Lions To Sign RB LeGarrette Blount
The Lions beefed up their backfield Friday night, signing veteran running back LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. 
Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets Blount’s deal is worth a $2MM base salary with an extra $2.5MM in incentives.
By joining Detroit, Blount reunites with new head coach Matt Patricia, who served as defensive coordinator of the Patriots when the running back was in New England.
Following his three-year run with the Pats, Blount joined the Eagles and produced 766 yards and two touchdowns in 2017. He helped Philadelphia claim its first Super Bowl title with a 41-33 win over New England.
The move gives Detroit something it hasn’t had in a long time — a physical back. In 2017, the team used Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick almost exclusively, giving the team a pair of solid pass catchers who lack between-the-tackles reliability. Blount should offer a solid change-of-pace to those backs.
The Lions ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing yards in 2017. That ranking is sure to improve with the signing of Blount.
[RELATED: Lions Depth Chart]
Buccaneers Sign C Ryan Jensen
The Buccaneers fortified their front five on Friday, signing former Ravens center Ryan Jensen, Mike McCartney, the player’s agent, tweets. 
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports the contract is a four-year deal for $42MM with $22M in guaranteed money (Twitter link). The deal made Jensen the highest-paid center in the league and suggests that Ali Marpet will move back to guard in 2018.
That’s quite the haul for Jensen, who played his first three seasons in the league as a guard before switching to center in 2017. He proved up to the task in his first season at the position, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 center in the league. With Weston Richburg off the board, Jensen was the best pure center remaining on the open market.
Jensen was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie and was waived in his season before returning to the Ravens practice squad. He played just 19 games in his first four seasons before enjoying his breakout campaign in the middle of Baltimore’s front five in 2017.
The addition of Jensen should help open up some running lanes in Tampa Bay. In 2017, Peyton Barber led the team in rushing yards with a measly 423 yards. Kickstarting the rushing attack will help open up things through the air for Jameis Winston and Mike Evans.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Jordan Matthews Visits Cardinals
The Cardinals added veteran quarterback Sam Bradford to the team when free agency opened. It could now be looking at a move for one of his former receivers in Philadelphia. 
Former Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews, who played with Buffalo in 2017, met with the team on Friday, Arizona Sports’ Mike Jurecki tweets.
In 2015, Bradford started 14 games with the Eagles and utilized Matthews as his favorite target. The second-year wideout just missed a 1,000-yard season, posting 997 yards, and caught a career-high 85 balls and tied his personal best with eight touchdowns.
After being dealt to the Bills in the 2017 offseason, Matthews turned in a disappointing 25 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown in his one season with the team.
With the Cardinals losing deep threat John Brown, the team could be looking to outfit more playmakers around its new signal-caller. Matthews is a reliable option who fits the mold.
Bears Match Packers Offer Sheet For Kyle Fuller
The Bears had five days to match Green Bay’s offer sheet to cornerback Kyle Fuller but it only needed a few hours. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets Chicago has matched the offer to keep Fuller in the “Windy City.” 
The contract is a four-year deal worth $56MM with $18MM in guaranteed money. As Rapoport notes, Fuller had already been guaranteed $13MM after the Bears placed the transition tag on him. It only made sense for the Bears to splurge the extra $5MM to keep him with the team and away from its division rival.
Pro Football Talk reports the deal includes a $1MM base salary in 2018, $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and a $500,000 workout bonus.
Fuller enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, amassing 68 tackles and ranking as PFF’s No. 22 ranked cornerback. That was in stark contrast, however, to his previous three seasons. The former No. 14 overall selection did well as a rookie in 2014 and followed that up with a decent showing in 2015, but his entire 2016 campaign was lost due to a knee injury. The Bears had the option of keeping Fuller under the fifth-year option for just $8.526MM. In hindsight, it’s a move they regret.
With the move, the team is betting on the 2017 version of Fuller being the new norm. With a team undergoing as much offseason change as Chicago, having a little bit of stability and familiarity in the secondary is sure to help the transition.
[RELATED: Bears Depth Chart]
Patriots To Sign Jeremy Hill
Just moments after adding veteran Adrian Clayborn to their defensive front four, the Patriots continued their reshuffling by reaching an agreement with former Bengals running back Jeremy Hill, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. 
Yates reported on Thursday the team was set to meet with the running back on Friday and the two sides quickly agreed to a deal.
A second-round pick in 2014, Hill burst on the scene with 1,124 yards and nine rushing touchdowns as a rookie. The following season, the LSU product tied for the league lead with 11 rushing scores. After another solid season in 2016, Hill was phased out after the team drafted Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon in the second round. Hill recorded just 116 yards on 37 carries.
Despite the departure of Dion Lewis to the Titans, the Patriots’ depth chart at running back is still chock full. Earlier in the week, the team re-signed Rex Burkhead, and it already has pass catcher James White and Mike Gillislee under contract.
Hill has served in a two-headed rushing attack since entering the league, splitting carries with Giovani Bernard in his first three seasons as well as Mixon in 2017.
[RELATED: Patriots Depth Chart]
Patriots Sign DE Adrian Clayborn
The Patriots made a big splash in free agency on Friday, reaching an agreement with the veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The player made the announcement on Friday via Instagram.
It is a two-year deal with a maximum value of $12.5MM, according to Schefter (Twitter link).
New England can use all the pass rush help it can get, as the club ranked 31st in adjusted sack rate a year ago. Clayborn can help with that, as the 29-year-old managed a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2017. However, Clayborn famously posted six of those sacks in one game against overpowered Cowboys left tackle Chaz Green.
Earlier in free agency, Pro Football Rumors listed help along the front seven as the most pressing need for the Patriots entering the 2018 offseason. It’s safe to say they began to fulfill that need on Friday with this signing.
With the move, Clayborn will slide in as a starter at defensive end, joining, among others, Lawrence Guy, Malcom Brown, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Trey Flowers on the Patriots’ front four depth chart.
A first-round selection in 2011, Clayborn spent four seasons in Tampa Bay making 13 sacks. He missed nearly two full campaigns with injuries. He moved to Atlanta and became a solid contributor on the Falcons defensive front, helping them reach Super Bowl LI against his new team.
[RELATED: Patriots Depth Chart]
Michael Crabtree Signs With Ravens
It didn’t take long for Michael Crabtree to find a new home. Just a day after being released by the Raiders, the veteran receiver reached an agreement on a three-year deal to join the Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. 
The Ravens confirmed the deal in a followup, emoji-filled tweet moments later.
The deal is worth up to $21 MM and includes $11 MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).
After long speculation, the Raiders decided to cut the nine-year wideout on Friday after it inked Jordy Nelson to a deal. Shortly after the move, the Ravens set up a meeting and were reportedly going hard to sign Crabtree.
In three seasons with the Raiders, Crabtree recorded 232 catches for 2,543 yards and 25 touchdowns. Despite having a down season in 2017, the Texas Tech product still managed to lead Oakland with eight touchdown grabs.
The Ravens have been looking for a go-to wideout for a long time and the team is hoping Crabtree can fill that role. Only three Baltimore receivers, and none since Torrey Smith in 2014, have recorded eight receiving touchdowns in a season, the amount Crabtree has logged in every season since 2015.
The team has been looking to upgrade its receiving options so far in the 2018 offseason. It added a deep threat with the addition of former Cardinals wideout John Brown earlier in the week. The team also thought it had a deal with former Redskins pass catcher Ryan Grant, but the deal was voided after he failed his physical. It was also reported the team was in the mix for Jimmy Graham and Eric Ebron.
[RELATED: Ravens Depth Chart]
Raiders Sign CB Rashaan Melvin
The Raiders are expected to make an upgrade to their defensive secondary by signing free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the move is a one-year deal worth $6.5 MM (Twitter link). 
Melvin, a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois, spent the past two seasons with the Colts, where he’s had a pair of solid campaigns. Following a breakout season in 2016, Melvin was just as productive this year, finishing with 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his performance, ranking him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks. PFR ranked Melvin as the No. 12 free agent cornerback.
The move makes Melvin a starter in Oakland on one sideline with 2017 rookie Gareon Conley expected to man the other, barring further moves. The two sides met on Friday and a deal did not take long to get done.
The move is the latest in a flurry of transactions for the Raiders under new head coach Jon Gruden. On Thursday, the team signed former All-Pro receiver Jordy Nelson and released veteran Michael Crabtree. Less than an hour before Melvin signed with the team, former Bills cornerback Shareece Wright was also signed to the secondary.
[RELATED: Raiders Depth Chart]
Packers Sign Bears’ Kyle Fuller To Offer Sheet
The Packers have signed Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The Bears placed the transition tag on Fuller, so Chicago will have five days to match. The Bears tried to keep Fuller in place with a one-year, $12.9MM placeholder, but they may lose the former first-round pick to a rival.
While the franchise tag entitles the incumbent team to two first-round draft picks in the event of a player leaving, the transition tag grants a club only the right of first refusal. The upside to the transition tag is that it is slightly cheaper. The franchise tag for cornerbacks this year was nearly $15MM.
Last year, Fuller racked up 68 tackles and ranked as PFF’s No. 22 ranked cornerback over notable names like Ronald Darby, Byron Maxwell, Jason McCourty, Richard Sherman. However, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing over the three previous seasons. The former No. 14 overall selection did well as a rookie in 2014 and followed that up with a decent showing in 2015, but his entire 2016 campaign was lost due to a knee injury. The Bears had the option of keeping Fuller under the fifth-year option for just $8.526MM. In hindsight, it’s a move they regret.
The Packers may lose cornerback/safety Morgan Burnett and Davon House to free agency, so they’re in need of some help in the secondary. Fuller would represent a major upgrade over both and would become the team’s top cornerback with Kevin King guarding the opposition’s No. 2 wide receiver.
An unknown team also attempted to sign Fuller to an offer sheet, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, but one that was not accepted.
Vikings Sign Sheldon Richardson
The Vikings have now landed premier free agents on both sides of the ball. Sheldon Richardson has agreed to a one-year deal with Minnesota, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Richardson’s deal includes an $8MM base salary and $3MM more in available incentives.
The Vikings were the only team known to have met with Richardson and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. The Vikings wined and dined Richardson a bit on Friday and pitched him with new quarterback Kirk Cousins in tow.
The Vikings used much of their cap space on Cousins, but they still had enough left to sign one of the most talented defensive linemen in this year’s free agent crop, thanks in part to the restructuring of Latavius Murray‘s deal. The 27-year-old (28 in November) had just one sack last season, but the advanced metrics showed that he was still starting caliber, even in a down year.
Richardson did his best work with the Jets, particularly in 2014 when he racked up eight sacks. His production was a bit up-and-down as he was moved at times from defensive tackle to the outside and even to linebacker, but he was a consistent threat.
Richardson, presumably, was after a multi-year deal, but the one-year pact with Minnesota will give him a chance to rebuild his value and potentially cash in next March. He joins an already stacked Vikings D and will pair with Linval Joseph in the middle. Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen will serve as the starting bookends with Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, and Ben Gedeon filling out the front seven.
The Seahawks have now lost two high-profile defensive linemen in Richardson and Michael Bennett (via trade with the Eagles), but Richardson’s departure should at least net them some return in compensatory picks.
[RELATED: Vikings Depth Chart]