Jaguars Sign RB Benny Cunningham
The Jaguars have signed running back Benny Cunningham, per a team announcement. The move comes on the heels of signing running back Alfred Blue, giving the Jaguars two backup options behind starter Leonard Fournette. 
Blue profiles as more of a traditional ball carrier while Cunningham figures to be more of a special teams contributor.
“I’m just excited to have the opportunity,” the seventh-year veteran said in a press release from Jacksonville. “I feel like this place will be home for me. I’m excited to get started. There are pieces in place that this team can win the Super Bowl. I just want to be part of something special.”
Cunningham has a 26.3-yard average on 110 career kickoff returns. He had just 14 carries for 36 yards in two seasons with the Bears, but he has shifted gears and now embraces his role on special teams.
Meanwhile, the deal reunites Cunningham with former Rams teammate Nick Foles.
“I can’t wait to call Nick, talk to him and catch up,” the running back said.
AAF To Suspend Operations, May Fold
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) will suspend all football operations on Tuesday, according to Darren Rovell of Action Network (on Twitter). New majority owner Tom Dundon, Rovell hears, acted against the wishes of league co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian with the decision. 
On the surface, Dundon has lost approximately $70MM on his investment just weeks after scooping up the league. However, the perception inside the league office is that Dundon simply purchased a majority stake in the company to obtain the technology behind its gambling app, Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) hears.
“Dundon got the technology he wanted and he’s now minus one rather large headache,” a source told Breer.
John Kryk of the Toronto Sun offers a grim prognosis, saying that an AAF source has told him that the league is finished (Twitter link). Even if that’s not the case, the league’s move to suspend operations in the middle of its first season is not a good sign. Early on, the AAF seemed to have potential thanks to a broadcast deal with the CBS Sports Network, but the costs of stadium rentals and payroll quickly caught up with the fledgling league. Additional backing from Dundon appeared to be their life preserver, but that was not the case.
Recently, Dundon indicated that the league would not be able to move forward unless the NFLPA agreed to allow active players to join the AAF. Ultimately, the tactic did not work, and the AAF is now in serious trouble.
Broncos’ Chris Harris Skips Workouts
Broncos cornerback Chris Harris will be a no-show for the Broncos’ first day of offseason activities, according to Mike Klis of 9News. The workouts are voluntary, but Harris is looking to make a statement as he pushes for a new deal. 
Harris is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to earn $7.8MM in base pay. The Broncos are open to an extension, but they’re hoping to hold off on serious negotiations until after the draft.
In 2018, Harris once again graded out as a top five cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, his salary is tied for 23rd among all cornerbacks in the NFL. The Broncos, ostensibly, would like to keep Harris beyond 2019, but they have just $11.77MM in cap room with $5MM of that sum slotted for their No. 10 overall draft pick.
The Broncos can ill afford a Harris holdout. Even though they added defensive back Kareem Jackson on a three-year, $33MM deal and signed slot corner Bryce Callahan to a three-year, $21MM pact, Harris is the heart and soul of their secondary.
Cowboys, Randy Gregory Agree To Extension
The Cowboys and Randy Gregory have agreed to an extension that will keep him under club control through the 2020 season, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The news is somewhat surprising, given that Gregory was recently hit with the fourth suspension of his career for violating the substance abuse policy and is indefinitely banned from the NFL. 
The new pact will convert $310K of Gregory’s 2019 salary into a signing bonus. Meanwhile, he’ll gain an additional year worth $735K that can increase with a salary escalator.
For their part, the Cowboys are hopeful that Gregory can be reinstated for 2019. If not, he’ll have a home for 2020, provided that he can convince the NFL to allow him to return to the field once more.
The Cowboys aren’t necessarily banking on Gregory taking the field this year, but he would go a long way towards helping their pass rush. The Cowboys acquired defensive end Robert Quinn in a trade with the Dolphins last week, but it’s still possible that DeMarcus Lawrence will stay away from the club if he does not get the extension he is seeking.
Last year, Gregory finished out with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles in just 522 snaps.
Patriots Give Michael Bennett New Deal
The Patriots and Michael Bennett have agreed to a reworked two-year deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The fresh pact will give the defensive end a base value of $16.75MM, including a $4MM signing bonus. 
The new deal gives Bennett an additional $800K in base compensation this year with an additional $500K guaranteed for injury, potentially giving him a total boost of $1.3MM. Bennett had no guaranteed money left on the deal he had with the Eagles prior to the trade, so this is a nice bump for a player who had little in the way of leverage. Meanwhile, the adjustment creates $700K in cap space for the Patriots in 2019.
The Patriots swung a deal for Bennett as protection against Trey Flowers‘ potential departure. Days later, Flowers left to sign a five-year, $90MM free agent deal with the Lions. Bennett is several years older than Flowers, but he’s an accomplished sack artist who will cost them a whole lot less.
Last year, Bennett amassed nine sacks for Philly, giving him his highest total since 2015. The three-time Pro Bowler has 63 career sacks to his name across nine NFL seasons.
Browns Trade Emmanuel Ogbah To Chiefs
Emmanuel Ogbah stayed away from the Browns’ voluntary workout on Monday with the expectation that he would be traded in the near future. As it turns out, the near future arrived in a matter of hours. The Browns have traded the defensive end to the Chiefs in exchange for safety Eric Murray, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
After a foot injury ended his 2017 season, Ogbah suffered an ankle malady early in 2018. The former second-round bounced back, however, and delivered three sacks in 14 games (all starts).Ogbah has 12.5 career sacks to his credit and will have an opportunity to make an impact in KC.
There was no room for Ogbah in Cleveland with Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon as the starting bookends and Chad Thomas, Chris Smith, and Anthony Zettel supporting the high-profile duo. He follows wide receiver Ricardo Louis and safety Derrick Kindred, other relics of the Sashi Brown era, out the door.
In the swap, the Chiefs and Browns each traded from a surplus to fill a weakness. The Browns were able to part with a DE after adding Vernon and the Chiefs have extra ammo at safety thanks to the addition of Tyrann Mathieu. Even without Eric Berry, the Chiefs were able to part with a supporting safety, enabling them to bolster a pass rush that no longer features Dee Ford or Justin Houston.
Murray, 25, made a career-high nine starts last season as he logged 55 tackles and two pass deflections. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 50 ranked safety in the NFL out of 93 eligible players, positioning him as a starting-caliber player.
Jaguars Sign RB Alfred Blue
The Jaguars have signed running back Alfred Blue, per a team announcement. Blue is presently set to serve as a backup behind starter Leonard Fournette, though much can change between now and September. 
Blue, 28 in April, saw his usage fluctuate over the course of five seasons with the rival Texans. After logging 183 carries and nine starts in his second NFL season, Blue was dialed back to more of a reserve role between 2016-2018. Last year, he got 150 carries, but averaged just 3.3 yards per try.
Blue, 27, did his best work in 2015 when he rushed for 698 yards in nine starts for Houston. The addition of Lamar Miller reduced his role, however, and he was decidedly less effective in 2017 and ’18.
He’ll be no higher than the No. 2 RB in Jacksonville, but an opportunity to start might not be far off given Fournette’s injury struggles.
Bears Re-Sign Aaron Lynch
The Bears have re-signed Aaron Lynch, according to a team announcement. The outside linebacker will return on a new one-year deal. 
Lynch met with the Seahawks, Raiders, and Colts this offseason, but he ultimately chose to return to the Bears for at least one more season. Lynch registered three sacks in Chicago last year, giving him 18 across five NFL seasons. However, 12.5 of those sacks came in his first two years in the league.
Lynch spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers and signed with the Bears last season to reunite with then-Chicago DC Vic Fangio. After playing on roughly 16% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps over his last two years in SF, Lynch saw an uptick in playing time last year, appearing in roughly one-third of the Bears’ defensive snaps.
Lynch can line up at DE or OLB, so he figures to split his time between those spots in 2019.
Steelers Release S Morgan Burnett
The Steelers released safety Morgan Burnett, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Burnett requested his release back in January, so he’s undoubtedly excited to have his freedom. 
Pittsburgh signed Burnett to a three-year, $14.35MM contract early in the 2018 free agency period, well before most other safeties of his ilk agreed to deals. That probably worked to Burnett’s benefit as the safety market was a huge letdown for other veterans at the position.
However, things didn’t click for Burnett in Pittsburgh. The Steelers employed him mostly as a dime linebacker, but he was not comfortable with playing close to the line of scrimmage. Instead, Burnett will seek to join a team that will bring him back to a traditional safety role. The Browns, who just waived Derrick Kindred, could be a fit.
Burnett started just two of the eleven games he played with the Steelers. Before that, he started every game he played as a Packer. Burnett’s usage (390 snaps) lagged well behind younger Steeler safeties Sean Davis (981 snaps) and first-round pick Terrell Edmunds (968).
By cutting Burnett, the Steelers will save $3.63MM against the cap, but it comes with a substantial $2.8MM dead money hit.
Bucs’ McCoy Doesn’t Show For Workouts
Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy did not attend the first day of off-season workouts with the team on Monday, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. These workouts are entirely voluntary, but this could be a sign that McCoy won’t be involved in the club’s plans moving forward. 
Earlier this offseason, it was reported that the Buccaneers planned to keep McCoy in the fold. But, recent comments from new head coach Bruce Arians cast some doubt on that front.
“He’s not as disruptive as he was four years ago,” Arians said. “But he’s still pretty disruptive. He’s still a good player….I got to evaluate him. I mean, guys at a certain age, it’s different. Usually, the age they get paid the most and production (doesn’t) match. We’ve got to find that out.”
McCoy, 31, ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits in 2018 and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. He’s signed through 2021, but Tampa Bay won’t incur any dead money if they cut him. Meanwhile, they’d save $13MM against the cap by shedding his contract.
McCoy still has something in the tank, but he might not be an ideal fit for the team given his salary and the club’s move to a 3-4 scheme.