Team news | Page 4

Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached agreement a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Related Players: Travis Kelce

Cincinnati seemed like a positive landing spot for Smith last season but fantasy goodness did not come to fruition. This impacts Noah Gray dynasty shares more than it does Travis Kelce's immediate outlook.

Free-agent Derrick Henry is signing a two-year, $16 million deal worth up to $20 million, including $9 million fully guaranteed in the first year with the Baltimore Ravens.

Related Players: Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill

This is a truly terrifying backfield if Keaton Mitchell is fully recovered by the beginning of the season. Henry will usurp Gus Edwards' goal-line role, which led to the former Raven scoring 13 rushing touchdowns, with 12 of them coming from within the five-yard line. Henry is a top-10 back, even with a truncated role.

The Falcons are signing Bears WR Darnell Mooney, giving them a key new playmaker for Kirk Cousins. Mooney gets a 3-year, $39M deal with $26M fully guaranteed.

Related Players: Drake London

This gives Atlanta a nice tertiary piece in a wide receiver room that is barren outside of Drake London at the moment. It may not be at No. 8, but there's no chance the Falcons leave the draft without at least one wide receiver after getting Kirk Cousins. Mooney's fantasy outlook will hinge on how many more guys they add between now and Week 1.

Former Bills RB Nyheim Hines is signing a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million with the Browns.

Related Players: Nick Chubb

This shouldn't affect Chubb's workload at all, as this is just a 1v1 replacement of Kareem Hunt. Hines could pop up for some usable weeks in fantasy due to his pass-catching but wouldn't benefit much if anything were to happen to Chubb.

Plot twist: The Bengals are now trading Joe Mixon to the Texans, rather than releasing him. So Zack Moss signs in Cincy, Mixon is traded to Houston. From Joe Burrow to C.J. Stroud.

Related Players: Dameon Pierce

Dameon Pierce has been woefully inefficient with his touches during his first two seasons in Houston, which led to Devin Singletary snatching his job away from him last year. He is unlikely to get in the way of Mixon taking over the majority of the workload. This is a best-possible-scenario for Mixon after leaving the Bengals and brings him right back into fantasy relevance as a pass-catcher on a great offense.

Former Patriots TE Mike Gesicki is signing a one-year deal worth up to $3.25 million with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Related Players: Drew Sample

This is the best landing spot Gesicki could have asked for, as Drew Sample —a blocking TE— is the only other player on the roster at the position. This won't preclude the Bengals from drafting someone, but as it stands, Gesicki could be on streaming radars by the time the season starts.

Aaron Jones is expected to sign with the Vikings on a one-year deal for $7 million.

Related Players: Ty Chandler,

This is a nice snag for Minnesota, as Jones can operate in a one-two punch with Chandler. The offense as a whole is in a questionable spot without a quarterback, though. Jones and Chandler should be considered low-upside options in 2024.

Former Eagles QB Marcus Mariota is signing with the Washington Commanders on a 1-year deal with a base value of $6 million and upside to $10 million, per source.

Related Players: Sam Howell

The Commanders sign further insurance for the quarterback room, in case their eventual rookie signal-caller has problems getting up to speed.

It's the end of an era in Cincinnati, where Joe Mixon spent seven seasons, ran for 49 touchdowns, and was part of a Super Bowl team. Now, both sides move on, with Zack Moss joining the Bengals and Mixon headed to free agency.

Related Players: Chase Brown

The Bengals looked like they would prefer a committee approach towards the end of last season, and that's likely what is going to happen heading into 2024, with Moss operating as the main piece. He won't have the upside of Mixon because of that usage, but he should still be considered a top-25 option, with Brown a little bit behind that.

Veteran RB Austin Ekeler is signing with the Commanders on a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million.

Related Players: Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez

The Brian Robinson bellcow role lasted about two hours, but the Commanders backs have company now. Ekeler had clearly lost a step last season, but a veteran pass-catching presence in the backfield will be an obvious plus. Ekeler should carve out a role that puts him in RB2 conversation, while Robinson holds onto a goal-line role that makes him almost as fantasy viable.