Jaguars Sign LB Damien Wilson
After hosting Damien Wilson on a visit earlier this week, the Jaguars agreed to terms with the veteran linebacker on Friday. The team announced the signing.
Wilson spent the past two seasons as a starter with the Chiefs, working as a first-stringer for both of Kansas City’s two Super Bowl runs. Wilson will join a Jaguars team that houses three-down linebackers Myles Jack and Joe Schobert, adding some additional experience to defensive coordinator Joe Cullen‘s linebacking corps.
The Jags will be Wilson’s third team. He began his career as a part-time starter with the Cowboys, arriving in Dallas as a fourth-round pick in 2015. While Wilson made 22 starts in four Cowboys seasons, he logged 29 for the Chiefs over the past two. This agreement could push Wilson into Jacksonville’s starting lineup, but he likely will have to battle a few younger cogs to earn that spot alongside Jack and Schobert.
Wilson, 27, posted a career-high 81 tackles for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2019. Pro Football Focus graded Wilson better in 2020, when he rated 44th among off-ball ‘backers. The six-year veteran wrapped his Chiefs career with a team-high 10 tackles (one for loss) in Super Bowl LV.
Chiefs To Sign FB Michael Burton
Michael Burton is heading to the AFC. The veteran full back is signing with the Chiefs, reports Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the 29-year-old worth $1.27MM, including more than $700K guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
Despite playing for four different organizations, Burton has spent his entire career in the NFC. He entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick out Rutgers in 2015, and following a pair of seasons with the Lions to begin his career, he spent another two years with Chicago between 2017 and 2018. After spending the 2019 campaign with Washington, Burton joined the Saints last offseason, marking it his second stint with the organization (the fullback had spent the 2019 preseason with the team).
During his lone season in New Orleans, Burton appeared in 19 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, his highest percentage since 2017. While the veteran is generally known for his blocking prowess, he did manage to compile a career-high 46 (yep, that’s it) yards from scrimmage. He added another 15 yards in two postseason games.
The Chiefs have presumably been hunting for a fullback since Anthony Sherman, their starter for the previous eight years, announced his retirement. Burton will now have the responsibility of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes and starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Ravens To Re-Sign L.J. Fort
L.J. Fort isn’t going anywhere. The Ravens will be keeping the inside linebacker in the fold with a new contract, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets.
Financial terms weren’t immediately released, but Zrebiec reports it’s a one-year deal for Fort. Fort played a significant role in Baltimore’s defense last year, appearing in 14 games and starting eight. He finished with 53 tackles, two passes defended, and two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) while playing less than half the snaps in a rotational role.
Fort has had an interesting career path, as he originally entered the league as an UDFA with the Browns back in 2012. He made the team and played in all 16 games for Cleveland as a rookie, then appeared in only one more regular season game after that until 2016.
After bouncing around a few practice squads he eventually found a home with the Steelers. He signed with the Ravens early in the 2019 season, and started eight games for them. He was handed a two-year, $5.5MM extension in November of that year, but at the beginning of 2020 the team declined his 2021 option which made him a free agent this spring.
Washington Signs WR/KR DeAndre Carter
Washington is making an interesting special teams addition. The team has signed receiver/returner DeAndre Carter, they announced on Thursday.
Carter entered the league as an UDFA in 2015 originally with the Ravens, but he didn’t see a regular season NFL field until 2018. After grinding for a few years on the practice squads of teams like the Raiders, Patriots, and 49ers, he finally broke through with the Eagles. He played in seven games for Philly before being waived and claimed by Houston, where he made more of an impact.
In seven games for the Texans that year, he caught 20 passes for 195 yards, while also serving as their kick and punt returner. In 2019 he appeared in all 16 games for them, catching 11 passes for 162 yards while once again serving as the kick and punt returner.
He served the same role for the first nine games of 2020 before getting cut and claimed by the Bears. He played the final month of the season in Chicago returning punts. He’s never returned a kick to the house, but has done some damage. Washington doesn’t have any clear better options currently on the roster, so he’ll presumably slot in as the primary returner for 2021.
Lions To Sign Corn Elder
The Lions are making another addition to their defense. Detroit has agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Corn Elder, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
Rapoport writes that it’s a one-year “prove-it-deal,” so it’s presumably for pretty close to the veteran’s minimum. A Miami product, Elder was drafted by the Panthers in the fifth-round back in 2017. He missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, then played only on special teams as a sophomore. He was waived during final cuts in 2019, and signed to the Giants’ practice squad.
Not too long after that Carolina signed him back off the Giants’ practice squad, and he ended up making real contributions on defense in 2020. Playing as part of a young Panthers secondary, he appeared in all 16 games and started one. He played a hair under 40 percent of the defensive snaps, racking up 40 tackles, three passes defended, and a forced fumble.
Detroit completely remade their secondary this offseason as they kicked off the Dan Campbell era, jettisoning former starters Justin Coleman and Desmond Trufant, so this dart throw can’t hurt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/1/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves in this post, so check back later:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Re-signed: DE Steven Means
- Signed: DT Jonathan Bullard
Dolphins To Sign John Jenkins
The Dolphins already signed Adam Butler to help replace fellow defensive tackle Davon Godchaux after he signed with the Patriots, and now they’re adding another. Miami has agreed to terms with free agent John Jenkins, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald confirmed on Twitter.
Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post was first to tweet the news. Financial terms weren’t immediately available, but it’s a one-year deal for Jenkins. The Georgia product was originally drafted by the Saints back in 2013. He started 12 games for New Orleans in 2015, but was released midway through the 2016 season and quickly scooped up by the Seahawks.
After that brief stint with Seattle he signed with the Bears, then the Giants, before landing with the Dolphins in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games that year, starting five and racking up 34 tackles and a sack. He signed back with Chicago last season and played a rotational role. Miami will likely be looking for him to play a similar rotational role on running downs.
Colts Sign S Sean Davis
The Colts have signed safety Sean Davis to a one-year deal, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known. 
[RELATED: Retired Andrew Luck “Having The Time Of His Life”]
The Steelers drafted Davis in the second round in 2016, and he spent his first four years in Pittsburgh. That stretch included 31 starts between 2017-18, but he missed almost all of 2019 due to injury. In 2020, he inked a one-year deal worth $5MM with the Washington Football Team. Then, after cuts, he found his way back to Pittsburgh.
Davis was primarily used on special teams last season, but he may have an opportunity to get more traditional safety work, depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out. Safety Malik Hooker, who is returning from an Achilles tear, is out of contract. The Colts have also lost Tavon Wilson from last year’s secondary — he recently joined up with the Niners.
With Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick playing in front of him, Davis finished 2020 with just 12 tackles and one pass defensed.
Colts To Sign Chris Reed
The Colts have agreed to sign Chris Reed to a one-year veteran benefit deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Reed, who started in 14 games for the Panthers last year, gives the Colts another experienced option on the offensive line. 
Reed joined the Panthers towards the end of the 2019 season, after he was dropped by the Panthers. He worked as Carolina’s left guard in 2020, earning a so-so 63.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his 892 snaps. He fared better in 2019 with a 70.3 grade, though that came in a very limited sample of 106 snaps.
Reed joins fellow vets Sam Tevi and Julien Davenport in Indianapolis, providing reinforcements to a group that was battered by injuries last year. Although their starters were among the best in the league, their reserves left something to be desired while tackles Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith were sidelined. Now, they’re without Castonzo altogether following his January retirement.
Cardinals C Rodney Hudson Restructures Contract
The Cardinals have done some work today to open extra cap space. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer writes that center Rodney Hudson has restructured his contract.
[RELATED: Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks Takes Pay Cut]
Arizona traded for Hudson and his hefty $9.9MM cap charge earlier this month, and it always seemed inevitable that the veteran would work with the organization to reduce that number. Balzer notes that $8.8MM of the lineman’s compensation was converted into a signing bonus, thus reducing Hudson’s salary to $1.1MM. The team also added three voidable years to the contract, meaning the new signing bonus can be prorated over five years. As a result, Hudson’s 2021 cap charge was reduced to $2.86MM.
Hudson also had his 2022 workout bonus converted into base salary, increasing that latter number to $10.85MM. As a result, the lineman’s new cap charge is $12.61MM.
Earlier this month, the Cardinals sent a third-round pick to the Raiders for Hudson and a seventh-rounder. He will now join the likes of D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh on a talented offensive line in Arizona. Pro Football Focus graded Hudson as its No. 8 overall center last season, and the veteran has three Pro Bowl appearances on his resume.