NFL Player News

Boyd loses his roster spot to newly signed A.J. Jenkins. Boyd, who went undrafted out of Vandy last year, is a developmental prospect that has a good chance to land on his feet. He’s 6-foot-4 and flashed some NFL-caliber ability as a true freshman and sophomore in the SEC, compiling 81 catches for 1,247 yards (15.4 YPR) and 13 scores.

Johnson’s endorsement is going to push Burden’s ADP up, and it’s not necessarily unreasonable to chase it. In early April, Johnson said he needs to get the ball in Burden’s hands “as often as we possibly can.” Continued praise from the head coach is always a good thing. Hopes are high for the second-year receiver, who posted an 8/138/1 receiving line in Week 17 fantasy championships. Burden is set to compete with TE Colston Loveland and WR Rome Odunze for targets, though, and it is unclear exactly where Burden sits in the target pecking order right now. Johnson adds that Burden has had an “electric” offseason, is consistently finishing his practice reps and has “been extremely coachable,” while refining his speed cuts, sharp breaks and releases. Hopefully, the positive reports continue to roll in for the talented, young playmaker.

Jones underwent surgery on his neck in March. The Steelers declined to exercise his fifth-year option early in May after spending the No. 21 overall pick on OT Max Iheanachor. Fellow Steelers OT Troy Fautanu also recently told reporters that the team wants him to move to left tackle. Jones was present at OTAs last week, but did not participate in team drills. It appears as though he will have to compete for a starting role this season. In today’s report, DeFabo shared a video of Jones doing sled work alongside OL Doug Nester, who was signed to a reserve/futures contract after being released last summer.

A report from last week indicated that Johnson had not been present at the Bears’ facility. Veterans sometimes stay home early in the spring, so it wasn’t a huge issue, but it is nice to know that the Bears’ star cornerback is back in the building, working out with his teammates. Johnson was sidelined by a significant offseason injury last year, variously reported as groin, hamstring and calf issues. He played in Weeks 1 and 2 before ultimately undergoing core muscle surgery and returning in Week 13. Hopefully, Johnson enjoys good health this season.

The free agent running back finished his rookie contract with the Raiders in 2025. He only appeared in six games and logged just 12 carries. With Dolphins UDFA Le’Veon Moss retiring from football, the team could need an extra body for training camp. White would fill that role, though ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes he is expected to work out for other teams in the coming weeks.

Glenn added that Zappe took the second-team reps behind Geno Smith in practice on Wednesday. Zappe has the most NFL experience of the bunch, so that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It also doesn’t mean he will hold the QB2 job into Week 1. Since entering the NFL, Zappe ranks 78th out of 84 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play (min. 150 plays). The good news for him is that Cook holds spot No. 84. As a fourth-round pick, Klubnik does have some potential, and his competition for the QB2 job is exceptionally weak. No matter who earns the backup gig, the hope for Jets fans will be that we never see them in 2026.

Kraft tore his ACL in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said after the draft that he expects Kraft back “early in the season.” Kraft previously told reporters he expects to start training camp on the PUP list, though the Packers could take him off whenever he is ready to practice. Kraft added that he expects to be ready by Week 1. As long as he is practicing in full by the end of camp, that should be an attainable goal. Kraft was on pace for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Even if he takes a few weeks to get up to speed, he should be a top-half TE1 early in the season.

Per Glenn, the Jets knew about this issue before the draft, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to the team. Still, it’s a slight concern that Sadiq will miss some valuable reps during the offseason program. If he is full-go for camp, this won’t be much of an issue, but there is now some injury-related risk with the rookie tight end. Sadiq will likely open his career in a timeshare with 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor. For now, fantasy managers should treat Sadiq as a high-upside TE2.

Brissett is absent from the voluntary offseason program in search of a revised contract. He is only guaranteed $1.5 milion this year and can make at most $5.4 million. While Brissett isn’t anyone’s idea of a long-term starter, he is criminally underpaid even as a bridge option. LaFleur wasn’t worried about his absence, saying, “The hardest thing to teach a player is the speed of the game, an NFL game, in general. He’s played a lot of ball, so he’ll be just fine.” If this holdout turns into a hold-in during training camp, it could become a bigger issue. We don’t expect things to get that far. In the meantime, Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck will get some extra reps at OTAs.

The Giants converted his base salary to a roster bonus, creating $6.5 million in cap space. The move will likely help the Giants finish signing their 2026 rookie class. Arvell Reese is the last rookie in need of a contract from the team. Thomas remains under contract through 2029.

Rapoport notes that the Eagles still want a first-round pick for Brown while the Pats haven’t budged in that regard. He added that the trade discussions could “drag on for the foreseeable future.” Brown’s relationships with the team and his quarterback seem to be broken beyond repair, and they already drafted his replacement in Makai Lemon. The Eagles shouldn’t have much leverage in the situation, but the Pats are also in desperate need of a true No. 1 receiver. The deal was initially expected to be made official on June 1st, when the cap hit for Philly becomes more manageable. Now it looks like things could drag on toward training camp.