NFL Player News

Recent murmurs about changing the Rooney Rule have stemmed from the Florida Attorney General sending a letter asking for its elimination. In response, Goodell said, “we are aware of the laws and... we think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those.” The rule is intended to expand opportunities for minorities, requiring NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for general manager, head coaching, and coordinator vacancies. Goodell made it clear in his press conference at the NFL’s annual league meetings that the Rooney Rule is here to stay.

In a statement posted by the Saints on Wednesday, Hill thanked New Orleans for his nine years spent in the organization. The 35-year-old said he is “still working through what comes next”, but he will not return to the Saints as he remains a free agent. Hill’s market is small but a team may be willing to take a chance on him for a limited offensive role; Broncos head coach Sean Payton utilized Hill a lot in New Orleans and may be willing to have him around again. It’s the end of an era for Hill and the Saints heading into the 2026 season.

Head coach Todd Monken said the Browns will “divide the reps up according to the depth chart.” Based on the practice reps to open up training camp, Sanders and Watson are competing for the starting job while Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green are competing for depth. Both Sanders and Watson have had disappointing showings in their most recent regular season performances and neither has yet to pull ahead of the other in this quarterback competition. Opening training camp with a quarterback battle, Monken will be alternating Sanders and Watson with the starting offense to see how the competition shakes out.

Cooper is facing six different charges stemming from domestic violence and harassment cases. He was excused from minicamp as a result, but returns to training camp as a full practice participant. Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos have met with Cooper and the team is proceeding according to league protocol. Cooper is slated to have an arraignment hearing at the end of August. The NFL will conduct its investigation as the legal process plays out. In the meantime, Cooper is on the practice field with the Broncos.

The Texans exercised Stroud’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, making him extension-eligible with two seasons left on his contract. Caserio said there is a “possibility” an extension is reached before the season starts, but nothing is set in stone yet. Getting a deal done soon appears to be a priority for the Texans and contract talks at least sound positive between management and Stroud’s agent, David Mulugheta. For now, there have been “productive conversations” between the two sides.

Jackson has been dealing with this blood clot condition for the past year and Rams head coach Sean McVay said Jackson was absent Wednesday as he deals with the treatment for the condition. It doesn’t seem to be a major injury issue for now, but certainly one worth keeping an eye on. Jackson has also been dealing with off-the-field issues stemming this offseason but his practice absence seemed to be only related to his blood clot treatment.

Mustapha suffered a hamstring injury in practice Monday and will be sidelined for Wednesday’s practice. The 24-year-old dealt with a knee injury last offseason after aggravating a previously torn ACL and missed the first few weeks of the 2025 season. It is unclear how long he will be sidelined, but Mustapha is at least out for Wednesday.

Olave missed time during the offseason program while on blood thinners that were prescribed to treat a blood clot found in his lung at the end of the 2025 season. The fact that he wasn’t ready for the start of camp initially seemed concerning, but Moore made it relatively clear that health isn’t an issue. Olave is set to play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and is more than deserving of a new contract. Coming off his second 1,100-yard season in the past three years, the Saints will likely find the money necessary to keep him around long-term before the start of the season.

San Francisco also brought in Alex Bachman and Trenton Irwin. With Christian Kirk and Ricky Pearsall already hurt, the team needs some extra bodies for at least the first week of training camp. Eskridge appeared in 13 games for Miami last year and totaled four catches for 62 yards.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called the issue a “short-term illness” when Sweat was first placed on the NFI list. It was indeed a short stay for Sweat, and he should be back at practice on Thursday. Sweat’s 10 sacks in 2025 were the second-best mark of his career. He nearly doubled his total from the previous season. He remains one of the biggest contributors on Chicago’s defense heading into his age-30 season.

Harbaugh didn’t say exactly how much either player would participate in the opening practices of camp and even noted that the whole team is starting off in a “ramp-up” stage. Alt suffered a high-ankle sprain last year and ended the season on injured reserve. Slater did not play at all in 2025 because of a ruptured patellar tendon. Though it would make sense for both players to be limited during the first few practices of training camp, it doesn’t sound like any player will have any lingering issues heading into 2026.