Eric Winston joins the Chiefs

Posted by Evan Silva on March 17, 2012, 7:03 PM EDT

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Saturday that they have signed offensive tackle Eric Winston.

Shoring up a longtime trouble spot in Kansas City, Winston will slot in as Barry Richardson’s replacement at right tackle. Richardson, a free agent, has been a turnstile in pass protection over the past two seasons. Ryan O’Callaghan was Kansas City’s starting right tackle before that, and he wasn’t any good either.

Winston is 28 years old, a terrific athlete for his size, and he hasn’t missed a start since the 2006 season. While transitioning away from Houston’s zone blocking to the Chiefs’ power-based scheme is a slight concern, there’s little doubt that Winston will be a huge upgrade in Kansas City.

The Chiefs are off to a pretty good start during the 2012 free agency period. InPeyton Hillis, Kevin Boss, and Winston, they’ve landed three young, proven, starting-caliber players.

They’ve also signed three members of the PFT Hot 100.

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Lloyd deal hanging on tension between Condon and Pats

Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2012, 2:45 PM EDT

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When the Patriots drafted Ben Watson at the bottom of the first round of the 2004 draft, the Pats had a habit of insisting that all first-round picks agree to six-year deals.  Agent Tom Condon, who represented Watson at the time, refused to agree to six-year deals at the bottom of round one as a matter of principle.

Watson eventually caved, Condon refused to be a party to it and resigned, and the Patriots and Condon have done little or no business since then.

Green-Ellis appears to be staying in New England

Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2012, 1:22 AM EDT

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Predictably, the market for running backs with reducing tread on their tires no longer is what it once was.  And so many of the available tailbacks are ending up with their tails between their legs.

The demand simply isn’t there.  Peyton Hillis, who left plenty on the table last season in Cleveland, had to settle for a one-year, $2.6 million deal.  Most aren’t even getting a sniff.

Brandon Lloyd close to signing with Patriots

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 17, 2012, 7:57 AM EDT

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The New England Patriots are reportedly close to reeling in one of the best free agents on the market.

The Boston Globe reports that Brandon Lloyd, a free agent receiver who has been linked to New England for weeks, is close to coming to a contract agreement with the Patriots.

Lloyd has a great relationship with new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. His best NFL season, by far, came playing for McDaniels in Denver in 2010, when he caught 77 passes for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lloyd has made clear that he’d love to play for McDaniels again, even hinting that he’d take less money to play for the Patriots.

With a 15.4 yards-per-catch average in his career, Lloyd would provide the Patriots’ passing game with the deep threat they’d like to add — the deep threat they thought, wrongly, that Chad Ochocinco might be last season. If the Patriots can get this deal from “close” to “done,” one of the best passing games in the NFL will be even better.

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