Marks to get more receiving usage, return kicks

Trice tore his ACL in a 2024 preseason game against the Dolphins, then missed all of last year on injured reserve when he had a setback. The 2024 third-rounder has yet to play in an NFL game, but could push for a roster spot this year if he manages to stay healthy.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on this one,” Garafolo continued. “The Bucs are in no rush.” All outward projections have been that Mayfield and the Buccaneers will eventually find a middle ground, and Todd Bowles recently said that there’s “absolutely no question” he wants Mayfield as his quarterback for a long term. But it does seem like the two sides have very different dollar values attached to Mayfield and that this might be something that simmers into training camp.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke with NFL coaches and front office officials about the league’s best running backs. Barkley ranked third behind Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. “My only criticism is that he doesn’t always produce when things aren’t completely clean,” an NFL coordinator said of Barkley, adding that Barkley should be treated as a three-down back. “That’s dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him.” This could explain why Barkley had a disappointing 2025 campaign in an Eagles offense that struggled to move the ball for much of the season. Barkley, who is widely expected to have a bigger role in the Philadelphia passing offense in 2026, last season ranked 45th out of 60 qualifying backs in yards after contact per rush, alongside Woody Marks and Breece Hall. Tank Bigsby, Barkley’s backfield mate, led the NFL in yards after contact per attempt.

The presence of A.J. Brown in the New England offense, Graf said, could stop teams from crowding the line of scrimmage this season. The Patriots in 2025 faced the league’s second highest rate of stacked boxes (eight or more defenders) at 52 percent, as opposing defenses were not afraid of the team’s pass-catching options. This in turn created less-than-optimal conditions for TreVeon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. New England last year ranked 18th in yards before contact per attempt, a rate that could (should) rise if defenses give more respect to the passing attack. Graf said Henderson could continue missing out on valuable snaps if he hasn’t improved his pass protection this offseason.

Arnold is facing a mountain of legal issues in connection with a February robbery and kidnapping that took place in Tampa Bay. It comes as no surprise that he cleared waivers, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the 2024 first-round pick “is expected to visit NFL teams that have expressed interest in signing him.” Arnold’s lawyer came out last week and said at least three teams have already expressed interest in signing him, but we would be surprised if any deal got done before his case is completely behind him.

Ravenell played in 14 games for the Titans last season and made one start. The former UDFA totaled six tackles and a forced fumble while appearing on 97 defensive snaps. He will now go on waivers where teams will have a chance to claim him. If he goes unclaimed, Ravenell will be free to sign with any team.

Florio’s discoveries come after he was asked, “How much cap space did the Browns save due to the insurance policy on Deshaun Watson for him missing the entire 2025 season?” After what appears to be an exhaustive amount of work to come up with a ballpark figure, Florio reports the “total in cap credit for 2024 through 2029" was just over $88 million, a total that is derived from reported cap credits the Browns have received or will receive that range from $4.951 million to $8.79 million. These were reflected in records obtained from the NFLPA, which showed in multiple locations in Watson’s contract a “return of [signing bonus] from insurance policy,” per Florio. Watson is in the final year of a record-setting five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract that has come up well short of expectations for the Browns thus far. While the team is still ultimately on the hook for paying Watson, $88 million in refunds for the games Watson missed due to injury may have dulled some of the pain of those expenses for the Haslam family.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Douglas can reportedly earn “up to $3.8 million” on his contract. The Commanders continue to look for ways to revamp a secondary that ranked among the league’s worst last season and are hopeful that Douglas can provide some additional help. The 31-year-old corner started 13 of the 15 games he appeared in last season, totaling 13 pass breakups and two interceptions while earning a PFF coverage grade of 72.6. He has played primarily on the outside for his career and played 749 of his 851 outside last season.

The drum beat continues to grow louder for Rodriguez, who, as Howe pointed out, had a big fan in head coach Liam Coen during their one-year stint together at the University of Kentucky. The Jaguars’ backfield continues to be one of the most discussed topics of their offseason, and Rodriguez has a real chance to earn significant work on early downs as well as near the goal line. He is working his way back from a surgical procedure on his left foot that has sidelined him for most of the offseason, but it was reported in early June that he is expected to be a “full-go” by training camp. Rodriguez lack of a pass-catching profile could somewhat limit his fantasy upside, but if he secures enough volume and high-value touches in what projects to be a top-10 scoring offense, he could end up having the safest floor of any running back in Jacksonville’s backfield and insert himself into the conversation as a top-24 RB or better this season.

Reiss bases his conclusion on Jennings’ work with the first-unit punt protection team. Jennings, 25, rushed 23 times for 73 yards and one touchdown, and turned his lone target into a nine-yard gain last year. Jennings is a name to know for waiver wire purposes, in case RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson miss time. Aside from that, Jennings will not be scoring fantasy points on the punt squad.