NFL Player News

27-year-old Heuerman was clearly on the outside looking in after the team drafted fourth-round specimen Albert Okwuegbunam to play behind last year’s No. 20 overall pick Noah Fant. Heuerman totaled 63/678/5 in 51 games with the Broncos the past four seasons. Releasing him saves $3.9 million in cap space.

Miller, 37, had a very productive year with the Commanders last year. PFF credits him with 36 quarterback pressures, 10 sacks and 14 tackles. Miller should make a notable impact on passing downs and still has some early-down utility as well. It’s a smart signing for Dallas.

Holder cites comments made by Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds today. Dodds did not come right out and share the team’s plans, but when asked about Richardson’s status, he stressed the importance of having three quarterbacks on the roster. The Colts’ quarterback position group was so banged up last year that they brought Philip Rivers out of retirement. Recouping value for Richardson has its merits, but the Colts intend to compete this season. Keeping the quarterback room deep makes sense.

We suspected this might be the case when Schefter’s colleague, Jeremy Fowler, reported earlier today that the team is “hopeful” Love can play in Week 1 against the Chargers. This evening, Schefter echoed that phrasing, saying the team is “hoping” he can return in time for the season opener. Love has just under a month to get healthy. He remains a high-upside pick, but RB Tyler Allgeier should be targeted as a bench stash. The Cardinals surprisingly gave Love 14 touches in Thursday’s preseason game. One imagines they might be more conservative with his early-season touch count, assuming he is able to play, but only coach Mike LaFleur knows for sure.

NBC Houston’s Aaron Wilson noted earlier today that Noel was not participating in practice due to a finger injury, which he suffered in July, and a recent hamstring injury. It turns out Noel’s recent hamstring injury is actually a re-injury. This is unfortunate. Fellow second-year WR Jayden Higgins has the inside track to the WR2 role. Noel was set to compete with Xavier Hutchinson and WR Tank Dell for the WR3 gig. Instead, he is losing valuable preseason reps. Noel might be best viewed as an early-season waiver wire add.

Davenport penned a lengthy piece detailing how OC Brian Daboll is focused on developing QB Cam Ward’s play on third down, in the red zone and in the two-minute drill. This is pretty straightforward. Those are all high-leverage situations, so harping on Ward’s performance there makes sense. Robinson played on all three drives in the Titans’ first preseason game while veteran Calvin Ridley was on the field for one. Rookie WR Carnell Tate was on the field for the first and third drives. It is tough to get a read on Robinson’s status in the starting wide receiver trio, but a featured role on third downs could help him return FLEX value if Tate and Ridley take the Nos. 1 and 2 roles, respectively.

Adams, 30, has had some tough injury luck over the course of his career. This is very unfortunate. Adams was set to play on a one-year, $1.3 million contract this season. He totaled 38 tackles, seven quarterback pressures and one sack with the Raiders last year.

Davenport, 29, totaled just seven quarterback pressures and one sack for the Lions last year. He is likely best suited to a rotational role at this point. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs notes that Davenport began his career with the Saints in 2018, playing for the Bears’ current defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.

According to Schefter, initial tests indicate Monangai’s knee is structurally sound. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI to confirm the results, but it sounds like Monangai avoided suffering a consequential injury. This is great news for the second-year back, who warrants standalone FLEX treatment if his knee checks out. Starting RB D’Andre Swift can easily shoulder a few extra touches if Monangai needs to be eased into action next month.

Brown, 30, dealt with knee, groin and rib injuries last season. He profiles as a rotational player at this point in his career, but the Raiders’ wide receiver depth chart is fairly thin. He is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant, though he can help out at the team level. The Raiders correspondingly released DT Benito Jones.

Recent reporting from ESPN suggests the Steelers will employ a run-heavy approach this season. Vacchiano agrees and adds that Steelers coach Mike McCarthy believes Dowdle could help the team produce a strong running game this season. That said, Vacchiano also said that Dowdle and RB Jaylen Warren could form “a potent tandem,” so Vacchiano may only be indicating that Dowdle will be the team’s primary rusher while Warren changes the pace and plays on passing downs. Both players sit in the fringe RB2/FLEX barrel right now.