Chargers To Re-Sign QB Chase Daniel
The Chargers have made it clear they are going all-in during Justin Herbert‘s rookie contract. One of the smaller moves they have made during free agency is retaining his backup QB. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is re-signing Chase Daniel to a one-year, 2.25MM deal (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Chargers To Sign CB J.C. Jackson]
The 35-year-old signed in L.A. last year, making the Chargers his sixth NFL team. The career backup had spent time with the Saints, Chiefs, Eagles, Bears and Lions previously. He appeared in a single game in 2021, but did not attempt any passes.
The former Missouri Tiger originally signed a three-year deal with Detroit, but the team ended up releasing him after they were unable to find a trade partner. In Los Angeles, he reunited with both head coach Brandon Staley and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.
While he wasn’t needed on the field, Daniel obviously made a good impression with the Bolts. He took over Tyrod Taylor‘s role of mentoring Herbert while providing experienced depth, something which will now continue for at least one more campaign. If the Chargers’ major moves made already pay off as they hope, he may even find himself getting a Super Bowl ring for the first time in his career.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/22
We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: S Sean Chandler
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Extended: WR Terry Godwin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Duke Riley, LB Elandon Roberts
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DB Andre Chachere, WR Greg Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S A.J. Moore
Commanders To Re-Sign Bobby McCain
Washington has retained a veteran piece of their secondary. The team is re-signing defensive back Bobby McCain, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The deal is for two years, and $11MM total. 
[RELATED: Commanders To Cut Landon Collins]
The 28-year-old was cut by the Dolphins last May. That brought an end to his six-year tenure there, where he started 55 of 87 games he played in. The former fifth round pick totalled seven interceptions and 30 pass breakups during his time in Miami.
He came to Washington on a one-year deal last offseason. In 17 games (including 16 starts), he racked up 63 tackles, four picks and nine pass deflections. That performance showed he could still perform at a high level, and earned him a raise over the roughly $1.4MM he played for in 2021. The $6.5MM average on this new pact is close to what he was earning on a per-year basis during his most lucrative time with the Dolphins.
With the new contract, the Commanders will use up a portion of the salary cap savings generated by the release of Landon Collins. However, they should still have the flexibility to make at least smaller moves for the rest of free agency. With McCain in place, they can focus on trying to improve the team’s underwhelming pass defense from last year.
Jets To Sign CB D.J. Reed
After bypassing a dire need at cornerback last year, the Jets are diving in early. They are signing D.J. Reed, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
Reed will come over from the Seahawks — on a three-year deal worth $33MM (including $21MM guaranteed, per Jordan Schultz on Twitter) — but has experience with Robert Saleh. The 49ers drafted Reed in the 2018 fifth round. He played two seasons in San Francisco, providing some system intel as he rejoins Saleh in New York.
A torn pectoral muscle sustained in early August 2020 led Reed from the Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest. The 49ers waived Reed with an injury designation, and the Seahawks claimed him. Reed elevated his profile in Seattle, starting 22 games over the past two seasons in a similar defensive system to the one Saleh deployed with the 49ers. The 5-foot-9 corner intercepted four passes during his Seahawks stay and allowed a career-low 67.8 passer rating when targeted last season.
The Seahawks hoped to re-sign Reed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, but did not want to go to the $11MM-per-year level to do so. Gang Green also had Darious Williams and Donte Jackson on its radar, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com adds Stephon Gilmore was not (Twitter link).
As of now, Reed stands to step in as the Jets’ No. 1 cornerback. They used Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols as their primary starters last season, one in which Saleh’s defense ranked 32nd in both points and yards allowed.
Texans To Sign S M.J. Stewart
The Texans may have found their Justin Reid replacement. The team has signed safety M.J. Stewart to a one-year, $3MM deal (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network).
[RELATED: Texans To Re-Sign Maliek Collins]
Stewart, 26, was a second round pick of the Buccaneers in 2018. He only played two seasons in Tampa Bay, however, and was waived in August 2020. Injuries played a role in the decision to move on from the former Tar Heel, who had originally been drafted as a corner.
The Browns claimed Stewart off waivers, where he played in 29 games, including three starts. He totalled 69 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed in Cleveland, while also seeing significant special teams duties. More notably, however, was the improvement he showed in pass coverage compared to his time in Tampa. Stewart had a career year in that regard in 2021; he allowed a completion percentage of 63%, and a passer rating of 84.7.
In large part due to his newfound effectiveness defending the pass, Stewart received an impressive PFF grade of 83.8. That outweighs Reid’s evaluation by a considerable margin, which gives this deal the potential to be one of the more valuable under-the-radar deals of the offseason. At a minimum, the Texans will have some experienced depth on the back end.
Broncos To Re-Sign LB Josey Jewell
The Broncos continue to fill starting spots along their defense. They are bringing back multiyear linebacker starter Josey Jewell, Mike Klis of 9News reports.
Jewell is staying in Denver on a two-year deal worth $11MM. This comes a few weeks after the Broncos were connected to another Jewell contract. Denver had both its long-term linebacker starters — Jewell and Alexander Johnson — on track for free agency.
Both Jewell and Johnson missed most of last season; the former went down in Week 2 with a torn pectoral muscle. Denver selected Jewell in the 2018 fourth round and continued to use the Iowa product in a prominent role, giving him 30 starts in four seasons on his rookie deal. Jewell, 27, made 113 tackles in 16 starts during the 2020 season.
While Johnson was the slightly higher-regarded linebacker during the duo’s time together in Denver, he is three years older. Denver is not expected to re-sign Johnson, per Klis, who adds 2021 third-round pick Baron Browning is ticketed to play alongside Jewell as an off-ball linebacker starter. Jewell also stands to be a relatively low-cost signing, given his recent injury. The Broncos now have Jewell, D.J. Jones and Randy Gregory in the fold on their front seven.
Buccaneers To Add WR Russell Gage
Despite rostering Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers have agreed to terms with Russell Gage. The ex-Falcons wideout will join the Bucs’ deep receiving stable, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
It’s a three-year deal worth $30MM, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The deal contains $20MM in guaranteed money.
Coming off back-to-back 700-yard seasons, Gage looks set to step into Tampa Bay’s WR3 role — one vacated by Antonio Brown — behind the two Pro Bowlers. This move arms the Bucs with a proven complementary weapon while further depleting a Falcons receiving corps that has seen its crew decimated over the past several months.
Since June 2021, the Falcons have seen their Gage-Julio Jones–Calvin Ridley trio gutted by the Jones trade, Ridley’s in-season exit and subsequent gambling suspension and now this impending transaction. Atlanta has some critical work to do at the receiver position this offseason. Gage’s 770 receiving yards — in just 14 games — were by far the most among Falcons wideouts last season.
The Bucs used their franchise tag on Godwin for the second straight year, keeping their younger Pro Bowl receiver in the fold for Tom Brady‘s third season with the team. While Brady famously advocated for Brown, constant turmoil notwithstanding, the mercurial standout burned the Bucs for that faith late last season. Gage is now set to step into a much higher-profile NFC South role.
Falcons To Re-Sign Younghoe Koo
The Falcons are set to retain one of the league’s best kickers. According NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team is re-signing Younghoe Koo to a five-year, $24.25MM extension (Twitter link). He adds that there is $11.5MM in guaranteed money. 
[RELATED: Falcons Eyeing Deshaun Watson]
At an average value of $4.85MM per season, the deal ranks second in the league amongst kickers, behind only Justin Tucker‘s at $5MM. It marks quite the raise for Koo, who was a pending restricted free agent.
Coming into the league as a UDFA, Koo started his career with the Chargers. After only four games there, and a brief stint on the Patriots’ practice squad, he landed in Atlanta. That has certainly turned into a worthwhile decision for both sides.
The 27-year-old has become of the top kickers in the game over three seasons with the Falcons. In 2021, he ranked third in the league with a field goal percentage of 93.1%. For the first time in Atlanta, he was also perfect on extra point attempts, going 30-for-30. Over the course of his career, Koo has only missed 14 total kicks out of 191 combined attempts.
While there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Falcons’ offense, they will at least be retaining a core element of their scoring for the foreseeable future.
Patriots Re-Sign James White
The Patriots have re-signed veteran running back James White (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal, which will be formally inked on Wednesday, is a two-year pact worth $5MM. White will also get $500K guaranteed as a part of the deal. 
Even though he’s at the age of 30, White has matched his previous annual value on the nose. The Patriots re-upped White on a one-year, $2.5MM deal last year, retaining the longtime Patriots passing-down back for yet another season. Unfortunately, a hip injury capped his 2021 at just three games.
Part of the three 2010s Patriots Super Bowl-winning teams, White has been an essential part of the Pats’ offense for most of his career. Succeeding the likes of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen as Bill Belichick-era passing-down backs, White is now set to come back for a ninth New England season and, perhaps, a tenth, depending on how things go from here.
White posted 994 all-purpose yards in 2019, but saw less time in 2020, his last healthy season. Still, White had 49 grabs for 375 yards and a touchdown that year to lead all Pats RBs in receiving.
Bills To Sign J.D. McKissic
The Bills are set to sign J.D. McKissic (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Once finalized on Wednesday, it’ll be a two-year, $7MM deal for the former Washington running back. 
McKissic can also earn an extra $1MM in incentives, according to Schefter, which would boost the total value to $8MM. That’s a solid haul for the 28-year-old (29 in August), considering the ups and downs of his early career.
McKissic enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, when he compiled 187 rushing yards and one touchdown on 46 carries for the Seahawks. He also added another 34 receptions for 266 yards and two scores for good measure. After that, he lost much of his 2018 to injury.
The former undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State has rebounded well in recent years. After a productive 2019 with the Lions, he’s posted averages over 4.3 yards per carry in two D.C. seasons. Now, he’ll look to bring more of the same to the AFC East.