Titans To Sign CB Malcolm Butler
Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan are reuniting. This time, it’s in Tennessee. Butler intends to sign with the Titans when free agency formally opens on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Butler gets a five-year contract worth more than $61MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes more than $30M guaranteed. 
Butler had interest from multiple teams, including the Texans and the Saints. The Jets, who are said to be seeking two starting-caliber corners, also likely had Butler high atop their list. A return to incumbent Patriots, meanwhile, seemed unlikely after Butler was benched for the overwhelming majority of the Super Bowl.
Had Butler reached unrestricted free agency last offseason, he would have had piles of money thrown at him. However, he was a restricted free agent and the Pats prevented him from joining the Saints when they could not agree to terms on a trade. This time around, Butler was an unfettered free agent and still got paid oodles of money, despite coming off of a down year.
Butler will now collect more than the tentative agreement — four years, ~$50MM — that he’d agreed to with the Saints in 2017. The Patriots, meanwhile, never offered Butler more than $7MM annually.
Raiders To Sign TE Derek Carrier
It’s only natural for siblings to steal toys from one another. Perhaps that explains Jon Gruden‘s early approach to free agency. Tight end Derek Carrier and the Raiders have agreed to a three-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Carrier spent two seasons with the Redskins, under the tutelage of Jon’s brother Jay Gruden. Last year, he was shipped to the Rams in a September trade.
The 27-year-old was mostly irrelevant on offense, hauling in only eight receptions for 71 yards. In 190 snaps, the former undrafted free agent out of Beloit proved to adequate in blocking, especially in pass situations. Carrier didn’t play enough to earn a spot in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but his rating suggests he would have been listed 30th among 71 eligible tight ends.
Carrier will join a new-crowded tight end crop in Oakland. The team is currently rostering three others at the position, including Jared Cook, Clive Walford, and Pharaoh Brown. Cook is coming off of wrist surgery, however, and Lee Smith is a pending free agent.
Giants Sign RB Jonathan Stewart
Jonathan Stewart has reunited with old friend Dave Gettleman. The Giants will sign the veteran running back, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart’s pact is for two years and has a base value of $6.9MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who adds Stewart gets $2.95MM in guarantees and can max out at $8.4MM.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweets the expectation is that the veteran running back will cost $3.425 MM vs. the salary cap in 2018. His contract includes incentives for rushing yards and touchdowns, and also includes a $500,000 option bonus for next year.
The Giants have several needs to address this offseason, including running back. Last year’s top rusher, Orleans Darkwa, is ticketed for free agency and it’s not clear if he’ll be back in the fold. Even if Darkwa is retained, Stewart can serve as veteran depth. Regardless of how the backfield shakes out, it’s hard to envision that Stewart will be relied on as the team’s RB1.
Stewart averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season but he did play in 15 games, his most since the 2011 campaign. He previously visited the Seahawks and Lions, but they’ll have to find running back help elsewhere.
As of this writing, the Giants still have plenty of free agent running back options at their disposal. They could also spend their free agent dollars elsewhere and use the No. 2 overall pick on Penn State star Saquon Barkley, if he is available.
Rams To Re-Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
The Rams have agreed to re-sign cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll receive a three-year deal worth upwards of $15.75MM with $8MM guaranteed.
The Rams have completely revamped and reloaded their secondary this offseason. Los Angeles acquired Marcus Peters in a huge trade with the Chiefs and quickly followed that up by acquiring Aqib Talib from the Broncos. Now, Robey-Coleman has been retained as the Rams’ slot cornerback. The team is also rostering free agent addition Sam Shields, Kayvon Webster, and Kevin Peterson, among others.
After having spent four seasons with the Bills, the 2013 undrafted free agent out of USC joined the Rams last offseason.The 26-year-old went on to have a productive season, compiling a career-high 49 tackles to go along with nine passes defended and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus rated Robey-Coleman highly, ranking him 19th among 120 eligible cornerbacks.
Coleman ranked as our ninth-best cornerback heading into free agency, putting him ahead of Prince Amukamara, Brent Grimes, Rashaan Melvin, Ross Cockrell, Tramon Williams, and Johnathan Joseph.
Dolphins Retain Ja’Wuan James
Ja’Wuan James is staying put. As the right tackle teased on his Instagram account, he’ll remain with the Dolphins. There won’t be any renegotiation of his deal, as he’ll remain under contract for $9.3MM in 2018, per Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (on Twitter).
The Dolphins were shopping their longtime right tackle this week, presumably to see if a market developed prior to James’ fifth-year option becoming fully guaranteed on Wednesday. The sides were discussing a new deal on Monday, but James had enough leverage to hold his ground.
James’ new deal gives him an opportunity to stay in sunny Miami and build on what was arguably the best season of his career to date, even though it was shortened by injury.
For his eight games, James graded as the league’s 17th-ranked offensive tackle last season, per Pro Football Focus. However, the former first-round pick has seen injuries cut two of his seasons short. He has yet to prove he can be a consistent, healthy option in Miami, likely leading to the trade efforts.
Ravens, WR John Brown In Talks
The Ravens may have found the speedy wide receiver they’ve been looking for. John Brown is “pretty far down the road” in negotiations with Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). 
Brown is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just ten games. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s reportedly healthy.
The Ravens, at one point, were connected to Jarvis Landry. Brown represents a cheaper, though less accomplished option for the slot. One could argue that he’s also quicker out of the gate.
Giants Interested In OT Nate Solder
The Giants are among the teams with interest in tackle Nate Solder, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). The Patriots free agent stands as the best available tackle in a weak market and figures to have a number of suitors. 
The Giants are in serious need of offensive line help and have already missed out on top target Andrew Norwell. Their interest in retaining their own free agent lineman Justin Pugh is unclear, but in any case, Solder would represent a clear upgrade over him. Depending on how things shake out, a Solder signing wouldn’t necesarily preclude the Giants from re-signing Pugh, who can also offer help on the interior.
Solder, 30 in April, has been among the league’s better tackles since entering the league in 2011. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 32 tackle last season and he was in the top 20 in 2016. You could say 2017 was a down year for the veteran, but he was playing through injuries and figures to be better in 2018, if healthy.
Texans To Sign OT Seantrel Henderson
The Texans are signing former Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Henderson is expected to provide depth at the tackle position. His deal is for one year and worth up to $4MM, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Henderson has had a strange tenure in the NFL thus far. A former first-stringer in Buffalo, Henderson was hit with a ten-game substance abuse policy suspension in 2017, his second ban after previously serving a four-game suspension. For his part, Henderson says he was only using marijuana to help treat symptoms of his Crohn’s disease.
In other Texans news, Houston has agreed to sign former Jacksonville corner Aaron Colvin. They remain interested in running back Dion Lewis, though Adrian Peterson is making his case to join the team.
Jaguars To Sign WR Donte Moncrief
Former Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief is staying in the AFC South. Moncrief will sign with the Jaguars, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He will earn a base salary of base salary of roughly $7MM, while incentives can bring the total value to $9.6MM, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
The addition of the 24-year-old will help to offset the loss of Allen Robinson, who agreed to a deal with the Bears early this morning. Moncrief will pair with Marqise Lee, who has been retained on a new deal, atop the receiver depth chart. Jacksonville could conceivably look to move on from one of their wideout, as they’re rostering 10 players at the position, including Allen Hurns, Keelan Cole, and Dede Westbrook.
Word on Moncrief’s compensation is not yet in, but it’s likely to be a fat deal given the contracts given to wide receivers thus far in free agency. The 2014 third-round pick had a relatively quiet 2017 campaign, hauling in 26 catches for 391 yards and two scores in 12 games (eight starts). His best season came in 2015, when he collected 733 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Browns To Sign OT Donald Stephenson
The Browns are set to sign offensive tackle Donald Stephenson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal for the former Bronco. 
Stephenson, 30 in September, saw his season cut short with a torn calf muscle. He appeared in seven games with four starts before being shut down for the year. Stephenson’s 303 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but in a larger sample, he would have graded out as the 12th-worst tackle in the league.
The Broncos will have some work to do on the offense line after the departure of Stephenson. They attempted to trade for Dolphins tackle Ju’Wuan James, but Miami informed them that he will be staying put.
The Browns also signed defensive end Chris Smith earlier today and tendered a contract to exclusive rights free agent wide receiver Josh Gordon. The Browns were also active on the trade market last week as they acquired Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor, Damarious Randall and jettisoned defensive tackle Danny Shelton.