The weekend played out just as the second and third days of free agency did last week. There was action in spurts, but overall it wasn’t too wild. The money just isn’t out there.
We did see a few big signings, a noteworthy release, and a fax snafu that ultimately led to another player getting cut, though. Greg Jennings picked purple and signed with the Vikings for five years. The long wait for Jake Long to finally make a decision ended late Sunday night when he picked the Rams over the Dolphins. The Patriots re-signed Aqib Talib on a bargain one-year deal, but they also decided to cut ties with Brandon Lloyd after one season. The Broncos released Elvis Dumervil after the team didn’t receive the faxed contract from Dumervil’s agent before a 4:00PM ET deadline on Friday. Other than those five items, the weekend was rather slow-paced. Things should heat back up this week at the NFL Owners Meetings.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals officially gave up on quarterback Kevin Kolb and released him on Friday, saving $7.5 million in cap space. Arizona will have an open competition at the quarterback position this summer, and it will likely consist of Drew Stanton, Brian Hoyer, and a draft pick. However, that draft pick isn’t expected to come via the Cardinals’ No. 7 overall pick. Back to Kolb. I mentioned on Friday a few teams I could see him landing with: the Bills, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, and Bucs. … Arizona added a couple more pieces to its defense over the weekend. Cornerback Antoine Cason signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal, and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy inked a one-year, $1 million pact. Cason turned down more money from the Jaguars, and we expect him and Patrick Peterson to play the outside with Jerraud Powers in the slot. Shaughnessy will likely be a rotational end, and he could see some snaps as a stand-up edge rusher. Both players came at bargain rates. … The Cardinals were mentioned as a team having interest in free agent guard Kevin Boothe. He can play any spot on the line except center. … Free agent return man and receiver Josh Cribbs was back in town on Sunday night to take a physical, so he could be locked up shortly.
Atlanta Falcons: Tight end Tony Gonzalez officially signed up to continue his career by inking a two-year, $14M deal on Friday. He’ll obviously be a TE1 in fantasy after finishing third in fantasy points at the position last season. Steven Jackson’s addition could take away a few opportunities, though. … Free agent cornerback Brent Grimes is expected to start narrowing down his choices in the next couple of days. The Falcons remain in play.
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore added more help to its defensive line over the weekend by adding ex-Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears on a two-year, $3.55 million deal. The Ravens now have about six or seven quality guys to man the three defensive line spots. Spears brings nothing to the table as a pass rusher, but he can play the run. … The Ravens remain in on free agent safety Ed Reed, and GM Ozzie Newsome expects Reed to have a team by the end of this week. Baltimore and Houston remain his strongest suitors. … Some teams are reportedly sniffing around restricted free agent tight end Dennis Pitta. Baltimore tendered Pitta at the second-round level. We wouldn’t expect him to change teams. … The Ravens paid receiver and return man Jacoby Jones his $1 million roster bonus, ensuring that he’ll be back with the team this season. Baltimore also picked up a $5 million option bonus in cornerback Lardarius Webb’s contract. He’s reportedly recovering well from his mid-season ACL tear. … Free agent defensive end/outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil is reportedly firmly on the Ravens’ radar. He might actually be an upgrade on Paul Kruger. When playing in the 3-4 with Denver in 2009, Dumervil led the league with 17 sacks as an outside linebacker.
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo reportedly has no interest in free agent quarterback Kevin Kolb. He’d be an upgrade on Tarvaris Jackson, but not a massive one. The Bills will likely look for their 2013 signal caller in the draft. … The Bills could be interested in free agent safety Jim Leonhard. He has experience in DC Mike Pettine’s defense, and he would be quality insurance behind Jairus Byrd and Da’Norris Searcy.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers had two free agent offensive linemen in for visits over the weekend: Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale. Carolina is eyeing the clearance rack with these two guys, but they have no money to spend. They’re reportedly not expected to sign either one. … Carolina was mentioned as a team that has some interest in free agent guard Kevin Boothe. As was mentioned earlier, Boothe can play both guard and tackle. He’d be an upgrade at right tackle over Byron Bell. … The Panthers aren’t expected to be able to land free agent defensive tackle Dwan Edwards with the one-year deal they are currently offering.
Chicago Bears: Cornerback Zackary Bowman re-upped with the Bears on a one-year deal. The 28-year-old is a core special teams player. … Chicago is still undecided on where offensive lineman Gabe Carimi will play. The former first-rounder will either battle J’Marcus Webb for the right tackle job, or he could be the starter at right guard. Carimi was killed in pass protection last season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Franchise player defensive end Michael Johnson signed his one-year, $11.2 million tender. The deal is fully guaranteed. The Bengals will bring back their entire defensive line on a defense that finished third in the league in sacks in 2012. … Cincinnati has shown interest in free agent tight ends Matt Spaeth and Kellen Davis. Spaeth signed with the Steelers on Friday night, but Davis is still available. Even though Davis’ hands proved to be terrible last season, he can still block. … The Bengals are reportedly closing in on deals with free agents linebacker Rey Maualuga and cornerback Pacman Jones. Maualuga would likely return as Cincinnati’s strong-side linebacker with Vontaze Burfict replacing Maualuga in the middle. Jones hasn’t drawn any interest on the open market, and he could likely be re-upped cheaply on a one-year deal. … Free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick met with the Bengals on Sunday. He spent the 2007-2008 seasons with Cincinnati and would be an upgrade on Bruce Gradkowski as Andy Dalton’s backup.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns continue to poke around the free-agent tight end market. Cleveland has reportedly looked into Fred Davis, but it’s unclear how serious they are on him. They’ll likely wait him out a bit longer as he recovers from last season’s torn Achilles’. The Browns are also interested in Kellen Davis. He doesn’t make much sense after the team signed Gary Barnidge last week. … Free agent cornerback Brent Grimes paid a visit to Cleveland over the weekend. The Browns don’t see Buster Skrine as a capable starter on the outside. Grimes and Joe Haden would be a strong duo for the Browns. Grimes is expected to start the decision process this week. He’s coming off a torn Achilles’ of his own. Grimes tore his in Week 1 and should be ready in plenty of time for training camp. … The Browns aren’t expected to sign free agent quarterback Jason Campbell. He wouldn’t be much competition for Brandon Weeden, but he’d be a better fit than Colt McCoy as the backup.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys remained silent through the weekend. The only nugget of news linked to the Cowboys was that right tackle Doug Free’s roster spot appears to be secure for now. Dallas could clear $7 million in 2013 cap space by designating Free as a post-June 1 cut.
Denver Broncos: The story of the weekend resided in Denver. The Broncos and right end Elvis Dumervil agreed to a pay cut on Friday afternoon. Dumervil was going to cut his 2013 salary from $12 million to $8 million, but Dumervil’s then-agent Marty Magid failed to fax the revised contract back to the Broncos before the 4:00PM ET deadline on Friday. The Broncos were then forced to release Dumervil. Due to the cap hit the Broncos would endure by re-signing Dumervil, they’re expected to move in a different direction. Veteran free agent pass rushers Dwight Freeney and John Abraham are likely targets.
The weekend played out just as the second and third days of free agency did last week. There was action in spurts, but overall it wasn’t too wild. The money just isn’t out there.
We did see a few big signings, a noteworthy release, and a fax snafu that ultimately led to another player getting cut, though. Greg Jennings picked purple and signed with the Vikings for five years. The long wait for Jake Long to finally make a decision ended late Sunday night when he picked the Rams over the Dolphins. The Patriots re-signed Aqib Talib on a bargain one-year deal, but they also decided to cut ties with Brandon Lloyd after one season. The Broncos released Elvis Dumervil after the team didn’t receive the faxed contract from Dumervil’s agent before a 4:00PM ET deadline on Friday. Other than those five items, the weekend was rather slow-paced. Things should heat back up this week at the NFL Owners Meetings.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals officially gave up on quarterback Kevin Kolb and released him on Friday, saving $7.5 million in cap space. Arizona will have an open competition at the quarterback position this summer, and it will likely consist of Drew Stanton, Brian Hoyer, and a draft pick. However, that draft pick isn’t expected to come via the Cardinals’ No. 7 overall pick. Back to Kolb. I mentioned on Friday a few teams I could see him landing with: the Bills, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, and Bucs. … Arizona added a couple more pieces to its defense over the weekend. Cornerback Antoine Cason signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal, and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy inked a one-year, $1 million pact. Cason turned down more money from the Jaguars, and we expect him and Patrick Peterson to play the outside with Jerraud Powers in the slot. Shaughnessy will likely be a rotational end, and he could see some snaps as a stand-up edge rusher. Both players came at bargain rates. … The Cardinals were mentioned as a team having interest in free agent guard Kevin Boothe. He can play any spot on the line except center. … Free agent return man and receiver Josh Cribbs was back in town on Sunday night to take a physical, so he could be locked up shortly.
Atlanta Falcons: Tight end Tony Gonzalez officially signed up to continue his career by inking a two-year, $14M deal on Friday. He’ll obviously be a TE1 in fantasy after finishing third in fantasy points at the position last season. Steven Jackson’s addition could take away a few opportunities, though. … Free agent cornerback Brent Grimes is expected to start narrowing down his choices in the next couple of days. The Falcons remain in play.
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore added more help to its defensive line over the weekend by adding ex-Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears on a two-year, $3.55 million deal. The Ravens now have about six or seven quality guys to man the three defensive line spots. Spears brings nothing to the table as a pass rusher, but he can play the run. … The Ravens remain in on free agent safety Ed Reed, and GM Ozzie Newsome expects Reed to have a team by the end of this week. Baltimore and Houston remain his strongest suitors. … Some teams are reportedly sniffing around restricted free agent tight end Dennis Pitta. Baltimore tendered Pitta at the second-round level. We wouldn’t expect him to change teams. … The Ravens paid receiver and return man Jacoby Jones his $1 million roster bonus, ensuring that he’ll be back with the team this season. Baltimore also picked up a $5 million option bonus in cornerback Lardarius Webb’s contract. He’s reportedly recovering well from his mid-season ACL tear. … Free agent defensive end/outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil is reportedly firmly on the Ravens’ radar. He might actually be an upgrade on Paul Kruger. When playing in the 3-4 with Denver in 2009, Dumervil led the league with 17 sacks as an outside linebacker.
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo reportedly has no interest in free agent quarterback Kevin Kolb. He’d be an upgrade on Tarvaris Jackson, but not a massive one. The Bills will likely look for their 2013 signal caller in the draft. … The Bills could be interested in free agent safety Jim Leonhard. He has experience in DC Mike Pettine’s defense, and he would be quality insurance behind Jairus Byrd and Da’Norris Searcy.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers had two free agent offensive linemen in for visits over the weekend: Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale. Carolina is eyeing the clearance rack with these two guys, but they have no money to spend. They’re reportedly not expected to sign either one. … Carolina was mentioned as a team that has some interest in free agent guard Kevin Boothe. As was mentioned earlier, Boothe can play both guard and tackle. He’d be an upgrade at right tackle over Byron Bell. … The Panthers aren’t expected to be able to land free agent defensive tackle Dwan Edwards with the one-year deal they are currently offering.
Chicago Bears: Cornerback Zackary Bowman re-upped with the Bears on a one-year deal. The 28-year-old is a core special teams player. … Chicago is still undecided on where offensive lineman Gabe Carimi will play. The former first-rounder will either battle J’Marcus Webb for the right tackle job, or he could be the starter at right guard. Carimi was killed in pass protection last season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Franchise player defensive end Michael Johnson signed his one-year, $11.2 million tender. The deal is fully guaranteed. The Bengals will bring back their entire defensive line on a defense that finished third in the league in sacks in 2012. … Cincinnati has shown interest in free agent tight ends Matt Spaeth and Kellen Davis. Spaeth signed with the Steelers on Friday night, but Davis is still available. Even though Davis’ hands proved to be terrible last season, he can still block. … The Bengals are reportedly closing in on deals with free agents linebacker Rey Maualuga and cornerback Pacman Jones. Maualuga would likely return as Cincinnati’s strong-side linebacker with Vontaze Burfict replacing Maualuga in the middle. Jones hasn’t drawn any interest on the open market, and he could likely be re-upped cheaply on a one-year deal. … Free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick met with the Bengals on Sunday. He spent the 2007-2008 seasons with Cincinnati and would be an upgrade on Bruce Gradkowski as Andy Dalton’s backup.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns continue to poke around the free-agent tight end market. Cleveland has reportedly looked into Fred Davis, but it’s unclear how serious they are on him. They’ll likely wait him out a bit longer as he recovers from last season’s torn Achilles’. The Browns are also interested in Kellen Davis. He doesn’t make much sense after the team signed Gary Barnidge last week. … Free agent cornerback Brent Grimes paid a visit to Cleveland over the weekend. The Browns don’t see Buster Skrine as a capable starter on the outside. Grimes and Joe Haden would be a strong duo for the Browns. Grimes is expected to start the decision process this week. He’s coming off a torn Achilles’ of his own. Grimes tore his in Week 1 and should be ready in plenty of time for training camp. … The Browns aren’t expected to sign free agent quarterback Jason Campbell. He wouldn’t be much competition for Brandon Weeden, but he’d be a better fit than Colt McCoy as the backup.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys remained silent through the weekend. The only nugget of news linked to the Cowboys was that right tackle Doug Free’s roster spot appears to be secure for now. Dallas could clear $7 million in 2013 cap space by designating Free as a post-June 1 cut.
Denver Broncos: The story of the weekend resided in Denver. The Broncos and right end Elvis Dumervil agreed to a pay cut on Friday afternoon. Dumervil was going to cut his 2013 salary from $12 million to $8 million, but Dumervil’s then-agent Marty Magid failed to fax the revised contract back to the Broncos before the 4:00PM ET deadline on Friday. The Broncos were then forced to release Dumervil. Due to the cap hit the Broncos would endure by re-signing Dumervil, they’re expected to move in a different direction. Veteran free agent pass rushers Dwight Freeney and John Abraham are likely targets.
Detroit Lions: The Lions continued their spending spree on Friday. In a minor surprise, Detroit re-signed free safety Louis Delmas to a two-year, $9.465 million contract. If Delmas can stay healthy, he and Glover Quin will make a fine safety tandem. Backup center Dylan Gandy was re-signed to a one-year deal.
Green Bay Packers: The lone signing of the Packers’ offseason up to this point happened on Friday. Backup linebacker Rob Francois was re-signed to a one-year contract. Francois will continue to be a contributor on special teams. … Linebacker A.J. Hawk staved off yet another potential offseason release by taking a pay cut on Friday. He’s expected to face some competition for his starting job next to Desmond Bishop. … Green Bay is reportedly one of two teams to have shown interest in free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw. The top free agent running back left, Bradshaw would be a tremendous fit with the Packers. Bradshaw is one of the toughest players in the league, and he can pick up a blitz. ... Rumors of free agent running back Peyton Hillis visiting the Packers last week are reportedly not true.
Houston Texans: Free agent safety Ed Reed left his two-day visit with the Texans on Friday without signing a contract, and it’s reportedly 50:50 that he signs with the team. Reed is expected to make a decision sometime this week. It’s quite possible that he brought whatever offer he received from Houston back to Baltimore to give the Ravens a chance to match. … The Texans re-signed backup offensive tackle Andrew Gardner on Friday. He wasn’t tendered an offer as a restricted free agent last week. Gardner appeared in three games last season. The Texans have also expressed interest in re-signing punter Donnie Jones. … Here’s one out of left field. Free agent receiver Chad Johnson says he wants to play for the Texans. Houston is in dire need of some receiver help, but Johnson doesn’t bring much to the table. The Texans will not be signing him. … The Texans are not expected to re-sign free agent kicker Shayne Graham, and 2012 fifth-round pick Randy Bullock will handle kicking duties this season. Bullock missed his entire rookie season after tearing his groin in training camp last summer.
Indianapolis Colts: Owner Jim Irsay made headlines with a couple of tweets on Saturday night. Irsay said the Colts have been working on a deal for the past five days, and he later added that the targeted player is a receiver. It’s unclear if Irsay is talking about a trade or a free-agent signing, but he did rule out restricted free agent Victor Cruz. Some names that have come up are Larry Fitzgerald, Doug Baldwin, and Davone Bess. The Baldwin dots are easy to connect. Baldwin was knocked down a peg to Seattle’s No. 4 receiver after the Percy Harvin acquisition, and Baldwin played under new Colts OC Pep Hamilton while at Stanford when Andrew Luck was the quarterback. A few other possible trade candidates I came up with after just a little bit of thought are Harry Douglas, Miles Austin, Jon Baldwin, Santonio Holmes, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Robert Meachem, and Nate Washington. The top free-agent options are Brandon Lloyd, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Julian Edelman. … Indianapolis released safety Tom Zbikowski on Friday. He was made expendable after LaRon Landry’s signing.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars signed three players on Friday: running back Justin Forsett, defensive tackle Roy Miller, and defensive back Alan Ball. Forsett will be a nice change-of-pace back to Maurice Jones-Drew, and he can even carry the load in a pinch. Forsett was with coach Gus Bradley and OC Jedd Fisch in Seattle in 2010. Miller signed a two-year deal. He was a key piece on the Bucs’ top-ranked run defense last season. The soon-to-be 26-year-old will likely replace Terrance Knighton in the starting lineup. Ball can play both safety and cornerback, but he isn’t particularly good at either spot. His signing is a pure depth move, and he’ll fight for a job in training camp.
Kansas City Chiefs: Cornerback Sean Smith’s deal, which was initially reported as a three-year, $18 million deal, is worth just $16.5 million. … The Chiefs signed offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz on Friday. He can play both right guard and right tackle. Schwartz started 16 games for the Panthers in 2010. He’ll be a key reserve in Kansas City. … Free agent tight end Les Brown worked out for the Chiefs over the weekend. Brown is best known for his prominent role in HBO’s Hard Knocks series with the Dolphins last summer. He can’t block at all, but he has an intriguing skill-set at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds.
Miami Dolphins: GM Jeff Ireland added another couple of pieces to the offense with the signings of receiver Brandon Gibson and tight end Dustin Keller. Gibson inked a three-year deal, and Keller signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract. Gibson will likely be the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver in Miami, but he could push slot receiver Davone Bess out of a job. Keller turned down a multi-year offer to try and rehab his value on the one-year deal. He’s an upgrade on Anthony Fasano in the receiving game, but he isn’t nearly the blocker Fasano is. … Left tackle Jake Long spurned the Dolphins and signed a four-year deal with the Rams on Sunday night. The Dolphins were said to be making a charge to re-sign Long, but he picked St. Louis over Miami. Both contract offers were reportedly similar. Look for the Dolphins to turn their attention to free agent right tackle Eric Winston. Second-year tackle Jonathan Martin is now the favorite to start on quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s blind side. That’s a scary thought. … Free agent cornerback Brent Grimes visited the team. He’d be a good get for a team that desperately needs corner help. … The Dolphins may or may not have visited with free agent defensive end John Abraham. He reportedly missed his initial visit, but then booked a flight on his own dime and showed up a day or two later. Free agent defensive end Elvis Dumervil reportedly wants to play for Miami. The Dolphins have yet to contact him, though. Free agent outside linebacker/defensive end Antwan Barnes and the Dolphins have reportedly been in discussions. Barnes has recorded 14 sacks over the last two seasons, mainly as a 3-4 linebacker.
Minnesota Vikings: After a two-day visit with receiver Greg Jennings, the Vikings inked Jennings to a five-year, $47.5 million deal on Friday night. The deal includes $18 million guaranteed. The Vikings put the full-court press on Jennings on Thursday night, and his $9.5 million annual average is seventh-highest in the league among receivers. Jennings, 29, can play all three receiver positions. At this point we’d expect Jennings and Jerome Simpson to be on the outside with Jarius Wright in the slot this season. … Recently released cornerback Antoine Winfield is expected to start making visits this week. The Vikings have been in discussions to bring the veteran back. … Minnesota is reportedly not interested in free agent receiver Brandon Lloyd or restricted free agent receiver Victor Cruz. … Quarterback Matt Cassel was told that there will be no competition for the starting job. Christian Ponder is locked in as the team’s quarterback.
New England Patriots: The Patriots were the busiest team over the weekend. Cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and Aqib Talib were re-signed. Arrington got a four-year, $16 million deal. He’ll return as the Patriots’ slot corner. Talib came back at a bargain rate of one year and $5 million. He reportedly turned down multi-year offers from other teams to return to the Patriots. With Arrington and Talib back under contract, the Patriots have their solid cover corner trio back together, along with second-year man Alfonzo Dennard. It also allows the Patriots to keep Devin McCourty at safety. … New England also made moves with its receiving corps. Receiver Donald Jones signed a three-year contract, and Brandon Lloyd was released after spending just one year with the team. Jones played mostly in the slot with the Bills last season, but he has the ability to play outside. Lloyd was due a $3 million roster bonus this offseason in addition to a $1.9 million base salary. The 31-year-old just didn’t stretch the field, and he doesn’t create yards after the catch. He might have a rough go of it on the open market since he has only had success under Josh McDaniels. Lloyd is easily the top free-agent receiver available, though. … Restricted free agent receiver Emmanuel Sanders visited the Patriots on Friday, but he did not sign an offer sheet. … Safety Adrian Wilson inked a three-year deal with New England. The 33-year-old is mostly an in-the-box safety at this point in his career, but the Patriots hope he can have an impact like Rodney Harrison had. … Offensive tackle Will Svitek signed on Sunday. The 31-year-old missed the entire 2012 season with an arm injury, but he could compete with Marcus Cannon for the starting right tackle job if free agent Sebastian Vollmer isn’t re-signed. Speaking of Vollmer, there’s word that he could re-up on a one-year deal due to his nonexistent market. We should know more about Vollmer this week, especially after Jake Long unclogged the offensive tackle market on Sunday night with his signing in St. Louis. … Free agent defensive ends John Abraham and Dwight Freeney left their visits with the Patriots without deals.
New Orleans Saints: Free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha visited the Saints on Sunday. He has experience with DC Rob Ryan from their Oakland days. If New Orleans signed Asomugha, one of the incumbent cornerbacks Patrick Robinson or Jabari Greer could reportedly be released. … The Saints are reportedly one of the four teams interested in free agent tight end Kellen Davis. He could replace David Thomas as the No. 2 behind Jimmy Graham. … New Orleans re-signed special teams dynamo Courtney Roby on Sunday.
New York Giants: The Giants inked three players to one-year deals over the weekend: receiver Louis Murphy, tight end Brandon Myers, and linebacker Dan Connor. Murphy is a pure depth signing with receivers Ramses Barden and Domenik Hixon being free agents. Murphy has plenty of speed, but he hasn’t turned it into production. Connor will likely battle Mark Herzlich for the middle linebacker job. Connor was miscast as a 3-4 inside linebacker in Dallas, so a return to the 4-3 should do him wonders. Myers is easily the biggest signing. Coming off a career year in Oakland, he’ll try and replace Martellus Bennett’s production. Myers has soft hands, but he doesn’t block at all or stretch the field. He’ll be a fine red-zone option. … Jason Pierre-Paul will reportedly focus on left end next season, while Justin Tuck primarily plays right end. The Giants don’t want the two flip-flopping as much as they have in the past. Pierre-Paul is stout enough against the run to be able to hold down the left side.
New York Jets: The Jets were just as active as the Giants over the weekend. GM John Idzik got four players under contract: kicker Nick Folk, running back Mike Goodson, guard Willie Colon, and defensive lineman Antonio Garay. … Goodson scored a three-year, $6.9 million deal, and he’s an intriguing get. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has never carried the ball more than 103 times in a season, but he should easily eclipse that amount in 2013. Goodson and second-year back Bilal Powell are expected to complement each other. Goodson has much more big-play ability in his legs. … Colon signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal, and he’s expected to take over one of the guard spots. The biggest concern with Colon is his health. He has missed 36 games over the last three seasons. … Garay will likely back up Muhammad Wilkerson at right end, but he could also see snaps at nose tackle. He’s a much better pass rusher than run defender. … Folk signed a one-year deal. He’ll likely face competition in camp for the third straight season. … The Jets paid cornerback Darrelle Revis a $1 million roster bonus on Saturday. He’s still expected to be traded before the draft. … New York reportedly has interest in free agents safety Dawan Landry and offensive lineman Kevin Boothe. Landry is the older brother of ex-Jets safety LaRon Landry. Dawan is more of an in-the-box safety. Boothe would play one of the guard spots for the Jets. … Free agent outside linebacker Antwan Barnes left his visit without a contract. He’s drawing interest elsewhere. … The Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League are interested in Tim Tebow and have a contract offer waiting for him if he can’t find a job in the NFL. Tebow is likely to be released by the Jets sometime soon.
Oakland Raiders: The Raiders snagged a pair of linebackers this weekend. Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett will help shore up what was one of many weak spots in Oakland last season. The Raiders have an entirely new linebacker corps, and it’s not clear where each of Roach, Burnett, and Kaluka Maiava will play. Our best guess is that Maiava will handle the strong side, Roach the middle, and Burnett on the weak side. That is subject to change.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles made a trade with the Bucs on Friday. Philadelphia acquired receiver Arrelious Benn and a 2013 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2013 sixth-round pick and a 2014 conditional pick. Benn, a former second-round pick, fell out of favor with the Bucs. He has the ability to return kicks and could give Jason Avant a run for No. 3 receiver duties. … Safety Nate Allen is reportedly still in the mix for the starting free safety job, but we would expect Kenny Phillips to beat him out. … The Eagles don’t plan to trade or release pass rusher Trent Cole. We expect Cole to strictly rush the passer from one outside linebacker spot, while Connor Barwin drops into coverage a little bit on the other side. Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry will rotate in.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Free agent running back Beanie Wells’ physical with the Steelers reportedly revealed a “bad wheel.” He may be on the market for a bit. … The Steelers were interested in a couple of ex-Bears tight ends in Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth. They chose to sign Spaeth on Friday night. He’ll likely handle blocking duties this season. … Free agent outside linebacker Victor Butler left his visit without a contract. The Steelers are reportedly interested in free agent pass rusher Elvis Dumervil after his release from the Broncos. He’d be an upgrade on James Harrison. … Restricted free agent receiver Emmanuel Sanders has not received an offer sheet from the Patriots. … Pittsburgh is one of two teams to reportedly have interest in running back Ahmad Bradshaw. He makes a lot more sense for the Steelers than Wells does. Bradshaw is easily the top the back left on the free-agent market, and interest in him should start heating up soon.
San Diego Chargers: The Bolts locked up a couple of running backs on Friday. Danny Woodhead was signed to a two-year contract, and veteran Ronnie Brown signed up for another season. Both backs will see plenty of third-down work while Ryan Mathews handles the early downs. Look for coach Mike McCoy and OC Ken Whisenhunt to get the ball in Woodhead’s hands in space just as the Patriots have done over the last couple seasons. He’ll be a guy to monitor in PPR formats.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers added safety Craig Dahl on a three-year, $5 million contract on Saturday. It’s unlikely that he’s viewed as a starter, but he could compete for the free safety gig with an early-round draft pick. The 49ers could also still be looking at free agent Charles Woodson. … San Francisco remains in the hunt for free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. He left his visit on Saturday without a contract, though. … The Niners plan to play Glenn Dorsey at nose tackle. He’s a bit undersized for your typical nose, but look for the 49ers to put him in position to rush the passer more than he did while in Kansas City. … Teams are reportedly interested in free agent receiver Randy Moss, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old has gone silent. Moss is still deciding on whether he should continue his playing career. San Francisco is not one of the teams with interest.
Seattle Seahawks: New defensive end Cliff Avril is expected to play the “Leo” pass-rush position in addition to strong-side linebacker with the Seahawks. … Seattle released special teamer and receiver Ben Obomanu on Friday. The 29-year-old was due $2.3 million in 2013.
St. Louis Rams: The Rams finally landed their man on Sunday night. Left tackle Jake Long signed a four-year, $34 million contract. The deal could reportedly be worth up to $36 million. Long left his three-day visit in St. Louis on Friday to return home to Miami where the Dolphins were making a strong push to retain him. Both sides reportedly offered similar deals, but Long likes the direction the Rams are heading in. Incumbent left tackle Rodger Saffold is now expected to slide over to the right side, or he could also play guard. Long’s signing gives quarterback Sam Bradford a four-time Pro Bowler on his blind side. Long is also a top-notch run-blocker. His biggest question mark is going to be his health.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs added tight end Tom Crabtree on a two-year, $1.6 million contract on Saturday. He wasn’t tendered an offer by the Packers as a restricted free agent last week. Crabtree has just 18 career catches. As the depth chart stands right now, he could be the top dog. … The Bucs will reportedly wait a few more weeks to entertain a trade for Darrelle Revis. Tampa Bay wants to see what else the free-agent cornerback market has to offer. The Bucs could be interested in bringing back free agent E.J. Biggers. He hasn’t drawn any interest, yet. Biggers was the best of a bad bunch of corners in Tampa last season.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans hosted two free agents for visits over the weekend: linebacker Brad Jones and safety Bernard Pollard. There are reportedly several teams interested in Jones, but Tennessee was his first visit. There doesn’t appear to be a starting job open with the Titans among the linebackers. If Pollard were to sign, it would likely push George Wilson to the No. 3 safety behind Pollard and free safety Michael Griffin. Pollard would bring some attitude to a defense that was far too soft in 2012.
Washington Redskins: The Redskins were one of the teams to express some interest in running back Reggie Bush. They don’t have the money for that kind of pickup, but it shows Washington wants to find a back to pair with early-down stud Alfred Morris. Morris caught just 11 passes in 16 games last season. … Free agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall reportedly could be brought back. He hasn’t drawn much interest on the open market since the Redskins released him last week. Washington isn’t expected to be in the running for free agent cornerback Brent Grimes, who is going to start narrowing his choices down this week. Grimes is expected to be too expensive for the Redskins.