Falcons To Sign OLB Lorenzo Carter
Lorenzo Carter posted a lengthy goodbye message to the Giants on Sunday. Less than 24 hours later, the former Day 2 pick has chosen his second NFL employer.
The Falcons are expected to sign him to a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After bouncing back from a 2020 Achilles tear last season, Carter hit the market last week. This will be a homecoming for the ex-Georgia Bulldog, who is an Atlanta native.
The Giants, despite their recent regime change, had Carter on their radar. The rebuilding NFC East squad attempted to re-sign him this weekend, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com adds (via Twitter), but it appears the sides were not on the same page.
The former third-round pick joins a Falcons team that is retooling on the edge. The Falcons just shed their Dante Fowler contract, though they received little from their non-Fowler sect of edge rushers last season. The team’s 18 sacks ranked last in the NFL, by 11, last season. Fowler is now with the Cowboys, reuniting with Dan Quinn.
Carter’s one-year Atlanta agreement will give him a chance at a better 2023 free agency payday while also providing the Falcons exclusive negotiating rights until that point, should Carter prove effective. He finished with a career-high five sacks last season and has 14.5 in his career.
Big Blue is still putting its edge pieces together as well. Azeez Ojulari had a nice rookie season, and 2019 third-round pick Oshane Ximines remains on the roster. But the Giants should be a candidate to select an outside rusher with one of their two top-10 picks.
Ravens Re-Sign Patrick Ricard
The Ravens are keeping one of their most unique and important players on offense. The team announced the re-signing of Patrick Ricard to a three-year deal. 
Ricard, 27, has worn a number of hats during his time in Baltimore. He joined the team as a UDFA in 2017, where he established himself as an increasingly rare two-way player. The six-foot-three, 310-pounder spent time as a rotational defensive linemen, in addition to his now-familiar fullback role.
That trend of playing part-time on both sides of the ball began to change in 2019, when Ricard’s effectiveness as a fullback became more apparent. That was the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances for him at the position, as his role in the team’s offense has progressively increased. In 2021, the Maine product played more than 50% of the Ravens’ offense snaps for the first time, playing exclusively with that unit for the second straight season.
Ricard has also been aligned as a tight end with more regularity in recent years. In addition to his blocking prowess, he has registered 25 catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns over the past three campaigns. Together with traditional TE Nick Boyle, Ricard has played a key role in Baltimore’s rushing success. Given the former’s injury concerns, keeping Ricard in the fold was one of the Ravens’ top offseason priorities.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports (on Twitter) that the contract is expected to average roughly $4MM per season. That figure would rank Ricard second in the league amongst fullbacks, behind only Kyle Juszczyk. Regardless of the exact compensation level, ‘Project Pat’ is set to remain in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.
Patriots To Re-Sign Trent Brown
Trent Brown will be continuing his second stint in New England. The veteran offensive tackle is signing a two-year deal with the Patriots, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). Brown signed
a two-year, $11.5MM deal that offers an additional $10.5MM via incentives. The lineman will receive $4MM in guaranteed money, per Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter).
Brown, who will be 29 at the beginning of next season, returned to New England one year ago when he was traded from the Raiders. That ended a two-year stint in Oakland/Vegas, including the 2019 campaign in which he earned his only Pro Bowl nod.
That time was preceded by a single year spent with the Patriots, where he served as the team’s left tackle all season. Prior to that, he was the starting right tackle for the 49ers, who drafted him in 2015. The six-foot-eight, 380 pounder’s performances have fluctuated over the years, but he has generated notable interest for himself during his career. That was especially true after the 2021 campaign, in which he earned a PFF grade of 78.7.
It was reported last week that the Seahawks were interested in the former seventh-rounder. However, Brown himself made it clear he was still open to staying in New England. With this new deal, he is in line to remain a Patriot for multiple years, unlike his first go-round with the team. His deal is also a reaction to La’el Collins signing with Cincinnati; Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo reports (on Twitter) that New England was among the teams “making a push” for the former Cowboy.
The Patriots have seen two significant losses to their offensive front recently. They lost Ted Karras to the Bengals in free agency, and traded Shaq Mason to the Buccaneers. With Brown under contract, however, they have a familiar face in place to provide some continuity along the o-line.
Panthers Sign Cory Littleton
Cory Littleton has found his third NFL home. The Panthers announced on Sunday that they have signed the veteran linebacker. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds (on Twitter) that the deal is for one year and $2.6MM, with $2MM guaranteed. 
[RELATED: Panthers Re-Sign CB Jackson]
Littleton, 28, started his career with the Rams in 2016. After two seasons playing primarily as a special-teamer, he took on a starting role the following year. Given the new opportunity, he put together two highly productive campaigns, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2018. In his final two years in Los Angeles, the former UDFA totalled 259 tackles and 7.5 sacks.
That production earned the former Washington Huskie a three-year contract worth over $35MM with the Raiders in 2020. However, his deal was re-worked three times during his two seasons with the team. As a result of the complicated financial situation that created – along with his solid, but unspectacular production – Littleton was released earlier this month.
In Carolina, Littleton will reunite with former college teammate Shaq Thompson and provide a veteran presence to an otherwise relatively young defense. Looking to rebuild his value closer to the level it was at two years ago, the short-term deal could give him an opportunity to do just that as the Panthers look to improve a unit which ranked second in the league in terms of yards per game allowed, but just 21st in scoring defense.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/22
Chiefs Re-Sign DT Derrick Nnadi
The Chiefs are bringing back another piece of their defensive front. As his agency announced (on Twitter), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi is re-signing in Kansas City.
[RELATED: DE Clark Staying In KC On Reworked Contract]
Nnadi, who will be 26 by the beginning of next season, was a third round pick of the Chiefs in 2018. In the four seasons spent on his rookie contract, he has started 52 of 64 games, establishing himself as an important piece to the teams’ defensive line. Playing between 448 and 599 defensive snaps each campaign, he has carved out a consistent role on the team.
In 2021, Nnadi recorded 38 tackles and a career-high three sacks. In his career, he has only missed one game, meaning a new deal with the Chiefs should come as no surprise. While his PFF grades have fluctuated greatly during his career, his consistency in terms of availability, workload and production has certainly rubbed off on the Chiefs.
With Nnadi under contract, along with the two biggest pieces of the front seven in Chris Jones and Frank Clark, Kansas City’s defense looks to be capable of replicating its performance as a top-ten scoring unit from last season. For Nnadi personally, he will continue his stay playing a notable role on a team with which he already has a Super Bowl ring.
Chargers To Sign Gerald Everett
The Chargers have added another piece to their offense. The team is signing tight end Gerald Everett, as first reported by his agency and ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that the veteran is getting a two-year, $12MM contract. 
Rapoport further details that the deal includes $8MM in guarantees, and can reach a maximum value of $13.5MM. The move marks a return to Los Angeles, as Everett was drafted by the Rams in 2017. He spent four seasons there, making incremental progress in terms of production each year.
Everett’s consistency earned him another deal in the NFC West. He inked a one-year, $6MM contract with the Seahawks last offseason. He responded by posting career highs in receptions (48), yards (478) and touchdowns (four). That made him a useful secondary piece to the Seahawks’ passing game, and earned him a similarly-valued pact that’s twice as long.
With Everett in place, he will take over from Jared Cook, who posted almost identical numbers to Everett in his lone season with the Chargers last year. While Everett will be slightly more expensive, he should fit in as an effective compliment to wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in Los Angeles’ highly productive passing attack.
Bengals To Sign La’el Collins
Cincinnati’s effort to re-make their offensive line isn’t finished yet. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the team is “finalizing an agreement” with tackle La’el Collins (Twitter link). Jeff Howe and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic report that the contract is a three-year deal.
Collins was scheduled for another free agent visit elsewhere, Garafolo notes, but the Bengals are getting him signed before he could leave their building. The former Cowboy is set to become the third starting-caliber addition to their offensive line, as Cincinnati has already brought in Ted Karras and Alex Cappa.
The 28-year-old was released by Dallas last week, as they undergo some noteworthy changes to their own o-line. Not long after learning he would need to find a new NFL home for the first time in his six-year career, Collins met with the Bengals. While they didn’t immediately come to a new deal – leaving the Dolphins potentially in the mix to add him – they seem to have done so now.
A former UDFA, Collins began his time in Dallas as a guard, but is most well-known as the team’s starting right tackle. He saw steady improvement during his time as a Cowboy, earning higher PFF grades with each passing season. In 2021, he continued that trend by registering a mark of 82, despite having not played the previous campaign.
With Collins in the fold, the Bengals have continued to bolster the unit charged with protecting quarterback Joe Burrow. After ranking among the worst teams in terms of sacks allowed – and seeing each of Burrow’s two seasons in the league end with serious knee injuries – the Bengals made it clear they were going to be aggressive in pursuing upgrades. That has certainly been the case so far.
Collins will likely man his familiar right tackle spot, creating a bookend with former first-rounder Jonah Williams. Those two, along with Karras and Cappa, should represent a marked improvement in what was seen as the teams’ weakest position group. The news could send 2020 sixth round pick Hakeem Adeniji inside to guard, or leave him as depth at the RT spot.
Texans To Re-Sign LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
The Texans are retaining another of their own free agents whose individual 2021 performance outshone that of the team. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the team is re-signing linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill on a one-year, $4MM deal (Twitter link). 
Grugier-Hill, who will be 28 at the start of next season, came to Houston in 2021 on a similar deal to this one. His time in Houston was preceded by four seasons with the Eagles and one with the Dolphins. In the case of both of his former clubs, he saw heavy playing time on special teams, though in Miami in particular he started to show his coverage skills.
With the Texans, Grugier-Hill saw his stated desire of more consistent playing time come to fruition. He started all 14 games he played in, setting career-highs across the board. The former sixth-round pick totalled a team-leading 108 tackles, adding three sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. While his numbers in coverage weren’t as impressive as his background in that aspect of the game suggest they could have been, 2021 was nothing short of a breakout year.
The Grugier-Hill re-signing would mark the third notable move the Texans have made with respect to their LB corps. The team has already re-signed Christian Kirksey and added former Lion Jalen Reeves-Maybin this offseason. With the three of them in the fold, the top of the depth chart at the position appears to be set.
Seahawks To Re-Sign Rashaad Penny
After a late-season surge, running back Rashaad Penny has earned himself a pay raise on his second NFL contract. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (on Twitter) that the team is re-signing him to a one-year, $5.75MM pact. Rapoport adds that the maximum value of the deal is $6.5MM. 
Penny, a first round pick in 2018, put up underwhelming numbers in the first three seasons of his NFL career. He had received only 150 carries in his first two campaigns, totalling 789 rushing yards. In 2020, he was limited to just three contests. After a slow start this past season, though, things changed dramatically for him.
The 26-year-old had single-digit carries in each of his first four games in 2021. That total saw a notable uptick throughout the remainder of the campaign, however, as he gradually took over as Seattle’s lead back. Overall, he registered four games of over 135 rushing yards, including three straight to close out the year. Along the way, he set new career highs in snaps played (253) and carries (119).
On the season, Penny totalled 797 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns. Most notably, his resurgence led him to average 6.3 yards per carry, which topped the NFL. His performance turned around the reputation he had previously established as a disappointing investment with regards to his draft status, while offering reason for optimism in what was otherwise a lost season in Seattle.
In addition to Penny, the Seahawks also have Chris Carson under contract for one more season. His presence makes it noteworthy that Rapoport states Penny “turned down more money elsewhere” to remain in the only NFL home he’s known so far. Seattle also has 2020 fourth rounder DeeJay Dallas in its RB room. With Penny being brought back, they will be able to carry over the same depth chart at the position as they had last year.