Lions To Sign RB David Montgomery
The Lions are snagging a running back from a division rival. Detroit has agreed to terms with running back David Montgomery, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Montgomery is signing a three-year deal worth $18MM, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The deal includes $11MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The former third-round running back was handed the full-time starting gig in 2020 and was more than productive, finishing with 1,508 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns, with more than 400 of those yards coming via 54 receptions.
After topping 1,000 rushing yards during that 2020 campaign, Montgomery wasn’t able to eclipse that mark in 2021 nor 2022, averaging 825 rushing yards between those two seasons. Thanks to his receiving ability, he was still able to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two years, but his sub-4.0 yards per rush still left plenty to be desired.
In Detroit, Montgomery won’t necessarily be leading the traditional rushing attack, as the organization could still look to squeeze some production out of D’Andre Swift. Instead, it sounds like this signing could spell the end of Jamaal Williams‘s tenure in Detroit, per Pelissero (on Twitter). Earlier tonight, Tyler Dunne tweeted that Williams and the Lions were far apart on a deal.
The Bears gave former sixth-round pick Khalil Herbert a look last season, and there’s a chance the team continues to add to the position.
Titans To Sign OL Daniel Brunskill
Daniel Brunskill is off to Tennessee. The Titans are signing the offensive lineman, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It’s a two-year deal, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Titans To Sign T Andre Dillard]
A former undrafted free agent out of San Diego State, Brunskill transformed into a versatile OL option for the 49ers. The 29-year-old has played right guard, both tackle positions, and center during his professional career, and his 42 games of starting experience makes him more than your standard swing lineman.
Brunskill started 33 games for the 49ers between 2020 and 2021, but he only got two starts in 2022. Still, he managed to appear in all 17 games and played more than 500 offensive snaps. He finished the 2022 campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-ranked guard among 77 qualifiers, the highest finish of his career.
The Titans have been busy reworking their offensive line during the early part of free agency. Yesterday, the team agreed to terms with former Eagles first-round pick Andre Dillard,
Lions To Re-Sign DB Will Harris
The Lions’ secondary will look a bit different next season, but they’re hanging on to one of their key defensive backs. The team has agreed to a one-year contract with defensive back Will Harris, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
[RELATED: Lions To Sign CB Cameron Sutton]
Harris, a 2019 third-round pick out of Boston College, has spent his entire four-year career in Detroit. He’s spent time switching between safety and cornerback throughout his career, but as Birkett notes, he played his best football when serving as the Lions’ slot cornerback last season.
The 27-year-old finished the campaign having started 10 of his 15 appearances, finishing with 57 tackles and four passes defended. He only graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 64th cornerback (among 118 qualifying players), although the site did grade him close to the top-third at the position in coverage. Harris will likely continue in his slot role in 2023, but his versatility does provide the Lions with some options.
The Lions have been busy reworking a unit that finished last in total defense last season. The team made one of the biggest splashes of free agency when they signed cornerback Cameron Sutton, and they’ve also added former 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
Vikings To Re-Sign K Greg Joseph, LS Andrew DePaula
Greg Joseph struggled at points early last season, but after submitting a better second half, he is on track to remain the Vikings’ kicker. Joseph is re-signing with Minnesota, per his agent (on Twitter). The one-year pact has a base value of $2MM and offers an extra $500K in incentives, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (on Twitter).
Joseph bounced around the league a bit before finding a home in Minnesota prior to the 2021 campaign. The kicker connected on 86.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 36 of his 40 extra point tries during his first season in Minny, but he took a step back in 2022.
The 28-year-old struggled a bit this past year, missing seven of his 33 field goal attempts (although six of those misses came from beyond 50 yards). He also missed six of his 46 XP tries, leading to some questions about his future with the organization. Ultimately, it sounds like the front office is willing to give him another go for at least the 2023 campaign, although it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings bring in some competition.
The Vikings are also bringing back their All-Pro long snapper, Andrew DePaola, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran has been hanging around the NFL since 2014, and he’s spent the past three years with the Vikings. After getting into all 17 games for Minnesota in 2022, DePaola earned his first career All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod.
G Will Hernandez To Stay With Cardinals
Bringing in a new head coach-general manager combination, the Cardinals are not yet making big changes up front. Instead, they are re-signing blockers added by the previous regime.
After agreeing to terms with right tackle Kelvin Beachum, the Cards, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, are re-signing guard Will Hernandez (Twitter link). The former Giants second-round pick agreed to a two-year, $9MM accord, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Hernandez did not leave New York with much momentum last year, settling for a one-year pact worth the league minimum. Despite missing some time during his first Cardinals season, Hernandez will have a chance to reprise his role as a first-stringer for the rebuilding team.
The Giants used Hernandez as a full-time starter during his first, second and fourth seasons. Despite this early-career seasoning, his market was ice cold last year. This time around, it is clear other teams showed interest. Hernandez, 27, started 13 games for the Cards and ranked seventh in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric among guards. Pro Football Focus slotted the five-year veteran 30th at the position.
Although the Cards lost a few blockers to major injuries last season (D.J. Humphries, Rodney Hudson, Justin Pugh), Hernandez did not need one of the starters to go down to commandeer a first-string gig. He won the job opposite Pugh from the jump. Pugh is unsigned, while Hudson is expected to retire. Humphries remains in the picture, as does Beachum, who is staying on a two-year deal.
PFF ranked Arizona’s O-line as a whole 24th, but the Monti Ossenfort-Jonathan Gannon regime will be expecting a better performance with more games from the starters. Hernandez will represent part of the new regime’s equation up front.
Colts To Sign DE Samson Ebukam
Samson Ebukam has found a new home. The free agent defensive end is signing with the Colts, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Ebukam is inking a three-year deal with the Colts. The contract can be worth up to $27MM, including more than $11MM due in the first year.
The former fourth-round pick played out his rookie contract with the Rams before inking a two-year deal with the 49ers prior to the 2021 campaign. After starting 11 of his 17 appearances during his first year in San Francisco, Ebukam started all 15 of his appearances in 2022.
He ultimately finished this past season with 36 tackles and career-highs in sacks (five) and QB hits (13). Pro Football Focus only ranked him 72nd among 119 qualifying edge defenders, although they did grade him as an above-average option at the position in 2021. At the very least, he should help fortify a Colts pass rush that’s also brought in linebacker E.J. Speed.
As for the 49ers, the team will need to find a new rusher to play opposite Nick Bosa. With Javon Hargrave now in the picture, Arik Armstead could end up seeing more time on the edge in 2023.
Patriots To Re-Sign S Jabrill Peppers
Jabrill Peppers is sticking around New England. The safety is re-signing with the Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Peppers is inking a new two-year deal.
[RELATED: Patriots S Devin McCourty To Retire]
This contract includes a max value of $11MM, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates, who adds $6MM will be guaranteed (Twitter link). Coming off an injury in 2022, Peppers signed a one-year deal worth $2MM. He upped his value a bit with the Pats last season.
A former first-round pick by the Browns, Peppers had an uneven three years with the Giants. His final year in New York ended prematurely when the player suffered a torn ACL and high ankle sprain, and Peppers ended up settling for a one-year pact with the Patriots last offseason.
Despite having to come back from the severe injury, Peppers managed to appear in all 17 games for New England last season, collecting 60 tackles. He ended up grading as PFF’s 16th safety (among 88 qualifiers), the first time he cracked the top-20 at his position since the 2018 campaign.
Peppers was used as a bit of a Swiss Army Knife last season, splitting time between the box, the slot, deep in the secondary, and the perimeter. With Devin McCourty retired and out of the picture in 2023, there’s a chance that Peppers serves as more of a traditional safety in 2023, although with Adrian Phillips still on the roster, the Patriots could continue to take advantage of Peppers’ versatility.
Falcons To Re-Sign OL Kaleb McGary
The Falcons are retaining a key piece on their offensive line. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta has agreed to a deal with offensive lineman Kaleb McGary.
As Rapoport notes on Twitter, it appeared that the offensive lineman was heading elsewhere. However, the Falcons continued to negotiate with the lineman, and the two sides ultimately agreed to a new deal.
That new deal is a three-year pact worth $34.5MM, according to Rapoport. This is a significant deal when compared to some of the deals signed by other top free agent linemen. Jawaan Taylor inked a four-year, $80MM deal with the Chiefs, while Mike McGlinchey received a five-year, $87.5MM deal from the Broncos.
Last year at this time, it was uncertain if McGary would even be able to secure a multiyear deal. The former first-round pick had his fifth-year option declined, making him a free agent this offseason. With free agency coming a year early, McGary showed up in a big way. After grading out as a below-average offensive tackle through his first three seasons in the NFL, he finished fourth among 81 qualifying offensive tackles in 2022, per PFF. This included the league’s second-best mark in run blocking.
Now, he’ll have a chance to build off his breakout season without having to make an offseason move to a new squad. The new contract will keep him in Atlanta through the 2025 season.
Raiders To Sign WR Phillip Dorsett
Josh McDaniels has recruited yet another former Patriots player to Las Vegas. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders have reached an agreement with free agent wideout Phillip Dorsett.
[RELATED: Raiders To Trade Darren Waller To Giants]
The former first-round pick was paired with McDaniels in New England for three seasons. Despite receiving passes from Tom Brady, Dorsett still wasn’t able to show his first-round pedigree during his time with the Patriots. In 45 games (eight starts) with the organization, Dorsett had 73 receptions for 881 yards and eight touchdowns.
After bouncing around the NFL during the 2021 campaign, Dorsett found a full-time gig in Houston for the 2022 campaign. The wideout got into 15 games (four starts) last year, finishing with 20 receptions for 257 yards and one touchdown.
Dorsett will be joining a new-look Raiders offense in 2023. McDaniels has brought in a pair of Patriots players already, signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and wideout Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders are also rostering running back/special teamer Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson, both former Patriots.
Dorsett will likely find himself behind Meyers, Davante Adams, and Hunter Renfrow on the depth chart, although the Raiders did open up some targets today when they traded tight end Darren Waller.
Chargers To Cut G Matt Feiler
Hours after reaching an agreement to bring back right tackle Trey Pipkins, the Chargers will lose one of their starting offensive linemen. They are releasing guard Matt Feiler, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This previously rumored move will create $6.5MM in cap space for the Bolts, who are prepared to staff this position internally. Jamaree Salyer, who filled in for Rashawn Slater for most of 2022 at left tackle, is expected to step in at Feiler’s left guard gig, Daniel Popper of The Athletic tweets.
The Chargers made a push to upgrade their O-line around Justin Herbert‘s rookie contract in 2021, adding Feiler, Slater and Corey Linsley. The latter two will continue on, but Feiler will be looking for a third NFL team. Feiler, 30, spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers.
Pro Football Focus viewed Feiler’s 2021 as a much better offering than his 2022 season, when the advanced metrics site ranked the sixth-year veteran outside the top 60 at guard. Salyer filled in effectively for Slater, who went down with what turned out to be a season-ending injury in September.
A sixth-round pick out of Georgia, Salyer mostly played left tackle for the powerhouse SEC program. But he filled in at guard at points. The Chargers are evidently confident they can roll out a best-five formula that includes Salyer between Slater and Linsley. As for Feiler, he will join a UFA guard contingent that still houses Isaac Seumalo, Dalton Risner, Will Hernandez, along with fellow cap casualties Gabe Jackson and Graham Glasgow.