Jets, Browns To Meet With E.J. Gaines
The Jets and Browns have plans to meet with free agent cornerback E.J. Gaines, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He’ll visit the Jets on Thursday and the Browns on Friday. 
Gaines met with the Cardinals last week, but left Arizona without a deal. Prior to that, he drew some interest from the Texans, but they seem pretty set at cornerback after adding Aaron Colvin and re-signing Johnathan Joseph.
Gaines, 26, appeared in 11 games for the Bills last year after coming over in the Sammy Watkins trade. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate. Before the start of free agency, we ranked Gaines as the fourth-best corner on the market and the No. 18 free agent overall. It’s somewhat surprising to see him still on the board at this stage.
The Bills have not ruled out re-signing Gaines, but the addition of Vontae Davis probably means they’ll be moving on.
Chiefs Meet With WR Kendall Wright
Wide receiver Kendall Wright will visit with the Chiefs on Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. Wright spent last season with the Bears. 
Wright could help the Chiefs replace slot receiver Albert Wilson, who departed in free agency to sign a three-year, $24MM deal with the Dolphins. Wilson is three years Wright’s junior and may have more potential, but Wright is coming off of a stronger season, at least, in terms of stats. Wright caught 59 passes for 614 yards and one touchdown, giving him his strongest stat line since 2014.
We ranked Wright as the 15th best available wide receiver heading into free agency, but his market has been slow to develop. Now that the bigger names are off of the board, Wright may find a home.
The Chiefs lost Wilson, but they upgraded their WR group by signing Sammy Watkins to a hefty multi-year deal. They’ll also return with Tyreek Hill, who racked up nearly 1,200 receiving yards in 2017 en route to a second Pro Bowl appearance.
Dolphins To Meet With QB Brock Osweiler
We have a Brock Osweiler sighting. The quarterback will meet with the Dolphins on Thursday, according to SiriusXM’s Craig Mish (Twitter link). The news has been confirmed by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Osweiler’s trip to Miami marks his first free agent visit of the offseason. One has to imagine that his history with coach Adam Gase is playing a role here as the two worked together in Denver.
We ranked Osweiler as one of the 15 best quarterbacks available in free agency this year, but that was due mostly to his solid showing with the Broncos in 2015 when he filled in for Peyton Manning. His monster free agent deal with the Texans in the following year was a bust and he did very little in his four starts with the Broncos last season.
The Dolphins re-signed David Fales to serve as one backup to Ryan Tannehill, but neither he nor Brandon Doughty is assured a spot on the final roster. Osweiler could serve as the No. 2 QB on the depth chart, though he’d have to battle it out with Matt Moore if he is re-signed.
Vikings To Sign OL Tom Compton
The Vikings are set to sign offensive lineman Tom Compton, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. The deal is contingent on him passing a physical. 
Compton, 29 in May, is a native of Rosemount, a suburb of Minneapolis. After 71 career games, he finally gets an opportunity to play for his hometown team.
Compton mostly worked as a reserve during his first five NFL seasons, starting in just 11 of 44 appearances with the Redskins and Falcons. Last year, he wound up starting in five of eleven contests for the Bears. Although he has previous experience at tackle, he played mostly on the inside in 2017.
The veteran will likely take on a reserve role with the Vikings, though he may get a chance to compete for a starting job on the interior. The Vikings are still waiting to find out if Joe Berger will return.
Cowboys Sign WR Deonte Thompson
The Cowboys have signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson, agent David Canter tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He gets a one-year, $2.5MM deal with a $1MM signing bonus. 
Thompson met with the Cowboys on Thursday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He joins a wide receiver group that is in serious flux from the top to bottom. The Cowboys are expected to ask Dez Bryant to take a pay cut, but they have yet to do so, which makes his future a bit murky. Meanwhile, Terrance Williams flopped last year and Brice Butler continues to float in free agent limbo.
Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. At the age of 29, he appears to be coming into his own. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in signing him this month.
The Cowboys may continue to shop for wide receivers. Allen Hurns met with Dallas yesterday and they have also shown interest in Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter.
Chris Long Signs New Deal With Eagles
Chris Long has yet to address the retirement rumors surrounding him, but the latest word indicates that he’s planning to play in 2018. Long signed the new contract that was offered to him last week, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). 
As previously reported, the new deal guarantees Long $3MM in 2018 and includes a jump in base salary from a non-guaranteed $1MM to $2.5MM guaranteed. In theory, Long can still retire after signing the new deal, but his signature on the dotted line suggests that he intends to play.
The Eagles’ recent acquisition of Michael Bennett means that Long would be ticketed for a reserve role, but he also hasn’t been a full time starter in the last three seasons. And, with his 33rd birthday coming up on Monday, a limited snap count probably suits him well. If he continues to play, Long will be behind starters Brandon Graham and Bennett while last year’s first round pick Derek Barnett also participates in the rotation.
Long was on the field for 588 regular season snaps last year, down from 677 in the previous season with the Patriots.
Browns Interested In WR Allen Hurns
The Jaguars threw Allen Hurns on the free agent pile this week and it didn’t take long for his market to form. The Browns are among the clubs with interest, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, joining seven other previously reported suitors. 
Hurns broke out with more than 1,000 yards receiving in 2015 behind Allen Robinson, but hasn’t topped 500 yards in each of the past two seasons. Apparently, teams believe that he can excel once again if he’s healthy and in a different offense. Hurns has missed 13 regular season games over the last two campaigns.
The Browns have expressed some interest in re-signing Terrelle Pryor, but right now he appears ticketed for the Jets or Seahawks. If the Browns add Hurns, he’ll be the team’s No. 3 wide receiver behind Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon. That’s a trio that would cause nightmare matchups for opposing defenses.
Hurns took his first visit with the Cowboys when the snow kept him from meeting with the Jets. He’ll attempt to meet with Gang Green on Thursday, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Giants Trade Jason Pierre-Paul To Bucs
The Giants are trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Buccaneers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Giants will receive a 2018 third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the deal. 
The move comes as a total surprise as we have not heard any rumblings of JPP not being in the Giants’ plans for the coming season. But, there’s a new regime in New York headed by GM Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur and they do not view him in the same light as the last administration. It’s likely that they do not view Pierre-Paul as a fit for defensive coordinator James Bettcher‘s 3-4 heavy scheme.
The Giants inked JPP to a four-year, $62MM deal with $40MM guaranteed roughly one year ago today. He responded by turning in his first complete season since 2014 and tallying 8.5 sacks with 68 total tackles. The advanced metrics indicated that it was only a so-so season for him and Gettleman’s review of the game tape conferred.
Still, Pierre-Paul is undeniably a high-impact player and he’ll now join a revamped and upgraded Bucs defensive line. This year, the Buccaneers signed Vinny Curry to hold down one defensive end spot and added Beau Allen at defensive tackle. Pierre-Paul now joins the group and those three new faces plus Gerald McCoy will give the Bucs one of the most talented defensive lines in the entire NFL. Tampa Bay also has former second-round pick Noah Spence and former Bears DE Mitch Unrein in support.
The Buccaneers tried to trade for Rams edge rusher Robert Quinn, but ultimately lost out to another Florida team. Less than three weeks later, they managed to land a different superstar defensive end.
The deal figures to have major implications for the Giants’ offseason plans. The G-Men now have additional cap room to work with in the second wave of free agency and their draft plans could radically shift. It’s possible that the Giants will consider Bradley Chubb at No. 2 overall rather than selecting Eli Manning‘s successor. They could also trade down if they believe they can land a pass rusher plus a quality QB later on.
The Giants will now own the fifth pick in the third round (No. 69 overall) in addition to that round’s second pick (No. 65). In the fourth round, the Bucs move up to No. 102 overall while parting with the No. 108 selection.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Seahawks Re-Sign RB Mike Davis
Mike Davis has agreed to a one-year deal to stay with the Seahawks, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He took visits elsewhere, but ultimately decided to stay in Seattle where he showed some promise last year. 
Davis’ visits during the free agency period included the Lions and Rams. For now, Seattle offers him the easiest path to the field.
Davis went from Seattle’s practice squad to the varsity squad in November when C.J. Prosise landed on IR. He had some solid games down the stretch. In December against the Jaguars, he ran for 66 yards off of 15 carries, good for a 4.4 yards per carry average. Then, in the season finale against the Cardinals, he had 48 yards off of ten carries. All in all, he appeared in six games (all starts) and finished with 240 rushing yards on 68 carries. He also added another 15 receptions for 131 yards.
The Seahawks also have Chris Carson, J.D. McKissic, and C.J. Prosise under contract for 2018. You can expect Seattle to continue exploring upgrades in free agency and the draft.
Patriots Re-Sign LB Marquis Flowers
The Patriots are re-signing linebacker Marquis Flowers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $2.55MM. 
The Patriots acquired Flowers just prior to last year’s 53-man deadline. The linebacker was not going to make the Bengals’ final cut, so Cincinnati shipped him to New England in exchange for a conditional seventh-rounder.
Flowers mostly played special teams for the Bengals in 2016, but he saw time on 361 snaps for the Patriots in 2017. Flowers finished out the regular season with 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks and even started in two games. In the playoffs, he added another six tackles and one sack.
The Patriots lost several key free agents this offseason, but they have largely kept their special teams unit in tact with new deals for Matt Slater, Nate Ebner, Brandon Bolden, Brandon King, and Flowers. Johnson Bademosi left to sign a deal with the Texans, but he has been replaced by Cordarrelle Patterson.