Bengals WR Tee Higgins signed his franchise tag. He'll make $21.8 million on the one-year contract. Looking for a long-term deal, Higgins requested a trade multiple times this offseason and skipped last week's mandatory minicamp. But this should be the last we hear of his contract situation this year. Higgins will hit free agency next offseason.
New Commanders RB Austin Ekeler endured a forgettable 2023 season. It started with a Week 1 high-ankle sprain, one that lingered upon returning in Week 6. The now 29-year-old set career lows in yards per carry (3.5), yards after contact per attempt (2.64) and Pro Football Focus Elusive Rating (49.4). With better health, can Ekeler rebound in Washington?
Multiple Jets beat writers have WR Xavier Gipson ahead of WR Malachi Corley on the depth chart heading to training camp. Those two are battling for the slot role between boundary WRs Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.
Bills GM Brandon Beane suggested recently that WR Keon Coleman still has a lot of developing to do. Beane noted the big difference between college and NFL playbooks and that Coleman will need to learn to stay engaged on run plays.
Chargers RB Gus Edwards is sidelined with an undisclosed injury but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, HC Jim Harbaugh said on Thursday.
The Jaguars and QB Trevor Lawrence agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with $200 million guaranteed, ESPN reports. Lawrence now ranks second in the NFL in average annual salary and fourth in guaranteed money. The extension tacks on to the final two years of his current contract, meaning that Lawrence is now signed with the Jaguars through the 2030 season. He'll be 32 when the deal expires.
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson looks to build off a breakout second season. His 2023 included top-10 finishes among TEs in targets, catches, yards, and TDs. As a result, the 25-year-old slotted ninth in total PPR points.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Sam Darnold will open training camp as the team's No. 1 QB. O'Connell did not commit to anything beyond that, though, saying that he plans for a "competitive" training camp.
Steelers WR George Pickens has been lining up in the slot more in new OC Arthur Smith's offense. Pickens played just 15.4% of his snaps inside as a rookie in 2022 and 16.9% last year. It sounds like that number will rise considerably in 2024.
Nick Underhill of Saints.football reports that Saints TE Juwan Johnson "suffered a lower leg injury and is expected to miss a good amount of time." We'll watch for more specifics on the injury, but that sounds pretty ominous. Underhill did add that he hasn't heard that Johnson will be sidelined into the regular season.
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Johnson will undergo foot surgery. He's expected to be sidelined “a while," Schefter adds, but "the hope and belief for now is that he will be back for the start of the season."
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels spoke glowingly about OC Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Of course, it'd be a much bigger surprise if a rookie QB had anything negative to say about his OC. But it's noteworthy after Kingsbury helped QB Kyler Murray to a strong rookie season in Arizona back in 2019.
Chargers second-round rookie WR Ladd McConkey is reportedly meshing well with QB Justin Herbert in team workouts so far. Daniel Popper of The Athletic says McConkey has played "mostly in the slot." That probably lines up with most fans' expectations but doesn't align with his college usage. McConkey spent just 29.6% of his pass snaps in the slot across three seasons at Georgia, decreasing that rate each year.
Chargers third-round rookie LB Junior Colson garnered some early buzz for his work with the starting offense in OTAs. But more recent workouts have found him working behind second-year LB Daiyan Henley ... and others. According to The Athletic's Daniel Popper, Colson has paired with Shane Lee as the third-team ILB duo at this week's minicamp. A minor injury in May OTAs might have pushed the rookie temporarily down the depth chart. But we'll have to see whether Colson can climb it through summer.
Browns WR Amari Cooper did not report with the rest of the team for manadatory minicamp Tuesday. That followed the veteran staying away from voluntary OTAs as well. Cooper's contract runs out at the end of this season, so he's likely staying away in pursuit of an extension. We'll see whether this spills over into training camp.
Jets HC Robert Saleh suggested that WR Mike Williams might play limited snaps early this season. He's working back from a torn ACL suffered last September.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins was not present for the start of minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Higgins has still not signed his franchise tag and requested a trade (again) in late April.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson aims to rebound from a 2023 season that was high on volume and low on efficiency. He garnered 168 targets but tallied a poor 56.5% catch rate. Wilson also scored on only three of his 95 catches -- a 3.1% TD rate.
San Francisco's George Kittle remained one of the most efficient TEs in the NFL last year, despite playing most of the season at 30 years old. He led the position in both yards per route (2.22) and Pro Football Focus receiving grade. Kittle also averaged a career-high and TE-leading 15.7 yards per catch. He finished sixth among TEs in total PPR points and seventh in PPR points per game -- his sixth straight top-seven finish.
The Athletic's Alec Lewis says fans should "be keeping their eyes on" Vikings RB Ty Chandler, coming out of the team's recent minicamp. RT Brian O'Neill called Chandler one of the most explosive players on the team. "I see us having a one-two punch at running back, almost like they have in Detroit," O'Neill said, pairing Chandler with import Aaron Jones. "I don't know if that's what's happening on the offensive side, but I know that we have two true No. 1 running backs. I'd buy stock in Ty Chandler if I could." If the starting RT doesn't know how the RBs will be deployed this season, then odds are that remains a developing situation. It's worth noting that Jones -- signed immediately after the Packers released him -- turns 30 in December, has averaged 12.1 carries per game for his career, and has only reached 13.0 in a season twice across seven years.
In recapping the Vikings' just-completed minicamp, The Athletic's Alec Lewis says QB Sam Darnold "looked calm, confident and prepared for what is likely to be another starting opportunity." Lewis also highlighted the inconsistency in rookie QB J.J. McCarthy's performance, adding that it should be expected for the first-round pick. Lewis added that Darnold took every first-team rep in the minicamp and that McCarthy didn't work with starters when the Vikings split into "starters" and "developmental" groups. Minnesota signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract before the draft, with $8.75 million of that fully guaranteed. That doesn't lock in Darnold as the starter for any portion of the coming season. But it's enough money to suggest that we shouldn't be surprised if he opens the year behind center.
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