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Roster-Move Roundup; Henry Cut; Bennett, Lelie On New Teams
Free agency raged on today -- not just in terms of players going to new teams, but also in terms of cuts, restructured deals trades and other roster-related fun 'n games.

While the biggest news came in Tampa Bay, where Jeff Garcia and Jake Plummer both wound up on the Bucs' roster today, there were many other developments of interest. ...

Starting in Tennessee, where the Titans released Travis Henry today after negotiations failed to rework a contract that contained an $8.3 million bonus due Monday.

According to Associated Press sports writer Teresa M. Walker, Henry was flying to Denver to talk with the Broncos. Denver Post beat man Bill Williamson first reported this morning that the Broncos would make a hard push for Henry should the veteran back be released.

Others have subsequently reported that Henry is now priority No. 1 in Denver.

The Titans and Henry's agent, Hadley Engelhard, had been negotiating over the past few days, trying to rework the bonus into a longer deal. Titans GM Mike Reinfeldt said Friday it might be good if Henry checked out the market to see what he would bring.

"I still would be optimistic that he would return," Reinfeldt told the Nashville Tennessean. "Sometimes you need to look at the market and see what all is out there. I'm not sure that's a terrible thing."

As Walker noted, Henry revived not only his career, but the Titans' rushing offense in 2006 by running for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns. That was the best performance by a Titans running back since 2000 when Eddie George had the best year of his career.

The Titans had said they wanted to keep Henry, a six-year veteran who beat out Chris Brown for the starting job by the fifth game of the season. He finished fifth in the AFC last season in rushing, and he became the 100th player in NFL history to reach 5,000 yards rushing in his career on Dec. 3.

It's worth noting, however, that of Henry's six 100-yard games, four came against run defenses that finished ranked 26th or worse.

If Henry moves on -- and with Brown no longer in the mix, Tennessean staffer Paul Kuharsky suggests the Titans will "remind LenDale White of his pending opportunity and cross their fingers that he's running more than he's eating."

Then they'll find someone who can work with White having shown the league that once they price a player they're not going to move their line in the sand very much. ...

Kuharsky went on to suggest it's a scary day for the Titans.

While the team is supposed to be surrounding Vince Young with better talent and in a matter of hours they lost their top receiver -- Drew Bennett agreed on a contract with St. Louis - and their starting running back.

Which brings us to St. Louis. ... The Rams added some size and production to their receiving corps when Bennett agreed to terms on a six-year deal this morning.

According to ESPN.com, Bennett's deal is worth $30 million with $10 million in guarantees.

Between bonuses and base salary, Bennett will pocket $9.5 million in 2007. He will earn $13 million in the first two years of the contract and $21 million over the first four seasons of the deal.

A former quarterback, Bennett has been a successful possession receiver with the Titans. He's played six seasons after making the team as an undrafted player in 2001.

According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch staffer Jim Thomas, head coach Scott Linehan said the addition of Bennett gives the Rams a potent trio of wide receivers with a Bennett joining Pro Bowlers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

The team's official web site advised readers that Bennett will immediately move in as the No. 3 man behind Holt and Bruce.

Linehan said: "We feel great about it he gets down field, and he has sneaky speed for a tall guy."

The 6-5, 206-pound Bennett had forty-six catches for 737 yards last season.

With Kevin Curtis expected to move on, Linehan felt the Rams had to move quickly on Bennett or be caught shorthanded at receiver. ...

In San Francisco. ... With Antonio Bryant no longer in the picture, the Niners were in the market for a new lead receiver. It looks like Ashley Lelie will get a chance to be it.

This time, however, he'll have a chance to be a No. 1 receiver in something different than the West Coast offenses he's played on in Atlanta and Denver.

The 49ers jumped out in front of a handful of teams -- including Houston, Minnesota and Atlanta -- when they signed Lelie to two-year deal.

According to NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, the contract is worth $4.3 million, including a $2 million signing bonus.

Lelie was originally scheduled to arrive in Houston tonight and visit the Vikings early next week -- appointments he will now pass on.

Lelie is known as a deep threat because of his speed. He has a career average of 17.5 yards per catch, although his overall production has fallen short of expectations. Lelie was originally a first-round pick of the Broncos in 2002, and was traded to the Falcons last year after asking out of Denver.

His best season came in 2004, when he hauled in 54 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, Lelie has 28 receptions for 430 yards and one touchdown as part of a Falcons offense that rarely went deep.

The 49ers also re-signed receiver Bryan Gilmore today.

Gilmore, who joined the team as an unrestricted free agent last season, played in all 16 games with three starts and finished the year with eight receptions for 1550 yards and one touchdown. He also had seven rushing attempts for 94 yards including a key 20-yard reverse play that set kicker Joe Nedney up for the overtime game-winning field goal in the 49ers season finale against the Broncos.

Gilmore has been a favorite of Niners receivers coach Jerry Sullivan since the two worked together in Arizona. ...

In Houston. ... The Texans restructured the contract of Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson and extended him.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Houston Chronicle beat man John McClain advised readers it's known that the Texans cleared a lot of money because Johnson had counted more than $7 million against the cap.

Johnson, who led the NFL with a career-high 103 catches, was voted to his second Pro Bowl and was named the league's best receiver by the NFL Players Association. He had 1,147 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Johnson had two years remaining on the seven-year contract he signed when he was the third player selected in the 2003 draft. One year was voided when he reached certain incentive clauses.

McClain went on to note the Texans need to free up as much money as possible because they're planning to sign more free agents. Running back Ahman Green is coming to Houston tonight to meet with general manager Rick Smith.

They'll attend the Rockets-Spurs game at Toyota Center and tour Reliant Stadium on Sunday.

The Texans are also looking for a receiver to play opposite Johnson. They waived Eric Moulds this week. They hoped to get Lelie, but the 49ers beat them to the punch. ...

In Dallas. ... The Cowboys took the first step in retaining their two starting wide receivers for 2007 on Friday when the team picked up the $5 million roster bonus of Terry Glenn.

Terrell Owens, the other starting receiver, is due a $3 million roster bonus in June.

Team officials have said they expect Owens to return.

As Dallas Morning News staffer Calvin Watkins noted, Glenn, who will earn a base salary of $820,000 in 2007, was second on the team in receiving yards (1,047), catches (70) and touchdown receptions (six) last season.

It was the second consecutive season that Glenn finished with over 1,000 receiving yards. He also was the first Cowboys receiver with consecutive 1,000 yard seasons since Michael Irvin did it in 1997 and 1998.

New receivers coach Ray Sherman worked with Glenn in Green Bay and is excited that he's returning.

"I've talked to Terry and he's very excited," Sherman told Watkins. "Terry is a tremendous player and he's worked really hard to get himself physically bigger and keep his speed. He's a great route runner with great hands and he's an outstanding player.

A big-time player who I'm looking forward to working with. ..."

Also according to the Morning News, the Cowboys hope to have former Viking Brad Johnson and ex-Jet Patrick Ramsey in for visits. The team is looking for a veteran to back up Tony Romo.

Johnson, however, is said to be of prime interest to the Broncos in the same role behind Jay Cutler. ...

In New England. ... The Patriots have jumped into free agency with both feet. After reaching agreements with Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas and Jaguars tight end Kyle Brady, the team signed halfback Sammy Morris of the Dolphins.

Terms of the deal weren't available.

Morris ran for 400 yards and one touchdown on 92 carries last season. In seven NFL seasons with the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, he has 1,469 yards rushing and 14 rushing TDs, as well as 112 receptions for 792 yards and one TD catch.

Morris joins a backfield that includes Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans. As Boston Globe staffer Mike Reiss suggests, his versatility as a runner, pass-catcher and special teams player fits well in that mix. ...

Brady came to terms on Friday night on a two-year contract worth $5.3 million, including a $2 million signing bonus that was worth more than the 2007 salary that his old team had offered.

The Patriots, who play a lot of two tight-end sets, were eager to lock up Brady after Daniel Graham elected to become a free agent. New England's primary tight end, Ben Watson, is a prolific pass-catcher and Brady's prowess as a blocker should serve the team well.

But wait. ... There's more.

According to ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli, the Patriots plan to sign Miami receiver Wes Welker, a three-year veteran and an explosive all-around performer, to a restricted free agent offer sheet in an attempt to pirate him away from the Dolphins.

The Dolphins earlier this week made Welker a qualifying offer of $1.3 million.

According to Schefter, the Patriots' offer sheet will be a seven-year deal worth $38.5 million. When the Patriots officially execute the offer sheet to Welker, the Dolphins will have seven days to either match it or pass on it.

If Miami matches the offer sheet, it will retain Welker at the terms of the deal New England negotiated with him. If the Dolphins do not match the offer sheet, they will receive a second-round pick in the 2007 draft from the Patriots as compensation.

Surrendering a second-round choice for a player of Welker's abilities would be viewed in most quarters, but especially in New England, as a steal.

Welker would dramatically upgrade the New England wide receiver corps and the Pats would also benefit by taking him away from a division opponent.

Plus, the Patriots own a pair of first-round choices in the 2007 draft, and can afford to part with a second-round selection for a player of Welker's skills.

That said, Pasquarelli reminds readers that securing the services of restricted free agents historically has proved to be a difficult undertaking with the current system.

In the 14 previous years of free agency, only 55 restricted free agents changed teams. Four restricted free agents changed teams in 2006.

Fall-back options?

Boston Herald staffer Albert Breer, considering options if Troy Brown should retire, suggested this week that former Raven and Colt Brandon Stokley would be a perfect fit to slide right into the slot in the Patriots' multiple-receiver sets and could provide the type of heady third-down target that would be missed.

As long as the diminutive speedster can avoid the kind of injuries that prompted limited his production in both Baltimore and Indianapolis. ...

In Miami. ... In addition to having a division rival snag Morris and latch onto Welker, the most prolific tight end in Dolphins history might be moving on soon, too.

A source told South Florida Sun-Sentinel staffer Alex Marvez today that the Dolphins are shopping Randy McMichael, who is the franchise's all-time leader in catches (283) and receiving yards (3,096) for a tight end. The Dolphins are asking for a third-round pick, the source said.

McMichael, a 2002 fourth-round draft choice, is coming off his third consecutive season with at least 60 catches.

The Dolphins, though, are revamping their roster under new general manager Randy Mueller and McMichael is set to collect a $3 million roster bonus along with his $1 million base salary for 2007.

He is under contract with the Dolphins through 2009.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus told Marvez today that he was unaware McMichael is being shopped.

"They have not said anything to me about it nor have any teams contacted me about it," Rosenhaus said. "I've got no comment on it because it's the first I've heard of it."

The situation bears watching. ...

In Minnesota. ... The Vikings agreed to terms with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, formerly of the Giants. According to Minneapolis Star News staffer Judd Zulgad, Shiancoe got a five-year contract worth $18.2 million, including $7 million in guaranteed money.

As St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Sean Jensen noted this morning, Shiancoe supposedly catches everything thrown to him, although the Giants rarely gave him chances to make plays.

In four seasons, he caught 35 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns, none in the past two seasons.

Jensen went on to suggest the Vikings could be banking on revealing his potential, as they did with running back Chester Taylor a year ago.

It'll be interesting to see how Shiancoe impacts the Vikings' other tight ends.

They already have released Jermaine Wiggins, and there's some uncertainty over the status of Jim Kleinsasser. Head coach Brad Childress was vague when asked about Kleinsasser's future with the team today. The feeling is, Kleinsasser's $2.9 million base salary this year is more than team officials want to pay and he'll have to take a cut to stick around.

The team signed Jeff Dugan to a five-year extension during the 2006 season and they tendered Richard Owens an $850,000 contract earlier this week.

Bottom line? It would appear Shiancoe is in line for a significant role. ...

In Jacksonville. ... The Jaguars and wide receiver Dennis Northcutt agreed to a five-year contract worth an average of $3.4 million per season, the Florida Times-Union reported this afternoon.

Northcutt, who had 276 receptions for 3,438 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns, also receives a $4.5 million signing bonus. He also has 202 career punt returns for 2,149 yards (a 10.6-yard average) and three touchdowns.

Earlier this offseason, the Jaguars had said they hoped to sign a veteran slot receiver, and Northcutt seems to fit that bill. ...

Also. ... The Jaguars signed kicker Josh Scobee to a five-year deal Friday. Scobee was set to become a restricted free agent, but his future became obvious when the Jaguars announced on Thursday that Scobee had been tendered at the first-round level.

"He made significant improvement with his mechanics and accuracy," head coach Jack Del Rio said of Scobee, who converted 26 of 32 field goal attempts last season.

Scobee has one of the strongest legs in the game and was second in the league in touchbacks last season. ...

In Arizona. ... The Cardinals announced that Marcel Shipp has agreed to terms on a three-year contract to remain with the organization. In accordance with club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Shipp has appeared in 71 games (29 starts) with 590 carries for 2,156 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past six seasons with the Cardinals after originally signing as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Massachusetts in 2001. He also has 109 receptions for 912 yards and three touchdowns receiving during his tenure in Arizona.

Last season, Shipp appeared in 15 games for the Cardinals, carrying the ball 17 times for 41 yards and four touchdowns as a backup to Edgerrin James. He scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns against St. Louis on Dec. 3 despite carrying the ball only seven times in the game.

Although he hadn't drawn many suitors, it probably comes as no surprise the Rams had expressed interest. ...

In Atlanta. ... As ESPN.com insider John Clayton framed it: "The Falcons had a good fullback in Justin Griffith, but they decided to go bigger and more expensive."

A lot more expensive.

On Friday, the Falcons reached a six-year, $18 million deal with Ravens fullback Ovie Mughelli that included a $5 million signing bonus. The blockbuster deal is the biggest contract given to a pure fullback.

Mughelli becomes the second Ravens to leave in the first day of free agency. Right tackle Tony Pathos signed a five-year, $24 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to Clayton, the reason for the Mughelli big deal is competition.

The Dolphins were interested in putting Mughelli with featured running back Ronnie Brown. Cam Cameron, the Dolphins new head coach, wanted to copy the one-two backfield put he had in San Diego with LaDainian Tomlinson and fullback Lorenzo Neal by matching Mughelli with Brown.

As the free agency opened early Friday morning, Mughelli had offers of $2.75 million a year, which was roughly $800,000 over Neal, who negotiated the league's highest fullback extension on Thursday.

In Cincinnati. ... Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly returned from a visit in Atlanta that culminated with a contract offer from the Falcons. But Kelly was already heading to the airport today for a flight to Arizona to meet with the Cardinals. Then he was going from Phoenix to Oakland to meet with the Raiders.

Kelly is an excellent blocker and has played a vital part in the Bengals' no-huddle offense. He plays H-back. Quarterback Carson Palmer lobbied for the team to re-sign Kelly.

According to Palmer, "Reggie is the best teammate I've ever had. ..." A pretty strong endorsement.

And Kelly told Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Mark Curnutte, the Bengals have been talking to his agent. Team officials have said they would like to re-sign him.

"I like being a Bengal," Kelly said before adding: "I'm not sure I'm going to sign right back. This is an important decision for me and my family. ..."

Also. ... Kenny Watson signed a three-year contract to stay with the Bengals Friday.

"It feels good. I am excited to be coming back," Watson said. "I think I made more plays (in 2006) than in 2004. I think I earned their respect and made a difference in bigger games."

Watson filled in for Chris Perry, who missed most of last season with ankle and knee injuries. He also plays special teams and is one of the most selfless players on the roster. It's also worth noting that -- much like he did with Kelly -- Palmer lobbied for the Bengals to bring back Watson. ...

In Seattle. ... The Seahawks have one less tight-end target to worry about in free agency. The team agreed to terms with Will Heller earlier this week before he entered the free-agency market. The contract has not been signed yet, but the Seattle Times reports he will be coming back.

Heller was the team's backup tight end last season behind starter Jerramy Stevens, who is also an unrestricted free agent. The team waived Itula Mili at the end of last season, making tight end a position of need since Ben Joppru was the only tight end under contract for next season.

The Seahawks have expressed interest in Graham.

Of course, Shiancoe's signing will undoubtedly lead to a change of itinerary for the former Patriot, who was expected to fly from a visit with the Raiders to Minnesota on Sunday. But his travel plans hinged on whether Minnesota signed Shiancoe.

He'll obviously skip that trip now.

It's not clear if that will change his plan to visit Seattle Monday or Tuesday. Graham was in Denver, his hometown, Friday.

Graham is expected to command guaranteed bonuses in excess of $11 million. ...

In Detroit. ... The Lions announced the release of veteran tight end Marcus Pollard on Friday.

A two-year starter at power forward on the Bradley basketball team, Pollard never played football at the collegiate level. Still, he developed into a productive receiving threat during his 10 seasons with Indianapolis.

In 2005, his first season with the Lions, Pollard led the team with 46 receptions (516 yards) after playing and starting all 16 games. Unfortunately, he wasn't as good a fit after Mike Martz was hired as offensive coordinator last season. Pollard finished with 12 receptions for 100 yards.

Also. ... Curtis left Minnesota last night without a contract and was scheduled to arrive in Detroit tonight and meet with Lions officials tomorrow.

According to Booth Newspapers beat man Tom Kowalski, Curtis has said he wants to be reunited with coordinator Mike Martz and play in Detroit. ...

Also according to Kowalski, Redskins running back T.J. Duckett will not visit with the team on Sunday. While the Lions might still be interested in talking to Duckett, no visits have been scheduled. ...

In New York. ... Dominic Rhodes concluded his visit with the Giants today, the team confirmed. No contract was offered, but that doesn't mean there's not one coming.

A team spokesman said, "It was a good visit. We were impressed with him."

According to Newark Star-Ledger staffer Mike Garafolo, we're not done hearing about the Giants and Rhodes. It's not clear, however, when we'll hear something new or if he'll eventually sign to be part of a 1-2 punch with Brandon Jacobs. ...

And finally, in New Orleans. ... The Saints tendered a contract offer to restricted free-agent receiver Terrance Copper at the lowest level possible.

As such, the Saints would have a chance to match any offer sheet they sign. But the Saints would not receive compensation for Copper, who started four games and caught 23 passes for 385 yards and three TDs, because he entered the NFL as a free agent.

That's it for now. ... Even though the frantic pace of free-agency and other roster moves should slow down a bit, I encourage you to check back in coming days as I continue to track news and notes of interest to Fantasy owners. .

As always, you'll find breaking items in the News & Views section of the site with more in-depth reviews of top stories available here in the Headline News section, where you'll also find the weekly Fantasy Notebook each Sunday during the offseason.