NFL Player News

A downhill heat-seeking missile at middle linebacker, Francisco Mauigoa (6'3, 230) led both Washington State and Miami in tackles during consecutive stints and brings four years of Power Five production to the table. Mauigoa’s instincts and urgency between the tackles pop on tape, showcasing a classic “banger” mentality. He plays low to the ground, sees it before it happens, and arrives with bad intentions—especially as a blitzer, where he timed up gaps with striking precision (29 TFLs at Miami). While he boasts a strong 9.13 RAS, his stiff hips and tight change-of-direction limit him in space and make him a liability when asked to patrol the flat. Still, he’s Miami’s former green-dot player with special teams experience, and hasn’t missed a game in four years. With football bloodlines and a lunch-pail demeanor, Mauigoa projects as a core special teamer and rotational run-thumper who can help you survive early downs in the league.

The Bills waived Strong yesterday, with a non-football injury designation. Strong’s football future was uncertain after he underwent surgery to correct a neck injury in February, but apparently, there is a chance he can play again at some point. The Bills moved him to season-ending injured reserve after signing him, so he will ostensibly rehab all year in an effort to resume playing in 2027.

Studesville spent 2022-25 serving as the Dolphins’ assistant head coach and running backs coach under former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser, over the past year, Johnson has mentioned multiple times that he is fascinated by McDaniel’s creativity in the run game. Lieser did not elaborate on which tactics Johnson is interested in learning more about, but a cursory PFF data review shows the Dolphins used lead run concepts at the league’s third-highest rate (32.5 percent) last year, while Johnson’s Bears used them at just a 14.6 percent rate. Adding some of the creative — and successful — concepts that Studesville learned from McDaniel can only be viewed as a good thing for Bears RBs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

Engram is “making light work of linebackers in coverage with eye-widening catches,” which Renck thinks could suggest Engram is headed toward a bounce-back campaign. Renck also believes Engram will be more involved in the offense thanks to Davis Webb’s promotion to offensive coordinator. Webb recruited Engram, his former teammate, to join the Broncos last year. Renck also rightly believes new WR Jaylen Waddle will command safety attention, clearing out the middle of the field for Engram. However, he does not address the fact that Waddle represents a massive increase in target competition. Renck also spends the entire piece comparing Engram to a banana and asks whether said banana is ripe or stuck in a tailpipe. Seriously. Engram can be viewed as a potential TE2 candidate in best ball, but we fear a tailpipe scenario is in play for those hoping he produces a TE1 outcome.

Oh, boy. Kelly giveth and taketh away. On the one hand, Kelly believes Tolbert “seems ready to handle the split end, possession receiver role.” On the other hand, Kelly thinks Tolbert is a replacement-level player. Tolbert has cleared 275 receiving yards just once in his four-year career. Kelly is probably right. If Tolbert can become the clear-cut No. 1 target, he might be able to return FLEX value, but he could be an extremely volatile producer.

Kelly published an offseason awards list today, and Willis’ review was not great. Kelly believes the coaching staff " needs to find a way to improve his processing speed.” He also thinks Willis “needs to spend the next month developing better chemistry with his weaponry.” The latter issue has been mentioned before by coach Jeff Hafley and OC Bobby Slowik. To be fair to Willis, Kelly notes that Willis never once attempted a scramble in practice open to media members because he is trying to refine his pocket passing. Unfortunately, Kelly believes Willis failed to put distance between himself and backup QB Quinn Ewers, whom Slowik complimented publicly earlier this month. Willis will score plenty of fantasy points with his legs this season, but he will need to produce at least somewhat reliably as a passer as well.

Carter is participating in individual drills. He sat out for a month of the 2025 season after undergoing procedures on both shoulders last year. Late in May, Eagles DC Vic Fangio said Carter “had a good offseason of lifting” and that Carter’s shoulders “are fine,” so Carter’s limited participation is unlikely to be health-related. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave a non-answer when asked if this was injury-related or perhaps contract-related. We suspect it is the latter. The front office picked up Carter’s fifth-year option last year, keeping him under contract through 2027. He has a $3.7 million salary this year and a $27.1million salary next year. He is likely seeking a rich, long-term investment from the team. It remains to be seen how this will pan out, but GM Howie Roseman is a very savvy salary cap manager.

Wilson’s first two years in the NFL were riddled with injuries. A summer concussion and in-season hamstring injury slowed his rookie season development, and he was robbed of his second season after being rolled up on in an August practice. He underwent season-ending ankle and knee injuries and was replaced in the lineup by Cooper, who uninspiringly caught nine passes for 92 yards all year. Wilson, an oversized slot receiver, is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant, but it sounds like he has a chance to at least contribute this season.

This comes a month after Diggs was found not guilty in court on charges that alleged he assaulted a private chef last year. Given the league’s review of the matter, Diggs won’t be in danger of suspension, which could spark interest in the 32-year-old free agent. Diggs has been linked to several teams as a possible fit, including the Chiefs, Commanders, and Ravens, while a return to the Patriots seems highly unlikely at this point. In his lone season with the Patriots, Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. While he’s unlikely to contribute as a true WR1 at this stage in his career, Diggs would be a solid WR2 for several teams in need of help at the position and could still provide an occasional splash week for fantasy managers.

With Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton both sidelined with injuries, it’s not a complete surprise to hear that Likely was the preferred target over recently signed vets like Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That said, it’s an encouraging sign for Likely and his fantasy managers, who are hoping that his first season away from Mark Andrews can lead to a breakout in 2026. Likely had a down year in 2025, posting career lows in targets (36), receptions (27), yards (307), and touchdowns (1), while appearing in 14 games. The 26-year-old tight end has shown flashes throughout his career and has drawn praise throughout much of the offseason. He profiles as a fringe TE1/TE2 with a chance for immense upside in an offense that’s devoid of top talent at receiver after Nabers.

The Deshaun Watson experiment hasn’t gone as the Browns hoped when they traded for him in 2022 and signed him to a record-setting four-year, $230 million contract. Watson’s performance on the field has been underwhelming, and the torn Achilles he suffered in 2024 kept him on the sidelines for all of 2025. Despite this, the 30-year-old signal-caller is in the midst of a battle with Shedeur Sanders for the Browns’ QB1 job this season, and Berry sounds open to the possibility of Watson not only playing for the team in 2026 but also in the future. Berry didn’t rule out Watson signing a new deal with the team after this year and said, “I think you have to be open-minded and flexible” when it comes to the quarterback position. It’s hard to imagine Watson remaining with the Browns beyond this season, given how things have gone so far, but for an organization that has started over 40 different QBs since 2000, it would seem that all options truly could be on the table. Regardless of who wins the Browns’ QB1 job to start the year, we would expect to see both Watson and Sanders at some point.