July 18, 2025
When asked to pick an offensive player who needs to step up in 2025, Tampa Bay Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard named wide receiver
Jalen McMillan on The Ronde Barber Show. McMillan came on strong to close out the 2024 season with
Chris Godwin (ankle) injured, but he'll have plenty of competition for playing time with
Mike Evans, Godwin and rookie first-rounder
Emeka Egbuka in the receivers room. The 23-year-old finished his second NFL season with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. In the final five games, he had 24 receptions, 316 yards and seven touchdowns. "I think that where (McMillan) left last season and the progress he showed on and off the field, and you could see that carry over into the spring with not having Chris out there and bringing Emeka along and him showing Emeka the ropes," Grizzard said.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Ronde Barber Show
July 18, 2025
The Detroit Lions placed defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike (undisclosed) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list on Thursday, which means he will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the 2025 regular season this fall. The Lions re-signed the 27-year-old interior defensive lineman to a one-year deal in the offseason. Despite having spinal-fusion surgery, Onwuzurike started in 10 of his 16 appearances with the Lions last year and finished with 28 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and a career-high 13 QB hits. The former second-rounder (41st overall) in 2021 out of Washington played a career-high 594 defensive snaps last year, but now he's just trying to get healthy and return to play in Week 5. When Onwuzurike does return to the Lions in the middle of the season, he'll likely be in a rotational role on the D-line.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
July 18, 2025
The Seattle Seahawks and second-round safety Nick Emmanwori reached an agreement on Thursday night on a fully guaranteed rookie contract, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Emmanwori becomes the first player in NFL history drafted 35th overall to receive a fully guaranteed contract. Seattle traded up 17 spots to take Emmanwori, who was a three-year starter at South Carolina that impressed during the scouting combine back in February. The Seahawks plan to use the 21-year-old defensive back at nickelback in 2025 in his first year in the NFL, with Julian Love and Coby Bryant serving as the team's starting safeties. In addition to Emmanwori, the Seahawks also reached an agreement with rookie tight end
Elijah Arroyo, who was taken 50th overall in the second round back in April.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Adam Teicher
July 18, 2025
The Seattle Seahawks signed second-round tight end
Elijah Arroyo to a four-year, $8.813 million deal on Friday, including $6.872 million guaranteed, according to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Shawn O'Dare. Arroyo was the fifth tight end off the board in April's NFL draft at 50th overall. The Seahawks still have
Noah Fant at tight end, but they'll feature a new offense in 2025, and Fant has just one touchdown catch in the last two years in Seattle. The 22-year-old Arroyo could be involved in the passing attack in his first year in the NFL if he can avoid anymore knee injuries, something that plagued him in college. He has good size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) and speed and could be the team's top pass-catching tight end by the end of the 2025 campaign. Arroyo won't be drafted in most single-year fantasy leagues, but he's a name to keep track of.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
July 18, 2025
In a recent Locked on Cowboys podcast appearance, former Dallas Cowboys coach Glenn Smith said that coaches with the Cowboys have expressed that rookie fifth-round running back
Jaydon Blue is "borderline lazy" and that the team isn't happy with his work habits. Blue is expected to have a big role on offense and is very explosive, but it's not a great sign for him heading into training camp. The 21-year-old is also under 200 pounds and comes with ball-security issues from his college days. The Cowboys like Blue's speed and explosiveness, but he didn't work at all with the first-team offense in spring workouts, suggesting Dallas could open the year with a backfield consisting mostly of
Javonte Williams and
Miles Sanders. The Cowboys will be hoping that Blue can mature quickly, but he's also no lock to make the roster out of training camp.
--Keith HernandezSource: Locked on Cowboys
July 18, 2025
The Buffalo Bills signed second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders to his rookie contract on Friday, according to BuffaloBills.com's Maddy Glab. With the signing, the Bills have locked up all of the players from this year's draft class. Buffalo moved up 15 spots to take Sanders with the 41st overall selection back in April after he spent his college days at South Carolina. The 21-year-old interior defensive lineman is known for his twitch and explosiveness after recording 9.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss with the Gamecocks. He earned AP second-team All-SEC honors in 2024. Despite his pedigree, Sanders is likely to be a rotational player on Buffalo's defensive line in his first year in the league with Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones likely to play most of the snaps at defensive tackle.
--Keith HernandezSource: BuffaloBills.com - Maddy Glab
July 18, 2025
The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (foot) on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Friday. Wilkins suffered a foot injury in Week 5 of last year against the Denver Broncos and didn't play the rest of the season. The 29-year-old also didn't take part in minicamp this offseason, and now he won't be ready for the start of training camp. The former 13th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2019 NFL draft out of Clemson spent the first five years of his NFL career in South Beach before joining the Raiders last year. In his five games played in 2024, Wilkins had 17 tackles (11 solo) and two sacks before his foot injury. When healthy, Wilkins has been a reliable run-stuffer in his time in the NFL. However, he'll turn 30 in December and might be in danger of missing the start of the regular season if he can't get on the field soon.
--Keith HernandezSource: Raiders PR
July 18, 2025
The Detroit Lions signed free-agent running back
Jabari Small to an undisclosed deal on Friday to add depth to their backfield ahead of training camp, a source tells FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. The former Tennessee Volunteer was with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 as a rookie but didn't see any time on the field in a regular-season game. The 23-year-old will now be battling to make the 53-man roster out of training camp this summer and will be fighting an uphill battle.
Jahmyr Gibbs and
David Montgomery are Detroit's top two running backs, while they also have
Craig Reynolds,
Sione Vaki and
Kye Robichaux in their RB room. Small spent the majority of last season on the Titans' practice squad before being let go by the team back in May.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Jordan Schultz
July 18, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie second-round running back
Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned and won't report to training camp with the rest of the team's rookies on Friday, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Right now, Judkins is focusing more on his legal matter after being arrested last week in Florida on domestic-violence charges. The Browns aren't in any rush to sign the 21-year-old to get him to camp, so Judkins could miss plenty of development time in camp this summer. His off-field situation is the most pressing matter, and one that could get him suspended in his first NFL season. It's all bad news for the Ohio State product's fantasy value in 2025. As of now, he's a shaky RB3/flex, while
Jerome Ford and
Dylan Sampson have become much more attractive in Cleveland's backfield. Stay tuned for more information on Judkins' legal situation.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
July
18,
2025
The
New
York
Jets
and
tight
end
Mason
Taylor
have
agreed
to
terms
on
a
four-year
rookie
contract,
according
to
Cameron
Wolfe
of
NFL
Network.
The
Jets
drafted
Taylor
out
of
LSU
in
the
second
round
of
read more...
July 18, 2025
It would be "surprising" if Detroit Lions quarterback
Hendon Hooker loses the backup job behind
Jared Goff to veteran
Kyle Allen, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. Detroit drafted Hooker out of Tennessee in the third round back in 2023, and he spent the majority of his rookie season rehabbing from a torn ACL. Hooker was the team's nominal backup for most of 2024, but Detroit signed veteran
Teddy Bridgewater to take over the job down the stretch of the season, signaling a lack of comfort with Hooker in the role. Pouncy writes that while Hooker should be considered the favorite entering camp, he "needs to show development." It would take an injury to Goff for either of Detroit's backup quarterback options to be fantasy-relevant.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Colton Pouncy
July 18, 2025
The Chicago Bears and rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo have a "deal in place," according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Trapilo was the 56th overall pick out of Boston College in the 2025 draft. He'll be part of a re-made offensive line in Chicago after the unit was one of the league's worst in 2024. Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright figure to be the Bears' starters at tackle in 2025, but Jones fractured his fibula last season and could be limited in training camp as a result. Trapilo played both left and right tackle in college, so he could be called upon to step in for Jones if needed. Alongside new playcaller Ben Johnson, better offensive line play in Chicago is a reason for optimism around second-year quarterback
Caleb Williams.
--Will BradySource: Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs
July 18, 2025
The Detroit Lions and offensive lineman Tate Ratledge have come to terms on a rookie contract, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Detroit drafted Ratledge out of Georgia with the 57th pick in the 2025 draft. The 24-year-old played five seasons at Georgia, holding a starting role in each of his final three. Ratledge played right guard in his final season with the Bulldogs, but he's reportedly been cross-training at center for the Lions this offseason. Detroit lost two starters from their 2024 offensive line in right guard Kevin Zeitler and All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, so there's opportunity for Ratledge to earn immediate playing time at either position. The Lions have had one of the NFL's best rushing attacks over the past few seasons, so Ratledge's ability to adjust to the pro game quickly will be critical for their offensive success.
--Will BradySource: Jordan Schultz
July
18,
2025
The
Las
Vegas
Raiders
and
rookie
wide
receiver
Jack
Bech
have
come
to
terms
on
a
four-year
contract,
according
to
Tashan
Reed
of
The
Athletic.
Bech
was
one
of
the
many
second-round
selections
in
this
year's
read more...
July 17, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals rookie first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart remains unsigned with training camp just around the corner, and reports surfaced earlier this week that Stewart has been practicing with his former college team at Texas A&M. The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway clarifies that Stewart is a Texas native and is training at A&M by himself while using the school's facilities to get himself ready for his first NFL season. The 21-year-old isn't practicing with his old college team and doesn't appear to be considering returning for another college season in 2025, which was previously reported. Stewart is the only first-rounder that remains unsigned as he continues a dispute with the Bengals over guaranteed money. Bengals players will start reporting to camp this weekend, but it remains to be seen if Stewart will be present.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Kelsey Conway
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