NFL Player News

Reed (6'1"/220 pounds) threw for a whopping 71 touchdowns and ran for a dozen more in the same Western Kentucky offense that produced Patriots QB Bailey Zappe. Reed racked up nearly 16,000 passing yards over 51 collegiate games in the pass-first Hilltoppers offense. He’ll compete this summer to make the Bears roster and possibly serve as Caleb Williams’ backup.

Patrick is a seven-year veteran who has started in 54 of the 96 games he’s appeared in since entering the league as a UDFA in 2017. He spent the last two seasons with the Bears and made 15 starts in 2023. While he has ample experience at guard, Patrick has also played over 1,900 snaps at center, making him a versatile player who can be moved anywhere along the interior.

Doaks was a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2021 and has yet to play in a regular season contest. Set to turn 26 before the start of the season, the former Cincinnati Bearcat could get a chance to compete for a spot on another 53-man roster later this offseason; he’d have little to no fantasy upside even if he were to make a roster.

Averett returns to the AFC North, where he spent the first four years of his career as a member of the Ravens. The veteran corner spent time with the Lions and 49ers last season but didn’t appear in a regular season game. His signing comes after a tryout with the Raiders during their rookie minicamp. He’ll presumably need to battle for a spot on the 53-man roster in camp.

The 28-year-old former Bill missed all of 2023 after suffering a practice field “medical event” with the Giants. His age, limited production history, and missed 2023 will impact his 53-man roster odds, but he has signed at the right time of the offseason to at least give himself a shot.

The former Georgia State standout entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs, playing four seasons in Kansas City before joining the Dolphins for three seasons. He spent the previous three seasons with the Vikings and Raiders but never saw the field for either franchise despite continually finding himself on the active roster. Wilson accumulated 2,499 yards and 12 touchdowns on 218 career receptions.

Wolf moves from his previous position as director of scouting to serve as executive vice president of player personnel, a position that now gives him control of the personnel department, the salary cap, and the 53-man roster in New England. This was thought to be the direction the franchise would go, with the announcement of the signing now making it official. The fancy title effectively makes Wolf the new General Manager for a team undergoing vast changes throughout its organization.

The No. 36 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft underwent surgery to repair a partial Jones fracture in his foot earlier this year and now needs the same surgery on the opposite foot. The surgery is scheduled for next week and head coach Dan Quinn declined to speculate on his return timeline following the procedure. The standard recovery time for a Jones fracture with surgical intervention is three to four months, which should place the second-round rookie in line to return to football activities prior to the start of the 2024 season, assuming a clean rehabilitation.

We obviously aren’t concerned about “tightness” in May, but it is something to file away in case the issue lingers into mandatory minicamp in June. Early-offseason soft-tissue issues have an alarming propensity to stick around for young players. Hopefully this is the last we hear of it.

“I feel like the coaches kind of thought the same thing, as well,” Legette said of what was a popular scouting observation. “So I feel like that was important. I put emphasis on making that happen and being able to show them that I could do that through the process.” Legette also admitted some have nitpicked his ability to get in and out of his breaks, but he believes it’s because of his bigger size. “A lot of folks say a lot of bigger guys can’t get in and out of their breaks. But I’m gonna show them (otherwise).” Already 23 years old, Legette is going to have to clean up his game in a hurry at the highest level.

In other words, the Vikings are taking the traditional approach of making McCarthy “earn it.” This is a situation where it is not entirely outside the realm of possibility that veteran Darnold actually makes an early-season start or two if McCarthy isn’t ready, but the competition will undoubtedly be rigged in the rookie’s favor.