NFL Player News

Baker was an early standout in training camp, but tailed off in August as drops became an issue. He made headlines for the wrong reasons last week after going live on Instagram to complain about being pulled over by police in Boston. Head coach Jerod Mayo said Baker has already been punished and that it wouldn’t impact his game status. Nevertheless, Baker is a healthy inactive while Kayshon Boutte is active. Baker is buried on the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart at the moment.

Graff writes this in the context of a mock draft where he selects Bhayshul Tuten for the Patriots, but this is not the first time this offseason someone has mentioned running back as a potential position of need for the Patriots behind Stevenson. Tuten ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine at 4.32. Other running backs on the podium for the 40 in Indianapolis included Texas’ Jaydon Blue (4.38) and SMU’s Brashard Smith (4.39), so they could also be interesting Patriots targets.

“I’m open and optimistic about the fact that I’ll be able to be here for the rest of my career,” Sutton added. The timeline for Sutton’s extension has been downplayed a bit by the Broncos this offseason and it sounds like they’re probably just waiting to figure out what happens in the draft to lock down a figure. Sutton was an unhappy camper last season after getting only a band-aid adjustment to his contract, but responded with one of the best seasons of his career.

Breer writes a pretty rough profile of Sanders’ current prospects, reporting he doesn’t believe Sanders is going in the top three and that it’d be “surprising” if he went in the top 10. “I’m having a really hard time finding coaches or scouts who believe Sanders is a first-round talent,” is the lede of that section of the column. The draft landscape is always shifting and we’ve seen perceived first-round quarterbacks like Will Levis and Malik Willis tumble out of Day 1 — it’s possible that Sanders will be the next to join that list.

Regarding his injury, Breer writes that the “Saints knew about this shoulder issue. What I’m less sure about is if they view it as something that was actually threatening his 2025 season. The story I’ve heard is that Carr’s camp has told people that this actually stems from his ’23 AC joint sprain, which never fully healed,” Breer continues. The implication here seems to be that Carr wanted to play for former Saints coach Dennis Allen and may not be as thrilled to play with Kellen Moore. That Carr would really threaten to go under the knife to fix his arm rather than play out the 2025 season as a starter seems hard to believe, but his status with the Saints even beyond that appears to be shaky at the moment. New Orleans holds the No. 9 pick in the draft and could look to take a quarterback early to address the room.

The Bears continue to plan visits with incoming rookie running backs, suggesting newly-minted head coach Ben Johnson hopes to find a running mate for D’Andre Swift next season if not an outright replacement. Johnson is yet another highly-touted member of this year’s running back class and rushed for 240-1,537-21 in his final year at Iowa while adding another 22-188-2 through the air. He won’t garner any first-round talk, but he looks like a safe bet to hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft.

They don’t want to pay down “too much of it” to “buy” a draft pick, Breer concludes. It seemed to make sense that the Falcons would end up sending Cousins to the Browns, but the Browns bringing in Joe Flacco on Friday has complicated matters. Breer reports the Browns view the two quarterbacks “similarly” despite Cousins’ salary and says a move to Cleveland is “a lot less likely” now. He also speculates that the Steelers could be a Cousins destination if Aaron Rodgers chooses not to sign there. The bottom line is: The obvious Cousins destination feels closed and the quarterback has a no-trade clause — this could linger throughout training camp.

A former third-round pick of the Lions back in 2020, Okwara spent last season with the Cardinals. Playing in a limited capacity, Okwara totaled 18 tackles, three TFLs, and one sack in 13 games while making one start. Okwara has started only five of the 51 games he’s appeared in for his career and will likely serve as a rotational pass rusher for the Browns this season.

Considered one of the top backs in this year’s class, Hampton could sneak into the late first round if a team desperate enough for a top back opts to take a shot on the UNC product. Hampton produces a three-down skillset and blew away scouts and coaches with his impressive combine performance as a six-foot, 221-pound back. Last season, Hampton rushed for 281-1,660-15 while adding another 38-373-2 through the air and closed out his career with back-to-back 1,500-yard rushing seasons. According to Schultz, Hampton has also met with the Cowboys and Steelers. He could immediately fill the role as the Bears’ RB1 in Ben Johnson’s offense, which could prove detrimental to D’Andre Swift’s fantasy value in 2025.

It’s a sign of good faith by Parsons, who is entering the final year of his deal but hopes to sign a lucrative extension with the Cowboys before the start of the season. The star pass rusher totaled 43 tackles and 12 sacks last season while being limited to just 13 games due to injury. Arguably the best pass rusher in the league, Parsons will likely land a record-setting deal whenever he does sign an extension.

McCord is meeting with the Steelers on Monday. Per Schultz, the former Ohio State/Syracuse signal-caller has seen his draft stock rise in the months since the college season ended thanks to his prototypical size and impressive interviews. McCord led the nation in passing last season and could turn into a solid Day 2 value for several teams needing a quarterback outside of the top few picks in this year’s draft. McCord landing with the Giants would give him a chance to redshirt his rookie season to learn behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston before being let loose in his second year.