Eagles To Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett
Derek Barnett is staying in Philly. The Eagles reached a two-year agreement to retain the veteran defensive end Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The team has since announced the move.
This will ensure the Eagles again have a deep stable of edge rushers. The team extended Josh Sweat last year and signed Haason Reddick last week. Brandon Graham remains under contract as well.
Howie Roseman said at the Combine he would be “surprised” if the Eagles did not devote offseason assets to addressing their defensive end position, but a previous report indicated Barnett was likely on the way out. While Barnett’s contract will certainly check in below Reddick’s on the payroll, the former first-round pick’s return will bolster a Philadelphia edge corps that played shorthanded last season.
Graham is coming off an Achilles tear and will turn 34 next week. Barnett will be 26 when the Eagles begin the 2022 season. He joins Sweat as a homegrown D-end given a second contract. The Eagles signed Sweat to a three-year, $40MM extension and gave Reddick a three-year, $45MM pact. Graham is attached to a $9.25MM-per-year deal. Barnett’s contract gives the Eagles four veteran deals at defensive end, making for a rather unusual setup.
While Barnett has not delivered on the promise he came with as the 2017 No. 14 overall pick, the Tennessee alum represents a complementary piece. Barnett has 21.5 career sacks, with 12 of those coming between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Barnett posted 22 QB hits during the 2019 campaign. However, he slumped during his contract year, which ended with just two sacks. The 6-foot-3 edge plays the run effectively and does have the biggest fumble recovery in Eagles history on his resume, having pounced on Graham’s sack-strip of Tom Brady late in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win.
Chiefs Sign WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Barely a day after they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, the Chiefs will sign one of the top wide receivers remaining on the market. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is committing to Kansas City on a three-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Chiefs have since announced the move.
The former Packers deep threat agreed to terms on a three-year pact worth $30MM. The Packers still had hopes of re-signing MVS, but the four-year veteran will head to Missouri. Valdes-Scantling will receive $18MM guaranteed on a deal that can be worth up to $36MM. The Chiefs will save quite a bit of money with this receiver commitment, compared to what they would have paid Hill.
Kansas City offered Hill a contract that would have made him one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, but the sides did not progress. The difference in the Chiefs and Dolphins’ offers was notable, Drew Rosenhaus said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, on Twitter). The Dolphins gave Hill a four-year, $120MM extension, one that is closer to three-year, $75MM deal.
Valdes-Scantling visited Kansas City on Wednesday, shortly after the news broke Hill was being granted permission to seek a trade. The former fifth-round pick will join a reconstructed Chiefs receiving corps, which houses JuJu Smith-Schuster as well. The Chiefs still have Mecole Hardman under contract but have dealt Hill and seen Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson find new teams in free agency.
The Packers hoped they could convince MVS to stay, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes, but multiple suitors emerged. As a result, Valdes-Scantling will shift to another MVP quarterback. Despite entering the league two years later, Valdes-Scantling is only a few months younger than Hill. The 27-year-old wideout also struggled with drops during his time in Wisconsin, but he showed considerable deep capabilities with Aaron Rodgers. It is fairly easy to see why the Chiefs targeted him, given Hill’s long-range importance in their Patrick Mahomes-keyed attack.
Valdes-Scantling led the NFL with 20.9 yards per catch in 2020, catching six touchdown passes that season. Last year, a hamstring injury and a COVID-19 contraction led to the South Florida alum missing seven games. He finished the season with just 26 receptions for 430 yards. Valdes-Scantling does not have a 1,000-yard season on his resume at the pro or college level, but the Chiefs are confident he will fill part of the void created by Hill’s sudden departure. The Packers, meanwhile, will continue to search for difference-makers for a receiving corps that looks like one of the NFL’s thinnest post-Davante Adams.
Chiefs Bring Back Austin Reiter, Blake Bell
In the aftermath of their sizeable trade yesterday, the Chiefs have confirmed a number of signings, reuniting the team with some familiar faces. Among those is center Austin Reiter and tight end Blake Bell. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Trade Hill To Dolphins]
Reiter, 30, departed Kanas City last offseason after three years with the team, as part of their mass overhaul of the offensive line. He signed with the Saints in September, but only dressed for one game in New Orleans. He played six games with the Dolphins, starting five of those contests.
By re-joining the Chiefs, Reiter will be returning to the team with which he won the Super Bowl. He will not be reclaiming the starting role he had during that time, though, as rookie center Creed Humphrey was among the best in the position last season. Still, the former Brown will represent experienced depth for the o-line.
As for Bell, re-signing means he will be extending his second stint with the Chiefs. The former fourth rounder began his career with the 49ers in 2015, then spent individual years with Minnesota and Jacksonville. That was followed by a move to Kansas City, then another change of scenery in 2020, this time to Dallas.
However, he returned to the Chiefs last offseason, where he served as an effective backup to Travis Kelce. The blocking ability he has become known for was on display, while he brought his receiving totals (between the two seasons in Kansas City) to 17 catches for 154 yards.
Suddenly flush with cap space after the Tyreek Hill trade, the Chiefs likely won’t have used much of their available funds to bring back these two veterans. They should still be able to make other, more sizeable moves, but they will at a minimum have two familiar faces back in the fold on offense.
Dolphins Cut Jesse Davis, Allen Hurns
In the aftermath of making two sizeable moves to bolster their offensive line and wide receiver corps, the Dolphins are making a pair or related moves at those positions. The team announced they have cut Jesse Davis and Allen Hurns. 
Davis, 30, had been with the Dolphins for his entire five-year career. He spent time at various spots across the offensive line, starting 72 of 80 total games. His best campaign, in terms of PFF grade, came in 2020 when he received a rating of 62.6. This past season, he surrendered eight sacks in 1,063 snaps.
The move comes after Davis played a large role in the Dolphins’ overall struggles along the offensive line, and at the tackle spots in particular. With left tackle Terron Armstead being signed to solidify that position, moving on from Davis seemed an inevitability to some.
The same could be said with regards to Hurns. The 30-year-old was placed on IR this past August due to a wrist injury which cost him a second consecutive season. For that reason, the Dolphins released him with a failed physical designation. During his only campaign in Miami, the former Hurricane posted 32 catches for 416 yards and two touchdowns.
Given yesterday’s trade for Tyreek Hill, though, Hurns could be seen even more so as being expendable. The team now has Hill at the top of the depth chart, along with standout rookie Jaylen Waddle and recent signee Cedrick Wilson.
As Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley notes (on Twitter), the pair of moves saves the Dolphins $6.2MM in cap space. That financial room became much more needed with the two massive deals the team just made, while also streamlining the roster at two positions they needed to upgrade this offseason. Both Davis and Hurns, meanwhile, will look to find at least depth roles on new teams.
49ers To Sign Kerry Hyder
Kerry Hyder is returning to the Bay Area. The 49ers are signing the defensive end to a one-year, $1.5MM deal, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). He adds that half of the contract’s value is guaranteed, while the other half is available through sack incentives. 
Hyder, who will be 31 by the start of the 2022 season, was released by the Seahawks last week along with fellow veteran Carlos Dunlap. His time in Seattle was underwhelming, considering the year he was coming off of previously. In 15 games (including seven starts), he totalled 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He began his career with the Lions, and spent one year with the Cowboys in 2019.
By returning to San Francisco, though, Hyder will look to replicate his career-best campaign in 2020, which he spent with the 49ers. He started 14 of 16 games, registering 49 stops, 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. With a 70% snap share, that season also marked his biggest workload. The Texas Tech alum will reunite with a familiar face on the coaching staff in Kris Kocurek, head of the team’s defensive line.
Hyder will join a San Francisco front already featuring the likes of Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and Dee Ford. Even if he is unable to duplicate his success from two years ago, he should still play a significant role in the team’s pass rush, which ranked fifth in the league in sacks last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/24/22
Today’s minor moves:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Xavier Crawford
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Commanders Re-Sign Cornelius Lucas
The Commanders are retaining some experienced depth along the offensive line. The team announced they have re-signed swing tackle Cornelius Lucas to a two-year, $8.2MM deal.
Lucas, 30, came to Washington in 2020. This new pact is the same length as the previous one, but it’s valued at just under $3MM more in terms of financial compensation. In his two years in the nation’s capital, Lucas has appeared in 29 contests, including 15 starts.
The six-foot-eight, 327-pound blocker started his career in Detroit as a UDFA. That was followed by one-year stints with the Rams, Saints and Bears. In Chicago, he started in eight games, which earned him the initial contract with Washington. Now, it appears that will become the home of his longest stay in any one NFL city.
In 587 snaps in 2021, Lucas committed one penalty and was credited with three sacks allowed. That led to a PFF grade of 75.2, which was actually slightly lower than his mark the previous year. Having established himself as a consistent presence capable of playing either tackle spot, Lucas had interest from other teams but will remain in Washington in his present role.
With Lucas back in the fold, the Commanders’ depth chart at the tackle spot remains intact from last season. Headed by Charles Leno, Saahdiq Charles and Sam Cosmi, Lucas is set to continue as a spot-starter when needed.
ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/23/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Rams: QB John Wolford
Signed:
- Commanders: DE Bunmi Rotimi
49ers Re-Sign DB Dontae Johnson, DL Jordan Willis
The 49ers are bringing back two key defenders. The 49ers have re-signed defensive lineman Jordan Willis and defensive back Dontae Johnson.
[RELATED: 49ers Re-Sign RB Jeff Wilson]
Willis made a name for himself in the playoffs, blocking a key punt that was returned for a game-tying touchdown in the 49ers’ playoff win over the Packers. Prior to that, the 26-year-old found himself in 10 regular season games, collecting 15 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. He was suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Johnson has had two long stints with the 49ers, with his latest run beginning in the 2019. The former fourth-round pick also spent the first four seasons of his career in San Francisco. Johnson has appeared in 103 games (28 starts), including a 2021 campaign where he collected 30 tackles and one forced fumble in 16 games (three starts).
Earlier today, the 49ers re-signed running back Jeff Wilson to a one-year deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/22
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Released from NFI list: TE Jordan Thomas
Houston Texans
- Waived: LB Josh Watson
New York Jets
- Re-Signed: FB Nick Bawden
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, LB Dylan Cole
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: CB Danny Johnson