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NFL transactions roundup: Jaguars to sign OT Fred Johnson

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The Jacksonville Jaguars will sign offensive tackle Fred Johnson to a one-year contract, his agent told ESPN on Wednesday.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the 6-foot-7, 326-pound Johnson, who played in all 17 games (six starts) last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The reported move will return Johnson to the Sunshine State. He was born in Florida and played collegiately for the Gators.

A Super Bowl champion with Philadelphia, Johnson, 27, has played in 62 games (14 starts) with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eagles.

–The Washington Commanders signed defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wise, 30, spent eight seasons with the New England Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

In 126 career games (61 starts), he has 314 tackles (34 for loss), 34 sacks, 90 quarterback hits, 12 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

–The Tennessee Titans plan to re-sign running back Julius Chestnut to a one-year deal.

Chestnut, 24, is a three-year veteran who joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He played in all 17 games and rushed 22 times for 102 yards (4.6 yards per carry).

Last season, he played 50 percent of the Titans’ snaps on special teams. He returned 13 kickoffs for 337 yards.

–The Los Angeles Rams are bringing back veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon on a one-year deal for the third consecutive year, according to multiple reports. Financial terms were not reported.

Witherspoon, who turns 30 on Friday, had an interception and nine passes defensed in 13 games (five starts) for the Rams last season. He started both playoff games, recording five tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.

He has 12 career INTs in 90 career games (62 starts) since being selected in the third round of the 2017 draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

–The Patriots signed Jack Gibbens, reuniting the former Titans linebacker with New England coach Mike Vrabel.

ESPN reported it was a one-year deal for Gibbens, 26, who racked up 167 tackles during three seasons with Tennessee from 2022-24. He added 1.5 sacks, one interception and four passes defensed in 29 games (20 starts).

New England also signed center Garrett Bradbury, a former first-round pick who started 88 games for the Vikings from 2019-24. The 29-year-old veteran started all 17 games for Minnesota last season.

–Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss, a restricted free agent, has signed an offer sheet from Las Vegas. New England has until March 24 to match the offer or lose Elliss to the Raiders without compensation because he was not drafted.

Elliss, 26, played in 16 games (five starts) for New England last season and made 80 tackles with 1.5 sacks, one interception and five quarterback hits.

He has 117 career tackles in 39 games (six starts) for the Philadelphia Eagles (2021-23) and Patriots (2023-24).

–The Chicago Bears have signed wide receiver Devin Duvernay and re-signed running back Travis Homer to one-year contracts. Terms were not disclosed.

Duvernay, 27, was voted to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist in 2021 and 2022 and was first-team All-Pro in 2021 while with the Baltimore Ravens, who drafted him in the third round in 2020.

He played for the Ravens from 2020-23 before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Duvernay played in 13 games in 2024, returning 19 punts for an 8.8-yard average and 14 kickoffs for a 25.1 average. He also started one game at wide receiver and finished the season with 11 receptions for 79 yards.

Homer, 26, was primarily on special teams for the Bears the past two seasons, playing in 16 games in 2023 and 10 in 2024. A sixth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, Homer has 476 career rushing yards and one touchdown as well as 475 receiving yards and two TDs in 75 games (two starts).

–The Miami Dolphins are signing free agent linebacker Willie Gay Jr. to a one-year contract, ESPN reported.

Gay, 27, played in 15 games (eight starts) in his lone season with the New Orleans Saints and totaled 28 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked Gay in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. He played from 2020-23 for Kansas City and totaled 233 tackles, five sacks, 17 tackles for loss, four interceptions — including one returned for a touchdown — two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 57 games (47 starts).

He also played in and started nine playoff games for the Chiefs, winning Super Bowl championships in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

–Atlanta is signing veteran safety Jordan Fuller, who played under Falcons head coach Raheem Morris when the latter was the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator, NFL Network reported.

Fuller, who turned 27 on March 4, was limited by a hamstring injury to nine games (all starts) with 54 tackles in his lone season with the Carolina Panthers in 2024.

Los Angeles selected Fuller in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He played parts of four seasons with the Rams (2020-23) and totaled 279 tackles, seven interceptions and four forced fumbles in 48 games (46 starts).

–Denver signed punter Matt Haack to a reported one-year, $1.255 million.

Haack, 30, has appeared in 103 regular-season games over eight seasons with five teams. He spent his first four seasons (2017-20) with the Miami Dolphins before bouncing around the league with the Buffalo Bills (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022), Cleveland Browns (2023) and New York Giants (2024). He has a 44.7 career average and has placed 169 punts inside the 20-yard line with just 26 touchbacks.

Haack was signed after Riley Dixon, the punter the past two seasons, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

–Field Level Media

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