Saints, S Daniel Sorensen Agree To Deal
The Saints are adding some safety depth, luring Daniel Sorensen away from Kansas City. The career-long Chief agreed to terms with the Saints on Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. The Saints have announced Sorensen’s one-year agreement.
Sorensen, 32, spent eight seasons with the Chiefs, working as a starter and frequently used utility player during Andy Reid‘s Missouri run. The Saints will add the former UDFA to a safety stable that includes Malcolm Jenkins and the recently signed Marcus Maye.
New Orleans lost Marcus Williams in free agency; Maye will be ticketed to replace him alongside Jenkins. Sorensen makes sense as a depth player and special-teamer, having made key contributions with the Chiefs and carved out a long career despite his anonymous NFL entrance. He has also drawn frequent scrutiny for his coverage work.
The BYU product notched eight interceptions from 2019-21, being a 21-game starter in that span. One of those went back for a game-sealing touchdown against the Broncos last season. Sorensen produced a pick-six in 2020 as well. But he allowed a whopping 132.7 passer rating when targeted in 2021, being a key part of the Chiefs’ early-season defensive struggles.
The Chiefs signed Justin Reid early in free agency, signaling their three-year Tyrann Mathieu partnership was likely over. They still have Juan Thornhill tied to his rookie contract as well. The Saints were connected to Mathieu, a Louisiana native, in free agency but their Maye agreement likely closed that door.
Lions To Bring Back LB Jarrad Davis
Jarrad Davis spent the 2021 season with the Jets, but the former Lions first-round pick is heading back to Detroit. Despite a new regime having replaced the one that drafted him, the veteran linebacker committed to rejoin the Lions on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Although Davis received steady opportunities in Detroit, the Lions did not pick up his fifth-year option. He was benched during his contract year and ended up a Jet on a one-year deal. The Florida alum contemplated retirement following his initial Detroit exit and saw injury issues slow him in New York.
The Lions used Davis as a full-time player from 2017-18, and he compiled a 100-tackle, six-sack season in 2018. Advanced metrics did not view Davis’ work especially well, and he missed five games due to injury in 2019. In 2020, the Lions used him as just a four-game starter. With the Jets last season, Davis played nine games (five starts) but recorded just 25 tackles and spent the first half of the season on IR.
Detroit has not made significant investments at inside linebacker since Davis departed in 2021. The team jettisoned Jamie Collins midway through last season, opening the door for fourth-round rookie Derrick Barnes to see additional playing time. Alex Anzalone remains under contract, but the team lost Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the Texans last week. Reeves-Maybin’s 82 tackles led Lions linebackers last season.
Vikings To Sign CB Chandon Sullivan
It looks like the Vikings have a new slot cornerback. Chandon Sullivan‘s Minnesota visit Friday led to a contract agreement, according to the veteran corner’s agency (Twitter link).
Sullivan spent the past three seasons with the Packers and worked primarily as their slot defender. The Vikings are not planning to bring back Mike Zimmer mainstay Mackensie Alexander, and Sullivan is coming off a nice contract year at the position. Sullivan will reunite with new Vikings staffer Mike Pettine, who was the Packers’ defensive coordinator during two of the cornerback’s three seasons in Green Bay.
Originally an Eagles UDFA, Sullivan caught on with the Packers in 2019. The Georgia State alum played 77% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps last season and intercepted three passes. He ranked among the top five slot corners in snaps per target and snaps per reception. Sullivan, 25, did not miss a game for Green Bay during his time with the team.
The Packers will make a transition here, but the team has committed significant resources at corner. In addition to housing first-round picks Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, the Packers re-signed Rasul Douglas on a $7MM-per-year deal last week. Still, Green Bay valued what it had in Sullivan and hoped to re-sign him, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. The Broncos also had interest, per Tomasson.
With the Vikings moving to a new defensive system, it is uncertain they will re-sign free agent Patrick Peterson, though the All-Decade defender has expressed interest in staying. Peterson signed a one-year, $8MM deal to leave Arizona for Minnesota last year. The Vikes have Cameron Dantzler under contract, but even after signing Sullivan, the retooling team will need more help in coverage.
Buccaneers To Sign Fred Johnson
Not long after being let go by the Bengals, Fred Johnson has found a new home. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (on Twitter) that the Buccaneers are signing the offensive lineman to a one-year contract.
Johnson, 24, was tendered as a restricted free agent by Cincinnati, the only team he had played on during the first three seasons of his NFL career (which includes 23 total appearances and eight starts). However, by the time he signed that tender, the team was in a significantly different situation at the tackle position.
The Bengals signed former Cowboy La’el Collins as the third significant addition to their offensive line. With Collins at the top of the depth chart – along with backup RT Isaiah Prince and guard/tackle Hakeem Adeniji already under contract – Johnson became expendable. On the same day that he signed his tender, he was waived.
In Tampa Bay, the six-foot-seven, 326-pound blocker will join an offensive front which has undergone changes of its own this offseason. The team lost Alex Cappa to Cincinnati, and traded for Shaq Mason from the Patriots. The departure of the former is one of rather few notable losses this offseason, as Tampa has retained the likes of Tom Brady, Chris Godwin, Carlton Davis and Leonard Fournette in another attempt to make a Super Bowl run.
Giants To Sign Richie James
The Giants have brought in a productive element to their special teams unit. The team is signing returner/receiver Richie James to a one-year contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). 
James, 26, spent the first three seasons of his career in San Francisco. He held a modest role in the team’s offense for his first two campaigns, recording just 15 catches. In 2020, however, he was on the field for 54% of the team’s offensive snaps, making a career-high 23 receptions for 394 yards.
The former seventh rounder is best known, though, for his ability as a returner. During his trio of seasons with the 49ers, James totalled 32 punt returns, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He also ran back 47 kickoffs at a clip of 23 yards per return, including a 97-yard touchdown in his rookie season.
James was set to continue in San Francisco for another year, but a knee injury – and subsequent surgery – led to his release this past August. The Middle Tennessee alum missed all of last season as a result. In New York, he will get the opportunity not only to operate as a return man, but also potentially to serve as a deep threat on offense.
San Francisco’s interest in a reunion with James dissipated when they signed former Steeler Ray-Ray McCloud to take over their return duties. Now both they and the Giants will hope to see improvements in the third phase of the game in 2022.
Bears To Sign QB Trevor Siemian
Trevor Siemian is heading to Chicago. The veteran quarterback is signing with the Bears, according to representative Mike McCartney on Twitter (and passed along by Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter). Siemian got a two-year deal worth $4MM with upside of $5MM, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
We learned earlier this week that the veteran was meeting with Chicago. With Andy Dalton a free agent and Nick Foles potentially on his way out, the Bears were seeking a veteran quarterback to serve as a backup to Justin Fields. Siemian will be joining a depth chart that also features Ryan Willis.
The 30-year-old ended up getting four starts this past season with the Saints, his most starting nods since he was a full-timer with the Broncos in 2017. New Orleans went 0-4 in Siemian’s four starts in 2021, with the quarterback completing 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
Siemian was 13-11 as a starter during his time in Denver, tossing 30 touchdowns vs. 24 interceptions. He was a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2015.
Broncos Sign OL Billy Turner
Billy Turner is returning to Denver. The Broncos are signing the offensive lineman to a one-year deal, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter). NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the one-year pact is worth $5MM.
Turner joined the Broncos during the 2016 season, and he ended up spending the next two-plus seasons with the team. He established himself as a dependable starter during his final year with the team, and he earned a four-year, $28MM contract from the Packers in 2019.
The lineman ultimately spend three seasons in Green Bay, starting all 43 of his games. Following a 2021 campaign where Turner started 13 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, the veteran was cut.
Now, he’ll land back in Denver. The Broncos were clearly on the hunt for a lineman; earlier this week, the team hosted both Turner and Brandon Shell. Ultimately, Turner’s familiarity with former Packers coaches Nathaniel Hackett (now Broncos HC) and Justin Outten (now Broncos OC) may have won him the gig. Turner will compete with Calvin Anderson and Tom Compton for reps at right tackle.
Panthers Re-Sign S Juston Burris
The Panthers are bringing back Juston Burris. Carolina is re-signing the safety to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s David Newton (on Twitter).
Following a 2019 season where he started a career-high nine games with Cleveland, Burris inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Panthers. He started 12 of his 13 games in 2020, collecting 53 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception.
He entered the 2021 campaign as the starting safety, but he missed almost two months of the season while sitting on injured reserve. Burris finished the season having started eight of his 10 games, finishing with 23 tackles and one interception. He saw time in about two thirds of his team’s defensive snaps.
The former fourth-round pick spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Jets. He’s also had stints with the Raiders and Browns (two stints).
Raiders Sign LB Jayon Brown
Jayon Brown is heading to Las Vegas. The Raiders announced that they have signed the free agent linebacker (via Twitter).
The 2017 fifth-round pick spent the first five seasons of his career in Tennessee. He saw time in 66 games for the Titans, including a 2019 campaign where he compiled 105 tackles, an interception, and a fumble return TD in 14 games (14 starts).
Brown re-signed with the Titans last offseason, and he ended up starting six of his 10 games, collecting 55 tackles and an interception. He appeared in 67 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. Brown missed a month of the season while rehabbing a knee injury.
While the Raiders stole headlines for their moves on offense, the team has also been adding some notable players on defense. Just in the past few days, the team has added safety Duron Harmon, defensive tackle Kyle Peko, and defensive tackle Vernon Butler.
Raiders Sign S Duron Harmon
Since taking over in their roles with the Raiders, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler have had a habit of recruiting former Patriots players to Las Vegas. We can add another player to the list, as the Raiders announced that they’ve signed veteran safety Duron Harmon. It’s a one-year deal, according to agent Andy Simms (on Twitter).
The 2013 third-round pick spent the first seven seasons of his career in New England, starting 29 of his 111 games. While Harmon usually had to settle for a backup role on defense, he still collected 17 interceptions during his time with the organization. The safety also earned three Super Bowl rings, seeing time in 17 playoff games (including a championship-winning 2016 postseason where he started all three games for the Patriots).
In 2020, Harmon was paired with a seventh-round pick and shipped to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick. The veteran started all 16 games that year, collecting a career-high 73 tackles. He signed a one-year pact with the Falcons last offseason, and he started all 17 games for his new squad, finishing with 67 tackles, five passes defended, and two interceptions.
By our count, Harmon is the sixth former Patriots player to head to Las Vegas to join the GM/HC tandem. The safety joins a growing list that already includes defensive end Chandler Jones, running back/special teamer Brandon Bolden, fullback Jakob Johnson, quarterback Garrett Gilbert, and tight end Jacob Hollister. The Raiders also had interest in signing Stephon Gilmore, who won Defensive Player of the Year with the Patriots in 2019.