NFL Player News

Via The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, “A three-star recruit out of high school, Russell played quarterback, running back and linebacker at Lakewood High, rushing for 1,586 yards in his prep career. He committed to Temple over Pitt and Rutgers and overcame back-to-back ACL tears in his right knee in 2016 and 2017, starting all 26 games at WILL linebacker the last two seasons. Russell, who earned his single-digit jersey due to his toughness, plays with pop in his hands, but he is too slow in his stack-shed action, struggling to leverage blocks due to average play strength. He is a smooth-moving athlete with balanced feet and untapped upside in coverage. Overall, Russell is able to mirror runners to the hole with his reaction quickness, but his suspect take-on skills, processing speed and durability cloud his NFL projection.”

Nix is still recovering from the broken ankle he suffered in the divisional round of last year’s AFC playoff matchup against the Bills. While it’s too early to be overly concerned about Nix’s availability come training camp, his absence for OTAs is a bit disappointing given that Broncos co-owner Greg Penner said earlier this offseason there were “no concerns at all for OTAs.” Of course, this was nearly a full month before Nix underwent a procedure in late April to “clean up” his ankle. Head coach Sean Payton expressed confidence that Nix will be ready to go by training camp, which begins in just under two months. The Broncos are set to have a mandatory three-day minicamp from June 16-18, which we wouldn’t expect Nix to be available for. For now, backups Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger will handle most of the snaps under center while Nix remains sidelined.

The Eagles are also receiving a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Patriots in exchange for Brown. After spending months waiting for this trade to become official, the two sides finalized things shortly after the post-June 1 deadline took effect on Monday, sending Brown to the Patriots and giving Drake Maye an elite WR1 to pair with Romeo Doubs and company. Brown grew increasingly frustrated with his role in Philly’s run-heavy offense last season, which made him a likely trade candidate this offseason if the team could find a suitor. With Stefon Diggs no longer in Foxborough and Maye ascending the ranks of NFL quarterbacks, pairing Brown with Maye for the foreseeable future seemed like a no-brainer for the Patriots, who were able to avoid dealing their 2027 first-round pick. Brown will turn 29 this offseason, but has totaled 1,000-plus yards in each of his four seasons with the Eagles, helping them to their second Super Bowl title in 2024. He’ll profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 in fantasy leagues and should see a nice increase in targets next season.

We will all breathe a collective sigh of relief when this trade is completed. Schultz said the two sides have “had deep discussions” on a potential trade, and also confirmed previous reports from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that the deal would include a 2028 first-round pick going back to the Eagles. It truly feels like only a matter of time before this deal gets done, as we all continue to wait for the post-June 1 deadline to officially take effect. It wouldn’t be surprising if this deal became official before the end of the day.

In a post on X, McLane says, “from what I understand,” the return for Brown is “straight up a 2028 first-round draft pick.” We’ll see if that’s the case if/when a deal between the Eagles and Patriots eventually gets done, but that would be a steep drop from the compensation the star receiver was expected to generate. It’s been reported that the Patriots are unwilling to deal a first-round pick for Brown, so it’s possible this is how the two sides agreed to a deal for the Eagles to move on from the disgruntled receiver. If a deal does happen, we wouldn’t expect it to come before 4:01 PM EST, which is when it would officially become more financially feasible for the Eagles as a post-June 1 deal. Brown caught 78 passes for 1,008 yards and seven touchdowns last season in a down year, and would immediately slot in as the Patriots’ top receiving option if he’s dealt.

It’s been a busy Monday for the Giants, who have now added three receivers to the roster with the signing of Smith-Schuster. The 29-year-old pass-catcher has spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs as a role player, catching 51 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns over that span. The receiver-needy Giants also added Braxton Berrios and Odell Beckham Jr. to give them what is quickly becoming one of the older wide receiver rooms in the league. Much like the other two players signed before him, there’s little reason to believe Smith-Schuster will make any sort of meaningful fantasy impact in 2026, if he makes the roster.

The Browns also received a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick from the Rams. Verse is a rising star in the league who has totaled 12 sacks in 34 regular season games. The 25-year-old, however, became a key part in the deal that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams, as GM Les Snead reportedly wouldn’t take no for an answer in his endeavors to acquire the 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Verse is a former first-round draft pick from the 2024 class and has two years left on his rookie deal, plus a fifth-year option that the Browns will need to decide on whether or not to pick up next offseason. He won’t completely fill the void left by Garrett, but verse has displayed a good knack for getting after the quarterback, generating 157 QB pressures and another 35 hits since entering the league, per PFF.

Shortly after Browns HC Todd Monken declined to comment on whether or not he expects Garrett to report to mandatory minicamp, we now have our answer. The 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and single-season sacks record holder is now taking his talents to Los Angeles to help Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford’s push for a second Lombardi Trophy. Speculation around a possible trade for Garrett began swirling earlier this offseason after the team re-worked the language in his contract to make him more feasible to trade, and now, after months of insisting Garrett would be a Brown for life, Cleveland has dealt him away. It goes without saying that Garrett will provide a major boost to a defense that finished 10th in points allowed last season and fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance, even if it does come at the cost of losing a young star in verse. Garrett signed a four-year, $130 million extension with the Browns last offseason and remains under contract through 2030, putting him under the Rams’ control for the next four seasons. In addition to verse and a 2027 first-round pick, the Rams also sent a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland. Browns GM Andrew Berry said shortly after the deal was announced that talks were ongoing and nothing was official yet, but this seems like a done deal despite Berry’s best poker face.

Monken said the only thing he was assured of when taking the job as the Browns’ head coach was what was written on his contract. That doesn’t seem great. Garrett has been the subject of offseason trade rumors after the Browns modified the language in his contract earlier this offseason, and has notably been a no-show at team activities thus far. Should he not report to mandatory minicamp next week, it would be the most obvious sign yet of a clearly disgruntled player who could be looking for a way out. Garrett signed a massive four-year, $130 million contract extension last offseason, but now, it’s possible the 30-year-old pass-rusher would like to have a chance winning something on the football field while still in the prime of his career. Garrett set an NFL record 23 sacks last season on his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. If he were to become available, it’s safe to say there would be plenty of teams lining up for a chance at his services.

How much does a 33-year-old receiver who missed all of 2025 have left in the tank? We’re about to find out. After rumors of mutual interest between the Giants and OBJ, the two sides have officially reunited on what is presumably a one-year deal. It’s been a forgettable few years for Beckham, who hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019, and managed just nine catches for 55 yards in 2024 and generated little to no interest last offseason while also being handed a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. While he’s undoubtedly the most decorated pass-catcher in the Giants’ receiver room, Beckham joins a cast of seasoned vets to go along with Malik Nabers, who is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered last season. He’ll likely face legitimate competition for snaps and seems unlikely to make much of a fantasy impact for managers in 2026.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was quick to point out that Wilson “may not be retiring,” but it would be surprising if the former ten-time Pro Bowler and 2013 Super Bowl champion returned at this point. Wilson was on a Hall of Fame trajectory early in his career, earning the starting job for Pete Carroll’s Seahawks over Matt Flynn as a third-round rookie in 2012. With the help of the legendary Legion of Boom defense, Wilson and the Seahawks dominated the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVII to bring the franchise their first championship title, and fell just short of repeating as champions in 2014. A trade to the Broncos in 2022 didn’t work out as either side had hoped, as Wilson’s five-year, $245 million contract quickly turned into one of the worst deals in the league. After officially moving on to the Steelers in 2024, Wilson played marginally better in his 11 starts, but not well enough to come back in 2025. A forgettable six-game stint with the Giants last season, in which he threw for 831-3-3 on 119 passes, may be the last we see of Mr. Unlimited on the gridiron, as he now prepares to join CBS as a member of their Sunday pregame show. Wilson and the Jets were rumored to have interest in one another earlier this offseason, but this move to TV had been foreshadowed for a while, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise.