NFL Player News

This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Thornton, a former second-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, has been slowed by injuries and offered little offense upside when healthy. Through 22 career games, he’s caught just 35 passes for 338 yards and two scores, with most of that production coming in his rookie season. In addition to playing under a new coaching staff, Thornton is also set to compete against rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Polk is already locked into a roster spot as a second-round pick, and the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Baker, which should all but secure his spot. Outside of one or two depth options, the Patriots’ wide receiver room feels fairly in place. It may take a camp injury or two for Thornton to stick on the roster come cut day.

According to Cronin, Williams will get “ample run” in the preseason — a plan the Bears have reportedly been discussing all spring. Head coach Matt Eberflus said the team hasn’t made any concrete decisions for the No. 1 overall pick but said, “We certainly want to get him some reps [in the preseason].” Williams enters a rookie year with lofty expectations and a roster built for immediate success. In addition to having D.J. Moore, the Bears also went out and added veteran receiver Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze to give him three legitimate weapons in the passing game. Williams has been drafted as a high-end QB2 for much of the fantasy offseason but could return far more value if things click early. A substantial amount of preseason reps could help him progress at a faster rate.

We don’t know the specifics of Everett’s injury, but we’d assume it’s minor until we hear otherwise. The veteran tight end signed a two-year deal with the Bears this offseason and will work in tandem with Cole Kmet in a revamped Bears offense. Everett, 30, caught 51 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns while averaging a career-low 8.1 YPR with the Chargers last season. As long as Kmet is healthy, Everett can be left off fantasy rosters. Everett can be activated from the NFI list at any time.

Drake made the announcement via a photo collage Instagram post, saying “he wouldn’t change a thing” about his time in the NFL. He finishes his career with 5,521 yards from scrimmage and 41 total touchdowns.

Brooks can be activated at any time. The rookie suffered a torn ACL last November while playing for Texas and is expected to be eased back into things. This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given the timing of his injury and the fact that head coach Dave Canales said back in June that he may not be ready for camp. As long as Brooks is out, Chuba Hubbard is expected to handle RB1 duties in the Panthers’ backfield, with Miles Sanders likely to spell him on occasional downs. It’s too early to know when Brooks could be activated from the NFI, but it wouldn’t be surprising if his absence stretched into the early part of the season.

The Packers selected Lloyd with the no. 88 overall pick in this year’s draft. In a Packers mailbag article, Schneidman notes that Lloyd “won’t be the starter, per se,” but added that he won’t ride the bench like we saw AJ Dillon do in his rookie season. Lynch brings a versatile skillset to the Packers’ offense, similar to what we saw from Aaron Jones and what we expect to see from Josh Jacobs. Schneidman also highlighted Lloyd’s shiftiness and explosiveness in traffic. Lloyd will likely open the season as the Packers’ RB2 with a chance to spell Jacobs on third downs. He’s a solid stash late in redraft leagues and has some contingent top-24 PPR upside if Jacobs were ever to miss time.

The report comes from ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. Jackson has been plagued by recurring foot issues since suffering a 2022 Lisfranc fracture but his excellent play in 2018-2019 yielded two-time Pro Bowl honors and a first-team All-Pro nod. He joins a talented Ravens safety unit that will hopefully allow him to safely play as a high-impact contributor. Despite the foot issues, Jackson recaptured some of his prior magic, producing the second-best forced incompletion rate (22.2 percent) of his career last year.

Jackson split last season between the Browns and Giants. He totaled just 30 scoreless yards from scrimmage on 19 touches and hasn’t amassed more than 98 touches in a season since being signed as a UDFA by the Colts in 2021. If he were to sign with the Texans, Jackson would likely need to show flashes on special teams to secure his spot on the roster.

Newton suffered a partial Jones fracture in college and successfully underwent surgery to repair the injury in May. He can be removed from the NFI list at any time during training camp and the preseason but must remain sidelined for at least four games if he remains on the list when the regular season officially begins.

Fromm is a career backup who was let go by the Commanders at the end of the 2023 preseason. He’s attempted 60 passes in his career while throwing for 210-1-3 and completing 45 percent of those attempts. In the event he signs with the Packers, it’s likely as little more than a camp body. He would have a chance to compete with Michael Pratt for the QB3 spot on the depth chart, but wouldn’t be expected to make the roster.

Asked by a reporter if he is ready to contribute on special teams, Dell said, “Am I ready? I’m ready for everything, you know?” HC DeMeco Ryans furthered the point, adding “With the new kickoff rule, I think you’ll see a lot of teams using many more skill players at the return position.” His goal is to find out” who’s best at really creating explosive plays” as a returner. The Texans passing offense generated explosive, 15-plus-yard plays at the league’s third-highest rate (16.7 percent) last year so it comes as no surprise that Ryans’ goal remains the same on special teams. Should Dell win the role, his return usage would provide a slight edge in leagues that award points for special teams production.