Cardinals, LB Mack Wilson Agree To Deal
A busy day on the defensive side of the ball continues for Arizona. The Cardinals are set to add linebacker Mack Wilson on a three-year deal worth $12.75MM with a maximum value of $15MM, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The former Browns draft pick spent the past two seasons with the Patriots, getting into all 34 games. His numbers took a step forward in 2023, with Wilson setting career highs in sacks (3.5) and forced fumbles (two). He didn’t play enough snaps to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings, but he would have graded as a top-10 linebacker with a full workload.
Wilson was one of the lone bright spots in New England last season, and it sounded like the team made an effort to retain the linebacker. The front office was ultimately forced to pivot in a different direction, and Wilson’s departure likely contributed to the team’s agreement with free agent LB Sione Takitaki.
The Cardinals have been busy adding to their defense today. The team agreed to terms with cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting before adding defensive linemen Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to the mix.
Bills To Re-Sign DE A.J. Epenesa
Buffalo has lost Leonard Floyd in the early going of the negotiating window, but the team will still have A.J. Epenesa moving forward. The latter has agreed to a two-year deal with Buffalo, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. Epenesa will see $7MM in 2024 and could earn up to $20MM over the life of the pact, per Garafolo.
The 2020 second-round pick hit free agency after completing his rookie contract. The defensive end has spent his entire four-year career in Buffalo.
Epenesa hasn’t emerged into a starter in Buffalo, but he’s still served as an important member of the defensive line. The pass rusher has finished each of the past two seasons with 6.5 sacks while getting into about 40 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
The 25-year-old finished this past season ranked 31st among 112th qualifying edge rushers, per Pro Football Focus. The site also gave him one of the highest positional grades for his coverage ability, although he also earned one of the lowest grades for his run defense.
With Floyd now out of the picture, the Bills can temporarily pencil Epenesa in opposite Greg Rousseau on the defensive line. Still, the team will surely look for another body to soak up some of those departed snaps, especially with Shaq Lawson also hitting free agency.
Browns To Re-Sign DE Za’Darius Smith, DT Maurice Hurst
Za’Darius Smith joined the Browns on a one-year agreement last offseason. He will remain in Cleveland moving forward rather than testing the market.
The veteran edge rusher has agreed to a new deal with the Browns, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. The two-year pact has a base value of $23.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. Smith can earn up to $25MM on his next contract.
Meanwhile, the Browns have also re-upped defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Hurst will receive up to $3.2MM on his one-year deal.
After compiling at least 10 sacks in his three most-recent healthy seasons, Smith caught on with the Browns for the 2023 campaign. He didn’t put up the same numbers in Cleveland but was still productive, finishing with 5.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 20 QB hits.
While the counting stats dropped, Pro Football Focus still considered Smith one of the best edge rushers in the league. The 31-year-old finished the season ranked 16th among 112 qualifying edge defenders, with the site only knocking him for the run defense. The Browns were also clearly happy with Smith’s production, as the team can now pencil him into the depth chart for the next two years.
The former fourth-round pick spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Ravens before a three-year stint in Green Bay that saw him earn a pair of Pro Bowl nods. He spent the 2022 campaign in Minnesota.
Hurst also emerged as a dependable defender during his first season in Cleveland. The defensive tackle got into 13 games for the Browns, finishing with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He didn’t start a game last season but still managed to appear in close to 40 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
Commanders To Sign LB Frankie Luvu
The Commanders’ defensive re-tooling efforts will include a deal with Frankie Luvu. The hybrid linebacker has agreed to a three-year deal with Washington worth up to $36MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Luvu has been one of the NFL’s most versatile defenders over the past two years, offering a Demario Davis-like blend of tackles and pass-rushing talent. Despite not working as a regular off-ball linebacker in college, he has displayed this two-pronged skillset as a pro. After playing out a two-year, $9MM agreement in Carolina, Washington will reward him.
It will be interesting to see where Washington uses Luvu most. The team agreed to terms with Dorance Armstrong earlier Monday. Needing help at linebacker as well, Dan Quinn‘s team has some options here. Luvu could keep functioning as a hybrid player, and he certainly has the numbers to back that up.
Luvu combined for 236 tackles (29 for loss) over the past two seasons, pairing that productivity with 12.5 sacks. Only nine players have amassed more TFLs over the past two years. All nine are D-linemen or 3-4 OLBs, separating the ascending performer from the pack ahead of his age-28 season. Considering that production, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Panthers attempted to re-sign the linebacker with a “late push,” per JP Finlay of NBC 4 Sports.
The Commanders have nabbed one of this year’s most intriguing free agents, and it will be interesting to see what this contract’s base value is. Regardless, Luvu has secured a big raise thanks to his work on two sub-.500 Panthers teams.
The Commanders gave Cody Barton a one-year deal, adding the ex-Seahawk after letting Cole Holcomb join the Steelers. Jamin Davis has not panned out to the level the team hoped, and with a new coaching staff coming in, changes are to be expected. Luvu will join Armstrong as a key performer on Joe Whitt‘s first Washington defense.
Cardinals To Sign DT Justin Jones
Continuing to add to the defensive line, the Cardinals are set to bring in Justin Jones. The veteran defensive tackle has agreed to a three-year, $30.1MM deal including $19.75MM guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Peter Schrager.
Jones is coming off a productive two-year stint in Chicago. The defensive tackle started all 34 games for the Bears over the past two years, collecting 7.5 sacks. While his 2023 counting stats (17 QB hits, 10 tackles for loss) were encouraging, Pro Football Focus only ranked the veteran 107th among 130 qualifying interior defenders.
Jones started his career with the Chargers. The former third-round pick started 35 of his 51 appearances in Los Angeles, collecting 4.5 total sacks. He ended up parlaying that performance into a two-year deal with Chicago, and he’ll be earning even more this time around from Arizona.
The Cardinals have been busy adding to their defensive line corps today, as they also agreed to a deal with defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. The two additions will join a defensive line rotation that also features Dante Stills and L.J. Collier.
Chargers, TE Will Dissly Agree To Deal
Having already added Gus Edwards on offense, the Chargers will make another multi-year investment in the opening period of free agency. Tight end Will Dissly has agreed to a three-year, $14MM deal including $10MM fully guaranteed, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.
A former fourth-round pick, Dissly previously spent his entire career in Seattle. The tight end earned a name for himself thanks to his blocking ability. The veteran has always graded as an above-average blocker, including this past season when Pro Football Focus ranked him as the best pass blocker and third-best run blocker at his position.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Dissly has been a complete zero on offense. The tight end has averaged 24 catches per season over the past four years, including a 2022 campaign where he hauled in a career-high 34 receptions for 349 yards and three scores. He finished this past season with 17 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown.
Gerald Everett is a free agent, leaving a hole atop the Chargers depth chart. There’s a chance that Dissly is only part of Jim Harbaugh‘s solution at the position, and the Chargers could look to continue adding to the position via free agency or the draft. The team is also rostering Donald Parham Jr. and Stone Smartt.
Titans To Sign CB Chidobe Awuzie
Chidobe Awuzie will follow Brian Callahan from Cincinnati to Tennessee. The veteran corner has agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
After Awuzie served as a vital presence in Cincinnati during its Super Bowl LVI run, the Bengals saw this contract deliver diminishing returns over the following two years. A Halloween 2022 ACL tear threw Awuzie off track, and after he returned in time for Week 1 in 2023, Lou Anarumo benched the former second-rounder around midseason.
The 6-foot defender received a second chance down the stretch and fared better. Awuzie played at least 97% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps in five of six games from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Still, with the Bengals having drafted two outside CBs early in the past two drafts (Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner), it was clear his future wasn’t in Cincy.
As Callahan looks to fill out his first Titans squad, the former Bengals OC was surely looking for some reinforcement at cornerback. Kristian Fulton isn’t expected to be back in Tennesee next season while Sean Murphy-Bunting left to join the Cardinals.
The Titans can hang their hat on Pro Football Focus grading Awuzie 14th in 2021 and 33rd prior to his ACL tear. He’ll also be nearly two years removed from the injury next season, reducing any health concerns.
49ers, DE Leonard Floyd Agree To Deal
After moving on from a longtime contributor along the defensive line, the 49ers will make a notable addition. Leonard Floyd has agreed to a deal with San Francisco, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Floyd was among the several late-20s or early-30s edge rushers who needed to wait out a cold market last year. His May Bills agreement broke the ice, with the perennial AFC East champs landing the Rams cap casualty for just $7MM. Last year showed Floyd was not merely an Aaron Donald beneficiary, with the pass rusher tying a career-high with 10.5 sacks.
Once run out of Chicago for failing to deliver on his draft status, Floyd has proven to be one of the 2020s’ steadiest edge players. The former top prospect has finished with between nine and 10.5 sacks in each of the past four seasons, and his consistency was expected to make him a popular name on the market.
While Floyd could have profiled as a team’s top edge rusher, he’ll be playing second fiddle to Nick Bosa in San Francisco. The 49ers have been seeking a dependable source of sacks opposite their star pass rusher, with the team trying out the likes of Dee Ford, Samson Ebukam, Drake Jackson, Clelin Ferrell, and Chase Young at the second spot on the depth chart. Now, they’ll have an elite option playing opposite Bosa.
The 49ers clearly made Floyd a priority to fill the hole on their depth chart. New assistant coach Brandon Staley is plenty familiar with his new pass rusher; Staley was the Rams defensive coordinator when the two were in Los Angeles together, and Staley also served as the OLBs coach when the two were in Chicago.
Bucs To Re-Sign DT Greg Gaines
Having taken care of their top offseason priorities with respect to retaining incumbent players, the Buccaneers are turning their attention to depth contributors. Defensive tackle Greg Gaines is re-signing on a one-year deal, per the 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov.
Gaines joined the Buccaneers last offseason on a one-year, $3.5MM deal. The defensive lineman will now stick around Tampa Bay for a second season with the organization.
Gaines emerged as a dependable defensive piece for the Buccaneers, getting into 17 games (two starts) while appearing in more than 40 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. He finished the regular season with 24 tackles and one sack, and he added another sack in two playoff games. Pro Football Focus only ranked Gaines 94th among 130 qualifying interior defenders, although the site was much higher on his performance early in his career.
The former fourth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Rams. He started 25 games for the organization between 2021 and 2022, compiling 8.5 sacks between those two campaigns.
Gaines will likely continue serving as an important depth piece behind Vita Vea in Tampa Bay. Greg Auman of FOX Sports opines that Gaines’ new contract could mean that Will Gholston isn’t back with the organization next season.
Jaguars To Sign WR Devin Duvernay
Jacksonville is set to make a notable addition on the special teams front. Receiver and return specialist Devin Duvernay has agreed to a two-year deal worth a base value $8.5MM and a maximum of $12.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
Duvernay excelled as a Ravens return man primarily, though the team did ask more of the former third-round pick during a receiver-depleted 2022 season, during which he proved he could contribute on offense with 491 total yards and four offensive touchdowns in 14 games. But Duvernay is an All-Pro returner with two Pro Bowls to his name; the former third-round pick out of Texas stands to help the Jaguars significantly on that front.
Baltimore was forced to play four regular season games without Duvernay due to injury last year. In his absence, they turned to wide receiver Tylan Wallace and running back Justice Hill in the return game. Both players are under contract for 2024, and each performed admirably in replacement duty with Wallace delivering a walk-off punt return for a touchdown in an overtime win over the Rams and Hill returning a kickoff for 78 yards in a late-season blowout of the Dolphins that clinched the AFC’s top seed.
Jacksonville had an All-Pro return man themselves in Jamal Agnew, but with Agnew’s contract expiring, it appears, Duvernay will be the answer going forward. Agnew was forced to miss six games last year and the Jaguars were at a loss to find an effective replacement. Though Duvernay has some recent injury issues of his own, he rebounded fairly quickly, returning for the Ravens’ postseason run in January, just after Agnew suffered another injury. The “Duuuuuvaaaaaal” chants are sure to resound whenever the Jags trot Duvernay out for return duties or a surprise reverse.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.