Ravens To Sign TE Durham Smythe
Following Charlie Kolar‘s departure to the Chargers, the Ravens have found their solution for a new blocking TE. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the team has agreed to a deal with Durham Smythe.
The 2018 fourth-round pick spent the first seven seasons of his career in Miami. He showed some occasional flashes in their offense, including a run from 2020 through 2023 where he collected 110 catches for 1,060 yards. However, he was limited to nine catches in 2024 before getting cut by the Dolphins.
He caught on with the Bears, where he put up career-lows in catches (four) and receiving yards (25). The veteran also notably finished as Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded tight end in 2025. However, Smythe continued a trend of being an above-average pass blocker, and he’s generally been serviceable in run blocking throughout his career.
He’ll be called on to play a similar role in Baltimore after Kolar left for a new gig. Smythe played under new Ravens OC Declan Doyle last year in Chicago, so there should be some familiarity with the offensive scheme. Of course, the Ravens also might not be done adding to the position. While Mark Andrews will be around for another season, the team watched as Isaiah Likely left for the Giants.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/26
Today’s restricted free agent and exclusive free agent tenders:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: OT Ryan Van Demark
- Buccaneers: RB Sean Tucker
- Seahawks: WR Jake Bobo
- Titans: WR Bryce Oliver
Non-tendered:
- Eagles: FB Ben VanSumeren
- Panthers: LB Claudin Cherelus
- Patriots: LB Jack Gibbens
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/26
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Zonovan Knight, LS Casey Kreiter
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: C Corey Levin, LB Channing Tindall
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE James Mitchell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Jack Stoll
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Tyrus Wheat
Denver Broncos
- Signed: FB Adam Prentice
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: EDGE Brenton Cox, DL Jonathan Ford
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LS Josh Harris
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Zayne Anderson, TE Ben Sims
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Mike Brown, TE Julian Hill
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Zaire Barnes
New York Jets
- Signed: OT Max Mitchell
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Jack Driscoll
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Patrick Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LS Chris Stoll
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Malik Herring
Cardinals Release Kyler Murray; Vikings Frontrunners To Add QB
7:35pm: Following news that the Vikings are the favorite for Murray, the team will indeed be hosting the QB on a visit tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
3:08pm: The 2026 league year has started — precisely one minute ago. The Cardinals did not waste any time; the team announced its Kyler Murray release.
This concludes a seven-year chapter, one that ended as most expected it to. The Cardinals now have Gardner Minshew on the roster, accompanying Jacoby Brissett. This will be a post-June 1 cut, which will help Arizona cap-wise. Teams cannot announce post-June 1 cuts until this afternoon, explaining the delay on the long-expected Murray release.
With $36.8MM guaranteed to a quarterback coming off a five-game season and trending downward, the Cardinals were never viewed as having a realistic chance to reach their goal of trading Murray. Connected frequently to the Vikings, Murray may well be headed north as a free agent soon.
Minnesota is viewed as the favorite to land the former No. 1 overall pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. This is not especially surprising, as Murray has been connected to Minnesota for months. A recent report suggested the 28-year-old passer is eyeing in the Vikings, who have been tied to interest here — as Murray will likely be available for the veteran minimum thanks to the nature of his Arizona exit.
The Cardinals, Jets (Geno Smith) and Dolphins (Malik Willis) have made starter-level quarterback additions, the Vikings have refrained. Murray looks likely to be Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy competition, though the two-time Pro Bowler is a more talented player and would be favored to start in 2026. The Vikes are walking a tightrope here, as our Adam La Rose discussed in his most recent mailbag. They are still tethered to McCarthy’s development while understandably wanting a potentially better option after concerning 2025 play from the top-10 pick. Murray will be looking to bounce back after a lost 2025.
Minnesota used the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy but lost him to a season-nullifying injury last year. A high ankle sprain shelved McCarthy for a chunk of the season last year, and given the Michigan alum’s early-season struggles, rumblings the Vikings were giving him time to reset emerged. When McCarthy replaced Carson Wentz around midseason, he was wildly inconsistent. The team saw 2024 starter Sam Darnold pilot the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has since been fired. Quarterback issues undoubtedly played a key role in the four-year GM’s ouster.
Murray played under Drew Petzing, an ex-Kevin Stefanski assistant. Stefanski’s past under Gary Kubiak ties Kevin O’Connell — a Sean McVay disciple — to the same sturdy Mike Shanahan coaching tree. This would stand to make a Murray-Minnesota transition easier, but the diminutive QB’s best work came under Kliff Kingsbury earlier in his career.
O’Connell rehabilitated Darnold’s career in 2024, overseeing a Pro Bowl nod after coaxing quality play from Kirk Cousins before his October 2023 Achilles tear. Murray, who booked original-ballot Pro Bowl invites in 2020 and ’21, has displayed quality work as a passer and runner but has been inconsistent. He was not playing especially well before a December 2022 ACL tear, which came after he signed a five-year, $230.5MM Cardinals extension. The Cards held off on redeploying Murray until midway through the 2023 season, and while Murray ranked ninth in QBR in 2024 — a 17-game season — more injury trouble intervened as the QB was struggling yet again.
Averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt through five games under Petzing in 2025, Murray went down with a foot injury and never returned. The Cardinals looked ready to move Murray back into the starting lineup later in the season, but an about-face led to a shutdown.
The Cardinals’ previous regime had authorized the five-year extension, and the deal brought an advanced guarantee for 2026. Murray remaining on Arizona’s roster by mid-March of 2025 guaranteed his ’26 salary, leading to this post-June 1 designation.
The Cardinals will take a $47.1MM dead money hit in 2026 as a result of the Murray release, though OverTheCap lists the signal-caller’s 2027 dead cap number at $7.2MM. Should that split hold true, Arizona’s new coaching staff will feel some pain this season before seeing considerable relief in Year 2. The Cardinals do not have an inspiring QB setup presently, with Minshew and Brissett bridge types (at best). But they are getting out of the big-ticket QB-contract business after nearly four years.
Atlanta already took advantage of a post-June 1 designation by scooping up Tua Tagovailoa on what is expected to be a veteran-minimum deal. Murray is expected to be available, as Wilson was in 2024 with Pittsburgh, for the vet minimum. That could bring value for the Vikings, though the former Heisman winner is expected to be patient before committing, as this bounce-back opportunity will help determine if his career has a positive second act.
Bears, Chargers Looked Into Tyler Linderbaum
Several teams were reported to have interest in Tyler Linderbaum as free agency approached, among them the Bears and Chargers, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Though neither won the bidding war for the former Ravens Pro Bowler, both teams did their homework on the veteran center in the weeks leading up to the start of the legal free agent tampering period. 
Expected to reset the market at the center position, Linderbaum was arguably the hottest player slated to hit the open market with massive projections for his next contract. Because the Raiders’ three-year, $81MM offer blew expectations of $25MM annual average out of the water, the Ravens, Bears, Chargers, and any other potential suitors, alike, were all forced to pivot.
Both Chicago and Los Angeles fell out of the race for Linderbaum far before the price tag rose to $27MM per year. Signs began pointing to the veteran center landing back with Baltimore or with the Raiders as the competing bidders started dropping like flies — made apparent by the transactions for other centers. After moving on from the idea of landing the highest-paid center in the NFL, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury, acquiring him from the Patriots. Instead of paying $27MM, Chicago was able to move on by relinquishing a fifth-round pick to land Bradbury for a single season at $3.7MM.
The sign that the Chargers had dropped out of the race for Linderbaum came when the team added Tyler Biadasz after he was cut by the Commanders. Los Angeles even secured Biadasz long term, signing the 2022 Pro Bowler to a three-year, $30MM contract. Also, because he had been released from his contract before the start of free agency, he was able to join the Chargers right away and won’t count against the team’s compensatory pick calculations next year.
The Ravens, too, will need to find a new center after their 2022 first-round pick left Baltimore in free agency. General manager Eric DeCosta was willing to go up to $88MM over four years, a $22MM AAV that would have reset the center market by $4MM per year, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. But the Raiders came in with $27MM per year and a structure that essentially guarantees all $81MM. The three-year term will also give Linderbaum significant leverage to negotiate another raise during the 2028 offseason, which was another sticking point with the Ravens.
The Raiders clearly thought it was worth every penny to land the top center option available as they close in on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the presumed No. 1 overall pick of the draft. The rookie passer will find himself behind one of the league’s top centers. A smart, experienced interior lineman like Linderbaum should be able to take a significant load off Mendoza’s shoulders when it comes to the offense’s presnap operations blitz recognitions. In the meantime, the Bears and Chargers have paired their young passers with veterans of their own, and the Ravens have a hole to fill.
Commanders To Sign DL Charles Omenihu
Following a three-season stay in Kansas City, Charles Omenihu is heading to Washington. The free agent defensive end has agreed to a deal with the Commanders, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s a one-year, $4MM deal that could be worth up to $7MM, according Jordan Schultz.
Omenihu joined the Chiefs via a two-year contract back in 2023 before re-upping last offseason on a one-year, $7MM deal. The veteran generally accounted for a 50 percent snap percentage when active, although he missed a chunk of time through his first two year in Kansas City. His start with the organization was delayed thanks to a suspension, but he notably followed that up with a seven-sack showing in 11 regular season games.
A torn ACL suffered during the 2023 AFC Championship Game led to Omenihu missing most of the next year. He rebounded with a 17-game season in 2025, finishing with 3.5 sacks and 13 QB hits. Pro Football Focus ranked him 75th among 119 qualifying edge defenders, with his run defense grading better than his pass-rush ability.
The former fifth-round pick started his career with the Texans, where he collected seven sacks in 29 games. He was traded to the 49ers during the 2021 campaign and had 4.5 sacks in San Francisco in 2022.
Omenihu can play a variety of roles on the Commanders defensive line, although he will face some competition for snaps. The organization has been busy improving the position in recent days, adding K’Lavon Chaisson, Odafe Oweh, and Tim Settle.
Buccaneers To Sign DL A’Shawn Robinson
A’Shawn Robinson has quickly landed on his feet. After getting cut by the Panthers yesterday, the defensive lineman will be signing with the Buccaneers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
[RELATED: Panthers Release DT A’Shawn Robinson]
The Panthers moved on from Robinson yesterday, avoiding the $8.5MM he was due. This ended up working out well for the defender, as Rapoport notes that Robinson will earn a $10MM, fully guaranteed deal from Tampa Bay.
Robinson inked a three-year, $22.5MM contract with the Panthers ahead of the 2024 campaign. He had one of his most productive seasons during his first year in Carolina, tallying career-highs in tackles (80), sacks (5.5), and tackles for loss (eight). His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2025 (65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three TFLs), although Pro Football Focus was still pretty high on his performance. The site ranked him 45th among 127 qualifying interior defenders.
The defensive lineman seems to be finding his footing late in his career. He struggled to live up to his second-round billing during his time with the Lions, where he compiled five sacks across four seasons. He later moved on to the Rams, where he missed 15 games across three years with the team. Robinson was a full-time starter during the Rams’ Super Bowl run, however, with the veteran tallying 22 stops and a sack in four playoff games.
The Buccaneers have Vita Vea leading the middle of their defensive line, but they did lose some key depth in Logan Hall. Robinson represents an upgrade over incumbents like Greg Gaines, meaning the free agent acquisition should expect a notable amount of snaps even if he doesn’t start every game.
Cowboys Trade DL Solomon Thomas To Titans
Robert Saleh is adding another familiar face. The Cowboys are trading defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to the Titans, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It will be a seventh-round pick swap between the two squads. The Cowboys will acquire pick No. 218 for pick No. 225. The trade will create roughly $2.5MM in cap savings for Dallas while generating $750K in dead money.
Thomas recently spent three seasons playing under Saleh while the two were in New York. While the defensive lineman only started four of his 50 appearances for the Jets, he still emerged as a key defensive lineman. He had nine sacks during his tenure with the organization, including a five-sack showing in 2023.
The veteran inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Cowboys last offseason, and he ended up starting two of his 16 appearances for his new squad. However, his 419 defensive snaps was one of the lowest totals of his career, and he finished the season shutout in the sacks column. Pro Football Focus ultimately graded him as a middle-of-the-road interior defensive lineman, ranking Thomas 59th among 127 qualifiers.
Thomas also played under Saleh when the two were in San Francisco. The 49ers selected the defensive lineman with the third-overall pick in the 2017 draft. He failed to live up to his draft billing during his time with the team, but he still tallied six sacks through his first three seasons. He was limited to two games in 2020 thanks to a torn ACL, but he managed to get into 17 games (and collect 3.5 sacks) with the Raiders in 2021.
Saleh has been busy recruiting former Jets to Tennessee. Thomas will be plenty familiar with some of his new DL teammates, as the Titans have also added former Jets Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers this offseason.
49ers Acquire DT Osa Odighizuwa From Cowboys
Osa Odighizuwa will be on the move after all. A trade has been agreed to which will send the veteran defensive tackle from the Cowboys to the 49ers, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. The deal is now official.
San Francisco will send Dallas a third-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. As such, the Cowboys will add the No. 92 selection in April’s draft. The team did not own a second- or third-rounder in 2026 prior to this agreement.
A report from Tuesday indicated teams were showing trade interest in Odighizuwa. Dallas already has Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams on the books. The Cowboys also lined up a deal with free agent Otito Ogbonnia, adding further to their depth at the defensive tackle spot. Inquirers from the Bengals did not yield traction, but Dallas clearly remained open to moving forward with a swap in this case. The team will create $4.75MM in cap space while generating $16MM in dead money.
The Cowboys will clear Odighizuwa’s $16.25MM salary in 2026 as a result of this trade. The 49ers, meanwhile, will take on the remainder of his contract; the pact runs through 2028. Odighizuwa inked a four-year, $80MM deal last offseason, but the arrivals of Clark and Williams threatened to cut into his playing time. A heavy workload will await him in the Bay Area, while Dallas will not face the challenge of maintaining three DTs attached to large contracts.
As Schultz confirms, the 49ers were among the runners-up for free agent John Franklin-Myers. The former Bronco wound up agreeing to a lucrative deal with the Titans. San Francisco has pivoted in short order. In addition to wideout Mike Evans, this constitutes certainly a significant addition on the part of general manager John Lynch early in the new league year.
Jordan Elliott lined up an agreement with Tennessee during the early stages of free agency, thinning out the 49ers’ defensive line. Odighizuwa will help serve as a replacement, and he will be counted on to remain a strong contributor against the pass in particular on his new team. The 27-year-old has recorded between 3.0 and 4.5 sacks each season since his rookie campaign. He totaled 64 QB pressures over the past two years, and disruption on that level would be welcomed in San Francisco.
The injury-ravaged 49ers ranked last in the NFL in sacks this past season. A healthy year from Nick Bosa and others would of course go a long way in helping the team bounce back in that regard. Nevertheless, Odighizuwa’s arrival should provide a pass rush boost along the interior for 2026 and beyond.
Teams Eyeing Cowboys DT Osa Odighizuwa
MARCH 11: No communication between Odighizuwa’s camp and the Bengals has taken place, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. She adds a trade is not seen as likely in this case.
MARCH 10: Only one season after inking a lucrative four-year contract, Osa Odighizuwa could be on the move. According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, “teams are keeping an eye” on the Cowboys defensive tackle.
The Cowboys retained the former third-round pick last offseason, signing him to a four-year, $80MM extension. Since then, the team has added plenty of additional depth at the position. Kenny Clark was acquired as part of the Micah Parsons blockbuster, and the Cowboys later traded for Quinnen Williams. Then today, the organization added a key depth piece in Otito Ogbonnia.
Outside of Ogbonnia, Odighizuwa is the youngest of the bunch and possesses the most upside of the grouping. However, considering his contract and the increasingly crowded DT depth chart, Jones notes that rival teams believe the player “can now be traded for.”
Odighizuwa has established himself as a mainstay on the Cowboys defense. The 27-year-old has only missed a single regular season game through his five seasons in Dallas, and he’s collected at least three sacks in each of the past four years. This includes a 2025 campaign where he tallied 3.5 sacks to go along with 44 tackles and a career-high 23 QB hits. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded him 42nd among 127 qualifying interior defenders.
On the flip side, Odighizuwa came off the bench for four of the team’s final six games, an indication that the organization may view him as an equal to the likes of Clark and Williams. Further, there are some questions if the DT fits in Christian Parker‘s scheme, as the new DC tends to utilize longer defensive ends on the interior defensive line.
Ultimately, it’d be a surprise if the Cowboys are willing to bail on their former draft pick so soon after extending him. However, if the team is comfortable with the rest of their current grouping (and wants to open up some extra financial wiggle room), a trade could ultimately make sense.