Bills Bring Back T Bobby Hart
After bouncing on and off the Bills’ 53-man roster last season, Bobby Hart is back in Buffalo for another go-round. The Bills re-signed the veteran tackle Monday.
Agreeing to a one-year deal, Hart will attempt to make Buffalo’s roster and play an eighth NFL season. Hart’s run as a starter came to an end last season, one the former seventh-round pick spent with three teams.
The Bills signed Hart in March 2021 but cut him just before the season. The ex-Giants draftee made his way to the Dolphins as a practice squad player before rejoining the Bills early in the season. Injuries on the Titans’ offensive line led Hart to Tennessee, where he started a game and played in two more. The Bills then signed Hart back in November, making the reverse transaction by adding him off the Titans’ taxi squad, and kept him for the rest of the season.
Hart’s first six seasons were a bit smoother, minus his late-season Giants release in 2017. The Florida State product spent the first three years of his career with the Giants and the next three with the Bengals, starting 67 games. That is a rather high number for a 27-year-old blocker expected to be a backup. The Bills have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown at tackle, with guard/tackle Cody Ford on the roster as well. Hart stands to compete for a swing job this year.
49ers Sign WR Malik Turner
The 49ers hosted two veteran wide receivers on visits last week. Both are now signed. Following Marcus Johnson‘s agreement, the 49ers announced they signed Malik Turner on Monday.
Turner also agreed to a one-year deal. The former UDFA will join his third team, coming to San Francisco after two-year stays in Seattle and Dallas.
A University of Illinois product, Turner has worked as a backup and special-teamer for most of his career. The 6-foot-2 pass catcher has 29 career receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those TDs came last season, though each occurred in lopsided contests — two in a loss to the Broncos and one in the Cowboys’ 56-point outing against Washington. Turner, 26, also participated on 59% of the Cowboys’ special teams plays.
Both Turner and Johnson stand to compete for backup jobs with the 49ers. San Francisco has its top three receivers — Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings — under contract. That said, Samuel was frequently used in the backfield last season; Aiyuk produced an inconsistent sophomore campaign; Jennings is a former seventh-round pick who missed his rookie year. The team adding veteran help makes sense. Johnson and Turner join ex-Steelers return man/slot player Ray-Ray McCloud as 49ers offseason receiver additions.
Bengals Re-Sign CB Tre Flowers
The Bengals have retained a depth piece of their secondary. The team announced the recent re-signing of cornerback Tre Flowers; Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network adds that the deal is for one year and $1.85MM (Twitter link). 
Flowers was a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2018. He started 40 of 47 games in Seattle, totalling 196 tackles and three interceptions. His role was reduced in 2021, however, which signalled a departure in free agency was likely. He got a head start on that process when he asked for – and was granted – his release in October.
The Bengals claimed Flowers off waivers, adding the 26-year-old to their CB room. While he only registered one start in Cincinnati, he made 11 appearances in the regular season, and dressed for all four of the team’s playoff games. In his time with the Bengals, Flowers’ yards per completion against figure (9.6) was the lowest of his career, though he still received a PFF grade in line with his usual sub-par ratings.
Ahead of Flowers on the CB depth chart, the Bengals still have Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton and Eli Apple. With Flowers back in the fold, though, they have experienced depth available at a low cost as they look to make another Super Bowl run.
Commanders Re-Sign K Joey Slye
The Commanders will be retaining their kicker for the short-term future. The team announced on Monday that Joey Slye has be re-signed. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that the sides have agreed on a two-year deal with a maximum value of almost $5MM. (Twitter link). 
Like many others at his position, Slye has bounced around during his three years in the NFL. He spent two seasons with the Panthers, converting 54 of 68 field goal attempts (79.4%). He also went 64-for-71 on extra point tries. Carolina cut him on the eve of the 2021 season, though, after they traded for Ryan Santoso.
That led him to the Texans, although he only played in three games for them. He made the same number of appearances with the 49ers shortly thereafter, before finally ending up in the nation’s capital. The Virginia Tech product stabilized the kicking situation in Washington, making all 12 of his field goals and missing just one extra point.
That success rate has earned him this multi-year deal, and a degree of stability for the first time since his Carolina days. With Slye in place, Washington can move forward with a relatively strong kicking game and an element to what they hope will be an improved offense.
Vikings K Greg Joseph Signs RFA Tender
Greg Joseph will be staying in Minnesota for at least one more year. The kicker has signed his RFA tender, as announced by his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network). 
The 27-year-old has found himself on a number of both 53-man and practice squad rosters since entering the league in 2018. Originally signed by the Dolphins as a UDFA, his first action came with the Browns. He made 17 of 20 field goal attempts in Cleveland, along with 25 of 29 extra points.
He wasn’t able to retain his starting spot during the following training camp, though, which had him on the move again. After a stint on the Panthers’ practice squad, he made two appearances with the Titans. The FAU alum then spent the entire 2020 campaign with the Buccaneers; he didn’t make any appearances in Tampa Bay, but still capped off the season with a Super Bowl ring.
That led to his deal with the Vikings last offseason. Coming in as the replacement for Dan Bailey, Joseph played in all 17 games in 2021. He made 33 of 38 field goal attempts, good for a success rate of 86.8%. He also converted 36 of 40 extra points. That level of success led to the Vikings tendering him, and he will now spend multiple seasons with the same team for the first time in his career.
Chargers To Sign LB Troy Reeder
Troy Reeder is changing teams, but not locations. Pro Football Network’s Mike Kaye reports that the linebacker is signing a one-year deal with the Chargers.
Reeder, 27, joined the Rams as a UDFA in 2019. In three seasons there, he started 25 of 49 games, taking on a greater role with each passing year. The 2021 campaign saw him make a career-high 91 tackles and add two sacks, as well as a pair of interceptions. He was not tendered as an RFA, though, leaving him open to sign elsewhere.
That became a much greater possibility, of course, when the Rams signed Bobby Wagner. The longtime Seahawk represents a sizeable addition to what was seen as one of the few weak spots on the reigning champions’ roster. Now, Reeder will join a revamped Chargers defense looking to improve on its 30th overall ranking against the run last season.
To that end, the Chargers have already signed former Ram Sebastian Joseph-Day. Reeder now represents another face which will be familiar to head coach Brandon Staley, who was previously the Rams’ defensive coordinator. He will join a linebacking corps which also includes 2020 first rounder Kenneth Murray, another player known for his size and aggression.
Reeder should see significant playing time, either as a starter or key backup in the middle of the Chargers’ defense. If the team’s other additions on that side of the ball (most notably Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson) play to their potential, he could find himself playing in a second straight Super Bowl.
Bears Sign LB Matthew Adams
Former Colts seventh-round pick Matthew Adams will follow Matt Eberflus to Chicago. The Bears signed the veteran linebacker to a one-year contract Saturday.
Despite his final-round draft status, Adams played four seasons with the Colts — all during Eberflus’ defensive coordinator stay — and served as a defensive part-timer and near-full-time special teams contributor. Adams joins defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad as ex-Colt defenders to commit to Chicago since Eberflus’ HC hire.
Part of the 2018 draft class that sent Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard, Braden Smith and Nyheim Hines to the Colts, Adams played 58 games for the team. The Colts used the ex-Houston Cougar as a nine-game starter over his first two seasons but kept him strictly on special teams from 2020-21. Adams played 79% of Indianapolis’ special teams plays in 2021, making 10 tackles.
Chicago has added a few auxiliary players at linebacker this offseason, signing ex-Raider Nicholas Morrow along with journeymen backups Joe Thomas and Noah Dawkins. Entering his fifth season, Roquan Smith stands to anchor this group — one that lost six-year cog Danny Trevathan following a March release.
Ravens Re-Sign Calais Campbell
Calais Campbell is returning to Baltimore. The Pro Bowl pass rusher is re-signing with the Ravens, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It’s a two-year deal for Campbell, and the defender is now expected to finish his career in Baltimore. Per Josina Anderson on Twitter, the deal has a max value of $16.5MM, and the deal contains $6MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).
While Campbell left the door open to retire following the 2021 campaign, he later confirmed that he wanted to stick around for at least another season. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta later admitted that he was trying to convince Campbell to re-sign with the Ravens, and it sounds like the organization ultimately got their way.
“It just felt like the right move,” Campbell told Anderson (via Twitter). “I feel like we started something special and we have unfinished business there.”
A former Cardinals second-round pick, Campbell has excelled for three different franchises. He already rewarded the Jaguars as a 30-something free agent, spearheading the team’s “Sacksonville” D-line to the Super Bowl precipice in 2017. After three Pro Bowl seasons in Jacksonville, Campbell landed in Baltimore via trade in 2020.
In his two seasons with Baltimore, Campbell has started 26 of his 27 games while collecting 5.5 sacks. The 35-year-old delivered another strong season in 2021, helping a Ravens team that had to play without Derek Wolfe‘s for the entire year. Campbell ultimately finished the season with 49 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 12 QB hits.
A six-time Pro Bowler, former All-Pro, Walter Payton Man of the Year winner, 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, and a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team, Campbell is also in search of his 100th career sack. He currently sits at 93.5, although he has transitioned more and more into a run-stopper than a pass rusher in recent years.
Browns To Sign Josh Dobbs
After a pair of visits with other AFC teams, quarterback Josh Dobbs is landing in Cleveland. The Browns are signing him to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
[RELATED: Dobbs Visited Ravens, Patriots]
Dobbs was drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers in 2017. He made five appearances in Pittsburgh one year later, but was then traded to the Jaguars the following September. While he ended up back with the Steelers in 2020, he ultimately lost out to Mason Rudolph as the team’s backup to Ben Roethlisberger.
The 27-year-old garnered a notable amount of interest in free agency, working out with Baltimore and New England. The former only currently has two QBs on the roster, so a signing with the Ravens wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Instead, he will join a different Steelers’ AFC North rival.
In Cleveland, Dobbs will join a QB room which is – at least for the time being – rather crowded. The Browns have Deshaun Watson at the top of the depth chart, and added experienced depth by signing Jacoby Brissett to replace Case Keenum. The elephant in the room remains Baker Mayfield, whom the team has been widely expected to trade but has expressed a willingness to keep.
Regardless of how the rest of the Browns’ roster shakes out at the position, Dobbs will provide the team with another depth option amongst its signal-callers.
Bears To Sign CB Tavon Young
The Bears are making another addition to their secondary. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the team is signing slot cornerback Tavon Young to a one-year, $1.365MM deal (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Bears Sign DB Cruikshank]
Young, 28, had been with the Ravens since they drafted him in 2016. During his time there, he established himself as effective member of the team’s secondary. While his tenure overlapped with Pro Bowlers such as Eric Weddle, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, he carved out a role for himself as the slot corner.
Young’s play earned him a three-year extension in 2019. Valued at just under $26MM, the deal made him the highest-paid slot CB in the league. In the two seasons immediately following that signing, however, he played in only two games; the 2019 campaign was the second in his relatively brief career (the other being 2017) that he missed in its entirety, primarily due to knee injuries.
The former fourth rounder was able to return to full health, as he played all 17 games in the 2021 season. During his four campaigns in Baltimore, he totalled 127 tackles, four interceptions and four sacks. That tenure came to an end last month, though, as he was cut in a cost-saving move.
Young should be able to step in to the starting slot role in Chicago, where, if he can stay healthy, he will likely provide solid value relative to the modest contract. Without many experienced options behind the aforementioned Humphrey and Peters, the Ravens are expected to turn to the draft for Young’s replacement, or at least depth at the position.