Pats Deal Matt Cassel to ChiefsThe New England Patriots traded away their savior from this past season after Tom Brady's season-ending injury in week one. QB Matt Cassel along with LB Mike Vrabel were sent to join former Pats GM Scott Pioli in Kansas City. NE acquired a second round draft pick (#34 overall) in this years NFL Draft. Cassel is now the starter for the Chiefs who are coming off a franchise worst 2-14 season. Vrabel will instantly bring veteran leadership to that defense which has ! not been good for a long time. Pioli did what most new front office personel do when heading to a new franchise, by bringing in guys they know. Cassel and Vrabel are two solid building blocks for him to work with. Expect the Chiefs to continue to make plenty of moves and likely acquire a few more former Patriots.
Dallas Inks Brooking and Trades for a Backup QB
The Cowboys were quiet on day 1, but made two big moves today. Free agent LB Keith Brooking signed a 3-year deal ! with the Cowboys. Brooking has been a very talented and vocal ! lineback er over the past several seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. Dallas needs to bring some high character leaders into their locker room after this past season. Brooking is the perfect guy to fill the void left by LB Zach Thomas. This move takes Dallas out of the Ray Lewis discussions. The Cowboys also acquired QB Jon Kitna from Detroit for CB Anthony Henry. Kitna took a pay-cut to help the Dallas salary cap and said he is pleased to be on a winning team, despite now being the backup for Tony Romo. This move is Dallas' safety net in case Romo gets injured like this past season. Dallas also released QB Brad Johnson. Anthony Henry was stunned by this move. After three solid years as a Cowboy he expected to be back for a fourth. But, the Cowboys have Terrence Newman and then two great young corners in Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick. The next big need for Dallas is some safety depth.
Other Moves and Notes
Denver continued to be aggressive on the free agent market signing FS Brian Dawkins.
Houston signed former Arizona DE Antonio Smith to a 5-year deal.
Free agent QB Kurt Warner will meet with San Francisco. The 49ers also signed WR Brandon Jones to a 5-year contract.
Buffalo signed OL Geoff Hangartner.
Detroit inked cornerback Eric King and running back Maurice Morris.
The Giants agreed to terms with LB Michael Boley.
New Orleans resigns OL Jon Stinchcomb for 5-years.
