Raiders Sign WR Mack Hollins
The Raiders are adding another special team ace. The team is adding wideout/special teamer Mack Hollins, reports Taylor Vippolis of Inside Carolina (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Raiders To Sign RB Brandon Bolden]
Hollins appeared in every game for the Dolphins over the past two seasons, and while he was buried on the depth chart, he still managed to put up some numbers. He finished the season with 223 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns, and his 15.9 yards per catch ranked first on the team.
The 28-year-old also led the Dolphins in special teams tackles, finishing with 11 overall. In total, Hollins has collected 21 tackles throughout his career.
The former fourth-round pick spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Eagles, collecting 351 yards from scrimmage in 28 games.
Raiders Cut LB Nick Kwiatkoski
The Raiders have released another defender. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter), the team has cut LB Nick Kwiatkoski.
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Bears, Kwiatkoski joined the Raiders in 2020 on a three-year, $21MM deal. The linebacker will ultimately leave behind a $5MM cap hit.
Kwiatkoski was productive during his first season with the team, collecting a career-high 81 tackles in 12 games. However, he was limited to only eight games in 2021 thanks in part to an ankle injury, and he collected only 21 tackles and one forced fumble when he did see the field.
As Tafur points out, the new Raiders front office was quick to move on from Cory Littleton, Carl Nassib, and Kwiatkoski, and the trio will ultimately account for $25.6MM in dead cap over the next two years.
Texans To Extend S Eric Murray
Not long after letting Justin Reid defect to the Chiefs, the Texans are retaining one of their own safeties. They reached an extension with Eric Murray, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
Previously set to go into a contract year, Murray agreed to a two-year bump worth a maximum of $10MM, Wilson adds (on Twitter). The Texans initially signed Murray in 2020, and he has been a regular starter in Houston.
Formerly a Chiefs draft choice once traded straight up for Emmanuel Ogbah, Murray came to Houston after a year in Cleveland. The 28-year-old defender has started 25 games over the past two seasons. Despite arriving during Bill O’Brien‘s decision-making stint, Murray is in position to keep contributing under Nick Caserio and new HC Lovie Smith.
This marks the second re-up in Houston’s secondary this week; the Texans re-signed Desmond King to keep him off the market. They also added ex-Browns safety M.J. Stewart.
Commanders Release Deshazor Everett
The Commanders have announced the release of four players, three of which were previously reported (Landon Collins, Matt Ioannidis, and Ereck Flowers). The newest addition to the list is safety Deshazor Everett, who also received his walking papers today.
Last month, Everett was charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result of a fatal car accident from December. Olivia Peters – who was Everett’s passenger – was killed. The 30-year-old turned himself into police after their investigation found that he was driving at more than twice the posted speed limit just before the crash. The players also suffered serious injuries, leading to the team placing him on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Everett, who joined Washington as an UDFA in 2015, had spent his entire NFL career in the nation’s capital. He saw time in 89 games (17 starts) for the organization, collecting 170 tackles, 11 passes defended, and two interceptions.
This past season, the 30-year-old finished with 10 tackles in 14 games, which the majority of his playing time coming on special teams.
Texans Sign RB Dare Ogunbowale
Dare Ogunbowale is off to Houston. The running back is signing with the Texans, reports Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
The former Jaguars RB got a two-year, $3.3 million from Houston.
Ogunbowale actually got his first NFL gig with the Texans after going undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2017. It took him until 2019 to stick around for an entire NFL season when he got into 16 games for the Buccaneers. He finished that season with 303 yards from scrimmage, which still represents a career high.
The RB joined Jacksonville in 2020, and he saw time in 31 games for the organization over the past two years. He finished his Jaguars career having collected 450 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Ogunbowale also contributed on special teams, collecting 17 tackles during his two years in Jacksonville.
In Houston, he’ll be joining a depth chart that’s currently led by Rex Burkhead. Both David Johnson and Royce Freeman are currently free agents.
Dolphins, FB Alec Ingold Agree To Terms
Mike McDaniel‘s previous team reset the fullback market. His new one is adding a well-regarded blocking back as well.
The Dolphins and Alec Ingold agreed to a deal Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. It is a two-year pact worth up to $7.5MM. While precise terms are not yet available, this is a nice fullback contract.
Although Ingold’s deal does not threaten Kyle Juszczyk‘s place atop the fullback salary hierarchy, the latter’s usage in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense points to Ingold being valued well by McDaniel’s team. The Raiders did not tender Ingold as a restricted free agent, but this deal points to him earning more than the low-end RFA tender figures would pay.
Ingold, 25, played between 20% and 23% of the Raiders’ offensive plays during his three-year stay with the team. Juszczyk was on the field for 56% of the 49ers’ snaps last season, making it safe to assume Ingold’s usage rate will increase in Miami.
Raiders To Sign RB Brandon Bolden
Brandon Bolden is teaming up with his former offensive coordinator in Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the running back and special teamer, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler are plenty familiar with Bolden, who spent nine of his 10 professional seasons in New England. Bolden was a special teams mainstay throughout his stint with the Patriots, collecting 51 tackles and three forced fumbles. This includes a 2021 campaign where he collected a career-high 11 tackles while appearing in 63 percent of New England’s ST snaps.
The veteran also had his best season on offense this past year. After having collected only 376 yards from scrimmage between 2016 and 2019 in stints with the Patriots and Dolphins (Bolden opted out of the 2020 campaign), the running back finished 2021 with 631 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Bolden will likely continue having a special teams role in Las Vegas, but he could easily slide into the depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.
Cardinals Release Jordan Phillips
Veteran defensive linemen Jordan Phillips is on the lookout for a new NFL home. The Cardinals have released the 29-year-old, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
Phillips signed a three-year deal with Arizona in 2020, but he was limited to only 18 games during his two years with the team. His 2020 campaign came to an early end thanks to a hamstring injury, and he also started the 2021 season on the injured reserve.
In total, Phillips finished his Cardinals career having compiled five sacks. That includes a 2021 campaign where he finished with 22 tackles, three sacks, and four QB hits.
The former second-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Dolphins, and he eventually caught on with Buffalo midway through the 2018 campaign. He had a breakout season during his lone full year in Buffalo, finishing with 9.5 sacks.
Cardinals Sign CB Jeff Gladney
Jeff Gladney is landing in Arizona after all. After meeting with the Cardinals yesterday, the cornerback is signing with the team, reports Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Gladney is getting a two-year deal.
Glandey was recently acquitted by a jury on assault charges. The cornerback was released by the Vikings last August following an indictment for domestic violence. Gladney was accused of choking, punching, and shoving a woman during an incident in April, 2021.”
“This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically,” his agents, Brian E. Overstreet and Rodney Williams, said at the time. “So, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations”
The TCU product was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Vikings. He got into 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie, finishing with 81 tackles and three passes defended
Ravens To Bring Back LB Za’Darius Smith
Mentioned as a possible Za’Darius Smith landing spot, the Ravens are indeed reacquiring their former pass rusher. The recently released Packer is committing to Baltimore. 
The Ravens are adding Smith on a four-year, $35MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal is not as lucrative as the one Smith signed in Green Bay three years ago, but Schefter adds it can max out at $50MM. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his carer with the Ravens, where he followed a familiar pattern of edge rushers gradually growing in their role on the team.
In his final season in Charm City, the former fourth round pick posted a career-high 8.5 sacks. That earned him a sizeable second contract with the Packers, where he paired with Preston Smith to form one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. He totalled 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020, earning him Pro Bowl nods in each of those campaigns.
However, he was limited to a single game in 2021 due to a back injury. That, coupled with the emergence of former first rounder Rashan Gary, as well as his aforementioned hefty contract, made Smith a viable release candidate. It wasn’t surprising, then, that the Packers quickly made it clear he would only be brought back at a more affordable price.
While Green Bay was willing to keep Smith at the cash value he was owed (as opposed to his much higher cap number), it seemed the parting of ways by the two sides was mutual. The team will now move forward with Gary and the recently re-signed Preston Smith at the forefront of their edge rush department. As for the Ravens, a significant hole in the front seven has been filled. Before this news, the team’s only two notable pass rushers under contract were Tyus Bowser (who tore his Achilles in the season finale) and first round rookie Odafe Oweh (who tailed off after an impressive start to the campaign).
Smith joins safety Marcus Williams as the Ravens’ second noteworthy signing on the defensive side of the ball. Not generally known for making splashes at the top of the free agent market, they have now added two major pieces to a roster which many saw as Super Bowl-caliber at the beginning of last season.