NFL Player News

Mitchell returned from a devastating knee injury late last season but clearly wasn’t trusting his knee completely at that point. Zrebiec also adds that Mitchell is “far too explosive not to get utilized.” That doesn’t necessarily mean Derrick Henry’s workload is getting scaled back a bit, but a healthy Mitchell certainly puts that into the range of outcomes if he performs well.

The fully guaranteed contract includes annual roster bonus structure, meaning Shough would receiver the bulk of his yearly compensation each year during the first week of training camp. At pick No. 40, Shough now becomes the latest draft pick to receive a fully guaranteed contract and also the only pick from the 2025 class to receiver the annual roster bonus. While reports out of New Orleans continue to indicate a legitimate battle for the starting job under center heading into the new season, this contract seems to suggest the team is investing heavily in Shough as their quarterback of the future. Wether or not we see the Saints take a muted approach to the 2025 season to better set themselves up for an impending rebuild remains to be seen, but the collective fantasy community should surely view this as a plus for Shough’s chances of starting the regular season under center for the Saints.

Wolfe also critically said that “there is a belief” that Hunter will play both offense and defense in Week 1. The team views Hunter as a “more natural cornerback,” so they intend to “catch him up on receiver reps” in training camp. Hunter is best viewed as a high-upside flex option at this time, given the unknowns regarding his snap counts.

Battista notes that processing speed and decision-making are the Browns’ preferred traits in a starting quarterback. Per the report, Joe Flacco remains the favorite to start in Week 1, but Gabriel seems to have pulled ahead of Shedeur Sanders, whose off-field decision-making has left a lot to be desired.

NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson broke the news on Henderson’s fully guaranteed contract. Henderson looked explosive in offseason practices and can be expected to take over receiving duties in year one. The team is likely hoping he can take over the early-down rushing role as well, though Rhamondre Stevenson is a capable rusher.

Allen initially signed with the Broncos and a UDFA last year but was released with an injury settlement. He totaled 1.5 sacks, 1.0 TFLs and 12 solo tackles with the UFL’s Memphis Showboats in the 2025 regular season. The Cardinals also worked out DT Kyon Barrs, LB Joe Evans, Kevin Hester and Sheldon Newton.

Watson promisingly posted a video of himself running routes on June 20th, though his current sidelining suggests he still has a ways to go in his recovery. The veteran wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 18 last year. Historically, 10-12 months of rehab are required before players retake the field. The Packers also placed LB Quay Walker on the active/PUP list and OL Elgton Jenkins on the non-football injury list.

The $10.965 million contract is fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Burden missed spring practices due to a soft tissue injury suffered in late May. Earlier this month, head coach Ben Johnson told reporters that Burden would be ready at the start of training camp. Rookies are scheduled to report tomorrow to the team’s facility.

The 49ers continue to be extra cautious with their No. 1 wide receiver, whose expected return-to-play date falls in the Weeks 5-6 range. A recent beat report suggested Aiyuk is ahead of schedule and has a chance to suit up for Week 1, though this outcome should be considered somewhat unlikely at this time. The 49ers also placed OL Andre Dillard, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, S Malik Mustapha and LB Curtis Robinson on the active/PUP list while OT Ben Bartch and S George Odum landed on the active/non-football injury list.

Pearsall “tweaked” his hamstring on May 29th. On June 10th, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he expected Pearsall to be ready for training camp, but updates have been scarce since then. Hopefully, Pearsall is removed from the active/PUP list before long. He notably suffered a hamstring strain in mid-July last year, which bothered him for nearly two weeks.

ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler continue their reporting on Howell’s professional behaviors with a new story detailing Howell’s visits to what can generously be described as gentlemen’s clubs. Per the report, “a young union finance worker” noticed an exorbitant cost among Howell’s expenses, which prompted further investigation. Howell is said to have made multiple late-night visits to these businesses, including one trip in which Howell was “accompanied [by] two union employees.” Howell filed the visit under “Player Engagement Event to support & grow our Union.” Van Natta and Kahler add that “a former union employee said that there are no specific exclusions for venues,” but the individual reasonably concludes, “I don’t think anyone in their right mind would think that is an optically good scenario.” No players are currently known to have been involved in Howell’s activities.