Titans To Sign LS Morgan Cox
It’s been a busy past couple of days, but we’ve still got to make some time for our beloved long snappers. Most snappers might find themselves in our ‘minor moves‘ posts, but not this one.
The Titans will be signing long snapper Morgan Cox, a source tells Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cox is more notable than your typical specialist since his peers regard him as one of the league’s best. Not only did he make the Pro Bowl this past year, he was also a first-team All-Pro for the Ravens.
It’s a homecoming for Cox, who grew up in Tennessee and played for the Volunteers in college. He signed with Baltimore as an UDFA in 2010, and spent the next 11 seasons with the team. He’s a Super Bowl XLVII champion, and has made the Pro Bowl in four of the past six seasons.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/21
Today’s “minor” moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: CB Tony Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Tae Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Texans): DT Andrew Brown
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: DT Gabe Wright
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: OL Adam Pankey
- Signed: WR Robert Foster
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: DL Cody Davis
New York Jets
- Re-signed: RB Josh Adams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: RB Adrian Killins
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, TE Daniel Helm
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: TE Anthony Firkser
49ers To Re-Sign DT D.J. Jones
The 49ers have been locking up a lot of their own guys so far in free agency, and they can check another one of the list. San Francisco is re-signing defensive tackle D.J. Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
Financial terms weren’t immediately available, although Rapoport reports it’s a one-year deal for the big man in the middle. A sixth-round pick back in 2017, Jones just wrapped up his rookie contract. The Ole Miss product played rotationally his first two seasons before becoming a full-time starter in the last two.
He started all 25 games that he appeared in over the past two years, racking up five sacks in those games while mostly being counted on to clog up running lanes. San Francisco’s vaunted defensive front was decimated by injuries last year, and the team is hoping Jones will be a big part of the unit’s bounce back in 2021.
Texans Release Zach Fulton
Houston is clearing some more cap space. The Texans have released veteran offensive lineman Zach Fulton, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Fulton had been due a $1MM bonus on March 22nd, which explains the timing of this move. He had a $3.75MM cap charge for 2021. That’s not very much for a starting guard, but apparently Houston wasn’t too happy with his play. The Tennessee product originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2014.
He started all 16 games as a rookie, and after riding out his rookie contract in Kansas City he signed a four-year, $28MM contract with the Texans in 2018. He started at least 13 games in all three of his seasons in Houston, including all 16 this past year.
The release clears about $3MM in cap space for this season, numerous beat writers tweeted. Pro Football Focus graded Fulton acceptable enough and considering he has NFL starting experience at both center and guard there should be suitors. The 29-year-old has started 90 career games.
Browns To Re-Sign LB Malcolm Smith
Having bounced around the league in recent years, Malcolm Smith nevertheless generated some attention on the market after a notable showing in Cleveland last season. But he will stay in northeast Ohio.
The Browns are expected to re-sign the veteran linebacker, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Panthers also expressed interest in Smith, but he will return to the Browns.
Cleveland acquired the former Super Bowl MVP just before last season. He played 52% of the Browns’ defensive snaps — his highest usage rate since his 2016 season with the Raiders — and made 72 tackles. The 31-year-old defender will now have a full offseason to work in Joe Woods’ scheme. Pro Football Focus graded Smith as the Browns’ best linebacker in 2020, slotting he and Sione Takitaki 15th and 16th among qualified off-ball ‘backers, respectively.
Since his four-year Seahawks run ended after the 2014 season, Smith has played for the Raiders, 49ers, Cowboys, Jaguars and Browns. The Dallas and Jacksonville stays did not last long, but Smith signed lucrative deals with both Bay Area teams. He used the Cleveland stay to revive his value to some degree, and the Browns will keep the veteran in place among a young group of linebackers.
Lavonte David hovered on Cleveland’s radar, but the standout talent opted to stay in Tampa. The Browns moved on, and Smith appears to have represented a proven fallback option. The Panthers have since agreed to terms with ex-Charger Denzel Perryman.
49ers To Release Marquise Goodwin
Marquise Goodwin‘s return trip to San Francisco didn’t last long. The 49ers have released the receiver, a source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
In a bizarre transaction, we heard yesterday that Goodwin was reverting back to the 49ers from the Eagles per the terms of the trade they completed last year. At the time we heard Goodwin wasn’t long for the 49ers, and that turned out to be an understatement. Goodwin was dealt to Philly in a late-round pick swap last year, but opted out of the 2020 season and never played a down for the Eagles.
Goodwin had a breakout 2017 season with the 49ers after four years in Buffalo, when he erupted for 962 yards on only 56 catches for a 17.2 yards/reception average. That earned him a three-year, $20.3MM extension the following offseason, but things went downhill quickly after that.
He struggled with injuries the next two seasons, and was a disappointment when on the field, quickly getting buried on the depth chart. The Texas product with blazing speed turned 30 in November and will now hit a free agent market that hasn’t been too kind to wideouts so far.
Raiders Expected To Bring Back Richie Incognito
The Raiders are taking over the NFL’s Wednesday headlines, with their offensive line being the key focus. While they are retooling up front, the team is now expected to have potentially three starters back.
Richie Incognito indicated he will return to the Raiders, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. When the Raiders cut the veteran guard earlier this month, he was rumored to be a candidate to re-sign.
Going into his age-38 season, Incognito will rejoin left tackle Kolton Miller and fellow guard Denzelle Good, whom the Raiders also agreed to re-sign Wednesday. Incognito had previously signed a Raiders extension, but after missing 14 games last season due to injury, the team shed that contract. It is likely the polarizing veteran’s latest accord comes in at a lower rate.
While Incognito has missed two full seasons, largely because of off-field issues, he has played well when available. Pro Football Focus has graded the journeyman blocker as a top-25 guard in each of the seasons he has played since 2010. Incognito was 3-for-3 in Pro Bowls with the Bills and helped the Raiders assemble one of the NFL’s best lines upon signing with Oakland in 2019. Despite missing extensive time last year and undergoing a late-season foot surgery, Incognito is believed to be healthy ahead of the Raiders’ offseason program.
Interestingly, Incognito doubled as perhaps the Raiders’ top signing in 2019. The initial Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock offseason brought Trent Brown, Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and Lamarcus Joyner. None remain with the team.
Incognito will return to a new-look O-line. The Raiders have traded both Trent Brown and Rodney Hudson and are trying to trade Gabe Jackson. If the Raiders cannot unload Jackson, who was acquired before the second Gruden regime began, it is likely he will be released.
Colts To Re-Sign Marlon Mack
Almost everybody had expected these two sides to move on, but they just can’t quit each other. The Colts are re-signing running back Marlon Mack, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.
It’s a one-year deal for $2MM, Pelissero reports. Mack began last season as Indy’s starter, but unfortunately tore his Achilles in Week 1. The saving grace of the timing of his injury was that it at least allowed him to get an early start on recovery for 2021. After Mack’s injury and the emergence of rookie Jonathan Taylor as the team’s new lead back, it had been widely assumed that Mack would be playing elsewhere next season.
In January, Colts GM Chris Ballard said “Marlon Mack deserves a contract, unequivocally. He deserves a good contract. I don’t know if we are going to be able to do that here.” Many understandably interpreted that as a sign that divorce was likely. Over the weekend we heard that Mack was progressing well in his recovery and was expected to be ready to go for training camp.
In all likelihood Mack tested the waters the past couple days, didn’t generate as much interest as he was hoping for, and opted to return to Indy on a cheap deal. A running back coming off an Achilles tear is enough to give anybody pause, but in 2019 Mack rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games.
The South Florida product also only just turned 25 earlier this month, so he should have plenty left in the tank. With Mack, Taylor (who looked phenomenal down the stretch in 2020), and Nyheim Hines, the Colts will have one of the league’s best backfields in 2021.
Panthers To Sign LB Denzel Perryman
Having seen his Chargers role reduced in recent years, Denzel Perryman will receive a fresh start in the NFC. The veteran linebacker intends to sign with the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
The Panthers are adding the six-year veteran on a two-year deal, Fowler adds (via Twitter). After Carolina took a low-cost swing with Tahir Whitehead to succeed Luke Kuechly last year, the team will bring in Perryman at middle linebacker.
Although the Bolts re-signed Perryman two years ago, they transitioned away from him upon trading up for Kenneth Murray in last year’s first round. While Murray experienced acclimation issues in Los Angeles as a rookie, Perryman played just 31% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. He should be expected to have a bigger role in Charlotte.
Various injuries have also plagued Perryman during his career. Hamstring and knee trouble ended his 2018 and ’19 seasons, respectively. While the 28-year-old linebacker has encountered myriad issues in his career, Pro Football Focus viewed his most recent work sample favorably. He graded as one of the top off-ball linebackers last season — a 48-tackle slate across 13 games. Perryman showed promise earlier in his career as well and will attempt to stabilize it in Carolina alongside Shaq Thompson.
Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Deal
Atlanta has gotten under the salary cap just ahead of the start of the new league year. They’ve done it in part by restructuring the contract of Matt Ryan, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Zach Klein of WSB was first to tweet the news.
Atlanta converted $21MM of Ryan’s $23MM base salary for this upcoming season and turned it into a signing bonus to spread it out over the duration of his contract, which runs through 2023. The move knocked Ryan’s 2021 cap number down about $14MM, Rothstein writes.
As he points out, this isn’t breaking any new ground, as this is the third time Ryan’s contract has been restructured. The move allows the Falcons to get under the cap for now, and also could be indicative that they have Ryan in their long-term plans.
There had been some speculation the team would look to move on before too long, but this restructure makes it a lot harder to get out of his contract. He’ll now have a dead cap number north of $40MM in 2022. Ryan will turn 36 in May, and new coach Arthur Smith has insisted he isn’t planning on blowing things up. This move would be consistent with that.