NFL Player News

Carolina signed Mike Boone off their own practice squad and Boone will backup Chuba Hubbard today. Velus Jones Jr. is also on the depth chart, but will likely replace Blackshear on special teams. Jadeveon Clowney (knee), Josey Jewell (hamstring), and Jaycee Horn (groin) are playing on questionable tags. Also inactive for Carolina are: S Nick Scott, CB Shemar Bartholomew, CB Akayleb Evans, LB Trevin Wallace, OL Jarrett Kingston, and DT Sam Roberts.

Schefter adds that the deal is “still alive.” The malaise of will-he, won’t-he, but focused on Jonnu Smith instead of Aaron Rodgers must be an interesting respite for Steelers fans. We remain unsure that adding Smith will do much to fix Pittsburgh’s offense, and it seems like Darnell Washington is a more-than-capable No. 2 tight end. Because of the extension that Smith is seeking, it’s reasonable to conclude the draft-pick cost for him wouldn’t be exorbitant. We’re not entirely sure why the Dolphins would rather do this than just keep Smith and let him be a low-end fantasy TE1 this season, but perhaps they want to get out of the Jonnu Smtih game while the getting is good.

The slot player is taking part in OTAs — not necessarily at full contact — and expects to be full go in training camp. Johnson left the AFC Championship game with the injury and his absence was a big part of the problem for the Bills against Kansas City. It sounds like he’ll be ready to go for the start of training camp based on this update.

“A lot more complex. … It’s all kind of the same concepts, just different ways to get to it,” McBride continued. Rarely do you see a player so upfront about schematic changes, but a re-designed offense may help the Cardinals find space for McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. to operate in 2025. McBride, in particular, is due some good touchdown regression after finishing the year with only two in 2024.

The deal is worth a fully guaranteed $43.66 million. It also includes a signing bonus worth $28.39 million. The Patriots selected Campbell (6'6"/319) with the fourth overall pick in April’s NFL Draft in hopes of bolstering an offensive line which allowed 52 sacks last season. There has been plenty of speculation that Campbell could kick inside and become a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber guard, but regardless of position he is a premium talent and should be an NFL fixture for the next several years.

“He’s a back that requires enough touches. He’s going to get those opportunities,” Payton continued. RJ Harvey is obviously going to be the main back for the Broncos for fantasy purposes this season, but it’s possible that Estime could carve out a bigger role in Year 2 ahead of other incumbent backs like Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. Payton does love a good running back platoon. Estime should be drafted as the No. 2 back in Denver’s backfield for now, and if the Broncos offense ascends in 2025, he could potentially find himself a fantasy RB3 as Harvey’s 1B.

Hammys do tend to linger, so it makes sense for the Panthers to exercise caution with their rookie sixth-round pick. It’s not an auspicious sign for his chances of making the roster that Horn isn’t practicing during OTAs, but it’s also not immediately disqualifying. No timetable for recovery was given by Canales but we’d expect Horn to be available for training camp.

Monken spoke about Flowers during media availability at the Ravens OTA session Tuesday. That’s a good thing for Flowers, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl last season after establishing a career high in receiving yards (1,059). “He’s not only an outside receiver with elite route-running skills,” added Monken. “But he’s unbelievable with the ball in his hands.” Since entering the NFL in 2023, Flowers ranks 19th among wide receivers in target share (24.7%). " Flowers was targeted five or fewer times in five games last season. The Ravens may want to make him more of a focal point of their game plan if Monken truly believes in his talent.

Watt’s contract extension talks have been slow going thus far, with cryptic Instagram messages and beat writers believing the sides started far apart on the numbers. Dulac believes Myles Garrett’s contract upped Watt’s demand. It sounds like this is a situation that could bleed into training camp at this point, perhaps one that would create a “hold in” for Watt. But it’s unsurprising that the Steelers want to reward one of the best pass rushers in their history and it would be surprising if he’s not ready for Week 1.

We don’t think it’s completely wild to imagine Jalen Milroe taking over if things go bad down the stretch, particularly with Darnold’s contract not having extensive guarantees into the second season. Still, this is something Macdonald had to say given where the team is at right now. It isn’t exactly comforting for Darnold’s superflex stock that reporters are already asking the question, but we expect Darnold to start and continue playing as long as things are going well for Seattle.

This is, per Schefter, “fortunate” news as the injury initially looked much worse after Tavai suffered it in OTAs on Monday. He couldn’t put any pressure on his leg. Tavai’s snaps on the interior were already looking at a dip after New England signed Robert Spillane and matched an RFA offer for Christian Elliss this offseason, but he could still profile as an early-down thumper for the Patriots this year.