NFL Player News

Moore went down with the knee injury early in Pittsburgh’s Week 4 matchup with the Texans. He was unable to return to the contest. Fellow Pittsburgh linemen Chukwuma Okorafor and James Daniels were also sidelined for the first practice of the week. With Kenny Pickett attempting to play through a knee issue, this is the worst time for Pittsburgh lose multiple offensive linemen.

Cross now remains tied to the organization through the 2026 season. PFF gave the towering 24-year-old tackle exemplary marks in 2024, ranking him 10th of 140 qualified tackles, including 15th in pass protection and 16th in run blocking. The Seahawks extend the negotiating window on one of the key pieces of their offensive front.

The former Steeler wasn’t able to carve out a significant role with the Panthers, Ravens, or Texans in 2024 after a 717-yard 2023 season. The Browns apparently saw enough during his visit with the team Monday to sign him to a one-year contract, the details of which have yet to be released. Expect Johnson to start opposite Cedric Tillman on the perimeter while Jerry Jeudy works the slot.

Moore visited the Bills on Monday and then saw the Browns place the unrestricted free agent tender on him. Per Field Yates, this means that Moore will count against the compensatory free agent formula should he sign with another team. If he is unable to sign with another team prior to the first day of training camp, the Browns would retain exclusive negotiating rights at 110 percent of Moore’s 2024 salary. That carries a value of $3.428 million in his case.

The former first-round hybrid linebacker and safety has yet to live up to his No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 draft, but brings the unique ability to fill multiple positions over the middle of the field to a Packers defense that prefers to play a more inside-out style. There is upside in his athletic profile and versatility -- perhaps another change of scenery will serve to unlock some of that potential.

The 33-year-old wide receiver has long since seen his days of 100-target seasons fall by the wayside, but he still adds a veteran presence to a relatively young wide receiver room in Pittsburgh. Woods played over 60 percent of the offensive snaps for the Texans just twice in 2024 after doing so 13 times in 2023, indicating a high likelihood he was brought in for his locker room presence and veteran savvy rather than as a consistent contributor to the offense. The low-risk signing makes sense for both parties considering Woods’ age and the state of the Pittsburgh pass-catching corps.

Johnson had a forgettable 2024, to put it mildly. The former Steelers receiver saw himself traded to the Panthers last offseason only to later be traded to the Ravens, where his lack of playing time eventually led to his release. He then found his way to the wide receiver-needy Texans, who rostered him for just over three weeks. He was then claimed off waivers by the Ravens but was not eligible to play during the postseason. Now a free agent, Johnson, 28, has not enjoyed the market many expected him to see this time last year. He’s a productive receiver who has amassed 424 catches for 4,738 yards and 28 touchdowns in his six-year career, but it goes without saying that he’s likely in brand rebuilding mode as far as this offseason is concerned. This is the first visit we’ve heard of for Johnson, who may meet with other teams before signing.

Brooks (6’2/184) was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school and committed to Alabama with offers from Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Penn State among others. Brooks got on the map as a sophomore with 674 yards and eight touchdowns. He didn’t play much as a junior while dealing with a shoulder injury and transferred to Louisville for his senior season. Brooks returned to form in 2024 with a 61/1,013/9 receiving line as the Cardinals’ leading receiver. Louisville used Brooks to stretch the field with a 15.1 aDOT. Brooks doesn’t have a speedy top gear, meaning he was forced to win contested targets. Over a quarter of his looks were contested in his final season, but he did manage to reel in nearly 70 percent of those looks. Brooks also struggled with drops throughout his career and logged a 10 percent drop rate in 2024. Brooks needs to flesh out his route tree and clean up the drops to find a consistent role in the pros.

Fortune (6’1/189) played five years with South Carolina, starting his final two years with the Gamecocks. His best season came in 2024, where he finished with 47 total tackles, a forced fumble, three interceptions, and three pass defections. Against the rush, Fortune posted a lackluster 54.0 run defense grade with 20.7 percent missed tackle rate. He is quick and has good vision, however there are times where he hesitates, causing him to miss important tackle opportunities. Fortune blossomed on the outside though, posting a pristine 90.1 PFF coverage grade in 2024. He’s not as physical as he could be in contested-catch situations and can be sluggish in his transitions. Despite his limitations versus the run, the potential is there for Fortune to become a regular on nickel packages as a coverage specialist.

Macdonald’s comments come on the heels of him being asked if Milroe could be used in a “Taysom Hill role.” The second-year coach said Milroe is “going to be trained to play quarterback” and added that Milroe will be playing quarterback when he is on the field. Milroe is a hyper-athletic but raw prospect at the quarterback position and is expected to need a year or two of grooming to improve his decision-making and abilities as a passer. It would not be at all surprising if we saw him in some select packages this upcoming season, but it sounds like the team will not be using him in the hybrid role we’ve grown accustomed to seeing for Hill.

Cooper split last season with the Browns and Bills, catching 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. It was a down year for Cooper, who never made the impact the Bills hoped for when they traded for him at last year’s deadline, but the soon-to-be 31-year-old may have enough left to make an impact for his former team. In four seasons with the Cowboys, Cooper caught 292 passes for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns while earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2019. The Cowboys didn’t add a receiver in this year’s draft.