Well my dreams have come to an end, as I was hoping that ILB A.J. Hawk could possibly sign with the Cowboys (I knew it was a long shot), he has officially resigned with the Packers. While the exact terms of the deal are unknown it appears to be a 5 year $30-35 million dollar contract but as we have learned before the real details are yet to come. This also looks like it will seal the end of Nick Barnett's time in GB. Barnett is due over $6 million this year and since 2 of his last 3 seasons have ended with season ending injuries, I believe GB will release him and leave Brandon Chillar as a solid backup at ILB.
Also happening today the Houston Texans announced 2 deals. The first one is signing TE Owen Daniels to a 4 year $22 million deal. While he did not have as strong a year coming off his knee surgery he rebounded towards the end of the season and looks to have finally fully recovered. Daniels has been pushing for some security for a couple of years after playing under the franchise tag and a 1 year tender offer (I believe) and this should make him happy and help the locker room chemistry (I think he is one of the respected veteran leaders in the locker room). Without this contract I believe Daniels situation could have gone the route of disgruntled cornerback Dunta Robinson a few years ago.
The other deal the Texans announced today was the signing of running back Derrick Ward to a 1 year deal. Ward who was signed late in the off season last year after a couple of Houston's RB's went down (most notably Ben Tate). Ward went on to have a successful year in Houston averaging over 6 yards per carry. What does this mean for the rest of the Texans backfield? Well we know that Arian Foster is the definite starter after capturing the rushing title last year. That leaves Ward, Ben Tate, & Steve Slaton competing for the other 2 spots. Slaton has struggled since his rookie year with durability problems, and he is a liability in pass protection (I think I remember that). The other back is second year man Ben Tate out of Auburn, Tate's 1-cut running style fits the zone blocking offense that the Texans run, and I believe he was very impressive before he went down in training camp with a broken fibula. If Tate is healthy look for him to be the backup and Slaton and Ward battling it out for the 3rd RB spot, and depending on the language of the contract, Ward could be a training camp casualty.
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