Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/24
Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: WR Steven Sims
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: WR River Cracraft
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Tyler Hall
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Zeke Turner
Sims was not tendered by the Texans as a restricted free agent, but Houston found a way to bring him back on a new deal regardless. Sims is now five years removed from his rookie year in Washington, in which he caught for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
Vikings Add DE Jihad Ward, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
The Vikings have seen their roster transform drastically over the past couple of weeks. Their efforts to continue building on defense have not stopped yet. Today, Minnesota agreed to deals that bring in defensive end Jihad Ward and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, per Vikings senior editor Craig Peters. 
Ward is an eight-year veteran who was drafted to the Raiders in the second round of the 2016 Draft out of Illinois. While he was never truly able to live up to that second-round draft status, Ward found himself in some solid contributing roles over the past eight seasons.
After starting all but three games as a rookie and failing to register his first NFL sack, Ward needed offseason surgery after a workout injury that would limit him to just one start in five game appearances during his sophomore campaign. He was traded to Dallas in exchange for Ryan Switzer the following offseason but would sign with the Colts practice squad after failing to make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster to start the year.
Since then, Ward has played on one-year contracts that have taken him from Indianapolis to Baltimore to Jacksonville to New York. He’s never quite hit his stride as a consistent starter, though his last two seasons with the Giants saw him start 20 of 34 game appearances. Ward is coming off the most productive time of his career. Over his two seasons with the Giants, he achieved career-highs in total tackles (43), sacks (5.0), tackles for loss (7), quarterback hits (13), passes defensed (4), and forced fumbles (2). In Minnesota, Ward will likely compete with recent signee Jerry Tillery for a starting position opposite Jonathan Bullard. He joins Tillery and Jonah Williams as the third defensive line addition in free agency.
Grugier-Hill is from the same draft class as Ward, getting selected four rounds later by the Patriots. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster as a rookie in New England, Grugier-Hill signed with Philadelphia, where he would spend the first four years of his career. Despite starting 16 of 26 game appearances over his last two years with the Eagles, Grugier-Hill didn’t break out until his 2021 season with the Texans. Over 20 starts for Houston in 2021 and 2022, Grugier-Hill totaled 148 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, four passes defensed, and an interception that he returned for 82 yards.
After leaving Houston, Grugier-Hill took a minor role with the Cardinals before playing the 2023 season with the Panthers. In a rotation role last year, he started five games and finished sixth on the team in tackles with 56. With the Vikings, Grugier-Hill reunites with former Texans teammate Blake Cashman as the two will compete for the starting job next to Ivan Pace.
The transformation in Minnesota continues. With so many key contributors departing and needing to be replaced, the Vikings continue to evaluate and reload. Vikings fans will be learning a lot of new names and faces as they watch a very different-looking Vikings team in 2024.
Bills Sign S Mike Edwards
After forming one of the longest-running safety tandems of the 21st century, the Bills changed course this month. They released Jordan Poyer and have not re-signed Micah Hyde. The team is moving in a younger direction at the position.
Hosting both Julian Blackmon and Mike Edwards this week, the Bills will commit to the latter. Edwards signed with Buffalo on Wednesday, the team announced. It is a one-year contract; the two-time Super Bowl winner is going into his age-28 season.
Edwards became a Chiefs starter following Bryan Cook‘s season-ending injury. This led to Edwards starting the Chiefs’ final five regular-season games and four playoff contests last year. A Buccaneers role player in their Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs, Edwards played nearly all of Kansas City’s defensive snaps in its Super Bowl LVIII conquest. The Chiefs already have Justin Reid tied to a veteran contract. With Cook signed for two more seasons, Edwards will follow Juan Thornhill out of Missouri.
Kansas City turned to Edwards following Thornhill’s Cleveland defection, and Cook’s December injury made the move more important. Pro Football Focus did not grade Edwards well last season, slotting him 82nd among safeties, but he gave the Chiefs full-time work after Cook’s setback turned into a season-ender. The former third-round pick made seven tackles and broke up a pass against the 49ers last month.
For his career, Edwards has made 28 starts and snagged nine interceptions. That counts his pick of Tua Tagovailoa in the playoffs and his two-pick-six game against the Falcons in 2021. The Bills still have Damar Hamlin under contract for one more season, but the team did not use the recovered defender much on defense — undoubtedly leading to Joe Flacco‘s Comeback Player of the Year win — last season. This signing points to Edwards and Rapp becoming a lower-cost safety tandem following the standout run Hyde and Poyer put together. Though, an early- or mid-round draft choice would also make sense given what Buffalo lost here.
This will keep Blackmon on the market. A four-year Colts starter, Blackmon likely set a higher price compared to Edwards. Blackmon joins the likes of Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Eddie Jackson as safety starters still available.
Giants To Re-Sign CB Darnay Holmes
Although Darnay Holmes‘ contract year featured a reduced role, the Giants still have him in their 2024 plans. The Giants are re-signing the veteran cornerback, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
Primarily operating as a slot corner during his rookie contract, Holmes accepted a rare rookie-deal pay cut going into last season and then saw the Giants turn to other options ahead of him in the slot. The former fourth-round pick still held a special teams role, and the Giants will keep him around for potential depth.
[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Tre’Davious White]
After working as the Giants’ primary slot corner in 2022 (572 snaps), Holmes ceded time to 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott last season. Holmes, 25, saw action on just 123 defensive snaps in his contract year. While Darius Slayton was able to bounce back from his rookie-deal pay cut, Holmes could not recapture his role. But the Giants still value him. And they face more questions at corner now.
The team is not expected to re-sign Adoree’ Jackson, who played out a three-year contract. Two years remain on Flott’s rookie contract, though the Giants’ plan of sliding Jackson into the slot and playing Tre Hawkins opposite Deonte Banks did not last long. Jackson returned to a boundary role following Hawkins’ benching.
Holmes, whom Pro Football Focus rated as one of the NFL’s worst CB regulars in 2022, may not be a front-burner option to hold a regular role again. The multiyear regular he will supply some depth as the Giants assemble another crew around Banks.
Browns To Sign RB D’Onta Foreman
As Nick Chubb goes through ACL rehab, the Browns have Kareem Hunt unsigned. The team will still move to add some veteran insurance as ahead of Chubb’s seventh season.
They are signing D’Onta Foreman, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Foreman has bounced around the league over the past three years, but the former third-round pick has remained a key backfield cog in that span. The former Titans, Panthers and Bears contributor is now coming to Cleveland. Foreman will rejoin ex-Panthers RBs coach Duce Staley in Cleveland.
This news comes not too long after it was believed the Browns were leaning against making a notable adjustment to their backfield. But the team has brought in two veteran pieces now. Last week, Cleveland added pass-down back and return specialist Nyheim Hines. Jerome Ford and 2023 trade acquisition Pierre Strong remain under contract, crowding Cleveland’s RB corps.
Out of the NFL for a stretch in the late 2010s, Foreman has taken a lead role in a few backfields since re-emerging. Derrick Henry‘s 2021 foot fracture led to the Titans eventually turning to Foreman as his replacement. The Panthers’ trade of Christian McCaffrey moved Foreman from little-used backup to regular starter. Foreman, 27, did not see the same usage with the Bears. But he started eight games, playing a regular role in a three-headed Chicago backfield.
Not much of a passing-down presence, the 235-pound back profiles as a Chubb backup plan. The Browns used Ford in that role alongside Hunt last season; the team ranked 12th in rushing, seeing Ford total 1,132 scrimmage yards. More competition appears on tap here, though the Browns ideally would have Foreman and Ford jockeying for RB2 work. Chubb has undergone two surgeries, but he and the Browns are expected to discuss an extension soon.
One season — at an $11.78MM base salary — remains on Chubb’s contract, which calls for a $15.8MM cap number. An extension would reduce that figure, but the Browns will presumably want assurances Chubb is on track to full recovery before authorizing such a deal. So far, the perennial Pro Bowler is on course to return. Though, the Browns feeling the need to add Foreman does make this situation one to monitor a bit more closely.
Foreman impressed in Tennessee and Charlotte, helping the Titans stay afloat en route to a No. 1 seed and then nearly pushing a Steve Wilks-led Panthers squad to an unlikely playoff berth. Foreman totaled five 100-yard rushing games as a Panther, despite seeing only 12 carries during McCaffrey’s half-season in Charlotte. He finished with 914 yards that year, which came off a 2021 season in which the Texas alum produced three 100-yard rushing days despite the Titans initially trying Adrian Peterson as their Henry replacement.
Foreman’s effectiveness as a fill-in has not brought much in the way of earnings, but he has continued to generate free agency interest. Accumulating just 29 carries from 2018-20, Foreman has just 552 totes in his career. He should remain fairly fresh as the Browns fortify their Chubb complementary contingent.
Broncos To Sign T Matt Peart
Cameron Fleming played out another one-year Broncos contract, leaving the team’s swing tackle position open. Sean Payton and Co. have identified a candidate for the gig.
Denver is bringing in Matt Peart on a one-year deal, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Peart played out his four-year Giants rookie contract, working mostly as a backup in that span. Although the Broncos have parted with a few high-profile starters this offseason, tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey remain in place.
[RELATED: Garett Bolles Seeking Broncos Extension]
Fleming played the past three seasons with the Broncos. While tackle injuries forced the veteran swingman into action frequently in 2021 and ’22, Bolles and McGlinchey stayed healthy last season. Fleming only made one start, as Bolles played 17 games and McGlinchey 16. Denver’s offensive line was one of the league’s healthiest units, with only one starter — McGlinchey — missing time. The six-year right tackle was only down for one game, representing a bounce-back effort for a Broncos team littered with injuries up front during Nathaniel Hackett‘s brief stint in charge the year prior.
A 2020 third-round pick, Peart won the Giants’ swing job out of training camp last year. He did not see too much time despite the Giants running into an injury spree up front. Despite Andrew Thomas missing time and Evan Neal being down for the second half of the season, Peart made only one start — in Week 18 — during his contract year.
The UConn alum started seven games over the course of his Giants tenure — five in 2021 — but cleared the 150-snap threshold in just one season. A 2022 ACL tear took Peart out of the mix; now two years removed from that injury, he should be in better form compared to last season. The Broncos could be in the mix to draft a potential left tackle heir apparent this year, as Bolles’ contract expires after the 2024 season. For now, however, Peart would be positioned as the team’s swing tackle.
Rams Sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo
MARCH 20: The Rams are giving Garoppolo a one-year deal that includes a $4.5MM base value, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Incentives can move the value of this contract to $12MM, but that will likely depend on whether a Stafford injury gives Garoppolo an opportunity to make starts.
MARCH 15: Jimmy Garoppolo‘s free agency will not last long. Despite receiving a two-game PED suspension, the former 49ers and Raiders starter will land in a popular spot.
The Rams are signing the veteran to back up Matthew Stafford, per the NFL Network’s Peter Schrager and Mike Garafolo. Garoppolo closed last season as a backup but has extensive experience as a starter. Coming from the Kyle Shanahan offense will certainly help Garoppolo here as well. The 32-year-old passer agreed to a one-year deal.
By mid-September of the past six seasons, Garoppolo has been viewed as a starter. He signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal to rejoin Josh McDaniels, but the 10-year QB’s stock has nosedived since. Missing two games due to injury early in the season, Garoppolo wound up on the bench once the Raiders fired McDaniels. He served as Aidan O’Connell‘s backup during the season’s second half but incurred the PED ban early this offseason, giving the Raiders a way to avoid paying out the QB’s 2024 guarantees. Garoppolo became a post-June 1 cut earlier this week.
Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay use schemes derived from the Mike Shanahan-Gary Kubiak system, as both were on Mike Shanahan’s Washington staff in the 2010s. Tweaks have naturally occurred, but this stands to be an easier transition compared to Garoppolo landing in an entirely new offense. He appears all set to replace Carson Wentz as Stafford’s caddy.
The Rams turned to Wentz after a rough Brett Rypien start in Green Bay. Stafford missed much of the 2022 season due to injury but was only down for one game last year — a bounce-back slate for the cannon-armed starter. Wentz, who remained in free agency until November last year, is back on the market.
Garoppolo’s return to McDaniels’ system did not go well; he managed nine interceptions in six starts as Davante Adams fumed. Garoppolo was certainly much better under Shanahan, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt and guiding the team to two NFC championship games and Super Bowl LIV. QBR placed Garoppolo 16th in 2022 — prior to his broken foot introducing the NFL to Brock Purdy — and slotted him in 13th and 12th, respectively, in 2021 and 2019.
This will still be an interesting switch for Garoppolo, who faced the Rams many times as the 49ers’ starter. Garoppolo went 8-0 against Los Angeles in the regular season, but McVay’s team reversed the trend in the ’21 NFC decider.
After using John Wolford as his primary backup for four years, McVay provided an interesting chapter in Baker Mayfield‘s career. The five-game Rams cameo helped the former No. 1 pick finish the 2022 season on a better note, and McVay also went the veteran route with Wentz. This pattern will continue with Garoppolo, who played effectively when Trey Lance went down early in the ’22 season. Given Stafford’s run of injuries — maladies he has largely played through — Garoppolo will play an important role in L.A.
Browns, WR Jerry Jeudy Agree On Extension
Barely a week after agreeing to acquire Jerry Jeudy via trade, the Browns are investing in the former Broncos first-round pick. Jeudy and the Browns have an extension in place, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.
Jeudy agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $58MM, with NFL.com adding $41MM is guaranteed at signing. While the 2020 first-round pick has not delivered a consistent career to date, the Browns are betting much of that is due to the Broncos’ issues at quarterback. As they are set to pair Jeudy with Amari Cooper, the younger receiver’s deal will now run through 2027.
The Browns already restructured Jeudy’s contract, adding void years to drop his 2024 cap number from $12.99MM to $3.5MM. This extension will help the team on that front, as the void years ran through 2028 on that simple restructure. This deal will check in south of $20MM per year, and it could come in closer to $15MM per year than the $20MM AAV Cooper is tied to. Jeudy is five years younger than the Browns’ other Alabama alum at wide receiver. With Cooper’s Cowboys-constructed contract expiring after the 2024 season, the team has a commitment in place with its WR2.
While it will be worth monitoring if Cooper makes his contract an issue after delivering back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, the Browns will not make Jeudy prove it in their system before paying him. Jeudy’s next 1,000-yard season will be his first, but the John Elway-era Broncos draftee is now tied to a guarantee that matches what the Colts just gave Michael Pittman Jr. The $41MM fully guarantee is tied for fifth among wideouts, with Deebo Samuel also fetching that at signing on his three-year deal.
Cleveland eyed Jeudy in a trade last year, but Denver’s price was too high. The Browns pivoted to Elijah Moore, who ended up costing far more than Jeudy in a trade despite the ex-Jets second-rounder’s inferior production. It cost the Browns only fifth- and sixth-round picks to obtain a depressed asset from the Broncos, who are set to give Marvin Mims more time in Sean Payton‘s offense. The Broncos picked up Courtland Sutton‘s $2MM injury guarantee Monday and kept Tim Patrick on a substantial pay cut. Jeudy became expendable in Payton’s offense, and given his inconsistency last season, it was not surprising to see the Broncos bail despite the lower-end return.
Jeudy, who will turn 25 next month, has shown himself to be a shifty route runner capable of creating space. He impressed down the stretch of a shockingly poor 2022 Broncos season, closing the campaign with 972 receiving yards. The Broncos then set a first-round pick as their preferred Jeudy return in 2023. Although an offer including third- and fifth-rounders emerged at the deadline, Denver held on amid what became a five-game win streak. But Jeudy did not play a major role in that streak, seeing Sutton re-emerge as the team’s No. 1 target during Russell Wilson‘s second and final season at the controls. Jeudy did finish with 758 yards last season, but he took an undeniable step back.
Moore posted 640 yards last season, while David Njoku delivered a career-best slate (882 yards) alongside Cooper. Joe Flacco enabled much of this production, but the Browns moved on from the reigning Comeback Player of the Year, who is now with the Colts. They will expect Jeudy to form a connection with Deshaun Watson, whose outlier contract runs through 2026.
Jeudy was unable to become the player the Broncos wanted, as they cycled through quarterbacks. The Browns are betting on the former No. 15 overall pick to unlock another level with Watson, who has certainly not shown the form the team envisioned when it traded three first-round picks for him in 2022.
Bengals To Sign T Trent Brown
In need at right tackle following Jonah Williams‘ Cardinals signing, the Bengals are bringing in a longtime starter who has extensive experience on both sides of the line.
Trent Brown will leave New England for Cincinnati, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who notes the recent Patriots left tackle starter is joining the Bengals on a one-year deal. The nine-year veteran is in Cincinnati on a visit Tuesday.
This could be a high-upside move for the Bengals. Though, the one-year deal is logical due to the high-variance nature of the 6-foot-8 blocker’s career. Brown, 31 next month, has played well when available. But the veteran tackle has run into various health issues throughout his career. This includes a run of absences last season.
Brown’s age-30 season included a No. 11 grade among tackles from Pro Football Focus and the second-best mark at the position in one-on-one situations, per Next Gen Stats. Brown also found himself in one-on-one assignments 88.3% of the time, which checked in as the most at the position. He also missed six games and only started eight in 2023, which continued a pattern of unavailability during the talented tackle’s career.
The Patriots reacquired Brown from the Raiders in 2021, after his then-record right tackle deal did not pan out. Although Brown made the Pro Bowl in 2019, he missed five games. A COVID-19 contraction then introduced complications in 2020, leading to just five Brown starts. The Pats, who had turned to Brown as their starting left tackle during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, moved him to the right side in 2021. The team, however, slid Brown back to LT upon re-signing him in 2022. Over his career, the 49ers draftee has worked as a right tackle starter in five seasons and a left-side starter in three.
The Bengals will ask the 370-pound O-lineman to give it a go on the right side once again, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, as Orlando Brown Jr. is entrenched on Joe Burrow‘s blindside. The team moved Williams to RT during the 2023 offseason, as a trade request followed. Williams played out his contract year but left to join the Cards on a two-year, $30MM agreement. In Brown, the Bengals are acquiring a higher-ceiling blocker but one whose career has brought speedbumps.
In addition to the Patriots included weight clauses in Brown’s past two contracts, they were believed to be frustrated with Brown’s inability to stay on the field. Brown missed eight games in 2021 but did suit up for all 17 games in ’22. Ankle and knee injuries hampered the Pats’ starting left tackle last year, and internal frustration with the big-bodied blocker developed within the building. The Patriots removed Brown from their injury report late last season but made him a healthy scratch. Brown did not start after Week 13 of last season and was inactive over the Pats’ final two games.
This signing could still precede the Bengals drafting a longer-term solution soon, but Brown appears positioned as the favorite to start on the right side. The Bengals still roster D’Ante Smith and Jackson Carman, but Brown (93 starts) a two-Brown O-line — so long as the larger of the two Browns is healthy — is probably the plan as of now. Should Trent Brown stay healthy, this would be one of the largest tackle tandems in NFL history, with Orlando Brown Jr. going 6-8, 345.
Ravens To Sign LB Chris Board
Chris Board is heading back to where he started his NFL career. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports that the free agent linebacker is signing with the Ravens.
The 2018 UDFA out of North Dakota State got his NFL start with the Ravens in 2018. He only missed a pair of regular season games during his four years in Baltimore, transforming into one of the team’s top special teams aces. Board also got a look on defense during his final two seasons with the Ravens, compiling 72 tackles and 2.5 sacks between those two campaigns.
Board spent the 2022 season with the Lions, serving in a similar role to his final years in Baltimore. He reverted back to just a special teams role with the Patriots in 2023. In 17 games in New England, Board got into only a single defensive snap, although he did log a career-high 407 ST snaps.
As Ryan Mink of the Ravens website points out, Baltimore has been in the hunt for a player like Board since they lost Del’Shawn Phillips in free agency. Phillips got into 81 defensive snaps this past season but played on a career-high 375 special teams snaps. Board will likely see a similar role in 2024 as an inside linebackers option behind Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, and recent re-signee Malik Harrison.