NFL Player News

Jackson was cut by the Steelers at the end of last season to free up $12 million in cap space. The former first-rounder was traded to the Steelers from the Commanders at last year’s deadline but never suited up for Pittsburgh in 2022. Now reportedly healthy and ready to get back to work, Jackson will try to catch on with a team before the start of the season. Jackson signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Commanders in 2021 and quickly became one of the bigger free agent busts in recent memory. Whenever he signs with a team, it will likely be to serve as added depth and not as a starter.

This has been expected all along. It’s unknown how Watson factors into next year’s plan at quarterback for the Browns — CBS’ Jonathan Jones suggested he could compete for the job in training camp with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But his anvil of a contract is untradeable and releasing him with a post-June 1 cap hit would not save the Browns a single dollar currently after they restructured it yet again in 2025 to keep the roster in some semblance of order. It’s possible they could restructure it again in 2026 and continue kicking the can down the road so they can put a functional offensive line on the field next year. Watson’s current 2026 cap hit is $80,716,514.

It’s good news for both of them, as Love appears to be going through the concussion protocol just fine and with a chance to play in Week 17. If he doesn’t, Willis will get a chance to start. If neither of them are available, we’ll watch Clayton Tune do his thing against the Ravens.

Already with one DNP and a locker room carting under his belt in the last two days, the source here isn’t telling us anything that we shouldn’t already have been thinking. The good news for Mason is that the way Fowler’s source and Kevin O’Connell (who refused to rule him out today) have been talking about him says this isn’t a major injury and that he has a chance to play in Week 18. He’s droppable for those of you with championship games in Week 17.

That makes it sound like it’s preparing us for another practice DNP today, but otherwise it all sounds like good news for St. Brown and fantasy managers who will want him available for Week 17’s game against the Vikings. St. Brown would be an easy WR1 as long as he makes it to the active line, but there is probably a non-zero chance that he gets extra rest in this one, especially if the Lions are able to put Max Brosmer to bed early.

When a man who has already spent time on IR for concussions suffers another concussion in Week 16, and said man is 32 years old, the thoughts tend to be more towards “is it time for him to retire” than “can he go Week 17?” We would be surprised if Kelly played again this season. We would not be surprised if this was it for him.

The Seahawks dud was understandable — they have arguably the best defense in the NFL this year. But Brosmer didn’t exactly light it up against the Giants in relief in Week 16, and the Lions play aggressive coverage. Brosmer is yet another governor on the fantasy prospects of players like Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison in Week 17. “Boy, we wish Carson Wentz was still healthy,” we unbelievably thought.

No surprise on a short week. McCarthy apparently has a chance to play in Week 18 based on Ian Rapoport’s reporting, but we can’t exactly circle that for a fact just yet. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy will not need surgery for the “very small” fracture, perhaps the smallest we’ve ever heard of. It’s been an injury-plagued, disastrous year for the 2024 tenth overall pick. The Vikings almost have to bring in real competition for him in 2026 based on what we’ve seen so far. Max Brosmer should be in line for a Week 17 start and can be started in superflex leagues by sadomasochistic managers.

This should put him in line to reclaim a major role in the Texans backfield in Week 17 against the Chargers. Marks would be more of a low-end RB2 play against a good defense in what is projected to be a lower-scoring game, but volume should be on his side if he’s able to be active for the contest. Assuming he actually stays on the field, anyway.

Ian Rapoport’s sourced timeline on Tonga’s recovery should have him ready for New England’s first playoff game. New England will be desperately trying to get him, Robert Spillane, and Milton Williams as ready as they can be for the playoffs after the run defense has sprung a leak over the last month.

The UDFA center will be a rotational cog along the middle of the Patriots line, probably mostly as a backup, for the two years to come. Brown has started just two games this year, but had a 10-game stretch as a starter in 2024. He qualifies as competent depth.