Transactions News & Rumors

Cowboys To Sign RB Javonte Williams

March 10th, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:58pm: As it turns out, this signing does look like it will send Dowdle elsewhere. The Williams move is expected to ensure the Cowboys move on from their primary 2024 starter, the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore tweets. Dowdle has spent the past five years with the Cowboys.

6:22pm: The Cowboys took plenty of heat for running back apathy last year. They will attempt to change course early this offseason, as a young starter is coming in on Day 1 of free agency.

Javonte Williams is relocating from Denver to Dallas, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting the former second-round pick will do so on a one-year deal worth $3MM. The contract can max out at $3.5MM.

Although Williams expressed interest in staying with the Broncos, they were not expected to bring him back. After a promising rookie season, Williams suffered ACL and LCL tears during an October 2022 game in Las Vegas. While the North Carolina alum made it back by Week 1 of the ’23 season, he did not quite resemble his previous version. With Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime signed, the Broncos will part ways with a player they traded up for in 2021.

Williams’ rookie season brought 1,219 scrimmage yards, even as he had to share time with Melvin Gordon. That season included Angry Runs recognition for a carry against the Cowboys, a game in which the Broncos upset the favored hosts. Williams’ 111-yard day in Dallas notwithstanding, he saw his role reduced in Denver during Sean Payton’s second season. The bruising runner averaged 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry, respectively, over the past two seasons. He did reach 1,002 scrimmage yards in 2023 and 859 in ’24, but there is a reason the Cowboys have him locked into this modest rate.

Dallas received a decent season from Rico Dowdle, who quickly usurped the re-signed Ezekiel Elliott as the team’s primary rusher. Dowdle is unsigned, and this Williams deal would not seem to impede a reunion. The two would bring complementary skillsets. The Cowboys have shown interest in keeping Dowdle, but it will be interesting to see if a player who can blend a quality season with low mileage can fetch notable offers elsewhere.

Browns To Release DT Dalvin Tomlinson

March 10th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Ely Allen

After making Myles Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL earlier this week, the Browns are making some concessions elsewhere along the defensive line. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Browns have informed veteran defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson that they will be releasing him at the start of the new league year.

Schefter specifies that Tomlinson will be designated as a post-June 1 release by the team for cap purposes. If they didn’t choose to designate him that way, Tomlinson would account for $17.15MM in dead cap for Cleveland, who wouldn’t accumulate any cap savings from the transaction. Instead, as a post-June 1 designated release, Tomlinson will only take up $5.04MM in dead cap, and the Browns will save $6.41MM in cap space by clearing him from the payroll.

Tomlinson has been a full-time starter in the NFL ever since the Vikings drafted him in the second round out of Alabama in 2017. While he doesn’t stuff the stat sheet with sacks (only 19.0 in his career), he’s been plenty disruptive throughout his career, racking up tackles for loss (36) and quarterback hits (67) aplenty. Tomlinson really hangs his hat on being one of the more well-rounded defensive tackles in the league, often seeing his run defense grades as high as his pass rush grades on Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Tomlinson had a decent year in 2024, grading out as the 32nd-best interior defender of 118 players graded by PFF. While that was certainly a strong bounce back from 2023, when he graded 57th (the worst of his career), it still hasn’t been up to par with every other season he’s played with the Giants and Vikings, when he would routinely rank in the top 20. Still, Tomlinson enters free agency as one of the top defensive tackle options available, especially with Milton Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, D.J. Jones, Poona Ford, Jarran Reed, and Tershawn Wharton coming off the board already.

As for the Browns, they’ll likely be looking to fill out their interior defensive line this offseason. Tomlinson will join Maurice Hurst on the free agent market, leaving Shelby Harris as the only returning starter. The team could see last year’s second-round rookie, Michael Hall, step into a bigger role in 2025, but after he only played eight games last season, nothing is certain.

Broncos, LB Dre Greenlaw Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are investing heavily in recent 49ers defensive standouts. Dre Greenlaw will be joining Talanoa Hufanga in Denver, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports.

This agreement ends a six-season Greenlaw stay in San Francisco. Like Hufanga, Greenlaw saw the back end of his Bay Area stay marred by injuries. The Broncos will take a chance on another standout starter (when healthy) and one whose setback played a central role in a Super Bowl outcome.

Greenlaw will join the Broncos on a three-year, $35MM accord, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Despite a seminal Achilles tear in Super Bowl LVIII and barely playing last season, Greenlaw will score a much better deal than he did when he signed a 49ers extension (two years, $16.4MM). In need at linebacker, the Broncos will bet on the form Greenlaw showed alongside Fred Warner.

A strong coverage player before suffering the Achilles injury — one sustained while trotting onto the field during the first half against the Chiefs — Greenlaw combined to make 147 tackles from 2022-23. He and Warner became a top-tier linebacking duo, but injuries have been an issue for Greenlaw beyond that Super Bowl. The former fifth-round find missed 14 games in 2021 due to a groin injury. Last season, Greenlaw did not debut until December; he logged just 30 snaps upon being activated.

While an argument exists Greenlaw’s injury cost the 49ers a championship, a player Pro Football Focus tabbed a top-25 linebacker (ninth in 2022) will attempt to help a Broncos team that lost Cody Barton (to the Titans) earlier today. Denver lost Alex Singleton to an ACL tear in Week 3 of last season, using Barton and special-teamer Justin Strnad as its primary LBs. Strnad is also a free agent, while Singleton is going into an age-31 season coming off a major injury. The Broncos probably are not done at ILB, but Greenlaw profiles as their new centerpiece there.

The Titans, Texans and Cowboys showed preliminary Greenlaw interest, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson, but the Broncos will come out of Day 1 with two ex-49ers bastions.

Patriots To Add WR Mack Hollins

March 10th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin during this year’s free agency period, the Patriots have yet to make their impact wide receiver splash. But they are adding a depth piece to that mix.

Mack Hollins is coming aboard on a two-year deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Hollins’ $8.4MM agreement will reunite him with three-time Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, who had signed him while in charge in Las Vegas.

Perhaps known as much for his shoe skepticism as his on-field work, Hollins has managed to remain a valuable role player for a few teams. The eight-year veteran is coming off a season as a tertiary target in Buffalo but one that managed a regular snap share despite the team giving Curtis Samuel an $8MM-per-year deal and trading for Amari Cooper midseason.

Hollins, 31, logged a 66% snap share with the Bills last season; that beat out Cooper’s (46%) with the team. Hollins also came through on the Bills’ biggest stage, catching three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs. During the regular season, the 6-foot-4 pass catcher totaled 378 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, forming a rapport with Josh Allen. The Bills agreed to terms with Josh Palmer today and still have Samuel under contract. That effectively pointed Hollins and Cooper out of Western New York.

Hollins’ only greater single-season snap share came in 2022, when he suited up for the Raiders in McDaniels’ Las Vegas debut. While McDaniels did not enjoy a successful tenure, the experienced play-caller found good use for Hollins, who finished the ’22 slate with career highs in catches (57) and yards (690). Hollins’ best game that season came against Mike Vrabel’s Titans, when he caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in a two-point Vegas loss.

The Patriots, who pursued a few big-name wideouts last year, still have a hole on their depth chart. A few high-profile receivers remain in free agency — from Cooper to Stefon Diggs to Keenan Allen. The Pats have more to figure out here, but Hollins will supply some depth with scheme familiarity.

Giants To Re-Sign WR Darius Slayton

March 10th, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second time in three offseasons, Darius Slayton has agreed to stay with the Giants. Despite rumors pointing the veteran wide receiver out of New York, he will stay and receive a significant raise.

Slayton is sticking with the Giants on a three-year, $36MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This doubles Slayton’s previous base salary and ensures he will continue to operate in a new role of Malik Nabers sidekick.

The Giants had given Slayton a two-year, $12MM deal in 2023; that came after they took the rare step of slashing his rookie-deal salary in 2022. As was the case heading into that 2023 free agency period, the Giants were expected to lose Slayton. The wideout was aiming to join a contender this offseason, but FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes the Giants and their six-year wideout continued negotiations on an extension into the season. After Big Blue did not trade Slayton at the deadline, the longtime Daniel Jones weapon will again circle back to the team that drafted him.

Four times a 700-plus-yard receiver (and zero clearing 800), Slayton had established himself as a midlevel WR2. But the former fifth-round pick became a nominal No. 1 for Giants teams that had missed on some other WR investments. Slayton, 27, played a lead role in the Giants’ 2022 playoff berth, joining Saquon Barkley as the team’s top skill-position players during a surprise divisional-round season.

Overall, however, Slayton has been tied to below-average offenses. He is now committing to a team that does not have a starting quarterback yet. The Giants hold the No. 3 overall pick and have been linked to both Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. One of the two vets may well be targeting Nabers and Slayton in 2025, but Slayton’s deal will soon tie him to a longer-term prospect — perhaps one taken in this year’s first round.

Neither of Joe Schoen’s Day 2 receiver investments — Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson — have distinguished themselves as a reliable pass catcher, but Slayton has. The Giants will move forward with the Dave Gettleman draftee once again.

Vikings, C Ryan Kelly Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Kelly is leaving Indianapolis after nine seasons. The Pro Bowl center has agreed to terms with the Vikings, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler report.

The nine-year veteran will join the Vikings on a two-year, $18MM deal. Kelly will join a Minnesota O-line housing high-end tackle contracts for Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Kelly will reunite with the GM who drafted him, Ryan Grigson, who is in the Vikings’ front office.

After signing a Colts extension in 2020, Kelly lobbied for a new deal last year. Nothing emerged, as Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart secured third Indianapolis contracts. Kelly played out his four-year, $49.65MM extension and will depart. He was the last position player acquired under Grigson’s GM tenure.

A 2016 first-round pick Kelly was tied to a fifth-year option when he inked his Colts extension. Playing well enough to keep going in Indy — but perhaps not well enough to follow Moore and Stewart with a third contract — that timeline placed Kelly as first-time free agent ahead of an age-32 season. That naturally affected his market this week.

Kelly missed seven games last season — largely due to in-season knee surgery — but has four Pro Bowls and a second-team All-Pro honor on his resume. The longtime Indy Quenton Nelson running mate up front made his most recent Pro Bowl as recently as 2023. Even during an injury-marred 2024, Kelly ranked 10th in pass block win rate. Pro Football Focus slotted him eighth among center regulars in ’23, when the Alabama alum played 17 games.

This signing looks set to displace Garrett Bradbury from his center post. PFF rated Bradbury 23rd and 27th since he re-signed on a three-year deal. Minnesota is bringing in a more proven blocker, and this would stand to end Bradbury’s six-season run as the Vikings’ starting center. The Vikes are likely to cut former second-round pick Ed Ingram. If Minnesota were to release Bradbury, it would save $3.6MM in cap space.

Panthers To Sign DT Tershawn Wharton

March 10th, 2025 at 5:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Carolina is beefing up Derrick Brown‘s supporting cast, it seems. After adding Rams nose tackle Bobby Brown, the Panthers are bringing in a former sidekick of Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton.

Following a production uptick in a contract year, Wharton will cash in big. He is heading to Charlotte on a three-year, $54MM deal that comes with $30MM guaranteed, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. When compared to contracts from last year, Wharton’s deal would rank in the top 14 for what defensive tackles made annually.

Wharton signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Missouri S&T and immediately found his way into the defensive line rotation as a rookie. Over three years with the team, he started just two games, but he got consistent snap shares in every game until tearing his ACL in 2022 after just five games. When his three-year, undrafted deal ran out, Kansas City signed him back on a one-year deal, despite the recent injury. He returned to his normal production and earned another one-year deal, which he played on this year.

In 2024, Wharton surpassed Derrick Nnadi on the depth chart, earning multiple starts in a single season for the first time in his career. With 10 starts in 17 game appearances, Wharton’s production saw an uptick, resulting in career highs in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (7), and quarterback hits (11). Of 118 players graded at the position, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Wharton at 49th. While his run defense left something to be desired, his pass rushing grade ranked 22nd for interior defenders in the league.

Along with the two Browns on the interior, Wharton will now attempt to improve a Panthers defense that finished 32nd in the league in rushing yards allowed and 31st in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed. He’ll also utilize his superior pass rush abilities to improve on a defense whose 32 sacks ranked 29th in the NFL last season.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Dolphins To Sign QB Zach Wilson

March 10th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos reached a pre-free agency deal to retain Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson will relocate once again. The former Jets No. 2 overall pick is joining the Dolphins.

Miami is in agreement with Wilson on a one-year, $6MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The contract could reach $10MM. Wilson will return to the AFC East as a Tua Tagovailoa backup option.

Tagovailoa’s injury trouble has shined a spotlight on the Dolphins’ backup quarterbacks, as the team’s lack of production from this position sank a potential wild-card season. As Miami’s backup brigade struggled to find Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (but not Jonnu Smith), Wilson may well be stepping into an important role. This comes after an effective mid-career redshirt, as the former Jets three-year starter became the Broncos’ third-stringer.

The Jets and Broncos agreed on a trade that split Wilson’s 2024 money, but he fell behind early in a competition for the starting job. Bo Nix distanced himself in that three-way competition, but Stidham beat out Wilson for the QB2 job. Wilson was not expected to stay in Denver, but he has secured a more important role for the ’25 season.

Wilson made 33 starts for the Jets, who benched him on three occasions between the 2022 and ’23 seasons. Although the Jets managed to fare better with Wilson at the controls than Aaron Rodgers, the latter certainly outplayed him. Wilson is a career 57% passer who carries a 23-25 TD-INT ratio to Miami. Averaging just 6.3 yards per pass for his career, the BYU alum does not bring stability to the Dolphins’ backup role.

Miami chose Skylar Thompson over Mike White as its 2024 backup, after White held the role in 2023 (when Tagovailoa stayed healthy). Thompson did not prove up to the job, leading to Tyler Huntley arriving and taking the reins last season, when Tua sustained a concussion and a separate injury. The Dolphins went 2-5 in the games Tua did not finish, and they will roll the dice with Wilson — barring a draft pick being added and quickly usurping the fifth-year vet — next season.

Colts, CB Charvarius Ward Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Ballard‘s January comments about an organizational shift have led to big-ticket investments in outside free agents. While that has not been a Colts staple under the current GM, it has shaped the team’s start of free agency.

After the Colts added Camryn Bynum, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports they have a deal in place with Charvarius Ward. The former Chiefs and 49ers starter is heading to Indianapolis on a three-year deal worth up to $60MM. The seven-year vet will receive $35MM guaranteed, with $20MM of that including a $20MM signing bonus.

The 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir payday pointed Ward out of town, and he indeed is done in San Francisco after three seasons. Ward, 28, helped the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII — a second-team All-Pro season for the talented boundary cornerback — and he was a key part of their top-tier defensive effort in 2022 as well. Last season did not go as well for Ward (or most other 49ers), but he still commanded considerable market interest today.

Intercepting five passes in 2023, Ward broke up an NFL-most 23 that season. Playing for two of this era’s most reliable teams, Ward has played in 17 playoff games. That includes three Super Bowls and six conference championship games. Last season’s 49ers step off the Super Bowl radar brought some potentially concerning Ward developments — during a season in which he also missed five games.

After allowing 56.8% and 54.1% completion rates as the closest defender in 2022 and ’23, Ward yielded 61.5% accuracy last season. This corresponded with a rise in passer rating allowed (116.6 – up from 2023’s 64.5 number). PFF had rated Ward as a top-six corner in both 2022 and ’23, but it dropped him to 93rd during Nick Sorensen’s season in charge. New Colts DC Lou Anarumo faced Ward on a few occasions during the latter’s Kansas City stay, and he certainly appears to believe more quality play will be in store on the former UDFA’s third contract.

Monday will bring a high-end talent to a secondary in need, as Ward joins slot staple Kenny Moore at corner while Bynum will accompany breakout performer Nick Cross at safety. After the Colts dropped to 26th in pass defense last season, Ballard is backing up his talk on adding reinforcements to a largely homegrown roster.

Texans, Darrell Taylor Agree To Deal; Team To Add WR Justin Watson

March 10th, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Texans already have Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter along the edge, but they are bringing in a short-term veteran for depth. Darrell Taylor has agreed to a one-year, $5.25MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rapoport adds Houston also has an agreement in place with Justin Watson. The veteran wideout has plenty of experience as a special teams contributor but he logged a heavy offensive workload in Kansas City this past year in particular. Watson will be able to serve as a complement to Nico Collins and recent trade addition Christian Kirk.

Taylor comes to Houston after a lengthy Seattle stay and a one-season Chicago stopover. For a player who totaled 24.5 sacks over his first five seasons (one of them erased by injury), Taylor is fairly affordable. Although he only collected three last season, Taylor totaled six sacks in his 2021 debut — after a season-nullifying injury in 2020 — and added 9.5 to help the 2022 Seahawks to the playoffs. Taylor added four forced fumbles that season.

After Taylor finished the 2023 season with 5.5 sacks in a part-time role, the Seahawks traded him to a the Bears in a low-end swap that only brought back a 2025 sixth-round pick. Taylor, 28 later this month, did not start any games for the Bears during a rather turbulent season for the NFC North franchise.

A former Buccaneers backup, Watson is relocating after being a tertiary Patrick Mahomes option for a few seasons. As the Chiefs were trying to force Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore into regular roles, the experiments failed and forced the megastar quarterback to lean on other options. Watson posted a career-high 460 yards and three touchdowns that year. He added six catches for 90 yards in the playoffs. During Kansas City’s injury-plagued 2024 season at receiver, Watson came through with 22 catches for 289 yards.

Watson, 29, joins a Texans team that has Tank Dell almost certain to miss much of the 2025 season — after a brutal knee injury in Week 16 at Arrowhead Stadium — and one that may lose Stefon Diggs. Robert Woods is also a free agent.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

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