NFL Player News

Both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been the subject of trade discussions throughout the offseason. With the first round over, Aiyuk now seems less likely to be on the move, though Andeson didn’t say if the discussions were ongoing. With first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall now on the roster, the 49ers have some flexibility to move Samuel. The Patriots, on the other hand, are desperate at wide receiver. They are currently slated to pair rookie quarterback Drake Maye with Demario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne.

Caleb Williams was presumably the only QB Atlanta’s front office had ranked above Penix, who the team took with the eighth pick. Fowler said Falcons owner Arthur Blank “loomed large” in the decision to take Penix with a top-10 pick. Blank, per Fowler, “fully endorsed long-term stability at the position, which Kirk Cousins, at age 35, cannot satisfy to the same degree.” After Matt Ryan and Michael Vick ran the Atlanta offense for the better part of two decades, Blank has no interest in a quarterback “carousel,” Fowler said. The strong-armed Penix, 24, should get a fair number of QB1 snaps for the Falcons in this summer’s minicamp and maybe in training camp if Cousins isn’t fully recovered from his 2023 Achilles tear. There remains little chance of Penix starting in 2024.

Dell was struck by a bullet and sustained a “minor gunshot wound” while attending a private event in late April. He was treated for the injury at a local hospital and released shortly after. McNair’s words seem to confirm previous reports that the wound would not place either his rehab or 2024 season in jeopardy. Dell is working his way back from a fibula fracture in Week 13 a season ago but is expected to be ready for the start of the coming season. He’ll face additional target competition after the team signed veteran alpha wide receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason.

The nine-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Saints before searching for a new home this offseason, eventually landing with the Raiders in what should be a depth/utility role on the interior offensive line. The specifics of the contract were not yet disclosed. Peat appeared in 111 contests over the previous nine seasons, 102 of which were starts. The Raiders experienced significant turnover along the offensive line this offseason, something that likely played a role in the veteran signing.

Burrow surprised everyone on Monday when he took to the field to participate in throwing drills, a moment captured by the team’s social media account. It was an encouraging step towards a return from season-ending wrist surgery, but Kragthrope’s takeaway from the workout is even more encouraging. The quarterbacks coach said Burrow “looked like the Joe Burrow we’re used to seeing” and that he “didn’t see any difference” in his throws, adding he’s happy with where Burrow’s at in his recovery. Wide receiver Andrei Iosivas also praised Burrow for “the amount of power” he has on his throws and said he “was slinging it and really putting some heat on those [passes].” With training camp roughly three months away, Burrow still has plenty of time to build on his recovery, but it sounds like he’s trending toward being ready for training camp.

Davidson appeared on 163 snaps for the Titans over five games last season. He spent most of last season on the 49ers practice squad but was signed to the Titans in late October and wound up starting the team’s final three games of the season. A former second-round pick of the Falcons in 2020, Davidson has played in just 24 games in his career and will likely need to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster in camp.

Eliot Wolf, the team’s director of scouting, is expected to be considered for the role after spending the last four months working closely with the team on free agency and the draft. However, the team is expected to conduct a full-scale search that will comply with the Rooney Rule as they look to fully move on from the coach centric model that existed under Bill Belichick. While it’s uncertain whether or not the Patriots will give the title of general manager to whoever they hire, Jones says sources familiar with the situation “believe the position would outrank all other football positions in the building.”

The Jaguars allowed Smoot’s contract to expire at the end of the 2023 season, paving the way for the Bills to bring on the veteran end. Smoot appeared in just 12 games last season due to a torn Achilles injury he suffered late in the 2022 season. He managed just 10 tackles and one sack in those games but had totaled five or more sacks in each of the previous seasons before his injury. Whether or not he’ll be able to get back to his old form is to be determined, but another year removed from injury should bode well for Smoot, who is heading into his eighth year in the league.

It’s unlikely that this is the first time Burrow has thrown since undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in late November, but it’s the first time we’ve seen him do so publicly. Burrow said earlier this offseason that he’s “confident” he’ll return healthy in 2024 and also added that his rehab “hasn’t really affected” his offseason preparation. The Bengals are set to start rookie minicamp on May 10th and have OTAs beginning on May 28th. Burrow may not officially begin practicing with his teammates until mandatory minicamp begins in June, but it’s an encouraging sign to see him back on the field and slinging the ball with little to no difficulty.

The Packers have a talented trio of backs in Lloyd, Josh Jacobs, and AJ Dillon. They selected Lloyd with the No. 88 overall pick in this year’s draft, but it’s hard to know where he could fit in early in the season. The easy answer is third down, as Lloyd caught 34 passes during his college career and averaged an impressive 13.3 YPR. With that said, Jacobs has two 50-catch seasons on his resumé and didn’t sign a four-year, $48 million deal to ride the pine. While we’d expect Lloyd to be on the field plenty as a rookie, he may not have much fantasy upside unless an injury paves a way for more playing time.

More specifically, Canales said he wants to get Brooks in space, use him on perimeter screens and check-downs, and in an empty package that utilizes running backs. He also added that Brooks’ versatility is “probably the biggest thing that stood out” to him and the coaches throughout the pre-draft process. Brooks, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season, rushed for 187-1139-10 in his final season with the Longhorns and added another 25-286-1 through the air. While he spent much of his career playing behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, in his lone season as the starter, he did more than enough to impress and get selected as the RB1 of the 2024 draft class. Canales led a Buccaneers offense in 2023 that funneled 70 targets to Rachaad White, and should bring similar elements of that offense to the Panthers. Brooks will have top-24 upside in PPR leagues once he’s taken full control of Carolina’s backfield, which should happen sooner rather than later. At this time, Brooks is expected to be ready when training camp kicks off in late July.