In the build-up to the draft, many saw a skill position addition (in particular a wide receiver) as a logical move for the Cowboys. Dallas ultimately went the offensive line route on Thursday, however, selecting Alabama guard Tyler Booker12th overall.
In the end, the Cowboys did not make any receiver additions over the course of the draft. As a result, attention will once again turn to the team’s efforts aimed at bolstering the position. Finding a complementary option to CeeDee Lambwas known to be a priority before the draft, and that remains the case at this point.
“It was definitely a big time thought,” owner Jerry Jonessaid when asked about adding at the receiver spot in relation to a “substantive trade” Dallas discussed recently (via the team’s website). “The train has not left the station if improvement is needed from what we’ve got on campus.”
In addition to Lamb, the Cowboys have 2024 trade acquisition Jonathan Mingo in the fold at the WR position. The 24-year-old made just five scoreless catches with Dallas last season, but a larger snap share than the one he handed upon arrival (29%) could be in store for next season. The Cowboys also have Jalen Tolbert, Parris Campbell, Ryan Flournoyand Jalen Brookson the depth chart as things stand. Returner KaVontae Turpin– who logged over 300 offensive snaps last season – could also see his workload continue to increase in 2025.
The Cowboys entered Monday with $37.66MM in cap space, so they have plenty of financial flexibility to add a veteran. The free agent pool includes Amari Cooper, although no signs of a reunion being contemplated have emerged yet. As Jones noted, a trade acquisition could also be on the table as teams sort out their post-draft depth charts.
After making an addition along the defensive interior during the opening round of the draft, the Steelers are parting ways with a veteran at that spot. Defensive tackle Montravius Adamsis being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
A rotational player throughout his eight years (and seven seasons) in the NFL, Adams had been in Pittsburgh since the midway point of the 2021 campaign. He made a total of 46 appearances and 21 starts during his tenure with the Steelers, with his heaviest workload coming in 2023. Last year, the 29-year-old saw his snap share fall to 27% while playing 11 games.
During this weekend’s draft, the Steelers – which still have the likes of Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Logan Leein the fold – made a pair of moves along the D-line. That included the selection of Oregon’sDerrick Harmonon Day 1 along with Iowa product Yahya Black during the fifth round. With those two now in the mix, the decision to move on from Adams comes as little surprise.
One season remained on the former third-rounder’s contract, but none of his scheduled base salary was guaranteed. As a result, Pittsburgh will yield $2.25MM in cap savings with this release while generating a dead money charge of only $875K. The team entered Monday with over $31MM in cap space, but this cut will add even further to that figure.
Adams has reached or surpassed 20 tackles on three occasions during his career, but he has eclipsed five QB pressures or one sack only once in a single season. Known to be a non-factor against the pass, he will now look to find a new opportunity with a team eyeing help against the run.
The Bills focused heavily on defense during the draft, leaving their receiver room essentially intact. As the post-draft wave of free agency begins, Buffalo is hosting one of the top options still on the market.
Elijah Moorewill visit the Bills today, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. The former Jets second-rounder only spent his first two years in New York, and he was traded to the Browns halfway through his rookie contract. Moore handled snap shares of 73% and 76% in Cleveland, receiving triple-digit targets both seasons during his time there.
In 2024, the Ole Miss product set a new career high with 61 catches. While his yards per reception average (8.8) marked a step back from his three previous campaigns, the Browns’ quarterback play was lacking throughout the season and their offense struggled as a whole. Considering his age (25), Moore could be seen as a more attractive option to suitors than the other, older wideouts still on the market.
Buffalo’s decision to move on from Stefon Diggslast offseason led to questions at the receiver position. Taking a more balanced approach on offense, the team managed to finish top-10 in passing yards in 2024 while ranking second in the NFL in scoring. Duplicating that success will include continued reliance on Khalil Shakir, who comfortably led the team in yards (821). Shakir was one of several Bills to receive a long-term extension this spring.
Keon Colemanflashed potential during his rookie campaign, averaging an impressive 19.2 yards pre catch (albeit on only 29 receptions). The No. 33 pick in last year’s draft will likely take on an increased workload in 2025, a year in which free agent addition Josh Palmerwill occupy a starting role. Buffalo’s WR room lost Mack Hollinsin free agency while trade acquisition Amari Cooperremains unsigned at this point.
Room therefore exists for an addition late in free agency. Moore could take on at least a rotational role in Buffalo if today’s visit produces an agreement. One would likely need to be a low-cost flier, though, since the Bills entered Monday near the bottom of the league in cap space ($3.14MM) with rookie signings and UDFA additions still to be added to the team’s books.
As the Browns follow the Texans in constructing an extended departure ramp for Deshaun Watson, they have since added four quarterbacks. Each of the players would have a path to starting for a team that saw its highest-paid passer wildly disappoint before suffering two Achilles tears.
As Watson rehabs, the Browns are effectively moving on (though, a monumental dead money hit will loom if that happens in 2026). And the draft brought an unusual outcome. The Browns surprised most by taking Oregon’s Dillon Gabriellate in the third round. Gabriel came off the board 94th, shortly after Jalen Milroebut a full round before Shedeur Sanders. Widely anticipated to go in the first or second rounds, Sanders tumbled to 144th overall. The Browns stopped his skid hours after Andrew Berryhad deemed Gabriel a better fit.
Becoming the rare team to select two quarterbacks in the same draft, the Browns added the rookies to a position group housing Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. (Flacco’s return and the ensuing draft moves will cut off a Kirk Cousins-to-Cleveland path.) The former arrived via trade in March, while the latter is back for a second tour of duty in Cleveland. Both veterans, Flacco especially, have extensive starting experience and could serve as placeholders. Though, we do not know yet who the bridge QBs will be setting up just yet.
Carrying the cheapest contract of the bunch, Sanders will undoubtedly bring by far the most attention. The Browns were once connected to potentially drafting the two-year Colorado starter second overall. A historic draft fall then commenced, allowing the team to trade up (via the Seahawks) for the polarizing prospect in the fifth round. Cleveland certainly did not plan to draft Sanders, but the value proved too enticing. A player viewed as a top-35 (or top-five, in Mel Kiper Jr.’s case) overall prospect will begin training for a potential starting role.
QBs chosen in Round 5 or later obviously have a low percentage shot of hitting, and the NFL effectively showed how it viewed Sanders this weekend. Sanders’ draft slide dwarfed Malik Willis‘ from 2022, as it appeared teams deemed Deion Sanders‘ son/pupil not worth the potential distractions he may bring. Shedeur’s attitude during pre-draft visits came up as one of the reasons he fell, and he is not going to a team that has done well at the quarterback position, for the most part, since rebooting in 1999. That said, Sanders could also make the highly unusual trek from fifth-round rookie to starter. Not too much is blocking him, should outside evaluators’ view be accurate (compared to a perception within the league).
The Browns saw Flacco deliver one of the most memorable QB stretches since they reemerged at the turn of the century, having seen the then-38-year-old join the practice squad and serve as a stunningly effective emergency replacement for Watson. Although Flacco earned Comeback Player of the Year acclaim for his five-game run that lifted an injury-plagued Browns offense to the playoffs, he is now 40 and coming off an unremarkable Colts cameo.
Indianapolis had benched Anthony Richardson in hopes Flacco could stabilize the offense, as a potential playoff berth was deemed a priority over Richardson development. After already subbing for an injured Richardson early last year, Flacco could not hold the job as an non-injury fill-in.
Shane Steichen benched Flacco after a three-INT game in Minnesota, and although he did return to replace Richardson late in the season (featuring a 330-yard loss to the Giants — in a game that cost the NFC East team Cam Ward), the Browns stand to have a diminished version of the former Super Bowl MVP compared to their 2023 edition. Still, Flacco has a path to the Week 1 gig as well.
Pickett could also lay claim to the role, but the Browns picking two quarterbacks by Round 5 also could lead him out of town. The former Steelers No. 20 overall pick has now been traded in back-to-back offseasons, with the second sending historically ineffective Browns backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Philly. Pickett did not impress in his second Steelers season, wrapping a 24-start tenure with 13 TD passes. Pittsburgh traded Pickett after he did not respond well to the Russell Wilson signing, as the Pitt alum sought a new team. Pickett’s struggles against the Commanders led to a late-season Eagles loss, and he left his lone Jalen Hurts relief start with a rib injury.
One season remains on Pickett’s rookie deal, which calls for a $2.62MM base salary. The Browns would take on that amount in dead money if they were to waive Pickett. That did not appear much of a possibility before the draft, as 2022’s top QB choice arrived before Flacco to at least compete for the starting job. But subsequent events complicate that route. Although, two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski having a crack at Pickett — after embattled OC Matt Canada did not do much with him — at least represents an intriguing wild card here.
The first QB the Browns chose this year will step into the unusual spot of being overshadowed by a rookie in his own position group. Gabriel will come to Ohio having been Cleveland’s preference over Sanders, but he will now have to prove it in a way he may not have before the latter investment. Ranked 148th on Daniel Jeremiah‘s NFL.com big board (128 spots behind Sanders), Gabriel started throughout his college career — at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon.
The Ducks’ Bo Nix successor played in a tougher conference, after Oregon’s Big Ten move, and won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award. That did not result in draft gurus viewing the 5-foot-11 QB as anything but a Day 3 prospect, but the Browns disagreed and will give him a chance to start.
While one of these QBs could be sent to the practice squad, it would be unlikely if Sanders or Gabriel cleared waivers. Pickett would also need to clear waivers to be stashed. Though, it is now easier to imagine Pickett reaching free agency than one of Cleveland’s two recent QB draftees. This complicated situation will be the runaway lead Browns story moving forward, as the Myles Garrett matter is settled. The team’s QB future was supposed to loom large in the Browns regrouping with Garrett, but if this plan does not work out, Berry also secured an extra 2026 first-round pick by trading out of the Travis Hunterdraft slot.
Who will win the offseason competition? And, more importantly, who do you think will end the season as the team’s primary starter? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this swiftly evolving setup in the comments section.
Having also met with the new Raiders regime, Renfrow was viewed as unlikely to be re-signed. But the Panthers will give the former 1,000-yard pass catcher a shot. The team has since announced the one-year agreement.
Trekking to Charlotte in March, Renfrow looks to have seen dominoes fall his way in the draft. Despite the Panthers using their first-round pick on wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, they will give Renfrow a chance to impress as a slot option. The duo’s skillsets do not exactly overlap, and even though Carolina drafted Colorado receiver Jimmy Horn in Round 6, Renfrow will be part of its 90-man offseason roster.
After playing in Oakland and Las Vegas previously, Renfrow will return to his home region. The Clemson product is a Myrtle Beach, S.C., native. This addition certainly does not guarantee the 5-foot-10 target will be on Carolina’s 53-man roster come September, but he has at least secured an opportunity after sitting out the 2024 season.
The full-season absence came after the Raiders used a post-June 1 release designation on the five-year veteran last March. The Raiders had given Renfrow a two-year, $32MM extension, but he did not prove a fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense. Despite McDaniels and then-GM Dave Ziegler signing off on the deal, Renfrow fell out of favor a year after leading the Raiders in receiving. Renfrow had joined Darren Waller as pillars of a Raiders pass-catching group that had sustained multiple setbacks — via the Antonio Brown misstep and Henry Ruggs‘ release following his involvement in a fatal car accident. Renfrow finished the 2021 season with 1,038 yards; he amassed barely half that across the following two seasons.
Renfrow, 29, caught 36 passes for 330 yards in 2022. That came in an injury-shortened season, but in 17 2023 games, the former Jon Gruden-era staple totaled just 255 yards as the Raiders transitioned from McDaniels to Antonio Pierce in charge. The short-lived Pierce-Tom Telesco regime, after trade rumors produced no takers, released him soon after. No close connections between Renfrow and teams emerged while he was on the market last year.
The Panthers moved on from both Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo in-season, but they held onto Adam Thielen. The 13th-year veteran agreed to return on a deal that does not guarantee a roster spot, as it carries just $1.75MM guaranteed. McMillan and Horn join 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and UDFA find Jalen Coker among the Panthers’ receiving corps, which also houses backup David Moore. Renfrow will join the likes of Dan Chisena, Dax Milne and others vying for roster spots this offseason.
The Jags’ Travis Huntertrade-up still left Jeanty on the board for the Browns, who entered the draft as a running back-needy team after seeing two major injuries end Nick Chubb‘s prime. Even with Chubb in free agency, the Browns tabled their RB need to Day 2 of the draft by taking Mason Graham. This left the Raiders free and clear to draft Jeanty, to whom they had been closely tied as the draft approached.
If Jeanty became the first top-five RB pick since Saquon Barkley, however, the Raiders are believed to have been ready to pivot to their offensive line. The Raiders’ pick in that scenario was expected to have been Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
Las Vegas going with Banks or Missouri tackle Armand Membousurfaced as moves to watch for before the draft, even as Jeanty loomed as the organization’s preference. A subsequent report identified Banks as the team’s likely choice over Membou. With Jeanty still being available at No. 6, this alternate reality did not unfold. Banks is now a Saint, being taken ninth overall.
Not ranked as highly by draft experts going into the event, Banks was viewed higher within the NFL scouting community. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranked Banks 26th, while NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had him 27th. He was viewed as a potential Cowboys target at 12; ditto the Dolphins at 13. But teams were higher on the former SEC and Big 12 blocker. Banks earned the Outland and Lombardi awards last year, after earning first-team All-Big 12 acclaim in 2023. The Saints, who went tackle in Round 1 for the second straight year, took him at No. 9 and will entrust him to protectDerek Carr (or Tyler Shough).
Striggow is joining the Jaguars for a hefty guarantee. The AFC South team is giving the Big Ten product $254K guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That is certainly on the higher end for UDFAs, but Striggow was productive as a pass rusher over the past two seasons for the Golden Gophers. He combined to reach 11 sacks in that span, accumulating 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles during his final two seasons in Minneapolis as well.
Wormley will receive a $110K guarantee to sign, Wilson adds. This covers a $100K base salary guarantee and a $10K signing bonus. A Nittany Lion going almost as far back as the Saquon Barkley days, Wormley started three seasons as the team’s right guard. Playing six seasons at Penn State, Wormley made 42 starts. This included 16 made during the Nittany Lions’ 2024 season, which ended in the CFP semifinals. The Jags also drafted a guard, West Virginia’s Wyatt Millum, in Round 3.
Dane Brugler’s The Athletic big board placed Henigan 14th among QBs, while ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted him 15th at the position. Henigan started four years for Memphis; although the American Athletic Conference has not been around too long, the 6-foot-3 QB leaves as the league’s all-time passing leader (14,266). This worked out to between 3,300 and 3,900 passing yards each season, and Henigan threw 32 TD passes as a junior in 2023. He finished with a 104-31 TD:INT ratio. He will join a QB depth chart housing Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens and John Wolford.
Scouts Inc. ranked Downs as the top prospect in this Jags UDFA group, slotting him 286th in the 2025 class. A two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection, Downs produced 30 TFLs from 2022-24. He added 12 sacks in that time. He comes to Jacksonville having not used his fifth year of college eligibility, which is now atypical for NFL UDFAs in the post-COVID era.
Breece Hall made it back on time from an October 2022 ACL tear, returning in Week 1 of the 2023 season. The former second-round pick, however, has not quite recaptured his rookie-year explosiveness. And his future with the Jets is in doubt.
A pre-draft report on Hall (via The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson) indicated some around the league viewed him as available. That may be the case, but he remains a Jet. New GM Darren Mougey (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) referred to Hall as “on the team” and noted he has not spoken with teams on the back.
That stops short of a ringing endorsement, but with teams regularly discussing non-star players in swaps, the Jets considering a trade is logical due to Hall’s contract-year status. A team did hear of Hall’s availability for “the right price,” according to SNY’s Connor Hughes, but he did not get the sense the team was shopping him. These draft-week rumors, however, further point to 2025 potentially becoming a free agency audition for Hall.
Showing strong form upon arrival, Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry as a rookie. He scored an 62-yard touchdown during the game in which he went down. The Iowa State product has missed just one game over the past two seasons, boding well for his chances at a quality contract year. But he has averaged 4.5 and 4.2 yards per tote, respectively, in those years. Though, Allen only checked in at 3.6 per handoff as a rookie. Going into only his age-24 season, Hall should still have a chance to make a case for an extension or a lucrative 2026 free agency deal. Hall joins Travis Etienne and 2022 draftees James Cook, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker and Isiah Pacheco as RBs on track to become — barring extensions — first-time free agents in 2026.
A back who is unlikely to reach free agency when he becomes eligible, Jahmyr Gibbs factored into past Jets RB plans as well. With Hall coming off his ACL tear, the Jets were prepared to use their 2023 first-round pick (No. 15 overall) on Gibbs. Since-fired GM Joe Douglas said (via Fox’s Jay Glazer) the Jets were “100%” drafting Gibbs 15th overall in 2023. The team did not expect the Alabama alum to go until at least the 20s. The Lions, after trading down from No. 6 (via the Cardinals), took Gibbs 12th.
Douglas said the Jets, shortly after acquiring Aaron Rodgers, had planned to add the dynamic weapon to pair with the team’s would-be QB savior. The Lions received criticism for taking Gibbs that high, but he has become an impact presence on a team that used the 2023 draft — which also included second-rounders Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch — as a key avenue to building one of the NFL’s best rosters. The Jets stuck with Hall, signing Dalvin Cook as a potential bridge while the team’s RB1 returned from injury.
At the time, reporting pointed to the Jets eyeing Georgia tackleBroderick Jones. Many viewed that as the team’s plan, as the Steelers swooped in and chose Jones, who has yet to justify the No. 14 draft slot. Jones, however, could have been the team’s Plan B option after the Lions had taken him at 12. The Jets had swapped first-round slots with the Packers as part of the Rodgers trade, dropping from 13 to 15, and they added promising edge rusher Will McDonald with their pick.
7:26pm: Denver was aware of the injury before the draft, per 9News’ Mike Klis. The team’s decision not to select another linebacker, despite Greenlaw now coming off two injuries and Singleton amid ACL rehab, reflects confidence Greenlaw will be ready to go. He is expected to be ready for training camp, Klis adds.
6:37pm: The Broncos may have dodged a bullet here. It is believed Greenlaw suffered a quad strain, according to KOA’s Benjamin Allbright, who adds the free agency addition is not expected to need surgery. This would place him on track to be ready for Denver’s opener.
6:09pm: After further strengthening their defense with first-round pick Jahdae Barron, the Broncos have the makings of a formidable unit. But one of their high-end free agency pieces might not be ready for the start of the season.
Coming to Denver after missing almost all of last season, Dre Greenlaw is believed to have suffered another injury. The former 49ers standout sustained a quadriceps tear while working out, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan reports. This stands to sideline Greenlaw for months, potentially making him unavailable to begin the season with his new team.
The fallout from the linebacker’s latest setback stands to hinge on surgery. If a procedure is required, Greenlaw could miss several months. If he is able to recover without surgery, that would put him on track for Denver’s season opener. This certainly represents a blow for Greenlaw, whose Super Bowl Achilles tear carried seismic ramifications for the 49ers that night and then kept the longtime Fred Warner sidekick off the field for three-plus months in 2024.
After seeing a groin injury lead to Greenlaw miss most of the 2021 season, the 49ers extended the talented defender in 2022. Greenlaw outplayed his $8MM-per-year contract in 2022 and ’23 but went down at a historically inopportune time, tumbling to the turf while trotting onto the field for a defensive possession. The Chiefs picked on Greenlaw’s primary replacement (Oren Burks), and the 49ers went through multiple plans (Eric Kendricks and De’Vondre Campbell) in 2024. Campbell’s refusal to enter a nationally televised Rams matchup came when Greenlaw returned, but that represented his only action of the season. Achilles soreness led to the 49ers shutting him down. Still, a nice market formed for the high-end linebacker.
The 49ers attempted to re-sign the linebacker, upping their offer at the 11th hour. They made that move, with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan trekking to Greenlaw’s home in Texas, after he had committed to join the Broncos. Denver gave him a three-year, $31.5MM deal on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. Despite the 49ers surpassing the Broncos’ offer, the 27-year-old defender tuck with his initial pledge despite the late 49ers push. However, his injury past allowed the Broncos to sign him while only providing an $11.5MM at-signing guarantee. This injury could potentially play a significant role in Greenlaw’s post-2025 future in Denver.
It is not known when Greenlaw suffered the quad injury, but it can be assumed the Broncos did not know about it when they went through their draft. The team did not select an off-ball linebacker, leaving that group exposed. Their other projected three-down LB, Alex Singleton, is coming off an ACL tear. Singleton, 31, went down in Week 3 of the 2024 season. The Broncos let their top 2024 LB, Cody Barton, defect to the Titans while they pursued Greenlaw. While Singleton replacement Justin Strnad re-signed on a low-cost deal, a high-end Broncos defense appears vulnerable at linebacker. Denver did relocate Drew Sandersfrom edge rusher back to ILB; Sanders could be a key player to watch in the wake of Greenlaw’s setback.
A serious question about where Greenlaw went down also looms. He could be subject to the NFI list if the injury occurred while working out away from the team facility. The Broncos released RT Ja’Wuan James after he sustained an Achilles tear while working out away from the team in 2021. Greenlaw would not become a release candidate this year, but he would stand to land on the PUP list — if this injury proved serious enough for such a stash — if the injury occurred at the Denver facility. None of Greenlaw’s 2026 and ’27 salaries are guaranteed at signing; the seventh-year LB would collect a $2MM roster bonus if on the Broncos’ roster by Day 5 of the 2026 league year.
After tying for a league-high 11 draft picks over the weekend, the 49ers have added another six players to their 2025 rookie class. Here are the team’s undrafted free agent signings:
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Neyor ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, where he also posted elite numbers in the broad and long jumps. Despite his enticing athletic profile, he went undrafted due to injuries and a lack of production in college. After redshirting as a freshman in 2019, the former Wyoming Cowboy emerged as a deep threat in 2020 and 2021. He transferred to Texas in 2022, but suffered a torn ACL in the preseason that he re-injured in 2023, limiting him to just one game as a Longhorn. Neyor transferred once more, this time to Nebraska, but struggled to produce in 2024 with just 34 catches for 455 yards in 10 games. His intriguing size/speed combination makes him a strong blocker and could translate into special teams duties in the NFL as he develops as a receiver.
Moss started at right tackle for two years at Lamar before transferring to Colorado State in 2023. He started at right tackle during his first season in Fort Collins before playing his best ball at right guard in 2024. His arm length will likely restrict him to the interior in the NFL, but his versatility, experience, and grit will help him battle for a roster spot.
Kiner is a smaller, compact back at 5-foot-9 and 203 pounds who enters the NFL after back-to-back years with over 1,000 rushing yards at Cincinnati. He originally committed to LSU, but transferred to his hometown Bearcats after just one year in Baton Rouge. Kiner runs with balance and strength to break tackles, but his speed and acceleration are below typical NFL standards at the position. He lacks the physical profile and experience of a special teams contributor, but showed some promise as a pass-catcher in 2024 by catching all 16 of his targets.
