NFL Player News

Coming out of Tacoma High School in 2020, Fuaga (6’6/324) was barely recruited by Power Five programs, as is evidenced by his 82 player rating from 247Sports, which is a low three-star caliber prospect grade. Solely a RT for the duration of his college tenure at OSU, he played only sparingly until 2022 when Fuaga earned an 80.4 PFF offensive grade over 810 snaps while allowing 11 pressure and zero sacks. The Second Team All-Pac-12 RT entered 2023 with confidence and it showed, as he solidified himself as an elite mauler by leading the nation with a 91st percentile run block grade to go with a microscopic 0.6% blown run block rate. While Fuaga is at his best when clearing a path for Beavers RB Damien Martinez, there is still work to be done with his pass sets. Despite him not allowing a single sack in his Oregon State career, his 80th percentile pass block grade ranked 37th nationally. While Fuaga is nearly impossible to defeat with power thanks to his noticeably wide frame and tree trunk lower half, he had difficulty staying in front of technically refined rushers like Washington’s Bralon Trice who could maneuver around the mammoth tackle. His 93rd percentile 32” vertical and 90th percentile 9’03 broad jump were both incredible marks, as was his 1.77s 10-yard split (83rd%) which illustrates the advanced movement skills he brings to the run game. He explodes off the ball and quickly climbs to the second-level hunting for prey and crushing anything in his wake. Toss in a pair of vice grip-like 10.125” hands to complete Fuaga’s 9.60 RAS, and you’ve got a powerful RT with balance, lateral agility and an enticing all-around NFL-ready profile. He’ll join a New Orleans offensive line graded by PFF as last year’s seventh worst pass blocking unit.

Reports surfaced earlier Monday that Clapp sustained the injury but it wasn’t until Schultz’s report that we had any clue into the severity. Schultz adds that the foot injury is likely to require surgery and would keep Clapp out for the duration of the 2025 regular season, a tough blow to the veteran after he was brought in to operate as a sixth offensive lineman for the Saints. The team is awaiting final confirmation pending follow-on testing but it appears as if Clapp’s season is over before it began.

Scott is reportedly healthy and looking for the right opportunity to contribute, saying he’s in “terrific” shape. He last played in 2023, his sixth season with the Eagles, and could make sense for a team like the Ravens as a contingent third-down option and special teams contributor.

From the words of Texans beat reporter Aaron Wilson, “He appears to be in serious pain. Lot of noise coming from the field team huddled around him. Practice halted as Brevin Jordan is hurting very badly. Inconsolable.” We’ll need official word from the team before any conclusions can be drawn, but it certainly looks like an unfortunate injury for a tight end that was attempting to come back from a lost season in 2024 due to a torn ACL.

Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot broke the news first, stating that the star defensive end was cited going 100 mph in a 60 mph zone just after 2 am Saturday morning after the team returned from Charlotte. Cabot also noted that Garrett had “vowed to slow down” after flipping his Porsche and that the team was aware of his citation. This is unlikely to draw any league discipline but demonstrates an alarming pattern of reckless driving out of Garrett.

We take these depth charts with a grain of salt, but for anybody who thought the team would reward Sanders for his preseason performance with a higher spot on the depth chart, that would appear not to be the case. Sanders was solid in his first taste of pro football, throwing for 138 yards and two scores in nearly three full quarters of play. For now, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel all remain ahead of Sanders on the depth chart. He should see plenty of action in the Browns’ next preseason game, which will come on Saturday against the Eagles.

It’s possible Heyward is just letting his thoughts be known while he seeks a reworked deal, but it’d be foolish to think these comments may not foreshadow a potential holdout or hold-in at some point before the season starts. Heyward, 36, is currently the 22nd-highest paid defensive tackle in the league and is coming off his fourth First-Team All-Pro season since 2017. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Heyward and the Steelers “have not made any progress” in talks for a new deal, which has likely led to the star lineman growing increasingly disgruntled as the season approaches. Heyward signed a three-year extension just last offseason, which may further complicate things. It’s safe to assume this won’t be the last we hear from Heyward on the matter.

Cut after the draft by the Buccaneers and by the 49ers in training camp, Callaway continues his quest to be rostered for the 2025 season. He has five targets and no catches since 2022.

The hits keep on coming for the Niners, who are expected to be without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for at least the first month of the season, and are at risk of being without Jauan Jennings (calf) as well. Jacob Cowing is also battling a hamstring injury, although Kyle Shanahan said he could return to practice on Tuesday. Still, it goes without saying that the Niners’ receiver room is banged up, and Watkins had a chance to see some work early in the season with the injuries piling up. It was reported earlier this month that Watkins was ‘in the mix’ for WR3/WR4 duties. A month-long absence means Watkins could be at risk of missing the first month of the season, but we’ll likely get more clarity on that as Week 1 draws closer.

That “around” is doing a lot of lifting, but this is the first gesture towards a real timetable we’ve had about Aiyuk’s potential return. He’ll almost certainly open the season on the PUP list with this estimate. Aiyuk’s ADP has fluctuated outside of the top 40 among wideouts at this point and he’s probably best-regarded as a dart throw at the moment. The fifth-year receiver will be at the top of the 49ers receiver pecking order when he’s healthy — we just don’t know when he will be.

Dickerson suffered a meniscus injury on Sunday and has been undergoing tests and seeking multiple opinions to figure out the best course of action. Now, according to Garafolo, Dickerson will be considered week-to-week after a minor surgery to correct the issue and is eyeing a Week 1 return if all goes according to plan. It’s about the best news the three-time Pro Bowler could have hoped for after the initial diagnosis sounded far worse.