Ravens Trade Orlando Brown To Chiefs
The Ravens have agreed to trade Orlando Brown to the Chiefs (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). As a part of the deal, the Ravens will receive the Chiefs’ No. 31 overall choice in next week’s draft while sending their No. 58 pick to KC along with Brown. 
Chiefs Receive:
- OT Orlando Brown
- 2021 second-round pick (No. 58 overall)
- 2022 sixth-round pick
Ravens Receive:
- 2021 first-round pick (No. 31 overall)
- 2021 third-round pick (No. 94 overall)
- 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall)
- 2022 fifth-round pick
Brown, a 2018 third-round choice, moved from right tackle to left tackle last year to fill in for Ronnie Stanley. After turning in a strong year at LT, Brown told the Ravens that he didn’t want to go back to the other side. The Ravens have kept mum on the situation, but they’ve been listening on offers for the last few months.
The difference between left tackle and right tackle can amount to tens of millions of dollars over the long run. However, the Oklahoma product says his preference stemmed from his late father’s wishes.
“He always told me, ‘Don’t settle for playing right tackle. Make sure that when it comes time and you get to every level, you’re playing left,” the younger Brown said recently.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Oklahoma product will receive a new contract from the Chiefs straight away. For now, he has one more year to go on his rookie deal. After that, the Chiefs will have the option of using the franchise tag to cuff him for 2022.
The Ravens are now armed with two first round picks — their original No. 27 plus the No. 31 pick. That should give them ample ammo to trade for a new tackle, though they may circle back to Alejandro Villanueva instead, allowing them to address other needs late in the first round. Ultimately, the Ravens were facing two major issues with Brown. 1. They couldn’t unseat Stanley to put him on the left side and 2. A top-of-the market deal for him would have created a serious numbers crunch down the road, especially with Lamar Jackson‘s upcoming payday.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have scored a top-flight young blocker — one that’s far better than any of this year’s Tier 2 options. Brown will help to fill the void left by the departures of starting tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, who were released for financial and health reasons. Now, the Chiefs project to have Brown, Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, Austin Blythe, and the returning Laurent Duvernay-Tardif up front.
Pro Football Focus has viewed Brown as a top-25 tackle in each of the past two seasons, so he’ll be seeking a contract to match. Stanley, Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil have all elevated the left tackle market, which means that Brown could aim for something just shy of $22MM annually. At minimum, Brown’s camp will likely open talks by asking for $18MM per annum — that’s how much leading right tackle Lane Johnson makes per year.
Browns Exercise Options For Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward
The Browns will pick up the fifth-year options of quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Denzel Ward (Twitter links via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com and Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer). 
Mayfield will make $18.858MM in 2022 while Ward will earn $13.294MM. As a refresher, the fifth-year option year is now fully guaranteed. In the past, it was guaranteed for injury only. The values are also dependent on certain performance metrics, including playing time and Pro Bowl appearances.
Mayfield slogged through a brutal 2019 season, throwing 21 interceptions — the NFL’s second-most that year — and regressing after showing promise under Freddie Kitchens in 2018. However, Mayfield fared much better in Kevin Stefanski‘s offense last season. The former Heisman winner ranked 10th in QBR with a 72.2 mark — by far a career-high figure — and cut his interception total down to eight.
Ward, meanwhile, has battled health issues since he entered the league. He has missed at least three games due to injury in each of his first three seasons — not 2020’s COVID-19 absence. On the other hand, his performance between the lines has been everything the Browns could have hoped for when they made him the No. 4 overall pick in 2018. He earned Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season, and despite the missed time due to injury, he has tallied 40 passes defensed and seven interceptions — including one pick-six — in his young career.
49ers To Sign DT Maurice Hurst
A week after getting cut by the Raiders, Maurice Hurst has found a new home. The defensive lineman is signing with the 49ers, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Raiders Cut Arden Key, Maurice Hurst]
The All-American out of Michigan was a potential first-round pick heading into the 2018 draft, but a heart condition caused him to fall to the fifth round. The Raiders scooped him up, and the defensive tackle was an immediate return on investment. Hurst started 10 of his 13 games as a rookie, finishing with 31 tackles and four sacks.
Unfortunately, those numbers still stand as career highs. Hurst found himself mostly playing in a backup role in 2019, and this culminated in him appearing in a career-low 23-percent of his team’s defensive snaps in 2020. With the Raiders having already added linemen Yannick Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson this offseason, the team decided to move on from the 25-year-old earlier this month.
Hurst was cut alongside Arden Key, who was coincidentally picked up by the 49ers yesterday. Hurst still possesses some upside (eight sacks, 17 QB hits in three seasons), and that makes him a low-risk, high-reward signing for the 49ers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/22/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: WR Cedrick Wilson (RFA), DL Antwaun Woods (RFA)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector, LB B.J. Bello, DB Chris Jones, DL Woodrow Hamilton
The first two defensive players the Titans took flyers on, Hector and Bello, both spent a little bit of time in Philadelphia with new Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Jones started three games for the Vikings last year.
Seahawks Re-Sign Geno Smith
Russell Wilson isn’t the only Seahawks quarterback staying put for 2021. Seattle has re-signed backup signal-caller Geno Smith, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Smith has been Wilson’s clipboard holder for the past two seasons now. It’s been a pretty relaxing job as Smith has only appeared in one game over the past two years, attempting five passes last season. The 39th overall pick of the 2013 draft, Smith spent his first two pro seasons as the Jets’ starter.
Since then he’s started only two games, one more for the Jets in 2016 and one for the Giants in 2017. He then backed up Philip Rivers with the Chargers in 2018. Smith isn’t exactly young anymore, as he’ll turn 31 in October.
As such, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Seahawks drafted a quarterback in the middle rounds next week, especially with Wilson’s future with the team still somewhat up in the air.
Rams CB Darious Williams Signs First-Round Tender
Darious Williams is re-signing with the Rams. The restricted free agent signed his first-round tender today, the team announced on Twitter. This locks the cornerback into a $4.77MM price tag for next season.
The cash-strapped Rams raised a few eyebrows when they extended Williams a first-round tender, making him the only RFA who was tendered at that value. Teams rarely use the Round 1 tender, but the team clearly wanted to ensure that Williams stuck around opposite Jalen Ramsey next season. Had another team signed Williams to an offer sheet, they would have had to sacrifice a first-round pick to the Rams. Williams’ deadline to sign an offer sheet was this Friday.
After taking on a larger role as a backup in 2019, Williams had a breakout season in 2020. The 27-year-old finished the campaign having set career-highs across the board, including tackles (44), interceptions (four), and passes defended (14). He ultimately ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall cornerback.
The Rams cornerbacks corps is set to look a bit different next season; Troy Hill left for Cleveland, while cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant went to Detroit.
49ers, DE Arden Key Agree To Deal
The 49ers have added depth pieces on offense and defense Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after San Francisco’s Wayne Gallman agreement surfaced, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets the team agreed to terms with Arden Key.
Like Gallman, Key visited the 49ers this week. Formerly an Oakland Raiders third-round draft choice, the three-year defensive end contributor will head back to the Bay Area on a one-year deal.
Las Vegas waived Key last week, doing so after adding former San Francisco defensive end Solomon Thomas in free agency. The 49ers lost Thomas and Kerry Hyder, who signed with the Seahawks, and injuries significantly affected their defensive end group last season. Both Nick Bosa and Dee Ford missed most of the season. Key may be in position to see frequent time, depending on how the 49ers proceed in the draft.
While Key went in the 2018 third round, he was viewed as a possible first-round pick at one point. The LSU product registered 11 sacks as a sophomore in 2016. While he has not produced much as a pro (three sacks in three seasons), Key did post 11 quarterback hits last season as a Raider reserve. Next season will be Key’s age-25 campaign.
49ers To Sign RB Wayne Gallman
Following a visit with Wayne Gallman, the 49ers agreed to terms to add the veteran to their backfield mix on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The four-year Giants back saw his role increase last season, when Saquon Barkley went down in Week 2. Gallman will join a 49ers backfield that includes Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson.
Gallman, 26, led the Giants with 682 rushing yards last season. Despite Big Blue bringing in veterans Alfred Morris and Devonta Freeman, Gallman kept his job as Barkley’s top understudy. He averaged a career-best 4.6 yards per carry and rushed for six touchdowns in his contract year.
San Francisco’s backfield featured Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon last season; neither are part of the current 49ers equation. Coleman signed with the Jets, and McKinnon is a free agent. Both Mostert and Wilson are signed to low-cost deals, and each missed extensive time due to injury last season.
The 49ers ended up using five backs during the 2020 season, with Jamycal Hasty also contributing. Hasty remains on San Francisco’s roster and, unlike Mostert and Wilson, is signed beyond 2021. The former UDFA will soon vie for time with Gallman as well.
Seahawks To Sign CB Pierre Desir
Veteran cornerback Pierre Desir will venture to a new team. The Seahawks are signing the well-traveled defender, according to his agency (on Twitter).
Desir, who has spent time with five franchises since entering the NFL in 2014, agreed to a one-year Seattle deal Wednesday. He will join Ahkello Witherspoon as corners who have agreed to terms with the Seahawks this offseason. The Seahawks are also moving Damarious Randall back to corner.
Following three seasons in Indianapolis, Desir played in Baltimore and with the Jets last season. The Seahawks, however, have been interested in Desir for a bit now. They pursued him last year, after the Colts released him, but Desir opted to sign with the Jets. A year later, Seattle will bring him in.
The Colts extended Desir following his successful 2018 season, when the Division II product worked as a 12-game starter for an improved Indianapolis defense. But Desir was not as reliable in 2019, which led to the Colts bailing on the deal in 2020. The 6-foot-1 cover man graded outside Pro Football Focus’ top 100 corners last season, allowing quarterbacks to complete 77% of their passes when targeting him — well up from the 54% clip he posted in 2018 — during his time with the Jets and Ravens.
Nevertheless, the Seahawks will take a flier on the seven-year veteran who has also spent time with the Browns and Chargers. Seattle lost Shaquill Griffin this offseason and should still be considered a candidate to add a corner early in the draft. But the team will try Desir, who is going into his age-31 season.
Seahawks OL Kyle Fuller Signs ERFA Tender
Kyle Fuller is officially back with the Seahawks. The offensive lineman signed his ERFA tender today, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Baylor started two of his nine games as a rookie with the Texans, but he was let go after one year with the organization. The offensive lineman had brief stints with both Washington and the Dolphins before landing in Seattle prior to the 2019 campaign.
Fuller spent the majority of his first season with Seattle on the practice squad, but he saw a larger role in 2020. After sitting out the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, the lineman proceeded to appear in nine games (one start) for the Seahawks. The 27-year-old didn’t play a whole lot (78 offensive snaps, 25 special teams snaps), but he made enough of an impression to get a tender from the team.
Fuller could end up seeing more playing time during his third season with Seattle. The Seahawks lost a pair of backups this offseason in Chad Wheeler and Chance Warmack, although they’ll probably add to the position with rookies.