Defensive lineman Eric Banks wasn’t able to get on the field for the Buccaneers last season, but he’ll give it another shot in 2025.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports that the Bucs have re-signed Banks. It’s a one-year deal worth a little over $1 million.
Banks spent the offseason with the Bucs in 2024, but a torn triceps in the summer kept him out for the entire regular season. He has seen game action with the Cardinals and Chargers and has four tackles in six appearances.
Logan Hall, Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Adam Gotsis, Greg Gaines, C.J. Brewer, and Mike Greene are also in the defensive line group in Tampa.
The Chiefs re-signed cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, the team announced Thursday.
Johnson, who also is a core special teams player, was a restricted free agent who the Chiefs tendered.
The Chiefs made him a seventh-round pick in 2022.
Johnson did not make the active roster as a rookie, signing to the practice squad. He played 11 games in 2022.
He missed the entire 2023 season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in training camp but returned last season to appear in 16 games with six starts in 2024. Johnson totaled 56 tackles, a sack and three passes defensed last season.
Johnson played 494 defensive snaps and 163 on special teams last season.
The Falcons agreed to terms with German-born kicker Lenny Krieg, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.
The team had Krieg on a free agent visit after he kicked at the NFL’s International Player Pathway program Pro Day Tuesday. Krieg had other trips scheduled but signed with the first team that hosted him.
Krieg also kicked at the Scouting Combine, making all of his tries.
The Falcons have Younghoe Koo coming off a right hip injury that landed him on injured reserve last season, and his replacement, Riley Patterson, also remains on their roster.
Krieg was a soccer player before watching YouTube and Instagram videos to learn how to kick an American football after his older brother returned from the University of Wisconsin excited about the game. Krieg kicked for the Stuttgart Surge in 2023 and 2024 before joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway.
The Patriots added a veteran receiver this week, agreeing to a three-year deal with Stefon Diggs.
While Diggs is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the 2024 season, he is expected to help elevate the play of young quarterback Drake Maye.
New England head coach Mike Vrabel joined Chris Long’s Green Light podcast this week and noted what Diggs can bring to the club.
“Yeah, just trying to make sure we’re supporting Drake and supporting the football team,” Vrabel said. “And, again, this is a highly competitive, confident receiver that’s produced throughout his career in multiple ways, play-style, right? He’s got a play-strength to him that you see that you can play physical. Route craft, good at the catch point, has been good in the red zone. There’s a play-style to him that I’ve always appreciated and that we want to continue to enhance and make sure that he’s doing things to help us.
“But it’s just his conversation, his demeanor, his attitude, and his presence have been great through our conversations. Hopefully, we can continue to add good players.”
Before going down with last year’s injury, Diggs had caught 47 passes for 496 yards with three touchdowns in eight games. He had recorded six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between his time with the Vikings and Bills.
The Jets are adding a weapon for quarterback Justin Fields.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, New York has agreed to a one-year deal with receiver Josh Reynolds.
The contract is worth up to $5 million.
Reynolds, 30, split his season between the Broncos and Jaguars last season. He was a victim of a shooting in Denver in October, but was able to return to the field later in the year with Jacksonville. In nine games with the Broncos and Jaguars, he totaled 13 catches for 194 yards with a touchdown.
A fourth-round pick in 2017, Reynolds has appeared in 116 career games with 55 starts for the Rams, Titans, Lions, Broncos, and Jags. He’s totaled 233 receptions for 3,217 yards with 20 TDs. In 2023, he caught 40 passes for 608 yards with five touchdowns for Detroit.
Matt Pryor is returning to the team that drafted him.
Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, offensive lineman Matt Pryor has agreed to sign with the Eagles on a one-year deal.
Pryor, 30, was an Eagles sixth-round pick in 2018. He stuck with the club through 2020 before he was traded to the Colts in 2021. He moved on to the 49ers in 2023 and appeared in all 17 games with 15 starts for the Bears on a one-year deal in 2024.
In all, Pryor has played 92 games with 39 starts, including 27 contests with 10 starts in his first stint with Philadelphia.
Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t made a decision on his future. The Steelers and Giants were waiting on him until the Giants weren’t, as Rodgers gummed up the works for other veteran free agent quarterbacks.
The Giants finally signed Jameis Winston and then Russell Wilson, who played for the Steelers last season.
The Steelers continue to wait on word from Rodgers, who visited Pittsburgh last week, and Vikings G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t rule out a pursuit of the veteran.
But Wilson now is out of the quarterback waiting game.
“Aaron Rodgers is a tremendous football player. He’s done some amazing things in this league,” Wilson said at his introductory news conference Wednesday, via a transcript from the team. “I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to do some great things, too.
“What I’m focused on is right now is what we can do here. That’s been my focus since I signed. Also, too, along the way is finding a place that will continue to believe in you.”
Wilson will compete with Winston and possibly a rookie quarterback for the starting job, but Wilson expects to start.
“Obviously, I’m expecting to come in there and be a starter, and earning that every day because that’s your mentality and approach,” Wilson said. “I just believe that when you play this position my goal every day is to step on the field and help our football team win and ultimately to be the best in the world and be one of the best that can do it. I think that’s my mentality, understanding that.”
In the last week, the Giants have gone from Tommy DeVito as the only quarterback on their depth chart to adding Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. The Giants also haven’t ruled out drafting a quarterback.
In 2024, the Steelers acquired Justin Fields in a trade with the Bears a day after signing Wilson. Wilson won the job over Fields, though a calf injury kept him out until Week 7.
Now, Wilson finds himself competing for the starting job for another team.
“Yeah, I expect to be the starter and come in here and be ready to rock and roll every day,” Wilson said in his introductory news conference, via video from SNYGiants. “To be able to lead. I think this team is looking for someone to lead them in every way in terms of the process in the offseason, during the season, our habits and our thought process and how we create a great winning culture and how to continue to establish that and really build on the things we do well and the things that we continue to need to do.
“I think the big part of me is this will be my 14th year to be able to lead an amazing group of men that really have big hopes and goals and dreams and desires, and we all share the same goal. So, I think that’s the best part about it is I get to be around a lot of extremely, extremely talented guys.”
In the past four seasons, Wilson is 23-32 as a starter with three different teams. He has 83 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in that time.
The Titans have added a veteran quarterback.
Tennessee announced on Wednesday that the club has signed Tim Boyle.
Boyle, 30, split last season between the Texans, Dolphins, and Giants. He appeared in three total games, completing 27-of-50 passes for 276 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Boyle has appeared in 23 total games with five starts for the Packers, Lions, Bears, Jets, Dolphins, and Giants.
He’s completed 60.5 percent of his career passes for 1,210 yards with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Owners of the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Tennessee also currently has Will Levis and Brandon Allen on the 90-man roster.
Wide receiver James Proche is on his way to Tennessee.
Proche announced on Instagram that he has agreed to sign with the Titans. There has been no word regarding the terms of his deal with the AFC South club.
Proche played in 19 games and made one start for the Browns over the last two seasons. He had three catches for 21 yards and returned 49 punts during his time in Cleveland. He averaged nine yards per return in that role.
The Ravens selected Proche in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He had 25 catches for 278 yards in 53 games for the Ravens.
