Jaguars add 12 new guys, including 4 sure defensive starters

(AP) The Jacksonville Jaguars officially welcomed a dozen new players Wednesday, including two veteran receivers and enough defenders to start revamping one of the worst units in franchise history.

Coach Urban Meyer addressed nearly every position he said he wanted to leading into free agency. Although Jacksonville didn't land any of the biggest names on the market, the Jaguars added at least four surefire starters and important depth that was missing during last year's 1-15 season that led to the firing of general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone.

Jacksonville agreed to sign cornerback Shaquill Griffin (three years, $44.5 million), safety Rayshawn Jenkins (four years, $35 million), defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris (three years, $24.4 million), defensive tackle Tyson Alualu (two years, $6 million), safety Johnathan Ford (two years, $4.2 million) and defensive end Jihad Ward.

The Jaguars also formally announced a trade with New Orleans for defensive tackle Malcom Brown, a 2015 first-round draft pick by New England. The Jaguars gave up a future seventh-round pick to acquire Brown, according to a person familiar with details of the trade. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side has released compensation terms.

Brown has 247 tackles and 11 1/2 sacks in six years with New England and New Orleans.

That's seven new defenders — Griffin, Jenkins, Robertson-Harris and Brown are the most significant additions and expected to start right away — to go along with re-signing defensive end Dawuane Smoot (two years, $14 million) and cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Tre Herndon.

Jacksonville ranked last in nearly every defensive category in 2020 and allowed a franchiserecord 30.75 points a game.

New coordinator Joe Cullen and linebackers coach/assistant head coach Charlie Strong are tasked with fixing that side of the ball. They are expected to switch to a 3-4 scheme.

Jacksonville parted with a number of defenders who no longer fit, including cornerbacks Quenton Meeks, Rashaan Melvin and Josh Nurse, and defensive tackles Dontavius Russell, Al Woods and Gabe Wright. Melvin and Woods signed oneyear deals last year and then opted out because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There were fewer free-agent additions on offense, partly because Meyer expects to return as many as eight starters on that side.

Meyer failed to revamp the tight end room as planned, although he added run-blocking specialist Chris Manhertz (two years, $7.25 million). He brought in two experienced receivers — Marvin Jones (two years, $14.5 million) and Phillip Dorsett — to mix with a group that includes a pair of second-round draft picks in DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault.

Jones should be an immediate help to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 pick in next month's draft. Jones has 423 catches for 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns, including 32 the last four years with Detroit.

Jacksonville also agreed to sign running back Carlos Hyde (two years, $6 million) and receiver/return man Jamal Agnew (three years, $14.25 million).

The Jaguars also agreed to re-sign tight end James O’Shaughnessy and kicker Aldrick Rosas.

(AP) As the NFL opened its business year Wednesday, veterans Trent Williams, A.J. Green and Emmanuel Sanders prospered.

Some teams officially announced deals that consistently leaked during the “legal tampering” period that began Monday, and others stayed pretty silent. That trio of players with a total of 31 pro seasons made out very well despite not getting big offers immediately.

The 49ers held onto the best tackle who could have become a free agent by giving Williams the richest contract ever for an offensive lineman. Williams is a particularly intriguing case. His agents at Elite Loyalty Sports said the deal agreed to early Wednesday will pay Williams $138.1 million over the next six years, surpassing the $138 million deal David Bakhtiari got from Green Bay a year ago. Williams also will get the biggest signing bonus ever for an offensive lineman at $30.1 million, as well as $55.1 million guaranteed.

Basically, he gambled on himself. Seeking to get out of Washington, where Williams believed the medical staff botched a cancer diagnosis, he sat out 2019. Midway through that season, he hoped to be traded before the deadline, which didn’t occur. Williams was banished from the Washington facility by former team president Bruce Allen.

He landed in San Francisco in a draft-day trade for a 2020 fifthround pick and a 2021 third-rounder.

"Trent’s a game changer,” said fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who signed a five-year contract to stay in San Francisco earlier in the week. “He’s somebody that teams have to scheme around. They have to change what they’re doing because he’s out there, and he’s a guy that we can just completely count on and know that he’s going to get his job done and then some. You can’t pay too much for a guy like that. Those are guys that really make a difference and put you over the top and and put you into that championship caliber.”

Green joins the Cardinals and ends a decade in Cincinnati, though he has been plagued by injuries recently and sat out 2019. Arizona, which also acquired center Rodney Hudson from the Raiders for a third-round draft pick, already has a No. 1 receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, and long-time star Larry Fitzgerald has not made a decision on returning for an 18th season. He got a oneyear deal worth $8 million. The Cardinals added veteran placekicker Matt Prater, who owns the NFL record with a 64-yard field goal made in 2013 with Denver.

Sanders, joining his fourth franchise, didn't make out quite so well as Green as he heads to Buffalo. But he gets to join All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs catching balls from Josh Allen for a team on the rise that went to its first AFC title game since the 1993 season before losing at Kansas City. Sanders also played for Pittsburgh and Denver, where he won a Super Bowl, and spent last season with New Orleans. He'll get about $6 million for 2021. Elsewhere:

— The Panthers went for defense with linebackers Haason Reddick and Denzel Perryman and end Morgan Fox.

Reddick played under Panthers coach Matt Rhule at Temple. The 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft is coming off a breakout season with 12 1/2 sacks, six forced fumbles and 15 tackles for a loss. In his first three seasons Reddick had a combined 7 1/2 sacks. Carolina had 29 sacks last season, nine by Brian Burns.

— Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who likes speedy wideouts as much as he enjoys watching game film, added John Brown, recently cut by Buffalo. Brown could be a veteran deep threat in Las Vegas after Nelson Agholor left in free agency for New England. But Brown, who turns 31 in April, is coming off the second-least productive season of his career and was limited to nine games because of knee and ankle injuries.

The Raiders also are bringing back versatile offensive lineman Denzelle Good on a two-year contract and reserve receiver Zay Jones on a one-year deal.

— Kansas City agreed to a $5 million contract for next season with three-time Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long, who will come out of retirement. Earlier this week, the Chiefs gave an $80 million, fiveyear deal to Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney. KC's offensive line was a sieve in its Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay.

The Chiefs also agreed to one-year deals to keep running back Darrel Williams, linebacker Ben Niemann and defensive end Taco Charlton.

— Detroit took away one of division-rival Green Bay’s offense pieces, giving a twoyear contract to running back Jamaal Williams. Williams was a backup to Aaron Jones with the Packers, and figures to fill the same role in Detroit behind D'Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson.