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Roster-Move Roundup: Henry A Bronco; Jones Traded To Jets
Another day, more high-end talent moving on to new homes. All in all, Day 4 of the free-agent signing period was as busy as we've seen with a number of notable skill players -- and Fantasy prospects -- involved.

Some have signed new deals with new teams, others with their current team); some have been handed the proverbial "apple and a road map"; still others have been traded.

We'll start tonight's rundown in Denver, where the Broncos addressed their need for a proven tailback by reaching a contract agreement with Travis Henry, who was released on Saturday by the Tennessee Titans to avoid paying him an $8.3 million roster bonus.

According to ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli, Henry will sign a five-year contract for $22.5 million that includes $12 million in guaranteed money.

"It's a great situation," Henry said. "Everybody knows about the running offense [in Denver] and how productive it has been over the years. If you want to get the football a lot, isn't this the offense for you? It just seems like it is tailor-made for me and I'm looking forward to playing in it."

Within hours of his release, Henry flew to Denver and visited with Broncos officials over the weekend, while agent Hadley Engelhard negotiated a deal. Henry also drew considerable interest from the Oakland Raiders, who hoped to bring him in for a visit this week.

Henry, 28, carried 270 times for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns in 2006, and notched six 100-yard outings.

The former University of Tennessee standout spent the first four years of his career with the Bills before being traded to the Titans in 2005.

In 78 games, including 62 starts, Henry has carried 1,321 times for 5,395 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also has 134 receptions for 886 yards and two scores. In addition to his 1,000-yard season in 2006, Henry ran for over 1,000 yards in two of his four seasons with the Bills.

Henry was suspended for four games in 2005 for violation of the substance abuse policy. That was the same year he was acquired from Buffalo.

Now, as Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio suggested, it appears Henry will become the latest in a long line of tailbacks to benefit greatly from the Broncos well-executed cut-blocking scheme.

In addition to Terrell Davis, other -- some would say less-talented -- players who have performed well in this offense include Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, Tatum Bell and Mike Bell.

There's no doubt Henry's running style certainly fits the "one cut" design of a Denver ground game that features zone blocking. In fact, Henry moved to the top of head coach Mike Shanahan's wish list the minute he hit the market.

During Shanahan's 12-year tenure in Denver, the Broncos ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense league wide in all but one season. That includes rating in the top five on nine occasions.

The Broncos were eighth in the NFL in rushing offense in 2006, their lowest finish since 2001.

Denver found itself in need of a running back after shipping Tatum Bell to Detroit last week in the package for cornerback Dre' Bly. Mike Bell and Cedric Cobbs got playing time last season and Cecil Sapp, primarily a fullback, might get some looks at running back in training camp.

But make no mistake about: Henry is there to serve as the team's top halfback. ...

Also in Denver. ... The Broncos further bolstered their backfield today by signing St. Louis free-agent fullback Paul Smith, a special teams standout, to a three-year contract. ...

In New York. ... After helping the Chicago Bears reach the Super Bowl, Thomas Jones apparently is on the move. Citing league sources, ESPN.com's Michael Smith was the first to report that Jones is being traded to the New York Jets.

According to Associated Press sports writer Rick Gano, Jones must pass a physical and agree to a contract extension before the deal is complete.

Once that happens, Chicago and New York also will swap second-round picks in 2007. The Bears will have the 37th overall pick and the Jets will get the 63rd pick. The Jets still own two picks in the second round, their own (No. 59) and now the Bears' original selection.

The Bears select 31st in Round 1 and for now are set to be on the clock six picks later.

With rookie Leon Washington, Cedric Houston and Kevan Barlow sharing the rushing load, New York ranked 30th in the league last season with an average of 3.5 yards per attempt. Washington led the team with 650 yards. Barlow was released last month.

In Jones, the Jets get a 28-year old back who has rushed for more than 1,200 yards in each of the past two seasons. He was the postseason's second-leading rusher with 301 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt and scoring four touchdowns in three playoff games.

As Smith pointed out, the Jets and their fans got an up-close look at what New York is getting Nov. 19 when Jones rushed for 121 yards on 23 carries in the Bears' 10-0 win at the Meadowlands.

After rushing for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005 Jones acted on his unhappiness with his contract by boycotting the Bears' voluntary offseason workouts.

Jones was entering the final year of the deal he signed in 2004 and slated to earn $2.75 million this season, but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the Jets are obviously working on a new long-term contract.

Jones has led the Bears in rushing each of the past three seasons.

Chicago, however, drafted Cedric Benson with the fourth overall pick in 2004. Jones and Benson made a formidable tandem during last year's run to Super Bowl XLI, but what was believed to be an icy relationship with each other, as well as Benson with the rest of his teammates, has been a popular topic in the Windy City since Benson's arrival.

Jones requested a trade earlier this offseason.

Benson tied Jones for the team lead with six rushing touchdowns and equaled his average of 4.1 yards per rush, carrying 157 times to Jones' 296.

As Smith summed up: "It was never a matter of if but when the Bears would elevate Benson to No. 1 status. That time is now. ..."

In New England. ... As first reported by SI.com insider Peter King, avoiding the risk that would have come with signing Miami wideout Wes Welker to a restricted-free-agent offer sheet, the Patriots instead acquired Welker on Monday afternoon for two picks in the 2007 draft.

Signing Welker to the offer sheet would have meant Miami could have matched the offer and kept him or that it could have let New England acquire Welker in exchange for a second-round pick only.

Instead, the Patriots will surrender their second- and seventh-round choices.

Because Welker, 25, was a restricted free agent, Miami first had to sign him to a one-year contract, which it did on Monday. Later in the day, the trade to New England was consummated -- according to NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, with the direct involvement of owners Robert Kraft and Wayne Huizenga.

Schefter subsequently reported the Patriots signed Welker to a five-year, $18.1 million contract with $9 million in guaranteed money.

As Florio noted, that's a far cry from the seven-year, $38.5 million offer sheet that the Pats were reportedly prepared to present to Welker. ...

It's probably worth noting that Welker is only the second player in the last 15 NFL seasons to lead his team in receptions, punt returns and kickoff returns in the same season, which he did in 2006. (Former Titan Derrick Mason last accomplished that in 2001.)

Although Welker might not be a No. 1 receiver in the truest sense of the word, Boston Herald beat man John Tomase notes that he's adept in the slot and coming off a career-best 67-catch season for a Dolphins squad that wasn't exactly blessed in the quarterback department.

Welker joins a receiving corps that includes Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, Kelvin Kight and Bam Childress. Veteran Troy Brown could also return, although he previously said he is taking a wait and see approach to free agency. ...

Meanwhile. ... As Tomase first noted this morning, Randy Moss isn't a guy who comes to mind when you think of a Patriots kind of player. He often plays at half-speed and has quit on more than one team.

But Moss is supremely talented, and he's got something else working in his favor -- Bill Belichick apparently loves him.

League sources told Tomase Patriots coach has long been enamored with the Raiders wide receiver and would welcome the opportunity to bring him to Foxboro for the right price.

Moss is on the block after two disappointing seasons in Oakland. The Raiders have worked on a deal that would send the mercurial wide receiver to Green Bay, with the Packers offering quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Raiders holding out for a first-round pick, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

But the Packers don't seem in much of a rush to pull the trigger, which has left an opening for the Pats.

A source told Tomase that Belichick believes he could motivate Moss to play and that he'd have the locker room support system to back him up, thanks to high-character veterans like Tom Brady, Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison, among others.

Moss has traditionally responded better and played harder when surrounded by players he respects, like Cris Carter and Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota. And word out of Oakland is the 30-year-old wants to play on a contender before his career ends.

And as we saw with Corey Dillon, winning can cure a number of ills. ...

One issue, however, would be convincing Moss to restructure a contract that calls for $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. ... Stay tuned.

In Miami. ... Head coach Cam Cameron's roster overhaul took its most dramatic turn of the offseason Monday. In one afternoon, the Dolphins parted ways with last season's two leading receivers, trading Welker and then releasing tight end Randy McMichael.

Joey Harrington also got his walking papers today.

According to Miami Herald staffer Jeff Darlington, releasing McMichael, who currently holds the team's all-time records for catches and receiving yards by a tight end, allows the Dolphins to avoid paying a $3 million roster bonus that would be owed to him in the coming days.

The team has already taken some action to replace McMichael, signing Packers tight end David Martin as the first free agent acquisition of the offseason. Martin, who caught 21 passes in 11 games for Green Bay last season, is known as a pass-catching tight end.

He has played the past six seasons in Green bay.

McMichael was the team's second-leading receiver last year, finishing the season with 62 catches and 640 yards. However, he has also fallen under some criticism in the past two years for dropping some passes.

Nonetheless, McMichael's future with the team did not come into jeopardy until Cameron's arrival. McMichael signed one of the only significant contract extensions during the Nick Saban era, a move that made it clear how Saban felt about him.

The extension was a four-year deal worth $18 million in 2005. With two seasons remaining, however, Cameron decided to go in a different direction by saving the $3 million bonus owed to him this offseason.

The decision to release Harrington comes as no surprise. ... The former Lion was 5-6 as a starter in 2006 before being benched in favor of Cleo Lemon, who is expected to compete with Culpepper for a starting spot in 2007.

The roster move will keep the Dolphins from paying Harrington a $1 million roster bonus.

In Oakland. ...LaMont Jordan agreed to cut his roster bonus from $4.75 million to $3 million Monday and remain a member of the Raiders.

Jordan was due the $4.75 million Wednesday. Had he refused to renegotiate, it's possible the Raiders would have released him and he could have entered the lucrative open market.

Jordan's agent, Alvin Keels, told Oakland Tribune staffer Jerry McDonald that Jordan's base salary this season will remain $1 million, improving to $4.7 million next season and $5 million in 2008.

"LaMont understands that there was a great possibility in today's market to earn more money elsewhere had the Raiders decided not to pay him his original bonus amount," Keels told McDonald by e-mail. "However, he is committed to helping this organization turn things around and as result made the compromise on the roster bonus adjustment. ..."

Anybody else wondering why -- given the enormous contracts being handed out like candy in recent days -- Jordan wasn't more eager to test that open market?

In Tampa Bay. ... Veteran receiver Joey Galloway agreed to a restructured deal today, signing a three-year, $7.5 million deal that includes $3.1 million worth of guaranteed money.

According to Schefter, Galloway was due $2.8 million this year, the new deal calls for him to make $1.2 million in base salary, with a $1.8 million roster bonus payment, and $100,000 workout incentive.

Galloway is also now scheduled to make $1.767 million in 2008 and $2 million in 2009.

According to Florio, Galloway's previous deal featured a roster bonus of $1.2 million and a base salary of $1.283 million. Other than some tweaking of incentives, the rest of the deal is the same. ...

Also in Tampa. ... If Jake Plummer has any plans to retire, the NFL doesn't know about it. Not officially anyway.

Contradicting reports that began circulating late Friday, an NFL spokesman on Monday told Tampa Tribune staffer Roy Cummings that it has not received retirement papers from Plummer.

Several media outlets reported Friday that Plummer filed his retirement papers with the league on Friday. If that's the case, then the forms must have gotten lost somewhere, because the league doesn't have them.

What that means is that right now, Plummer is still an active player. If and when he does decide to retire, Plummer must send a letter to the league notifying it of his intentions.

The next step would belong to the team that owns Plummer's rights, and as we all know from Saturday's press conference, that team is the Bucs.

At the time Plummer officially informs the league of his plans to retire, the Bucs can either continue to carry him on their active roster or they can place him on the reserve/retired list. ...

If Cummings' report is correct -- and he got it directly from league headquarters, it would pretty much put the kibosh on any grievance the NFLPA might want to file on Plummer's behalf. ...

In Dallas. ... Former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson agreed to terms today on a three-year contract with the Cowboys, where he'll back up young starter Tony Romo.

According to Schefter, the deal is worth $7.5 million.

Johnson visited Denver over the weekend but has a strong comfort level with Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The two were teammates in Tampa Bay.

As Associated Press sports writer Stephen Hawkins reminded readers, Minnesota coach Brad Childress indicated at the end of last season that Johnson would be welcomed back in a mentoring role behind Tarvaris Jackson. But Johnson -- who has a fierce competitive drive that belies his easygoing demeanor -- said he still believes he can be a starter.

So it's worth noting the Cowboys want Johnson to be a mentor to Romo.

When Johnson's agent, Phil Williams was asked what his client's role in Dallas would be, the rep responded, "He just signed the contract" and wouldn't elaborate. ...

The Cowboys also re-signed kicker Martin Gramatica to a two-year contract, though terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gramatica was one of the most consistent kickers in the league from 1999-2004 before injuries forced him out of action in 2005 and most of last year before he joined the Cowboys in early December.

Gramatica quickly left his mark after the Cowboys released an inconsistent Mike Vanderjagt. He hit three field goals in his Cowboys debut, including a game-winning 46-yard kick to beat the Giants at the Meadowlands, and ended the season making 6-of-8 field goal attempts.

In Tennessee. ... The Titans agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent quarterback Kerry Collins Monday afternoon.

"Kerry is a great fit for this team," general manager Mike Reinfeldt said in a statement. "A veteran quarterback that understands his role and that can be a sounding board for a young quarterback is a special commodity and one of great value."

A 12-year NFL veteran, Collins started the first three games for the Titans last season before handing over the reigns to rookie Vince Young. In his limited action in 2006, he threw for 549 yards and one touchdown.

"I'm excited to come back to a team that I think can be really, really good," Collins said. "I am looking forward to playing for Jeff [Fisher] and Norm [Chow] again. My family and I think Nashville is a great city and really enjoyed our year there last year."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...

In Seattle. ... The Seahawks added more depth on offense Monday, re-signing backup fullback Josh Parry.

Parry was acquired in a trade with the Eagles for an undisclosed 2008 draft choice just before the start of last season. Parry played in eight games, mostly on special teams, but suffered a foot injury and was placed on injured reserve Nov. 29.

Parry was a restricted free agent, but was not tendered an offer by the Seahawks last week.

And finally tonight, in Houston. ... The Texans signed free agent wide receiver Charlie Adams to a new contract today. Details weren't released. ...

That's it for now, but you'll want to continue checking back in coming days as the signing period (hopefully) winds down a bit.

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.