Tag: 2024 NFL Free Agency

Bills sign former Jaguars DE Dawuane Smoot

Bills sign former Jaguars defensive end Dawuane Smoot

Buffalo announced its signing of former Jacksonville defensive end Dawuane Smoot, alongside its acquisitions of fellow free agents, wide receiver Chase Claypool and linebacker Deion Jones, on Friday.

Each player agreed to a one-year contract with the Bills.

Smoot, 29, spent seven seasons with the Jaguars following his third-round, 2017 NFL draft selection by the club, out of Illinois.

Over 99 appearances with the Jaguars, including 17 starts, Smoot accumulated 133 tackles with 27 for loss, 23.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and five defended passes. He posted four consecutive seasons with five or more sacks between 2019-22.

However, a torn Achilles suffered in Week 16 of the 2022 campaign lingered into 2023, limiting Smoot to 12 games, 10 tackles and one sack in his final season with Jacksonville.

Smoot is not the only depth member of the Jaguars’ 2023 edge-rush room to sign elsewhere this offseason. Jacksonville’s second 2019 first-round pick, K’Lavon Chaisson, joined Carolina in March.

To compensate, Jacksonville signed former Tennessee outside linebacker Trevis Gipson in March and selected former Texas Tech defensive end Myles Cole in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft last week.

Jacksonville currently has the third-most salary cap space in the NFL with $30,866,651 available on its 2024 spending table, per Over the Cap.

Veteran edge rushers such as former Jaguars, Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue, Bud Dupree (most recently with Atlanta), Emmanuel Ogbah (Miami) and Jerry Hughes (Houston), among others, remain on the free agent market.

Ex-Lions WR DJ Chark signs with the Chargers

Another former Lions player is off the free agent market as WR DJ Chark signs with the Chargers

One of the top free agents still on the market, one-time Lions wide receiver DJ Chark is no longer available. Chark has agreed to sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers, per numerous reports.

The 6-foot-4 Chark played in Detroit in 2022 and fared well. He caught 30 passes for 502 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s primary deep threat on the outside. When his one-year deal expired, Chark moved on to Carolina for the 2023 season.

With the Panthers, Chark chalked up 35 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns. There was some school of thought that the Lions would pursue Chark for another go-around this offseason, but Detroit never showed any reported interest in the 27-year-old journeyman. The Chargers will be his fourth NFL team in as many seasons.

Former Bengals WR Tyler Boyd’s free agent market heating up

And one of the teams interested is an old friend.

Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd has a market that is starting to heat up in the wake of the 2024 NFL draft.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Boyd met with the Los Angeles Chargers and also has a meeting with the Tennessee Titans lined up.

The odd man out as the Bengals look to pair Ja’Marr Chase with Tee Higgins on big-money deals, Boyd had a predictably quiet market before a 2024 NFL draft loaded with wideout talent.

Boyd’s two suitors make sense, though. He’s the type of reliable slot man who could help along Justin Herbert with the Chargers. That, or he could link back up with Brian Callahan and help Will Levis in Tennessee.

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Ex-Lions DB Will Harris signs with the Saints

Ex-Lions DB Will Harris signs with the Saints as a free agent

Longtime Lions defensive back Will Harris has found a new place to play for 2024. The veteran has signed with the New Orleans Saints.

Per several sources, it’s a one-year deal for Harris to jump from Detroit to New Orleans. Harris had been with the Lions since the prior Detroit regime made him a third-round pick (No. 81 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft out of Boston College.

Harris played in 81 games in his five years in Detroit, starting 40. He bounced around the secondary, playing all the safety spots as well as filling in at slot corner and even some outside CB. In 2023, he saw action in all 17 games but played under 20 percent of defensive snaps after topping over 75 percent in the combined two prior years.

Report: Free agent CB Jerry Jacobs visiting Jaguars

Report: Free agent cornerback Jerry Jacobs visiting Jaguars

Jacksonville is hosting former Detroit cornerback Jerry Jacobs on a free-agent visit, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.

Wilson did not state when the visit would occur, but it can be assumed Jacobs’ meeting with the Jaguars is imminent if it hasn’t happened already.

Jacobs, 26, signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas in 2021.

He spent three seasons with the Lions and exceeded expectations by far considering his undrafted status, starting in 29 of 40 appearances and posting 131 tackles, one sack, nine tackles for loss, four interceptions, 23 defended passes and one forced fumble.

Yet, Detroit allowed Jacobs to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent this offseason upon the expiration of his rookie contract. He lost his starting cornerback role to Kindle Vildor during the 2023 season and ended the campaign on the injured reserve after hurting his knee.

Jacksonville spent two picks in the 2024 NFL draft on the cornerback position, selecting Florida State’s Jarrian Jones at No. 96 overall in the third round and Ole Miss’ Deantre Prince at No. 153 in the fifth round.

The Jaguars also signed free agent, veteran cornerback Ronald Darby to a two-year, $8.5 million contract deal in March.

It appears the club views cornerback as a remaining position of need following the draft, however, with its interest in Jacobs in mind.

Notably, Darby’s fellow projected starting Jaguars cornerback, Tyson Campbell, is scheduled to hit free agency next March, barring a contract extension.

Editor’s note; This story has been updated as cornerback Ronald Darby signed a two-year contract with Jacksonville in March, not one year as originally written. Jaguars Wire regrets this error.

Jaguars re-sign veteran OL Tyler Shatley

The Jaguars have re-signed veteran interior offensive lineman Tyler Shatley.

The Jaguars announced their re-signing of offensive lineman Tyler Shatley on Friday, bringing the veteran back for an 11th season with the franchise.

 

The terms of Shatley’s new contract were not made immediately available. He entered NFL free agency in March upon the expiration of his previous two-year deal with the team, which was worth $4.8 million.

Shatley has served as a dependable reserve piece on Jacksonville’s interior offensive line dating back to his undrafted free agent signing with the club in 2014, out of Clemson. He’s appeared in at least one game offensively every season and started since, including seven campaigns with over 300 snaps logged.

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In total, Shatley has appeared in 145 games with the Jaguars and holds the franchise record for consecutive appearances with 140. He’s made 51 starts, at center, left and right guard.

Shatley’s re-signing marks another vote of confidence by the Jaguars in their offensive line of 2023, which is largely set to run it back in 2024.

The starting five — Cam Robinson, Ezra Cleveland, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff and Anton Harrison, from left to right — remain under contract. Only former Buffalo center and 2024 free agent signee, Mitch Morse, is expected to alter the first-team lineup, projected to replace Fortner.

Fantasy football: 2024 NFL free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange deals, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players continue to move about in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

Eagles updated 76-player roster as 2024 offseason program gets underway

We’re looking at the Philadelphia Eagles updated 76 man roster as the offseason workout program gets underway

The Eagles are back at the NovaCare Complex as the offseason program begins for 76 select veterans and second-year players.

The nine-week training program has three phases: one mandatory minicamp for the entire roster and one rookie minicamp for each group.

Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program, with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program with on-field workouts, which may include individual or group instruction.

Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program, during which teams may conduct ten days of organized team practice activities, or “OTAs.”

No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The Eagles are changing their offseason program, including adding a mandatory minicamp for the first time under Nick Sirianni. They will have 7 OTAs (May 20, May 22-23, May 28, May 30-31) and three days of mandatory minicamp (June 4-6). In 2022 and 2023, they had six total OTAs.

With the workouts and on-field training underway, we’re looking at Philadelphia’s updated 76-player roster ahead of next week’s NFL draft.

Ex-Lions offensive lineman signs with the Seahawks

Ex-Lions offensive lineman Max Pircher signs with the Seahawks

The Detroit Lions have officially lost their International Player Pathways program player from last season. Offensive lineman Max Pircher has signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.

Pircher, from Italy, spent the 2023 campaign in Detroit as part of the NFL’s IPP, designed to give international players an increased opportunity in the league. After playing throughout the preseason, Pircher was waived and subsequently signed on the Lions’ practice squad. Detroit did not tender him a reserve/future contract after the season.

This opens the door for the Lions to add a different player from the IPP. Players in the program do not count against the roster limits.

Mike Danna on re-signing with Chiefs: ‘I prioritize winning’

Mike Danna told reporters that the #Chiefs’ winning culture was a key factor in his decision to re-sign with Kansas City.

The offseason has seen plenty of player movement around the NFL. The opportunities to start new with different teams are enticing, but in the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, maintaining personnel with a focus on a three-peat is just as crucial.

A significant part of the Chiefs’ defensive improvement over the last few seasons has been the emergence of Mike Danna. The former Michigan Wolverine re-signed with Kansas City late last week and detailed his reasons for not exploring other teams during a Zoom press conference on Wednesday.

“I prioritize winning, the family I built here, [and] my brotherhood,” Danna explained. “Being here, I look forward to going to work every day, man. So it’s just like when you got that feeling… You don’t really want to let it go. There’s always elsewhere, but I had a lot of stuff invested here, a lot of work, a lot of grind, sweat, and tears.”

Danna was a starter last season for the Chiefs on their productive defensive line, starting all 16 games he played and finishing with 6.5 sacks.

“Why not go for the three-peat? Why not? Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this journey? I prioritize winning, man,” said Danna. “There’s no organization right now that’s like this. That was my biggest thing. Prioritize winning my brotherhood I built here, and you know, it feels so good to be back.”

Danna’s decision was influenced by several factors, including the team’s dedication to growth and happiness in the culture. The talk of a three-peat immediately after Super Bowl LVIII has this year’s team motivated to make history in 2024.