NFL Player News

Considering the money Anderson received, it would be a surprise to see Smith pass him on the depth chart. Anderson owners shouldn’t worry yet. Rookie P.J. Daniels will probably only be used on passing downs.

Johnson didn’t give a timeline for his return, only saying “it remains to be seen” when Burden will be back. Burden landed on the ball during a practice at the end of rookie minicamp and was checked out by trainers to close the session. The current soft tissue injury is presumably related to that incident. While it’s early in the summer and we fully expect Burden to be back sooner rather than later, it’s not a great start to the offseason for the rookie. Burden is entering a crowded receiver room with a quarterback learning his second offense in as many seasons. Even OTA reps are valuable for the newcomer. Burden will likely open the year as the Bears’ WR3, making him a bet on late-season production for fantasy purposes.

Wilson told reporters he has had contract talks “here and there” with the team. It doesn’t sound like anything is imminent, but at least some progress has been made. The Jets picked up Wilson’s fifth-year option this offseason, keeping him under contract through 2026 with a $16.8 million cap hit for the final year. Wilson has yet to have a true breakout season, peaking at 1,104 yards on 101 grabs last year. On the other hand, he has been plagued by subpar to downright awful quarterback play for three seasons, depressing his counting stats. It’s possible things turn around in that department with Justin Fields under center this year, though Fields has been an erratic, run-first passer for much of his career.

All eyes will remain on Buffalo to start the 2025 offseason program with Hard Knocks coming to town. Coming off a year that saw Josh Allen nab his first MVP, only to be bounced from the playoffs by Patrick Mahomes once again, Buffalo was a natural choice to the the focal point of the HBO show. The NFC East will be featured division for the in-season edition of Hard Knocks. With both NFC Championship participants residing in the division, it was another easy choice for the producers of the show.

Kempski said his understanding is the Eagles were very encouraged by what they saw from Shipley as a rookie. Shipley played sparingly as the team’s RB3 last year and turned 30 carries into a measly 82 yards. He was, however, playing exclusively in the fourth quarter of decided games, so it’s hard to take much away from his limited reps. The Eagles let Gainwell walk in free agency and only added AJ Dillon during the offseason, all but guaranteeing Shipley’s spot as Saquon Barkley’s backup. Though that isn’t enough of a role to put him on the redraft radar, Shipley is a solid last-round pick in deeper formats.

It was widely believed that the play was on the chopping block this week, but the Eagles pulled out all the stops, including flying in Jason Kelce for the meetings, to save their free touchdown play. Even after taking things to a second, more private session for further discussion, the ban did not receive the required 24 votes to pass. The ban could have shifted a few touchdowns from Jalen Hurts to Saquon Barkley, but the Eagles were always going to be the league’s best team in short-yardage situations. Hurts has at least 13 rushing touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. He remains a top-five fantasy quarterback with the tush push still in the playbook.

Teams were only able to declare an onside kick in the fourth quarter before this change. They will now kick from the 34-yard line instead of the 35. The change is designed to increase the success rate of onside kicks, which sat at a dismal six percent last year. It’s hard to imagine such a minor tweak meaningfully changing the numbers on onside kicks. The NFL has refused to let the kickoff and, by extension, the onside kick die, but things continue to trend in that direction every year. Detroit’s proposal to change the playoff seeding rules was tabled while the tush push’s fate will be decided shortly.

It wasn’t all bad for the rookie. Coen also noted that Tuten started to get more comfortable as the practice went on and called the fumble a learning experience. Still, the last thing you want to see from a young player is a ball security problem out of the gates. Tuten also struggled to take care of the rock in college, fumbling nine times in his two years as Virginia Tech’s starting running back. He may already be the most explosive back on the Jacksonville roster, but Tuten will struggle to carve out much of a role if his coaches don’t trust him. For now, fantasy managers should treat the Jags’ backfield as a three-headed committee, with Travis Etienne getting first crack at the starting job. Tank Bigsby currently stands in Tuten’s way for the backup role, but all three backs should see work in 2025.

Barth noted that Williams was “especially involved running routes outside the numbers.” It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the No. 69 overall pick is standing out in a barren receiver room, but it’s good to see nonetheless. Williams was an elite deep threat at Washington State, catching 12 passes that traveled 20 or more yards in 2024. He ranked sixth in the country in deep receptions and showed off his wheels at the combine with a 4.4 Forty. Williams will push to lead the Patriots in targets as a rookie, making him a strong bet in early fantasy drafts.

It was a surprise to see the Lions move up to draft a player that wasn’t expected to be drafted until late in Day 3, but the Lions like what the Lions like. The 6-foot-4 wideout is expected to contribute on special teams, but with his size and athleticism, it’s not completely out of the question that he’ll see some time in the loaded Lions’ offense.

The Dolphins will have a need at corner whenever the Jalen Ramsey situation is handled — and aren’t exactly loaded at the position even with him — and Samuel is considered one of the best defensive backs remaining on the market. The 25-year-old underwent neck surgery this offseason, but assuming there are no massive setbacks, he should be ready for the beginning of the 2025 campaign. Samuel is also a potential target for the Saints, who worked out the defender Monday.