Cardinals Sign DE Benson Mayowa
The Cardinals have signed defensive end Benson Mayowa, according to a team press release. Mayowa has been on the market since early March when he was released by the Cowboys. It’s a one-year, $1.6MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Mayowa has five seasons under his belt after spending time with the Seahawks, Raiders, and Cowboys. Statistically, his best season came in 2016 when he notched six sacks with Dallas. Last year, he had just 31 tackles and one sack in 381 snaps.
The Cardinals are moving from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 under Steve Wilks and Al Holcomb, both of whom oversaw parts of the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme over the past several years. Mayowa has played as a 4-3 end throughout his NFL career and Arizona believes that he’ll be a strong fit for their front seven.
Arizona already has edge rushers Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, and Robert Nkemdiche in the mix, but Mayowa could be in for a sizable role if Jones and Golden spend the bulk of their time at outside linebacker.
Four Teams Work Out DB Will Blackmon
Veteran defensive back Will Blackmon worked out for the Seahawks, Browns, Colts, and Falcons recently, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Blackmon will turn 34 in October, but he impressed in his workouts and Garafolo gets the sense that he’ll land with a team after the draft. 
Blackmon appeared in 30 out of 32 possible appearances for the Redskins between 2015 and 2016, including 16 starts, but missed Washington’s final cut in 2017. Blackmon auditioned for the Colts in November, but did not sign with a team last season.
The veteran offers experience at both safety and cornerback. Blackmon played almost exclusively at corner between 2013 and 2015, but shifted to safety in ’16 when the Redskins added Josh Norman. The move to safety suited him well as he earned his best marks ever from Pro Football Focus. PFF placed him as the 32nd in the league at the position in that season, ahead of notables like Shawn Williams, Bradley McDougald, and T.J. Ward.
Eagles’ Brandon Brooks Restructures Deal
For the second time in five months, Eagles guard Brandon Brooks has amended his contract, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. This time around, the offensive lineman has reworked his deal to accommodate teammate Nick Foles. 
The revision to Brooks’ deal will create $6.37MM in cap space by converting his base salary into bonuses. The adjustment drops his cap number to $4.768MM in 2018, allowing the Eagles to give Foles a raise this season, plus extra incentives.
“If [you’re] wondering about the restructure, I get $4MM now [and] $4MM by Sept. 1 with a couple hundred thousand over the season,” Brooks tweeted. “The reason I did it was because the [expletive] SUPER BOWL MVP DESERVED MORE MONEY. Love you bro.”
Brooks, 29 in August, earned his first career Pro Bowl selection last year. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 ranked guard in the entire NFL in 2017, behind only Zack Martin of the Cowboys, David DeCastro of the Steelers. and Andrew Norwell of the Jaguars (formerly of the Panthers).
Willie Snead To Join Ravens
Willie Snead is officially a member of the Ravens. The Saints informed the wide receiver on Monday morning that they will not be matching his offer sheet (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
The Saints used the low level tender on Snead this offseason, which tagged him with only a one-year, $1.907MM placeholder. The move came as something of a surprise, but the Saints did not want to pay him upwards of $2.9MM via the second round tender after a forgettable 2017.
Right at the deadline for restricted free agents, the Ravens inked Snead to a two-year, $7MM offer sheet with another $3.4MM in incentives. After the Saints signed an RFA wide receiver of their own in Cameron Meredith, there was no real scenario in which they would have matched.
The Ravens upgraded their wide receiver stable by adding Michael Crabtree and John Brown in March. They were expected to target a WR3 type in the draft this weekend, but the addition of Snead will allow them to prioritize other areas of need.
Snead virtually disappeared from the Saints’ offense last year, but he averaged 70 catches for 940 yards and four touchdowns between 2015 and 2016. He won’t turn 26 until October, so the Ravens see serious potential in the former UDFA.
Steelers Exercise Bud Dupree’s Option
The Steelers have exercised the fifth-year option on linebacker Bud Dupree, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Dupree’s option was considered likely to be exercised, but it was not a slam dunk decision. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2019 Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Dupree, 25, had a career highs in sacks (6) and total tackles (40) last season. However, he missed more than half of 2016 with a groin injury and was inconsistent as a rookie. They now believe the former 2015 first-round pick is on track for a solid career, so they’ll extend his deal through 2019 with a salary of $9.2MM+ in the final year.
Dupree is slated to return as the Steelers’ starting left outside linebacker with T.J. Watt on the opposite side and Vince Williams and offseason pickup Jonathan Bostic in the middle. The Steelers could target an ILB in the draft to start ahead of Bostic, but Dupree’s spot is secure.
For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have never been high on the Kentucky product. Last year, his 49.0 overall score ranked him as the eighth-worst qualified edge defender in the NFL.
Cowboys Exercise Byron Jones’ Option
It’s officially a done deal. The Cowboys have exercised Byron Jones‘ option for 2019, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move was actually formalized on Friday, but was not reported until Monday morning. 
Jones will be moving to safety from cornerback this season, but his salary will reflect his former position. The Cowboys now have the defensive back under contract for $6.2MM, though his salary is guaranteed for injury only.
Jones, 26 in September, has started every game for the Cowboys over the last two years and has tallied 130 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one touchdown in that span. Last year, his performance dipped a bit, as evidenced by his 76.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus (ranked No. 54 amongst safeties), down from 83.7 in 2016. The hope in Dallas is that he will get back on track at cornerback.
Since the fifth-year option was implemented under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Cowboys have exercised the additional year on every first round pick except for Morris Claiborne, the No. 6 overall selection in the 2012 draft.
You can keep track of all fifth-year option decisions using PFR’s tracker.
Jets Work Out Lamarr Houston
The Jets are exploring options in the front seven. Gang Green will work out edge rusher Lamarr Houston and defensive tackle Chris Jones, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Former Rams defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker and former Browns defensive lineman Lavar Edwards will also be a part of the workout, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Colleague Mike Garafolo (on Twitter) adds that the Jets brought in former Chiefs defensive tackle Jaye Howard for a visit recently. 
The Jets have already added a number of new linebackers this offseason, including ILBs Avery Williamson, Kevin Minter, and Micah Awe and outside linebackers Kevin Pierre-Louis, Brandon Copeland, and Neville Hewitt. However, they have done little to bolster the defensive line behind projected starters Leonard Williams, Steve McLendon, and Mike Pennel.
After sacrificing two second round picks in this year’s draft (plus a second rounder in next year’s draft) to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 overall, the Jets may want to fill out the D-Line depth chart through veterans in order to focus on other needs this weekend. The Jets still have six picks in the draft, but their second choice won’t come until No. 72 overall.
Houston, 31 in June, recently auditioned for the Raiders but left Oakland without signing a deal. Howard, 29, put himself on the map with 5.5 sacks for the Chiefs in 2015 but was slowed by a hip injury in 2016 and did not play last season.
Raiders, Amari Cooper Begin Talks
The Raiders have until May 3 to exercise Amari Cooper‘s fifth-year option, a decision that is nothing short of a no-brainer. Ideally, however, the Raiders would like to lock up the star wide receiver for the long haul. Discussions on a new contract appear to be underway. 
“We’ve been in contact with his agent,” McKenzie said (via PFT). “I don’t want to put anything out there, don’t want to put the cart before the horse so to speak, but we like Amari.”
The fifth-year option for Cooper would cost the Raiders $13.924MM in 2019, but a new multi-year deal would have to provide Cooper with more than that on an average annual basis. The high-priced deals signed by this year’s free agent receivers, as well as the mega-extension for Bucs wideout Mike Evans, will only boost Cooper’s leverage in talks.
Coooper, who doesn’t turn 24 until June, has more than 2,900 receiving yards over the past three years. He positioned himself as one of the league’s best receivers right out of the gate as a rookie when he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015. He earned Pro Bowl honors once again in 2016 when he caught 83 passes for 1,153 yards and five scores.
Cooper’s numbers were less impressive last year, but he’ll look to get back on track under new head coach Jon Gruden. Opposing defenses will be paying some attention to new WR2 Jordy Nelson, though it’s debatable as to whether he is a bigger threat to teams than former teammate Michael Crabtree.
Eagles Rework Nick Foles’ Contract
The reigning Super Bowl MVP has himself a new contract. Quarterback Nick Foles and the Eagles have struck agreement on a revised deal, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Foles’ new deal includes a mutual option for the 2019 season, giving Foles the opportunity to reach free agency next spring. Originally, Foles was slated to reach the free agency market after the 2018 campaign. The new deal gives him a $2MM signing bonus and several millions in incentives if he’s the starter and hits certain benchmarks, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
The new pact is about giving him extra compensation in light of his postseason performance and not a reflection of the team’s feeling on Wentz’s recovery, according to Garafolo. The Eagles remain confident that Wentz will be back at 100% this season.
With Wentz on the mend, trade rumors surrounding Foles swirled this offseason. The Eagles, who value Foles and want to have a quality backstop in the event of another Wentz injury, placed a remarkably high price tag on the veteran. Reportedly, the Eagles were seeking more than the first-round pick and fourth-round pick they received from the Vikings in the Sam Bradford deal.
Recent comments from Foles indicated that he would like the opportunity to be a starter again, but the new deal is a reasonable compromise for the QB.
Broncos LB Shaq Barrett To Sign Tender
Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett will sign his restricted tender on Monday, according to Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). Barrett will earn $2.914MM in 2018, per the terms of the tender.
[RELATED: Broncos’ Matt Paradis Signs RFA Tender]
The Broncos now effectively have all of their RFAs in the fold after center Matt Paradis inked his tender on Friday morning. League-wide, there are now only three restricted free agents who have yet to sign their tenders: Falcons cornerback Ricardo Allen, Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams and Chiefs defensive end Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
Barrett has been a key rotational player for Denver over the last three seasons. He has performed well against the run and the Broncos did not want to risk losing him by using the low-level tender on him this offseason, which would have been cheaper, but only would have granted the team the first right of refusal.
In the coming months, the Broncos may look to extend Barrett before he begins his contract year.