Newsstand News & Rumors

Browns To Sign DT Dalvin Tomlinson

March 13th, 2023 at 10:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns were viewed as the favorites to sign Cleveland native Dre’Mont Jones, but the Seahawks look to have presented a better offer. Cleveland will still leaving Day 1 of the legal tampering period with a big name at defensive tackle.

Dalvin Tomlinson plans to sign with the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal will be worth $57MM over four years, representing a longer commitment than the Vikings gave the run-stopping D-tackle in 2021. Tomlinson will receive $27.5MM guaranteed.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah expressed interest in keeping the veteran defender in Minnesota, but he is heading to Cleveland on a deal worth nearly $13MM per year. This will bring a raise for the former Giants second-round pick, who was tied to a two-year, $21MM Vikings pact from 2021-22.

Minnesota moved Tomlinson’s void-years vesting date back, aiming to extend him and not be hit with the void bill. With the Browns beating them out for the interior defender, the Vikings will be tagged with $7.5MM in dead money as a result of the 29-year-old defender’s previous contract structure.

For the Browns, this is an overdue signing. Cleveland struggled against the run last season, which came after the team curiously passed on doing much to staff its defensive tackle positions. Tomlinson, at 325 pounds, is one of the NFL’s best run-defending D-tackles; his contract reflects that. The Browns ranked 25th in rushing yards allowed and in terms of yards per carry (4.7) last season.

Previously a part of a Giants D-line that housed Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence and B.J. Hill, Tomlinson has been a starter throughout his career. Pro Football Focus has rated Tomlinson as a top-30 interior D-lineman in every season of his career. The Alabama product also tallied a career-high 10 quarterback hits last season. A Vikings defense that fared worse than the Browns’ in 2022 will certainly miss Tomlinson, who joins Eric Kendricks and Patrick Peterson in leading the team. The Vikings also may be parting ways with Za’Darius Smith.

Last year, the Browns effectively stood down at defensive tackle. They signed ex-Jaguars first-round bust Taven Bryan and used Jordan Elliott as a 17-game starter. PFF ranked Elliott as a bottom-tier D-tackle last season; Browns contributor Perrion Winfrey joined him in ranking outside the top 115 at the position. Tomlinson now joins Obo Okoronkwo up front for Cleveland alongside Myles Garrett.

49ers To Sign DT Javon Hargrave

March 13th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

9:40pm: We have a few more details on Hargrave’s new four-year, $84MM contract, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The $40MM amount guaranteed at signing consists of a $23MM signing bonus, a $6MM option bonus, $1.17MM of his 2023 base salary, $8.85MM of his 2024 base salary, $750,000 per game, and a $200,000 workout bonus.

Over the course of the four-year deal, Hargrave is set to hold cap hits of $6.62MM in 2023, $15.54MM in 2024, $26.55MM in 2025, $28.3MM in 2026, and $7MM of dead money in a voidable 2027. The contract also includes a voidable year in 2028, as well.

The 49ers have an out built into the deal after two years so that cutting Hargrave at that time would result in $8MM of cap savings, though it would force them to burn $18.6MM in dead money.

12:25pm: The top defensive tackle on the market is set to find a new home. Javon Hargrave has agreed to terms on a four-year, $84MM deal with the 49ers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The pact includes $40MM guaranteed at signing.

Hargrave enjoyed a productive three-year stint in Philadelphia, which came after a highly-regarded tenure with the Steelers. This first foray out of Pennsylvania will give him an opportunity to build on his production, and give San Francisco yet another high-end contributor on defense.

The 30-year-old was said to be seeking a deal in the range of $20MM per season, and he has landed one. The $21MM-per-year AAV of this pact puts Hargrave in a tie for third at the position, behind only Aaron Donald and the recently re-signed Daron Payne. It also marks another significant investment made on the defensive line on the part of the 49ers.

Arik Armstead has two years remaining on his current deal, with scheduled cap hits of $23.7MM and $25.6MM. That will make it difficult for San Francisco to accommodate another monster deal in the middle of their defense, but keeping the pair in place would add even further to the strength of their d-line. Hargrave posted a career-high 11 sacks in 2022 as part of the Eagles’ devastating pass rush. Philadelphia has 2022 first-rounder Jordan Davis in place to assume a larger role with Hargrave gone.

The 49ers already had the top defense in the league last season, so adding the Pro Bowler will be allow them to remain elite on that side of the ball. The structure of this deal will be noteworthy not only in terms of how it could affect Armstead’s future, but also because Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa is due for a mega-extension at some point. Regardless of how the 49ers handle his situation, they will have a vaunted defensive front for years to come.

Chiefs To Sign T Jawaan Taylor

March 13th, 2023 at 9:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

9:17pm: As of now, the Chiefs are planning on shifting Taylor to left tackle, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. This will follow the team’s Brown blueprint, though Brown — primarily a right tackle in Baltimore — had taken some reps at left tackle after filling in for Ronnie Stanley in 2020. Brown also wanted to be traded due to the Ravens viewing him as a right tackle; no such mandate is known to have come from Taylor. The ascending pass protector also only started at left tackle twice while at Florida. While this plan is subject to change, Kansas City’s $20MM-AAV contract looks to be addressing Patrick Mahomes‘ blind side — rather than Taylor becoming the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle.

1:17pm: The Chiefs look to be shifting their financial balance to the right side of their offensive line. After not franchise-tagging Orlando Brown Jr. this year, Kansas City has agreed to terms with Jawaan Taylor.

The four-year Jaguars right tackle agreed to a four-year, $80MM deal with the Chiefs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks yet another splash move from Kansas City GM Brett Veach up front, and Taylor will join one of the NFL’s best O-lines.

Taylor, 25, will receive an $18.9MM signing bonus and earn a base salary of just $1.1MM in 2023, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. His 2024-26 bases each check in at $19.5MM, Yates adds. The latter three salaries stand to open the door for future restructures. Taylor will lock in $60MM in guarantees by March 2024, Breer adds.

Andrew Wylie, who served as Kansas City’s starting right tackle last season, just agreed to a Commanders deal. The Chiefs were aiming much higher, it turns out. Taylor, who has never missed a game in his pro career, has been the Jags’ right-side starter throughout his career. A 2019 Jacksonville second-round pick, the ex-Florida Gator will be expected to provide a big upgrade on Wylie.

Perhaps the more notable fallout from this signing: Brown appears headed out of Missouri. The Chiefs used their tag on the mammoth left tackle in 2022 but decided not to keep him off the market this year. Brown turned down a deal that would have made him the league’s highest-paid left tackle ahead of last July’s tag extension deadline. The former Ravens right tackle will now take a chance he can collect a better deal — presumably one with more guaranteed money, as he viewed that as the prime impediment toward re-upping with the Chiefs — on the market this week.

Right tackle doubled as one of the prize positions in free agency this year. The oft-derided free agency class carried Taylor, Mike McGlinchey and Kaleb McGary, however. Two of those blockers are now headed to the AFC West. McGlinchey agreed to a Broncos deal earlier Monday.

At $20MM per year, Taylor is now the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle. He profiled as the top right-side pass protector available this year, and a Chiefs team that two years ago authorized a guard-record contract (Joe Thuney‘s) in free agency is resetting the market at another blocking position. Taylor’s pact tops Ryan Ramczyk‘s 2021 Saints extension. Considering the profile gap between Ramczyk and Taylor, this is a massive bet on the latter’s best years coming in Kansas City. But the Chiefs now have their right tackle spot locked down. With Taylor, Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith entrenched as starters up front, the team can shift its focus to determining its post-Brown solution on the blind side.

The Jaguars had attempted to keep Taylor, but given left tackle Cam Robinson‘s contract and the market that formed for Taylor, it is unsurprising the team was unable to keep him off the market. The Jags have Robinson coming back from a meniscus tear and could look to Walker Little to fill in on the right side.

Texans Expected To Sign DB Jimmie Ward

March 13th, 2023 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jimmie Ward will join Hassan Ridgeway in following DeMeco Ryans to Houston. The new Texans HC will have a familiar secondary piece on defense, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting Ward intends to sign (Twitter link).

A 49er throughout his nine-year career, Ward has toggled between safety and nickelback. The 49ers brought back Tashaun Gipson on Sunday, to stay at Ward’s preferred safety position, and the longest-tenured 49er defender is now headed elsewhere.

While Ward frequently moved around on San Francisco’s defense, he provided a considerable boost for some of the NFL’s best units of recent years. Ward was in place at safety for the 49er defense that powered the team to Super Bowl LIV, leading to a 2020 re-signing, and he was on the field for San Francisco’s runs to the NFC championship game over the past two seasons. Ward played 105 regular-season games with the 49ers, starting 79.

Ryans was with the 49ers for six of Ward’s nine seasons, working his way up from the quality control level to DC. He oversaw the decision to move Ward back to the nickel, and while the former first-round pick is believed to have viewed such a move as a demotion, there are obviously no hard feelings. Ryans will now add a versatile player to his defense in Houston.

Ward having experience as a safety and a cornerback in Ryans’ scheme should benefit young Texans talents Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley. The Texans have safety Jonathan Owens unsigned, potentially leaving a safety spot open for Ward opposite Pitre. With Ward going into his age-31 season, safety would seemingly make more sense at this point in his career. But Ryans was one of the San Francisco DCs to feel comfortable placing the veteran in the slot. If nothing else, Ryans has options here as he constructs his first Texans defense.

Pro Football Focus viewed Ward as having plenty of gas left in the tank, grading him as a top-15 DB this past season. Ward started the season late because of a summer hamstring injury and then suffered a hand malady shortly after returning. But he returned to play in 15 games (three in the postseason) to help the 49ers rank No. 1 in points allowed, yards allowed and defensive DVOA.

Broncos To Sign DL Zach Allen

March 13th, 2023 at 7:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

A couple of Vance Joseph’s former Broncos charges are still in place in Denver (Justin Simmons, Josey Jewell), but the new DC will bring one of his Cardinals pieces with him. The Broncos are signing Zach Allen to a three-year deal, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets.

Allen is set to join the Broncos on a contract worth $45.75MM and $32.5MM fully guaranteed, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. This news should lead to Dre’Mont Jones relocating, given what the Broncos have done in free agency Monday. The Broncos have kept in touch with Jones, but with the Browns viewed as the favorites, it is logical for the AFC West team to give Joseph a talented D-lineman he coached in Arizona.

Three of PFR’s top 20 free agents are now pledged to the Broncos, who are signing Allen, Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers to headline a Denver day dedicated to line fortifications. The Allen addition should bring a seamless transition for the former Cardinals draftee. The Cards drafted Allen in the 2019 third round, months after they hired Joseph as DC, and he became a key contributor — particularly during a contract year alongside J.J. Watt.

Allen, 25, led all defensive linemen with eight pass deflections last season, teaming with Watt to form a strong interior D-line duo for a last-place team. The Boston College product will undoubtedly step into the same position in Joseph’s 3-4 scheme in Denver. Allen finished with 5.5 sacks and 20 QB hits last season. He recovered three fumbles and intercepted a pass in 2021, coming along after taking a bit to break into Arizona’s lineup on a full-time basis.

Shortly after dealing Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins, the Broncos indicated Jones was a priority to re-sign. The team negotiated with Jones up to the franchise tag deadline, but the former third-round pick understandably did not want to re-sign before testing the market. The three-year Denver starter is one of the top players left on the board, and although he said before free agency he wanted to stay in Denver, it looks like the sides will split up after four years. Allen can safely be labeled Denver’s Jones replacement.

The Jones-for-Allen swap will still leave the Broncos with standout D-tackle D.J. Jones returning, and Denver also brought back linebacker Alex Singleton on Monday. The team released Graham Glasgow, Ronald Darby and Chase Edmonds to clear out the cap space necessary to enable this Monday spending spree.

Giants To Sign LB Bobby Okereke

March 13th, 2023 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The off-ball linebacker market continues to produce action on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. Bobby Okereke reached an agreement to join the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This transaction will relocate the productive Colts linebacker to a team in dire need of help at the position. The former third-round pick will end up doing pretty well in his first free agency foray, with Rapoport adding this is a four-year, $40MM deal that comes with $22MM guaranteed (Twitter link).

Known previously for Pat McAfee’s emphatic draft-pick announcement and being a Shaquille Leonard sidekick, Okereke shined in Gus Bradley‘s first season as Indianapolis’ DC. He posted 151 tackles during his contract year last season, one that largely came without Leonard. Even alongside the Colts’ All-Pro turnover machine in 2021, Okereke recorded 132 stops. Seventeen of Okereke’s 151 tackles in 2022 came in the Colts’ loss to the Giants.

The Giants have added Okereke and defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches to start the legal tampering period; they featured a bigger need at Okereke’s spot. Blake Martinez‘s early-season ACL tear in 2021 ended up altering the Giants’ path at linebacker. The team benched and waived previous starter Tae Crowder last season, months after cutting the now-retired Martinez, leaving Don Martindale looking for troops on his defensive second level. Okereke, 26, now stands to become the team’s anchor here, joining a Giants team that did employ long-term pieces up front and in its secondary.

This continues a trend for the Colts, who have now let Leonard wingmen Okereke and Anthony Walker walk in recent offseasons. Indianapolis is paying Leonard at a top-market rate, so another eight-figure-AAV contract at linebacker never made sense. The Colts do, however, still have Zaire Franklin under contract. E.J. Speed, who also saw his role increase as a result of Leonard’s health issues last season, is a free agent.

49ers To Sign QB Sam Darnold

March 13th, 2023 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Lynch indicated the 49ers may need to add a veteran quarterback. Rather than seek an experienced backup, the 49ers are landing a veteran starter to join their Brock Purdy–Trey Lance QB room.

Sam Darnold is signing with the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. San Francisco will add the former No. 3 overall pick to a one-year deal. The 49ers now have two former No. 3 overall picks in the draft, in Lance and Darnold, though Purdy is the early favorite — depending on his post-surgery timetable — to stick as their starter.

Darnold will follow Josh Rosen as 2018 first-rounders to have joined the 49ers under the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan regime, and it will be interesting to see the former Jets and Panthers starter’s role on his new team.

The 49ers are in an unusual position, with both their top QBs coming off injuries. Lance is expected to be ready to return from his broken ankle by OTAs, but Purdy may not be fully cleared until September. Given the form Lance has shown so far, the 49ers entered free agency in an odd position. Darnold stands to provide intriguing insurance.

The Panthers had begun negotiations to keep Darnold, but their plans changed after pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade for the No. 1 overall pick. Darnold, 25, will exit Carolina after two seasons. Those two seasons did not produce what the Panthers sought when they traded three draft choices — including a 2022 second-rounder — for him in 2021, but the USC product does bring considerable experience to this Purdy-Lance room largely devoid of it. Darnold has made 55 NFL starts.

During Matt Rhule’s third and final year with the franchise, the Panthers gave Baker Mayfield their starting job out of training camp. Darnold suffered a high ankle sprain late in the preseason but had already lost the job. It took the ex-Jets franchise-QB hopeful until midseason to return, but Darnold regained his starting job. He finished last season with an 8.2 yards-per-attempt number — by far the highest of his career — and threw seven touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions. This came with a 58.6% completion rate, but Darnold looked in better form compared to what he showed for most of the 2022 season.

Purdy did not need Tommy John surgery and is tentatively expected to begin throwing in June. His UCL repair will still mean extensive first-team reps for Lance, reopening the door for the former North Dakota State prospect. Purdy has been expected to hang onto his staring gig, but that cannot be considered a lock given the circumstances. Darnold’s experience may throw another wrench into San Francisco’s mix, which stands to be one of the more fascinating QB rooms in recent memory. It will be interesting to learn the 49ers’ offseason plans for their newest passer.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign CB Jamel Dean

March 13th, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming back from being nearly $60MM over the cap, the Buccaneers are planning to still retain their top free agent. Jamel Dean intends to re-sign with Tampa Bay, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Bucs have now re-signed Dean and fellow cornerback Carlton Davis in back-to-back legal tampering periods. Although the Tom Brady void-years bill led to the belief the Bucs were not planning a particularly active free agency period, they viewed Dean as a priority.

Dean agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $52MM, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets. This checks in at a manageable rate for the Bucs. Expected to attract a bit more interest on the market, Dean will be back in Tampa at just $13MM per year. This is well outside the top five at cornerback, and it does not check in among the top 12 contracts at the position. Dean will stay with the Bucs as the NFL’s 14th-highest-paid corner. The deal includes $26MM guaranteed, Jordan Schultz of The Score tweets.

Breaking through as a full-time player in 2022, Dean ranked as a top-10 corner in the view of Pro Football Focus. The former third-round pick’s coverage numbers were a bit better in 2021, when he allowed just a 50.0 passer rating as the closest defender. That number climbed to 86.0 last season, but Dean will keep developing in Todd Bowles’ system. Considering the Bucs’ performance last season, retaining one of their top pieces stands to be vital as they move forward post-Brady.

Dean is surprisingly now tied to less in average salary than Davis, whom the Bucs drafted on Day 2 a year before selecting Dean. Sean Murphy-Bunting, the other recent Bucs Day 2 cornerback pick, is still a free agent.

The Buccaneers have been focused on clearing room in recent weeks, restructuring a number of contracts. Still, the front office did have to move on from a number of notable players, including running back Leonard Fournette, tight end Cameron Brate, and offensive linemen Donovan Smith and Shaq Mason.

Falcons To Sign S Jessie Bates

March 13th, 2023 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after Vonn Bell committed to the Panthers, Jessie Bates will join him in the NFC South. The former Bengals safety agreed to terms with the Falcons on Monday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The deal will move Bates into the top five in NFL history at safety. He agreed to a four-year, $64MM contract with Atlanta, Rapoport adds (on Twitter). This agreement will move Bates into fourth place among safeties, checking in behind only Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jamal Adams.

Following through on a clear free agency fit, the Falcons are giving Bates $23MM in Year 1 and $36MM by Year 2, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), to bring him to Georgia. PFR’s No. 6 overall free agent, Bates did not see a 2022 franchise tag suppress his value. He will now tack this monster Atlanta accord onto the $12.9MM he collected on the tag in his Cincinnati finale.

Bates, 26, negotiated with the Bengals in 2021 and ’22, and while he expressed a desire to stay during that time period, the tag failing to produce an extension by last July’s deadline began paving a path out of town. The Falcons entered free agency in second place for cap space, and they will use it to fill a position that has lacked consistency over the past few years. The Falcons have not been able to lock down their safety spot since the breakup of Super Bowl LI starters Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. In Bates, they have a former second-round pick who became an instant starter.

Bates picked off Matthew Stafford in Super Bowl LVI, finishing a strong playoff run that ended his 2021 season on a better note. Bates ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall safety in 2020 but was less solid in 2021, admitting failed extension talks affected his play. But Bates notched two playoff interceptions and broke up a Patrick Mahomes overtime pass that led to a crucial Bell pick in the 2021 AFC championship game. Last season, PFF rated Bates 24th overall at the position; the Wake Forest product intercepted a career-high four passes.

The Chiefs avenged their upset loss in the AFC title rematch, and the Bengals will now be left without the Bates-Bell duo that had become one of the NFL’s top back-line tandems. Cincinnati used its 2022 first-round pick on a post-Bates contingency plan, in Dax Hill, but the team will need to do a little work at the position. Although this safety market is deep, the Bengals may have trouble matching the level of safety play they have received in recent years.

Entering Year 3 of the Terry Fontenot-Arthur Smith regime, Atlanta was expected to be active on the market. Now free of Matt Ryan dead money, the team has indeed been busy to start the legal tampering period. The Falcons have extended Chris Lindstrom, traded for Jonnu Smith, signed ex-Ryan Nielsen Saints D-line charge David Onyemata and now landed one of the biggest fish in this year’s free agency pool in Bates.

Bears, G Nate Davis Agree To Terms

March 13th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears will use some of their league-leading cap-space total on their offensive line. They are signing former Titans guard Nate Davis, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Davis agreed to a three-year deal to head to Chicago. Although the Bears have Cody Whitehair under contract and saw some positive signs from tackle convert Teven Jenkins last season, they are signing one of the better guards available on the market.

Continuing a Titans O-line overhaul, Davis will depart Nashville for a $30MM Chicago accord, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The fifth-year guard will see $19.25MM guaranteed. This is a nice payday for Davis, who earned mixed reviews in 2022. But the former Titans third-round pick supplies extensive experience and will still join the Bears on what is effectively a midlevel guard deal.

Football Outsiders charged Davis with allowing an alarming eight sacks in 2022, and ESPN classified him as below average in run block win rate. But Davis also slotted in the top 25 in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric last season. And he held a vital role in helping Derrick Henry secure back-to-back rushing titles. Davis, 26, started 54 games in Tennessee and has consistently graded well, via Pro Football Focus, which slotted Davis as a top-25 O-linemen in each of the past three seasons (17th in 2022).

Jenkins graded as PFF’s No. 3 overall guard in 2022, showing considerable promise despite being a quick disappointment at tackle and drawing trade rumors early in Poles’ tenure. Whitehair has been with Chicago since 2016; he is under contract through 2025. It will be interesting to see how the Bears proceed here. Barring a Jenkins move back to right tackle or a Whitehair shift to center — where he started his NFL career — it would seem the Davis addition will lead to a shakeup at guard.

The Titans’ O-line situation goes well beyond “shakeup,” with Davis representing the third starter the unit is losing this offseason. The Titans released Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones and have 17-game guard starter Aaron Brewer unsigned. Unless new Tennessee GM Ran Carthon retains Brewer, 2022 third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere will be the only starter back up front for the retooling team.

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