NFL Player News

It’s somewhat surprising after Tony Fiammetta took the Cowboys’ lead blocker role and ran with it last season, but Dallas might want insurance after an inner-ear infection sidelined Fiammetta for much of the second half.

Another thing it wouldn’t be is inspiring, which the sentence “Grier will be 30 at the start of the season but he’s only played in two career NFL games” conveys well. Trey Lance is still available in free agency, but it appears the Cowboys have realized they’re not going to make that happen. Surely the Cowboys had to have had good pre-draft grades on Matt Corral or something like that, right? But no, here we are, staring down Will Grier starts behind a quarterback who has missed 14 games the last three seasons.

Hendrickson is, per Rapoport, seeking a contract of at least $30 million a season. The Bengals have been hesitant to let Hendrickson “leave the building” as they are working to keep him, knowing that he won’t play on the final year of his current deal. It certainly makes sense that the Colts would be seeking Hendrickson after they let Dayo Odeyingbo head to the Bears in free agency, but the Bengals appear more interested in getting a deal done with Hendrickson than with the Colts.

The veteran tight end suited up in all 17 games for the 49ers last year and has played 17 games in three of the last four years. He’s already played for seven teams, and the Seahawks will mark his eighth. Saubert has blocked on 918 of 1,530 career snaps, so there’s no fantasy value here. He’ll be tasked with trying to clear lanes for Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.

“The Titans have become increasingly impressed with Ward and, while they are expected to listen to offers for the No. 1 overall pick, it now would take an even stronger package to acquire the draft’s top selection,” Schefter says. This is quickly barrelling into either consensus No. 1 overall pick territory or one of the great rug pulls of all-time to try to generate more trade interest for the selection. We’d bet on the former given how exuberant the praise from Titans staff has become. If the Titans bring some of their own offensive players to this private workout it will likely be a glaring neon sign that Ward is going No. 1 overall.

Awuzie made it through just one year of a three-year contract with the Titans last offseason, missing time due to a groin injury. The veteran corner has now played just 1,566 snaps in three years since his standout 2021 season. Entering his age-30 season, he’ll likely be in line to start at outside corner for the Ravens next year, with T.J. Tampa and Awuzie’s own injuries as the camp competition for the spot.

The links between the Giants and Sanders have been obvious since the 2024 season was left for dead in November. Schefter points out that he had New York Giants cleats on before the Alamo Bowl. It certainly would appear that the Giants at No. 3 should be an unsurprising outcome for Sanders in this draft. Assuming the Titans select Cam Ward No. 1 overall — which certainly appears to be the consensus right now — the Browns will probably have to take Sanders at 2 if they want him.

Terms weren’t announced. Entering his age-29 season, Thomas has caught eight passes for 63 yards over his last two seasons while dealing with calf injuries. He’s merely a depth add behind Brock Bowers. It’s possible that Thomas could compete for a real role in the offense if Michael Mayer, who the Raiders were reportedly shopping earlier this offseason, is traded.

Payton said he’s wanted a versatile pass catcher in the Denver offense, and the Broncos lavished a $23 million deal on Engram ostensibly for that role. “I use that term for when you have one of those guys who are matchup challenges inside,” Payton said at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. “It really helps you (on) third down and (in the) red zone. There are ways defensively you can handle the outside receivers and force the ball inside. That is something we will look closely at.” Engram could step in as Denver’s No. 2 pass catcher behind Courtland Sutton in 2025. Engram in 2024 saw a target on 27 percent of his pass routes, fourth best among tight ends.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has long deployed running backs as a key part of his passing offense. That didn’t change in 2024, with a quarter of early-down pass attempts going to Denver backs. That Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams proved to be among the least efficient pass-catching backs in the NFL last season has left the Broncos with a need to fill this offseason. They parted with Williams, who signed with Dallas. Payton seemed not to trust McLaughlin with the pass-catching role in 2024, and for good reason: McLaughlin ranked 54th out of 57 qualifying running backs in yards per route run. “It all creates major questions about how the Broncos will address a critical part of their offense,” Kosmider said. "[The Broncos] have closely evaluated what experts call one of the deeper running back classes in recent memory. They allotted many of their allowed meetings with prospects at the combine to the position and will continue to monitor the group at pro days around the country this month. They’ll meet with more running backs at their facility during top-30 visits.” Denver holds the 20th pick in the first round of the 2025 draft.

McCarthy told Kay Adams on Monday that Minnesota coaches had not named him the starter after the team said last week it would not pursue Aaron Rodgers “at this time.” Coming off a knee injury that cost him his entire rookie campaign, McCarthy appears to be the favorite for the team’s Week 1 starting job. His recovery and performance in training camp could complicate things, however. NFL Network reported last week that the Vikings had rejected trade calls for McCarthy this offseason. McCarthy would certainly be set up for success in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly system: The pass-catching trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson is one of the best in the league.