NFL Player News

Steichen said it would be “tough” for Downs to suit up against the Patriots after sustaining a shoulder injury last week against Detroit. Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, and Alec Pierce would likely see increases in snaps and targets if Downs — the Colts’ clear No. 1 wideout — is sidelined against the Patriots. Hopefully this is not a long-term injury for Downs. Downs was officially a DNP in practice on Wednesday.

Raanan adds, though, that “that would not necessarily keep the team from targeting a more experienced option” at quarterback. Sanders has been tied to the Giants for months, which is how things go when you start 2-12 and wander through a fruitless end of the regular season. It’s certainly plausible that the Giants target using the No. 3 pick on Sanders. The tone of the article leads us to understand that this is more of an open idea. But multiple sources telling a New York beat writer that the Giants have their sights on Sanders is eye-catching.

Desai spent last season with the Rams as a senior defensive assistant after previously serving as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. A seasoned coach who also served as the Bears’ defensive coordinator (2021), Desai brings a wealth of experience to a coaching staff that recently brought on Al Golden to replace Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator.

Viewed by many as the top pass rusher in this year’s draft, Carter will still meet with teams and participate in all physical exams at the combine. The Penn State product won’t be working out due to a shoulder injury he suffered in a game last season against Boise State, but has reportedly already been cleared by his doctor to resume training. With Penn State’s pro day set for March 28th, Carter will now set his sights to prepping for said pro day, where he is expected to go through drills in front of scouts and coaches.

Judon played on 655 snaps last season and was healthy for all 17 games. That’s the good news. The bad news is his 5.5 sacks were his fewest in any healthy season since his rookie season in 2016. JJudon will be 32 at the start of next season and decided to bet on himself last season even after being traded from the Patriots to the Falcons. It’s fair to say things didn’t go as planned for Judon, who should still have suitors this offseason, even if it’s not with Atlanta. As a veteran pass rusher, Judon could benefit from playing on select passing downs rather than playing a full-time role.

To be specific, DeFabo writes “if the Steelers think they can simply have Pickens play out his final season, they might need to realize that they aren’t the only ones who determine where things go from here.” DeFabo has already written before this offseason about how the Steelers should trade Pickens, but the idea of Pickens potentially holding in is new. Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie deal and, like the Brandon Aiyuk saga this past August, it probably makes sense for Pickens to push every lever to get an extension before playing in 2025. We don’t consider this a major wart on Pickens fantasy value just yet, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Hughlett joined the Browns in 2014 and spent the next 11 seasons snapping his way into the hearts of Cleveland. Now, after 152 games, Hughlett will need to find a new home in 2025 if he hopes to continue living the dream as an American football long snapper.

The supporting evidence offered by Alexander is that Diggs has wanted to test 2025 free agency since he was traded — something that probably sounded a lot better to Diggs before he tore his ACL at midseason. Alexander also notes that Diggs is already set to count $16.2 million in dead money against the Texans cap. Houston could have folded some of that void year money into a new contract for Diggs before it officially hit the cap ledger on February 17th. Whether it is Diggs or not, the Texans will definitely need a new plan at WR2 this year with Tank Dell set to miss the majority or, perhaps, all of the season after his devastating knee injury in Week 16.

And after two years being stuck behind Cooper Rush, who could blame Lance? Lance hits unrestricted free agency this offseason and almost assuredly is gone. The question at this point is: What kind of market is there for someone with five NFL starts in four years? Lance is still just entering his age-25 season, someone will dream on the tools. But it’s hard to imagine it would be more than a backup role for the North Dakota State product and former third overall pick.

49ers beat writer Matt Barrows expects Bartch to be part of a competition at left guard as he expects San Francisco to let Aaron Banks walk in free agency. Bartch had a career-best 74.8 PFF grade in 65 snaps blocking this season. Entering his age-27 season, there’s a possibility he can be a low-cost patch for the 49ers on the offensive line.

“This is a money issue” Schrager’s segment on Good Morning Football notes. It’s a thorough look at the situation, with Schrager repeating that Stafford “wants to be paid more than 50 million dollars.” The unfinished question furnished by the segment is if the cash upgrade would be worth Stafford uprooting his family and decamping from McVay’s masterful offense. There’s also no indication that any team has actually met Stafford’s true asking price, just that Stafford can make more elsewhere than he would in Los Angeles. Schrager lists the Steelers, Giants, and Raiders as hypothetical locations for Stafford during the segment.