Rams To Fill Sammy Watkins Void Internally?
The Rams are leaning towards addressing the Sammy Watkins void internally, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com tweets. Without last year’s No. 1 wide receiver, the Rams are eyeing bigger roles for Josh Reynolds and Mike Thomas. However, they’ll continue to monitor the market. 
Often times, the second wave of free agency leads to veteran bargains for teams. The Rams are comfortable with what they have, but they’ll be keeping a watchful eye on players who encounter underwhelming markets. Some of the top names still on the market include Jordy Nelson, Terrelle Pryor, Eric Decker and Mike Wallace.
Along with losing Watkins in free agency, the Rams also parted ways with Tavon Austin. They’ll have Cooper Kupp and Pharoh Cooper as well to return with incumbent starter Robert Woods. Kupp led all of the team’s wide receivers last year with 62 catches for 869 yards receiving. Watkins led the team’s receivers with eight touchdown catches.
Reynolds and Thomas played in limited roles last season, combining to catch 16 passes. Reynolds was the only of the two to haul in a touchdown pass. Reynolds was a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft and Thomas was a sixth-round selection by the Rams in 2016. Kupp led the team in targets last year (94) and Woods was targeted 85 times compared to 70 for Watkins, despite playing in three fewer games.
It’s clear the Rams placed a higher priority on addressing their secondary this offseason while trusting in a group of in-house young wide receivers to work with Jared Goff, along with running back Todd Gurley. They’ve already traded for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and placed their franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner rather than Watkins.
Jets To Sign C Spencer Long
The Jets have their center. Gang Green will sign former Redskins center Spencer Long when the league year officially begins, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year, $28MM deal, a source tells Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He can earn another $2MM with play time incentives. 
Heading into free agency, the expectation was that the Jets would go hard after Ravens free agent Ryan Jensen. Instead, it’ll be Long manning the middle of the offensive line.
The Jets had a long history of quality play at center thanks to Kevin Mawae and Nick Mangold holding down the position for a combined 19 seasons. Things did not go as smoothly for the Jets at center in 2017, leading them to Long. Long takes over for Wesley Johnson and the Jets believe he’ll do a better job.
Long graded out as just the 19th best center in the NFL last season, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus.
[RELATED: Jets Depth Chart]
Cowboys Use Second-Round Tender On David Irving
The Cowboys have used a second round tender on restricted free agent defensive tackle David Irving, according to David Moore of the Morning News (on Twitter). The cost will be $2.914 MM for Dallas.
In an effort to retain Irving, the Cowboys were reportedly deciding between first- and second-round tenders for Irving. A first-round tender would have cost Dallas $4.149MM, but also would have offered further protection. Irving is free to sign an offer sheet with another club, and if the Cowboys decide not to match, they would received a second-round pick as compensation.
Last season, Irving managed seven sacks in only eight games, and graded as the league’s No. 29 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. But Irving missed half the season due to a four-game suspension and a concussion, so the 24-year-old certainly comes with risk.
The Cowboys have already used the franchise tag on defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, so they’re now poised to retain their two best rushers. Dallas isn’t planning to extend Irving this offseason, however, and will likely let him play out the 2018 campaign on the RFA tender.
Jets Likely To Sign Spencer Long, Pushing To Sign DaQuan Jones
The Jets are “very likely” to sign offensive lineman Spencer Long on Wednesday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). They are also pushing to land defensive end DaQuan Jones as well, JLC adds. 
Last week, we rated Long as the 16th best interior lineman available. The advanced metrics aren’t crazy about Long – he graded out as just the 19th best center in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus – but he was well liked in Washington and also offers experience at guard. Meanwhile, we haven’t heard a whole lot about the Jets and Ryan Jensen, who is viewed by many as the best center available in free agency this year.
Jones, 26, enjoyed the best season of his young career in 2017. He totaled 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 12 games before suffering a season-ending biceps tear. Prior to that injury, he started 44 consecutive games over three seasons. The Titans would like to re-sign him, but it sounds like the Jets are closing in.
Nate Solder Down To Giants Or Texans?
Patriots left tackle Nate Solder probably won’t be a Patriot for long. It sounds like the free agent will be signing with either the Giants or Texans, based on what Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) has been hearing. There isn’t a “lot of optimism” about him staying put with Bill Belichick & Co., according to Rapoport. 
Solder, one PFR’s top ten free agents, also had a serious suitor in the Browns just hours ago. However, after agreeing to terms with Donald Stephenson as well as Chris Hubbard, the Browns are no longer in aggressive pursuit of this year’s No. 1 free agent tackle.
The Giants desperately need to bolster their offensive line, making Solder one of their top targets this March. Ditto for the Texans. Houston agreed to sign Seantrel Henderson on Tuesday, but the former Bill can slide down to right tackle if necessary.
Solder is not expected to take any free agent visits, meaning that he could sign at any time.
Bears To Sign QB Chase Daniel
The Bears are expected to sign quarterback Chase Daniel to a two-year deal worth $10MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes $7MM guaranteed and it can void after one season. 
The void clause, as Rapoport puts it, gives Daniel options in the event that he “becomes this year’s Nick Foles.” If Mitch Trubisky gets injured and Daniel is a breakout star, he can become a free agent in 2019 and cash in.
This time last year, the Bears signed Mike Glennon to a three-year, $45MM deal with the notion that he would be the team’s starter. Weeks later, the Bears selected Mitch Trubisky high in the 2017 draft, which radically changed everything. Glennon got the hook after one month and Trubisky did not cede the starting job the rest of the way. Mark Sanchez was the only other quarterback rostered by the Bears last year and is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
This time around, things are a bit more cut and dry. Trubisky is entrenched as the upcoming starter and Daniel is here to mentor and serve as the backup in the event of injury. Glennon has already moved on since his release and has signed to back up Sam Bradford with the Cardinals.
Daniel, 31, spent last season backing up Drew Brees with the Saints and has also had stops with the Eagles and Chiefs. He has two career starts, which both came while with the Chiefs from 2013-15. The Saints originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2010 out of Missouri. Daniel has completed 65.4% of his passes in 78 career attempts, with a touchdown and an interception.
Cardinals Sign Mike Glennon
The Cardinals have signed Mike Glennon, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter) had first reported that the organization was going to sign the quarterback. The deal is worth $8MM over two years.
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign Sam Bradford]
Glennon now projects to be the No. 2 quarterback on the Cardinals’ depth chart, behind the newly-signed Sam Bradford. Bradford played in just two games for the Vikings last season, so the Cardinals placed considerable value on their backup QB spot. Glennon flamed out in his one month as the Bears’ starter last year, but he was still among the best available QB2 types in this year’s market.
Last year, Glennon inked a three-year, $45MM free agent contract with the Bears after receiving interest from multiple teams. This year, the Cardinals were the only team linked to the 6’7″ signal caller.
Lions Re-Sign Nevin Lawson
The Lions have agreed to re-sign cornerback Nevin Lawson, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Lawson will receive a two-year, $9.2MM deal that can max out at $10MM, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, while the pact contains $4.55MM in guarantees, per Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link).
Lawson, 27 in April, has been a starter for the last two years and change in Detroit. Last year, he started in all 15 of his games and totaled 43 tackles with four passes defensed. The Lions like what he brings to the table, but the advanced metrics have never held him in high regard (he was one of the ten worst qualified corners last year, per Pro Football Focus) and he is still in search of his first career interception.
It’s unclear if re-signing Lawson will take the Lions out of the cornerback market, but one cornerback who would have made sense for the Lions — former Patriot Malcolm Butler — is now off the table after inking a hefty deal with the Titans. D.J. Hayden, who appeared in all 16 games for Detroit last season, is in talks with the Jaguars, so the Lions may need to replace their slot corner. DeShawn Shead, for one, is scheduled to meet with Detroit today.
If nothing else, Lawson will give the Lions a cheap depth option. Even if Detroit doesn’t plan to deploy him as a starter again in 2018, a $5MM annual value isn’t a bad price for a third cornerback.
The Lions have been active today, re-signing safety Tavon Wilson while adding external free agents in linebackers Christian Jones and Devon Kennard.
Jaguars, CB D.J. Hayden In Talks
The Jaguars working on deal with cornerback D.J. Hayden, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). Hayden spent last season with the Lions.
Jacksonville has invested heavily in its secondary over the past few years, and has added corners Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye through the draft and free agency, respectively. However, the Jaguars aren’t able to keep everyone in their defensive backfield, and today they lost slot cornerback Aaron Colvin to the division-rival Texans.
Hayden, a former first-round pick, could take over Colvin’s old role if signed by the Jaguars. Hayden, 27, has never lived up to his draft billing, but it’s possible his performance could improve if he’s sandwiched by All-Pro corners on either side of him. That would entail a large step forward, however: Pro Football Focus graded Hayden as a bottom-30 corner among 121 qualifiers.
Browns To Sign OT Chris Hubbard
The Browns are expected to sign tackle Chris Hubbard to a five-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). When finalized, the deal will be worth $37.5MM with nearly $18MM guaranteed. 
Beggars can’t be choosers, and most NFL teams these days are beggars when it comes to tackles. This year’s crop of available OTs was uninspiring and Hubbard ranked as our No. 4 option at the position heading into free agency. He’ll now join former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley in Cleveland.
The Browns have moved to shore up their offensive line so far in free agency after also agreeing to terms with Donald Stephenson. Right tackle was a weak spot for Cleveland in 2017, so Hubbard will improve that position during the upcoming campaign. However, if Joe Thomas retires, it’s also possible Hubbard will slot in on the blindside.
Hubbard, 26, had only started four games during the first three years of his career, but was inserted into Pittsburgh’s lineup for 10 games in 2017. During that time, Hubbard offered league-average production, grading as the No. 40 tackle among 81 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Cleveland boasts the most salary cap space in the NFL, but Hubbard is the first big fish they’ve reeled in. Elsewhere, they’ve played in the mid- to lower-tier of the market, adding both Stephenson and edge defender Chris Smith.