Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/22
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: S Sean Chandler
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Extended: WR Terry Godwin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Duke Riley, LB Elandon Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DB Andre Chachere, WR Greg Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S A.J. Moore
Dolphins To Sign Connor Williams
The Dolphins have agreed to sign Connor Williams (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The former Cowboys offensive lineman will take his talents to South Beach on a two-year, $14MM deal with $7.5MM fully guaranteed. 
[RELATED: Dolphins To Re-Sign P. Williams]
This year’s guard market was headlined by the likes of Brandon Scherff, Laken Tomlinson, Alex Cappa, and Mark Glowinski. Scherff (Jaguars, $16.5MM/year) and Tomlinson (Jets, $13.3MM/year) found huge paydays earlier this week, clearing the way for the next tier of interior lineman like Williams.
Williams emerged as a key piece of the Cowboys’ front five as a rookie in 2018. All together, he’s started in 51 of his 57 games, improving steadily from 2018 through 2020. Last year, however, he got a little bit sloppy as he drew 15 flags on the year. The Cowboys shuffled him in and out of the lineup at times, an indication that they’d look to upgrade at guard.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have welcomed back one of their own Williams-es on Tuesday. Wide receiver Preston Williams, who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, agreed to a one-year deal that could pay ~$2MM.
Dolphins To Re-Sign Preston Williams
The Dolphins will re-sign Preston Williams to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Williams can earn up to $1.99MM on the contract, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Dolphins To Sign Wilson]
Williams joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He’s since appeared in 24 games for Miami, notching 56 grabs for 787 yards and seven touchdowns. Williams has impressed at times, including his rookie year when he managed 32 receptions for 428 yards and three TDs in eight games.
Still, injuries and other issues have sidetracked him. That aforementioned rookie year ended with an ACL tear and his 2021 was cut short by a foot injury. Williams has played in exactly eight games in each of his three seasons, losing ground on the depth chart with time. As a result, the Dolphins were hesitant to cuff the restricted free agent with a $2.6MM tender.
Now that he’s back in the fold, he’ll fight for playing time alongside WRs DeVante Parker, Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson.
Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki Signs Franchise Tender
Mike Gesicki is officially locked in for next season. The Dolphins tight end has inked his franchise tender, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
The tag value for tight ends is set at $10.93MM, though that positional label could have been problematic in Gesicki’s case. Rarely used as an in-line blocker, the former second rounder primarily lines up in the slot to maximize his skill set. As a result, the possibility existed for him to file a grievance to be listed as a receiver.
Gesicki may have been willing to tolerate the TE tag because he’s anticipating a long-term deal with the Dolphins. The team sides could still ink an extension over the next few months.
The 26-year-old was considered one of this year’s top candidates for the tag, given the increasing role he has taken on within the Dolphins’ offense over his career. In the past three seasons, he has totaled 177 catches, 2,053 yards and 13 touchdowns. He would have been one of the most sought-after TEs on the open market. Instead, he’ll be sticking around Miami for at least another season.
Dolphins To Sign Keion Crossen
Keion Crossen is heading back to the AFC East. After starting his professional career with the Patriots, the special teams ace is signing with the Dolphins, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter).
Crossen got a three-year deal worth $10.5MM. The player negotiated the contract himself, per Wilson. The deal contains more than $3MM in guaranteed money, with only the first season of the deal fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
Following his rookie season in New England, Crossen spent two seasons with the Texans, including a 2020 campaign where he compiled a career-high 46 tackles while appearing in a career-high 28 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
Crossen was traded to the Giants last August for a sixth-round pick. He ended up getting into 16 games for his new team, compiling 13 tackles while primarily appearing on special teams.
Dolphins To Sign QB Teddy Bridgewater
Tua Tagovailoa will have a new backup in 2022. Teddy Bridgewater is signing with the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth $6.5MM fully guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The deal could be worth up to $10MM with incentives.
This will be the former first-round pick’s sixth team, and it will mark a return to QB2 duty for the recent Broncos and Panthers starter. Bridgewater rebuilt his value as Drew Brees‘ backup in New Orleans and landed a big deal from the Panthers in 2020, but after Carolina and Denver moved on from him after one season apiece, the Louisville product will provide Miami with one of the NFL’s best backup options.
Formerly with the Vikings and Jets (offseason only) as well, Bridgewater is entering his age-30 season. The eight-year veteran held off Drew Lock to be Denver’s starter last season and had the team at 7-6 before suffering his second concussion of the year. The Broncos shut him down after that Week 15 setback, and the team lost to the Bengals after Bridgewater went down and proceeded to drop its final three games with Lock at the controls.
Tagovailoa backup duty carries significant responsibility, with Tua having entered the NFL after a major hip injury. He then suffered another injury early in the 2021 season, moving Jacoby Brissett into Miami’s lineup. Brissett will now seek work elsewhere.
Bridgewater finished with an 18-7 TD-INT ratio with the Broncos, doing so despite missing three full games and another half after suffering his initial 2021 concussion against the Ravens. While known as one of the league’s more conservative passers, Bridgewater checks off a key box for the Dolphins. He has made 63 starts in his career, having battled back from a brutal knee injury that ended his first run as a starter back in 2016.
Dolphins To Add WR Cedrick Wilson
Two former Cowboys are now bound for AFC rosters. Two days after Dallas traded Amari Cooper to Cleveland, Cedrick Wilson has committed to Miami, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
The Dolphins are giving Wilson a three-year deal worth $22.8MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. They are giving the former Cowboys supporting-caster $12.8MM guaranteed. His $4MM 2022 base salary is fully guaranteed, as is $5MM of his $7MM 2023 salary, according to PFF’s Doug Kyed (on Twitter).
Michael Gallup‘s injuries opened the door for extensive Wilson playing time last season, and it came at an ideal time for Wilson, who parlayed his contract year into a big raise. The former sixth-round pick had a breakout campaign in 2021, finishing with 45 receptions for 602 yards and six scores. The 26-year-old also returned a career-high 11 punts.
The Dolphins are likely moving on from Will Fuller, who only played three games for them after signing a one-year deal worth $10MM in 2021. The team still has longtime staple DeVante Parker and saw Jaylen Waddle emerge quickly as a go-to weapon. Wilson will join Miami’s mix, as the team transitions to a Mike McDaniel-run offense.
It remains to be seen if the organization is still targeting top-of-the-depth-chart receivers, although Wilson would be a logical number-three wideout behind Parker and Waddle. The Dolphins were connected to Cooper, who was born in Miami, before he landed with the Browns, and Miami was also mentioned as a suitor for DJ Chark.
Dolphins To Sign Chase Edmonds
Minutes after it was announced they were keeping their top pass rusher, the Dolphins also added to their rushing attack. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team has reached an agreement on a two-year, $12.6MM deal with Chase Edmonds (Twitter link). The contract includes $6.1MM in guaranteed money. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Re-Sign Emmanuel Ogbah]
Edmonds, who will be 26 at the start of the 2022 season, was part of a highly effective tandem in Arizona. Paired with James Conner, he posted 592 rushing yards at a clip of 5.1 per carry, scoring two touchdowns. He also added 311 receiving yards, making 2021 a career year.
The effectiveness of the Conner-Edmonds duo led the Cardinals to express their desire to keep both in the fold. However, the former fourth rounder will now be suiting up for a different team for the first time in his NFL career.
Edmonds will represent a significant upgrade over the incumbent RBs in Miami. Myles Gaskin averaged an underwhelming 3.5 yards per carry in 2021, which cost him his spot as the No.1 back and forced the team to add Duke Johnson midseason. The latter performed much better, posting 330 yards on the ground in five games with the Dolphins. Still, Edmonds will add an efficient piece to Miami’s ground game, which ranked 30th in the league at just over 92 yards per game last year.
Meanwhile for the Cardinals, it has been announced the team has re-signed Conner to a three-year deal. He was always the more likely to be retained, as Eno Benjamin represents a more natural replacement for Edmonds.
Dolphins To Re-Sign Emmanuel Ogbah
The top pending free agent for the Dolphins will be staying in Miami. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the pass rusher is signing a four-year, $65.4MM deal (Twitter link). The deal includes $32.7MM in guarantees, Pelissero adds (via Twitter).
What the team would do with Ogbah, 28, was one of the biggest remaining questions for the Dolphins. As expected, they placed the franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki rather than Ogbah – something which was far less expensive.
That led many to believe the former second rounder would test the open market, where he would have landed a similarly lucrative deal. Instead, the Dolphins have secured their top pass rusher for less than what the franchise tag would have cost ($16.25MM annual average as opposed to $17.859MM on the tag).
Ogbah has proven his worth during his time with the Dolphins. With nine sacks in each of the previous two campaigns, he established himself as the team’s top pass rusher and an integral part of the defensive unit as a whole. It also earned him a significant raise from the $15MM he made in total after signing in Miami.
While this deal will eat up a significant portion of the Dolphins’ cap space, the team will still comfortably be under the limit. That flexibility will give them the option to make at least one significant signing when free agency opens later this week, as many expect them to.
QB Rumors: Trubisky, Winston, Taylor, Lock
The Giants’ new head coach, Brian Daboll, worked with free agent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky when they were both with the Bills last year (Daboll as offensive coordinator). Well, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN, Daboll has interest in luring Trubisky to join him in New York.
There’s been some interest in bringing Trubisky to Pittsburgh, as well, where a path to starting is much more clear. If Daboll’s familiarity with the sixth-year quarterback is able to attract him to the Giants, though, the head coach sees the potential for him to mirror the results of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. A quick refresher: Tannehill arrived in Nashville in 2019 in a trade with the Dolphins. Tannehill started the season in the role of back up quarterback to the incumbent starter Marcus Mariota. After a 2-4 start to the season, Mariota was benched in favor of Tannehill, who went 7-3 for the rest of the year and led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game.
Daboll holds hope that, while Daniel Jones may retain the starting job in New York, if the need presents itself, Trubisky could provide the same effect as Tannehill.
Some other notes concerning quarterbacks around the league:
- Another option the Steelers could be looking into, Jameis Winston is looking like the most likely starting quarterback for the Saints in 2022, according to Graziano. With Teddy Bridgewater headed to free agency, a return to New Orleans could be possible, and Winston may see some opportunities in testing the free agent market, himself. But Winston is a locker room favorite that saw success on the Saints before tearing his ACL midseason last year.
- Tyrod Taylor lost the starting job in Houston last year to rookie quarterback Davis Mills. With Mills expected to return to the starting position next year, the Texans do have interest in bringing Taylor back in the role of back up quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Taylor has chased starting jobs throughout his career and has seen some success at times. He may search for a new opportunity to start, but, if not, Taylor has shown professionalism several times in back up roles mentoring young quarterbacks.
- After receiving Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson-trade with the Broncos, Seattle is considering the elements to Lock’s lack of success in Denver, according to Fowler. Some believe that the revolving door of offensive coordinators contributed to his struggles. Seattle is analyzing whether they believe in Pete Carroll‘s ability to develop Lock, who showed glimpses of promise in his early appearances as a Bronco, or whether they need to make moves for Deshaun Watson to win now.