NFL

Stroud, according to DJ Bien-Aime, cut out all sugar and consumed nothing but “water and lean food.” This has led to some offseason weight loss as Stroud angles for a new contract with the Texans. “Expect a slimmer Stroud,” Bien-Aime said. Houston might exercise Stroud’s fifth-year option before committing to him long term after his ugly end to the 2025 season. Stroud had a solid 2025 season overall, finishing 12th in EPA per drop back — just behind Jared Goff — and 20th in QB accuracy, just ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Stroud will likely be a distributor in a run-first Houston offense this season and a nice option in superflex leagues.

Niners officials said Stribling, surprisingly taken with the 33rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, was a “gold helmet” rookie prospect due to his intangibles. “Our coach loved him right away. Leadership. Goal-oriented,” Ahmad said of Stribling, 23, who had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss. “The passion the guy has, the work ethic, the toughness, the durability. He checks all those boxes at a high level.” Entering the league, Stribling’s production leaves a lot to be desired. He had just 811 yards and six touchdowns in his final collegiate season and was projected as a third our fourth rounder before the Niners selected him with the first pick of the second round. ESPN reported last week that Stribling would probably not function as a starting wideout to begin the 2026 regular season, leaving Ricky Pearsall as a locked-in starter alongside Mike Evans.

It’s a bit of a surprise the Vikings have left their GM spot open after firing former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January. Gray has been a popular name in GM searches over the past couple offseasons. He landed an interviews for the Jaguars and Titans open general manager positions in February 2025. Gray, who’s been with the Bills since 2017, would take over a front office charged with figuring out how to navigate the team’s disastrous JJ McCarthy draft pick and keeping together a defensive core that has performed well over the past two seasons.

Mr. Irrelevant gets a $122,600 signing bonus as he becomes the first of seven Denver draft picks to sign his rookie contract. Rookies report to mimi-camp in Denver this weekend.

Diggs was facing assault chargers brought forward from a private chef, allegedly involving a pay dispute. The veteran wide receiver declined to take the stand in his own defense but prosecutors were ultimately unable to prove foul play, finding the claims unfounded due to a lack of evidence. Diggs should undoubtedly find his free agent market heating up in the coming days now that his recent off-field issues are behind him, widely regarded as one of the top free agent wide receiver available on the market. The 11-year veteran played the 2025 season as a member of the Patriots, catching 85-of-102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.

Pickens has only three starts across 29 professional appearances during his three-year NFL career, making this a depth move for a team that has almost completely overhauled their front seven this offseason. It is likely that Pickens will be competing for a roster spot this summer.

The deal includes $5.25 million in guaranteed money, all of which is held in the first year of the contract. Reader will make a maximum of $6.5 million in 2026, setting up a team-friendly contract that appears to have a clear path for the two sides to move on after the first year. Reader previously visited the Giants prior to the team trading away Dexter Lawrence, finalizing his contract in time for organized team activities later this month. The 10-year veteran should immediately enter the starting lineup after starting 32 games for the Lions the previous two seasons.

Jackson played for the Eagles in 2025 after spending the previous four seasons with the Giants, registering 55 combined tackles and 11 passes defended in 10 starts and 14 appearances. The soon-to-be 31-year-old continued to demonstrate that he has juice left in the tank but is likely best served as a team’s third cornerback at this point in his career. The Cowboys invested heavily in their secondary this offseason, adding Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, and Cobie Durant in free agency and drafting Caleb Downs in the first round of the draft. Even so, they currently have an open spot on their initial 90-man roster and could use a veteran presence in the secondary through camp, during which Jackson would presumably be competing for a roster spot, if signed.

“They’re doing great,” Gutekunst said on an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Tuck’s been in here every day, and he’s obviously a little bit ahead of schedule, just because his injury happened earlier than Micah’s did. But Micah’s such a - he’s a little bit of a freak. So I think some of that has taken over, and he’s doing really well, as well.” He continued, “So, certainly expect both of those guys back early in the season. And they’ll be a big part of what we’re doing moving forward.” Both players are attempting to return from torn ACLs, with Kraft’s injury occurring in November and Parsons’ occurring in December of last season. It certainly sounds like both players could avoid the Physically Unable to Perform list this summer, which would give each player a good chance to make good on their general manager’s words and return early in the 2026 regular season.

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.