Latest On Dolphins’ Position Battles
After moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle in the offseason, the Dolphins have essentially initiated a bit of a rebuild. A big part of that process is identifying which pieces are worth building around, so Miami will be keeping an eye on the outcome of a few key position battles this summer.
A year ago, the Dolphins exchanged third- and fourth-round picks for a fifth-rounder in order to move up 11 slots in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea. As a rookie, Savaiinaea started every game of the season for the Dolphins at left guard, grading out as the worst of 79 players graded at the position last year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Miami drafted Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor with its first of two first-round picks, but the college tackle will start his NFL career at Savaiinaea’s left guard spot. With starting right guard Cole Strange departing in free agency, the Dolphins have opted to move Savaiinaea over the right side of the line in the hope that he might play better on the side he played on in college. The team isn’t banking on that possibility, though.
According to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, if Savaiinaea continues to struggle through Year 2, the new front office/coaching regime will be perfectly willing to give an opportunity to their own roster additions in the sixth-round rookie out of Texas, DJ Campbell, or free agent addition Jamaree Salyer.
At running back, the Dolphins already worked this offseason to secure star rusher De’Von Achane to a four-year deal, but in order for him to be effective all four years, Miami needs him to have some help at the position. Last year, second-year back Jaylen Wright and rookie rusher Ollie Gordon both finished the season with 70 carries apiece. Wright didn’t get on the field until Week 7 due to injury but proved to be efficiently productive when he did play, averaging 4.1 yards per carry to the tune of 288 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Gordon was viewed as a fantasy sleeper early on in the season due to concerns about Achane’s durability, but the Oklahoma State product saw a difficult transition to the pro-level, averaging only 2.8 yards per carry to finish Year 1 with 199 yards and three touchdowns. Miami will hope that coming into the season healthy will help Wright make a bigger impact early in his third season of play or that Gordon will be able to recapture the big-play ability he displayed as the NCAA’s 2023 rushing yards leader as a sophomore with the Cowboys. They’ll rely, of course, on Achane first, but they’ll need change of pace to keep him effective.
Lastly, the Dolphins saw their top three cornerbacks depart in free agency this offseason, and the team will have to find new starters this summer. Miami spent their second first-round pick this year on San Diego State’s Chris Johnson, and the team expects the rookie corner to slot into one of the starting boundary positions. According to Kelly, the opposite boundary spot will see JuJu Brents, Storm Duck, and Ethan Bonner as the main contenders for a starting spot.
Brents and Duck have started a few games as part of the defensive rotation in recent years, and Bonner saw increased responsibility off the bench last year, as well. Kelly calls this “an open competition,” though, granting that any defensive back will have an opportunity to land starting honors. Recent free agent additions Darrell Baker Jr. and Marco Wilson are two names that stand an outside shot of earning a bigger role.
NFC Staff Updates: Falcons, Cardinals, Panthers, 49ers, Cowboys
With the draft in the rearview, new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has gotten to work reshaping the front office staff to his liking. To that effect, Atlanta has hired Keith Earle as a mid-Atlantic area scout, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Earle’s first taste of NFL work came as a camp intern in player personnel for the Eagles in 2021. After a similar internship in Chicago the next year, Earle was hired on as a scouting assistant in the first year of Ryan Poles‘ tenure as GM. He spent the past two seasons as the midlands area scout for the Bears but has now followed Cunningham to Atlanta for his new gig.
Thanks to Neil Stratton of SucceedInFootball.com, we also learn that the new title in Atlanta for Justin Hickman will be national scout. After the conclusion of a playing career that took him through the NFL and CFL, Hickman has gained some uniquely vast experience working as an XFL executive, an analyst at Pro Football Focus, a coach, and until recently, an area scout with the Patriots. Earle and Hickman could just be the start as the front office begins to reflect the new GM.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFL:
- In Arizona, the Cardinals have promoted one new staffer and said goodbye to another. According to Stratton, Alfonza Knight has been promoted to assistant director, college scouting. After initial NFL jobs as an equipment intern for the Titans and a staffer with the Senior Bowl, Knight first joined the Cardinals as a scouting assistant in 2014, getting promoted to NFS scout in 2017 and spending the last eight years as an area scout. Leaving the front office, per Stratton, is veteran scout Chris Culmer. Starting as a scouting intern for the Seahawks in 2000, Culmer worked his way up to scouting assistant and pro scout over nearly nine years in Seattle. He stayed within the division with his next job, joining the Cardinals as a west area scout. He was promoted to director college scouting for a couple years but has spent the last 12 seasons as a western regional scout.
- On the coaching side of things, the Panthers awarded a promotion this week to a member of their defensive staff, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Linebackers coach Pete Hansen has had the moniker of assistant defensive coordinator added to his title. After going from strength and conditioning coach to defensive assistant at Stanford in 2009, Hansen first dipped his toe in the NFL waters as a defensive assistant/quality control coach with the nearby 49ers. After rejoining the Cardinal as an inside linebackers coach for six years and working as defensive coordinator at UNLV for two, Hansen got his first NFL position coaching gig as a linebackers coach for the Broncos in 2022. The fast-rising assistant has earned his new title after three seasons in Carolina.
- Moving towards analytics, ESPN’s Seth Walder reported this week that the 49ers will no longer employ R&D analyst Meredith Manley after she opted to leave following the conclusion of her contract with the team. Manley worked in the role for the past four years following a three-year stint as a football analytics assistant in Arizona.
- Lastly, the Cowboys have hired a new pair of strategic football fellows, per Walder. Nick Fullerton is taking the fellowship after previously working as a research analyst at NFL Next Gen Stats. Vincent Etherton will be the other new fellow following his time as a data analytics student assistant with the Princeton football team.
Early Lead For Danny Pinter In Ravens’ C Battle?
As Baltimore prepared to take on the contracts of both Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson before ultimately reneging on Crosby’s trade agreement, the Ravens were forced to let several starters walk in free agency.
The biggest surprise came when Tyler Linderbaum — the team’s starting center who made the Pro Bowl three times over his four-year rookie deal — signed a record contract sending him to Las Vegas. Linderbaum’s successor has not officially been named, but free agent addition Danny Pinter appears to getting the first-team reps early on, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic..
There’s a decent chance that the Ravens wouldn’t have been able to retain Linderbaum even if the Crosby situation hadn’t been a distraction. Linderbaum’s new deal raised the ceiling for center contracts by 50 percent, topping Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM annual average by $9MM. Absent their starting center of the past four seasons, Baltimore has been tasked with finding a replacement. In the days after Linderbaum’s departure, the team brought in Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn on free agent deals.
Pinter has been a backup interior offensive lineman in Indianapolis since 2020, when the Colts drafted him in the fifth round out of Ball State. Over five seasons with the team — he missed the entire 2023 season on injured reserve — he appeared in 77 games, serving mostly on special teams. He did get some action as an injury replacement, making 10 starts over that period — seven at center and three at right guard. In the opportunities provided to him, Pinter has generally shown strong run blocking abilities but struggles in pass pro.
Gwyn is a former seventh-round guard out of South Carolina that was drafted by the Falcons in 2023. He only appeared in two games over his first two years in the league and didn’t appear on offense until this past season, seeing at least one snap at guard in five games. He didn’t play center in college, but he’s been identified as a candidate for the job in Baltimore.
There was an expectation the Ravens would address the position in the 2026 NFL Draft as a number of prospects at the position were expected to go on Day 2. Ultimately, even when several of those top prospects at the position fell to Day 3, Baltimore never seemed to find enough value to draft one when its picks came around. There’s been speculation that the team could still pursue a veteran free agent at the position with options like Ethan Pocic, Sam Mustipher, and Andre James available, but nothing has moved on that front lately. The Ravens also roster Corey Bullock, who made their roster as an undrafted rookie last year and appears to be in consideration, as well.
Per Zrebiec, new head coach Jesse Minter claims that “Pinter has done a great job” but that they still “might rotate first-team center reps in Organized Team Activities. Unless the team does, in fact, make an outside addition soon, it appears Pinter has an inside track to his first full-time starting job in Year 7 of his career, though he’ll be challenged by the seventh-rounder, Gwyn, and the undrafted Bullock.
Packers Announce Promotions In Player Personnel Department
In the player personnel department of the Packers front office, the departure of former vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan for the general manager job in Miami left GM Brian Gutekunst without his No. 2. Addressing that concern, Green Bay announced a series of internal promotions throughout its player personnel department this week.
Filling the vice president of player personnel role left vacant by Sullivan will be Milt Hendrickson. Starting his NFL career as a training camp intern for the Packers in 2004, Hendrickson’s first full-time opportunity came in Baltimore, where he spent 14 years going from player personnel assistant to midwest area scout to mid-regional scout to national scout before finally making his way to Green Bay. He’s been with the Packers for the past eight years, working the last seven as director – football operations.
Formerly the co-director of player personnel, John Wojciechowski has been promoted into Hendrickson’s old role of director — football operations. Wojciechowski is in his 14th year with the Packers and his 31st in the NFL. He started as a player personnel assistant for the Steelers in 1996 and worked as a college scout in Jacksonville for five years and Dallas for nine more before ultimately landing in the same role for the Packers in 2012. He was promoted to director of pro personnel in 2017 before landing in his most recent role, which he held for the past eight years.
Richmond Williams will follow the same path as his predecessor, moving from his most recent role of director of pro personnel to director of player personnel. Williams is entering Year 19 in Green Bay. After serving as the team’s NFS scout covering the southwest region, Williams was named a college scout in 2012 and a pro scout in 2017, holding the latter role for only two years before reaching his most recent role before the promotion.
The chain of successive promotion broke up just a bit after that. According to the Packers, senior personnel executive Lee Gissendaner will add the title of director of pro scouting to his title. Matt Malaspina will also assume the title of senior player personnel executive after getting promoted from director of college scouting, and former assistant director of college scouting Pat Moore has been promoted to succeed Malaspina in the full director role.
Gissendaner has spent 25 non-consecutive years with the Packers, starting with the team in 1998 and taking a three-year sabbatical as a national scout with the Jets from 2015-17. He worked 14 years as an area scout before leaving for New York and was named a player personnel executive upon his return.
Malaspina has been with the team for nine years but is entering his 28th season of NFL experience. Starting with NFS in 1998, Malaspina worked with the Panthers for a year, Seahawks for five years, and 49ers for 12 years before landing in Green Bay and getting promoted to director of college scouting following a year as a college scout with the team. Moore held a series of collegiate coaching roles before turning to scouting with the Browns in 2013. He arrived as a college scout in Green Bay in 2018 before getting promoted to his most recent role in 2021.
Lastly, a trio of scouts earned promotions. Mike Owen, a former national scout in his 15th year with the team, was named assistant director of pro scouting, Sam Seale, in his 32nd season with the team, was promoted from national scout to senior national scout, and former college scout Luke Benuska was promoted to national scout in his 11th year in Green Bay.
Owen arrived in Green Bay in 2012 and held a role as a college scout for 13 years before getting promoted to national scout last year. Seale started as a college scout in 1995, became a west regional scout in 2012, and was named a national scout in 2018. Lastly, Benuska originally joined the Packers as a scouting intern in 2016, following recruiting work at his alma mater, TCU. He became a pro scout in 2017 before working the past eight seasons in the college scouting role.
Assessing Steelers’ QB Hierarchy Under Aaron Rodgers
After much ado, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to the Steelers on a new deal last weekend then, shortly after, announced his plans to retire following the 2026 NFL season. Both bits of news could influence the makeup of the quarterbacks room moving forward in Pittsburgh, and the possibilities of who might be the odd man out are extremely interesting.
Rodgers is clearly the starter, as he returns for his 22nd season of NFL play, but in his return, he joined an existing three-man group. New head coach Mike McCarthy is surely thrilled to be reunited with his longtime quarterback from the pair’s time in Green Bay together, but he has routinely carried no more than three quarterbacks on the active roster in any given year, sometimes going with two but sticking with three a majority of the time. With Rodgers in tow, it now becomes a question of which of the other three will be the odd man out.
The three likely competing for two spots are veteran backup Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, and rookie third-round pick Drew Allar. While a couple of combinations seem like obvious favorites, there are several arguments that make this an intriguing battle to watch.
One seemingly obvious conclusion would be that Rudolph must be one of the two backups; in fact, it would be a reasonable presumption to say that he should be the primary backup. Since being taken in the third round out of Oklahoma State eight years ago, Rudolph has appeared in 34 games, starting 19 but never functioning as QB1 for a team. He’s shown over time that he can keep a team afloat, but a limited ceiling is likely going to keep him from being the man to eventually take the reins from Rodgers.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rudolph believes Rodgers’ presence bodes well for him. With Rodgers, he sees the Steelers as a “win now” team that could ride Rodgers off into the sunset on top. If they’re going all in on this one season to “win now,” they would need an experienced backup, in case Rodgers can’t make it all the way from start to finish. Fortunately for Rudolph, Howard and Allar have combined for zero NFL snaps as of today, and it’s hard to imagine the team would feel comfortable with either youngster coming off the bench right now in place of Rodgers.
Bucking against the obvious presumption, McCarthy, who has a penchant for developing quarterbacks, has expressed his preference for molding younger, less experienced arms. “I love the young guys, especially when you get them when they’re just starting out,” McCarthy said at rookie minicamp (per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).
If that’s the case, then the argument could be made for holding on to the younger pair of backups. Howard has a slight advantage over Allar, having been on the team for a year longer, but Howard’s rookie-year redshirt was essentially a medical redshirt, keeping him away from many of the things that would’ve provided him a familiar edge over Allar. If McCarthy likes passers who are “just starting out,” Allar may be his perfect canvas. The Penn State-product didn’t even start playing the position until high school, and though he oozes potential, a lot of production failed to make it to the field in Happy Valley.
A Steelers correspondent on The Pat McAfee Show, Mark Kaboly seemed pretty of convinced of how things might shake out. He started with the obvious route, slotting Rodgers in at QB1 and Rudolph in as his experienced backup. Then, when choosing between Howard and Allar for the third spot, Kaboly opted for the higher-drafted Allar, who also has more years of team control remaining on his contract. Kaboly thinks this route also gives Pittsburgh its strongest chance to retain all four guys. Either young player would be placed on waivers, if cut, and be at risk of any team claiming them. Howard stands the best chance of clearing waivers to land on the practice squad, while Allar would likely draw a decent number of claims as a third-round pick with potential.
In a surprising update from just a couple days ago, though, Pryor reported that, at early practice activities, Howard has been taking QB2 reps over both Allar and Rudolph. As a third-round pick this year under McCarthy, it seems highly unlikely that Allar would be going anywhere, so Rudolph may just end up being the odd man out. We’d likely need to see this stack with much more consistency before truly believing that Howard has surpassed Rudolph on the depth chart, but it’s great experience for the Ohio State-product regardless.
To see where Rodgers’ retirement plans come into effect, one must fast forward a year. Further supporting the potential hierarchy Pryor noted, the notion Pittsburgh might move forward with Rudolph as the starter next year is highly unlikely. If it turns out the Steelers are not as competitive as they hope to be in Rodgers’ final year, McCarthy and Co. may be interested in seeing what they have in their younger arms.
There is so much time that will transpire before anything definitive decisions need to be made. Injuries or trades may make the team’s decision for them, or one of the three contenders could start to steal the show and run away with the job. While Rodgers is obviously the star of the room, it will be very interesting to see how the battle behind him plays out.
AFC Staff Updates: Merritt, Watts, Browns, Colts
A month ago, Chiefs cornerbacks coach David Merritt was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Merritt’s case was dismissed by the District Court of Johnson County.
At the time of Merritt’s arrest on the Kansas side of the border, no details accompanied the news to explain his arrest and charging, but the former NFL linebacker pleaded not guilty once given the opportunity in court as the Chiefs chose not to comment on the situation. Merritt’s attorney, Ryan Ginie, informed Garafolo that the District Attorney’s office “looked at (the case) a little more thoroughly and reviewed some additional information” before they “agreed it was a matter that should be dismissed.”
Following the case’s dismissal, the Chiefs are set to continue the offseason with their assistant coach of the past seven years. Merritt has helped coach a secondary unit on a defense that has routinely finished in the top half of the league in pass defense.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the AFC:
- After leaving Pittsburgh in March, veteran scout Chris Watts reportedly turned to the collegiate ranks of the game, joining the University of Texas “in a player personnel capacity,” per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Watts is coming off a four-year stay with the Steelers following a 15-year stint in the Giants’ front office. Watts scouted the Longhorns in his coverage of the south area for the Steelers, and he also has some experience working for the Senior Bowl.
- The Browns have added a veteran presence to their front office, hiring Mike Derice as their new mid-Atlantic area scout, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedInFootball.com. Derice wasn’t with a team in 2025, but before his short sabbatical, he had gathered a combined 13 years of experience working with the Giants and Colts. He returns to work following a surprising parting of ways with New York a year ago.
- The Colts made a minor addition to their data/analytics group earlier this month. Per ESPN’s Seth Walder, Sam Swift was hired as a football data analyst in Indianapolis. Swift will be working his first full-time NFL position after interning with the Bills last year and working as a recruiting assistant as he finished school at the University of Iowa.
QB Brendan Sorsby’s Injunction Hearing Date Set
The latest legal move by Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby‘s team in his case against the NCAA seems to have produced the desired result. On Tuesday, Sorsby’s legal team filed an injunction in Lubbock County District Court in a move many viewed as an attempt to expedite the NCAA’s usually lengthy investigative process.
According to Pete Nakos of On3, “Sorsby’s eligibility case has been assigned a temporary injunction hearing set” to take place June 1. The date works well for Sorsby, who has requested a timeline that would allow him to hear a final decision in time to potentially declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft. The deadline to declare is June 22.
The case experienced a slight delay already when the judge originally assigned to the case, Judge Phillip Hays, recused himself, per Ryan Autollo of Bloomberg Law, based on the fact that he holds two degrees from Texas Tech and grew up in the area. Judge Ken Curry, a retired judge in Tarrant County over in Houston, was assigned to replace him yesterday, per Nakos. His degrees from UTSA and Houston made him less likely to approach the case with any inherent bias. Since retiring, Curry has continued to work as a visiting judge for Tarrant County.
Sorsby’s legal team is led by prestigious antitrust attorney Jeffrey Kessler, famed for his impact on cases touching all areas of the sports world like NIL, equal pay for the US Women’s National Soccer Team, and both the “Bountygate” and “Deflategate” controversies. If granted, Sorsby’s injunction could “feasibly allow him to play out the 2026 college football season” during the NCAA’s investigation. Sorsby’s team leaned on “potential damage to (Sorsby)’s mental health” as a precedent for the injunction.
Sorsby is fighting for his eligibility after the Red Raiders placed the transfer quarterback from Cincinnati on an “indefinite leave of absence” due to a gambling addiction. Sorsby’s team has admitted that the passer has placed “thousands” of sports bets since 2022, including several on a team he played for at the time he placed the bet. The NCAA has set guidelines that would potentially remove a student athlete’s eligibility permanently if they were to bet on their own sport or other sports at their own school. Sorsby has shelled out for the best representation money can buy in his situation, and they’re trying to move things quickly to set him up for whatever the courts decide.
Dolphins Extend RB De’Von Achane
MAY 21: For full guarantees, Achane’s contract comes in well south of the previously reported $32MM number. It contains $17.38MM guaranteed at signing, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. That ranks 13th among running backs. Another $3MM — from Achane’s 2028 salary ($14.23MM) — will vest in March 2027. That $3MM number is part of a $10MM 2028 guarantee; the remaining $7MM will lock in by March 2028, Florio adds.
Achane’s 2026 and ’27 compensation is guaranteed at signing. His 2029 and 2030 base salaries ($14.23MM, $15.72MM) are nonguaranteed, giving the Dolphins a realistic out after the 2027 season. Though, Achane’s camp did well to secure the early guarantee on part of his 2028 salary.
MAY 13: After months of discussions and trade rumors, the Dolphins have closed the deal to extend running back De’Von Achane. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Miami rusher has agreed to a four-year, extension worth up to $68MM with $32MM in guaranteed money.
[RELATED: The Richest RB Contract In Every Team’s History]
Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN clarified that Achane’s new deal has a base value of $64MM with bonuses worth up to $4MM. His annual average value ($16MM per year) and guarantee total are both all-time highs for running backs coming off their rookie deal. Achane is now set to enter the 2026 season with the position’s third-highest AAV, behind only Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey, and fourth-most guarantees, behind Barkley and recent top draft picks Ashton Jeanty and Jeremiyah Love.
Achane came to the NFL after three years at Texas A&M. Despite sitting second on the depth chart behind Isaiah Spiller for two years in College Station, Achane broke out in his sophomore season as RB2. After averaging 8.5 yards per carry as a true freshman in limited time, Achane continued that outrageous efficiency with more touches, averaging seven yards per carry en route to a 910-yard, nine-touchdown season. Unfortunately, Achane’s lone season leading the backfield for the Aggies was the 12th Man’s only losing season since 2009, but he continued to produce with 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns rushing.
In a loaded draft class for running backs, Achane received high grades, but his short, stout frame caused him to slip far behind the first-round ranks of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. After getting selected in the third round by Miami, Achane joined a backfield that had struggled through the 2022 season led by Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Chase Edmonds, Salvon Ahmed, and Myles Gaskin. With Achane spelling him, Mostert excelled in a starting role, rushing for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and leading the league in rushing touchdowns with 18.
Used to coming off the bench with efficiency, Achane was not slowed down by the transition to the NFL. After receiving one carry in the team’s first two contests, he exploded onto to the scene with rushing lines of 18 carries-203 yards-2 touchdowns, 8-101-2, and 11-151-1 in his next three games before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. Despite the time missed due to injury, Achane finished the year with 800 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
Achane took lead back duties from Mostert the following year, but a far less effective all-around unit resulted in Achane finishing with just 907 yards and six touchdowns rushing, though he added a new element to his game with 78 catches for 592 yards and six more scores. Last year, Achane bounced back much closer to the expectations that followed his explosive start in 2023. Starting all 16 games for Miami, he totaled 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, adding 488 yards and four touchdowns receiving.
Unfortunately for Achane, as he’s gotten healthier and returned to form, the Dolphins have backslid into what looks now to be a rebuild. Former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released, shouldering Miami with record-setting dead money, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was released, and WR2 Jaylen Waddle has been traded away. While the Dolphins were okay parting ways with those key assets, it seemed Achane was where they drew the line.
As the team’s 2025 campaign finally began to come to a close, Achane made it known that he intended to stay in Miami, telling reporters he was seeking an extension. As a lack of team success spurred several teams to inquire about potential assets the Dolphins might be willing to move, the team made it clear that Achane was not available. The 24-year-old was absent from voluntary team activities once April came, but extension talks were well underway by then and really starting to gain traction. He’s landed his new deal now and become a key building block for the franchise.
To ease the financial pains of the transactions that removed Tagovailoa, Hill, and Waddle, Achane and center Aaron Brewer agreed to restructured deals. Well, according to Louis-Jacques, Brewer is believed to be one of two other players expected to follow Achane’s lead to a new extension. The other player Louis-Jacques beileves could land a new deal soon is veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Raiders ‘Counting’ On DE Maxx Crosby To Return By Training Camp
MAY 21: Crosby remains away from the team at this time but he continues to make “significant strides” on the recovery front, SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora reports. He adds general managers around the league still see a trade in this case as being highly unlikely, so attention will remain focused on a return to practice in Vegas later this offseason.
MAY 20: The dust has settled a bit since Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby took a quick trip to Baltimore. Though several trade rumors have surfaced since then, none have gained purchase, and Crosby appears to be destined to play his 2026 campaign in Las Vegas. With Crosby still working his way back from injury, though, the Raiders are reportedly “counting” on Crosby to be cleared for play by the start of training camp, according to Raiders columnist Paul Gutierrez.
For the second year in a row, Crosby missed the team’s final stretch of games due to injury. In 2025, though, his season-ending absences came with a bit more controversy as Crosby pushed back against the narrative that he couldn’t play to finish out the year. Having played through a knee injury for about a month and a half, Crosby had every intention of continuing to play through the pain, but with a No. 1 overall pick in reach, Las Vegas was taking zero chances.
After getting shut down against his will, Crosby did end up undergoing meniscus surgery, and in the process, the documented surgery results and scans detailed short- and long-term prognoses that would cause eventual controversy and create offseason headlines. While Crosby’s surgeon, famed knee specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, affirmed that Crosby would recover in time to play in 2026, the Ravens expressed concerns about his long-term prognosis and whether the injury might eventually end his career prematurely.
Now, Crosby is back in Vegas, continuing to rehab from the surgery and hoping to be able to return by training camp as his team hopes he will. New head coach Klint Kubiak has voiced a vote of confidence in Crosby, per Gutierrez, telling the media that “he wouldn’t be surprised if Crosby was ahead of schedule.” The Raiders don’t need “ahead of schedule,” though, they just need their star pass rusher back for the push into the preseason as they begin a new era under their rookie head coach-quarterback duo.
Jaguars Sign TE Nate Boerkircher, Complete Rookie Class Signings
The Jaguars announced today that they have concluded the process of signing their picks from the 2026 NFL Draft. They saved the best of their 10-man draft class for last, finishing with second-round Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher.
Boerkircher took a longer road to the NFL, turning down a number of Division II offers to walk on at his home-state dream school. After failing to see the field as a true freshman and only playing in three games in Year 2, Boerkircher finally began to find a role as a redshirt sophomore. By the end of his redshirt senior season in Lincoln, he had started 17 of 39 game appearances but only recorded 19 receptions for 219 yards and one touchdown.
Buried on the Cornhuskers’ depth chart with one remaining year of eligibility, thanks to the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Boerkircher transferred to Texas A&M, teaming up with Theo Melin Öhrström to form an intriguing tight end duo in College Station. While most of the Aggies’ passing attack ran through three main options at receiver in KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, and Ashton Bethel-Roman, Boerkircher and Öhrström supplemented the offense as a pair of athletic targets.
Still, Boerkircher’s receiving totals didn’t blow away. He finished his sixth year of school with 19 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns, but in that short sample, he demonstrated strong hands capable of reeling contested catches with as much consistency as can be determined in a 19-catch sample. With good size and effort, he showed plus abilities as a blocker, as well. He should have an opportunity to compete for the TE2 role in Jacksonville.
After a six-year preamble to the NFL, Boerkircher will be a 25-year-old rookie. He was projected to be a likely fourth-rounder, but coming off the board as TE3, two picks after Eli Stowers, Boerkircher kicked off what would end up being an unprecedented Day 2 run of eight tight ends taken in the second and third rounds.
With all 10 picks signed, here’s a final look at Jacksonville’s rookie draft class:
- Round 2, No. 56: Nate Boerkircher (TE, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 81 (from Lions): Albert Regis (DT, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 88: Emmanuel Pregnon (G, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 100 (from Lions)*: Jalen Huskey (S, Maryland) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 119 (from Panthers): Wesley Williams (EDGE, Duke) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 164: Tanner Koziol (TE, Houston) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 191 (from Chiefs via Patriots): Josh Cameron (WR, Baylor) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 203 (from Eagles via Texans and Eagles): CJ Williams (WR, Stanford) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 233 (from Lions): Zach Durfee (EDGE, Washington) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 240: Parker Hughes (LB, Middle Tennessee State) (signed)