River Cracraft Signs with Commanders
River Cracraft, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Cracraft has played for three different teams across seven NFL seasons entering 2025, but has never recorded more than nine catches in a single year. He played eight games for the Miami Dolphins in 2024 and caught seven passes for 66 yards and zero touchdowns. The 30-year-old Cracraft is a long shot to make the Commanders' 53-man roster. Still, it's somewhat notable that the team is looking to fortify its wide receiver depth amidst its ongoing contract dispute with star wideout Terry McLaurin.Source: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
The Washington Commanders have signed wide receiver Falcons Add C.J. Henderson
Source: Terrin Waack
Per the team, the Atlanta Falcons intend to sign free agent defensive back C.J. Henderson to an undisclosed contract. The 26-year-old was the former No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but spent only that season with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- the team that drafted him. After a brief stint with the Jags, he was traded to Carolina, where he spent three seasons, and finally landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, though he did not appear in a game. Injuries have limited Henderson to 49 of a possible 67 career games (21 starts), but he's been productive when on the field. The Falcons' defensive backfield is essentially set in stone -- retaining their starters from a season ago -- but the Florida product could play valuable snaps as a rotational asset. Defensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. was waived in a corresponding move.Mason Rudolph Getting Another Start
Mason Rudolph will again be the team's starting QB for their meeting with the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Tomlin also noted that the players who didn't play in their win against the Jaguars last week will sit out once more. It seems we'll have to wait at least one more week before we see veteran signal-caller Aaron Rodgers don the Steelers' black and yellow for the first time. Rudolph was efficient in their preseason opener, completing 90% of his passes for 84 yards and a score before teammate Skylar Thompson relieved him. It will be that duo again this weekend, unless Will Howard (hand) is cleared for action.Source: NFL.com
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Thursday that quarterback Spencer Rattler Not Guaranteed to Start Vs. Jaguars
Spencer Rattler got the nod last weekend and played one quarter in their loss to the Chargers before giving way to rookie signal-caller Tyler Shough. Shough saw the most work in that one, and that Moore is still tinkering with his lineup suggests the Saints' QB situation is far from clear-cut. One of Shough or Rattler figures to eventually pull ahead in that race, but Jake Haener can't be counted out just yet. Whomever eventually wins out will determine the value of New Orleans' skill players. Still, outside of running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Chris Olave, there aren't many other enticing options. Perhaps the situation will shake itself out this weekend when the Jaguars come to town.Source: NFL.com
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore told reporters on Thursday that he has yet to decide on a starter for Sunday's home meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A.J. Brown's Injury Not a Concern
A.J. Brown's (hamstring) injury. Brown has been in and out of practice over the last few weeks while dealing with a nagging hamstring issue. There was some worry that he'd suffered a setback when he was downgraded from a limited session earlier in the week, although it doesn't appear to be a serious ailment. With that said -- and the regular season looming -- it's worth keeping an eye on. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, and any time missed by the Ole Miss product would be a boon to teammate DeVonta Smith's production. Brown could be a decent value at his current draft spot -- just inside the top 20 -- but the inherent risk in selecting him grows greater each day he misses practice time.Source: Mike Garafolo
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that he doesn't "sense any great concern" regarding Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Brandon Scherff has Hung Up his Cleats
According to Iowa's website after veteran offensive guard Brandon Scherff was selected to the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame, the 33-year-old has retired from professional football. Scherff became a free agent back in March, never talked to any NFL teams, and has apparently called it a career. He was originally the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft by Washington, and Scherff spent the first seven seasons of his career in D.C. Scherff was a five-time Pro Bowler with the Commaners and was also a first-team All-Pro selection in 2020. The final three seasons of his career came with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Scherff started all 17 games for the Jaguars in 2024 in what ended up being his final season.Nick Bosa Dealing With Neck Soreness
Source: ESPN.com - Nick Wagoner
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (neck) is dealing with neck soreness, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The head coach said that the hope is that Bosa will be back at practice next week. Bosa did not practice at training camp on Thursday and will not take the field for the team's second preseason contest on Saturday versus the Las Vegas Raiders. Injuries are nothing new for the 27-year-old five-time Pro Bowler, as he missed three games a year ago with knee and oblique injuries. But as long as he's able to get back to practice at some point next week, he should be good to go for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. The 2024 season was the first since 2020 that Bosa didn't have double-digit sacks, although he was only one away with nine. The former Defensive Player of the Year is a risk/reward IDP fantasy selection at defensive line.Khalil Herbert Sits Out of Practice
Khalil Herbert (undisclosed) did not participate in practice on Thursday at training camp for an undisclosed reason, according to The Athletic's James Boyd. Herbert had seven carries for 29 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener last Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, but he hasn't practiced with the team since and apparently picked up an injury during that game. The 27-year-old losing valuable practice reps doesn't bode well as he competes for a depth role with rookie DJ Giddens and Tyler Goodson behind starter Jonathan Taylor. Herbert has shown elusiveness in his four-year NFL career, but he's fighting an uphill battle for playing time in Indy after rushing for just 130 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (one start) in 2024 with the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals.Source: The Athletic - James Boyd
Indianapolis Colts running back Alec Pierce Misses Another Practice
Alec
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Browns Doing Due Diligence on Isaiah Bond
Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues can avoid him.Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
Updating a previous report, the Cleveland Browns are doing their due diligence on former Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond, who went undrafted this year because of a sexual-assault charge that was no-billed on Thursday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Bond said that he has signed with the Browns, but that's not official and will not happen on Thursday, according to a source. The 21-year-old wideout won't face criminal charges after being arrested in April, but it doesn't necessarily mean the NFL won't hand him a suspension. He caught 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games with the Longhorns last year. If Bond does eventually ink a deal with the Browns, he'll simply be competing for a depth role to close out training camp behind Hunter Henry Returns on Thursday
Hunter Henry (undisclosed) returned to training camp practice on Thursday, according to Mark Daniels of Mass Live. Henry missed some practice time earlier this week but is now back on the field. However, it doesn't mean that the 30-year-old veteran will suit up for the second presason tilt this Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. He should be just fine for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September as the team's top pass-catching tight end. In his fourth year in New England in 2024, Henry had career-highs in catches (66), targets (97) and receiving yards (674) in 16 starts, but he found the end zone just two times. The addition of receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) will inevitably take targets away from Henry, but on the bright side, the TE did show good chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye. Henry is a low-end TE2 target with some upside.Source: MassLive.com - Mark Daniels
New England Patriots tight end J.K. Dobbins Brought in to Provide Leadership
J.K. Dobbins and rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey, with the two expecting to see the majority of the backfield touches this season. "We brought in leadership, with J.K., and we drafted Harvey early, and so you're going to see a difference," Payton said. Harvey was heavily involved in the preseason opener last Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers and has more big-play potential in an improving offense under Payton and second-year quarterback Bo Nix. At RotoBaller, Harvey is ranked as the RB25, with Dobbins checking in at RB35. Dobbins has the edge in experience, but he's also been very injury-prone in his NFL career.Source: The Denver Post - Luca Evans
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton promised that the team will have a "markedly different" running game in 2025 after they disappointed on the ground last year. Payton points to the upgrades with veteran running back Jalen Nailor Dealing With Hand Injury
Jalen Nailor (hand) is dealing with a hand injury and will be evaluated. Nailor's hand injury could end up being minor, but as The Athletic's Alec Lewis notes, Minnesota's receiver depth in training camp is now being tested. All-Pro Justin Jefferson (hamstring) has been out since early in camp, and the Vikes are also bracing for Jordan Addison to miss the first three games of the year due to a suspension. The 26-year-old Nailor should have an increased role early in the season with Addison suspended, but RotoBaller doesn't have him ranked inside the top 100 wideouts for fantasy. In his third season in Minnesota last year, Nailor only caught 28 of 42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (seven starts) in a career year for quarterback Sam Darnold.Source: The Athletic - Alec Lewis
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connel said that wide receiver J.J. McCarthy Won't Play on Saturday
J.J. McCarthy will not play in the team's second preseason game on Saturday against the New England Patriots. Instead, Sam Howell will get the start. In the preseason opener last week against the Houston Texans, McCarthy went 4-for-7 for 30 yards and rushed one time for eight yards in his only drive of the game. The 22-year-old missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to a torn meniscus in his knee, but he enters 2025 as Minnesota's unquestioned starter under center. The former Michigan signal-caller has plenty of upside with Justin Jefferson (hamtring) and Jordan Addison (suspension) as his top two receivers, but Jefferson has been nursing a hamstring injury all summer, and Addison will miss the first three games. At best, McCarthy will be a midrange QB2 in fantasy.Source: Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback