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Hendrickson did not report to minicamp last week, as his highly publicized negotiations (or lack thereof) with the Bengals continue. The star pass rusher who has racked up 35 sacks over the last two seasons is in the final year of his contract, but is seeking an extension that will pay him close to $30 million annually — nearly double the $15.8 million he’s set to earn this year. The Bengals signed receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to massive extensions this offseason and also brought back Mike Gesicki on a three-year contract. With nearly $32 million in cap space to play with this season, it’s possible the Bengals find a way to get a deal done with Hendrickson despite several highly paid players already locked into deals. This is at least a step in the right direction after Hendrickson claimed in May that conversations between him and the team stalled after the draft.

Shipley adds that “all four (running backs) get some run at some point,” but believes Etienne will have a chance to hold on to his new role under the new regime. Etienne is coming off a second-straight season in which he averaged less than 4.0 YPC and less than 5.0 yards per touch. The former first-round pick has struggled to match the success he enjoyed in 2022, and lost work to Tank Bigsby during parts of last season. The addition of speedster Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round of this year’s draft immediately led to speculation that Etienne’s time as the Jaguars’ lead back could be coming to an end. While that still may be the case, it sounds as if he’ll have every chance to prove he’s deserving of the top role to open the season in Week 1 against the Panthers. Bigsby and Tuten still make for interesting late-round values given Etienne’s recent track history, but they shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than high-end handcuffs at this time.

This is seemingly a continuation of Legwold’s Wednesday report, where he indicated the recently signed J.K. Dobbins will “get a long look in [the Broncos’] third-down role” and quoted head coach Sean Payton complimenting Dobbins’ rushing ability. Still, this is quite the decline in projection for Harvey, who Payton assessed as having three-down potential in mid-May. Things are not yet set in stone, but Harvey may have to seriously compete for a PPR-friendly role in training camp and preseason play.

The Broncos’ mandatory minicamp has officially wrapped up, with no sign of Vele. Per Athlon Sports’ Douglas Santo, “Payton did say some players would not be attending minicamp for personal reasons.” Payton did not disclose the reason for Vele’s absence. Hopefully, this is not injury-related, and Vele is away somewhere, honing his craft. Santo adds, “reports from media who attended the Broncos’ OTAs were that Vele added muscle this offseason and his route running had been more pristine.”

Per Detroit Lions’ reporter Tim Twentyman, Choice believes “the sky is the limit” for Gibbs, whom he calls “one of the smartest running backs I’ve ever coached.” Choice is intimately familiar with Gibbs’ game, having “recruited and coached Gibbs at Georgia Tech.” While we would reasonably expect Gibbs, an elite back, to “consistently produce at a high level year after year,” Gibbs could feasibly take on a larger workload than the eighth-ranked 302 touches handled in his overall RB1 season last year. Gibbs is currently being drafted as the PPR RB3.

While confirmation of the injury’s mild severity would be reassuring, we’ll take both Tillman’s starter status and Jackson’s injury belief as positives. Tillman has beatable competition for the No. 2 wide receiver role, facing journeyman Diontae Johnson for the gig. TE David Njoku will likely function as the passing game’s No. 2 overall weapon, but Tillman should still be able to return matchup-based flex value as the de facto No. 3.

Richardson reportedly met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who believes the 23-year-old quarterback should be ready for training camp with “rest and recuperation.” Rapoport says the Colts “want health, and a real competition at quarterback, and it sounds like they’ll get it.” Richardson, apparently, still has a chance to claim the starting role over newcomer Daniel Jones. Hopefully, the rehab process goes smoothly for him. Richardson can score fantasy points with the best of them when healthy.

Rapoport parsed Parsons’ comments from earlier today, saying, “it sounds like the term was just as much of an issue as the money.” Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, “generally pushes for shorter deals,” while the Cowboys “like longer deals.” Rapoport closed the segment by joking with NFL Insiders co-host Tom Pelissero about the deal likely being signed “two hours before kickoff” in Week 1, as they did when the Cowboys signed Dak Prescott to an extension last season.

The current lease is set to expire after the 2025 NFL season and the two sides are very far apart, with their respective demands. Paycor Stadium needs renovations, and Hamilton County has offered to pay $270 million of the proposed $830 million required for the job. The county asks for $350 million from the state and $210 million from the Bengals. Per PFT, “the team has proposed spending $200 million of its own money, but with $45 million of that coming from money spent “years ago” on renovations.” The county is also asking the Bengals to sign a lease lasting 20 years, but the Bengals are instead angling for a five-year agreement.

Akers’ audition at the Saints’ June 10-12 mandatory minicamp was a success. The development is bad news for Kendre Miller, Devin Neal and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The trio was competing for the No. 2 spot behind the soon-to-be 30-year-old Alvin Kamara, who could use a reliable rushing complement. Akers ran well last year, playing for both the Texans and Vikings. Active for Weeks 9-Wild Card Weekend with the latter team, Akers averaged 4.9 yards per carry and 3.0 yards after contact. The depth chart is not yet set in stone, but Akers is best treated as the presumed No. 2 at this time.