Bears Sign DB Dane Cruikshank
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, Dane Cruikshank is moving to Chicago. The Bears have signed the defensive back, according to the player’s agent (h/t Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com).
Cruikshank was a fifth-round pick out of Arizona in 2018. The defensive back played mostly a special teams role through his first two seasons in the NFL, appearing in 28 total games. His 2020 campaign was mostly wiped out thanks to a pair of injured reserve stints, limiting him to only a pair of appearances.
The 26-year-old took a clear step forward in 2021, setting career-highs across the board while appearing in about half of his team’s defensive snaps. In 14 games (four starts), Cruikshank collected 43 tackles and one forced fumble.
Assuming Cruikshank slots in as a safety, he’ll be joining a depth chart that currently features Eddie Jackson, DeAndre Houston-Carson, and Michael Joseph.
Vikings To Re-Sign Patrick Peterson
Although the Vikings have changed GMs and coaching staffs, Patrick Peterson will return for a second season in Minnesota.
The All-Decade cornerback said during an appearance on the All Things Covered podcast (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) he is re-signing with the Vikings on a one-year deal. The deal is worth $4MM, including $3.5MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Twitter). This will be Peterson’s 12th NFL season.
Minnesota gave the former Arizona star corner a one-year, $8MM deal in 2021. New GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah praised the Mike Zimmer-era signing recently, and the eight-time Pro Bowler will aim to make an impact in new DC Ed Donatell‘s system. Peterson, who will turn 32 this summer, played 13 games with the Vikings last season. A few other teams — the Bills, Bears, Colts and Commanders — also expressed interest, Peterson said (via the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson; Twitter links).
After regressing toward the end of his Cardinals tenure, which featured a 2019 PED suspension, the former top-five pick performed better in his first Vikes campaign. Peterson allowed a 67% completion rate as the nearest defender in coverage in 2020; he dropped that number to 56% last season. Peterson’s passer rating-against figure also dropped considerably (98.2 to 78.7) in that span. While the 6-foot-1 cover man is not the player he was at his peak, he remains a capable starter.
The Vikings waived Bashaud Breeland late last season; he ended the season with the Cards. Former Minnesota first-round corner Jeff Gladney is also with Arizona, having signed with the NFC West squad this offseason. Minnesota returns Cameron Dantzler, who started seven games last year, and signed slot defender Chandon Sullivan from Green Bay. The Vikings also added potential depth pieces in Nate Hairston and Tye Smith this week. Even with Peterson’s return, the Vikings still have a need at the position. Peterson expects the team to further address cornerback in the draft (Twitter link via Tomasson).
Jaguars Sign Arden Key
On Wednesday, the Jaguars announced the signing of Arden Key. The defensive end will receive a one-year deal that could be worth up to $7MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 
Key has always been viewed as an elite talent, dating back to his college days. Once considered a first-round prospect, Key fell to the Raiders in the third round of the 2018 draft. He didn’t shine with his original team, but he seemed to put it all together with the 49ers in his platform year. After notching 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits, his career year led to a strong free agent market.
The Lions, Ravens, and Chiefs all looked into Key, but the Jaguars seem to have come away with the winning bid. The Niners, meanwhile, will be leaning more on Kerry Hyder for quarterback pressure.
The Jaguars could still look to add more pass rushers in the draft, but Key figures to be an important part of the edge rotation no matter what. It’s a huge step up for Key, who looked to be trending in the wrong direction as recently as 2020. In that year with the Raiders, Key played on roughly 40% of the defensive snaps but couldn’t manage a single sack.
It’s worth noting that another strong season could position Key for a much larger payday next year, especially since he won’t turn 26 until May.
Malcolm Jenkins Retires From NFL
Malcolm Jenkins is calling it a career. In an interview with The Pivot podcast (Twitter link), the longtime NFL safety announced his retirement from football. 
[RELATED: Saints’ Hill Likely Done At QB]
Jenkins, a 13-year veteran, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Saints back in 2009. Now, at the age of 34, Jenkins is moving on to a new chapter.
“I recall when we first drafted Malcolm in 2009, he made contributions to a Super Bowl Championship team in multiple positions in the secondary and then pretty quickly developed into an outstanding safety,” said Saints head coach Dennis Allen in a team press release. “The combination of skill, awareness and intelligence allowed Malcolm to be in position to make plays all over the field. To put up the numbers he did for as long as he did speaks both to his talent and his commitment to his craft. He was also a great leader in the locker room and important contributor to the community. I’m proud to say that I had the opportunity to coach Malcolm and congratulate him on an excellent career.”
The Ohio State product began his career in New Orleans and became a full-time starter in his second season. After five years with the Saints, he moved on to the Eagles, where he enjoyed a successful six year run and three Pro Bowl nods (2015, 2017, and 2018). If Saints head coach Sean Payton could have done it differently, he never would have let Jenkins get to Philly.
“Probably one of the bigger mistakes that we’ve made, and you have to ask yourself how did that happen? Letting him out of the building certainly wasn’t a smart decision,” Payton said in 2020.
The Saints signed Jenkins that year, enabling him to finish his career where it all started. Jenkins exits the field with 1,044 career tackles, 21 interceptions, eleven fumble recoveries, seven defensive touchdowns, and 199 games played. He’s also got quite the jewelry collection, having won two Super Bowl rings for the 2009 and 2017 seasons.
We here at PFR wish Jenkins the best in retirement.
Ravens Sign John Harbaugh To Extension
The Ravens will continue their John Harbaugh partnership for a while. The rumored extension for the longtime Baltimore HC came to fruition Tuesday. Steve Bisciotti announced Harbaugh has signed a three-year re-up, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter).
This is Harbaugh’s fifth extension since he joined the Ravens in 2008. Harbaugh, 59, was entering a contract year; he is now signed through the 2025 season. With Sean Payton moving on from his Saints post, Harbaugh will enter the season as the NFL’s third-longest-tenured HC.
While the Ravens stumbled down the stretch last season, tumbling out of the playoff picture thanks to a six-game losing streak, Harbaugh has been one of the NFL’s steadier leaders since taking over. Baltimore has ventured to nine playoff brackets under Harbaugh, who has taken the team to three AFC championship games and secured the franchise’s second Super Bowl title nine years ago. He will enter the 2022 season with 137 wins (27th all time) and a .609 win percentage (33rd all time).
Baltimore’s only two losing seasons under Harbaugh came when his starting quarterback missed significant time. Prior to Lamar Jackson missing games to close out this past season, Joe Flacco suffered a torn ACL during the 2015 campaign. During the Flacco-to-Jackson transition year, uncertainty emerged regarding Harbaugh’s Baltimore future. Jackson’s late surge in that 2018 season helped Harbaugh off the hot seat, and he has not been connected to potentially losing his job since.
With Harbaugh locked down, focus can now shift to Jackson’s contract. Harbaugh has repeatedly said the former MVP will land a long-term extension from the Ravens, but no reports have indicated the sides are particularly close on a deal.
Patriots To Sign Jabrill Peppers
After visiting with the Patriots, safety Jabrill Peppers has decided to join the team. He is signing a one-year contract with New England, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). His colleague Field Yates tweets that the deal has a maximum value of $5MM. 
The 26-year-old met with the Patriots yesterday, signalling that a deal could be imminent. Now, he is set to join a new NFL team for the second time in his career. The former first rounder played two seasons in Cleveland, but wound up with the Giants as a result of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
He played in the Big Apple for three years, starting in 30 of his 32 appearances. Over that time, the former Michigan Wolverine totalled 196 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 17 pass breakups. While his numbers in terms of pass coverage have never been favorable, he has established himself as an effective safety defending the run, and contributed on special teams as a returner as well.
By signing in New England, Peppers will reunite with Joe Judge, his head coach in New York. The longtime Patriots assistant – whose background is in special teams – will work to replace Josh McDaniels‘ contributions on offense this season. While he and Peppers likely won’t work as closely together in New England, therefore, there is still a high degree of familiarity between the two.
Peppers will join a Patriots safety room already featuring the likes of Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger. Schefter reports that he is expected to be recovered from a torn ACL in time for this season’s training camp. The Giants, meanwhile, will likely turn to Xavier McKinney as Peppers’ replacement.
Saints To Sign Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton has found his next home in the NFL. The veteran is signing with the Saints on a one-year contract worth up to $6MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The deal includes $3MM in guaranteed money. 
[RELATED: Bears Sign QB Siemian]
The 34-year-old has settled into life as a backup after nine years as the starter in Cincinnati. He held the No. 2 job in Dallas in 2020, though he made nine starts as a result of injuries to Dak Prescott. He went 4-5 in that stretch, tossing 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. That was followed by another one-year contract, this time in Chicago.
Dalton was named the starter for the Bears last April, though the team drafted Justin Fields later that month. The former ended up making six starts in the Windy City, putting up almost identical passing stats to his time the year before. With Fields having taken over as the QB of the present and future by the end of the year, though, it became clear Dalton would be on his way out.
In New Orleans, the TCU alum will replace Trevor Siemian, who recently joined the Bears. The Saints have re-signed Jameis Winston as their starter, but his injury history could open the door to playing time for Dalton. If that ends up happening, it would continue his recent streak of getting notable snaps despite spending long stretches as a backup. At a minimum, the three-time Pro Bowler is in line to extend his career for one more season.
Browns To Sign C Ethan Pocic
Not long after parting ways with J.C. Tretter, the Browns are set to add to the interior of their offensive line. The team is signing center Ethan Pocic, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns To Cut Tretter]
Pocic, 26, played five seasons in Seattle after being drafted in the second round by the Seahawks in 2017. Over that time, he played at both guard and center. In total, he registered 57 appearances and 40 starts with the team.
Pocic’s heaviest workloads in terms of snaps percentage have come in the past two campaigns. In 2020, he was on the field for every offensive play in the 14 contests he suited up for, and last season, that figure was 79%. The 2021 campaign was the first in which the LSU alum didn’t commit any accepted penalties. That helped him earn a PFF grade of 67.3, the highest of his career.
Pocic’s days in Seattle were likely numbered when the team signed Austin Blythe at the start of free agency. The former Ram returned to the NFC West after one season as a backup in Kansas City. Given the absence of Tretter in Cleveland, though, Pocic has an opportunity to compete for the starting center job with Nick Harris. The latter has played sparingly in two seasons with the Browns.
With Pocic, the Browns have gotten younger in the middle of their offensive front while adding accomplished depth at a minimum. If the deal is similar in value to his career earnings, it also shouldn’t use up too much of the Browns’ roughly $21MM in cap space.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/28/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: RB Qadree Ollison
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: WR Stanley Morgan (two-year deal)
New York Giants
- Re-signed: RB Sandro Platzgummer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: LS Zach Triner
Vikings Sign CB Nate Hairston
The Vikings made a handful of roster moves today, including the signing of a veteran cornerback. The team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve signed cornerback Nate Hairston. The Vikings also announced the signing of offensive lineman Jesse Davis, and the team announced that they have re-signed cornerback Tye Smith.
[RELATED: Vikings Sign OL Jesse Davis]
Hairston was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2017, and he spent the first two seasons of his career with Indy, starting 11 of his 27 games. He spent the 2019 campaign with the Jets before splitting the 2020 season between New York and Denver.
In total, Hairston has seen time in 59 career games, collecting 104 tackles and a pair of interceptions. That includes a 2021 campaign with the Broncos where he complied nine tackles and four passes defended in 16 games (one start). The 27-year-old played the majority of his snaps on special teams last year.
Smith, a former fifth-round pick, joined the Vikings last offseason, and he collected six tackles in five games with the organization. Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter), Smith is signing a one-year minimum contract worth $1.035MM.