Panthers Sign LB Damien Wilson
Following a career year in Jacksonville, Damien Wilson is heading elsewhere. The free agent linebacker is signing with the Panthers, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Wilson is signing a two-year deal.
Wilson spent his first four seasons as a backup in Dallas, but he got a starting gig with the Chiefs in 2019. He ended up starting all 29 of his games through two seasons with the organization, and he added another six playoff starts (including three during the Chiefs’ run to a Super Bowl championship).
He caught on with the Jaguars last offseason, and he ended up having a career year for his new team. He started 17 games for Jacksonville, collecting a career-high 106 tackles to go along with three sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.
The Panthers are adding a new player to the linebackers room, but the team has also focused on retaining their depth at the position. The organization previously re-signed Julian Stanford and Marquis Haynes.
Commanders Expected To Sign Andrew Norwell
The Commanders look to be adding a significant piece to their offensive line. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, they are “close” to signing guard Andrew Norwell (Twitter link). An update from ESPN’s John Keim (on Twitter) adds that Norwell “has agreed to the deal”, the terms of which are not yet know. 
[RELATED: J.D. McKissic Staying In Washington]
Norwell, 30, began his career in Carolina in 2014. He was a full-time starter during that period, which overlapped with current Commanders head coach Ron Rivera‘s time in charge of the Panthers. He saved his best year for last in Charlotte, earning Pro Bowl and All Pro honors.
That earned him a lucrative second contract. The former Buckeye signed a five-year, $66.5MM deal with the Jaguars in 2018. While his play has been consistent in Jacksonville, it hasn’t reached the level of that 2017 campaign, at least from an analytical perspective. Norwell earned a solid 70.5 PFF grade in his first year in Duval County, but has been rated in the mid-60s ever since.
That makes it unsurprising that the Jaguars would allow the former UDFA to head elsewhere in free agency. After making $9MM in salary and carrying a cap charge of $15MM in 2021, Norwell became less of a priority on the interior of their o-line after the addition of Washington standout Brandon Scherff. It now appears that the Commanders have reciprocated that move by adding Norwell.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/22
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Brandon Zylstra
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: LS Clark Harris
Houston Texans
- Acquired via trade (from Jets): LB Blake Cashman
- Signed: TE Scott Quessenberry
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OL Will Richardson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: P Jordan Berry
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, OL Austin Schlottmann
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LS Casey Kreiter
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Trenton Cannon
Latest On Deshaun Watson
The Falcons’ meeting with quarterback Deshaun Watson has come to an end, and the team has reportedly submitted a trade offer to the Texans, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.
While Watson’s previous meetings with the Browns, Saints, and Panthers all took place in Houston, the QB’s meeting with the Falcons was in Atlanta. As Wilson notes, the Falcons were a late addition to the Watson sweepstakes, but there are reasons to be optimistic about their pursuit. Watson grew up in Georgia, and he has a relationship with assistant coach T.J. Yates, who played and coached for the Texans.
While the Falcons’ meeting may have featured a different location, the personnel was generally the same. All four teams had their owners, general managers, and coaches present for their respective meetings, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).
Watson is finished speaking with potential suitors, but he’s still making a decision on his preferred path. Per Florio (on Twitter), the quarterback is “incredibly torn” about his decision and was impressed by all four presentations. This has made it “very difficult” to choose a destination, and there is no specific timetable for his decision.
The 26-year-old passer choosing Atlanta would mean the end of Matt Ryan‘s 14-year run leading the team. With the Falcons getting into the Watson mix late, they informed Ryan last weekend of their plans at quarterback, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Browns did not brief Baker Mayfield on their Watson intentions.
Panthers To Sign WR Rashard Higgins
The Panthers are not certain who their 2022 starting quarterback will be, but that passer will have a nice array of wide receivers to target. Rashard Higgins is joining Carolina’s group, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal.
A six-year Browns contributor, Higgins will call a place outside Ohio home for the first time since college. No, Higgins has no Temple or Baylor ties, having played at Colorado State. But Matt Rhule nevertheless is adding a veteran wideout to a receiving corps that includes D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Terrace Marshall.
Higgins, 27, has two 500-plus-yard receiving seasons on his resume. Last season, he finished with 275 yards as part of a Browns passing game that struggled for most of the year. Carolina’s aerial attack did as well, but the team is highly equipped at receiver for 2022.
The team remains in pursuit of Deshaun Watson, but the Texans passer has at least four suitors as he determines a second NFL employer.
Falcons To Meet With Deshaun Watson
7:18pm: Watson will meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 26-year-old quarterback is a Georgia native, heading to Clemson from Gainesville, Ga., and once worked as a Falcons ball boy. Watson and the Browns finished their meeting Tuesday.
We might be moving close to a trade resolution here, though that is obviously only part of this saga. The Texans appear to have approved trade compensation from the Browns, Panthers and Saints, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Watson meetings were contingent upon it. This would point to the Falcons having made a satisfactory offer as well. Watson reached out to the Falcons about a meeting, Russini adds (on Twitter).
10:55am: The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to trade for Deshaun Watson, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With that, they join the Panthers, Saints, and Browns on the known list of clubs in pursuit of the Texans quarterback. 
Watson is set to meet with the Browns today. As of this writing, the Saints and Panthers are the only clubs reported to have made an offer. Still, the Browns have done plenty of research on Watson – both before trading that fateful draft pick to the Texans and after.
Matt Ryan completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. Those numbers are more or less in line with his career averages, though the Falcons are now years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.
The Falcons could see Watson as the solution, though Ryan just agreed to restructure his contract last week. It’s also possible that the Falcons are simply doing their due diligence and/or looking to raise the asking price for their NFC South rivals. The Panthers and Saints are both keenly interested in the embattled QB — even if the Falcons don’t trade for him, they could help to chip away at their draft capital.
Thanks to Ryan’s restructuring, the Falcons opened up an additional $12MM on their 2022 books. On the heels of that move, they hammered out a brand new $50MM+ extension with veteran lineman Jake Matthews.
Panthers To Sign RB D’Onta Foreman
Christian McCaffrey should (hopefully) be back in full force next season, but his supporting cast will look a bit different. The Panthers are signing running back D’Onta Foreman, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Foreman will sign a one-year deal worth $2MM, according to Josina Anderson (on Twitter).
Foreman had a standout career at Texas, but he struggled to put it together during his first four seasons in the NFL. He finally emerged in 2021 with the Titans while filling in for Derrick Henry. Foreman ultimately finished last season with 566 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 133 carries. He also added another 123 yards via nine receptions.
The 2017 third-round pick previously spent time with Texans, Colts, Titans (first stint), and Falcons. Prior to 2021, Foreman had collected only 421 rushing yards in 17 career games.
Rookie Chuba Hubbard ended up starting 10 games as a rookie while filling in for McCaffrey last season, and the fourth-round pick will likely serve as McCaffrey’s top backup in 2022. Foreman could find himself third on the depth chart, but depending on the guarantees, he could end up competing with the likes of Ameer Abdullah and Spencer Brown for a roster spot. On the flip side, considering McCaffrey’s injury history, there’s a chance the team stocks up at the position.
Panthers To Re-Sign Marquis Haynes
Marquis Haynes will be sticking with the Panthers. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have re-signed the linebacker/defensive end. It’s a two-year deal for Haynes.
Haynes was a fourth-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018, and he’s carved out a role for himself on defense in recent years. While he still doesn’t have a start to his name, Haynes has still appeared in 47 career games, including 32 over the past two seasons.
After finishing with four sacks in 2020, the 28-year-old collected another three sacks to go along with 20 tackles in 2021.
His ability to play both linebacker and defensive end make hims a versatile piece in the Panthers 3-4 defense. He’ll likely continue to play that role in 2022.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/22
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: S Sean Chandler
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Extended: WR Terry Godwin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Duke Riley, LB Elandon Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DB Andre Chachere, WR Greg Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S A.J. Moore
Panthers To Sign OL Austin Corbett
7:32pm: The Panthers have agreed to terms with Corbett, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports. Carolina lands a guard with 40 starts’ worth of experience. Corbett agreed to a three-year contract worth $29.25MM, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal contains $13.6MM in guaranteed money, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The first two years of his deal are fully guaranteed.
6:49pm: The Rams reached agreements to retain center Brian Allen and swing tackle Joseph Noteboom, but they may be ready to see their other free agent offensive lineman of note depart.
Austin Corbett is close to an agreement with the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina has multiple needs up front, one of those being at guard.
After a midseason trade in 2019, the former Browns second-round pick became a regular Rams starter. Corbett started every game for the past two Rams squads, including all 21 during the team’s Super Bowl-winning campaign. Operating as Los Angeles’ right guard, Corbett provided some stability at that spot as the Rams transitioned to Matthew Stafford under center and used three primary running backs last season. PFF assigned Corbett a 69.6 regular-season grade, which ranked tops among the Rams’ guards.
Carolina struggled consistently at guard, deploying John Miller (52.1) and Michael Jordan (50.8) as their primary first-stringers last season. While the Panthers encountered steady quarterback issues, their O-line did not do this collection of passers many favors.
The Panthers saw Pat Elflein play just nine games last season, though they restructured the would-be starter. Elflein-Corbett would likely be the team’s direction at guard, should the latter end up finalizing this agreement.