NFL Player News

ESPN previously reported that “many believe” the position was “created” for Ryan. It is safe to say he is the favorite to land the role. Per team owner Arthur Blank, the president of football will lead the interview process as the team searches for its new head coach and general manager. Both positions will report directly to the president of football, who reports directly to Blank. The trio “will work collaboratively as a football leadership team on all football decisions.” While the head coach and general manager “remain the primary decision-makers” in their respective roles, “final decision-making authority will rest with the president of football.”

He’s joined by CB Jaycee Horn, who cut his foot while running and required stitches. Horn’s injury is expected to be a minor one. Moton, on the other hand, is expected to miss the start of the season and the “belief” is he’ll play in 2026. The Panthers later clarified that Moton is hopeful to return “mid-season.” Rookie first-round tackle Monroe Freeling figures to step in for Moton early in the season.

There’s been some mild hype for Engram again in the early offseason, but it’s hard to understand why the Broncos would have brought in Jaylen Waddle if they thought getting Engram more involved in the offense would have been a notable upgrade. Engram belongs in TE2 purgatory for the time being.

They certainly have the talent for this, and doing so would at least keep both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant fantasy-adjacent despite the fact that Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton figure to play the vast majority of the snaps. Gabriel guesses that early in the season the Broncos will “mix up looks” depending on game situations with Franklin, Bryant, and Marvin Mims. The Broncos played 11-personnel in 64 percent of their snaps in 2025. They’d probably need to be closer to 80 percent to get a third WR beyond the WR5 conversation.

He projects Ehlinger to win the job, too. “The notion that Ehlinger could beat him out is not rooted in Stidham’s performance in the AFC title game,” Gabriel writes, "...but rather just in the staff’s excitement about Ehlinger a year ago, his mobility and a potential jump in performance in his second summer with the Broncos.” First the NFL hands us a Joe Milton-Sam Howell backup battle, now this? Premium July entertainment. Neither player has any real upside, though whoever wins the job could argue for Sean Payton-based superflex QB2 consideration in a good matchup should Bo Nix miss time.

Not exactly a surprise — you’d really hope your No. 1 overall quarterback pick would get some first-team reps before the season starts — but this is notable because earlier reports had Kirk Cousins taking all the first-team reps in offseason practices. Mendoza is not likely to be named the starter before the season, but it sounds like it’s more of a matter of when rather than if he eventually overtakes Cousins for the lead role this year.

Breer believes they’ll get something done before Week 1 and thinks it will be in the neighborhood of $165 million over three years — a slight bit of cap inflation from contracts for Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, and Justin Herbert are. The lack of progress on an extension this summer likely doesn’t mean much — deadlines drive action — and we’ve seen nothing so far that would lead us to believe the Buccaneers won’t reward Mayfield.

Oh, is that all? Howard and Mason Rudolph appear to be in a roster battle for one spot with third-round pick Drew Allar the likely QB3 behind Aaron Rodgers. DeFabo seems to be saying that Howard has an upper hand in this competition by virtue of not needing to directly compete with what Rudolph is doing in training camp or in preseason action. It’s not exactly great news for Howard that the question needs to be asked in the first place.

“The Vikings wished he didn’t have to play during his rookie season, but circumstances thrust him into the spotlight. Release him, and opposing teams will have interest,” Lewis writes about the 25-year-old who threw four picks and was sacked 14 times in 85 dropbacks last year. The Vikings are probably developing a long-term backup at best here, but it is notable that Brosmer has other fans in the league. With Carson Wentz, J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray also on the roster, it’s likely the Vikings will have to drop a quarterback at last cuts.

The deal includes $35 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who first broke the news. Brooks, 28, is coming off a season where he led the league in tackles with 183 and was named a first-team All-Pro. He also hasn’t missed a single game since joining the Dolphins two seasons ago. It’s easy to see why Miami’s new regime identified Brooks as a core piece for them going forward. While the Dolphins roster still carries lots of uncertainty, Brooks has proven to be reliable.

Whitehead suffered a serious neck injury in a car crash in 2025, eventually requiring surgery to address the issue. The surgery was performed by renowned spine specialist Alex Vaccaro. Whitehead has already visited the Colts and Texans and is expected to take more visits in the immediate future as he looks to extend his playing career. The 29-year-old veteran has notched 101 career starts at the NFL level.