NFL Player News

Harbaugh gave his first interview with the Falcons on Monday after reports the Giants and Titans were also in the mix. Though other teams are interested and pretty much all teams have called, Harbaugh is prioritizing the head coaching vacancies for the Giants, Titans, and Falcons. Pelissero reports he is expected to interview with all three teams by the end of the week. The Falcons have the two oldest starting quarterbacks among the three teams, while Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart are both first-round picks entering their sophomore seasons. The former Ravens head coach is narrowing his options as he gets closer to a decision.

Last week, Ward told reporters that he lost 10 pounds this offseason because he wants to play “faster.” The comment rightly caught one astute Rotoworld analyst’s attention. New Titans OC Brian Daboll has incorporated quarterback rushing into his prior offensive schemes, and it sounds like Daboll and Tierney want Ward to run a bit more than he did last year. Tierney has coached under Daboll at every stop since 2017. The key is drawing a line “between being aggressive and being reckless.” Tierney does not want Ward to run as often as his former quarterback, Jaxson Dart, did last year. Dart averaged 6.1 attempts per game. Instead, Tierney hopes Ward might try “to gain that last necessary yard on a third-and-6 scramble,” yet refrain from trying to bowl through a defender, seeking 10 more yards. We should not expect Ward to suddenly become a true dual-threat quarterback, but he should average more than the 9.4 rushing yards per game that he produced as a rookie.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Price is expected to sign the fully guaranteed deal later today. A recent report suggested that Price will not operate as the Seahawks’ bell cow right away, but operating as the committee leader seems like a safe bet. Price is an explosive rusher, but lacks experience as a receiver and pass protector. He may be best viewed as an early-season FLEX, though more reports on Price’s development and potential workload will roll in this spring and summer.

The sale is not yet complete. Broncos ownership has until June 30, 2027, to exercise their option to buy the former railyard for $45.8 million. The deal is expected to close this fall. Ownership reportedly has plans to build a new stadium and an adjacent entertainment district. The state purchased Burnham Yard in 2021 for $50 million and hoped “to use some of the land for transportation-related purposes,” but those plans “fizzled.” Broncos ownership is hoping that the new stadium will be ready for the NFL’s 2031 season.

In his 2024 rookie season, Bowers caught 112-of-148 targets for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. His targets, receptions and yardage totals all ranked in the top 10 among NFL pass catchers. Per Edwards, the Raiders’ offensive staff is “in the process of concocting multiple ways to get Bowers involved in their scheme, with versatility being his greatest weapon.” This is the kind of stuff we want to hear. Finding a true difference-making tight end is rare. Bowers is firmly in play as fantasy’s TE1 this season.

Reese’s deal is worth about $47.831 million and includes a $31.2 million signing bonus. North Jersey’s Art Stapleton reports that Reese’s awareness and explosiveness have stood out at organized team activities, noting that Reese “always seems to be in the right position whether that’s in coverage or in the run game.” He reportedly showed off his burst on a blitz as well. The Giants’ do-it-all defender is evidently doing it all this spring.

McCarthy “has shown some things this spring that have been impressive so far.” Specifically, McCarthy is “layering the ball a little better” and is “not throwing a fastball all the time.” McCarthy’s accuracy and touch needed work, so this is good to hear. It still sounds like QB Kyler Murray is ahead of McCarthy in the battle for the starting role, but McCarthy is at least getting positive reviews at this time.

Sources tell Fowler that Murray is handling himself “like an alpha quarterback,” possessing “the experience and the swagger of a guy who has been to Pro Bowls and had success.” Recent interview clips involving Murray and fellow Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy reinforce Fowler’s sentiments, with Murray conducting himself with calm confidence. The coaching staff also complimented McCarthy’s development, but Murray seems to be winning the competition right now.

Per Fowler, QB Shedeur Sanders “has his moments this spring,” but Watson apparently fits well in coach Todd Monken’s scheme. The new offense has “some concepts” that Watson has run in the past, which allow him to freelance at times, and Watson “likes that.” The Browns are hoping that one quarterback does enough for the coaching staff to name a starter by the time training camp rolls around in July. Once a starter is named, we can begin to assess whether the victor is actually playing well, or if he simply outperformed an uninspiring teammate.

Both of the Lions’ starting safeties, Joseph and Brian Branch (Achilles), are rehabbing significant injuries. While it would be great to get one or both of them back on the field this spring, Campbell does not want to hurry his injured stars back and risk re-injury. Late in April, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said both safeties are “trending in the right direction.” However, last we heard, Branch was not expected to be ready to play in Week 1. Joseph will likely sit out spring practices, but seemingly has a chance to participate in training camp. Stay tuned.

LaPorta underwent back surgery in November and is still in recovery. The Lions’ offseason program includes organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp, sporadically taking place from May 27th to June 17th. A prior report indicated that the Lions hope to have LaPorta on the field when training camp begins in July. That could still happen, though he may need to be eased in after the extended absence. Things appear to be on the right track for his regular season readiness, though.