Bills To Re-Sign CB Levi Wallace
Levi Wallace is sticking around Buffalo after all. The Bills announced that they’ve agreed to terms with the cornerback on a one-year deal.
It was a bit of a surprise when the Bills non-tendered the 25-year-old earlier this week. After all, Wallace had started 28 games for Buffalo over the past two seasons, including a 2020 campaign where he finished with 48 tackles, eight passes defended, and two interceptions. Wallace also started each of Buffalo’s three playoff games, collecting 12 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.
Despite being non-tendered, Wallace wanted to stay in Buffalo. The young corner did not consider any outside interest, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
In total, Wallace has started each of his 35 career games, compiling 161 tackles, 20 passes defended, and four interceptions.
While the Bills have been busy adding players on the offensive side of the ball, they’ve mostly focused on retaining their defensive free agents. Specifically, the team re-signed linebacker Matt Milano to a four-year deal earlier this week.
Broncos To Sign RB Mike Boone
The Broncos will add a complementary piece to their backfield equation. They agreed to terms with former Viking Mike Boone on Wednesday night, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
Acquired by the Vikings during current Broncos GM George Paton‘s lengthy Minnesota tenure, Boone will follow Paton to Denver. The Vikings wanted to retain him, just not on an RFA salary, but he will leave for the AFC instead.
Boone, 25, agreed to a deal worth $2.6MM, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com adding $1.6MM of that is guaranteed (Twitter link). It is a two-year contract worth up to $4.5MM, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
Boone will leave a crowded backfield and join another. Formerly a special-teamer and third-stringer behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, Boone will join a Broncos team that has Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay on its roster. However, the Broncos gave the latter the low-end RFA tender. That clouds Lindsay’s Denver status, with the Broncos not entitled to compensation were they to fail to match an offer sheet.
This move also could spell trouble for Royce Freeman‘s roster spot. Lindsay’s former backup worked as Denver’s third-string back last season. Lindsay and Freeman are due for unrestricted free agency after this season, but it would appear the backfield will lose one of them before the campaign starts.
The Vikings did not offer Boone an RFA tender, which would have meant a salary north of $2MM for this coming season, so the Broncos will have him going into his fourth year. While Boone has mostly played special teams as a pro, fantasy GMs will recognize him from 2019, when he took over late in the season. He finished the ’19 slate with 273 rushing yards on a 5.6 YPC average, potentially providing the Broncos with a capable off-the-bench option.
Cardinals Sign K Matt Prater
The Cardinals have made an upgrade at kicker. They signed the specialist who holds the record for the NFL’s longest field goal, agreeing to terms with former Broncos and Lions kicker Matt Prater.
Prater spent the past seven seasons in Detroit. He will migrate to the desert for his age-37 season. Prater will replace Zane Gonzalez, whose struggles down the stretch contributed to the Cardinals slinking out of the 2020 playoff race.
Prater’s deal is worth $7MM over two years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He will rejoin former Broncos special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers with the Cardinals.
He of a 64-yard field goal during his final Broncos season (2013), Prater continued his long-range mastery in Detroit. He connected on a 59-yard game-winner last season and was successful from at least 58 yards in three other Lions seasons. Prater made just 21 of 28 field goals last season but has two Pro Bowls on his resume.
The Cardinals cut Gonzalez last week. While his six misses (16 of 22) were fewer than Prater’s misfire count, Gonzalez missed some key kicks in Cards losses. Most notably, his 49-yarder that fell short of the goal posts led to the Cards losing to the Dolphins in a late-season shootout. GM Steve Keim moved swiftly to address the deficiency.
Raiders To Sign DL Quinton Jefferson
6:08pm: The Raiders moved fast here. They agreed to terms with Jefferson, according to the team. The former Seahawk will be set to play in a familiar system in his sixth NFL season.
Jefferson’s deal is similar to Hankins’, with Caplan noting it is a one-year pact worth $3.25MM (Twitter link). Jefferson can earn up to $4MM in 2021.
3:39pm: Raider Day continues. The team reached out to recent Bills cap casualty Quinton Jefferson and will bring him in for a visit, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
The Raiders will host the former Bills and Seahawks defensive lineman later this week, with Caplan adding Jefferson’s experience in new DC Gus Bradley‘s scheme is a factor in the Raiders’ interest. The Bills cut Jefferson after one season.
With Seattle, Jefferson served as a hybrid player; he saw time at both defensive end and D-tackle. The 2016 fifth-round pick served as a rotational cog in Buffalo but was primarily a starter in his final two Seattle seasons. Jefferson has accumulated 9.5 sacks over the past three seasons, though he underwhelmed in Buffalo. The five-year veteran has never played under Bradley, but the former Seahawks DC will use a similar system to the one in which Jefferson operated in Seattle.
Oakland has added Yannick Ngakoue at end, where he will team with 2019 draftees Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby. The team also re-signed Johnathan Hankins on Wednesday. Maliek Collins, a 2020 signee, defected to the Texans this week.
Panthers To Sign Morgan Fox
The Panthers are signing defensive lineman Morgan Fox, per Albert Breer of TheMMQB (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network adds that it will be a two-year, $8.1MM deal, with $7MM guaranteed (Twitter link).
Fox, 26, joined the Rams as a UDFA in 2016. His entire 2018 campaign was wiped out by an ACL tear, but in 2017, 2019, and 2020, he worked as a situational pass rusher and performed reasonably well in that role.
He saved his best for 2020, appearing in 39% of Los Angeles’ defensive snaps and recording six sacks, both career highs. He will join the newly-signed Haason Reddick as part of Carolina’s revamped pass rush.
The Panthers finished in the bottom fourth of the league in 2020 with just 29 team sacks, and Reddick and Fox should help push that number higher this season.
Raiders To Re-Sign Johnathan Hankins
The Raiders are keeping one of their own in the fold. Las Vegas is re-signing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to a one-year deal, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
Hankins’ contract is a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. It comes with a $1.75MM salary and a $1.75MM signing bonus, per Wilson. This will represent a slight salary decrease for the mammoth D-tackle, whose previous Raiders pact was a two-year, $8.5MM accord. 
The big fella from Ohio State has been with the Raiders the past three seasons now. Originally a second-round pick of the Giants back in 2011, he spent his first four years in New York. He then signed a three-year, $30MM pact with the Colts in 2017, but was released just one season into that. He landed with the Raiders, where he’s been ever since.
He’s started at least 14 games in each of his three seasons with the team, including all 16 in 2020. He finished with 48 tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery while playing a little over 60 percent of the defensive snaps as a run-stuffer. He received middling marks from Pro Football Focus.
He signed a two-year, $8.5MM deal prior to the 2019 season, and it’ll be interesting to see how the financials on this one compare to that.
Chiefs To Sign OL Kyle Long
Kyle Long‘s comeback tour will see him joining the defending AFC champs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman is signing with the Chiefs. Long is signing a one-year deal worth up to $5MM.
The 2013 first-round pick had spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, the offensive guard dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement last offseason. The Bears subsequently declined his option.
We learned earlier this month that the 32-year-old was eyeing a return to the NFL. If he can stay healthy, Long has a good chance of contributing with his new squad. The Chiefs have made revamping Patrick Mahomes‘ offensive line a priority this offseason, and they proved that by giving Joe Thuney a hulking five-year contract. The team was also mentioned as a potential suitor for Trent Williams before he re-signed with the 49ers.
The Raiders were also a suitor for Long’s services, a logical landing spot considering the player’s father, Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, played his entire 13-year career with the Raiders. However, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets that Long’s visit with the organization didn’t necessarily go as planned. Some sources told the reporter that Long’s workout “didn’t go that well,” while others told Tafur that the free agent was “freaked out” by the organization’s decision to dump center Rodney Hudson.
Raiders To Sign DL Solomon Thomas
Solomon Thomas is heading south. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the free agent defensive lineman is signing with the Raiders. It will be a one-year deal worth up to $5MM.
The 2017 third-overall pick out of Stanford never lived up to his draft billing during his four years with the 49ers. He started 25 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, collecting 13 tackles for loss, 17 QB hits, and four sacks. However, he settled into more of a backup role in 2019, finishing the year with two sacks in 16 games (three starts). Thomas also appeared in each of the 49ers three playoff games that season, compiling four tackles and one sack.
The 49ers declined Thomas’s fifth-year option last offseason, paving the way for a potential contract-year breakout in 2020. Thomas started each of San Francisco’s first two games, but he was limited to only a pair of tackles. He tore his ACL during the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Jets, ending his season early.
The Raiders have been busy adding to their defense this week, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with linebacker Yannick Ngakoue, re-signing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and re-signing linebacker Nicholas Morrow. We learned earlier today that the team was also set to host free agent defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson.
Chiefs Place Second-Round Tender On CB Charvarius Ward
Charvarius Ward will hit restricted free agency. Earlier today, the Chiefs slapped a second-round tender on the young cornerback. The second-round tender is worth around $3.4MM in 2021.
Ward joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee in 2018. After seeing time in 13 games as a rookie, Ward ended up starting 16 games in 2019 for the eventual Super Bowl champs. Ward finished that season with 74 tackles, 10 passes defended, and two interceptions, and he added another nine tackles in three postseason games.
The 24-year-old started 13 of his 14 games in 2020, finishing the year with 51 tackles, one sack, and six passes defended. He also started each of Kansas City’s three playoff games, collecting 18 tackles.
Ward would certainly be an intriguing target for other front offices, although he may have some competition in restricted free agency. Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson, who finished 2020 with nine interceptions, was also slapped with a second-round tender.
Panthers To Sign LB Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick will reunite with his former college coach soon. The four-year Cardinals linebacker intends to sign with the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Years after coaching Reddick at Temple, Matt Rhule will bring the linebacker to Carolina on a one-year, $8MM deal. The contract will max out at $8MM but contain a base value of $6MM, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
While Reddick indicated earlier this offseason he wanted to stay in Arizona, the Cardinals’ $14MM-per-year deal for J.J. Watt complicated that path. Instead, he will join ex-Temple teammate Robby Anderson in committing to play for Rhule again.
The Panthers will take a midlevel flier on Reddick, who was viewed as a first-round bust before a contract-year breakout. Said emergence did not take place until Chandler Jones‘ injury finally prompted the Cardinals to turn to the former Temple pass rusher. The Cards continued to shift Reddick around the formation, primarily slotting the college pass rusher off the ball from 2017-19. He struggled in that capacity, being benched on multiple occasions. But the former first-round pick put it together last season, registering 12.5 sacks despite only becoming a first-string pass rusher midway through the year.
Reddick figures to join Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos as edge rushers in Carolina. While Reddick does have extensive experience now as a pure linebacker, his performance in that role would certainly not generate much interest. In his senior season at Temple, which also doubled as Rhule’s last with the Owls, Reddick registered 9.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss.