NFL Player News

The move clears a roster spot for DT Jay Ratliff. An undrafted rookie out of Montana State, Minter was held off the stat-sheet in his two appearances. He’ll likely be stashed on the practice squad.

The Saints surprisingly have eight tight ends on the roster, so QBs Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will still have an ample number of big-bodied targets to target. Mostly, this benefits No. 1 TE Juwan Johnson, who signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract this offseason. He should dominate first-team reps with the Nos. 2 and 3 tight ends sidelined. Both Hill (ACL) and Moreau (undisclosed) underwent surgery to correct their respective knee injuries. Holker was a fun 2024 undrafted free agent prospect, who led FBS tight ends in targets (105), receptions (64) and receiving yards (766) in 2023, clearly benefitting from facing soft competition at Colorado State.

Henderson’s latest article sheds light on prior reporting. Evidently, it was Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak who wondered “aloud during pre-draft meetings whether [Arroyo] could essentially take over as Seattle’s X receiver after DK Metcalf was traded” to the Steelers. Assistant GM Nolan Teasley reportedly told Henderson, for the newest piece, that the Seahawks are “looking forward to taking advantage” of Arroyo’s ability to “win against corners.” It is unlikely that the Seahawks would actually move a tight end to the X-receiver role, therefore giving up the player’s natural advantage in working in-line against slow-footed linebackers, but the continued nod toward a multi-faceted role is positive. Unfortunately, Arroyo will have a terribly difficult time producing fantasy-relevant numbers if Fant remains on the roster this season. Splitting reps is not conducive to a TE1 campaign. Trading Fant to a TE-needy team would likely benefit both players. Consider this a tentatively positive drumbeat for Arroyo, though a trade remains necessary for a fantasy-point crescendo to occur.

Per ESPN’s Ben Baby, the Bengals reduced Volson’s $3.7 million base salary, increased his 2025 guaranteed money and gave him “the opportunity to earn more cash, depending on how the battle at guard shakes out.” That’s a doozy. Regardless, Volson is tasked with fending off third-round rookie, OG Dylan Fairchild, for the starting left guard role. Per PFF run-blocking grades, Volson has improved as a run blocker in each of his three NFL seasons, earning a career-best 65.6 PFF run-blocking grade last season. He has failed to develop as a pass protector having allowed 43 quarterback pressures last year, the most among current Bengals offensive linemen. Fairchild allowed just 14 quarterback pressures in his two seasons serving as a Georgia Bulldogs starter.

Shaheed had his torn meniscus repaired on October 17th, 2024. The procedure is more involved than a meniscus trim and typically requires a four- to six-month recovery. He passed the seven-month mark last weekend. Olave suffered his fifth recorded concussion on November 3rd, his second of the 2024 season, and was sidelined thereafter. When healthy, Olave and Shaheed are among the league’s best one-two punches at the wide receiver position.

The move was made in order to sign No. 3 overall pick EDGE Abdul Carter to his four-year, $45.255 million contract. The Giants had just $1.6 million in cap space prior to Burns’ contract tweak. Burns remains under contract through the 2028 season.

Per USA Today’s Art Stapleton, Carter’s fully guaranteed $45.255 million contract includes a $29.497 million signing bonus. Carter is officially the newest member of the Giants’ loaded pass rush. He is expected to contribute significantly in year one, lining up opposite veteran EDGE Brian Burns.

Johnson said he “would expect a little bit more inconsistency” from a second-year player, but Odunze is apparently approaching the meeting room, walk-throughs, on-field work and drills “very much like a seasoned pro.” Johnson punctuated the point by saying he thinks Bears coaches are “going to see a lot of growth from him, not just in the springtime, but once we get to camp.” Odunze finished as a high-end PPR WR5 in his 2024 rookie season and is currently being drafted as a mid-to-low WR3 in both managed PPR formats and best ball formats alike. That positional ADP seemingly puts him in line with Johnson’s forecast.

In the piece, Smalls quotes new Dolphins WR coach Robert Prince, OC Frank Smith and GM Chris Grier, who respectively say Hill is communicating promptly, demonstrating motivation and “doing all the things to show his teammates that this is where he wants to be.” Smalls notes that “Smith was unsure of Hill’s recovery timeline” following Hill’s two offseason wrist surgeries, and adds that “Hill’s health will be certainly something to monitor as organized team activities (OTAs) get underway in the coming weeks.” At this time, it is unclear whether Hill will return to 1,000-yard form at 31 years old, but having him on the field is certainly a positive for Tua Tagovailoa’s 2025 fantasy prospects.

Rooney was reiterating a point he made in April, when he said the team was willing to wait on Rodgers to make a decision, but not forever. The enigmatic quarterback has been silent for most of the offseason, leaving teams hanging on whether he will play football at all this year. Pittsburgh has gone all in on Rodgers, only bringing in Mason Rudolph and sixth-round rookie Will Howard to replace their tandem of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson from last year. It’s clear that Rooney’s patience is wearing thin, but there’s not much he can do at this point outside of rolling with Rudolph. If Rodgers wants to be a Steeler, the team is going to welcome him with open arms, even if he continues to slow-play them.

Hutchinson went down with the devastating leg injury in Week 6 and missed the remainder of the season. He was, however, expected to return for the Super Bowl if Detroit made it that far, so being full-go at this point isn’t much of a surprise. Hutchinson totaled 7.5 sacks in five appearances last year, putting him on pace for 25.5 sacks over a 17-game season. He was easily Pro Football Focus’s top-graded pass-rusher and was on his way to taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award before going down. He will be eying the hardware this time around as well and is in line for a record-breaking extension. Hutchinson has two years left on his current contract, but the Lions may get out ahead of things with a new deal for him this summer.