Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/19
Rams Sign Blake Bortles
After visiting with him today, the Rams have signed embattled signal-caller Blake Bortles to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington was the first to report that a contract was being finalized (Twitter link).
Bortles will earn just $1MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), but that doesn’t make much of a difference for the QB since his previous Jaguars contract contained offset language. The $1MM sum will eat into the $6.5MM he’s owed by the Jaguars, which results in the same income for Bortles and a bit of relief for Jacksonville.
Bortles will certainly test the theory that Rams head coach Sean McVay can make any quarterback successful, and he will serve as the backup to starter Jared Goff. This signing also likely means that Goff’s 2018 backup, Sean Mannion, will be moving on. Mannion is an unrestricted free agent.
The third overall selection in the 2014 draft, Bortles hasn’t come close to living up to his draft status. Since Bortles entered the NFL with the Jaguars, 17 quarterbacks have attempted at least 2,000 passes: among those signal-callers, Bortles ranks dead last in adjusted net yards per attempt, quarterback rating, and interception rate, and is second-to-last in touchdown rate.
Bortles has never worked with McVay, but the two do have a tangential connection. Greg Olson was Bortles’ Jacksonville offensive coordinator from 2015-16 before taking over as the Rams’ quarterbacks coach under McVay in 2017. Olson left for Oakland after one year in Los Angeles, but it’s fair to assume he’s given McVay a Bortles scouting report that McVay apparently likes well enough. Plus, Bortles’ first OC, Jedd Fisch, is an offensive assistant on the Rams’ staff.
The Jaguars will certainly be interested to see how much money the Rams will be paying Bortles. Bortles still had guaranteed salary remaining on his Jacksonville deal, but thanks to offset language, the Jags will receive a cap credit equal to the amount of Bortles’ base salary (up to $6.5MM).
Cowboys Sign Kerry Hyder
The Cowboys have been very busy visiting with free agents and lining up other visits today, but the club did make one transaction official. Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Cowboys signed former Lions DL Kerry Hyder (Twitter link). It will be a one-year pact for Hyder, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).
Detroit opted to non-tender Hyder, a former UDFA, earlier this month. Now 27, Hyder missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn Achilles and only appeared in seven games last season. With just one sack last year and a limited sample of work, it’s not surprising the Lions didn’t want to give him the lowest tender.
On the other hand, he did post eight sacks in 2016, and as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News tweets, Hyder is a good fit as a defense end in the Cowboys’ 4-3 scheme. He could be a low-cost boon to a pass rush that needs some reinforcements.
Redskins Sign Ereck Flowers
The Redskins have signed free agent offensive tackle Ereck Flowers, per Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that it will be a one-year, $4MM pact.
Washington hosted the fifth-year pro yesterday, and the club elected to pull the trigger today. Flowers, of course, was selected by the division-rival Giants in the first round of the 2015 draft, but he never lived up to his pedigree. New York cut him last October and he subsequently caught on with the Jaguars, starting seven games at left tackle for Jacksonville.
His tenure with the Giants was marred by penalties and a matador-like approach to pass blocking, and even after Big Blue switched Flowers from left tackle to right tackle, they did not see an uptick in performance. But his improved play with the Jags caught the Redskins’ eye, and John Keim of ESPN.com says the club plans to to slide Flowers inside to guard.
However, he will also serve as a swing tackle and insurance policy for left tackle Trent Williams and right tackle Morgan Moses, while 2018 third-rounder Geron Christian — whom the team prefers at swing tackle — recovers froma torn MCL.
Texans To Sign TE Darren Fells
Darren Fells has a new home. On Monday, the Texans agreed to sign the tight end to a one-year deal, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. 
Fells, 33 next month, signed a three-year, $12MM deal with Cleveland just last offseason. But, earlier this month, the Browns cut him after being unable to find a suitable trade.
Fells was scheduled to carry a cap charge of $3.7MM. Instead, the Browns sent him packing and took on a dead money hit of $1.4MM.
In his lone season in Cleveland, Fells appeared in all 16 games, but played on just 38.5% of the Browns’ offensive snaps and managed only 11 receptions. While he wasn’t given many opportunities behind starting tight end David Njoku, Fells was effective when targeted. Among tight ends with fewer than 25 catches, Fells finished third in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, meaning he was productive on a per-play basis.
While Fells has historically been praised as a blocking tight end, 2018 wasn’t a banner year for him in that regard, at least according to Pro Football Focus. PFF assigned Fells a 72.9 pass-blocking grade, which put him near the middle of the pack among his position group, but a 55.9 grade in the run game, a mark which ranked near the bottom of the league.
Fells will bring his blocking knowledge to the Texans’ TE group, which currently includes Ryan Griffin, Jordan Thomas, and Jordan Akins.
Eagles To Sign Andrew Sendejo
Free agent safety Andrew Sendejo has agreed to sign with the Eagles, sources tell Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). When finalized, it’ll be a one-year deal for the Eagles and the former Vikings safety. 
Sendejo, 32 in September, had his 2019 option declined by the Vikings last week. The move was largely expected after the veteran lost much of the 2018 season to a groin injury. After Sendejo went down in Week 5, the Vikings’ defense actually improved, though it’s impossible to say whether that was coincidental. In his wake, the Vikings used Anthony Harris, George Iloka, and Jayron Kearse to hold down the fort.
The Vikings prevented Sendejo from hitting the open market in 2016 with a four-year, $16MM deal. After the Vikes rejected the final year of his deal, he’ll try to reestablish himself in Philadelphia.
Buccaneers Sign Kentrell Brice
The Buccaneers have signed former Packers safety Kentrell Brice to a one-year deal. Brice visited the Texans and Colts last week, but the Bucs ultimately won out.
The safety started a career-high 10 games last season (in 14 appearances) and compiled 50 tackles, one sack, and two passes defended. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus wasn’t too fond of his performance, ranking him in the bottom-six among 93 eligible safeties.
Brice, a former undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech, spent his entire three-year career with Green Bay up until today. He’s not a splashy add, but the Bucs plan to make more significant additions in the draft. The Bucs own the No. 5 pick in the draft and own all of their original choices through the first five rounds.
Jets Sign Tom Compton
On Monday, the Jets announced the signing of guard Tom Compton. It’s a one-year deal, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (Twitter link).
Compton is not a star, but he does offer experience with 30 starts over the course of seven NFL seasons. The 6’6”, 315-pounder entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Redskins in 2012 and spent four years in the nation’s capital before stints with the Falcons, Bears, and Vikings. Last year, he started 14 games at left guard for the Vikes, but he’s also spent time at right guard and right tackle.
The Jets figure to make more moves on the offensive line and former Eagles interior lineman Stefen Wisniewski could be part of the revamp.
Vikings Re-Sign RB Ameer Abdullah
The Vikings re-signed running back Ameer Abdullah, according to a team announcement. Abdullah himself indicated it is a one-year pact, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Abdullah didn’t see any carries during his Minnesota tenure last year, but the Vikings are curious to see what he can do moving forward.
The Vikings claimed Abdullah, a 2015 second-round pick, off waivers from the Lions in November. He appeared in seven games and returned ten kicks for an average of 25.8 yards per try.
Coming out of Nebraska, Abdullah had a good deal of hype around him. He was reasonably productive as a rookie, averaging 4.2 yards per carry out of the Lions’ backfield, and added 25 catches for 183 yards. His follow-up season was mostly lost to injury and he was unable to reassert himself in 2017, as he averaged just 3.3 yards per tote.
Abdullah will work to secure a spot on the Vikings’ depth chart behind standout Dalvin Cook.
Raiders Re-Sign Dwayne Harris
The Raiders have re-signed wide receiver/kick returner Dwayne Harris, per a team announcement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 
Harris hooked on with the Raiders in April of 2018 following his release from the Giants. With the Raiders, he occupied a similar role as the one he filled with the Giants. Last year, Harris averaged 14.1 yards per punt return and even took a 99-yard return all the way to the house against the Broncos. He also averaged 22.9 yards per kickoff return.
Harris will turn 32 in September, and speed tends to go in the later years, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down (Also, the Raiders have no reservations when it comes to aging vets).