Raiders’ Mike Washington Jr. To Fill RB2 Role
After spending the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty, the Raiders still finished the season with the fewest rushing yards in the league. Some of that can be attributed to offensive line play, and some of that can be attributed to the utter lack of offense around him. This is part of the reason that Las Vegas used another valued draft pick this year to select Arkansas rusher Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth round.
According to Ryan McFadden of ESPN, new head coach Klint Kubiak saw Jeanty’s 266 carries in 2025 — in comparison to Raheem Mostert‘s 22, Zamir White‘s 12, and Dylan Laube‘s seven — and decided that a two-RB system could really benefit the offense by lessening the load on Jeanty’s shoulders. Obviously, the addition of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is meant to add some balance to the offense, as well, but as Mendoza either learns on the job or watches veteran Kirk Cousins start until he’s ready, that balance may not be immediately available.
In the meantime, Las Vegas will hope it can rely on Washington to spell Jeanty and provide a change of pace for the offense. Jeanty is a smaller, stouter back, measuring in around 5-foot-8 and 211 pounds. He lacks elite top-end speed but has great burst to get to top speed quickly. Jeanty holds immense strength and, starting so low to the ground, can out-leverage most would-be tacklers to break through arm tackles and weak attempts. He can be elusive along the line with patient footwork and is a reliable blocker and receiver from the backfield.
Washington is a bigger back at just over six feet tall and 225 pounds. He also owns that top-end speed that Jeanty lacks, posting a position-best 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. While that top-end speed is great in the open field, Washington’s limited burst can hurt his short-field production when trying to beat defenders around the edge. Despite being bigger than Jeanty and possessing a similar strength, Washington’s upright running style takes away from his ability to finish runs with violence and break tackles with power. He is a strong pass catcher — mostly in the screen game — but his pass blocking will need development at the next level.
When putting the two side by side, it’s easy to see how they complement each other and how effective they might be if they could fuse their best traits into one body, but it will be up to Kubiak to decipher how best to mix the backs in his 2-RB system. It’s a challenge that Kubiak welcomed, though, and Washington is in prime position to fulfill his coach’s desires in adding another element to the offense that should help Jeanty blossom.
AFC East Staff Updates: Patriots, Clark, Jets
The Patriots brought former Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen onto their staff just over a month ago, placing him in a minor role under new defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr who used to have a minor role on Bowen’s defensive staffs in Tennessee and New York. According to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports, New England wanted to bring Bowen on last year for a more significant role on their staff, but the Giants reportedly “wouldn’t let him go.”
Serving as a defensive coordinator over the past five seasons, Bowen is obviously overqualified for a defensive analyst position, but unable to find a decent position immediately following his dismissal from New York, he has accepted the minor role with a staff that holds several familiar faces from head coach Mike Vrabel‘s time in Tennessee. Bowen will likely attempt to land a coordinator job in the next offseason.
Elsewhere, in the front office, New England has parted ways with director of scouting projects Marshall Oium, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. After beginning his scouting career in Cleveland, Oium joined the Patriots as a pro scout in 2018, earning a promotion to assistant director of scouting in 2023. The next year, they moved Oium over the analytics side of things, naming him director of football strategy. Following rumors that the organization was looking to improve in analytics and research, Oium was moved to his most recent role. His dismissal ends an eight-year tenure with the team.
Additionally, Neil Stratton of SucceedInFootball.com reports that Robert Haines has joined the Patriots as midwest area scout. Haines arrives in New England following the conclusion of a 22-year tenure with the Panthers last year. His most recent position in Carolina was as a national scout over the past three years. Haines comes in to fill the role of Justin Hickman who left for a role with the Falcons.
Here are a couple other staffing updates from across the AFC East:
- One of few holdovers from Mike McDaniel‘s staff in Miami, Austin Clark has been on the Dolphins‘ defensive staff since 2020. He started that year, under then-head coach Brian Flores, as the team’s outside linebackers coach, overseeing the edge rushing group. From 2021 up until now, though, Clark worked as the team’s defensive line coach. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Clark’s role under new head coach Jeff Hafley — though unchanged in title — will see him take on the coaching of the edge rushers in addition to the defensive line. Following the departures of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, Clark will have his work cut out for him.
- Lastly, per Wilson, the Jets have parted ways with pro scout Dominic Esposito. Esposito’s NFL debut came with the Jets following a short time working in recruiting at South Alabama. He arrived in New York as a training camp intern in 2019, got hired on full-time as a player personnel assistant, and become a pro scout after three years with the team.
5 Key Stories: 5/10/26 – 5/17/26
The slowest part of the NFL calendar is not far away. Spring practices are upcoming, though, and they will continue to provide a number of interesting updates around the league. In case you missed any of this week’s top stories, here is a quick recap:
- Steelers’ Rodgers Wait Ends: Year 2 of Aaron Rodgers‘ Steelers career will indeed take place. Another lengthy wait came to an end when news broke of a new contract agreement between team and player. Rodgers has lined up another one-year deal with Pittsburgh, and he is in position to participate in the team’s OTAs (which will begin tomorrow). The 42-year-old secured $22MM guaranteed, marking a notable raise from his 2025 contract. The Steelers originally aimed for clarity on the Rodgers front much earlier in the offseason, but even after the draft came and went without a firm commitment the expectation remained that an agreement would be reached. That has now proven to be true, and as Pittsburgh aims to once again break through with a playoff victory it will be Rodgers leading the way on offense.
- Achane Lands Dolphins Extension: Not long after Breece Hall inked an extension, fellow running back De’Von Achane did the same. The Dolphins authorized a four-year, $64MM deal in the latter’s case; the pact contains $32MM guaranteed. Miami has undergone a slew of roster turnover with a new regime in place, but first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was consistent in naming Achane as a candidate for a long-term commitment. The 24-year-old continued his ascent in terms of usage and production in 2025, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. Achane will be expected to remain a focal point of the Dolphins’ offense as the team’s rebuild goes through its early stages.
- Chargers Add Njoku: The post-draft stage of free agency saw David Njoku line up his next deal. The veteran tight end took a one-year contract with the Chargers shortly after a visit took place. Njoku can earn up to $8MM in 2026, the first season of his career which will be played with a team other than the Browns. Los Angeles saw several departures at the tight end spot earlier this spring, while no rookies were added via the draft. Njoku, 30 in July, will join fellow free agent signing Charlie Kolar as a new arrival on the Bolts’ offense. A healthy showing and one similar in production to his best Cleveland campaigns could set the former Pro Bowler up for a stronger market in 2027.
- Panthers’ Wharton Undergoes Neck Surgery: Multiple injuries hampered Tershawn Wharton during his debut season with the Panthers. The 2025 free agent signing is in position to miss time once more as he recovers from neck surgery. Wharton is now out indefinitely, although he is expected to return at some point in 2026. The Panthers could use the reserve/PUP list in this case to open the campaign while proceeding with a shorthanded defensive tackle group. Wharton inked a three-year, $45.05MM deal last spring, and missing him for an extended period would hinder a Carolina defense aiming to improve after a pair of other big-money additions to the front seven (Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd) were made in March.
- Steelers, Boswell Agree To Extension: The Steelers made waves by agreeing to the new Rodgers deal, of course. The team also took care of another important piece of business by extending kicker Chris Boswell, though. Pittsburgh’s longtime specialist worked out another four-year deal, keeping him on the books through 2030. This latest Boswell pact is worth $7MM per year, a figure which matches Brandon Aubrey for the highest annual compensation among kickers. The position’s market has jumped on more than one occasion in 2026, and Boswell’s track record made him a logical candidate to benefit from it. Instead of entering the coming season as a pending free agent, the 35-year-old has plenty of security over the foreseeable future.
Colts Could Keep Anthony Richardson?
MAY 17: Dodds noted (via Chappell) a meeting to “essentially clear the air” took place between Richardson and the team once it became obvious a trade would not be forthcoming. Richardson’s attention will now turn to his showings in spring practices over the near future while remaining on course for free agency next spring.
MAY 12: Anthony Richardson and the Colts have seemed destined for a split for almost a year. The first writing appeared on the wall when the team signed Daniel Jones to compete for the starting quarterback job; by midseason, it was covered.
Jones won the training camp competition and led Indianapolis to a 7-1 start, seemingly establishing himself as the Colts’ next franchise quarterback. Richardson, meanwhile, had been sidelined by a freak orbital fracture and was even the subject of some trade deadline chatter that another team could see him as a reclamation project. He requested a trade this offseason, and the club worked to oblige him, but “nothing materialized,” assistant general manager Ed Dodds said this week (via Mike Chappell of FOX59).
Richardson still has just 28 starts and 743 passing attempts in his college and pro careers, presenting the concerns about both inexperience and durability. Dodds reiterated that 24-year-old is “good to go,” but uncertainty about his eye injury was a factor in his lack of trade interest, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder. He is also owed $5.4MM in guaranteed compensation this year, and another team may not want to pick up that tab for a developmental project.
The Colts are not considering a release, Holder adds. They would still owe Richardson that money, and especially with Jones recovering from last year’s Achilles tear, it makes little sense for them to move on from their former No. 3 pick without any financial relief or trade compensation.
“He’s back in the fold right now,” head coach Shane Steichen said at Phase 2 of the team’s offseason program (via Chappell).
Wthout significant interest from other teams, Richardson may now be best served by staying in Indianapolis, where he can compete with Riley Leonard for the backup quarterback gig. Until Jones is back on the field, that job comes with first-team reps, though Steichen declined to elucidate any sense of a pecking order.
There are indications that the team is not completely out on Richardson’s talent and ability to contribute to the team. He had his best training camp in 2025, according to Holder, and though his eye injury kept him from returning to in-game action, he impressed as the scout team QB late in the season. In fact, Holder adds, Richardson would have taken over as the Colts’ starter had he been healthy when Jones went down.
Jones has a lengthy injury history of his own, too. Any setback in his current recovery could thrust Richardson back into a starting role this year. Theoretically, the Colts could get out of their contract with Jones next offseason, though that would require a remarkable turnaround from Richardson. More likely, he will be looking to contribute in any way possible this year to boost his stock before hitting free agency in 2027.
Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving Expected To Be Full Training Camp Participant
Foot and shoulder injuries resulted in Bucky Irving making just 10 appearances in 2025. A return to full health in time for the summer is anticipated, though.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) Irving will be a limited participant in upcoming OTAs. Nevertheless, Irving is expected to fully take part in training camp. His recovery from shoulder surgery is progressing well, and a large offensive workload for 2026 is likely.
Tampa Bay’s backfield changed during free agency. Rachaad White expectedly departed on the open market, while Kenneth Gainwell was added. The latter thrived during a one-and-done Steelers stint, and he will be expected to be a regular presence on offense with the Buccaneers. Sean Tucker is once again in place as a short-yardage specialist. As such, a committee approach is being planned by the team.
“Obviously, we’re missing [Irving] right now, but once he gets out there, I think it’s going to be great to see him and Kenny go hand in hand,” new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Irving quickly emerged as a focal point during his rookie season, racking up 254 touches in 2024. His usage in the passing game was similar last season, but the former fourth-rounder averaged over 17 carries per contest when on the field (compared to 12 the previous year). It will be interesting to see how much Irving is used during his age-24 campaign. Gainwell comfortably set new career highs in attempts (114) and receptions (73) with Pittsburgh in 2025.
The 27-year-old’s success while handling that workload resulted in a spike with respect to compensation. Gainwell landed a two-year, $14MM deal on the open market after playing for $1.79MM as a Steeler. He will be expected to handle a notable workload on offense, although his skillset overlaps in large part with Irving’s. The division of reps through the summer once all three members of the Irving-Gainwell-Tucker trio are healthy will be worth monitoring.
Texans Sign Round 2 TE Marlin Klein
MAY 17: Klein’s deal contains full guarantees for the first three years, per Wilson. Roughly $60K is guaranteed for the final season of the pact. In all, Klein secured 76.96% in guarantees; that represents a significant increase compared to the 67.17% from the No. 59 slot in 2025.
MAY 14: A run on tight ends occurred in the second round. Despite extending Dalton Schultz earlier this offseason, Texans participated by drafting Michigan’s Marlin Klein.
The Texans, who made two second-round choices in this draft, chose Klein 59th. They now have him signed to a four-year rookie deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. The deal is worth $8.18MM and will undoubtedly carry more guarantees at signing than the No. 59 pick in the 2025 draft received.
[RELATED: Texans Give Second-Round DT Kayden McDonald Fully Guaranteed Deal]
Four tight ends went off the board between Nos. 54 and 61. The Eagles began that stretch with Eli Stowers, while the Jaguars viewed this draft range as likely to produce a few TE picks; that led them to draft Nate Boerkircher much earlier than most expected him to go. The Texans chose Klein soon after, and the Rams added Max Klare at No. 61. Like each of the second-round TEs in this draft, Klein will go to a team with an established starter.
Stowers joins an Eagles team that re-signed Dallas Goedert, while the Jaguars have Brenton Strange lined up as an extension candidate. The Rams re-signed Tyler Higbee and used a second-round pick last year on Terrance Ferguson, and the Texans have Schultz signed through 2027 via a one-year, $12.6MM extension.
The Texans, whom Wilson notes used “30” visits on Klare and Georgia TE Oscar Delp (a third-round Saints pick), had discussions about trading down from No. 59. While sixth-year GM Nick Caserio confirmed discussions took place about moving down, the Texans added Klein after considering a move back into Round 1 for Kayden McDonald. The team ultimately did not need to make that move, though it did climb two spots (via the Raiders) to grab the Ohio State defensive lineman at No. 36.
A Germany native who played high school football in Georgia, Klein clocked a 4.61-second 40-yard dash time at the Combine. The 6-foot-6 pass catcher was certainly not a prolific receiving option with the Wolverines, totaling 38 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown in four Ann Arbor seasons. He played behind 2025 first-rounder Colston Loveland while also waiting his turn behind future NFLers AJ Barner and Luke Schoonmaker at Michigan.
ESPN’s Scouts Inc. viewed Houston’s decision as a slightly bigger reach than Jacksonville’s, ranking Klein 176th among this year’s prospects. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board was more bullish, slotting Klein 84th. Klein’s blocking ability drew plus reviews heading into the draft, however, and the Texans should have room for him to develop while Schultz continues to operate as the team’s top receiving TE. Free agency addition Foster Moreau also stands to help Houston have Klein in place as a developmental option in 2026.
Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon To Sign Extension Before Training Camp?
We heard in March that the Seahawks would likely extend wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon this offseason. Seattle has already finalized a deal with JSN, leaving Witherspoon’s second contract as an outstanding item at or near the top of the agenda.
Albert Breer of SI.com predicts the Seahawks and Witherspoon will come to terms at some point before the start of training camp. However, there are some market developments the two sides will need to navigate before they get to that point.
As Breer observes, there are now seven non-quarterbacks on contracts featuring average annual values of at least $40MM, whereas there were no such deals before March 9 of last year, when Myles Garrett signed an extension with the Browns. Pass rushers and wideouts are leading the way at the top of the non-QB market, while cornerback and offensive tackle are premium positions that have fallen behind.
As of the time of this writing, Trent McDuffie’s newly-minted $31MM/year pact with the Rams resides at the top of the CB hierarchy. Although Witherspoon surely understands he is not going to approach Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. ’s $50MM/year accord, Breer suspects the Seattle star will nonetheless insist on a number that gets him much closer to Anderson than cornerback peers McDuffie, Sauce Gardner ($30.1MM/year), and Derek Stingley Jr. ($30MM/year) are.
Witherspoon established himself as a top-shelf defender as a rookie in 2023, starting 13 of 14 games and logging 16 passes defensed, a 97-yard pick six, and three sacks en route to the first of three straight Pro Bowl campaigns. Starting all 17 games in 2024, Pro Football Focus’ 16th-best cornerback that season finished second on the Seahawks with 98 total tackles, adding a sack, six tackles for loss, and nine passes defensed. Five missed games near the start of the 2025 slate led to a decreased stat total, but Witherspoon’s excellence when he got back on the field was apparent, as he earned second-team All-Pro honors and graded out as PFF’s best cornerback.
Interestingly, fellow 2023 first-rounder and Patriots CB1 Christian Gonzalez has the same representation as Witherspoon (Reginald Johnson and Tory Dandy of CAA Football). Breer suggests that could set up a game of contract chicken in which one team knows that if they extend their top cornerback first, that will become the baseline for the other player.
Seattle has already made the easy decision to exercise Witherspoon’s fifth-year option, thereby locking the Illinois product into a fully-guaranteed $21.16MM salary for 2027. The club still hopes to have a new deal in place long before then.
Titans Were Intrigued By WR Carnell Tate’s Work Against Press Coverage; Latest On Team’s QB Room
When the Cardinals selected running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft, many expected the Titans to grab linebacker/EDGE Arvell Reese with the No. 4 choice. As we learned after the draft, the Titans were concerned about Reese’s positional fit in new head coach Robert Saleh’s defense, which is one of the reasons why Tennessee opted for wide receiver Carnell Tate instead (although the team reportedly would have taken Reese if Tate had not been available).
We also learned the Titans viewed Tate’s athleticism more highly than his official scouting combine metrics. And there was another aspect of his game that drew Tennessee to the former Buckeye: his ability against press coverage.
As ESPN’s Turron Davenport notes, Titans receivers caught just 17% of their targets last season when facing press coverage. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll (video link via Davenport) said he will address that concern schematically with more bunch formations and motions, and Daboll added that Tate’s presence will go a long way given what he was able to put on tape while in college.
Tennessee did find an EDGE later on in Day 1, trading back into the first round to land Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk. The team then picked up linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the second round, so it quickly tended to both of the defensive positions that could have been targets at No. 4. Clearly, however, adding more weaponry to second-year quarterback Cam Ward’s arsenal was a top priority, and the Titans apparently feel they landed a complete player at the top of the draft board.
In addition to his press coverage acumen, the 6-foot, 192-pound Tate earned a reputation as an excellent route runner in his three years at Ohio State, where he caught 121 passes and 14 touchdowns in 39 games. His production took off after Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka turned pro, and he did not drop a pass in 2025, per Pro Football Focus.
The Titans also added free agent WR Wan’Dale Robinson to a receiver room that includes promising 2025 draftees Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike (along with second-year tight end Gunnar Helm). The team returns veteran wideout Calvin Ridley, whose 2025 campaign was cut short by a broken fibula.
Behind Ward on the QB depth chart are new acquisitions Mitchell Trubisky and Hendon Hooker, along with holdover Will Levis. Trubisky appears locked into a role as Ward’s top backup, leaving Levis and Hooker to battle for a QB3/practice squad spot. Levis’ future in Nashville has been called into question, but he remains on the roster for the time being.
Naturally, Daboll had nothing but positive things to say about his group of passers. As Terry McCormick of TitanInsider relays, Daboll praised Ward’s professional approach and Trubisky’s familiarity with his offensive system (the OC also believes Trubisky’s teammates can benefit from the former No. 2 overall pick’s history of ups and downs). Daboll added that Levis has picked up the system quickly and will benefit from the fresh start presented by Tennessee’s offseason regime change, and he said Hooker “looked good” in his tryout with the club.
Bengals Could Restructure QB Joe Burrow’s Contract
At this point in the calendar, NFL teams have conducted the majority of their offseason business, so creating cap space is not as pressing of a need as it was in early March. Still, a club has to leave itself some flexibility to make additions when necessary, and such flexibility is often achieved through a restructure or two.
The Bengals are presently near the bottom of the league in cap room (just over $7MM), and they could go the restructure route to create a little cushion. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s ~$48MM cap charge stands out as the most obvious target, and director of player personnel Duke Tobin suggested he may seek to rework his franchise passer’s contract.
“Those are things that we’re working through after the draft,” Tobin said at the end of last month (via Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “We’ve layered in challenges, but we’re up to them, and we do it because we have the opportunity to add the right people and the right player.”
The challenges Tobin referenced include the limited cap space that accompanies high-dollar expenditures. In order to address the defensive shortcomings that have held the Bengals back over the past several seasons, Tobin authorized eight-figure deals for EDGE Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook, and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in March, and he also took on defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence’s hefty contract via a pre-draft trade with the Giants (Tobin extended Lawrence’s pact shortly thereafter).
Tobin says his team is “damn close” to the top of the NFL in terms of roster spending, and Burrow’s $25.25MM base salary for 2026 is a big part of that. As Brennan observes, Burrow said last year that he was amenable to reworking the five-year, $275MM deal he inked in 2023 in order to make room for wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and it stands to reason he would be similarly willing this year.
After all, the types of restructure that would be in play here have no worse than a neutral impact on the player, so they tend to be drama-free transactions. Burrow’s case is perhaps a bit different in light of some comments he made in December, comments that briefly led to retirement and trade speculation. While such rumors were promptly quashed, subsequent reports suggested Burrow was nonetheless trying to put some pressure on the Bengals by being candid about his dissatisfaction.
If that was the case, the historically-conservative franchise’s active offseason indicates Burrow achieved his goal (just as he did when Cincinnati re-signed Higgins while simultaneously greenlighting a record-setting deal for Chase). A restructure would make it more difficult for the Bengals to trade Burrow in the near future, and though a trade seems like little more than a pipe dream for interested teams – who were expected to chase that dream just the same – Burrow’s acquiescence to a reworked deal would seem to further solidify his status in Cincinnati.
Raiders CB Taron Johnson Absent From Workouts, Seeking Contract Adjustment
Slot cornerback Taron Johnson, one of the Raiders’ many notable offseason additions, has not been present for voluntary workouts. Johnson’s absence is related to his contract, Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post reports.
Then in the midst of an eight-season tenure in Buffalo, Johnson signed a three-year, $31MM extension in March 2024. The deal temporarily made Johnson the highest-paid slot corner in the NFL. While Johnson still has two years and over $17MM in base salaries left on the pact, there is just $1.175MM in guaranteed money remaining. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is seeking “more security” as a result, per Bonsignore.
The Bills were reportedly going to release Johnson before the Raiders agreed to acquire him in a late-round pick swap on March 8. With rookie coordinator Jim Leonhard installing a new scheme, the Bills no longer saw Johnson as a fit in their defense. The 2018 fourth-rounder evolved into one the game’s premier slot corners earlier in his career, but injuries helped lead to a decline in performance in his final two years in Buffalo.
Johnson has missed nine games since 2024, including four last season. Over 13 games in 2025, the one-time second-team All-Pro registered 57 tackles and four passes defensed. He went without an interception and finished as Pro Football Focus’ 75th-ranked corner among 112 qualifiers.
While Johnson was no longer in Buffalo’s plans, Las Vegas is hoping he and a slew of other offseason pickups upgrade its defense next season. Kwity Paye, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Treydan Stukes, Keyron Crawford and Jermod McCoy are among Johnson’s fellow newcomers who could be in for big roles. Drafting Stukes, a second-round pick from Arizona, gave the Raiders another slot-capable option to join Johnson. That’s assuming Johnson shows up at some point. He has only missed voluntary work so far, but the Raiders’ mandatory minicamp starts June 6. If Johnson is still away from his new team then, he will be subject to fines.