Rams Trade Michael Brockers To Lions For Seventh-Round Pick
Early Wednesday, the Lions acquired defensive lineman Michael Brockers from the Rams. The cost? A 2023 seventh-round pick, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Lions GM Brad Holmes kicked off his new responsibilities by shipping Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles in a blockbuster trade. This week, he went back to the Rams’ well for Brockers, a 2012 first-round pick who was a bit too pricey for L.A., even though he’s been productive. Last year, Brockers notched five sacks and 51 total stops in 15 games (all stars).
The Rams re-upped Brockers last year on a three-year, $24MM deal after his would-be Ravens agreement fell through. Brockers was a good bet to get cut, saving $6.17MM against the cap with $3.67MM in dead money. Instead, they got something in exchange for him — even if it’s not all that much.
Brockers will join Trey Flowers and newly re-signed edge rusher Romeo Okwara in the Lions’ front seven. Meanwhile, last year’s top nose tackle Danny Shelton is out of the picture following his release.
Jaguars Cut Rashaan Melvin
The Jaguars are releasing Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via PFT). The veteran cornerback opted out of last season, so he’ll look to suit up for the first time since 2019. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Sign Shaq Griffin]
Melvin has spent time with eight different NFL teams. He joined the Jaguars in free agency after spending 2019 with the Lions. His one-year deal – worth $2.25MM – tolled into 2021, before it was shredded.
The former UDFA started 12 games for Detroit in 2019. The Jaguars could have used him last year to support D.J. Hayden and first-round pick C.J. Henderson. This year, they’ve got ex-Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin to bolster the secondary.
Melvin’s best seasons came with the Colts. After his breakout year in 2016, Melvin delivered 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks that year, but he’s now years removed from his best work, or even suiting up.
Dolphins To Sign Justin Coleman
Former Lions cornerback Justin Coleman has agreed to terms with the Dolphins (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). He’ll receive a one-year deal worth up to $2.75MM. The actual base value of the deal is not yet known.
[RELATED: Dolphins To Sign RB Malcolm Brown]
The Lions signed Coleman to a four-year, $36MM pact back in 2019, but he only ended up making it halfway through that deal. His contract made him one of the highest-paid slot cornerbacks in the league, but he wasn’t able to perform at that level. A hamstring injury capped his 2020 season at just eleven games and he registered only one pass defended.
Still, in 2019, Coleman turned in a 16-game slate with 54 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and an interception. Now, the Dolphins have him for a fraction of his would-be $8.9MM for this coming year.
Falcons’ Dante Fowler Takes Pay Cut
The Falcons have a little extra room to work with. Edge rusher Dante Fowler has agreed to a pay cut for the coming year, as Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets. 
[RELATED: Bills Trade TE Lee Smith To Falcons]
Fowler joined the Falcons on a three-year, $48MM deal last year, but didn’t produce in his first season with the team. The Florida product posted just three sacks and four tackles for a loss, versus 11.5 sacks and 16 tackles in the previous season with the Rams.
Before that, Fowler spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Jaguars, including a rookie campaign that was wiped out thanks to a torn ACL. The Falcons had high hopes for him, especially since he found national fame playing under then-head coach Dan Quinn at UF.
Fowler was originally set for an $18.5MM cap hit with $13MM in base salary. Terms of the revised deal have not been disclosed, but the Falcons will save on both portions.
Raiders To Sign John Brown
John Brown is going to Las Vegas. On Wednesday, the wide receiver agreed to a one-year, $3.75MM deal with the Raiders, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. 
Brown will help replace Nelson Agholor, who inked a surprisingly lucrative deal with the Patriots. The Raiders are also down Tyrell Williams, who was cut early on in the offseason. Brown will come into camp as a supporting member of the new-look group, which includes Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, and Bryan Edwards.
In 2019, Brown’s first season with the Bills, he managed new career highs of 72 catches for 1,060 receiving yards. Last year, he was limited just nine games and finished with a 33/458/3 stat line. The Bills went on to release him, saving nearly $8MM against the 2021 salary cap.
Washington Re-Signs Lamar Miller
Lamar Miller is staying with the Washington Football Team. The veteran running back will return on a one-year deal, per agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
[RELATED: WFT Adds Ryan Fitzpatrick]
Miller signed with WFT in December, but has yet to suit up for a game. In fact, he hasn’t played since 2018 thanks to an ACL tear and other injuries. Before that, he made the Pro Bowl with 973 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and a solid 4.6 yards per carry average. He also added 25 receptions for 163 receiving yards and one touchdown during that campaign.
Miller, 30 in late April, could still be a difference-maker if he’s healthy. Recognizing this, WFT allocated some of their cap space towards Miller — likely on a low-cost deal. Among their pricier signings: A three-year, $42MM pact for former Bengals corner William Jackson III and a one-year, $10-$12MM deal for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Panthers “Locked On” Texans’ Deshaun Watson
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is “Plan A, B and C” for the Panthers, according to Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). So far, the Texans have been unwilling to budge and the Panthers have been noticeably quiet in the early stages of the offseason. That could all change soon if owner David Tepper gets his man. 
“We are very committed to Deshaun [Watson] as our quarterback. He is our quarterback,” new Texans head coach David Culley said recently. “It’s not a matter of me trying to change anyone’s mind. We’re committed to him. He’s a Houston Texan and we’re going to move forward with that.”
Culley added that “there is no contingency plan” for if Watson doesn’t show up for work. Still, Watson is the only plan for the Panthers and friends like Jalen Ramsey “highly doubt” that Watson will stay in Houston.
The Panthers can make a convincing offer, starting with their No. 8 overall pick. They could also include their next two first-rounders, plus more capital to jumpstart the Texans’ rebuild. As Person notes, Tepper doesn’t like to be told no — he kept raising his hand last year until his seven-year, $60MM offer for head coach Matt Rhule made the Giants back off.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/17/21
Today’s the deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: G Ike Boettger
- Chiefs: WR Byron Pringle
- Texans: DE P.J. Hall, S A.J. Moore
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: K Eddy Pineiro
- Giants: LB Devante Downs
- Texans: S Geno Stone
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chiefs: TE Nick Keizer
- Jets: WR Jeff Smith
Non-Tendered:
- .
49ers Re-Sign Trent Williams To Six-Year, $138MM Deal
The 49ers have re-signed Trent Williams to a six-year, $138.06MM deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal comes with $55.1MM guaranteed and a $30.1MM signing bonus and makes Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman. 
The Chiefs, Colts, and Bears all wanted Williams, but the incumbents won out. There were, at least, consolation prizes for the Chiefs and Bears — Kansas City landed top guard Joe Thuney while the Bears allocated their dollars towards quarterback Andy Dalton and a new deal for (not-as-impressive) tackle Germain Ifedi.
The 32-year-old blocker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall tackle last year after sitting out the entire 2019 season. He’ll turn 33 in July, but he was widely regarded as the best available free agent in this year’s class, regardless of position.
The current rate for top offensive tackles is around $22MM per year. Despite his age, Williams has topped that with an average annual value of $23MM. Previously, the watermark was held by Packers lineman David Bakhtiari, who inked a four-year, $92 million extension back in November. He could have gotten those dollars anywhere, but Williams has said all along that he’d like to play out the rest of his career in San Francisco.
“San Francisco would be the leading candidate regardless,” Williams said earlier this year. “So even if it does make it to free agency, it won’t be because I’m trying to go somewhere else. It may be simply because I want to see my value. It’s been 11 years in this league, and I have yet to see a franchise left tackle go to the open market. I think it would be interesting to kind of see what [my] value holds.”
Williams’ value is mostly predicated on his world-class performance, but it was also lifted by the lack of quality offensive linemen available in this year’s class. Rather than reaching for subpar protection, the Niners shelled out the big bucks for one of the best tackles in the business.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/21
Tomorrow is the deadline for NFL teams to extend tender offers to their own restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Chiefs: G Andrew Wylie
- Colts: S George Odum
- Cowboys: DT Antwaun Woods
- Dolphins: OL Adam Pankey
- Packers: CB Chandon Sullivan, TE Robert Tonyan (second-round tender)
- Raiders: K Daniel Carlson (second-round tender)
- Texans: DT P.J. Hall, CB A.J. Moore
Non-Tendered:
- Packers: DL Tyler Lancaster
- Seahawks: LB Shaquem Griffin
- Vikings: RB Mike Boone, DL Ifeadi Odenigbo