Rams To Re-Sign TE Tyler Higbee
No tight end has more receiving yards as a Ram than Tyler Higbee, and the 10-year contributor will have a chance to create more distance between himself and the field.
The Rams are re-signing Higbee, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. The sides agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal to keep Higbee off the free agent market (the $8MM represents a max value, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Sean McVay said Tuesday the Rams were interested in retaining Higbee. This will be the veteran’s fourth Rams contract.
As Los Angeles leaned into three-tight end packages extensively — after years as primarily a three-wideout offense — last season, Higbee played a key role along with Colby Parkinson and rookie Terrance Ferguson. Higbee missed seven games last season, which came after a near-season-long 2024 absence. But the Rams will sign up for another go-round with the former fourth-round pick — chosen a year before McVay’s L.A. arrival.
Suffering an ACL tear in the Rams’ wild-card loss to the Lions in 2023, Higbee missed 14 games in 2024. He then went down with an ankle injury last November. The Rams saved an IR activation for their long-tenured tight end, activating him for Week 18. Higbee played in all three Rams playoff games, totaling four receptions for 84 yards. In the 2025 regular season, Higbee caught 25 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns from MVP Matthew Stafford.
Formerly pairing with second-round Rams draftee Gerald Everett, Higbee became the team’s preferred long-term tight end. The Rams extended Higbee in 2019, giving him a four-year deal worth $29MM. The parties huddled up for a third contract (two years, $17MM) in September 2023. Higbee’s fourth contract comes in well south of these agreements, but injuries have kept him off the field for much of the past two seasons. The Western Kentucky product also turned 33 in January, limiting his market value.
This franchise has employed superstar wide receivers. As Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Henry Ellard, Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch shined in Los Angeles and St. Louis, the tight end position has been overlooked here for ages. Higbee ranks 14th in Rams history in receiving (3,949 yards). That is nearly 2,000 more than any other pure TE in franchise history. With Rob Havenstein now retired, Higbee also will enter the 2026 season as the longest-tenured player on the Rams’ roster.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/5/26
Here are today’s RFA and ERFA tender calls:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Cardinals: RB Emari Demercado
- Falcons: DL Sam Roberts
- Jets: WR John Metchie
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Buccaneers: LS Evan Deckers
- Cowboys: CB Josh Butler
- Jets: DT Jowon Briggs, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
- Raiders: S Tristin McCollum, C Will Putnam, DE Charles Snowden
- Titans: G Garrett Dellinger, DL C.J. Ravenell
Broncos To Re-Sign OL Alex Palczewski
7:04pm: Palczewski’s two-year deal is worth $9.5MM, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. Of that total, $5.6MM is guaranteed. The contract can max out at $11MM.
1:38pm: The Broncos are expected to re-sign offensive lineman Alex Palczewski, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 26-year-old was set to be a restricted free agent but will instead stay in Denver on a two-year deal.
Palczewski signed with the Broncos as an undrafted rookie in 2023 but missed the entire season due to injury. He made the 53-man roster in 2024 and took over at right tackle after an early-season injury to starter Mike McGlinchey. A high ankle sprain put Palczewski on the shelf for three games, and he only played 16 snaps on offense for the rest of the year.
In 2025, he emerged as a key piece of Denver’s offensive line after starting left guard Ben Powers landed on injured reserve due to a biceps injury. Palczewski logged 10 starts (Weeks 7-17), though he only received a 53.8 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and Powers took back over at left guard after he came off IR at the end of the regular season.
Details of Palczewski’s deal are unknown, but it will likely land somewhere between the second-round and right-of-first-refusal RFA tags, valued at $6.26MM and $3.82MM, respectively (via OverTheCap). That could be a bargain if he takes over a starting job in 2026, a distinct possibility considering Powers’ contract situation.
Powers is owed $13MM in non-guaranteed compensation this year with Denver’s third-largest cap hit at $18.15MM. A pre-June 1 cut would yield $8.38MM in savings with $9.78MM in dead money, while a post-June 1 cut would change those numbers to $12.73MM and $5.43MM with the rest of the dead money pushed to 2027. Powers has been mentioned as a trade candidate on multiple occasions.
The Broncos currently have a little over $25MM in cap space, so they do not need to release Powers before the new league year. That would give them time to explore his trade value after starting 52 games in the last five seasons. They could also elect to designate him as a post-June 1 cut for maximum 2026 savings. It would not kick in until after June 1, and the Broncos would have to carry Powers’ cap hit in the meantime, but they can afford to do so. They can then use the extra money to sign their rookie class and fill any remaining roster needs with summer signings.
However, re-signing Palczewski does not necessarily mean that the Broncos are looking to move on from Powers. Depth at offensive line is key, especially players who are able to back up multiple spots.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/5/26
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: DT Perrion Winfrey
New England Patriots
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: OLB Jesse Luketa
New York Giants
- Re-signed: WR Gunner Olszewski
New York Jets
- Re-signed: TE Jelani Woods
Olszewski is coming back to the Giants even after their coaching staff and front office changes. Olszewski, 29, has spent the past three years with New York, serving as the team’s primary kick returner in 2025. A 2020 All-Pro returner as a Patriot, Olszewski also caught a career-high 10 passes for 145 yards last season.
Woods reunites with Jets OC Frank Reich, the Colts’ head coach when the tight end was drafted in the 2022 third round. Woods never played a down for Shane Steichen, missing all of the 2023 and ’24 seasons. The Colts waived the Virginia alum in August 2025, leading him to the Jets’ practice squad.
Colts Shopping LB Zaire Franklin
Linebacker Zaire Franklin‘s eighth year in a Colts uniform may have been his last. In an effort to get under the salary cap, the Colts are discussing a Franklin trade with other teams, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Factoring in the $37.83MM transition tag for quarterback Daniel Jones, the Colts are approximately $4.72MM over the cap. They are also trying to re-sign wide receiver Alec Pierce, though he plans to test the free agent market. As PFR’s second-ranked free agent-to-be, Pierce may price himself out of Indianapolis on a mega-deal.
The possibility of the Colts moving on from Franklin first came up last week. General manager Chris Ballard was complimentary toward Franklin, but he was also noncommittal on the soon-to-be 30-year-old’s future. Ballard gave Franklin a three-year, $31.26MM extension back in March 2024. He still has two years’ control left as a result. Trading or releasing Franklin before June 1 would save the Colts $5.76MM in cap space at the cost of $2.5MM in dead money.
Franklin’s career began when the Colts chose him in the seventh round out of Syracuse in 2018. After mostly serving as a special teamer in his first three seasons, he took over as a regular starter in 2021. Franklin has missed just one game since then. He amassed over 170 tackles in each season from 2022-24. During a career year in 2024, Franklin posted 173 tackles, 11 TFL, and personal bests in sacks (3.5) and interceptions (two).
Franklin earned Pro Bowl honors and a second-team All-Pro selection for his efforts two years ago, but he was not as effective last season. He put up 125 tackles, seven TFL and two sacks. Pro Football Focus ranked Franklin 87th among 88 qualifying linebackers. Primary running mate Germaine Pratt, now a pending free agent, checked in at No. 41. Both players could soon be on their way out of Indianapolis, which would set up an overhaul at linebacker.
At least one of the Giants or Jets will be involved in trade talks for Franklin, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post contends. The Giants may pursue Franklin to replace the released Bobby Okereke. The Jets, who are transitioning to a 3-4 base defense, need another inside linebacker to pair with Jamien Sherwood. Franklin could fit the bill.
Chargers Host C Tyler Biadasz
Now in the market for a starting center to replace the retired Bradley Bozeman, the Chargers hosted free agent Tyler Biadasz on Thursday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
This is the second visit Biadasz has booked since the Commanders released him last week. The six-year veteran met with the Bears after No. 1 center Drew Dalman‘s stunning retirement on Tuesday.
A month after stalwart center Travis Frederick retired, the Cowboys chose Biadasz in the fourth round in 2020. The former Wisconsin Badger came off the bench in eight of 12 games as a rookie, but he became a full-time starter in his second season. Biadasz played in 49 games from 2021-23 and earned his lone Pro Bowl nod as an alternate in 2022.
Biadasz parlayed a solid run in Dallas into a three-year, $30MM contract with the NFC East rival Commanders in 2024. He continued as a full-time starter in Washington, where he played in 31 games, but the team cut him with a year left on his deal. The 28-year-old’s only absence last season came in the Commanders’ finale. He was on IR by then as a result of knee and ankle injuries he suffered in Week 17. Biadasz ended the year as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-ranked center among 37 qualifiers.
If Biadasz signs with the Chargers, he would replace another full-time starter in Bozeman. Although Bozeman topped the depth chart in all 33 of his games as a Charger, PFF was down on his work in both seasons. He was the outlet’s 31st-rated center out of 43 in 2024 and its last-ranked pivot in ’25. The Chargers’ search for a successor could point them to Biadasz, though the team has the cap room (a league-leading $99.05MM) to make a far bigger investment at the position.
The Ravens Tyler Linderbaum, PFR’s top-ranked pending free agent, is poised to sign a record-setting contract for a center. Connor McGovern, who expects to leave Buffalo, and Carolina’s Cade Mays are in the next tier of soon-to-be free agents at the position. Neither will come cheap, though, and Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz indicated last month that he does not expect to be aggressive in free agency. That could make a Biadasz signing more likely than a splashier center addition.
Cardinals Release Akeem Davis-Gaither, Bilal Nichols
The Cardinals have released linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, per Field Yates of ESPN. They cut Nichols with a failed physical designation.
Davis-Gaither worked as a backup during his first five seasons in Cincinnati, which chose him in Round 4 of the 2020 draft. He became a starter for the Cardinals after they handed him a two-year, $11MM deal last March.
During his second 17-game season in a row, Davis-Gaither notched career highs in tackles (117), starts (13) and passes defensed (five). He led all Cardinals linebackers in snap share (68.15%) and pulled in the third interception of his career along the way. Pro Football Focus was unimpressed, though, as the outlet ranked the 28-year-old’s performance 71st among 88 qualifying LBs.
A former Bear and Raider, Nichols signed a three-year, $21MM contract with the Cardinals in March 2024. Nichols was coming off three straight 17-game seasons at that point, but health eluded him in Arizona. The 300-pounder totaled 10 tackles in six games (five starts) before a stinger forced him to season-ending injured reserve in October 2024.
When assembling their roster at the end of August last year, the Cardinals placed Nichols on the reserve/PUP list with a neck injury. They activated Nichols before Week 5, but the 29-year-old wound up totaling just four appearances and three tackles in 2025. Arizona sent Nichols to IR with knee injury in mid-December, ending his second and last season in its uniform. He made 13 tackles in 10 games as a Cardinal.
In moving on from Davis-Gaither and Nichols, the Cardinals will save around $11MM in cap space. They now have approximately $39.7MM available as the new league year approaches.
Seahawks, LB Drake Thomas Agree To Deal
The Seahawks and restricted free agent linebacker Drake Thomas have agreed to a two-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal comes with a base of $8MM and could be worth up to $9MM.
As an undrafted free agent from NC State in 2023, Thomas originally signed with the Raiders. He was unable to crack Las Vegas’ roster, leading Seattle to claim Thomas shortly before the season.
Thomas appeared in seven games and played 118 of 122 snaps on special teams as a rookie. While he suited up for all 17 of the Seahawks’ games in his second year, his role was primarily on special teams again. Just 37 of his 355 snaps came on defense.
Last year was a different story for Thomas, who emerged as a 14-game starter for a team that won the Super Bowl. The 26-year-old totaled 768 snaps, the seventh-most among Seahawks defenders. With 905 snaps, Ernest Jones was the Seahawks’ only linebacker to log more playing time. Thomas took advantage of his opportunity in racking up 96 tackles, 10 TFL, six QB hits, 3.5 sacks and an interception over 17 regular-season games. Pro Football Focus rated his performance an impressive 23rd among 88 qualifying linebackers.
Thomas’ 77.0 grade as a run defender ranked third on the Seahawks, who allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the NFL. He chipped in another 18 tackles over three playoff wins, including six in a stifling defensive performance against the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
Broncos Planned To Pursue Breece Hall
The Jets kept running back Breece Hall under wraps with the franchise tag before the Tuesday afternoon deadline. The transition tag was also a possibility, but the Broncos posed enough of a threat that the Jets went for the franchise option, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports.
Franchising Hall all but guaranteed he will remain in a Jets uniform for a fifth season in 2026. No team is going to sign Hall to an offer sheet and give up two first-round picks for him. The transition tag would have given the Jets the right to match any offer, but they would not have received compensation had they let him go.
The Broncos were ready to strike in the event the Jets chose the transition tag. They remain “poised to make a splash” at the position in free agency, Jones writes.
Broncos general manager George Paton could have stolen Hall from former assistant GM Darren Mougey, who is now the Jets’ GM. Denver also has a key connection to Hall in running backs coach Louis Ayeni, Jones notes. As Iowa State’s RBs coach from 2014-17, Ayeni recruited Hall to play for the Cyclones.
With Hall out of the picture, the Broncos could turn their attention to Seahawks Super Bowl LX MVP winner Kenneth Walker III or the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne. Those two rank as the league’s best pending free agent running backs. The Panthers’ Rico Dowdle, the Falcons’ Tyler Allgeier, the Buccaneers’ Rachaad White and the Broncos’ own J.K. Dobbins are among other notable RBs seeking contracts.
Dobbins, a former Raven and Charger, joined the Broncos on a one-year, $5.25MM contract last offseason. He performed well as the Broncos’ primary ball carrier when healthy. Once again, though, staying healthy was a challenge for the oft-injured Dobbins. The 27-year-old rushed for 772 yards and four touchdowns on 153 attempts (5.0 YPC) in 10 games before a Lisfranc injury ended his season in November. Since entering the league in 2020, injuries have held Dobbins out of 57 games. That makes Dobbins hard to rely on as a go-to back, even though he has averaged 5.2 yards per rush on 582 carries.
Despite losing Dobbins just days after the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Broncos won six of their last seven regular-season games to roll to an AFC West title and clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference. But their running game was less effective without Dobbins. Rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey combined for 12 touchdowns (seven rushing, five receiving) and caught 47 passes, but he only averaged 3.7 yards on 146 carries. He accounted for a subpar 57 rushing yards on 19 tries over the Broncos’ two playoff games. Harvey mustered just 37 yards on 13 attempts in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game. That proved costly for a Denver team stuck with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who could not get anything going through the air while filling in for an injured Bo Nix.
Harvey will return as an integral part of the offense in 2026, but it sounds as if he will pair with another established veteran in his second year. That may have been Hall if the Broncos had their way. They will have to look elsewhere instead.
49ers Hire Matt Eberflus As Assistant HC
The 49ers are hiring Matt Eberflus as their assistant head coach of defense, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Eberflus will replace Gus Bradley, who left to become the Titans’ defensive coordinator.
Bradley followed previous 49ers defensive coordinator and new Titans head coach Robert Saleh to Tennessee. Kyle Shanahan then tabbed former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris as Saleh’s successor in San Francisco. This will be Eberflus’ first time working with Shanahan and Morris.
The 55-year-old Eberflus is best known for his two-plus seasons as the Bears’ head coach from 2022-24. After Chicago stumbled to a 14-32 record under Eberflus, general manager Ryan Poles fired him in November 2024.
The Bears hired Eberflus on the heels of an effective showing as the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018-21. The Colts boasted top-10 scoring defenses in three of Eberflus’ four years on former head coach Frank Reich‘s staff.
Before going to Indianapolis, Eberflus worked as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach from 2011-17. The Cowboys likely expected Eberflus to channel the success he had in Indy when they reunited with him as their D-coordinator last year. Instead, the hiring proved to be a disaster.
Eberflus’ defense, among the worst in franchise history, did little to nothing well. The unit ranked 23rd in run defense, 26th in sacks, 30th in yards and takeaways, and last in pass defense and scoring. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, COO Stephen Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer gave Eberflus public votes of confidence in the first couple months of the season. However, patience officially ran out when they fired Eberflus in the wake of a 7-9-1 campaign.
Now taking on an important role in San Francisco, Eberflus will assist with a defense that held up decently last season despite a rash of injuries. The 49ers went most of the season without their two best defenders, end Nick Bosa and middle linebacker Fred Warner, but still ranked a respectable 13th in scoring. Bosa suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3, while Warner did not play again after fracturing and dislocating his ankle in Week 6. Those two should return to full strength to play for a new-look defensive staff in 2026.