons, but it appears that he’s still seeking top-of-the-market money. Corey Davis just agreed to a three-year, $37.5MM deal with the Jets. Curtis Samuel joined Washington for $34MM+ over three years. Nelson Agholor inked a two-year, $22MM deal with the Patriots. Smith-Schuster — who is a couple years removed from a 1,426-yard campaign — is likely looking to top all of those recent receiver contracts.
Smith-Schuster, still only 24, had just 831 receiving yards last year, but there’s reason to believe that he could get back to his old form with Ben Roethlisberger back under center.
In addition to the Jets and Steelers, the Raiders are also said to have interest in Smith-Schuster. Jon Gruden & Co. just added John Brown on a one-year contract, but there could still be room for JuJu to join 2020 first-round pick Henry Ruggs III and Hunter Renfrow in the WR group.