NFL Player News

Nacua looks to have mostly recovered from a knee injury he suffered in camp. The Rams were expecting to have him ready for Week 1 and he returned to practice last week. While still on the injury report, Nacua logged a full practice for the first official practice of the week, indicating he will be clear for Week 1 against the Lions. Though competing for targets with Cooper Kupp, Nacua profiles as a low-end WR1 heading into the season.

Silverstein’s sources add that the Packers were close to dealing Alexander near the start of free agency, but that the combination of “trade compensation and Alexander’s willingness to alter his contract to fit the other team’s salary cap have made it difficult to close a deal.” We’ve been blurbing about Alexander’s situation all offseason and nothing has changed to this point. If the draft passes without a trade, we’re likely headed to a place where the Packers would be more compelled to release or keep him than trade him.

“I can tell you this, Mark Andrews is a warrior. He’s a great player and we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can,” DeCosta continued. It’s a bit of a departure from John Harbaugh saying he “fully expected” Andrews to be here in late March. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Andrews may be available in a trade but that nobody has really given the Ravens an offer they’d consider feasible. We’d bet on Andrews returning still, but it is noteworthy that DeCosta wouldn’t commit to it.

“Either a) he legitimately is like my shoulder has reached a point where I think I’d rather take care of it than play this season or ... b) it’s some sort of threat, like we asked for you guys to release us, you didn’t, we were upset when you just restructured the contract instead of trying to work out a release, so now here’s another path for us not showing us, and maybe now we’ll force a release,” Triplett continued. “I don’t know how there’s any resolution from this,” Triplett added. The Athletic’s Diana Russini added that she believes Carr does not want the “Kirk Cousins treatment” where a team is not committed to him long-term. Triplett and Nick Underhill believe that Carr wanted out and was very upset when the Saints restructured his contract and forced him to stay. It sure feels like Carr is intent on not playing for the Saints this season.

Henley had surgery to repair a torn labrum that he played through for the final four months of the season. Henley told ESPN’s Kris Rhim that he expects to be “100 percent” before training camp. If for whatever reason Henley is slow coming back it could be an opening for 2024 third-rounder Junior Colson.

While Morgan also spent the press conference telling interested teams the Panthers would be willing to move down, it was a little more telling that he spoke about the Georgia LB prospect in such finished terms. He didn’t do so at the combine. The Panthers have widely been perceived as interested in drafting a defender at No. 8 overall and Walker would be a logical fit for them.

Shough, a rising name in the process per Dianna Russini, is one of several draft-eligible quarterbacks the Giants are doing late work on including Shedeur Sanders and Jalen Milroe. Shough’s rookie year will also be his age-26 season, so he’d be a bit of a weird developmental pick to hang behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Perhaps the Giants think he could compete for the job right away, or be ready to play the second half of the season.

Smith, who played right tackle in college at USC before flipping to the left side in the pros, retires with a borderline Hall of Fame resume. He was named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team and finished first-team All-Pro twice along with three placements on the second team. Smith was especially dominant over a 2013-2016 peak wherein he finished with an 85.9 PFF grade or higher in all four seasons. Injuries slowed him in his later years, including in a 10-game stint with the Jets that concluded with him on injured reserve with a neck injury in 2024. He’ll sign a one-day contract to retire as a Cowboy.

Grier joked in the presser that if somebody calls to offer them two first-round picks they’d consider it, but unfortunately for him Bill O’Brien can only offer NIL money at this time. Hill’s recent domestic dispute with his wife likely has teams skittish regarding a potential trade for the speedy wideout. Denials don’t always mean what is on the tin — and the fact that Grier said no team had contacted them as far as a trade for Hill could be viewed as him seeking a market — but as of now it looks more likely than not that Hill will return as Miami’s No. 1 receiver in 2025.

Hunter said he would refuse to play for a team that did not allow him to play both corner and wideout. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field,” he told CBS Sports. “I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.” Hunter in 2024 played 713 offensive snaps and 748 defensive snaps, “which made him the only player since at least 2017 with at least 250 snaps played on both offense and defense in a single season,” according to CBS Sports Research. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, a mentor to Hunter, said Hunter could easily play both sides of the ball as a pro since physical contact in the NFL is “minimal.” Pro Football Focus graded Hunter as last season’s second best cover corner. The most likely outcome for Hunter, 21, would include a full-time defensive role in the NFL with a package of receiver snaps in certain situations. He’s expected to go in the first ten picks of the 2025 draft.

Russini said Shough’s draft prospects have spiked over the past two weeks, going from a second- or third-round selection to a possible first rounder. That, of course, depends on how desperate quarterback-needy teams will be on the first night of the NFL Draft. An anonymous head coach told Russini that Shough, who threw for nearly 3,200 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions in his final collegiate season, is the best QB prospect in the entire 2025 draft class. Shough, who will be 26 in September, played seven years of college football, including stints at Texas Tech and Oregon. Pro Football Focus graded Shough as 2024’s fifth best passer. His adjusted completion rate in 2024 ranked 25th out of 93 qualifying QBs. It would be surprising if a team aggressively pursued the older quarterback prospect as a first-round selection.