Patriots Re-Sign Brian Schwenke
The Patriots have re-signed center/guard Brian Schwenke, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new one-year deal will pay $895K and should keep him with the defending champs in 2019. 
Schwenke, 28 in March, spent his entire career with the Titans until he hooked on with the Pats last summer. His first season in New England, unfortunately, did not go as planned. Schwenke was active for just three games and played in just four offensive snaps before a foot injury landed him on IR in November.
Before signing with the Pats as a free agent, Schwenke appeared in 60 games for the Titans with 30 starts. He’s no longer an NFL starter, but the new deal will give him an opportunity to support interior starters Joe Thuney, David Andrews, and Shaq Mason.
Given Schwenke’s injury history and the timing of the deal, it’s unlikely that there’s much in the way of guarantees. He’ll have to prove his health over the next several months in order to secure his spot on the Patriots for Week 1.
Texans Release Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas‘s tenure with the Texans has come to an end, as the team announced it has released the veteran wideout. James Palmer of the NFL Network first reported (via Twitter) that the release was forthcoming, and ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates tweets that Thomas was released with a failed physical designation.
After spending eight-plus seasons with the Broncos, the 31-year-old was traded to the Texans (along with a seventh-rounder) for a fourth-rounder and seventh-rounder back in October. Thomas proceeded to play in seven games for Houston, hauling in 23 receptions for 275 yards and two touchdowns. However, he tore his Achilles in late December, ending his season.
As Palmer notes, the release isn’t an indication that the Texans think Thomas is done. The wideout tore his Achilles during the 2011 offseason, but he was fully healthy after only six months. It will naturally take the veteran a bit more time to recover this time around, but it doesn’t sound like this is the end of the road for the receiver (though Yates observes that Thomas does have a long recovery ahead of him).
Thomas was due $14MM next season, but thanks to an “out” in his contract, the Texans won’t be left with any dead cap. The team could theoretically look to re-sign Thomas at a smaller cap number, although the team is already pretty deep at the position. As of right now, the Texans will roll into next season with DeAndre Hopkins, Keke Coutee, and Will Fuller (who’s recovering from an ACL injury) atop their depth chart.
Bills Sign C Spencer Long
Spencer Long will stay in the AFC East. Not long after the Jets released the veteran center, the Bills signed him. The team announced the move.
It will be a three-year, $13MM agreement, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets, adding that Long could earn up to $15MM on this deal.
Thanks to team options for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, it’s effectively a one-year deal, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Long’s cap numbers if both options are exercised would be $3.9375M (2019), $4.25M (2020) and $4.35M (2021).
The Bills’ offensive line struggled last season, so changes can be expected. Longtime center Eric Wood‘s injury-induced retirement set the recently formidable unit back. Ryan Groy graded as one of the worst centers in the league, per Pro Football Focus, so it isn’t surprising to see Buffalo look to upgrade this position.
A three-year Redskins starter, Long was a first-stringer in 13 Jets games last season. A few of those games came at guard, and while the Jets liked his performance at guard, they still released him at almost the earliest possible offseason juncture.
With nearly $80MM in cap space, the Bills are almost certainly not done addressing their offensive front.
Buccaneers Cut Vinny Curry
Vinny Curry is now on the open market. The Buccaneers released the veteran defensive end on Tuesday, according to a team announcement. 
Curry earned $6.5MM with the Bucs in 2018 after signing a three-year, $23MM deal with the club. Apparently, new head coach Bruce Arians did not see him as a fit for his system, so he’s a free agent once again.
The good news for Curry is that pass rushers are continually in high demand, so he’ll have an opportunity to land another multi-year deal. His 21 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss don’t exactly jump off of the page, but Curry’s 2017 season with the Eagles showed serious promise. After serving as a reserve in his first five seasons with Philly, he was promoted to the starting lineup that year and helped the Eagles capture a Super Bowl ring.
All in all, the Buccaneers improved from a league-low 22 sacks in 2017 to 38 last year, thanks in part to Carl Nassib‘s 6.5 QB takedowns. They’ll look to improve that number even more under Arians.
ERFA Signings: 2/11/19
With free agency barely a month away, teams have begun to make moves regarding their exclusive-rights free agents. Here are Monday’s ERFA decisions:
Detroit Lions
- DE Mitchell Loewen
- LB Steve Longa
New Orleans Saints
- WR Justin Hardee
- LS Zach Wood
- C Cameron Tom
- LB Vince Biegel
Falcons Re-Sign LB Bruce Carter
Bruce Carter caught on with the Falcons early last season after spending the offseason unattached. He earned a longer look in Atlanta as a result of his 2018 work.
The Falcons announced they have re-signed the linebacker to a one-year deal on Monday.
This is Carter’s fourth team, with the Falcons following the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Jets. He has not been a regular starter since his Dallas days in the early 2010s, but the 30-year-old off-ball ‘backer played in 11 Falcon games last season.
A former Dallas second-round pick, Carter played one season with the Bucs (2015) before being a Jet for two years. He has carved out a nice role for himself as an experienced backup. Carter made 21 tackles last season, helping a Falcons team that lost Deion Jones for an extended time period on opening night.
Carter’s most notable NFL contributions came in 2014, when he intercepted five passes for the 12-4 Cowboys. He has 327 career tackles.
Browns Sign Kareem Hunt
The Browns have signed running back Kareem Hunt, the club announced Monday.
This will reunite Hunt with John Dorsey, who drafted the embattled running back in the third round during his final draft as Chiefs GM in 2017. That said, this is borderline shocking given Hunt’s status. Now that the Browns have signed Hunt, he will be placed back on the commissioner’s exempt list, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.
Hunt signed a one-year deal that could be worth more than $1MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This does not factor in the suspension, so Hunt will not max out this value. (He would have made $678K in 2019 on his rookie contract.) The 2017 rushing champion is due to be a restricted free agent after the season, so the Browns would stand to have an easier time retaining him in 2020.
Hunt, 23, is under investigation for three separate 2018 events — most notably the incident captured on video that showed him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel/apartment complex in February of last year.
The NFL placed Hunt on the exempt list before the Chiefs cut him in November, and Rapoport tweets Hunt’s goal was to sign before the discipline was levied. The investigation is expected to conclude by March, but Graziano adds (via Twitter) it might be a while before the Browns know how long Hunt will be banned. He will almost certainly end up missing a sizable portion of the 2019 season.
“My relationship and interaction with Kareem since 2016 in college was an important part of this decision-making process, but we then did extensive due diligence with many individuals, including clinical professionals, to have a better understanding of the person he is today and whether it was prudent to sign him,” the second-year Browns GM said.
“Kareem took full responsibility for his egregious actions and showed true remorse and secondly, just as importantly, he is undergoing and is committed to necessary professional treatment and a plan that has been clearly laid out.”
Considering Hunt’s suspension is not yet known, and the fact that the talented back has been out of the league less than three months, the Browns will take heat for this move. While it was expected Hunt would receive another chance, due to his immense talent, it was not expected he would sign more than a month before free agency.
“Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance but certainly with the understanding that he has to go through critical and essential steps to become a performing member of this organization. … Here at the Browns, there is a detailed plan with expectations laid out that he understands and must follow, because any similar incident will not be tolerated.
“We will support Kareem through this process and utilize our resources, however permitted, to help him become successful on and off the field as long as he continues to show the commitment necessary to represent this organization.”
This will place Hunt mere minutes away from the scene of his defining moment. The Toledo alum grew up in Willoughby, Ohio, a suburb just east of Cleveland. He is also under investigation for an alleged assault at a Kansas City nightclub from January 2018 and an alleged incident at a Ohio resort later last year.
Hunt gone through alcohol and anger management treatment since the Chiefs waived him, Rapoport adds (on Twitter), and will continue to do so.
“I would like to once again apologize for my actions last year,” Hunt said. “What I did was wrong and inexcusable. That is not the man I was raised to be, and I’ve learned a great deal from that experience and certainly should have been more truthful about it after the fact.
“I am committed to following the necessary steps to learn and to be a better and healthier person from this situation. I’m a work in progress as a person, but I’m committed to taking advantage of the support systems that I have in place to become the best and healthier version of myself.”
From a football standpoint, this crowds the Browns’ backfield. If/when Hunt receives the green light to play in 2019, he will join a team that already employs Nick Chubb. Cleveland’s second-round pick last year averaged 5.2 yards per carry, amassing 996 on the season, and scored eight touchdowns. The Browns also have passing-down back Duke Johnson, who signed an extension to stay in Cleveland last year. Johnson’s $1.8MM 2019 salary becomes fully guaranteed on March 17, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
Hunt won the 2017 rushing title in just more than 15 games, gaining 1,327 yards on the ground. Prior to his Kansas City departure, he compiled 1,202 yards from scrimmage and scored 14 total touchdowns last season.
Panthers Re-Sign S Eric Reid
The Panthers have re-signed safety Eric Reid through the 2021 campaign, the club announced today. Reid’s new three-year deal is worth more than $22MM, and contains incentives that could raise the total value of $24MM, according to Mike Silver of NFL.com.
Reid, 27, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month, but he’ll stay in Carolina without ever testing the open market. That Reid avoided free agency altogether could be a product of his experience last year, when he wasn’t signed until the end of September. The free agent market for safeties was stagnant last offseason, with multiple veteran defensive backs having to settle for single-season pacts, but Reid’s national anthem protests also likely played a role in his unemployment.
Before landing with the Panthers, Reid took a visit with the Bengals, but subsequently filed a grievance after Cincinnati questioned him about his kneeling during the anthem. He was also linked to vacancies with the Titans and Falcons, but neither club ever seriously pursued him. Reid’s one-year deal with Carolina was worth $1.39MM and had a maximum value of $2MM.
In his first season with the Panthers, the 27-year-old Reid appeared in 13 games (all starts) while posting 71 tackles, five passes defensed, one interception, and one sack. Pro Football Focus graded Reid as the NFL’s No. 55 safety among 93 qualifiers. Next year, he’s likely to play alongside Da’Norris Searcy in Carolina’s secondary, unless Mike Adams — who played more than 90% of the Panthers’ defensive snaps a year ago — is re-signed.
Although Reid is now off the board, the 2019 free agent safety market still boasts a number of intriguing options. Veterans such as Earl Thomas, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Landon Collins, Adrian Amos, Tre Boston, Lamarcus Joyner, Tyrann Mathieu, and Kenny Vaccaro are all projected to reach free agency next month.
Cardinals Sign DE/OLB Brooks Reed
Robert Alford isn’t the only former Falcon the Cardinals are signing. Two days after signing Alford, the team has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Brooks Reed, the team announced on their official site.
Reed’s one-year deal is worth $1.625MM with $250K fully guaranteed, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. The team’s announcement stated that Reed, who played defensive end in Atlanta, will move to outside linebacker in the Cardinals’ 3-4 scheme. Reed had been with the Falcons for the past four seasons, and had one year left on his contract when the team cut him Wednesday.
Reed initially entered the league as a second round pick of the Texans back in 2011, and signed a five-year, $22MM deal with Atlanta in March of 2015. This past year he appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons with eight starts, but notched just one sack. For his career he has 21.5 sacks through eight seasons. He restructured his deal and agreed to take a pay cut last March to help him stick with the team, but it apparently wasn’t enough to keep him around this year.
Reed had his best years, including a six sack rookie season, while playing outside linebacker with the Texans, so perhaps he’ll return to form here. Since Reed was cut before his contract expired, he was eligible to sign right away and didn’t have to wait for free agency to open. The Cardinals have been aggressive in pursuing veteran players before the market opens, as they already claimed Tanner Vallejo off waivers earlier this week in addition to signing Alford to a three-year deal. They also claimed D.J. Swearinger off waivers from the Redskins late in the season.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/8/19
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Los Angeles Rams
- OL Aaron Neary
- DB Steven Parker
- DB Ramon Richards
Pittsburgh Steelers
- LB Robert Spillane
- RB Malik Williams