NFL Player News

Noel will join college teammate Jayden Higgins in Houston as the Texans bolster their receiver room after losing Stefon Diggs to free agency and potentially losing Tank Dell to a long-term leg injury. Noel (5’10/194) spent all four years at Iowa State, breaking out in his third with a 66/820/7 receiving line. He leveled up as a senior with 1,194 yards and eight scores on 81 grabs. He led the Cyclones in receiving yards while fellow 2025 draftee Jayden Higgins paced the team in receptions and touchdowns. Noel ran nearly three-quarters of his career routes from the slot and only had an aDOT over 7.7 once, in his final season in which he had an aDOT of 12.2. Noel went on to crush the combine with a 4.39 Forty, 41.5” vertical, and an 11’2” broad. He even hit the bench for an astounding 23 reps, a mark five offensive linemen failed to clear. Noel left Indy with a 9.75 RAS. Noel is a ready-made slot receiver who has the speed to catch more than just underneath passes. He also returned kicks and punts in college, giving him a path to playing time as a rookie.

Players placed on the PUP list ahead of camp can come off at any time. Williams was dealing with an unspecified injury before the start of camp and was believed to be on track toward playing once camp kicked off. Clearly needing more time to recover, Williams will join WR Jaylen Johnson, S Elijah Molden, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, and OT Savion Washington on the PUP list as they continue to ready themselves for camp.

Wilson’s deal includes $90 million in guaranteed money and will keep him with the Jets through the 2030 season. The former No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has churned out three-straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards to start his career and posted career-highs in receptions (101), yards, (1,104), and touchdowns (7) last season. Now reunited with former college teammate Justin Fields, Wilson hopes the Jets can put together his first winning season as a pro and the Jets’ first winning season since 2015. Wilson profiles as a fringe WR1/WR2, but will likely settle more in the WR2 range in 2025 due to the Jets’ emphasis on the run and Fields’ ability to take off and scramble on passing downs.

Bradley joined the Raiders last offseason as a rookie UDFA and spent all of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December. The former South Alabama Jaguar didn’t attempt a pass in his rookie season and will now look to catch on with another team ahead of training camp in hopes of battling for a roster spot. Bradley may be better suited for a spring football league where he would have an opportunity for more playing time.

Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season, but surprised during spring practices when he took the field in a limited capacity with the team. While he’s yet to be cleared for full football activities, Graff believes the encouraging spring we saw from Diggs may lead to some limited work to the side in camp while leaving the door open for Diggs to eventually participate in full closer to the end of camp. While opening the season on the PUP list, which would require him to miss a minimum of four games, remains a possibility, Diggs’ involvement in camp will be worth monitoring as the Patriots aim to get their WR1 back on the field.

The full report can be found at the link provided at the end of the blurb, but the details are quite disturbing. Arresting officer Steven Pohorence reported that the victim of Judkins’ alleged assault reported the incident the day after it occurred, alleging Judkins “punched her in the mouth/chin area with a closed fist” while adding he later struck her in the arm and thigh. The victim also showed pictures of her chin/lip area, with officer Pohorence noting in the report “the bruising was clearly evident.” Bruises could also be found on her arm and thigh. This situation is far from resolved and could have a direct impact on Judkins’ availability for training camp as he remains unsigned at this time.

This comes after it was announced that Jennings was seeking either a new contract or a trade before the start of this season. Jennings reporting to camp is good in theory, but as Barrows also points out, last year’s Brandon Aiyuk situation showed a player reporting to camp while in a contract dispute can be anything but beneficial. In recent years, players have resorted to “hold-ins” during camp to avoid fines for not reporting, which could be Jennings’ approach when he does report next week. We’ll likely get a better sense of where things are headed with this situation as camp draws nearer.

It’s odd that this would come out a week before training camp rather than earlier in the offseason, but Jennings’ desire for a new deal is warranted. The sixth-year receiver is coming off a breakout season in which he caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns — all career-highs, and is expected to play a significant role this season. The 49ers extended Jennings’ contract last season, but he’s set to earn just $7.5 million in the final year of his deal, which is well-below what a player of his caliber should be earning. With Brandon Aiyuk (knee) a likely PUP candidate and Ricky Pearsall entering the season with much to prove, it goes without saying that Jennings is the best available receiver on the 49ers right now, which could spur the team to get a new deal done. That said, we’ve seen the Niners drag out contract discussions before, and wouldn’t expect anything immediate as this story continues to develop.

Cowing boasts 4.3 speed and reportedly added weight in the offseason after weighing in at 168 pounds as a rookie. With Samuel now in Washington and Aiyuk (knee) a candidate to open the season on the PUP list, it’s easy to see an early path for Cowing to earn more opportunities this season. Last year’s first-rounder, Ricky Pearsall, is also expected to see an uptick in targets and Jauan Jennings is coming off a breakout season (77-975-6), but Cowing makes for an interesting late-round target in deeper leagues given the current state of the Niners’ receiving room. Cowing caught 316 passes for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns during five college seasons while averaging a solid 6.3 yards after the catch per reception.

In addition to his belief that the Jets could lead the league in rush attempts, Rosenblatt also adds that Braelon Allen will “have plenty of opportunities” to make an impact this season as Breece Hall enters the final year of his rookie deal. Allen was selected 134th overall last season and finished his rookie year with 92 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 3.6 YPC. According to Rosenblatt, head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are hoping to model their offense after the one Ben Johnson ran in Detroit, with Breece Hall playing the “Jahmyr Gibbs role” and Allen playing the “David Montgomery role.” Should this come to fruition, Allen could have tons of late-round fantasy value for those willing to take shots on him.

Rodrigue believes that the two sides’ continued contract talk “is a good sign” for an early extension. Williams’ overall productivity works in his favor. Rodrigue notes that training camp is the usual timeline for such deals under this era of Rams leadership, giving fantasy managers an expected timeline to follow. The two sides have been negotiating all offseason.