NFL Player News

Warren said head coach Mike Tomlin told him he would take over as the Steelers’ backfield starter ahead of the team’s Week 10 game against the Packers. “He did kind of mention the night before that whatever had transpired throughout the team, he was saying that he was going to announce me and that I’m deserving of it,” Warren told reporters after the Steelers beat Green Bay. Warren had 15 rushes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, along with two catches for nine yards. Najee Harris, meanwhile, had 16 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Both Pittsburgh backs were targeted four times in Week 10. Warren, who ranks third among all running backs in missed tackles forced per rush, should have something close to a 55-45 lead in the backfield split going forward. He’s an every-week starter in 12-team formats.

No. 29 overall pick Guyton was one of seven Cowboys picks to sign on Thursday. An explosive athlete who only started one season of his four-year college career, Guyton is a developmental prospect to an unusual degree for a first-round pick, albeit one who will almost certainly immediately slot in as a starter on the right side.

The Panthers have signed their entire seven-man draft class ahead of Friday’s rookie minicamp. Legette’s deal includes a fifth-year team option for 2028 after the Panthers traded back into the first round to select him. New coach Dave Canales has talked up manufactured touches for the late South Carolina breakout, suggesting he isn’t going to be an immediate point of emphasis down the field. With so many moving parts in the Panthers’ offense as they attempt to prevent Bryce Young’s career from going off the rails, Legette doesn’t seem terribly likely to make a WR3 impact as a rookie.

Although Levis said he expects a balanced attack, he also believes the Titans will have “a lot of drop-back game in situations where we might not have seen that last year.” He also emphasized “we’re gonna throw the ball on first down.” In other words, the Titans are ditching Mike Vrabel’s archaic approach and even if they aren’t passing “harder,” they will be passing “smarter.” As astute observers of the modern game know, it’s not so much about volume as sequencing. Levis might not have a sophomore step forward to take, but he is at least going to be put in better position to succeed between his upgraded supporting cast and seemingly updated offensive philosophy.

“The thing I love about them is they can catch the football,” Jordan gushed. “They can turn a check down into a big play.” Jordan’s answer was in response to a question about how he might divvy up touches between his top-two backs. Although it doesn’t really clear things up from a fantasy perspective, Jordan is not wrong. It also hints the Titans and new coach/ex-Bengals assistant Brian Callahan will very much carry over the Bengals’ penchant for involving the running back in the passing game. Pollard is currently the RB25 on Underdog, with Spears checking in as the RB38. Spears is probably the more appealing option at that ADP since the Titans might be sincere about treating the backs as interchangeable, especially on some of the most important fantasy downs.

The deal, of course, includes a fifth-year team option for 2028. Although the Raiders were an unideal landing spot for 2024 — their quarterback situation is amongst the league’s worst, while the skill corps is surprisingly crowded — Bowers could clear out the field soon enough. Neither Davante Adams nor Jakobi Meyers will be around for the long haul, while second-year pro Michael Mayer could already be a stranded asset of the previous regime. It’s disappointing that Bowers doesn’t have a clear rookie path to top-five status at a thin position, but that could arrive as soon as 2025. As it is, Bowers is still worth back-end TE1 consideration for the upcoming season, and that could end up a conservative projection.

Fuaga will be tasked with turning around an offensive line that PFF graded as the seventh-worst pass-blocking line in the league last season. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said after the team drafted Fuaga that he could eventually move to left tackle, but didn’t say whether or not that would be the plan for him early on. Fuaga never took a snap at left tackle during his time at Oregon State which could make for a steep learning curve if he were to eventually make the switch. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get reps at both tackle positions in camp before the team ultimately decides where he’ll open the year.

According to Callahan, the signing of Tyler Boyd didn’t have anything to do with Burks’ performance, or lack thereof — which he shared with Burks after the signing. Regardless of what Boyd’s signing means for Burks, it’s hard to overlook his familiarity with Callahan’s system and the fact that he’s a veteran who has provided multiple years of high-end production. In addition to Boyd, Burks also has to find a way to earn targets with DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley both on the roster. Burks has dealt with injuries throughout his brief career and has a career receiving line of 49-665-1, spanning over 22 career games. It’s difficult to imagine Burks earning enough opportunities to become fantasy-relevant in 2024, but time will tell as we begin to learn more about how he’s being used in training camp.

This report comes via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who spoke to the veteran free agent. Gilmore, 33, played on 999 defense snaps for the Cowboys last season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 72.3 while allowing 50 receptions for 653 yards and four touchdowns on the year. The veteran corner still has plenty to offer as a second corner, but his interest in returning for “the right opportunity” likely means he’d prefer to join a postseason contender. Plenty of teams should be interested in his services, but it’s possible he won’t land a deal until closer to training camp.

It was rumored earlier in the day that the Rams were planning to release Skowronek, who was a seventh-round pick from the 2021 class. Now, the Rams are set to deal Skowronek and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Texans in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Skowronek, who has a receiving line of 58-575-1 through 45 career games, joins a crowded receiver room in Houston but can provide added depth both out wide and in the slot. He’s made 12 starts in his career but has surpassed 50 receiving yards just once in his career.

Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. The veteran linebacker said the recovery is “a long, slow process” and that he’s currently working on getting his strength and mobility back. The 49ers signed veteran linebacker De’Vondre Campbell to help mitigate the loss of Greenlaw, who totaled 120 tackles and five TFLs for them last season, and Campbell is expected to see a significant number of snaps early in the season. We’ll likely know more on Greenlaw’s readiness as training camp approaches, but given the lengthy recovery time that comes with his injury, he’ll most likely open the season on injured reserve.