Rams To Sign OLB Clay Matthews
Clay Matthews will be returning to southern California. The USC product and longtime Packer linebacker will sign with the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Via some uniform art, Matthews confirmed his decision (on Twitter).
The Rams and Matthews agreed on a two-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal will max out at $16.75MM, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). While it’s unlikely Matthews’ base salary surpasses $8MM, Ian Rapoport notes he was one of the Rams’ top free agency targets (Twitter link). With one of the linebacker’s homes located within minutes of the Rams’ training facility in Thousand Oaks, Calif., this seems like a convenient landing for the free agent sack artist.
More lucrative offers came Matthews’ way, per Garafolo, who adds staying close to home was a priority for the 11th-year linebacker. After entering last season with significant issues at outside linebacker, the Rams now have Matthews and Dante Fowler early in this offseason.
Matthews finished last season with a career-low 3.5 sacks. He saw his Packers job essentially given to younger pass rushers, with Green Bay replacing its Matthews-Nick Perry setup and going with a Preston Smith–Za’Darius Smith combination. Rams rumors emerged last week, and the soon-to-be 33-year-old edge rusher is set to be a key part of Los Angeles’ pass rush.
The former USC Trojan and L.A.-area high school standout went on to record 83.5 sacks with the Packers, en route to six Pro Bowls. While those honors came between 2009-15, the Packers’ all-time sack leader working as a pass-rush specialist in L.A. would be interesting. Matthews, who collected a Super Bowl ring eight years ago, follows Eric Weddle to the defending NFC champions’ defense.
Lions Sign Rams’ Brown To Offer Sheet
Rams reserve running back Malcolm Brown agreed to the terms of an offer sheet with the Lions, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Rams have until Monday to match it and retain Brown.
The Lions’ offer sheet is worth $3.25MM over two years, with $1MM guaranteed and a $100K signing bonus, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.
A 2015 UDFA, Brown has been with the Rams his entire career. However, the restricted free agent visited the Lions last week. Since Los Angeles placed an original-round tender on the back, Detroit will not need to surrender any draft compensation in order to pry Brown away.
Brown suffered a clavicle injury that prevented him from playing in the team’s three playoff games. The Rams then signed C.J. Anderson, and the well-traveled-in-2018 back thrived behind Todd Gurley. Anderson remains a free agent, but given his quick assimilation in Sean McVay‘s offense, he would be a candidate to return and back up Gurley — especially given the injury-related uncertainty surrounding the starter. The Rams also have 2018 sixth-round pick John Kelly on their roster, so this process may end up with Brown in Detroit.
The Lions re-signed Zach Zenner and still have Theo Riddick, but Brown may profile as a better run-downs backup for Kerryon Johnson.
Brown, 25, averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season. He received 63 and 43 carries, respectively, the past two seasons, playing behind a first-team All-Pro. With Johnson coming off a rookie season limited to 10 games, it would stand to reason Brown would receive more work in Detroit.
Cowboys To Sign Randall Cobb
A high-end auxiliary wide receiver will be coming to Dallas. The Cowboys agreed to terms Tuesday with Randall Cobb, Jay Glazer of The Athletic tweets. Cobb will sign a one-year, $5MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Cobb visited the Cowboys on Monday and will join the Amari Cooper-fronted receiving corps. This will provide Dak Prescott with a proven complementary target. This move figures to be about replacing slot receiver Cole Beasley, who defected to Buffalo despite considering a return to Dallas. It also gives the Cowboys a more complete receiving corps.
Cobb will join a pass-catching corps that includes 2018 third- and sixth-round picks Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson, along with 2017 seventh-rounder Noah Brown and the recently unretired Jason Witten. Allen Hurns is also set to be back in the mix, despite a season-ending injury and minimal production during his first Cowboys campaign. Tavon Austin is in line to return, too, making for an interesting mix of talent vying to form Cooper’s sidekick crew.
His 2018 season shortened by injury, Cobb surpassed 600 yards each year from 2014-17. While he did not quite live up to the four-year, $40MM deal he signed with the Packers in 2015, Green Bay kept him around throughout that contract. And despite being set for his ninth NFL season, the former second-round pick is only 28.
For his career, Cobb has caught 41 touchdown passes and has accumulated more than 5,500 receiving yards. Beasley, 29, has just two 600-plus-yard seasons — including one last year. Cobb has five, and given Cooper’s status and the Cowboys’ reliance on Ezekiel Elliott, the longtime Packers cog will not be expected to produce as much as he was under the terms of his previous pact.
Lions Sign WR Tommylee Lewis
The Lions have signed wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, per a club announcement. The former Saints receiver visited the Lions late last week and, days later, they’ve inked a deal. 
Lewis was non-tendered by the Saints earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old has 20 career receptions, but he’s spent the majority of his three-year career on special teams. Lewis averaged 22 yards on kick returns and 9.3 yards on punt returns during his stint in New Orleans.
The Lions recently added one potential returner in Danny Amendola, and they’re also rostering Jamal Agnew, who had 40 combined returns for Detroit in 2018. We’re still awaiting terms of the deal, but it sounds like Lewis may have to compete for his place on the team.
Lewis also met with the Jets before inking his deal with Detroit.
Giants Re-Sign WR Bennie Fowler
The Giants have re-signed wide receiver Bennie Fowler, according to a press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely an inexpensive short-term deal. 
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Fowler, a Michigan State product, joined the Giants in October after fellow receiver Cody Latimer was placed on IR. After that point, Fowler appeared in ten games and caught 16 passes for 199 yards, including a touchdown against Washington on Dec. 9. Before joining the Giants, Fowler had 56 receptions and five touchdowns in three seasons with the Broncos. He also spent time with the Bears and Patriots last year, but did not appear in games for either club.
Fowler is a part of the Giants’ new Odell Beckham-less depth chart at WR, which also includes Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Corey Coleman, and Latimer.
Patriots To Re-Sign P Ryan Allen
Punter Ryan Allen and the Patriots have reached agreement on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Allen, presumably, will earn a step up from his $1.3MM salary from last year. 
There was little doubt that the Patriots wanted to keep Allen, but a recent change in representation may have gummed up the works. Last week, Allen changed agents (Twitter link), so it may have taken additional time for the Pats to hammer out a deal with his new rep, Chris Gittings of OneWest Sports.
Allen has been the Patriots’ punter since 2013. Head coach Bill Belichick places a great deal of emphasis on special teams work and Allen showed the value of quality punting with some spectacular kicks in the Super Bowl. February’s Super Bowl win, by the way, marked Allen’s third ring with the Pats.
Panthers To Sign Bruce Irvin
The Panthers have agreed to sign Bruce Irvin, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $4MM that can reach up to $5MM with incentives, a league source tells Jourdan Rodrigue of The Observer (on Twitter). 
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The Panthers were in desperate need of pass rush help after losing Julius Peppers to retirement. Now, Irvin will team up with Mario Addison and the rest of the group to try and generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Adding Irvin is a big step forward for Carolina, but you can expect the Panthers to scour the free agent market for further upgrades while targeting others in the draft.
Irvin split the 2018 season between the Raiders and Falcons and finished out with a combined 6.5 sacks. Irvin, 32 in November, has 43.5 sacks to his credit across seven NFL seasons with roughly half of those takedowns coming in Seattle.
Previously operating as Khalil Mack’s sidekick, Irvin registered 15 sacks between the 2016-17 seasons. But, following the Mack trade in 2018, things soured between Irvin and head coach Jon Gruden, leading to Irvin’s release in November.
Vikings Re-Sign Dan Bailey
The Vikings re-signed kicker Dan Bailey to a one-year, $1MM deal, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal can max out at $2MM with incentives, but his $250K signing bonus represents his only guarantee. 
The Vikings began the 2018 season with rookie Daniel Carlson as their kicker, but the fifth-round pick was cut after he missed three kicks in Week 2. After that, Bailey took over and held the job for the remainder of the season. Results were mixed: Bailey made 21-of-28 field goal tries, giving him a 75% conversion rate. For what it’s worth, he did nail 30-of-31 on extra points.
Despite the recent hiccups, Bailey is the fifth-most accurate kicker in NFL history with a career 86.6% conversion rate. Before joining the Vikings, Bailey was actually second on the all-time chart after making more than 88% of his tries.
Bears Re-Sign P Pat O’Donnell
Pat O’Donnell is returning to Chicago. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the punter will sign a two-year, $4MM deal with the Bears.
The 28-year-old has spent his entire five-year career with Chicago, missing only a single regular season game during that span. Despite finishing with a career-low 62 punts in 2018, O’Donnell still managed to tie a career-high with 28 punts inside of the 20. The former sixth-rounder’s 45-yards-per-punt was also on-par with his career numbers.
O’Donnell is now the third punter to ink a relatively lucrative deal this offseason. Bradley Pinion signed a four-year deal with the Buccaneers while Jordan Berry inked a two-year deal to stay with the Steelers.
Jets Sign TE Daniel Brown
Daniel Brown is heading to New York. The former Ravens and Bears tight end is signing with the Jets, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (via Twitter).
After a two-year stint with the Ravens, the former undrafted free agent had spent the past three seasons with the Bears. He was relatively productive offensively between 2016 and 2017, hauling in 29 total receptions. However, he went without a catch in 2018 despite appearing in 14 games (he also contributed on special teams). Pro Football Focus ultimately gave him adequate grades despite his low snap count.
In New York, Brown should have a chance to play a backup role behind starter Chris Herndon. The Jets are also rostering Jordan Leggett.
We heard last week that Brown had met with the Lions. That was the only reported meeting for the tight end.