The Patriots and linebacker Ramon Humber have agreed to a one-year contract, reports Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). Financial details are not yet available.
Humber, whom the Saints waived last month, served as a key special teams cog for the club after it signed him during the 2010 season. Since signing with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in 2009, the 28-year-old has appeared in 92 regular-season games and made 18 starts at linebacker.
WEDNESDAY, 3:00pm: The Dolphins have tweeted confirmation of Grimes’ release.
2:52pm: The Dolphins are cutting Grimes, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link).
9:15am: According to Kelly (via Twitter), the Dolphins have now asked Grimes if he’d be willing to stay in Miami. With the Dolphins/Eagles trade in jeopardy, Miami is presumably exploring a contingency plan in case that deal falls through. As Kelly notes though, the “damage is done” with Grimes, so it’s hard to imagine him wearing a Dolphins uniform in 2016. We’ll see how the situation plays out.
MONDAY, 1:26pm: The Dolphins are expected to release cornerback Brent Grimes in the near future, sources tell Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. According to Kelly, the Dolphins approached Grimes about restructuring his contract, and the defensive back declined, preferring to his unrestricted free agency.
While the move has not yet been made official, it seems the two sides are “past the point of no return,” Kelly writes. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in on the story as well, tweeting that the Dolphins figure to officially cut Grimes when they acquire his replacement.
[RELATED: Dolphins, Eagles discussing Byron Maxwell trade]
Of course, it was Rapoport who reported earlier today that the Dolphins have engaged in discussions with the Eagles about a possible trade for cornerback Byron Maxwell. If Maxwell heads to Miami, releasing Grimes would make sense, both in terms of creating a spot on the depth chart and freeing up some cap room to accommodate the move.
Still, it doesn’t sound like anything is done yet between the Dolphins and Eagles, and it’s possible Miami has another replacement in mind for Grimes. Pro Football Talk tweets that the decision to cut Grimes could mean that the Dolphins are confident they have a shot to land free agent cornerback Adam Jones, who played under new Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in Cincinnati. Because the legal tampering window is now open, the Dolphins can engage in talks with Jones’ reps.
Grimes is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season, so if Miami cuts him, it would be a bit of a surprise. Still, he’ll turn 33 this July, his cap hit is one of the team’s largest, and the new coaching staff may not view him as an ideal fit.
If and when Grimes’ release becomes official, the Dolphins would create $6.5MM in cap savings, or $8MM if he’s designated a post-June 1 cut. He’s currently set to count for $9.5MM against the team’s 2016 cap, with $3MM in total dead money.
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The Chiefs are negotiating to keep veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). For his part, Johnson says his agent has only spoken with Kansas City, but per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link), Johnson’s rep has in fact talked with other clubs.
“It’s heating up,” Johnson told Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “It’s going to come down to the wire.” Johnson did add that he’s more optimistic now that he’ll be able to reach a deal to remain with the Chiefs for a 12th consecutive year.
Johnson, 33, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs, but the Chiefs have reportedly been “poking around” fellow free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman as possible replacement in case Johnson departs. Johnson ranked as PFR’s No. 46 overall free agent and No. 4 inside linebacker, behind Danny Trevathan, Freeman, and Roland McClain, the latter of whom has already re-signed with the Cowboys.
In his 11th season with Kansas City, Johnson started all 16 games just one season after missing nearly the entire year with a torn Achilles. He posted 95 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, grading out as the league’s eighth-best linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.
The Chiefs have already retained one veteran defender, agreeing to a three-year deal with Tamba Hali yesterday.
The Rams have agreed to re-sign William Hayes, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a three-year deal, per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will pay him a max of $21MM over that three year stretch, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). 
A few teams were in on Hayes before he re-upped with Los Angeles, including the Dolphins, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. Having played alongside guys like Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn on the Rams’ defensive line, Hayes was somewhat overlooked in recent seasons, but he garnered some attention for himself in his contract year. The veteran end, who turns 31 this May, has picked up between four and seven sacks in each of his four years with the Rams. Multiple teams in need of pass-rushing help were in on the bidding for Hayes, but he ultimately decided to join the Rams for their 2016 season in L.A.
We rated Hayes as the No. 9 edge defender in this year’s free agent class, behind Olivier Vernon, Bruce Irvin, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mario Williams, Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Tamba Hali, and Robert Ayers.
The Rams also re-signing strong safety Mark Barron and hitting Case Keenum with a first-round tender, so it’s clear that they’re making a concerted effort to hang on to their own players.
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Mark Barron‘s career resurgence will continue with the organization that triggered it, albeit in a new city. The Rams have reached an agreement to keep Barron, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Heading to Los Angeles on a contract worth approximately $9MM per year, ESPN.com’s Mark Domenik (Twitter link) reports, Barron will stay the course that helped him bounce back. Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter) shines more light on the lucrative deal for Barron; it’s reportedly a five-year, $45MM accord.
The Rams are planning to keep Barron at weakside linebacker, Nick Waggoner of ESPN.com tweets. Alec Ogletree will slide to middle linebacker as a result of this mammoth contract.
Multiple teams wanted to sign the former first-round pick to play safety, but the Rams prefer him at linebacker after relocating the 26-year-old talent there last October.
Barron ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 20 overall linebacker last season, and the former No. 7 overall selection of the Buccaneers’ resided as one of the position’s top UFAs.
Barron’s deal, as of now, resides third among outside linebackers in 4-3 defenses, behind just Lavonte David and Bruce Irvin. The market for this position has intensified considerably over the past year, with K.J. Wright‘s $6.75MM-per-season pact representing the spot’s high-water mark late last summer.
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The Rams have offered a first-round tender to restricted free agent Case Keenum, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Keenum would earn $3.635MM in 2016 under the one-year deal.
If another club expressed interest in poaching Keenum, they would not only have to sign him to an offer sheet, but they would need to sacrifice a first-round pick if Los Angeles declined to match the offer. That scenario seems wholly unlikely, so Keenum will likely return to the Rams, who have already said Keenum will enter the offseason as their starter.
Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing about 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said Keenum will start, but it’s always possible that the club brings in competition, either via the draft or through free agency.
Foles, meanwhile, can reportedly be had via trade, and a number of clubs could make sense as suitors.
The Cowboys are expected to bring in quarterback Matt Moore and defensive end Cedric Thornton for visits on Thursday, Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com tweets. Things have been slow for Dallas today, but it sounds like they could make some free agent moves tomorrow.
Dolphins quarterback Logan Thomas recently indicated that he’s been told he’ll have a legitimate chance to compete for the Dolphins’ backup job behind Ryan Tannehill next season. That would imply that Moore’s future in Miami is in doubt. Moore may not have a chance to re-up with the Dolphins for 2016, but he now has at least one interested suitor in the Cowboys.
Thornton, 28 in June, started all 16 games for the Eagles in 2014, posting 36 tackles, one sack, and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. In that season, the Southern Arkansas alum graded as the league’s 20th-best 3-4 defensive end, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and was especially proficient against the run, where his +11.3 grade placed him eighth at his position.
This past season, Thornton racked up 32 total tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. PFF (sub. req’d) rated him as the 44th best defensive tackle in the league with a 76.2 grade. That slotted him just behind fellow unrestricted free agents Haloti Ngata and Akiem Hicks.
2:59pm: The market for Powell is intensifying, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, who suggests (via Twitter) that the Patriots are no longer in the mix.
1:22pm: The Broncos are also interest in Powell, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).
8:20am: The Cowboys, Patriots, Ravens, and the incumbent Jets are showing interest in running back Bilal Powell, league sources tell Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets could be looking at a full makeover at running back with Stevan Ridley on the open market and Chris Ivory on his way to the Jaguars. 
Powell averaged a career-high 4.5 yards per carry on 70 attempts last season and added a personal-best 47 receptions. If he does leave, it will be a disappointment for head coach Todd Bowles, who has been a vocal supporter of the running back.
“He’s been more of a complete back than even I thought he was coming in. He can block. He can run. He’s not just a pass catcher. He does a bunch of things for us,” Bowles said in January.
The 27-year-old has spent all five of his career NFL seasons with the Jets. In terms of overall yards and usage, his best season came in 2013 when he carried the ball 176 times for 697 yards and one touchdown. Last season, Powell had 70 rushing attempts for 313 yards, giving him a 4.5 yards-per-attempt average.
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The Jets have opened up some additional cap space by releasing tight end Jeff Cumberland, according to Seth Walder of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The move will create $1.9MM in cap savings, since that was the amount of Cumberland’s base salary, which was non-guaranteed.
Cumberland, 28, caught a total of 78 passes for the Jets from 2012 to 2014, starting 38 games for the team during that stretch and racking up 10 touchdowns. However, he saw his role in the offense significantly reduced last season, as Ryan Fitzpatrick rarely looked to throw to his tight ends. Cumberland had just five receptions on 14 targets in 2015.
Because he’s a vested veteran, Cumberland will immediately become a free agent with the ability to sign anywhere else once the move is made official by the Jets. New York, meanwhile, may be in the market for tight end help this offseason, even with Jace Amaro returning from a season-ending injury.
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The latest from the NFC East: