NFL Player News

After some of the darkest hours of their lives, the nation’s “takes merchants” can finally rest easy. Sanders (6'2/212) has a new home, albeit four rounds later than most draft prognosticators expected. Most, but not all. Many saw Sanders’ slide coming. The questions are why it persisted to this degree, and why a supposed top prospect now finds himself battling Day 2 pick Dillon Gabriel for reps behind veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. Ludicrously efficient and accurate for a 2024 Buffaloes team that narrowly missed the playoff, Sanders arrives as a polarizing Heisman finalist who lives off short passes and takes many, many sacks. The good news is, he cut his 2024 pressure-to-sack rate from a miserable 25.0 to a more palatable 20.5. Despite the quarterback takedowns, Sanders also posted a 5.2 to 1.2 “big time throw to turnover-worthy play” rate. He turns the ball over at a well below average clip. Part of that is Sanders’ microscopic aDOT, though he is lethally accurate on his short throws. Sanders led the nation with a 74 percent completion percentage in 2024. Although Sanders could eventually max out as a next generation Andy Dalton, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would, of course, be a great outcome for a fifth-round pick. Poised and tough, Sanders is a floor-based selection whose general competence could make him something more if he is able to further decrease his sack rate in the big leagues.

The Sun Sentinel’s David Furones has since confirmed that Burns tore his ACL in practice. The injury will sideline him for the entirety of the 2025 season. Burns signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in the offseason to bolster their secondary. Burns bounced between the Seahawks’ practice squad and active roster last year and was set to compete for a rotational role in Miami. The injury and Jalen Ramsey trade leave Miami severely undermanned at corner. They could look to the free agent market for some depth.

As Cronin notes, Burden got banged up when he landed on the ball in an early offseason practice. He was also dealing with a hamstring issue at one point. It’s not clear which injury is forcing him to miss the start of camp, but it’s a bad sign no matter the cause. The fact thta Ben Johnson previously indicated that Burden would be ready for camp and he isn’t is an even brighter red flag. Burden left Mizzou as a schemed-touches master, perfect for Johnson’s heavily curated offense. Fantasy managers should still bet on him carving out a role as a rookie, but the odds of that happening early in the season are decreasing by the day.

Schultz said Allen, 33, who had 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Bears, has “been waiting for training camps to open to better assess the landscape and get a clearer picture of each team’s wide receiver situation.” Allen ranked 16th among wideouts in targets, operating for much of the year as Chicago’s No. 1 receiver. Look for Allen to sign this summer with a wideout-needy team that would use him as an every-down player. Some teams in need to receiver help include the Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Jets.

Matos, 24, reportedly sustained a serious injury near the end of Wednesday’s training camp practice and was helicoptered to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. It’s a frightening situation. We’ll update Matos’ condition as the team offers updates on his condition.

Schottenheimer also described Pickens’ ability to track and secure downfield attempts is “uncanny” and should change the Dallas offense in 2025. Dak Prescott has sung Pickens’ praises since he was traded to the Cowboys a couple months ago, calling Pickens more than just a deep ball specialist. Schottenheimer said last year’s Cowboys “didn’t have enough explosive plays” and the addition of Pickens — who in 2024 had the league’s second most receiving yards on downfield targets — should be the solution in 2025. Pickens is quietly an excellent fantasy pick in a Dallas offense that should have a condensed target distribution.

It could be a way for the Bengals to prevent yet another miserable start to the regular season, though putting Burrow in harm’s way during meaningless August games presents some risk. Last year, Burrow completed five of seven preseason passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. It was the first preseason action he had seen since 2021, when he completed his lone preseason attempt. Hopefully Burrow can stay healthy and upright as the team ramps up his August playing time.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Nabers, who has dealt with a toe injury that dates back to his days at LSU, is “ready to go” for camp after the Giants were cautious with his offseason workload. Nabers in his 2024 rookie year was seventh in receiving yards and third in receptions among all wideouts. He was 20th among receivers in yards per route, right ahead of Khalil Shakir and DeVonta Smith.

Thomas, starting training camp on the PUP list with a lingering foot issue, likely won’t see much action before the regular season. His availability will prove critical to Russell Wilson and the entire New York offense. Over six games last season, Thomas allowed four sacks and eight QB hurries.

“These guys will be out here competing but Russ is the starter,” Daboll said of rookie QB Jaxon Dart and veteran journeyman Jameis Winston. It’s the latest signal that Wilson will enter the 2025 season as New York’s starter and could have a long leash as the Giants coaching staff develops Dart into an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. Winston would likely only see playing time this season if both Wilson and Dart miss time. Wilson in 2024 with the Steelers ranked sixth in accuracy and 28th in drop back success rate.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Slater has a “minor” injury as he sits out his third straight practice of Chargers training camp. The franchise left tackle worked off to the side at the start of practice, according to the Athletic’s Daniel Popper. More notably, Slater is in the final year of his rookie contract and awaiting an extension from the Chargers. He reported to minicamp, but is now nearing holdout territory, despite Harbaugh’s diagnosis of an injury. Expect the Slater and the Chargers to continue extension talks throughout camp.