Jaguars Re-Sign Dawuane Smoot
The Jaguars will re-sign defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’ll be a two-year deal worth $10MM, including $5.25MM guaranteed (per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter).
The Jaguars inked Roy Robertson-Harris earlier in the day but still found room to keep one of their own. Though he’s not a marquee name, new head coach Urban Meyer apparently liked Smoot’s ability to move around the line. Robertson-Harris is similarly versatile, but flexibility will help as the Jaguars will shift more towards a 3-4 set.
Smoot, a 2017 third-round pick, has appeared in 56 games for the Jaguars. In 2020, he was first-string for the first time as he made seven starts . For his career, he’s totaled 66 stops with 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.
Broncos, Ronald Darby Agree To Terms
Ronald Darby will finally land a long-term deal. After back-to-back one-year agreements, Darby will join the Broncos on a multiyear deal.
The former Bills, Eagles and Washington cornerback found success on this year’s market; he will join the Broncos on a three-year, $30MM contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Darby will receive $19.5MM fully guaranteed from Denver.
An ACL tear in his 2018 contract year submarined the former second-round pick’s value, but his latest free agency chapter will produce a seminal accord. The Broncos have been in need at corner for multiple years now, with injuries and departures gutting the team’s once-elite corps.
Denver now has Darby and Bryce Callahan as its top corners. While the Broncos should be expected to further target the position — perhaps as early as the first round of the draft — Darby represents a notable expense for the team. He is now Denver’s highest-paid corner.
After Darby spent 2019 regaining his footing, having re-signed with Philadelphia, he moved closer to re-establishing his value in Washington in 2020. The former Buffalo draftee rated as a top-30 corner, per Pro Football Focus. He played in all 16 Washington games, teaming with Kendall Fuller as part of a quality pass defense. The Broncos appear convinced Darby has surmounted his previous injury issues and will move forward with him as a key piece in their secondary.
Raiders To Sign Yannick Ngakoue
The Raiders have struck a deal with Yannick Ngakoue. The former Ravens linebacker will head to Las Vegas a two-year, $26MM deal, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. 
Jon Gruden has been eyeing Ngakoue since his Jaguars days. The Vikings and Ravens got him first, but Gruden now has his man. The deal will reunite Ngakoue with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley as the Raiders look to rekindle their pass rush. Ever since the Khalil Mack trade three years ago, they’ve struggled to generate consistent pressure.
Ngakoue, who turns 26 later this month, is set to enter his sixth season as a pro. With 45.5 career sacks to his credit, he’s a difference-maker — even if the Ravens didn’t use him all that much in the playoffs.
Ngakoue projects to lead a Raiders edge group that also features Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell hasn’t lived up to Gruden’s expectations since he was drafted (and, arguably, reached for), but Ngakoue can help cover his deficiencies.
Ngakoue is not particularly strong against the run, but he averaged over nine sacks per season over his first four years in the league, and he has also shown some serious play-making ability. He forced 14 fumbles in that stretch and he directly responsible for five of the 12 defensive touchdowns the Jaguars scored between 2016 and 2019.
Rams To Re-Sign LB Leonard Floyd
5:35pm: The Floyd market moved fast. The Giants pushed to sign him, but the Rams will win the sweepstakes, Anderson tweets. Floyd will stay in Los Angeles on a four-year, $64MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This represents a major win for Floyd, who saw the Bears release him prior to his fifth-year option vesting in 2020. Floyd will follow Fowler in riding a Rams contract year into free agency success. The Rams are making their biggest commitment to an edge defender in years here, doing so after trading Robert Quinn and letting Fowler walk. The team’s journey toward cap compliance will continue, however, with the team now having three front-seven bastions — Donald, Floyd and Michael Brockers — signed to veteran deals.
5:15pm: Although the Rams let Dante Fowler walk in free agency last year, they are not quite ready to lose another edge rusher. They remain in talks with Leonard Floyd, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, who notes the discussions are going well (Twitter link).
The Rams will still need to clear considerable cap space to keep Floyd. They reside more than $30MM over the cap. Teams must comply with the $182.5MM salary ceiling by 3pm March 17, when the 2021 league year starts.
Like Fowler, Floyd produced in a contract year. The former Bears first-round pick, whom Chicago cut after an inconsistent tenure, recorded a career-best 10.5 sacks while teaming with Aaron Donald in Los Angeles. After battling injury issues early in his career, Floyd has now played in 16 games in each of the past three seasons.
More edge rushers are available this year, compared to a 2020 offseason in which several received franchise tags. Like Fowler, Floyd did not. And he is in much better position to land a strong deal than he was last year, when the Rams signed him to a one-year pact worth $10MM. It will be interesting to see if Floyd can improve on that salary soon.
Patriots To Sign Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor is parlaying his quality Raiders season into a deal with the Patriots. New England is expected to land the former first-round pick in free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Once finalized, it’ll be a two-year deal worth up to $26MM, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
This news comes after the report indicating the Pats were discussing a deal with Kendrick Bourne. As of now, it is uncertain if the Pats will add both. But they are signing Agholor, with Rapoport tweeting the deal is done. Agholor’s base value will be $11MM per year, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Incentives could move it up to the aforementioned $13MM-AAV price.
Nelson Agholor and the Raiders agreed to a deal, Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The former first-round pick played out his five-year rookie contract with the Eagles and will follow Jason Witten in moving from the NFC East to the Raiders’ first Las Vegas pass-catching contingent. Agholor’s pact is for one year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Agholor was inconsistent during his Eagles tenure, but the former first-round pick proved essential during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LII march. And, in 2020, he enjoyed a solid season with the Raiders, tallying 48 grabs for 896 yards and eight touchdowns. It was opportune timing for Agholor, who erased memories of a 2019 slate marred by a knee injury.
Rams Give Darious Williams Round 1 Tender
Although the Rams have the NFL’s worst cap situation presently, they will use the top restricted free agency tender to keep Darious Williams from leaving.
The Rams tendered Williams at the first-round level, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will mean the emerging cornerback is attached to a $4.77MM price going into the new league year.
Teams rarely use the Round 1 tender, and the Rams are the only team to do so thus far this offseason. But the team clearly wants to ensure Williams sticks around opposite Jalen Ramsey next season. Should another team sign Williams to an offer sheet, it would need to give the Rams a first-round pick. This scenario seems incredibly unlikely.
For a player with three years’ experience, Williams is on the older end (28 today). But he broke through with a big 2020 season, intercepting four passes and rating as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall corner. Williams added a pick-six in the Rams’ first-round win over the Seahawks. With Troy Hill on the verge of unrestricted free agency, Williams profiles as a key player for the Rams to retain.
Saints Re-Sign OL James Hurst
Following a spree of cost-cutting or cost-reorganizing moves to get under the cap, the Saints made a depth signing Monday.
They will retain offensive lineman James Hurst, the team announced. Hurst will make $9MM over three years on his latest Saints accord, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
The Saints initially added Hurst last year and used him as a swing backup and spot starter. The veteran offensive lineman has the ability to contribute at tackle and guard. This represents nice money for a second-string-type option.
A longtime Ravens blocker, Hurst started five games for the Saints last season. While it is unknown if he will block for Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston in 2021 (perhaps both?), he will be back with the Saints.
Steelers To Retain CB Cameron Sutton
Despite an unfavorable cap situation, the Steelers have found some room to keep one of their own free agents off the market.
They reached a deal to retain cornerback Cameron Sutton, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Sutton will stay in Pittsburgh on a two-year, $9MM pact.
The Steelers are expected to let a few higher-profile free agents walk, with JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Bud Dupree almost certainly on their way out. But a deal for a role player like Sutton figures to help out amid an offseason cap crunch.
Sutton has worked as a rotational cog in Pittsburgh, having started just eight games since the Steelers drafted him in the 2017 third round. Six of those starts came last season. The Steelers also face the prospect of losing longtime slot corner Mike Hilton, making corner a potential area to address for the defending AFC North champions.
49ers Agree To New Deal With Dee Ford
The 49ers are making the pass-rush a priority. Shortly after signing Samson Ebukam away from the Rams, San Francisco has agreed to terms on a new deal to keep Dee Ford in the fold, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
The restructured contract is a two-year pact worth $24MM, he reports. Ford had previously been under a five-year, $85MM deal that he signed with the team when they traded for him almost exactly two years ago, and he wasn’t going to stick at that price. The 49ers gave up a second-round pick to get Ford away from the Chiefs and sign him to that contract, and the move has been somewhat of a disaster.
In his first season with the team, he was banged up but still had 6.5 sacks in 11 games. The 49ers shopped him around this time last year, but didn’t find any takers. Then injuries completely tanked his 2020 season, and he played in only one game.
This led to a lot of uncertainty about his status, and he now has a lot to prove. It now feels like ages since he had 13 sacks with Kansas City in 2018. If Ford can get healthy, Ebukam can contribute, and Nick Bosa returns to pre-ACL tear form, the 49ers’ pass-rush is going to be dramatically improved from last season.
Chargers To Re-Sign CB Michael Davis
Having just released Casey Hayward, the Chargers agreed to terms with one of their younger cornerbacks. They will keep Michael Davis off the free agent market via three-year deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
A key Los Angeles contributor, Davis will stay in southern California and receive $15MM guaranteed to do so, per Garafolo (on Twitter). He received interest from a few other teams as well but will play his fifth season in L.A.
A year ago, the Bolts gave Davis a second-round tender. He intercepted a career-high three passes last year, following a 2019 season in which he nabbed two picks. The former UDFA graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 55 overall cornerback in 2020.
The Chargers have parted ways with two All-Pro corners over the past several months, having traded Desmond King — who also dabbled at safety in L.A. — to the Titans ahead of their Hayward cut. Going into the new league year, Davis and Chris Harris are the Bolts’ top corners.