Texans Likely To Sign OL Zach Fulton
It sounds like this will be a lucrative offseason for free agent offensive linemen. The Texans are the favorites to sign Chiefs free agent Zach Fulton to a multi-year deal worth more than $7MM per year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Rapoport cautions that other teams are still in the mix, so while the Texans are the likely landing spot for Fulton, it is not a done deal. It’s not clear if the Chiefs are still involved, but the asking price may be too high for their liking.
Last year, Fulton appeared in 15 games (12 starts) for the Chiefs, playing primarily at center. Fulton earned a so-so 68.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, though the advanced metrics were fond of his pass blocking.
The Texans’ plan is for Fulton to play guard for them and not center, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He worked in both spots for the Chiefs, primarily operating as a guard since being a sixth-round pick in 2014.
Houston signed ex-Chiefs guard Jeff Allen in 2016 for $7MM per year. That agreement has not worked out like the franchise had hoped. Nevertheless, the Texans plan to use a similar strategy to bring in Fulton. Only their line is in a worse place now than it was two years ago, with Derek Newton being sidelined indefinitely and Duane Brown having since been traded.
Saints Interested In Austin Seferian-Jenkins
The Saints are expected to show interest in tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Tight end is on the to-do list for New Orleans and they are also eyeing a potential reunion with Jimmy Graham. 
Seferian-Jenkins bounced back from substance abuse problems to put together a productive season with the Jets in 2017. He is reportedly seeking $7MM per year on his next deal, which may be a bit too optimistic, but there will be a market for his services. The Falcons and Seahawks are also believed to be potential landing spots for the tight end.
Last year, the former-second round pick caught 50 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. His 50 receptions ranked 13th among tight ends in 2017, but his blocking leaves something to be desired. Pro Football Focus ranked him as just the 35th-best run-blocker at his position.
Saints Interested In Malcolm Butler
Once again, the Saints have interest in acquiring cornerback Malcolm Butler. New Orleans is eyeing the Patriots free agent as well as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The Patriots and Saints discussed a trade last offseason that would have sent Butler to New Orleans, but talks fell apart when the two sides could not agree to the level of draft compensation. After a down year, the Saints now have an opportunity to sign Butler to a cheaper deal and they won’t have to give up draft picks to do it, save for the impact the signing would have on their compensatory formula. Butler ranked just 51st amongst Pro Football Focus’ qualified corners last season and was virtually a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl.
The Giants released Rodgers-Cromartie over the weekend after he rejected a pay cut. DRC was scheduled to make $6.48MM in 2018, a figure that he can likely come close to on the open market. A reunion with the Broncos appeared to make some sense for Rodgers-Cromartie, but Denver does not have interest. Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets that the cornerback does have a connection to the organization, as senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta was the Giants cornerbacks coach back in 2014.
Raiders Release CB Sean Smith
The Raiders have released cornerback Sean Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This move was anticipated, particularly in light of Smith’s ongoing legal situation.
It gets worse for Smith. The 30-year-old is expected to plead guilty to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury and be sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, according to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) stemming from an incident on July 4, 2017, in Pasadena Calif.
Smith would have counted for $8.25MM against Oakland’s cap, making this move something of a no-brainer even prior to the announcement that he’d plead guilty to the felony assault charges.
The veteran graded out as just the No. 73 cornerback among 121 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus. He’s picked off two passes in each of the last three seasons but had a career-low four pass defenses last year while appearing in 14 games, starting eight.
Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2009 and signed a four-year, $40MM deal with the Raiders prior to 2016 after spending three seasons with the Chiefs. The Raiders cut cornerback David Amerson a year after signing him to a four-year, $35MM deal. Fellow cornerback T.J. Carrie, who started 15 games for the Raiders last year and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s No. 22 cornerback, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Carrie, who grew up in the Bay Area, has expressed interest in returning to Oakland. The team also has Gareon Conley, Dexter McDonald, Antonio Hamilton, Shaquille Richardson, Darius Hillary and Tevin Mitchel on the roster at cornerback. The Raiders also hold the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming draft, with cornerback certainly among their top targets.
Cowboys Re-Sign DT Brian Price
The Cowboys have re-signed defensive tackle Brian Price, according to Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram (on Twitter). It’s a two-year pact worth $1.35MM. 
Price appeared in only eight games for Dallas before being placed on injured reserve in November. He’ll remain with the Cowboys as defensive line depth and a special teamer for now, but the team could be grooming him for bigger things in the future.
Had he not shoved an official to the ground at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Price likely would have been selected in the 2016 draft. He was not drafted due to that major red flag, but the Packers pounced on the chance to sign him to the practice squad. Before long, they elevated his taxi squad salary to $26,470 per week, well above the minimum salary of $6,900/week. He missed Green Bay’s cut in 2017, leading him to Dallas.
In other Cowboys news, tight end Jason Witten is being courted by FOX to become an analyst for Thursday Night Football.
Seahawks Re-Sign Bradley McDougald
The Seahawks have agreed to re-sign Bradley McDougald. The safety will stay in Seattle with a three-year, $13.95MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). 
McDougald was originally signed to be a reserve last offseason, but he wound up starting when Kam Chancellor was lost to injury. This year, Seattle’s numbers crunch could lead them to move on from Chancellor, so McDougald could wind up as a Week 1 starter.
The Seahawks have already cut ties with cornerback Richard Sherman, who agreed to a deal with the 49ers, and Earl Thomas is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season. Chancellor is set to enter the first season within his three-year, $36MM extension signed prior to last year and is slated to make $6.8MM in base salary with a $9.6MM cap hit. Chancellor, 29, is expected to return to the team next season despite making hints toward retirement on social media last year.
Entering Monday, the Seahawks had $30.7MM in available cap space, which put them at No. 15 in the NFL. The Seahawks also have Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson and Jordan Simone on the roster at safety. Cornerback Byron Maxwell was the only other players in the Seahawks secondary due to hit unrestricted free agency outside of McDougald.
The Seahawks signed McDougald, 27, to a one-year, $2MM deal prior to last season. In his first season with Seahawks, he played in all 16 games, starting nine, and made appearances at both safety spots and cornerback. He finished the year with 46 tackles and four pass defenses. He had a career-high 10 pass defenses and matched a career-best with two interceptions with the Buccaneers in 2016. The Chiefs originally signed McDougald as an undrafted free agent in 2015.
Chiefs To Re-Sign FB Anthony Sherman
The Chiefs have agreed to a new deal with fullback Anthony Sherman, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The news was first reported by the Pardon My Take podcast (Twitter link).
The veteran fullback is now slated to return for a sixth season with the Chiefs. Terms of the deal are not yet known.
Sherman was rated as PFR’s top fullback eligible for free agency, ahead of Zach Line, Mike Tolbert, John Kuhn, and Derrick Coleman. Sherman had only six catches last year and his 14 rushing attempts all came in Week 17, but he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 fullback in the NFL thanks to his run blocking acumen. His 183 snaps were good for ninth amongst all players at the position.
In other Chiefs news, the team is set to meet with free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.
Bears Re-Sign Bradley Sowell
The Bears have re-signed Bradley Sowell, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will remain in Chicago on a new two-year deal rather than exploring free agency. 
Sowell, 29 in June, spent last year as a reserve for the Bears, seeing time at both left guard and right tackle. His 297 snaps were not enough to qualify for ranking, but in a larger sample, he would have graded out as one of the 20 worst guards in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Sowell’s deal likely won’t be for much more than the veteran’s minimum.
Meanwhile, the Bears are reportedly hoping to land wide receiver Allen Robinson.
Valentino Blake To Continue Playing
Last summer, cornerback Valentino Blake left the Giants due to personal reasons and later announced his retirement. This year, Blake intends to get back into football, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. 
Blake left the game for personal reasons and is now free to sign anywhere he chooses as a free agent. Blake may have to wait a while before his market materializes, particularly since this is a deep class for cornerbacks.
Blake, 28 in August, was a durable defender for the Jaguars, Steelers and Titans over the first five seasons of his career. In 2016, he logged his third consecutive 16-game campaign with the Titans. However, Pro Football Focus ranked his performance just 76th among 110 qualified corners in that season.
This year’s cornerback class is headlined by the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Malcolm Butler, Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Gaines, and Morris Claiborne.
Bills Interested In Sam Bradford, Case Keenum
The Bills have interest in both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pelissero adds that the Bills see Bradford as a good scheme fit. 
The Bills are in need of a quarterback after shipping Tyrod Taylor to the Browns. The third-round pick they picked up in the deal (No. 65 overall) could help them find a new QB on the trade block, but they are intent on first exploring their options in free agency. With upwards of $32MM in cap space, the Bills theoretically have room to sign someone of Bradford or Keenum’s stature.
With Taylor off the roster, the Bills will be down to one quarterback in Nathan Peterman when the new league year opens on Wednesday. Third-string quarterback Joe Webb is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Peterman — a fifth-round pick in 2017 — made four appearances as a rookie, including two starts. The 23-year-old struggled, though, throwing five interceptions and completing 49% of his passes.
Kirk Cousins‘ landing spot could also have an effect on the Bills’ pursuit of Keenum or Bradford. The Vikings are reportedly expected to Cousins their first priority this offseason. If they were to miss out on Cousins, though, that could open up the possibility of a reunion with Keenum and Bradford, along with Teddy Bridgewater.
Keenum, 30, started 14 games last year for the Vikings, completing a career-high 67.6% of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. Bradford started the other two games for the Vikings, missing most of the season with a knee injury.
Bradford, 30, was activated in time for the postseason, though, to serve as Keenum’s backup. He was given assurance of the structure of the ligaments in his ailing knee in November by Dr. James Andrews after a procedure to shave a bone spur and clean out fluid.