NFL Player News

Queen heads to the Ravens’ biggest rival in the Steelers after a breakout campaign where he tallied 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. The deal is worth $41 million and fills a need in the middle of the defense for the Steelers. Queen now gets a chance to lead a defense as he played alongside Roquan Smith for the past two seasons.

Carter spent last season with the Raiders, appearing in all 17 games while catching four passes for 39 scoreless yards. For much of his six-year career, Carter’s primary contributions have been in the return game. He returned 35 kicks and punts for 494 yards and could flourish as a kick returner under the league’s new return rules. He’ll likely have to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster but should have a good shot at handling primary kick return duties this season.

The Eagles were facing fines and a potential loss of future draft picks if they were found to be in violation of the anti-tampering policy. In a statement released by the league, the NFL said, “In coming to this conclusion, the league reviewed phone logs, text messages and other documents related to Philadelphia’s free agency strategy and decision to sign Barkley. The NFL also interviewed several members of the organization, including Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni, as well as Barkley and Penn State head coach James Franklin. As with every review, should new evidence be uncovered, the league may reopen the investigation.” It took nearly two months for the league to thoroughly investigate the matter, so we wouldn’t expect anything new to pop up. It sounds like the Eagles and Barkley are both in the clear as they prepare for the upcoming season.

When asked about potential tampering violations back in May, Cousins said, “There’s not a whole lot there.” The league, clearly thinking otherwise, has decided there was enough to not only dock the Falcons a future draft pick but also fine the team $250,000 and general Terry Fontenot $50,000. At his introductory press conference with the team back in March, Cousins more or less admitted to tampering when he talked about having contact with the team and free agent signee Darnell Mooney before the official start of the league year. In a statement put out by the league regarding the Falcons’ violation, the NFL said, “While the [anti-tampering] policy permits clubs to engage with and negotiate all aspects of an NFL player contract with the certified agent of any prospective unrestricted free agent during the two-day negotiating period, any direct contact between the player and an employee or representative of the club is prohibited. This includes discussion of travel arrangements or other logistical matters, which the club acknowledges took place with regard to these three players.”

Graham posted what appeared to be a retirement post to his Instagram back in March but said at that time that he was “unsure of what the future holds.” Last season with the Saints, Graham caught six passes for 39 yards and four touchdowns while playing on 171 offensive snaps. The 37-year-old vet is currently trailing for a 1,000-kilometer row across the Arctic Ocean in hopes of setting a world record and has become involved in long-distance biking. Speaking to ESPN, Graham said he will “reach out to the Saints and figure out what’s best, and then make the decision when it’s best” for him to retire, but it sounds like the 13-year vet is close to calling it quits.

It was reported yesterday that Johnson suffered a lower leg injury. We now know that he suffered a foot injury that will require surgery to fix. Schefter also noted that the “belief for now is that [Johnson] will be back for the start of the season,” but it sounds like he will miss all or most of training camp. Johnson caught 37 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games last season and doesn’t have much fantasy upside outside of being a week-to-week streaming option. His absence should open up more opportunities for Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau this offseason, with Hill being the only fantasy-relevant player at this time.

In his article, Zrebiec writes, “At Wednesday’s minicamp practice, Jackson was challenged throughout by an aggressive defense to change routes, run schemes and protections at the line of scrimmage.” Jackson excelled in his first season under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, winning his second MVP in five years while throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards along with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Now, with a firm grasp of the offense, it sounds like the team is planning to give him more control at the line of scrimmage, which could bode well for his fantasy outlook this season as he looks to make the most of what he’s seeing on the field pre-snap. Jackson, 27, will continue to have overall QB1 upside as long as he continues to destroy opposing defenses on the ground.

Karras was entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed back in 2022, but has now been extended through the 2025 season. The veteran center has appeared in 33 of a possible 34 regular season games since signing with the team, and earned a PFF blocking grade of 67.4 last season, which ranked 15th amongst centers (min. 300 snaps).

The report of Johnson’s lower leg injury comes after the Saints concluded minicamp and he is expected to miss extended time, likely into training camp. The Saints tried out UFL TE Sal Cannella today and also have Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill, and UDFA Dallin Holker on the roster. Later updates will give an idea of just how long Johnson will be out. He totaled 37 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns last season, finishing as a fantasy TE2. If he is healthy for the beginning of the season, Johnson will be at TE2 value once again.

Though Smith-Njigba left practice, head coach Mike Macdonald indicated it is not a serious issue. Fellow receiver Laviska Shenault also left early after injuring his toe while offensive tackle George Fant did not practice due to load management. The Seahawks have a few minor injuries through minicamp, but nothing has yet to indicate a serious issue amidst the reports. Macdonald ended minicamp early for the team, so the next updates for Smith-Njigba and the others will come later.

Kingsbury seems to be experimenting with using Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler in two-back sets out of the backfield. Both backs have different builds and skillsets and can be used in complementary ways. Robinson profiles more as the downhill runner while Ekeler is the pass-catcher. As it stands, Robinson is likely to be the lead back over Ekeler. If Kingsbury breaks out the two-back sets during the season, both backs will be on the field and have utility as pass-catchers for rookie Jayden Daniels.