Colts Sign S Sean Davis
The Colts have signed safety Sean Davis to a one-year deal, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known. 
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The Steelers drafted Davis in the second round in 2016, and he spent his first four years in Pittsburgh. That stretch included 31 starts between 2017-18, but he missed almost all of 2019 due to injury. In 2020, he inked a one-year deal worth $5MM with the Washington Football Team. Then, after cuts, he found his way back to Pittsburgh.
Davis was primarily used on special teams last season, but he may have an opportunity to get more traditional safety work, depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out. Safety Malik Hooker, who is returning from an Achilles tear, is out of contract. The Colts have also lost Tavon Wilson from last year’s secondary — he recently joined up with the Niners.
With Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick playing in front of him, Davis finished 2020 with just 12 tackles and one pass defensed.
Colts To Sign Chris Reed
The Colts have agreed to sign Chris Reed to a one-year veteran benefit deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Reed, who started in 14 games for the Panthers last year, gives the Colts another experienced option on the offensive line. 
Reed joined the Panthers towards the end of the 2019 season, after he was dropped by the Panthers. He worked as Carolina’s left guard in 2020, earning a so-so 63.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his 892 snaps. He fared better in 2019 with a 70.3 grade, though that came in a very limited sample of 106 snaps.
Reed joins fellow vets Sam Tevi and Julien Davenport in Indianapolis, providing reinforcements to a group that was battered by injuries last year. Although their starters were among the best in the league, their reserves left something to be desired while tackles Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith were sidelined. Now, they’re without Castonzo altogether following his January retirement.
Cardinals C Rodney Hudson Restructures Contract
The Cardinals have done some work today to open extra cap space. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer writes that center Rodney Hudson has restructured his contract.
[RELATED: Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks Takes Pay Cut]
Arizona traded for Hudson and his hefty $9.9MM cap charge earlier this month, and it always seemed inevitable that the veteran would work with the organization to reduce that number. Balzer notes that $8.8MM of the lineman’s compensation was converted into a signing bonus, thus reducing Hudson’s salary to $1.1MM. The team also added three voidable years to the contract, meaning the new signing bonus can be prorated over five years. As a result, Hudson’s 2021 cap charge was reduced to $2.86MM.
Hudson also had his 2022 workout bonus converted into base salary, increasing that latter number to $10.85MM. As a result, the lineman’s new cap charge is $12.61MM.
Earlier this month, the Cardinals sent a third-round pick to the Raiders for Hudson and a seventh-rounder. He will now join the likes of D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh on a talented offensive line in Arizona. Pro Football Focus graded Hudson as its No. 8 overall center last season, and the veteran has three Pro Bowl appearances on his resume.
Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks Takes Pay Cut
Jordan Hicks has taken a sizable pay cut to stay in Arizona. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer writes that the veteran linebacker has restructured the final two years of his contract.
Hicks was set to have a $9MM cap charge via a $5MM base salary, a $1MM roster bonus, and $3MM of his original signing bonus. The 28-year-old will now have a base salary of $2MM, and the team replaced the roster bonus with $1MM in per-game bonuses, thus leading to a reduced cap figure of $6MM.
Hicks also reduced his 2022 compensation — which were identical to his 2021 numbers — to a $4.25MM base salary, a $750K roster bonus, and $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. As Balzer explains, that roster bonus will likely be due at the beginning of the 2022 league year, at which point the Cardinals will have to decide whether they want to keep the veteran around.
The former third-rounder spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles before signing a four-year, $36MM deal ($20MM guaranteed) with the Cardinals in 2019. Hicks has started all 32 games for Arizona over the past two years, compiling 268 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Hicks will likely slide back into the starting lineup in 2021, although Isaiah Simmons, Tanner Vallejo, and/or Zeke Turner could push him for playing time.
Colts To Re-Sign DL Al-Quadin Muhammad
The Colts are bringing back one of their rotational defensive linemen. They agreed to terms with Al-Quadin Muhammad on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Muhammad’s second NFL contract will be worth $3.4MM, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. He has played with the Colts for the past three seasons, after initially joining the team as a waiver claim in September 2018.
Part of the Saints’ standout 2017 draft haul, Muhammad played one season with New Orleans but has made his mark in Indianapolis. He played a career-high 56% of the Colts’ defensive snaps last season and has recorded five sacks over the past two years.
This move comes after Denico Autry‘s free agency defection to Tennessee. The Colts still have questions on their defensive front, with top edge rusher Justin Houston still unsigned and the team short on proven sack artists, Muhammad has been a key rotational presence throughout defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus‘ tenure.
Bills Sign LB Marquel Lee
After being out of football last season, Marquel Lee will receive another chance. The Bills agreed to terms with the veteran linebacker Wednesday.
A former Raiders fifth-round pick, Lee signed a one-year deal with the Bills. The Raiders waived Lee last August, and he did not catch on elsewhere for what would have been his fourth season. He will have a chance to play that fourth NFL season in Buffalo.
The Raiders used the Wake Forest alum as a starter in 19 games from 2017-19, deploying Lee as a primary first-stringer in 2018, but ankle issues landed him on injured reserve early in the 2019 season. Lee has played in two games since September 2019. In 2018, he made 68 tackles and broke up three passes.
Lee will join Tyrell Adams as offseason fliers at linebacker for a Bills team already fairly deep at the position. Adams, a Texans starter last year, also signed with the Bills on Wednesday. Buffalo re-signed Matt Milano and Tyler Matakevich this offseason and already rosters Tremaine Edmunds and A.J. Klein.
Bills To Sign LB Tyrell Adams
The Bills have agreed to sign linebacker Tyrell Adams, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Exact terms of the deal are not yet known.
Adams spent much of his Texans tenure bouncing between the practice squad and the varsity squad. Last year, however, he made 12 starts for Houston. Like many of last year’s first-string defenders, he wasn’t brought back by the Texans, leading him to Buffalo.
Technically, this marks the veteran’s second time with the Bills. The first stint in 2017 lasted just a couple of hours — GM Brandon Beane claimed him and quickly cut him loose again due to injury.
Adams, 28, performed admirably in Benardrick McKinney‘s stead. In 2020, he notched a new career high of 125 tackles with two sacks and two forced fumbles (both FFs came on Thanksgiving against the Lions). In the interest of equal time — the advanced metrics Pro Football Focus didn’t reflect well on his performance, placing him outside of the league’s top 60.
Adams joins a solid LB group in Buffalo that also features Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, and A.J. Klein.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/31/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-Signed: WR Mathew Sexton
Seahawks To Extend Tyler Lockett
The Seahawks have locked up Tyler Lockett for the long haul. On Wednesday, the two sides agreed to a four-year, $69.2MM extension (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The deal includes $37MM in guaranteed cash and likely tamps down his scheduled $14.95MM cap hit for 2021. 
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Lockett, 28, came to Seattle as a third-round pick in 2015. Ever since, he’s greatly outperformed his draft position with solid work out of the slot. Across the last six years, he has 376 grabs, 4,892 yards, and 37 touchdowns to his credit. He’s also coming off of a career-best 100 receptions (for 1,054 yards and ten touchdowns), though his 10.5 yards per catch average left much to be desired. Before 2020, Lockett was averaging 13.9 ypc, bolstered by his near 17-yard average in 2018.
Despite questionable depth at wide receiver, the Seahawks abstained from this year’s best available options. This new deal underscores their confidence in Lockett — not just for this year, but for many seasons to follow. For now, the Seahawks are set to enter 2021 with Lockett and D.K. Metcalf leading the charge with support from Freddie Swain, Cody Thompson, John Ursua, Darvin Kidsy, Aaron Fuller, and Penny Hart.
In addition to Lockett, the Seahawks have also re-upped guard Gabe Jackson with a three-year, $22.58MM extension. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, they moved on from defensive tackle Jarran Reed. With the 28-year-old out of the picture, their DL group will feature Kerry Hyder, Benson Mayowa, Carlos Dunlap, Poona Ford, and old pal Al Woods.
Bengals Re-Sign Amani Bledsoe
The Bengals have re-signed defensive end Amani Bledsoe on a one-year contract, per a club announcement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
[RELATED: Bengals Meet With Ryan Kerrigan]
Bledsoe started his career with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2019. The Oklahoma product spent that year on Tennessee’s practice squad, then joined the Bengals during 2020’s training camp. He went on to make the cut and see time in 14 games last year, including four starts. All in all, he tallied 17 tackles and two pass defenses.
The Bengals are expected to continue hunting for edge rushing help in the draft with Carl Lawson and Geno Atkins out of the picture. There’s also the second-wave of veteran free agents to consider. The Bengals weren’t able to land Sheldon Rankins (like Lawson, he chose the Jets instead) but they do have interest in Ryan Kerrigan. Washington’s all-time sack leader turns 33 in August, but he could likely be had on a low-cost, one-year deal. Other notable and available names like Kawann Short and Jurrell Casey could also appeal to Cincinnati.