NFL Player News

McLaughlin returned from a one-game absence due to a quad injury to lead the backfield in snaps and opportunities. Javonte Williams, the starter in the backfield to begin the season, did not receive a carry while being targeted only twice, while Audric Estime gained 24 yards on nine carries and caught his lone target for 13 yards. The Broncos now turn their attention to the Chiefs in Week 18, with a win sending them to the postseason and a loss likely ending their Cinderella story, depending on the outcome of the Bengals’ game.

Over the Commanders final 11 games in 2024, including the playoffs, their running backs averaged three yards per carry or less six times. So, there is a need for the club to add someone who could create more yards on the ground outside of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Drafting such a player could also provide a long-term solution due to the fact that current running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler are both in the final years of their contracts.

If the Raiders are dead-set on drafting a developmental quarterback behind Geno Smith, there certainly would be no reason for them to hang on to O’Connell. We’d be surprised if any team saw enough good in O’Connell to have him compete for a starting role in 2025, but he’d make for a decent backup fit for a few teams given he has two years left on his rookie deal. Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, notably, drafted O’Connell in 2023.

More to the point, Dugar names Shough as “the best option” if Seattle wants to “roll the dice” on the group. Seattle has a top-30 visit scheduled with Shough. In a class without easy answers at quarterback, teams appear to be elevating the seventh-year senior (not a typo) who will turn 26 years old in his rookie season. Seattle will also, per Dugar, have a top-30 visit with Jalen Milroe. The Seahawks aren’t committed to Sam Darnold for long, so it is possible any quarterback they draft early this year gets some runway at the end of the year to establish themselves ahead of 2026. We’d be surprised if any of them could beat out Darnold to begin the season.

The veteran tight end has played his entire NFL career with the Colts, joining the club in 2017 as a member of the practice squad. Despite not being a prolific pass catcher, Alie-Cox’s value comes in the team’s run game. In 2024, Alie-Cox was graded 11th in run blocking among tight ends with at least 340 snaps, per PFF. This helped Colts running back Jonathan Taylor to rush for 1,431 yards, which was fourth most in the NFL last season.

Jenkins was a Seahawks cap casualty in early March and this is the first known bit of outside interest in him. Seattle moved him into a substitute role after Week 6 in 2024. Jenkins will likely be a depth add trying to win a roster spot if he does end up signing in Cleveland.

A new (first stint) parenthetical opens up in Johnson’s Wikipedia. Johnson embarks on his age-39 season as the clear No. 3 quarterback in Washington behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Johnson started three games for the Commanders in 2018 and completed 2-of-3 passes for 17 yards for the Ravens last season as Lamar Jackson’s backup. Signing with a different team would have been better for his Immaculate Grid usefulness, but the NFL’s ultimate journeyman should get a chance to crack the 53-man roster for the Commanders.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the deal has $29.156 million in guarantees. Pitre missed the back half of last season with a pectoral tear, but excelled in his new role as Texans nickel corner with a career-best 71.3 PFF coverage grade. This isn’t a needle-moving re-signing, but clearly Houston valued their slot corner highly to get this done ahead of the draft. Pitre was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025.

Flacco will get a chance to earn “up to” $13 million this year with incentives. Entering his age-40 season, Flacco probably is more of a fallback than an actual plan for the Browns at this point. He started six games for the Colts last year and finished with 1761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 65.3 percent of his passes. Flacco might have enough in the tank — especially back in Kevin Stefanski’s offense — to beat out Kenny Pickett in training camp if the Browns exit the draft without adding another veteran or highly-drafted rookie.

Simmons suffered a torn patellar tendon in 2024 but is still in the mix as a Day 1 prospect. He would likely slot in as a potential future starter behind the Colts or Chiefs’ starting offensive tackle duos. Per PFF, he allowed just one quarterback pressure in seven games played last season.

The 6-foot, 221-pound Hampton demonstrated high-end athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine, following an excellent three-year campaign at North Carolina. In his final college season, Hampton rushed 281 times for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns while forcing 73 missed tackles and registering zero fumbles. He caught 38-of-43 targets for 373 yards and two touchdowns while forcing an additional eight missed tackles. Hampton has the type of three-down skillset to steal Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s starting role.