Free Agency, Day 30

The Bengals continue making moves and making me question if Mike Brown has been replaced by a clone.

Bears extend LB Lance Briggs

The Bears signed linebacker Lance Briggs to a one-year contract extension which keeps him in Chicago through the 2014 season. The deal pays $17.5 million over the next three years, $5 million of which is guaranteed.

This is how you handle a contract dispute in my opinion. The Bears didn’t commit too much more to Briggs in terms of years; since he is beginning to get up there in age but they gave him a pay raise commiserate with his level of play. Brigg may not finish his career as a Bear, but he should be locked up until well into his mid-30s so any Pro Bowl or All-Pro performances he puts up after that would be unusual.I really love this move.

Bengals sign CB Terence Newman, Re-sign OT Dennis Roland  

The Bengals signed cornerback Terence Newman to a one-year contract. They also re-signed offensive tackle Dennis Roland to an undisclosed contract.

The Bengals continue to surprise me. I love the signing of Terence Newman as a short term answer to their cornerback depth problems. I certainly don’t think that Newman will be a Pro Bowler with the Bengals, but he’s experience and knowledge of various offenses will definitely benefit the Bengals this year. For a short-term signing, it was a shrewd and intelligent move bringing him in. The re-signing of Roland falls in line with a lot of moves I praise because of how much I believe in bring back your own players. I don’t think Roland will help the offensive line problems all that much, but he should be a good depth player.

Steelers re-sign WR Jerricho Cotchery

The Steelers re-signed wider receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two year deal worth as much as $3 million dollars.

The Steelers did need to get this signing done. With Hines Ward’s retirement and the potential holdout of Mike Wallace, the Steelers needed to have a receiver who could play as a possession receiver and provide depth to the receivers corp. Cotchery proved he could be that guy last season and has a good relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. I like this signing.

Giants sign OT Sean Locklear, CB Antwaun Molden

The Giants signed offensive tackle Sean Locklear and cornerback Antwaun Molden to undisclosed contracts.

I like the Locklear signing, but I’m not very high on the Moulden signing. In the Lockelear signing, the Giants get and experienced, if unspectacular right tackle who should slide into that spot without much of a problem. Molden on the other hand is more of an athlete trying to fit into a position. He really isn’t going to help the secondary, but he should be a good special teams player. I’m ok with these signings.

Broncos sign DT Justin Bannan

The Broncos signed defensive tackle Justin Bannan to a one-year contract.

Bannan is an experienced, but not amazing defensive tackle. He’s always been more of a rotational player with decent run stuffing ability but not the best pass rushing ability. Since the Broncos lost Brodrick Bunkley, this signing makes sense for a short-term fix along the defensive line.

Rams sign DT Trevor Laws

The Rams signed defensive tackle Trevor Laws to a one-year contract.

Laws was a disappointment in his time with the Eagles, but I think he fits well into the style of defense that Jeff fisher likes to use. He should be a good addition to the rotation along the defensive line. I generally like this signing.