Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers:
- Waived: TE Marcus Baugh
A 2018 UDFA out of Ohio State, Baugh is still waiting to make his NFL debut. He originally signed with the Raiders as a rookie.
Bears To Release Prince Amukamara, Taylor Gabriel
The Bears moved to clear some cap space on Friday by jettisoning two starters. They are releasing cornerback Prince Amukamara and wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Amukamara has been a Bears starter since he signed a one-year deal with Chicago in 2017. The ex-Giants first-round pick re-upped with the team on a long-term deal in 2018. One season remained on that three-year, $27MM contract. Two years remained on Gabriel’s pact. Altogether, the Bears will create $13.5MM in cap space by making these moves.
Gabriel signed a four-year, $26MM contract in 2018. That deal had no more guaranteed money. The ex-Falcon started 18 games for Chicago but battled injuries last season, limiting him to nine games. Chicago’s offense struggled as a whole last season, with Mitchell Trubisky regressing. The Bears drafted Anthony Miller and Riley Ridley over the past two years and possess greater needs than the wide receiver spot. Gabriel caught 96 passes for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns as a Bear. The 29-year-old target will get a head start on the receiver market because of this early cut.
Amukamara’s exit leaves a bigger hole. He was a key member of the Bears’ high-end defenses, starting alongside Kyle Fuller. The Bears, though, had a lot of money committed to their corner group after having signed slot man Buster Skrine a year re-upping Amukamara and matching the Packers’ offer sheet for the then-transition-tagged Fuller. Amukamara was set to earn a $9MM base salary in 2020.
Amukamara will turn 31 before Week 1 but figures to generate interest ahead of free agency. He settled for one-year deals with the Jaguars and Bears from 2016-17 before landing a multiyear Chicago accord. The Nebraska alum graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 corner last season, which came after he graded higher for the Bears’ No. 1-ranked scoring defense in 2018.
The Bears now hold closer to $20MM in cap space after entering Friday with barely $5MM. More moves could be on tap.
Cardinals To Extend D.J. Humphries
Shortly after Steve Keim indicated the Cardinals were confident they’d retain D.J. Humphries in free agency, Arizona’s left tackle has agreed to terms to stay with the franchise that drafted him.
Humphries agreed to a three-year, $45MM extension on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The former first-round pick will receive $30MM over the first two years of that deal, and the pact contains $29MM guaranteed. This takes one of the top offensive linemen off the free agent market.
The second year of Humphries’ deal – worth $15MM – will become guaranteed on March 21 of this year, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. That means the first two years are effectively guaranteed; a big win for the lineman and his camp.
Humphries, 26, now becomes the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid tackle, in terms of per-year salary. He’s also one of five $15MM-AAV offensive linemen. A Humphries franchise tag would have cost Arizona nearly $15MM; that certainly played a role in these extension talks.
While Humphries has battled injuries and inconsistency, the Cardinals are sold he can be Kyler Murray‘s blind-side protector for years to come. The Cardinals had not seen Humphries play 16 games until this past season. From 2017-18, he played five and nine, respectively. Knee issues sidelined Humphries during those slates, which came after a 2015 rookie season in which he was inactive throughout. This is a big bet from Keim, whose record on first-round picks between Humphries and Murray has not been great.
From 2016-18, the Cardinals used first-round picks on Robert Nkemdiche, Haason Reddick and Josh Rosen. None were starters by season’s end; Reddick is the only member of this trio who remains with the Cards. He will almost certainly see his fifth-year option declined come May. Humphries has outperformed this trio, but other than a brief 2017 work sample, Pro Football Focus has not raved about the ex-Florida blocker’s work. That has not stopped teams from big tackle investments, however. The Buccaneers gave Donovan Smith a major extension last year, despite frequent down reviews from PFF.
Humphries began his career as Arizona’s right tackle in 2016 but switched to the left side a year later, moving Jared Veldheer from his long-held left tackle post. Humphries has played for three head coaches, but despite Kliff Kingsbury being early in his Texas Tech tenure when the Cards drafted the 6-foot-5 tackle, the second-year Arizona coach has entrusted him to protect the franchise’s top investment for a while.
Lions Release Damon Harrison
Snacks’ tenure in Detroit has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Lions are releasing defensive tackle Damon Harrison. The move will clear up more than $6MM in cap space.
The veteran was traded to Detroit midway through the 2018 season, and he actually became the first defensive lineman to appear in 17 games during an NFL regular season. He signed a one-year, $11MM extension with the organization last offseason, and the intent was that he’d remain in Detroit through the 2021 campaign.
Snacks finished the season having compiled 49 tackles and two sacks. However, the Lions disappointed, and the 31-year-old revealed after the season that he was considering retirement.
The 2012 undrafted free agent out of William Penn spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jets before inking a five-year deal with the Giants. He earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2016.
The Lions defensive tackles corps could look a whole lot different next season. As ESPN’s Michael Rothstein tweets, A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels could skip town, leading the reporter to wonder if Derrick Brown or Javon Kinlaw could make sense in the draft.
Vikings’ Everson Griffen To Opt Out
Everson Griffen informed the Vikings that he will opt out of his contract, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. The defensive end could have remained on his deal for another three years, but he achieved two statistical benchmarks that allowed him to split and he’s taking advantage of it. 
[RELATED: Vikings Add Dom Capers To Defensive Staff]
Griffen’s pact allowed him to opt out by notching six or more sacks (he had eight) and playing in at least 57% of the snaps (he hit 78%). Griffen’s opt-out will give the Vikes roughly $13MM in cap room with just $800K left in dead money.
It’s still possible that the edge rusher will return to Minnesota, but he’ll first explore his options on the open market. This was the expected route. Besides, even if had Griffen stayed on his current deal, he would have been a candidate for release.
Griffen bounced back from his 2018 rough patch as he earned his fourth career Pro Bowl trip last year. He also graded out as the No. 26 ranked edge rusher in the league (tied with Trent Murphy), per Pro Football Focus. That slotted him ahead of notables like Melvin Ingram III, Dee Ford, Dante Fowler Jr., and Yannick Ngakoue.
Griffen, for his part, has said that he would like to stay in Minnesota. Still, a big offer could lure him away from the only pro team he’s ever known.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/19/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: OT William Sweet
Tennessee Titans
- Re-Signed: WR Cameron Batson
Bears To Sign Demetrius Harris
The Bears have agreed to sign tight end Demetrius Harris to a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Harris was let go by the Browns earlier this week, allowing him to reach free agency right away rather than waiting until March. 
Harris has history with head coach Matt Nagy. When Nagy was in command of the Chiefs offense, Harris was featured as a regular. In 2016 and 2017 – Nagy’s two seasons as OC – Harris caught a combined 35 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
Harris flashed athleticism in Kansas City, but he didn’t progress as expected when he joined the Browns as a free agent in 2019. After he notched just 15 grabs for 149 yards and three touchdowns, the Browns terminated the second half of his deal.
Last year, Bears tight ends Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, and Ben Braunecker all finished the season on injured reserve. Harris might not be the team’s No. 1 TE, but he could be a part of the solution.
Eagles Release LB Nigel Bradham
On Tuesday, the Eagles informed Nigel Bradham that his 2020 option year would be declined. On Wednesday, the team officially released him outright, giving him a chance to hook on with a team immediately, rather than waiting until the middle of March. 
Bradham has spent the last four years with the Eagles and was an integral part of their Super Bowl-winning team. Although he did not fit into their plans for this year, the Eagles wanted to do right by him and give him ample opportunity to find his next NFL home.
All in all, Bradham appeared in 58 regular season games for the Eagles – all starts. He’s been first-string throughout his career, pretty much, save for his 2013 season with the Bills.
Bradham seems to have lost a step after turning 30, but he still offers plenty of experience and hard-nosed toughness for teams in need. He should find decent interest on the open market, especially since he has a jump on all the rest as a street free agent.
Bradham finished out 2019 with 61 total stops, one interception, and five passes defensed.
Texans Extend Brandon Dunn
The Texans have signed nose tackle Brandon Dunn to an extension, per a club announcement. Before the deal, Dunn was set to reach free agency in March.
After starting his career with the Bears, Dunn joined the Texans midway through the 2015 season. In 2017, he became a rotational regular as he appeared in every game, including eight starts. Over the last three years, Dunn has compiled 75 total tackles, including five tackles for a loss and one sack from the interior.
Dunn’s new deal helps to address one item on their defensive line to-do list. The Texans are looking to keep interior bruiser D.J. Reader under contract, but there’s still a sizable bridge to be gapped. Reader might not be a big name for most, but he could command something in the vicinity of Brandon Williams‘ 2017 deal with the Ravens. In other words, the Texans might have to pony up about $55MM over the course of five years with more than half guaranteed. Failing that, Reader may be a candidate for the franchise tag.
The exact terms of Dunn’s pact are not yet known.
Dolphins Sign Michael Roberts
The Dolphins are adding some competition for Mike Gesicki. Miami is signing tight end Michael Roberts, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Roberts was apparently generating a lot of interest, as Garafolo reports he had four workouts this past week with more scheduled for later. Since he didn’t finish the 2019 season on any team’s roster, he was eligible to sign at any time and didn’t have to wait for the start of free agency. Roberts was drafted by the Lions in the fourth-round back in 2017, and he was traded to the Patriots last June. Unfortunately he failed his physical, and the trade was called off. Detroit then waived him, and he was claimed by Green Bay.
He never was really a Packer though, as they waived him nearly immediately with a failed physical as well. It was never clear exactly what the injury was, although Garafolo confirmed it was a shoulder issue that also cost him part of the 2018 season. He sat out all of last year, and is now reportedly healthy.
A Toledo product, he had a real role on offense with the Lions in 2018, catching three touchdowns in only eight games. As a rookie he was primarily used as a blocker, but he still played a lot. It’s a low-risk flyer for the Dolphins, who don’t have a ton at the position beyond Gesicki, who did show some promise down the stretch last year. Roberts is still only 25.