Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/17
The latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Chiefs have signed safety Marqueston Huff, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Since going in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Huff has appeared in 41 games in stints with the Titans and Ravens, though he has only picked up one start. Huff played in 11 contests with Baltimore last year and failed to register a tackle in 32 defensive snaps. He did see plenty of special teams action, however (223 snaps).
- The Redskins have added linebacker Chris Carter, a six-year veteran who is joining his sixth team. Carter has totaled four starts, the latest of which came in 2013, and 62 appearances. The special teamer combined for 14 appearances last season between the Colts and Ravens.
- Patriots cornerback Justin Coleman has signed his exclusive rights tender, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. Coleman, 23, has seen action in 20 games and racked up three starts in his two-year career.
Contract Details: Hoyer, Newman, Dansby
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:
- Karlos Dansby, LB (Cardinals): One year, $2MM. $700K guaranteed. $250K available via incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Vlad Ducasse, OL (Bills): Three years, $3.5MM. $250K guaranteed. $250K signing bonus. Playing time incentives available (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Brian Hoyer, QB (49ers): Two years, $12MM. $9.85MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus. $1.5MM available via incentives (20 touchdowns, 2,500 passing yards, Pro Bowl) in 2017. $5MM available via incentives (same thresholds) in 2018 (links via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com).
- Bennie Logan, DT (Chiefs): One year, $8MM. $7.68MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
- Alex Okafor, LB/DE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available in sack and playtime incentives (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
- Terence Newman, CB (Vikings): One year, $3.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Chiefs Sign DT Bennie Logan
The Chiefs are signing defensive tackle Bennie Logan to a one-year deal, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The accord will likely displace free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe. 
The Redskins had reported interest in Logan dating back to January, but he left D.C. on Friday without a deal. That left the door open for KC to swoop in and land one of this year’s top available defensive tackles.
I would presume Logan came with a lower asking price than Poe, but terms of the Logan deal are not yet known and we don’t know for sure how far the Poe market has sunk. The Falcons, Colts, Jaguars, Dolphins, Raiders, and 49ers are all known to have interest in Poe, but his back problems are reportedly giving teams pause. He may wind up taking a one-year prove-it deal with an eye on re-entering the market next March. The Chiefs’ decision to sign Logan over Poe isn’t a great endorsement of the former first-round pick and his market will likely suffer now that a major suitor is off the table.
Logan, a third-round pick in 2013, has missed five games since entering the league – all in the past two seasons – and totaled 51 starts and 5.5 sacks. He’s coming off the third straight year in which he started in each of his appearances, and he notched personal bests in sacks (2.5) and forced fumbles (two).
Logan earned an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, and ranked as our No. 6 free agent interior defender.
Chiefs, James Winchester Restructure Deal
The Chiefs carved out a chunk of cap room this morning. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets
that the team has restructured the contract of James Winchester, converting his 
$500K roster bonus into a signing bonus. This saves the team around $400K in cap space.
This might not seem like a lot of money in the whole scheme of things, but the move will provide the cash-strapped organization with some breathing room. The Chiefs were estimated to have between $4MM and $2MM in cap space as they headed into free agency.
After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Winchester has caught on with Kansas City over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old has played all 32 games during this span, collecting a fumble. The organization re-signed the long snapper earlier this offseason.
Chiefs, S Daniel Sorensen Agree To Extension
We learned yesterday that the Chiefs were working on an extension with safety Daniel Sorensen, and it looks like the two sides have agreed on a deal. According to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), Kansas City has signed the veteran to a new four-year, $16MM contract. Almost half of the deal is guaranteed, and there’s an additional $2MM in potential incentives.
Sorensen was set to make a pay raise regardless of an extension, as the team placed a second-round tender on him earlier this week. If the safety hadn’t signed a new long-term deal, he’d have seen a pay jump from $600K to $2.74MM.
In 16 games (one start) last season, the 27-year-old set career-highs in tackles (47), sacks (one), forced fumbles (two), and interceptions (three). Sorensen served mostly as a sub, assisting starters Ron Parker and Eric Berry on passing downs.
Sorensen will presumably resume this role next year as he looks to compete with Eric Murray for snaps.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/17
Today’s minor moves:
- The Bears will sign free agent offensive tackle Tom Compton, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has primarily worked as a reserve during his five NFL seasons, having started in just 11 of 44 appearances with Washington and Atlanta. Last season was Compton’s only one as a member of the Falcons. While he played in all of the NFC champions’ games, he didn’t start any of them.
- The Cowboys have signed defensive end Damontre Moore, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Moore, a former third-round pick, has appeared in 49 career games but never started a contest. Although he’s posted 10 sacks during his NFL tenure, Moore might be best known for getting cut by the Giants after a headphone-related altercation. He’ll compete for a rotational role in Dallas.
- The Chiefs re-signed offensive lineman Mike Person, tweets Terez A. Paylor. Person, 28, was a 14-games starter for the Falcons in 2015 but didn’t see the field last year. Person, who has 31 career starts under his belt, is in the mix for a reserve role for Kansas City.
- After being non-tendered by the Seahawks earlier this week, linebacker Brock Coyle has now signed with the division-rival 49ers, per his agency (Twitter link). Coyle is a former undrafted agent, and though he’s never been a full-time starter, he’s appeared in 35 games during his three-year career.
- The Jets announced that they’ve re-signed long snapper Tanner Purdum. Purdum has been with Gang Green since 2010 and has appeared in every game during that time.
Chiefs Eyeing Daniel Sorensen Extension
The Chiefs are working on an extension with safety Daniel Sorensen, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The organization applied a second-round tender to the player earlier this week.
Even without an extension, Sorensen’s will see a pay jump from $600K to $2.74MM. The four-year veteran served as a sub-package player for the Chiefs. In 16 games (one start), the 27-year-old set career-highs in tackles (47), sacks (one), forced fumbles (two), and interceptions (three). He joined the starters on passing downs, helping the Chiefs’ young cornerback corps match up against offenses’ receiving sets.
Sorensen will presumably play a similar role next season. Along with Eric Murray, he’ll be a primary backup to Ron Parker and Eric Berry.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/17
Rounding up some of this week’s tender decisions:
RFAs:
Tendered:
- Chiefs: WR Albert Wilson (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk)
Non-Tendered:
- 49ers: CB Chris Davis (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com)
- Buccaneers: LS Andrew DePaola (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Dolphins: TE Dominique Jones (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)
- Saints: DE Kasim Edebali (via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune)
- Vikings: WR Charles Johnson (via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com)
ERFAs:
Tendered:
- Chargers: WR Isaiah Burse, TE Asante Cleveland, WR Geremy Davis, TE Sean McGrath, S Adrian Phillips (via Jack Wang of Los Angeles Daily News)
AFC Rumors: Browns, Jets, Chiefs, Dolphins
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has provided some more insight on the Browns‘ quarterback plans following their acquisition of Brock Osweiler earlier today (Twitter link). The reporter notes that the team is likely to release Robert Griffin III, and they’ll continue shopping Osweiler as they search for a proper deal. Rapoport also expects the organization to select a signal-caller in the draft.
Let’s take a look at some other AFC notes on a busy day around the NFL…
- Rams free agent running back Benny Cunningham is set to visit the Jets, reports Jason La Canfora (via Twitter). The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire four-year career with the Rams. He finished last season with 101 rushing yards and 16 receptions while serving primarily as a third-down back.
- Linebacker Gerald Hodges will visit the Chiefs, according to ProFootballTalk (via Twitter). The former 49ers defender had a career-season in 2016, finishing with 83 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
- The Dolphins have restructured defensive end Nick Williams‘ contract, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 27-year-old played in 10 games between the Chiefs and Dolphins last season, finishing with eight tackles.
- Lawrence Timmons will be visiting the Dolphins on Friday, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The veteran linebacker spent his entire 10-year career with the Steelers, and he finished last season with 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions.
Free Agency Rumors: Titans, Hightower, Rams
Let’s round up some of the latest free agency rumors:
- The talk of the Titans pursuing linebacker Dont’a Hightower might not be at the levels some have reported, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Hightower stands as one of the best free agents left on the board.
- Not a huge surprise, but the Rams are not expected to bring back safety T.J. McDonald, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. I have McDonald ranked as the No. 40 free agent on my Top 50 list, in terms of earning power. He’s not my favorite safety in this year’s free agent crop, but he is young and his hard-hitting style should translate into dollars.
- Despite formally declining his option on Thursday, the Chiefs have expressed interest in retaining quarterback Nick Foles, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.
- There are still plenty of teams sorting through the offensive tackle market, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. That list includes the Chargers, Jets, Vikings, Giants, and Broncos. It should be noted that JLC’s tweet came before Denver’s acquisition of Ronald Leary. It’s not immediately clear if they’re still looking for high-end linemen.
- Russell Okung probably goofed by not having an agent last offseason, but he has one now, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter links). Cole does not identify the rap by name, but says that he has talked with teams and is not NFLPA-certified.
- Packers free agent guard T.J. Lang is likely going to have to take some trips before signing, Cole tweets. He had hip surgery in January and teams want to check that out before signing him. This jibes with earlier word that Lang will have to wait a bit before signing elsewhere.