NFL Player News

We’ve been pining for T-Rich to shed weight for years. It sounds like he’s finally done so, and according to Tice it showed during the offseason program. “I thought the young man out of Alabama came on,” said Tice. “He lost some weight, his quickness came around.” Richardson is battling Roy Helu and Latavius Murray for snaps in Oakland’s backfield. In all likelihood, Murray will be the Week 1 starter with Helu playing on passing downs.

DiNucci spent the end of last season on the Broncos’ practice squad and, per The Denver Post’s Troy Renck, DiNucci “knows Webb as a coach and a friend.” Nix begged Broncos head coach Sean Payton to play uptempo last season, but Payton limited the offense to just 3.8 uptempo plays per game, per PFF. That said, the Broncos tied for seventh in plays per game, at 66.9. Renck notes that Webb “has already shortened Payton’s Shakespearean soliloquy play calls into abbreviated verbiage,” giving Nix more time to diagnose the defense at the line and potentially run more plays. More plays mean more opportunities to score fantasy points. Renck is not yet convinced Payton will allow Webb to play uptempo, but Payton is reportedly aware that the Broncos need to improve offensively and the players “remain energized” by Webb’s promotion. Expect updates on this during training camp, at the latest.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell attempted to address McCarthy’s accuracy woes by harping on the young quarterback’s footwork last season. He also tends to fire passes “on a line,” which only exacerbates his ball placement issues. Per Lewis, McCarthy has spent weeks with private throwing coach John Beck to improve both issues. Time will tell if Beck’s teachings have the desired effect. Lastly, Lewis believes that the way “McCarthy shows up to work every day and how his habits progress in his third season” is the final piece to the puzzle. The Vikings want their 2026 starter, be it McCarthy or QB Kyler Murray, “to lift the tide for the entire team.” McCarthy has been fully unable to do so thus far. Despite being the incumbent, McCarthy is currently viewed as the underdog in this summer’s quarterback battle. Avoid him in spring drafts for now.

The Vikings have already conducted interviews with 10 candidates virtually. The five finalists are Rams assistant general manager John McKay, Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt, Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray, Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley and Vikings executive vice president of football operations and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski. Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf previously indicated that the team plans to employ the front office structure as they have in the past, though The Athletic’s Alec Lewis highlights a reader’s question about whether the Vikings might keep Brzezinski in a managerial role and also hire a “personnel guy” under him to help with roster decisions. If so, it seems plausible that some candidates might prefer to wait until they have a chance to run an organization their own way.

A recent report indicated that the new offense “is expected to have Shanahan/McVay influences,” so the new report from The Athletic’s Zach Berman tracks. The Eagles ran 860 plays out of the pistol and shotgun last year, and just 267 under center. However, they averaged 8.43 yards per attempt under center and 9.07 yards per play-action attempt from under center. Both figures lead their respective pistol and shotgun metrics by more than 0.70 yards. Berman notes that Hurts has had a new play-caller every year since 2016, so he’s no stranger to starting over. That said, Mannion plans to blend his preferences with those of his quarterback. Mannion is confident that Hurts “can do anything we ask of him,” and Hurts was reportedly excited about the new hire. As for Hurts’ rushing usage, it “will be a part of [the offense], but it won’t be the only part of it.” Hurts remains a fantasy QB1, but his spot in that tier is still being determined.

Stafford aggravated a disc injury between the offseason workout program and training camp last year. He did not practice until August 18th. Reports on the injury ran the gamut. At one point, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported that the Rams “aren’t worried” about the injury, before later reporting that the back injury “is going to be a thing” all year. Ultimately, time spent in an Ammortal chamber outside the Rams’ facility helped Stafford get ready for an NFL MVP season. Injury risk is, of course, present. But Stafford remains one of the rare pocket passers capable of producing an elite QB1 season. Draft him accordingly.

This comes from an article written by Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where Jones said the time continues to monitor him “day by day” as he works his way back from spinal fusion surgery. Jones was present at the Steelers’ OTAs this week but did not participate in team drills, and could face a battle for playing time with Troy Fautanu looking to move to left tackle, and rookie Max Iheanachor expected to man the right tackle position. Jones said his recovery is going well, but given the severity of the injury, it could be some time before we see him in action again.

Ward said he hopes the weight loss will improve his durability and allow him to play with a bit more speed in 2026. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick will play next season in an offense led by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has taken advantage of his quarterback’s athleticism in the past by incorporating it into the running game. Whether or not Ward, who rushed for just 159 yards in 17 games last season, will see more work as a runner next season is to be determined, but it’s worth noting that Ward did total 1,061 rushing yards in 38 FBS games, per PFF, which factors out yards lost on sacks. Of the 287 rush attempts he saw over that span, 180 of those runs (4.7/gm) came on designed plays. Ward turning into more of a dual-threat quarterback would provide a more solid floor for his fantasy outlook next season after he finished as the QB34 in fantasy points per game as a rookie.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan was first. Robertson-Harris is in the final year of a two-year contract he signed with the Giants last offseason and is now likely to miss all of this season. The veteran lineman totaled 35 tackles and three TFLs in his first season with the team, while starting all 17 games he appeared in. The soon-to-be 33-year-old will now look to undergo surgery and begin rehab in hopes of continuing his career next season on what will likely be a one-year deal.

Hill suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 4 of last season. Hill suffered a dislocated knee, along with a torn ACL and LCL, while also injuring other ligaments. The 32-year-old receiver has undergone multiple surgeries since his injury, with his most recent injury coming in February. Hill could have a decent market when he is able to return, but it doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere close to seeing the field. Unsigned and injured, Hill doesn’t have any fantasy value at this point, and could be hard for fantasy managers to trust in 2026, even when healthy, given when we could expect to see him.

Speaking on Thursday, Harbaugh was sure to point out that Nabers’ injury was “not a simple knee” injury while adding that his star receiver is in the building “every day working hard” to make his return. Nabers underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee several weeks ago, but it isn’t expected to affect his return. Harbaugh said last month that Nabers wouldn’t be on the field until training camp, and maintained on Thursday that a return by camp was still the goal, but said the team will see what happens” from here. Nabers’ injury has been baked into his ADP all offseason, as he’s currently going in the mid to late second round of drafts. It wouldn’t be surprising if his ADP continued to dip until we have more certainty around his situation.