NFL Player News

Wilks, formerly the head coach of the Cardinals, alleges that he was hired as a “bridge coach,” was not given a chance to succeed, and was “unfairly and discriminatorily fired after just one season.” Following Wilks’ firing, the Cardinals extended GM Steve Keim and hired a head coach with a losing college record, Kliff Kingsbury, both of whom are white. Horton alleges that he was subjected to a sham interview by the Titans, purely to comply with the Rooney rule. The Titans instead hired Mike Mularkey, who admitted in a podcast interview in 2016 that the Titans told him he would be named head coach before “they went through this fake hiring process.” Brian Flores has claimed he was subjected to a similar sham interview by the Giants, who had already settled on Brian Daboll as their new head coach. He has also claimed that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for every loss during the 2019 season to help Miami secure a better draft spot, a claim that would be extraordinarily damaging if proven.

Whether Croskey-Merritt can participate in the Commanders’ three-day mandatory minicamp, from June 16-18, is unknown. That said, Standig believes RB coach Anthony Lynn’s “positivity is notable.” Lynn thinks the team can take Croskey-Merritt’s game “to another level and get him potentially in the lead role.” To do this, Croskey-Merritt must take on more responsibility in the passing game this summer. Lynn adds that the young back’s “hands are very good, his movement skills are very good, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t win routes.” The staff is happy with its new-look backfield, but Standing writes that RBs Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford “are not high-volume playmaking threats,” like “Bill” is, and rookie RB Allen is still getting up to speed. Once Croskey-Merritt arrives, he must prove that he can meaningfully contribute as a receiver and as a pass protector. Doing so would unlock a fantasy-friendly role.

Singleton broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot at the Senior Bowl, so the team has had to slowly add more to the rookie running back’s workload over the last few weeks. He reportedly worked more on Tuesday than he has at any point this offseason. That said, Titans coach Robert Saleh spoke with the media on Thursday and referred to RBs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears as “the bellcows.” He adds that Singleton is big, fast and “learning it all,” but he must “compete his way” into the running back group.

Listing Pollard as a bellcow comes as no surprise. Saleh has spoken positively of him already. Including Spears in the “bellcow” column is notable, but we still expect him to be second on the depth chart. Pollard out-touched Spears 275 to 117 last season. Perhaps Spears can tack on a few more touches this year.

This is great news. Last week, Payton said he expected Nix would “have more of a role” at mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for June 16-18. Today is the last day of organized team activities, so getting on the field before next week is a positive. Nix did not participate in team drills today. Payton said that Nix “will be out there for some work next week for minicamp.” Hopefully, he can increase his participation level.

Two days ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Chiefs and Morris had agreed to explore trade options because Morris wanted the chance to play more often. The 25-year-old, former third-round pick has logged 1,059 career snaps at left tackle and 88 at right tackle, though he has yet to stand out in pass protection. Despite his struggles, Morris provides at least mild insurance behind 34-year-old LT Jake Matthews.

Cleveland’s Mary Kay Cabot reports that Jeudy “felt something in his hamstring today,” so he sat out. Coach Todd Monken made clear that he does not give veterans rest days right now, so if a player sits, it’s because they are being cautious with an injury. Today was the Browns’ final mandatory minicamp practice. They will now go on break until training camp begins in July. Early in May, Cabot reported that the team is hoping Jeudy reclaims his WR1 role this season. Browns rookie WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been taking full rotations with both the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive groups. Yesterday, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported Boston “has been one of the Browns’ standouts this summer.” Get well soon, Jeudy. The youngsters look promising.

Monken noted that this is easy to say now, because the team is not practicing in pads. That said, Monken opined that “it feels like he’s making quicker decisions” and that the ball is coming out of his hands faster, which he has to continue doing on game days. Monken adds that Sanders possesses playmaking ability, but he needs to “eliminate lost-yards plays.” It sounds like Sanders’ to-do list is fairly straightforward. The battle between him and QB Deshaun Watson continues.

Organized team activities (OTAs) are conducted without pads, but this is still encouraging. Irving participated in rushing and receiving drills today, at the Buccaneers’ final session before mandatory minicamp begins on June 16th. In mid-May, general manager Jason Licht said Irving would be limited at OTAs, but should be “ready” for training camp in July. Head coach Todd Bowles muddled the return timeline a couple of weeks later, saying Irving was “expected back sometime in summer or fall.” Apparently, that time is now. Hopefully, Irving makes it through today’s session without issue and can continue practicing next week. He remains atop the depth chart, but the coaching staff has noted that RB Kenny Gainwell possesses a similar skill set to Irving, and recently complimented RB Sean Tucker’s short-yardage rushing chops. It looks an awful lot like a committee.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Payton is now under contract through 2030. Schefter noted that Broncos GM George Paton is also signed through the 2030 season. Payton came out of retirement to coach the Broncos in 2023. His first season with Russell Wilson was a struggle, but Payton has since found his stride with Bo Nix under center. The duo won 10 games in Nix’s rookie season and improved that mark to 14 last year. Had Nix not suffered a season-ending injury in the Divisional Round, Denver likely would have made it past the Patriots en route to a Super Bowl appearance. As expected, the Broncos have no intentions of letting Payton go anytime soon.

Ridley suffered a broken fibula in Week 11 of the 2025 season and missed the remainder of the year. He hadn’t participated in any 7-on-7 or team drills up until this point, making today’s participation a major step in the right direction. Ridley agreed to a restructured deal to stay in Tennessee this offseason. He will tumble to third in the pecking order for targets now that Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson are both in the fold. That should still allow for the occasional splash play, but fantasy managers should look elsewhere for FLEX options.