Daron Payne Receives Franchise Tag From Washington

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne became the first player this offseason to receive the franchise tag on Tuesday, according to sources. Payne is projected to earn $18.937 million if he plays the 2023 season on the tag. The Commanders didn't use the non-exclusive tag, so other teams can make the 25-year-old offers this offseason. […]

Sam Howell To Compete For Starting Job

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said on Tuesday that quarterback Sam Howell is "not our starter" at the position, but he'll begin the offseason as the QB1 and will have an opportunity to win the job in training camp this summer. The Commanders plan to bring in a veteran QB to compete with Howell. […]

Titans Want To Use Chigoziem Okonkwo More

New Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said on Tuesday that he wants to use tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo more in 2023. The fourth-round pick showed plenty of potential in his first NFL season in 2022, catching 32 of his 46 targets for 450 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (eight starts) for the […]

Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore Expected To Have Bigger Roles

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday that the Chiefs will expect more out of wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore in 2023. "Both of them will probably have bigger roles. Both of them are very talented," Reid said. It makes sense with both JuJu Smith-Schuster […]

Trey Lance Expected To Be Cleared For OTAs In May

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (ankle) resumed throwing from full dropbacks last week and is expected to be fully cleared before organized team activities begin in May. Lance said he doesn't plan on tinkering with his throwing motion this offseason. The 22-year-old signal-caller lacked experience in college and has started only four NFL games […]

Brock Purdy Expected To Have Surgery Next Week

Dr. Keith Meister told San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch not to be overly worried about lingering swelling in quarterback Brock Purdy's elbow. Meister postponed a Feb. 22 surgery to repair Purdy's torn UCL because there was still too much inflammation in the joint. He's tentatively scheduled to have surgery early next week. The […]

Bengals Not Considering Trading Tee Higgins

Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that trade talks around wide receiver Tee Higgins are "a little ridiculous right now." "I'm not in the business of making other teams better. You want a great receiver go find your own," Tobin said. Even though the Bengals have one of the best receivers in […]

James Cook To Have Expanded Role In 2023

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on Tuesday that running back James Cook will have "an expanded workload and more touches" in his second NFL season in 2023. Cook, a second-rounder in 2022, finished his rookie season with 89 carries for 507 yards and two touchdowns while catching 21 of 32 targets for 180 […]

George Valera Leaves Early Tuesday With Wrist Injury

Cleveland Guardians outfielder George Valera (hand, wrist) fouled a ball off in the team's Cactus League game on Tuesday and immediately dropped his bat and grabbed his right hand/wrist in pain. Valera was then removed from the game. It didn't look good, and it's especially worrisome for the 22-year-old after he needed surgery on the […]

Brendan Rodgers Injures His Shoulder Tuesday

Colorado Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers (shoulder) left the team's Cactus League game early on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers due to a shoulder injury. Manager Bud Black said they had to pop Rodgers' shoulder back into place. It sounds like a dislocated shoulder for the 26-year-old, but we should know more in the coming […]

Jurickson Profar To Play In World Baseball Classic

Free-agent outfielder Jurickson Profar will play for Team Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic despite remaining on the open market. Profar could attract more interest before the 2023 regular season if he plays well in the tournament. The 30-year-old switch-hitter also has plenty of experience in the infield, but he was mostly an outfield […]

Ramon Laureano Scratched With Groin Tightness

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano (groin) was scratched from Tuesday's Cactus League lineup with left groin tightness, according to the team. It doesn't sound as though Laureano's injury is very serious, but we'll keep a close eye on him this week. The 28-year-old will remain an outfield regular for the A's in 2023, giving him […]

A.J. Puk, Tommy Nance Dealing With Injuries

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk (groin) has some minor left adductor tightness but is scheduled to play catch on Tuesday. Right-hander Tommy Nance (shoulder) is dealing with slight shoulder discomfort and will be re-evaluated soon. Puk was acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, and given the depth at starting pitcher […]

Miguel Rojas Expected To Handle Most Of SS Duties

Los Angeles Dodgers veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas is expected to handle the bulk of the playing time at shortstop in 2023, according to manager Dave Roberts. Chris Taylor is also a potential candidate at the position after Gavin Lux (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in spring training on Monday. The Dodgers acquired Rojas in […]

Dominic Smith Fine After Being Hit By Pitch

Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith (quadriceps) said he's fine after being hit by a pitch on the outside of his right quad just above his knee in a Grapefruit League game on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith said he would have fought to stay in the game if it was in the […]

Marlins Agree With Richard Rodriguez On Minor-League Deal

The Miami Marlins agreed with free-agent right-hander Richard Rodriguez on a minor-league deal on Tuesday that includes a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. Rodriguez is trying to make an MLB comeback after serving an 80-game suspension in 2022 for performance-enhancing drugs. The 32-year-old Dominican had a nice 2.94 ERA (4.04 FIP), 0.93 WHIP, career-high […]

Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor Could See Time In Middle Infield

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said outfielder Mookie Betts playing more second base this season is being discussed. Roberts also said that outfielder Chris Taylor will start a throwing program in order to play more shortstop this year after the news that Gavin Lux (knee) will miss the entire 2023 season due to a […]

Yordan Alvarez Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) "should definitely be back for Opening Day." "We feel totally confident that he'll be in games sometime midway through (spring training)," Brown said. Alvarez has been unable to swing a bat in spring training due to renewed left hand soreness, which was […]

Packers Comfortable With Jordan Love As Starter

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he would "absolutely" be comfortable if quarterback Jordan Love were to start for the team in Week 1 of the 2023 season, despite the fact that Love hasn't played consistent meaningful snaps in his first three NFL seasons. "I think he's ready to play and I think […]

Titans To Keep Ryan Tannehill?

Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon said that quarterback Ryan Tannehill "is under contract for us and right now he is a Titan and he will be a Titan." Take that for what you will. Carthon makes it sound as if Tannehill remains in the team's plans for 2023, but there's still a chance they […]

Justin Jefferson Extension A "High Priority" For Vikings

Signing Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a contract extension is one of the team's top priorities this offseason. "I don't want to be the Vikings' GM without that guy on our team," general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. The 24-year-old Jefferson led the league with 128 catches for 1,809 yards in 2022, the […]

Buccaneers Plan To Release Leonard Fournette

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to release running back Leonard Fournette when the new league year begins on March 15, according to sources. General manager Jason Licht mentioned recently that he thought Fournette was still a three-down back in the NFL, saying "Lombardi Lenny" is still only 28 and has plenty left in the tank. […]

Jets Remain High On Zach Wilson

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said the organization remains very high on quarterback Zach Wilson despite his struggles in 2022. "Our stance on Zach hasn't changed. Zach has a very high ceiling. … When players love this game and work their tails off, they usually hit their ceiling. Still feel strongly Zach's going […]

Bills Confident In Gabe Davis As No. 2 Receiver

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that he has "a lot of confidence with Gabe Davis as our No. 2 wide receiver." Many folks were expecting a breakout season for Davis in 2022, but it just didn't come to pass. The 23-year-old did have career-highs in catches (48), targets (93) and receiving yards (836) […]

Giants To Release Kenny Golladay

The New York Giants will release wide receiver Kenny Golladay on the first day of the new league year on March 15, according to a source. By waiting until March 15, the Giants will save $6.7 million against the 2023 salary cap. Golladay was a massive bust for the G-Men after he signed a four-year, […]

Jaguars Restructure Christian Kirk, Zay Jones

The Jacksonville Jaguars converted a total of $32.657 million in base salary for wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and offensive guard Brandon Scherff on Tuesday into signing bonuses, according to a source. The moves created a total of $26.14 million in salary cap space for 2023. Kirk had his first 1,000-yard receiving season […]

Financials Unlikely To Be A Factor For Aaron Rodgers

There is no reason to think that financials will be a major factor as to whether Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns to the team in 2023 if he wants to continue his playing career. General manager Brian Gutekunst recently indicated that if Rodgers does return to the team next year, there will likely […]

Bears Plan For Justin Fields To Be Their Starter

When asked about Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields being the starter, general manager Ryan Poles said, "That's the plan right now." The Bears will continue to evaluate all of the quarterback options at the top of this year's draft class before making a firm decision, but they are currently expected to trade the No. 1 […]

Javonte Williams "On Track" For Start Of Season

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton said that running back Javonte Williams (knee) is "on track" to be ready for the start of the 2023 season. Williams is jogging after suffering a major knee injury early in 2022 that involved multiple ligament tears. Paton's comments contradict recent reports that Williams could miss significant time early […]

Falcons Release Marcus Mariota

The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Marcus Mariota on Tuesday, according to the team. The Falcons signed Mariota to a two-year deal last offseason, but the team will save roughly $12 million in salary cap space in 2023 by releasing him. It comes with a $2.5 million dead-money hit. The 29-year-old began the 2022 campaign as […]