NFL Player News

The environment at Sanford Stadium was electric Saturday night, with commits and recruits who have yet to pick a school all speaking highly of their visits. Ratledge (6'6/311), who made his pledge to Georgia in May, was one of many who took unofficial visits over the weekend. And his comments could lead one to believe that, if allowed, he would have suited up for the Bulldogs immediately. “The environment was amazing,” Ratledge told 247Sports. “It made me want to be playing and more ready to get there. My favorite part was probably talking to everyone, all the commits and hopefully future commits.”

With roughly five minutes left in the game and a chance to take the lead, Stafford couldn’t find anyone open on third or fourth down as the Seahawks dropped extra players into coverage. It obscured a middle two quarters where Stafford absolutely torched a defense that has been mostly untouchable by non-Rams opponents this season, as he stuck haymaker after haymaker to keep the Rams in the game after Xavier Smith’s muffed punt put the Rams in an 11-point deficit. The runaway surprise QB1 this year after coming into the season with a scary-sounding back injury, Stafford authored an MVP-caliber 2025, leading the league in passing yards and throwing a career-high 46 touchdowns. He enters 2026 drafts as a mid-range QB1 despite what will be obvious questions about his age (38) and health history.

Darnold had little help from the running game – 64 total yards from his backs – and still managed to shred the Rams defense. He was turnover-free for the first time all season against Los Angeles. Seattle’s pass protection held up amazingly well against the Rams front. Klint Kubiak trusted Darnold to hit several throws on the final drive to drain clock and Darnold managed a third-and-7 conversion to Cooper Kupp as well as a 14-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on second-and-10 that all but sealed the game. Darnold will get a bye week before he takes on the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

Sean Payton has long been a card-carrying member of the Lil’Jordan Humphrey Fan Club and reunited with the veteran receiver mid-season in November. Humphrey played his first snaps with the Broncos in Week 11 and wound up catching nine passes for 101 yards and one touchdown in seven regular-season games with the team. Humphrey also hauled in a 29-yard touchdown in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to help the Broncos advance past the Bills. Humphrey started this season with the Giants only to be cut later in the season. He’ll be a free agent this offseason, but his familiarity with Payton and the Broncos could lure him back to Denver on a short-term deal for 2026.

It’s an in-person interview per Adam Schefter. Brady is also still in play for the Bills and Cardinals jobs. This interview is apparently being conducted without Raiders owner Tom Brady, who is busy calling the NFC Championship Game. Brady was also involved in the Ravens, Dolphins, and Falcons searches before they all hired new head coaches.

Engram again failed to replicate the success he had with the Jaguars from 2022 to 2023, when he amassed 1,729 receiving yards on 187 catches while also scoring eight times. The 31-year-old tight end, who has made a name for himself as a short-yardage merchant, averaged a career-low 4.2 ADOT this season, but still averaged 5.9 yards after the catch. Engram signed a two-year contract with the Broncos this offseason and carries a dead cap hit just north of $10.3 million if the team were to release him. Despite obviously being on the back nine of his career, Engram remains a solid option in short-yardage situations and should be locked in for at least one more season with the Broncos. That said, he’ll be hard to trust for fantasy purposes after finishing as a top-12 PPR tight end just twice in 2025.

A hamstring injury suffered in the first quarter forced Bryant to the sidelines in Sunday’s game. He was unable to return to the field and now sees a promising rookie season come to an end. The 2025 third-rounder ended this season ranked third among Broncos receivers in routes run (309), and finished the year with a 31-378-1 line on 47 targets. Bryant came on strong later in the season, with 31 of his targets coming in his last five regular season games. Bryant will compete with Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims for snaps next season, but could have the inside edge to the team’s WR2 spot with a strong offseason.

Sutton found the end zone for a six-yard score in the first quarter, which was the only points the Broncos could muster in Sunday’s defeat. The veteran receiver turned in another solid season for the Broncos in 2025, leading the team with 74-1,017-7 on a team-high 124 targets. Sutton surpassed 60 yards in 10 of the 17 games he appeared in. Sutton has now missed just one regular-season game since 2023 and has enjoyed back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons under Sean Payton. He remains under contract with the Broncos through 2029 and will be 30 at the start of next season. He’ll be primed for another strong season in 2026, much to the delight of both the Broncos and fantasy managers.

Mims hauled in a 52-yard pass from Jarrett Stidham in the first quarter that helped set up a six-yard touchdown catch by Courtland Sutton two plays later. Despite the big play, it was another forgettable season for Mims overall, who continues to see light work in his third season in the league under Sean Payton. Despite showing flashes when the opportunity arises, Mims’ 276 routes run on the season, per PFF, were the fourth-most of any Broncos receiver this season, as were his 51 targets. A reliable option both on offense and special teams, Mims seems unlikely to offer much fantasy upside to his managers in 2026 after managing just 37-322-1 this season.

A successful rookie season officially comes to an end for Harvey, whose 12 touchdowns led all rookie running backs this season. The rookie second-rounder was as advertised this season. He flashed on the ground on his way to a 146-540-7 rushing line, while also soaking up 47 catches for 356 yards and another five scores. Harvey faced early competition from J.K. Dobbins to start the season, but a foot injury to Dobbins in Week 10 paved the way for Harvey to lead the Broncos backfield. Following the injury to Dobbbins, Harvey saw a 28 percent opportunity share and ranked ninth among all running backs with 29 targets from Weeks 11-18. Dobbins joined the Broncos on a one-year deal last offseason. Assuming he doesn’t return, the path to more touches should be clear for Harvey in 2026, making him a prime fantasy pick for managers.

Henry’s longest gain came on a nine-yard reception on the Patriots’ opening drive of the second half. What might appear to be a forgettable play on the surface, however, set up the Patriots for a fourth-and-inches, which was converted for a first down by Drake Maye on the following play, which positioned the Patriots to make their only field goal of the day, which put them up 10-7 and proved to be the difference maker. Henry has seen just five targets in the Patriots’ last two games, but could benefit from better weather in the Super Bowl, which is set to be played in San Francisco.