8 mins agoDenver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II has been in trade rumors over the last calendar year, but the 24-year-old said he wants to stay with the organization long-term. The team picked up his fifth-year option a few months ago, which was a no-brainer decision after he made two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team in his first three NFL campaigns. Through the 24-year-old's first 50 contests, he has compiled 187 tackles, one forced fumble, seven interceptions, and 36 pass deflections. Denver has one of the weakest rosters in the league and is in the middle of the rebuild, so while it wouldn't be shocking if Surtain was on the trade block, it sounds like that is not the case.Source: Chris Tomasson
21 mins agoDenver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he will get the chance to be Sean Payton's QB of the future. So far this offseason, Denver's coaching staff has continually praised Nix's maturity level and growth. "There is a maturity level," offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. "I think when you draft a guy who is a little bit older, you hope that that comes with it, but he's certainly shown that. You can feel his 61 games played in college. With experience, a calmness comes along with it. So he certainly doesn't feel like a rookie." College football's all-time leader in career starts will be 24 years old when he takes his first regular-season snap, and he'll have to exceed expectations to elevate a weak supporting cast in the competitive AFC West. While the team expects Nix to perform well right away, he has limited fantasy upside due to a lack of weapons and the struggles rookies usually face.Source: Nick Kosmider - The Athletic
33 mins agoThe New York Giants are signing running back Jacob Saylors, according to team beat writer Art Stapleton. Saylors was with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL for the 2024 season, where he rushed 94 times for 460 and five touchdowns to go along with 151 receiving yards and three receiving scores. While he may be a long shot to make the team's 53-man roster, New York has one of the worst running back rooms in the NFL, so it could be an interesting development.Source: Art Stapleton
45 mins agoThe Dallas Cowboys signed defensive back Gareon Conley on Tuesday, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Conley is a former first-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2017, and he spent three seasons in Silver and Black before two years with the Houston Texans. Most recently, he played for the D.C. Defenders of the UFL and totaled 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery in seven games. This is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Cowboys, and it will be interesting to see if he can stick around on the practice squad or 53-man roster in 2024.Source: Ian Rapoport
51 mins agoThe Pittsburgh Steelers are waiving wide receiver Denzel Mims, according to NFL.com. The 2020 second-round pick by the New York Jets signed with the Steelers in October of last season and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but his time with the team has come to an end. After a promising collegiate career at Baylor, Mims has now been released or waived by three franchises in four years. In 30 career games, Mims has racked up 42 receptions for 676 yards and no touchdowns. His future in the league is looking bleak, but another organization might give him an additional shot.Source: NFL.com
2 hours agoThe Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that he has significant questions about the Cleveland Browns' receiving corps this year. WR1 Amari Cooper missed the whole offseason program because he's seeking a new contract, and new wideout Jerry Jeudy missed the last three weeks with a minor undisclosed injury. The Browns still have Cooper and tight end David Njoku, but there are a bunch of questions beyond them, and quarterback Deshaun Watson needs playmakers. Jackson said he didn't see many big plays from the Browns offense during offseason workouts, and he still wonders what the team will get from Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman when the regular season begins. Watson has a lot of talent from under center, but injury question marks and the lack of receiving depth he has in Cleveland makes him a clear QB2 target in fantasy.Source: The Athletic - Zac Jackson
2 hours agoThe Cincinnati Bengals' schematic expansion under new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher was on display through the offseason program, and the shift to versatility and unpredictable usage was a recurring theme for every position group. All receivers worked inside and outside, tight end Mike Gesicki shifted all around the line of scrimmage, and the running backs were more active in the passing game. Quarterback Joe Burrow talked about extra "eye candy" and being able to dictate more to defenses with new personnel groups and scheme tweaks. It's unclear exactly how this will look in competitive games, but it has to be good news for all players in the offense, especially Burrow, who is looking to bounce back after another injury-plagued year in 2023.Source: The Athletic - Paul Dehner Jr.
3 hours agoThe Athletic's Doug Haller writes that there is a lot of optimism from the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, with the biggest reason being that quarterback Kyler Murray is on the field. Murray was off to the side working with the team's conditioning staff at this time last year while trying to recover from ACL surgery. Murray's recovery affected Arizona's entire season in 2023 after he missed the first nine games. He spent the rest of the year learning a new offense and trying to find his way back, and it showed. An offseason built around Murray should make a difference in 2024. The 26-year-old put in extra work with his receivers on weekends, trying to perfect rhythm and timing. Murray probably isn't going to be an elite passer, especially given the lack of standout options at receiver in Arizona besides rookie first-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr., but his elite rushing ability should give him a solid fantasy floor as a low-end QB2.Source: The Athletic - Doug Haller
3 hours agoThe Atlanta Falcons' new offense under head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will clearly run through second-year running back Bijan Robinson. "In as simple of a form as you can possibly make it," Morris said, "it's 'get the ball to Bijan as much as you can in as many ideal situations that you possibly can.'" Robinson's 214 carries for 976 yards and four touchdowns made him the top-rushing rookie in 2023, and he also caught 58 passes for an extra 487 yards -- the fourth-most among RBs -- and also had four receiving TDs. His 272 touches ranked 12th among NFL players last year, and Robinson finished 10th with 1,463 total yards from scrimmage. The 22-year-old expects to be more of a runner than pass-catcher in 2024, and with more total touches likely coming his way, he should easily be considered a top-three fantasy RB.Source: AtlantaFalcons.com - Terrin Waack
3 hours agoAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (Achilles) is returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 8 of the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings, but he has expressed confidence he'll be full-go by training camp at the end of July since his arrival in Atlanta in March. That sentiment didn't change throughout the offseason program, and Cousins' participation in all aspects of the team's offseason program is promising. Cousins said he did everything at organized team activities, but it will be worth watching if he continues to do everything in training camp. The 35-year-old signal-caller will be in a non-contact jersey, but everything else should be business as usual. Cousins will still have plenty of weapons around him in Atlanta, but it's a downgrade in receivers and he's coming off a significant injury towards the end of his career. At best, fantasy managers should consider him a midrange QB2.Source: AtlantaFalcons.com - Terrin Waack
17 hours agoKansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was arrested for the second time in a month after he was booked on a domestic-violence/burglary charge in Alabama on Sunday morning and released, according to online records. On May 30, Buggs turned himself in after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of second-degree animal cruelty in Tuscaloosa. His agent, Trey Robinson, has alleged his client is a victim of an ongoing "subversive campaign" to force the closure of the hookah lounge he owns in Alabama. The 27-year-old was originally a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 out of Alabama. He played the first three years of his career in Pittsburgh before spending 2022 and 2023 with the Detroit Lions. The Chiefs signed him to their practice squad in January and re-signed him to a futures deal in February.Source: ESPN.com
20 hours agoCleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper recently held out of mandatory minicamp. The wideout, entering the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal, wants an extension. General manager Andrew Berry, while speaking to the media on Monday, acknowledged the situation while also mentioning Cooper's importance. "He's obviously been a high-level, Pro-Bowl caliber receiver. But he's also a great teammate, and he's a great professional," said Berry. "We'll navigate the business considerations, the business aspects, as it goes, but he is a big part of our team." Cooper finished his second year in Cleveland by amassing a career-high 1,250 yards with 72 catches and five touchdowns. Barring injury, it's reasonable to believe he'll remain a top fantasy receiver throughout the 2024-25 campaign, especially if Deshaun Watson (shoulder) returns to form.Source: Charean Williams
20 hours agoCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was recently throwing during 7-on-7 drills. While that was a promising sign for fantasy managers, general manager Andrew Berry painted a more encouraging picture. "First and foremost, Deshaun has really worked his tail off," Berry told the media on Monday. "He's really actually ahead of schedule. He's thrown the ball well." The 28-year-old should be ready to go for Week 1 after undergoing shoulder surgery in November. But the real question is if he'll bounce back from a forgettable 2023-24 campaign. Although there's a good chance Watson will, he's still hard to trust to be the No. 1 signal-caller on any fantasy roster.Source: Charean Williams
20 hours agoLos Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey signed his four-year rookie deal on Monday. The 22-year-old was selected with the No. 34 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played 39 games at Georgia, starting 21, and totaled 119 catches for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had four more scores on the run. McConkey has received positive reviews from teammates this offseason, and with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams no longer on the roster, the rookie is worth considering late in fantasy drafts heading into the 2024-25 campaign.Source: Charean Williams
1 day agoKansas City Chiefs rookie offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia has shared first-team reps with Wanya Morris this offseason, but the first-year player out of BYU is trending toward being the Week 1 starter at left tackle. Suamataia was selected with the No. 63 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so the fact that he's already taken first-team reps is promising. In 2023, Patrick Mahomes was the second-most-hurried quarterback (60) in the NFL, which contributed to the team lacking a downfield passing game for the first time in his career. The organization brought in Suamataia to potentially alleviate that issue, and gaining valuable reps from the start of the regular season could prepare him for the team's postseason run in search of becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowls.Source: Charles Goldman