5 Key Stories: 4/26/26 – 5/3/26
With the draft in the books, teams around the NFL have turned their attention to spring practices. Plenty of roster and front office movement has already taken place, with more still to come. In case you missed any of the top stories from this past weekend, here is a quick recap:
- Texans, Al-Shaair Reach Extension Agreement: Not long after the Texans worked out a market-setting extension with edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., they secured a long-term deal with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The latter agreed to a three-year deal with a base value of $54MM. Al-Shaair landed $34.2MM in new guarantees, so in terms of average annual value and locked-in compensation, he now ranks third among inside linebackers. The 2025 Pro Bowler has been a starter during his two Houston seasons to date, filling the statsheet during that time. Al-Shaair will be expected to remain a key figure on the Texans’ elite defense for the foreseeable future.
- Campbell Reunites With Ravens: Calais Campbell has elected to play a 19th NFL season, and he will do so on a familiar team. A deal with the Ravens has been worked out, meaning Campbell will return to Baltimore after playing there from 2020-22. A coaching change has taken place since then, but a notable workload would come as little surprise upon return from the 2010s All-Decade Team member. Campbell has remained a starter deep into his storied career, and he could play a key role on the Ravens’ defensive interior. Even if Nnamdi Madubuike returns to full health in 2026, improved play along the D-line will be key for Baltimore. Campbell should figure heavily in the team’s efforts to rebound in that regard.
- Steelers’ Rodgers Uncertainty Remains: Once again, the Steelers find themselves uncertain of their starting quarterback situation with Aaron Rodgers yet to sign. A deal allowing the future Hall of Famer to play a second Pittsburgh campaign remains the expectation, but the team has taken the rare route of applying the UFA tender in this case. The Steelers will be eligible for draft compensation in the unlikely event Rodgers signs with another team shortly, while they will have exclusive negotiating rights beyond July 22 if he is still a free agent by that time. This procedural move could set Rodgers up further for a decision on retirement or playing his age-42 season under new Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy, and no changes in stance from team or player are believed to have taken place since it was made.
- Brinker Departs Titans: After a three-year run with the Titans, Chad Brinker has elected to step down from his role as president of football operations. Brinker served as a key figure amidst ongoing front office changes during his time in Tennessee, but he was among the staffers around the league whose tenures came to an end following the draft. The Titans have 2025 hire Mike Borgonzi in place as their general manager at this time. He and Brinker played leading roles in the recent search which resulted in the hiring of head coach Robert Saleh. Borgonzi’s influence in the organization figures to grow moving forward, while Brinker intends to seek out a new personnel role elsewhere in the NFL.
- Commanders Not Eyeing Aiyuk Trade With 49ers: The fate of 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk remains uncertain aside from a parting of ways still being anticipated. San Francisco’s preference would be to work out a trade, while suitors continue to wait for an Aiyuk release. Critically, the Commanders are among the teams which are not prepared to part with draft capital and take on the remainder of his through-2028 contract. Washington is instead positioned to sign Aiyuk following his release to a short-term, incentive-laden deal. An arrangement allowing Aiyuk to reunite with quarterback Jayden Daniels and general manager Adam Peters is still something to watch for, but a long wait could be in store if neither team wavers over the coming weeks.
Dan Morgan: Panthers Discussing Bryce Young Extension Internally
The Panthers made the expected move of picking up Bryce Young‘s fifth-year option earlier this week. Attention will now turn to the matter of an extension for the former No. 1 pick.
Young is on track to collect $25.9MM in guaranteed salary for 2027 as a result of Carolina’s decision. The team could elect to wait before making a long-term commitment given the former Heisman winner’s incremental progress at the NFL level. Young himself would welcome an extension, however, and a report from last month indicated the Panthers could oblige.
GM Dan Morgan addressed the Young situation during an interview with Sirius XM’s Adam Schein (audio link). He said a multiyear deal is “something that we’re talking about here internally,” adding “we’ll do it at the right time.” It will thus be interesting to see if negotiations with Young’s camp take place during the coming weeks.
“Obviously he came into a really rough situation in terms of coaching staff, maybe you could say the talent around him wasn’t great as well,” Morgan said of Young. “I think you see him just getting better and better every single year. Understanding the offense, he’s such a good processor, and a guy that’s just a pleasure to have around the building every day. As you see him mature, you see him become a better leader every single year. And the operation’s getting faster every year. So we really feel like the arrow is up with Bryce.”
Young set a new career high in several categories during the 2025 season, although his 188 passing yards per game average and 87.8 passer rating left plenty to be desired. The 24-year-old totaled 23 touchdown passes while helping Carolina win the NFC South, but he added 11 interceptions along the way. Another step forward will be required for Young to be considered among the game’s top quarterbacks and thus justify an extension near the top of the market. 10 passers currently collect between $51MM and $60MM per year on average.
Young could look to join that group when his next deal is signed, especially with the NFL’s salary cap continuing to rise. How his asking price compares to the Panthers’ valuation will be worth monitoring closely, though. Carolina has the ability to wait out the 2026 season before engaging in serious extension talks. Whether or not Morgan and Co. choose to do so will no doubt depend in large part on how internal discussions fare over the near future.
Cowboys Open To Further LB Additions
Linebacker was well known to be an area of need for the Cowboys entering the draft. Dallas addressed other positions on defense during the first round, but a veteran was still brought in last weekend.
The Cowboys swung a trade with the 49ers for Dee Winters on Day 3 of the draft. The former sixth-round pick began as a backup for San Francisco before seeing his workload increase over time. Injuries elsewhere in the lineup saw Winters take on a full-time starting role in 2025. He is positioned to operate as a first-team presence with Dallas while playing out the final year of his rookie contract.
DeMarvion Overshown, Shemar James and Justin Barron are in place as returnees from last year at the linebacker spot. ESPN’s Todd Archer notes third-round rookie Jaishawn Barham will begin his career in the middle as well. That will give head coach Brian Schottenheimer and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker plenty of options to work with during OTAs and minicamp. Adding further to that group is something under consideration, though.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones indicated (via Archer) the team will continue to seek out a veteran via free agency or another trade. When speaking to the media this weekend, Schottenheimer said (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic) Dallas is “comfortable” at this point with respect to the linebacker position. He nevertheless added the Cowboys are “never closed for business.”
Schottenheimer also said (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) he has a favorite in terms of who would start alongside Winters if the season started today. The second-year head coach did not get into specifics on that front, however. The linebacker spot will no doubt be one to watch closely with or without any other acquisitions being made over the coming weeks.
Dallas currently has roughly $8.2MM in cap space with all but one of the team’s draft picks already on the books. Another low-cost linebacker move could be feasible as a result. After the Cowboys ranked 23rd against the run and 32nd in scoring defense in 2025, it would come as no surprise if further work aimed at upgrading at the second level remained a goal through the summer.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta Discusses Center Need; Team Could Trade For C
While the Ravens shored up the interior of their offensive line this offseason by adding John Simpson in free agency and selecting Vega Ioane in the first round of the draft, there is a glaring hole at the center position. Tyler Linderbaum, who manned the pivot for Baltimore for the last four years (earning Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the last three), signed a record-setting deal with the Raiders in March, and the Ravens are still seeking an adequate replacement.
As ESPN’s Jamison Hensley details, general manager Eric DeCosta said the two center prospects in the 2026 draft class he believed could make an immediate impact were taken in the second round, which he considered a surprise. Presumably, he is referring to Logan Jones, who went to the Bears with the No. 57 pick, and Jake Slaughter, whom the Chargers selected with the No. 63 choice. With his own second-round pick, DeCosta opted to bolster his pass rush (Zion Young, No. 45 overall), and by the time the Ravens were back on the clock at No. 80, Jones and Slaughter were long gone.
DeCosta acknowledged during an interview on WBAL (via Hensley) that the center position remains in a state of flux, though he indicated he could address that need via trade. Of course, he did not name possible trade targets, though players like Chicago’s Garrett Bradbury or Miami’s Aaron Brewer could speculatively fit the bill.
The Bears just acquired Bradbury via trade this offseason but then drafted Jones. The Dolphins restructured Brewer’s deal in order to absorb the dead money created by the Jaylen Waddle trade and have expressed an interest in extending the snapper, a 2025 second-team All-Pro. Still, the ‘Fins are rebuilding, and after the club’s new regime traded a former cornerstone in Waddle, moving a contract-year player like Brewer who appears poised to cash in thanks in part to Linderbaum’s mega-deal could make sense.
Players like Graham Glasgow, Ethan Pocic, and Ryan Bates are still free agents, and the Ravens will presumably continue to evaluate Corey Bullock, a 2024 UDFA who took extensive reps at center last summer and who is currently penciled in atop the center depth chart. Baltimore also signed Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn this offseason, but neither of those players presently profiles as a viable starting option for a club with championship aspirations.
Vikings Remain Willing To Bring Back Harrison Smith
In March, the Vikings released franchise stalwart Harrison Smith with a post-June 1 designation, as his contract was due to void and a decision needed to be made. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported the release and noted it was not an indication that Smith plans to retire (although the 37-year-old safety did contemplate hanging up his cleats in 2025 before re-upping with Minnesota).
Now that the March free agent frenzy and the April draft are in the books, Seifert echoes his prior report and says the Vikings have let Smith know they would be happy to have him back. Per Seifert, “all signs were pointing” to retirement following the 2025 campaign, but as Smith himself has made no public remarks in that regard, it seems as if another season could be in store.
While the Vikings return Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward and added Jakobe Thomas in the third round of last month’s draft, they have made no other notable additions at the safety position. Minnesota still believes it will have a better defense with Smith, whose 85% snap share trailed only Metellus’ 97% mark among the club’s safety contingent last season.
It has been a few years since Pro Football Focus considered Smith a top-tier defender, but his 68.9 overall grade in 2025 is still strong and is squarely in line with the site’s evaluation of his work from the prior three seasons. That mark placed him 33rd among 91 qualified safeties last year.
Pro Football Reference did charge him with a 115.1 quarterback rating allowed in 2025, which was far and away a career-worst figure. However, he did record two interceptions among 10 passes defensed and added 54 stops, including one sack and three tackles for loss.
Smith joined the Vikings in the first round of the 2012 draft and has never played for any other team, collecting six Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro selection during his 14-year career. His 207 games played is currently fifth in Minnesota franchise history, and he could move into third place, leaping Carl Eller (209) and Fred Cox (210), if he inks another deal.
The Vikings saved $1.3MM with the March release and are spreading out $3MM in dead money over the next two years. That number is separate from the cost of any new contract for Smith.
Raiders Optimistic CB Jermod McCoy Can Play In 2026, Avoid Immediate Surgery
As the 2026 draft rolled along, cornerback Jermod McCoy‘s continued slide down the board became one of the event’s biggest storylines. That was not a surprising development; an obvious first-round talent, predraft reports indicated McCoy’s stock could be undermined by the long-term prognosis for his medically-repaired knee.
Eventually, the Raiders put an end to McCoy’s free fall by selecting the Oregon State and Tennessee product with the first pick of Round 4 (No. 101 overall). Naturally, Las Vegas did plenty of research on the knee, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. Fowler says the club is optimistic about McCoy’s chances to suit up in 2026 and to avoid immediate surgery, even if he will need some sort of operation in the future.
But it was not McCoy’s short-term availability that gave teams pause. Despite missing the entirety of the 2025 slate due to an ACL tear, McCoy performed well at Tennessee’s pro day in March. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, logged a 38-inch vertical jump, and registered a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump. His ACL is reportedly a non-issue; the bigger concern is a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee, a plug that may need to be replaced down the road. Such a procedure could sideline McCoy for an entire season, and an unsuccessful surgery could end his career.
Fowler polled eight teams after Day 2 of the draft, and five of them said they had removed McCoy from their draft boards entirely. The Raiders clearly believed McCoy’s upside was worth a Day 3 gamble, and if his knee holds up, Las Vegas may have gotten a steal.
McCoy solidified his status as one of the most talented CBs in the country with a tremendous 2024 campaign in which he had more interceptions (four) than touchdowns allowed (two). He also limited opposing passers to a miniscule 53.6 passer rating, and his performance led to second-team All-American and second-team All-SEC honors.
The rebuilding Raiders also acquired Taron Johnson to bolster their secondary this offseason, although Johnson is ticketed for the slot. If healthy, McCoy will join Eric Stokes and Darien Porter as Vegas’ top boundary options.
In his report on McCoy, Fowler quoted a rival executive who said, “this felt like [general manager] John Spytek’s draft.” Given that Spytek’s first draft in the GM chair was heavily influenced by one-and-done head coach Pete Carroll, that is considered positive news.
Giants Had “Basically The Same” Grade On RB Jeremiyah Love, LB Arvell Reese; Latest On OL Francis Mauigoa
The Giants were said to be high on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in the run-up to the draft, and some members of the organization were reportedly hoping Love would fall to Big Blue’s No. 5 overall pick despite the perceived value issues in selecting a running back so early. As it turned out, the Giants never had to make that call, since the Cardinals chose Love at No. 3. But it would have been an interesting dilemma for New York, as a team source told Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports the Giants had Love and Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese (whom New York selected at No. 5) graded “basically the same.”
John Harbaugh was one of Love’s biggest supporters, and Vacchiano says the new head coach wants to build the same type of rushing attack he deployed in Baltimore with his Derrick Henry-fronted corps. On the other hand, GM Joe Schoen is among the Giants’ staffers who believe strongly in positional value, and the No. 5 overall pick is due to make a fully-guaranteed $47.8MM, which is $11.8MM more in guaranteed money than any RB has ever received.
One GM told Vacchiano, “[i]t’s a terrible use of assets. Obviously, you can find 1,000-yard rushers for much less. You have to really believe [Love] is a Hall of Fame talent and can transform your team immediately. Because financially, you’re saying he’s 33% better than [Saquon] Barkley. And he’s not.”
Despite those sentiments, which Schoen and other key voices in the building appear to share, one predraft report said the Giants would take Love if he fell to them (which they did not expect). Of course, they also thought Reese would be taken before No. 5; Schoen indicated the former Buckeye was the highest-rated non-quarterback on the club’s board. Ultimately, the Giants were not forced to make what may have been a rather difficult decision, and they were free to simply take the player they believed was the best available.
New York was also armed with the No. 10 overall pick, thanks to the Dexter Lawrence trade the club completed with the Bengals about a week before the draft. The Giants used their acquired selection on Miami (FL) offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. Dan Duggan of The Athletic confirms Love and Reese were the Giants’ top-graded non-QBs, and he says Mauigoa would have been the choice at No. 5 if Reese were off the board (it is unclear if Duggan is suggesting the Giants would have taken Mauigoa over Love, or if both Love and Reese are unavailable in this hypothetical).
In any event, the Giants’ willingness to use the first of their two top-10 selections on Mauigoa underscores Schoen’s assertion that the team is comfortable with their new blocker’s health situation despite a herniated disc that was discovered at the scouting combine. New York understands surgery may be necessary at some point but does not believe it is a given. Even if Mauigoa is forced to go under the knife eventually, the Giants are unconcerned about the long-term effects.
A college tackle, Mauigoa will begin his career competing for a job at guard. Reese will see most of his early action as an off-ball linebacker rather than as an edge rusher thanks to New York’s existing EDGE depth.
Seahawks Were Wary Of 49ers’ Interest In RB Jadarian Price; Seattle Remains Open To Signing Dante Fowler
The Seahawks filled a major need in this year’s draft when they selected Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price with the last pick (No. 32 overall) of Day 1. Although they reportedly attempted to trade out of the first round — and, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Titans (No. 35) and Giants (No. 37) were among the potential trade partners — the ‘Hawks felt comfortable selecting Price for a number of reasons (aside from his obvious talent as a runner and relatively low odometer reading).
As Henderson relays, Price’s character and willingness to eschew more lucrative NIL deals to remain with the Fighting Irish as Jeremiyah Love‘s backup — which Price says he did as a challenge to himself to earn a notable workload alongside Love, whom he called the best player in college football — contributed to GM John Schneider‘s decision to pull the trigger with his first-round selection. Plus, Schneider was concerned the division-rival 49ers would nab Price at No. 33, and given the perceived gap between Price and the next tier of RBs in this year’s draft class, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow (Henderson says Schneider viewed Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Arkansas’ Mike Washington as Day 3 options if he was unable to land the former Golden Domer).
The Seahawks’ other realistic first-round target was San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, whom the Dolphins selected at No. 27. Seattle ultimately landed a cornerback prospect when it chose Julian Neal with the No. 99 pick, and it was Neal’s tackling ability that stood out. Riq Woolen, who defected to the Eagles in free agency, was not a sure and willing tackler, and the club hopes Neal will represent an upgrade in that regard and step into Woolen’s CB3 role.
Like Woolen, Dareke Young left the Seahawks in free agency, and Henderson suggests Emmanuel Henderson, the No. 199 pick, could take over for Young on Seattle’s special teams unit thanks to his ability to return and cover kicks. A different wide receiver the ‘Hawks were eyeing for a third phase role, Kentucky’s Kendrick Law, went to the Lions as the 168th pick.
Interestingly, some members of the organization valued fifth-round guard Beau Stephens more highly than Keylan Rutledge, who went to the Texans in the first round. Henderson confirms, as our Connor Byrne recently noted, that Seattle expects Stephens to push Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot in 2026.
The board was not as kind to Seattle with respect to pass rushers, as would-be targets like R Mason Thomas, Derrick Moore, and Jaishawn Barham went elsewhere. That leaves the Seahawks without a replacement for Boye Mafe, who signed with the Bengals in March. Dante Fowler, who visited Seattle last month and who remains unsigned, remains one of Schenider’s top options, per Henderson. The ESPN scribe had said in a prior report that Schneider could still sign a pass rusher, whether that’s Fowler or someone else.
Giants’ Draft Set To Bring Atypical Transitions, Big-Picture Questions
The Giants entered the draft with a revamped decision-making structure, catering to a proven head coach at the expense of a struggling general manager. While it is worth wondering if this will be the only draft where John Harbaugh coexists with Joe Schoen, the Giants were the first team to come out of Round 1 with two top-10 picks since 2023 and only the fifth to make two such selections in a draft over the past 26 years.
With Harbaugh reporting directly to ownership -- a significant change for the Giants franchise -- and new front office hire Dawn Aponte handed some of Schoen's duties, the embattled GM was believed to be reduced to a head-of-scouting-type role. That adds intrigue to this particular Giants draft, with the GM still having input while the new HC reshapes his roster.
Disparate Giants strategies in the short and long term also prove interesting about these choices. Linked to a number of paths with the Nos. 5 and 10 picks, the Giants ended up with Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. Reese was expected to be drafted earlier, while Mauigoa probably would have been selected sooner had a back injury not caused pre-draft uncertainty. Through that lens, the Giants may have come away with two franchise cornerstones at premium positions.
But examining the downside of two top-10 picks only requires a look back to 2022, when Schoen's first draft delivered unreliable edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and bust-in-progress Evan Neal at Nos. 5 and 7. Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle of this particular Giants draft comes from the organization's immediate plans for the first-rounders.
Cowboys Prefer To Keep Tyler Smith At LG; LT Competition Expected
The Cowboys are returning all five of their starting offensive lineman from the 2025 season, but left tackle Tyler Guyton is not assured to keep his job after a disappointing start to his career.
Guyton, 24, played right tackle at Oklahoma before he was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round (No. 29 overall) of the 2024 draft. He was asked to flip to the left side in Dallas, a switch that clearly did not take right away. He allowed six sacks as a rookie with an overall grade of just 50.4, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), while also committing 18 penalties. There were some improvements in 2025, though he only started 10 games due to a season-ending ankle injury. Guyton surrendered two sacks, improved his grade to 57.5, and reduced his penalty count to seven. Still, that is not the level of play expected for a first-round pick or accepted for the protector of the blind side of the league’s most expensive quarterback.
As a result, the Cowboys are poised to hold a competition for the starting left tackle job this summer, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. 2024 seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas and Drew Shelton, a fourth-rounder in this year’s draft, will also vie for the job.
Thomas, 24, took over for Guyton after he landed on injured reserve, but was benched after allowing 23 pressures and three sacks with a 93.5 pass blocking efficiency, per PFF. 2022 first-rounder Tyler Smith moved over from left guard to close out the season and allowed just five pressures and one sacks across three games.
Dallas intends to keep Smith at guard, where he has earned three straight Pro Bowl nods after an uneven rookie year at left tackle, his college position. This would maintain a solid interior trio of Smith, center Cooper Beebe, and right guard Tyler Booker (with Terence Steele set to return at right tackle).
Sh
elton, 22, started at left tackle for the Nittany Lions for most of the last four years with some split duties on the right side in 2023. His grades steadily improved throughout his college career, up to 70.6 as a senior in 2025, when he allowed just one sack and zero quarterback hits. He is a solid athlete, but his 33.4-inch arms are below NFL standards for the position. Pre-draft evaluations pegged him for a swing tackle role early in his career with potential to grow into a starter, but he may have a shot at the job right away.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer praised Shelton’s “smooth footwork” and athleticism at the team’s rookie minicamp and confirmed that he would be competing with Guyton and Thomas this summer.
“We just like the traits, and we bet on a guy that’s played, I think, 34 starts,” Schottenheimer said (via Machota). “We think we can get him in here to compete with some of the guys we got.”
A relatively unheralded fourth-round pick seems like a long shot to start at left tackle as a rookie, but the team’s other options do not inspire much confidence. And if none of the three can emerge as a starting-caliber player, Dallas could still pivot back to Smith and put a different player at left guard, though again, that is a situation they would prefer to avoid.