Patriots Sign E.J. Biggers
The Patriots have added some secondary depth, signing cornerback E.J. Biggers to a contract, league sources tell Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.
Biggers will get a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract that features just $25K in guaranteed money, in the form of a signing bonus. He’ll also be in line for up to $30K in per-game roster bonuses, plus a $25K roster bonus for reporting to training camp.
Biggers, 28, spent three seasons in Tampa Bay and two in Washington before joining the Eagles for the 2015 campaign. Outside of the 2012 season, when he started 12 games for the Bucs, he has been a part-time contributor for most of his NFL career, playing in nickel or dime packages on defense and contributing on special teams as well. In 2015, he recorded 39 tackles and seven passes defended.
New England’s cornerback group looks mostly the same in 2016 as it did in 2015, but Tarell Brown is one player eligible for free agency. Brown played 162 defensive snaps for the club last season, so Biggers will be a top candidate to take over those snaps going forward.
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Giants Re-Sign Jasper Brinkley
MARCH 29: The Giants have officially re-signed Brinkley, the team confirmed today in a press release.
MARCH 18: The Giants will bring back free agent middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Financial details aren’t yet available. It’s the second straight one-year pact for Brinkley, who joined the Giants leading up to Week 1 last season after the NFC East rival Cowboys released him.
In his first season with the Giants, Brinkley totaled 67 tackles, four forced fumbles and a sack in 15 appearances (nine starts). Overall, he graded a solid 36th among 97 qualifying linebackers at Pro Football Focus for his performance with Big Blue. He 
was especially impressive against the run, ranking as PFF’s fourth-best LB in that category.
Brinkley, a 2009 fifth-round pick, previously played with the Vikings and Cardinals until 2014, racking up 79 regular-season appearances and 42 starts.
The 30-year-old Brinkley is now set to be part of a 2016 Giants linebacking corps that recently added fellow middle man Keenan Robinson and also features Jonathan Casillas and Devon Kennard. He’ll likely serve as a backup to Robinson, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link).
Brinkley is the latest defensive free agent pickup for New York, which has made a serious effort to improve last season’s worst-ranked ‘D’ in the NFL. Since March 7, the Giants have signed three high-profile defensive linemen in Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul and Damon Harrison, added Robinson and Brinkley at linebacker, and given cornerback Janoris Jenkins a mega-deal.
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Anquan Boldin Visiting Washington
Veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin is making his first free agent visit of the month, according to Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post, who report (via Twitter) that Washington is hosting Boldin for a visit today.
Boldin, who will turn 36 in October, is one of the older free agents on the market, but there’s reason to believe he still has something left in the tank. After joining the 49ers in 2013, the former second-round pick posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, with 12 total touchdowns in ’13 and ’14.
Boldin slowed down a little in 2015, missing a couple games due to injury and finishing with 69 receptions for 789 yards and four touchdowns. However, given the Niners’ quarterback situation last season, and taking into account how weak this year’s group of free agent wideouts was, it’s reasonable to consider Boldin one of the better options available this offseason.
We heard last week that the 49ers have not offered a contract to Boldin, which leaves the door open for him to sign with Washington or another team. The veteran wideout reportedly wants to continue his NFL career with a title contender, and while it’s not clear whether Jay Gruden‘s club fits that bill, adding Boldin to the mix would certainly make for an intriguing collection of pass-catchers in D.C.
Tight end Jordan Reed was Kirk Cousins‘ favorite target in 2015, while DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jamison Crowder head the team’s wide receiver depth chart. Still, Washington isn’t especially deep at the position, particularly since Andre Roberts is a candidate for release, so if the club could add Boldin on the cheap, it would give Cousins yet another weapon.
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Dolphins Re-Sign Spencer Paysinger
Free agent linebacker Spencer Paysinger will be returning to Miami for the 2016 season. Paysinger himself broke word of his new deal with the Dolphins, announcing the news on his Twitter account.
Paysinger, 27, joined the Dolphins for the 2015 season after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Giants. Although he earned 10 starts in 2013, logging a career-high 74 tackles, Paysinger has served primarily as a backup linebacker and a special-teamer since entering the league. In 2015, he appeared in 14 games for Miami, playing just 72 defensive snaps.
Paysinger paid a visit to the Steelers earlier in free agency, after Pittsburgh saw backup linebacker Sean Spence sign with Tennessee. The Steelers ultimately re-sign Steven Johnson as Spence’s probable replacement, opening the door for Paysinger to return to Miami.
Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but Paysinger was on a minimum salary benefit contract in 2015 and probably won’t be in line for much of a raise.
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AFC Rumors: Titans, Tunsil, Chiefs, Steelers
Although a report on Monday suggested that Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa remains in the mix for the Titans with the first overall pick, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil still appears to be the overwhelming favorite to be Tennessee’s pick, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) outlines. According to Cole, the fact that Tunsil won’t run a 40-yard dash and is dealing with a lingering hamstring issue shouldn’t have any real impact on his draft stock.
Still, while Tunsil is the odds-on favorite to be the first player off the board next month, not everyone agrees he should be. Writing for the Florida Times-Union, Hays Carlyon makes the case that the Titans should select Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey first overall. As Carlyon details, landing Ramsey would fill a hole for Tennessee and would keep a talented defender away from the division-rival Jaguars, who would probably love to grab him with the fifth overall pick.
As we look forward to seeing what Tennessee decides, let’s round up a few more updates from around the AFC…
- A report earlier in March suggested that the Chiefs and 49ers had discussed a possible trade that would send De’Anthony Thomas to San Francisco. However, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links), Kansas City GM John Dorsey said today that Thomas isn’t going anywhere, denying that he had spoken to the Niners about a deal. Even if the two sides did have a conversation about Thomas, it’s unlikely that Dorsey would confirm it now that the 23-year-old appears likely to stay put.
- The Steelers remain on the lookout for defensive line help. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that free agent defensive tackle Mike Martin recently visited Pittsburgh, while Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the club will also bring in defensive end Jack Crawford for a visit this week. Martin has been a backup in Tennessee for most of the last four seasons, while Crawford picked up four sacks as a part-timer in Dallas in 2015.
- Houston cornerback William Jackson III is visiting the Dolphins today, a source tells Wilson (Twitter link). Jackson projects as a probable first-round pick.
- The Texans guaranteed $37MM to a player that the team’s decision-makers had essentially never met, as Peter King of TheMMQB.com writes. Using the Brock Osweiler signing as a point of reference, King makes the case for why the NFL should expand its annual legal tampering period to allow for free agent visits.
Panthers Sign Brandon Boykin
TUESDAY, 11:48am: Boykin’s one-year contract with the Panthers is a minimum salary benefit deal with an $80K signing bonus, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 11:30am: Following his visit to Carolina, the Panthers have signed Brandon Boykin to a contract, according to the team’s official website. Per Max Henson of Panthers.com, it’s a one-year deal for the free agent cornerback.
Boykin, 25, had been one of the more intriguing cornerbacks still available on the free agent market. In 2015, he joined the Steelers, having been sent to Pittsburgh by the Eagles in a trade for a fifth-round pick. However, Boykin played primarily on special teams until the final few weeks of the season — he logged 252 of his 274 regular-season defensive snaps in the Steelers’ last five games.
Despite not seeing significant playing time in Pittsburgh, Boykin ranked as a top-40 cornerback in 2015 (out of 111 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus. The Georgia product has always shown flashes of upside, particularly in his six-interception 2013 campaign, but has never really gotten the opportunity to be a full-time player — he has just seven career starts.
In Carolina, Boykin will likely slot in as the Panthers’ nickel back. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere project as the probable starters on the outside, with Charles Tillman no longer under contract.
While Boykin didn’t earn a spot on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, we placed him sixth among free agent cornerbacks when we broke down 2016’s top defensive free agents, placing him ahead of veterans like Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson due to his relative youth and upside.
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Lions Sign CB Darrin Walls
The Lions have signed former Jets cornerback Darrin Walls to a contract, the team announced today on its website. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but a minimum-salary pact seems likely.
Walls, 27, made his NFL debut for the Falcons in 2011, but has spent most of his five-year career with the Jets, appearing in 49 games for New York since 2012. The Notre Dame alum was a starter in 2014, recording 40 tackles on the year to go along with 11 passes defended and a pair of interceptions.
However, after the Jets splurged on cornerbacks like Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine in free agency a year ago, Walls returned a backup and special teams role. In 2015, he saw just 120 defensive snaps and didn’t start a game for Gang Green.
In Detroit, Walls will join a group of cornerbacks that includes Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, and Quandre Diggs, among others. With Rashean Mathis having announced his retirement and Josh Wilson eligible for free agency, the Lions had been in the market for some depth at the position.
Stevan Ridley Visiting Lions
The Lions are hosting free agent running back Stevan Ridley for a visit today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As Rapoport notes, Ridley is now two years removed from the major ACL/MCL injury that ended his 2014 season.
A former third-round pick, Ridley averaged 5.1 yards per carry in limited action during his rookie season in 2011, then exploded for 1,263 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012. However, fumbling issues landed him on the bench in New England, and his knee injury limited him in both 2014 and 2015.
After spending his first four years in the NFL with the Patriots, Ridley signed with the Jets last year, but didn’t see the field all that much after coming off the PUP list. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Ridley took over for Zac Stacy as the No. 3 back and earned just 36 carries, totaling only 90 yards for a career-worst 2.5 yards per attempt.
If he’s healthier this year than he was in 2015 though, Ridley could be worth a flier to see if he can regain anything close to his 2012 form. For the Lions, Ameer Abdullah figures to head into the 2016 season as the No. 1 option on the depth chart, but the club could use some veteran depth after releasing Joique Bell earlier in the offseason.
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Saints Rework Contracts For Jordan, Morstead
The Saints have been busy in free agency within the last couple weeks, adding players like Craig Robertson, James Laurinaitis, and Nick Fairley to new contracts while also matching the Bears’ offer sheet for tight end Josh Hill. It wasn’t clear initially how the cap-strapped Saints were creating room for all their new contracts, but Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune has shed some light on the subject.
According to Woodbery, New Orleans has restructured the contracts for defensive end Cameron Jordan and punter Thomas Morstead to create a little cap space. Woodbery writes that the moves have pushed the Saints back up to $3.03MM in available cap space, after that figure had been reduced to $273K last week. Still, the new figure doesn’t include Fairley, so even if the team has room to squeeze in the defensive tackle’s new contract, additional restructures or releases will eventually be required.
For Jordan, it was the second time in two months that the Saints have tweaked his contract, giving him more money up front. In February, the team created $4.8MM in cap room by converting Jordan’s $6MM roster bonus into a signing bonus. Now the club has also converted most of his $3.5MM base salary into a signing bonus — by reducing his salary to $765K, the Saints create a $2.73MM bonus, which will be prorated over five years, opening up $2.184MM in cap space for 2016.
As for Morstead, he got a $2.1MM signing bonus, with his $3MM base salary reduced to $900K. That bonus prorates over three seasons, creating $1.4MM in cap savings for 2016. The veteran punter’s 2017 and 2018 cap numbers have increased to $4.7MM and $4.85MM respectively as a result of the restructure.
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AFC Rumors: Foster, Raiders, Brown, Lynch
Arian Foster won’t be signing with anyone, anytime soon, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. The veteran tailback is looking to get completely healthy before he signs, which could mean late May or June. Foster will visit the Dolphins on Tuesday, but it’ll be a while before he puts pen to paper with the Fins or any other squad.
Here’s a look at the AFC:
- The Raiders probably won’t make any more major expenditures, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I’m never done,” Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said last week on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “With all that money, we’re probably done with that big spending, yes, but there’s always ways to improve your roster. It doesn’t have to be a whole lot of big money players.”
- The Browns visited today with Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch & Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Titans are set to host Florida safety Keanu Neal on a visit, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. Neal, who averaged nearly nine tackles per contest in 2015, could be in consideration for the team’s pick at No. 33 overall.
- The Broncos are hosting LSU cornerback Rashard Robinson and Vanderbilt linebacker Stephen Weatherly on visits today, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter).
- Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich worked out privately for the Colts on Monday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Patriots have gathered a ton of intel on Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com writes. The Annapolis star set the NCAA record for touchdowns with 88 and has drawn comparisons to Julian Edelman.