NFL Player News

Smith has turned heads in training camp with downfield grabs from Jalen Hurts in the team’s new Kellen Moore-coached offense. A.J. Brown told reporters “nobody has been able to cover DeVonta all camp” and head coach Nick Sirianni complimented Smith’s physical conditioning entering training camp. About 20 percent of Smith’s 2023 targets were at least 20 yards downfield; he caught 10 of 22 deep balls for 356 yards and four touchdowns. Brown saw 27 downfield looks from Hurts last season. Smith should continue serving as the 1B option to Brown’s 1A in 2024.

Mosher notes that Bigsby’s one-cut running style is a great fit for new OC Sean Mannion’s scheme, saying “there’s no question he excels at planting one foot in the ground to getting downhill quickly.” He believes Mannion would be “smart” to get Bigsby involved in short-yardage situations to give starting RB Saquon Barkley’s body some rest. We see the logic here, although adding another short-yardage ball carrier to the rotation could muddy up fantasy projections a tad. Regardless, Bigsby is looking like a high-end bench stash this season.

Oliver suffered a torn ACL in December, so his status is somewhat uncertain here. Oliver, 29, totaled 55 tackles and three pass breakups on defense last season. He recorded four tackles on special teams.

Karty produced a 67 percent field goal conversion rate and an 88 percent extra point conversion rate with the Cardinals last year. He was slated to compete with K Chad Ryland this offseason. It appears as though Ryland is the victor.

Per Harris, Revel looks “more fluid in his movement” and “has gained a lot of confidence this offseason now that he’s returning to 100-percent.” The Cowboys drafted Revel in the third round last year, while he was recovering from a torn ACL. Unfortunately, Revel suffered a setback in July and was placed on the non-football injury list to begin the year. He was activated in November and played in Weeks 11-17, breaking up two passes and recording 26 tackles. Revel will likely compete for a starting spot on the perimeter this summer.

Back in January, Bland said he expected to be ready for organized team activities. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. That said, Archer thought Bland was “moving very well laterally,” and expect the Cowboys to “be patient with how they bring him along.” Bland was injured in Week 15 last year. He tallied five pass breakups, one interception, 54 tackles and two quarterback pressures.

Although these are non-contract drills, this is still great to see. As of late May, Dell was still working off to the side of practice with trainers. The Texans will go on a short break after today, before returning for mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for June 9-11. Hopefully, Dell either maintains or increases his participation next week.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter did not include Johnson’s contract details while breaking the news. Johnson should start right away. The Dolphins fielded a fairly beatable secondary last season. New, defensive-minded head coach Jeff Hafley made Johnson his very first draft pick, which likely gives Johnson the inside track to a role on the perimeter.

The Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 16-18. Pickens is not present for the Cowboys’ voluntary organized team activities, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Pickens is “in a good spot and handling his business” after speaking with the wide receiver yesterday. Pickens signed his franchise tag late in April and is set to make $27.3 million this season. Trade speculation has not amounted to anything thus far, and it sounds like Pickens will show up when he is supposed to later this month.

The deal is worth $19.276 million and includes a $10.479 million signing bonus. Rutledge was viewed as an athletic, interior mauler in the pre-draft process. NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson describes Rutledge as “a quick study,” and adds that the Texans are excited about Rutledge’s versatility.

The contract tweaks moved “the vesting date of his guarantees back a few months,” allowing the Rams to bring Garrett and his record-setting deal aboard without issue. Garrett’s average annual value and contract length both remain the same. This move could allow the Rams to add another veteran or two, but we do not yet know exactly how Garrett’s money will be spread out over the Rams’ current and future books.