Texans Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett
APRIL 3: The Texans’ Barnett deal will come in at $2MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. This will represent a step down for Barnett, who will see $1MM guaranteed at signing.
MARCH 20: Finding more playing time after becoming a Texans waiver claim last year, Derek Barnett will stick around. Houston is keeping the veteran defensive end, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.
The parties agreed to keep this partnership going on a one-year deal. After not seeing much playing time with the Eagles to start last season, Barnett logged four starts in Houston. He finished his Texans portion of the season with 3.5 sacks, counting a playoff drop of Joe Flacco in the team’s wild-card win.
Houston has swapped out Jonathan Greenard for Danielle Hunter opposite Will Anderson Jr.; Barnett will be back in the fold to operate as a rotational rusher. The 2017 first-round pick had spent his entire career in Philadelphia, but after the Eagles made him available, they waived him when nothing materialized by last year’s deadline. In Houston, Barnett received the playing time he sought after being buried on Philly’s depth chart.
Despite going into his eighth season, Barnett will not turn 28 until this summer. The Texans will also bet on better form in 2024, as Barnett entered last season coming off an ACL tear. Barnett started the final four Texans regular-season games last season, recording 2.5 sacks in their Titans series in that span. Playing 66% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in their wild-card win, Barnett dropped Flacco once and registered two QB hits in what became a blowout.
The Tennessee alum also notched 11 QB hits despite playing in only six Houston games; while never a high-volume sack artist, Barnett has proven disruptive often. Save for his one-game 2022 season, Barnett has reached 11 QB hits in every year of his NFL career. Notching at least 16 QB hits on three occasions, Barnett topped out with 22 in 2019.
Only tallying two sacks in 15 starts in 2021, Barnett still managed a two-year, $14MM Eagles deal in 2022. Best known for his fourth-quarter fumble recovery that set up the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win, Barnett has 24 career sacks. Lost in the shuffle in Philly due to the presences of Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Josh Sweat (and then Haason Reddick), Barnett has three five-plus-sack seasons on his resume. He will attempt to add a fourth in Houston.
The Texans have been busy rearranging parts along their D-line this offseason. Anderson remains in place as the group’s anchor, but Hunter will bring a far more extensive track record compared to Greenard. The team has also swapped out Maliek Collins and Sheldon Rankins for Denico Autry, Mario Edwards and Tim Settle inside, with Folorunso Fatukasi set to play a run-stopping role.
Lions Re-Sign CB Kindle Vildor
Kindle Vildor spent 2023 with four teams. The last of those will see if he can maintain a role. The Lions re-signed the veteran cornerback on Wednesday, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Adding Vildor on a practice squad agreement late last season, the Lions will now reunite him with one of his former position coaches. It is a one-year deal. The team hired Deshea Townsend as DBs coach this offseason; the former NFL corner coached Vildor in Chicago.
The Lions are likely still looking for more help at corner, following the release of Cameron Sutton. The former $11MM-per-year defender turned himself in on a domestic battery charge Sunday night. Detroit acquired Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay and re-signed Emmanuel Moseley, but the Sutton development leaves the defending NFC North champions — who already experienced issues at corner last year — vulnerable at the position.
These issues led to the Lions turning to Vildor as a starter opposite Sutton during last season’s final five games. Despite three teams — the Bears, Eagles and Titans — cutting Vildor earlier in 2023, the former fifth-round pick found himself starting and staying on the field for nearly every Lions defensive snap during their most successful playoff run since the 1950s. This did include a memorable play in which a Brock Purdy pass ricocheted off Vildor’s hands and into Brandon Aiyuk‘s arms, setting up a second-half 49ers touchdown during the hosts’ comeback win in the NFC championship game. But the Lions will give the fifth-year vet another opportunity.
Vildor, 26, played under Townsend from 2020-21 with the Bears. The latter year featured a promotion into Chicago’s starting lineup. The Georgia Southern alum was unable to stick as a starter throughout that season, and the Bears’ Ryan Poles-led regime added second-round cornerbacks (Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson) in each of the previous two offseasons. This led to the Bears waiving Vildor on roster-cutdown day last year. Townsend was no longer with Chicago at that point; he spent the past two years in Jacksonville.
The Lions did not tender Jerry Jacobs, whom Vildor ended up replacing as a boundary starter, as an RFA. but they did add ex-Raider Amik Robertson last month. Robertson offers a background as a slot defender and outside corner, giving a Lions team that also lost safety/slot cog C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. Another move is likely coming, but Vildor will have a chance to compete for a Detroit depth role soon.
Cowboys To Re-Sign T Chuma Edoga
The Cowboys’ partnership with Tyron Smith ended after 13 seasons, with the All-Decade tackle leaving for a Jets deal in free agency. Dallas is, however, keeping the decorated tackle’s primary 2023 backup.
Chuma Edoga is re-signing with the Cowboys, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. A one-year deal is expected. A former Jets third-round pick, Edoga started six games for the Cowboys last season. Primarily playing left tackle, Edoga worked as Smith’s injury replacement.
As the Cowboys transition from their talented but injury-prone starter, Edoga will give them a low-cost option. Though, the team will presumably intend to keep Edoga as a swingman. Though, he does offer some positional versatility.
Dallas used Edoga on 312 snaps at left tackle last season but also trotted him out at left guard on 101 plays. His return could give Dallas an inside option, with Tyler Smith — once viewed as the team’s left tackle of the future — still potentially in play to slide back outside. Tyler Smith has excelled at both guard and tackle as a pro. The younger Smith is still an option to take over at left tackle. That would obviously create a hole at left guard — a familiar situation for a Cowboys team that has lost Connor Williams and Connor McGovern in consecutive offseasons. The Cowboys did view Edoga as a better tackle than guard, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Edoga’s six starts were his most since his 2019 Jets rookie season. He fell out of favor with the Jets soon after, as GM Joe Douglas was not on board when he was drafted. This led him to the Falcons in 2022 via trade. He started one game with Atlanta. Last season, Pro Football Focus graded Edoga just outside the top 50 among tackles.
Set for his age-27 season, Edoga may have a chance to carve out a bigger role in 2024. The Cowboys have two holes along their starting O-line, with center starter Tyler Biadasz following Dan Quinn to Washington. The draft will represent a key avenue to upgrade, as the Cowboys have not been especially busy in free agency. Edoga, however, offers a bit of insurance as the team considers its options following the loss of its likely Hall of Fame-bound left tackle.
Chiefs To Re-Sign RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Clyde Edwards-Helaire did not pan out as a Chiefs starter; the team found much better value in recent seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco. But the two-time defending Super Bowl champions still have the 2020 first-round pick in their plans.
Despite losing his starting job midway through his rookie contract, Edwards-Helaire will stay with the Chiefs. The sides reached an agreement on a one-year deal Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This move comes at a rather interesting point, as J.K. Dobbins is in Kansas City for a visit today.
[RELATED: Chiefs To Sign QB Carson Wentz]
Pacheco became a pivotal investment for the Chiefs, and the Rutgers alum commandeered the starting running back job during his rookie season. The move helped the team cover for an apparent miss on Edwards-Helaire, whom it chose shortly after winning Super Bowl LIV four years ago. Edwards-Helaire still worked as Kansas City’s top backup RB last season, starting in place of Pacheco in three games. The LSU alum averaged only 3.2 yards per carry, however, finishing with 223 yards and a touchdown in 2023.
Viewed as a potential multipurpose weapon alongside Patrick Mahomes in 2020, Edwards-Helaire totaled 138 yards in his debut and then put together a 161-yard performance against the Bills five weeks later. But injuries and fumbling issues plagued the former SEC talent.
Edwards-Helaire, 25 next week, started in Super Bowl LV and entered the 2021 season as Kansas City’s top back. But the 5-foot-7 ball carrier saw Jerick McKinnon take over as the team’s top receiving back late in 2021 — as more injury trouble intervened for the younger player. McKinnon held that role over the following two seasons, and Edwards-Helaire — who totaled 453 receiving yards for LSU’s national championship-winning team in 2019 — has not eclipsed 200 through the air since 2020.
Pacheco and McKinnon became the Chiefs’ primary backs in 2022, as Edwards-Helaire played in only 10 games. CEH did not play during the 2022 playoffs. Despite being activated off IR for Super Bowl LVII, Edwards-Helaire was a healthy scratch against the Eagles. Edwards-Helaire played in all four Chiefs playoff games last season but only logged two carries combined between the AFC championship game and Super Bowl LVIII.
This signing would seem to impact Dobbins’ chances of catching on with the Chiefs, with McKinnon also unsigned. The veteran receiving back, who has stabilized his career in Missouri after missing two full seasons previously, has made a habit of re-signing with the Chiefs after the draft. McKinnon did miss six straight games before being activated for Super Bowl LVIII. The 2014 draftee would also be going into his age-32 season in 2024. It remains to be seen if McKinnon will be back, but Edwards-Helaire will vie for the Chiefs’ RB2 role soon.
As for Dobbins, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor adds his productive visit may lead to a partnership later this offseason. But nothing is imminent as of now. Dobbins, who has been cleared for work after suffering an ACL tear in Week 1, has now visited the Chiefs and Chargers.
Colts To Re-Sign S Julian Blackmon
8:55pm: Blackmon’s one-year deal is worth up to $7.7MM, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The one-year pact features $3.2MM in guaranteed money.
4:00pm: Another Colts defensive starter is staying. An Indianapolis offseason filled with re-signings will now include a Julian Blackmon re-up. The four-year starter is coming back, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
Blackmon landed on the Bills and 49ers’ radars, but the Colts resumed negotiations with the talented safety recently. That will lead to Blackmon joining a host of Colts free agents who have agreed to stay put. Blackmon is sticking around on a one-year deal. One of the others to re-sign, Kenny Moore offered some news-breaking chops regarding the Blackmon development.
The Colts have now reached agreements to retain Moore, Blackmon, Grover Stewart, Tyquan Lewis and Zaire Franklin this offseason. These moves came after Indianapolis extended Michael Pittman Jr. after franchise-tagging its top wide receiver. The Blackmon news continues a massive retention effort for GM Chris Ballard, who has regularly signed homegrown players to second (and now third, in some cases) contracts.
The Bills and 49ers did make offers, Schultz adds, but this has not been the best market for non-Xavier McKinney safeties. The Packers’ $17MM-AAV McKinney pact became an earlier outlier, with no other safety signing for more than $7.5MM per year this offseason. This resembles what went down last year, with Jessie Bates signing the only big-ticket contract among free agents. Kamren Curl needed to accept a two-year, $9MM Rams deal. Blackmon, who joined Curl as part of PFR’s top 50 free agents list, will also attempt to reestablish his value on what will likely be a modest agreement.
In the days leading up to free agency, however, the safety market expanded thanks to the Broncos and Seahawks’ transactions. Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs remain on the market. They join Eddie Jackson and Marcus Maye at a position that presented a running back-like landscape — though, with a higher top end — over the past two years.
The safety market crashing represents good news for the Colts, who will keep another of their Gus Bradley charges in the fold. Blackmon, 25, delivered his best season in 2023. The former second-round pick intercepted four passes, broke up eight more and recovered two fumbles in a solid contract year. He and Moore will continue to anchor Indy’s secondary, which still could use upgrades at outside cornerback.
Blackmon visited the Bills and 49ers last month, but the Utah alum will attempt to execute a quality “prove it” year in familiar surroundings. Playing in the slot, around the line of scrimmage and as a deep safety under Bradley, Blackmon made a career-high 88 tackles in 2023. Blackmon came back from a 2021 Achilles tear in 2022; he moved well past that injury last season. Pro Football Focus had never rated Blackmon as a top-50 safety prior to last season; the advanced metrics site slotted him 38th at the position in 2023.
It is certainly worth questioning if the Colts’ strategy to retain this many pieces from a defense that ranked 28th (24th in yards allowed) is wise, but the team has gone through with an all-out retention effort. Counting the Pittman contract, Indianapolis has shelled out more than $200MM in re-signings this offseason.
Chargers Re-Sign K Cameron Dicker
The Chargers have officially retained Cameron Dicker for the 2024 campaign. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Chargers have signed the ERFA kicker.
Dicker was hit with the exclusive rights free agent tender earlier this offseason. This was always the likeliest path, as the kicker effectively had no path to joining another squad.
The former UDFA out of Texas had brief stints with the Rams, Ravens, and Eagles before catching on with the Chargers during the 2022 campaign. He ended up supplanting Dustin Hopkins as the team’s kicker, and he was all but perfect in his 11 games, converting 19-of-20 field goal attempts and all 22 of his extra point tries. He also got into one playoff game, adding 12 points.
Dicker stuck around as the Chargers kicker in 2023 and continued his remarkable efficiency. The 23-year-old finished the season converting 31 of his 33 field goal attempts and all 35 of his XPs.
The Chargers weren’t done making moves today, as the team also added fullback Ben Mason (per ESPN’s Field Yates). The former fifth-round pick spent the majority of his career in Baltimore, although he’s been limited to only a single appearance in three years.
DL Eddie Goldman Attempting Comeback With Falcons
Eddie Goldman is attempting another comeback with the Falcons. The veteran defensive tackle is signing with the Falcons, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 raised some eyebrows earlier today when he passed along that Goldman had been cut from Atlanta’s reserve/left squad list. The Falcons have since announced Goldman is back on their offseason roster.
The former Bears standout joined the Falcons during the 2022 offseason. After spending two weeks with the organization, Goldman suddenly announced his retirement.
The defensive lineman considered a comeback last offseason. The Falcons reinstated him from the reserve/retired list last March, and he reportedly looked “phenomenal” after reporting to camp in July. However, his comeback attempt was short lived, as he once again retired before being placed on the reserve/left squad list.
We’ll see if this second comeback attempt sticks, although the odds will be stacked against him. Goldman has only been active for one season over the past four years. That came during the 2021 campaign, when the defensive lineman started 10 of his 14 appearances for the Bears. He finished that season with 22 stops and half a sack, with Pro Football Focus grading him among the lowest interior defenders in the league.
Goldman was once one of Chicago’s most dependable defenders. The former second-round pick started all 46 of his appearances for the Bears between 2017 and 2019, with PFF grading him among the best at his position following his three-sack season in 2018. Goldman ended up opting out of the 2020 season before struggling in 2021.
The Falcons should return much of their interior DL depth in 2024, although Grady Jarrett‘s early-season availability is in doubt as he recovers from a torn ACL. David Onyemata and Ta’Quon Graham will both be back up the middle, but Goldman could soak up some of the snaps left by Albert Huggins, who remains unsigned.
To clear up some of their depth, the Falcons released defensive lineman Ikenna Enechukwu earlier today (per the team). The 2023 UDFA out of Rice spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve.
Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke Accepts Pay Cut
Last year’s QB2 carousel featured Taylor Heinicke collecting more guaranteed money than most reserve passers. Only Andy Dalton and Jacoby Brissett fetched more money at signing than Heinicke, who collected $6.32MM guaranteed on a two-year, $14MM deal.
Heinicke, who logged a few starts last season as Desmond Ridder struggled, remains with the team. The Atlanta native, however, is now tied to a much lower 2024 salary. Heinicke accepted a pay cut to stay with the Falcons, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein notes. As Atlanta transitions to its Kirk Cousins era, its backup will carry a lower cap number this coming season.
The Falcons trimmed Heinicke’s 2024 base salary from $5MM to $1.21MM. With Heinicke’s cap number now down to $4.53MM, this transaction will save the team nearly $4.5MM in cap space. With many teams filling their backup jobs already — one of them (the Cardinals) doing so by trading for Ridder — Heinicke did not have a host of options if he declined the pay cut. As it stands, he remains on track to be Cousins’ backup.
As the Falcons transition to Zac Robinson‘s Rams-influenced offense, they plan to add another quarterback to compete with Heinicke for the backup gig. While Cousins has been one of the NFL’s most durable players during this period, his October Achilles tear does make Atlanta’s QB2 job a bit more important than it otherwise would have been.
Heinicke, who operated as the Commanders’ starter for most of the 2021 season and kept Carson Wentz on the bench at points in 2022, has 30 career starts on his resume. That includes a close loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the 2020 wild-card round. Last season, the Falcons turned to Heinicke on multiple occasions. Despite showing tremendous confidence in Ridder during the 2023 offseason, Atlanta benched the 2022 third-round pick in Week 8 and again in Week 16. This led to four Heinicke starts. The final outing — a three-INT effort against the Bears — doomed Atlanta’s fleeting playoff hopes, swinging the door wide open for Arthur Smith‘s firing.
Heinicke, 31, only completed 54.4% of his throws last season. It would seem likely the Falcons use a draft choice to staff to add here, as Cousins is now tied to a $100MM practical guarantee. Cousins’ guarantees stretch into 2026. Heinicke’s deal will still expire after the season.
Dolphins To Re-Sign T Kendall Lamm
Needed extensively during the 2023 season, Kendall Lamm will see his run of Dolphins starts lead to another contract with the team. Miami is re-signing the veteran swing tackle, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.
Lamm is staying with the Dolphins for a third season, doing so on a one-year deal. The former Texans UDFA started eight games for the Dolphins last season, with Terron Armstead‘s run of injuries again requiring regular duty for a backup.
Armstead is staying with the Dolphins for a third season, and while the former Pro Bowler has delivered quality work when healthy, the ex-Saint’s injury baggage has resulted in a number of absences. As various injuries limited Armstead last season, Lamm became a key piece on a battered Miami front. Lamm logged 520 snaps at left tackle last season — nearly as many as Armstead, who totaled 585 — and added 93 in place of Austin Jackson at right tackle.
The 585 snaps marked Lamm’s most on offense since the 2018 season, when he served as the Texans’ primary right tackle. The Dolphins had Lamm on low-end deals in each of the past two seasons. He played for just $1.32MM in 2023. Given Armstead’s injury issues and Lamm’s regular usage last season, a bit of a raise would appear in play. The Dolphins have both their starting tackles signed through 2026, having extended Jackson during the season, but neither are attached to top-10 deals at their respective positions.
Lamm’s Texans work landed him a gig with the Browns, his employer from 2019-20. Lamm then served as a swingman for the 2021 Titans. Despite Taylor Lewan‘s knee trouble and the team’s issues staffing its RT position during the 2020s, Lamm only logged one start with Tennessee. The Dolphins brought him in during Mike McDaniel‘s first season, adding the Appalachian State alum in November 2022. Injuries were a major factor for the ’22 Dolphins’ front as well, with Jackson missing 15 games and Eric Fisher signing with the team but never being healthy enough to suit up. Brandon Shell worked as Miami’s primary RT that season, but the Dolphins used Lamm in that OT3 role last year.
Lamm, 31, has 37 starts on his resume. He will join Jack Driscoll as reserve tackle options for the team. Lamm will also provide some continuity for a Dolphins team that lost four-year starter Robert Hunt in free agency. Two other interior starters — Connor Williams, Isaiah Wynn — are unsigned, leaving Miami with the prospect of three new interior starters. The team will largely run it back at tackle, however.
Seahawks To Sign WR Laviska Shenault
After showing promise with the Jaguars, Laviska Shenault could not establish much momentum with the Panthers upon being traded. But the former second-round pick has secured another opportunity.
The Seahawks are signing Shenault, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Twice a 600-plus-yard receiver, Shenault combined for less than 400 during his two Carolina slates; the second of those seasons featured nine missed games due to injury. The big-bodied target, who has been used in the backfield at points, will attempt to catch on in a crowded Seahawks receiving corps.
Chosen 42nd overall during Dave Caldwell‘s final Jaguars GM year, Shenault mixed in regularly with the Doug Marrone– and Urban Meyer-led Jacksonville teams. He caught 58 passes for 600 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie and added 63 grabs for 619 yards in 2021. Of course, these showings came for Jags teams that each finished with the NFL’s worst record. As Doug Pederson arrived, the Jags traded Shenault to the Panthers for sixth- and seventh-round picks.
Shenault, 25, has played for an astonishing seven head coaches in four seasons. Both the Jags and Panthers made HCs (Meyer, Matt Rhule, Frank Reich) one-and-dones as Shenault played out his rookie contract. Both teams attempted to use the 220-pound performer as a gadget-type weapon in the run game. Despite his wide receiver status, the Colorado alum has 50 career carries for 252 yards and a touchdown. The former high-end prospect has some experience as a kick returner, totaling nine returns with Carolina from 2022-23. That skill is soon set to become relevant again, with the NFL approving the XFL-style kickoff on a trial basis.
The Seahawks may well view the inconsistent target as a player in need of some stability, given the historically unusual run of HC turnover that occurred on the teams that employed him. The team has its top three — Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba — locked in, barring a trade. The Seahawks also still employ 2021 second-rounder Dee Eskridge, though he has not produced much as a pro. UDFA Jake Bobo delivered some interesting work as a rookie last season, and 2022 seventh-round pick Dareke Young remains on the roster.
Shenault produced a 1,000-yard season in just nine games with the Buffaloes in 2018, elevating his draft stock. A groin injury limited him as a junior in 2019, when he accumulated just 764 yards. After delivering more inconsistency as a pro, Shenault will still have a chance to showcase his skills elsewhere.