NFL Free Agency Rumors: Brandon Meriweather and Recent News in Pro Football

Aside from all the Peyton Manning and Mario Williams discussions, there are some rather notable players to keep track of in free agency.

That said, let's take a quick look and see what else is happening around pro football.

Brandon Meriweather

According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, the Washington Redskins have signed safety Brandon Meriweather:

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The Washington Redskins have signed two-time Pro Bowl strong safety Brandon Meriweather to a contract, filling a void created by the apparent departure of LaRon Landry.

Meriweather agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

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This was a good move by the Redskins as the pass defense needed a proven player to replace LaRon Landry. Last season, Washington ranked No. 12 against the pass and allowed only 222 pass yards per game.

Considering that the Redskins are in the NFC East, that's a solid ranking after having to play explosive offenses like Dallas, New York and Philadelphia twice a season. Meriweather is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, so provided that Washington's offense takes flight in 2012, the defense will follow suit.

Marcus Trufant

In 2011, the Denver Broncos ranked No. 18 against the pass and allowed 231 pass yards per game. Young secondary players such as Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore were simply too inexperienced to take completely over for vets Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey.

Well, the Broncos could potentially reel in a stud corner with great experience. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Denver is expect to host Marcus Trufant on Friday.

Trufant is 31 years old and coming off an injury, so wherever he lands, a long-term deal isn't likely. However, Trufant is one of the better cover corners in the game with 109 passes defended and 21 interceptions over his career.

He also has 541 solo tackles in nine NFL seasons, but has only played one full season in the past three years (2010). Still, Denver needs an experienced leader in the secondary and with a strong front seven, Trufant is a great option to consider.

Cincinnati Bengals

Not expected to re-sign running back Cedric Benson despite gaining over 1,000 rushing yards each of the past three seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals are headed in a new direction.

Benson may have been solid, but he is 29 years old, which isn't young for a main Brahma Bull. The Bengals also only ranked No. 19 in rushing offense and Benson only played well against the weaker rush defenses.

According to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Bengals are expected to meet with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Michael Bush:

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On the second day of free agency, the Bengals are lining up more players for visits, including running backs Michael Bush and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

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Of the two, Michael Bush is the better fit as he's a more proven every-down back. Filling in for Darren McFadden in Oakland, Bush compiled almost 1,400 total yards with eight touchdowns in 2011.

Green-Ellis on the other hand, would be a more role-playing back for Cincy, as he was for the Patriots. If the Bengals really want to make some noise, getting both to sign would be impressive.

BanJarvus tallied only 667 rush yards last year, however he scored 11 touchdowns. He and Bush would immediately create one of the league's best two-back tandems and Cincinnati could run a lot of two-back sets.

In turn, this sets up play-action while also providing quarterback Andy Dalton with extra pass protection and reliability on check downs.

John Rozum on Twitter.