DeMarco Murray will now be playing against his former team twice a year. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)
Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly, known for his up-tempo offense, continued to make dizzying moves in free agency Thursday, signing running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews a day after Frank Gore backed out of an agreement to replace the traded LeSean McCoy.
Murray reportedly signed a five-year, $42 million contract that includes $21 million guaranteed. Mathews chose to accept a three-year offer worth $12 million.
Among other big moves on Day 3 of the new NFL year:
–The New York Jets reunited their star cornerback tandem of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, with the latter agreeing to a four-year contract worth up to $32 million.
–The Baltimore Ravens reached agreement to re-sign running back Justin Forsett on a three-year deal reportedly worth $9 million.
–The Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and added veteran guards Paul Fanaika and Ben Grubbs.
–In addition to trading Grubbs to the Chiefs, the New Orleans Saints signed cornerback Brandon Browner to a three-year contract reportedly worth around $18 million.
Including third-down back Darren Sproles, the Eagles are scheduled to pay the impressive collection of running backs on their roster more than $15 million next season.
Murray led the NFL in rushing last season and was named Offensive Player of the Year. He had 1,854 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes and, including the postseason, had 511 total touches.
The Eagles traded McCoy to the Bills, and coach Chip Kelly said the move was driven by finances. McCoy was set to earn $10.2 million in 2015.
Cromartie and Revis starred together in the Jets’ secondary from 2010 to 2012. After Revis signed a five-year, $70 million deal on Wednesday, he said he would contact Cromartie “and try to convince him to hopefully come back and join our Batman and Robin tandem that we had a couple years ago.”
The duo gives new coach Todd Bowles a new top three at the position, including former Cleveland Browns starter Buster Skrine. What that might mean for former first-round pick Dee Milliner is not certain.
Cromartie played for Bowles with the Arizona Cardinals last season and also considered at least two other offers, including from the Dallas Cowboys.
Forsett emerged as the Ravens’ top rusher last season, gaining 1,266 yards and leading NFL running backs with a 5.4-yard average per carry.
It was the best season of Forsett’s seven-year career, which began when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2008.
The Chiefs’ release of Bowe was expected after the team signed wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to a five-year, $55 million contract on Wednesday.
The Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2007, Bowe caught 532 passes for 7,155 yards and 44 touchdowns in eight years. He led the NFL with 10 touchdown catches in 2010.
However, his production had fallen off over the last three seasons. Last season, he caught just 60 passes for 754 yards and no touchdowns.
The Chiefs sent the Saints a fifth-round pick for Grubbs, a two-time Pro Bowl player with the Ravens and Saints.
Two days after trading tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks for center Max Unger and a first-round pick, the Saints added Unger’s former teammate in Seattle, Browner.
Browner, 30, helped the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl last season, beating his former team, the Seahawks. But the Patriots declined to pick up his option this week, making him a free agent.
Other moves Thursday:
—Tight end Jordan Cameron, initially reported to have a deal to re-sign with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, apparently could sign with the Miami Dolphins instead.
Cameron had a deal in place with the Browns worth $15 million over two years, NFL Network and Yahoo Sports reported Thursday afternoon. But by the evening, those outlets were reporting that the Dolphins were negotiating with Cameron.
Cameron is considered the second-best tight end in free agency, behind Denver’s Julius Thomas, who signed a five-year, $46 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A fourth-round pick in 2011, Cameron has caught 130 passes for 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Browns. In 2013, he caught 80 balls for 917 yards and seven scores.
—The Houston Texans reportedly reached agreement with safety Rahim Moore on a three-year contract worth $12 million.
Moore had spent his first four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos, who drafted him in the second round in 2011.
In 2014, he returned from a serious leg injury to start 16 games and finish with 49 tackles and four interceptions.
—The Washington Redskins continued to add beef to their defensive line, signing tackle Terrance Knighton.
The deal is for one year and $4 million, according to reports by ESPN and NFL Network.
Knighton, 6 feet 3 and 331 pounds, has anchored the Denver Broncos’ run defense for the past two years.
—The Atlanta Falcons agreed to terms with defensive end Adrian Clayborn, cornerback Phillip Adams and linebacker O’Brien Schofield.
Clayborn had been a disappointment to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted him in the first round in 2011. He had just 13.5 sacks in 36 games and missed almost all of the 2014 season on injured reserve.
Adams, 27, has spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets during his five seasons.
Schofield spent the past two seasons with the Seahawks and last year played in 16 regular-season and two playoff games, posting 20 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
—The Denver Broncos, after losing Knighton, reached a two-year agreement with AFC West veteran defensive tackle Vance Walker.
The deal is worth $4 million, the Denver Post reported.
Walker, 28, recorded 19 tackles and two sacks for Kansas City in 2014. The Chiefs released him last week. He also has played with the Atlanta Falcons (2009-2012) and Oakland Raiders (2013).
— In a move long expected, the Indianapolis Colts released running back Trent Richardson.
Richardson seemingly had worn out his welcome in Indianapolis long before the Colts signed running back Frank Gore this week.
Richardson was suspended two games by the team before the AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots due to failure to communicate with the team about why he missed a walkthrough practice.
Richardson, 24, was acquired from the Cleveland Browns for a first-round pick in 2013. In 29 games with Indianapolis, he rushed for 977 yards and six touchdowns, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.
—Tight end Ed Dickson signed a three-year deal to return to the Carolina Panthers, eschewing interest from the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.
Dickson played in all 16 regular-season games with 10 starts in 2014. He played tight end before filling in the final three games for injured fullback Mike Tolbert. Dickson totaled 10 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown. Dickson started both postseason games for Carolina, catching three passes for 67 yards (22.3-yard average).
—Fullback Jed Collins signed a one-year, $745,000 contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
Collins was signed to replace free agent Tyler Clutts. He played for the Lions last season and caught five passes for 39 yards with a touchdown, and eight carries for 19 yards. He previously spent three seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
—The Oakland Raiders signed safety Nate Allen.
He joins a revamped defense in Oakland that has also added linebackers Curtis Lofton and Malcolm Smith and defensive tackle Dan Williams this week.
Allen, 27, was a second-round pick by the Eagles in 2010, and has started 69 of 74 career games. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Allen led Philadelphia with four interceptions last season and tied for the team lead with three fumble recoveries after establishing a career high with 94 tackles in 2013.
—Former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton and safety Chris Conte are rejoining Lovie Smith with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Melton played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 but had his best years with the Bears in Smith’s cover-2 scheme.
Conte is recovering from surgery after a season marred by injuries.
—Veteran safety Antrel Rolle and wide receiver Eddie Royal signed three-year deals with the Chicago Bears.
Rolle’s deal reportedly is worth $11.25 million, and Royal’s is valued at $10 million.
Rolle spent the past five seasons with the New York Giants and was first or second in tackles every year.
Royal was drafted by the Denver Broncos and was a teammate of quarterback Jay Cutler when he caught 91 passes in 2008. Royal spent last season with the San Diego Chargers and had 62 catches for 778 yards and nine touchdowns.
—The New England Patriots signed cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, linebacker Jonathan Freeny and defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard.
The team did not disclose terms of the contracts, but Sheard’s deal was reported Wednesday night as a two-year contract worth $11 million.
Sheard, 25, was with the Cleveland Browns for four seasons and logged 23 sacks, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Patriots also restructured the contract of wide receiver Danny Amendola.
—The Jacksonville Jaguars released defensive end Red Bryant, one year after signing him to a four-year contract.
Bryant, 30, was due a $500,000 roster bonus on Saturday as part of the four-year, $19.5 million contract he signed last March.
Bryant was due $3.225 million in 2015, and the Jaguars save $4.5 million against the salary cap by releasing him.
—The Arizona Cardinals released veteran center and captain Lyle Sendlein after eight seasons with the team.
The moves comes after the Cardinals signed free-agent center A.Q. Shipley to a two-year contract this week and saves Arizona more than $3 million in salary-cap space.
The 30-year-old Sendlein started 109 of 121 career games for the Cardinals after he was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007. Last season, Sendlein started all 16 games for the Cardinals.
—The Buffalo Bills agreed to a contract with quarterback Tyrod Taylor and also re-signed wide receiver Marcus Easley and defensive end Jarius Wynn.
Easley signed a four-year deal worth $7 million, including $2.2 million guaranteed, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
Wynn’s deal reportedly is for two years and $2.2 million. The seven-year veteran has played for five NFL teams but seems to have found a home in Buffalo, where he is expected to push for a starting spot.
Bills coach Rex Ryan told WFAN that he made attempts to trade for Taylor when he was with the Jets. Ryan was defensive coordinator of the Ravens before he became Jets coach.
— The Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who spent the 2011-12 seasons with the team.
With the Browns uncertain when Johnny Manziel will be available this offseason as he addresses personal issues, Lewis gives the team another veteran behind recently signed Josh McCown.
Lewis, 30, was an undrafted rookie out of Duke who initially signed with the St. Louis Rams before joining Cleveland, and made his first career NFL start with the Browns in the 2012 season finale.
—A Texas jury ordered the NFL to pay seven fans nearly $76,000 in damages for breach of contract over a seat snafu in Super Bowl XLV.
The plaintiffs — ticket holders for the 2011 Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers in Arlington — sued the NFL because extra seating had not been installed in time for the game at Cowboys Stadium. Five fans had no seats, and the two other plaintiffs claimed they had obstructed views.
