James Pierre agrees to sign with Commanders - NBC Sports
Per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the Commanders have agreed to sign cornerback James Pierre.
Pierre entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 with the Steelers and appeared in at least 16 games over each of the last four seasons. In 2023, Pierre had eight total tackles in 16 appearances. He was on the field for 60 percent of Pittsburgh’s special teams snaps and two percent of defensive snaps.
WR Coleman #33 DB Bishop #60 DT Carter #95 RB Davis #128 C Granger #141
LB Ulofoshio #160 DE Solomon #168 OT Grable #204 CB Hardy #219 OT Clayton #221
Josh Reynolds scheduled to visit Ravens on Friday - NBC Sports
Free agent receiver Josh Reynolds is on his way to Baltimore to visit with the Ravens on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Reynolds, 29, has spent the past 2 1/2 seasons with the Lions. He caught 40 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns during the 2023 regular season and eight for 132 yards and a touchdown in the postseason, but Reynolds had two huge drops in the second half of the NFC Championship Game.
Xavien Howard calls Texans a "realistic option" for him - NBC Sports
Cornerback Xavien Howard is the top unattached free agent left on PFT’s top 100 list and he has one idea about a good landing spot for the 2024 season.
It’s the same place that Howard started out. Howard grew up in Houston and he said on The OGs Podcast this week that playing for the Texans holds a lot of appeal to him. Howard also said that he thinks it’s more than just wishful thinking.
“I would love to do that; back at home, the crib,” Howard said, via Coty M. Davis of SI.com. “I have Houston Rockets and the Texans tatted on me. . . . It’s a realistic option for me. They have a hell of a quarterback. I love a defensive coach.”
Austin Johnson visiting Cardinals Friday - NBC Sports
Defensive lineman Austin Johnson’s search for a new team is taking him across the country.
Johnson visited with the Bills earlier this week and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that he will be in Arizona on Friday for a meeting with the Cardinals.
Johnson started every game for the Chargers last season and had 46 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two passes defensed. He also played for the Chargers in 2022 and had previous stints with the Giants and Titans during his eight years in the NFL.
Chargers agree to terms with CB Kristian Fulton - NBC Sports
The Chargers have added a piece to their secondary.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Los Angeles has agreed to a one-year deal with cornerback Kristian Fulton.
A second-round pick in 2020, Fulton just completed his rookie contract with the Titans. He appeared in 42 games with 37 starts for Tennessee, recording 25 passes defensed with four interceptions. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Rich McKay declines to share Competition Committee's position on delay of trade deadline - NBC Sports
Before the NFL increased the length of the regular season by one week, the NFL moved the trade deadline from the Tuesday after Week 6 to the Tuesday after Week 8. Now that the NFL has added a week to the regular season, multiple teams want to move the trade deadline.
One proposal entails a one-week delay. The other proposal would result in a two-week delay.
During a Thursday conference call regarding the proposals that will be considered next week, a question was asked about these efforts to push the trade deadline back.
“Historically, the trade deadline has been very early in our league, earlier than others,” Competition Committee chairman Rick McKay told reporters. “And it was that way always from a fear of we want our league to be the most competitive league, top to bottom, week to week, of any league there is. We think from fan engagement standpoint, the fact that every fan wakes up in every city, all the way through the whole season, believing their team has a chance and believing their team’s all in to win is a great thing.
Javon Kinlaw- I want to go back to playoffs, Jets have everything needed - NBC Sports
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw played in three playoff games since the start of the new year and that’s three more than the Jets have played in since 2011, but he believes that can change this season.
Kinlaw signed with the Jets as a free agent last week after being part of several playoff teams during his four years with the 49ers. Kinlaw said his history with head coach Robert Saleh and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton — both came from the 49ers — played a role in bringing him to the AFC East, but added that he sees a roster stocked with players who can end the NFL’s longest playoff drought and fulfill his desire to be back in the postseason.
“I know what it’s like in those games, money-wise especially,” Kinlaw said, via the team’s website. “I know what it’s like — the physicality, the energy. I want to go back. This team has everything it needs to make a push to the playoffs.”
Isaiah Hodgins agrees to terms with Giants - NBC Sports
The Giants agreed to terms with wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, the team announced Thursday night. He was a restricted free agent who the Giants chose not to tender.
Hodgins, 25, played all 17 games for the Giants last season, starting nine. He totaled 21 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in 511 offensive snaps.
The Bills made Hodgins a sixth-round pick in 2020, and the Giants acquired him off waivers midway through the 2022 season.
He went on to catch 33 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns in eight games that season, and added another eight receptions for 105 yards and a score in the team’s wild card playoff win over the Vikings.
Bucs GM Jason Licht- Lavonte David stands the test of time heading into his 13th season - NBC Sports
Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is 34 years old, but Tampa Bay General Manager Jason Licht says he had no qualms about signing David to a new contract that will pay him $9 million this season.
As David heads into his 13th season with the Bucs, Licht doesn’t see any sign of decline.
“Lavonte continues to stand the test of time and play at an exceptionally high level year after year, so it was never a question that we wanted to bring him back as the heart and soul of our team,” Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “The example he sets and the leadership he brings have been vital to our success as a team. It is extremely rare to have a player producing at such a high level for going on 13 years now, but Lavonte plays with a passion and a love of the game that shows no signs of slowing down.”
Ravens to sign DB Ka'Dar Hollman - NBC Sports
Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com reports that the Ravens will sign Hollman to their 90-man roster. There’s no word on the terms of the deal.
Hollman spent the 2023 season with the Texans, but was released earlier this month. Hollman played in all 17 regular season games and both playoff games for Houston last season. He made one start and saw most of his playing time on special teams while recording 10 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Hollman also appeared in 18 games for the Packers during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He spent time with several teams over the 2021 and 2022 seasons without seeing any regular season action.
NHL contends "science is lacking" regarding link between head trauma and CTE, after suicide of Chris Simon - NBC Sports
The NFL and NHL have survived, for now, the first decade and a half of the age of full and complete awareness as to the link between repetitive head trauma and long-term health consequences. Both sports have yet to fully embrace that which most people now take as a given.
Following the recent suicide of former hockey enforcer Chris Simon at 52, the NHL’s deputy commissioner said that the “science is still lacking” regarding the connection between playing hockey and Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy. The science might be incomplete regarding all aspects of how CTE develops and what it means to have it, but it’s hard to say it’s “lacking” as to the basic question of whether getting repeatedly hit in the head is hazardous to one’s health.
Simon’s family doesn’t need more proof; in a statement released through his agent, Simon’s family said that it “strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death.”
Cowboys seem to be willing to let Dak Prescott hit the market in 2025 - NBC Sports
By opting for a modest kicking of the salary-cap can in 2024, the Cowboys embark on the last year of quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract at a cap number of $55.455 million. With no ability to tag him in 2025, and no apparent inclination to extend the deal now, the Cowboys seem to be willing to let him finish the contract and see what happens.
Dak had tremendous leverage, if the Cowboys felt compelled to sign him to an extension. If, as it seems, they’ve decided to let things play out and take their chances in 2025, it gives him less power to squeeze from them a market-value deal. This approach eventually could defer to the actual market, which will value services via one or more teams that pursue him next year.
Joe Flacco- I'll help Anthony Richardson simplify the game and play fast - NBC Sports
Flacco agreed to terms with the Colts last week and he officially became a member of the team on Friday. At a press conference to discuss the signing, Flacco said that he has learned over the course of his 16-year career that quarterbacks who succeed “play fast because they’re either naturally doing it or they’re just kind of simplifying it to the point that they’re not worrying about every tiny little thing.”
He believes he can help Richardson do that after the younger quarterback’s rookie season ended early because of a shoulder injury.
“It’s about being in the room with him, a lot of conversations naturally come up when you spend so much time together,” Flacco said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Being able to bring the experience and help him simplify things, go out there, play fast and use his skill set the way he wants to.”
Buccaneers re-sign LS Zach Triner - NBC Sports
The Buccaneers re-signed long snapper Zach Triner on Friday, the team announced.
Triner, 33, played all 17 games each of the past two seasons.
After trying to catch on with the Jets and Packers, Triner finally got his break with the Bucs in 2019. He played all 16 games that season and has been the team’s long snapper since. He missed eight games in 2021 with a finger injury on his left hand, the only games he has missed in his time with the team.
Panthers sign former Bengals safety Nick Scott - NBC Sports
The Panthers have agreed to terms on a deal with Scott, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Last season Scott played in all 17 games with 10 starts for the Bengals. Scott is effectively trading places with Vonn Bell, who started 13 games at safety for the Panthers last year but was cut this offseason and signed with the Bengals.
Scott was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Rams who spent four seasons in Los Angeles before signing with the Bengals last year.
Eagles to sign Will Grier to one-year deal - NBC Sports
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Philadelphia is signing Will Grier to a one-year deal.
Grier, 28, spent time with the Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers last year, though he did not appear in a game. Dallas cut him after acquiring quarterback Trey Lance with the intention of keeping him around as the team’s third QB. He had been with the Cowboys since 2021.
The Panthers selected Grier in the third round of the 2019 draft. He started two games as a rookie for Carolina, completing 28-of-52 passes for 228 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. He has not appeared in a regular-season game since.
Brian Daboll- I wish Saquon Barkley well, except when he plays the Giants - NBC Sports
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Saquon and all the players that went on to other places. It’s a special group when you’re going through an NFL season, you’ve got to go through ups and downs. . . . Wish him all the best except when he is playing the Giants.”
Barkley’s two games against the Giants will have some extra meaning this year, as one of the most popular players on the team in recent seasons is now playing for a bitter rival.
Mike Evans- Baker Mayfield is "similar" to Johnny Manziel (in a good way) - NBC Sports
Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans played with Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M. Evans now plays with Baker Mayfield. Evans sees a similarity between Manziel and Mayfield, in a good way.
“Man, Baker, man, he surprised me a lot,” Evans said in a recent appearance on TexAgs radio, via JoeBucsFan.com. “With not his game, I knew he was a really good player, just how he is as a leader and a teammate. He really surprised me a lot.
“He’s similar to Johnny, his playing style. I mean, really similar. So it was easy to adjust to play with him. Shorter quarterback. Great athlete. Throws like a baseball player, like really tight spiral. Really good arm. Improvise, can do all those things. Super tough. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year.”
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