Panthers To Sign Dontari Poe
The Panthers are signing defensive tackle Dontari Poe, according to Kimberley A. Martin of the Washington Post (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth between $9MM and $10MM per year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Martin specifies (via Twitter) this is a three-year, $27MM agreement.
Poe takes over for defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who departed in free agency to sign with the Bills. He’ll be joined by Kawann Short in the middle with Julius Peppers and Mario Addison on the bookends, so Carolina will continue to have a fearsome front four.
After agreeing to a one-year deal with the Falcons several days into the 2017 free agency period, Poe drew more definitive interest this year. An endurance machine for a defensive tackle, Poe returned to his durable ways by playing in all 18 Falcons games last season. During the regular season, the three-down tackle logged 880 snaps — third-most among pure DTs last year. The two-time Pro Bowler, who ranked as PFR’s No. 4 free agent still on the board, will be set for his age-28 season.
Poe spent last season with the Falcons, though he was not expected to return due to his expected market. Indeed, he has secured a bump in average annual value, but this time over a longer span.
The former Chiefs first-round pick had to settle for a one-year deal last year because he was coming off one of his worst seasons. Poe underwent back surgery in in 2015 and in his final two Chiefs years wasn’t quite as dominant as his 2013-14 versions, when he combined for 10.5 sacks and looked on track to a top-market extension. The Chiefs, however, did not keep him. But Poe rebuilt his value in Atlanta, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 interior defender last season.
He’ll join Short and form what figures to be a difficult interior tandem for offensive lines to handle come September.
[RELATED: Panthers Depth Chart]
Bengals To Re-Sign Tyler Eifert
Tyler Eifert will not be leaving Cincinnati. Instead, the Bengals will hang onto him via one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Injuries have limited Eifert for much of his career, but when he’s been available, he’s been one of the NFL’s top red zone threats. The Bengals appear to be keen on seeing if their former first-round pick can stay healthy.
Entering his age-28 season, Eifert has missed 41 of a possible 80 regular-season games since coming to Cincinnati. He missed 14 games last season and eight in 2016. But his 2015 work likely garnered him this opportunity from the continuity-centric organization. Eifert amassed 615 air yards and scored 13 touchdowns — the most by any tight end that season. And Eifert missed three games that year.
Doctors cleared Eifert to resume work a few weeks ago after his October back surgery, however. But the Bengals weren’t showing much interest in retaining their injury-prone pass-catcher at that point. Now, one of the top tight ends (ability-wise) is off the market.
While Eifert’s injury trouble may make it difficult for any team to count on him in the near future, or if he’s back on the market a year from now, he’ll have another chance to show the kind of ability he did three years ago. This season figures to be crucial for the Notre Dame product through that lens.
[RELATED: Bengals Depth Chart]
Raiders To Sign Doug Martin
The Raiders have agreed to terms with Doug Martin, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, providing the veteran another opportunity after some down years.
This is a one-year deal for the seventh-year back, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Martin is entering what would be his age-29 season.
Connected to Martin last week when it was reported the team was high on the former Bucs back to lead to a Martin-Jon Gruden meeting, the Raiders will hope the formerly coveted free agent-turned-castoff can bounce back. Martin, though, struggled badly over the past two seasons since signing that a lucrative deal in 2016.
The two-time Pro Bowler has averaged 2.9 yards per carry in each of his past two seasons and has gained fewer than 200 receiving yards in each of those. Given that Marshawn Lynch is also not much of a pass-catching threat at this point, this would make for a somewhat curious fit.
Lynch remains on the Raiders’ roster and was due a $1MM roster bonus on Wednesday. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back is set to take up nearly $6MM of the Raiders’ cap, but the team can jettison Lynch mostly free of charge if it chooses.
It would seem Oakland’s roster is not big enough for all four of its current backs. Oakland also has elusive change-of-pace backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard in the fold. Neither were as productive last season as they were in 2016, however.
[RELATED: Raiders Depth Chart]
Seahawks, Saints Still Pushing To Sign Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson is not headed to Oakland just yet. The Raiders still have competition from the Saints and Seahawks.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) Nelson-to-Oakland is not a done deal yet, adding the Saints represent “real competition” for the 32-year-old wide receiver’s services. The Seahawks are also not out of the mix yet.
Nelson is still in Oakland, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier Thursday the expectation is this Raiders agreement still gets done. But two NFC teams aren’t conceding yet.
The Saints and Seahawks have scheduled visits with Nelson, but the Raiders are still in pole position here having secured the first meeting and reports of the further summits on the verge of being cancelled. This race also could decide Michael Crabtree‘s fate. The Raiders are likely to cut the three-year Silver and Black starter if they land Nelson, and that would put a younger wideout on the market.
Seattle, which lost Paul Richardson to Washington, is also pursuing Terrelle Pryor. The Saints, who have Michael Thomas under a rookie contract for up to two more seasons, have Ted Ginn signed to a veteran deal but tendered Willie Snead at the lowest level. They did not tender RFA Brandon Coleman.
Price Range Emerges For Sheldon Richardson?
As the Vikings bring Sheldon Richardson in for a visit on Thursday, a price range may be forming.
Richardson may be eyeing a deal in the $11-$15MM-per-year range, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
While Garafolo was quoted as saying during an NFL Network appearance (Twitter link) that the Seahawks have offered Richardson $11MM per year, they have not made any proposals just yet.
A $15MM deal would place him toward the top of that position’s salary spectrum. Five defenders — Fletcher Cox, Kawann Short, Marcell Dareus, Gerald McCoy and Jurrell Casey — earn more than $15MM annually. Four other 4-3 defensive tackles earn at least $11MM AAV.
Considering Richardson’s status as a top-tier free agent, he appears set to try and place himself on that top tier. The former defensive rookie of the year has been a 3-4 defensive end for most of his career, but the 27-year-old talent — who has encountered legal trouble — at his best is one of the top interior defenders in the game.
49ers Trade C Daniel Kilgore To Dolphins
The 49ers announced they’ve traded center Daniel Kilgore to the Dolphins. Kilgore will take the place of Mike Pouncey, who will be released. 
In the swap, the Niners will send a seventh-round pick to Miami and receive a seventh-round pick in return, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, Miami will assume both Kilgore’s contract and bonus.
Kilgore inked an extension with San Francisco just one month ago, but the signing of Weston Richburg has displaced him. There was some thought to Richburg playing guard for the Niners, but we now know that he’ll be lining up at his native position.
Kilgore will cost the Dolphins $5.3MM in 2018, including a $2.3MM roster bonus that comes due on Thursday. After that, he has cap hits of $2.7MM in 2019 and $3.6MM in 2020. Those numbers are significantly cheaper than the contract of Pouncey, who would have carried cap hits of $9MM, $8.2MM, and $9MM over the next three seasons.
Last summer, Kilgore projected as a reserve for San Francisco. However, after the Niners waived Jeremy Zuttah, he beat out free agent pickup Tim Barnes for the starting job. The advanced metrics weren’t keen on him, but the Niners felt he had considerable value. That is, until Richburg became available this week.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
Sheldon Richardson To Visit Vikings
The Vikings’ reported Sheldon Richardson interest turned out to be very real. They are bringing the UFA defensive lineman in for a visit on Thursday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports (on Twitter).
This is the first known visit for Richardson, who is one of the best players still on the market. And the Vikings have a need at defensive tackle. Linval Joseph‘s 2017 running mate, Tom Johnson, is also a free agent and will be 34 this year.
Richardson, 27, is entering his sixth year and should be a costly free agent. The 2013 defensive rookie of the year graded as the No. 27 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus, last season. He wasn’t able to make the kind of statistical impact in Seattle that he did during some of his best Jets seasons, registering just one sack, but he would stand to be an upgrade for a Vikings team that’s shown it’s ready to make the payments necessary to put itself in top Super Bowl position.
Minnesota technically still has $50MM in cap space, but once the expected Kirk Cousins deal is finalized, that number will shrink dramatically. But the Vikings did not have many needs coming into this offseason. And adding Cousins and Richardson would stand to improve one of the league’s best rosters.
Dolphins To Sign Josh Sitton
The Dolphins have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent guard Josh Sitton, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miami hosted Sitton on a visit on Wednesday.
Sitton’s contract will be worth $15MM in base value, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding that it could max out at $18MM. The veteran guard will receive $8MM in guarantees.
Guard has long been a problem in South Beach, but the Dolphins have now landed a former All-Pro in Sitton. The 31-year-old Sitton has experience at both left and right guard, and could conceivably slide into either spot for Miami. Whatever position he lands at, Sitton will be playing next to new Dolphins center, as the club released veteran Mike Pouncey earlier today.
Sitton originally joined the Bears in 2016 after surprisingly being released by the division rival Packers. Although minor health issues have been a concern, Sitton has been outstanding in the Windy City. Just last season, Sitton ranked as the the fifth-best guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and his marks have remained steady throughout the duration of his career. Despite that production, Chicago opted to decline Sitton’s $8MM option for 2018.
With Sitton off the market, the best free agent guards remaining include Jack Mewhort, Alex Boone, Matt Slauson, D.J. Fluker, and Joe Berger.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
Dolphins To Release C Mike Pouncey
Dolphins center Mike Pouncey has been released, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While Schefter reports Pouncey requested his release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) says Miami asked Pouncey to accept a 50% pay reduction, which he declined.
Pouncey now joins Ryan Jensen as one of the top available centers in free agency. Jensen is coming off of a tremendous year in which he was ranked as the No. 6 center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Pouncey, for all of his name value and past accolades, comes with question marks.
Pouncey did not look like his usual self last year. Although he appeared in all 16 of the Dolphins’ games his hip injury slowed him down. In the past, we’ve heard that he may eventually require replacement surgery at some point. One doctor went so far as to tell Pouncey that he would have to retire as a result of the malady, but Pouncey, for now, is bucking medical advice.
By releasing Pouncey, the Dolphins will get out from under his $9MM cap hit with just $2MM in dead money.
Last year, PFF ranked Pouncey as the league’s No. 25 center, a sharp contract with his No. 11 ranking in 2015.
Raiders Likely To Sign WR Jordy Nelson
The Raiders trying to finalize deal today for former Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Nelson visited the Raiders on Wednesday and he remains in Oakland today. 
“This is going to get done,” one source familiar with the talks tells Schefter.
If the Raiders land Nelson, they’re likely to cut fellow wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) adds. Crabtree is set to carry a $7.7MM cap hit, a number that, truthfully, does not seem all that high given the boom of the free agent wide receiver market in recent days. Money aside, it seems like new head coach Jon Gruden simply prefers Nelson to Crabtree.
Nelson also had visits with the Seahawks and Saints on the docket, but, at this rate, he won’t be making those trips. If things go as planned, Nelson will be signed to serve as the No. 2 wide receiver in Oakland, behind Amari Cooper. The Raiders also plan to return Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson, as shown on Roster Resource.
This marked the first ever trip through free agency for Nelson, who turns 33 in May.