Growing Tension Between Giants’ Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll?
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have been working together since 2018, when the latter arrived as Bills OC to start the Josh Allen era. The quarterback’s rise placed both in position to work in leadership roles, and the Giants signed off on bringing the pair in to steer a rebuild. The Giants’ own QB plan has played the lead role in that rebuild not taking off.
Daniel Jones did not play well before a 2023 ACL tear doomed that Giants season, and the since-departed QB did not move back on track in 2024. That called into question the Giants’ decision to pass on three QBs (Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix) at No. 6 overall last year. Now, the team is amid another deep dive into a QB class — this one a lower-regarded contingent compared to 2024. How the Giants come out of this draft may play the biggest role in determining how much longer John Mara sticks with his current regime.
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Mara joined Jimmy Haslam in retaining both his team’s power brokers after a 3-14 season, but the Giants have trended downward since their surprising 2022 divisional-round appearance. That run his propping up a regime that has been unable to remotely approach that success level since. Entering Year 4, the Schoen-Daboll partnership may be seeing cracks emerge. Months after the HC and GM conducted separate press conferences — breaking from recent norms — on Black Monday, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard notes the two have veered closer to working as “separate entities.”
HC-GM disputes are commonplace in the NFL, especially among struggling teams, but if the Giants are not currently aligned, fingers could point back at Mara for retaining this partnership when a momentous decision awaits. The Giants mistakenly gave Jones six seasons, despite most of that tenure producing unremarkable returns, and are still attempting to recover from choosing the wrong Eli Manning successor. This offseason represents the Schoen-Daboll pair’s first chance to identify its own QB, but so far, a Russell Wilson–Jameis Winston duo headlines the depth chart. Giants will-they/won’t-they rumors regarding Shedeur Sanders are swirling, but the Colorado passer’s value may not align with the No. 3 overall draft slot.
Both Schoen and Daboll are at Colorado’s pro day today, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. This represents a course change for Daboll, who did not attend Miami’s pro day. Schoen said the fourth-year HC prefers to study QBs at private workouts, but after Leonard noted Daboll was not scheduled to trek to Boulder, his showing up — along with the GM, assistant GM Brandon Brown, OC Mike Kafka, DC Shane Bowen and player personnel director Tim McDonnell — is certainly notable. A seminal Sanders-or-Travis Hunter decision may await Big Blue at No. 3, provided the Browns pick Abdul Carter at 2. The Giants are not working out Sanders in Boulder, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz adds, noting one could be scheduled before the mid-April deadline.
A scenario in which Schoen and Daboll take a best-player-available route, by choosing Hunter or Carter, over Sanders is logical after Mara left two embattled decision-makers in charge. A job-preservation play would stand to be strongly considered, potentially forcing ownership to intervene.
Mara’s decision to retain both, rather than make another quick-trigger firing, did not appear to satisfy all in the team’s building. Some hope existed at the front office and personnel levels, per Leonard, Mara would move on from Daboll after last season. We heard late last season Schoen and Daboll were not a package deal, and the owner has traditionally been more patient with GMs than HCs.
The 2022 Coach of the Year took over play-calling duties last season, despite Kafka serving in that role for most of his first two years on the job, but Mara suggested his HC give the play sheet back to Kafka in January. Some uncertainty about whether Mara or Daboll suggested it emerged, thanks to Daboll’s comments. Schoen has not done well in the draft since taking over, seeing early-round picks Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, Wan’Dale Robinson, Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz and Jalin Hyatt have not offered solutions just yet. But ownership, in Leonard’s view, appeared to place more of the blame on the Giants’ coaching.
Daboll and Schoen’s separate pressers in January caught considerable attention from those inside and outside the building, Leonard adds, and this will be a storyline to monitor this offseason. Both decision-makers will be candidates for in-season firings should the Giants not show early-season signs of life.
Julio Jones Announces Retirement
Julio Jones bounced around the NFL during the 2020s, but the former Falcons first-rounder authored one of the most productive careers in the history of the wide receiver position. After not playing in 2024, Jones is retiring.
The 13-year veteran confirmed his NFL exit Friday via social media. Rivaling Hall of Fame defensive end Claude Humphrey and perhaps Matt Ryan as the greatest players in Falcons history, Jones retires after earning All-Decade honors for the 2010s. His prolific stretch from 2014-19 remains unmatched at the position in terms of receiving yardage.
A five-time All-Pro with two first-team honors (2015, 2016), Jones rivaled Antonio Brown as the top receiver of the 2010s. From 2014-19, the all-around great accumulated 9,388 receiving yards. That is the most during a six-season stretch in NFL history. While hamstring injuries slowed Jones in the early 2020s, he finished his career with 914 receptions for 13,703 yards and 66 touchdowns. Jones’ yardage total ranks 16th in NFL annals.
It took a blockbuster trade package for the Falcons to obtain Jones in the first place. Then-Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff sent Nos. 26, 59 and 124, along with 2012 first- and fourth-rounders, to Cleveland for No. 6. The Browns did not make out well in that trade, but the Falcons gave Roddy White a wingman who eventually became their aerial ace. Jones played a lead role for a Falcons team that booked the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2012 and was even better two years later, when the franchise assembled one of the greatest offenses in NFL history.
Kyle Shanahan‘s second season as OC produced 33.8 points per game; that remains tied for eighth in the Super Bowl era. After a career-best 1,871 yards in 2015, Jones posted 1,409 in just 14 games to rocket the ’16 Falcons to the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Along with MVP Ryan, Jones powered that squad to Super Bowl LI with a 180-yard, two-TD showing in an NFC championship game romp over the Packers. Jones added 87 yards in the Super Bowl, including a marvelous sideline reception, but that game is obviously better known for the Falcons’ 25-point collapse.
During Atlanta’s dominant 2016 offensive run, the 6-foot-3 dynamo delivered a 300-yard receiving game against the Panthers. This came two years after he scorched a playoff-bound Packers team for 259. He added a 253-yard outing against the Buccaneers in 2017.
Jones again led the NFL in receiving in 2018, with 1,677 yards, and reset the market at his position just before the ’19 season. Lengthy extension talks produced a three-year, $66MM deal (which came with $64MM guaranteed), making Jones the first $20MM-AAV receiver. He was unable to play out that contract — his second lucrative re-up — after suffering hamstring injuries in 2020 and ’21. The Falcons traded Jones to the Titans for a second-round pick in 2021, soon seeing Calvin Ridley leave the team due to mental health reasons, and dealt Ryan a year later. Jones contributed to Tennessee’s No. 1 seed that year but only totaled 434 yards in 10 games. The Titans designated him a post-June 1 cut in 2022.
Venturing to Tampa in 2022 and Philly in ’23, Jones was unable to show much of his pre-injuries form. He combined for just 373 yards over his final two seasons, and no team signed him last year. That said, Jones will earn Canton induction; by not playing in 2024, he will be eligible for the 2029 class.
Over the course of his career, the Alabama alum earned $147.3MM. Much of this came on his first extension, a five-year, $71.25MM deal agreed to just before the 2015 season. The Falcons employed a White-Jones-Tony Gonzalez aerial armada from 2011-13, but Jones was alone as the team’s receiving anchor by 2016. White’s 63 receiving TDs still rank first in franchise history, but Jones surpassed his former mentor in receptions and yardage with Atlanta.
QB Draft Rumors: Titans, Saints, Manning
As the 2025 NFL Draft continues to draw nearer and nearer, we continue to see momentum towards the Titans selecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. While the team’s president of football operations, Chad Brinker, spoke recently about the time the team has spent evaluating top options like Ward, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, he also spoke about a patient, disciplined approach that could entail trading back.
“We are going to go through the whole thing, and I think probably here in two weeks, we’re going to have a good idea of where things are headed,” Brinker told the media, per Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt. “And there’s a chance a team calls, and it makes you stop for a second and think, ‘Hey, we might need to consider this.’ But all of this is a part of being disciplined and being thorough.”
Dianna Russini of The Athletic seemed to imply that there are some in the building who are pushing for the team to trade out of the No. 1 overall spot. Russini, in a recent interview, talked about how those in the building with this view see so many question marks on the roster and so many positions of need. If a team gives them an offer that allows them to cover more ground in repairing what needs to be fixed, they feel as if the team needs to seriously consider that option.
Here are a few other rumors concerning quarterback prospects in the coming draft (and beyond):
- In an interview on NFL Network yesterday, Ian Rapoport noted the Saints as a team that could go after a quarterback early in the draft. The team recently restructured Derek Carr‘s contract, ensuring that they wouldn’t be forced to draft a quarterback later this month, but Rapoport posits that New Orleans still needs a quarterback of the future. If necessary, the team could take a passer at ninth overall or trade back later into the first round, if they believe the guy they want will still be there. Notably, Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post told us today that officials from two NFL clubs have “suggested the Saints’ brass is…infatuated with Texas’s Quinn Ewers in the second round.”
- La Canfora also cited a scout who believes that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is “almost a lock to go in the second round.” Milroe has been making the rounds in the pre-draft process with several teams who have needs at quarterback. La Canfora’s source cited Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson as examples of guys who didn’t necessarily have elite accuracy or passing ability coming out of the draft but, eventually, added those attributes to their natural athleticism. Milroe is viewed as an elite athlete, and if teams believe they can improve on accuracy and passing traits that, at this moment, don’t seem NFL-ready, there’s no reason he can’t hear his name called on Day 1 or 2.
- One last thing La Canfora mentioned was that “nearly everyone in the scouting community has opined on the Giants being infatuated with Texas quarterback Arch Manning.” Manning is obviously the nephew of long-time New York franchise passer Eli Manning. The issue with this thought is that they would need to tank in 2025 to be in a position to select Arch, and even then, both Eli and his brother, Peyton Manning, spent four years in college. If Arch follows in his uncles’ footsteps, the Giants would have to tank for two straight seasons in order to have a chance at him. A lot can happen in two years, and given that Manning has only played in 12 collegiate games and made only two starts for the Longhorns, his draft stock could easily change over that time.
Travis Hunter Starting To Trend Toward WR?
Early on in the pre-draft process, Colorado draft prospect Travis Hunter was being viewed much more as a potential NFL cornerback than a wide receiver. As time went on, we began to see a few teams, namely the Browns, who viewed Hunter primarily as a wide receiver at the next level. A month ago, we began to see reports that more and more teams are viewing it as a possibility that Hunter could play both ways in the NFL. 
The most recent reports we’re seeing, per Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates of ESPN, are telling us that NFL teams are split on where Hunter should play as a pro and that what position he does end up at could depend upon what team drafts him.
The arguments for each position are plentiful and valid. Teams cite Hunter’s ball skills, instincts, change-of-direction ability, and potential to shut down one side of the field as a reason why they like him at cornerback. By putting him on offense, though, teams believe they can have more control over how much of an impact he’ll make by being able to put the ball in his hands more, and that his ability to make defenders miss will contribute further to his offensive impact.
Some teams, like the Giants and Patriots, have obvious needs for a true shut-down cover man, while Cleveland would love to pair Hunter across from Jerry Jeudy. Some teams are going to need a top receiver more than a top cornerback and vice versa.
What’s had analysts leaning cornerback for so long is that it’s much harder to find a top contributor at cornerback than it is to find one at wide receiver, so teams that need both may prefer to use him to fill a hole on defense. Interestingly, though, this year’s cornerbacks class is pretty strong, while the group of wide receivers has been seen as lacking. This gives team’s more options to find a top cornerback elsewhere in the draft, so Hunter has a better chance at being the top rookie receiver.
We hoped to glean some insight into the situation at the NFL Scouting Combine, but Hunter didn’t run any drills in Indianapolis. It didn’t look like he was going to work out at the Buffaloes’ pro day in Boulder either, but per James Palmer of Bleacher Report, Hunter made the decision to run some routes as a receiver today, further fueling rumors that he could end up on offense.
QB Justin Fields To Start Season For Jets
When the Jets made the move to sign free agent quarterback Justin Fields, two things were made clear based on the makeup of his contract. First, with only a two-year deal, it was clear that this is still a prove-it contract for the young passer. Second, the $30MM of guaranteed money at signing for the $40MM deal indicated an expectation that Fields will be the starter throughout the duration of the contract. 
This past weekend at the annual league meetings, new Jets general manager Darren Mougey confirmed that second point. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Mougey made it clear that Fields is QB1 for the 2025 NFL season.
“We believe Justin is the starter,” Mougey told the media. “We believe in Justin. We believe we can win with Justin, so we’re excited about Justin.”
Fields, drafted 11th overall in 2021 by the Bears, had a rough start to his career in Chicago. The Ohio State product started his rookie season coming off the bench behind veteran Andy Dalton. A knee injury to Dalton forced Fields into action in Week 2. Fields led the team to a win in relief but went 2-6 in the first eight starts of his career. A rib injury led him to miss two games before losing his next two starts, and an ankle injury forced him out for the rest of the year. In his rookie season, Fields went 2-8 as a starter, throwing only seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions while adding two more scores on the ground.
In his sophomore campaign, as a full-time starter, Fields showed significant improvement statistically. While his team finished 3-12 in his 15 starts, Fields improved his passing numbers with 17 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He broke out as a rusher, too, with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, but he led the NFL with 16 fumbles. In 2023, Fields once again worked as a full-time starter, though he missed four games with a dislocated shoulder and thumb. The Bears improved to 5-8 with Fields as the starter, and Fields was able to record career-high passing numbers despite playing two fewer games than 2022. He rushed much less as a result, though.
2024 saw Fields traded to Pittsburgh where he soon began competing with Russell Wilson for the starting job. It was announced prior to the start of the year that Wilson had won the starting job, but a calf injury forced Fields into the starting role for the first six weeks of the season. Fields played some of the best football of his career as a Steeler, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards while throwing five touchdowns to only one interception in six games. He also rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns during his time with the Steelers.
The Jets will hope to see Fields continue in his year-to-year improvement. In Year 5, Fields will be suiting up for his third NFL team. While the running backs group mostly looks the same, the Jets have lost some pieces in their passing and blocking game. With the draft and spring ball coming up, New York still has time to add bodies.
With Fields in place as the starter, and a reliable backup in place in Tyrod Taylor, the Jets should feel good about their quarterbacks roster. If there were any doubt in Fields being an effective starter, it would make sense to see New York go for a quarterback fairly early in the draft, in the hopes of developing him into the future leader of the offense should Fields falter. While it still makes sense for the team to take a flyer on a young passer, that draft pick would likely be coming on Day 2 or 3. With a fairly deep group of passing prospects, the Jets should have plenty of options.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/4/25
The NFL minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Denver Broncos
- Signed ERFA tender: OLB Dondrea Tillman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Janarius Robinson
New York Jets
- Signed RFA tender: S Tony Adams
Courtland Sutton To Attend OTAs; Broncos GM Confirms Team Will Draft RB
The Broncos reached extension agreements with Patrick Surtain, Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz and Jonathon Cooper last year, but more payday candidates are on Denver’s 2025 docket. Among them: Courtland Sutton, who has graduated from trade-rumor fixture to surefire extension candidate.
After Sutton’s second 1,000-yard season helped Bo Nix finish with 29 touchdown passes — the second-most ever by a rookie — the Broncos will see him report to their offseason program earlier. Sutton had angled for a raise in 2024 but saw the Broncos only agree to an incentive package. Sutton triggered the incentives during a 1,081-yard year, and as the Broncos have 2025 pinpointed for extension talks, goodwill has emerged with their top wideout.
Sutton will report to OTAs in a sign of good faith, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Even though extension talks will not start with any Broncos candidate until after the draft, Sutton reporting for voluntary work represents confidence a new deal will be struck. Broncos brass ensured Sutton’s camp at the Combine they will engage in good-faith negotiations this offseason, Klis adds.
The 29-year-old pass catcher will be expected to force the issue, not planning to play on his current contract for a final season, but the sides have a few months to hammer out a deal. Sutton, who is due a nonguaranteed $13.5MM (on a four-year, $60MM deal agreed to in November 2021), did not report to Broncos workouts until minicamp last year.
A Sutton extension would provide some clarity for the Broncos at receiver, though his age (30 in October) and the team’s lack of proven pass catchers behind him points to this being a need area. Thus far, however, Denver has stood down. The team showed minor interest in Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs, and while Keenan Allen was mentioned as a player who could fit, no Amari Cooper connections have emerged.
The Broncos have Marvin Mims positioned as their No. 2 receiver, but he has brought inconsistency — last year’s strong finish notwithstanding — on offense. Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin are in place as tertiary targets whose roles would be reduced if Denver adds a veteran or uses an early-round choice on a receiver.
Denver already bolstered its skill-position group by outdueling the Chargers for Evan Engram, but a running back need appears ahead of the draft. The team had already been expected to add to its backfield in the draft, and George Paton took the interesting step of confirming that would happen. The fifth-year Broncos GM said (via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel) the team will draft a back.
The team scheduled a Quinshon Judkins “30” visit and has been mocked Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) at No. 20 overall by some. The Broncos hold their first-, second- and third-round picks for the first time since 2021, having seen the Wilson and Sean Payton trades deplete their capital previously. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) and Judkins’ Ohio State teammate (TreVeyon Henderson) are other potential second-round options, though the Broncos’ No. 51 overall pick might be insufficient to nab the Big Ten standouts. Fortunately for Denver and other RB-needy teams, this class offers the most depth in many years at the position.
That appears to have influenced the team in free agency. Payton said (via Gabriel) the team viewed this year’s FA crop as thin. The Saints took an Alvin Kamara reunion off the table by completing an in-season extension, preventing him from being a 2025 cap casualty. Kamara peer Aaron Jones re-signed with the Vikings, and this year’s RB market did not move the needle like last year’s star-studded class did. The Patriots, Cardinals and Panthers depleted the group by respectively extending Rhamondre Stevenson, James Conner and Chuba Hubbard as well.
While Payton will observe holdovers Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, it is certainly possible Denver’s primary RB1 is on the roster yet. The Broncos have not used a first-round pick on a back since Knowshon Moreno in 2009; Paton chose now-Cowboys RB Javonte Williams in the 2021 second round. Perhaps more applicable given Payton’s power in Denver, the Saints used two first-round picks on RBs (Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram) during Payton’s tenure.
NFC North Notes: Watson, Lions, Vikings
An ill-timed ACL tear could prove costly for Christian Watson. Not only is the Packers wide receiver entering a contract year, his injury occurring in January has been expected to keep him off the field into next season. A tentative timetable has emerged, with The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman pointing to a likelihood of at least a half-season absence taking place. Brian Gutekunst offered support for a potential return earlier but did not provide specifics, and the Packers are generally cautious with injury returns. Gutekunst had already confirmed Watson would miss time in 2025, which represents a key window for the injury-prone North Dakota State alum to impress ahead of a potential free agency run. His history of hamstring injuries preceding this ACL tear could well lead to a “prove it” deal taking place come 2026.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- The Lions lost Kevin Zeitler to the Titans, and GM Brad Holmes said (via Detroit Football’s Justin Rogers) a veteran guard addition and/or a rookie move is still in play. Graham Glasgow is set as a starter, while 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany appears the top internal option — barring a veteran addition or early-round draft choice. Holmes called Mahogany’s 2024 work (75 offensive snaps, one start) encourating.
- The Eagles stood down on Isaiah Rodgers, after aiming to re-sign their post-suspension flier, after the Vikings made him a two-year, $11.1MM deal that came with $7.99MM guaranteed. Rodgers will play a regular role defensively, as Kevin O’Connell referred to the 2024 Philly rotational CB as a player ticketed for an every-down role. This would point to Rodgers having a clear runway to earn the starting job opposite re-signed CB Byron Murphy. When Murphy shifts into the slot, Jeff Okudah would be set to come off the bench and man a perimeter post, O’Connell added (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling).
- Minnesota lost Camryn Bynum to Indianapolis but reached an agreement to retain Harrison Smith for a 14th season, after the latter had considered retirement. Smith (192 career games) can move into third place for Vikings defender longevity with nine more games played; he is back on a one-year, $10.25MM deal that (per Goessling) comes with $8MM fully guaranteed. There are $750K in playing-time incentives, per Goessling, who adds Smith can collect additional $500K bonuses by reaching the four-INT and three-sack benchmarks. A $1MM bump would come if Smith lands a first-team All-Pro nod; that number drops to $500K for a second-team accolade. Smith, 36, last earned All-Pro honors in 2018. The Vikings are again using void years, meaning a Smith departure in 2026 would bring a $12MM dead money hit.
- Jonathan Allen‘s three-year, $51MM Minnesota deal includes snap- and sack-based incentives. The longtime Washington DT can earn $3MM if he plays 70% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps; that tiered structure begins with a $500K payout by reaching 50% usage. Allen played between 68-82% of Washington’s snaps from 2018-23 but came in at 59% during an injury-altered 2024. The soon-to-be 30-year-old lineman can earn $500K with five sacks, another $1MM with seven and another $1.5MM with 10, Goessling tweets.
- While Allen, Will Fries (tibia fracture) and Javon Hargrave (triceps tear) are expected to be ready for Vikes camp, O’Connell stopped short of guaranteeing Rondale Moore will be. Moore suffered an unspecified knee injury during Falcons camp last year, and O’Connell said he wants to see how the $2MM investment looks in his first weeks with the team before making a determination on camp.
- Jordan Addison‘s DUI case continues. The Vikings wideout took part in a pretrial hearing last month, and ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert indicates a pretrial conference is set for April 10. This matter, stemming from an August 2024 arrest, puts the former first-round pick in play to serve a 2025 suspension.
- Lastly, the Vikes are hiring former QB Charlie Frye as a defensive assistant. This interesting role, for a 23-start QB, comes after a two-year run as Florida Atlantic’s OC. Frye, 43, was also the Dolphins’ QBs coach in 2021 under current Vikings DC Brian Flores. That represents the ex-Browns starter’s only previous NFL coaching work.
Cowboys Meet With Quinshon Judkins; Bengals, Browns, Giants, Texans Visits On RB’s Schedule
Not viewed as one of the better draft classes in recent NFL history, the 2025 crop does bring considerable running back depth. After a 2024 draft saw only one back chosen in Rounds 1 and 2 (Jonathon Brooks), this year should feature several going before Day 2’s second half starts.
Ashton Jeanty is a mortal lock to be a first-rounder, perhaps a top-10 pick, while North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton is on the first-round radar as well. Should those two be off the board after the first round, the second opens the door to three Big Ten options — Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Ohio State’s 1,000-1,000 pair (Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson). Judkins’ pre-draft itinerary is forming fast.
The Cowboys have met with the three-year college RB, who posed for a photo with Jerry Jones (via SB Nation’s Brandon Loree) after his meeting this week. News of Judkins’ Broncos visit already surfaced, but the former Ole Miss recruit is also set to meet with the Bengals, Browns, Giants and Texans, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets.
A three-time 1,000-yard rusher in college, Judkins scored an eye-popping 50 touchdowns despite declaring for the draft after his junior season. The 2024 transfer helped Ohio State to a national title, leading the team in rushing despite Henderson having played in Columbus for three seasons already. Although Henderson is viewed as a superior pass catcher, the one-year Buckeyes teammates may not be separated by too many picks. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board lists Henderson 34th and Judkins 38th.
The Bengals turned to Chase Brown as their primary back last season, as Zack Moss went down midway through his Cincinnati debut. Moss remains on Cincy’s roster, despite being mentioned as a potential cut. As Nick Chubb has seen injuries sidetrack his career, the Browns did not re-sign the decorated RB, who remains in free agency. Holdovers Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong remain, as Cleveland appears to be eyeing an addition in the draft. Though, the Browns obviously have higher priorities entering the late-April event.
Saquon Barkley‘s transcendent Eagles debut came after the Giants did not make an offer in 2024, but the team did see some early promise from fifth-rounder Tyrone Tracy. Devin Singletary also remains on Big Blue’s roster, though the rookie usurped him on the team’s depth chart. The Texans made Barkley a lucrative offer, then pivoting to Joe Mixon. Although Mixon boosted Houston’s ground attack after Singletary’s exit, he is 174 carries away from 2,000 for his career. A younger option makes sense, as Dameon Pierce did not follow his promising rookie season with much of note.
The Cowboys lost Rico Dowdle but added Javonte Williams. Scheduling a Jeanty visit, Dallas should be expected — after passing on last year’s RB class — to make an addition during this year’s event. Williams has not looked quite the same since his 2022 ACL and LCL tears, and Dowdle had delivered a 1,000-yard season after Tony Pollard‘s exit.
Panthers Showed Interest In D.K. Metcalf, Eyeing Pass-Catching Help
The Panthers changed course at wide receiver midway through last season, trading both Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo before the deadline. Although Adam Thielen is coming back, he is going into an age-35 season. It appears likely Carolina will go back to the receiver well in this draft.
This has been a trend for the post-D.J. Moore Panthers, who chose Mingo in the 2023 second round and Xavier Legette in last year’s first. This came after a miss on Terrace Marshall in the 2021 second. Legette will obviously still be given a chance to be a regular, though UDFA Jalen Coker showed a bit more promise as a rookie, but key supplementation is almost definitely coming.
[RELATED: Metcalf Eyed Chargers, Texans As Landing Spots]
Carolina made an understandable inquiry into the Seattle receiver situation recently. Seeing as Dave Canales was D.K. Metcalf‘s former position coach, he told Kay Adams (during an Up & Adams appearance) with Dan Morgan about a potential trade after the receiver’s request to be moved. Morgan also spent time in Seattle, operating as a scout and front office exec there for eight years. Though, that was before Metcalf’s arrival. Canales overlapped with Metcalf for four seasons; the big-bodied WR’s career began with Canales as his position coach.
While Carolina showed interest, The Athletic’s Joe Person indicates no offer was made. The Panthers join the Patriots and Packers among teams that did not make an offer. The Seahawks ended up letting Metcalf go for a second-round pick, and the Steelers have authorized a top-five extension. The Panthers do not have an eight-figure AAV at receiver, and that seems likely to continue in 2025. Giving Moore a lucrative deal in 2022, the team still needs help here. It should be expected to draft a pass-catching weapon early, Person adds, with Canales indicating he “would love” to draft another playmaker to boost Bryce Young‘s development. The team scheduled a Tetairoa McMillan meeting already.
The playmaker Carolina traded up for in last year’s second round, Jonathon Brooks, is expected to miss much of the season after a second ACL tear. The Panthers, though, have running back covered via their Chuba Hubbard extension and Rico Dowdle signing. Coker led all UDFAs in receptions, yards and TD grabs last season and still figures to have a role. But the Panthers figure to bring in either a starting wideout or tight end (or both) during this draft, with Person adding the team is doing due diligence on Tyler Warren — a Penn State product that has generated interest from several teams. The Panthers, who have not seen too much from the TE spot since Greg Olsen, could outflank much of this lot, as they hold the No. 8 overall pick.
Thielen agreed to stay on a revised deal, representing perhaps a slight surprise due to his 2024 injuries and the cap savings that would have come had Carolina moved on. Though, the terms of Thielen’s return do give the team flexibility.
The Panthers have the former Pro Bowler tied to a $6.25MM base salary, but only $1.5MM of that is guaranteed. Carrying a $10.11MM cap number, Thielen could be cut to produce $5.1MM in cap savings. The Panthers would eat some dead money due to the $1.5MM guarantee and the two void years on the contract in that scenario.
Thielen remained productive when available last year. Missing seven games, he still nearly matched his per-game average from a 1,000-yard 2023 by posting 58.1 yards per contest in ’24. A former tryout body who caught on with his home-state Vikings, Thielen has become one of the better UDFA receivers in NFL history. He is now aiming for a 13th season in 2025.