Saints To Sign Emmanuel Sanders
The Saints are making a big move. New Orleans has agreed to sign free agent Emmanuel Sanders to a two-year deal, the receiver told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal has a base value of $16MM and can be worth up to $19MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The receiver market has been slow to develop outside of a couple of signings, and this could help get the ball rolling. We heard last week that the 49ers were hoping Sanders would have a poor market so they could re-sign him cheaply, but obviously that didn’t happen. Even after they re-signed Amari Cooper, we heard that Dallas was interested in adding Sanders.
The Jets were also interested in reuniting Sanders with Adam Gase, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link), so it sounds like his market ended up being relatively strong. Schefter also tweeted that he spoke with the Packers as well. It’s a nice pickup for the Saints, who struggled for consistent options behind Michael Thomas last season. Thomas was obviously setting records, but Drew Brees was often throwing to a rotating cast of formerly undrafted guys beyond him.
They now have a consistent number two option, even though Sanders is getting up there in age. The SMU product turned 33 earlier this week, but he remained productive last year. Playing in 17 regular season games because of a mid-season trade from the Broncos to San Francisco, Sanders had 66 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
He had a couple of huge blowup games with the 49ers, but overall didn’t seem to have the best connection with Jimmy Garoppolo. Sanders put up some gaudy numbers with Peyton Manning, and won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. He tore his Achilles late in the 2018 season which many thought would slow him down physically, but he bounced back admirably well.
The Saints are going all in on one last championship run with Brees, so this move makes a lot of sense and shores up one of their few weaknesses. With Sanders off the market, Robby Anderson is probably the top receiver still available. Guys like Breshad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett, Devin Funchess, and Nelson Agholor are also left.
Vikings To Re-Sign Rashod Hill
Swing tackles are flying off the board left and right. Just moments after Brent Qvale was swooped up by the Texans, we’ve got word that Rashod Hill will be returning to the Vikings, via his agent Brett Tessler on Twitter. Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available.
In his tweet, Tessler notes that Hill had other offers but opted to return to Minnesota. Hill originally signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and was signed by the Vikes off Jacksonville’s practice squad later that year. He then started seven games in 2017, and entered 2018 as Minnesota’s starting right tackle. He briefly shifted to left tackle for an injured Riley Reiff, and promptly got his job at right tackle taken by a rookie Brian O’Neill.
After getting demoted Hill then spent last year as the team’s swing tackle. The Southern Miss product turned 28 in January. There’s been some speculation that the Vikings could move on from Reiff this offseason, in which case O’Neill would likely switch to left tackle and Hill could possibly regain a starting job. It’s also likely Minnesota would draft a new tackle in that scenario.
Texans To Sign Brent Qvale
Another offensive lineman is off the board. The Texans are signing offensive tackle Brent Qvale, a source told Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). It’s a one-year pact Berman added in a follow-up tweet, although the finances weren’t immediately available. 
The Texans don’t have a ton of cap space, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle had tweeted yesterday that they were taking a look at swing tackles they could get on a budget. It appears they’ve now found their man. Qvale signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, and spent the past six seasons in New York. He was placed on injured reserve at the start of last season but was activated late in the year, appearing in three games and starting one.
He operated as the Jets’ swing tackle for a while, and started 11 games between 2016 and 2017. Houston will enter 2020 with Laremy Tunsil as their left tackle and Tytus Howard as their right tackle.
Panthers To Sign Seth DeValve
The Panthers are adding another weapon for new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Carolina is signing tight end Seth DeValve, his agent Chris Cabott told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
DeValve was drafted by the Browns in the fourth-round back in 2016, and spent his first three years in Cleveland. He was a big part of the Browns’ offense in 2017, catching 33 passes for 395 yards while operating as their top tight end for much of the year. He fell out of favor the following season, and was cut before last year before getting claimed by the Jaguars.
He played the most snaps of any tight end in Jacksonville last year, but caught only 12 passes for 140 yards as they never emphasized the position. The Princeton product could help fill a void for Carolina, as longtime tight end Greg Olsen signed with the Seahawks earlier this offseason. As of right now DeValve will compete for playing time with 2018 fourth-round pick Ian Thomas.
Chiefs To Sign Antonio Hamilton
The Chiefs are finally making a move. The defending Super Bowl champions will sign cornerback Antonio Hamilton to a one-year deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Rosenhaus told Schefter that his client turned down more money from another team, so it sounds like competing for a championship was his priority. As Schefter points out, this is the first free agent the Chiefs have signed since the frenzy started a few days ago. Kansas City has already lost a few guys in free agency, including starting corner Kendall Fuller to the Redskins, so this move will help bolster the secondary.
The Chiefs’ pass defense improved greatly last year, and is one of the main reasons they won the Super Bowl. They’re very low on cap space at the moment, so they’ve got to find value deals like this. Hamilton entered the league as an UDFA back in 2016, and started two games for the Giants this past year. The South Carolina State product was also a key player on multiple special teams units.
Patriots To Sign Dan Vitale
The Patriots continue to make smaller under the radar moves as they re-tool their team in the wake of Tom Brady‘s departure. New England is signing fullback Dan Vitale, his agent Chris Cabbott told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Pats and Bill Belichick like to use fullbacks a lot, so this is a significant move. This also could spell the end of the road for the Patriots’ longtime fullback James Develin. Develin signed with New England back in 2012 and has been their full-time fullback since 2013. He was limited to only two games in 2019 because of a neck injury, and his absence had a big impact on their running game.
We haven’t heard much about him since, and it’s possible that his neck injury is going to prevent him from playing. Either way, it looks like the Pats will be moving forward with Vitale. Vitale spent last year as the Packers’ fullback, catching seven passes for 97 yards while playing about 16 percent of the offensive snaps. In 2018, Develin was used on more than 35 percent of New England’s snaps.
Jets Re-Sign Neville Hewitt
Linebacker Neville Hewitt will return to the Jets, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. He’ll sign a new one-year, $2MM deal to suit up for Gang Green in 2020.
Hewitt, 27 in April, spent most of 2017 on the Dolphins’ practice squad, but was promoted for the last six games of the regular season. He played only eleven snaps, but saw 66.5% playtime on special teams.
In 2018, he got a career break with the Jets. Over the last two years, he’s suited up in 16 games for them. There’s been a lot of turnover at the Meadowlands, but the new regime seems to like him as much as the old one.
Broncos To Sign Melvin Gordon
The Broncos have agreed to sign running back Melvin Gordon, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The former Bolts standout will receive a two-year deal worth $16MM, with $13.5MM of that sum being guaranteed. 
Gordon made headlines for his prolonged holdout with the Chargers. When he finally returned to the field, he delivered mixed results.
In 12 games, Gordon averaged 3.8 yards per carry, a far cry from the 5.1 yards per tote that gave him so much leverage in 2018. The two-time Pro Bowler made a name for himself as a touchdown machine, but he didn’t find paydirt all that often – he had eight rushing TDs and one receiving TD, a big dropoff from the previous year’s total of 14 total scores.
There were bright spots, however, giving the Broncos and other teams plenty of reason to still believe in his ability. In Week 9, for example, he torched the Raiders for 108 yards. He also gave the Broncos an up-close look at what he can do in Week 12 – he came one yard shy of the century mark in Denver.
Last year, Phillip Lindsay became the first UDFA in league history to open his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. While he fights for a pay day of his own, the Broncos will add one of the league’s most notable tailbacks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/20
Today’s running list of minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: P Ryan Allen (this is only a procedural move and Allen is expected to be re-signed shortly, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Pharoh Cooper
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: CB C.J. Goodwin
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: S Miles Killebrew
- Signed: CB Tony McRae
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OT Roderick Johnson
- Signed: DB Jaylen Watkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: OL Le’Raven Clark
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Lerentee McCray
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: CB Justin Hardee
- Signed: FB Michael Burton
New York Jets
- Re-signed: CB Arthur Maulet
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OT Roderick Johnson
New York Jets
- Re-signed: CB Arthur Maulet
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
Ravens To Trade Chris Wormley To Steelers
We have yet another trade in the NFL. The latest swap is an intra-divisional one: The Steelers will send a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for defensive lineman Chris Wormley and a 2021 seventh-rounder, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Wormley, a third-round pick in 2017, was tapped to be a younger replacement for Timmy Jernigan after he was shipped to the Eagles. He didn’t pan out exactly as hoped, but he did provide the Ravens with 39 appearances, including 15 starts, over the course of three seasons.
Along the way, Wormley managed 2.5 sacks from the interior. Last year, he saw 482 snaps with a roughly even split between passing and running plays. Pro Football Focus assigned him a 65.6 overall score, slotting him as the No. 63 ranked defensive tackle in the NFL. A repeat performance would make him a great value for Pittsburgh, as he still has one year to go on his original rookie deal.