NFL Player News

Daunte Culpepper completed 6-of-14 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown strike. Andrew Walter ran the first-team offense but reportedly performed poorly. Rookie fullback Oren O’Neal saw action in short-yardage situations.

A forgotten man in New Orleans, Hill suffered a late-season torn ACL and will likely not be ready for the start of the season. Already, Moore conceded that “training camp would be ambitious” per NOLA’s Luke Johnson. Hill is entering his age-35 season and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Saints tampered down his workload when he does return to siphon snaps to younger players in what certainly appears to be a rebuilding season.

Returning from a torn ACL and MCL in Week 8, Darrisaw actually participating in any real way is a good sign for his odds of being cleared to play early in the season. Justin Skule remains the left tackle during 11-on-11 drills at this point, and Darrisaw has not been cleared to participate in team drills. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports that it’s “not yet clear” if Darrisaw’s recovery time has sped up. Still, this is a shot of optimism in the idea that the Vikings won’t need to lean on Skule for too long early in the season.

He had signed a one-year deal with the Patriots this offseason. The veteran guard played for the Falcons, Commanders, and Jets over his eight years in the league after being selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He started 29 games for the Falcons in his first two seasons, but was mostly a versatile fill-in player afterwards. PFF graded his 2020 season with the Commanders, where he started 13 games, as his best year as a starter. The Patriots will likely turn to Cole Strange at guard this season.

Tagovailoa said that the hip injury he suffered in Week 15, which basically ended his 2024 season won’t be a concern - as long as he protects himself in future games. “Doing everything I can to stay available for the guys,” added Tagovailoa, who is entering the first of a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension. “It’s knowing when is the time to give up on a play.” Tagovailoa, who also sustained the third diagnosed concussion of his career in Week 2, missed a career-high six games in 2024. “I, like everyone else, really want him to be healthy,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “You have a franchise quarterback -- you want him to play instead of standing on the sideline.”

He can reach “up to” $5.25 million with incentives. The rarely-used UFA tender will make this signing count for Los Angeles’ compensatory pick formula this offseason. Dobbins has always been super-efficient, with a career 5.2 yards per rushing attempt — his problem is that he’s yet to play a full 16- or 17-game season in five years in the league. He probably slots in as the less-desirable back between himself and RJ Harvey for fantasy purposes, but the veteran Dobbins should get plenty of run early in the season and probably finds himself in the RB3/RB4 conversation. We’d say this signing pretty much closes the book on Audric Estime, but Dobbins has been so oft-injured that the door is probably still cracked a little. There’s still little reason to draft Estime in re-draft leagues until we see Dobbins injury updates.

Downs missed some of OTAs with what the Colts called a “soft tissue injury” without providing any specifics. He appears no worse for the wear and is back at it as the Colts begin minicamp.

Glenn added that Johnson could begin training camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. The one-time Pro Bowler has totaled 10 sacks in his first three seasons, including 7.5 in 2023. It’s worth noting he lost virtually all of his 2024 season (15 games) when he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 2. Johnson is one of three players drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, along with Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson.

“The good thing is, he’s not going to need a procedure right now,” Steichen continued. Richardson’s second opinion with Neal ElAttrache looked to conclude that the quarterback should continue to rest and rehab the shoulder. We’re skeptical that Richardson won’t eventually end up under the knife — that’s just not how second opinions usually work out. But if you take the Colts at their word, we should expect Richardson to instead merely be well behind Daniel Jones in the quarterback competition by the time he’s ready to throw in training camp.

Buscaglia points to the fact that Coleman was already on the field for the majority of snaps before hurting his wrist in Week 9, and then adds that the receivers the Bills added this offseason are “not direct competitors” for Coleman’s role at X receiver. “If Coleman doesn’t face much competition for that spot, there is a distinct possibility his on-field role could rise from his already lofty 70 percent. More time on the field means more potential target opportunities, especially if his separation skills improve slightly in the offseason,” Buscaglia continues. Coleman is currently being drafted outside of the top-100 picks in most offseason fantasy football formats and does have an intriguing profile even if his rookie year was disappointing.

It’s been expected for a bit as McLaurin seeks a contract extension this offseason. The consensus per beat reporters is that the deal will get done, but may not happen until training camp actually comes close to starting. We don’t have any real concerns about drafting McLaurin in Best Ball at this point, just know that beat reporters don’t bat 1.000 and this still could turn into a “hold in” situation should the Commanders and McLaurin not make progress on the contract.