Patriots To Sign Ty Montgomery
The Patriots have reached agreement with Ty Montgomery (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of CBSSports.com). The running back’s two-year deal could pay up to$4MM, according to a source who spoke with Anderson. 
[RELATED: Patriots To Sign T. Mitchell]
Montgomery, 29, spent the first three-plus seasons of his career in Green Bay, moving from wide receiver to running back. His best work came in 2016, when he collected 805 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He was traded to the Ravens midway through the 2018 campaign, and he served as Le’Veon Bell‘s backup with the Jets in 2019.
Montgomery signed with the Saints in 2020 and spent last year at both positions. He finished out with 15 carries for 44 yards, plus 16 catches for 95 yards. The Patriots may look to reprise that role for the former third-round pick, using him as a receiver, a James White-type running back, and a special teamer. The Pats could use a player like Montgomery, especially after backup RB Brandon Bolden left to join the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Pats still have some work to do up front after trading standout guard Shaq Mason to the Buccaneers.
Cowboys To Release La’el Collins
As expected, the Cowboys will be moving on from right tackle La’el Collins. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, he will be released later today (Twitter link). 
It had been reported earlier this week that the team was trying to find a trade partner for Collins. There was apparently a market developing for teams to trade for him, but he will hit the open market instead. Archer adds that the 28-year-old will be designated a post-June 1st cut. Doing so will save the Cowboys $10MM in cap space, as opposed to $1.3MM had they traded him.
Collins joined the Cowboys as a UDFA in 2015. He quickly established himself as the team’s starting right tackle, playing a significant role on one of the league’s best offensive lines. Durability wasn’t a concern during a three-year stretch from 2017 to 2019, where he only missed one game. In 2021, however, he was limited to 12 contests.
While he only played 671 snaps this past season, the LSU product showed he’s still capable of playing at a high level. He earned a PFF grade of 82, confirming that his release is related to finances, not performance. Between his age and caliber of play, he is likely to have a number of suitors interested in his services.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are set to move forward with 2020 UDFA Terence Steele as their new starting right tackle.
Texans To Sign Jalen Reeves-Maybin
The Texans have re-signed several of their own pending free agents, but they are adding to their defense with an outside signing. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the team is bringing in linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Twitter link). The contract is for two years and $7.5MM. 
Wilson adds that the deal includes $5MM in guaranteed money, and can reach a maximum value of $9MM. The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2021, both in terms of playing time and production. Reeves-Maybin played 62% of the team’s defensive snaps after primarily being a special teamer up to that point.
With the increased opportunity, he started 11 of the 15 games he appeared in. The former fourth round pick totalled 82 tackles and two forced fumbles. That performance gave the Lions incentive to keep him for the future. “I know he missed a couple of games here due to injury, but when he’s been out there on defense and on special teams, he just, he makes plays”, head coach Dan Campbell said when asked about him. “He’s a football player. And that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Instead, Reeves-Maybin will head to Houston on a deal roughly three times as lucrative as the one-year extension he signed in Detroit last year. The Lions’ LB corps now consists of Alex Anzalone, Josh Woods and Derrick Barnes at the top of the depth chart.
Falcons To Sign Casey Hayward
The Falcons have agreed to sign Casey Hayward (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran cornerback will receive a two-year, $11MM deal, keeping him under club control through the 2023 season. 
[RELATED: Falcons, Saints Chasing Watson]
Hayward spent the past five seasons with the Chargers, up until he was released in 2021. At the time, the move came as a surprise. Hayward’s first deal with the Bolts — three years, $15.3MM — produced two Pro Bowls and a second-team All-Pro nod. Ultimately, they bailed on the rest of his three-year, $34.25MM re-up, leading him to the rival Raiders.
Hayward, 33 in September, led the NFL with seven INTs in 2016. He’s slowed down a bit in recent years, though he did start in all 17 of his Raiders games last year, notching 46 tackles, one interception, three tackles for loss, nine passes defensed, and a safety.
The move will help to fortify the Falcons’ secondary, though Heyward is likely ticketed for a supporting role. The Falcons are still expected to target CB help in the draft next month, where they could use the No. 8 overall pick to take a top-ranked cover man like Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner.
Bills Release Cole Beasley
In an expected move, the Bills are moving on from one of the most experienced pieces of their offense. The team announced they have released receiver Cole Beasley. 
[RELATED: Bills, Von Miller Agree To Deal]
Beasley, 32, started his career in Dallas in 2012; he joined the team as a UDFA. In seven seasons there, he established himself as a productive secondary option in the team’s passing attack. His best season there came in 2016, where he posted 75 catches for 833 yards and five touchdowns.
Having built a reputation as one of the league’s best slot receivers, he signed a four-year, $29MM deal with the Bills in 2019. He received no less than 106 targets in each of his three campaigns in Buffalo, setting new career highs in receptions (82), yards (967) and yards per catch (11.8) in 2020.
However, he was due to make $6.1MM in 2022, with a cap hit of just over $7.5MM. That led the team to allow him to seek a trade earlier this week. Obviously, a partner couldn’t be found, so the SMU product will now hit the open market. The Bills still have Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie at the top of the WR depth chart. They also have Dawson Knox and the recently-acquired O.J. Howard at the tight end spot.
The move saves the Bills just over $6MM. Given the money invested in their new additions – most notably Von Miller – they could certainly use the cap relief. For Beasley, meanwhile, he will join a free agent WR class still featuring Allen Robinson, but also another veteran slot option in Jarvis Landry.
Steelers Cut Joe Schobert
The Steelers have released Joe Schobert, per an official team press release. With free agency underway, the inside linebacker is now free to sign with any club in the NFL.
[RELATED: Steelers To Sign M. Jack]
Schobert — a.k.a. Joe-bert or Joe The Show — worked as a Browns starter for three seasons. He led the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017, earning him a Pro Bowl nod, and he led the Browns in stops in 2018 and ’19 as well. Then, he signed with the Jaguars in 2020 on a five-year, $53.75MM deal. The veteran ‘backer paced the Jags in tackles in 2020 (141 stops), but the effort came for a historically dreadful team. So, in August of 2021, the Jags shipped him to the Steelers for a 2022 sixth-rounder.
Schobert saw time in 16 games last year for the Steelers, including 15 starts. He notched 112 tackles, one interception, and six passes defensed, but the Steelers didn’t think he was worth his contract. They’ll save $7.8MM by releasing him with a modest $1.88MM in dead money left over.
There wasn’t much room for the 28-year-old (29 in November) following the addition of Myles Jack. Jack also comes at a cheaper rate with a two-year, $16MM deal.
Texans To Re-Sign Royce Freeman
The Texans are re-signing Royce Freeman (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’ll be a one-year deal for the veteran running back, who returns for his fifth pro season. 
[RELATED: Texans Sign D. Ogunbowale]
Freeman got into seven games for Houston last year, notching 92 yards off of 35 totes. He also added seven grabs for 62 yards, showing a little bit of the pass-catching skills he exhibited in 2019.
Freeman totaled 297 career carries for 1,187 yards and eight touchdowns with the Broncos. On the whole, the Oregon product has struggled with consistency, but he’s still only 26 and can offer solid support for the Texans’ RB group.
As of this writing, the Texans have four RBs under contract in Freeman, Rex Burkhead, Darius Anderson, Scottie Phillips, and Dare Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale, formerly of the Jaguars, agreed to join Houston last night on a two-year, $3.3MM deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: LS Aaron Brewer, P Andy Lee
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: OL Colby Gossett, NT Anthony Rush
- Signed: S Teez Tabor, OT Elijah Wilkinson
Chicago Bears
- Released: LS Beau Brinkley
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: WR Mike Thomas
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: QB David Blough
- Signed: TE Garrett Griffin
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: P Pat O’Donnell
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Trent Sherfield
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Kentavius Street
New York Giants
- Re-signed: OT Korey Cunningham
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Oren Burks (two-year deal)
Jets To Sign Jacob Martin
The Jets are signing edge rusher Jacob Martin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Martin will head to New York a three-year, $13.5MM deal with $6MM guaranteed and the potential to earn even more via incentives. 
Martin, a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2018, was part of the trade that sent Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle. Over his three years in Houston, Martin quietly turned himself into a key defensive cog. The Texans wanted to keep him, but the Jets ultimately came away with the highest bid.
In 2021, Martin made 14 starts and appeared in 61% of the Texans’ defensive snaps, both of which were new personal watermarks. While he posted only four sacks, Martin’s peripherals suggest that there was consistent pressure with room for continued growth.
Part of his success came from playing as a true 4-3 DE and Jets head coach Robert Saleh will keep him on that same track. Martin might not be as accomplished as other edge rushers they were chasing (like Chandler Jones), but he still offers lots of upside for Gang Green.
Restructured Contracts: Saints, Floyd, Hyde, Barrett
While teams are currently focused on adding free agents, some front offices are looking to carve out some extra cap space. We’ve collected some of today’s restructured deals below:
- The Saints opened up some extra cap space earlier today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the team restructured the contracts of defensive tackle David Onyemata and offensive tackle James Hurst. The moves saved the team an extra $7.015MM. Onyemata inked a three-year, $27MM deal with the Saints in 2020, and he already reworked his contract last offseason. A year ago yesterday, Hurst inked a three-year, $9MM extension with New Orleans.
- The Rams opened up $12MM in cap space by reworking Leonard Floyd‘s contract, according to Yates (on Twitter). Floyd signed a four-year, $64MM extension with the organization last year. In two years with the Rams, the edge rusher has collected 20 sacks, and he’s added another four in six playoff games.
- The Bills converted $5.68MM of safety Micah Hyde’s contract into a signing bonus, opening $4.54MM in cap space, per Yates (on Twitter). The veteran signed a two-year, $19.25MM extension with Buffalo last offseason. Hyde has spent the past five seasons in Buffalo, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods while only missing a pair of regular season games.
- The Buccaneers restructured Shaq Barrett’s contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The move should open up just under $10MM in cap space, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). After playing the 2020 season under the franchise tag, Barrett inked a four-year, $72MM deal ($36MM guaranteed) with the Buccaneers last offseason.