NFL Player News

That makes veteran wide receiver Julio Jones active for the first game with his new franchise, likely to play a situational role out of the slot for one of the top offenses in the league. Penny hits the inactives list again with both Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott healthy. Tanner McKee will serve as the emergency quarterback.

Harris has reportedly lost seven pounds this offseason and has been “almost obsessively clean” with his diet in recent months. “It’s all fueling his fire to have an even better season than last year and prove a lot of people wrong,” said Josh Scott, Harris’ trainer. “There’s a lot of people that hate on him for whatever reason, but he’s been as consistent as you can be. He’s durable. I think he’s going to continue with that. I mean, contract season, that pretty much speaks for itself.” The Steelers this month decided not to pick up Harris’ fifth-year option, though the team has not ruled out striking a deal with Harris to keep him in Pittsburgh beyond the 2024 season. He’ll likely split the backfield workload this season with the more explosive, efficient Jaylen Warren.

Jones said Tua, lobbying for a long-term deal with the Dolphins, has been “absent for the large majority of voluntary offseason work since the Dolphins reported back April 15" and might not join his teammates at voluntary workouts starting Monday. Tagovailoa said in April that he would not miss any offseason workouts while working out a contract with the team. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has said he wants to sign Tua to a longer term deal — despite Tua’s shortcomings in an otherwise productive Miami offense. This situation will likely be resolved in the coming weeks. If it isn’t, Tagovailoa could face daily fines of $40,000 if he sits out some or all of training camp. The team could save those fines if it sees fit, Jones said.

Ogundeji was a fifth-round pick of the Falcons back in 2021. As a rookie, he totaled 33 tackles, five TFLs, and one sack and posted 42 tackles, three TFLs, and two sacks in 2022. An ankle injury suffered last August ended his 2023 campaign before it ever began. Ogundeji has appeared in 32 games and made 27 career starts and could catch on with another team if he’s fully recovered from his injury.

The Rams selected Brockers No. 14 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent nine seasons with the team before joining the Lions in 2021. Brockers racked up 57 tackles for loss or no gain over his 11-year career, bullying linemen as a run-stopper and part-time pass rusher. He spent 2023 as a free agent before announcing his retirement on social media this week.

Thornton stated his aim is to play at 190 pounds this season, both to improve his on-field performance and reduce his likelihood of suffering another impact-related injury. Thornton has failed to clear 0.80 yards per route run in his first two seasons, ostensibly slowed by an August 2022 clavicle injury and an August 2023 shoulder injury. Thornton must prove he belongs on an NFL roster this year.

Edmunds was traded from the Eagles to the Titans last season and totaled 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception while splitting time with the two teams. The former first-round pick was let go by the Steelers after his rookie contract expired at the end of the 2022 season and is now set to play for his third team in two years. He’ll have a chance to provide added depth to the Jaguars’ secondary but is unlikely to be viewed as a starter at this point. In addition to Edmunds, they also signed cornerback Tre Flowers and linebacker Ty Summers.

Hyde is once again mulling retirement but affirms “it’s Bills or retire.” He is reportedly in no rush to make a decision and the team has players in place should Hyde choose to hang up his cleats. He remains a capable coverage defender and was targeted at the position’s eighth-lowest rate last year (6.0%), ranked among safeties with at least 500 coverage snaps.

Tonyan joined the Bears as a free agent last offseason and caught just 11 passes for 112 scoreless yards while playing primarily behind Cole Kmet. He’s a player with two seasons of 450-plus yards on his resume, including a productive 2020 in which he went for 52-586-11. With that said, Tonyan is once again looking to be banished to the bench behind T.J. Hockenson and veteran Josh Oliver. While it’s possible he’ll work his way onto the field in two tight end sets or due to injuries, he has little to no fantasy upside at this time.

Lloyd has a chance to earn significant snaps early in his career. Despite a crowded backfield that includes Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon, Packers OC Adam Stenavich said earlier this month that he hopes to play Lloyd “as much as possible.” Lloyd is a versatile, explosive back who made the most of his one season at USC. Last season with the Trojans, he rushed for 116-820-9 while adding another 13 catches for 232 yards. Lloyd has early fantasy value as a handcuff to Jacobs/Dillon, but could emerge as a more meaningful contributor once we see how things play out in training camp.

Pleasant was signed by the Rams as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator last offseason and is now going to add the title of assistant head coach to his resumé. Pleasant helped coach up a Rams defense that surprisingly ranked 19th in the league in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed. It wasn’t stellar, but for a defense that was expected to be among the worst in the league, it’s easy to say they outperformed expectations. Pleasant could find himself in contention for head coaching jobs next offseason with another solid year in 2024.