OL Notes: Becton, Texans, Smith, Jags, Rams
The Eagles‘ Mekhi Becton signing proved to be a highly effective one. The former Jets tackle was able to have success upon moving inside, and he helped his market after playing on a $2.75MM ‘prove it’ contract in 2024.
Becton’s preference would be to remain in Philadelphia, but he is of course an attractive option to teams eyeing upgrades up front. PFR’s No. 22 free agent in 2025 could look to capitalize on the strength of the guard market, which saw the likes of Robert Hunt, Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson, Damien Lewis and Jon Runyan Jr sign deals averaging eight figures per year in free agency. Becton will likely not be able to match many of their earnings, but an Eagles departure could still be looming.
ESPN’s Tim McManus reports there has not been tangible progress between team and player to work out a re-signing in this case. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is among those who would like to see Becton, entering his age-26 season, brought back. As the Eagles move forward with a line already featuring four lucrative deals, though, keeping him in place may not be possible.
Here are some offensive line notes from around the league:
- The Eagles, of course, have a deal in place to add a guard in the form of Kenyon Green. The former Texans first-rounder is one of three O-linemen the team is moving on from as part of its offseason plans. Veteran Shaq Mason was recently released, while left tackle Laremy Tunsil is on his way to the Commanders. The offensive line group increasingly became a problem in Houston last season, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes. Tunsil is respected in the organization, Breer adds, but making sweeping changes up front this offseason allowed the Texans to avoid a third lucrative commitment to the 30-year-old. Houston will look for a noticeably different combination and a new culture along the O-line in 2025.
- Colts general manager Chris Ballard said at the Combine right tackle Braden Smith intended to continue playing in 2025. That will indeed be the case, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reporting an agreement has been reached on a restructured contract. The pact will pay out a $2MM roster bonus next week in addition to a $3.96MM base salary, per Over the Cap. Smith, 29 later this month, has served as a full-time starter since his arrival in 2018 but he missed the last five games of the 2024 campaign due to an undisclosed personal matter. He will still be a free agent next spring as things stand, but Smith’s return (at a cap charge of $10.4MM) will be welcomed on a Colts O-line which is set to lose Ryan Kelly and Will Fries after they both agreed to Vikings deals this week.
- The Ravens managed to take care of one of their most important offseason priorities with the re-signing of left tackle Ronnie Stanley. That three-year, $60MM deal features $44MM in guarantees. The latter figure includes a $20.25MM signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 details. Stanley has dealt with several injuries in his career, but this latest pact guarantees $22MM in pay for 2025 and ’26, according to Over the Cap. The two-time Pro Bowler is also scheduled to collect a $4.04MM option bonus next March.
- Prior to the Stanley deal, Alaric Jackson agreed to a three-year pact to remain with the Rams. The deal can reach a maximum value of $60.75MM and includes $35.43MM in guarantees, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes. $30MM is fully guaranteed at signing, with most of Jackson’s compensation over the next two years locked in. $1.45MM in per-game roster bonuses are present in every year of the deal, and a $5.43MM injury guarantee will shift to a full one if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league year.
- Patrick Mekari parlayed his Ravens tenure into a three-year Jaguars contract at the outset of the negotiating period. That pact features $22.5MM in guarantees, including a $10MM signing bonus, per Wilson. The former UDFA has $10.5MM in 2026 salary locked in for injury, and remaining on the roster early in the 2026 league year will lead to further guarantees. Per-game roster bonuses totaling nearly $30K along with a $500K Pro Bowl incentive are present in every year of the deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/25
Here are the minor moves from the first day of the 2025 league year:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Mike Ford, OL Kyle Hinton, DL Ta’Quon Graham, OL Elijah Wilkinson, LB Josh Woods
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Jake Hummel, WR Tylan Wallace
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Dan Chisena
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DE Cameron Sample
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Jack Sanborn
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Craig Reynolds, LB Grant Stuard
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Casey Toohill
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Neville Gallimore, OL Danny Pinter
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DB Tavierre Thomas
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Jaylinn Hawkins
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
New York Jets
- Signed: DE Rashad Weaver
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Ben VanSumeren
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Tre Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: QB Kyle Trask
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Blake Hance
Washington Commanders
- Signed: CB Kevon Seymour
Yes, a few of these players have graduated from our minor-moves sector, but today’s signing blitz being what it was, they land here. Ford highlights the batch contractually, agreeing (per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to a two-year, $4MM deal. Ford played on more than 70% of Cleveland’s special teams snaps over the past two seasons.
Trask will reprise his role as Baker Mayfield‘s backup, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating the former second-round pick is staying on a one-year, $2.79MM contract. Trask and Mayfield competed for the job in 2023, but as was the case with the Drew Lock–Geno Smith battle a year prior, the winner never looked back. Trask will be in place for a fifth Bucs season, having moved from third-stringer during the Tom Brady era to QB2 in the Mayfield years.
Hawkins will stay with the Patriots on a two-year deal worth up to $2.2MM, according to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. A 2022 full-time Falcons starter, Hawkins saw Jessie Bates replace him in 2023. The Falcons later waived Hawkins, who ended up on the Chargers in 2023. The Pats used him as a seven-game starter in 2024, when he made 48 tackles (three for loss).
Eagles To Trade C.J. Gardner-Johnson To Texans For Kenyon Green
The Texans’ efforts to renovate their offensive line continue. The team has a trade agreement in place to send guard Kenyon Green to the Eagles, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. Houston is receiving defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in return. In total, the swap consists of Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for Gardner-Johnson and a sixth-rounder next year. 
Houston swung a trade with the Commanders yesterday which will see left tackle Laremy Tunsil head to Washington. That move – coupled with the previous release of guard Shaq Mason – leaves the team with several question marks up front. Improving their pass protection was seen as a major priority for the Texans, and general manager Nick Caserio is making a slew of changes to the unit in the hopes of taking a step forward in 2025.
Gardner-Johnson, meanwhile, is entering his seventh year in the league and the Texans will mark his fourth team. The former Saints draftee was traded to the Eagles in 2022, and he played a key role in Philadelphia’s run to the Super Bowl with a league-leading six interceptions. Instead of parlaying his production into a lucrative second contract, tough, Gardner-Johnson took only a one-year deal with the Lions.
A one-and-done stint in Detroit was followed by a return to the Eagles, this time on a three-year, $27MM pact. Gardner-Johnson is owed $8.5MM in 2025 and another $10.5MM the following year, although his scheduled cap hit for the coming campaign ($4.91MM) was certainly manageable for the defending champions. This move will generate a dead money charge of $4.7MM for Philadelphia while resulting in just $211K in savings. The Texans will pay $1.5MM of Green’s $2.88MM 2025 base salary, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That helped make a trade more palatable for the Eagles.
Gardner-Johnson again served as a full-time starter during his second Eagles stint, racking up six interceptions and 12 pass deflections. His eight touchdowns allowed in coverage could be a cause for concern for the Texans, but the 27-year-old will be counted on to serve as a playmaker in a Texans secondary which proved to be effective last year with the cornerback tandem of Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Houston ranked sixth against the pass in 2024, and continued success in that department can be expected.
This move marks further changes in the Eagles’ secondary, meanwhile. Philadelphia has decided to release Darius Slay and James Bradberry, and on Monday fellow corner Isaiah Rodgers agreed to a deal with the Vikings. With Gardner-Johnson set to be on the move (the trade cannot be finalized until the new league year begins tomorrow, of course), Philadelphia will need to make a number of moves during the secondary waves of free agency and the draft to restock the defensive backfield.
Green entered the NFL with high expectations as a first-round pick. The Texas A&M product served as a full-time starter during his rookie campaign, but he was sidelined for the entire 2023 season due to a shoulder injury. Green returned to action this past year, logging nine starts and 12 appearances at left guard. Much like his rookie slate, though, his PFF evaluation left plenty to be desired. Green’s overall grade of 38.6 ranked second-last amongst qualifying guards.
Presuming the Eagles decline his fifth-year option, one year will remain on Green’s rookie contract. The soon-to-be 24-year-old will provide the team with a cost-effective option along the interior. Mekhi Becton upped his free agent value considerably as a guard starter in 2024, and his departure could allow for Green to compete for a first-team gig. At a minimum, he will be able to fill in as a spot-starter as needed on an otherwise expensive O-line.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/25
Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: FB Reggie Gilliam
- Signed: RB Darrynton Evans
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Scott Daly
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: P Bryan Anger
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: DT Myles Adams
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart
- Signed: LB Nick Niemann
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: C Wesley French
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan, LB Cole Christiansen
Los Angeles Rams
- Suspended: WR Drake Stoops
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Quinton Bell
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: WR/KR Dante Pettis
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: S Mike Brown
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
Anger is a 13-year veteran who has spent the last four years in Dallas, which included Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2023. He will stay with the Cowboys on a two-year deal, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Tonyan had a few strong seasons in Green Bay earlier in his career, but he has struggled to produce over the last two years. He spent 2024 in Minnesota, but only played 15 snaps on offense with zero targets. He will add tight end depth in Kansas City.
Stoops received a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will be eligible to participate in training camp and preseason games, but will be sidelined for the first two games of the regular season.
McNichols is staying in Washington on a one-year deal, according to Pelissero. The seven-year veteran appeared in 17 games for the Commanders in 2024 and rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns on 55 attempts. McNichols will likely continue as Washington’s RB3 behind Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.
Texans To Re-Sign DL Mario Edwards
The Texans dropped Shaq Mason after two seasons but have added two more players from the 2015 draft Tuesday. After reuniting Laken Tomlinson and DeMeco Ryans, Houston is bringing back Mario Edwards.
A 10-year veteran who has settled into a rotational role up front, Edwards is staying with the Texans on a two-year, $9.5MM deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. Although Edwards came into the NFL in 2015, he is still only going into his age-31 season.
Houston is bringing back Edwards after already reuniting with the player he helped replace (Sheldon Rankins). Adding Rankins after he disappointed in Cincinnati, Houston is banking on experience to complement Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. The team has Tim Settle, who is going into his eighth NFL season, signed for 2025 as well.
A former Oakland Raiders draftee, Edwards has done well to build a career as a rotational D-lineman. The interior pass rusher has already played for seven teams. His 12 Texans starts last year, however, were his most in a season since 2017. Edwards notched three sacks and tallied eight QB hits, recovering two fumbles and batting down two passes during a season in which he served a four-game PED suspension. The proven inside presence added 1.5 sacks during the Texans’ wild-card rout of the Chargers.
After Edwards’ three Oakland seasons to start his career, he has only one other instance (2020-21 in Chicago) of playing for the same team in consecutive seasons. Houston will add another such stop, aiming to build an experience yet cost-efficient DT corps to go with their high-end Hunter and Anderson investments.
Texans To Sign G Laken Tomlinson
One piece to the Texans’ 2025 offensive line puzzle has emerged. Veteran guard Laken Tomlinson has a deal in place with Houston, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Tomlinson will join the Texans on a one-year contract, per Garafolo. The pact has a base value of $4.25MM and can reach a maximum of $5MM. A veteran of 163 games and 155 starts, he will be able to operate as a first-team option on his latest team.
Although the Texans fired Bobby Slowik after two seasons, DeMeco Ryans was on staff during Tomlinson’s run with the 49ers. Tomlinson, 33, no longer profiles as the level of player he was with San Francisco but did hold down a Seattle starting guard job last season. The former Lions draftee is also one of the NFL’s most durable players, having not missed a game since the 2017 season.
The 49ers’ 2017 trade for Tomlinson revived the former first-round pick’s career, and he started 80 games for the team. This also brought starts in two NFC championship games and Super Bowl LIV. Tomlinson reunited with another ex-49ers DC (Robert Saleh) in 2022, after his lone Pro Bowl season, but the Jets cut bait on his three-year, $40MM contract after two seasons. Tomlinson made his way to Seattle to be a low-cost guard option, playing for the veteran minimum in base value last season.
Pro Football Focus viewed the 10-year veteran as taking a slight step forward last year, ranking him 44th at the position among regulars. The Texans cut fellow durable guard Shaq Mason, after his ironman run ended late last season. They are adding another 2015 draftee in Tomlinson, who has made 155 career starts. Tomlinson joins an O-line that lost anchor Laremy Tunsil on Monday; the Texans traded Tunsil to the Commanders to end a six-year partnership. This could keep Tytus Howard at right tackle, after he has vacillated between tackle and guard in Houston.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Texans To Trade LT Laremy Tunsil To Commanders
Jayden Daniels is about to have a new blindside protector. After six seasons with the Texans, Laremy Tunsil is on the move. The Commanders are acquiring the Pro Bowl left tackle, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Washington will send second-, third- and fourth-round picks to Houston in the swap, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Courtesy of The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, here are the full trade terms:
Commanders receive:
- Tunsil
- 2025 fourth-round pick
Texans receive:
- 2025 third-round pick
- 2025 seventh-rounder
- 2026 second
- 2026 fourth
Tunsil, 30, has seen five Pro Bowl invites come his way. Never an All-Pro, Tunsil is certainly paid like one. The former Dolphins first-round pick secured two top-market contracts from the Texans, the current deal checking in at three years, $75MM. Two seasons remain on Tunsil’s contract.
Monday’s agreement marks Tunsil’s second time being traded. The Dolphins, as they gutted their roster during a then-controversial 2019 rebuild effort, obtained two first-round picks for sending Tunsil to Houston. The Texans had Tunsil in place protecting Deshaun Watson‘s blindside for two years, but the Pro Bowl quarterback’s off-field trouble (and a trade request) ended that partnership early. Tunsil, however, has served as a key part of C.J. Stroud‘s development.
The Texans did draft Blake Fisher in the 2024 second round, and the team has Tytus Howard — who has shuffled between tackle and guard during his career — as a right tackle option. A tackle duo including Howard and Fisher would make sense for the Texans, but they suddenly would have multiple guard needs if they went in that direction. Houston released Shaq Mason this weekend.
In Tunsil, the Commanders are acquiring a high-end LT who has started 125 career games. The shrewd negotiator has also stayed healthier in recent seasons. After missing 12 games in 2021, Tunsil has combined to miss only three since. He started 17 games last season, helping a Texans line that again dealt with injury trouble elsewhere. Pro Football Focus ranked Tunsil as a top-20 tackle in each of the past three seasons. Tunsil ranked 10th in pass rush win rate last season.
The Commanders used both Cornelius Lucas and third-round rookie Brandon Coleman at left tackle last season. PFF rated the more experienced blocker as a much better option (28th) than Coleman (63rd). Washington used one of its many Day 2 picks on Coleman last year, but he may not be in line for a starting role next season. The Commanders still have Andrew Wylie rostered at right tackle.
Adam Peters indicated defensive additions would be a priority, and the team has brought in Javon Kinlaw. But the second-year GM has made Daniels protection a priority in this Tunsil swap. It will be interesting to see if Tunsil maneuvers into another lucrative extension, as no guaranteed money remains on his current deal. Tunsil used the Miami-to-Houston relocation as a springboard to future contract leverage. With Daniels on his rookie deal, Tunsil could strike again soon.
Texans To Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett, LB Jake Hansen; Team To Sign WR Braxton Berrios, DB Tremon Smith
Derek Barnett is staying in Houston, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. After being claimed off waivers by the Texans in 2023, Barnett remained with the club via a one-year, $2MM pact last offseason and will sign a one-year, $5MM deal this year.
Barnett is now entering his age-29 season, and after serving as a primary starter on the Eagles’ defensive line earlier in his career, it appears those days are behind him. He nonetheless has earned the trust of head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and he saw a 38% snap share last year. That was enough to get him five sacks — his highest total since the 2020 campaign — and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He never quite justified Philadelphia’s draft investment (he was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2017 draft), but he is a valuable edge presence behind Houston’s starting tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
The Texans have also agreed to sign WR Braxton Berrios to a one-year, $2MM contract, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Often lauded more for his return work than his receiving acumen, Berrios did not record a single catch during the six games in which he appeared in 2024 (he suffered an ACL tear in Week 7). However, he did return three kickoffs for 76 yards and seven punts for 103 yards, and he earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 for his efforts as a return specialist (he led the league with a whopping 30.4 yards-per-return average that season).
It is certainly fair to expect Berrios to get some looks as a returner for Houston. Given that Tank Dell is uncertain to suit up at all in 2025, Berrios could see action as a slot receiver as well. He has been a useful ancillary target in the past, catching 128 passes for 1,208 yards over the 2020-23 seasons, which he split between the Jets and Dolphins.
Tremon Smith, who spent the 2021-22 seasons with the Texans and the following two years with the Broncos, is returning to Houston on a two-year, $7.5MM accord, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Like Berrios, Smith could see more burn in the third phase, as he has never logged a defensive snap share above 17%. Still, he is valued for his ST work, racking up well over 300 special teams snaps in each of the last four seasons. He has clearly impressed during that time, as Pelissero notes that Smith is now the highest-paid core special teamer in the NFL.
Jake Hansen, 26, signed with Houston as a UDFA in 2022 and will return on a one-year pact for 2025, according to Wilson. Hansen will presumably reprise his role as a special teams contributor and depth linebacker.
Broncos, LB Dre Greenlaw Agree To Deal
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.
Texans, Darrell Taylor Agree To Deal; Team To Add WR Justin Watson
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.