Bills Sign Forrest Lamp
The Bills have signed guard Forrest Lamp to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely for something near the veteran’s minimum.
[RELATED: Bills Meet With Le’Raven Clark]
The Chargers selected Lamp in the second round of the 2017 draft to solidify their offensive line. Considered one of the safest offensive line prospects in the draft, the Western Kentucky product has yet to live up to that billing. Lamp’s first season was spiked by a torn ACL. After a knee procedure in 2018 and a broken ankle in 2019, Lamp suited up for just nine total games in his first three years under contract.
Injuries have kept him on the sidelines for much of his career, but he bounced back last year to play on 100% of his snaps last year. With the Bills, he has a chance to prove that the injury bug is behind him.
Bengals Release Giovani Bernard
The Bengals have released Giovani Bernard, per a club announcement. The move will save the team $4.1MM against the 2021 salary cap. 
Bernard, 30 in November, still profiles as one of the league’s best pass-catching tailbacks. Last year, he managed 47 catches for 355 yards and three receiving touchdowns — his best line since 2017. Since 2013, Bernard has reeled in 342 grabs for 2,867 yards, good for an 8.4 yards per catch average.
Last year, Bernard saw more carries than expected while Joe Mixon was injured, but he wasn’t all that productive on the ground, gaining 416 yards on 124 carries. Bernard’s always been better known for his receiving abilities, but his 3.4 yards per tote average was well below his career average of 4.0 yards.
The Bengals recently re-upped Samaje Perine, a sign that Bernard would be pushed out of the picture. The veteran was aware of that too — he actually requested his release so that he could hook on elsewhere, according to a source who spoke with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com on Twitter).
Bernard was set to enter his final year under contract with $3.7MM in base salary and a $4.76MM cap hit. The Bengals will save $4.1MM of that sum with $667K in dead money.
Texans To Sign TE Antony Auclair
The Buccaneers have not lost many free agents this offseason, but they will see one of their depth players depart. The Texans agreed to terms with tight end Antony Auclair on Tuesday night, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.
Auclair played four seasons with the Bucs, starting 20 games. He started two games for last season’s Super Bowl champion Bucs squad, working as a supporting-caster for a team that featured Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate.
After attending college in Canada, Auclair joined the Bucs as a UDFA in 2017. He topped out at a 30% snap rate for the 2018 Tampa Bay edition. The Bucs mostly utilized the 27-year-old tight end as a blocker. Auclair, whom the Bucs activated at the midseason point last year after he spent several weeks on IR, was inactive for each of the Bucs’ four playoff games.
The 6-foot-6 tight end will join a less flashy tight end stable. The Texans released Darren Fells earlier this year but still have Jordan Akins on their roster. Houston also signed former New England tight end Ryan Izzo and has Pharaoh Brown and ex-third-round pick Kahale Warring on its roster.
Tampa Bay is planning to return O.J. Howard to its historically deep tight end crew next season. Howard suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last October, but Bruce Arians expects the former first-round pick to participate in offseason work and rejoin Brate and the recently re-signed Gronkowski.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/6/21
Broncos To Sign Shamar Stephen
The Broncos have already made several moves in the secondary this offseason, and now they’re addressing the defensive front. Denver has agreed to terms on a deal with defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, a source told Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
There’s some familiarity here, as new Broncos GM George Paton came over from Minnesota, where Stephen has spent most of his career. Stephen was drafted in the seventh-round back in 2014, and was with the Vikings for his first four seasons. He signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks in 2018 before returning home in 2019 with a three-year, $12.45MM contract from the Vikings.
He made it through two years of that pact before being released last month. He started all 16 games for Minnesota last year, racking up 34 tackles and a half sack while playing just over 60 percent of the defensive snaps. He’s started 65 games in his seven-year career, including at least 14 in each of the past three.
Dre’Mont Jones, Shelby Harris, and nose tackle Mike Purcell currently slot in as the three starters up front in Denver’s 3-4 defense. Stephen could play either outside or inside and will presumably fill a rotational role behind those three guys.
Panthers To Sign OL Martez Ivey
The Panthers made the big splash of the week by acquiring Sam Darnold from the Jets, but that isn’t the only move they’re making. Carolina is also signing offensive lineman Martez Ivey, his agents told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
No financial terms were immediately revealed, but it’s a one-year deal for Ivey. A two-time All-SEC player at Florida, Ivey signed with the Patriots as an UDFA back in 2019. He failed to crack New England’s roster, and then spent some time in the XFL in 2020. He wasn’t able to land an NFL job during the pandemic, but is now getting another shot.
The Panthers have been busy with their offensive line this offseason, already signing new projected starters Cameron Erving and Pat Elflein, franchise-tagging Taylor Moton, and re-signing John Miller. Ivey will be another dart throw for a team making low-risk signings to shore up the O-line.
Lions To Sign CB Quinton Dunbar
Quinton Dunbar took his Lions visit Monday, and the meeting produced an agreement. Dunbar agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions, according to his agency (on Twitter). It is a veteran salary benefit deal with a $990K base salary and a $137.5K signing bonus, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
This will be the veteran cornerback’s third team in three years. Washington traded Dunbar to Seattle last season. Injuries ended Dunbar’s lone Seahawks slate early, but he will attempt to bounce back with the Lions. The Cardinals had a Dunbar visit scheduled for this week, but the Lions will prevent that summit from taking place.
The Lions are adding Dunbar to their reconfigured cornerback mix. Under a new regime, the team released veterans Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman to break up a corner troika (Trufant-Coleman-Jeff Okudah) that barely saw any time together. Okudah will now pair with Dunbar, who will reunite with ex-Washington assistant Aubrey Pleasant — Detroit’s new secondary coach.
Dunbar broke through in 2019, rating as one of Pro Football Focus’ top corners after a season in which he intercepted four passes and held opposing quarterbacks to a collective 61.2 passer rating. During a 2020 offseason that saw Dunbar encounter a legal issue that ended with charges dropped, Washington traded him to Seattle for a fifth-round pick. The 28-year-old defender played in just six games, with a knee injury and a subsequent surgery ending his season early.
Despite coming into the NFL in 2015, Dunbar has made only 31 starts. But the ex-Florida Gator entered the league as a UDFA and did not become a full-timer until 2019. He figures to be a starter alongside Okudah in 2021.
Jets Trade Sam Darnold To Panthers
3:26pm: Carolina will exercise Darnold’s fifth-year option, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. This will tie Darnold to the Panthers through 2022 and fully guarantee Darnold $18.9MM next year.
3:03pm: The Jets are trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Carolina will send back a sixth-round pick in 2021, as well as second- and fourth-round picks in 2022.
The Panthers had made no secret of their desire to upgrade at quarterback, and while Darnold is not coming off a particularly impressive season, he is a former top-three pick on a rookie contract. Although a previous report suggested the Panthers were not particularly high on Darnold, they had discussed him for weeks with the Jets, Schefter adds (via Twitter).
This trade also essentially confirms Jets GM Joe Douglas made his quarterback decision. The Jets have been linked to BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with their No. 2 overall pick. While some late rumblings suggested Darnold had support in the building for a fourth season, to either compete with Wilson or induce a trade-down maneuver, the Jets have been expected to draft Wilson and start over for a bit now. Douglas has now traded predecessor Mike Maccagnan‘s final two first-round picks — Darnold and Jamal Adams — over the past two years.
“He is a tough-minded, talented football player whose NFL story has not been written yet,” Douglas said of Darnold. “While all these things are true, this move is in the short- and long-term best interests for both this team and him.”
Carolina had been the team most closely linked to Deshaun Watson this offseason. Owner David Tepper‘s desire to acquire the superstar Texans quarterback became known several weeks ago. Darnold is obviously well off the Watson tier, but the latter’s sudden off-field issues have quieted his trade market. The Jets were also linked to a potential Watson push. Both teams moving on signals the Pro Bowl quarterback may well be in Houston next season.
Darnold is still just 23 but has yet to deliver on the hype he carried in 2018. The Browns were connected to the USC prospect three years ago, but they opted for Baker Mayfield at No. 1 instead. Fixated on Saquon Barkley, the Giants refused to entertain trade offers that could have sent Darnold elsewhere. His New York stay produced occasional flashes, but the situation bottomed out in 2020. Darnold ranked last in QBR, among qualified passers, during his second season with Adam Gase. Darnold has yet to eclipse 20 touchdown passes in a season and has also missed at least three games in each of his three seasons.
The once-coveted prospect will be tabbed to replace Teddy Bridgewater, whose QBR figure ranked 17th last season. But Bridgewater has established a fairly low ceiling. Illustrated by this trade package, Darnold’s still remains relatively uncertain. Darnold will reunite with Robby Anderson in Charlotte, with Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore further illustrating the skill-position upgrade the maligned quarterback will receive. Darnold going from Gase to fast-rising OC Joe Brady represents intrigue as well.
The three-year veteran is due to count $9.7MM against the Panthers’ cap in 2021, but should Carolina pick up Darnold’s fifth-year option, his 2022 price would jump to $18.9MM. The Panthers will be forced to eat a chunk of dead money if they trade or release Bridgewater, who is attached to a three-year, $63MM contract. But Tepper authorized a long-term rebuild, giving Matt Rhule a seven-year contract. It would not surprise if the team picked up Darnold’s option for evaluation purposes. Considering Carolina’s interest in Watson, it would also not surprise if the Panthers made this move as a stopgap measure while Watson’s legal situation unfolds.
Holding the No. 8 overall pick, the Panthers can now focus on helping their Darnold-centered roster. This draft will almost certainly begin with three quarterback picks for just the third time ever. The Jaguars, Jets and 49ers’ choices will leave the rest of the QB-seeking crowd with just two of the much-hyped top five quarterback prospects for whom to vie.
Texans To Re-Sign T Roderick Johnson
Despite changing regimes this offseason, the Texans will bring back one of their offensive line regulars. They will re-sign Roderick Johnson, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The sides agreed to a one-year deal Saturday.
A four-year veteran tackle, Johnson has been with the Texans since 2018. The former Browns draft pick started three games for the Texans last season and played 25% of the team’s offensive snaps. Nick Caserio, who has been quite active in adding low-cost outside free agents in his first free agency period as a GM, will keep Johnson in the mix.
This marks the second straight offseason in which Johnson has re-signed to stay in Houston. He spent the 2017 with the Browns but did not play in any games. The Texans claimed him in summer 2018, and although Johnson appeared in just one game that season, he saw action in all 16 for the 2019 Houston edition. Overall, Johnson has started six games with the Texans.
The Texans will likely have Johnson compete for a backup job. Caserio turned to his former employer for help at this position earlier this offseason, acquiring longtime Patriots starting right tackle Marcus Cannon via trade. Johnson and Cannon join starters Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard in Houston’s 2021 tackle mix.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/2/21
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Jamil Douglas
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: CB Will Redmond
Los Angeles Rams
- Suspended five games (PEDs): DB Tyrique McGhee