Bucs To Franchise Tag Donovan Smith
The Buccaneers will place the franchise tag on left tackle Donovan Smith between now and the March 5 deadline, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. At the same time, Stroud hears extension talks are going well, so a long-term deal could be hammered out between now and the extension deadline for franchised players on July 15. 
Smith, 26 in June, has started in every single game for the Bucs since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2015. He not exactly a star on the offensive line, but the Bucs do not want to lose him at a time when it is hard to find reliable tackles.
Smith graded out as just the No. 46 ranked tackle in the NFL last year, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. His so-so 66.4 score was roughly in line with his scores from the previous three seasons.
Tagging Smith would cost the Bucs $14.077MM for the 2019 season. A long-term deal, presumably, would call for upwards of $10MM per year. That’s a big chunk of change for an average starter, but Dolphins free agent Ja’Wuan James is also expected to clear that hurdle if he reaches the open market in March.
49ers Re-Sign OL Mike Person
The 49ers have locked up pending free agent offensive lineman Mike Person to a three-year deal worth $9MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The pact comes with $3MM in guarantees.
Person is entering his age-31 campaign and has been in the NFL since 2011, but last season marked only his second campaign as a full-time starter. The former seventh-round pick played 999 offensive snaps for the 49ers while spending all his time at right guard. Pro Football Focus, notably, ranked Person as the NFL’s No. 18 guard among 71 qualifiers.
Person — who has also had stints with the Seahawks, Rams, Falcons, and Colts — will be penciled in as San Francisco’s right guard again in 2019. However, his lack of track record and his low average annual salary means Person probably isn’t locked into a starting spot, especially if the 49ers bring in additional guards via free agency or the draft.
Panthers Re-Sign LB Jared Norris
Just before the start of free agency, the Panthers are locking up one of their own. Carolina is re-signing linebacker Jared Norris to a two-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but it’s likely pretty close to the minimum. Rapoport notes that the team gave him a $150K signing bonus, which would seem to indicate they plan on him making the team out of training camp. Norris was a standout linebacker at Utah, but went undrafted in 2016. He latched on with the Panthers, and was able to make the team as a rookie.
He appeared in just three games this past year after he was placed on injured reserve in October with a toe injury. Norris hasn’t played a single snap on defense in his three years with the team, but has been a key special teamer when healthy. An inside linebacker, Norris will provide emergency depth on defense and should be making plays on special teams again next year.
Seahawks Waive DT Malik McDowell
A 2017 second-round pick, Malik McDowell saw an ATV accident change his NFL fortunes. And the Seahawks are finally moving on from the one-time well-regarded defensive tackle prospect.
The Seahawks waived McDowell on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This marks the end of the Michigan State product’s run in Seattle.
McDowell reverted to Seattle’s IR list last year upon being waived. He’s now unattached, but Rapoport adds the 22-year-old lineman hopes to continue his career. One of the top-rated defensive lineman two years ago, McDowell tallied 24.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 32 games at Michigan State.
Raiders Sign OL Denzelle Good To One-Year Extension
Denzelle Good apparently made a good impression during his late-season run with the Raiders. Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the offensive lineman has signed a one-year extension with the organization. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the deal is worth $1.8MM and could hit a maximum value of $3MM.
The 2015 seventh-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Colts, including a 2016 campaign where he started 10 games. However, the 6-foot-5 offensive tackle could never establish a role in Indy, and the team ended up waiving him this past December.
The 27-year-old was subsequently claimed by the Raiders. When Gabe Jackson went down with an injury, Good filled in at right guard for his new team, earning three starts down the stretch. While he didn’t earn enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus‘ rankings, he did receive relatively solid marks for his run blocking.
Good might not have another opportunity to start in 2019, but he should provide the Raiders with solid depth. The team only has several linemen hitting free agency, including Chaz Green and Jon Feliciano, and T.J. Clemmings, meaning there will surely be competitions on the offensive line come training camp.
Falcons Sign QB Matt Schaub To Two-Year Extension
Matt Schaub will be sticking in Atlanta for a few more seasons. The Falcons announced that they have signed the veteran quarterback to a two-year extension. Schaub’s deal is worth $3.78MM in total and contains $750K in guaranteed money, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com, adding Atlanta will hold a team option for the 2020 season.
“Matt has a great understanding of our scheme and brings valuable experience to the position,” said head coach Dan Quinn.
The 37-year-old had spent the past three seasons with the Falcons, serving as the top backup to Matt Ryan. Predictably, Schaub hasn’t had too many opportunities to see the field; in his three seasons with the team, he’s made 10 pass attempts in seven games. Still, his familiarity with the Falcons’ offense is an asset, and he’s fine insurance should Ryan miss any time.
The last time Schaub started at least half of his team’s games was back in 2013 with the Texans. The veteran started eight games that season, completing 61.2-percent of his passes for 2,310 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Schaub had earned a pair of Pro Bowl births throughout his career, and he led the NFL in passing yards back in 2009.
Presumably, the two-year extension will also be plenty affordable; when Schaub signed a two-year extension with the Falcons in 2017, it was worth $9MM. The veteran was set to hit free agency this summer.
Patriots To Release TE Dwayne Allen
The Patriots are moving on from Dwayne Allen. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the organization has informed the veteran tight end that they’ll be releasing him.
Schefter notes that the team would be open to bringing Allen back for less money. The tight end was entering the final year of his contract in 2019 and was set to earn a $6.4MM base salary. The team will free up about $7.3MM in cap with the move, boosting their cap space total to around $25MM.
The 2012 third-round pick spent the first six seasons of his career with the Colts before being dealt to the Patriots in 2017. After having compiled at least 350 receiving yards in three of his five healthy seasons, Allen didn’t play as much of a role in the offense during his two seasons in New England.
In 29 games (16 starts), Allen only hauled in 13 receptions for 113 yards and one score. Allen also appeared in each of the Patriots’ six playoff games during that span, but he didn’t record a reception. While Allen has earned some recent praise for his blocking prowess, Pro Football Focus still ranked him 65th among 70 eligible tight ends in 2018.
Considering the uncertainty surrounding Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots could be seeking some reinforcement at tight end this offseason. The team is rostering some intriguing options in Stephen Anderson, Jacob Hollister, and Ryan Izzo, but none of the trio have the same amount of experience as Allen or Gronk.
Eagles Sign C Jason Kelce To Extension
Jason Kelce won’t be retiring after all. The Eagles announced that they’ve agreed to a one-year extension with the veteran offensive center.
Kelce is now under contract through 2021, and Adam Caplan tweets that the lineman will make around $11MM per season (making Kelce the highest-paid center in the NFL). As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the 31-year-old was set to have a cap hit of $6.5MM next season.
Following the Eagles’ Divisional Round loss to the Saints, Kelce hinted that he may end up retiring, with the lineman telling reporters that he had actually considered retiring during each of the past couple seasons. Today’s extension means Kelce’s contract now lasts through the 2021 season, but it doesn’t sound like the veteran will stick around that long. Rather, today’s deal is basically a commitment by Kelce to return for the 2019 campaign.
The 2011 sixth-round pick has spent his entire NFL career with Philly, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods. Kelce earned his second-straight First-Team All-Pro accolade this past season, and it was also the fourth-straight year that the lineman started all 16 games for the Eagles. Kecle also ranked first among Pro Football Focus‘ ranking of 38 eligible centers, the second-straight season he’s finished atop the list.
Dolphins Release DE Andre Branch
The Dolphins have made one of their first cost-cutting moves. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team is releasing veteran pass-rusher Andre Branch.
Following an underwhelming tenure with the Jaguars, the former second-rounder joined the Dolphins back in 2016. He proceeded to sign a three-year, $24MM deal with the organization in 2017, but he hasn’t necessarily been worth the investment. After starting all 14 of his games in 2017, the 29-year-old only started one of his 14 games in 2018.
He finished the campaign with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance in 2018, ranking him 101st among 103 eligible edge defenders. With Branch set to earn close to $7MM in 2019, the Dolphins decided to move on from the veteran.
Cameron Wake and William Hayes are set to hit free agency this summer, leaving the team with Robert Quinn, Charles Harris, and Johnathan Woodard (ERFA) as their lone defensive ends. There were rumors that the Dolphins could be frontrunners for Patriots’ lineman Trey Flowers, and the organization can hope that some of the other top free agent pass rushers (a grouping that includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark and Dee Ford) somehow don’t get franchised.
Lions Agree To Deal With DE Romeo Okwara
The Lions have agreed to a two-year deal with defensive end Romeo Okwara, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. 
Pelissero notes the deal will pay more than a second-round RFA tender and has incentives on top of that. Had the two sides not come to an agreement, it was likely the team might have need to place a first-round tender on him to keep him off the market.
This was a big move for the Lions, who needed pass-rush help going into the offseason with defensive end Ezekiel Ansah testing free agency.
Undrafted after coming out of Notre Dame in 2016, Okwara caught on with the Giants and spent two years in New York as a reserve defensive lineman. Claimed off waivers from the Giants shortly before the 2018 season, Okwara impressed in his first taste of action with Detroit, starting 14 games and registering a career-high 7.5 sacks and 39 total tackles.