NFL Player News

“We wanted to get another center,” GM Buddy Nix said. “This old boy is as big as a house. He can play center and guard.” Asper (6'6/321) played guard and tackle in college, but held his own at center in a pre-draft all-star game. He’ll vie for a backup swing role behind Eric Wood, Chad Rinehart, and Kraig Urbik.

The Steelers are doing their due diligence on the quarterback class with Shedeur Sanders in town for a visit today. McCord will get his chance to speak with Mike Tomlin and company next week. Pittsburgh is widely expected to sign Aaron Rodgers, but the move doesn’t appear near the finish line, leaving the Steelers with only Mason Rudolph at quarterback right now. Even if they do land the plane with Rodgers, Pittsburgh should be looking to add a long-term plan at quarterback via the draft. McCord erupted at Syracuse last year for an FBS-leading 4,779 passing yards and 34 scores.

Lazard was brought in on a four-year, $44 million contract two offseasons ago as a part of the Jets’ recruitment of Aaron Rodgers. The move was only slightly less disastrous than the one to acquire Rodgers. Lazard did little in his first season as a Jet and was a healthy scratch late in the year. He looked better when paired with Rodgers last year, going for 530 yards and six scores in a dozen games. Lazard doesn’t bring much to the table without Rodgers throwing him the ball, but a pay cut will make keeping him around as a locker room veteran far more palatable for the Jets. Per Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the move will save New York $8.5 million in cap space this year.

Miller says this based on scouts around the league who have kept tabs on the Bears this offseason. It’s not much of a surprise. Everyone loves the running back who nearly broke Barry Sanders’ record for rushing yards in a collegiate season. Not everyone, however, will be in a position to pick Jeanty on draft night. With the No. 10 overall pick, Chicago could get the opportunity. Jeanty would be a logical fit for Ben Johnson’s explosive and high-volume run game. He would also take some pressure off Caleb Williams, who had little help from his rushing attack last year. The Raiders are the current favorites to land Jeanty, but Chicago is not far behind them on the list of likely landing spots.

Murray said he’s now fully recovered from his 2022 ACL injury, adding that he “felt something” in his surgically repaired knee early in the 2024 season. He had just two designed rush attempts of more than 15 yards. “I don’t want to get too scheme based, but I do feel like I have to run more next year,” Murray said in a recent interview. “I’m open to running more next year, just because it’s such a weapon, you know, it’s such a weapon. ... I think where we get better is making things happen outside the pocket. When plays break down, we need to be better there.” Murray last season had 572 yards and five touchdowns on 78 rushing attempts. He logged 4.6 rushes per game, way short of his career high of 8.4 rushing attempts per game in 2020, when he finished with 819 yards and 11 scores on the ground. A boost in rushing attempts could make Murray an every-week starter in 12-team fantasy formats.

Milroe visited the Browns earlier this week and now has more visits lined up with three teams currently starting veteran quarterbacks. The Giants, Rams, and Seahawks will do their due diligence on the 22-year-old as the 2025 NFL Draft creeps closer. The Rams have the more stable quarterback situation, though Matthew Stafford just turned 37-years-old. Les Snead and company may be looking to develop Milroe as a successor while the Giants and Seahawks have veterans that will be easier to part with, should they not perform up to expectations. Milroe’s dual-threat ability offers a developable ceiling, though his passing will require time to grow and sitting behind veterans is an ideal situation for him.

Per the report, officers were called to Hill’s residence for an “assault in progress.” Officers spoke with Hill, his wife Keeta Hill, and his wife’s mother Alesia Vaccaro. The mother described Hill as “very aggressive and impulsive.” She also noted that she feared for her daughter’s safety. Hill reportedly threw a laptop on the floor then grabbed his daughter and began walking toward the balcony of their residence. Vaccaro called the police at this point. Hill was not arrested and his wife declined to provide a written statement to police. Though it’s another ugly incident for Hill, no charges were filed by the police, meaning it’s unlikely anything more comes from this.

The four-year NFL veteran returns to the NFL after a brief retirement. Charles, who was set to start for the Titans in 2024, announced his decision to leave football during the preseason. Charles, a former fourth round draft pick by the Commanders, played four seasons from 2020 to 2023, starting 18 games. In 2023, PFF graded Charles 61st out of 88 guards in pass blocking.

The Giants currently have Tyrone Tracy in line to start in 2025 after he took the job from Devin Singletary as a rookie. Neither back was particularly efficient, but Tracy showed some big-play potential that Singletary couldn’t match. Tracy did, however, struggle with fumbles, putting the ball on the ground five times. At 6'1/224, Johnson is a powerful runner who racked up 1,537 rushing yards in his final season at Iowa. A back capable of handling a large role between the tackles would be a problem for Tracy’s fantasy outlook.

Lawrence told reporters he is “very optimistic” he will be fully ready for the start of the season. He is still recovering from the surgery he underwent on his non-throwing shoulder in December. Lawrence recently shed his sling and began throwing. He noted that he has been working with head coach Liam Coen to improve his footwork to fit the timing of Coen’s offense. It sounds like he’ll be brought back from the shoulder injury slowly, limiting his reps while learning a new offense once again. Coen’s scheme will be Lawrence’s third offense in five years with the Jags. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens will see some extra reps with the starters early in the offseason program.

The two-time All-American is widely projected as a first-round pick and could fill the hole left by the departure of Najee Harris, who signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers. Hampton is among the top-10 FBS running backs over the last eight seasons in terms of his average max speed based on PFF’s tracking data. If selected by Pittsburgh (which currently has the 21st overall pick), Hampton would join a backfield that includes Jaylen Warren and former Eagle Kenneth Gainwell. He would likely work as the team’s lead back over Warren. The Steelers are also hosting Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II.