Giants Sign CB Amani Oruwariye
MARCH 28: After being on the extension radar during the 2022 offseason, Oruwariye landed a Giants deal worth barely the league minimum. The Giants are giving the fifth-year corner a one-year deal worth $1.2MM, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets. By no means is Oruwariye guaranteed a roster spot; this deal includes just $52.5K guaranteed.
MARCH 23: Cornerback unavailability plagued the Giants in 2022, and the team did not address the position during the first week of free agency. Big Blue will bolster the spot on the market, however.
Former Lions corner Amani Oruwariye is signing with the Giants, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. The ex-fifth-round pick served as an every-down player in Detroit during the 2020 and ’21 seasons, before seeing his snaps reduced last year. The Giants will gauge the Penn State product’s form this offseason, adding him to their Adoree’ Jackson-fronted corner crew.
In 2021, Oruwariye intercepted six passes and deflected 11 more. That put him on the radar for a potential Lions extension. But Dan Campbell‘s team ended up limiting Oruwariye’s playing time during his contract year, thus reducing his earning potential. The 26-year-old cover man played just 50% of Detroit’s defensive snaps last season.
This will undoubtedly be a low-cost accord. Pro Football Focus rated Oruwariye as the league’s worst cornerback last season, slotting the 6-foot-2 defender 118th out of 118 qualified players at the position. Oruwariye allowed a 106.1 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage and yielded a 64% completion rate; both numbers came in far higher compared to his 2021 marks. This Giants pact will represent a chance for a bounce-back offering.
The Giants waited until after the draft to cut ties with James Bradberry last year, and they did not make a notable addition to replace him. Former third-round pick Aaron Robinson won the job opposite Jackson out of training camp but went down early in the season with an injury that kept him out the rest of the way. The Giants also lost Jackson to an MCL sprain; he ended up missing seven games but returned in time to match up frequently with Justin Jefferson in the team’s wild-card win. Jackson is going into a contract year, and the Giants — this Oruwariye addition notwithstanding — are likely to continue exploring cornerback additions.
Saints Sign WR Bryan Edwards
The Saints have reunited new quarterback Derek Carr with a former Raiders teammate, signing wide receiver Bryan Edwards to a new contract, according to executive vice president and general manager Mickey Loomis. Edwards will be joining his fourth team in as many years in the league. 
The former third-round pick out of South Carolina easily had his best year during his sophomore season with Carr. That year he caught 34 passes for 571 yards and three touchdowns. Following that season, though, Edwards was traded to the Falcons along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick. His tenure in Atlanta was quite short as he was released after only seven appearances. He signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad but was released again at the end of the regular season, failing to appear in a contest for Kansas City.
Edwards immediately adds depth to the Saints’ receiving corps and is a candidate to return to the level of production that he originally had with Carr. At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, Edwards also provides the size that New Orleans has sorely missed anytime Michael Thomas is out of the lineup. Besides Thomas, Edwards will also be competing with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Tre’Quan Smith for targets.
The Saints were searching for further depth at wide receiver, specifically eyeing Edwards, and they got him. They’ll hope that reuniting Edwards with the quarterback who has done the most for him in the past will elevate Edwards from his recent struggles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/27/23
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DE Joe Gaziano
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: DE Khalid Kareem
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Marquise Copeland
Bills To Add RB Damien Harris
MARCH 27: Buffalo has managed to add Harris at just $1.7MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. Harris will receive $1MM fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. This deal checks in at slightly less than what Singletary received from the Texans and further illustrates the grim market that awaited most of this year’s running backs.
MARCH 20: Brandon Beane said another running back would be on the Bills’ radar. Shortly after starter Devin Singletary joined the Texans, the Bills are making their addition.
Former Patriots starter Damien Harris will sign a one-year deal with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former third-round pick played out his New England rookie contract in 2022.
Although Harris did not hit free agency with much momentum, the Bills observed his better work up close in 2021. Harris totaled 15 rushing touchdowns during his third season, when he rushed for 929 yards at 4.6 a clip. The Alabama product will join James Cook and Nyheim Hines in Buffalo’s backfield, which has gone through some changes since the team rolled out a Singletary-Zack Moss duo for two-plus seasons.
Beane said a bigger back to complement Cook would be the likely move, and while Harris (213 pounds) should not be confused size-wise with Derrick Henry, the Patriots used him as a between-the-tackles runner during his two seasons as their primary starter (2020-21). Harris finished with five 100-yard rushing games during his 15-start 2021 season. The most memorable one probably came in Buffalo, when Bill Belichick pulled passes out of his game plan on a windy night. Harris amassed 111 rushing yards on just 10 carries during the Pats’ upset win in Buffalo, and he topped the century mark against the Bills two weeks later — in a loss in Foxborough — as well.
Last season, Harris dealt with hamstring and thigh injuries that cost him six games. He did not play the same role as he had in 2021, however, as Rhamondre Stevenson began to take over as New England’s primary back. The Pats still have Stevenson on his rookie contract through 2024, and they added ex-Jaguars 1,000-yard rusher James Robinson last week. The Robinson addition pointed Harris out of town, and he should have an opportunity to be a regular part of Buffalo’s offense in 2023.
The Bills used Singletary as their primary back for most of his four-year stay. Cook showed flashes late last season and will likely play a bigger part in Buffalo’s run game next season, but Harris should be expected to be part of the equation.
49ers Sign OL Matt Pryor
San Francisco has brought in a veteran depth option along their offensive line. Per a team announcement, the 49ers have signed Matt Pryor.
The 28-year-old first saw starting action in his second season with the Eagles, playing primarily at guard. He was then traded to the Colts in the subsequent offseason, giving Indianapolis depth both on the interior and at the tackle spot. Pryor responded with a career-year in 2021.
Working mostly at right tackle, the former sixth-rounder delivered a strong performance both in terms of run blocking and pass protection. That resulted in an overall PFF grade of 76.5, by far the highest mark of his career. It also earned him a one-year, $5.5MM deal to remain with the Colts for 2022, a season in which expectations were high for the offensive front.
Nothing went according to plan for the unit, however, and Indianapolis struggled throughout the season to find consistency up front. Pryor contributed to those issues, seeing time at both tackle spots as well as right guard over the course of the year. His PFF ratings plummeted to career-lows, which makes it little surprise the Colts have elected not to bring him back on another new deal. Instead, Pryor will now head to the Bay Area in the hopes of competing for playing time.
If he is used at right tackle, the 6-7, 332-pounder could be in line for at least a backup role. The 49ers, as expected, saw Mike McGlinchey depart in free agency, leaving a vacant starting spot as the bookend to Trent Williams. Guarding against the possibility, San Francisco re-upped Colton McKivitz, giving them a familiar option to take McGlinchey’s place. Pryor could be penciled in as an experienced swing tackle option, though his usage on the interior could also see him spend time at guard if necessary.
Bengals, CB Sidney Jones Agree To Deal
The Bengals have made a depth addition to their secondary. Cincinnati is signing cornerback Sidney Jones to a one-year deal, reports Jordan Schultz of The Score (Twitter link). 
Jones, 26, spent the first three years of his career with the Eagles, starting eight of 22 games. Since then, he has spent time with the Jaguars, Seahawks and Raiders. In 2021, his 61% snap share pointed to a sizeable role on Seattle’s defense continuing into this past season, but that didn’t end up being the case.
With the Seahawks enjoying a hugely productive rookie campaign from Tariq Woolen and, to a lesser extent, Coby Bryant, Jones’ workload diminished in 2022. The latter saw the field for just 21% of defensive snaps, leaving the team to look for a trade partner ahead of the November deadline. With no suitor in place, the former second-rounder was waived.
Within a matter of days after that move, Jones had been signed by the Raiders. In Las Vegas, he saw an even smaller workload than he had earlier in the year with Seattle, and registered just one pass deflection. He will look to rebound from the 2022 season with a more stable year in Cincinnati. The Bengals represent a logical spot for him to do just that.
The AFC North champions were banged-up at the CB position last season, including Chidobe Awuzie suffering a torn ACL. In part because of his absence, the Bengals ranked 23rd in the league against the pass, averaging 229 yards allowed per game through the air. The team’s secondary has seen safety starters Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell depart in free agency, and veteran corner Eli Apple remains unsigned.
Jones will look to carve out at least a rotational role behind Awuzie and 2022 second-rounder Cam Taylor-Britt in the Bengals’ CB room. At a minimum, he will provide insurance in case Apple is not retained this offseason, as Cincinnati looks to improve in the secondary and continue to contend in the AFC next year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/26/23
Today’s only minor move:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Wes Martin
Martin is set to become a depth piece on the Browns’ offensive line next season. He has starting experience from his time in Washington, starting ten games during the three seasons he’s spent in DC. Martin also earned a start in seven appearances with the Giants in 2021, his only season not in Washington. The 26-year-old Ohio native will return to his home state for the fifth season of his career.
NFC West Coaching Updates: Rams, Kubiak, Cardinals
The Rams announced that they’ve finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 season earlier this month, according to Rams staff writer Stu Jackson. We covered a number of the changes from 2022 already, but below are the ones we have yet to cover.
With the departure of Thomas Brown, who will be calling plays for the Panthers in 2023, head coach Sean McVay had an opening for a new assistant head coach. We heard last month that the team added Jimmy Lake to the staff, but we didn’t have details on his role. It turns out that he will be replacing Brown as the Rams assistant head coach.
On offense, the biggest change we have yet to cover is the addition of Ron Gould as the team’s new running backs coach. After allowing Ra’Shaad Samples to depart for a college position, the Rams went and poached Gould away from San Diego State a month after Gould was named the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Aztecs. He spent the last six years coaching running backs at Stanford. Additionally, two assistants received promotions this offseason. Jake Peetz, who was an offensive assistant last year has been given the new title of pass game specialist. Kenneth Black, last year’s coaching fellow in Los Angeles, will fill Peetz’s previous role of offensive assistant.
Los Angeles made two new additions to the defensive staff. They hired Joe Coniglio to coach outside linebackers in 2023. Coniglio played a similar role for Navy last season. The other addition is Andrew Carter, who will be the new assistant defensive line coach after the departure of Skyler Jones. Carter was a defensive quality control coach for the Broncos last year.
Additionally, the Rams’ defensive staff saw a rare swap occur. Chris Shula, who served last year as the team’s pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, will spend 2023 as the inside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator. Last year’s inside linebackers coach, Chris Beake, will now coach defensive backs.
Here are some other staff changes in the NFC West:
- We heard last month that the 49ers added Klint Kubiak to their staff in an unnamed role. The team recently announced that Kubiak will serve as San Francisco’s offensive passing game specialist in 2023. The 49ers also announced the hires of Jacob Webster as defensive quality control coach and Max Molz as coaching operations assistant. Both are making their NFL-debuts with Webster coming from Wisconsin as a graduate assistant and Molz serving as the associate director of football operations at Missouri last year.
- The Cardinals hired some personnel help for new general manager Monti Ossenfort earlier this week, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Arizona is bringing in Rob Kisiel to a pro personnel department executive position. Kisiel has been a pro scout for the Falcons for the last two seasons and previously served as director of pro personnel for the Texans.
NFL Restructures: Okwara, Allen, Fatukasi
Here are a few details on recent contract restructures around the league:
- Lions edge rusher Romeo Okwara came to an agreement to restructure his contract at the beginning of the week. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the renegotiated contract reduces his cap hit in 2023 from $14.5MM to $5.65MM.
- After center Brian Allen reportedly agreed to a renegotiated deal, the Rams benefitted from a bit of cap relief. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Allen’s restructured contract saved approximately $3.2MM in cap space for Los Angeles.
- The Jaguars were able to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi recently. The team converted $7.38MM of Fatukasi’s base salary into a signing bonus and added three void years. The moves resulted in about $5.9MM of additional cap space in 2023.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/23
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Kyle Fuller
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: LB Eric Wilson