Texans To Sign WR Robert Woods
The Texans have jumped on a recently released free agent, signing former Titans wide receiver Robert Woods to strengthen the receivers room prior to the opening of free agency, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Woods will provide a veteran presence for an offense that seems intent on moving Brandin Cooks. 
Woods was traded to the Titans from the Rams around a year ago in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. Woods had been in the best stretch of his career with Los Angeles, providing the Rams with season receiving yard totals of 1,219, 1,134, and 936 from 2018-20, respectively. He was delivering his fourth strong season in a row when he suffered an ACL tear in practice, ending his year.
Despite coming off a serious injury, Woods led the Titans in receiving last year with 53 receptions for 527 yards, partly thanks to an injury to rookie wideout Treylon Burks. It wasn’t his strongest season, but it was an encouraging showing for a player coming so recently off of knee surgery.
Unfortunately for Woods, potential cap savings of over $12MM made it a no brainer for Tennessee to execute his release. Woods has solidly bounced back, trekking across the division to sign a two-year deal reportedly worth $15.25MM. Rapoport’s tweet reports that the deal includes $10MM fully guaranteed and can reach a maximum value of $17MM.
Woods joins a Houston receiving corps that’s expected to lose Cooks, Chris Moore, and Phillip Dorsett, the latter two to free agency. Woods should be the centerpiece of the group, supplemented by third-year receiver Nico Collins and second-year wideout John Metchie, who will be playing his first season of NFL ball after sitting out his rookie year while treating leukemia.
Woods will be hoping to have a similar impact with his fourth-career team as he did in Los Angeles. Whether the Texans move forward with Davis Mills or seek help at quarterback, Woods, now a year removed from his knee injury, should be the perfect complement to a young or new passer.
Raiders Re-Sign T Brandon Parker
Offensive line was a sore spot in 2022 for the Raiders, but a veteran member of the unit will be staying place. Per a team announcement, right tackle Brandon Parker has been re-signed. 
The 27-year-old missed the entire 2022 campaign due to injury, which threw off the team’s plans at his position. Parker was in line to remain the full-time RT starter, as he had been in 2021. He had seen a brief spell on the blindside previously in his career, but right tackle represents his most familiar spot on the o-line. In his absence, the Raiders relied on veteran Jermaine Eluemunor and seventh-round rookie Thayer Munford at the position.
A 2018 third-round pick, Parker has started 32 games across his 54 total appearances, all with the Silver and Black. Over that span, he has never drawn good reviews from PFF, though the 2021 season did see him register a new career-high overall rating of 55.8. The Raiders are confident he will be able to return to full health by inking him to a new deal, although it likely won’t eat much into their available funds.
Parker had a cap hit of just $3.5MM in 2022, and the fact that he didn’t play obviously won’t have boosted his stock ahead of free agency. This new pact will prevent him from being able to test the open market, though it will give Vegas some continuity in an offseason where shoring up their protection up front will no doubt be among their top priorities.
The Raiders also announced on Friday that they have re-signed tight end Jesper Horsted. The 26-year-old began his career with the Bears, seeing game time there in 2019 and 2021. He signed with Vegas last summer, and played almost exclusively on special teams. That will likely continue this coming season, one in which both he and Parker will remain in the fold.
Cardinals Release Markus Golden
On a Friday rife with cost-cutting moves, the Cardinals are parting ways with a veteran member of their defense. Pass rusher Markus Golden‘s second stint in Arizona has come to an end, per a team announcement. 
By releasing the 31-year-old, the Cardinals will get out of the final year on Golden’s contract, which came about though an extension signed in September. He was due to count for $4.2MM on the cap, but this move will save Arizona just over $3MM in space while creating a dead money charge of nearly $1.1MM.
Golden was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in 2015, and he emerged as a productive edge rusher in his second season in the desert. He notched 12.5 sacks that year, but just 2.5 in a pair of campaigns after that. His tenure in Arizona was followed up by a brief stint with the Giants, where he re-established his value.
The Missouri alum racked up 10 sacks in what amounted to his first (and only) full campaign in New York. Golden was a recipient of the rarely-used UFA tender in 2020, but found himself on the move partway through that season. The Cardinals re-acquired him via trade, setting him up for a two-year, $9MM deal upon arrival back in Arizona. That move appeared to be a shrewd one, since Golden produced 11 sacks in 2021.
Things were different this past season, however, as his sack total fell to just 2.5. Golden remained a key starter for the Cardinals’ underwhelming defense, showing the durability which could help him land a deal elsewhere. However, this move continues what will likely be a youth movement in the team’s defensive front, a unit which saw J.J. Watt retire at the end of the campaign.
Zach Allen is a pending free agent, and would represent a logical candidate for a new deal as Arizona looks to rebuild. New general manager Monti Ossenfort has said that retaining the 25-year-old is among the team’s top priorities, so his situation will be one to watch closely in the coming days. Meanwhile, Golden will join a free agent pass rushing class which recently had Leonard Floyd officially added to it, and could also include Za’Darius Smith, depending on how the Vikings handle his request to be released.
Broncos To Release OL Graham Glasgow
In another sign indicating the Broncos might be readying for an active free agency period, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets the team is releasing veteran interior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow.
Glasgow filled in at both guard and center for the team last season, though he was initially given an eight-figure-per-year deal to be a starter back in 2020. Ahead of that contract’s final year, the Broncos are removing it from their cap sheet. This move will save the team $11MM. The Broncos have cut Glasgow, Ronald Darby and Chase Edmonds on Friday afternoon. Between these cuts, the team will create more than $26MM in cap space.
Denver signed Glasgow back in 2020, adding that contract to their payroll after moving Ronald Leary‘s off it. Glasgow signed a four-year, $44MM deal with the Broncos, joining the team during John Elway‘s last offseason as GM. The team used Glasgow as a starter for two seasons, but an injury midway through the 2021 campaign moved third-round pick Quinn Meinerz into the starting lineup. Meinerz won a competition with Glasgow to keep the first-string guard job opposite Dalton Risner.
The Broncos reached a pay-cut agreement with Glasgow for the 2022 season, dropping the veteran’s cap number to $6.1MM. It was set to climb to $14MM this year, making the seven-year veteran a cut candidate. Glasgow, 30, filled in for Meinerz early this season but mostly worked as a center, replacing an injured Lloyd Cushenberry for most of the slate’s second half. Glasgow started 13 games for the Broncos in 2022, but the team still has Cushenberry under contract.
This offseason could lead Risner off the roster as well. The Broncos are not planning to keep the Colorado native off the market, creating a need at left guard to go with the team’s evergreen vacancy at right tackle. GM George Paton confirmed the Broncos will look to upgrade their O-line this offseason. With Risner perhaps departing and Cushenberry’s starter status unknown, the team could be looking to bring in three new starters.
Steelers To Cut CB William Jackson
The Steelers’ trade for William Jackson did not end up leading to any playing time. Unsurprisingly, the team is moving on. The Steelers are releasing Jackson, per The Score’s Jordan Schultz (on Twitter). 
Jackson has gone from signing an eight-figure-per-year contract to being jettisoned by two teams over the past few months. Washington sent the veteran cornerback to Pittsburgh for a low-end return at the deadline. An injury kept Jackson off the field, and he will head back to free agency two years after hitting the market as one of the top players available.
This transaction will result in the Steelers saving $12.2MM, making it one of the more obvious cost-saving moves during this year’s cut wave. Jackson was attached to a three-year, $40.5MM deal, but the Commanders began to backtrack early last season. While Jackson fared well with the Bengals, the 30-year-old cover man’s career is at a crossroads.
Washington remains responsible for $9MM of Jackson’s 2023 money, and the Washington Post’s Sam Fortier notes the conditions of the trade not being met will not give the NFC East team the right to swap picks with Pittsburgh in the 2025 seventh round (Twitter link). The Commanders ended up saving $2.77MM — the remainder of Jackson’s 2022 base salary — but this will go down as a significant free agency miss for the team.
Cornerback has long been considered a position of need for the Steelers heading into free agency, regardless of if they are able to retain Cameron Sutton. The 28-year-old figures to have plenty of suitors on the open market, after he notched three interceptions and 15 pass breakups in 2022, both career-highs. Jackson will not play into Pittsburgh’s plans if Sutton departs.
Jackson has more than $46MM in career earnings to date, but a more modest contract than the past two he has played on surely awaits him in the near future. Sutton, along with the likes of James Bradberry and recent cuts such as Shaquill Griffin and Ronald Darby, headline the options in the 2023 free agency class. Jackson will slot in behind those names, but his previous success could land him a deal allowing him to rebuild at least some of his value.
Broncos To Cut Chase Edmonds, Ronald Darby
Broncos cost-clearing moves are commencing. They are cutting Chase Edmonds, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Part of the Bradley Chubb trade last year, Edmonds will head straight to free agency as a vested veteran.
This has long been one of the expected moves the team can make to create cap space, and $5.9MM in savings will emerge as a result. A former Cardinals regular, Edmonds did not have a chance to make much of an impact in Denver.
The Broncos are also releasing Ronald Darby, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The Darby transaction will lead to more savings for the AFC West franchise. Darby was set to earn $12.7MM in base salary next season; Denver will save $9.6MM by releasing the veteran cornerback.
The Dolphins sent over Edmonds in the Chubb deal for salary purposes, offloading the two-year, $12.1MM contract they authorized in free agency last year. That deal brought the Broncos a first-round pick, which the team ended up sending to the Saints in exchange for Sean Payton‘s rights. During an injury-abbreviated stint, Edmonds ended up totaling just 26 carries as a Bronco. He did perform better in Denver compared to his Miami work (2.9 yards per carry on 42 totes), but the former Cardinal starter will hit free agency at a bad time. Several starter-caliber backs join Edmonds on the market this year, creating a buyer’s environment at a position in which not too many teams figure to allocate notable resources.
Denver made a more notable investment in Darby back in 2021, giving him a three-year deal worth $30MM. This was one of GM George Paton‘s first signings. While Darby played well when available, the 30-year-old cover man could not shake the injury issues that plagued him prior to his Colorado trip. Darby missed six games for the Broncos in 2021 and suffered a torn ACL five games into the ’22 season.
Dealing with injuries to numerous starters last season, the Broncos encountered a brutal stretch during a four-day October stretch. They lost Darby, Garett Bolles and Javonte Williams to season-ending injuries between a Week 4 loss to the Raiders and an ugly Week 5 loss to the Colts. That created a need in the backfield, with Latavius Murray pitching in to fill it as well.
Despite being 32 and on a free agent market with a number of younger backs, Murray may have a path back to Denver. Payton coached him in New Orleans and spoke fondly of the veteran during interviews recently. Murray returning on a low-cost deal as a backup/Williams insurance option may end up coming to pass, though the Broncos will probably seek out a better insurance option alongside Murray in the event their starter is not ready to return from his ACL tear to start the season.
Following Darby’s injury, the Broncos turned to fourth-round rookie Damarri Mathis opposite All-Pro Patrick Surtain II. While cornerback may end up being a need area in Denver, the team does have slot man K’Waun Williams under contract as well. A new defensive coordinator — Vance Joseph — being in place, however, will probably lead to the Broncos looking around at the position this offseason. With no picks in the first or second rounds, the Broncos figure to be active in free agency.
Vikings To Waive CB Cameron Dantzler
The Vikings are certainly going to be in the cornerback market soon. In addition to having Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan set for free agency, Minnesota is moving on from its other primary corner in 2022.
Minnesota is waiving Cameron Dantzler, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This will create $2.7MM in cap space for the team. While the move sheds a Mike Zimmer-era investment from the roster, it will intensify the Vikes’ need at this premium position. Dantzler started nine games for Minnesota last season, playing the boundary role opposite Peterson.
Although Dantzler had started 26 games for the Vikings from 2020-22, the team has a new defensive coordinator (Brian Flores) in place. It also needs to continue clearing cap room ahead of free agency. Despite this transaction and the releases of Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen, the Vikings are still more than $6MM over the cap as of Friday afternoon.
One season and that $2.7MM number — Dantzler’s 2023 base salary — remains on the contract. Because he is not yet a vested veteran, Dantzler will only hit free agency if he passes through waivers. It will be interesting to see if a team will cut into its pre-free agency budget to take a flier on the former third-round pick.
Given the Vikings’ struggles on defense during Ed Donatell‘s lone season in charge, it is unsurprising the team is making changes. Pro Football Focus graded Dantzler outside the top 60 at corner last season, but the Vikings relied on him despite drafting Andrew Booth in the second round. Booth eventually suffered a season-ending injury, but he was unable to overtake Dantzler before the setback. Dantzler also battled injury issues, missing seven games. He spent time on IR due to a high ankle sprain late in the season.
With Booth coming off injury and Dantzler, Peterson and Sullivan unsigned, the team will need to turn its attention to the corner spot in free agency and the draft.
Dolphins To Pick Up Tua Tagovailoa’s Fifth-Year Option
Fifth-year option decisions are not due for nearly two months, but the Dolphins are making it clear to Tua Tagovailoa he remains their centerpiece player.
The team has informed Tagovailoa his fifth-year option will be picked up, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This will lock in the southpaw passer to $23.2MM in 2024. The 2020 CBA changed the fifth-year option to being guaranteed for injury only to fully guaranteeing players’ salaries.
At the Combine, the Dolphins were not as definitive about Tagovailoa’s future. Mike McDaniel did not guarantee the team would exercise the option, but several days later, the team is moving ahead with a nice show of confidence in its starter. This comes after Tagovailoa displayed considerable improvement but did so in a season that will be better remembered for his concussion issues. Those aside, Dolphins decision-makers have said they want Tagovailoa to be their starter for a long time.
Additional uncertainty emerged when reports began to surface indicating the Dolphins were surveying the QB market and considering outside options. This early option declaration could well be an effort by the franchise to show some faith. Following the Ravens’ decision to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, it was reported the Dolphins are not expected to pursue the star talent. McDaniel remains behind Tagovailoa, with ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington noting the second-year HC “fully believes Tua is the perfect fit for his system.”
This will be the first of three QB fifth-year options to be picked up before May, with the Bengals and Chargers certainly set to exercise the add-ons for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. It will be interesting to see how the Packers proceed with Jordan Love, who has ridden the bench for three seasons ahead of his option date. With Love looking likelier by the day to be Green Bay’s starter in 2023, he will have a decent chance of seeing that option exercised despite having been a career-long backup.
The Dolphins chose Tua one spot ahead of Herbert in 2020. While that decision has benefited the Chargers, Tagovailoa’s strides in 2022 narrowed the perception gap between these two AFC passers. After two unremarkable seasons, Tagovailoa took steps forward in McDaniel’s system. His unavailability aside, the Alabama alum finished the year third in QBR — behind only Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — and ended his third season with 25 touchdown passes despite finishing only 12 games.
Miami’s season can be divided into two relatively separate sections: with and without Tua. The Dolphins went 8-4 in the games Tagovailoa finished. They were 1-5 in the other contests. Teddy Bridgewater‘s issues staying healthy also hurt Miami’s cause, leading to Skylar Thompson making unexpected starts — including in the team’s playoff game in Buffalo — but the Dolphins’ offense suffered immensely without its starting QB on the field. Tagovailoa has been cleared from concussion protocol, though his suffering at least two concussions — in addition to a controversial Week 3 sequence in which he showed concussion-like symptoms, leading to an overhaul to the NFL’s protocol — clouds his future. Nevertheless, the Dolphins are still betting on their former top-five investment.
After making an infamous run at Tom Brady last year and pursuing Deshaun Watson in 2021, the Dolphins will attempt to have a stable quarterback offseason. Jackson being a South Florida native would have made such a pursuit interesting, but teams have made early efforts to avoid doling out the fully guaranteed contract the former MVP seeks.
Rams To Release OLB Leonard Floyd
MARCH 10: Although trade rumors emerged, the Rams are planning to release their top edge rusher Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will give Floyd a chance to catch on with a third team and create a major need for the Rams at outside linebacker. Floyd was the only Rams edge player to record more than one sack in 2022.
MARCH 6: The Rams have already made their intentions clear with linebacker Bobby Wagner, and other cost-cutting moves are expected to come as well. That will include a parting of ways with pass rusher Leonard Floyd. 
[RELATED: Rams Allow Allen Robinson To Seek Trade]
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Los Angeles will look to trade the veteran, and in the absence of a deal materializing, he will be released (Twitter link). That is the same stance the team has taken with Wagner, whose tenure with his hometown team will come to an end after just one season.
Floyd, 30, was cut by the Bears after four disappointing seasons in the Windy City. That led him to Los Angeles on a one-year deal which paid enormous dividends for both player and team. Floyd recorded a career-high 10.5 sacks that season, and he inked a four-year, $64MM contract off the back of that production. In the two seasons following that deal, he has started all 17 games both years while remaining a key member of the team’s defense.
The former first-rounder racked up 9.5 sacks in 2021, then followed that up with 9.0 this past season. Floyd played snap shares of 80% and 86%, respectively, showing not only his durability after injuries were a factor early in his career, but also the dearth of consistent pass rushers the team had aside from him. The Rams are expected to pursue multiple additions at that position, something which will be made easier from a financial perspective with Floyd (whose deal was restructured last March) off the books.
Releasing Floyd right away would serve almost no purpose for the Rams (only $3MM in cap savings, against a dead money charge of $19MM). If he were to be designated a post-June 1 cut, though, those figures would become $15.5MM and $6.5MM, respectively. The latter path would therefore be the one taken by Los Angeles unless a trade partner could be found for an edge rusher who has demonstrated a consistent level of production.
If Floyd does hit free agency, he will likely be joined in that regard by Bud Dupree, who earlier today was reported to become the latest veteran the Titans are parting ways with. Those two, along with Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, and Justin Houston, are set to headline the veterans available at the position when the new league year begins.
Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott’s Deal
Entering Friday more than $16MM over the cap, the Cowboys have moved well under the 2023 salary ceiling. They restructured the contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
These revisions cleared approximately $30MM in cap space for the Cowboys, who recently allocated $10.1MM to a Tony Pollard franchise tag. The conversion involved around $29MM of Prescott’s 2023 base salary shifting to a signing bonus, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. This restructure will either bump up Prescott’s 2024 cap number or add more void years to his deal, but it will drop the quarterback’s 2023 cap figure from a historically high place. Prescott’s 2024 number now comes in at around $59MM, Archer tweets. That number will obviously be untenable for the team.
Prescott was set to carry a $49.13MM cap number this year. No player had previously played a season with a cap hit higher than $46MM, though Deshaun Watson is currently on track to do so. The Browns are considering restructuring their quarterback’s fully guaranteed deal, and Prescott’s restructure will only lead to more talk of another extension coming to pass.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said a second Prescott extension is likely to happen. The Cowboys have Dak signed on his $40MM-per-year contract for two more seasons. Prior to Friday’s restructure, the QB was set to carry a $52.1MM cap hit in 2024. With that number venturing deeper into uncharted waters via today’s transaction, Prescott extension talk figures to accelerate. The parties are not believed to have entered discussions about a new deal, but Prescott said recently he looks forward to an extension “when that time comes.”
This restructure will increase Prescott’s leverage, as Dallas will be eager to reduce his 2024 cap number. Daniel Jones‘ $40MM-per-year deal and the potential re-ups for Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert — and whatever happens with Lamar Jackson this year — also will work in Prescott’s favor. When Prescott and the Cowboys negotiated up until the 2020 franchise tag extension deadline, a deal in the $35MM-AAV range was rumored. It ended up being pushed to $40MM ahead of the 2021 March tag deadline. Once Hurts, Burrow and Herbert sign, the next round of Prescott talks could center around a number beginning with a 5.
“I don’t want to dare do this to Dak or me or anybody,” Jerry Jones said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill. “But I think just as [Tom] Brady became better and better and more impactful on how they won as he got into his career, I think that really [Dak] has those qualities. I think he can get better.”
Martin’s $14MM-per-year contract runs through 2024. The team is also in talks with Tyron Smith about a potential reworking, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The team is trying to reduce Smith’s $17.6MM cap number. Attached to the NFL’s longest-running contract, Dallas’ left tackle is finally near the end of that eight-year pact. It expires after the 2023 season. Two void years are already on Smith’s contract, limiting the Cowboys’ options with their 12-year tackle. The team is trying to keep Smith in the fold for a 13th season.