“We’ll see,” Reid ominously added. “He’s working his tail off right now, I know.” Rice’s Week 4 LCL tear puts him in a better spot than a few other notable injury returners this season, but we wouldn’t be shocked if he was brought along slowly in training camp. With Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy back for a second season together, the Chiefs have the luxury of slowly working Rice in. Still, this is a great update for Rice, who was on track for a breakout season with a 24/288/2 line in four games before suffering the injury.

Shanahan expressed no concerns about McCaffrey’s 2025 status after he missed much of the 2024 season with an ongoing Achilles injury. CMC totaled 348 yards over four games last season, posting the lowest rushing success rate of his NFL career. Shanahan complimented Isaac Guerendo, who “ran harder as the year went, which is a good sign.” The team this offseason parted ways with RB Jordan Mason, who was traded to the Vikings. Guerendo started three games and averaged a healthy five yards per carry on 84 rushing attempts last season. He could be used as a complement to McCaffrey in 2025 if the Niners are intent on keeping the veteran healthy and upright in his ninth NFL season.

Rooney pointed to “positive signs” that Rodgers could finally be ready to sign with Pittsburgh after flaming out with the Jets last season. He added that the team would not wait “forever” for Rodgers to make his final decision. Rodgers, entering his age-41 season, reportedly meshed well with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in a March visit to the team facility. With the Giants signing Russell Wilson, the Steelers are the last viable landing spot for the mercurial veteran. The Vikings could change that calculus if they don’t commit to JJ McCarthy as their Week 1 starter, however.

Proposed by the Packers, who could not stop the Jalen Hurts-led tush push in last year’s postseason, the tush push ban will be kicked down the road to another owners meeting. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones said 16 teams opposed the rule to ban the tush push. “There will be much more conversation, with many teams in favor of having the NFL’s competition committee continue to study the play,” Jones said. NFL head coaches have spoken out against the tush push in part because they can’t stop it and partly due to concerns about injuries, even though the tush push does not have a high injury rate. A ban of the short-yardage play would constitute a major blow to the Eagles offense, and it appears the issue will be brought back again in May.

Gladstone said Brown, who last month signed a one-year, $10 million deal with Jacksonville, will be a solid complement to alpha WR Brian Thomas in the Jaguars offense. “Somebody else that can go down the field so [Thomas] is not always having to be that guy on the top shelf,” Gladstone said when asked about acquiring Brown, who had his most productive stretch as a pro last December and January for the Commanders. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen described Brown as “somebody that’s able to attack the field at all three levels.” Brown, entering his age-26 season, should be the team’s No. 2 target behind Thomas now that Evan Engram is in Denver.

Moore called Kamara a “premiere player” who will have an outsized role in the New Orleans offense next season. This comes as Saints coaches and front office officials reportedly “look hard” at incoming rookie running back prospects. That includes a recent meeting with Boise State RB Ashton Jeantey, widely expected to be the first back off the draft board. Kamara, entering his age-30 season, could take on more of a pass-catching role if the Saints take a running back in the first or second round of the draft. Kamara has 330 receptions since the start of the 2020 season, leading all running backs over that span.

Usurped by Michael Penix as Atlanta’s starter late last season, Cousins, entering his age-37 season, reportedly hopes to be traded after the 2025 NFL Draft. Cousins has a no-trade clause in his Falcons contract, meaning he has a say in where he’s dealt in the coming weeks or months. Though Falcons officials have been cagey about Cousins’ future with the organization, there’s almost no way Cousins remains on the roster headed into the summer. Penix is widely viewed as the team’s long-term starter. Cousins in 2024 posted the second-lowest touchdown rate of his NFL career and the lowest adjusted yards per attempt of his 13 seasons in the league.

Earlier in the day, Haslam was quoted as saying the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson was “a big swing and a miss.” The team’s plans under center certainly remain up in the air with Watson rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered in 2024, but Haslam asserted the team does not feel the need to reach for a signal caller at No. 2 overall, nor trade up to the first pick in the coming NFL draft to select a quarterback. It should be noted that this is the same owner who was swayed to draft Johnny Manziel because a homeless man told him to — if any situation screamed “reach for a quarterback” in the NFL, it is this one.

McLaurin turned in one of the best years of his career in his first season with Jayden Daniels at the helm. The veteran receiver caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns after never surpassing more than seven scores in his previous five seasons. McLaurin has one year left on the three-year extension he signed in 2022 and will turn 30 shortly after the start of next season. He has plenty left in the tank and is again expected to serve as the Commanders’ WR1 despite the team acquiring Deebo Samuel this offseason. He’ll make for a high-upside WR2 for those taking shots on him in fantasy drafts next season.