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.
Broncos HC Sean Payton said recently that his backfield is an open competition heading into the season. "All these guys, they're all competing for different roles, spots," Payton said. "We never put a cap on what they're competing for. I wanna see it. And then we'll go by what we see."
Rams GM Les Snead said the selection of RB Blake Corum in this year's draft was to help keep RB Kyren Williams fresh. "It's a tough league; it's a 17-game season plus playoffs, might go to 18 games one day," Snead said. "So we always felt like we needed to have as many quality runners as possible so we don't just totally run down Kyren, and we have one or two, or even three guys that can contribute, keep everyone fresh, and let's go and try to impose our will." HC Sean McVay made a similar comment shortly after the draft, noting that the team sees a lot of similarities between Williams and Corum.
The Cardinals are signing former Jaguars WR Zay Jones, according to multiple reports. NFL Network reports that it's a one-year deal worth "up to" $4.5 million.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is under investigation for allegedly hitting a photographer at a Dallas club early Monday, police sources tell WFAA. We don't have any other details at this point. This, of course, comes just about one month after Rice was involved in a street-racing accident in Dallas. He's facing eight charges for that incident.
Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the accuser has asked that charges be dropped and called the incident a "misunderstanding."
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was on the field and throwing as OTAs opened on Monday, according to the team's official site. Burrow resumed throwing earlier this offseason after undergoing right wrist surgery in late November, but this was the first time he did it in a team setting. He looked very close to 100% by all accounts, throwing with his usual velocity.
The Titans signed WR Tyler Boyd to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Boyd is reuniting with new Titans HC Brian Callahan, who spent the past five seasons with Boyd in Cincinnati. Boyd went for a career-high 1,046 yards in Callahan's first season as Bengals OC back in 2019, but his yardage has declined each year since, bottoming out at 667 last year. Boyd's Pro Football Focus receiving grade has also been in decline. He ranked 63rd among 80 qualifiers last year.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson is "progressing really well" from October shoulder surgery, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "I'm told Richardson feels he's full go at this point," Fowler adds. "He's been throwing for a while now. He's gradually grown to where he can throw full time with minimal restrictions. The Colts could be deliberate. They could hold him out for OTAs, 11-man work, minicamp, but the feeling is he wants to get started." The Colts would be wise to play it safe with Richardson's return, but it continues to sound like he'll be back to 100% well ahead of Week 1. With a sixth-round best ball ADP, Richardson is one of the biggest risk/reward picks at his position.
Bucs WRs coach Bryan McClendon said Monday that the team believes rookie WR Jalen McMillan can play both outside and in the slot. McMillan played almost exclusively in the slot the past two seasons at Washington but lined up out wide for 84% of his snaps as a sophomore back in 2021. That ability to play outside will be important with the Bucs planning to move WR Chris Godwin back into the slot for the majority of the time this season. That figures to leave McMillan and WR Trey Palmer battling for the outside spot opposite Mike Evans. Consider McMillan a slight favorite to win that job. He beats Palmer in draft capital (Round 3 vs. Round 6), and Palmer ranked 77th among 80 qualifying WRs in yards per route as a rookie last year.
The Panthers are set to sign RB Rashaad Penny, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Penny is still rocking a career 5.6 yards-per-carry average. But he's suffered a multitude of injuries, most recently a fractured fibula in October 2022. He barely found any snaps on Philadelphia last year, finishing with just 11 carries for 33 yards. There's opportunity in Carolina, where Penny joins a backfield with rookie Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, and Miles Sanders. But it'd be a surprise if the now-28-year-old Penny re-emerged as a fantasy asset.
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