Live from Delaware, it’s Saturday Night! I, NAS204PSU, am here at BTSC to bring you this Saturday Night Open Thread (aka SNOT).

Summer is rollin’ now. There’s already some highs (in the 90s here) and lows (Thunderstorms and some down trees. Keep your hands and feet inside the car and hold on tight, you never know when this will be your last ride.

This 4 pack of questions is here to get the conversation going, so let us know what you’re eating/drinking!

1. Roman Wilson missed Thursday’s OTA. Is Roman going to “Carpe Diem” and secure a 2026 roster spot or will he “memento mori” his time with the Steelers and be off the Steelers’ 53 come September? (in other words, is Roman Wilson on our 2026 roster: YES or NO)

2. Fake news earlier this week had Alex Highsmith sitting out practice after the Brinks Truck visited Nick Herbig (Real news: It was due to illness.). How sick do (or did) you have to be before you’d miss work?

3. FearTheBeard5559 may have seen Ryan Fitzpatrick at Disney World. Who is the most famous/notable person you’ve seen “in the wild”? (Please exclude meet-n-greets)

4.  My daughter is heading to Hershey Park with a friend next weekend. Do you have a favorite amusement park or thrill ride?

Song of the Night: Love Rollercoaster – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Cover of Ohio Players)

The Las Vegas Raiders are back at mandatory mini-camp, and fans are excited to hear about football. Klint Kubiak and his coaching staff are looking to put their imprint on the franchise and take it to the next level.

Of course, the main position missing from the Raiders is quarterback. They drafted Fernando Mendoza and signed free agent Kirk Cousins to help elevate the position. The battle is supposed to be between them to become the signal caller for Week 1 of this season.

In this Week’s SB Nation Reacts, we ask Raider Nation who will be the starting QB in Week 1. The results are in and the majority of fans are on one side of the spectrum. 71% of Raiders fans believe Kirk Cousins will be the starting quarterback in Week 1.

With Cousins taking a break during the last day of mini-camp, it seems inevitable that Cousins will be the signal caller. However, it will be interesting to see Mendoza’s growth throughout training camp and whether he can close the gap.

Check out the latest NFL odds and bets at FanDuel Sportsbook.

On pure speed alone, no other wide receiver on the roster can approach what Shedrick Jackson brings to the table in that regard.

Blazing to a 4.25-second 40-yard dash time at the Auburn Pro Day as Jackson prepped for the 2023 NFL Draft, that kind of scintillating speed is a familial trait, as his great uncle and fellow Auburn and Raider product Bo Jackson was even more fleet of foot.

In comparison to other Las Vegas Raiders wideouts, Dont’e Thornton Jr. (second year, 4.30 40-time at the NFL Combine), veteran Phillip Dorsett (eighth year, 4.33 40 at the combine), rookie Malik Benson (4.37 40 at the combine), undrafted rookie Jonathan Brady (4.39 40 at Indiana’s Pro Day), and Tre Tucker (fourth year, 4.40 40 at the combine) are the other blazers on the current 90-man squad.

Being fast is great. But it won’t be the sole determining factor for Jackson’s roster chances under a new head coach in Klint Kubiak. Especially with others having jets, albeit not the same realm as Jackson. The Auburn product did have flashes last season in minimal offensive work (22 total snaps on offense in 2025) and is providing fleeting moments of impressiveness in the Raiders first mandatory minicamp session this past Tuesday.

By The Numbers
Shedrick Jackson, Wide Receiver

• 2025: 5 games (zero starts), 5 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 carry, 3 yards.
• Career: (2023-25), 10 games (zero starts), 6 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 carry, 3 yards

But ensuring those aren’t flukes is key. Which makes the third-year undrafted free agents quest to land on the 53-man roster a steep uphill climb.

Jackson spent six seasons with Auburn (2018-22) with the 2021 season being the most productive: In 13 games totaling 40 receptions for 527 yards and one touchdown. In total, the Alabama native saw action in 53 games netting 66 receptions for 874 yards and one touchdown, alongside one carry and rushing for 12 yards. Not surprisingly, Jackson went undrafted and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

After yo-yoing with on and off the Bengals active roster and practice squad his rookie season, Jackson was outright releasd in September of 2024 and the Raiders scooped him up in late December of that year before inking a reserve/future contract for the 2025 season.

Once again, Jackson played the active/practice squad shell game but did haul in his first-career touchdown catch — a 25-yard dart from then-quarterback Kenny Pickett — in a Week 14 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. This offseason, the 6-foot-1 and 198-pound 26-year-old is one of 12 wide receivers vying for not only a 53-man roster spot, but also practice squad considerations.

However, Raiders wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni stressed last week, at this point in time, there are no established roles at the position group and it’s a wide open competition. Let’s quickly take a look at projected starters: Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech. Behind that group are most likely Benson, Thornton Jr., and Dareke Young.

From a size/speed perspective, Jackson is an intriguing talent. But ditto for Thornton Jr., who is a freakish 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, with 4.30 speed. That noted, Thornton, the Raiders’ fourth-round pick (108th overall) in the 2025 draft didn’t play a lick on special teams — zero snaps as a rookie, in fact.

That’s where Jackson’s opening is. But he’s got strong competition in that regard.

Young, a free agent addition from the Seattle Seahawks, brings familiarity with Kubiak and special teams prowess. And that’s likely where the fifth or sixth wide receiver on the depth chart will primarily play: Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis’ groups.

Young brings the imposing size (6-foot-2 and 224 pounds) and speed (4.44 40-yard dash) alongside tackling ability that made him an elite gunner during his time with the Seahawks. He also showed he can be an effective kick returner when given opportunities (10 returns for 322 yards including a long return of 60 yards) and it’s that high football IQ and versatility that makes him an ideal addition to the special teams unit — a group looking to rebound after a terrible overall performance that saw former coordinator Tom McMahon fired in-season last year.

A core special teams role is Jackson’s cleanest path to a 53-man roster spot and he’ll have to likely showcase he’s a better option in that regard than Young.

Jackson, who is a year younger than Young, is no stranger to special teams work logging 38 snaps with Cincinnati in 2023 and 39 this past season with Las Vegas. But when compared to Young, a fifth-year veteran, the participation rate is paltry as the Raiders’ offseason addition logged 156 special teams snaps with the Seahawks and 697 total in the four seasons in the Pacific Northwest.

Jackson must out-work and shine brighter than Young and others to become indispensable in DeCamillis’ eyes as a member of coverage units. Like Young, Jackson brings plenty of size and speed to the table as a gunner. It’d also be in Jackson’s best interest to get as many reps as kick and punt returner — two groups Las Vegas needs to elevate. Showcasing the speed and vision as a return man increases roster hopeful’s chances of earning a roster nod.

Making the roster decision makers, be it Kubiak or general manager John Spytek, life difficult by having to choose hard cuts is what the NFL offseason is about, though. It’s those easy cuts when teams go from 90-man rosters to the regular season 53 where decision makers don’t bat an eye.

And how hard of a decision it is to keep or get rid of him is on Jackson’s shoulders.

It all rests on the defense. That’s the feeling Dallas Cowboys fans have coming into the 2026 season. The trust in the offense is almost universal. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams spearhead an attack that was good enough to be a contender last year. They were let down by their defense.

The Cowboys are running back it on offense, but on defense it’s a different story. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker is basically revamping everything about the defense from the coaching staff, to the personnel, to the scheme. The Cowboys used both of their first-round draft picks on defense by selecting Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence. They used free agency and trades to renovate a failing unit.

But how will it all play out? We asked you to weigh in on that question. We broke it down by top ten, middle tier or bottom tier for the defense in 2026.

You guys overwhelmingly think the Dallas defense in its first year under Parker will be a middle tier defense. 67% of respondents chose that option, with 29% choosing top ten. That’s a lot of confidence in what the Cowboys are doing on that side of the ball.

Previously we talked about how the Cowboys could be contenders if their defense was just average. This response says that Dallas will be that.

Hit the comments and let us know if you think that Dallas is definitely a playoff team in 2026.

For all your sports betting needs, head over to our partner FanDuel, and check out the many odds already available for the 2026 NFL season.

The Los Angeles Rams should not treat the offensive tackle situation like a problem for August. If there is legitimate concern that a suspension could impact starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, then the time to add insurance is now—not after training camp. Jackson’s recent legal situation has created uncertainty around his availability entering the season, even though no league discipline has been announced at this time.

The argument is not necessarily that Lewan must start at left tackle in Week 1. The argument is that the Rams cannot allow themselves to enter a season with Super Bowl expectations with hope as their contingency plan.

This roster is built to compete immediately. Matthew Stafford remains in win-now mode. Myles Garrett was brought in to elevate championship expectations. Les Snead and Sean McVay have consistently shown they are willing to make aggressive moves when the roster is close.

Offensive tackle depth should be treated the same way.

If Jackson avoids suspension and is available, the acquisition of Lewan still works. Jackson has experience moving around the line during his career, and either Jackson or Lewan could compete at right tackle depending on health, performance, and lineup construction. That would allow Warren McClendon Jr. to slide into what may be his best role right now: swing tackle and top reserve.

That is a stronger roster structure.

Left tackle: Jackson or Lewan
Right tackle: Jackson or Lewan
Swing tackle: McClendon

That is considerably more stable than leaning on emergency options. We saw what happened when Alaric Jackson missed a game when the Rams played the Atlanta Falcons last year.

Because the reality is this: the Rams cannot afford to gamble a Super Bowl-caliber season on needing AJ Arcuri or someone of equal caliber to suddenly become a long-term blindside protector. Arcuri has remained in the organization as developmental depth and has very limited NFL game experience. Depth players have value—but asking one to protect Stafford for a month or more is a completely different assignment.

And the Rams may not have the luxury of waiting. Other tackle-needy teams around the league could reasonably explore veteran options over the summer if injuries occur or competitions fail. Clubs with unsettled left tackle outlooks or aging tackle rooms often emerge quickly once camp opens, which means waiting could shrink the market.

The Rams learned in 2022, 2024, and 2025 that offensive line depth can completely alter a season’s trajectory.

If Los Angeles believes Lewan still has football left, acting sooner rather than later may be the difference between adding a premium insurance policy—or entering the season hoping they never need one.

We continue our 90-in-90 look at the Miami Dolphins’ 2026 roster, getting a closer look at every play on the team’s roster. For each player, we look at their biography, their current contract, how they played in 2025, and what we can expect in 2026.

Our series turns to the inside linebackers for the first time this year. Jordyn Brooks has established himself as a key part of Miami’s roster and he will look to continue that into 2026.

Biography

Name: Jordyn Brooks
Number: 20
Position: Linebacker
Height / Weight: 6’0” / 240 pounds
Age (at start of season): 28
Experience:7th Year

• Seattle Seahawks 2020-2023
• Miami Dolphins 2024-2025

College: Texas Tech
Draft: 2020 1st Round (27th overall) – Seattle Seahawks
Acquired: 2024 free agent signing

Contract and 2026 salary cap

Contract: 3-years, $26.25 million

2026 salary cap: $10.9 millions (final year – 3 void years)

Contract details via OverTheCap.com.

2025 review

Games played: 17 (17 starts)
Tackles: 183 (led NFL)
Passes defensed: 3
Forced fumbles: 1
Fumble recoveries: 1
Sacks: 3.5

The season ended in disappointment for Brooks, not because of his play but because he was one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs in the league. He finished the season with a league-best 183 total tackles, including a league-best 99 solo tackles. He was named First-Team All-Pro, only making the Pro Bowl snub even more egregious. He is a beast in the middle of the Dolphins’ defense, especially as a run supporter and he is solid at creating pressure on quarterbacks when asked to blitz. Brooks is the field general for the defense and his 2025 season reinforced that role.

Offseason moves

Inside linebacker signings: Willie Gay, Jr. (re-signed), Ronnie Harrison

Released: Jordan Colbert (failed physical), K.C. Ossai

Drafted: , Jacob Rodriguez (2nd round), Kyle Louis (4th round)

2026 expectations

Pro Bowl. All-Pro. Among the league leaders in tackles. Those seem reasonable expectations for Brooks in 2026. The Dolphins should be working to sign him to a contract extension this summer, locking him up for the future as they build a defense around him. There is no doubt Brooks will man the middle of the Dolphins’ defense this year.

Well, here we go again.

After two years of offseason speculation connecting the Steelers to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the rumor mill is once again churning.

Longtime NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala joined CBS’ sports radio, 93.7 The Fan this past week and was asked about the possibility of Pittsburgh pursuing Aiyuk should he become available.

“I don’t think he’ll be available for next to nothing, but sure, if he is, why not,” Kinkhabwala said. “I mean, why wouldn’t you?”

Kinkhabwala also addressed Aiyuk’s strained relationship with the 49ers organization, which has become a talking point throughout the offseason.

“He made a point of saying this isn’t the first time this has happened in that building and that that is indeed a cliquish building,” Kinkhabwala said. “And if you don’t necessarily fall into the right clique, then it can be a not-ideal situation. Or if you don’t want to play a certain game within the game, it may not be ideal, and that gives me pause because it is somebody who is there and only to say we don’t know the whole of that story.”

While Aiyuk remains a talented player when healthy, durability and off-field issues have become a legitimate concern. The former first-round pick suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the 2024 season, an injury that limited him to just seven games. He also has an active arrest warrant following a video he posted of himself speeding. Prior to that, Aiyuk dealt with shoulder and core injuries throughout his career and has missed time in multiple seasons. Although he has shown Pro Bowl-level production when on the field, his injury history could make teams hesitant to part with significant assets.

From Pittsburgh’s perspective, a move appears very unlikely.

The Steelers already made a splash at wide receiver this offseason by acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. to pair with DK Metcalf. They also invested a third-round pick in former Alabama standout Germie Bernard, giving the offense another young weapon to develop alongside its veteran playmakers.

With Pittman, Metcalf, Bernard, and a handful of returning contributors already on the roster, Pittsburgh appears well-positioned at the position. Adding Aiyuk would undoubtedly raise the talent level, but it would also come with financial considerations and injury-related risk.

Of course, if San Francisco’s asking price were to plummet, the conversation could change. General managers rarely ignore opportunities to acquire proven talent at a bargain.

Still, for now, the latest round of Steelers-Aiyuk speculation feels more like offseason chatter than a realistic possibility.

It is Day 92 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.

We’re at Day 92 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, where we revisit one of the most important wins of the Bill Parcells era. The 2005 Cowboys were fighting for a playoff spot entering Christmas Eve, and a road trip to Carolina looked like a major obstacle. The Panthers had reached the Super Bowl just two seasons earlier, were 10-4 entering the game, and were one of the NFC’s most dangerous teams. Dallas responded with one of its toughest performances of the season, leaving Charlotte with a 24-20 victory that kept its postseason hopes alive.

Sunday, December 24, 2005, 1:00 p.m. ET

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 24, Carolina Panthers 20

The game started poorly for Dallas. Carolina jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead behind a John Kasay field goal and a 32-yard Jake Delhomme touchdown pass to Drew Carter. The Cowboys answered with an eight-yard touchdown run from Julius Jones, then tied the game in the second quarter on a Billy Cundiff field goal. Kasay added another field goal before halftime, giving the Panthers a 13-10 lead. But the entertainment was just about to begin. 

The second half turned into the kind of physical, low-margin game Parcells teams were built to survive. Dallas grabbed its first lead in the third quarter when Julius Jones broke a massive 43-yard touchdown, putting the Cowboys ahead 17-13. The Panthers, however, answered late. With 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, Delhomme found Ricky Proehl for a 35-yard touchdown, and Carolina went back in front 20-17.  

Then came the break Dallas needed. Cundiff had a chance to tie the game with a 33-yard field goal but missed, seemingly leaving the Cowboys in deep trouble. But there was hope thanks to Carolina getting flagged for running into the kicker, giving Dallas a first down and new life. Bledsoe made the Panthers pay. With under 30 seconds left, he found Terry Glenn in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown on the right side of the endzone, giving Dallas a 24-20 lead and one of its biggest wins of the season.  

Julius Jones was the offensive engine for Dallas, rushing for 194 yards and a touchdown. Bledsoe finished with one touchdown pass, while Glenn once again delivered in a huge moment. On the other side, Carolina’s afternoon was damaged by Steve Smith’s third-quarter ejection after he made contact with an official, forcing the Panthers to finish a tight game without their most dangerous weapon.  

The Cowboys ultimately did not make the playoffs in 2005 losing the final game of the season and finishing 9-7, but this game still belongs on the countdown because of what it represented in the moment, December football, postseason pressure, a hostile road environment, a late deficit, and a game-winning drive. It was not always pretty, but it was exactly the kind of high-leverage win Parcells was brought to Dallas to deliver.

Interesting Facts About the Game

Julius Jones rushed for 194 yards during the game, the fifth-most single-game rushing performances in Cowboys history.

Countdown To Kickoff by day:

100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93

Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson are two of the most trusted names in the independent sports media. They both shared a podcast together during their time at Pro Football Focus (PFF) and then went on to launch their current venture in the Check the Mic podcast through The 33rd Team.

This week they picked the 2026 breakout stars for each NFL franchise. For the Los Angeles Rams, Palazzolo picked third-year tackle Braden Fiske and Monson selected second-year EDGE Josaiah Stewart.

You can find the full episode linked below. The quotes are not all-inclusive and there is still more to garner from listening.

Josaiah Stewart

Palazzolo on Stewart:

Undersized, dynamic, speedy, explosive pass rush—or type, who again, now they freed up some snaps there. Obviously, Myles Garrett comes in; Jared Verse goes out. I feel like they can work Josaiah Stewart into the rotation more, get those pass rushers on the field at the same time.

I went kind of looking at his tape. You can still see the stuff from Michigan: the explosiveness, the burst, the work into the ball. I think he can take another step and be a disruptive player with that help around him.

Monson on Stewart:

I like it… I’m a Josaiah Stewart fan. I think he has a chance to be that high-end EDGE three for sure.

Braden Fiske

Monson on Fiske:

I stayed on the defensive line with Braden Fiske as he heads into year three. And you could say, well, he’s already broken out. But I think there’s another level to his game. Fiske is and has been solid through two years.

…that’s what is going to look different with Myles Garrett there—is all the slanting and movement and some of the opportunities where it’s not just, hey, go win one-on-one and, you know, try to run through a chip while you’re doing it.

Palazzolo on Fiske:

I think Garrett’s going to set up for other opportunities on this defense, but Fiske is just a really good fit for what (the Rams) are doing. He needs to improve in the run game.

Towards the end of the episode the duo look back on their chosen breakouts for 2025 and assess accuracy. Palazzolo picked Fiske last year as well and says the tackle has played well through two years, must improve in run defense, and still has another level to reach in his career. Monson picked safety Kamren Kinchens last year and took a victory lap: “I nailed that one.”

The Miami Dolphins have completed their 2026 offseason training program, ending the spring’s organized team activities and minicamps. The team has undergone a major overhaul since the end of the 2025 season, making changes at the general manager and head coach positions, as well as moving on from major players like quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, edge rusher Bradley Chubb, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

They were systematic in their approach to free agency, looking for short-term signings to allow the salary cap to reset after this year. They selected 13 players in the 2026 Draft, moving from one of the oldest teams in the league to the second-youngest.

This has been a offseason of change in South Florida, but what do the fans think of Miami’s 2026 offseason?

Dolphins 2026 offseason grade

Our SB Nation Reacts poll returned this week, asking Dolphins fans to grade the team’s offseason. A majority of the fans, 5r3 present of the respondents, scored it as a “B”. Add in the 26 percent who gave Miami’s offseason an “A” and you have nearly 8 in 10 of the fans giving Miami a positive score.

A “C” grade – representing fans who are neither positive nor negative about Miami’s offseason – received 16 percent of the responses, while a “D” came in with three percent and an “F” received two percent of the votes.

Overall, fans seem largely positive about what the team did this year.

AFC East odds

The Dolphins are not expected to do much this year. According to the latest FanDuel Sportsbook odds, Miami remains the team with the longest odds to win the AFC East. The Dolphins are +3000 to come out as division champions in 2026.

The Bills are the favorite at -125, followed by the New England Patriots at +125. The New York Jets are third at +2000.

The oddsmakers have the Dolphins’ win total set at 4.5 games, with the over at +110 and the under at -130.

National Reacts Poll – Does a Bears move to Indiana matter?

The national SB Nation Reacts poll this week took a look at the stadium drama surrounding the Chicago Bears. The team has been looking for a site to build a new stadium, checking out multiple locations, including sites in Chicago and in the northwestern suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. However, it appears more and more likely that the team may land in Hammond, Indiana.

The move is only about 25 miles southeast from the current site of Soldier Field, but it would cross the border into Indiana, a move that could ruffle feathers in Illinois. But, does it actually matter to football fans from around the country?

According to the Reacts Poll, it does not, at least to a majority of fans. Of course, a 55-45 spread means there is a large number of respondents who does think it matters.

While the Steelers have their eyes set on a Super Bowl, or at least, a playoff win, entering 2026, this offseason has still had more of a long term planning feel to it. Pittsburgh made 10 draft picks, none of whom are guaranteed to start right away, and has started work on extending its young core of players. 

So, while Pittsburgh’s short term goals remain as obvious as ever, it’s more fun to look at 10 long term goals for the team. This year, what should the Steelers look to accomplish to set up future seasons for success? 

1. Establish a top-10 offensive line

When you have three first-round tackles, a pair of Day 2 guards, and a second-round, likely future All-Pro at center (plus a slew of quality backups in Dylan Cook, Brock Hoffman, etc.), you’re doing something wrong if you can’t figure out an above-average starting five. 

With fairness to new offensive line coach James Campen, it will take time. There’s a lot of youth, position switching, and still-developing chemistry up front. Don’t panic if the group doesn’t gel immediately. 

But by the season’s end, it’s important — and should be expected — that the Pittsburgh offensive line looks like the unit it was drafted to be. The Steelers are concerned not just with keeping the aging Aaron Rodgers upright, but also giving the team’s eventual young quarterback of the future good protection while learning the ropes in the NFL.

2. The defensive line builds a long term core

Cam Heyward’s ageless excellence has covered up a multitude of sins on the Steelers’ defense over the years, but he won’t stay elite forever. Still, a strong defensive line remains one of the most important aspects of a successful NFL roster. 

After spending a first-round pick on Derrick Harmon in 2025, the Steelers took a major step towards addressing life after Heyward. Harmon showed plenty of promise as a rookie but still needs to take a leap in 2026, while Keeanu Benton and Yahya Black remain potential long term pieces. What’s promising is that the Steelers’ new coaching staff seems to be interested in finding better position fits for both. 

3. Mike McCarthy brings innovation, consistency on offense

A list like this would be incomplete without mentioning the Steelers’ new head coach, for whom you could probably create a hefty list of goals. The main interest will be on the offensive side of the ball, however, where McCarthy’s specialty lies. He’ll be the team’s play caller in 2026. 

McCarthy has well-earned respect as an offensive mind in the NFL, even leading multiple top-five offenses as recently as his stint with the Dallas Cowboys. But as a 63-year-old coach with a number of past stops, he wasn’t one of the flashier, up-and-coming names available in the recent coaching cycle. Will he be able to keep up with the rapidly evolving offensive schemes and defensive responses in the NFL, or at least bring in assistants who can stay on that cutting edge? 

Consistency is the other big question. Former Steelers coordinator Arthur Smith had his moments of innovation, crafting a unique offense in 2025 that made Pittsburgh one of the leaders in an increase in jumbo package usage across the NFL. But some Sundays, the offense would score seven points, and the next, they’d score 27. 

The expectation is that McCarthy can raise the ceiling of the Steelers’ offense, but he also needs to raise the floor. 

4. Patrick Graham maximizes talent 

A common complaint regarding the Steelers defense under Teryl Austin was that it rarely lived up to its highly-paid status. Players underperformed, sure, but the scheme didn’t always put them in positions to succeed, making answers all too easy for opposing quarterbacks. 

Graham, on the other hand, comes with a reputation of getting the most out of who he has available. An increase in two-high shells is expected, and hopefully it comes with more complex, modern coverages with the necessary communication to make it work. And up front, Graham will be tasked with moving around the rushers at his disposal to create pressure in more ways. 

Pittsburgh has shown a willingness to invest on the defensive side of the ball under general manager Omar Khan, but that’s only half the battle. If Graham can build a strong schematic foundation in 2026, it should set up his defense for long term success. 

5. The Steelers extend the right players

Omar Khan has already extended two members of his successful 2023 draft class in Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, also giving kicker Chris Boswell a new deal. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton appear to be next in line, but Steelers insider Gerry Dulac noted last week that the team didn’t expect to be able to sign all five players entering the offseason. But whether the team gets every contract done or not, it’s a lot of money being added to the team’s future expenses. 

What’s key is extending the right players. The Herbig and Washington deals look smart, but both players have unique skill sets that need to be used correctly, especially since both are now getting paid starter salaries despite not being full-time players beforehand. And the Steelers still haven’t reached an agreement with Porter — the most promising player from that 2023 class — and a new contract isn’t a guarantee given how expensive the cornerback market has become. 

It’s so far, so good when it comes to Khan’s decision-making process with extensions. Having lots of young players up for a new contract is a great problem to have. But Pittsburgh will need to give the right players the right extensions to set the team up best for future seasons. 

6. TJ Watt returns to elite-ish territory 

This might seem like more of a short term goal, but odds are that Watt will be a Steeler for life, and his contract remains one of the most expensive for a defensive player in the NFL. But in 2025, Watt notched just 7.5 sacks in 14 games. And in 2024, he had 11.5 in 17. Even though Watt’s run defense performance remains better than many realize, you want more production for that kind of money. 

Now 31, Watt is still capable of producing double-digit sack seasons, especially if he can continue to expand his game beyond his speed rushing specialty, adding more power, moves, and becoming open to moving around the defensive front. If Watt can rebound after a disappointing 2025 by his standards and prove he can remain a high-end edge rusher through his mid-30s, it’ll make Pittsburgh’s investment look better and keep the outside linebacker position as a team strength for a while. 

7. Payton Wilson takes a Year 3 leap

Inside linebacker is not a high-value position in the NFL, but poor play in the middle of a defense can lead to catastrophic issues against the run and in coverage. Wilson was at the center of some of those problems in 2025. Despite his high-end athleticism, his coverage feel and chemistry with Patrick Queen was lacking, and his lean frame for a linebacker led to struggles going up against blocks in the run game. As a result, he started losing playing time to Malik Harrison, who didn’t have a great 2025 season himself. 

Still, Wilson’s potential is through the roof, and inside linebacker is a position that can take several seasons to master in the NFL. Especially under the coaching of Patrick Graham, who has been known to get strong seasons out of his off-ball linebackers, it’s not out of the question that Wilson could take a step forward in 2025. 

That would be an important development for the Pittsburgh defense. After offseason trade rumors, Patrick Queen probably won’t be getting a second contract with the Steelers, and the team doesn’t have many other promising long term options in the inside linebacker room. The team could definitely address the position in future drafts, but Wilson developing into an every-down starter would be the easiest answer. 

8. Germie Bernard looks like a long term WR2

The Steelers traded up in the second round of the 2026 draft to select Bernard, giving the team some much-needed depth in its wide receiver room. The one-liner on Bernard coming out of Alabama was that he’s a solid all-around pass catcher who should be able to contribute immediately, but he lacks high-end upside. He should be able to see snaps immediately as a WR3 for Pittsburgh, assuming he stays on Aaron Rodgers’ good side. 

However, the goal is that Bernard can be more than that in future seasons. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. are both in their late 20s, on decent-sized contracts, and might not remain as the Steelers’ receiving duo long term. Expecting Bernard to be a WR1 down the road might be too big of an ask, but if he can develop into a high-end second option, that would give the Steelers a cheap, young playmaker to build around in the passing game moving forward. 

9. Future answers in the secondary 

A strong secondary has become a key piece of many contending NFL teams, and the Steelers have seemingly realized that as well, investing plenty in its cornerback and safety rooms over the past few seasons. Still, even if Pittsburgh’s group lives up to expectations in 2026, the room isn’t exactly built to last in its current state. 

Joey Porter Jr. still hasn’t been extended. Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, and DeShon Elliott are all at or near their 30s. Asante Samuel Jr. and Jaquan Brisker are on short term contracts. 

Rookie fourth-rounder Daylen Everette’s development, even if he doesn’t play much in 2026, is an important storyline long term. The Steelers will want to have some future options lined up in the secondary by the end of the upcoming season. 

10. A light at the end of the quarterback tunnel 

This is the big one. And odds are, the answer won’t be clear from the outside in 2026. Even if Drew Allar does supersede expectations in his rookie year, the Steelers probably won’t be playing him much outside of the preseason. But developing passers is another one of the reasons Pittsburgh was drawn to Mike McCarthy, and over the next few seasons that ability will be paramount. 

Again, it’ll be tough for Pittsburgh to definitively answer the quarterback question in 2026. But it remains the most important goal for the team moving forward regardless. 

Before the ink was dry on a brand new $114 million deal, Alec Pierce found himself undergoing ankle surgery which carried a 4-6 month timetable. This isn’t to imply that anything was calculated or malicious, but that was some bad timing because that’s a lot of time on the shelf. The hope was to avoid surgery altogether, but the highest paid receiver by a mile on the Indianapolis Colts is going to have a lot of rust to shake off in short order.

While the surgery was a success and no lingering issues are expected, the amount of time missed is problematic. On the long end of things, his recovery bumps right up against the regular season. Even with how well Pierce played last year, getting back to that level doesn’t happen overnight. Any time missed from training camp or the offseason in general hurts. Yes, he had a fantastic season in 2025, but I wouldn’t consider him an established talent who can afford to miss time.

The Colts have to be feeling a little uneasy because not only is Pierce out, the laundry list of injured players is starting to pile up. Headlining that list is the quarterback. Daniel Jones looks good in his recovery, but his availability to start the season is still unknown. Could the Colts go into 2026 without their quarterback and top wideout? Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, so the drop-off is even more stark. The prospect of a bunch of backups filling in for starters is uncomfortable at best.

The Colts don’t just need a healthy Alec Pierce; they need an even higher level player than last year’s stud. He has to bring it for the Colts to be successful. There are good to great players on the offense outside of Pierce, but a team’s number one receiver has to show up. At this point, showing up on the field in general is the bigger concern. Ideally, he recovers on the short side of the window and is back in action with plenty of time before September. If not, expect the fidgeting to increase.

Despite having the NFL’s most expensive defensive unit last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers ranked 26th in total defense. Like any team, Pittsburgh dealt with injuries to key players like T.J. Watt and Derrick Harmon, but it was still a disappointing season overall for what many expected to be a top-tier defense. With an entirely new coaching staff, one of the Steelers’ biggest offseason signings believes that Pittsburgh can get back to being one of the league’s premier defenses.

“I feel like we have the potential to be the best, to be top five, top three, to get back to what Pittsburgh is used to with their defense being on top,” Brisker told Mark Kaboly. “We want to be a top-five defense, and that should be the mindset. We got talent everywhere, you know, from the D line, and we got dead linebackers, we got that, corners, nickel, safeties. We have depth, a lot of moving parts, and we are deep. We have a dope coaching staff, too.”

The former Penn State safety is absolutely correct in saying that the Steelers have stars at every level of the defense. The safety will presumably play alongside DeShon Elliott to begin the season in a stacked safety room. Veteran corner Jalen Ramsey, who played primarily safety for the Steelers last year, will be filling in a “star” role, moving around the defense as a corner, safety, and even linebacker. It’s hard to argue that the Steelers defense doesn’t have more depth and star power than in recent years.

Along with those veteran stars like Ramsey, Watt, and Heyward, Pittsburgh also boasts several young rising stars. Nick Herbig has increased his sack total each year in the league and is fresh off signing a 100-million-dollar extension, which likely means an expanded role in the Steelers’ pass rush this season. Joey Porter Jr. could very well be extended by training camp after a phenomenal third NFL season. Brisker could be due to a breakout season, too, and he believes Pittsburgh is the perfect place for him to show just how impactful he can be.

“I think everybody knows what I bring to the table, film-wise. And obviously, I just had to be in the right system. Someone who could trust me, love me, and things like that, who assesses me as who I am. And I feel like that’s what Pittsburgh has given me. I’m able to play football. I’m happy here. I’m able to be me. And you’re going to see what PG does with me, and that’s why I’m here.”

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has the opportunity to breathe new life into this Steelers defense. Brisker is embracing the opportunity of a fresh start in Pittsburgh, playing for a defense that he is expecting to be back at the top of the league this season.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

• Mike McCarthy’s attention to detail is exactly what the Steelers need
• Steelers asking price for Alex Highsmith trade revealed
• Steelers host former Raiders defensive end to workout
• Steelers wide receiver surprisingly absent at OTAs
• Steelers sign former Broncos wide receiver

The NFL salary cap for the 2026 season is a massive $301.2 million, a number that is getting ridiculously larger as each season passes by. In the past, when a player carried a large dead cap hit number (i.e. they are no longer on the team, but still counted toward the cap), it might be detrimental. Now, it’s actually a tool that teams plan out for to a degree to get a player for cheaper earlier on before cutting ties with them later in their contract (when the league’s cap space has grown even higher).

The Browns’ dead cap hit as a team is $116.8 million, which is second in the NFL, but pales in comparison to the Miami Dolphins, who have $179.2 million in dead cap space). The use of void years often play a role in dead cap space for Cleveland these days, as almost every contract that Andrew Berry structures will have 5 years of a signing bonus built in, but a void year after the first, second, third, etc. year of the contract. When that void year hits, the remaining years of salary cap bonuses just get bumped up to that particular year as dead cap hits.

It’s a hair different for the Browns this year, though, when it comes to two recent headlines about star players: the trading of DE Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, and the official retirement of OL Joel Bitonio.

• The decision to trade Garrett will save the Browns money in the long run, but for the 2026 season, he accounts for $21.374 million in dead cap space.
• When Joel Bitonio’s contract voided in March, that left the Browns officially on the hook for the 2026 season with $23.504 million in dead cap space. Had he re-signed prior to that, and then retired after June 1st, the dead cap hit could have been spread out over two years. Although he announced his retirement after June 1st, he didn’t have a contract with the team, so that scenario didn’t apply.

Combined, Garrett and Bitonio account for $44.878 million of dead cap hits this season. After that, you have a slew of former players like Jack Conklin, Dalvin Tomlinson, David Njoku, Wyatt Teller, etc. who make up the rest of the big chunk.

I’m channeling the 1970s rockstar in me and doing my best Alice Cooper impression by signing you all a non-auditory tune: “Schoooools out for summer!”

It’s graduation season, and the Las Vegas Raiders concluded mandatory minicamp and their entire spring practice session this week. So, it’s finally summer, and we have some downtime before training camp gets going. On that note, let’s get to this week’s mailbag!

Q: What do players do between minicamp and training camp, especially the rookies trying to make a team?

A: You alluded to this in your question; it definitely depends on what each individual’s status on the roster is.

A veteran who isn’t competing for a job will probably take a week or two off by going on vacation, playing golf, etc., just to mentally reset and get away from football for a little bit before it consumes their life for the next six months. They’re still working out during this time, but the training is going to be more focused on staying in shape, injury prevention and overall just getting the body prepared for the beating it’s about to take, rather than looking to make major gains at this stage.

Meanwhile, the guys who are fighting for a job don’t have that luxury. Both mentally and physically, they’re still pushing the limits to try to get that final edge to help make the team. Those guys might gear back on the training closer to camp, but you can’t focus too much on how your body is going to hold up through 17 regular-season games if you can’t make it to Week 1.

Essentially, the difference comes down to the players who are safe don’t need to be at their best in training camp, but the ones who aren’t do. So, the urgency is different over the next roughly six weeks depending on the individual’s roster status.

All of this being said, there are a handful of players around the league who will do nothing but chill during this period and show up to camp out of shape. Those guys typically don’t last long, though.

Q: What’s your over/under for the number of regular-season games until Fernando Mendoza starts?

A: This has been a popular question over the last couple of months, and I’m glad it’s popping up again now. The last time I dove into it, the schedule hadn’t come out yet, and I said the ideal situation for Mendoza’s first start is if the bye week is around the middle of the season. However, the Week 13 bye throws that out of the window, as I have a hard time seeing the Raiders waiting until mid-December to put the No. 1 pick on the field.

Now that we have the schedule, I’ll set the line at 6.5 games. That gives the rookie a month-and-a-half to see what it takes to prepare for a game as a starting quarterback in the NFL, while keeping him out of the fire and buying some more time for him to master the offense and adjust to life as a professional. Also, that means the offensive line has time to gel together before putting the franchise’s future behind them.

What gives me pause and could move the line I set above is that the Raiders play the Rams in Week 7. I could see Klint Kubiak and the coaching staff not wanting Mendoza’s first start to be against the Super Bowl favorite, especially now that Myles Garrett is in Los Angeles. And if Aaron Donald comes back, I’m certainly changing that line, LOL!

So, maybe Week 6 at home against the Bills or Week 8 for a road matchup against the Jets are better benchmarks.

Q: Why not sign AOC to a competitive backup contract to keep him as the long-term QB2?  This presupposes that Coach Kubiak’s comments of late are genuine and that he truly likes what he has in Aidan. I understand that Aidan believes he is a legitimate starter (something I agree with), but that will require someone else to sign him to a QB1 contract (he clearly has no chance of being the Raiders’ QB1). If no one is willing to do that, what is the downside to offering him a high-end QB2 (which he clearly is) contract? I certainly cannot understand the logic for trading him for a late-day 3 pick (to replace him with who?).

A: I think you kind of answered your own question. Aidan O’Connell turns 28 in September and likely wants to at least have one more chance at starting before falling into the career-long backup role. Obviously, that’s not going to happen in Las Vegas with Mendoza around, so I don’t think AOC is going to be interested in signing a contract extension with the Raiders.

Another team doesn’t have to offer him a “QB1 contract” for that to happen, as he could get a deal similar to what Gardner Minshew signed with the Raiders a few years ago; two years, $25 million, where only about one year is guaranteed. The money probably wouldn’t be as much as Minshew’s, but something along those lines, where O’Connell isn’t handed the starting job going into a new situation but will compete for it.

Also, long-term backup quarterback contracts don’t really exist in the NFL. Those guys typically only get/sign one- or two-year deals, maybe three. But if no team is willing to give O’Connell a chance to at least compete for a starting job, then I could see him coming back to Las Vegas as Mendoza’s backup. But I wouldn’t expect that to be a long-term contract, as O’Connell would likely want to test the market again the following offseason.

Q: Could you please give an in-depth assessment of Jalen Nailor?  What do you see as his floor and ceiling for 2026 and beyond?  Is Jalen the “X” receiver we’ve been needing since trading Jakobi Meyers?

A: I did a film breakdown on Nailor that touches on a lot of your questions, so take a look at the related article below if you want some more details on his game. To summarize it a bit, the free-agent signing doesn’t fit the typical “X-receiver” mold that we typically think of. His skillset is actually pretty similar to Tre Tucker’s, and I think Nailor offers the most value as someone who can be moved around between the slot and out wide.

I understand where the concern comes from with the whole X-receiver talking point because that type of player is undoubtedly missing from the Raiders’ roster. But I also don’t think Klint Kubiak really cares about or necessarily needs that kind of receiver in his offense. He seems to prefer guys who can be interchangeable, or he can move around a lot.

Kubiak had a “go-to receiver” in Seattle with Jaxon Smith-Njigba last year. Even Smith-Njigba was lining up all over the place and didn’t fit the mold of a typical X. That worked out pretty well, seeing as the wideout was the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year. Of course, the Raiders don’t have a receiver who is nearly as talented as JSN is, but my point here is that the lack of an X-receiver on the roster isn’t as significant in Kubiak’s offense with the way the coach operates his passing game.

A: Yeah, I strongly disagree with the take that Adam Butler is a legitimate nose tackle option. Butler isn’t a good run defender, and the nose tackle snaps he’s gotten in the past have typically been on passing downs because he’s good at executing stunts or line games. Ideally, either J.J. Pegues, Brandon Cleveland, Gary Smith III or Laki Tasi takes over that role this year. Otherwise, expect the need in the middle of the defense to carry over to next offseason.

A: I definitely agree with Steve and Sam, I’m bullish on Jack Bech and Jackson Powers-Johnson this season. Those two are in my breakout candidates, and I like that you threw Charles Grant in there, too. I understand where you’re coming from with Ashton Jeanty and think he’ll be more productive this season, but I have a hard time naming a first-round pick (and top 10 pick at that) as a “breakout” candidate. So, Tucker would be my third, and I like Treydan Stukes if I have to pick a defensive player.

Someone else asked what the chances are that JPJ isn’t a starter this year, and that’s definitely a possibility. It’s a wide-open competition at guard, and he didn’t play well last season, on top of struggling to stay on the field so far in his career. Ideally, Powers-Johnson earns one of the two starting guard spots because he’s the most talented lineman in the competition. But he has to prove himself in training camp and stay healthy.

A: Along the same lines as JPJ, the ideal situation for the Raiders is that Caleb Rogers beats out Spencer Burford and Jordan Meredith for a starting guard spot. The latter two feel more like potential placeholders, while Rogers has a future in Las Vegas. As I’ve mentioned a lot recently, this season the Raiders want guys on the field who can be part of the long-term plan versus one-year holdovers.

Powers-Johnson, Rogers, and throw Trey Zuhn III in there too, all fit into that category. Burford and Meredith are both on one-year contracts, so even if they play well, there’s a chance they aren’t on the team next year.

As far as a percentage for Rogers’ starting, I could throw out a random number that comes to my head. But let’s be honest, that doesn’t mean much anyway.

A: Especially with Nakobe Dean’s history and the recent development that Dean’s absence from the spring is in fact injury-related, while the team isn’t giving any details, the linebacker situation is still murky despite signing two of them during free agency. Even Quay Walker isn’t a sure thing because he’s missed at least three games in each of the last three seasons and isn’t a finished product as a player, yet.

Behind the former Georgia Bulldogs, Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg are the leading candidates to occupy the third inside linebacker role on Las Vegas’ defense next season. Yes, the Bergs don’t have much experience. But, as I’ve said a lot this offseason and mentioned above, the 2026 campaign for the Raiders is about seeing who can be part of the team long-term, and that means giving young guys opportunities they haven’t had yet.

So, Eichnberg and Lindenberg should have a chance to prove themselves this fall, especially if Dean and/or Walker can’t stay on the field, and it sounds like the 2025 seventh-round pick has the early edge with a good showing during the spring. I liked both of those guys coming out of college, so I’m excited to see what they can do this summer.

And just like nose tackle, if no one steps up on the second level of the Silver and Black’s defense this year, expect a lot of articles about linebackers in the offseason from me!

That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.

Bengals News

Joe Burrow’s contract restructure all but confirms one of his teammates is staying on the Bengals’ 53-man roster

The Cincinnati Bengals created cap space like they’ve never done before with quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract restructure. That’s great news for nose tackle T.J. Slaton Jr.

Quick Hits | DJ Turner II’s Spring Of Resolve; Jordan’s Battleplan

DJ Turner II, the Bengals’ lockdown cornerback with the locked-in mindset, is lasered on the voluntary spring workouts and doesn’t have time for such annoying afterthoughts as personal goals.

Cincinnati Bengals release 2026 training camp fan schedule

The Cincinnati Bengals on June 12 released the fan schedule for the team’s 2026 training camp. Camp begins on July 29 with some practices open to all members of the public and others only for season ticket holders.

Cincinnati Bengals ‘Defining’ Number For 2026 Season Success Revealed

Cincinnati needs to limit this number as much as possible this fall.

7 Bengals OTA Winners and Losers

The Cincinnati Bengals enjoyed a productive OTAs session, to say the least. 

This Bengals prediction says what many are thinking about the AFC North

Cincinnati are in win-now mode; the rest of the North risks falling behind.

NFL News

Seven players who deserve to make their debut in the NFL Top 100 of 2026

Summer is almost officially here, and with it comes one of my favorite annual traditions. A new season of NFL Top 100 — the player-voted countdown series from NFL Films and X — premieres Monday, June 22 at 10 a.m. ET exclusively on X.

Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper arrested for second time in a week, issued stricter no-contact order

Denver Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper is in more legal trouble following his second arrest in a week.

World Cup grass in NFL stadiums stirs debate over field surface

Just days before the 2026 World Cup kicked off, New York Giants coach John Harbaugh was asked about the temporary natural grass being installed for the tournament at MetLife Stadium — only for turf to replace it later this summer as American football begins.

NFL 2026 minicamp takeaways: Browns’ Deshaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders competition heating up

What we learned after half of the NFL wrapped up mandatory minicamps this week

Signs continue to point to a Seahawks sale by September

The Seahawks got their latest Super Bowl rings on Thursday night. By the time the next season starts, the franchise should have a new owner in place.

When John Harbaugh was hired to be the New York Giants head coach, he set out to put his stamp on a directionless franchise.

Early reports were that the Harbaugh believes the Giants already had a competitive roster and the team didn’t need to be rebuilt from the ground up. Instead, the roster just needed “tinkering” in free agency and the draft. As things have unfolded, we’ve seen some position groups be virtually unchanged from a year ago, while others are have been radically changed.

This week we asked you which position group you believe to be the most intriguing after the off-season program. The responses were close, but there was a clear winner.

I can’t say that I’m particularly surprised by the outcome, though I’m glad to see that the responses are all relatively close together and there wasn’t a blowout. To me, that says I designed the question pretty well, and that the Giants’ team as a whole is interesting to the fanbase.

But it really makes sense that the linebackers are the most intriguing unit on the team.

Fans have been clamoring for an upgraded linebacking unit for years now, and the Giants’ collection of off-ball linebackers and edge defenders might be the deepest it’s been in decades. Arvell Reese (who is currently tied for 3rd in odds for AP Defensive Rookie Of The Year, per FanDuel) and Tremaine Edmunds are big, long, athletic, and versatile, and have already been giving the offense headaches. Micah McFadden was coming off of a breakout season when last we saw him, and Jack Kelly has the potential to be a sixth round steal.

• ‘Predator’ Tremaine Edmunds and ‘Baby Predator’ Arvell Reese an exciting duo

The Giants’ edge defenders, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux are all long and supremely athletic. Edgr has become (arguably) the second-most important position on the field behind quarterback, given how rare elite traits are, and the Giants might have the deepest group in the NFL when you also consider that Chauncey Golston and Khalid Kareem can be rush linebackers as well.

Not to mention that Reese can walk down to the line of scrimmage and play EDGE, or that McFadden and Kelly are both very good blitzing linebackers.

The potential upside that makes the secondary the second-most intriguing unit makes both of these units that much more intriguing. Aggressive coverage from the secondary will give the pass rush an extra fraction of a second to finish, while pressure from the pass rush could create opportunities for takeaways on the back end.

We’ll see how it all comes together, but it’s worth being excited about in June.

With their second first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected cornerback Chris Johnson out of San Diego State. According to Miami’s new head coach, Jeff Hafley, the rookie has already impressed during his short stay in South Florida thus far.

However, according to the player himself, Johnson plans on making sure his career with the Dolphins lasts a long time. Speaking with NFL Network’s Cam Wolfe, Johnson had this to say about his goals in Miami.

“Nobody puts more pressure on me than myself. Hearing a lot of the outside noise — it really doesn’t get to me because I’m my hardest critic. I want to be a perfectionist. You know, I want to be here forever and be that foundational piece.”

What does he think about the high expectations that come along with being a first round draft pick in the NFL?

“I hold myself to those expectations. You know, hearing them from the media and fans and stuff like that, it ain’t nothing that I’m not telling myself already.”

Johnson is not short on confidence, that’s for sure. Let’s hope his confidence can lead him to success when the games count later this year. For Wolfe’s entire interview with the Dolphins rookie, click on the video below.

Since he was hired to replace Doug Pederson following the 2020 season, Nick Sirianni has guided the Eagles to their most successful run of success in franchise history.

The numbers are eye-popping.

• 59-26 record
• .694 regular season winning percentage
• Five straight postseason appearances in his first five seasons
• Two Super Bowl appearances
• One Super Bowl title

It’s as impressive a resume as one could ask from any head coach in his first five NFL seasons. And yet, the Sirianni naysayers remain.

He enters the 2026 season once again on the hot seat, although it is not as scorching as it was entering the ‘24 Super Bowl season. We’ll never how just how close owner Jeffrey Lurie came to firing Sirianni following the Birds’ epic collapse in 2023, but rumors about Sirianni’s job security continue to linger, even given his regular season success and the fact he’s the only head coach in franchise history to take the Eagles to two Super Bowls.

The topic for this week’s debate is: What role does Nick Sirianni play in the Eagles’ success? It is perhaps a kinder way of asking the real question…

Is Nick Sirianni a good head coach?

If you do not follow the Eagles intimately, this might seem like a ridiculous and, even, an offensive question.

But for those of us who live and die with this team, it’s a questions we’ve all debated.

Eagles win because of Nick Sirianni

Being the head coach of an NFL team is no easy task and, by the numbers, one cannot argue with Sirianni’s record.

His .694 winning percentage is 5th-highest among all-time head coaches. The only guys ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame: Guy Chamberlain, John Madden, Vince Lombardi and John Allen. He is ahead of Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh (there were a lot of great “Bill” head coaches, apparently), Don Shula, George Halas, Paul Brown, Tony Dungy, and every other great head coach the league has ever seen.

As mentioned above, it cannot be understated that he is the only head coach to take two different Eagles teams to the Super Bowl, and he did it over the course of three seasons. His team utterly destroyed a dynastic Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes juggernaut in a way no Birds fan could ever have dreamed.

Just as impressive, he has made the postseason in each of his first five seasons, one of only four coaches to pull off that feat: John Harbaugh, Chuck Knox, Brown and Bill Cowher.

When you look at the raw numbers, Sirianni is keeping company with the greatest of all-time. No one should take any of that lightly. As we saw in Super Bowl 59, Sirianni was the one who implored then-OC Kellen Moore to call “The Dagger.”

Common sense will tell you that even if Sirianni isn’t calling plays and doesn’t have total control of any one aspect of the offense or defense, he is on track to go down as one of the game’s greatest head coaches.

Eagles win in spite of Nick Sirianni

People who believe this point to a number of factors.

• In 2022, failing as a play caller, he handed off those duties to Shane Steichen
• Sirianni has been given the most talented roster in the NFL for multiple seasons by Howie Roseman
• The Eagles’ collapse in 2023 was so historic it nearly caused his dismissal from the team
• His inability to fix the Birds’ offense in 2025 led to one of the most disappointing finishes in Eagles history
• The front office hired Sean Mannion to take total and complete control of the offense, leaving Sirianni’s impact on it exceedingly minimal
• The locker room distractions and noise in ‘23 and ‘25 bely his reputation as a CEO head coach
• Sirianni’s histrionics and antics on the sidelines have antagonized opponents, their fans and, at times, his own players

The rallying anti-Sirianni cry usually comes in the form of a simple question.

What does he do to give the Eagles an advantage on the field?

Sirianni’s offensive philosophy has always been heavily reliant on Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line being the most dominant run-blocking and pass-blocking unit in the league. It’s always been reliant on elite offensive skill position players — A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley — winning their one-on-one battles. It’s always been reliant on Jalen Hurts’ ability to make plays in the running game and in the out-of-structure passing game.

When all that stuff went away last year, Sirianni and his hand-picked offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, had no answers. The same thing happened in ‘23 with Brian Johnson.

The expectation should not be that the Eagles are going to make every Super Bowl every season. But sandwiched around their Super Bowl 59 blowout of the Chiefs, the Eagles have book-ended it with two very disappointing, underachieving finishes. And entering 2026, it sure has the appearance that the offense will be totally Mannion’s and the defense, as always, will totally belong to Vic Fangio.

He appears to be a head coach totally reliant on his coordinators for his success.

It’s fair to ask, what is Sirianni in charge of? Vibes?

So, what do you think?

Coming into the 2026 offseason the linebacker position in Dallas was among the biggest problem on the Cowboys roster. To the shock of some, the Cowboys went through free agency and night one of the 2026 NFL draft without addressing the linebacker position. On day two of the draft, the Cowboys added some new blood to the linebacker room by trading for San Francisco 49ers LB Dee Winters and drafting Michigan LB/EDGE Jaishawn Barham in the third round.

While many still think that may not be enough, there’s reason to believe they will be just fine there. Unlike other positions on defense, linebacker play in the NFL has a lot to do with what goes in front of you. If the defensive line is playing assignment sound football and handling their blocks, life gets a lot easier for the second-level defenders filling holes and making tackles.

In recent years. the Cowboys defensive line was built on creating chaos. Under Matt Eberflus and Dan Quinn, the job of the interior defensive line was more about shooting gaps, creating negative plays, and getting into the backfield in a hurry. That boom-or-bust style of defense can be very effective when it works, and very ineffective when it doesn’t.

In 2026, early signs point to this defense playing much cleaner football up front with their newly built defense. While the Cowboys defense will still want to create negative plays, the theme may be more focused on creating less explosive plays for opposing offenses.

Linebackers Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, and even DeMarvion Overshown were heavily scrutinized last season, and while that unit needed to play better, it wasn’t all on them. Not only did the linebacker unit improve in 2026, but the defense as a whole seems to be more bought in on working as a unit.

With the defensive line expected to focus more on leveraging their gap, that should allow these linebackers to play cleaner in between the tackles and use their speed and explosiveness to make tackles for limited gains on the edge. That in itself could have this linebacker group play well above the expectation and help limit big plays by opposing offenses throughout the regular season.

If Overshown is able to stay healthy, Winters is able to be the player he was on film in 2025, and Barham makes an impact in year one, this unit could surprise many, which would be a big win for the Cowboys defense.

With the Cleveland Browns having their mandatory minicamp earlier this week, the biggest decision for head coach Todd Monken this season is who his starting quarterback will be for the 2026 season. The decision could certainly impact the team’s odds of having a positive win-loss record during the season, but on the same note, the organization has stockpiled draft picks for the 2027 season onward, presumably to find their quarterback of the future.

In my opinion, regardless of who Monken chooses, if the quarterback performs terribly, it’s not going to be treated as a negative reflection on him, and rather a reflection on the organization needing to cleanse themselves of the past. Nonetheless, we polled fans on when the decision to name either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders as the team’s starting quarterback should be made: after minicamp (which would be now), or sometime during training camp.

69% of fans voted that they want Monken to make the decision during training camp, which would give him a much greater amount of time to evaluate the position. I understand that sentiment, and certainly won’t disagree with it. On the same note, though, I am pretty tired as a Browns fan of seeing a quarterback competition year after year. Last year was perhaps the most frustrating of all, with the constant debates about Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders.

Monken was asked if he was disappointed to not have his quarterback named by now, like he originally aspired to have prior to training camp. Here was his response:

“I don’t see it that way. It would be if I didn’t think either one of them were capable of starting. It would feel different if I didn’t feel like their progression hadn’t gotten to this point where I think they both can start and play winning football. I’m convinced of it. And I’d say it if I didn’t. I mean, I can’t decide now because I think both have earned the opportunity to continue to compete once we put the pads on.”

Indeed — let’s see what happens once the pads are on. The team has not yet announced when tickets will be available for training camp, but we’ll keep you posted on all the dates, and will also be starting our position-by-position training camp previews soon.

The Browns are still heavy underdogs to capture the AFC North, at 22/1 compared to the other teams, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The quarterback situation remains largely to blame for that.

If it weren’t for Brandon Aiyuk, a topic of discussion might be whether San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is on the hot seat. Again.

We usually have this discussion during the season at some point, but this year, 2026, it’s the offseason, with speculation about how warm Shanahan’s seat is. It’s pretty simple—there is none.

Why think otherwise? One could guess.

“Anybody that says Kyle Shanahan is on the hot seat, you guys are not the smartest,” Kittle said, via USA Today’s Nick Brinkerhoff. “It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Well, it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. It never has. There’s, of course, a vocal (minority?) thinking that since the 49ers lost two Super Bowls and they are “just” in contention every year, they should look for someone better. Some of the 49ers’ draft whiffs also seem to throw—well, whatever is needed to argue the 49ers should move on.

Kittle wasn’t the only person over the last few weeks to shoot down the notion (if it ever existed). Former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said even if the 49ers missed the playoffs in 2026, their head coach would be on an iceberg.

“If he somehow was on the hot seat,” Sherman elaborated. “There would be 20 seats in the NFL getting hotter as it got hotter. Because if he ever got fired, so would they.”

Meaning, 20 teams would be trying to hire Shanahan in a heartbeat if he became available.

The simple response to “fire Kyle Shanahan” is “give an alternative.” See above: 20 other teams would fire their coach because their alternative could be Kyle Shanahan. Many of you might remember how the 49ers mutually parted ways with Jim Harbaugh following a disappointing 2014 season, where they posted a crowd-pleasing 8-8 record. They thought they had an alternative—his name was Jim Tomsula, and his result was one of the worst offenses in team history. The 49ers knew they could do better, so they went with Chip Kelly the next year. 2-14 isn’t exactly an improvement.

The current 49ers under Shanahan are criticized as well —most of it is relevant—but it’s usually about how they perform in the Super Bowl or the playoffs—the endings to seasons that were not possible under the two coaches who preceded Shanahan.

And if the 49ers did get rid of Shanahan, there’s still that substation “theory”. If you looked at how the 49ers did in 2026, list a coach that could have done what Shanahan did with that decimated roster.

Yes, sub-.500 seasons, front office dysfunction, rotating door of head coaches—let’s not go back to that.

Generally speaking, this is the slow time of year for NFL content, so content like trade grades and wild hypotheticals are the go-to option for full-time writers, broadcasters, etc. to keep the football-crazed masses satiated.

Which brings us to a piece from ESPN’s Seth Walder this week in which he graded the three trades since June 1. That includes the low-stakes move between the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons this week revolving around offensive tackle Wanya Morris, as well as the long-awaited A.J. Brown trade from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New England Patriots.

Oh, and the one that sent the reigning defensive player of the year to the Super Bowl favorites.

Walder loved the Myles Garrett trade for his former team, the Cleveland Browns, giving them an “A” grade for acquiring a haul of draft picks and a impactful young player in Jared Verse. He felt far differently about the team acquiring arguably the best defensive player in the league, though, handing the Rams a “C-.”

There are a few different points made about the Rams here, and Garrett receives his fair share of praise, but this paragraph gets to the gist of Walder’s less-than-stellar grade for L.A.:

“For the Rams, the appeal of adding Garrett is obvious. The trade increases their chances to win the Super Bowl this season — and that is rightfully something to pay up for. However, I don’t think this is the type of team building that will maximize the Rams’ Super Bowl chances over the next several seasons. There is a drop-off from Garrett to Verse, but it’s not like Los Angeles is filling a hole here. After just one season in the NFL, Verse ranked at No. 10 in Jeremy Fowler’s 2025 survey of coaches, scouts and executives. Add in the massive pay disparity between the two players, and it makes it even harder to justify.”

Planning for the future is obviously important. And for guys like Walder who are especially analytically focused, future capital is always valued highly. But it’s also clear that the Rams aren’t especially worried about the future because their window is open right now. They have the best roster in football with an old quarterback and an elite coach who, at least in the fairly recent past, has already flirted with his post-coaching future. Now is the time and the Rams are going all out to maximize that opportunity. Considering all that, I find it nearly impossible to deem this a below-average move for Los Angeles, as a C- would indicate.

The kicker at the end of the analysis summarizes why it feels like the plot has been lost:

“The 2026 Rams are better today than they were yesterday. But the cost to the 2027-2030 Rams is too much to justify,” Walder wrote. “And the Browns will reap the benefits.”

It’s completely valid to give the Browns a better grade for this trade than the Rams. TST’s own Steven Ridings graded the trade in the immediate aftermath and explained why he gave the Rams a “B” compared to a “B+” for the Browns.

But the entire point of building a team is to give yourself the best chance possible to win a championship. Planning for the future is fine and important, but eventually you’re supposed to try to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. You have to take the context of the franchise in its current state into account, and that should render everything after “better than they were yesterday” moot.

If you don’t utterly love the trade for the Rams, that’s completely fair and fine. And yes, at some point the bill will likely come due, so to speak. But to give the trade a below-average grade when a truly win-now team adds an upper-echelon talent because it will theoretically affect the future is missing the forest for the trees.

The Buffalo Bills concluded their three-day mandatory minicamp on Thursday. As the team heads into a six-week break for summer vacation, the Bills took care of one last piece of unfinished business: agreeing to terms with offensive lineman Jude Bowry on his four-year rookie contract.

Today’s edition of Buffalo Rumblinks leads off by discussing the news that with the versatile Bowry having signed his rookie deal, the Bills now have all 10 of their rookies under contract.

OT Jude Bowry last Bill to sign rookie deal

Jude Bowry was chosen by the Bills with the No. 102 overall selection in the fourth round, and on Friday, Bowry and the Bills came to terms on a four-year rookie deal, a move that means Buffalo has now signed their entire rookie class as the team goes into a break before gathering for training camp at St. John Fisher University in suburban Rochester.

Bowry, who took part in rookie minicamp, Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp, is expected to become a key member of Buffalo’s offensive line. He is coming off a senior season at Boston College where he did not allow a sack all year over 320 dropback snaps.

Listed at 6’5” and 314 pounds, Bowry is a versatile offensive lineman who can play tackle or guard. With BC, Bowry played in 31 games and made 23 starts and spent a majority of his time at left tackle.

• With latest signing, Bills rookie class now all under contract – Buffalo News (subscription required)
• Bills sign last remaining draft pick, who didn’t allow a sack last season – Democrat & Chronicle
• Buffalo Bills sign these members of their 2026 NFL Draft Class – BuffaloBills.com
• Bills Finally Sign Boston College Rookie OL Jude Bowry Who May Be Needed Early – Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills
• Bills Sign T Jude Bowry, Complete Draft Class Deals – Pro Football Rumors
• Bills End Lengthy Wait by Signing Last Unsigned Draft Pick – heavy.com

Even more Bills news

We hear from quarterback Josh Allen as he enters his ninth season in the NFL. Plus, revisiting Buffalo’s offseason moves; how rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell became an accomplished pass catcher after growing up a talented hockey goal scorer; identifying winners and losers from mandatory minicamp; and discussing whether the Bills would consider a reunion with wideout Stefon Diggs.

• Josh Allen sounds a bit different heading into Year 9 – Democrat & Chronicle
• Jay Skurski’s mailbag: The Buffalo Bills 2026 offseason – Buffalo News (subscription required)
• Bills By The Numbers: What Did We Learn About The Bills This Offseason? – BuffaloBills.com
• The story of Skyler Bell: From hockey goal-scorer to Bills rookie wide receiver – Buffalo News (subscription required)
• 4 Winners and 2 Losers From Bills Minicamp – Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills
• Three Intriguing Observations From Bills OTAs and Minicamp Include Tyler Bass Update – Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills
• Would the Bills actually consider reunion with Stefon Diggs? Joe Brady weighs in – newyorkupstate.com
• Rumor of Bills’ Interest In Stefon Diggs Shut Down by Joe Brady at Mandatory Minicamp – Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills articles recently featured on Buffalo Rumblings

• How good does the Bills pass rush need to be to win a Super Bowl? – Buffalo Rumblings
• What grade would you give to the Bills’ 2026 offseason? – Buffalo Rumblings
• Who are Bills best players 25 years old or younger? – Buffalo Rumblings
• Plays That Defined 2025: Saints at Bills; Week 4 – Buffalo Rumblings
• Can you guess this Bills wide receiver in today’s in-5 trivia game – Buffalo Rumblings

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …

2026 NFL contracts: Next to get a big deal at every position – ESPN
Next up: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles. There are a few veteran candidates who might be in line for massive extensions this offseason. Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons and Dallas’ Quinnen Williams are free agents after the 2027 season, leaving them with two years on their existing contracts. With the Cowboys having traded so much to acquire Williams, a new deal north of $30 million per year for the former Jets first-round pick seems inevitable. I still expect the next record-setting contract to go to Carter, who might be the best young defensive tackle in football. Last season didn’t go as planned for Carter, who started the season with a bizarre ejection for spitting on Dak Prescott before missing five other games because of injuries, but he still managed to make his second consecutive Pro Bowl. And it takes only a trip back to the 2024 playoffs to recall how dominant Carter can be at his best, down to winning the game against the Rams with a pair of pressures on the final drive of the contest. Howie Roseman is shifting Philadelphia’s spending from offense to defense over the next 12 months, and while anything’s possible in the modern NFL or with the trade-friendly general manager, it would be a surprise if Carter’s next deal wasn’t a record setter. That would come from either the Eagles or another team, which presumably would have given up a first-round pick and more to land the Super Bowl winner. An extension for Carter would likely come in between $32 million and $35 million per season, and given how aggressive the Eagles are with signing young players to contracts, expect it to happen before the start of the 2026 campaign.

Eagles Film Review: A.J. Epenesa signing is very sensible – BGN
Coming into this evaluation, I wasn’t expecting to like A.J. Epenesa as much as I did. The overall theme of his film is that he’s simply a decent football player. He’s not an elite athlete, and he’s never going to be confused with the premier edge rushers in the NFL, but he consistently finds ways to impact games in limited snaps. He wins with power, length, hand usage, effort, and intelligence rather than rare physical traits. There are plenty of edge defenders who look more impressive in space, but Epenesa understands how to play the position and has developed a polished skill set over six NFL seasons. What stood out most was how physical he is. He routinely collapses pockets with his bull rush, uses his hands extremely well, and plays with the kind of strength that fits what the Eagles have traditionally valued along the defensive line. He isn’t a bendy speed rusher, and he won’t threaten offensive tackles around the corner on a consistent basis, but he doesn’t need to. His game is built around winning in different ways and doing the little things well.

Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: OG Micah Morris – PhillyVoice
Like Morris, Bradford is sloppy as a technician, so much so that he pretty routinely has comically bad plays. Like here in the Super Bowl, where he gets beaten by Milton Williams, but then RB Kenneth Walker picks Williams up, only to have Bradford block Walker off of Williams, lol. But then also, Bradford will have plays where you can kind of get why the Seahawks keep putting him out there, presumably trying to get him to play to his capabilities more consistently.

Nick Sirianni must let the Eagles get more daring on offense this season – Inquirer
The Eagles wouldn’t have hired Mannion if they believed such an approach were sustainable. The combined greatness of Barkley and their offensive line was responsible for the offense’s quick-strike and big-play capabilities in 2024, and it had the added bonus of cutting down the occasions when Hurts or anyone else had to put possession of the football at risk. But those circumstances and conditions were ideal and difficult, if not impossible, to replicate, and the Eagles couldn’t and didn’t in 2025. Now they have Mannion, who is regarded as a sharp, up-and-coming mind in the NFL. And they have Hurts, who for the sake of his own improvement and his team’s fate has to master a system unlike any he has played in before. And they have Sirianni, whose instinct has been to minimize any possibility of a big mistake. Something might have to give, and the season just might come down to the head coach and his ability to resolve a fundamental conflict within himself.

Eagles spring practice lessons: Five things we learned about Sean Mannion, the Eagles offense during mandatory minicamp – PHLY
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that the Eagles defense was consistently the more successful unit during each practice, but it’s still a necessary note in reflection of the four open sessions. The Eagles first-team secondary looked as advertised against a reworked and undermanned wide receiving corps and more often than not Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, and Tanner McKee were either targeting running backs or tight ends on underneath routes or holding onto the ball for extended periods without finding someone downfield. But even setting aside the imperative caveat that most defenses are ahead of their offensive counterparts at this point in the offseason, it’s important to remember just how wide the gulf is between the Eagles offense and defense in terms of both a personnel and schematic continuity standpoint this summer. For as significant a change as the Eagles defense had to go through in 2024 when Vic Fangio took over, this Eagles offense has had an even bigger task with several new faces and an offensive system that shares almost no resemblance to the one the group ran last year. In fact, those who have seen it up close for the duration of the spring believe it couldn’t look any more different than last year’s offense.

6 things we learned at Patriots minicamp – Pats Pulpit
A.J. Brown is as advertised. It did not take long for A.J. Brown to make an impact on the practice field. After getting his feet wet during the final week of OTAs, Brown looked every bit the Pro Bowl receiver in minicamp, hauling in a back-shoulder fade for a touchdown before making an impressive adjustment on another pass in the end zone for a second score. The chemistry between Brown and Maye has been impressive considering the duo has spent less than two weeks together, and it should only continue to improve with time — while Brown will likely also begin to be moved around the formation more often, after spending this last week largely repping in the outside role.

George Pickens non-committal on mandatory minicamp plans – Blogging The Boys
Time is ultimately going to tell in short order, but there really isn’t any huge point of drama with this situation, and that is really saying something when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. The team placed the franchise tag on Pickens at the beginning of the offseason. Had he not signed it, then there would be legitimate intrigue and question around this situation. Here’s the thing. Pickens did sign it. The answer is known. It is certainly possible that Pickens won’t show up to the mandatory minicamp, but he already pledged his allegiance to the 2026 Dallas Cowboys when he put pen to paper. Right?

What makes Nick Allegretti confident he can thrive as Commanders center – Hogs Haven
The Commanders released center Tyler Biadasz on Feb. 26, well before NFL free agency began. They didn’t sign a replacement during a period where they were flush with cap space and spent big in others areas of perceived need. Washington didn’t conclude free-agency’s early waves with a tight budget. They still have plenty of salary-cap space should they choose to use it. Washington didn’t use any of it on a center. They did add to the position by selecting Michigan State product Matt Gulbin in the sixth round of the NFL draft, though the No. 209 overall draft slot doesn’t typically portend an instant impact.

John Harbaugh’s Giants will look like a bully; can they play like one? – Big Blue View
Defensive tackle D.J. Reader, himself a mountain of a man at 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, recently called the New York Giants a “get-off-the-bus team.” By that, he meant that because of their sheer size, they look good getting off the bus. John Harbaugh, in his 18 years as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, developed a reputation for building “get-off-the-bus” teams that not only looked the part, but played the part of the bully. Asked recently why he has an affinity for players with size, Harbaugh referred to former Giants’ GM George Young’s twist on the “Planet Theory.” Young’s idea was that there are only so many massive, athletic human beings on the earth, and the more you could collect, the better chance you had of winning. “You’ve got to have — I think Bill Parcells said that these guys are just rare people on the planet, right? Along those lines,” Harbaugh said. “To me that always stuck with me when I saw that way back when.”

Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier – SB Nation
Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday. In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation. The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”

…

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The Buffalo Bills have a new defensive coordinator this season, and with that comes a new philosophy on defense. Regardless of one’s opinion on former head coach and defensive boss Sean McDermott, one clear point of success throughout his tenure came in the development of defensive backs. Whether those defensive backs were veteran cast-offs from elsewhere (Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde) or players the team drafted themselves (Cole Bishop and Christian Benford, among others), there were far more hits than misses in terms of player development.

The players noted above were clear success stories, and while there was the Kaiir Elam debacle, there were also more than a few instances of late-round players not only making the Bills’ roster, but developing into valuable part-time contributors on defense. Some of those players may not have executed in all the big moments—I’m looking at you, Dane Jackson—but they surpassed the standard expectations for players who entered the NFL in their respective pathways.

In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we profile a player whose career transcends the playing field.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Name: Damar Hamlin
Number: 3
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6’, 200 pounds
Age: 28 (29 on 3/24/2027)
Experience/Draft:  6; drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round (No. 212 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft
College: Pitt
Acquired: Sixth-round draft choice

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Hamlin signed a one-year contract worth $1.215 million. Thanks to the veteran’s minimum exemption, Hamlin’s cap number is less than that for the season, as it will be $1.125 million if he makes the team. If he doesn’t, Buffalo will carry a dead cap number of $25,000 for the season, which is the total amount of the signing bonus on the deal.

2025 Recap: Hamlin was relegated to special teams duty last season, playing just 12 defensive snaps in his five games on the active roster. He appeared on 49 special teams snaps over that time, which accounted for 35% of the team’s total through those first five games. All twelve of the snaps he played on defense came in Buffalo’s Week Two blowout victory over the New York Jets. Hamlin tore a pectoral muscle during practice leading up to the team’s Week Six contest with the Atlanta Falcons; he was placed on injured reserve, had surgery, and missed the rest of the season. Hamlin was ramping up to return to play, though, when the Bills were eliminated from contention in the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos; Buffalo had opened his 21-day practice window leading up to that game. He totaled just one tackle during the 2025 season.

Positional outlook: Hamlin is one of six players listed at safety on the current roster. Wande Owens, Geno Stone, Cole Bishop, Jalen Kilgore, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are the others. Sam Franklin Jr. and Jordan Hancock are listed at defensive back, but they are safeties, as well.

2026 Offseason: Hamlin has participated in OTAs to date.

2026 Season outlook: It’s hard to discuss Hamlin objectively given all he’s been through, but I’m going to try as best I can. Hamlin’s story would have been a success even if the harrowing ordeal of January 2, 2023 didn’t occur. He was already a sixth-round draft pick living the dream, contributing in a meaningful way to a good Buffalo defense. But, his cardiac arrest and subsequent recovery did happen, and they add another layer to the success that his career has been.

The Bills are the only professional team that he’s known, and while he is a valuable special teams player and a capable reserve, he isn’t someone who should be starting games on the current Buffalo roster. He lacks the speed to play centerfield in a single-high defense, and that same lack of speed requires him to be perfect in every angle he takes while playing in the box, as one wrong move often leads to huge gains for opposing teams. Now, perhaps that same issue in run support won’t happen in a different defense, but his lack of true success in coverage still limits what the team can do with Hamlin on the field.

Buffalo could absolutely keep No. 3 this season in a similar role as the one it appeared he would have had last year: as a special teams player. C.J. Gardner-Johnson should be a starter alongside Cole Bishop this season, and rookie Jalen Kilgore has the physical chops to make an impact sooner rather than later. If Jordan Hancock remains a safety in new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s defense rather than shifting inside to nickel corner, that’s the top four safeties on the squad. Veteran Sam Franklin is the special teams priority, so he likely makes it as a fifth safety. To me, that leaves Hamlin on the outside looking in, as I’d place him behind Geno Stone in terms of overall ability, as well, and I’m not even sure that he will make the 53-man roster.

Maybe you think that’s unfair — after all, Stone played on a terrible Cincinnati Bengals defense last season, and he had arguably the worst year of his career to boot. According to Pro Football Focus, Stone allowed a 106.6 quarterback rating, four touchdowns, and a 65.3% completion rate last season. He had two interceptions on 49 targets where he was the closest defender. That’s… not good. For Hamlin’s career, however, he’s been the closest defender on 78 targets. He’s allowed a quarterback rating of 115.1 with five touchdowns, two interceptions, and a completion percentage of 67.9%. That is… also not good.

People have counted Hamlin out for his whole career, and he’s made a habit of proving those doubters wrong. I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if he proves me wrong later on this summer. However, if the Bills remain relatively healthy at the safety position heading into final cuts, I don’t foresee a scenario where Hamlin is among the five best players at safety on the current roster.

It’s that time of year again, folks: padless football is back in action, and us football-starved junkies can’t help but be glad. (That’s all we get to hold us over for the next month until training camp starts. Plus, it’s way more fun to think about than whatever’s going on with the Chicago Bears’ stadium saga.)

And, despite every impulse telling us not to read too much into it, you can’t deny it’s nice to see third-round rookie Zavion Thomas pop up with a highlight play or two in the few glimpses we’ve gotten of the Chicago Bears during this off-season phase.

At one point during OTAs, Thomas got loose for a long sideline grab from QB1 Caleb Williams and later showed off his speed on a screen pass during minicamp. On a team with a lot of good skill players, from Rome Odunze on down to D’Andre Swift, there’s no denying someone like Thomas simply looks different.

Football is not a game you win just by being fast. But speed in the right hands can kill, and that’s what head coach Ben Johnson was thinking when he reached for Thomas with the 89th overall pick in the draft.

“If we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and that he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, we really could use him, and he could be a big weapon for us this year. But that’s what we’re trying to harness right now,” Johnson told reporters of Thomas. “I think he’s developing the work ethic that we expect, not only from a receiver, but from anyone on offense, or the team.”

Thomas was certainly a curious pick at that stage, given the other, much more polished prospects available in the third round. But the reasoning for drafting him (at some point) is obvious: with a coaching staff that can develop him, he has the potential to become a game-changing weapon in the slot, out of the backfield, and in the return game.

The Bears have possession receivers (Odunze), matchup nightmares (Colston Loveland), YAC monsters (Luther Burden III), and a stable of solid running backs in Swift and Kyle Monangai. What they don’t have? A straight-up burner. Though Thomas isn’t likely to be Tyreek Hill or even Jameson Williams, whom Johnson oversaw the drafting of while with the Lions, his 4.28 40 time and toughness with the ball in his hands is tantalizing (if he can consistently catch it).

Of course, that’s the thing: looking good in OTAs and minicamp, or even the first few days of training camp, doesn’t guarantee success.

As a former Patriots beat reporter, I’ve watched Tyquan Thornton show signs of production in minicamp and training camp, only to eventually disappear and get traded away from the team. And while he looks like a more traditionally functional player than Velus Jones Jr., it’s hard to completely disregard that comparison. Speed always pops when the pads aren’t on and no one can hit you. But when it’s time to run real routes and beat coverage not just with physicality but with nuance and technical skill, can Thomas do that?

His college stats, in addition to him being (generously) sixth on the pass-catching pecking order in the early going with this roster, suggest we shouldn’t be expecting some Rookie-of-the-Year-level breakout from him. Then again, I don’t think the Chicago Bears need or want that from him at all.

Even if he’s nowhere near ready to be a third or fourth option at this stage in his career, just putting him on the field will make defenses think. Depending on what he does in training camp and in preseason games, getting the ball in his hands with schemed touches once or twice a game feels reasonable to keep opponents honest.

The bottom line: let’s keep the expectations low for Thomas as a rookie—draft pedigree be damned—and give Johnson’s forward-thinking vision a chance to work. As we saw with Burden last year, sometimes it’s best to get a talented player before you need him. That way, you won’t find yourself regretting not swinging when you had the chance.

If there’s any offense in the league that should give him room to grow as a player, it’s this one, whether he plays more receiver or running back. 

For now, though, let’s keep a little cautious optimism about what that elite speed can do for the Chicago Bears.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have wrapped OTAs, meaning the next time they take the field will be in Latrobe for training camp on July 29.

It will be the first camp for new head coach Mike McCarthy, as we get closer to seeing what this new era of Steelers football looks like on the field. One thing that stood out during Pittsburgh’s offseason program, though, is attention to detail from the veteran head coach, as Mark Kaboly points out.

‘The attention to detail is off the charts,“ Kaboly said on Kaboly and Mack via Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. “I’m talking about stuff as simple as during the middle of practice, they blow the whistle and say ‘TV timeout, everybody back to the huddle…’”

Additionally, McCarthy ensured that the Steelers used every second of practice time allotted to them in the CBA by keeping coaches off the field during team stretches. The reasoning behind that is that because per CBA rules, the two-hour clock starts once coaches take the field.

When it comes to coaching the quarterbacks, McCarthy has left no stone unturned. The footwork of Drew Allar has been a large focal point since the Steelers drafted him back in April. And while his feet already look world’s better than they did at rookie minicamp, McCarthy is constantly making small tweaks to make sure that aspect of Allar’s fundamentals, as Alan Saunders of Steelers Now points out.

While some are still skeptical about McCarthy, his attention to detail is admirable, especially when it comes to the development of Allar, and it’s a good sign of things to come.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

• Steelers asking price for Alex Highsmith trade revealed
• Steelers host former Raiders defensive end to workout
• Steelers wide receiver surprisingly absent at OTAs
• Steelers sign former Broncos wide receiver
• Former Steelers WR signs with AFC team

Through the spring and summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Jeremy Ruckert.

Name: Jeremy Ruckert

Number: 91

Year With Jets: 2nd

Projected Role: Number three tight end

His 2025: After the departure of Tyler Conklin, Ruckert had every opportunity to establish himself as the starting tight end for the Jets. He ended up providing little production, however, registering just 23 catches for 179 yards.

It’s probably tempting to blame Ruckert’s struggles on the Jets’ dismal quarterback situation. You would be well-advised to ignore that temptation. Eight receivers on the roster with the same quarterback play recorded more receiving yards.

Among them were Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie, who were acquired halfway through the season. Rookie tight end Mason Taylor more than doubled Ruckert’s yardage. At some point you are who you are as a player. After four years we can safely say that Ruckert isn’t much of a receiving option in the NFL.

That would be one thing if Ruckert could block consistently. Unfortunately, despite throwing the occasional dominant blocking rep on film, he also frequently misses his assignments.

For these reasons it was as surprise to see the Jets reward Ruckert with a contract extension before the end of the season. That seemed like a sign he was part of the team’s future plans. The selection of Kenyon Sadiq in the first round has perhaps changed that.

2026 will be a success if: Ruckert flashes enough to convince the Jets coaching staff to give him playing time. What can I say? I’m grasping at straws here. With the selection of Sadiq, Ruckert has become a wealthy number three tight end. Sadiq and Taylor will be on the field when the Jets go double tight end. Even though we have started to see some offensive trends in the NFL of teams going with bigger personnel groupings, we just aren’t likely to see many three tight end sets outside of short yardage and goal line situations. Ruckert’s best bet might be to work on his fullback blocking skills and try to win that role from Andrew Beck.

Odds of making the roster: Lock (>99%)

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked a pair of questions about the predicted winner of the NFC East and Commanders projected playoff success.

The results are slightly schizophrenic, with the Kool-Aid (or Flavor Aid, if you prefer) flowing strongly when it comes to predicting the division winner, but a lot less confidence about the Commanders’ postseason fortunes.

Winning the (B)East

In an incredible display of belief in the home team, more than half of our survey respondents picked the burgundy & gold to hang the divisional championship banner ahead of the ‘27 season.

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This indicates huge buy-in from Hogs Haven readers regarding the team’s reworked roster and two rookie NFL coordinators and new NFL play callers. Achieving this result will probably require a fast start since Washington is on the road against Philly and Dallas in Weeks 1 and 2, and complete the first half of the NFC East schedule with a home game against the Giants in Week 5.

Washington’s NFC East schedule

While the Commanders close the season with a Week 18 home game against the Cowboys, they will complete the home & away series with New York and Philadelphia by Week 10 — that’s five division matchups in the first nine games of the season, which is far different from recent years when Washington has had a late bye week and closed out December and January with three or four division games.

Parity?

It feels as if the NFC East is up for grabs in 2026, with the back-to-back reigning champion Eagles fighting a slow entropic decline as the effects of the team’s massively leveraged salary cap cut into roster flexibility, making it a little more rigid every year as productive players who’ve earned paydays leave in free agency to be replaced by lesser/cheaper veterans or unproven rookies. Philly still has a good roster, but they’ve been leaking starters for three offseasons now, and it feels like they’re approaching the tipping point.

A lot of defensive struggles

The story lines for the other three teams in the division are almost eerily similar. All three teams struggled on defense in 2025 with the Giants, Commanders and Cowboys ranking 26th, 27th and 32nd, respectively, in points allowed last year.

Coaching turnover galore in 2026

Unsurprisingly, all three teams mentioned above dumped their defensive coordinators in an effort to turn around the dismal defensive performances. In fact, the Giants changed the head coach and turned over all three coordinator positions while Washington replaced coordinators on offense and defense.

Even the Eagles, who lost their opening playoff game in January, made a coordinator change, dumping offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in favor of Sean Mannion. For those keeping count, that’s one new head coach, three new defensive coordinators, three new offensive coordinators, and one new special teams coordinator in the division this year. Don’t get me started on the new positional coaches and other staff changes.

Injuries hit two teams really hard

Washington and New York both dealt with heavy injury tolls in 2025, with the Commanders taking massive defensive hits. The Giants lost their three young offensive stars — WR Malik Nabers, QB Jaxson Dart and RB Cam Skatteboo — for big chunks of the season. Per Sports Information Solutions, Washington was the second-most injured team in ‘26, while the Giants were ranked seventh. The Eagles were found to be the seventh-healthiest and the Cowboys the 4th-healthiest.

Four fan bases with high expectations for 2026

Eagles fans expect the train to keep on rolling. Giants, Commanders and Cowboys fans are looking at the coaching shakeups and what each fan base perceives to have been a good offseason leading to improved rosters and are thinking, “This could be a big turnaround; this could be our year.”

Winning in the playoffs

Interestingly, when the focus of this week’s Reacts Survey questions shifted from predicted division winner to projected playoff success, the consumption of Kool Aid/Flavor Aid changed from guzzling to polite sipping.

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Despite 51% of respondents predicting, in Question 1, that the Commanders would win the division crown, only about a third of respondents projected Washington to enter the playoffs as a division winner in answer to Question 2, and 21% of all respondents said that the Commanders wouldn’t qualify for the postseason at all!

Another 20% predicted that Washington would qualify as a wildcard team and win one game.

18% said “F—- it” and predicted that the burgundy & gold would enter the playoffs as NFC East champs and end the season with with a playoff win and Washington’s fourth Lombardi trophy and sixth league championship.

What some other fan bases are talking about in this week’s Reacts surveys

Seahawks fans were asked to identify the most difficult game out of their first five. The Commanders are on the list, hosting Seattle in Week 3. Seattle fans, fresh off a Super Bowl win, are not too concerned about their trip east, putting Washington next-to-last in the list of “most difficult game” candidates.

The Cowboys, like the Commanders, have hired a new defensive coordinator and re-tooled the defensive roster via trade, free agency and 4 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker, seems to be bringing a new and exciting scheme to The Star, but Dallas fans, who, despite annual promises and high hopes, haven’t seen their team in an NFC Championship game in over 30 years, predicted by a vote of 2:1 that their team’s new-look defense would finish in the middle-of-the NFL pack in 2026.

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The contract of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has never been “normal” by NFL standards.

His first long-term extension with the Chiefs was a 10-year deal, signed in 2020. It marked the first contract of that length signed by an NFL player since the early 2000s.

There’s a reason it was a rarity: NFL contracts quickly become outdated, especially for the most premium of positions. The highest-paid quarterbacks in the league have turned into a list of the most recently paid quarterbacks. One player resets the market, only to be surpassed by the next star in line. On and on it goes.

Mahomes was the next man up when he signed the $450 million, decade-long extension six years ago, becoming the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

In 2025, Mahomes’ $45 million average annual salary ranked 14th among NFL quarterbacks.

The fact that Mahomes’ contract quickly became outdated was not a surprise to anyone involved in the negotiations. In many ways, it was part of the plan. Mahomes was never expected to play out the full 10 years of the deal. Instead, the contract was designed to provide the Chiefs with maximum flexibility while still allowing Mahomes to earn the money he clearly deserved.

One way teams create that flexibility is by converting salary into signing or roster bonuses. Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs converted $44.05 million of Mahomes’ 2026 base salary into a roster bonus. The move created immediate cap relief while pushing some of the accounting burden into future years.

That’s where things got interesting.

Bonus money can be prorated over a maximum of five years, but only if the player has at least five years remaining on his deal. If Mahomes had only two years left on his deal, the Chiefs would be limited in how far the cap charges could spread out. Hence, the importance of the long-term deal.

Having five years of team control gives the Chiefs flexibility to maximize bonus proration and avoid relying as heavily on the dreaded void years that many teams use to manipulate the salary cap.

In summary, Mahomes’ contract was always designed to provide the Chiefs with maximum flexibility — but that doesn’t mean the two-time MVP is sacrificing his financial potential. He made sure he would make a rightfully enormous amount of money.

But Mahomes’ contract was set to expire by 2032. As the past few years have ticked away, the Chiefs’ ability to push bonus money into the future naturally diminished. An extension became inevitable. The only question was how long it would be.

The recently announced 8-year, $504 million contract is another outlier deal for Mahomes. He’s once again the highest-paid player in the league, doing so again through an unusually long-term contract that gives Kansas City flexibility in future years.

It’s only possible if Mahomes has complete trust in the Chiefs’ organization.

That flies in the face of recent professional sports trends, in which star players increasingly prefer to exert leverage over their organizations by signing shorter-term, higher-AAV contracts. Those deals allow players to maximize their earning potential while maintaining leverage over their organization. Implicit in any short-term deal is the possibility that a player could walk in free agency.

Not Mahomes.

His contract sends the opposite message, and that contract is only possible because of his confidence in the organization’s leadership. More specifically, his confidence in the team’s owner, Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.

Tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones are almost certainly not going to be on the roster by the end of Mahomes’ new deal.

Head coach Andy Reid is 68 years old; will he be coaching the team in eight years? Former Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll became the oldest head coach in NFL history last year at age 74. History would suggest Mahomes signed this contract with the understanding that, at some point, he’ll play for someone other than Reid.

The news also makes it likely the franchise’s all-time quarterback will be part of the transition from Arrowhead Stadium to the new venue across the state line in Kansas.

That’s a lot of change on the horizon. Mahomes appears comfortable with all of it, and it’s only possible if he has the utmost trust in the leadership of the organization.

That trust has been built over years of successful partnership, but it shouldn’t go overlooked. This kind of arrangement has become exceedingly rare in pro sports, especially in football.

The only other quarterbacks to sign a contract with at least eight years of term were Donovan McNabb with the Philadelphia Eagles (eight years, 2002) and Drew Bledsoe with the New England Patriots (nine years, 2001), according to OverTheCap.Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (six years) is the only other active signal caller with a contract extending beyond five years.

The Chiefs chose Patrick Mahomes with the 10th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chiefs committed to Mahomes as the franchise’s future, and the three-time Super Bowl champion has reciprocated that commitment ever since.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week we ask questions of the most plugged-in Seattle Seahawks fans and fans across the country.

The latest SB Nation Reacts survey is in, and Seattle Seahawks fans appear to have little doubt about which opponent represents the biggest challenge during the opening stretch of the 2026 season.

After asking readers which of Seattle’s first five games looks the most difficult on paper, the results came back with a clear winner: the San Francisco 49ers.

A massive 63% of voters selected the Week 5 matchup against San Francisco at Lumen Field as the toughest game of the opening month-plus of the season. The gap between the 49ers and the rest of the field was enormous, showing that despite Seattle entering 2026 as defending Super Bowl champions, fans still view the division rivalry as the biggest measuring stick early in the year.

The full results:

• 49ers at home — 63%
• Chargers at home — 23%
• Patriots at home — 10%
• At Commanders — 3%
• At Cardinals — 1%

The survey itself was prompted by Seattle’s intriguing start to the season, which includes a Super Bowl rematch against New England, two road trips, and back-to-back home games against playoff-caliber opponents.

Even with the Seahawks opening the year against the Patriots in banner night conditions, fans still placed the 49ers comfortably above every other opponent. That likely says as much about the rivalry itself as it does San Francisco’s roster.

The NFC West remains one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions, and Seattle knows firsthand how quickly divisional games can reshape a season. Mike Macdonald’s team may be coming off a championship run, but familiarity, roster continuity, and the physical style San Francisco traditionally brings continue to command respect among the fanbase.

The Chargers finishing second with 23% is surprising. Jim Harbaugh’s team is expected to be one of the AFC’s tougher opponents again in 2026, and that matchup arrives immediately before the Seahawks host San Francisco. It creates a potentially bruising two-week stretch early in the season.

Meanwhile, the Patriots received just 10% of the vote despite being the defending AFC champions and Seattle’s opponent in the season opener. Some of that may stem from the game being played at Lumen Field, where the Seahawks have been dominant, while some may simply reflect greater concern about division games carrying heavier long-term implications.

To finish, the road games against Washington and Arizona barely registered in the voting. Combined, they accounted for only 4% of responses.

Seattle’s opening five-game stretch has already generated plenty of discussion since the NFL released the full 2026 schedule. The Seahawks begin the year with New England before traveling to Arizona and Washington, then return home for consecutive games against the Chargers and 49ers.

If the early returns from this survey are any indication, Seahawks fans already have Week 5 circled on the calendar.

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The Packers have made a conscious effort over the past couple of years to get bigger on their offensive line.

It seemed obvious at a glance: they signed the generously proportioned Aaron Banks last spring, then spent a second round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Anthony Belton, who didn’t get the nickname “Escalade” because it’s his vehicle of choice. 

But in February, Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed this was a conscious choice on his part. The Packers weren’t changing how they scouted linemen, necessarily. They were just looking for bigger ones.

“I wouldn’t say we changed our evaluation process [for offensive linemen], but it was intentional,” Gutekunst said after an excellent question by APC’s Tyler Brooke. “We did want to get bigger, a little bit more stout up front to be able to move people in the run game if we can.”

And if getting bigger was the only goal, it worked. The Packers fielded their heaviest offensive line of the Matt LaFleur era in 2025, adjusted for snaps. On average, a Packers lineman tipped the scales at 318.99 pounds, up from 313.86 pounds in 2024 and just 310.27 in 2019, LaFleur’s first year on the job.

Did it work? In a word, no. In a few more words, not really, but it’s not clear if the size of the line had anything to do with its performance in 2025.

Broadly speaking, the Packers didn’t accomplish Gutekunst’s goal of pushing people around in the ground game. By just about any measurable stat, their ground game was worse in 2025 than in 2024. The team’s yards per carry average dropped from 4.7 in 2024 to 4.1 in 2025, and their EPA/rushing play and DVOA both dropped as well. By traditional or advanced metrics, their ground game was just worse.

Size, it seems, was not a factor, but it may be more accurate to say that size was just consistently not as available as the Packers would have liked. They dealt with injuries up and down the line last year, resulting in a pretty incoherent line across the board. The Packers’ preferred offensive line of Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom played barely a handful of snaps together last season. It was far more likely to find players switching from spot to spot in a given game than the Packers’ top five lineman blocking together.

And that doesn’t look like it’s going to change in 2026, at least in the early going. Zach Tom is still in the rehab group at OTAs and minicamp after a knee injury late last season, and Aaron Banks has given way to Jager Burton due to injury issues cropping up again.

Where does that leave the offensive line, size-wise? A bit all over the place. Jordan Morgan was already going to replace Rasheed Walker in the starting lineup, yielding about 13 pounds, but Sean Rhyan made up for that by taking over for Elgton Jenkins at center, whom he outweighs by 10 pounds. If Banks can’t go, it looks like fifth round pick Jager Burton will get first crack at the left guard job, but he’s considerably smaller than his hefty counterpart.

It leaves me thinking that just trying to get bigger is not necessarily a coherent strategy, especially if you can’t reliably depend on the availability of certain players. It’s one thing to want to get bigger, but it’s another to follow LaFleur’s long-publicized maxim of getting the best five linemen on the field.

Coherence may be the best word to describe what the Packers currently lack. I understand the idea of wanting to be bigger, but the Packers made plenty of hay over the years with a particular offensive line archetype: they wanted converted tackles at pretty much every spot on the line, giving them a long, lean, and athletic front, usually made up of players who were pretty similar physically. In 2019, LaFleur’s line had a pretty narrow range of weights; the Packers’ five most-used linemen ranged in weight from 310 to 314 pounds, and their performance was strong.

But in 2025, the Packers top five linemen had a much wider range, stretching from 304 to 325 pounds, and I think it’s fair to call their performance scattershot. Getting bigger might be a good goal, but getting there all at once was going to be a challenge, and it doesn’t seem like the Packers have been able to pull it off, and they ended up with a physically scattered and incoherent line last season, to say nothing of injuries. Playing just their best five, regardless of five (or in Banks’ case, salary) might be their best option.

Maxx Crosby has been one of the biggest talking points surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, and even after the team wrapped up its offseason program this week, those conversations haven’t stopped. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon recently wrote a column listing the 10 worst contracts in the NFL ahead of the 2026 season, and included Crosby in the piece.

The Contract: 3 years, $106.5 million with $91.5 million guaranteed (signed in 2025)

The Problem: After putting up a combined 27 sacks in 2022 and 2023, the seven-year veteran has failed to top 10 sacks in either of the last two seasons. He’ll turn 29 this summer, and a continued decline is inevitable. 

The Kicker: The Raiders are pretty much stuck paying him more than $65 million over the course of the next two years. They tried trading him this offseason for a reason. — Gagnon

It’s interesting that the five-time Pro Bowler’s sack totals are brought up as evidence that his “decline is inevitable”. Crosby’s 10 sacks last season are tied for the third-most of his career, and he only played in 15 games. Also, while he only had 7.5 sacks in 2024, the second-fewest during his tenure, that was in just 12 contests.

And if we’re looking at stats, Madd Maxx had a career-high 28 TFL last year, which ranked second in the NFL behind Myles Garrett (33) and was six more than Brian Burns (22) in third place. So, Crosby has finished in first or second for TFLs in three out of the last four seasons, with the outlier being the campaign where he missed five games. For the record, he still had 17 TFLs in 2024, which was tied for the sixth-most in the league.

If the logic is that Crosby’s knee is the reason for his inevitable decline, then I could buy that or at least wouldn’t have a strong argument against the logic since there are a lot of unknown variables with the situation. But Gagnon doesn’t even mention injuries, let alone the one I’m referencing.

On top of all of that, the reason the Raiders tried to trade the Pro Bowler is that he wanted to move on at one point this offseason. If the organization was really interested in getting rid of its star defensive end and wanted to get out of that contract, John Spytek would have accepted one of the low-ball offers that came his way after the Ravens trade fell through.

For those curious, Gagnon listed Deshaun Watson as the worst contract heading into the season. That I think we can all agree with.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• Question during dead period: “The big health questions are whether star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, linebacker Nakobe Dean and rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy will be ready for training camp,” S&BP’s Bill Williamson wrote. “Dean was out during all offseason sessions attended by media members. Assistant head coach Mike McCoy said Dean was been working in the building and there is no concern.”
• Mendoza Mania: Check out our series that dives into film breakdowns for every game of Fernando Mendoza’s last season in college. So far, the first three games are live on the site!
• An agent’s take on Mendoza remaining unsigned: “The exception is that lump-sum signing bonus payments have become customary for the first overall pick,” CBS Sports’ Joel Corry wrote. “…The Raiders haven’t been paying first-round pick signing bonuses in a lump sum. The payment schedule for the first three first-round picks….was 77.5% within 15 days of signing, 12.5% in mid-September and the final 10% in mid-October.”

The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their final minicamp of the offseason this week and headed off into the summer break.

Everyone will return to Berea in late July for the first training camp under head coach Todd Monken, who will spend the next five weeks or so pondering the most unenviable question that a head coach can face. 

Who will he turn to as the team’s starting quarterback?

But in a twist that reveals just where the Browns are in 2026, the question is one where the answer really does not matter. 

Monken previously stated he hoped to have a decision made by now, but as the club went through weeks of Organized Team Activities and minicamps, the options remained as unappealing as ever. 

Should it be:

• Veteran Deshaun Watson, who has started just 19 games in four seasons with the Browns, suffered two major injuries and had his last good season in 2020?
• Second-year player Shedeur Sanders, who is coming off a rookie season that was statistically one of the worst the NFL has seen from a first-year quarterback in the past 25 years?
• Second-year player Dillon Gabriel, the forgotten man in the quarterback room, who started six games as a rookie and performed just as well (or just as poorly, depending on how you look at it) as Sanders?
• Rookie Taylen Green, just for fun?

Monken has likely made the decision already and is now waiting to see how his preferred choice looks after a few training camp practices in pads to confirm or deny his belief. No matter who ultimately “wins” the competition, this being the Browns and quarterbacks, everyone in the room who is still on the roster will see playing time at some point this fall.

Monken will never admit that, of course, as the head coach needs to present a positive message to the public that everything will work out for the best. But there was one quote from his meeting with the press on Thursday that does provide a bit of hope that Monken is trying to make the best of the situation.

When asked how much public perception – either good or bad – over the quarterback being the “face of the franchise” will weigh into the decision about the starting quarterback, Monken said the exact right thing:

“I don’t care. Whoever gives us the best chance to score, and I won’t know that till we play. We don’t know this now in shorts, and we may not know it until we play in the preseason games. And even then, there’s no guarantee of who you’re playing against. The matchups are not always equal. You can decide you’re playing their ones and they’re not. 

“So ultimately, we take all the information in the offseason and then training camp and then the preseason game of practice and then let it rip.”

If it is a quarterback who is unpopular with the fans (Watson), a quarterback with a rabid and delusional national fanbase (Sanders), or one who will have fans running to the liquor cabinet (Gabriel), Monken says he is going with the player he believes is the best option.

The sad part is that it doesn’t really matter who Monken chooses. 

But at least he will be choosing the quarterback for the right reasons.

Last week was the start of Brandon Aiyuk’s return to social media and our return to overanalyzing everything.

Friday, the campaign continued with Aiyuk posting in Washington, D.C., of all places.

So why is Washington, D.C., so important? Because that’s where the Washington Commanders are, and everyone has speculated Aiyuk would end up in some way, shape, or form playing for the Commanders due to his relationship with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

There’s just one issue with this: At the time of this writing, Aiyuk is still contractually on the 49ers. Even if he’s on the Reserve/Left Squad list, he is still affiliated with a team on the other side of the country. The Commanders can’t talk to him. That means some might think tampering is going on.

Not yet.

Just because Aiyuk is in the District of Columbia doesn’t mean he’s hitting up the Commanders—at least that’s a sound argument. For all we know, he has permission to talk to them. Because we really don’t know much. Publicly, the Commanders have been staying far away from saying anything about Aiyuk because of what bad things could happen should they engage in tampering.

In other social media news, if you were combing through the soon-to-be-whenever-it-happens former 49ers wide receivers’ Instagram history, you might be unable to find his two videos where he rips into the 49ers, calling them “stupid.” That would indicate he may have deleted them. Does that mean anything? Well, maybe it helps his employment prospects, since some have said they were a bad look.

Aiyuk will be looking for a new job at some point, and the 49ers are not quick to let him go. Once he’s a free agent, videos like that Instagram post are not going to help his chances of getting onto a new team. That said, the damage is done, and 31 teams in the league have no doubt seen the videos.

We’d like to say this is the end of things, but you know how this works. It’s June, and we have more to come. Buckle up, because it’s slowly becoming the summer of Brandon Aiyuk. Hopefully, Aiyuk gives us his side of the story in this whole mess sooner or later.

At least it’s not a quarterback controversy this offseason

The United States’ first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was on Friday night, and there’s one Detroit Lion who’s particularly excited about it.

The Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi caught up with U.S. Men’s National Team superfan Jake Bates as the Stars and Stripes prepare to take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles. Bates was asked if any Lion could join the USMNT roster, who would it be?

“That’d be me,” he said. “That’d be like a dream come true watching the World Cup and thinking, man, that’s going to be me one day.”

Wrong, turns out you’d become a professional NFL kicker for a Super Bowl-contending team. Not too shabby.

He was also asked who he would add to the Lions roster, and said Chris Richards. Considering the defender is currently nursing an ankle injury, let’s maybe keep a healthier roster. Though he may end up playing against Paraguay tonight.

Other predictions: the U.S. and Paraguay make it out of the Group Stage, Falorun Balogun will score the most goals, the U.S. will make it to the semifinal, and more. 

While he’s here in Michigan for OTAs, Bates says he’s got tickets to see USMNT take on Australia in Seattle next week. For the final Group Stage match the following week, he’ll be back home in Texas.

“I have some friends from home that I used to play soccer with that I’m sure we’ll get together with,” he said.

You can watch the full, fun video here. Very nicely done, Nolan.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Over on the Feed, user UpAllNight sparked some debate about the Lions’ starting O-line. Could Miles Frazier make the cut?

• Great stuff here. Woodward Sports’ Spencer Raxter caught up with a few actors and former Lion Eric Ebron at a recent charity golf outing.

• “From a safety breakout starter to expanded WR roles and a rising interior DL piece, there are some under-the-radar names ready to reshape the depth chart” A to Z Sports’ Mike Payton offers five Lions who are about to be much bigger deals in 2026.

• Your daily dose of hype up content from OTAs.

• NFL.com’s Tom Blair attempts to build the best NFL team money can buy under the 2026 salary cap, and three Lions made the roster.

• Some Detroit sports fans still grappling with the fact captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade may be comparing it to the Matthew Stafford trade. Detroit Free Press’ Shawn Windsor explores how the two situations compare, but mostly how they don’t. ($)

In Today’s Links: we’ve said it before, but it requires repeating: the Seattle Seahawks defense might be even better this season; the ring the rings the rings, some more takeaways from minicamp, Jalen Milroe, and a bit more. Happy Saturday. Hope you are sleeping in. Or doing whatever you want to do. Thanks for being here. Go, ‘Hawks!

#np … Sidetracked by Velvet Lune

Seahawks News

5 Reasons the Seahawks Defense Will Be Even Better Next Season – Seaside Joe
Every level of the Seahawks defense stands to get better next season

What the Seahawks are saying about new OC and his offense – Seattle Sports
As the Seattle Seahawks aim to become just the third repeat Super Bowl champions this century, they head into 2026 with mostly the same cast that raised the Lombardi Trophy this past February.

Seahawks Receive Super Bowl LX Rings – Seahawks.com
Seahawks players and coaches received their Super Bowl rings at a team celebration on Thursday night.

Seahawks head out on summer break. Here are 5 things to know – The Seattle Times
The Seahawks wrapped up minicamp, picked up their Super Bowl rings and headed out on summer break. Here are five things to know as they head off on vacation.

Grey Zabel Plows Through Offseason Program, Ready to Anchor Seahawks’ O-Line in Year 2 – Emerald City Spectrum
Much has changed for Grey Zabel since breaking into the NFL as a first round draft choice 12 months and change ago.

Curtis Allen: Jalen Milroe Needs a Big Leap in Year Two – Seahawks Draft Blog
The Quarterback position is an ever-moving carousel.  What seems stable today can quickly be disrupted tomorrow.

Jalen Milroe Has Great Chance To Show Development in Year 2 – si.com
Jalen Milroe is going to grab a lot of attention as a third-string quarterback.

Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX title rings salute fans, city, history – ESPN.com
The Seahawks received their Super Bowl LX rings during a private ceremony for players, coaches and football staff Thursday night.

Seahawks reveal Super Bowl 60 rings, which include ‘special button’ – The Athletic
The Seattle Seahawks unveiled their Super Bowl LX rings during a private team ceremony Thursday night, lowering the jewelry from the ceiling to players seated at banquet tables to reveal an elegant design that also celebrates the team’s 50th season.

NFC West News

News & notes from Cardinals minicamp – Revenge of the Birds
Coach took his football and said let’s go home

49ers 90-in-90: Is Mac Jones the best backup QB in the NFL? – Niners Nation
Breaking down the 90 players on the 49ers’ offseason roster in 90 posts (over 90 or so days). Today is QB Mac Jones

Checking in on Ty Simpson’s development so far – Turf Show Times
Ty Simpson seems to be doing everything he’s supposed to based on Rams quotes from OTA’s

The latest

NFL won’t discipline Chiefs DBs coach Dave Merritt after probe finds insufficient evidence | NFL.com

The NFL will not discipline Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt after a league investigation into his April arrest found insufficient evidence of a violation of the personal conduct policy, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Friday, per sources.

The decision comes after the misdemeanor domestic battery case against Merritt was dismissed without prejudice in May by a Kansas court.

Merritt was charged on Apr. 23 with misdemeanor domestic battery after a complaint filed by the district attorney in Johnson County, Kansas, accused him of causing bodily harm to a daughter.

The 54-year-old Merritt spent several years playing linebacker in the NFL before becoming one of the best defensive backs coaches in the league. He has been with the Chiefs since 2019, and including his time with the Giants, has helped teams win five Super Bowls.

He took part in the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp in early May.

“Dave’s been very up-front with everything,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said at the time. “We’re still going through that whole procedure. In this case, you always let the law enforcement part take care of itself and work its way out.”

Kansas City Chiefs right guard, Jackson native brings annual football camp to University School of Jackson | 7 WBBJ (West Tennessee)

Jackson native and Kansas City Chiefs two-time Super Bowl Champion, Trey Smith, has his third Annual Football Camp coming to USJ Friday and Saturday.

“You know, I think about my development and how I was recruited. Football camps were a huge part of that. I looked up to a lot of players from this area like Al Wilson, Artis Hicks, Avery Williamson and obviously Trey Teague who went to USJ as well,” said Smith.

Smith will bring local Tennessee stars as well as collegiate teammates and surprise NFL guests to aid kids from second grade all the way to rising high school seniors in improving their game.

“It’s almost like a reunion of sorts. I invite some of my closest friends, collegiate teammates, but also just seeing old high school coaches, seeing some of my former high school teammates and everyone getting together and being back at USJ is sort of a reminder, a little bit of nostalgia if you will, just being back in the community of Jackson and being positive in the community as well and helping out kids and really just having a good time being back at your stomping grounds,” said Smith.

Former Chiefs WR is off to a hot start with new team | Arrowhead Addict

Marcus Mosher of The Landry Hat wrote about how Cowboys fans need to be taking notice of what Valdes-Scantling is doing in OTAs.

“Despite signing with the team less than two months ago, he is already practicing with the first team. And according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the veteran receiver has made some plays with Dak Prescott, including a heady play where he knocked the ball out of the hands of P.J. Locke on what would have been an interception.”

Now, it’s worth noting that MVS is getting to run with the starters due to George Pickens’ holdout, something that Mosher touched on. With Pickens unavailable, the Cowboys need someone else to step up and that’s what Valdes-Scantling has done. Mosher also pointed out how MVS’ experience in the league could help him stick around in Dallas.

“Valdes-Scantling has plenty of NFL experience and has played in just about every type of offense. So it’s not surprising that the coaching staff and Prescott trust him to run the right routes and be where he is supposed to be,” Mosher wrote.

Chiefs’ recent practice MVP has been Xavier Worthy. Here’s where he’s improved | The Athletic

Though the 5-foot-11, 165-pound wideout typically conducts interviews with long sleeves on, he strode to the front of the interview room Thursday in a red cutoff shirt. That allowed TV cameras to pick up some additional muscle in his arms that wasn’t present in previous years.

Worthy said his focus on strength training was part of the process of rehabbing from January’s surgery to repair his labrum.

“So (it) really was just building on getting stronger,” Worthy said, “getting that back in the flow.”

Worthy certainly had an impressive string of practices the last few weeks, with the no-contact jersey serving as a precautionary measure suggested by his doctor.

One practice, Worthy sprinted deep to haul in a pair of deep throws beyond the team’s final defender. On another day, he stopped and pivoted during a red-zone drill in 7-on-7s, squaring up to secure a back-shoulder throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes around tight coverage from rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane.

“Jump-ball receiver, man,” Worthy said with a laugh when asked about that particular play. “Let’s do it.”

There seem to be plenty of reasons for optimism for Worthy, even after a down statistical year.

Chiefs Mandatory Minicamp Winners and Losers | Heavy Sports

Losers From Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Mandatory Minicamp

OT Jaylon Moore

Moore hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong, but the emergence of Benson and second-year player Esa Pole doesn’t bode well for him. Both are significantly younger and cheaper. Moore will have to lean on his veteran experience and have a good camp to earn the starting RT job, but Pole and Benson will be breathing down his neck.

CB Kaiir Elam

The Chiefs signed Elam during free agency. He was a first-round draft pick in 2022, and the team will try to get him to live up to that potential. However, the return of L’Jarius Sneed won’t do Elam any favors. With guys like Sneed, Williams, Kristian Fulton, and Mansoor Delane firmly ahead of him, Elam faces an uphill battle to make the roster.

Around the NFL

NFL closes personal conduct review into WR Stefon Diggs | ESPN

The NFL has closed its review of wide receiver Stefon Diggs after determining there was insufficient evidence of a personal conduct policy violation, a league official told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.

The decision comes after the former New England Patriots wideout was found not guilty in May of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute. Diggs had pleaded not guilty in February to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from the alleged dispute, leading to the two-day trial.

The NFL’s ruling marks another step toward the free agent wide receiver landing with a team. Diggs was released by the Patriots in March.

The case had centered on a Dec. 2 encounter at Diggs’ home in Dedham, Massachusetts, where Jamila Adams, a former live-in personal chef who is known as Mila, testified that he slapped and choked her during an argument.

The state of the NFL’s star QB market after Patrick Mahomes’ record deal | The Athletic

The significance of Mahomes’ deal

Mahomes’ signing of his new extension is a big step toward the recorrection of the top of the quarterbacks market.

Prescott has sat atop this market — by a considerable margin — since he signed a four-year, $240 million extension with the Cowboys in September 2024. That $60 million in average annual value has been the highest for any player in the league since that point, even as other star quarterbacks such as the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen signed extensions.

Prescott and the Cowboys were in a unique situation. Prescott was entering the final year of his previous extension. That contract stated the Cowboys could not place the franchise tag on Prescott. So he was heading for free agency after the 2024 season if the Cowboys did not extend him. Their only other option was to trade him. Prescott had mountains of leverage. As a result, the Cowboys were effectively forced to pay Prescott way above market rate.

Prescott was making 9 percent more than the next highest-paid quarterback in AAV. Prescott is a very good quarterback. He is not the best at his position by a 9 percent margin. Even after his best NFL season, when he finished second in MVP voting in 2023, Prescott ranked ninth in Sando’s QB Tiers.

Now, the best quarterback in the league is being paid as such. According to contract details from ESPN, Mahomes will slot in at $64 million in average annual value, surpassing Prescott.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Andy Reid feels good about the Chiefs’ right tackle ‘competition’

Across the four spots alongside right tackle, the team employs a two-time All-Pro, a perennial Pro Bowler and two promising players who were highly-touted draft prospects. On the right edge, the Week 1 starter is yet to be written in ink by the Chiefs’ coaching staff.

Head coach Andy Reid assured veteran Jaylon Moore is the current leader for that role during a press conference on Thursday morning, but the team is experimenting with the only undecided spot among the 11 starters for the Kansas City offense.

“Moore has been kind of the mainstay in there, and then we’ve moved guys in there,” Reid said. “We’ll just see, we’ll see what happens. Those other four spots are really pretty solid, and I feel good about whichever one of these guys wins the competition there. I think we got guys that will be okay in that position, it’s just a matter of who ends up being that guy.”

After four years as the understudy to 12-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams with the San Francisco 49ers, Moore started on the left side for the Chiefs in his first season with the team, filling in for the four-game stretch when rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was unavailable.

When Simmons came back only to suffer a season-ending injury, the team was already without starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor, so Moore filled in at right tackle for two more starts.

From The Feed

Submit your questions belowto staff writer Jared Sapp, who will answer the best ones regarding the headlines coming out of Chiefs OTAs and mandatory minicamp in a post next week.

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The Daily Slop – 13 June 2026

Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!

Commanders links

Articles

Commanders.com

Josh Conerly feels stronger, more confident heading into Year 2 with Commanders

The Commanders knew Conerly — a 21-year-old offensive lineman from Oregon — was going to be a project when they took him with the 29th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He had the tools — his footwork, quickness and intelligence made him one of the best pass protectors in his class — to potentially become an above-average starter, but it would take time for him to develop into that. They drafted him believing that he still had room to grow, which made his college resume even more impressive.

Conerly is still far from reaching his ceiling, but he’s gotten closer to it with a full NFL offseason under him. He’s stronger and more comfortable compared to his rookie year, and there’s more optimism for what he can do as part of the Commanders’ offensive line.

He only allowed two sacks after Week 8 and had seven games with a pass blocking grade of at least 65 in that stint. He also cut down his penalties, going from eight in Weeks 1-8 to five for the rest of the season.

Once the 2025 season had concluded, he went back to Oregon to work with his strength coaches and personal chef. He then went to Alabama to work with fellow offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, who spends most of his summers with his personal trainer.

Josh Conerly Jr. looks bigger entering his second season with the Washington Commanders, and that’s a good thing for a player in his position.

Heavy.com

Sam Cosmi : Participating in OTAs

Cosmi was seen participating at Commanders OTAs on Friday. Cosmi was placed on injured reserve in late December with a concussion. The guard’s presence at OTAs shows he’s back to full health and ready to start the season at right guard as expected.

Commanders Roundtable

Complementary Running Backs Leading Washington Commanders in 2026

[I]t’s about putting together the “complementary” pieces together to iron out best fits for each weapon.

“They have different skillsets. They complement each other,” running backs coach Anthony Lynn told local media this week. “I think you use them in the right situations and I think you’re going to have an excellent backfield.”

Head coach Dan Quinn noted White showcasing his receiving ability out of the backfield, an element sorely missed in 2025 that the former Buccaneers running back adds to the offense, while also noting he was featured as a returner during OTAs.

Lynn also pointed to pass protection as an area of growth for Croskey-Merritt, who was present yet not participating in drills during OTAs with the team not required to provide an update on injured players at this stage in the offseason. While those are reps he’ll look to get back through summer workouts, it gives the rest of the room a chance to shine, including Allen who drew a comparison to one back who departed.

“There’s times where I see flashes of Chris Rodriguez,” Lynn said of Allen. “He’s a bigger back and he has very good feet and agility.”

Last Man Standig (paywall)

Lost in the receiver chatter, Washington’s tight ends are making a case

For an offense with questions at wide receiver beyond two-time Pro Bowler McLaurin, and a system expected to feature plenty of underneath and intermediate throws, the tight end room might ultimately provide more answers than many assume.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s next leap is taking place in the shadows

Croskey-Merritt has worked with the training staff on side fields during individual and team drills. The ninth and final OTA workout took place on Thursday. A three-day mandatory minicamp begins next week. We’ll see if the soft-tissue injury the staff has chosen to slow-play, with the bigger picture in mind, is healed enough by then.

For more of from Ben Standig, click here

Podcasts & videos

Commanders’ 3rd-Rd Pick Antonio Williams Is A “Smooth Operator” | Raise Hail With The Rookies | NFL

Our Conversation w/ @JoshTaylorFB cohosted by @Gcarmi21

NFC East links

Big Blue View

John Harbaugh’s Giants will look like a bully; can they play like one?

The Giants are certainly bigger and stronger than they have been in recent years. They have to prove they are better.

Defensive tackle D.J. Reader, himself a mountain of a man at 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, recently called the New York Giants a “get-off-the-bus team.” By that, he meant that because of their sheer size, they look good getting off the bus.

John Harbaugh, in his 18 years as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, developed a reputation for building “get-off-the-bus” teams that not only looked the part, but played the part of the bully.

Asked recently why he has an affinity for players with size, Harbaugh referred to former Giants’ GM George Young’s twist on the “Planet Theory.” Young’s idea was that there are only so many massive, athletic human beings on the earth, and the more you could collect, the better chance you had of winning.

Harbaugh’s Giants will look the part in 2026. Whether they can play the part is to be determined.

ESPN

2026 NFL minicamp live updates

New York Giants

The Giants came out to practice for their final day of minicamp in T-shirts, and many players wore sneakers. Their workout consisted of one hour and 10 minutes of what coach John Harbaugh called a “mental sweat.” Essentially, it was a walk-through on the last day of school. The Giants are now off for seven weeks until they report to training camp in West Virginia in late July.

They’re on the road for training camp because their practice facility will be under construction this summer while the World Cup (including the final) takes place across the parking lot. As the Giants turn their attention to training camp, the only real injury to watch is Malik Nabers. Abdul Carter (ankle) was on the field Wednesday after suffering a minor sprain earlier in the week.

But at least Nabers appears on the right path. Harbaugh said he’s “doing great” and made some real progress in the past few weeks. All eyes on him for Week 1.

Bleeding Green Nation

It’s early, but it is pretty weird

It’s very early in offseason team programs, but it is very odd that Tanner McKee seems to have lost the faith of the Eagles. I think most people did a little, “Oh ok, hmm,” when the Eagles signed Andy Dalton in the offseason, but I also believe, most like myself, believed that Dalton was brought aboard to be that third emergency quarterback and a mentor-type. Now, he’s outsnapping McKee as QB2 in spring practices.

Before week 18 of last season, McKee was being touted as a highly cromulent backup, perhaps one who deserved a shot at trying out to be a starter on a team in need of one. Many thought the Eagles might look to trade him for draft capital, which seemed like a positive statement about the “QB Factory.” Now, though, the team has seemingly imported a vet to takeover backup duties over the drafted and developed McKee, which would certainly be a demerit for the quarterback assembly line.

Blogging the Boys

Cowboys Jersey Sales

The NFLPA dropped their Top 50 Player Sales List this week, and there were no Dallas Cowboys players inside the top 20. CeeDee Lamb was the highest ranked at 21.

It should be noted that the data from here is pulled from the 2025 league year which means it began in March of last year and ran through February of this.

Still… kind of shocking. Not alarming or worthy of panic or anything.

Just kind of weird and unusual for the Cowboys.

NFL league links

Articles

Over the Cap

Looking at Patrick Mahomes Record Setting Contract with the Chiefs

While this dramatically resets the market the Chiefs still remain in a great position as Mahomes once again agreed to contract with a massive length that really puts the Chiefs in a strong spot over the long term. Mahomes has now done two contracts which really buck the norms in terms of contract length giving the Chiefs control for 12 years back in 2020 and still having to add an additional two more years on this contract rather than just tearing up the old one and replacing it with a $64M per year contract. In essence the Chiefs, like the last time, are the market setters and can then pick and choose how to deal with Mahomes cap and cash to stay in line with the market as it evolves.

Mahomes contract structure is pretty basic. Each year there is a $30 million roster bonus due in May which will be the first decision date for a Chiefs restructure (Im assuming there is a no trade and this is not to extend the trade window). The team has restructured at least $27 million in each of the last four years for cap purposes. Each year the team opts to make the conversion they will lower the cap charge by $24 million and increase the next four years cap charge by $6 million a season. The team will then have options to consider any P5 salary to restructure, which in the first year will be $27 million and that basically grows by $2 million a year, maxing out at a P5 of $39 million in the final contract year.

That rolling salary increase is better than the Chiefs initial contract with Mahomes, which really was a two contracts in one type of contract that saw his salary fluctuate a bit and led to them consistently having to move money forward. The slow steady increase should lessen that in the future even as this deal is surpassed.

Getting to $64 million in new money is notable for the market and this should serve as a big boost. Regardless of whether or not the league values this at $63 million or $64 million a year, it is the first contract to seemingly acknowledge Dak Prescott’s $60 million a year contract as valid. Prior to this it seemed as if every team in the NFL was working under the $55 million per year contract number as the top of the market with Prescott treated as an outlier. Prescott arguably has had the strongest contracts at the position since 2021. This now opens the door for other QBs to jump into the $60 million a year range sooner rather than later.

Discussion topics

ESPN

World Cup grass in NFL stadiums stirs debate over field surface

[I]t cuts deep that FIFA rolled out the green carpet for this year’s World Cup. Fresh natural grass has been transported across the country in refrigerated trucks and laid out meticulously to meet its standards in the 11 U.S. stadiums, seven of which traditionally use synthetic turf as their primary playing surface for NFL games. It is particularly a topic of discussion at MetLife Stadium, where the turf sits beneath layers of sand and natural grass awaiting the NFL season.

It’s going to be jarring to see these massive NFL stadiums, some indoor-domed facilities, flush with natural grass surfaces. It’s something NFL players have been clamoring for years. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, MetLife Stadium, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, NRG Stadium in Houston and Lumen Field in Seattle have all been temporarily cosmetically altered with a natural grass field.

Each field took weeks to install with grass grown on what’s called “sod-on-plastic.” This technique allows the surface to be deconstructed, rolled up and shipped with its root system preserved. Specialized stitching machines sew the field into place upon delivery and weeks of maintenance with help from newly installed ventilation systems and grow lights keep the grass pristine for soccer’s biggest stage.

The turfgrass scientists at Michigan State and Tennessee used machines such as the foot lower extremity, which simulates a 170-pound player hitting the surface during a game, to test the grass specifically for the World Cup. They also used a ball drop machine that drops a soccer ball from six feet in the air to measure the audio of the ball hitting the ground and bouncing to assess the bounce and roll.

These are nowhere near the same demands as American football — 300-plus-pound individuals grappling on every play doesn’t put a priority on how the ball bounces and rolls on the surface. The NFL is more concerned with traction, forgiveness and how it handles massive men accelerating, decelerating and changing direction.

“They might be great for soccer. We don’t know if they’re great for football,” Tretter said. “So it is more we need to have a dedicated conscious effort to start building up the same high-quality grass surfaces as we’re doing for everything else and other organizations are doing for their grass fields.”

The Patriots had a grass field in Gillette Stadium from 2002 to 2006. The Giants and Jets had grass in Giants Stadium from 2000 to 2002.

It didn’t work.

Time and usage seem to be the most pressing issues for the move to more grass fields. With all the events that occur at NFL stadiums, can team field staffs sufficiently manage fields to get them up to standards for every game?

For now, the players pine for real grass and, come this summer, the grass fields at the seven World Cup stadiums that temporarily made the transition will go back to turf.

“Yeah, guys are going to be frustrated,” Tretter said. “That will be a frustrating moment a few months from now where they see how quickly they roll back out the turf field in place of it.”

aBit o’Twitter

During this year’s free agency cycle and 2026 NFL draft, all four AFC North teams made significant moves to add talent to their rosters. While more additions are still possible over the next few months, everyone’s core players are mostly set ahead of the 2026 season.

How do the different positional groups in the division stack up to one another? Let’s rank the AFC North squads by position, continuing with offensive tackle.

1. Baltimore Ravens

Starters: Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten

Depth: Carson Vinson, Gerad Lichtenhan

The Ravens are returning their same starting offensive tackle duo of Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten for the third consecutive season. Stanley played through some injuries again in 2025 but started 16 games, although his total offensive snaps dropped by over 200 from the previous season. Rosengarten, meanwhile, did not necessarily make the huge sophomore leap that many anticipated. His PFF grade of 74.5 ranked 25th among all tackles, with his run blocking slightly more effective than pass blocking. Rosengarten taking a big step forward in Year 3 is viable. The Ravens don’t have great proven depth behind them, as their primary backup is 2025 fifth-round pick Carson Vinson. While Vinson has great athletic traits and untapped upside, he’s still early in his development. Adding another veteran tackle over the summer is not out of the question.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Starters: Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu

Depth: Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook

While the Steelers used a first round pick on offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, the Arizona State product is not projected to start right away. He’ll provide immediate depth as a swing tackle and long-term upside, at the very least. Troy Fautanu, a former first-round pick in 2024, assumed a full-time starting role across 17 games last season in his sophomore year. Fautanu was a better graded pass blocker than run blocker in 2025, finishing just outside the Top 40 in PFF grades at the position. A step forward in his development this coming season should be in the cards. Opposite him, Broderick Jones is another recent first-round pick (2023) who is returning from a neck injury. Whether Jones will be ready for the start of the season remains to be seen, as he’s yet to take part in on-field action thus far. If Jones’ return is pushed beyond September, Iheanachor would likely be thrown into action early on in his rookie year.

3. Cleveland Browns

Starters: Spencer Fano, Tytus Howard

Depth: Dawand Jones, Austin Barber

The Browns bolstered their offensive tackle spot via the draft, selecting Utah’s Spencer Fano early in the first round at No. 9 overall. Fano was widely considered one of the top offensive lineman prospects available and possesses positional versatility, although he’s projected to start at left tackle. They also acquired veteran Tytus Howard in a trade from the Houston Texans and promptly gave him a three-year contract extension, indicating they view him as a starter at the other tackle spot. Howard, 30, has started 93 career games in seven total seasons. Last year, his 62.7 PFF grade ranked only 58th overall among all offensive tackles and there was a large discrepancy between his pass blocking and run blocking efficiency — he was much better at the former. Dawand Jones has started 20 games for the Browns but is returning from a season-ending injury in 2025 that limited him to just three appearances.

4. Cincinnati Bengals

Starters: Orlando Brown Jr., Amarius Mims

Depth: Cody Ford, Andrew Coker

Orlando Brown Jr. is entering his fourth season with the Cincinnati Bengas and fourth season as the team’s starting offensive tackle. Brown’s play has been up-and-down over the years; in 2025, his PFF grade of 60.6 ranked 65th at the position and he ranked in the 60s as both a pass blocker and run blocker too. Opposite Brown at right tackle is 2024 first-round pick Amarius Mims, who is entering his third career season. Mims has 30 of 32 games for the Bengals since being drafted out of Georgia. He’s yet to establish himself as a consistent quality starter but has the potential to improve further, as he’s still just 23 years old.

What’s the deal with Kayshon Boutte?

The New England Patriots’ fourth-year wide receiver is coming off the best season of his career. Yet, he is the headline of trade rumors in New England, following A.J. Brown’s arrival at the start of June.

On June 2, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on his podcast after the Brown trade that Boutte had shown interest in a trade out of Foxboro. Despite the report, Boutte told the media after Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice that he wants to remain in New England, citing the community, his teammates, and his coaches for his desire to stay.

Having skipped the Patriots’ voluntary OTA practices earlier in the spring, Boutte was present for all three days of minicamp, spanning from Tuesday through Thursday. With those sessions now over, there’s extended downtime until training camp begins and veterans report on July 24, marking plenty of time to explore a potential deal, should that be the case.

However, New England shouldn’t make Boutte immediately expendable because of Brown’s addition to the offense.

The perks of active competition

In fact, some of the Patriots’ receivers have made it clear they are actively embracing increased competition this offseason.

“Man, I love it,” receiver DeMario Douglas said on Wednesday of the position battle. “I don’t think I’ve ever [shied] away from competition. [It’s] what makes that room better. If you [don’t have] competition there, that’s when people get lazy and complacent.”

New England spent the offseason aggressively changing and adding talent around quarterback Drake Maye. Letting Boutte go doesn’t drastically change the position group, but it subtracts from the room’s goal of raising its standard, which would be counterproductive.

“The talent is stacked, and that’s what you want,” Brown said about the receiver room on Thursday. “You want guys to push each other. We talk about [raising that standard all the time], pushing each other and holding everybody accountable.”

The Maye and Boutte connection

While Boutte’s numbers from 2025 don’t necessarily catch the eye, with 551 yards and six touchdowns on 33 receptions, he and Maye already have an established connection.

Maye took a liking to locating Boutte downfield last season, posting a 143.8 passer rating when targeting him. The quarterback found the LSU product on 12 of 20 deep targets during the regular season, totaling six touchdowns and 340 yards.

That connection was also apparent in crucial moments against some of the NFL’s top cornerbacks, as seen in the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans.

With New England up five to start the fourth quarter, Boutte lined up opposite $90 million First-Team All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley. The two battled toe-to-toe down the sideline before Maye lofted a deep shot toward the end zone, where the receiver extended for a spectacular one-handed catch as snow flurries fell inside Gillette Stadium, effectively sealing the playoff victory.

The chemistry between Maye and Boutte still has room to develop next season as both players enter just their age-24 seasons. Furthermore, based on the Patriots’ moves this offseason and trading for a star playmaker like Brown, team brass is proving they are going all in with Maye still on his rookie contract.

So, wouldn’t expanding on that pairing help maximize Maye’s ability and effectiveness on the field next season?

It likely would, because the receiver then poised to replace Boutte on those downfield attempts is Kyle Williams. Maye’s deep shots to Williams last season resulted in a couple of memorable touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. But the second-year receiver has struggled to consistently connect deep with Maye and remain on the same page.

Williams has the potential to be an immensely effective pass-catcher for Maye given his explosive skillset. Still, there hasn’t been enough production from the 23-year-old to warrant the comfortability Boutte offers.

Boutte’s impact outweighs his current price

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer on May 18, he believes Boutte would be available for a trade with compensation as low as a fifth or sixth-round draft pick — a minimal exchange when considering his impact on Maye.

Although that doesn’t mean Boutte should be untouchable either. New England is getting thin at tight end with the season-ending injury to Julian Hill, a room head coach Mike Vrabel said they may need to add to. Veteran edge rusher Harold Landry and rookie Gabe Jacas also have yet to appear at practice this spring.

Moving Boutte to fill needed depth could be an intelligent decision by the front office. That said, shopping him for a late day-three pick wouldn’t outweigh his current value to the team and its quarterback. Packaging Boutte in a more substantive trade would be the way to go.

The Patriots are already paying their top receiver duo, Brown and Romeo Doubs, next season for their multi-year deals. They’ll also have to decide whether or not to re-sign slot receiver DeMario Douglas or veteran Mack Hollins.

For that reason, they don’t need to retain Boutte after the 2026 season. But if Vrabel and company’s goal is to strategically leverage Maye’s rookie contract, Boutte fits into that equation.

Yesterday, I highlighted inside linebacker Levelle Bailey in our roster review series. Today, we will continue to focus on the inside linebacker position and discuss second-year player Karene Reid. After not hearing his named called during the 2025 NFL Draft, Reid signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

The former Utah Ute stood out in training camp and played very well in the preseason. His special teams’ prowess was a major reason he continued the Broncos’ annual tradition of a UDFA making the squad. As a rookie, Reid appeared in 10 games but missed the final portion of the regular season due to a hamstring injury. Overall, he played just three defensive snaps with 171 snaps on special teams and registered 8 tackles throughout his rookie campaign.

Will he be able to show enough throughout the course of the summer to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster again in 2026? Let’s discuss.

Player Profile

Age: 26 | Experience: Second Year | College: Utah | Height: 6’0” | Weight: 226 pounds

Arm Length: 31-3/8” | Hand Size: 9-1/4” | Bench: 17 reps

Karene Reid’s 2026 outlook with the Broncos

Reid’s ability on special teams will help him attempt to secure a roster spot. That’s an area backup players need to excel at to earn a role in the NFL. Additionally, his instincts and nose for the football (19.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and three interceptions in college) are noteworthy.

However, this year the competition at inside linebacker will be intense. Reid certainly isn’t a shoo-in for the 53-man roster. The aforementioned Bailey, along with Jordan Turner, Red Murdock, and Taurean York are all battling for likely two backup spots. Being able to perform in the game’s third phase will be critical, but showing enough chops and promise as a player that can be the ‘next man up’ will be even more important.

If anything were to happen to Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad, whoever ends up backing them up will need to come in and compete at a high level. None of the players mentioned have over 30 defensive snaps of NFL experience under their belt. That is why their preseason performance and how they go about their business during training camp will be under close observation by Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph.

Who has the ability, toughness and mentality to be ready if their name is called? We are fixing to find out by the end of August.

Final Thoughts

The backup battle at inside linebacker will be one of the major storylines to watch in the coming months. Reid is a talented player, but so are the other four players mentioned. As I mentioned in my review of Bailey, I think Murdock, York, and Turner might have the upper hand in the battle.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of football left to play to determine which of these players make the team. At the very least, Reid has a good shot at being a member of the Broncos’ 16-man practice squad. I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.