- Ryan Harris, T (Steelers): Two years, $3.9MM. $675K signing bonus (Twitter link).
- The Steelers are hosting free agent linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Mike Morgan for visits today, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Neither player projects as a probable starter, so Pittsburgh is presumably looking to fill out its depth chart after losing Sean Spence to the Titans. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes (via Twitter) that the Dolphins would like to bring back Paysinger, but he wants to see if he can get more than the minimum salary from another club.
- Free agent cornerback Antwon Blake ultimately agreed to sign with the Titans, but he had no shortage of potential suitors when he was on the market. Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets that Blake garnered interest from the Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Lions, and Giants.
- Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander has already met with the Jets, Titans, Saints, Colts, Steelers, Lions, and Chargers, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Four-time Pro Bowl Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor hasn’t been shy about voicing his disenchantment with his current contract, going so far as to sit out all of last summer and then the first two games of the season in an effort to land a better one. Though that gambit backfired, he’s in no hurry to leave Seattle. Chancellor took to Instagram on Wednesday and posted a picture with the message: “I’m not going anywhere.” The 27-year-old also wrote, “Seattle is my Second home. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere.” Chancellor has two years remaining on his deal.
More from around the NFL as we wrap up Wednesday…
- The right side of the Cardinals’ offensive line will consist of newly signed Evan Mathis (guard) and D.J. Humphries (tackle), while A.Q. Shipley is the current starter at center, according to general manager Steve Keim (Twitter link via Darren Urban of the team’s website).
- On the other side of the ball, newly acquired pass rusher Chandler Jones will shift from defensive end – where he played in New England – to outside linebacker for the Cardinals, per Keim. The deal to land Jones took about three days to execute, the GM added (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). It’s worth mentioning that defensive ends cost more to franchise tag than linebackers ($15.701MM to $14.129MM this year), which could impact Jones – who will be a free agent next offseason.
- Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple has lined up visits with more than 16 teams, including the Rams, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Jaguars, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Baylor defensive tackle Andrew Billings has met with the Buccaneers, Steelers, 49ers and Lions, he told James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link).
- Receiver/returner Jordan Norwood will join linebacker Courtney Upshaw in visiting the Jets on Thursday, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Norwood, 29, has played sporadically with three different teams since entering the league in 2009. He spent last season with the champion Broncos, amassing 22 receptions and 11 returns, and set the record for the longest Super Bowl punt return (61 yards).
Now that they’ve agreed to sign offensive tackle Ryan Harris, the Steelers are out of the running for free agent tackle Russell Okung, a source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). It’s not clear if the Steelers are also out on Kelvin Beachum – since he’s their own free agent, they may be more willing to bring him back – but it seems clear that they’re willing to let him walk if he gets a better offer elsewhere.
With the Steelers no longer in contention for Okung, that likely reduces the field of suitors for the former first-round pick to three teams — the Seahawks, Lions, and Giants. Harris almost certainly won’t earn as much on his new deal as guys like Okung and Beachum will on theirs, but his signing may have given the tackle market the push it needs to get other players signed. Stay tuned.
Let’s round up a few more free agent rumors and updates from across the league….
- After losing one of their wideouts – Chris Hogan – to the division-rival Patriots, the Bills are taking a look at another free agent receiver from the AFC East. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo is bringing in ex-Jet Jeremy Kerley for a visit. Having recently been cut by New York, Kerley would likely compete for the No. 3 receiver spot and punt-return duties if he were to sign with the Bills.
- Washington hosted safety David Bruton on a free agent visit on Tuesday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com. Bruton, a special-teamer who held his own when forced into action on defense for the Broncos, recently told Arran Anderson of KMGH-TV (Twitter link) that Denver had expressed interest in re-signing him, but he wanted to explore the market if the price wasn’t right.
- Free agent defensive back Antonio Allen, who missed the 2015 season due to an Achilles injury, is visiting the Texans, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Allen made 18 starts in the Jets’ secondary from 2012 to 2014.
- Linebacker Shea McClellin is making a visit with the Seahawks, per Caplan (via Twitter). The Bears recently signed Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, signaling that McClellin’s time in Chicago has likely come to an end.
- Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys‘ previously-reported visits with cornerback Leon Hall and defensive end Chris Long will both take place on Wednesday.
The Steelers have agreed to sign left tackle Ryan Harris, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Harris will get a two-year, $3.9MM deal from Pittsburgh. 
Harris, 31, started all 16 games for the Broncos last season, grading as the league’s No. 53 tackle among 77 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Many felt that a return to Denver was unlikely, especially after the club gave a three-year, $14MM deal to fellow tackle Donald Stephenson earlier this month. PFR ranked Harris as the No. 10 free agent offensive tackle, just behind Will Beatty and Byron Bell, and just ahead of Jake Long.
One has to wonder how the Steelers’ signing of Harris will affect fellow free agent tackles Russell Okung and Kelvin Beachum. Okung has reportedly been considering four teams, including Pittsburgh. Beachum is one of the Steelers’ priority free agents this offseason, though the Jaguars appear to be very high on him at this time. Beachum is coming off of a torn ACL that wiped out most of his 2015 season, but he’s been stellar in the past, and isn’t wanting for suitors around the league.
For the Steelers, Harris looks like a good bet to compete with Alejandro Villanueva for the starting left tackle job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free agent linebacker Demario Davis is in Cleveland visiting the Browns, according to Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin, who tweets that Davis has also drawn interest from other clubs. Davis, 27, has spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Jets, starting every game for the team since the start of the 2013 season.
Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the NFL:
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears from sources that safety Eric Weddle turned down larger offers from two other teams to join the Ravens. Cole adds that Baltimore assistant general manager Eric DeCosta spoke to Weddle and his representatives for 90 minutes on the phone, addressing questions and issues that the veteran free agent had about Baltimore and the Ravens.
- The Steelers like nose tackle Steve McLendon and want to re-sign him, but they’re resistant to paying big money to a player who only sees the field for about 25-30% of the club’s defensive snaps, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. According to Fowler, Pittsburgh is willing to enhance Dan McCullers‘ role if the team loses McLendon, who recently paid a visit to the Jets.
- Before he agreed to a new deal with the Vikings, cornerback Marcus Sherels received an offer from the Jets and was prepared to visit with the Panthers, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Buccaneers also had interest in Sherels.
Over the weekend, it was reported that the NFLPA had concerns about player contracts with the Rams in light of their move from Missouri to California. That issue, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, has been sorted out.
“The team’s legal move to California coincides with the start of the offseason program on April 18,” Rams executive V.P. of football operations and COO Kevin Demoff said via email. “As such, all contracts are still subject to Missouri law at time of signing. We were able to work with agents on a simple fix saying the contracts will transfer to California law once the team move is official.”
The union was concerned that players would be forced to pay California taxes, which are higher than Missouri taxes, on salaries incurred before the move. Now, it appears that they will be able to save some money on any paychecks processed before April 18th.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- In the wake of Martavis Bryant‘s year-long suspension becoming official on Monday, the Steelers issued a statement (via Steelers PR man Burt Lauten, on Twitter): “We are very disappointed that Martavis Bryant has put himself in this current situation of being suspended by the League. He is at a crossroads of his professional life, and he needs to understand significant changes need to occur in his personal life if he wants to regain his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. We are hopeful that Martavis will take the necessary steps to develop the discipline in his personal life to become a successful player and a good teammate.”
- The Bills officially announced multiple changes to their defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of a new defensive line coach, John Blake. Buffalo had recently parted ways with 2015’s DL coach, Karl Dunbar.
- Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was found guilty of simple assault in a court room on Monday, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. The case stemmed from a February 2015 altercation with a delivery driver. Jackson could face a maximum of 180 days in jail, and while that seems unlikely, discipline from the NFL is possible once the case wraps up. The linebacker’s sentencing is scheduled to take place on April 6th. The Colts released the following statement on the matter: “We’re disappointed to read reports of D’Qwell Jackson’s misdemeanor verdict in Washington, D.C. We’ve not had an opportunity to review any of the evidence or testimony from the trial and have not made any determination as to any action we might take as a result.”
- After re-signing with the Bengals last week, offensive tackle Eric Winston will seek a second term as president of the NFL Players Association, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The current expectation is that Winston will run unopposed.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Well, that was fun while it lasted. Just days after announcing a planned attempt at playing in the NFL, former NBA guard Nate Robinson has signed a deal with an Israeli basketball team, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors writes. Robinson, a former football standout at the University of Washington, had not stepped on the gridiron in more than a decade. Now, his NFL dream is on hiatus and, perhaps, done for good.
Here’s the latest on the guys who are still hoping to play in the NFL in 2016:
- Is this NFL free agency or a rom-com? The Jaguars tried to convince free agent Kelvin Beachum not to board his flight, hoping that he would stay and sign a contract before leaving (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com). However, the Steelers free agent tackle was already in his seat and could not leave the plane (link). Beachum is now on his way back to Pittsburgh where he says he will evaluate things (link). The tackle also has interest from the Jets and Jaguars.
- Free agent defensive end Jason Jones visited the Steelers, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jones, 29, has been a full-time starter for the Lions for the last two seasons, picking up a total of 9.5 sacks in his last two seasons. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 43rd out of 110 qualified edge defenders, assigning him solid grades as both as a pass rusher and a run defender.
- Free agent tackle Andre Smith says that things are “even” between the Vikings and the Cardinals. Smith, the 38th-ranked player in PFR’s top 50 free agents list, was on the field for 567 pass snaps and 414 run snaps last season.