Broncos Sign DT Clinton McDonald
The Broncos have signed former Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a two-year deal worth $7MM, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). McDonald has spent the past four seasons as a rotational lineman with Tampa Bay. 
McDonald met with the Raiders late last week, but left Oakland without a deal. Instead, he’ll be joining up with their divisional rivals.
McDonald, 31 split time with Chris Baker in 2017 and recorded five sacks with 18 tackles. The sack total is impressive, though the advanced analytics at Pro Football Focus were not high on him.
The Broncos will start Domata Peko in the middle with Zach Kerr and Kyle Peko in support. DeShawn Williams, who signed a futures deal with the club in January, will fight to make the final cut, but his path to the 53-man roster just got a lot tougher.
Vinny Curry Had Interest From Seven Teams
- Defensive lineman Vinny Curry confirmed he had the chance to stick with the Eagles (almost assuredly at a reduced rate), but he ultimately secured interest from as many as seven teams before signing with the Buccaneers, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Curry joined fellow former Philadelphia defender Beau Allen in inking three-year deals with Tampa Bay, and their respective signings led the Bucs to cut ties with veteran defensive end Robert Ayers. The Eagles reportedly attempted both to trade Curry or lower his 2018 salary before releasing him, as his presence was made superfluous by Philadelphia’s acquisition of Michael Bennett.
Contract Details: A. Smith, Pugh, Curry, ASJ
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently signed NFL contracts:
AFC
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE (Jaguars): Two years, $10MM. $4MM guaranteed. $3.21MM signing bonus. $500K 2019 option bonus. $500K annually available via catch, playoff, and touchdown incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Adrian Clayborn, DE (Patriots): Two years, $10MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Albert Wilson, WR (Dolphins): Three years, $24MMM. $14.45MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Raiders): One year, $4MM. $3.85MM guaranteed. $1.85MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime, interceptions, and Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tramaine Brock, CB (Broncos): One year, $3MM. Fully guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Texans): One year, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC
- Alex Smith, QB (Redskins): Four years, $94MM. $55MM guaranteed. $27MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Justin Pugh, OL (Cardinals): Five years, $45.025MM. $15.75MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Vinny Curry, DE (Buccaneers): Three years, $23MM. $6.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Zach Brown, LB (Redskins): Three years, $21MM. $10MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus. $1MM annually available in Pro Bowl, All-Pro incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Seahawks): Three years, $10.7MM. $3.6MM guaranteed. $2.6MM signing bonus. $1.1MM annually available via catch, yards, and Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Aaron Lynch, LB/DE (Bears): One year, $4MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Cardinals Interested In CB Robert McClain
The Cardinals are among the teams interested in free agent cornerback Robert McClain, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the incumbent Buccaneers are also hoping to re-sign him. 
[RELATED: Cardinals’ Depth Chart]
McClain, 30 in July, saw time both on the outside and in the slot for Tampa Bay in 2017. He amassed 46 tackles, five passes defensed, three interceptions, and one touchdown – a 47-yard pick six against Mike Glennon during his short stint as the Bears’ starting quarterback.
McClain’s best year came with the Falcons in 2012, though he also had a respectable year with Carolina in 2013 and looked solid last year with the Bucs. He could help to fortify the Cardinals depth chart as cornerbacks Tyvon Branch, Tramon Williams, and Justin Bethel remain in free agency limbo. Of course, the Cardinals are also without Tyrann Mathieu, who signed with the Texans after being released in a cap-driven move.
How Jets-Colts Trade Could Impact Bucs
- The Colts-Jets swap, combined with the Buccaneers‘ signing of Ryan Jensen, could result in a top-five prospect falling to Tampa Bay, which holds the No. 7 overall pick, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes. Laine examines a few scenarios that could lead to a player like NC State’s Bradley Chubb or Penn State’s Saquon Barkley dropping into the Bucs’ laps.
Buccaneers To Sign Vinny Curry
The Buccaneers are moving fast. Minutes after their release of Robert Ayers, the team is set to sign Vinny Curry.
Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports the Bucs are adding Curry, whom the Eagles released late this week, on a three-year deal worth $27MM with $11.5MM guaranteed.
Curry made 16 starts last season for the Super Bowl champions, the first 16 of his career, and played a key role in Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl title run. The Bucs have now added two pieces from Philly’s defensive front, with Curry joining Beau Allen. They’ve also added Mitch Unrein in what’s been a major effort to overhaul the Gerald McCoy-centered unit.
Set to turn 30 in June, Curry will land on his feet. The Eagles were slated to pay him $9MM this season as part of the previous extension he signed in 2016. Now, he’ll get that from the Bucs per year.
Curry ranked 21st among Pro Football Focus’ edge defender grades last season, 11 spots behind Ayers, and will be expected to provide an outside pass rush to complement McCoy’s nearly unparalleled interior-pursuit abilities. Curry’s best season (2014, nine sacks) came in a 3-4 defense as a rotational player who played on just 32 percent of Philly’s snaps, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). He will likely be utilized more as a pure pass rusher since the Bucs do not have the edge-rushing depth the 2017 Eagles did.
So, Michael Bennett replaced Curry and now Curry will take over for Ayers. It figures to be a matter of time before Ayers lands elsewhere.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Buccaneers Release Robert Ayers
Robert Ayers will not see a third season with the Buccaneers. The team has made the decision to release him, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Bucs signed Ayers during the 2016 free agency period. He was due to make $6MM this season, but Tampa Bay won’t be charged with any dead money for cutting bait on a three-year agreement after two seasons.
Despite Ayers having completed his age-32 season, he remained a high-end producer in Tampa. Pro Football Focus graded the defensive end as the No. 10 edge defender in the league last season. He produced both as a pass rusher and a run defender, but Tampa Bay will turn to a younger player to replace him. Vinny Curry will join the Bucs, following Beau Allen, Will Clarke and Mitch Unrein in what’s looking like a near-total revamp around Gerald McCoy.
A former Giants and Broncos cog with experience as an end in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, Ayers figures to generate interest on the open market. Although, he wasn’t especially durable with the Bucs, playing in just 10 games in each of his two seasons. His sack total plummeted from 9.5 with the 2015 Giants to six with the ’16 Bucs to 2.5 last season.
Ayers will be set for a 10th NFL season if he signs elsewhere.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claim: LB Jeremy Cash
- Waived: DT Josh Mauro
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: OT Zach Banner
Chicago Bears
- Signed: QB Tyler Bray
- Re-signed: TE Daniel Brown
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Lerentee McCray
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: DT Dylan Bradley
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: P Colby Wadman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Cameron Lynch
Buccaneers Sign C Ryan Jensen
The Buccaneers fortified their front five on Friday, signing former Ravens center Ryan Jensen, Mike McCartney, the player’s agent, tweets. 
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports the contract is a four-year deal for $42MM with $22M in guaranteed money (Twitter link). The deal made Jensen the highest-paid center in the league and suggests that Ali Marpet will move back to guard in 2018.
That’s quite the haul for Jensen, who played his first three seasons in the league as a guard before switching to center in 2017. He proved up to the task in his first season at the position, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 center in the league. With Weston Richburg off the board, Jensen was the best pure center remaining on the open market.
Jensen was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie and was waived in his season before returning to the Ravens practice squad. He played just 19 games in his first four seasons before enjoying his breakout campaign in the middle of Baltimore’s front five in 2017.
The addition of Jensen should help open up some running lanes in Tampa Bay. In 2017, Peyton Barber led the team in rushing yards with a measly 423 yards. Kickstarting the rushing attack will help open up things through the air for Jameis Winston and Mike Evans.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Saints To Re-Sign Alex Okafor
Alex Okafor is back with the Saints. New Orleans has re-signed the pass rusher to a two-year deal worth up to $10MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Okafor visited the rival Buccaneers this week, but wound up staying put. That was Okafor’s only known outside visit and it’s quite possible that his list of suitors was limited by the torn Achilles that ended his 2017 early. Rapoport hears that he is recovering well from his torn Achilles, though he is still not 100%.
Before the injury, Okafor started in all ten of his games and racked up 4.5 sacks with a career high 43 tackles. He’ll look to turn in a similarly strong performance over a 16-game set this time around.
In addition to re-signing Okafor, the Saints have also added Demario Davis to the front seven.