NFL Player News

The hits keep on coming for the Niners, who are expected to be without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for at least the first month of the season, and are at risk of being without Jauan Jennings (calf) as well. Jacob Cowing is also battling a hamstring injury, although Kyle Shanahan said he could return to practice on Tuesday. Still, it goes without saying that the Niners’ receiver room is banged up, and Watkins had a chance to see some work early in the season with the injuries piling up. It was reported earlier this month that Watkins was ‘in the mix’ for WR3/WR4 duties. A month-long absence means Watkins could be at risk of missing the first month of the season, but we’ll likely get more clarity on that as Week 1 draws closer.

Solak is among the NFL analysts identifying the Cardinals as a prime landing spot for Sorsby, who will enter the league’s supplemental draft after forgoing his final collegiate season following a sports betting scandal. The weak-armed Beck, selected by Arizona with the 65th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, would have little chance of holding off Sorsby this season if the Cards bring in Sorsby, who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the eighth best passer in the nation last year.

Yates said Sorsby might have been taken as a top-10 draft pick in 2027 had he remained at Texas Tech this season instead of entering the NFL’s supplemental draft following his sports betting scandal. Yates mentioned the Jets, Cardinals, and Brown as potential suitors for Sorsby, though Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported on Tuesday that the Browns were “unlikely” to pursue Sorsby in the supplemental draft. Yates, who complimented Sorsby’s running ability and “moxy,” predicted Sorsby would be selected in the second round of the supplemental draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently guessed a team would part ways with a Day Three pick to land Sorsby. Sorsby in 2025 ranked eighth in PFF’s passing grades while posting the nation’s second lowest pressure to sack ratio. He ranked 106th in adjusted completion rate.

Vea is due $17 million in the final year of his four-year contract, considerably lower than other top defensive big men around the league. It’s a situation to monitor as the season draws near, with the veteran nose tackle clearly looking for a new deal. Whether the saga carries into camp and the preseason remains to be seen, but it is possible Vea wants to put pen to paper before retaking the field.

Both players were signed following a successful workout with the team Tuesday, parlaying strong seasons in the UFL into NFL contracts. Jackson was a member of the Vikings organization for two seasons but appeared in only three games with the franchise in 2023. Both receivers will look to notch strong camps and preseasons as they attempt to stick on the final 53-man roster in Detroit.

Olave has been on blood thinners after a blood clot was discovered in his lung prior to Week 18 of last season, restricting the alpha wide receiver to individual drills up to this point in the offseason program. The good news is that he’s reportedly set to get off blood thinners in less than two weeks, after which he will look to gain clearance to return to unrestricted football activities. The veteran wide receiver is set to play the 2026 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, making the coming season of utmost importance to his future in New Orleans.

He also admitted that his follow-up procedure was because he was dealing with bone spurs. There’s not really any doubt that Nix will be ready for training camp at this point, and the Broncos seem to be taking it easy with him during mandatory minicamp.

McConkey echoed Jim Harbaugh’s message that he doesn’t view it as a significant concern. It is at least a mild one considering it’s costing McConkey reps in a new offense, and could grow into a bigger one if he’s sidelined longer than the internal estimate. That said, most players recover from hamstring strains in weeks instead of months and there’s no reason to believe McConkey won’t be ready for camp.

Pickens’ current ADP is in the 20-30 range and we expect most analysts will give him a little bump now that he’s not holding out of camp. CeeDee Lamb’s health clearly played a role in Pickens’ 2025 season, as did Dallas’ cataclysmically bad defense. Still, he has a real chance to finish as a WR1 this year and full reps at training camp can only help him out as he plays out the franchise tag.

“With improvements in those areas as a senior in college, teams expected him to be in the first-round conversation in the 2027 draft class. But the gambling cloud hanging over his draft projection makes this an unprecedented situation. Is there enough time before July’s supplemental draft for teams to fully understand his recovery and mindset?” Brugler adds. Brugler’s been in the draft game for a long time and has a lot of sources, so we believe this carries some weight even if it wouldn’t be wildly surprising to see Sorsby selected in the second or third round of the supplemental draft. It’s clear that Sorsby has the tools to play in the NFL and also clear that gambling is a line that many franchises will refuse to cross, but it only takes one.

Pace was fired by the Falcons after a few years in the building. His appointment as “football advisor” rather than something closer to his old “VP of football operations” gig appears to point to him losing some clout in the process. He’s probably not a threat to become a general manager again at this point.