Bengals To Meet With T La’el Collins
La’el Collins‘ first post-Cowboys visit will be in Cincinnati. The Bengals will host the veteran right tackle, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Collins is flying to Ohio tonight, with the visit set for Friday, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (Twitter links).
As expected, the Bengals have been active in attempting to repair their beleaguered offensive line this week. They have signed interior blockers Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. Collins checks in with a slightly higher profile than both and would certainly be an upgrade for the defending AFC champions at right tackle.
Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack was Collins’ first NFL position coach, being with Dallas from 2015-17. Pollack’s position group has been under siege for multiple seasons, with the Bengals having seen Joe Burrow suffer a torn ACL and lead the NFL in sacks taken last season. The Bengals have Jonah Williams set to return at left tackle, but the team has operated with a purpose this week — after not devoting much in the way of resources to Burrow’s first two O-lines — to upgrade other areas up front.
Collins has been regarded as one of the NFL’s best right tackles for a few years now, but the former high-end prospect-turned-UDFA has not been consistently available during the 2020s. After missing all of the 2020 season due to injury, Collins saw a PED suspension shelve him for five games last year. Still, he came back and regained his job, making 10 starts for the NFC East champion Cowboys. Collins, however, only missed one game from 2017-19.
Dallas cut Collins for financial reasons, with the team’s longtime right tackle following Amari Cooper off the team’s payroll. The Bengals making this signing would nearly complete their O-line overhaul. Burrow, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., is helping recruit Collins, who is also an LSU alum (Twitter link).
If the Bengals cannot close a deal with Collins on his visit, the Patriots and Dolphins have interest, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins have already signed ex-Cowboy guard Connor Williams but have needs across their line. The Patriots lost Karras and traded Shaq Mason, and the team may lose right tackle Trent Brown as well.
Patriots To Sign Ty Montgomery
The Patriots have reached agreement with Ty Montgomery (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of CBSSports.com). The running back’s two-year deal could pay up to$4MM, according to a source who spoke with Anderson. 
[RELATED: Patriots To Sign T. Mitchell]
Montgomery, 29, spent the first three-plus seasons of his career in Green Bay, moving from wide receiver to running back. His best work came in 2016, when he collected 805 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He was traded to the Ravens midway through the 2018 campaign, and he served as Le’Veon Bell‘s backup with the Jets in 2019.
Montgomery signed with the Saints in 2020 and spent last year at both positions. He finished out with 15 carries for 44 yards, plus 16 catches for 95 yards. The Patriots may look to reprise that role for the former third-round pick, using him as a receiver, a James White-type running back, and a special teamer. The Pats could use a player like Montgomery, especially after backup RB Brandon Bolden left to join the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Pats still have some work to do up front after trading standout guard Shaq Mason to the Buccaneers.
Seahawks To Meet With T Trent Brown; Patriots Remain In Mix
5:03pm: Brown is still considering a return to the Patriots, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who relays Brown’s comments about his free agency (Twitter link). The mammoth tackle said he is open to signing with another contender as well. The right tackle market is especially thin, giving Brown some value as one of the best linemen still available. New England’s line will look a bit different next season, with starters Shaq Mason and Ted Karras departing. Brown’s decision will determine if the Pats need to replace two starting blockers or three.
3:36pm: After agreeing to terms with interior offensive lineman Austin Blythe, the Seahawks are eyeing a bigger (in every sense) fish on their line. Free agent tackle Trent Brown is planning to meet with the team Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Brown has spent time in the NFC West, beginning his career with the 49ers, before relocating via a 2018 trade. Brown’s value has yo-yoed in the years since that deal, but he played well when healthy in New England last season. The Seahawks are also short on tackles presently, having lacked a right-side option for a bit and having Duane Brown in free agency.
Trent Brown set an offensive lineman record when he signed a four-year, $66MM deal with the Raiders in 2019. That partnership proved effective for one season, when Brown became the rare right tackle invited to the Pro Bowl in 2019, but various 2020 setbacks led to the Raiders trading him back to the Patriots. Brown ran into more injury trouble in New England, missing eight games last season, but the 6-foot-8, 380-pound blocker was a key part of one of the NFL’s top O-lines when on the field.
With Duane Brown in free agency, the Seahawks only have one notable contract on their O-line — ex-Trent Brown Raiders teammate Gabe Jackson. The Seahawks acquired Jackson via trade last year. One year remains on his contract.
Trent Brown has played both left and right tackle in his seven pro seasons, though most of that work has come on the right side. Brown played left tackle for the Super Bowl-winning 2018 Patriots but has been a right-side fixture in every other season.
Patriots To Sign Terrance Mitchell
Terrance Mitchell has found a new home. On Wednesday, the Patriots agreed to sign the ex-Texans cornerback to a one-year, $3MM deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). 
[RELATED: Pats’ JC Jackson Joins Chargers]
The 29-year-old joined the Texans last offseason, inking a two-year, $7.5MM deal. He started 13 of his 14 games during his lone season in Houston, collecting 60 tackles, ten passes defended, and one interception. He ended up seeing time in 69% of his team’s defensive snaps, and he garnered the second-most defensive snaps (796) in Houston.
Mitchell previously spent three seasons in Cleveland, starting 27 of his 39 games. He’s also had stints with the Bears, Cowboys, and Chiefs.
Now, he’s the Patriots first out-of-house signing of 2022. He might not be a top-tier corner, but he could help to offset the loss of J.C. Jackson, the Pats’ former leading cornerback who joined the Chargers on a five-year, $82.5MM deal this week.
Bucs To Acquire Patriots G Shaq Mason
One of Tom Brady‘s Patriots blockers is set to fill one of the Buccaneers’ open spots at guard. The Pats are trading Shaq Mason to the Bucs, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (via Twitter).
Two years remain on Mason’s contract, which contains base salaries of just $6.5MM and $7.5MM. Mason has been with New England throughout his career; he was a starter on the final three Pats teams Brady piloted to the Super Bowl.
The Bucs are sending a fifth-round pick to the Pats for the veteran guard, Mike Giardi of NFL.com tweets. It is a 2022 fifth, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The compensation is similar to the Bucs-Pats’ Rob Gronkowski transaction two years ago. Tampa Bay sent a fourth to New England for Gronk, reuniting him with Brady. After a retirement that did not even last two months, Brady’s return appears to have keyed some aggressive Bucs maneuvers. Ryan Jensen is back at center, and the team is re-signing top cornerback Carlton Davis. It should be expected Gronk will return as well.
Tampa Bay has seen its guard tandem of the past four years — Ali Marpet–Alex Cappa — splinter, with Marpet retiring and Cappa committing to the Bengals. Mason has been regarded as one of the league’s better guards, making this compensation appear rather light given the low salaries tied to his deal.
A fourth-round pick in 2015, Mason moved into the Patriots’ starting lineup quickly. He started 98 games for the Pats over the past seven seasons. Mason signed a five-year, $45MM extension with the Pats in 2018. Given where the guard market has gone, that deal looks team-friendly now. It would not surprise if the Bucs addressed the contract at some point. This will be Mason’s age-29 season; his age-28 campaign ended with Pro Football Focus grading him fourth overall among guards.
The Pats have now seen their longtime Mason-Joe Thuney guard duo disband, with Thuney defecting to the Chiefs in March 2021. The two played together for five seasons. New England will create just more than $7MM in cap space by trading Mason. Trent Brown, New England’s right tackle in 2021, is also unattached presently. Michael Onwenu would make sense as a starter in 2022, given the departures of Mason and Ted Karras (Bengals). But the Pats have work to do up front.
Patriots Re-Sign James White
The Patriots have re-signed veteran running back James White (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal, which will be formally inked on Wednesday, is a two-year pact worth $5MM. White will also get $500K guaranteed as a part of the deal. 
Even though he’s at the age of 30, White has matched his previous annual value on the nose. The Patriots re-upped White on a one-year, $2.5MM deal last year, retaining the longtime Patriots passing-down back for yet another season. Unfortunately, a hip injury capped his 2021 at just three games.
Part of the three 2010s Patriots Super Bowl-winning teams, White has been an essential part of the Pats’ offense for most of his career. Succeeding the likes of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen as Bill Belichick-era passing-down backs, White is now set to come back for a ninth New England season and, perhaps, a tenth, depending on how things go from here.
White posted 994 all-purpose yards in 2019, but saw less time in 2020, his last healthy season. Still, White had 49 grabs for 375 yards and a touchdown that year to lead all Pats RBs in receiving.
Patriots Trade Chase Winovich To Browns
The Patriots have agreed to send outside linebacker Chase Winovich (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In exchange, the Browns will send linebacker Mack Wilson to the Patriots. The trade will be processed tomorrow at 4pm ET/3pm CT, when the new league year officially begins.
“I am so grateful for my experience in New England,” Winovich tweeted. “The love, spirit, and support have been absolutely unreal. This entire region will always hold the most special of places in my heart. The time is now for the next chapter of my journey. ”
Winovich, 27 in April, notched 5.5 sacks in each of his first two pro seasons. Last year, he saw a little less action as he appeared in 13 games with zero starts and notched just eleven tackles in total. For his career, Winovich has 45 regular season appearances (nine starts) with 85 tackles, eleven sacks, one interception, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
It’s a similar story for Wilson, who has slipped down the Browns’ depth chart in each pro season. Last year, he saw a near even split between special teams and defense, notching 42 tackles across his 14 games. Across the last three years, he’s got 163 tackles, one sack, nine passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one interception to his credit.
Patriots To Re-Sign K Nick Folk
Nick Folk is sticking around New England. The Patriots are re-signing the veteran kicker, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Folk signed a two-year extension worth $5MM, including $2.19MM in guaranteed money. The deal can max out at $5.6MM with incentives.
After spending 2018 out of the NFL, Folk caught on with the Patriots for a brief stint in 2019. He ended up sticking around for the 2020 season, and he’s appeared in each of New England’s games since that time. During his two-plus seasons with the organization, Folk has connected on 90.5 percent of his field goals and 91.3 percent of his extra point tries.
Folk started his career with the Cowboys, earning a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie in 2007. He had a seven-year stint with the Jets before a dreadful 2017 campaign with the Buccaneers.
Patriots Re-Sign Matthew Slater
Matthew Slater is returning to New England for a 15th season. The key special teamer is re-signing with the Patriots, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $2.62MM. The deal includes a $152K signing bonus, according to Doug Kyed of ProFootballFocus.com (via Twitter).
Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, Slater has put together an impressive resume. He’s earned three Super Bowl rings, 10 Pro Bowl appearances, and five All-Pro nods (including two first-team recognitions). Slater needs just one more regular season appearance to claim sole possession of third place on the Patriots all-time games played list (behind Tom Brady and Bruce Armstrong).
Slater earned his third-straight Pro Bowl appearance in 2021 after finishing with 11 tackles in 17 games. The 36-year-old saw time in 80 percent of his team’s special teams snaps.
Originally drafted as a wideout, Slater has collected three touches for 57 yards from scrimmage in his career.
Patriots Re-Sign Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer‘s second stint with the Patriots has been extended. The quarterback has agreed to a two-year, $4MM deal according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Patriots Re-Sign Devin McCourty]
Hoyer’s third stint with the Patriots will continue. Hoyer was brought in last year to mentor Mac Jones and played a role in the rookie’s development. Now, heading into Year Two, the Pats may have a top-10 caliber QB in Jones and a steady veteran backstop behind him.
“Brian’s been a really close friend of mine since I’ve gotten here, and I know he’s older than me, and [I] might be closer in age to his son, Garrett, but he’s still a really good mentor, and he just does a great job every week,” Jones said in October (via Jim McBride of The Boston Globe). “He’s super supportive of me and trying to help me in any way he can, and, you know, he’s hard on me sometimes, which is good, so he holds me to a high standard, and then he also has fun and enjoys the game, so he’s been around for a long time, and I think all the quarterbacks in our room have done that, and Brian is just a great example of a great team leader and a great team player.’’
Hoyer, entering his 14th pro year, saw time in five games last year, completing nine of eleven passes. He’ll be re-joined by guard/center James Ferentz, who also agreed to a new deal on Monday, per McBride.