NFL Update - 3/5/2009

QUICK HITS

• The Texans signed fomer Cardinals DE Antonio Smith to 5-year, $35 million deal to take the pressure off of 2006 #1 pick Mario Williams. With a competent pass rusher opposite Williams the Texans think he could explode. Also, former Lions backup QB, Dan Orlovsky, has signed in Houston to backup Matt Schaub.
• The Ravens have signed former Vikings C Matt Birk and resigned LB Ray Lewis. The Ravens were in search of a C after their young gun, Jason Brown, bolted for St. Louis.
• The Saints resigned RT Jon Stinchcomb to a 5-year deal.
• The Seahawks agreed to terms with DT Colin Cole. Cole leaves the Packers to replace the departed Rocky Bernard, who signed with the Giants, in Seattle.
• The Patriots resigned S James Sanders to a 3-year, $9 million deal.
• Free agent WR Michael Clayton has resigned with the Buccaneers.
• The Cardinals have, finally, resigned QB Kurt Warner to a 2-year deal after he flirted with division rival San Francisco.
• After losing WR T.J. Housmandzadeh to Seattle, the Bengals have signed former Jets WR Laveranues Coles.
• In other former Jet news, K Mike Nugent has signed a 1-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also signed fromer Giants RB Derrick Ward to a 4-year, $17 million deal and are expteced to resign TE Jerramy Stevens despite adding Kellen Winslow.
  
• The Rams are actively looking to trade LT Orlando Pace and WR Torry Holt. St. Louis made an addition as well, resigning CB Ronald Bartell to 4-year, $28 million deal. Bartell had an offer on the table from the Saints too.
  
• The Packers may look to two former Miami Dolphins as they migrate to a 3-4 scheme spearheaded by defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Green Bay is said to be interested in DE Vonnie Holliday - who broke into the league with the club - and DE/OLB Jason Taylor.
• Thought to be headed for Houston, RB Cedric Benson has agreed to return to Cincinnati. Benson - the 4th overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Bears - signed a 2-year, $7 million deal with the Bengals.
• The Vikings released LB Vinny Ciurciu.
• The Broncos have added QB Chris Simms to be the backup for Jay Cutler. Former backup Patrick Ramsey is a free agent. Denver also added another RB, this time it's LaMont Jordan, whom new Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels worked with in New England. The Broncos previously signed former Eagle Correll Buckhalter and former Cardinal J.J. Arrington.
  
• Former Tampa Bay CB Phillip Buchanon has signed with the Detroit Lions. The Lions also added former Falcons DT Grady Jackson.
  
• The 49ers have announced a bunch of signings recently. They resigned LB Takeo Spikes and signed free agent QB Damon Huard and DT/DE Demetric Evans.
• The Saints resigned WR Devery Henderson to a 4-year deal. New Orleans also added former Bills CB Jabari Greer to a crappy secondary.
• The Giants signed former Texans safety C.C. Brown to take the place of the departed James Butler.

• The Miami Dolphins cut DE Vonnie Holliday. The move came as a bit of a surprise since Holliday was a team captain and locker room leader for the new regime. His play has been sliding but he was still a solid rotational guy. He was a very good teacher for 2008 rookie DEs Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford. With Holliday's departure, Langford and Merling will most likely be the presumptive starters with Randy Starks and Lionel Dotson working in the rotation. Holliday was very displeased with his release and claims there is no loyalty in the league. That really wasn't a new development.
• Miami has been looking for an upgrade at center as a result of the disappointing play of Samson Satele in 2008. The original rumors suggested Miami would be a big player in the Jason Brown sweepstakes. They were not after they heard his monetary demands. Well, the Dolphins search is over and it ended with former Raiders center Jake Grove. The Virginia Tech alum signed a 5-year, $29 million contract with Miami. Satele is now reduced to a reserve role and possibly a competition for one of the guard spots. He could also be trade bait.
• Despite rumors, there is little hope of Miami bringing back recently released Redskins DE/OLB Jason Taylor. Taylor may have up to 12 suitors but Miami is not believed to be one of them.
• The Dolphins hosted free agent CB Eric Green, formerly of the Cardinals, yesterday. A new CB is needed since Andre Goodman left for Denver. The Dolphins need to add a veteran and will more than likely draft a player too. Green is visiting the Titans today.
  
• Miami is not interested in WR Terrell Owens.
• My Two Cents: Dolfans are not all too happy on the way the center search went. A lot thought Satele was doing a fine jobe. Others really wanted Jason Brown. The last bunch were eager to add a center with the 25th pick, preferably Cal's Alex Mack. It ends with Jake Grove. Dumbfounded is a bit of understatement for the way fans feel. The deal for Grove (5-years, $29 million) is just a tad under what Jason Brown received from the Rams. If you were going to break the bank for someone, why not do it for the best available? Grove is about the same size for Satele, something attributed to his inability to handle 3-4 NTs. Grove is also 29, four years older than Brown. Plus, Grove is very injury prone, playing in a full 16 game schedule just once in his career. I trust the trifecta but this move is baffling.

• The Jets finalized a contract with former Bills and Ravens safety Jim Leonhard. Leonhard emerged as a nice complement to Ed Reed when he steeped in for the injured Dawan Landry. He know gest to play next to Kerry Rhodes.
• New York resigned K Jay Feely after Mike Nugent left for Tampa Bay. Feely was signed during the 2nd week of the 2008 season to take over for the injured Nugent.
• My Two Cents: Leonhard is a nice addition for the Jets. They have needed a capable safety to pair with Rhodes and it appears they have gotten that. With the additions of LB Bart Scott and CB Lito Sheppard, their defense is shaping up (on paper, at least) to be one of the best in the league. Now, what can they do to fix that offense? Maybe sign Byron Leftwich and Terrell Owens? That is a possibility.

• Very little of note for the defending Super Bowl Champs. WR Nate Washington signed with the Titans and OT Marvel Smith is drawing interest from the Ravens.
• The club resigned OG Chris Kemoeatu, the heir to Alan Faneca. Kemoeatu was, arguably, the teams best lineman so resigning him was a top priority.
• The only other free agent of note is starting CB Bryant McFadden. McFadden is, reportedly, deciding on offers from the Cardinals and the Steelers and should be making a decision any day now. McFadden emerged as a starter opposite of Ike Taylor this season.
• My Two Cents: Quiet, as usual, for Pittsburgh. When you have a team run as well as they are, quiet periods are expected. They don't splurge and build through the draft. If there aren't many suitors for Byron Leftwich resigning him would be a nice bonus. He is a great backup and with Big ben's injury history something that should be appealing to the Steelers. Especially since Charlie Batch is also a free agent.

• It has been speculated for more than two months but the Cowboys have finally granted safety Roy Williams his release. Dallas attempted to trade him but no teams were interested.
• The biggest news is the Cowboys releasing WR Terrell Owens. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had said that Owens would not be left go. He is now gone. Is Wade Phillips, or any staff for that matter, safe?
• Where will T.O. land? Perhaps Oakland, Denver, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, or San Diego. With Owens history, he may need to take a 1-year deal or a multi-year deal absed around good behavior.
• My Two Cents: The Cowboys remain a mystery. Letting Owens go doesn't help the talent on the field but it does help the chemistry in the lcoker room. Suddenly WR is a bigger need for Dallas. They have Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, and Sam Hurd under contract. All are playing a step too high. Williams is a fringe #1 guy while Crayton and Hurd would be best as #3's and 4's, respectively. With Owens gone each have to step up. Dallas could go after a WR with their second round pick but then they couldn't fill any other needs til round four. Getting rid of thats 1st and 3rd for the other Roy Williams may not have been a great idea, in hindsight.

• The Eagles have lost Correll Buckhalter, Brian Dawkins, and Lito Sheppard this offseason and have only added OT Stacy Andrews.
• TE L.J. Smith and OT Tra Thomas could be the next veterans to leave Philadelphia.
• Could CB Shawn Springs be a the next new addition, taking over for Sheppard?
• No word recently on the status of negotiations with QB Donovan McNabb. He has gone on record to say that adding WR Marvin Harrison - his former teammate with Syracuse - would be a good start to providing the offense with more playmakers.
• My Two Cents: I have to admit, having a WR trio of Harrison, Kevin Curtis, and DeSean Jackson would be appealing. Even though Harrison is on the decline and injury prone, he would certainly be an upgrade. Fans remain irate over the Dawkins departure. All the anger seems aimed at the Eagles front office. Philadelphia may need to make a splash in free agency and/or the draft to appease the loyal (and sometimes carzy) fan base.