Saints To Sign Tanoh Kpassagnon
The Saints have agreed to a two-year deal with defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known, but this is likely a low-cost — and potentially high-reward — signing for the Saints
Kpassagnon was a second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2017. Selected in between Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt, the edge rusher has yet to live up his draft billing. Midway through his tenure at Villanova, Kpassagnon switched from tight end to defensive end and put himself on the NFL radar. After notching 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2015, he turned in an even stronger senior season – 21.5 TFL and eleven sacks, en route to first-team All-America honors.
The 6’7″, 289-pound athlete has spent much of the last four years as a deep reserve, but he started in 15 games for the Chiefs last year. And, in 2019, he notched a career-high four sacks. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are set to move forward with Jarran Reed and Frank Clark on the edges.
Chiefs Re-Sign Daniel Sorensen
The Chiefs have re-signed safety Daniel Sorensen, per a club announcement. The two sides were said to be closing in on a one-year deal last week. On Monday morning, they made it all official. 
Sorensen, one of the longest-tenured members of the team, was a key piece of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl runs. Since joining the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, the BYU product has appeared in 94 games with 32 starts. All in all, he has ten interceptions, 25 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and 3.5 sacks to his credit.
Sorensen spent four years as a reserve before cracking the starting lineup in 2017. This past year, he saw time in 15 games with eleven starts, racking up 91 tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions (including one pick six). And, for the second straight year, the 31-year-old played on 100% of the snaps in the Super Bowl.
In other Chiefs news, Andy Reid & Co. inked ex-Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed over the weekend.
Chiefs To Sign Jarran Reed
The Chiefs continue to bolster their trenches. They’ve made significant changes to their offensive line this offseason, and now they’re adding to the defensive line by signing defensive tackle Jarran Reed.
Kansas City is expected to add Reed, a source first told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The signing was soon confirmed by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who reported that it’s a one-year deal (Twitter link). The short-term pact is worth up to $7MM for the 2021 season with $5MM being guaranteed, Rapoport noted in a follow-up tweet.
As many were quick to point out, this will reunite Reed with former Seahawks teammate Frank Clark, who Reed had a career year next to in 2018. Reed was cut by Seattle on Friday, and it didn’t take him very long to find a new team. Reed had signed a two-year, $23MM extension with the Seahawks around this time last year, but made it just one season into that pact.
The 28-year-old was drafted in the second round by Seattle back in 2016. The Alabama product started all 16 games last season, finishing with 38 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. In that aforementioned career year in 2018, he had a whopping 10.5 sacks as an interior lineman.
With Reed, Clark, and Chris Jones, the Chiefs will now have a very talented defensive front. They already had all the skill position talent you could ask for, and GM Brett Veach has been very aggressive at adding the big boys up front this offseason.
Bengals Re-Sign Jordan Evans
The Bengals have re-signed linebacker Jordan Evans to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. 
[RELATED: Bengals Tried To Sign Joe Thuney]
Evans, a 2017 sixth-round pick, has appeared in 60 games over the last four years. In 2019 and 2020, the Bengals used him mostly on special teams. This year, he may have an opportunity to get back into the defensive rotation, especially if linebacker Josh Bynes isn’t re-signed.
Now set to enter his fifth pro season, Evans will look to build on his 105 tackles, 3.5 sacks, seven pass defenses, and two interceptions. Even if he doesn’t see an uptick in snaps, he figures to continue in his key role on special teams. Last year, Pro Football Focus assigned him a special teams grade of 77.6, good for No. 3 on the team. Meanwhile, Cethan Carter, Cincy’s top-ranked ST player, is out of the picture after joining the Dolphins.
Kyle Love Retires From NFL
Defensive tackle Kyle Love announced his retirement on Sunday (via Instagram). Love, 34, did not play in 2020 and he will not seek NFL employment for 2021. 
Love entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2010. He spent three seasons with the Patriots, appearing in 41 total games before being diagnosed with diabetes and waived with a non-football illness designation. He appeared in only three contests from 2013-14 while playing for the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Panthers, but he eventually reestablished his career with Carolina. From 2017-2019, Love appeared in at least 37% of the Panthers’ defensive snaps. Last year, after six years with the Panthers, he agreed to join the rival Buccaneers.
Love was set to serve as a rotational piece behind of Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh, but he was released before the final cut in September. We here at PFR wish Love the best in retirement.
Tyson Alualu Nixes Jaguars Deal, Re-Joins Steelers
After agreeing to join Jaguars, Tyson Alualu had a change of heart. The veteran defensive end has instead re-signed with the Steelers on a two-year deal, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
The Jaguars verbally agreed to a two-year, $6MM deal with Alualu on March 16. The 33-year-old (34 in May) planned to make it all official on a trip to Jacksonville, but a positive test for COVID-19 forced him to postpone the trip. While quarantining in his Pittsburgh home for ten days, the veteran edge rusher reconsidered his decision.
Alualu was the 10th overall pick of the Jags way back in 2010, and although he’s been a solid player, he never really lived up to his draft status. He has had a bit of a late career resurgence in Pittsburgh, including some quality work with the Steelers last year. He played on ~44% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2020 and finished with 38 tackles, two sacks, and five passes defended. He received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work as a run defender.
Now, the big fella will return to one of the league’s best defenses. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer will have to look elsewhere for interior line help.
49ers To Sign LB Nathan Gerry
Nathan Gerry is heading west. The veteran linebacker is signing with the 49ers, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required). John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia was first with the news (via Twitter).
The 2017 fifth-round pick out of Nebraska had spent his entire career with the Eagles, appearing in 46 regular-season games and six postseason games (including three during Philly’s 2017 run to a Super Bowl championship). After serving as mostly a backup during his first two years in the pros, Gerry started 12 of his 16 contests in 2019, finishing with 78 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions (including a pick-six), and five QB hits.
The 26-year-old started each of his seven games in 2020, collecting 57 tackles, one sack, and four tackles for loss. He was placed on injured reserve in late October with an ankle injury, ending his season.
The 49ers seem set at linebacker with Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, so Gerry will likely have to settle into a backup role on defense. He’ll probably play a bigger role on special teams; he logged 834 special teams snaps for the Eagles over his four years with the team.
Vikings To Sign S Xavier Woods
The Vikings continue to add to their secondary. This time, they’ve added former Cowboys safety Xavier Woods, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It will be a one-year deal worth $2.25MM.
Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the deal includes a $1.25MM base salary, a $500K signing bonus, and $500K in incentives, leading to a $1.75MM cap charge. Tomasson adds that the Vikings tried to get Woods on a minimum deal, but when the veteran rejected the offer, the organization made some moves to clear up money.
The 25-year-old had spent his entire career in Dallas, evolving from a little-known sixth-rounder into a consistent starter on defense. Woods started each of his 44 games for the Cowboys over the past three seasons,averaging more than 46 tackles, five passes defended, and more than one interception per season over that span. He also started a pair of playoff games for Dallas during the 2018 season.
Woods started each of his 15 games this past year, appearing in 89 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. However, the safety didn’t endear himself to Cowboys fans when he admitted that he didn’t play “full speed for 70 plays” following an October loss to the Browns, comments that proved to be the beginning of the end for Woods in Dallas.
The Vikings have been busy adding to their secondary this offseason, especially at cornerback. The team has added both Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander to pair with Mike Hughes and 2020 draftees Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler.
49ers To Sign WR Mohamed Sanu
Mohamed Sanu is heading back to San Francisco. The veteran wide receiver is signing a one-year deal with the 49ers, agent Mike McCartney announced on Twitter.
Sanu played in three games for the 49ers during the 2020 campaign, hauling in a single nine-yard catch. He was released in early October and ultimately caught on with the Lions. After earning a promotion from the practice squad in late November, Sanu proceeded to appear in seven games (four starts) for Detroit, catching 16 passes for 178 yards and one score.
While the veteran will be 32 by the start of the 2021 campaign, he’s still only two years removed from a career year in Atlanta. During that 2018 season, Sanu finished with 66 receptions for 838 yards and four touchdowns. He was traded to the Patriots for a second-rounder during the 2019 season, but did little during his half-season stint in New England.
Following the 49ers blockbuster trade yesterday, it’s uncertain whether a rookie or Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center for the 49ers next season. Regardless, Sanu should provide the team with some nice depth at receiver behind 2020 first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk and 2019 second-rounder Deebo Samuel. Sanu will compete with the likes of Richie James Jr., Jalen Hurd, Jauan Jennings, and veteran Travis Benjamin for playing time.
Ravens To Sign WR Sammy Watkins
After making multiple offers to big-name wide receivers, the Ravens will soon have one under contract. Sammy Watkins agreed to terms with the Ravens on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The former Bills, Rams and Chiefs wideout will sign a one-year deal worth $6MM, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting (via Twitter) the deal will include $5MM fully guaranteed. This will signal a major shift for Watkins, earnings- and scheme-wise.
Baltimore has been hunting high-profile wideouts for a bit now. The Ravens offered more money to JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton, only to see those players opt to re-sign with the Steelers and Colts, respectively. Kenny Golladay also landed on the Ravens’ radar, but the ex-Lions target received a big-ticket offer from the Giants and committed to New York. The Ravens hosted Watkins on a visit, and the talented but injury-prone pass catcher will head to Baltimore to join an offense in need of aerial help.
Watkins will pair with Marquise Brown on the NFL’s run-heaviest offense. It will certainly represent a change for the former No. 4 overall pick, who operated as the No. 2 receiver on one of the most explosive passing attacks in NFL history. The Chiefs were interested in keeping Watkins, but it did not sound like re-signing him was a must for the two-time reigning AFC champions. Watkins signed a monster accord with the Chiefs in 2018 — a three-year, $48MM deal that affected the NFL’s wideout market — and delivered in spurts, even though he did not end up living up to that lofty contract.
The Chiefs received some crucial Watkins contributions in the playoffs, with the former Clemson star surpassing 75 receiving yards in four of the six postseason games he played with Kansas City. However, Watkins also missed time due to injury in each of his three seasons in Missouri, sitting out 14 regular-season games as a Chief. He missed two playoff games this past season as well and has not topped 700 receiving yards in a season since 2015, when he compiled a career-high 1,047 — in a Bills run-heavy offense featuring Tyrod Taylor.
Still, Watkins is only heading into his age-28 season and will provide a high-end talent for a Ravens offense that has been limited at receiver since Lamar Jackson took the reins in 2018. It should not be ruled out Baltimore will further address the position in the draft, but after the team struck out on acquiring veteran starters, Watkins will lessen the burden on the front office to land a proven receiver.