Browns Meet With WR KC Concepcion, TE Kenyon Sadiq
The Browns are clearly lacking receiving weapons as the 2026 NFL Draft nears. Armed with two first-round picks, they could snag at least one pass catcher with a high selection. The team hosted a pair of likely first-rounders in Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq on Wednesday, per reports from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cleveland is light at wideout, especially after Jerry Jeudy‘s production plummeted last season. Jeudy went from 90 catches and 1,229 yards in 2024 to 50 and 602 in those categories in 2025. No other returning Browns receiver even reached the 25-catch mark, and they have not added anyone of note to the group this offseason. That explains their interest in Concepcion and several other draft-bound receivers. Concepcion may be more realistic for the Browns’ second first-rounder (No. 24) than their top selection (No. 6).
The Browns are not expected to re-sign longtime starting tight end David Njoku, who remains a free agent, after finding a replacement last year. A third-round rookie in 2025, Harold Fannin was a rare bright spot in Cleveland’s offense. The 6-foot-4, 241-pounder led the Browns in catches (72), yards (731) and receiving touchdowns (six). Fannin’s presence suggests the Browns do not need to make a major investment in a tight end. However, as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2023-25, new Browns head coach Todd Monken made use of the Mark Andrews–Isaiah Likely pass-catching duo.
Monken and the Browns will at least consider pairing Sadiq with Fannin, though it is unclear if they are interested in using a top-10 pick on the position. Sadiq may not be there at 24, yet six could be too rich in this case. Only three tight ends (including Kellen Winslow II to the Browns in 2004) have come off the board at No. 6 or higher since 2000.
Regardless of whether the Browns take him, Sadiq looks like a shoo-in first-rounder after a second-team All-America season and a spectacular performance at the Combine. He has a notable Cleveland connection in quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who played with Sadiq at Oregon in 2024. That may not matter, though, considering Gabriel is not expected to start for the Browns in 2026.
Falcons To Sign RT Jawaan Taylor
The Falcons may have already found their replacement for retired right tackle Kaleb McGary. Atlanta has agreed to a one-year deal with Jawaan Taylor, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The contract carries a $5MM base value and up to $1MM in incentives.
McGary missed all of last season with a knee injury, but expectations were the longtime Falcon would step back into the starting lineup in 2026. Instead, though, McGary walked away from the game on Wednesday. Having already lost 2025 starter Elijah Wilkinson to the Cardinals in free agency, McGary’s retirement left the Falcons dangerously thin at right tackle. It did not take long for the Falcons to find an experienced option in the 28-year-old Taylor, who will presumably start opposite left tackle Jake Matthews next season.
Taylor entered the NFL in 2019 as part of the same draft class as McGary. The Jaguars took Taylor 35th overall, four picks after the Falcons selected McGary. Taylor has since started in all 111 regular-season games, including 66 as a Jaguar over his first four seasons.
Upon reaching free agency in 2023, Taylor left Jacksonville for Kansas City’s four-year, $80MM offer. Then the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs brought Taylor in to replace Orlando Brown Jr., who signed with the Bengals. Taylor was a 17-game starter in his first year in Kansas City, the most recent title-winning campaign for the franchise. The team went back to the Super Bowl the next season, a 16-start year for Taylor, but the Eagles blew them out.
Taylor had never missed more than one game in a season going into 2025, but a triceps injury held him to 12 appearances. His season officially ended when the out-of-contention Chiefs placed him on IR in late December. Pro Football Focus rated Taylor’s play a subpar 76th among 84 tackles. PFF has never been enamored of Taylor, who topped out at 49th in its rankings back in his rookie season.
With the chance to free up $20MM in cap space, the Chiefs took the expected route and released Taylor in March. Over his three years in Kansas City, Taylor took a whopping 40 penalties. With limited options in free agency, no first-round pick and just five selections in total, the Falcons will gamble on the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Taylor to protect the blind side of a left-handed quarterback. Either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. will open the season as their starting signal-caller.
CB Jermod McCoy To Visit Panthers
Despite missing last season with a torn ACL, Tennesee’s Jermod McCoy may be one of the two best cornerbacks in this year’s draft class. Two weeks away from the draft, McCoy is on Carolina’s radar. The Panthers will host McCoy on Friday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
This is the first known visit for McCoy, who did his best to allay concerns over his knee at Tennessee’s pro day on March 31. The 20-year-old clocked in at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash, logged a 38-inch vertical jump, and registered a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump. Along with his athletic gifts, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound McCoy has good size and a quality on-field track record.
McCoy had Ivy League offers going into college, but he committed to Tulane and then flipped to Oregon State. In 2023, which proved to be his lone season with the Beavers, McCoy pulled in a pair of interceptions in 12 games. He then transferred to Tennessee, where he excelled during his healthy Volunteers season. McCoy picked off four passes in 2024 en route to a second-team All-America selection. While he was unable to build on that performance last year, McCoy is nonetheless battling LSU’s Mansoor Delane for top corner honors in this draft. Both players look like surefire first-rounders.
As owners of the 19th overall pick, the Panthers may be out of range for McCoy, whom Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks as the 15th-best prospect available. The Panthers’ most recent first-round investment at corner came when they chose Jaycee Horn eighth overall in 2021. Now a back-to-back Pro Bowler, Horn inked a four-year, $100MM extension last offseason.
McCoy could team with Horn to comprise Carolina’s long-term corner duo, which may eventually push Mike Jackson out of the organization. Jackson was a 17-game starter opposite Horn in each of the past two years. Although Jackson was especially productive in 2025, the 29-year-old has just one season left on his contract. Drafting McCoy could lead Jackson elsewhere in free agency next March.
Falcons RT Kaleb McGary Retires
After missing all of last season with a knee injury, Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary is retiring at the age of 31. Agent Collin Roberts announced the news on Wednesday.
A career-long Falcon, McGary joined the organization as the 31st overall pick in the 2019 draft. The former Washington standout became an immediate starter in Atlanta, which kept him atop its depth chart for his entire career. McGary started in 92 of 93 appearances in the NFL. Before a lost 2025, McGary played between 14 and 17 games in each season.
McGary and left tackle Jake Matthews started opposite each other during their entire six-year run together. The Falcons almost split up the duo a few years into McGary’s career. They were not impressed enough with McGary’s work to pick up his fifth-year option in 2022. However, with McGary on the verge of leaving in free agency the next spring, the Falcons kept him around on a three-year, $34.5MM pact. That was the first of two significant paydays for McGary, who put pen to paper on a two-year, $30MM deal last August.
Unfortunately for McGary and the Falcons, he never played a snap on his final contract. McGary went down in practice in late August. He wound up spending the season on injured reserve. Backup Storm Norton also missed 2025 with a knee injury. That left Elijah Wilkinson to play every down at right tackle for the Falcons, though they did not re-sign him in free agency. Wilkinson joined the Cardinals on a two-year, $6.5MM agreement.
The 2026 Falcons are guaranteed to start a left-handed quarterback (either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr.), but it is unclear who will protect the passer’s blind side. Atlanta has not made any notable additions in free agency, perhaps leaving Norton as the in-house favorite to start. The Falcons may add a potential McGary replacement in the draft, though they do not have a first-round pick and own just five selections in total. General manager Ian Cunningham wants to acquire more picks, which could be an even higher priority in the wake of McGary’s retirement.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Receives Medical Clearance; Shedeur Sanders Likely Favorite To Start
A year ago, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Texans in 2022 was a “big swing and miss” for his franchise. Despite on- and off-field issues, the Browns have not been able to escape Watson’s onerous contract. With Watson guaranteed to return for a fifth Cleveland season in 2026, Haslam is leaving the door open for him to reclaim his former role as its starting signal-caller.
Watson has not taken the field since he ruptured his Achilles in Week 7 of the 2024 season. The three-time Pro Bowler re-ruptured it during the recovery process, keeping him out all of last year. Watson has since received medical clearance, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. He is now present at voluntary workouts under new head coach Todd Monken, who has been impressed with his quarterbacks so far (as Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes, the Browns are allowed to teach their playbook during workouts).
“You couldn’t ask for a better start for the quarterbacks (on Monday). I was fired up,” Monken said.
Along with Watson, the Browns have Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as in-house options under center. The Browns used a 2025 third-round pick on Gabriel, who got the first crack at starting after they traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals in early October. The left-handed Gabriel struggled mightily before suffering a concussion in Week 11. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, took over after Gabriel’s injury and held the job for the rest of the season.
Although he received a Pro Bowl invitation as an alternate, Sanders did not offer strong production as a rookie. The former Colorado star connected on 56.5% of passes, averaged 6.6 yards per attempt, and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven). He posted an ugly 68.1 passer rating and an even worse 18.9 QBR in the process.
Barring an outside acquisition (perhaps via the draft), Watson, Sanders and Gabriel are poised to compete for the Browns’ QB1 gig in the coming months. Watson is the most established of the three, but Zac Jackson of The Athletic contends that Sanders is the favorite to win the job. With the Browns in a rebuild, it would make sense to give the 24-year-old an opportunity to sink or swim. The team would then have a better idea of whether to draft a QB in what should be a deeper class next year.
Unless Watson overtakes Sanders and puts together a renaissance season in 2026, it will likely be the 30-year-old’s swan song in Cleveland. Watson is entering the final season of a fully guaranteed pact that has been a nightmare for the Browns. At the cost of $230MM and a handful of draft picks, including three first-rounders, Watson has given the Browns lackluster play over just 19 starts.
Giants To Sign G Daniel Faalele
John Harbaugh is bringing another former Raven to New York. The Giants are signing guard Daniel Faalele to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Faalele will continue to play under Harbaugh, who coached the 2022 fourth-round pick during his first four seasons in the NFL. The 6-foot-8, 370-pound Australian operated as a backup tackle during his first two seasons in Baltimore, but he took on a full-time right guard role in 2024. Faalele registered his second straight 17-start season last year. He finished as Pro Football Focus’ 52nd-ranked guard among 79 qualifiers.
Weeks after Harbaugh’s tenure in Baltimore ended, the team replaced Faalele with John Simpson at the outset of free agency. Faalele took almost a month to land elsewhere, but he figures to at least compete for the Giants’ starting right guard spot. Greg Van Roten held the position last season, during which he was the team’s only lineman to play 100% of snaps. PFF gave Van Roten a solid review (he ranked 33rd among guards), but he remains a free agent.
The Giants have added Faalele and Lucas Patrick, whom they signed Monday, as veteran right guard options. They also have Evan Neal, Aaron Stinnie, Joshua Ezeudu and Bryan Hudson in the fold. Set to pick seven times in the draft, the Giants could add to the group in a couple of weeks.
As expected, Harbaugh has brought several familiar faces with him to his new organization. Before the Giants agreed to sign Faalele, they picked up former Ravens Isaiah Likely, Patrick Ricard, Jordan Stout and Ar’Darius Washington in free agency.
Saints Pick Up Bryan Bresee’s Fifth-Year Option
Defensive lineman Bryan Bresee will stay in New Orleans through at least 2027. The Saints have picked up the 2023 first-round pick’s fifth-year option, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. Bresee will earn $13.93MM if he plays under the option.
The Saints drafted Bresee with the 29th pick, which they received from the Broncos in the teams’ Sean Payton trade. While Bresee arrived as Clemson’s top recruit in 2020, he did not have a dominant college career. A 2021 ACL tear had something to do with that, though Bresee has been durable since then. He earned second-team All-ACC acclaim in his final season with the Tigers, and he has since appeared in 49 of a possible 51 games with the Saints.
Bresee did not log any starts during a 17-game rookie season, though he notched nine QB hits, seven TFL and 4.5 sacks in a rotational role. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder has primarily worked as a starter since then. He recorded career-best numbers in his second year, a 17-game, 11-start campaign in which he posted 14 QB hits, 7.5 sacks and another seven TFL.
Bresee missed the Saints’ last two games in 2025 as a result of a knee injury, but he started in all 15 of his appearances. However, his production declined. The 24-year-old put up eight QB hits, five TFL and 2.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus, which has never been especially fond of Bresee’s work, rated him a below-average 87th among 127 interior defensive linemen.
Bresee has typically earned good reviews as a pass rusher, but his run defense has lacked during his three-year career. The Saints have seen enough positives to keep him around for the entirety of his rookie contract, but it remains to be seen if they will extend him this offseason.
Texans Exercise Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud’s Fifth-Year Options
The Texans will be committing nearly $50MM in guaranteed money to their two first-round draft choices from 2023. Both Will Anderson Jr. and C.J. Stroud are extension candidates, and each is now signed through the 2027 season.
Houston is exercising both players’ fifth-year options, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. Stroud’s option checks in at $25.9MM, while Anderson’s comes in at $21.51MM. Anderson is on the Texans’ extension docket this offseason, and while a Stroud payday may now be pushed to 2027, the Texans are making the expected one-year commitment to the former Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Anderson’s fifth-year number comes in on the third tier of the option ladder, with the former Alabama standout being named to one original-ballot Pro Bowl. Stroud has not been invited to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot, so he qualifies for the second rung on the QB ladder. That is still a hefty chunk of change for the quarterback. If Stroud indeed plays the 2027 season in Houston, he will be the franchise’s first five-year starting quarterback since Matt Schaub.
Soaring to the first-team All-Pro level last season as a dominant pass rusher on a menacing Texans defense, Anderson has generated extension buzz for months. The Texans paid Derek Stingley Jr. early, giving him a record-setting extension in his first offseason of eligibility. Anderson may well follow suit, as rumors have trended in that direction. The Texans paid J.J. Watt in his first year of extension eligibility back in 2014. Anderson does not have a Defensive Player of the Year honor under his belt like Watt did when Houston paid him, but the 2023 No. 3 pick has become one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.
Discussions have begun with Anderson, who will be a candidate to at least approach where Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson took the market to close a transformative year on the EDGE market. Anderson will not turn 25 until September, and he has totaled 23 sacks over the past two seasons. The 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year racked up 12 sacks last season opposite perennial sack ace Danielle Hunter, forming one of the NFL’s best rush tandems in recent memory. This duo joined Stingley in powering Houston to a third straight playoff berth, with the Texans’ defense smothering the Steelers in Round 1 after a strong regular-season surge to reach 12 wins.
Parsons’ market reached $46.5MM per year, with his Packers extension stalling Hutchinson’s Lions talks. Hutchinson scored a defender-record $141MM guaranteed, while Parsons came in at $136MM. Anderson’s camp will be eyeing those figures, though the Texans have shown a willingness — as Stingley’s deal showed — to complete three-year extensions. That would reduce the total cash figure while allowing Anderson a chance at a third contract sooner. This easy option decision, however, reflects how well the Texans did choosing Anderson — whom they traded up nine spots for after selecting Stroud at No. 2.
Stroud came off the board one pick after former Alabama QB Bryce Young, whom the Panthers chose first overall. While Stroud has been the better of the two, it is not sure a thing either team will commit to a long-term deal this offseason. Rather, both clubs may want to wait another year to evaluate their signal-callers. Stroud and Young have put together uneven careers thus far.
Although the Texans have gone a terrific 28-18 in Stroud’s starts, the 24-year-old’s effectiveness has arguably dipped since a stellar 2023 introduction. A concussion sidelined Stroud for three games last season. The team kept its once-floundering season afloat by winning all three of backup Davis Mills‘ starts. Meanwhile, the Texans won nine of Stroud’s 14 outings. He completed 64.5% of passes, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and tossed 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. While his traditional passer rating (92.9) checked in at 17th, he finished a much more impressive 11th in QBR (61.7).
Stroud has helped the Texans to the playoffs in each of his seasons, but they have not gotten past the divisional round. The Stroud-led team suffered particularly ugly second-round defeats to the Ravens in 2023 (34-10) and the Patriots last January (28-16). Stroud had one of the worst games of his career in New England, where he completed 20 of 47 passes and threw four picks in miserable weather.
Discussing Stroud’s playoff struggles, head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2): “Being young in his career, he’s gained a ton of valuable experience and a ton of playoff experience and seeing that it hasn’t gone as we would like it to go there in the playoffs. Of course, you always want to win it all. But when you go through those difficult moments, those tough times, you learn from them. I know C.J. has learned from those moments.”
Heading into a pivotal fourth year, Ryans believes Stroud is “dialed in,” adding, “I’m excited to see how this continues to transition to him having a really great year for us.”
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Seahawks Not Expected To Adjust Uchenna Nwosu’s Contract
Neither Uchenna Nwosu nor DeMarcus Lawrence were healthy for much of the 2024 season. Nwosu missed a sizable chunk of the 2023 campaign as well. But the Seahawks saw both their top edge rushers hold up last season, doing plenty to pave a path to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.
Missing 22 games between the 2023 and ’24 seasons, Nwosu accepted a pay cut in 2025. The deal reduced Nwosu’s 2025 compensation by $6.99MM and dropped his ’25 cap number to $12.45MM. The shift to a two-year, $19.51MM deal, however, left a $20MM cap hit for 2026. Considering Nwosu’s past unavailability, the veteran edge defender’s contract loomed as one to monitor this offseason.
But John Schneider does not anticipate the Seahawks adjusting the deal, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. Nwosu returning to full strength after back-to-back six-game seasons made an impression for the Hawks, and Henderson notes Schneider appears comfortable with the player’s increased cap hit. This is the final year of Nwosu’s deal.
The Seahawks initially brought in Nwosu on a two-year, $19.1MM contract in 2022, bringing him over from the Chargers after a contract year spent as Joey Bosa‘s top sidekick. Nwosu impressed in his first Seattle season, posting career-high numbers in sacks (9.5) and QB hits (26). That led Seattle — in Pete Carroll‘s final offseason at the helm — to reward Nwosu with a three-year, $45MM extension. A pectoral strain ended Nwosu’s 2023 season midway through, and he missed time in 2024 because of knee and thigh trouble.
Last season, Nwosu played 16 regular-season games and tallied seven sacks. That tied for the team lead. Nwosu then scored a Super Bowl touchdown, returning a Drake Maye INT 45 yards for an easy TD. Nwosu, 29, did not record a sack in the playoffs. With Boye Mafe defecting to the Bengals — on a three-year, $60MM deal — amplifies Nwosu’s importance for 2026, though considering Lawrence has pondered retirement, it would not surprise to see the defending champions seek EDGE help early in the draft. Lawrence will turn 34 this year, and one season remains on Derick Hall‘s second-round rookie contract.
Interior rushers Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy tied Nwosu for the team lead with seven sacks. The Seahawks were not too active in adding talent in free agency. They lost several key players, however, with Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen departing. Nwosu no longer looks like a release candidate, as the Seahawks will hope their 2022 offseason addition can replicate his healthy 2025. Nwosu doing so would position him for a solid short- or medium-term contract — be it from Seattle or elsewhere — in 2027. For now, the Seahawks have $32.95MM in cap space — eighth-most in the league.
Giants Not Eyeing Dexter Lawrence Raise
The 2023 offseason established a new salary bracket among interior defensive linemen, bridging the sizable gap between Aaron Donald and the field at the time. Dexter Lawrence was among the ascending D-tackles who did so, joining Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons and Daron Payne in being given top-five DT deals that offseason.
Lawrence, Payne, Simmons and Williams remain tied to those extensions. As could be expected, some other interior D-linemen have passed this quartet as the salary cap has soared. Milton Williams, Jordan Davis and Zach Allen each passed $25MM per year; Davis and his ex-Eagles teammate are at $26MM AAV. Alim McNeill and Nnamdi Madubuike surpassed the above-referenced foursome as well.
By far the best piece of the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade for either the Giants or Browns, Lawrence proved worthy of the four-year, $90MM extension he signed in May 2023. He ventured to three straight Pro Bowls and booked two second-team All-Pro spots (2022, ’23). The popular New York nose tackle then tallied nine sacks in just 12 games in 2024. That led to a push for at least a deal revision in 2025, but the Giants only provided incentives.
While Lawrence has requested a trade based largely on extension talks not progressing, his timing is not great. The Clemson alum is coming off a regression, totaling just a half-sack and a career-low eight QB hits. Lawrence eclipsed 20 hits in 2022 and ’23, and even with Leonard Williams gone by 2024, Lawrence remained in high gear. Joe Schoen also posited some of Lawrence’s 2025 statistical issues stemmed from the elbow dislocation he sustained in 2024. That comment likely resonated with Lawrence’s camp, but the Giants do not seem eager to appease the disgruntled player.
The Giants are eyeing neither a trade nor a raise, with the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz indicating the team does not look to have a strong desire to reward Lawrence after last season. The team would prefer Lawrence play out his current deal, which has two years remaining. No guaranteed money is left on the contract, and John Harbaugh said he anticipated Lawrence skipping the start of the team’s offseason program.
“The Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here,” Harbaugh said, via Schwartz. “I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team. Not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back probably.”
The new Giants HC called Lawrence “super important” earlier this year, as the Giants made it clear he would not be traded to free up any cap space. Rumblings about a trade price matching or exceeding what the Cowboys sent the Jets for Quinnen Williams — a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second along with DT Mazi Smith — has surfaced, but Schwartz adds the Giants would need to be “blown away” by a proposal to consider moving on.
“I don’t know that granting a request is really the right way to say it, because it doesn’t really work that way,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like a Christmas gift, it just doesn’t work like that.”
As the DT market shifted in 2023, Harbaugh was part of a key standoff that offseason. He and the Ravens held firm against Lamar Jackson‘s trade request and worked out an extension for the superstar quarterback. This Lawrence situation represents Harbaugh’s first notable test on the contract front as the Giants’ top decisionmaker.
How New York proceeds could reveal how much power Schoen still has. The hire of longtime NFL exec Dawn Aponte as VP of football ops undercut the GM’s organizational influence. She and Harbaugh running the show may not be great news for Lawrence, a Dave Gettleman draftee whom Schoen extended.
A hardline stance will not go over well with the decorated D-lineman’s camp, either, as he has fallen to No. 11 in terms of DT AAV ($22.5MM). Lawrence, 28, also played out the guarantees on his contract. That point of a deal regularly spurs action, and Lawrence is proceeding down this path.
It sounds like the Giants are prepared to wait out the eighth-year standout, who is due a nonguaranteed $18.5MM base salary this season. Lawrence’s next step will be to withhold services at mandatory minicamp. That would bring a small fine. This dragging to training camp would certainly be interesting, as Lawrence would then be put to a hold-in or holdout decision.
Players almost never sit out regular-season games in contract stalemates, though Chris Jones — the DT position’s current salary kingpin — did so in 2023. We are a ways away from Lawrence needing to make that call, but as an impact player on a defense that ranked 31st against the run last season, staying away from workouts will certainly command the attention of the new Giants regime.