Giants To Sign QB Tyrod Taylor
The Giants have been looking for a high-level backup for Daniel Jones, and they’ve apparently found one. The team is signing quarterback Tyrod Taylor, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
Taylor is inking a two-year deal worth $11MM and a max value of $17MM, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). The QB will get $8.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The Giants were reportedly in the market for a player who could provide some competition in the QB room, with Mitchell Trubisky among their targets before he landed in Pittsburgh. This logic makes sense; Jones has been inconsistent during his three seasons in the NFL. He went 4-7 as a starter in 2021, and while he completed a career-high 64.3 percent of his passes, he also tossed only 10 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. While the team has committed to Jones for next season, they also want to provide him with some competition.
So, in comes Taylor. The veteran joined the Texans last year, and he ended up getting six starts for his new team. He went 2-4 in these contests, completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 966 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He added another 151 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. There is some familiarity with the QB and the front office; new Giants GM Joe Schoen crossed paths with Taylor when the two were in Buffalo.
While the Texans sound set with Davis Mills as their quarterback in 2022, the team did have some interest in retaining Taylor. We heard earlier this week that Houston was impressed by the QB’s professionalism and ability to mentor the team’s younger quarterbacks.
Panthers To Re-Sign Marquis Haynes
Marquis Haynes will be sticking with the Panthers. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have re-signed the linebacker/defensive end. It’s a two-year deal for Haynes.
Haynes was a fourth-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018, and he’s carved out a role for himself on defense in recent years. While he still doesn’t have a start to his name, Haynes has still appeared in 47 career games, including 32 over the past two seasons.
After finishing with four sacks in 2020, the 28-year-old collected another three sacks to go along with 20 tackles in 2021.
His ability to play both linebacker and defensive end make hims a versatile piece in the Panthers 3-4 defense. He’ll likely continue to play that role in 2022.
49ers DE Dee Ford Reworks Contract
The 49ers have opened up a chunk of cap space. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the 49ers have restructured the contract of defensive end Dee Ford.
Following a trade in 2019, the 49ers inked the pass rusher to a five-year, $87.5MM deal. Last March, he agreed to scale it down to a two-year pact worth $24MM. Today’s move will create $4.96MM in 2022 cap space.
The 49ers traded for Ford during the 2019 offseason and saw him play a key role in their Super Bowl LIV run as a part-timer. Unfortunately, he’s been limited to just 18 regular season games in SF over the last two seasons and change.
The 30-year-old got into six games in 2021, collecting three sacks and four QB hits. However, his season ended on injured reserve with back and neck injuries.
Vikings To Sign LB Jordan Hicks
Not long after being made a Cardinals cap casualty, Jordan Hicks found a new home. The Vikings are signing the veteran linebacker, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
Hicks has agreed to a two-year contract worth $10MM, Caplan adds, noting the deal includes $6.5MM guaranteed. Incentives can take the price up to $12MM. This will be Hicks’ third team; he has played every-down roles for his previous two (Philadelphia and Arizona).
The Cardinals allowed Hicks to seek a trade after they drafted Zaven Collins last year, but the team ended up keeping Hicks in his usual full-time role. Hicks played 97% of the Cards’ defensive snaps last season, starting in all 18 Arizona games. The Cards have drafted off-ball ‘backers in each of the past two first rounds (Collins and Isaiah Simmons), leaving them less needy of a veteran presence like Hicks, who is set for his age-30 season in 2022.
A Super Bowl LII starter with Philly, Hicks has also rebounded from his injury-plagued Eagles tenure. He did not miss a game in three Cardinals seasons. Hicks made 150 tackles in 2019 and surpassed 110 in each of his next two seasons, totaling 29 tackles for loss with Arizona.
The Vikings may be set to use him alongside Eric Kendricks. An eight-year Viking, Anthony Barr is a free agent. Minnesota is also starting over after eight seasons of Mike Zimmer leading its defense. Ed Donatell is now at the controls, and Minnesota is shifting to a 3-4 defense for the first time in decades.
Colts To Sign CB Brandon Facyson
Gus Bradley is the Colts new defensive coordinator, but he’s also helping the front office by recruiting some former players. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the Colts have signed former Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson. It’s a one-year deal for the defensive back.
Following three somewhat anonymous seasons with the Chargers, he caught on with the Raiders practice squad in 2021. He ended up transforming into one of the most dependable members of Bradley’s defense, compiling 55 tackles, 13 passes defended, and one pick in 12 games (nine starts).
Xavier Rhodes remains unsigned, but one of Facyson or Kenny Moore could pick up the slack (alongside Rock Ya-Sin) in the Colts’ secondary.
Texans To Re-Sign DB Desmond King
Desmond King is returning to Houston. The defensive back is re-signing with the Texans, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
King will be signing a two-year deal worth $7MM, per Schefter. The deal contains $3.5MM in guaranteed money.
The defensive back spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers, including a 2018 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod as a cornerback and returner. However, he found himself in and out of the lineup during the 2019 season, and he was ultimately traded to the Titans midway through the 2020 season.
Tennessee let him walk at the end of the year, and King ultimately landed a one-year deal with Houston. He ended up starting a career-high 12 games for the Texans, compiling 93 tackles, six passes defended, and three interceptions.
Steelers To Sign CB Levi Wallace
Levi Wallace is moving from Buffalo to Pittsburgh. The Steelers are adding the four-year veteran cornerback on a two-year deal worth $8MM, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.
This stands to aid a Steelers team that has Joe Haden unattached. While the Steelers gave Haden a second contract, the former first-round pick has now made it to free agency. It is somewhat interesting the Bills are letting Wallace walk for this price. The team will need to replace a four-year starter.
Despite entering the NFL as a UDFA, Wallace worked as a Bills first-stringer throughout his career. He played in all 19 Buffalo games this past season. The Alabama product should be expected to start for the Steelers next season. The Steelers reupped Cameron Sutton last year and used him as a full-time starter. He and Wallace represent a low-cost tandem, by 2022 cornerback standards.
Wallace, 26, has six career interceptions. More became asked of him last season, when Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending injury on Thanksgiving night. While Buffalo’s secondary did not hold up well to close out the team’s infamous loss in Kansas City, the Bills did rank first defensively in the regular season. The 6-foot Wallace finished the regular season with his lowest figure for passer rating against (72.6).
Not typically big on unrestricted free agency, the Steelers have been fairly active this week. In addition to the Mitchell Trubisky addition, Pittsburgh has agreed to terms with James Daniels and now with Wallace. The Steelers also re-signed tackle Chukwuma Okorafor for nearly eight figures per year.
Falcons Release Tyeler Davison
The Falcons have made a cost-cutting move along the defensive front. The team announced that they have released defensive tackle Tyeler Davison. 
The move incurs a dead cap charge of roughly $1.2MM, but creates just under $3.7MM in savings. The 29-year-old was a fifth round pick of the Saints in 2015. He spent his first four seasons in New Orleans, then went to the rival Falcons on a one-year deal in 2019.
That contract was followed up by a three-year, $12MM deal with Atlanta one season later. He accepted a pay cut in year two of the pact, a sign that the team may have been willing to cut ties, as they have now done. In 2021, he registered 30 tackles in 12 games.
Most notably for Davison, his playing time decreased significantly as the year wore on. He was on the field for a career-low 358 snaps, which represented just 43% of the team’s defensive plays. Playing time was opened up for Anthony Rush at the position.
The move is the second such one for the Falcons’ front seven, as last month, the team parted ways with edge rusher Dante Fowler. Neither move should be considered surprising, given the fact that Atlanta ranked 27 in the league against the run (132 yards per game) and last in sacks (17).
Chargers To Release T Bryan Bulaga
Bryan Bulaga did not hold up for long with the Chargers last season, playing in just one game. He is now back in free agency. The Bolts are releasing the veteran tackle, via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
This move will save $10.7MM for the Chargers, who entered free agency among the leaders in cap space. The Bolts have already been busy bolstering their defense, headlined by the additions of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson. The team’s cap-space figure bumps back up beyond $20MM with the news of the Bulaga release.
The longtime Packers right tackle signed a three-year, $30MM contract with the Chargers in 2020 to be their right-edge protector. He ended up missing six games in 2020 and 16 last season, making this cut widely expected.
The Chargers used Storm Norton as their replacement right tackle. Norton remains under contract, but it would not surprise if Los Angeles attempted to upgrade. The team also has a hole at right guard, where Oday Aboushi and Michael Schofield are free agents.
Bulaga’s career is at a crossroads after this Bolts decision. He will turn 33 next week and has now missed more than 10 games in three seasons — 2013, 2017 and 2021. The former first-round pick underwent core muscle surgery in October. The Iowa product has made 122 career starts, breaking in for Green Bay’s Super Bowl-winning team as a rookie in 2010 and signing an extension to stay with the Packers in 2015.
Texans To Re-Sign TE Pharaoh Brown
The Texans continue to bring back some of their in-house players. The team is re-signing tight end Pharaoh Brown on a one-year deal worth up to $4MM (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson adds that $3MM of the total is fully guaranteed, while playing time incentives give the deal its potential value of $4MM (Twitter link). If Brown can reach the maximum, he would double his earnings from last season.
The 27-year-old joined the Raiders as a UDFA in 2017. He then spent one season with his hometown Cleveland Browns, though he recorded just two catches. He has spent the last two years in Houston, where his production has seen a notable increase.
In 28 games with the Texans (including 21 starts), Brown has posted 37 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns. By keeping him in the fold, the Texans are obviously pleased with the steps forward he has taken during his time with them.
Houston should still have enough cap room to make more moves, either by way of retaining more of their promising players from last season, or outside additions such as that of M.J. Stewart made earlier today.