Seahawks Re-Sign DE Marcus Smith
The Seahawks have re-signed defensive end Marcus Smith, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $2.7MM. 
Smith flamed out as a former first-round pick of the Eagles and was waived last summer. He signed on with the Seahawks and played a bit in a reserve role. In 252 snaps, Smith had 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but it stands to reason that the deal comes with a low base salary and little in the way of guarantees. There are incentives in place, however, that can provide Smith with a solid pay day if he performs. He’d also be in position to make more money next March if he can make some noise.
Giants Cut WR/KR Dwayne Harris
The Giants announced that they have released wide receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris. Harris was set to begin his fourth season with the G-Men.
Harris broke out in 2016 with a kick ret
urn average of 28.7 yards and one kickoff returned 100 yards for a touchdown. He also returned 34 punts for an average of 10.0 yards per try and caught 36 passes for 396 yards and four TDs. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2016, but he was one of several Giants wide receivers to suffer a season-ending injury in the fall. The new regime apparently felt that Harris was not worth the money given his age and susceptibility to injuring his foot once more.
By releasing Harris, the Giants will save $2.45MM while eating $1.6MM in dead money. He’ll find a market in free agency, but it will be somewhat limited with his 31st birthday coming up in September.
Packers To Sign CB Tramon Williams
The Packers have agreed to sign cornerback Tramon Williams, according to former teammate James Jones (on Twitter). Williams, who spent the first eight seasons of his career in Green Bay, returns on a two-year deal. 
Williams was a crucial part of the Packers’ Super Bowl victory in the 2010 season. He had three interceptions during that playoff run and came up with a critical stop late in the championship game to seal the win for Green Bay.
Williams, 35, is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. The Cardinals long searched for a quality cornerback to pair with star Patrick Peterson and Williams did an admirable job in that role. Pro Football Focus ranked Williams ninth amongst all corners last year and he finished 23rd in Football Outsiders’ success rate and 18th in yards per pass allowed. As a whole, the Cardinals ranked sixth in DVOA against opposing No. 2 wide receivers. They’ll now have to rebuild their secondary after losing Williams and parting ways with Tyrann Mathieu.
The Packers have been eager for an upgrade at cornerback and recently tried to steal restricted free agent Kyle Fuller away from the rival Bears. Fuller would have been a better long-term pickup, but Williams should still be a contributor in the short term.
Patriots Re-Sign OT LaAdrian Waddle
The Patriots have re-signed offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran. 
The Pats have lost a number of key free agents this offseason, including running back Dion Lewis, wide receiver Danny Amendola, cornerback Malcolm Butler, and tackle Nate Solder. Today, they retained one of their important remaining UFAs by re-upping Waddle, who turns 27 in July.
The Cowboys hosted Waddle on a visit earlier this week, along with fellow Pats free agent tackle Cameron Fleming. Ideally, the Pats would like to retain both players, but they might not be able to keep both of them at home.
Waddle, by most measures, is the lesser tackle of the two, but he’s still productive. For now, he projects to start on the offensive line with Marcus Cannon holding down the other top tackle job.
On Thursday, the Patriots re-signed Marquis Flowers, a key component of their special teams unit. He’s the latest key special teamer to re-up with the team, following new deals for Matt Slater, Nate Ebner, Brandon Bolden, and Brandon King.
Dolphins To Sign RB Frank Gore
The Dolphins have agreed to sign running back Frank Gore, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran. 
Gore, a potential future Hall of Famer, now has the opportunity to finish his career where it all began. Gore was born in Coral Gables, Florida and made his name at the University of Miami. After ten seasons in San Francisco and three seasons in Indianapolis, he gets to ply his craft in Miami once again.
The Dolphins project to start Kenyan Drake at running back, but the opportunity is there for Gore to split carries with him. The remainder of the Dolphins’ running back depth chart is decidedly less accomplished than Gore as Senorise Perry, De’Veon Smith, and Brandon Radcliff are all former undrafted free agents with minimal live action on their resume.
Gore, 35 in May, has 14,000+ career rushing yards to his credit, as well as five Pro Bowl selections. He nearly turned in a tenth 1,000 yard season in 2017, but he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Gore is no longer the star that he was with the 49ers, but he can still be a useful piece in Miami’s backfield. From the Dolphins perspective, it’s a low-risk proposition that they can bail on, if necessary, without any real financial penalty.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
NFL Draft Rumors: Darnold, Giants, Chubb
Wednesday’s rainy weather in Southern California isn’t ideal for local residents, but it may have done a favor for quarterback Sam Darnold at USC’s pro day, as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets. The early word from Darnold’s audition indicates that he looked “very, very good” despite the conditions. That could be a major plus for Darnold as he looks to separate himself from other top quarterbacks like Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, and UCLA’s Josh Rosen. Rosen also threw in inclement weather at UCLA’s pro day earlier this month and threw well, despite heavy gusts of wind.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- The Giants already had a private workout with North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb and he’ll visit the facility in a few weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Giants need a defensive end after trading Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers, opening up the possibility of taking Chubb at No. 2 overall.
- The Texans hosted a private workout yesterday for Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Rapoport tweets. Jackson, is expected to come off the board in the first two rounds, would not be an obvious fit for Houston, but they want to be “prepared for any and all scenarios on draft week,” Rapoport says. However, if Jackson falls, he could be an interesting insurance policy for them in the unlikely event that Deshaun Watson is not ready for the start of the season.
- During the University of San Diego’s pro day, former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel auditioned for the NFL scouts in attendance and reportedly put on a good show.
Michigan’s Maurice Hurst Cleared To Play
Good news for Michigan standout Maurice Hurst. The potential first round defensive tackle has been cleared by cardiologists at both the University of Michigan and Harvard to resume playing football, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll do a full workout for teams at Michigan’s pro day on Friday. 
Hurst was found to have a heart condition during the draft combine, cutting his week in Indianapolis short. Reportedly, Hurst’s condition is similar to that of former Lions and Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who missed all of 2017 as a result of his medical issues.
Hurst could have been drafted early on in 2017, but he opted to stay in school for another year. That extra year with the Wolverines helped his draft stock from a football perspective, but interested teams will be taking an extra close look at his medical records.
In 2017, Hurst tallied 59 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. In his final three seasons with the Wolverines, he racked up a total of 13.5 sacks.
Chiefs To Sign RB Damien Williams
The Chiefs are signing running back Damien Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal for $1.5MM. Williams recently had shoulder surgery and will miss most of the offseason, but the team hopes that he’ll be available for training camp, according to Rapoport. 
The Chiefs will start Kareem Hunt at running back and they hope to have Spencer Ware as the No. 2 RB behind him. But, Williams himself is coming off of preseason surgery to repair a torn PCL and a damaged LCL. Williams will serve as insurance for Ware, but the possibility exists that neither player will be at full strength to start the year.
Williams has spent the last four seasons in the league with the Dolphins, where he was used predominantly as a pass catcher, Williams has 85 receptions for 733 yards and six touchdowns to his credit with just 133 carries for 477 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Falcons Re-Sign Derrick Shelby
The Falcons have re-signed defensive end Derrick Shelby, according to agent David Canter (on Twitter). He returns on a one-year deal. 
The Falcons released Shelby earlier this month in a move that saved them $3.25MM against the cap with $2.5MM left in dead money. He’s back with the team less than three weeks later, but on a cheaper deal.
Shelby was a starter right out of the gate in Dan Quinn’s defense after signing a four-year, $18MM contract with Atlanta in 2016. However, his first season with the Falcons was cut short by injury. last year, he appeared in all 16 games with 14 starts and managed just one sack while also playing on the interior.
The Falcons’ defensive front hasn’t changed much in Shelby’s 19 days away from the team. Atlanta lost Adrian Clayborn to the Patriots and Dontari Poe to the Panthers in free agency, but they have yet to add any new defensive linemen.
Johnny Manziel Works Out For NFL Teams
Johnny Manziel showed his stuff in a Thursday morning audition at the University of San Diego, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). There were a dozen NFL teams in attendance and multiple people on hand tell Schefter that Manziel looked solid, despite some light rain. 
Manziel is set to participate in the Spring League, which begins on April 7. His overall goal, of course, is to land an NFL contract and he is reportedly willing to accept a practice squad deal with no guaranteed money to prove that he belongs in the league.
The former Browns quarterback and Texas A&M star says that he has his substance abuse problems under control and claims that he has now rededicated himself to football. He has not played in the NFL since the 2015 season, so he has a lot to prove.
In eight career starts for Cleveland, Manziel completed just 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards with a 1:1 touchdown/interception ratio.