NFL Player News

The Panthers also restructured DT Shy Tuttle’s deal, freeing up $10.7 million total. The team was more than $4.5 million in the red prior to the moves, which will allow the front office to address depth issues in-season.

The Falcons, of course, drafted both Jalon Walker and James Pearce in the first round. In an exclusive interview with CardPlayer.com — not to be confused with our PokerNews.com James Cook scoop a few days ago — Judon said that his sack total was down because “I dropped (into coverage) on 60 percent of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.” Judon also told Kyle Odegard that “a couple” teams had expressed interest in him but he was in no rush to sign.

Austin McNamara and Kai Kroeger will compete for the Jets punter job this year. The 39-year-old former Saint was the league’s oldest punter last season. If he wants to keep punting, he can absolutely join the tryout circuit or a competition elsewhere. But this is probably a sign that the Morstead’s 16-year career is close to an end at this point.

Morton said he’d never “been around someone that fast,” then quickly corrected himself to note that Jhamyr Gibbs is also that fast. Williams came on strong last year with a 58/1001/7 receiving line, but offensive coordinator praise could mean even more targets are coming. It would likely come at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s production if Williams were to truly break out, though there’s plenty for St. Brown to give and still be a top-flight fantasy wideout. It’s risky to read too much into statements like this in the offseason, but the new offensive coordinator telling you he thinks it’ll be a breakout year for Williams is certainly noteworthy.

It’s been a slow offseason for the veteran corner after a rough year with the Bills where he finished with just a 51.6 PFF coverage grade. The Dolphins have reportedly been in contact with Douglas, but this is the first known visit for him. He’d likely fit as a depth piece in Seattle, perhaps one that pushes Josh Jobe for a starting job outside in a best-case scenario.

The good news for Smith is that he has a lot of depth chart runway. Garrett Wilson is the obvious No. 1, but neither Josh Reynolds nor Allen Lazard qualifies as a locked-in WR2 at this stage of their careers. Smith’s blazing speed has intrigued Aaron Glenn, who noted how fast he was in rookie minicamp over the weekend by simply noting “Arian has some juice.” The tough news is that as long as Justin Fields is the starter, it’s hard to believe he’ll be seeing many deep shots that aren’t schemed wide open. Still, Smith has some appeal in deeper leagues and could make an interesting dynasty stash.

“Obviously, he had 1,000 yards over the last two years, and then he can catch the ball out of the back field. Good in the screen game. Competitor, man,” Coen continued. As last year taught us, anyone involved in a Liam Coen screen game can be a fantasy factor. It’s probably a little too early to get excited about Allen — and Allen is behind Bhayshul Tuten in the Jacksonville running back pecking order — but Coen’s vision of how he wants to use Allen is noteworthy for fantasy leagues.

Etienne doesn’t figure to factor in much as a runner early behind Chuba Hubbard. But since neither Hubbard nor Rico Dowdle have a rich history of catching the football, it’s possible that Etienne winds up playing a third-down role for the Panthers early. That’ll depend mostly on if the coaches trust him in pass protection. It will likely take injuries ahead of him for the undersized Etienne to be a fantasy factor in his rookie season.

They also officially agreed to terms with seventh-round RB Damien Martinez and seventh-round WR Ricky White III. Horton and White will probably battle for a spot at the end of the roster behind Cooper Kupp, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar has predicted that Horton will wind up as the main return specialist for Seattle this year in a recent mailbag. White and Jake Bobo will probably be in a true dogfight for the final spot in the wideout room.

One major trait that stands out in Rucker’s game is his speed off the ball. If you’re playing him on the outside, he can really win those bull rush battles. His speed also helps him consistently get to the quarterback, posting an 81.8 pass rush grade in 2024. Rucker really blew up in 2023, where he recorded 61 total tackles and 8.5 sacks. He plays with a high motor, and his combination of speed and bend on the outside is impressive. His 32 ⅝-inch armspan has given him the advantage to win those one-on-one battles. He is active with his hands, and he doesn’t rely on one move. As a run defender, there are times where he relies on his speed. Meaning, he’ll lack the upper body strength and sometimes get beat right away. Rucker also isn’t as physical off the ball consistently. Overall, Rucker has consistently improved over his collegiate career, recording 18 sacks over the last three seasons. A fractured fibula left Rucker unsigned through the early part of post-draft free agency, but the Ravens are apparently comfortable enough with the injury to take a chance.

Channel 3000’s Jason Wilde, a long-time Packers beat, cites a league source as saying Jenkins wants a reworked contract as compensation for being moved to center this offseason. Jenkins has no guaranteed money remaining on a four-year, $68 million extension signed prior to the 2022 season. This will be his age-30 season, as to this point he’s authored a stellar career spent only with the Packers.