NFL

Ridley in March restructured his contract with the Titans to remain in Tennessee for at least one more season following a terrible 2025 campaign in which he totaled 303 yards over seven games before a season-ending ankle injury. Ridley played under Daboll at Alabama before being drafted by the Falcons in 2018. “Rid is Rid,” Daboll said. “I’ve got a long-standing relationship with Rid back to 2017. He means a lot to me as a player. He was a good player for us when I was at Alabama. But as a person, we’ve developed a good relationship. It’s good to have him here. We’ve changed some stuff as we’ve went, but he’s smart. He’s a good player. He’s a good teammate. I’ve got a lot of appreciation and love for Rid.” Ridley will have to compete for WR3 duties in the new-look Tennessee offense this season with Wan’Dale Robinson and first-round rookie WR Carnell Tate shaping up as the team’s top two pass-catching options.

Chiefs front office officials said last week that they were shocked Johnson was still available in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. KC traded up to take Johnson, 22, who had 1,823 total yards in 2025 at Nebraska. Johnson enters the NFL with a 100th percentile college dominator rating along with a 99th percentile college target share. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid recently said he was impressed with Johnson’s pass catching and compared him favorably to LeSean McCoy. With a solid offseason Johnson could function as the Chiefs’ lead back if Ken Walker misses time in 2026.

Sneed had been “charged with aggravated assault that was reduced by the grand jury to the misdemeanor offense of failure to report the commission of a felony,” according to Schefter. That could clear the way for the mega-bust to sign on with a cornerback-needy team in the coming weeks. Sneed, 29, was released by the Titans in March after signing four-year, $76.4 million deal in 2024 that included $55 million in guaranteed money. He will probably have to settle for a prove-it deal for 2026.

The SEC coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously about the 2026 quarterback class, said he was surprised Simpson was the 13th player off the draft board but compared him favorably to Matthew Stafford, who will remain LA’s starter in 2026. “It’s a great fit for him from a system standpoint, and who he’s going to be behind for a year,” the SEC coach said. “There’s a lot of similarities [with Stafford]. [The pick] was the biggest [surprise], a guy who didn’t have a ton of starts, but when he played, he played well. His long game is going to be really good.” Not every college coach was bullish on Simpson’s NFL prospects. One SEC defensive coordinator said it was more difficult to prepare for Jalen Milroe than it was to get ready to face Simpson. “He’s not ready to go be a starter in the NFL right now, he’s got work to do,” the coordinator told ESPN.

Kamara said he “couldn’t be happier” that the Saints signed Etienne and referenced his success splitting the Saints’ backfield with Mark Ingram. He also noted that he’s been training and has even watched film on Saints first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson. As NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill put it, “It’s incredibly clear that Alvin Kamara wants to be here and be part of the Saints.” The team may still want to adjust his contract. Kamara has a $10.4 million cap figure for 2026 with several void years in the future. Even if some accounting needs to be done, all signs point to Kamara playing football in New Orleans this year.

The coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously, expressed optimism that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy would get the most out of Allar, who was taken in the third round of the 2026 draft. “Hopefully [Pittsburgh] will be a coaching staff that can maximize what he’s good at,” the Big Ten coach said. “I’m not really sure that was the case [at Penn State].” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg said Allar, who threw 49 touchdowns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, “would have been among the top quarterbacks drafted in 2025 if he skipped his senior season.” Allar’s final season started slowly and was cut short by an ankle injury. In Pittsburgh, he will likely sit behind Aaron Rodgers to begin the season if Rodgers finally decides to return to the Steelers for another season.

“He’s a good decision-maker, but I don’t think he’s got the NFL traits,” the coach told ESPN anonymously. “They’re all back-shoulder [throws]. That’s not working in the NFL. His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off.” Conversely, a Big Ten coach told ESPN Mendoza is “one of the more complete quarterback prospects he has seen.” Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after leading the Indian Hoosiers to their first-ever college football title, is widely expected to start the season on the bench behind Kirk Cousins. How long Mendoza waits for the starting gig likely depends on Cousins’ performance in Klint Kubiak’s offense.

Fowler, who has bounced around the league in recent years, had 10.5 sacks just two years ago with the Commanders and will now join a Seattle defense that last season pressured the passer at one of the league’s highest rates. Fowler, 31, will likely play on a prove-it deal with the Super Bowl champs in 2026. He could be used in a rotational role in the Seahawks’ loaded front seven. Fowler has 58.5 sacks over 159 NFL games.

Less than a month ago, McNair went on record at the annual league meetings saying the Texans are “totally behind” Stroud. Now, McNair has doubled down on those comments, hoping to cast aside any speculation that the team has doubts about Stroud being the quarterback best suited to lead the Texans for the foreseeable future. The Texans have exercised the fifth-year option on Stroud, keeping him under contract through 2027, and are expected to offer him an extension sometime next year. Stroud has struggled to regain his rookie form after throwing for 4,108-23-5 in 2023, but has led them to a 28-18 record and a postseason berth in each of his three seasons. Hopefully, with more offensive weapons around him next season and an improved running game, the Texans can relieve some pressure from Stroud as he enters his fourth season.

The Falcons continue to talk like a team expecting to be without Penix at the start of training camp, while holding out some hope that anything could change those expectations. Ryan is the latest dance around the topic, while back in March, head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team was “not gonna rush him” back to the field, and before that, it was reported that the team expects to be healthy “at some point in training camp.” For what it’s worth, Ryan did say he thinks Penix is “in a good spot right now,” but that can mean one of many things. Until he returns, Tua Tagovailoa is expected to operate as the QB1 and will likely have the inside edge to start in Week 1, the longer Penix remains out of commission.