Cowboys Sign S Caleb Downs, Five Other Draft Picks
The Cowboys are among the teams which have moved quickly in signing the bulk of their draft classes. All but one of Dallas’ draft picks are now under contract.
The team announced on Friday that safety Caleb Downs has been signed. The same is also true for each of the Cowboys’ other draftees except for fellow first-rounder Malachi Lawrence. Downs and Co. will take part in Dallas’ rookie minicamp this weekend.
Downs – who will collect $28.9MM guaranteed – spent the entire pre-draft process as one of the most highly-regarded prospects from this year’s class. As was the case for many others, though, the matter of positional value threated a drop down the first-rounder order. Downs slid out of the top 10, something which promoted the Cowboys to move up one spot and select him after executing a trade with the Dolphins.
Known for his production and high football IQ, Downs will be counted to play an immediate role within Dallas’ new-look secondary. The Cowboys still have Malik Hooker in place, but the team added Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency. An All-American in both of his Ohio State seasons, Downs will be expected to serve as an impact member of that group right away and for several years to come.
In addition to Downs, third-round edge rusher Jaishawn Barham, fourth-round tackle Drew Shelton, fourth-round cornerback Devin Moore, fourth-round edge rusher LT Overton and seventh-round receiver Anthony Smith have each inked their rookie contracts. Each of those deals will be four years in length. Downs’ pact will also run through 2029, but the team will eventually have a fifth-year option decision to make in his case.
Lawrence was drafted 23rd overall after Dallas moved down the board from No. 20. ESPN’s Todd Archer notes his contract should be finalized once more players selected in a similar range wind up being signed, adding no issues are anticipated. Lawrence could take part in rookie camp without a contract in place, but in any event his pact can be expected to be signed shortly.
Panthers RT Taylor Moton Not Weighing Retirement
Last summer, Taylor Moton agreed to a two-year Panthers extension. The team’s right tackle stalwart is under contract through 2027 as a result, and no thought is currently being given to hanging up his cleats.
“Retirement’s not on my mind right now,” Moton said (via Joe Person of The Athletic). “I feel great running around with all the young guys. I’m feeling young. I feel like I’m moving well and I’m feeling like, shoot, I’m still in my prime, right? I don’t feel like I’m slowing down.”
Moton was a backup during his rookie season, but he took on starting right tackle duties in 2018. Since then, he has been a mainstay up front, racking up 128 starts and missing just four games along the way. Moton’s future has been a talking point while he has played through knee issues, and his only absences have come in the past two seasons. That, coupled with the Panthers’ current offensive tackle setup, could result in further speculation regarding his outlook beyond 2026.
Carolina added Rasheed Walker in free agency on a one-year deal. The team then spent its first-round pick in the draft on Monroe Freeling. The Georgia product could operate as the Panthers’ swing tackle as a rookie before becoming a starter somewhere on the offensive line. Ikem Ekwonu is also in the fold, but he is recovering from a torn patellar tendon which threatens to see him miss considerable time this season.
2026 marks Ekwonu’s fifth-year option campaign, so the Panthers will need to decide on a long-term commitment in his case relatively soon. The former No. 6 pick has been a full-time starter when healthy, and he hopes to remain in Carolina beyond the current campaign. A new deal for Ekwonu would of course increase the chances of Walker departing after one season, but Moton’s status will also be key in determining when (and where) Freeling will find himself playing once he takes on first-team duties.
Moton, 32 in August, is due roughly $14.2MM in 2026 and $21.5MM the following year. With none of his base salary for 2027 guaranteed at this point, though, the possibility of his Panthers tenure ending will no doubt be raised next offseason. If that were to take place, Moton may look to continue his career elsewhere based on his current stance regarding retirement.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Leading QB Competition; Ownership Pushing For Watson To Start?
MAY 1: During a Friday appearance on 92.3 The Fan, Monken confirmed his preference would be to have a QB1 in place to start training camp. He added, though, that the split of first-team reps during the team’s remaining spring practices may not be a final indication regarding Cleveland’s approach under center with preseason contests still providing an opportunity for the depth chart to change.
APRIL 30: The 2026 regular season is still four-plus months from kicking off, but first-year Browns head coach Todd Monken wants to identify his starting quarterback by the end of the team’s June 9-11 minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Monken still has several weeks to make his choice, but Deshaun Watson currently has the “edge” over Shedeur Sanders, according to Cabot.
This comes as a surprise after Sanders appeared to be the frontrunner three weeks ago. As a fifth-round pick last year, Sanders finished his rookie season as the Browns’ starter. Despite posting poor numbers, Sanders earned a Pro Bowl invite as an alternate. Meanwhile, Watson has not taken the field since he ruptured his Achilles on Oct. 20, 2024. The three-time Pro Bowler ruptured it again in January 2025, forcing him to miss all of last season.
The Browns made perhaps the worst trade in league history when they sent four picks (three first-rounders and a third-rounder) to the Texans for Watson in March 2022. They immediately handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230MM over five years, which has gone down as another disastrous decision.
While facing widespread sexual misconduct allegations, Watson opened his Browns tenure serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Injuries have held him to just 19 starts since then. The Browns have gone 9-10 with Watson at the helm. To worsen matters, they have been forced to repeatedly restructure his bloated contract. They did so for the fourth time last month.
Although Watson’s deal will finally expire after this season, the Browns will still spread an $86.2MM dead money charge from 2027-28. Owner Jimmy Haslam, who has paid a cripplingly expensive price for almost no production from Watson, admitted last April that acquiring him was a “big swing and miss.” Over a year later, though, the Haslams (Jimmy and wife Dee) are making a behind-the-scenes push for Watson to start, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom relays.
“Jimmy Haslam has paid this guy $180MM and he’s got nothing to show for it,” one general manager told La Canfora. “He’s trying to get blood from a stone but it’s not going to work. Watson is done.”
If Watson proves to be “done,” it could eventually lead to opportunities for Sanders and/or the rest of the Browns’ signal-callers. Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green are also in the team’s QBs room, but it does not appear they are under serious consideration for the starting gig. Rather, they are vying for a “developmental spot,” Cabot writes. It is more likely Gabriel and Green will receive third- and fourth-team work, leaving Watson and Sanders to divide the starting reps.
Monken has left the door open for Green, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound dual threat, to take the field in specialty packages (via Cabot). If the former Boise State and Arkansas starter impresses enough to earn a roster spot, Gabriel could be on his way out just a year after the Browns spent a third-rounder on him. The Browns may have trouble getting Gabriel on their practice squad, notes Cabot, who points to a trade as a possibility.
Gabriel made six underwhelming starts for the Browns after they traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals last October. He lost the job to Sanders after suffering a concussion in a Week 11 loss to the Ravens. Depending on how the next few months unfold, that may prove to be Gabriel’s last meaningful appearance with the Browns.
Commanders Not Interested In Trading For 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
The draft came and went without a Brandon Aiyuk resolution emerging. A parting of ways with the 49ers is still expected in his case, with the Commanders looming as his likeliest destination.
Aiyuk has three years remaining on his contract, one which no longer includes any guaranteed salary. San Francisco’s preference would be to execute a trade and by doing so recoup draft capital for player who received a $30MM-per-year investment from the team in 2024. Suitors, on the other hand, are positioned to wait for a release and approach Aiyuk as a free agent.
Washington is among them in that regard. Matt Barrows and Nicku Jhabvala of The Athletic report the Commanders are viewed around the league as being “steadfast in their unwillingness” to work out a trade for Aiyuk. The team’s plan remains a free agent signing of the 28-year-old. Barrows and Jhabvala unsurpisingly add Washington is eyeing a short-term deal laden with incentives if/when Aiyuk hits the open market.
The former first-rounder will obviously not be able to match the four-year, $120MM pact he landed in 2024 when his next contract is worked out. Nevertheless, Aiyuk could offer a boost to a Washington offense which still has Terry McLaurin in the fold but remains on track to lose Deebo Samuel. Commanders general manager Adam Peters was in the 49ers’ front office when Aiyuk was drafted. A signing would allow for a reunion on that front along with one between Aiyuk and quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Aiyuk seemed at various points to be on track for a return to the fold in 2025 after his previous season had been cut short by ACL and MCL tears. He never returned to the team, however, a factor which contributed to the rift which has become clearer over time. The 49ers have engaged in trade talks regarding Aiyuk, but Barrows and Jhabvala confirm the team is no rush to proceed with a release at this time. It could be until well into the summer before Aiyuk becomes available depending on the how willing the Commanders are to avoid a trade agreement.
During a recent Pat McAfee Show appearance, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted the 49ers have still had difficulties getting in touch with Aiyuk. Notably, he added the same is also true of other teams which could be interested in acquiring him. Communication with the Commanders in particular could go a long way in bringing this saga toward its conclusion, and it will be interesting to see if things pick up soon in that regard.