NFL Player News

Tate had the Bengals’ first punt return score since 2003 last season, but was middle of the road in both punt and kick return average. Under contract for just $565,000, however, he’s unlikely to be jettisoned unless the Bengals find an upgrade in the draft.

The Chiefs would be targeting the top available pass rusher in a trade up, while the Cardinals will again look to accumulate more picks for their rebuild in a trade down. Several teams have been rumored to be looking to trade down, so it’s possible the return is more underwhelming than it would normally be. The Cardinals would be able to slide to the back end of the main tier of prospects in a trade down, and given that they feel like they have the murkiest roster in the NFL at the moment, trading down makes a lot of sense if they don’t have true conviction in any of these players becoming a star.

This probably isn’t going to lower his draft stock much — Branch is a likely Day 2 pick — but it’s not nothing as we near the start of the event next week. Branch was booked at 1:26 AM on Sunday and released at 3:44 AM. The Georgia wideout ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and figures to be a YAC-focused receiver in the pros.

Lawrence, dealt to the Bengals last night, officially passed his physical and signed the contract extension. It’s unclear exactly how much money this adds to his guaranteed tally — that’s probably the real question on how good of a deal it is — but the extension is a bit lower than his reported $30 million per season ask. Lawrence is now under contract for the next three seasons with the Bengals.

“I wouldn’t say the room is complete,” he added. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper also mentioned Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, and Tyreek Hill as “unsigned veteran receivers with scheme familiarity” for new OC Mike McDaniel. Fantasy managers reliant on Ladd McConkey will want the Chargers to avoid a reunion with Allen, as they both tend to win in the same areas of the field. McConkey, of course, watched his fantasy stock suffer last year with Allen in the fold.

DeFabo notes that Steelers HC Mike McCarthy dropped a few clues when he said he likes quarterbacks with “big hands and long arms” and sometimes gets more excited about the floor than the ceiling. Beck and Penn State QB Drew Allar seem to be firmly on the radar for Pittsburgh, with Allar as the high-ceiling option to Beck’s safer floor. Beck could be targeted in the middle rounds.

Kyle Shanahan and Green were captured yelling at each other on the sidelines several times this year. GM John Lynch said that the team wasn’t looking to trade Green. The 2024 second-rounder was a disappointment in 2025 with a 53.5 PFF coverage grade. It wouldn’t be totally surprising if someone traded for Green near the draft, but this report seems more like a public message to Green than anything.

It would be surprising if Brown were on the Eagles in 2026 given how things have trended. For the last month, all Eagles decision makers can say is People Are Asking Questions About My “A.J. Brown Is An Eagle” T-Shirt. Darlington says this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Eagles will draft a wideout in the first round — it’s a deep wide receiver class and the Eagles have already added Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks — but (our speculation) it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they wind up with a top-100 pick at wideout.

Styles and Jeremiyah Love are names that have been tied to the Titans at 4 and Giants at 5 regularly over the last week of buildup to the draft. The Ohio State linebacker is regarded as one of the safest picks in the draft and was a First Team All-American for the Buckeyes’ impressive defense last year. Now that the Giants have two first-round picks, it sounds like if they don’t pick Love, they could land two top-10 defenders.

Earlier reports indicated the Giants were “asking for a lot” in exchange for the standout pass rusher, something that now seems to bear weight after the team landed the No. 10 overall pick in the coming draft. The Giants now hold the No. 5 and No. 10 overall picks when festivities kick off in less than a week. The Bengals land their replacement for Trey Hendrickson after watching as he departed for Baltimore when the Maxx Crosby trade fell apart. It’s a weird replacement on paper as Lawrence wasn’t a premium pass-rusher last year, but it should shore up a weak run defense.

There had been talks earlier in the offseason of the team working to extend their veteran offensive lineman but it appears as if the two sides fell short in a resolution, ultimately leading to the team exercising their fifth-year option. Skoronski took a massive step forward in his third professional season, ending 2025 with the sixth highest composite grades amongst guards. Expect the two sides to continue contract discussions into the new year as the Titans continue their rebuild with eyes on the future.