Bills Re-Sign S Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin will be remaining in Buffalo for at least the 2026 season. The veteran safety re-signed with the Bills on Friday, per a team announcement. 
This is a one-year contract, which comes as little surprise. Hamlin agreed to a deal of the same length last offseason after playing out his rookie pact. Outside interest was shown, but Hamlin remaining in place allowed him to continue a Bills tenure which has seen him alternate between starter and backup duties.
That trend continued in 2025, a year in which Hamlin primarily saw his playing time on special teams. A pectoral injury limited him to just five games during the regular season. The 28-year-old returned to practice leading up to the start of the playoffs, but he did not wind up being activated in time for a return to action.
As a result, this latest Buffalo contract will surely not be a lucrative one. Hamlin took a $2MM deal last time around, with that figure guaranteed in full. Given his missed time in 2025 and projected status as a backup, a similar contract – if not one worth slightly less – can be expected this time around. In any case, Hamlin will represent a familiar face to a safety group which has seen a number of changes this offseason.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone have been added in free agency, while Darnell Savage departed by joining the Steelers. Taylor Rapp was released shortly before the start of the new league year, while Jordan Poyer is unsigned. A retirement decision in his case is expected. Especially if Poyer does not continue his career, Hamlin could be counted on as an experienced presence.
The former sixth-rounder has made a total of 27 starts over the course of his career. Gardner-Johnson and Stone are both veteran first-team defensive presences, however, while Cole Bishop is on course to remain a key figure in the secondary. That could leave Hamlin to focus on special teams work once more in 2026, although he could fill in defensively if needed provided he can avoid another major injury.
Browns Modify Myles Garrett’s Contract
A slight change has been made to Myles Garrett‘s Browns contract. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has agreed to push back the payment dates on his option bonuses, ESPN’s Field Yates reports. 
Garrett was originally owed those payments on the 15th day of the league year each season from 2026-28. In the case of this year, that fell on Wednesday, with Yates noting this revision was finalized one day earlier. Now, Garrett is in line to collect the money one week before the start of the regular season in each year (bringing his contract in line with other Cleveland pacts in that respect).
[RELATED: Browns Propose Trading Picks Five Years Into Future]
As detailed by Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, this move will not yield any cap savings for the Browns unless the value of the option bonuses ($10MM in 2026, $13MM in 2027 and $7MM in 2028) have been changed. It would certainly come as a surprise if that were to be the case. Per Yates, the changes have nevertheless taken place in a way “that has benefit” to Garrett, who inked a four-year, $160MM extension last offseason. Yates adds that $8MM in base salary has been converted to roster bonuses for 2029 and ’30; they are scheduled to be paid out early in those league years.
Some observers have noted this tweak to Garrett’s deal would make a hypothetical trade more viable. Delaying option payments until just before the start of the season would indeed widen Cleveland’s window of opportunity to work out a trade with interested teams. The 30-year-old’s 2025 extension contains a no-trade clause, however, so he would need to approve of any potential swap. Garrett’s current focus will remain on helping lead the Browns to a rebound in 2026. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com confirms no thought is currently being given to a trade.
The five-time All-Pro broke the single-season sack record (23) in 2025, leading to his second career Defensive Player of the Year nod. Strong defensive showings will be expected once again for the Browns moving forward, and Garrett will of course be counted on the lead the way for years to come. In the event of continued struggles on the team’s part, though, trade speculation will no doubt pick up once more.
Bills Sign C/G Austin Corbett, C Lloyd Cushenberry, WR Trent Sherfield
The Bills announced three veteran depth signings on Thursday. Guard/center Austin Corbett, center Lloyd Cushenberry and wide receiver Trent Sherfield are heading to Buffalo on one-year deals.
The addition of Corbett comes as no surprise after he visited the Bills on Monday. A second-round pick of the Browns in 2018, the 30-year-old Corbett is now joining his fourth team. With 94 games and 78 starts on his resume, Corbett will at least give the Bills established interior depth. He may also have a chance to compete with the fairly inexperienced Alec Anderson for the Bills’ starting left guard job. David Edwards, the Bills’ previous starter, left for New Orleans’ four-year, $61MM offer in free agency.
Corbett fell short of expectations in Cleveland, which traded him to the Rams for a fifth-rounder in his second season. But he spent two-plus years as a full-time starter in Los Angeles, where he played right guard for its Super Bowl-winning 2021 team (Edwards was the Rams’ left guard).
Corbett continued as a starter in Carolina over the past four years, though injuries were a problem from 2023-25. He missed 29 games in that span, including four last year. While Corbett began the season as the Panthers’ starting center, he lost the role to Cade Mays when he suffered an MCL injury in Week 2. After Corbett returned from IR, he handled right guard duties.
Since the Broncos used a third-rounder on him in 2020, Cushenberry has started in all 80 appearances at center, making it somewhat surprising that he landed in Buffalo. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder has no path to a starting gig with the Bills, who re-signed center Connor McGovern to a four-year, $52MM pact before free agency opened. Cushenberry signed a similar deal (four years, $50MM) with the Titans in 2024, but it did not go as planned for either side.
A torn Achilles limited Cushenberry to eight games in 2024, and though he bounced back to play in 15 last season, Pro Football Focus ranked his performance 34th among 37 centers. The 28-year-old underwent shoulder surgery early in the offseason, leading the Titans to release him with a failed physical designation in February. If healthy, Cushenberry will presumably compete with Sedrick Van Pran-Granger to work as McGovern’s backup in 2026.
The well-traveled Sherfield, 30, has had stints with seven organizations since going undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2018. He is on his way to Buffalo for the second time, having spent the 2023 campaign there. Known more for his work on special teams than as a pass catcher, Sherfield finished with 11 receptions in 17 games during his first Bills season. He set career highs in catches (30) and yards (417) in Miami in 2022, but he has not approached those numbers in any other year. In a combined 12 games with the Cardinals and Broncos in 2025, Sherfield caught just three passes for 21 yards.
Commanders To Sign CB Ahkello Witherspoon
3:40pm: Witherspoon’s visit has indeed produced an agreement, Garafolo reports. Washington’s secondary will have another veteran in place leading up to the draft.
9:ooam: The Commanders have undergone a number of changes at the cornerback position so far in free agency. Another addition at that spot could be coming soon. 
Ahkello Witherspoon is set to visit Washington today, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. The 10th-year veteran has never played for the Commanders, but he would be a familiar face to general manager Adam Peters. Peters was in the 49ers’ organization when Witherspoon was drafted by San Francisco in 2017.
After playing out his rookie contract in the Bay Area, the former third-rounder spent a pair of seasons with the Steelers. Witherspoon was limited to just 13 games during his Pittsburgh tenure, leading to his release halfway through a two-year contract in 2023. As a free agent for the second time, Witherspoon joined the Rams on what would prove to be the first of three consecutive one-year deals.
Over the course of his time in Los Angeles, Witherspoon saw his playing time decline. The Colorado product logged a career-high 1,060 defensive snaps in 2023 but saw that figure drop considerably in each of the following two years. In all, Witherspoon has made 64 starts and 96 appearances during the regular season. He is among the most experienced options still on the market at this point of free agency.
Changes in the secondary were seen as a key area for improvement entering the offseason in Washington’s case. The Commanders replaced Joe Whitt with Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator, and he will have a new-look cornerback room to work with in 2026. Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene have departed in free agency, while Marshon Lattimore and Antonio Hamilton remain unsigned. One addition (Amik Robertson) has already been made, and more are no doubt coming through free agency and/or the draft.
Washington has over $49MM in cap space as things stand. The Commanders could easily afford a number of new arrivals despite the money already spent on the open market as a result. If a deal is worked out in Witherspoon’s case, it will no doubt be an inexpensive one.
Falcons Sign RB Tyler Goodson
Tyler Goodson will be playing on a new team in 2026. The fourth-year running back signed with the Falcons on Thursday, per a team announcement. 
Atlanta lost Tyler Allgeier in free agency when he joined the Cardinals. That left Bijan Robinson atop the depth chart, of course, but it created the need for a new backup. A deal was worked out with Brian Robinson on Tuesday, and he will be counted on to serve as Allgeier’s replacement.
Goodson, meanwhile, will look to compete for the RB3 role with Atlanta. The 25-year-old spent each of his first three NFL seasons as a member of the Colts. During that time, he handled just 54 carries as part of a backfield dominated by Jonathan Taylor. Goodson instead made his mark on special teams. That will likely be the case as well with the Falcons.
Goodson was a regular third phase presence during the 2024 and ’25 seasons. The former undrafted free agent totaled 11 kick returns for the Colts, and he could be an option for new head coach Kevin Stefanski in that regard. If not, Goodson – who logged heavy ST snap shares each of the past two years – will still be expected to chip in without receiving a large offensive opportunity.
The Falcons entered Thursday with roughly $14MM in cap space. That figure will drop once the Brian Robinson deal (worth $2.5MM) is officially processed, but his pact and that of Goodson will not significantly alter Atlanta’s financial setup entering the draft. Goodson’s deal can be expected to check in at or near the league minimum as he prepares to compete for a roster spot this summer in a new home.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/26
Here are Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Detroit Lions
- Signed ERFA tender: K Jake Bates
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: RB Ronnie Rivers
Bates just finished his second season as the Lions’ placekicker and as the NFL’s leader in made point after attempts, thanks to a potent Lions offense scoring enough touchdowns to put the league lead within reach. The Arkansas product converted 64 extra point attempts and 54 more this year, though he has missed five in the NFL’s lengthened format.
In field goals, Bates took a bit of a step back in Year 2. Converting 26 of 29 tries last year, Bates more than double his misses in his sophomore campaign, increasing his number of conversions to 27 but on 34 tries. All of those misses have been from distance, though, as Bates has been perfect from inside the 30-yard line (aside from PATs). He’ll get another season to try and earn a big contract with today’s signing.
Chargers Sign OL Kayode Awosika
The Chargers are continuing to add to their offensive line after struggling to protect Justin Herbert in 2025. Former Lions guard Kayode Awosika is the latest blocker to sign in Los Angeles, per a team announcement.
Awosika appeared in 13 games for Detroit last season with four starts at left guard during Christian Mahogany‘s absence. The five-year veteran played at a replacement level with a 57.9 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) that ranked 54th out of 87 guards with at least 250 snaps.
Originally an offensive tackle at the University of Buffalo, Awosika signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He spent his rookie season one the practice squad with almost a full game of action at right guard in Week 18.
Philadelphia waived Awosika during final roster cuts in 2022. He made his way to Detroit, where a reserve guard role awaited him. Over the next four years, the 27-year-old appeared in 49 games with 11 starts, all at guard, with 25 snaps at tackle.
That versatility will be valued in Los Angeles where the Chargers are rebuilding their offensive line after a rough 2025 season. Offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are recovering from season-ending surgeries with the expectation of playing in 2026. But, as general manager Joe Hortiz knows from his time in Baltimore with Ronnie Stanley, speedy returns to elite form is not an easy feat at one of the game’s toughest position. As a result, re-signed offensive linemen Trevor Penning and Trey Pipkins could be needed at tackle, leaving them unavailable to start or back up the guard spots. Awosika filled that role in Detroit for the last four years and should be able to continue in Los Angeles under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Dolphins To Sign LB Ronnie Harrison
The Dolphins are signing Ronnie Harrison to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, bringing the veteran linebacker to his fourth NFL team in the last five seasons and fifth in his eight-year career.
Harrison, 28, played for the Falcons in 2025, appearing in 10 games with four starts and 277 defensive snaps, 40% of the team’s total. He also played 181 snaps on special teams, the second-most involvement of his career behind 197 snaps in 2024. The 6-foot-3 linebacker held up in coverage but had the worst tackling season of his career with a 17.1% missed tackle rate.
Harrison should have an opportunity to carve out a rotational role in the Dolphins defense, especially with his previous experience as a safety. The team has Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson as their starting linebackers, but their No. 3 is unclear after K.J. Britt signed with the Patriots in free agency. Former Chiefs and Saints starter Willie Gay was active for every game last year, but he was only trusted with 131 snaps on defense with an almost-equal amount of time on special teams.
Miami has questions at safety, too, with their top three contributors from 2025 no longer on the roster. Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded to the Jets, and Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu both hit free agency. Harrison has 908 career snaps at safety, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), more than any Dolphins safety outside of recent signing Lonnie Johnson.
Originally a Jaguars third-round pick in 2018, Harrison started 22 games across his first two years in Jacksonville before he was traded to the Browns. After three years and 23 starts in Cleveland, he spent most of the 2024 season on the Colts’ practice squad before arriving in Atlanta the following year.
Lions Sign G Ben Bartch
Not long after hosting Ben Bartch on a visit, the Lions have a deal in place. The veteran guard signed with Detroit on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.
Bartch comes over from San Francisco, where he began last season as a Week 1 starter. Injuries sidetracked Bartch last season, and he joins a Lions team returning two guard starters. But the six-year veteran has 24 career starts and represents an interesting interior swingman behind Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany.
This marks a third notable interior O-line investment from the Lions in free agency. The team signed ex-Panthers center Cade Mays and added former Texans starter/swingman Juice Scruggs in the David Montgomery trade. Scruggs and Bartch could profile as higher-end depth for a team that dealt with injuries along the interior following Frank Ragnow‘s retirement (and failed unretirement).
Bartch won the 49ers’ left guard job out of training camp, lining up alongside Trent Williams to open last season. A high ankle sprain sustained in Week 2 ended the ex-Jaguar’s run in Kyle Shanahan‘s lineup. Although the 49ers used an IR activation on Bartch, he did not start another game upon returning. A foot sprain then sent the former fourth-round pick back to IR and ended his season.
Spending the previous two 49ers seasons as a backup, Bartch earned a promotion after the team let three-season LG starter Aaron Banks walk (to the Packers) in free agency. The 49ers initially signed Bartch off the Jaguars’ practice squad in November 2023. He made two starts in 2024 but missed time because of a high ankle sprain that season as well. The Jags used Bartch as a 16-game starter from 2021-22, but a dislocated knee blunted his momentum five games into the ’22 season. Jacksonville then acquired replacement Ezra Cleveland at that year’s trade deadline.
Pro Football Focus has graded Bartch well in each of the past two years, but he did not play enough to qualify as a regular in either campaign. PFF nevertheless slotted Bartch inside the top 20 at the position during a 200-snap 2025 slate. He did not grade as well with the Jaguars as a full-timer, ranking 52nd at the position in 2021 — his only season with more than five starts. The Lions will provide another opportunity for the seventh-year vet, who will attempt to bounce back from his latest injury-altered season.
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.