Cowboys To Sign CB Derion Kendrick
After agreeing to terms with Cobie Durant, the Cowboys are set to import another recent Rams cornerback. Derion Kendrick is joining the Cowboys on a one-year deal, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Splitting his time between Seattle and Los Angeles in 2025, Kendrick has 18 career starts and teamed with Durant across three seasons with the Rams. Durant agreed to a one-year, $4MM Cowboys deal; having not started a game since 2023, Kendrick is likely to come in south of that figure. This duo joins a retooling Cowboys defense under new leader Christian Parker.
Technically Super Bowl ring-eligible after playing 10 Seahawks games in 2025, Kendrick landed on waivers three times last year. The Rams cut him in June (before re-signing him soon after) and then moved on again upon trimming their roster to 53 players in August, leading to a Seahawks claim. Seattle, however, moved on in November. A Rams team struggling with corner health and consistency brought Kendrick back via a claim, but with L.A. adding Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this month, Kendrick will join Durant in relocating.
A former sixth-round pick who played at Clemson and Georgia, Kendrick is heading into an age-26 season. He used the 2025 campaign to reestablish health following a missed 2024. The 6-foot cover man suffered an ACL tear in July 2024.
Prior to that, the Rams used Kendrick as a regular starter over his first two seasons. After playing 50% of L.A.’s defensive snaps as a rookie, Kendrick logged a 76% snap share (858 plays) in 2023. The Rams demoted Kendrick late that season, however, and Pro Football Focus placed him 83rd out of 127 qualified CB options that year. Kendrick played 18% of Seattle’s defensive snaps last season (123 plays) but will be looking to secure more playing time in Dallas.
The Cowboys waived the injury-prone Trevon Diggs late last season and have DaRon Bland coming off a season-ending malady. As Bland deals with another major foot issue, the Cowboys will be hoping 2025 third-round pick Shavon Revel — who missed much of his rookie year due to ACL rehab — can play a regular role. Durant will be competing for a starting job, likely being favored to play alongside Bland and Revel, while Kendrick profiles as a depth option. The Cowboys are taking a few swings at corner, having also signed ex-Packers regular Corey Ballentine this week.
In other Cowboys contract news, safety P.J. Locke‘s deal matches Kendrick’s. It’s a one-year, $4MM pact that can max out at $5MM, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. Of that total, $3.5MM is guaranteed at signing, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds. Defensive end Sam Williams‘ second Dallas deal is worth $2.5MM in base value, per Wilson. Of that total, $2MM is fully guaranteed. D-lineman Otito Ogbonnia‘s one-year contract is worth $2.5MM, Archer notes. Of that amount, only $500K is guaranteed at signing.
LB Lavonte David Announces Retirement
The Buccaneers have signed two free agent linebackers, and another Lavonte David contract is not forthcoming. The stalwart Tampa Bay defender will retire after 14 seasons.
David will retire as a career-long Buccaneer and one of the greatest players in franchise history. He joins Mike Evans in leaving the team this offseason, representing a sea change for a Bucs squad that has relied on those longtime anchors amid a franchise turnaround.
“When it’s time, when you know, you know. I always wanted to be a guy who wanted to retire on my own terms. Right now is the perfect opportunity for that,” David said via Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame. “For me, man, 14 years is enough. I’m comfortable with my decision. I’m satisfied with my career.
“When I first got into the league, I never, never, ever in a million years expected to play 14 years at a high level for the same organization. I think it’s time that I hang it up and let the next generation of players come in and take over the game.”
David’s 14-year tenure matches Derrick Brooks‘ for longevity in Tampa. Like Brooks, David was present as a star off-ball linebacker for a Super Bowl win. The Bucs had fallen far from their early-2000s apex by the time David arrived in 2012. The off-ball linebacker joined Evans, Tom Brady and Co. in catalyzing a return, snapping a 12-season playoff drought with a Super Bowl LV triumph in Tampa.
Playing 215 career games, David trails only Brooks (224) and Ronde Barber (241) for most in franchise history. Both Brooks and Barber — linchpins on a four-Hall of Famer defense that steamrolled opponents en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title — spent their entire careers as Buccaneers. While Evans elected to join the 49ers in free agency this month, David had previously said it was Bucs or retirement. He will choose the latter route, completing a career that will warrant Canton consideration down the road.
David, who turned 36 in January, will walk away a three-time All-Pro. While the Nebraska alum only earned one Pro Bowl nod, his early-career years coming in a 4-3 defense had plenty to do with the lack of Pro Bowl accolades. The Pro Bowl grouping all linebackers — 3-4 edge rushers and off-ball defenders — together regularly limits 4-3 OLBs. David, however, spent the second half of his career as a 3-4 ILB in Todd Bowles‘ scheme. The Bucs benefited from that partnership tremendously, with David starting every game for the Super Bowl LV-winning Tampa Bay edition in 2020.
Mark Dominik drafted David 58th overall, tabbing him to play under new HC Greg Schiano. David ended up playing for five head coaches — Schiano, Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter, Bruce Arians, Bowles — and signed five Buccaneers contracts. The latter four deals — including a five-year, $50.25MM extension during the 2015 offseason — came under longtime GM Jason Licht. David signed a two-year deal and two subsequent one-year accords to continue with the Bucs, who benefited from the linebacker’s consistency and versatility.
Finishing with 12 100-tackle seasons, David added 42.5 sacks. Among players who saw action last season, that total trails only Demario Davis (45) for sacks by a non-rush player and is among the most by an off-ball ‘backer in the sack era (1982-present). David’s presence helped a Bucs team light on post-Shaquil Barrett pass-rushing talent in recent years.
Although the Bucs chose Devin White fifth overall in 2019, David ended up outlasting him in Tampa. The team let White walk in free agency in 2024, re-signing David on a one-year deal worth $8.5MM. David, who drew outside interest as a 2025 UFA, played for $9MM last season; he produced 114 tackles and 3.5 sacks. David finished 10 seasons with double-digit tackles for loss, recording at least 17 in five seasons to finish his career with 177.
Pro Football Focus ranked David as a top-five off-ball LB in five seasons and slotted him in the top 20 three more times. Last season, the advanced metrics website ranked David 66th — a career-worst placement — but he played through a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery this past winter. The Bucs have since agreed to terms with Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom. With David retiring, Rozeboom’s deal — which surfaced Monday — looks set to place him as a starter alongside Anzalone.
For his career, David earned just more than $103MM. The 2012 draft will go down as one of the best linebacker classes in modern NFL history, having produced David, Davis, Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly. Wagner will join Kuechly in Canton, while David and Davis will present interesting cases. For 2026, a Bucs team big on retention will need to get by without its offensive and defensive cornerstones.
Falcons Expected To Sign Brian Robinson
Tyler Allgeier left Atlanta for Arizona on Day 1 of free agency; the Falcons look to have landed a replacement. Brian Robinson is expected to sign with the team, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets.
The former Commanders starter, who spent last season as Christian McCaffrey‘s backup, looks set to step into Allgeier’s former Bijan Robinson complementary role. Brian Robinson agreed to a one-year, $2.5MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds.
In a move that will undoubtedly open the door to some auction-draft chicanery in the fantasy realm, Atlanta assembling a two-Robinson backfield will pair two three-year starters together. Brian Robinson operated as the Commanders’ primary running back from 2022-24, finishing that run as the primary ballcarrier for Washington’s NFC championship game-qualifying edition. The Commanders, however, traded the former third-round pick to the 49ers for a sixth-rounder last August.
A between-the-tacklers grinder, Robinson never topped 800 rushing yards in a season with Washington. He came closest in 2024, finishing with 799 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Robinson, 27, missed three games that season and seven more from 2022-23. In 2022, however, the Alabama alum completed a remarkably quick recovery after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in an attempted carjacking. He returned and started nine games as a rookie.
Allgeier played out his Falcons rookie contract, and both Arthur Smith and Zac Robinson deployed the former fifth-round pick — a 1,000-yard rusher as a 2022 rookie — frequently during his four seasons with the team. Allgeier twice averaged at least 4.6 yards per carry, and he totaled at least 137 handoffs in each of his Atlanta seasons. The Cardinals gave Allgeier a two-year, $12.25MM deal to join James Conner in their backfield. Kevin Stefanski‘s first Falcons RB cadre will feature a lower-priced veteran, a strategy that may well precede a monster Bijan Robinson payday.
Becoming extension-eligible in January, Bijan Robinson is a clear candidate for a market-setting running back deal. The Falcons will need to top Saquon Barkley‘s $20.6MM AAV to lock down their dual-threat dynamo. Meanwhile, Brian Robinson will look to commandeer the Allgeier role after taking a backseat to McCaffrey during the latter’s 2025 bounce-back season. Brian Robinson took 92 handoffs last season, rushing for 400 yards with San Francisco. He will see about his own resurgent season ahead of a potential 2027 free agency payday.
Falcons To Sign QB Trevor Siemian
The Falcons are continuing to reshape their quarterback depth chart. Another veteran addition has been lined up in the form of Trevor Siemian. 
Atlanta agreed to terms with Siemian on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. He will offer depth behind returnee Michael Penix Jr. and free agent addition Tua Tagovailoa. The two southpaws are set to compete for the starting gig this offseason.
Whichever of Penix or Tagovailoa loses out will no doubt be tasked with handling QB2 duties. Penix continues to recover from a partial ACL tear, though, and he could remain sidelined for a notable stretch of the offseason as a result. Atlanta will look to Siemian as a veteran who can handle reps through the spring and into training camp.
The former seventh-rounder combined to make 24 starts with the Broncos across the 2016 and ’17 seasons. Since then, Siemian has largely operated as a backup while bouncing around to a number of teams. His most recent action during the regular season came in 2023 as a member of the Jets. Siemian joined the Titans this past August shortly before being released during roster cutdowns. Tennessee retained him via the practice squad.
After not seeing any playing time in 2025, Siemian will aim to compete for a roster spot on his latest team. The 34-year-old has posted a record of 15-18 in the NFL, throwing 44 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. In every year of his career, Siemian has posted a completion percentage of 59.5% or lower, so expectations will certainly be tempered if he does wind up on the field at any point.
The Falcons entered Tuesday with roughly $14MM in cap space. This Siemian deal will presumably check in at or near the league minimum, so there will still be funds for other low-profile free agent moves once it is finalized.
Seahawks, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Agree To Extension
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has not needed to wait long to secure his Seahawks extension. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year agreed to terms with Seattle on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Team and player are finalizing a four-year, $168.6MM pact, Schefter reports. With Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option having recently been picked up, today’s news means he will be on the books through 2031. This agreement contains record-breaking receiver figures for average annual value ($42.15MM) and guarantees ($120MM), per Schefter.
[RELATED: Details On Seahawks WR’s Record-Breaking Deal]
An extension resetting the receiver market had been something to watch for in this case, although nothing appeared to be imminent with respect to negotiations leading up to today’s news. Seattle was seen as a candidate to finalize this deal sometime around the draft or perhaps closer to training camp, but both sides have acted early. The fact that Smith-Njigba has secured such lucrative terms on his second NFL contract is certainly no surprise.
As a rookie, the former first-rounder averaged fewer than 37 receiving yards per game. Over time, though, Seattle’s setup at the receiver spot has made Smith-Njigba more of a focal point. His production saw a notable jump in 2024 (100 receptions, 1,130 yards, six touchdowns) before spiking once more this past season. With the Seahawks having traded away D.K. Metcalf, Smith-Njigba saw his yards per reception figure increase to a career-best 15.1. He also set a new personal mark with 10 touchdowns while leading the NFL in receiving yards.
That production resulted in a first-team All-Pro nod along with a Pro Bowl invitation in addition to OPOY honors. Smith-Njigba remained an important contributor on offense through Seattle’s playoff run and helped the team win Super Bowl LX. Along with left tackle Charles Cross – who inked a four-year extension of his own in January – he will serve as a foundational presence for years to come.
Prior to today’s news, Ja’Marr Chase led the way in terms of AAV at the receiver spot. His 2025 Bengals extension averages $40.25MM per season, while Justin Jefferson‘s Vikings deal contained $88.74MM guaranteed at signing. Exact details on this Smith-Njigba contract are not yet known, but it certainly seems as though he has managed to comfortably surpass Jefferson in terms of locked-compensation. 2027 was already due to include $23.85MM for the Ohio State product; it will now pay out much more than that.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider once again faces the task of maintaining a Super Bowl core in the wake of his team’s championship. Smith-Njigba and Cross are among the offensive stalwarts who will be counted on to remain in the fold for the foreseeable future. The same will presumably be true of cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattle’s other 2023 first-rounder is under team control for the next two seasons thanks to his option being exercised, but he is eligible to sign a monster extension of his own at any time.
Attention will now turn to Witherspoon in the Seahawks’ case with respect to remaining financial priorities. Around the league, meanwhile, this Smith-Njigba accord will no doubt be used as a measuring stick for other high-end receiver deals. Puka Nacua is among the top players at the position in line for an extension, and he could look to challenge these contract terms during negotiations with the Rams. The likes of George Pickens (Cowboys) and Zay Flowers (Ravens) could stand to benefit from the continued upward movement of the WR market as well.
The Seahawks lost offensive Klint Kubiak when he took the Raiders’ head coaching job immediately after the Super Bowl. As such, Smith-Njigba will be working with his fourth OC (Brian Fleury) in as many years during the 2026 campaign. Given his durability and continued increases in production, however, he will be expected to thrive under a new play-caller for next season and well beyond.
Seahawks Match Jaguars’ Offer Sheet For WR Jake Bobo
Last week, Seahawks receiver Jake Bobo signed an offer sheet with the Jaguars. He will not be on the move this offseason, however.
Seattle has matched the Bobo offer sheet, ESPN’s Field Yates reports. The restricted free agent inked a two-year deal with the Jags as part of their efforts to acquire him. The contract included $4.5MM guaranteed, a figure Bobo will now collect without changing teams. This agreement also includes a $1.75MM signing bonus and a maximum value of $7MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds.
The offer’s base value checks in at two years and $5.5MM, according to Spotrac. Of that amount, $3.25MM is due in Year 1. Teams regularly frontload offer sheets to make them more difficult to match, but this low-cost figure did not prove to deter the defending Super Bowl champions. The offer sheet will allow the Seahawks to drop Bobo’s cap number from $3.52MM to $1.22MM, per Spotrac.
Bobo has been a regular presence with Seattle over his three years in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent played 17 games in 2023 and ’24 before adding another 11 appearances this past campaign. Bobo has only registered three starts to date while operating as a depth presence on offense; that will be expected to continue moving forward. He will instead remain focused on making special teams contributions.
This new deal will represent a raise in Bobo’s case while ensuring stability beyond 2026 along the way. The UCLA product was tendered at a rate of $3.52MM in a move which allowed Seattle to match an outside offer sheets. With a two-year contract in place, though, team and player can move forward without uncertainty regarding his Seattle future for next spring.
Brian Thomas Jr, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington remain atop the Jags’ receiver depth chart at this point. They also have Travis Hunter in line to handle a part-time workload on offense in 2026. Bobo was set to occupy a depth role in Jacksonville after the team lost Dyami Brown in free agency. Tim Patrick and Josh Cephus remain unsigned at this time, so a different WR may now be targeted.
Bobo will remain in place on a Seattle team which has Jaxon Smith-Njigba attached to a massive extension worked out earlier today. The Super Bowl champions also managed to retain Rashid Shaheed, and expectations will be high in his case after he made a strong impact upon arrival at the trade deadline. Those two, coupled with Cooper Kupp, will lead the way regarding the Seahawks’ passing game. Bobo will look to chip in while handling third phase duties.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: TE Blake Whiteheart
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: LB Arron Mosby
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Larrell Murchison
New York Giants
- Signed: DL Sam Roberts
The Browns brought back tight end Blake Whiteheart today. The Wake Forest product has spent the past two seasons in Cleveland, where he’s split his time between the offense and special teams. Relied on primarily for his blocking ability, Whiteheart has had limited looks in the receiving game, hauling in eight catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. He’s part of a TEs room in Cleveland that also features Harold Fannin and Jack Stoll, with David Njoku still unsigned.
The Rams are bringing back Larrell Murchison for another season. After not getting into a game during the 2024 campaign, the defensive lineman showed flashes in 2025. He ultimately got into 16 games with the Rams, compiling a pair of sacks despite being limited to only 126 defensive snaps.
49ers To Sign OL Robert Jones
Robert Jones‘ comeback season will take place in San Francisco. The veteran offensive lineman is signing with the 49ers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 27-year-old met with the 49ers earlier today.
Jones joined the Cowboys last offseason but suffered a scary injury during training camp when he broke a bone in his neck. That injury ultimately landed the guard on season-ending injured reserve.
The former UDFA out of Middle Tennessee spent the first four seasons of his career in Miami. He played his way into a larger role during his time with the Dolphins, culminating in a 2024 campaign where he started all 17 games. While Pro Football Focus was never particularly fond of his blocking skills, his ability to play both tackle and guard made him a useful piece.
Jones inked a one-year, $4.75MM deal with the Cowboys last offseason, and he was expected to be in the mix to replace right guard Zack Martin. Instead, he suffered a broken bone in his neck during a late-August practice. While there was initial hope for a two-to-three month recovery and a stint on short-term IR, the Cowboys instead opted to sit him out for the entire 2025 campaign.
While he missed out on that opportunity to start in Dallas, he may get a similar chance in San Francisco. Spencer Burford left for the Raiders this offseason, and usual fill-in Ben Bartch remains unsigned. That would leave Jones as a candidate to fill in at left guard, where he’ll compete with the likes of Connor Colby and free agent acquisition Brett Toth for reps.
Cowboys Re-Sign CB Corey Ballentine
Corey Ballentine is sticking in Dallas. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the veteran cornerback is re-signing with the Cowboys.
Ballentine had a busy start to his 2025 campaign. After signing with the Colts last offseason, he was cut by the team at the beginning of August. He subsequently caught on for a second stint with the Packers but was among Green Bay’s final roster cuts, leading to him joining the Patriots practice squad. He made his way onto the active roster for a single game before he was cut in late September.
He quickly signed with the Cowboys practice squad, and he proceeded to get into five games with his new organization. He was limited to only 70 total snaps during his time in Dallas, with the majority of those reps coming on special teams.
The 2019 sixth-round pick has bounced around the NFL, with the Cowboys representing his ninth team. Besides some brief flashes as a rookie with the Giants, Ballentine’s most notable stint came with the Packers, including a 2023 campaign where he collected 43 stops, seven passes defended, and an interception.
Ballentine will likely be eyeing a similar ST-centric role in Dallas in 2026. The Cowboys added Cobie Durant to a grouping of CB holdovers like DaRon Bland, Reddy Steward, Shavon Revel, and Caelen Carson. The organization moved on from both Kaiir Elam and Trevon Diggs last season without figuring out a true contingency plan, and perhaps Ballentine could work his way into a role with a strong summer showing.
Patriots To Add T James Hudson
A strange penalty-filled Week 2 outing sidetracked James Hudson‘s Giants season, leading to a release. The veteran tackle, however, will have another chance.
The Patriots are adding Hudson on a one-year deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will check in as a veteran-minimum accord (per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss), the signing comes after Vederian Lowe joined the 49ers shortly after the legal tampering period began. This will reunite Hudson with Mike Vrabel, a 2024 Browns consultant who helped out with Cleveland’s O-line during his return trip to Ohio.
The Giants gave Hudson a two-year, $12MM deal to become their swing tackle, a position that became more important once it was determined All-Pro Andrew Thomas was not ready to go by Week 1. After making a Week 1 start, Hudson imploded in Dallas. He committed four penalties on one drive; this included two unnecessary roughness infractions. Brian Daboll yanked him midgame, and no notable playing time commenced for the team’s expected third tackle henceforth. John Harbaugh, as expected, signed off on a release earlier this month.
Hudson, 27 in May, had operated as the Giants’ starting left tackle during the preseason and in Week 1. The team benched him for rookie Marcus Mbow in Dallas, and the latter operated as Big Blue’s swingman the rest of the way. Hudson was essentially banished despite a $6MM-per-year contract. He played one offensive snap the rest of the season, completing one of the more unusual campaigns by an offensive lineman in recent NFL history.
Prior to his Giants deal, Hudson played four seasons with the Browns. The former fourth-round pick started 17 games with Cleveland from 2021-24. Most of Hudson’s Browns work came at right tackle, where Jack Conklin battled injuries during most of his time with the team. He played 1,033 snaps at RT from 2021-23 before a 207-snap cameo at LT in 2024. The Patriots will seemingly give the sixth-year vet a mulligan for his Giants misstep, with a swing role — behind starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses — appearing to be in play.
Lowe worked as the Pats’ primary LT starter in 2024 after having made eight starts on the blind side in 2023. The former trade pickup filled in for Campbell during the first-rounder’s four-game IR stay. The 49ers gave Lowe a two-year, $9.25MM deal two weeks ago. The Pats have tackle-turned-guard Caedan Wallace as a potential swing option, and the team used a seventh-round pick on tackle Marcus Bryant last year. Lorenz Metz and Sebastian Gutierrez are also on New England’s roster at the position, but Hudson brings far more experience.