Cardinals RB James Conner turned 29 in May, which tends to be a dangerous age for RBs according to our aging-curve research. But Conner has shown no signs of decline. In fact, his 80.0 rushing yards per game last year were a career high and ranked fourth league-wide behind only Kyren Williams, Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Chubb. Conner also excelled in advanced rushing metrics, ranking top-12 among 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt, yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and Pro Football Focus rushing grade.
Colts TE Jelani Woods dealt with recurring injuries to both hamstrings throughout last year. He hurt one last offseason and then the other when attempting to return during the season. He didn't play a single game in 2023. But Woods focused on strengthening his hamstrings, quads, and hips this offseason and believes he's solved the problem.
The Commanders have released K Brandon McManus. The move comes less than a week after reports of a lawsuit two flight attendants filed against McManus alleging sexual assault during a team flight when McManus played for the Jaguars. Washington had signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million deal just this offseason -- opting to add him instead of bringing back 2023 kicker Joey Slye.
SI.com's Jake Arthur says "it was quite clear that Trey Sermon is the next man up at running back" coming out of recent Colts OTAs. That followed voluntary sessions RB Jonathan Taylor missed for personal reasons. Arthur adds that RB Evan Hull "appeared to get the initial looks" as passing-down back ahead of RB Tyler Goodson.
The Vikings are signing WR Justin Jefferson to a four-year extension, according to NFL Network. The $140 million deal includes $110 million in guarantees and will make him the highest-paid non-QB in the league.
ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reports that Giants TE Darren Waller is expected to announce next week whether he'll play this season -- and that "people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire." The team has a two-day mandatory minicamp starting on June 11. Waller's expected to deliver his decision ahead of that.
The Dolphins and WR Jaylen Waddle agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension with $76 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That's a significantly bigger deal than Texans WR Nico Collins just got. Waddle is now one of the five highest-paid WRs in the league. The $76 million guaranteed is the third-largest total for a WR in NFL history, behind only A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who also got new deals this offseason. Waddle is now signed with Miami through the 2028 season.
The Packers gave RB Josh Jacobs a big four-year, $48 million deal in free agency. But HC Matt LaFleur suggested on Wednesday that the team might stick with a RB-by-committee approach this season.
The Texans and WR Nico Collins agreed to a three-year, $72.5 million extension with $52 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The deal keeps Collins in Houston through the 2027 season. His $24.2 million average annual salary ranks seventh among WRs, in between DeVonta Smith and D.K. Metcalf.
Packers WR Christian Watson spent eight hours testing his troublesome right hamstring at the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health this offseason. The testing revealed that the root cause of the issue was a muscle imbalance in his legs. Watson believes he's made significant progress toward solving the problem.
Lions HC Dan Campbell called WR Jameson Williams the team's most improved player this offseason. “We’re two practices in (to OTAs) and if you said, ‘Give me one player that is the most improved from that start to finish in that time,’ and Jamo would be that guy right now,” Campbell said. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.” Campbell added that Williams' game has improved "everywhere."
Rams RB Kyren Williams is expected to be sidelined until training camp with a "foot issue," HC Sean McVay said. “It’s nothing to worry about. He’ll be ready to go for training camp, but there’s a little issue when he was training, and [I’ll] kind of just leave it at that," McVay added. "But nothing to be concerned about. ... He’ll be ready to roll and be a consistent producer for us this year.”
Ravens HC John Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday that RB Keaton Mitchell is not expected back until "sometime during the season," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Harbaugh did add that Mitchell's "on schedule" in his recovery from a mid-December ACL tear but won't participate in training camp.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that TE Tucker Kraft has a pectoral injury that could keep him out until training camp, or early into training camp," according to The Packers Wire's Zach Kruse. Kraft was on the sidelines with his arm in a sling for Tuesday's OTA session. It doesn't sound like he's in any danger of missing the start of the season, barring a setback. But the second-year TE will be missing valuable practice reps.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson admitted recently that he has no timetable for return from last year's multi-ligament knee injury. Hockenson tore his right MCL and ACL on December 24. The MCL injury delayed the ACL surgery until January 29, pushing back Hockenson's timeline. He'll be just a little over seven months removed from surgery come Week 1.
Steelers RB Najee Harris has dropped weight this offseason. His trainer estimates that he's at 235 pounds now -- seven pounds lighter than his listed weight. Harris has upped his training time and cleaned up his diet.
Lions GM Brad Holmes said in a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that he expects RB Jahmyr Gibbs to see a bigger workload in 2024. Gibbs averaged 12.1 carries and 3.5 catches per game as a rookie last year. His share of backfield touches grew throughout the season, so it certainly makes sense that he'll get the rock more in year 2.
Falcons QB Kirk Cousins did some light jogging and throwing at Tuesday's OTA session. It's a positive sign as he works back from his October 29 Achilles tear. With about four months to go before the season opener, Cousins is seemingly on track to be cleared for Week 1.
New Chargers GM Joe Hortiz talked up WR Quentin Johnston in a recent interview with Kay Adams. "When he was coming out of college, he was an elite size/speed athlete. And you saw some rawness to his game," Hortiz said. "But as big as he is, 6'3, you watch him drop his weight, getting in and out of breaks, come to balance at the top of the route, get out quickly. He can do some rare things for a player his size. ... He's a great kid, he's a great worker. Everyone here has a high opinion of him. I believe he's really gonna launch. I really do. His skillset is great, we're gonna work with him, make him better and better."
The Lions and QB Jared Goff agreed to a four-year, $212 million extension with $170 million guaranteed. The $53 million annual salary makes Goff the league's second-highest player (for now), behind only QB Joe Burrow. The new deal keeps Goff under contract with Detroit through 2027 and includes an option for 2028, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
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