NFL Player News

Kosmider said head coach Sean Payton and Denver’s front office may be more amenable to chasing a quarterback in the first round after getting 2024 fifth and sixth round picks from the Browns in exchange for Jeudy. Kosmider believes the Broncos will target Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, whose draft stock has skyrocketed over the past month and who could be a good fit for Payton’s balanced, somewhat conservative offense. There’s no universe in which Jarrett Stidham could hold off McCarthy for long, even if Stidham inexplicably gets the Week 1 starting job.

This was an emphasis of head coach Ben Johnson when he arrived in Chicago after the 2024 season. “Late in some of those games, we were making some heroic plays . . . but it wasn’t necessary if we execute in the first quarter and second quarter,” Barrett said in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times. “We might be up two touchdowns by the time we get to the fourth quarter. We can be efficient and take what the defense is giving. You don’t necessarily have to put the cape on and make those crazy plays because you already were killing them in the first three quarters.” Williams over his two pro seasons has been among the worst out-of-pocket passers. Last season his adjusted yards per attempt on throws outside the pocket (4.8) ranked 29th out of 35 qualifying QBs. His accuracy on such throws ranked 30th. Barrett and the Bears will continue encouraging Williams to take the easy throws in 2026.

League officials, according to Florio, are “still holding out hope” that they can tack on yet another game to the NFL regular season, but time is running out before the league must schedule the Super Bowl in early 2028. NFL players and the players union have pushed back against the idea of another regular season extension, citing player safety. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acknowledged this in statements on the potential for an 18-game season. “One, safety has to be the primary concern, right?” Goodell said in late April. “If you can’t do it safely for our players, we’re not gonna do it. And that’s why I would say it’s not inevitable.”

Carter missed a month of football last season due to having surgery on both of his shoulders. Speaking with the media, Fangio said Carter appears fine and that the star lineman has “had a good offseason of lifting,” which Fangio believes he began earlier than usual. Carter totaled 33 tackles, three sacks, and five TFLs in 11 games for the Eagles last season, and has remained a key piece of the defense since being drafted No. 9 overall in 2023. It sounds like he should be in good shape for the start of training camp for a defense that ranked fifth in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed last season.

Legette is facing stiff competition for work entering training camp after the Panthers drafted Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round of this year’s draft. Legette lost the WR2 job to Jalen Coker midway through last season, and caught just 35 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season. Legette has a good combination of size and speed on the outside, but the fact that he was a late-career breakout in college suggested he could face an uphill battle to make an immediate impact at the next level. Legette is unlikely to have any redraft value in 2026, even if he can hold on to WR3 duties through training camp.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite a productive 156-1,797-14 line in 28 career games, recurring legal issues have caught up to Rice here. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would ordinarily be in line for an extension here, but Rice, who was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating his probation, will need to wait on that. Rice will miss OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result of his prison stint, and will need to impress both on and off the field this upcoming season if he hopes to secure a long-term extension next offseason. He caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last season and has averaged 64.2 receiving yards per game in his career to go with 7.5 targets per game. Assuming he’s good to go for the start of this season, Rice will profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 with tons of upside.

Fangio, 67, has considered retiring over the last few years, but he says his thought process “never really got serious to where [he] would have done it.” The Eagles’ brass hired Fangio ahead of the 2024 season. Since then, the Eagles’ defense has allowed the sixth-lowest offensive success rate and the second-fewest EPA per play. It’s a talented unit, no doubt, but Vangio’s scheme and playcalling have had a big impact. The defense ranked 25th and 29th, respectively, in 2023.

This theoretical contract would include $25 million guaranteed. Earlier this offseason, Shipley said that the four-year, $78 million contract with $38 million guaranteed signed by Titans WR Wan’Dale Robinson “makes sense.” In his most recent projection, Shipley accounts for Washington’s value as a returner by referencing the contracts signed by Packers WR Jayden Reed and Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed. Both players got three-year deals that were more front-loaded than the earlier projection. Reed’s deal is worth $50.25 million with $20 million guaranteed. Shaheed’s is worth $51 million with $34.7 million guaranteed. Shipley believes Washington could surpass that number, with a good year, if the Jaguars allow him to test free agency next offseason.

Williams also focused on building lower-body strength this offseason, adding five to eight pounds in the process. He believes this strength could help him develop as a centerfield target, which is the primary thing to note for fantasy purposes. A 2019 Rotoworld study showed that targets thrown over the middle, 10-plus yards downfield, are more valuable than those thrown along the sideline at an equivalent depth. Williams went 0-for-5 on centerfield targets as a rookie. Improving his play over the middle will help him challenge for a role in the Patriots’ starting three-wide receiver set. Williams also said he hopes to be more consistent, build chemistry with QB Drake Maye and master the playbook this offseason.

Reiss spoke with TE Hunter Henry and former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer about how McDaniels’ scheme “demands a lot” from the quarterback position. As simple as it sounds, learning the “what” under McDaniels can happen quickly. Learning the “why” takes time. Hoyer notes that reports on Maye’s development last spring and summer were hardly glowing, but the young quarterback made strides in-season and defenses had a harder time fooling him with “different looks, fronts and blitzes” as the season progressed. Patriots newcomers, FB Reggie Gilliam and WR Romeo Doubs, are reportedly impressed with Maye’s mastery of the offense as well. Maye was the MVP runner-up last year, completing 72 percent of his passes and finishing as the overall QB2 in total fantasy points.

Per Wolfe, the Panthers have had “a great start” at organized team activities (OTAs), which is somewhat confusing because the Panthers’ first OTA session is scheduled for May 26th. Young is apparently impressing someone on the field somehow, though. Regardless, Wolfe believes the Panthers’ offseason has made them “true contenders” capable of winning 10-12 games. They have won 13 over the past two years. If Young really is stepping up his game, that is good news for WR1 Tetairoa McMillan’s potential second-year leap. He posted a 70/1,014/7 receiving line en route to earning OROY honors last year. Young has a long way to go before we can view him as anything more than a fantasy QB2. Hopefully, the positive reports continue to roll in. If the Panthers really can win double-digit games, Young will ostensibly play a key role in the effort.