Cowboys, Keanu Neal Agree To Deal
Keanu Neal made his decision Saturday. He will stick with Dan Quinn, opting to sign with the Cowboys. Dallas agreed to terms with the ex-Atlanta safety on a one-year deal worth $5MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The former first-round pick played five seasons with the Falcons, working in Quinn’s defense for most of that run. While injuries hijacked two seasons from the ex-Florida Gator, Neal returned last season and re-established his value to some degree.
Neal will receive a $3MM signing bonus, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets, with ESPN.com’s Todd Archer noting the deal maxes out at $5MM. It appears the Cowboys secured the ex-Falcon defender at a slightly lower rate. The Jets were the other team mentioned as a Neal finalist, and several other teams inquired about the veteran.
Friday night, Anderson noted Neal was a candidate to work as an outside linebacker on his new team. But with the Cowboys having two three-down ‘backers and a clear need at safety, Neal may make more sense to stay at the position he played in five years under Quinn. It turns out the Cowboys have a layered plan for Neal, with Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noting (via Twitter) he will be used at both safety and linebacker.
Still just 25, Neal worked as a Falcons starter immediately after joining the team. And in his three non-injury-marred seasons, Neal recorded at least 100 tackles. He posted 106 last season, with a career-high nine tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus graded him as its No. 33 overall safety. He will have a good chance of carrying those talents over to Dallas, considering the scheme familiarity he has with the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Multiyear Cowboys starter Xavier Woods remains a free agent, and the team plans to visit with Malik Hooker and former Neal teammate Damontae Kazee soon.
Steelers To Sign Miles Killebrew
After spending five years with the Lions, versatile defender Miles Killebrew will join the Steelers. The special-teamer committed to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This signing would seemingly be for a special teams role, with Killebrew playing less than 90 snaps on defense over the past three seasons. Last year, the former safety played just one defensive snap.
A former fourth-round Lions pick, Killebrew has missed just two games throughout his career. While the Southern Utah alum has only started four games in five seasons, the Lions valued him for his special teams acumen. Even after his role on Detroit’s defense evaporated following his second season, Killebrew continued to make 53-man rosters as a niche player.
Detroit re-signed Killebrew on a one-year, $2MM contract in 2020, but with a new regime having arrived, the soon-to-be 28-year-old safety/linebacker will depart.
Jets S Marcus Maye Accepts Franchise Tender
Marcus Maye is sticking around New York via the franchise tag. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the safety has accepted his franchise tender, locking him in to a $10.61MM deal.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to play the 2021 season on that franchise value. Rather, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Maye’s camp will continue working with the Jets towards a long-term deal.
Following the the Jamal Adams trade, Maye became the centerpiece of the Jets secondary. The former second-rounder ultimately broke through with the best season of his career; Pro Football Focus graded the former second-round pick as its No. 5 overall safety. Maye also finished the season with career-highs across the board, including 88 tackles, two sacks, two picks, and 11 passes defended.
With this signing, each of the nine players who were slapped with the franchise tag have either accepted the tender or signed an extension.
Texans To Sign LB Jordan Jenkins
Jordan Jenkins is leaving the Jets. The free agent pass rusher is signing with the Texans, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It’s a two-year, $6MM deal for Jenkins, and the veteran has the potential to earn up to $8MM.
The 2016 third-round pick had spent his entire five-year career with the Jets, missing only eight of the team’s games over that span. The veteran has compiled 22.5 sacks throughout his career, including 15 sacks between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
He took a bit of a step back in 2020. Jenkins started all 12 of his appearances, but he finished with career-lows in tackles (32) and sacks (2). He also compiled six QB hits. The 26-year-old’s season ended on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
As Field Yates notes on Twitter, the Jets roster has seen a complete makeover under GM Joe Douglas. Safety Marcus Maye, the team’s second-round pick in 2017, is now New York’s longest-tenured player.
Dolphins Cut OL Isaiah Wilson
Isaiah Wilson‘s stint with the Dolphins has ended before it really began. Miami has cut the embattled offensive lineman, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
According to Beasley, the Dolphins tried to help the struggling offensive lineman following his trade to the organization. However, the player “refused team efforts to help him to get his life on track.” Wilson reportedly showed up late for his physical, was late for his orientation with the organization, and skipped a pair of workouts that he had committed to. Beasley adds that the player also recently posted videos to social media that showed him “inhaling a vape and dancing shirtless on a car.” The Dolphins decision to cut the lineman came before those videos were posted.
The 2020 first-round pick played just four snaps as a rookie, running into multifront trouble last year. He was issued a trespass warning for attending a party at Tennessee State University last summer. That preceded a September DUI arrest. The Titans suspended Wilson in December and ended his season by placing him on the reserve/NFI list days later. Wilson voiced a desire to leave the Titans, in a since-deleted tweet, earlier this year.
That led to Wilson’s trade to Miami earlier this month. The Dolphins didn’t give up a whole lot for the lineman’s services; the team sent a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Titans in exchange for Wilson and a 2022 seventh-rounder.
Now, the lineman will hit waivers, but considering both the Titans’ and Dolphins’ willingness to bail on the highly-touted prospect, there’s a good chance he’ll hit free agency.
Panthers To Sign TE Dan Arnold
Tight end Dan Arnold has agreed to sign with the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal reunites Arnold with his former Saints coach, Joe Brady. 
Arnold’s two-year deal is worth $6MM, according to Schrager. Not bad for a UDFA out of Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. Arnold was used sparingly as a rookie in New Orleans, but he made the most of his 12 receptions by taking them for 150 yards and a touchdown. Then, last year, he reemerged with the Cardinals and finished out with 31 grabs for 438 yards and four touchdowns.
The Panthers just lost tight end Chris Manhertz to the Jaguars in free agency, so there’s an opportunity for Arnold to play. Still, even with Arnold’s pass-catching ability, the Panthers might need to replace Manhertz’s blocking on the TE depth chart.
Browns To Sign DL Malik Jackson, LB Anthony Walker
After adding two members of the Rams’ starting secondary, the Browns are turning their attention to the front seven. They agreed to terms with defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Anthony Walker on Friday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (Twitter links).
Jackson’s Broncos tenure overlapped with Joe Woods‘, with the current Browns DC having coached Denver’s secondary during Jackson’s stay. The nine-year veteran will come to Cleveland after spending two seasons in Philadelphia. A four-year vet, Walker is Ohio-bound after playing out his rookie contract in Indianapolis.
While Jackson was a starter in multiple schemes in Denver — including in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 look that helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 — he has worked primarily as a 4-3 defensive tackle since joining the Jaguars in 2016. Part of the Jags’ “Sacksonville” defense that pushed the team to the Super Bowl LII precipice, Jackson made the Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in that 2017 campaign. However, the Jags made him a cap casualty ahead of their rebuild in 2019.
The Eagles signed Jackson shortly after, but he missed the ’19 season because of an injury. Jackson registered 2.5 sacks and logged 13 QB hits for the Eagles last season, returning to play in 15 games. The soon-to-be 31-year-old D-lineman will join a Browns team that just lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency. Jackson could be in line to team with Sheldon Richardson as a starter in Cleveland.
Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, Leonard’s sidekick registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy, but the former fifth-round pick brings significant experience to a Browns defense that ranked 25th in DVOA last year.
In addition to the Jackson and Walker additions, the Browns have signed John Johnson and Troy Hill this week. They also re-signed linebacker Malcolm Smith.
Texans To Sign RB Phillip Lindsay
A day after the Broncos rescinded Phillip Lindsay‘s RFA tender, the Pro Bowl running back will join another crowded backfield. The Texans are signing Lindsay to a one-year contract, according to his agent (on Twitter).
Lindsay will earn $3.25MM in 2021, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal could reach $3.75MM. This marks a bit of a bump for the productive back, who was previously tethered to a $2.13MM RFA tender salary. Lindsay will receive $1MM in guarantees, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
In Houston, Lindsay will link up with fellow former Pro Bowlers David Johnson and Mark Ingram. Had Lindsay played the 2021 season on his RFA tender, he would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2022. This Texans contract would allow him to have a chance to rebuild his value in advance of another free agency bid next year.
Despite becoming the first UDFA in NFL history to open his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Lindsay fell out of favor in Denver. The Broncos’ interesting decision to give Melvin Gordon a two-year, $16MM deal led to Lindsay splitting time with the ex-Chargers first-rounder and totaling just 502 rushing yards. The Colorado alum, however, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and continued to excel in 2019 despite playing behind a middling Denver offensive line. Lindsay averaged 5.4 yards per carry and totaled 10 TDs as a rookie.
One of the NFL’s most explosive runners over his first two seasons, Lindsay is by far the youngest of the three notable backs in Houston. Johnson will turn 30 later this year; Ingram will be 32 by season’s end. The Texans, who released Duke Johnson earlier this year, also have Dontrell Hilliard on their roster.
Seahawks To Re-Sign RB Chris Carson
Chris Carson will stay in Seattle. The former seventh-round pick who beat the odds to become a long-term Seahawks starter agreed to terms on a second contract with the team Friday night.
The four-year veteran running back will sign a two-year deal worth $14.63MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Carson has worked as Seattle’s top running back for the past three seasons, and he will be expected to reprise that role in 2021. The Seahawks will use the increasingly popular void-year method to help with their cap, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, noting one void year will be added to the deal. The Seahawks entered Friday up against the cap.
Carson is believed to have received interest from the Dolphins, and the Seahawks extended an offer to Leonard Fournette. Nevertheless, the status quo in Seattle’s backfield will remain. The Seahawks lost Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars but still have Rashaad Penny attached to his rookie contract. This Carson development could point Fournette back to the Buccaneers, though it remains to be seen if there are any other known suitors for the former top-five pick.
Although the Seahawks’ initial investment in Carson doubled as a final-round flier, Carson will cash in after an injury-marred season. Prior to being limited in 2020, however, Carson eclipsed 1,100 yards in each of the previous two seasons. He totaled 16 rushing TDs from 2018-19, helping the Seahawks back to the playoffs and resurrect a ground game that had dipped in quality in between the Marshawn Lynch and Carson years.
Carson, Phillip Lindsay, Marlon Mack and Kenyan Drake are now off the market, with Aaron Jones — the top UFA running back coming into the week — choosing to avoid free agency and re-sign with the Packers. Of this group, Jones is the only player to have signed for more than two seasons or to have cleared $8MM per year. Carson, however, will receive a considerable raise from his rookie contract. Russell Wilson also endorsed the move (Twitter link).
Eagles, S Anthony Harris Agree To Deal
Anthony Harris‘ 2021 salary will not match what he earned on a franchise tag in 2020, and the former Vikings safety will relocate to Philadelphia. The Eagles and Harris agreed to a deal Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Eagles are signing Harris to a one-year deal worth $5MM. This represents a bargain for Philly, considering Harris played last season on an $11.4MM franchise tag.
Rodney McLeod will have a third safety tandem partner in three years, with Harris following Malcolm Jenkins and Jalen Mills in this capacity. Harris will also rejoin Jonathan Gannon. The new Eagles DC spent time coaching defensive backs with the Vikings. Gannon worked as Minnesota’s assistant DBs coach from 2015-17.
Harris, however, broke out after Gannon’s departure for Indianapolis. He joined the Vikings’ starting lineup in 2018 and emerged with a six-interception 2019, forming a top-tier safety duo with Harrison Smith. The Vikings now need to replace Harris, whom they kept off the market last year. Harris loomed in trade rumors, being connected to Cleveland, but played on the tag in 2020.
Coming off an interception-less season, the 29-year-old defender did record a career-high 104 tackles. After grading him as a top-three overall safety in 2018 and ’19, Pro Football Focus ranked the 29-year-old defender 38th at the position last season. This contract comes after Harris changed agents, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP, who notes he is now with Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link). This one-year pact will give Harris an opportunity to determine his long-term future while giving the Eagles a proven safety.