NFL Player News

The Colts’ starting kicker Matt Gay has missed practice all week due to a hernia. That puts Shrader in line for his first career start in the Colts’ Week 1 matchup with the Texans. While that matchup carries one of the higher totals of the week and Shrader will be kicking indoors, using a kicker with more experience is the practical move for fantasy managers setting lineups in Week 1.

Owusu-Koramoah suffered a terrifying neck injury in 2024 and missed the entirety of the 2025 season while recovering from the injury. It now appears as if his days of playing competitive football are done. It’s an unfortunate situation for the former Pro Bowl linebacker but he at least appears to have recovered from the injury enough to lead a normal life.

The deal includes $16 million in guaranteed money and ties the veteran back to the Cowboys through the 2028 season. Coming off a career year, Williams remains with the Cowboys after playing the 2025 season on a one-year, “prove it” deal. The value on the contract is the same as was recently signed by Bears running back D’Andre Swift, making Williams the 16th highest paid back in the league on an average annual value basis. Expect Williams to enter the 2026 regular season as a borderline workhorse after handling 252 carries and seeing 51 targets in 16 healthy games a season ago.

Speaking to Jon Gruden on Gruden Goes Long, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely said he wants to “be able to blossom” moving forward. He added that he would like to return to Baltimore, a place he considers “home,” but was upfront with the fact that “business is business” as he works his way through his first free agency of his career. “I just want to be on a team where I can get out there and help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points on the board as possible,” Likely concluded. We’ll need to see how the coming months play out, but it certainly appears as if Likely is preparing to find a new home on the open market for the 2027 season.

With Taylor Decker considering retirement after 10 seasons with the Lions, it’s no surprise the team is preparing in case the 31-year-old indeed decides to call it quits. While the Lions could address their long-term need at tackle with their first round pick, which is 17th overall, the organization will certainly sign a free agent tackle before then if Decker retires. The Lions are approaching this situation proactively after center Frank Ragnow retired late last offseason, which left the team unprepared. Braden Smith, Rasheed Walker, Trent Brown and Jermaine Eluemunor are some of the free agent tackles that could make sense for the Lions.

Kaboly went as far as saying the Steelers believed they had a deal done for Waddle before last season’s trade deadline. While adding another wide receiver to go along with D.K. Metcalf seems to be a priority for the Steelers, it ultimately takes two teams to make a trade. Pittsburgh’s pursuit of Waddle before last year’s trade deadline came up short and NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported on Friday that the Dolphins aren’t interested in trading Waddle this offseason. That could also be posturing by the Dolphins to get better trade offers. If truly available, Waddle will be one of the big names to watch at the NFL Combine next week.

Etienne will become an unrestricted free agent when free agency officially begins. This would be quite the fun pairing. The Chiefs’ offense, featuring RBs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, averaged just 4.2 yards per carry during the regular season, ranking 20th in the NFL. Adding an explosive player like Etienne would be a significant upgrade. Both Hunt and Pacheco are set to become free agents as well.

This does not mean that other teams will not try to acquire him and RB De’Von Achane, but Waddle is currently valued as a core player. The Dolphins’ new front office has already begun releasing veterans and hopes to trade others, as they begin an organizational reset. Waddle, 27, is still a quality No. 1 wide receiver who can help develop a new, young quarterback. Keeping him makes sense.

This comes as no surprise. Achane, 24, and Waddle, 27, are core offensive players. The Dolphins recently released WRs Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and LB Bradley Chubb as they enter a youth-oriented rebuild. Wolfe echoed recent reports indicating that trade talks regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa and S Minkah Fitzpatrick could heat up at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Last week, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman said he believes Jordan Morgan will be the Packers’ starting left tackle next season, so today’s report makes sense. All five members of the Browns’ starting offensive line are set to enter free agency this offseason. Starting anew with Walker, a talented 26-year-old left tackle, could be a smart move.

Ward suffered an AC joint sprain in his right, throwing shoulder late in the year. Ward has been doing “lower-body work” and is expected to resume throwing the football in March, roughly two-to-three weeks from now. Titans coaches are reportedly focused on correcting “some of the bad habits” Ward picked up last year by improving his “base.” We should have another update on Ward’s recovery in the next couple of weeks.