Washington Signs WR Adam Humphries
Washington’s push to add Adam Humphries produced a contract agreement Thursday afternoon. The former Buccaneers and Titans wide receiver signed with Washington. It’s a one-year deal.
This will reunite Humphries and Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington’s recently signed quarterback who played with the slot target during his two seasons in Tampa. This move adds another experienced weapon for a Washington receiving corps that entered the offseason with a clear need alongside Terry McLaurin.
Humphries will follow Curtis Samuel to Washington. Although Washington returns a few of its lower-level wideout investments from last season, McLaurin, Samuel and Humphries represent an intriguing trio. Humphries’ Titans contract did not work out, with the team releasing him last month. Humphries is coming off a concussion-marred season. Washington will offer the six-year veteran a bounce-back opportunity, and Fitzpatrick will have a deeper pass-catching corps than he did during his Miami seasons.
A 27-year-old former UDFA, Humphries posted career-high marks in his most recent season with Fitzpatrick. In 2018, Humphries caught 76 passes for 816 yards and five touchdowns. That season also ended with Fitz averaging a historic 9.6 yards per attempt (in seven starts) and ended up securing Humphries a $9MM-AAV contract.
He did not match these numbers over the course of his two-year Titans tenure, but the Clemson alum also exceeded 600 yards during the 2016 and ’17 seasons with the Bucs. If healthy, Humphries provides an interesting weapon for Washington, where he will also join emerging tight end Logan Thomas as inside options for Fitz.
None of Washington’s complementary wideouts surpassed 500 yards in McLaurin’s first two seasons. Samuel and Humphries have combined to exceed 600 five times in their respective careers. These additions stand to help an offense that ranked 32nd in passing two years ago and 25th in 2020.
Jaguars Re-Sign DL Adam Gotsis
One of the Jaguars’ starting defensive linemen from last season will stay with the now-Urban Meyer-coached team. The Jags re-signed Adam Gotsis on Thursday.
Originally a second-round Broncos pick, Gotsis joined the Jaguars after suffering an ACL tear late in his fourth Denver season. He started 14 of the Jags’ 16 games and will stay in Jacksonville for Meyer’s first season in charge.
The veteran D-lineman recorded 37 tackles, three for loss, and four quarterback hits in his first Jaguars season. With the ACL injury now nearly 18 months behind him, the Australian defender stands to be closer to his top form. Pro Football Focus graded Gotsis as a middle-of-the-road edge player last season, slotting him 73rd at that position.
Gotsis worked as a Broncos starting end, in their 3-4 scheme, for much of his four-season Denver tenure. However, he fell out of favor in Vic Fangio‘s defense during the longtime defensive coordinator’s first season in Denver. Gotsis lost his rotation spot in 2019, but he played in all 16 Jaguar games last season and logged 52% of their defensive snaps. Despite the Jags having changed D-coordinators, moving to Joe Cullen, Gotsis still has a spot on their D-line.
Bills Sign RB Matt Breida
Matt Breida will leave the Dolphins but stay in the AFC East. The Bills are signing the four-year veteran running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Breida is expected to sign a one-year deal. The Bills announced the move.
The Dolphins acquired Breida from the 49ers during the 2020 draft but did not receive much production from the elusive back. Breida, however, has rushed for more than 600 yards in multiple seasons — including 814 in 2018 — and is one of the league’s fastest ball carriers. He will join Devin Singletary and Zack Moss in Buffalo.
The 49ers shipped Breida to the Dolphins for a fifth-round pick, but he ended last season with just 254 rushing yards despite having played in 12 games. Miami has since pivoted to former Rams back Malcolm Brown, who will team with Myles Gaskin. The Bills’ backfield suddenly looks crowded, with Breida set to vie for time with recent Day 2 picks.
A former UDFA out of Georgia Southern, Breida played a key role for multiple Kyle Shanahan offenses. He topped five yards per carry in both 2018 and ’19, doing so on 153 carries in 2018. Raheem Mostert ended up usurping Breida in San Francisco, but Breida still helped a 49ers backfield that was without high-end signing Jerick McKinnon for two full seasons. The 26-year-old back will look to re-establish his career in Buffalo.
Buccaneers To Re-Sign OL Josh Wells
Josh Wells is on track to spend another season in Florida. The Buccaneers are re-signing the veteran offensive lineman, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
The former Jaguars tackle agreed to stay with the Bucs on a one-year deal, with Auman adding the agreement will be worth the veteran minimum. Wells will sign for $990K; $500K of this low-end pact is guaranteed (Twitter link via Auman).
Wells has served as a swing tackle during his two seasons in Tampa. He played that role for the Bucs’ Super Bowl champion team, starting one game and playing in 15. Wells, 30, has operated in this capacity for most of his career. The former UDFA topped out at five starts, doing so with the 2018 Jaguars, but has opened with the Bucs’ first-stringers three times in two seasons.
Wells will join a host of free agents that have agreed to stay in Tampa this month, following the likes of Shaquil Barrett, Lavonte David, Rob Gronkowski and Ndamukong Suh. This is not a similar needle-moving agreement, but Wells has provided depth behind the likes of Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs.
Cowboys’ Tyrone Crawford Retires From NFL
Tyrone Crawford has retired from the NFL, head coach Mike McCarthy announced. Crawford, still only 31, has been limited by serious hip injuries on both sides. 
[RELATED: Cowboys To Sign Kearse]
Crawford, a 2012 third-round pick, struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He battled back from a 2013 Achilles tear to deliver a solid 2014 campaign. He notched 37 tackles, three sacks, and four tackles for loss that season, leading to a five-year, $45MM re-up. He kept up the solid work despite positional changes and shoulder injuries, but his damaged hips halted him after from 2019 onward.
Last year, Crawford appeared in all 16 games, but didn’t look like his old self. So, after 25 sacks across eight seasons, one of the Cowboys’ longest-tenured players is calling it a career. We here at PFR wish Crawford the best in retirement.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: TE Darrell Daniels, S Charles Washington
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
Chiefs Re-Sign Demarcus Robinson
The Chiefs have re-signed Demarcus Robinson, according to his agent (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver will return to Kansas City on a one-year deal. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. Last time around, Robinson re-signed with the Chiefs for fully guaranteed $2.297MM that counted for just $1MM against the cap, per the veteran salary benefit.
Splitting WR3 duties with Mecole Hardman, Robinson finished the regular season with 45 grabs for 466 yards and three touchdowns. Now, he seems primed for a larger role with Sammy Watkins exploring other opportunities in free agency. His return gives the Chiefs a core group headlined by Tyreek Hill, Robinson, Hardman, and Byron Pringle.
The Chiefs did lots of shopping before circling back to Robinson. Just last week, they submitted the highest bid for JuJu Smith-Schuster, who ultimately re-signed with the Steelers for less money. T.Y. Hilton and Josh Reynolds were also among the names on their radar.
Cardinals Trade C Mason Cole To Vikings
The Cardinals have traded center Mason Cole to the Vikings, according to Mark Sanchez of ESPN (on Twitter). The news has also been confirmed by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links), who adds that Cole may be shifted to one of the guard spots. 
In exchange for Cole, the Vikings will send a sixth-round pick to Arizona. It’ll be Minnesota’s compensatory pick at the end of the sixth round — the No. 223 overall choice.
Cole, a Michigan product, has appeared in 46 games with 32 starts for the Cardinals. The 2018 third-rounder was first-string 14 times last year, but the advanced metrics didn’t look fondly upon his work. Cole finished out with a 54.4 overall Pro Football Focus grade, ranking him 31st out of 36 qualified centers. After acquiring Rodney Hudson, the Cardinals were no longer in need of Cole’s services.
Cole is slated to make upwards of $2MM in 2021, the final season of his four-year rookie deal. That’s significantly cheaper than, say, Nick Easton, who doesn’t seem all that interested in a Vikings return.
Cardinals Sign Malcolm Butler
The Cardinals have signed Malcolm Butler, per a club announcement. The veteran cornerback heads to Arizona on a one-year deal, giving the Cardinals yet another big-name veteran. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign A.J. Green]
The Titans cut Butler earlier this month to save $10.2MM against the salary cap. Previous to that, they had just $1MM in breathing room. Butler, a one-time Super Bowl hero, spent three seasons with the Titans, but the remainder of his five-year, $61.25MM contract was too much for Tennessee.
Butler, 31, finished 2020 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 corner in the NFL. It was a strong return — he missed much of 2019, but he suited up for all 16 games last year while nabbing four interceptions and 100 total tackles (a new career high). All in all, he posted the lowest yards-per-completion and yards-per-target numbers of his Tennessee tenure.
The loss of Patrick Peterson prompted the Cardinals to seek out cornerback support. Butler should go a long way towards solidifying the position with Byron Murphy in the slot and Robert Alford (if healthy) as the CB2.
Giants Re-Sign LB Devante Downs
Devante Downs will be back in New York for the 2021 season. The Giants announced today that they’ve re-signed the linebacker.
The former seventh-round pick played a limited role with the Vikings during his first season-plus in the NFL, and he only saw a handful of special teams snaps after joining the Giants during the 2019 season. However, he took on a significantly larger role in 2020. The 25-year-old ultimately saw time in 16 games (eight starts), compiling 33 tackles. He saw time on 21-percent of New York’s defensive snaps.
Downs was set to hit restricted free agency following the 2020 season, but he was non-tendered by the organization. These contract machinations didn’t end up meaning all that much, as Downs ultimately landed back in New York.
Downs will surely see a special teams role in 2021, and he’ll compete with the likes of Tae Crowder, Reggie Ragland, and T.J. Brunson for the playing time alongside starting linebacker Blake Martinez.