Lions Sign LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is headed back to the 313. After spending the first five years of his career in Detroit, Reeves-Maybin will return to the Lions after a one-year stint in Houston, according to his agent Brian McLaughlin’s Twitter account. 
When the 28-year-old was last in Detroit, he left an up-and-down tenure with the team as a starter. He failed to continue that role in Houston, as he was mainly relegated to special teams duty with the Texans. Reeves-Maybin found himself playing fewer defensive snaps than starters Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris. After that, linebackers Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jake Hansen, Blake Cashman, and Garret Wallow all finished with more defensive playing time than Reeves-Maybin.
Reeves-Maybin was released to little surprise. The two-year, $7.5MM contract that he earned after his strong year with the Lions became much too cumbersome to the Texans for a special teamer. Reeves-Maybin was due for a $4.25MM cap hit in 2023, and Houston was willing to eat $2MM in dead money for the $2.25MM in cap savings it got from cutting him.
Reeves-Maybin should be excited about the move back up north, as should his new and former head coach Dan Campbell, who had this to say about Reeves-Maybin following his initial departure from Detroit, “I know he missed a couple of games here due to injury, but when he’s been out there on defense and on special teams, he just, he makes plays. He’s a football player, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Both parties should be happy as they’re both receiving some benefit out of the reunion. Campbell was able to retain his top linebacker from 2022, Alex Anzalone, under a new three-year deal and returns rookie starter Malcolm Rodriguez, as well, but the team lost Chris Board in free agency to New England. Board played a similar role in Detroit to what Reeves-Maybin did in Houston, playing sparingly on defense but contributing largely on special teams. With Reeves-Maybin, Campbell has the hard-working, reliable linebacker on special teams that he lost in Board.
Reeves-Maybin benefits by moving back to the last team and head coach who gave him an extended starting opportunity. If Campbell’s last impression of Reeves-Maybin still holds true, Reeves-Maybin may find himself solidifying the third linebacker position behind Anzalone and Rodriguez.
Cowboys Re-Sign DE Takk McKinley, Add LS Trent Sieg
After announcing the return of pass rusher Dante Fowler earlier today, the Cowboys announced the re-signing of Fowler’s former teammate and fellow former first-round pick Takkarist McKinley, according to Michael Gehlken of Dallas Morning News. McKinley signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad late last year after getting cut from the Rams. 
The 27-year-old has had quite the fall from grace since his rookie and sophomore seasons that saw him tally six and seven sacks, respectively. He followed that up in 2019 with a 13-start season that returned a disappointing 3.5 sacks. After that, trade rumors began to circle as the Falcons declined McKinley’s fifth-year option. This eventually lead to Atlanta waiving their former first-round pick midseason.
McKinley bounced around several times due to initial interest followed by health questions. The Bengals and 49ers both claimed the young pass rusher, waiving him shortly after when he failed his physicals. He finally landed with the Raiders but was put on injured reserve before he could see the field. He would finally see the field again with the Browns who signed him to a one-year deal after the expiration of his rookie contract. His season came to an end early, though, after a torn Achilles tendon.
After failing to find a new team in the offseason, McKinley signed to the Titans’ practice squad before the Rams signed him away from Tennessee and onto their active roster. After four games with the Rams, McKinley was released again, leading him to sign with the Cowboys. The Cowboys will give him a new chance to make the roster this summer after he failed to do so in his ten weeks on their practice squad last year.
Dallas also signed a new long snapper, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. After the departure of Jake McQuaide to Detroit, the Cowboys have opted to replace him with former Raiders long snapper Trent Sieg. Archer further reports that Sieg’s contract is a one-year, $1.23MM deal including a $152,500 signing bonus and a base salary of $1.08MM, $250,000 of which is guaranteed. He’ll count for $940,000 against the 2023 salary cap, since his deal is a veteran salary benefit contract.
Foster Moreau Stepping Away From Football
Former Raiders tight end Foster Moreau has made the decision to step away from the game of football for the time being, according to the 25-year-old’s Twitter account. As a free agent, Moreau has been visiting NFL franchises in search of his next home, meeting with the Bengals last week. 
During Moreau’s most recent visit in New Orleans, the Saints medical staff discovered that Moreau currently has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of blood and immune system cancer. The Saints have now twice uncovered serious medical issues in routine physicals, the first dating back to 2017 when the team uncovered an aortic aneurysm in long snapper Jon Dorenbos.
Since 2018, we’ve seen players like Andre Hal, James Conner, and Eric Berry suffer from the same ailment. Hal was able to return to the field in the same year as his diagnosis, but he retired at the young age of 26. Berry and Conner both returned to have extended careers in the NFL after overcoming the cancer, with Conner still playing football to this day.
The Raiders drafted Moreau in the 2019 fourth round, and he played a sidekick role to Darren Waller during much of his career. Over the past two seasons, as Waller’s injuries piled up, Moreau became a regular pass-catching presence for the team. During the 2021 Raiders squad’s late-season run to the playoffs, Moreau hit or topped 50 receiving yards in three of the team’s final four games to help secure the unexpected postseason berth. He established new career-high marks in receptions (33) and yards (420), as he filled in for Waller in 2022.
Moreau’s free agency will be put on hold for now. The four-year veteran has the best wishes of PFR and our staff.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/22/23
Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DE Michael Dogbe, DT Henry Mondeaux
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: CB Kemon Hall, K Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Michael Hoecht
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Troy Reeder
- Re-signed: FB C.J. Ham
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Austin Bryant
Falcons Re-Sign T Germain Ifedi
The Falcons have agreed to a new deal with veteran offensive tackle Germain Ifedi, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Ifedi signed a one-year deal to remain in Atlanta as a quality depth piece for the offensive line. 
Ifedi signed with the Falcons last year at the end of a two-year stint in Chicago. Ifedi was coming off a knee injury that had landed him on injured reserve for most of his last season with the Bears. He had started 2021 as a starter in Chicago, but shortly after his return from IR, Ifedi found himself on the bench to end the season.
He picked up in Atlanta where he had left off in Chicago. Ifedi had started all 60 games he appeared in with his original team in Seattle at either right guard or right tackle. When he got to Atlanta, the Falcons had pretty much solidified their starters at both positions with Chris Lindstrom at guard and Kaleb McGary at tackle. Because of their presence, Ifedi found himself playing mostly on special teams and coming off the bench if playing on offense at all.
Lindstrom and McGary were both set to hit the free agent market after contract years, and both players had career seasons last year. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McGary graded out as the fourth-best tackle in the NFL last year. While that’s hard to beat, Lindstrom did just that, not only grading as the league’s best guard in 2022 but ending the season with the highest offensive grade of any lineman in the NFL. This resulted in both players getting new contracts with McGary on a new three-year deal and Lindstrom signing a five-year extension.
With those two remaining in place, Ifedi is expected to reprise his role from last season. Expect Ifedi to provide the Falcons with a special teams lineman and an experienced veteran ready to fill in for Lindstrom or McGary at a moment’s notice.
Seahawks, LB Devin Bush Agree To Deal; Team Still In Play For Bobby Wagner?
MARCH 22: Bush’s one-year deal is worth $3.5MM, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson (on Twitter). The former top-10 pick will receive the bulk of the money ($2.99MM) guaranteed.
MARCH 17: The Seahawks hosted a few players on free agency visits Thursday. Devin Bush stood out to the team, and the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reports the veteran linebacker agreed to a deal.
A former top-10 Steelers draftee, Bush joined Julian Love and Lonnie Johnson on Seattle visits. GM John Schneider had recently said the inside linebacker position was an area of concern for the team, and Bush will be en route to help address it. This late-night agreement is a one-year pact, per Condotta.
Although Bush started 48 games during his Steelers rookie-contract years, this agreement will double as a flier. Pittsburgh reduced the former No. 10 overall pick’s playing time last season and revamped its inside linebacker group this week. Bush will also join a team that has seen some movement at the position. Seahawks 2022 starter Cody Barton signed with the Commanders.
The Steelers held high hopes for Bush. They traded up 10 spots with the Broncos, who drafted current Seahawks tight end Noah Fant at No. 20, in 2019. That move marked the first time Pittsburgh had moved up in Round 1 since selecting Troy Polamalu in 2003. Bush racked up stats as a rookie (109 tackles, nine TFLs, two INTs, four fumbles recoveries) but saw a 2020 ACL tear blunt his momentum. Over the past two years, the Michigan product ended up playing his way out of Pittsburgh.
Pro Football Focus graded Bush as a bottom-tier linebacker in 2021, as he struggled to return to form. While the advanced metrics site ranked the young defender just outside the top 50 at linebacker last season, the Steelers used him on career-low 62% of their defensive snaps. The team did not pick up Bush’s fifth-year option in 2022, sending him to this year’s market.
But Bush, he of a 4.43-second 40-yard dash time back in 2019, does not turn 25 until this summer and could become an important cog for the 2023 Seahawks. Barton is gone, and top linebacker Jordyn Brooks is recovering from an ACL tear sustained in January. The former first-round pick will be a candidate to the start the season on the reserve/PUP list.
The Seahawks have also been linked to a reunion with Bobby Wagner. The recent Rams cap casualty should still be expected to reside on the radar for a Seattle return, Condotta adds. Schneider and Pete Carroll have spoken with Wagner about a possible return, despite the team releasing him on the same day it traded Russell Wilson last year. Wagner asked for his Rams release, seeking to join a team in better position to contend in 2023. Despite the NFC West rivals’ statuses going into last season, the Seahawks suddenly look to be in a better contention spot. If Brooks is not back to start the season, the Seahawks will almost definitely need to make another starter-level linebacker addition.
Raiders, TE Austin Hooper Agree To Terms
The Raiders met with Austin Hooper on Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), and he will join the Silver and Black. The sides agreed on terms, The Score’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
Hooper has bounced around the league; he spent 2022 with the Titans. The Raiders will be his fourth NFL team. The former Falcons, Browns and Titans tight end will sign a one-year deal worth $2.75MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The deal can max out at $3.5MM, but the Raiders will save quite a bit by making a Darren Waller-to-Hooper pivot.
Going from Waller to Hooper, 28, represents an obvious downgrade in athleticism, Hooper’s two Pro Bowls (as an alternate) aside. Hooper did finish last season with 41 receptions for 444 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the Titans’ passing game sinking toward the bottom of the league, Hooper totaled the most receiving yards since his Falcons days. Waller is one of just eight tight ends in NFL history to post multiple 1,100-yard receiving seasons, though he has not done so since 2020.
Before George Kittle‘s second contract and Travis Kelce‘s third moved the tight end market north from its stagnant place during Rob Gronkowski‘s Patriots-friendly agreement, the Browns made Hooper the league’s highest-paid tight end. Hooper landed a four-year, $42MM deal with Cleveland in 2020 but could not live up to it. Working alongside David Njoku, Hooper topped out at 435 receiving yards in a season during his Cleveland stay. The Browns bailed on the deal, designating Hooper as a post-June 1 cut, in 2022.
The Raiders gave Waller a $17MM-per-year pact, which, for AAV purposes, became the new tight end standard in September. But Waller battled a lingering hamstring injury that sidelined him for eight games last season. In 2021, the talented tight end missed six. Some among the Raiders expressed frustration with Waller last season, and the Giants dealt away their Kadarius Toney-obtained third-rounder for the 30-year-old playmaker. The Raiders are moving on, but Hooper should probably not be considered their only offseason addition.
Hooper, who did eclipse 600 receiving yards with Matt Ryan in 2018 and ’19, has also been more available compared to Waller. Hooper has missed one game over the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see how he fits in Josh McDaniels‘ offense; Pro Football Focus rated Hooper as one of the NFL’s worst run-blocking tight ends last season.
Ex-Waller sidekick Foster Moreau remains a free agent, though he met with the Bengals recently. The Raiders will also have the option of taking a tight end in what is believed to be a rich crop of prospects in this year’s draft. But Hooper will provide Jimmy Garoppolo with a veteran presence and will do so at a low cost, which will be important to a team with three eight-figure-per-year wideouts and a running back on the franchise tag.
Jets To Sign WR Mecole Hardman
The Jets’ receiver room has become quite crowded. After bringing in Allen Lazard, the team intends to sign former Chiefs speedster Mecole Hardman, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Thought to be on track for a decent payday, Hardman will settle for a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hardman’s Jets pact can max out at $6.5MM. Equipped with some new information compared to when free agency started, Hardman will join a Jets team expected to make a rather notable quarterback upgrade.
Aaron Rodgers is likely coming to the Jets, which will put Hardman on the opposite path ex-Chiefs teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling traversed when he switched from Rodgers to Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. A former second-round pick drafted during Tyreek Hill‘s second major off-field scandal — when it was not certain if the All-Pro would return to the Chiefs — Hardman teamed with Hill for three seasons and was part of Kansas City’s attack after the elite speed merchant left for Miami.
The Chiefs did not have Hardman’s services for Super Bowl LVII, after he reinjured his groin in the AFC championship game. But he played a key role in helping the team along toward another No. 1 seed. Hardman, 25, never became a surefire No. 2 wideout for the Chiefs, but he showed flashes and remains one of the NFL’s fastest wide receivers. The Chiefs often used the Georgia product in the return game and on gadget plays; he displayed his penchant for gadget success last season, scoring three touchdowns (two rushing) in a blowout of the 49ers.
Hardman proved inconsistent in Kansas City, but he still ripped off three straight 500-plus-yard receiving seasons from 2019-21; this included a 693-yard showing in 2021. The Chiefs have now lost Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster. While Kansas City was planning on letting Hardman walk, the defending champions were hoping to re-sign Smith-Schuster. And they expected Hardman to fare better on the market. Coming off groin surgery, the 5-foot-10 pass catcher did not command a hefty commitment. The Chiefs are planning to carve out a bigger role for Kadarius Toney, and Skyy Moore will likely see his responsibilities increase. But the team remains on the hunt for a higher-profile receiver.
As far as the Jets go, Hardman gives the presumptive Rodgers team five notable wideouts. He joins Lazard, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore. As of now, it seems like one of the holdovers will not be part of Gang Green’s 2023 equation. With the Jets being able to save $10.5MM by cutting Davis in the final year of his contract, the former top-five pick has been the player most often connected to a departure. Though, Moore did request a trade last year. Hardman’s arrival also stands to impede a Jets pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr., who appeared on Rodgers’ wish list. Rodgers has also been connected to wanting Randall Cobb — ahead of what would be a 13th season — to join the Jets.
As it stands, however, the Jets are making big commitments at receiver — something the Packers did not do last year after they let Valdes-Scantling walk and traded Davante Adams. Rodgers is on track to have an array of options, some of which were held back by the Jets’ QB situation last year, to target as he (assuming this trade crosses the goal line) prepares to change cities.
Jaguars To Add RB D’Ernest Johnson
The Browns could well lose their second- and third-string running backs from the past two seasons. While Kareem Hunt remains unsigned, D’Ernest Johnson will change teams.
Johnson is signing a one-year deal with the Jaguars, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns were interested in retaining Johnson, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com adds (on Twitter), but the Florida native will move on after four seasons in Ohio.
Jacksonville has both re-signed its second-stringer from last season — JaMycal Hasty — and now added Johnson as a Travis Etienne backup option. Johnson, 27, did not see much action last season, but injuries to Hunt and Nick Chubb in the past allowed the former Alliance of American Football performer some run in Cleveland. Hunt missing time in 2021 opened the door to a 534-yard Johnson rushing season, leading the Browns to retain him via a one-year, $2.43MM contract in 2022.
With both Chubb and Hunt out for a Thursday-night game against the Broncos in 2021, Johnson displayed his ball-carrying chops to a national audience. The unlikely NFLer powered the Browns to a victory with a 146-yard rushing performance, adding 22 receiving yards during the victory. Johnson also produced a 99-yard game against the Patriots that season and zoomed for 123 against Bengals backups in a meaningless Week 18 contest.
Chubb is signed to a three-year, $36.6MM extension, which runs through the 2024 season. Hunt played out his second Browns contract last season. The team has 2022 fifth-round pick Jerome Ford, along with John Kelly and Nate McCreary on its offseason roster. Ford totaled eight carries last season, which topped Johnson’s four in the Chubb-Hunt attack. While Hunt has long been expected to leave, he is one of the last notable backs still unsigned. The market not producing an early deal for the Cleveland-area native could potentially lead to he and the Browns discussing another partnership.
The Jaguars gave Hasty a two-year, $2.9MM extension earlier this offseason. It should not be expected Johnson’s deal will surpass this by much — if at all. Etienne overtook James Robinson as Jacksonville’s starter early last season, leading the Jags to trade their two-time 1,000-yard rusher to the Jets. Robinson, who made little impact in New York, is now with New England. Two years remain on Etienne’s rookie deal, and the Jags can keep him through 2025 via the fifth-year option.
Browns To Re-Sign LB Anthony Walker
Although Anthony Walker was among the Browns linebackers to suffer a major injury last season, the team will keep him around on another one-year deal.
Walker visited the Commanders earlier this week, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets the veteran off-ball defender will return to the Browns. This will be the third straight offseason in which Walker has signed a one-year deal with the Browns.
The Browns have now come to terms with two of their linebackers coming off significant injuries. They re-signed Sione Takitaki last week as well. Several weeks before Takitaki’s ACL tear, Walker suffered a torn quad tendon. Despite Walker’s previous two deals coming during Joe Woods‘ defensive coordinator tenure, the Browns will see what he looks like in Jim Schwartz‘s defense.
Walker left Indianapolis for Cleveland in 2021, when he signed a one-year deal worth $3MM. In 2022, it cost the Browns $4.25MM to bring Walker back on a one-year accord. A deal in this neighborhood should be expected this time around. Walker is entering his age-28 season. The team also showed interest in bringing back Mack Wilson, but the Patriots signed him last week. Instead, Takitaki and Walker will each attempt to rebound from their injuries in Cleveland.
Cleveland still has top linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on his rookie contract. The 2021 second-round pick cannot be extended until next year. Should the Browns extend Owusu-Koramoah, veteran linebacker money will be scarcer. With the Notre Dame product still in that rookie-deal window, Takitaki and Walker will complement him once again.
Walker suited up for 13 Browns games in 2021, tallying 100-plus tackles (113) for a third time. The ex-Shaquille Leonard sidekick has been a prolific tackler when on the field, but he has missed 18 games over the past two seasons. The injury trouble and a buyer’s market forming at inside linebacker this offseason will suppress Walker’s value.
Deion Jones, whom the Browns traded for last year, remains in free agency, but the team still sports a crowded linebacker room. Cleveland added ex-Indianapolis and Chicago contributor Matthew Adams this week, and Jacob Phillips — the third Browns ‘backer to suffer a season-ending injury in 2022 — remains on the roster as well. Walker saw more action than Takitaki and Phillips when healthy. In 2021, he played 80% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps. Should he prove recovered from the September quad injury, another regular role should await.