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Roundup: Dalton To Bears; Henry To Pats; Jones To Jags & More
The legal tampering period ahead of tomorrow's official start to free agency rolled on at a frantic pace. We'll get you up to speed on the key moves from Tuesday here. ...

The Bears and quarterback Andy Dalton agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal, with the chance for the quarterback to earn another $3 million in incentives, as ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported.

Dalton, 33, spent 2020 with the Cowboys after a nine-year run as the Bengals' starter.

Signed as the backup, Dalton was pressed into duty when starter Dak Prescott suffered a dislocated and compound fracture of his right ankle in Week 5 against the New York Giants.

In nine starts (11 appearances), Dalton had a 4-5 record, throwing for 2,170 yards and 14 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions. He had his best showing in a Week 16 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing for 377 yards and three scores.

Dalton had some health issues of his own during the season, missing a game after suffering a concussion against the Washington Football Team. The following week, he was put on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

At the end of the season, Dalton said his hope was to find a spot as a starter and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said he had shown enough to warrant consideration from teams.

He has that chance in Chicago.

Though the Bears made the postseason with an 8-8 mark, the team got uninspired play at quarterback as both Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky were given opportunities to start. Trubisky is now a free agent after Chicago elected not to pick up his fifth-year option on the former No. 2 overall pick ahead of last season. Foles is still on the team's roster.

Dalton posted a 74-66-2 record as the Bengals starter, taking the franchise to the playoffs five times but not winning a postseason game. He was also named to the Pro Bowl three times.

Dalton has familiarity with Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor after working with him for three seasons in Cincy.

Also, Bears head coach Matt Nagy explicitly laid out his criteria for his next quarterback in a press conference earlier this month. "I'd say leadership, decision-making and if you have some versatility as a quarterback with your legs, great," Nagy said. "If you don't, no problem. We can work around it."

Dalton certainly checks those first two boxes, as he prevented the Cowboys from completely folding after they lost Prescott and he boasts a career 218:126 TD:INT ratio.

The legs?

Two out of three ain't bad at this point. ...

In a related note. ... Chicago was one of the four teams that Seahawks Russell Wilson's agent said the quarterback would agree to be traded to this offseason and Schefter reports that the Bears engaged in a "very aggressive pursuit" of a deal. That pursuit ended with Seattle telling them that they would not be trading Wilson at this time.

As Profootballtalk.com's Josh Alper noted, that wording suggests there may be a time when the Seahawks are willing to make a trade involving Wilson. That could come after free agency and the draft have played out if Wilson remains dissatisfied with how the Seahawks are putting the team together.

"If that's the case and the Bears remain one of the teams that he'd agree to join," Alper added, "it's hard to imagine the presence of Dalton and Nick Foles changing the Bears' mind about making a run but all of that is speculation until the Seahawks take a different stance. ..."

Also of interest. ... The Bears are having trade discussions with other teams about Miller, Schefter reports. Schefter adds that the slot receiver is "likely to be dealt."

Miller, a second-round pick in 2018, is entering the final year of his rookie deal due to make $1.2 million with a $1.7 million cap number. In his three seasons, Miller has played 47 games with 17 starts. He has made 134 catches for 1,564 yards and 11 touchdowns. His yards per catch dipped to 9.9 last season after he averaged 12.7 per reception in his first two seasons combined. ...

In Houston. ... Former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million with the Texans on Tuesday.

Taylor will join Deshaun Watson as the only two quarterbacks on Houston's roster. Watson, who signed a contract extension less than six months ago that goes through the 2025 season, has told head coach David Culley that he does not want to play for Houston going forward. Watson was frustrated by the process Houston used to hire general manager Nick Caserio, as Schefter has previously reported.

On Thursday, Houston said the Texans "are very committed to [Watson] as our quarterback" and said the team did not have a contingency plan if Watson did not report to training camp.

Now they do.

As PFT's Mike Florio explained, in agreeing to sign Taylor to an incentive-laden deal (at less than a $6 million base salary, Taylor will get solid backup money with upside if he ends up starting), the Texans have crafted an insurance policy for the game's most important position. If Houston were to trade Watson, they would at least have Taylor as a signal-caller with 47 games of starting experience.

Plus, Taylor worked with Houston's quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton with the Chargers last year, so there's familiarity with the team's staff.

But as Peter King pointed out on Tuesday's episode of PFT PM, the Texans bringing in Taylor could also be a message of, "Go ahead and sit," to Watson.

In 10 NFL seasons he has passed for 9,770 yards with 54 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and rushed for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns. ...

In Miami. ... The Dolphins agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Patriots and Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, per an informed source.

Pelissero added that Brissett is being brought in as a backup and mentor for Tua Tagovailoa, not competition.

Not long after losing Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency to Washington, Miami has made a move to add more experience next to its second-year signal-caller. Brissett is coming off a season in which he served as Philip Rivers' backup. Despite the demotion, he managed to carve out a niche role in the Colts offense and appear in 11 games.

Prior to that, Brissett spent 2019 as Indy's QB1 after Andrew Luck's sudden retirement, starting 15 games and compiling 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. A 2016 third-round pick by the Patriots, Brissett was traded to the Colts after one season and served as the team's QB1 in 2017 in place of the injured Luck. He returned to a backup role upon Luck's return in 2018.

As NFL.com's Jelani Scott reminded readers, the Dolphins showed a tendency to pull the rookie Tagovailoa from games last season when he began to struggle. The team has maintained its trust and belief in Tua heading into his second season but signing Brissett gives the Dolphins a solid player that can both help the franchise QB's development and step in (a la Fitzpatrick), if necessary. ...

Meanwhile, the Dolphins traded for running back Matt Breida and signed running back Jordan Howard last offseason and didn't get much return on their investment. But that's not stopping the Dolphins from going shopping at the running back store again.

This time it's former Rams running back Malcolm Brown who is signing with the Dolphins.

Last year Brown played for the Rams and had 101 carries for 419 yards and five touchdowns, with another 23 catches for 162 yards.

According to PFT's Michael David Smith, it remains to be seen, however, whether Brown is any better than Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, the two incumbent running backs in Miami who are both under contract at league-minimum salaries.

The Dolphins may again find that the cheap running backs they already have are better than the one they signed in free agency. They might also find one they like in April's draft. ...

In Jacksonville. ... The Jaguars and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. have agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million deal, including $9.2 million fully guaranteed, a source told Schefter.

In Jacksonville, Jones will be reunited with former Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who holds the same position on coach Urban Meyer's staff.

The 31-year-old Jones flourished in his five seasons with the Lions after signing with the team as a free agent in 2016, following the retirement of Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson. With the Lions, he had 289 catches for 4,296 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had his only 1,000-yard season in 2017, with 1,101 yards and an NFL-leading 18 yards per reception.

As SI.com notes, Jones has been a high-volume touchdown receiver in his career, collecting 51 in 88 career starts.

He has benefitted from being paired with other top receivers in his career such as A.J. Green and Kenny Golladay.

In Jacksonville, he'll work alongside promising youngsters D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson.

A fifth-round pick by Cincinnati out of Cal, Jones has played in 112 career games, making 423 catches for 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns. ...

In New England. ... Head coach Bill Belichick was back at it on the second day of the NFL's negotiating window.

The Patriots made another big splash in the free agency pool, adding tight end Hunter Henry on a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including $25 million guaranteed.

As NFL.com's Kevin Patra put it, "Once again, 12 personnel will be in vogue in Foxboro."

The move to swipe Henry comes a day after the Pats agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with fellow tight end Jonnu Smith. Henry's $12.5 million average per season slots alongside Smith among tight ends -- George Kittle and Travis Kelce sit one and two.

The Pats nabbing the top two tight ends in free agency is a bold move by Belichick that immediately boosts New England's weaponry heading into 2021.

When healthy, Henry is a difference-making pass-catcher who can outrun linebackers and post up defensive backs. In 2020, he generated 613 yards on 60 receptions with four TDs in 14 games.

The two 26-year-olds are perfect complements. Henry is a classic in-line seam stretching tight end, while Smith is an ideal move-TE for today's offense. Neither is an award-winning blocker, but they are not inept either.

Belichick signing Henry and Smith are sure to conjure memories of the Pats pairing Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL draft. The new duo isn't as talented as the throwback combo, but the idea of combining an in-line option with a move-type player remains the same.

The Patriots owned the worst TE room in the NFL last season. Belichick turned the script on its head within the first 24 hours of the negotiating window.

Patra went on to note that pairing Smith and Henry upgrades a weapons-poor unit that sunk the offense last season and partly led to Cam Newton's struggles. Along with the additions of receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, the Pats' pass-catchers are worlds better than they were last season, and we haven't even hit the new league year or draft yet.

Adding two top-shelf tight ends allows the Patriots scheme flexibility while providing Newton, or whoever opens the season under center, targets who can win one-on-one matchups and shine in the red zone.

Also worth noting. ... The Patriots are one of several teams that have expressed strong interest in running back Leonard Fournette, NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported. The Pats seem intent on adding at least one RB and have also been in contact with Chris Carson.

And New England might not yet be done adding to its offense, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Kenny Golladay and Keelan Cole "seem to be popular names within the organization."

One player the Patriots will not be spending on is longtime center ?David Andrews?, who's headed to free agency on Wednesday after five seasons and two Super Bowls with New England, Rapoport and his NFL Network colleague Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday night. After weighting offers from the Patriots throughout Tuesday, Andrews is headed to free agency and looking for offers from the rest of the league, Rapoport noted.

Andrews has been exploring options as part of the negotiating period, but he does not have a deal in place, Garafolo added. ...

In Buffalo. ... Shortly after a report surfaced that Emmanuel Sanders was set to join the Bills comes another report that Sanders has agreed to terms.

Sanders will sign a one-year contract with the Bills, Pelissero reports.

The Saints announced they are releasing Sanders but haven't officially done so yet. That is expected to happen Wednesday and Sanders is scheduled to fly to Buffalo on Thursday to take a physical and finalize the deal, according to Pelissero.

Sanders, who turns 34 on Wednesday, played 14 games for the Saints in 2020 and finished with 61 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns.

In 11 seasons, Sanders has 662 receptions for 8,619 yards and 47 touchdowns.

While making sure Josh Allen has ample targets, adding a Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler to a room that just lost John Brown (to free agency) includes all-world receiver Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis could prove quite beneficial, especially come playoff time. ...

Also in Buffalo. ... The Bills are trading veteran tight end Lee Smith to the Falcons for a late-round draft choice in 2022, Pelissero reported. Smith is a 10-year veteran with six years coming across two stints in Buffalo.

Worth noting. ... Mike Silver of NFL Media reports that the Bills made a run at signing Gronkowski, extending a "similar offer" to the veteran tight end as the one-year, $10 million deal he signed to stay in Tampa Bay.

In Buffalo, Gronkowski would have provided an intriguing addition to the receiving corps. At tight end, the Bills still have Dawson Knox. Tyler Kroft is currently a free agent.

In Detroit. ... Jamaal Williams is signing a two-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with the Lions, a source told Pelissero late Tuesday night.

Williams' departure was all but guaranteed when the Packers re-signed Aaron Jones on Sunday.

In four seasons as a Packer, Williams had 500 carries for 1,985 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus 122 catches for 961 yards and eight touchdowns. Now he'll get a chance to exact his revenge twice a year as he signs with Green Bay's divisional rival to work behind second-year man D'Andre Swift in Detroit's backfield. ...

In Kansas City. ... The Chiefs released running back Damien Williams, one of the stars of their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers, the team announced Tuesday.

The Chiefs last season drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round to be their featured back, and he led the team in rushing, despite missing time with injuries. And on Tuesday, they re-signed his leading backup, Darrel Williams, to a one-year contract. According to Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star, Darrel's deal worth up to $2.13 million with $930,000 guaranteed. He was slated to become a restricted free agent.

Damien opted out of the 2020 season. But he led the Chiefs in rushing in 2019, and he topped 100 yards in the Super Bowl victory. He also had two of the Chiefs' signature plays in the fourth quarter of that game, a 5-yard touchdown catch that put his team ahead for good and a 38-yard run for the final score.

Williams joined the Chiefs in 2018 as a free agent after four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

In New York. ... John Ross has found his second NFL home. Garafolo reports Ross will sign a one-year deal worth $2.5 million with the Giants. The deal includes $1 million in guaranteed money.

The Bengals' No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Ross never found his footing in Cincinnati. He dealt with various injuries over the last four years, playing only 27 games in four seasons. He registered 51 catches for 733 yards with 10 touchdowns. His most productive season was in 2019, when he caught 28 passes for 506 yards -- averaging 18.1 yards per reception. But in 2020, Ross played only three games, catching a pair of passes for 17 yards.

The Bengals had already declined his fifth-year option for 2021 and Ross posted on social media in October, "It's no secret that I have requested a trade."

Now Ross gets a fresh start with the Giants. ...

In addition, the Giants added fullback Cullen Gillaspia, a special teams standout and a player who could also contribute to their offensive backfield.

Gillaspia touched the ball just once while playing 25 games -- two in the postseason - for the Texans the previous two seasons; he caught a six-yard pass at Pittsburgh on Sept. 27, 2020. The Texans waived Gillaspia with a failed physical designation last Tuesday. He missed the final seven games of the 2020 season with a back injury that forced him to go on injured reserve.

Gillaspia played 116 special teams snaps, but only seven on offense. He assisted on three special teams tackles. Gillaspia was a seventh-round draft choice in 2019, the 220th overall selection.

As a rookie, he played in all 16 games and had 274 special teams snaps and 13 on offense. ...

In Los Angeles. ... The Chargers have re-signed kicker Mike Badgley to a one-year deal, per Pelissero.

Badgley converted just 24 of 33 field goal attempts last season for the Chargers, but all nine misses came from beyond 40 yards. He also converted 36 of 39 extra point attempts. Out of 27 kickers last season to have attempted at least 20 field goals, Badgley was tied with Zane Gonzalez for 24th with a 72.7 percent conversion rate.

That might explain why the team added PK Tristan Vizcaino earlier this month. Looks like we'll have a competition here. ...

In Tennessee. ... The Titans have reportedly re-upped with one of their tight ends from last season, Geoff Swaim. According to John Glennon of Broadway Sports, Swaim's deal is for one year, although we don't have the specifics of how much it's worth at the moment.

The 27-year-old tight end signed with the Titans last August to serve as a backup tight end, but he ended up gaining significant playing time as the season progressed. Swaim only caught nine passes for 83 yards and one touchdown, however he was also an effective blocker for Tennessee during a season in which Derrick Henry broke the 2,000-yard mark.

The re-signing of Swaim comes on the heels of the Titans letting Smith leave in free agency.

Now, Tennessee has more work to do at the position, with MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser having yet to ink a deal, and the team has to figure out what it'll do to fill the void left by Smith. ...

In San Francisco. ... The 49ers traded Goodwin to the Eagles on draft weekend last offseason, but the receiver opted out of the 2020 season over COVID-19 concerns. Due to the conditions of the trade, Goodwin's rights revert back to the 49ers, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

It likely is a procedural move, with Goodwin unlikely to fit in the 49ers' plans.

The move saves the Eagles $4.28 million in cap space. The teams swapped sixth-round picks, so it's unclear how that is resolved. As PFT's Charean Williams notes, the Eagles still have work to do at the position with a room of young receivers that includes last year's first-round pick Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and John Hightower.

Philadelphia does own the sixth overall choice, which it could use on a wideout. Goodwin, 30, spent three seasons with the 49ers after four with the Bills. He has 140 catches for 2,323 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Also in Philly. ... The Eagles have given Zach Ertz, one of the faces of their franchise, permission to seek a trade, a source told Rapoport.

According to Rapoport, several teams have been engaged. But Garafolo notes it still comes down to the Eagles agreeing on trade compensation.

Still, this step means Ertz's agent can massage the entire deal. Ertz wants it done. The team wants proper compensation. We'll see where it goes. ...

Once again, these are just the highlights from the second day of the two-day legal tampering period in advance of the official start of free agency on Wednesday (get day one moves here). Any moves reported or announced today won't become official until Wednesday afternoon.

That said, you can access the full list of moves from today -- and over the course of the entire offseason to date -- on our fully sortable NFL Free Agent Moves page. You'll also be able to follow all the fantasy relevant moves in the News & Views section of the site.