OL Notes: Lions, Linderbaum, Steelers, Texans, Giants, Panthers, Browns, Saints
Winning a 49ers starting guard job to open last season, Ben Bartch ran into injury trouble and ultimately lost his job. The veteran interior O-lineman suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, being part of another injury-riddled 49ers season. Upon return, Bartch did not reacquire his starting job. Bartch ended up suffering a foot sprain, after the 49ers used an IR activation on him, and played out his contract. The Lions have him on their radar, however, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting the NFC North team conducted a visit recently. A 24-game starter with Jacksonville and San Francisco, Bartch is heading into an age-28 season. Detroit signed Cade Mays to fill in at center, and the team returns starters Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany from last season.
Here is the latest from around the O-line groups:
- Not returning after a Week 12 neck injury, Broderick Jones underwent fusion surgery in his neck (according to the Pat McAfee Show‘s Mark Kaboly). It looked like a long shot Pittsburgh would exercise Jones’ fifth-year option ($19.07MM), and Omar Khan did not confirm Jones would be ready for training camp. That will make the left tackle position — in a stopgap scenario at the very least — one to monitor in Pittsburgh.
- Tyler Linderbaum‘s Raiders deal keeps looking more impressive. Already locked in to what is practically a three-year, $81MM fully guaranteed contract, the new Raiders center secured a no-tag clause for 2029, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. No center has been franchise- or transition-tagged since the Panthers cuffed Ryan Kalil with a franchise tag in 2011. Then again, no center (or guard) has approached Linderbaum’s $27MM-AAV accord. With tackles, guards and center grouped together on the tag, a 2029 Linderbaum tender would have been highly unlikely. But, showcasing the leverage the three-time Pro Bowler held in free agency, he secured this deal point anyway.
- The Giants re-signed Joshua Ezeudu earlier today; this came after the team hosted veteran guard Ryan Bates on a visit, Wilson adds. Bates spent the past two seasons with the Bears, starting only two games in two Chicago seasons, but he played out a four-year, $17MM Bills deal — one designed by Chicago via a 2022 RFA offer sheet — last season. The Giants have been stingy at guard despite making a strong push for Alijah Vera-Tucker, and options are dwindling. Though, ex-John Harbaugh Ravens charge Daniel Faalele remains available.
- Wyatt Teller played right guard throughout his Browns tenure, with LG staple Joel Bitonio in place on the other side for 12 seasons, but Wilson indicates a willingness on the new Texans signee’s part to switch sides. With 2025 Houston RG Ed Ingram re-signed, Wilson points to Teller playing left guard in 2026. Wilson also posits a scenario in which Evan Brown competes with incumbent Jake Andrews for the center position. While the Cardinals used Brown at guard over the past two seasons, he has logged full seasons at center — for the Seahawks and Lions — in the past.
- As Teller leaves Cleveland after six-plus seasons and Bitonio not certain to return, the Browns added three guard options (though, guard/tackle Tytus Howard is expected to play RT following a trade). Howard’s two-year, $45MM Browns extension includes $34.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. Option bonuses exist in 2027 ($18.41MM) and ’28 ($14.36MM), and $13.5MM of Howard’s 2027 compensation is guaranteed at signing. Howard is due a $4MM roster bonus in 2028, per Spotrac. Zion Johnson‘s three-year, $49.5MM Browns deal includes $27.83MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Two option bonuses are in place here, with Wilson adding the ex-Chargers guard will be due a $3MM roster bonus if on Cleveland’s roster by Day 3 of the 2028 league year. $13.57MM of Johnson’s 2027 compensation is fully guaranteed.
- The Saints‘ Dillon Radunz deal is worth $6.9MM over two years, with ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell noting it includes $3.5MM guaranteed.
- Adding center Luke Fortner and tackle Stone Forsythe, the Panthers kept costs low for both. A 2025 Saints trade pickup, Fortner is tied to a one-year deal worth $2.75MM ($1.33MM guaranteed), Wilson adds. Coming over from the Raiders, Forsythe signed a one-year, $2MM pact with $500K guaranteed (per Wilson).
Patriots Plan To Use Jared Wilson At Center, Alijah Vera-Tucker At Left Guard
The reigning AFC champion Patriots briefly opened a hole at center when they traded 2025 starter Garrett Bradbury to the Bears on March 5. They already had a homegrown replacement in mind in Jared Wilson, who will shift from left guard to the pivot, executive vice president Eliot Wolf told reporters (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). The plan calls for free agent pickup Alijah Vera-Tucker to take Wilson’s former position.
Center is familiar territory for Wilson, who started there at Georgia in 2024. Then in his last season with the Bulldogs, Wilson earned second-team All-SEC honors. The Patriots spent a third-round pick on Wilson in the 2025 draft, but with Bradbury in place, he slid to guard.
While Wilson missed four games with knee, ankle and head injuries as a rookie, he started in all 13 when healthy. In ranking Wilson 67th among 79 qualified guards, Pro Football Focus saw room for improvement. Moving Wilson back to his college spot may yield better results in Year 2 of his pro career.
Multiple major injuries, including tears to both triceps and a torn Achilles, have kept Vera-Tucker out of 42 of 85 games since the Jets chose him 14th overall in 2021. He has missed at least 10 games in three of five seasons, including all 17 last year. Nevertheless, for the Patriots, the USC product’s vast potential outweighs his checkered injury history. In handing Vera-Tucker a three-year, $42MM deal, the club took a gamble on a blocker who has been versatile and effective when healthy.
Vera-Tucker was a full-time starter on the right side from 2022-24, during which he mostly lined up at guard. However, Vera-Tucker played his whole 16-start rookie year at left guard. He is in line to shift back there five years later in New England, where he will pair with tackle Will Campbell to protect Drake Maye‘s blind side.
After leaving New York for AFC East rival New England, Vera-Tucker said (via Mike Reiss of ESPN): “A fresh start was what I think I needed. When you have three accidents, it sucks … But I really enjoyed my time the past five years. Nothing but respect for everybody in that building, and the fans. I do hope they win a lot of games, just not against us.”
Vera-Tucker, who tore his triceps in the first week of September last year, expects to be a full go for organized team activities in May.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/26
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL…
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: CB D’Angelo Ross
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Reddy Steward
- Signed RFA tender: G T.J. Bass
New Orleans Saints
- Suspended: CB Beanie Bishop
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: LB Chazz Surratt
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB Julius Chestnut
- Signed: OL Austin Deculus
Since signing with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Bass has started in just 10 of 48 games. Nevertheless, the Cowboys placed a second-round tender on Bass on March 7. The Cowboys would have received a second-rounder had they passed on matching an offer sheet, but nobody presented one to Bass over the past week and a half. The 26-year-old signed his tender with Dallas on Tuesday and will collect a substantial raise as a result. After earning a base salary of $1.03MM in 2025, Bass will rake in $5.75MM next season. As Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com notes, Bass could be a candidate to start at left guard if Tyler Smith moves to left tackle.
The league has issued a three-game suspension to Bishop for violating its substances of abuse policy, according to Mike Tripplett of NewOrleans.Football. As an undrafted rookie with the Steelers in 2024, Bishop surprisingly picked off four passes in 17 games. But Bishop did not survive the Steelers’ final cuts last August, and though he returned to their practice squad, they waived the 5-foot-9, 182-pounder in November. Bishop joined the Saints’ practice squad in December, but he did not see any action with them down the stretch. The Saints kept Bishop around after the season on a reserve/futures deal.
Deculus, whom the Texans drafted in the sixth round in 2022, has played in 26 games over his four years in the league. He notched career highs in games (13) and starts (five) during his lone season with the Chargers in 2025. Deculus stepped in for 498 tackle snaps (476 on the left side, 22 on the right) as O-line cornerstones Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt dealt with major injuries, but it did not go well. Pro Football Focus ranked Deculus’ performance last among 84 tackles. He will now compete for a spot behind Titans tackles Dan Moore Jr. and JC Latham.
Vikings To Sign P Johnny Hekker
The Vikings boasted one of the league’s best punting units in 2025, but they were set to take a hit with the departure of punter Ryan Wright, who signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Saints last week.
Minnesota has now found a replacement, and a good one at that. Four-time Pro Bowler Johnny Hekker is set to join the Vikings on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hekker, 36, is the most decorated punter in the league. He originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and broke out in 2013 with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. That kicked off one of the more impressive specialist stretches in recent memory. Hekker added three more Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections (three first-team, two second-team) in the next five years and was rightfully named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team at the end of the decade.
The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Hekker’s last year in Los Angeles. He signed a three-year deal with the Panthers and set a new career-high in his debut season in Carolina with 48.5 yards per punt. The 14-year veteran saw some regression in the next two years and spent the 2025 season with the Titans, during which he averaged the fewest net yards per punt of his career.
In addition to his punting duties in Minnesota, Hekker will also become the holder in the Vikings’ kicking battery with kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Reicard, a 2024 sixth-round pick, earned a first-team All-Pro nod in his sophomore season – like his new teammate – after making 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and all of his extra points. His only two misses came from over 50 yards, and he made another 13 kicks from that distance or longer. DePaola is in the midst of his own impressive run with three Pro Bowls and four All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team) nods in the last four years.
The trio will look to continue the Vikings’ special teams success into 2026 with the entire team hungry for a playoff berth after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Raiders Sign G Spencer Burford
The Raiders remain active into the second week of free agency. The team announced the signing of guard Spencer Burford on Tuesday. It’s a one-year deal, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 first reported an agreement was in the works.
Burford, 25, spent the first four years of his career in San Francisco. The 2022 fourth-rounder from Texas-San Antonio started in 29 of 30 games at right guard in his first two seasons. However, the addition of 2024 third-rounder Dominick Puni relegated Burford to the bench in his third year. Burford did not start in any of his 15 games then, but he returned to a regular role during a truncated 2025.
The 49ers dealt with injuries to Burford and Ben Bartch, both left guard options, last season. Although Burford was on IR with a knee injury from late September to early December, he started in nine of 11 appearances at left guard. Pro Football Focus rated Burford’s work 53rd among 79 qualified guards.
The Raiders lost four-year guard starter Dylan Parham last week in free agency. Burford visited with the Chargers on Sunday (via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN), but he will instead join the AFC West rival Raiders.
In heading to Las Vegas, Burford will reunite with rookie Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, who was the 49ers’ pass-game coordinator in 2023. Burford will at least give the Raiders experienced depth at guard, though he could compete for a starting job with Jordan Meredith and Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Lions To Sign DE D.J. Wonnum
The Lions are adding some much-needed pass-rushing depth. The team has agreed to a one-year contract with defensive end D.J. Wonnum, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The deal is worth up to $6MM.
Wonnum is returning to the NFC North, where he spent the first four years of his career in Minnesota. The Vikings chose the former South Carolina standout in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. While playing 62 of a possible 67 games on his four-year rookie contract, Wonnum piled up 23 sacks. He totaled a career-high eight in 2021 and ’23.
After his Vikings tenure concluded, Wonnum joined the Panthers on a two-year, $12.5MM agreement in March 2024. He went on to start in 23 of 24 games in Carolina. While a quad injury limited Wonnum to eight games in his first season with the Panthers, he still managed four sacks.
Wonnum was much healthier last season, in which he made a career-high 15 starts in 16 games and recorded a 65.09% defensive snap share. However, his sack total fell to three, tying the lowest mark of his career. The 28-year-old posted 42 tackles (four TFL), four QB hits, three passes defensed and his first career interception. Pro Football Focus ranked Wonnum’s performance a subpar 96th among 119 edge rushers.
In dire need of edge-rushing complements to Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions are buying relatively low on Wonnum. Hutchinson led the team with 14.5 sacks last season. Al-Quadin Muhammad finished second with 11, but he relocated to Tampa Bay in free agency. The Lions have also said goodbye to Tyrus Wheat (Cowboys) and Josh Paschal (released), while Marcus Davenport remains a free agent after two injury-shortened years in Detroit.
Saints Add RB Ty Chandler
So far, the Saints’ biggest offseason splash has been the addition of former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne on a four-year, $52MM pact. They agreed to terms Tuesday with another veteran back, Ty Chandler, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Contract details are not yet available.
Chandler entered the NFL as a Vikings fifth-round pick in 2022. Minnesota had been Chandler’s sole NFL stop until his deal with New Orleans came together.
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound speedster sandwiched a pair of 17-game campaigns between two three-game seasons during his four years with the Vikings. Chandler missed 14 contests last year as a result of a Week 1 knee injury that shelved him until Christmas Day. He finished 2025 with just 47 yards on 17 carries.
Chandler’s workload differed greatly in his two healthy seasons in Minnesota. During a career year in 2023, he played 307 offensive snaps and rushed 102 times for 461 yards (4.5 YPC) and three touchdowns. Chandler also chipped in 21 catches for 159 yards. The Vikings brought in Aaron Jones during the ensuing offseason, leading to less playing time for Chandler in 2024. Over 153 offensive snaps, he totaled 56 carries, 182 yards (3.3 YPC) and no scores; as a receiver, he caught six passes for 42 yards.
In addition to his backup role on offense, Chandler amassed over 300 special teams snaps and returned 15 kickoffs as a Viking. With Etienne and Alvin Kamara atop the Saints’ depth chart at running back, more special teams work is likely in store for Chandler. If the Saints trade or release Kamara, Chandler would be in line to compete for touches with Devin Neal, Audric Estime, Kendre Miller and Evan Hull. Having suffered a torn ACL in October, it is unclear if Miller will be ready for the start of the season.
Free Agent TE David Njoku Visits Ravens
A free agent after nine years with the Browns, tight end David Njoku could latch on with another AFC North franchise. Njoku visited the Ravens today, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
A first-round pick from Miami in 2017, Njoku turned into one of the most prolific pass catchers in Browns history. The 29-year-old ranks third among all-time Browns in receptions (384), sixth in touchdown grabs (34) and 12th in yards (4,062). Njoku earned his lone Pro Bowl nod during his best season, 2023, in which he hauled in 81 passes for 882 yards and six scores. After back-to-back injury-shortened years since then, Njoku bid goodbye to Cleveland on Instagram on Feb. 9.
Knee and ankle issues held Njoku out of six games in 2024. More knee troubles limited Njoku to 12 games in his final year with the Browns. The 6-foot-4, 246-pounder finished the season with 33 catches on 48 targets, 293 yards and four scores. With rookie third-rounder Harold Fannin emerging as the Browns’ go-to receiving tight end, Njoku will head elsewhere in 2026.
The Ravens already have a productive veteran tight end in Mark Andrews, whom they signed to a three-year, $39.3MM extension in December. However, after the departures of Isaiah Likely (Giants) and Charlie Kolar (Chargers) in free agency, Baltimore could use another complement to Andrews. The recently signed Durham Smythe is the only other tight end under contract, but the blocking specialist combined for just 13 catches from 2024-25.
Njoku, arguably the top TE left on the market, would make for a capable Likely replacement. If Njoku signs with Baltimore, he would finally have a chance to play with a franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson, after working with a slew of lesser signal-callers in Cleveland.
NFC Contract Details: Phillips, Saints, Evans, Bears, Cowboys, Packers, Giants, Cardinals, Eagles
We covered a batch of contract details from the AFC earlier today. Here are the numbers from some of the NFC’s biggest deals from free agency’s first wave:
- Jaelan Phillips, OLB (Panthers). Four years, $120MM. Of Phillips’ $80MM guarantee, $60MM is locked in at signing (per SI.com’s Albert Breer). Phillips secured an early guarantee as well, according to OverTheCap, with $20MM of his 2028 base salary becoming guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- David Edwards, G (Saints). Four years, $61MM. Edwards secured $45MM guaranteed, according to ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, with $40MM at signing (via OverTheCap). The Saints gave Edwards — who was tied to a two-year, $6MM Bills deal from 2024-25 — guarantees through 2028, with Terrell indicating $10MM of the guard’s $15MM 2028 base salary is locked in at signing (Edwards’ full guarantee ranks sixth among guards). The remaining $5MM in 2028 compensation vests on Day 3 of the ’28 league year, per OverTheCap. Edwards is also due a $1MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2029 league year, Terrell adds.
- Mike Evans, WR (49ers). Three years, $42.5MM. Evans will receive $14.3MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. Two nonguaranteed option bonuses are included in the deal, per ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who indicates a $12.05MM option bonus is in place for 2027 and a $10.95MM bonus for 2028. Four void years are in place on the deal, which includes $4.25MM, $7.31MM and $9.7MM cap numbers. Essentially, this is a one-year, $14.3MM accord with team options.
- Coby Bryant, S (Bears). Three years, $40MM. Bryant landed $25.75MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Bryant secured a Year 2 fully guaranteed base salary ($12.25MM), SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. A $500K roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2028 league year.
- Jermaine Eluemunor, RT (Giants). Three years, $39MM. Eluemunor secured a $25.45MM guarantee at signing, Wilson adds. (This comes after he played out a two-year, $14MM deal.) Eluemunor received $12.15MM of his $12.4MM 2027 salary guaranteed (via OverTheCap).
- Kaden Elliss, LB (Saints). Three years, $33MM. Of that total, Terrell notes $23MM is fully guaranteed. Both Elliss’ 2026 and ’27 base salaries are fully guaranteed; his 2028 compensation is nonguaranteed.
- Sean Rhyan, OL (Packers). Three years, $33MM. Per Packers non-QB norms, Rhyan’s signing bonus ($11MM) represents his only fully guaranteed money. Green Bay included a $6.65MM roster bonus, which ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky is due on Day 3 of the 2027 league year. A $3MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the ’28 league year, Demovsky adds.
- Isaac Seumalo, G (Cardinals). Three years, $31.5MM. Seumalo secured $19MM guaranteed, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with $15MM fully guaranteed. Semualo received $3MM of his 2027 base salary ($8MM) guaranteed at signing; another $4MM of the 2027 salary locks in on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, per OverTheCap.
- Javonte Williams, RB (Cowboys). Three years, $24MM. Williams scored $16MM at signing. His 2026 and ’27 base salaries are locked in, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. There are $3MM — $1MM per year — in per-game roster bonuses.
- Riq Woolen, CB (Eagles). One year, $12MM. The deal is fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. Seeing as this is the Eagles, there are four void years included in this contract. If he is not re-signed before the deal voids in 2027, the Eagles would be hit with $8.59MM in dead money.
Colts Sign CB Cam Taylor-Britt
A Colts secondary loaded with big-ticket contracts will add a former second-round pick to the mix. Cam Taylor-Britt will reunite with former Bengals DC Lou Anarumo.
The Colts announced the ex-Bengals cornerback is signing with the team, continuing a busy stretch for the AFC South club in terms of defensive depth additions. Taylor-Britt visited the Bengals on Tuesday, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds the Nebraska alum is signing a one-year deal with the Colts.
[RELATED: Bengals Made Offer To Trey Hendrickson]
Taylor-Britt, 26, joins Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore and Camryn Bynum in Indianapolis’ talented (and expensive) secondary. The team, which lost Nick Cross to the Commanders last week, will reunite Taylor-Britt with Anarumo — his DC from 2022-24 in Cincinnati.
Playing out his rookie contract with the Bengals, Taylor-Britt will be looking for a chance to bounce back after a lost contract year. The Bengals used the 2022 second-rounder as a full-time starter for most of Anarumo’s time running the defense, but Al Golden did not see this equation the same way.
The Bengals benched Taylor-Britt early last season, when he started just two of the eight games he played. The 5-foot-11 corner still played a regular role after a Week 3 demotion, hamstring and foot trouble plagued him at a key point on his NFL timeline. The foot issue led to a midseason shutdown, effectively ruining his contract year. The Colts will provide him another opportunity, and solid system intel should help here — though, a starting role does not appear to be in play at present.
Prior to allowing an alarming 134.1 passer rating as the closest defender in 2025, Taylor-Britt posted more workable numbers (78.0, 98.0) in this category during the 2023 and ’24 seasons. He intercepted seven passes between those campaigns, though the Bengals fired Anarumo after the team’s 2024 defensive regression. Taylor-Britt’s best season came in 2023, when he allowed 56.7% of passes as the closest defender to be completed. Pro Football Focus, however, has never rated him as a top-50 CB option. Taylor-Britt also pleaded guilty to reckless driving in January, potentially opening the door to a 2026 suspension under the personal conduct policy.
Ward considered retirement after a three-concussion 2025, but the ex-Chiefs and 49ers starter is expected back to join Gardner. Moore remains in the slot on a three-year, $30MM contract. Taylor-Britt has worked primarily as a boundary corner throughout his career. He joins Justin Walley, a 2025 third-round pick who missed his rookie season with an ACL tear, as depth options for Anarumo. The Bengals still have CBs Daxton Hill and DJ Turner on their rookie contracts, though both are now in platform years.