Steichen notes, though, that “the team will be cautious” with Jones. A little over two weeks ago, we learned that Jones was dropping back and throwing the football. It sounds like that process is going well, and his rehab continues. We do not yet know if he will be able to play early in the season. Colts QB Riley Leonard is penciled in as Jones’ backup. It is unclear whether QB Anthony Richardson will be allowed to compete for the No. 2 role. The Athletic’s James Boyd believes “questions still remain about his recovery from a right eye injury.”
Jackson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks last year. He eventually made his way to the Giants, who waived him yesterday. The Titans correspondingly waived WR Hal Presley. He was also an undrafted free agent from the 2025 class.
Per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, Concepcion participated in individual and team drills today. Oyefusi’s phrasing is a bit confusing, but we believe he is saying the Browns are closely tracking his Concepcion’s rep count, while allowing Concepcion to practice fully. The 21-year-old rookie underwent a knee scope in March. He told reporters today that he is feeling 100.0 percent healthy.
Bozeman, 27, spent last season with the Giants. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Bozeman has just three career tackles to his name as a defender, plus four more via special teams. Contributing on special teams is likely his ticket to the Bengals’ active roster.
Bullock, 25, joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent last year, appearing in two games as a defender and playing extensively on special teams. Bullock briefly spent time with the Colts this offseason, but they waived him yesterday. The Buccaneers were evidently eager to bring him back.
NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported the same in early April. In one corner, we have Murray, a former Pro Bowl and playoff quarterback. In the other, we have McCarthy, who has started 10 games in two years. Murray should be considered the strong favorite and can be treated accordingly in early best ball drafts.
The front office brought in former Cardinals QB Kyler Murray this offseason. Murray, 28, is a far more accomplished player and can help stabilize the offense, whereas McCarthy’s ups and downs have proven costly. McCarthy seemingly faces an uphill battle to win the gig, though the team did invest the No. 10 overall pick in him in 2024.
We assumed this was the case, though Jennings’ size allows one to wonder if he might be valuable in heavy personnel packages. Nailor departed for the Raiders earlier this offseason. Vikings No. 2 WR Jordan Addison was suspended for Weeks 1-3 last season. From Week 4 on, Addison out-snapped Nailor 714-to-507. Expecting a similar split from Addison and Jennings this season is reasonable.
Pelissero affirmed Addison’s role as a guest on the Rich Eisen Show. He prefaced the remarks by saying that WR Jauan Jennings’ signing “immediately raises questions” about whether the Vikings planned to move on from Addison before saying that they, in fact, do not. Jennings was brought in on a “cut-rate,” one-year deal to play the No. 3 wide receiver role.
Stribling gets a $13.5 million deal with a $6.3 million signing bonus, which comes with a $2.5 million salary cap hit in 2026. The 49ers brought him board with the No. 33 overall pick, which generated mixed responses. Stribling will compete for a starting role in three-wide receiver sets right away, but likely begins training camp as the penciled-in No. 4 wide receiver behind Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk.
Bryant was asked about the two concussions and two hamstring strains he suffered last year. He responded by saying he is focused on “becoming bulletproof so I don’t have to deal with any of those things anymore,” and later clarified that meant he has been “putting on a few pounds of weight.” We will leave the medical analysis to the professionals. Bryant was listed at 6'2/204 last year and worked his way into two-wide receiver sets by the end of the year. The Broncos’ front office acquired former Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle via trade this offseason, dropping Bryant out of the No. 2 spot behind WR Courtland Sutton. Perhaps Bryant’s weight gain helps him as a run blocker and gives him a chance to retain at least a minor role in two-wide receiver sets.
Black is expected to compete with second-year RB Jordan James in training camp for the primary backup role. James, 22, played just three offensive snaps last year, though The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said in February that “it seems like the 49ers have big plans” for him this season. Black, 24, is the latest in a long list of running backs drafted by the 49ers in the mid rounds. The 49ers’ results in this effort have not been great, but perhaps Black is the player who makes it all worth it. He scored 10 touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ championship run last year.
Stribling gets a $13.5 million deal with a $6.3 million signing bonus, which comes with a $2.5 million salary cap hit in 2026. The 49ers brought him board with the No. 33 overall pick, which generated mixed responses. Stribling will compete for a starting role in three-wide receiver sets right away, but likely begins training camp as the penciled-in No. 4 wide receiver behind Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk.
New Orleans Football’s Mike Triplett reports that Moore “didn’t name any specific ailments Miller is dealing with.” The Saints drafted him early in the second round. If Miller is dealing with a pre-draft issue, it does not appear to have caused concern among the Saints’ medical team. Miller sat out today’s practice, but is present for team meetings. Given Moore’s assessment, this will probably be a non-story before long.
Brissett has chosen not to attend the Cardinals’ current voluntary workouts, wielding the leverage he has to campaign for an “extension that pays him as the starter.” Frankly, we can’t blame him. Brissett made the Cardinals fun to watch last season, although his 12 starts resulted in just a 1-11 record. Brissett, 33, has just $1.5 million in guaranteed money this season and will be a free agent at the end of the year. Hopefully, the two sides can turn the ongoing dialogue into a resolution that works for both sides. The Cardinals’ pass-catching corps delivered fantasy-friendly results with Brissett at the helm last year.
Paton has rebounded nicely from the disastrous 2022 Russell Wilson deal and has become one of the more coveted GMs in the league. There was some speculation that Paton could be open to a lateral move to the Vikings to replace former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but Paton won’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Now under contract through the 2030 season, Paton, who helped get the Broncos within one game of the Super Bowl last season, will look to continue building a roster among the most formidable in the league. In addition to boasting a top-five defense, the Broncos also have quarterback Bo Nix on a rookie deal for at least two more seasons, and an assortment of offensive weapons that helped the offense finish 14th in scoring in 2025.
Love’s contract is worth a rookie record $53.9 million in guaranteed money. The Notre Dame product was taken No. 3 overall by the Cardinals in this year’s draft and is expected to see plenty of work early on despite playing in a crowded backfield that presently includes Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, and Trey Benson. As far as fantasy is concerned, Love’s rookie season will be a tough one to project, given the current state of the roster and the team’s backfield. That said, he’s a three-down back who can contribute on any down and distance and should see enough work to carry fantasy value — especially in the passing game. The threat of Allgeier vulturing goal-line touches, however, could put a hard cap on his fantasy value in 2026.
Regarded by some as the top receiver in this year’s draft, injury concerns may have been the reason Tyson “fell” to the Saints at No. 8 overall in this year’s draft. Now under contract, Tyson, whose deal is worth $32.5 million in guaranteed money, is ready to get to work in his rookie year and has a chance to elevate a Saints passing game that began to show signs of life once Tyler Shough took over as the starter last season. Tyson can work both on the outside and in the slot and excelled after the catch during his time at Arizona State. He projects as a first-year starter and could make an early impact for fantasy managers in what appears to be an ascending offense in 2026.
Glenn said he has no update on where things currently stand between the Jets and Russell Wilson, who is reportedly weighing his options between signing with the Jets as a backup or walking away from football to take on a media job. Wilson, 37, threw for 831-3-3 in six games with the Giants last season while completing a career worst 58 percent of his passes. With his best days clearly behind him, if a backup job with the Jets is the best he can get, he could opt to call it a career. If he did sign with the Jets, he would be the early favorite to open 2026 as the team’s QB2 behind Geno Smith.
The Jets used their No. 2 overall pick to shore up their pass-rush with the selection of Bailey. The former Texas Tech Red Raider racked up a blistering 14.5 sacks and 19.5 TFLs in his last collegiate season, earning Unanimous All-American honors while also being named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. In their first season under head coach Aaron Glenn, the Jets were among the worst defenses in the league, allowing the second-most points and the eighth-most yards per game, and were one of the worst against the pass. They impressively failed to force an interception all of last season and tallied the second-fewest sacks (26) of any team. If he lives up to his potential, Bailey should help improve those sack totals and may even force a quarterback into making a bad decision or two along the way.
If two missed field goals and a missed extra point in last season’s Wild Card round loss to the Bears didn’t spell McManus’ impending exit, then the selection of Florida kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round of this year’s draft almost certainly did. McManus, 34, converted 24-of-30 field goals during the regular season in 2025, but struggled on distances of 40-plus yards, going 6-for-12 from that range. The decision to release McManus will carry a dead cap hit just north of $4.3 million for the Packers in 2026 and a dead cap hit of $1.66 million in 2027. McManus will likely catch on with another team before training camp and get a chance to compete for a starting job for the upcoming season.
Any concerns about replacement referees can be laid to rest, as the league and its officials finally agreed to a deal ahead of the May 31st expiration date of the current deal. Included in the new agreement, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is a “joint commitment with the officials to improve performance and increase accountability,” which will include “increased access to officials in the offseason, development of a ‘bench’ of officials, and a new formal training program” that will include minicamps, training camps, and joint practices. The deal was approved with a 116-4 vote, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Branch played 77.9 percent of his college snaps from the slot, per PFF, and at 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, it’s widely believed he will see most of his work in the slot as a pro. Despite this belief, Stefanski praised his rookie receiver for his versatility and ability to line up anywhere on the field, suggesting the Falcons could look to utilize him in multiple ways this season. After Drake London, the Falcons’ receiving depth gets very thin. Veterans Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus currently project as the team’s other two starting receivers, but Branch, a third-round pick in this year’s draft, could look to unseat either vet in camp to earn some early playing time. Branch caught 81 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns last season at Georgia, setting career-highs in every receiving metric.
Browns GM Andrew Berry said in February that he wasn’t “overly optimistic” about the possibility of Owusu-Koramoah playing in 2026 after the linebacker suffered a neck injury in 2024 that also sidelined him for all of 2025. It seems increasingly likely that Owusu-Koramoah’s career may be over, which was speculated earlier this offseason as well. He totaled 61 tackles and three sacks in eight games when he last played in 2024.