NFL Player News

Good news for the Chargers offense, as they been without Olivea since he was injured early in the Week 2 game against the Patriots. DE Luis Castillo (foot) did not practice, but he is expected to play Sunday. LB Matt Wilhelm (calf) did drills on the sideline, but he is still likely to sit out this week.

Jonathan Taylor was also absent from the Colts’ first OTA session. Atkins notes he is in Florida working on his own and the team is hopeful to get him back soon. It’s early in the offseason program, so fantasy managers don’t need to worry yet, but it’s worth keeping in mind given Downs’ injury history. He played hurt down the stretch as a rookie and his numbers plummeted. Then, in 2024, Downs missed three games and appeared on the injury report with ankle, toe, groin, calf, and shoulder injuries. Still, the talent is evident when Downs is healthy. He led the Colts in receptions last year at 72 while playing in two fewer games than Michael Pittman.

Williams was on damage control duty when talking to the media today. He didn’t deny any of Seth Wickersham’s reporting on him potentially forcing a pre-draft trade. He did, however, greatly downplay the story, saying he had a good visit with the Vikings before the draft but was sold on Chicago after meeting with the team. Williams even acknowledged the Bears’ recent history of horrific quarterback play, which Wickersham also mentioned in the excerpt from his upcoming book. While it sounds like Williams never took any steps toward engineering a trade to Minnesota or any other team, the thought undoubtedly crossed his mind.

The former third-round pick played under Robert Saleh in New York for the past three years. Saleh was fired midway through the 2024 season and is now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Surratt knows his system well and is a high-volume player on special teams. He recorded 28 combined tackles and two TFLs in 2024.

Andrews will officially announce his retirement via a press conference next week. A former UDFA, Andrews spent 10 years in the league, all of which came in Foxborough. He started 121 games and won two Super Bowls as a Patriot. Andrews was surprisingly released by New England earlier this offseason in a move that only saved them $2.7 million in cap space. Instead of looking for work elsewhere, the veteran lineman chose to hang up the cleats for good.

We’re early in OTAs so this may be nothing, but it’s certainly worth noting given Lloyd’s injury-marred rookie season. The 2024 third-round pick dealt with hip, hamstring, and ankle issues along with appendicitis. He appeared in just one game during his debut season. The specifics of his current injury aren’t known, but he was reportedly healthy and working without any restrictions as of a week ago. The last thing he needs is another setback early in his second offseason. Lloyd missing an extended period of time would open the door for Emanuel Wilson to retain the RB2 role in Green Bay. Wilson rushed for 502 yards and four scores on 103 attempts last year.

Pitts’ absence at Falcons OTAs this week was not contract related as he enters the final year of his rookie deal with Atlanta. It’s unclear how long Pitts might remain out with the foot injury. The team could be taking precautions with their starting tight end in the early stages of the offseason schedule. Falcons coaches over the past few months have hinted that they expect much more from Pitts in 2025. Pitts in 2024 was 22nd in tight end receptions and 13th in tight end receiving yards. Since the start of the 2023 season, Pitts ranks 116th among all pass catchers in EPA per target.

“Milroe is a quarterback, Macdonald said, and will be used accordingly,” The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar said. That doesn’t mean the Seahawks won’t find some way to get the ultra-athletic Milroe onto the field in some high-leverage circumstances, perhaps in short yardage or goal line situations. If Milroe and Darnold rotate snaps in 2025, neither will have much in the way of fantasy value. Seattle is fully expected to be among the NFL’s run heaviest units under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Pickett took reps with the first-team offense, followed by veteran Joe Flacco, followed by Dillon Gabriel. Shedeur Sanders, the team’s fifth-round draft pick, was last in the first-team rotation. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said last week that the first-team reps would not be evenly split between the Browns’ four QBs. The team appeared to do just that on Wednesday. It would not be surprising if any of the the four signal callers were to emerge as Cleveland’s starter, though there’s a long way to go before we get any clarity on this muddied situation.

Chubb missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL, meniscus, and patellar tendon injury he sustained at the end of the 2023 regular season. EDGE Jaelan Phillips, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October, was also participating during Miami’s OTAs as he makes his way back from yet another serious injury. A fully-healthy Chubb and Phillips would be a much-needed addition to a Dolphins defense that last year had the league’s ninth lowest QB pressure rate and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 11th worst pass rushing unit.

Kingsbury added that Daniels’ arm strength has improved since his tremendous rookie season, during which he threw for 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 69 percent of his attempts. Kingsbury said there was no mandate from the team that Daniels — who played as a rookie at 6'4" and 208 pounds — put on weight during the offseason. Lamar Jackson took a similar path early in his NFL career before dropping the weight and returning to his original playing weight. Daniels should once again be an elite fantasy option as one of the most efficient mobile quarterbacks in the NFL.