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While player movement has slowed significantly -- only two new deals for offensive skill players over the last two days, that all changed Wednesday afternoon when news of a significant trade began to make the rounds.
After failing to sign free agents Jeff Garcia and Patrick Ramsey, the Texans turned their attention to Atlanta quarterback Matt Schaub. And as NFL Network insider Adam Schefter first reported it, "A trade that has been speculated on for over a year is now completed."
This after the Falcons on Wednesday agreed in principle to trade Schaub to the Houston Texans. The deal is expected to become official Thursday.
FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer first reported the compensation as a swapping of first-round picks this year, a second-round pick this year and a second-round pick in the 2008 draft.
That means Atlanta will have the eighth pick overall and Houston the tenth.
Sources told ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli that the trade is contingent upon the Texans reaching agreement with Schaub on a contract, and negotiations have already begun.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution staffer Steve Wyche reminded readers that Houston did not sign Schaub, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet, which would have required the Texans to send first- and third-round picks to Atlanta.
According to Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio: "In all, it's a good haul for the Falcons."
Florio went on to suggest nobody was going to give Atlanta a one and a three for Schaub. But to get two twos and a two-spot upgrade in the top ten is a big deal, if for no other reason than it opens the door for the Falcons to put themselves in position to draft someone like Adrian Peterson.
Or Florio adds: "The one guy who could make the locals forget about [Michael] Vick: Calvin Johnson. ..."
Meanwhile, as Houston Chronicle beat writer John McLain noted, Schaub would join the crowd at quarterback that includes David Carr, Sage Rosenfels and Bradlee Van Pelt.
The Texans' interest in Schaub, who played at Virginia and started only two games in his three seasons of backing up Vick, is another indication that Carr will be traded after months of speculation.
According to McClain, thee Texans wouldn't try to trade for Schaub to have him on the team with Carr and Rosenfels. Head coach Gary Kubiak kept only two quarterbacks, Carr and Rosenfels, on the active roster last season.
Schaub, 6-5, 237, has completed 84 of 161 (52.2 percent) for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns. He also has thrown six interceptions. His passer rating is 69.2.
And as both McClain and Schefter suggested, the trade validates Atlanta's commitment to Vick, whom new Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino told the first time they met, "You're my guy."
Since then, Petrino and Vick have been working together closely on an almost daily basis, prepping for the coming season.
The Falcons, who quietly had been entertaining offers for Schaub this offseason, had tendered their backup quarterback a $2 million offer, meaning that any team that signed him to an offer sheet would have to surrender first- and third-round draft choices to the Falcons.
That designation obviously didn't preclude the team from entertaining trade offers, something they resisted when Jim Mora was the head coach.
For what it's worth, Pasquarelli reports that Anthony Wright, who played with the Bengals last season, is a strong candidate to replace Schaub as Vick's backup in Atlanta. ...
One last note on this one. ... Schefter points out the deal means the Texans are out of the Brady Quinn derby, leaving the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins as possible landing spots. ...
Moving on to a couple of new deals made earlier this week. ...
In Denver. ... The Broncos, looking for a dependable pass-catcher, reached a one-year agreement with former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
According to ESPN.com insider John Clayton, terms of the deal weren't available but Stokley did not sign for just the veteran minimum salary. He signed a contract in excess of $1 million a year, but the amount wasn't immediately known. Incentives were built into the contract because Stokley is coming off an Achilles' tendon tear.
"Seems like a great situation, great fit for me," Stokley told the Denver Post Tuesday. "I don't know what my role is going to be. I'm just going in and competing for a job. That's pretty much how it is in the NFL."
Stokley, one of the last remaining big-name players on the free-agent market, visited the Broncos last week. He also had visited New Orleans.
As Post beat writer Bill Williamson noted, Stokley, 30, is considered an ideal No. 3 slot receiver when healthy. That being the case, Stokley should help Jay Cutler with passes in the middle of the field.
If he's healthy. ...
Stokley still is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon that cut short his 2006 season with the Indianapolis Colts. Stokley also had ankle and knee injuries last season.
Schefter reported that Stokley is expected to be ready for training camp. But he will be just seven months removed from surgery when the Broncos open camp in late July and could be limited in the preseason.
"I'm hoping by training camp, but I don't want to push it too much," said Stokley, who started running on a treadmill this week and will report to Denver in 12 days for the start of the offseason program. "I want to be cautious with it, also.
"My main goal is to be out there the first game of the season playing football for the Denver Broncos."
Still, because of his history of injuries, Williamson suggests that Stokley likely agreed to an incentive-laden contract.
His best NFL season was with the Colts in 2004, when he made 68 catches for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has career totals of 22 starts and 199 receptions for 2,829 yards and 22 touchdowns in 74 games with the Colts and Baltimore Ravens.
With Javon Walker assured of starting at the No. 1 receiver position, and second-year receiver Brandon Marshall all but guaranteed to line up at either the No. 2 or 3 spot, Stokley and Rod Smith may well wind up competing to be a part of the Broncos' pass-catching trio.
According to Williamson, the Broncos also are high on wide receiver Domenik Hixon, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 who was injured and didn't play last season.
Smith, the Broncos' all-time leading receiver, restructured his contract recently and turns 37 in May. He underwent arthroscopic hip surgery late last month.
In New England. ... The Patriots re-signed exclusive-rights free agent receiver Brandon "Bam" Childress, the team announced Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed.
As Boston Herald staffer Albert Breer noted, Childress has spent his last two years in the NFL shuttling back and forth between the practice squad and active roster, following a couple of very impressive preseasons.
He's played in three career games, with five catches going for 39 yards.
His best performance was in the 2005 season finale against Miami, when he hauled in three passes for 32 yards and made five tackles as slot corner in the secondary.
Going into his third year out of Ohio State, Childress also has worked as a return man and will likely be among those battling for a roster spot at a very crowded position. In the past, head coach Bill Belichick has been highly complimentary of the 24-year-old and being that his strength is in his versatility, Breer believes Childress has a legitimate shot at making the final roster.
That's it for now, but there are still moves to be made. Former Vikings tight end Jermaine Wiggins is said to be close to deciding his new team. And while nothing appears to be imminent, players like Corey Dillon, Chris Brown, Kevan Barlow, Antonio Bryant and Eric Moulds are all on the prowl looking for new jobs.
Stay tuned. ... 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.