HEADLINES

Month: April 2025

Jets Not Discussing Breece Hall Trade; Team Was Prepared To Draft Jahmyr Gibbs In 2023

April 27th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

The new Jets regime is unlikely to authorize an offseason extension for the contract-year player. Hall was mentioned as a player who could generate trade interest, but he remains on the Jets’ roster post-draft. The Jets did not draft a running back, but they saw early promise from 2024 fourth-round pick Braelon Allen last season.

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 tackle Broderick 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.

Broncos’ Dre Greenlaw Sustains Quad Injury

April 27th, 2025 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

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 Sanders from 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.

49ers Announce 6 UDFA Signings

April 27th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

49ers’ Malik Mustapha Could Miss Start Of 2025 Season

April 27th, 2025 at 4:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout the 2024 season, and one more has just come to light.

Safety Malik Mustapha injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 18, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, which required surgery and a lengthy recovery that could stretch into the 2025 season. The 2024 fourth-rounder previously tore the same ACL in college; this injury was a tear to the graft from the reparative procedure in 2022. It is not believed to have impacted other parts of his knee.

Mustapha is progressing well through his rehab process at the 49ers’ team facility, but he is unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. He returned from his January 2022 injury to play 10 games in the 2023 college football season, indicating that he should have a chance at a midseason return to the field this fall.

The 49ers’ will need to replace the 756 snaps Mustapha played as a rookie, primarily at free safety. They drafted two defensive backs this weekend – Western Kentucky’s Upton Stout and Kansas State’s Marques Sigle – but both spent most of their time in the slot in college. Instead, veterans Richie Grant, Jason Pinnock, George Odum could start the season at safety alongside 2023 third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown.

Jaguars To Sign DE Emmanuel Ogbah

April 27th, 2025 at 3:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars are signing former Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $5MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ogbah is a nine-year veteran with 87 starts and 47.5 sacks in his career. He spent the last five seasons in Miami with 16 starts and 5.0 sacks in 2024, as well as nine tackles for loss that tied a career-high.

The Jaguars were in need of an experienced third edge defender, and Ogbah will provide depth behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Jacksonville only spent a sixth-round pick on the position over the weekend, adding Auburn’s Jalen McLeod. Like new teammate Yasir Abdullah, McLeod is an undersized outside linebacker whose football smarts and versatility will be his best path to playing time.

Jacksonville will be Ogbah’s fourth home in the NFL after beginning his up-and-down career in Cleveland as a second-round pick in 2016. He flashed with 5.5 sacks as a rookie, but a fractured foot sidelined him after 10 games in 2017 and his production decreased the year after.

With Ogbah entering the last year of his rookie contract, the Browns traded him to the Chiefs for safety Eric Murray during the 2019 offseason. Ogbah once again suffered a season-ending injury after 10 games – this time a torn pectoral – but he recorded 5.5 sacks before his injury and earned a Super Bowl ring at the end of the season.

Ogbah signed a two-year, $15MM contract with the Dolphins in free agency and exploded for 9.0 sacks in back-to-back years in Miami. That earned him a four-year, $65MM extension, though he has only started 20 games with 11.5 sacks on that contract, due in part to a torn triceps in 2022.

The Jaguars will be hoping they’re getting the healthy, productive version of Ogbah that emerged in his first two years in Miami. Though his contract is worth up to $5MM, the base value is likely lower with incentives to make up the difference.

Saints Sign 11 UDFA Rookies

April 27th, 2025 at 2:48pm CST by Ely Allen

The Saints drafted nine players this weekend, and they’ll brings their rookie class to 20 with their undrafted free agent crop. The 11 UDFAs joining the rookie group are:

The Saints’ most prominent signing is Yarns, a two-year starter with breakaway speed that helped him rack up 6.4 yards per carry and 34 total touchdowns in his career. He was expected to be a late-Day 3 pick, but his smaller frame may have dropped him out of the draft. He doesn’t play with the physicality to make up for his size, which comes with durability concerns after he missed two games during the 2024 season. However, his potential as a home-run hitter and natural receiving abilities will give him a chance to make the 53-man roster in the Saints’ thin running back room.

After four strong seasons at Alabama, Burnip is looking to continue the trend of Australian-born punters finding success in the NFL. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt in 2024, good for fourth in the SEC and ninth in the nation, while opposing returners averaged a national-low of 1.00 yard per return against the Crimson Tide. Burnip should have a good chance of winning the Saints’ punting job as a rookie.

Simpkins emerged as one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS over his 35 games at North Carolina Central –31 at center, four at right guard – before transferring to South Carolina to cut his teeth against SEC-level competition. He earned a team captaincy in his first year with the Gamecocks and held up well at right guard across his 13 starts in 2024, culminating in a third-team All-SEC selection.

Kilty also started his career in the FCS with starts at right guard, right tackle, and left tackle for North Dakota State. He transferred to Kansas State in 2024 and started 13 games at left tackle with second-team All-Big 12 honors. His 32-inch arms may limit him at tackle in the NFL, but offensive line coaches will appreciate his versatility.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this story.

Steelers Announce 7 UDFA Signings

April 27th, 2025 at 12:43pm CST by Ely Allen

After drafting seven rookies this weekend, the Steelers double their rookie class with their undrafted free agent signings. Here are the seven additions to the team’s rookie class:

A two-year starter for the Tigers, Taylor had a productive last two seasons, catching 135 balls for 2,053 yards and six touchdowns, but he had a bit of an issue with nine drops over that period.

Williams spent six seasons in Duluth, not making an appearance until his third year after redshirting and sitting out the COVID-19 2020 season. In 2022, he took over the starting left tackle position for the Bulldogs, starting 32 games over the next three seasons and earning second-team All-NSIC honors in 2022 and 2023 and first-team honors in 2024.

Castro had some Day 3 buzz, likely due to a stellar 2023 campaign in which he had 11 passes defensed, three interceptions, and eight tackles for loss. His 2024 season was pretty disappointing, though, as his passes defensed dropped to two and his interceptions dropped to one while he allowed five touchdowns in coverage.

Lastly, Sauls gets to stay in his home stadium, after going 52-64 on field goal attempts in the last three years with the Panthers. The left-footed kicker had a long this season of 58 yards. With Chris Boswell under contract for another two years, though, and having just led the NFL with 41 converted field goals (only missing three attempts — as many as he had in 2023, as well), Sauls will likely spend the preseason auditioning for other teams who may need a kicker in 2024.

Vikings Sign 19 UDFAs

April 27th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Ely Allen

The Vikings owned the NFL’s smallest draft class with only five selections this year, so naturally, they added a good amount of undrafted free agents to form a 24-man rookie class. Here are the 19 UDFAs the team signed:

An undersized runner, Stewart had an incredible year for the Gamecocks. In fact, with 1,678 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in 2024, Stewart joined top ten pick Ashton Jeanty as the only two FBS backs with over 1,600 yards and 25 scores on the ground.

After two strong years at Oregon State, Bolden wasn’t very productive as a receiver for the Longhorns. He was extremely productive, though, as a punt returner, notching 315 yards on 30 returns and scoring a touchdown. His return abilities netted him $205K in guaranteed money on his UDFA contract, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Brown is a surprising get post-draft, considering he was projected to be an early-Day 3 selection. Likely a significant injury history kept him available to this point. Huber was another likely Day 3 selection. He started 13 games at right tackle at Cincinnati before transferring and shifting inside. He started as left guard in 2023 and right guard in 2024 for the Badgers. Despite only playing offensive line since 2019, Huber’s versatility was able to net him $210K guaranteed on his UDFA deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Chambliss was impressive in his final season at Georgia with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, but his route to a 53-man roster will likely have to come through special teams contributions. Impressive length and production should give Vaughn a chance at the opening day roster. In five years at Utah (one redshirt season), Vaughn tallied 27 passes defensed, three interceptions, three sacks, and 14.0 tackles for loss.

Chargers Announce 18 UDFA Signings

April 27th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Ely Allen

After adding nine players throughout this weekend’s draft, the Chargers still had plenty of room for rookie additions. Los Angeles announced their 18-man undrafted free agent signing class shortly after the event closed, disclosing these players as signees:

After slightly favoring offense (five players to four on defense) during the draft, Los Angeles evens things out by favoring the defense (10:8) in the undrafted class, giving them 13 offensive rookies and 14 defensive rookies in 2025.

Once heralded as the quarterback of the future set to take over the Clemson program after Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei ends up in Los Angeles after stops with Oregon State and the Seminoles. Sanders was expected to be a late-Day 3 selection. Sanders rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 for Arkansas before injuries limited him in 2023. He transferred to South Carolina and tallied 881 yards and 11 scores on the ground, adding 316 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air.

The team loaded up on flyers in the secondary this year. After drafting safeties with each of their last two picks, the Chargers added one more in free agency and signed four undrafted cornerbacks. Reed is maybe the most capable of the group. One of Deion Sanders‘ cast-outs at Colorado, Reed transferred to Oregon for two strong years, collecting 26 passes defensed and five interceptions in his four years of college. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Reed’s UDFA contract includes $100K of base salary guaranteed plus a $15K signing bonus.

Browns Trade Up To No. 144 For QB Shedeur Sanders

April 26th, 2025 at 11:16pm CST by Ely Allen

The slide finally stops here. The Browns have traded up with the Eagles to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 overall. In exchange for the pick that lands the Buffaloes passer, Philadelphia collects pick Nos. 166 and 192.

[RELATED: Prospect Profile: Shedeur Sanders]

The Browns had acquired pick No. 166, a fifth-rounder, from the Texans, who in turn had received it from Buffalo in the Stefon Diggs trade. The 192nd pick was sent to Cleveland by the Bears in exchange for defensive tackle Chris Williams, and they had received it originally from Miami in exchange for Chase Claypool.

Sanders has weathered one of the least-anticipated Draft Day slides in NFL history. At one point projected to be in competition with Cam Ward for the No. 1 overall pick, Sanders slowly saw his draft stock begin to fall throughout the pre-draft process. As scouts and analysts really dove into the 23-year-old’s tape, it became apparent that he wasn’t the top quarterback in the class and that he perhaps was not second-best. As it turns out, he is the sixth passer to come off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft, 144 picks into the event and six picks into the fifth-round. Some have attributed a perceived lack of maturity and the resulting attitude as a factor that drove down Sanders’ stock, in addition to a questionable skillset.

As to why the Browns chose to select him after this historic slide, Zac Jackson of The Athletic provided a quote from general manager Andrew Berry. Berry told the media that he couldn’t “speak to why the market priced him the way it did,” saying, “We had our own internal evaluation…once it got to a price we felt was a pretty steep discount, it just made sense.”

Now that he’s headed to Cleveland, Sanders’ slide is strictly a thing of the past. Nobody will care where he got drafted if he can make a serious impact for the Browns. His competition begins with fellow rookie, and third-round selection out of Oregon, Dillon Gabriel. You don’t have to look back too far to find the last team to draft two quarterbacks in the same draft, as the Patriots did so last year with Drake Maye and Joe Milton. The Browns are the first team in the common draft era, though, to take two quarterbacks (Gabriel and Sanders) and two running backs (Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson) in the first five rounds of a single draft.

The Browns now have five quarterbacks on their roster competing for, maybe, three spots. Expected starter Deshaun Watson suffered a second tear of his Achilles tendon in January and could be unavailable for the entire 2025 NFL season. Cleveland acquired two former starters and recent backups this offseason, signing veteran Joe Flacco and trading for 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett, and now Gabriel and Sanders join the fold. Flacco obviously has experience with the current staff after his 2023 campaign with the team, after which he won Comeback Player of the Year. Pickett has shown value as he’s been traded around since being drafted by the Steelers three years ago, but after failing to establish himself as a starter, he seems destined to work as an experienced backup.

There are a couple of ways the roster could play out in Cleveland. If Watson is healthy enough to play, we’ll likely see Flacco and Pickett as the prime competitors for the starting job, with the loser of the battle likely taking on QB2 duties. If Pickett wins the starting gig, Flacco would surely outrank both Gabriel and Sanders as the primary backup. If Flacco wins, though, I could see Gabriel and Sanders being given an opportunity to supplant Pickett for the primary role. Should one of the rookies do so, expect Pickett to be up for his third trade within the course of his rookie contract.

If Pickett can secure the QB2 role (behind Flacco), though, the battle between Gabriel and Sanders becomes critical for roster spots, and given his draft position, it appears the staff already has a slight preference towards Gabriel. With Watson presumably on an injured list, the Browns could opt to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, allowing them to retain the loser of the QB3-battle on the practice squad. If they decide to only keep two quarterbacks on the roster, though, provided Pickett does not get traded, Gabriel and Sanders could see themselves struggling to make the team as a rookie.

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