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With NFL free agency officially open, teams and players can now finalize deals.
The Patriots, per usual this time of year, have some positional holes to fill. Here is the latest in free agency news and what happened during the legal tampering period as it relates to the Patriots.
What’s the latest?
Tackle Cameron Fleming is scheduled to visit with the Cowboys on Monday, according to multiple reports. The unrestricted free agent, who was drafted in the fourth round out of Stanford in 2014, started six regular season games in 2017, including the final five contests, at right tackle. He also started in the AFC title game and Super Bowl LII.
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He is not the only Patriots tackle visiting with the Cowboys. According to a report, LaAdrian Waddle will be meeting with Dallas Monday night and Tuesday. Waddle was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2015. He appeared in 12 games for the Patriots this past season, making four starts in place of Marcus Cannon was injured against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Previously from the Patriots front
■ Matthew Slater, the Patriots’ special teams captain, reportedly visited the Steelers on Saturday.
■ Johnson Bademosi, acquired by the Patriots in a trade with the Lions in September, agreed to a reported two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Houston Texans.
Bademosi, a cornerback who was used primarily a special teams player, is entering his seventh season in the NFL. He appeared in 16 regular-season games for the Patriots.
He joins a string of Patriots free agents who have departed from the team that lost Super Bowl LII to the Eagles.
■ Running back Jeremy Hill and defensive end Adrian Clayborn were reportedly visiting the Patriots on Friday. The team reached agreements to bring both players into the fold.
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Hill, 25, played college football at LSU, followed by four seasons with the Bengals, who drafted him in 2014. He played in just seven games last season because of an ankle injury. He has appeared in 54 games in his pro career and has 2,873 career rushing yards on 704 attempts and 67 receptions for 484 yards.
Clayborn, 29, has spent the last three seasons with the Falcons. The Buccaneers drafted him in 2011 out of Iowa. He had a career-high 9.5 sacks last season.
■ The Patriots hosted tight end Asante Cleveland and linebacker Jonathan Casillas for visits on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
Cleveland, 25, was with the Patriots for part of 2015. Cleveland has also played for the Chargers and 49ers. He would be a candidate for the Patriots’ third tight end spot.
Casillas, 30, started eight games for the Giants last season, recording 34 tackles. He was placed on injured reserve in December after a lingering neck injury became more serious. Casillas played briefly in New England during the 2014 season.
■ Reports linking free agent quarterback A.J. McCarron to the Patriots were completely false, as witnessed by McCarron signing a two-year deal with the Bills, according to ESPN. According to a league source, the Patriots never extended contract offer to the 27-year-old McCarron, who spent the last four seasons backing up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. The former Alabama star has started just three games in his career and was nearly sent to the Browns at last season’s trade deadline but the paperwork wasn’t filed to the league office in time.
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■ The Patriots are reportedly among a handful of teams pursuing defensive end Adrian Clayborn, along with the Falcons, Colts, Buccaneers, and Browns. Clayborn, 29 and entering his eighth NFL season, spent the last three years with the Falcons, leading Atlanta in sacks in 2017 with 9.5.
■ Linebacker James Harrison is not ready for retirement and wants to play in 2018.
■ Left tackle Nate Solder is expected to sign with the New York Giants, according to multiple reports.
With Solder leaving New England, that leaves the Patriots in need of a starting-caliber left tackle. Some other options on the market: Justin Pugh, Andre Smith, Austin Howard, Greg Robinson, Ty Nsekhe (restricted free agent).
■ Dion Lewis will sign a four-year deal with the Titans, according to ESPN. Lewis’s deal is reportedly for four years and worth $20 million with another $3 million in incentives.
Lewis will join cornerback Malcolm Butler, whose four-year run with the Patriots effectively came to an end in Super Bowl LII, when he did not play a defensive snap. Butler’s deal is reportedly for five years and more than $61 million with more than $30 million guaranteed.
■ Receiver Danny Amendola is expected to sign with the Miami Dolphins, according to multiple reports. Amendola, who was Tom Brady’s most clutch offensive weapon in the run to Super Bowl LII, had taken pay cuts to stay with the Patriots the last few offseasons. New England can still swoop in and get Amendola back into the fold. But if Miami gets the deal, the Patriots will have to replace not only Amendola as a receiver, but also his punt-returning skills. Read the full story on Amendola.
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Around the league
■ Running back LeGarrette Blount, who won Super Bowls the last two seasons, signed with the Lions. The deal, according to ESPN, was for one year for $2 million and incentives
■ The Dolphins released defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and tight end Julius Thomas.
■ The Cardinals released defensive back Tyrann Mathieu after Mathieu didn’t take a pay cut.
■ The Broncos agreed to terms on a two-year deal with quarterback Case Keenum and are finalizing a trade to send QB Trevor Siemian and a late-round draft pick to the Vikings for a 2019 pick.
■ The Saints will add Tom Savage as their backup quarterback.
■ Another cornerback is off the market: DeShawn Snead, who played for the dismantling Seahawks, signed a one-year deal with the Lions, according to ESPN.
■ The bulked-up 49ers extended LB Brock Coyle for three years and $11.5 million, ESPN reported.
■ The Jets signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal.
■ Former Broncos tight end Virgil Green signed with the Chargers on a three-year deal.
■ New England was reportedly one of three teams in contention to land outside linebacker Trent Murphy, who has spent his first four NFL seasons with the Redskins and is an unrestricted free agent. But Murphy, who missed the 2017 season with a torn ACL, signed a multiyear deal with the Bills.
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■ The Lions released tight end Eric Ebron.
■ Cornerback Patrick Robinson plans to sign a four-year deal with the Saints.
■ Offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who has spent his 11-year career with the Browns, retired.
■ The Ravens released receiver Jeremy Maclin.
■ Defensive end Julius Peppers re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal.
■ The Texans signed former Chiefs offensive lineman Zach Fulton.
■ The Titans are re-signing guard Josh Kline, a former Patriot, to a four-year deal worth $26 million with $12 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.
■ Former Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon plans to sign a four-year deal with the 49ers worth $30 million, according to multiple reports.
■ Former Colts receiver Donte Moncrief plans to sign with the Jaguars, according to multiple reports.
■ Former Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is expected to sign with the Giants, according to multiple reports.
■ Former Browns running back Isaiah Crowell plans to sign a three-year deal with the Jets, according to multiple reports.
■ Former 49ers running back Carlos Hyde intends to sign with the Browns, according to multiple reports.
■ Tight end Jimmy Graham and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson plan to sign with the Packers, according to multiple reports.
■ Kirk Cousins, the top quarterback on the market, plans to sign a three-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Vikings on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
■ Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater saw the handwriting on he wall (Cousins visiting the Vikings) and will sign with the Jets, according to ESPN. The Jets also re-signed quarterback Josh McCown on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports.
■ Saints quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a deal that would keep him in New Orleans. It is two-year deal worth $50 million that includes $27 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.
■ The Packers released veteran Jordy Nelson, the third-leading receiver in franchise history and one of Aaron Rodgers’s top targets. Nelson had 550 receptions and 69 touchdown catches in 10 seasons in Green Bay. But his production declined last season with Rodgers sidelined much of the year by a collarbone injury. Nelson, who turns 33 in May, was scheduled to earn $10.25 million this season and carry a salary-cap number of $12.52 million.
■ Receiver Taylor Gabriel, who spent the last two season with the Falcons, intends to sign a four-year deal with the Bears.
■ Receiver Marqise Lee plans to re-sign with the Jaguars on a four-year deal worth up to $38 million with $18 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.
■ The Texans are expected to sign former Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin to a four-year deal, according to multiple reports.
■ Former Eagles tight end Trey Burton is expected to sign a four-year, $32 million deal with the Bears, according to multiple reports.
That is notable as it pertains to New England considering that tight end Rob Gronkowski’s status is up in the air following his announcement after the Super Bowl that he’d be exploring his options, and the Patriots are in the market for a solid No. 2 tight end.
If Gronkowski decides to retire or pursue other interests, Burton, who threw the touchdown pass to Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII, would have been the ideal replacement piece, or even a formidable No. 2 option if Gronkowski is in a Patriots uniform next season.
Now, that option appears to be off the table.
■ Quarterback Sam Bradford plans to sign with the Cardinals, according to reports.
■ The Broncos picked up Demaryius Thomas’s option to retain him for the final two years of his deal.
■ The Redskins are expected to sign former Seahawks receiver Paul Richardson to a five-year, $40 million, according to multiple reports.
■ Defensive tackle Kyle Williams agreed to re-sign with the Bills on a one-year deal.
■ The Dolphins plan to sign former Chiefs receiver Albert Wilson to a three-year deal worth $24 million, according to multiple reports.
■ The Chiefs intend to sign receiver Sammy Watkins, who was traded from the Bills to the Rams last season.
■ The Bills plan to sign former Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei to a five-year deal.
■ The Jaguars intend to sign former Panthers guard Andrew Norwell to a five-year deal for $66.5 million, which includes $30 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. The deal will make him the league’s highest-paid guard.
■ The Bears reportedly will sign former Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson.
■ Former Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata plans to sign a one-year deal with the Eagles, according to Schefter.
■ Running back and special teamer Brandon Bolden re-signed with the Patriots last month for one year and $880,000.
■ Core special teamer Brandon King re-signed for two years and $2.6 million deal with $400,000 guaranteed. He was set to become a restricted free agent before re-signing.
Related:
■ Your guide to 2018 NFL free agency
■ The Patriots will have competition for Dion Lewis’s services