Colts Sign Tavon Wilson
The Colts signed former Lions and Patriots safety Tavon Wilson, per a club announcement. The veteran can also feature at cornerback, giving Indy some additional depth across multiple positions.
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Wilson, who turned 30 this offseason, is coming off of one of the best seasons of his NFL career. In 2019, Wilson started in 13 games and notched 98 stops, five passes defensed, two fumbled recoveries, and one sack. The advanced metrics were also fond of his work, but his market dragged amidst the pandemic. He graded out as the No. 26 ranked qualified safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, with a 71.8 overall score. That figure was his best showing since 2016, his first campaign with the Lions.
Wilson was a good fit for Matt Patricia‘s scheme, but the Lions chose not to bring him back. The Dolphins also gauged his interest in a minimum salary deal. Now, he’ll go to Indianapolis to fill the void after defensive backs Roland Milligan and Marvell Tell opted out of the 2020 season.
Bengals’ Trae Waynes To Miss Time?
Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes will receive a second opinion on his pectoral injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The early fear is that Waynes won’t be able to debut with his new team until late October, at the earliest. 
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The Bengals refused to allow Waynes to take an off-site physical, which kept his $15MM signing bonus in limbo. Waynes has passed the team physical, but the delay has prevented Waynes from his usual pre-season preparations. Now, with just a few weeks to go before the start of the season, it’s looking like the Bengals’ new star cornerback will be sidelined for a while.
Waynes’ three-year, $42MM deal is set to pay out $20MM in 2020. Now one of the league’s ten highest-paid cornerbacks, Waynes was expected to help lead a new look secondary that is without former first-rounders Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick.
Waynes has topped out at an above-average level – he’s never graded above 70.0 on Pro Football Focus’ scale in five seasons. Still, the Bengals see big potential in the 28-year-old. Along with D.J. Reader, he’s one of the team’s most notable free agent investments in years.
Former fifth-round pick Darius Phillips could take over nickel duties while Waynes heals up. In theory, the Bengals could also check in with veteran defensive back Logan Ryan.
Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue Fires Agent
Yannick Ngakoue has parted ways with his agent (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The defensive end will now look for a new rep, who will be the third agent of his career. Per league rules, Ngakoue must wait at least five days before hiring a new agent. 
Ngakoue is set to play on his one-year, $17.88MM franchise tender. He’s been extremely vocal about his desire to get out of Jacksonville but his market has been depressed by a number of factors. The Jaguars have received multiple trade offers for the defensive end, but none of them have been to their liking. Apparently, Ngakoue feels that a new agent can help bring a deal together.
Regardless of where Ngakoue winds up, he’ll have no choice but to sign and play on the one-year tender. After that, Ngakoue and his team will be formally barred from hammering out an extension until next year.
Although the extension ship has temporarily sailed, there is precedent for a player changing teams in this scenario. Last year, the Seahawks waited until August 31 before shipping Jadeveon Clowney to the Texans. At last check, the Jaguars were seeking a first-round pick – plus more – for Ngakoue. They’ll almost certainly have to scale back their asking price for a deal to come together. Theoretically, a 2021 third-round pick would at least give them something, a slight upgrade over the 2022 third-round compensatory pick they’d get by allowing the youngster to walk.
Chiefs, Alex Okafor Rework Deal
The Chiefs now have a little bit of extra cap room, thanks to a revised deal with Alex Okafor. The defensive end has agreed to a pay cut that will earn $2MM off of KC’s cap (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In exchange, Okafor will reach free agency next March, one year earlier than originally planned. 
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The new deal will pay Okafor a maximum of $4.96MM, with $860K coming by way of per-game roster bonuses and $2MM in incentives. After that, he’ll hit the open market. Originally, this was slated to be the sandwich year in Okafor’s three-year, $18MM deal, inked last year.
Okafor’s first year with the Chiefs ended on injured reserve. Before that, he was playing fairly well. In ten games (nine starts), he racked up five sacks.
The talent-loaded Chiefs have made a handful of moves this offseason to make the numbers work. Previously, they restructured Frank Clark‘s deal and re-signed Sammy Watkins to a new contract that came with a sizable pay cut. All in all, the Chiefs are now left with about $15MM to spend.
Patriots Meet With TE Jordan Leggett, DT Darius Kilgo
The Patriots are on the verge of adding some reinforcements. Tight end Jordan Leggett and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo will meet with the Pats on Monday and, if everything checks out, they’ll sign on (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
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Leggett, a 2017 fifth-round pick of the Jets, was originally set to serve as their top tight end in his rookie year. Instead, a knee injury wiped out his would-be first season. Leggett was only targeted occasionally when he finally debuted in 2018 and the Jets moved on from him in the following offseason. The Bucs scooped him up and mostly kept him on the practice squad in 2019. Then, late last month, they released him outright.
If signed, Leggett would provide the Pats with some extra insurance for their young tight end group. After Matt LaCosse‘s opt out, they’re left with a group headlined by third-round rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, plus the relatively inexperienced Ryan Izzo. The Pats are also said to have interest in veteran tight end Delanie Walker.
Kilgo, a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Broncos, has spent some time with the Patriots in the past, though he has never appeared in a game for them. For his career, Kilgo has appeared in 29 games for the Broncos and Titans.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/20
We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: FB Bronson Rechsteiner
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: DT Bruce Hector (from Eagles)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Michael Dunn, G Jovahn Fair
- Released: TE Nate Wieting
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: WR Kendrick Rogers
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Detroit): WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: DE/LB Jamal Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Carl Davis, DL Caraun Reid
- Released: CB Kobe Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Cleveland): TE Nate Wieting
Philadelphia Eagles
- Retired: LB Jatavis Brown
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Brian Allen, RB Anthony Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/Injured: WR Travis Jonsen
Ravens To Sign Kenjon Barner
The Ravens are set to sign running back Kenjon Barner, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The well-traveled veteran is expected to feature in Baltimore’s return game now that speedster De’Anthony Thomas has opted out of the 2020 season. 
Barner spent 2019 with the Falcons, where he averaged 7.6 yards per punt return, 23.9 yards per kick return, and took one 78-yard return to the house. On the flipside, Barner muffed four punts and turned the ball over once on a fumble. The 31-year-old’s best path to the field might be as a kick returner, since sixth-round pick James Proche is expected to handle punts.
Barner, 31, has also performed well as a running back in limited spurts. In four years with the Eagles, Barner averaged 4.4 yards per carry, though that came on a grand total of 71 attempts. Obviously, the Ravens are pretty well set in the backfield with Mark Ingram, rookie J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill leading the way.
The Ravens still have lots of work ahead of them as they work towards September’s roster max. They also plan on carrying three quarterbacks – likely Robert Griffin and Trace McSorely behind star Lamar Jackson – which will make the numbers crunch extra tricky.
Jaguars Sign Tramaine Brock
The Jaguars signed cornerback Tramaine Brock following his visit on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The eleventh-year pro has been brought in to fill the void left by Rashaan Melvin‘s opt-out. 
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Brock, long regarded as one of the league’s better slot corners, joined the Cardinals in April of last year. The deal reunited the veteran with Vance Joseph, who set out to build an experienced CB unit for 2019. The Cardinals dropped him in December – even though he was having a solid year – leading him to the Titans for their home stretch. With the Cardinals, Brock tallied 37 stops, two tackles for a loss, and three passes defensed across ten games. With the Titans, he made four regular season starts plus three starts in their memorable postseason run.
Brock was slowed somewhat by a hamstring injury last year, but he’s believed to be fully healed at this stage. In theory, he could be an upgrade over Melvin, who hasn’t truly shined since his 2017 season with the Colts. Brock will feature in Jacksonville’s new look secondary, a unit without Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. He’ll join D.J. Hayden and promising first-round pick C.J. Henderson in the revamped group.
Lions Trade Michael Jackson To Patriots
The Lions have agreed to trade Michael Jackson to the Patriots, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, the Pats will send an undisclosed 2022 draft pick to Detroit.
[RELATED: Filling The Voids Left By Patriots Opt Outs]
Jackson was initially set to be released, along with former first-round pick Joshua Garnett and others. Instead, the Patriots have made a low-cost move to leapfrog the rest of the waiver wire.
Jackson will give the Pats some additional secondary depth to consider after safety Patrick Chung exercised his right to opt out of the 2020 season. As far as the first-string goes, the Patriots can probably stand pat with Adrian Phillips and second-round rookie Kyle Duggar can slot in opposite Devin McCourty. The Pats still have holes to fill at tackle and linebacker, but they also have more than $33MM in cap space thanks to their league-high eight opt-outs.
Jackson, 23, entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys. The University of Miami product has suited up for just one game in his pro career.
Bengals Host DT Mike Daniels On Visit
The Bengals will meet with defensive tackle Mike Daniels this afternoon, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). If everything checks out, the Bengals are expected to sign the 31-year-old. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team]
Daniels, a former Pro Bowler, has had his last two seasons short by injury. The Ravens considered Daniels after the Michael Brockers deal fell through, but they would up finding edge help elsewhere and adding former Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe.
After getting released by the Packers last summer, Daniels inked a one-year, $9.1MM deal with the Lions. He appeared in only nine games with two starts before landing on injured reserve. This time around, the Iowa product figures to come at a much cheaper rate.
The Bengals could use some additional interior help after the opt out of Josh Tupou and the release of Ryan Glasgow. Daniels seems to be their pick, even though there are a number of notable defensive tackles still on the market. Marcell Dareus, Damon Harrison, Timmy Jernigan, Antwaun Woods, Sylvester Williams, Domata Peko and Corey Liuget are among those available as the season draws near.