Panthers Re-Sign RB Elijah Hood
The Panthers have re-signed running back Elijah Hood to a one-year deal, the club announced today. Wood had been scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, so he wouldn’t have had the option to leave Carolina unless the team opted to non-tender him.
Hood, 22, entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2017. While he didn’t make Oakland’s 53-man roster at the outset of his rookie campaign, Hood signed with the Raiders’ practice squad and was eventually promoted in for one week that October. After being waived the following May, Hood was claimed off waivers by the Panthers. However, he spent the entire 2018 season on injured reserve after tearing his ACL on a preseason kickoff return.
Carolina’s backfield was dominated by Christian McCaffrey — who played more than 90% of the club’s offensive snaps — last season, but Hood could compete for backup duty. Travaris Cadet, Kenjon Barner, Cameron Artis-Payne, and Fozzy Whittaker are all unrestricted free agents, leaving 2018 undrafted free agent Reggie Bonnafon as the only other Panthers back under contract alongside McCaffrey and Hood.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: K Jake Elliott, LS Rick Lovato
The Eagles locked up a pair of specialists today on one-year deals. Both Elliott and Lovato were exclusive-rights free agents, meaning they weren’t going anywhere and their re-signing was somewhat of a formality, as long as the Eagles wanted them back. Both players will now be restricted free agents next year.
Chiefs Sign EJ Manuel, Sammie Coates
The Chiefs have signed quarterback EJ Manuel and wide receiver Sammie Coates, according to a team announcement. They also inked receiver Davon Grayson and defensive back Dontae Johnson. 
Manuel, 29 in March, has not suited up since his 2017 season with the Raiders. Before that, the former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the Bills. All in all, Manuel has a career 6-12 record, a 58.1% completion percentage, and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. The Florida State product has not lived up to his draft billing so far, but he’ll look to impress in Kansas City and stick as a backup to star Patrick Mahomes.
Coates, 26 in March, made some noise with the Steelers as a youngster but has not done a whole lot over the last two years. He had six catches for 70 yards with the Browns in 2017 and had just one catch for 12 yards in his run with the Texans last year. Coates auditioned for the Colts and Cowboys towards the end of the 2018 season, but did not sign with either club.
Bears To Release Cody Parkey
The Bears will release Cody Parkey at the start of the league year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport hears that Parkey is embracing the fresh start and it doesn’t hurt that Parkey is still owed a guaranteed $3.5MM from Chicago in 2019. 
The 27-year-old missed a potential game winner against the Eagles in the opening round of the playoffs, putting him on thin ice. His 43-yard try off the upright was a heartbreaker, though it wasn’t exactly Parkey’s fault as it was tipped by defensive tackle Treyvon Hester. After that, he may have put his job in further jeopardy when he made a guest appearance on NBC’s Today show to discuss the miss. The lighthearted segment rubbed head coach Matt Nagy the wrong way and drew the ire of many Bears fans.
“For me, you understand that we always talk about a ‘we’ and not a ‘me’ thing,” Nagy said. “We always talk as a team, we win as a team, we lose as a team. You know, I just, I didn’t necessarily think that that was too much of a ‘we’ thing.”
By discontinuing Parkey’s four-year, $15MM deal, the Bears will be left with a $4.4MM dead cap hit for the upcoming year.
Soon after Parkey’s national TV appearance, the Bears auditioned a group of six or seven kickers including Nick Folk, Blair Walsh, and Austin MacGinnis. They wound up signing one of the lesser-known names, Redford Jones, after the tryout.
Eagles Release Chris Maragos
The Eagles released veteran defensive back Chris Maragos, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Maragos was once a standout special teamer for Philly, but it appears that he is no longer in their plans. The veteran was scheduled for free agency in March, so the transaction basically gives him a head start on his job search.
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Maragos, 32, has been in the NFL for eight years and has spent the last four years with the Eagles. He never lit up the stat sheet as a special teams specialist, but he was considered to be an important locker room figure and a difference-maker in the third facet of the game.
Maragos was limited to just six games in 2017 thanks to a lingering knee injury and spent all of 2018 on the PUP list. It’s not immediately clear whether Maragos will look to play elsewhere or retire.
Falcons Sign Blidi Wreh-Wilson To Extension
The Falcons and Blidi Wreh-Wilson have agreed to an extension, according to a team announcement. The new deal is for one year and will keep the cornerback in the fold through the 2019 season. 
“Blidi has been a very versatile player for us over the last three years,” coach Dan Quinn said in a release. “He has experience in our system and adds depth for both the defense and special teams units.”
Wreh-Wilson was initially set to hit the open market in mid-March. The new deal doesn’t give him much in long-term security, but it probably included enough in the way of guaranteed money for him to punt on free agency. This marks the third straight year in which the 29-year-old has signed a one-year deal with Atlanta.
For the Falcons, the deal gives them some semblance of consistency in the secondary. Earlier this offseason, the club cut The Falcons released starting cornerback Robert Alford and elected against tendering slot corner Brian Poole.
Steelers, Tyson Alualu Agree To Extension
The Steelers and defensive end Tyson Alualu have agreed to an extension, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The new two-year attachment will keep Alualu under contract through the 2020 season. 
Alualu spent his first seven seasons with the Jaguars before signing with the Steelers in 2017. The 31-year-old (32 in May) has since appeared in 31 games (seven starts) for the Steelers. In ’17, he logged four sacks, but had zero sacks last season and a career-low 22 tackles.
Alualu’s unimpressive stat line may have led him to re-up with Pittsburgh rather than testing the open market. He also played in just 311 snaps, so he didn’t have a ton of film for other teams to review. The advanced metrics weren’t keen on Alualu in 2018 either, though Pro Football Focus has never given him a great score.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed to one-year deal: S Damian Parms (had been scheduled to become exclusive rights free agent)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Elie Bouka
Saints To Release Kurt Coleman
The Saints are releasing safety Kurt Coleman, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, the Saints will keep the door open to a potential return later on, Garafolo hears. 
Coleman was due $5.5MM in total compensation this year, a figure that was too high for New Orleans. By cutting him loose, the Saints will save $4MM against the cap with a $3MM dead money hit.
The move leaves the Saints rather thin at safety. The club still has starters Marcus Williams and Vonn Bell under contract, but they have a clear need for backup support. Coleman is out of the picture and Chris Banjo‘s status is up in the air as an unrestricted free agent.
Coleman, 30, had two more years to go on his three-year, $16.35MM deal. It’s safe to assume that his next deal will come in at a much lower average annual value. After starting in every one of his appearances for the Panthers from 2015-2017, Coleman lost his starting job to Bell in 2018 and was first-string for just nine games. All in all, he had 32 tackles and one pass defensed last season.
In previous years, Coleman was extremely effective. In 2015, he reeled in seven interceptions for Carolina. He followed that up with four picks in 2016, plus a career-best 95 tackles.
Bills Re-Sign LB Deon Lacey
The Bills have re-signed linebacker Deon Lacey to a one-year contract, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. The team also confirmed the move via press release. 
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Lacey was scheduled to become an exclusive-rights free agent, so the deal doesn’t mean a whole lot on its own. However, the Bills have made a concerted effort to re-sign their own free agents in recent weeks. After inking Lacey to a new deal for 2019, the Bills have only a handful of free agents left to address:
- UFAs: Taiwan Jones, Deonte Thompson, Jordan Mills, John Miller, Ryan Groy, Jordan Phillips
- RFA: Logan Thomas
- ERFA: Eddie Yarbrough, Matt Darr
Earlier this month, the Bills signed Lorenzo Alexander to a new one-year deal, inked offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles to a fresh one-year pact, and locked down long snapper Reid Ferguson. By the time March 13 rolls around, the Bills should have a simplified to-do list that will allow them to focus mostly on the open market and the April draft.