DL Jarvis Jenkins Re-Signs With Chiefs
Veteran defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins has signed a deal to remain with the Chiefs, per his agency, SportsTrust (on Twitter). The terms of Jenkins’ deal have yet to be reported.
Jenkins, 29, is back with the Chiefs after signing a one-year deal with them last offseason. He appeared in 11 games last season — making one start — and had a sack to go with 11 tackles. Pro Football Focus graded Jenkins as a bottom-30 interior defender among 121 qualifiers.
Jenkins played on only 19% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps a season ago, fifth among Chiefs linemen. He’ll once again serve as depth behind Chris Jones, Allen Bailey, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and could see more time if free agent Bennie Logan doesn’t re-sign.
Texans To Sign OL Zach Fulton
The Texans are expected to sign Chiefs free agent interior lineman Zach Fulton, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will average roughly $7.5MM per season, though the length of the deal is not currently known.
Last year, Fulton appeared in 15 games (12 starts) for the Chiefs, playing primarily at center. Fulton earned an iffy 68.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus, though the advanced metrics were high on his pass blocking.
Fulton figures to play guard for the Texans rather than center. He saw time at both positions over the years for Kansas City, so there won’t be a lengthy transition for him. The Texans signed ex-Chiefs guard Jeff Allen in 2016 for $7MM per year and that contract did not turned out as planned. Still, they feel good about going back to the KC well this time around.
Given that they don’t own a first- or second-round pick, Houston is revamping its porous offensive line through free agency. The Texans have already landed former Bills tackle Seantrel Henderson, while Nate Solder — the best tackle on the open market — is deciding between the Texans and Giants.
[RELATED: Texans Depth Chart]
Several Other Teams Were In On Sammy Watkins
Early Tuesday morning, Sammy Watkins agreed to a three-year, $48MM deal with the Chiefs. Before that, Watkins had a booming market for his services. The Cowboys, Bears, Jaguars, and the incumbent Rams were among the teams in on the highly-coveted wide receiver, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). 
Chiefs Add LB Anthony Hitchens
The Chiefs have reloaded their linebacker corps, agreeing to a deal with former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hitchens’ deal will span five years for a total of $45MM, per Pelissero (on Twitter), including a $14MM signing bonus and $21.29MM guaranteed at signing. His contract will be worth up to $49.25MM, with incentives included.
Hitchens will help the Chiefs fill the void on defense after cutting ties with longtime middle linebacker Derrick Johnson and pass-rusher Tamba Hali earlier in the offseason. Hitchens said last month that he was seeking $10MM a year on the open market. He’s slated to work alongside Reggie Ragland at middle linebacker for the Chiefs, with Kevin Pierre-Louis set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Chiefs also have Terrance Smith, Ukeme Eligwe and Ramik Wilson on the roster at middle linebacker.
A reunion with the Cowboys seemed unlikely as they ranked No. 28 in the NFL entering Monday with $3.12MM in available cap space. They had placed the franchise tag on linebacker Demarcus Lawrence and have reportedly made extending the fellow linebacker to a long-term deal a priority.
The signing of Hitchens was the second major addition Tuesday for the Chiefs as they also reportedly agreed to a deal with free-agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Hitchens started 12 games for the Cowboys last season and recorded 55 tackles, which were the most since his rookie season in 2014. The Colts were also reportedly interested in Hitchens, as new Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus had previously worked as the linebackers coach for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys originally selected Hitchens in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of Iowa. He had not missed a game leading up to this season, in which he missed four due to a tibia plateau fracture sustained in August.
Chiefs To Sign Sammy Watkins
The Chiefs and Sammy Watkins have agreed to a three-year, $48MM deal, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes $30MM fully guaranteed at signing.
The deal brings one of the biggest offensive weapons in this year’s free agent class to Kansas City. Watkins did not have the kind of year he wanted to in Los Angeles, but he is still potentially lethal, particularly if he can stay healthy. From 2014 to 2016, Watkins averaged 66 grabs for 1,063 yards and seven scores per 16 games – numbers that are a bit skewed since he missed 13 games between ’15 and ’16.
The Chiefs now boast a scary offense led by Watkins, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and dynamic quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas are the only players in the team’s receiving corps that are due to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason.
Watkins — a former No. 4 overall pick in 2014 by the Bills — became the second major wide receiver free agent domino to fall over the last two days, with Allen Robinson agreeing to a deal with the Bears on Monday. Robinson’s deal with the Bears is expected to be in the range of three years, $42MM.
The Rams were reportedly intent on retaining Watkins but placing the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner made that a difficult proposition for them. The Rams have already added Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to their secondary and have the likes of Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds and Pharoh Cooper at receiver. The Rams have already announced they plan to cut ties with Tavon Austin when the new league year begins Wednesday.
[RELATED: Chiefs Depth Chart]
Chiefs Pursuing Free Agent Defensive Tackles
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, and Redskins are among the teams looking to add a defensive tackle. The reporter lists free agents Dontari Poe, Star Lotulelei, and Sheldon Richardson as potential targets.
[SOURCE LINK]
Chiefs To Release Tamba Hali
The Chiefs are going to follow through with a move expected for a while. They will release Tamba Hali, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
This comes after a season in which Hali did not play much and began it on the PUP list. Hali played in just five games, starting none, and did not record a sack. Kansas City re-signed both Hali and Derrick Johnson in 2016 to three-year, $21MM deals. Both will be gone by the time the franchise reconvenes for OTAs.
A release of the longtime franchise cornerstone will save the Chiefs more than $7MM. It will come with a dead-money hit of $1.7MM, but that is far less than it would have cost the team a year ago.
If Hali is indeed finished with the Chiefs, he will exit as the team’s No. 2 all-time sacker — behind only Derrick Thomas. The former 2006 first-round pick re-signed twice with the Chiefs and earned five straight Pro Bowl invites, from 2011-15, recording 89.5 sacks after his 11th season. Hali finished with three double-digit sack seasons — the last of which coming in 2013. Hali, though, has dealt with injuries for a number of years now and has not been in top form for a while.
The Chiefs still have Justin Houston under contract, and Dee Ford‘s injury guarantee will trigger is fifth-year option.
Texans Likely To Sign OL Zach Fulton
It sounds like this will be a lucrative offseason for free agent offensive linemen. The Texans are the favorites to sign Chiefs free agent Zach Fulton to a multi-year deal worth more than $7MM per year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Rapoport cautions that other teams are still in the mix, so while the Texans are the likely landing spot for Fulton, it is not a done deal. It’s not clear if the Chiefs are still involved, but the asking price may be too high for their liking.
Last year, Fulton appeared in 15 games (12 starts) for the Chiefs, playing primarily at center. Fulton earned a so-so 68.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, though the advanced metrics were fond of his pass blocking.
The Texans’ plan is for Fulton to play guard for them and not center, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He worked in both spots for the Chiefs, primarily operating as a guard since being a sixth-round pick in 2014.
Houston signed ex-Chiefs guard Jeff Allen in 2016 for $7MM per year. That agreement has not worked out like the franchise had hoped. Nevertheless, the Texans plan to use a similar strategy to bring in Fulton. Only their line is in a worse place now than it was two years ago, with Derek Newton being sidelined indefinitely and Duane Brown having since been traded.
Chiefs To Release Ron Parker
The Chiefs are officially cutting Ron Parker on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). This news was expected and won’t cost the franchise too much in dead money.
Kansas City turned to Parker as a four-season starter at safety, with the second, third and fourth seasons coming on a second Chiefs contract the defensive back signed in March of 2015. Parker has been one of the most durable players at his position since becoming a perennial K.C. starter, suiting up for 64 of the past 65 games — all starts for a near-annual playoff entrant.
Parker will tag the Chiefs with a $2MM dead-money charge, but the franchise will save $5MM after this move.
Initially taking over as a first-string safety after Eric Berry was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Parker signed a five-year, $30MM deal and was Berry’s running mate on three Chiefs playoff teams over the past three years. The 30-year-old former UDFA notched 40 pass breakups and intercepted nine passes as a Chief, with the team often using the former cornerback’s skills as a slot corner to help its defense.
However, Parker’s 2017 play was not on par with his usual work. And the retooling defense will move on after five seasons.
Chiefs To Re-Sign FB Anthony Sherman
The Chiefs have agreed to a new deal with fullback Anthony Sherman, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The news was first reported by the Pardon My Take podcast (Twitter link).
The veteran fullback is now slated to return for a sixth season with the Chiefs. Terms of the deal are not yet known.
Sherman was rated as PFR’s top fullback eligible for free agency, ahead of Zach Line, Mike Tolbert, John Kuhn, and Derrick Coleman. Sherman had only six catches last year and his 14 rushing attempts all came in Week 17, but he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 fullback in the NFL thanks to his run blocking acumen. His 183 snaps were good for ninth amongst all players at the position.
In other Chiefs news, the team is set to meet with free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.