Saints add DT Coleman; Niners cut Jennings, sign ex-Steelers OT Smith

On the same day the Niners decided to officially cut the cord with OT Jonas Jennings, who had been limited to only 23 games in his four years in San Francisco, the team reportedly has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with UFA Marvel Smith, another injury-prone veteran tackle who was limited to 17 games in his last two seasons with the Steelers.

Smith, an Oakland native, quickly becomes the front-runner for the Niners' starting job at right tackle, which neither Jennings, Adam Snyder nor Barry Sims was able to effectively handle last season. Entering his 10th season, Smith played right tackle his first three seasons in Pittsburgh before moving to the left side. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team in 2005.

The 49ers officially announced Friday afternoon that they have terminated the contract of injury-prone eighth-year OT Jonas Jennings. An unrestricted free-agent addition from the Bills in 2005, the 6-3, 328-pound Jennings was a solid run blocker when healthy, but that wasn't the case nearly enough during his career with the Niners.

In addition, the often-moody Jennings had a hard time staying on the same page with former head coach Mike Nolan and offensive line coach George Warhop and never was consistently able to fill the bill at either tackle spot. The right tackle position Jennings played sparingly last year is widely considered the Niners' biggest need heading into the 2009 draft.

The Vikings have announced they have matched the offer sheet extended to FB Naufahu Tahi by the Bengals and will retain his services.

Tahi, who has played in 26 games for the Vikings over the past two seasons, joined the team in 2006, having been signed off the Bengals' practice squad. He mostly played special teams that season and in '07 before taking over as the starting fullback last season. Tahi helped pave the way for RB Adrian Peterson to rush for a team-record and NFL-best 1,760 yards and 10 games with at least 100 yards rushing.

"I'm excited to come back to the Vikings," Tahi said. "I think we have a lot to build on and hope we can pick up where we left off last year. I love the city, and we have a good group of guys in the locker room.

"I'm excited to get to work on improving our finish from last year. I think Adrian and I were really getting into a groove in the second half of the season and are playing well together."

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Saints continued to retool their secondary Thursday, agreeing to terms with S Pierson Prioleau, according to a Scout.com report.

Prioleau, an 11th-year veteran, will serve as a backup to starters Roman Harper and Darren Sharper. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams coached Prioleau last season when they were both with the Jaguars.

Prioleau played all 16 games last season and started one. He made 26 tackles.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Bears signed unrestricted free-agent OT Kevin Shaffer to a three-year contract Wednesday afternoon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 29-year-old Shaffer, who spent the past three seasons with the Browns, started 15 games at right tackle for Cleveland last year and figures to become a prime candidate for the starting ORT job vacated by the retired John Tait.

Shaffer, a 6-5, 315-pound Tulsa graduate, originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round selection by the Falcons in the 2002 draft. Shaffer appeared in 53 contests for the Falcons with 39 starts at left tackle, 31 of which came during the 2004 and '05 seasons when Atlanta led the league in rushing.

The Jets found a third cornerback to help fill out their secondary, inking former 49ers CB Donald Strickland to a deal, multiple media outlets report. Jocklife.com reports the deal is for three years with an average annual value of $1.1 million.

A seven-year veteran, Strickland played the last three seasons in San Francisco, starting a total of 10 games. He spent his first three seasons with the Colts and had a one-year stint with the Eagles to begin his career.

Strickland figures to factor prominently in the Jets' cornerback rotation and appears to be the favorite to win the nickel job.

The Chiefs agreed to terms with OL Mike Goff on Wednesday, according to the Kansas City Star.

Goff, 33, is an 11-year NFL veteran, spending time with both the Bengals and Chargers. Since 2000, he has missed only three games and has started every game in which he has played.

Although not as effective as he once was, Goff provides experience and depth to a Kansas City O-line in need of both. He is versatile enough to play either center or guard and, depending on what they do in the draft, could wind up starting for the Chiefs in '09.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Browns signed ex-Saints WR David Patten on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

Patten, 34, caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in five games for the Saints last season. Patten made three starts in September, but a groin injury set him back, and he fell out of the Saints' WR rotation by season's end.

Patten played for the Browns in 2000, catching 38 passes for 546 yards and a touchdown. He is entering his 13th NFL season.

Continuing a recent pattern of taking care of their own, the NFC champion Cardinals announced the signing Monday afternoon of veteran unrestricted free-agent CB Ralph Brown to a one-year deal. The Cardinals reached new deals with fellow veteran free-agent defenders Bertrand Berry and Clark Haggans last week. The terms of Brown's new contract were not immediately available.

Originally drafted by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2000 draft out of Nebraska, the 5-10, 185-pound Brown has spent the last two seasons with the Cardinals and appeared in all 16 games last season with three starts. He registered three total interceptions, including two in the playoffs, and did a more than adequate job down the stretch as the team's nickel corner. Brown is also considered a class act in the locker room.

The Texans and Lions UFA DT Shaun Cody have reached agreement on a three-year contract, The Houston Chronicle and ESPN.com reported Monday. The contract is worth $6 million for three years, the Chronicle reported.

Cody, 26, made a career-high 36 tackles for the Lions last season, and he also defended a career-high three passes. In four seasons with Detroit, Cody logged 91 tackles and 1½ sacks. He has played in 53 career games, starting 11 times.

Trade talks between the Giants and Browns centering on WR Braylon Edwards broke off when the Browns asked for WR Steve Smith, The Giant Insider and The Orange and Brown Report reported Sunday.

According to the report, the Giants offered the second- and fifth-round picks acquired from the Saints in the July 2008 trade for TE Jeremy Shockey for Edwards, the Browns' top receiver. However, the Browns also wanted Smith, who caught 57 passes for 574 yards and a TD last season, included in the deal. According to the report, the Giants offered the Browns the choice of Domenik Hixon or Mario Manningham, but Cleveland was not interested.

Edwards, who is entering the final year of his contract, caught 55 passes for 873 yards and three touchdowns.

The Dolphins sent C Samson Satele to the Raiders for a sixth-round pick, according to reports from late Sunday. The teams will also swap picks in an undisclosed round at this year's draft. Oakland was in the market for a center after Miami signed its starter from last season, Jake Grove, earlier this offseason.

Satele, a second-round pick in 2007, started every game for the Dolphins over the past two seasons. He became expendable, though, after Miami's personnel evaluators decided Satele didn't have the size necessary to match up with the larger nose tackles of the AFC East. He is likely to become the starter in Oakland.

Weekend free-agent news wrap-up
By PFW staff, March 22, 2009