News & Info/Headlines

Day Two of the free agent tampering period is in the books and some of the bigger names -- Le'Veon Bell, Tevin Coleman and Mark Ingram among them -- remain on the market, but some lower level players were taken off the market. Here's how it went:

In New Orleans. ... Any belief that Mark Ingram might be retained by the Saints went by the wayside Tuesday, when Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Saints reached an agreement with running back Latavius Murray on a four-year deal.

Murray’s deal is reportedly worth $14.4 million.

Ingram is also set for free agency when the new league year starts on Wednesday and there would seem to be no spot for him in a backfield that also includes Alvin Kamara.

Murray ran 356 times for 1,420 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Vikings over the last two seasons. He was the primary starter in Minnesota when Dalvin Cook was out with a torn ACL in 2017 and took a more complementary role in 2018.

As Profootballtalk.com's Josh Alper suggests, given Kamara’s presence, that’s likely to be the kind of role he plays in 2019 as well.

In addition, the Saints are expected to re-sign Teddy Bridgewater, who had a bigger proposed deal from the Miami Dolphins, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported, via a source informed of the situation.

Slater adds Bridgewater's decision to remain the backup in New Orleans surrounded his value on the team's locker room culture and the potential to one day become the Saints' starter. Current starter Drew Brees, who celebrated his 40th birthday in January, is set to enter his 19th professional season.

The 26-year-old Bridgewater joined the Saints in August 2018 via trade from the New York Jets after a short stint in New York.

Bridgewater only started one game (the meaningless regular season finale), but was center stage for the Saints’ rollicking roll to the NFC Championship Game, dancing and generally enjoying himself.

More importantly, he had the opportunity to sit behind Brees while learning head coach Sean Payton's offense, two scenarios that Bridgewater didn't mind.

As NFL.com's Herbie Teope suggested, the experience in Payton's offense should pay off if Bridgewater is truly viewed as the heir-apparent to Brees, and his pending return will solidify the Saints' quarterback group. And with 29 career starts, Bridgewater also provides experience if Brees were to suffer an injury.

Originally a first-round pick with the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater is 17-12 as a starter and was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl.

In Buffalo. ... The Bills are adding more than old running backs to help quarterback Josh Allen.

As Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio first reported, the Bills are signing Ravens wide receiver John Brown to a three-year, $27 million deal, which includes $11.7 million in guarantees.

Brown had a strong bounce-back season for the Ravens last year after his Arizona career fizzled. He had 42 catches for 715 yards and five touchdowns, but that 17.0-yards per reception average will look nice with a quarterback who can throw the football over a mountain.

But Buffalo didn't stop there.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Bills are also signing wide receiver Cole Beasley to a four-year, $29 million deal.

Beasley will fit in alongside the just-signed Brown and holdovers Zay Jones and Robert Foster to give the Bills a different dimension in the passing game. . Zay Jones led all Buffalo pass-catchers in 2018 with 56 receptions for 652 yards. He was the lone wideout to notch at least 30 catches in Allen's rookie season.

Beasley is coming off one of his better seasons in Dallas.

The 29-year old caught 65 passes for 672 yards and three touchdowns as a part-time starter. The slot receiver has 319 receptions in seven seasons, all with the Cowboys.

Worth noting: While Brown struggled down the stretch last season, his early play and high-end speed will make him a favorite of Allen, who has the kind of arm strength (assuming the accuracy is there) to maximize Brown's ability to outrun pretty much any defender. ...

In Miami. ... As NFL.com's Gran Gordon noted, many prognosticated a change of scenery was coming the way of receiver DeVante Parker.

Instead, a fresh start under new coach Brian Flores is coming as Parker has signed a new two-year contract to stay put with the Dolphins. The new contract is worth up to $13 million with incentives.

Big and fast with prototypical size at 6-3, 216 pounds, Parker was a first-round draft pick for the Dolphins in 2015, who took him 14th overall. However, he's never truly broken out.

Last season, Parker was plagued by injuries to his shoulder and finger as he played in only 11 games with just seven starts and one touchdown in 24 catches.

Some believe on the right team in the right system, Parker could still fulfill his lofty potential. Fantasy owners, however, will likely need to see some signs that's possible before they buy into it. ...

In Chicago. ... Cordarrelle Patterson has agreed to a two-year deal worth $5 million a season with the Bears, as first reported by Schefter.

Patterson, who turns 28 next week, had a productive season in 2018 with the Patriots. He caught 21 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries and returned 23 kickoffs for a 28.8 yards average and one touchdown.

The Vikings made Patterson a first-round pick in 2013. He twice made Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a returner. He spent 2017 in Oakland, but the Raiders traded him to the Patriots almost a year ago to the day.

Expect Matt Nagy, the 2017 head coach of the year, to get creative with his usage of this multi-purpose threat. ...

In New England. ... The Patriots aren't giving up on Josh Gordon. The team gave Gordon a low restricted tender worth $2.025 million.

The Boston Globe first reported the news, noting that the Pats would get a second-round pick in return if a team signed the receiver away from New England -- a move that remains a longshot given his suspension history. Gordon was a second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2012.

Gordon remains suspended indefinitely again by the NFL for his latest violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

If Gordon gains reinstatement again -- a large hurdle he still must face -- it appears the talented but troubled receiver remains in the Patriots plans for 2019.

In Cleveland. ... Breshad Perriman is re-signing with the Browns on a one-year contract worth $4 million.

The one-time Ravens draft disappointment successfully revived his career in Cleveland in 2018. Perriman caught 16 passes for 340 yards and scored two TDs after signing with the Browns for the final 10 games. His role gradually increased as the wideout became more comfortable with the offense and Baker Mayfield at QB.

Now he'll get a chance to build on that. ...

In Detroit. ... The Lions are holding onto one of their impending free agents. The team announced that they have re-signed running back Zach Zenner. It is a one-year deal.

As PFT noted, there was a report from Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the Vikings had interest in Zenner, but they’ll need to look elsewhere to fill the backfield hole opened by Murray‘s departure.

Zenner joined the club as an undrafted rookie in 2015 and wound up on injured reserve during his rookie season. He returned in a bigger role the next year and posted career highs with 88 carries, 334 yards and four touchdowns. He was released off of injured reserve last September, but re-signed with the team in November and ran 55 times for 265 yards in eight games.

Kerryon Johnson, Theo Riddick and Kerwynn Williams are also on the offseason roster at running back in Detroit. ...

In Carolina. ... The Panthers announced the signing of back-up quarterback Taylor Heinicke on Tuesday to a one-year contract.

Heinicke played in six games last season -- his second in the NFL and first with the Panthers -- with one start. Heinicke injured his elbow in that Week 16 game and landed on injured reserve for the season finale. Kyle Allen started that game and remains on the team’s roster as well.

"I'm excited to be back with the team," Heinicke said via the team website. "It's a relief after the injury and a long offseason."

With Cam Newton recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, the Panthers are going with options they know rather than looking for outside help.

One last note here. ... The actual free agent signing period officially opens tomorrow (Thurs., Mar. 13) at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. I'll follow up as needed if any of these reported change materially.