The Steelers’ front office spent a third-round pick on Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has drastically underperformed since then, and could probably do with a change of scenery. DeFabo also thinks that RB/WR Eli Heidenreich “is a good candidate for the practice squad.”
According to Price, a league source indicated Henderson “avoided a serious right ankle injury when he slipped on the turf at practice earlier in the week.” Henderson is still trying to unseat RB Rhamondre Stevenson as the team’s starter and will likely continue competing for the gig in-season. Henderson, 23, possesses intriguing, explosive dual-threat traits. Drafting him may require patience early on, but the payoff could be worth it.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.
Daniels adds that third-round rookie TE Eli Raridon “looks the part,” but he believes Henry is “by far the team’s best tight end and once again will be a security blanket” for QB Drake Maye. Henry posted a 6/768/7 receiving line in 2025 and a 66/674/ receiving line in 2024. A similar stat line this year would be unsurprising.
Blackmon, 27, broke up two passes and intercepted two more last season, while also totaling 59 tackles, one quarterback pressure and one sack last season. He adds depth to the Browns’ secondary and could start, if need be.
Gonzalez employs the same agent as Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon, who recently reset the positional market at $33 million per year. According to Schefter, the Patriots have never come close to that number. The Patriots exercised Gonzalez’s fifth-year option in April, so Gonzalez has two seasons remaining on his contract. Schefter believes that if the two sides fail to agree on a new deal early in the year, it “opens up a whole range of options” next offseason, like a potential trade.
Sanchez has played for the Colts since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He averaged 48.8 yards per punt last season, marking the second-longest average of his career.
Wyatt notes that Tate “had been quiet in recent practices, and he still doesn’t have a catch in two preseason games.” Today’s standout showing comes at the right time. The end of the preseason is fast approaching and the first-round rookie will be asked to contribute right away this season, especially with WR Wan’Dale Robinson currently undergoing evaluation for a concussion. The Titans’ offense is still a work in progress, so producing as a WR3 could be Tate’s ceiling for quite some time. Still, today’s report is nice to read.
McFadden notes that Robinson had more outside runs than any other player last season. He believes new Falcons OC Tommy Rees and new OL coach Bill Callahan are focused on diversifying the run game tactics by adding a north-south approach. He thinks Falcons running backs “should benefit from a penetrating approach oriented around getting them into second-level space quickly.” McFadden also checked in with Robinson, who said Rees is implementing new screen game concepts, derived from his time with the Browns. Last year in Cleveland, Rees’ offense racked up 413 yards via the screen game, ranking second in the NFL. Adding more ways to get Robinson the ball in space only solidifies his status as the overall RB2 in fantasy drafts this year.
Per Wilson, Gaye’s recent MRI indicates he must undergo a procedure to correct the issue and will require a long recovery time. The backup pass rusher seems unlikely to play in 2026.
Wills was reportedly escorted away by a member of the Bears’ training staff. The 27-year-old tackle’s career has been badly impacted by injuries. He was competing for the Bears’ starting left tackle job, but was working with the second-team offense while OT Braxton Jones worked exclusively with the first-stringers today.
This is unfortunate. Beck looked great before injuring his ribs in the Hall of Fame game. Per Urban, Beck has been a very limited participant in practice ever since, which is costing him valuable reps. Only starting QB Jacoby Brissett will take first-team practice reps once the regular season begins. Beck practiced the week after the injury, “struggling much of the time,” and has sat out since then. The Cardinals have an extremely difficult schedule, so a rough record could bring Beck back onto the field at some point this year. Ideally, he would have spent all of August refining his play, though. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team re-draft leagues.
Pelissero reminds us that Jacobs was “originally booked on five charges, including felony strangulation.” He now faces “reduced charges of misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property.” The NFL continues to monitor all developments in the matter, which remains under review. Jacobs could end up being suspended. His backups are RB MarShawn Lloyd, who has performed well all spring and summer, and RB Chris Brooks. Lloyd should be a priority in drafts at this time.
FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur reported earlier that Bears DB Xavier Woods “laid out Wan’Dale Robinson over the middle of the field” during today’s joint practice, which “justifiably” prompted a response from the Titans’ sideline. Titans coach Robert Saleh called the hit “cheap.” The NFL reviews practice footage when available. We’ll see if anything comes of it. Losing Robinson for Week 1 would be consequential for QB Cam Ward, and would likely shift more work toward rookie WR Carnell Tate.
Frankly, it is tough to trust this statement. The Seahawks kept things quiet almost all offseason about Horton’s season-ending shin injury. They do not have to disclose anything until Week 1 practices begin. Were he to miss time in the regular season, WR Rashid Shaheed might be able to earn an extra target or two, operating as the team’s uncontested field stretcher.
Smith reunited with Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh last year and posted 38 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Even with NFL players actively returning to college football, Jonnu was unable to find a way to follow his favorite offensive coordinator to Ohio State. All signs point to Tucker Kraft being fully recovered from his torn ACL by Week 1, but backup tight end Luke Musgrave remains sidelined with an injury of his own. Smith won’t be on the fantasy radar as long as Kraft is healthy, but he should be a solid depth option for the Packers.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported yesterday that the Bears have had trade discussions surrounding Dexter. Given the timing of this hamstring injury, we’ll assume it and the trade rumors are related. Dexter is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has been considerably productive for an interior pass-rusher. He has 11 sacks and 95 combined tackles over the past two seasons. A team that trades for him will likely extend him as well.
Campbell said the MCL injury isn’t a concern, but he still could not give reporters a definitive answer on Pacheco’s Week 1 availability. The Lions worked out Pacheco’s former teammate Kareem Hunt earlier this week. With Pacheco banged up once again, it would be surprising for the team to sign Hunt ahead of Week 1. At this point, fantasy managers can ignore Pacheco in drafts until we get a better update.
We’re sad to see the Pro Bowl go, but this move has been several years in the making. Players consistently opted out of the event, forcing the league to name underwhelming alternates. Those who did play rarely took the game seriously. The NFL switched to a flag football format four years ago. This alleviated some injury risk for players but further separated the declining event from traditional football. Now the league will simply award 88 players across offense, defense, and special teams with the Pro Bowl designation. An in-person celebration of the Pro Bowl roster will be held in February.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was first on the news, followed by contract details from Ian Rapoport. Seattle acquired Williams from the Giants during the 2023 season. In his two full seasons as a Seahawk, Williams has totaled 18 regular season sacks plus one during the team’s postseason last year. He is now one of the five highest-paid defensive tackles on an annual basis. Williams will be under contract through the 2029 season.
Philadelphia released Brandon Hayes in a corresponding move. Miami released Washington earlier this week. A 2024 seventh-round pick, Washington did not play as a rookie and appeared in six games last year. He caught three passes for 37 yards.
It’s a simple restructure, converting base salary into a signing bonus. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the move creates nearly $18 million in cap space for Pittsburgh. The transaction could be an indication that the Steelers need cap space for another move, but it’s much more likely that the team simply wants flexibility down the road. Metcalf remains signed through the 2029 season.
Pierce has been on the PUP list throughout training camp as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Head coach Shane Steichen said earlier this week that he expects Pierce to return to practice in the coming days. While it will likely be very limited work for Pierce, that’s still a step in the right direction as he looks to get back to full strength ahead of Week 1. Coming off the PUP list means Pierce shouldn’t miss four games to start the season, but it doesn’t guarantee that he is ready for the season opener. His health will be one of the biggest storylines to monitor for the Colts’ offense over the next two weeks.
The 2023 third-round pick will be subject to waivers. If no team claims him, Tillman will be free to sign wherever he chooses. Tillman appeared to be on the precipice of a breakout in 2024, posting 330 yards over five games in the middle of the season. An injury then knocked him out for the remainder of the year, and he failed to find much of a role in 2025. Even if he clears waivers, several teams will likely be interested in taking a flyer on Tillman after 53-man rosters start to shake out.