Latest On Dolphins, CB Jalen Ramsey
It’s only been two days since we talked about the Dolphins–Jalen Ramsey trade situation, but what a two days it has been. We insinuated in our most recent post that a trade could be on hold until after June 1 for cap reasons, and a lot of signs appear to be pointing in that direction. 
The reasoning for this is fairly clear. Were the Dolphins to trade their star cornerback before June 1, the team would eat $25.21MM in dead money with Ramsey still taking up $8.55MM of cap space. If the team makes the trade after June 1, that dead money figure reduces to $6.75MM with the team also getting $9.92MM of salary cap relief.
As if to mark June 1 as a finish line, Ramsey simply posted, “5…” on his X account yesterday, likely indicating the number of days until Miami will be willing to trade him. In a string of posts today, Ramsey reiterated that targeted date, telling his followers to “finish the week strong.” He also indicated that things have “ended” and that “a new chapter awaits.”
Head coaches of two teams offered quotes today on the situation, as well. Miami’s Mike McDaniel made it clear today that his focus is on the players who are at the team’s facilities — Ramsey doesn’t appear to have any intentions of attending any offseason activities with the Dolphins. McDaniel said that he’s “very excited to coach a team” and that he’s “just worried about the players on the field today,” per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The Rams have been heavily linked as a team that could reunite with Ramsey, and head coach Sean McVay was the other coach to comment on the situation today. According to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, McVay told reporters that “there hasn’t been any meaningful, tangible dialogue as of late…but that can always change pretty quickly.” “Quickly” could end up being as soon as June 1.
In a mailbag Q&A, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed what a realistic return could look like in a Ramsey trade. Miami has plenty of incentive to get Ramsey’s salary off their books, but that probably doesn’t mean they’ll be willing to discount him too much. While teams acquiring the veteran defender will theoretically be getting three years of control, those years come with cash payouts of $21MM in 2026, $21.7MM in 2027, and $24MM in 2028.
In those final three years, Ramsey will be playing at 32, 33, and 34 years old. Breer points out that, should Ramsey’s age finally catch up to him and affect his abilities to play cornerback, there are people who believe he can transition into a top-tier safety. Even the highest-paid safeties, though, aren’t averaging $21.7MM and $24MM per year today, and the highest-paid safety over 30 years old is only averaging $6.5MM per season.
Breer speculates that this could mean that we’ll see whichever team acquires him cut the veteran after his first season with the team in order to get out of his current contract and potentially work towards a newer, cheaper one. It’s looking likely that we’ll get to find out exactly which team will have that opportunity in 5…4…
Falcons Sign RFA C Ryan Neuzil
Last year, the Falcons were able to avoid tendering center Ryan Neuzil as an exclusive rights free agent with a one-year extension. With Neuzil as a restricted free agent this offseason, Atlanta ended up tendering him. That tender is a thing of the past, though, as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Neuzil and the Falcons have agreed to a two-year, $9.5MM deal. 
Neuzil signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State in 2021. After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, Neuzil made his NFL debut in Week 9 of his sophomore campaign, getting called up as a practice squad elevation. He would appear in every game for the rest of the 2022 season, appearing only on special teams, except for five offensive snaps in the team’s regular season finale.
In 2023, injuries to starting guard and primary backup center Matt Hennessy opened the door for Neuzil to climb the depth chart as the new top option to back up then-starter Drew Dalman. Neuzil entered the year playing the same special teams role in which he ended 2022, but he earned his first career start in Week 6, though only as a technicality as he was an extra lineman on the first play of the game and only played five offensive snaps.
Later in the season, though, Dalman would be forced to miss three games, opening the door for Neuzil to finally start a full game at center and earn snaps on the line during games in which he didn’t start. Ending the season with four starts under his belt likely helped him earn his extension as the primary backup to Dalman. When Dalman missed eight games with a high ankle sprain this past season, Neuzil was the one to fill in. Dalman wanted to return to Atlanta this offseason, and the two sides even met to discuss a new deal, but ultimately, Dalman ended up signing with the Bears, leaving the Falcons seemingly no choice but to sign Neuzil as the team’s new primary center.
According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Neuzil had been working out and practicing with the team without a deal signed, but likely under the impression that he would, at the very least, sign his restricted free agent tender. Now, with a new contract in hand, Neuzil officially rejoins the roster to likely serve as the Falcons’ starting center in 2025.
NFL Minor Transactions: 5/28/25
Wednesday’s only minor moves:
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Chazz Surratt
- Waived: LB DaShaun White
The 49ers already swapped punters today, and strangely, that transaction was the one to make headlines. It’s likely because Surratt and White have also primarily been special teamers so far in their careers. White, an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2023, has split the last two years between the UFL and NFL, spending short stints with the Bills and Raiders before finally seeing an active roster in San Francisco, where he made his NFL debut.
Surratt’s special teams status is a bit more surprising. After switching from starting quarterback to linebacker after a season-ending injury and a head coaching change at North Carolina, Surratt became an All-American defender, racking up 206 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks in his two years at the position. Those two impressive seasons helped convince the Vikings to draft him in the third round.
After only appearing on special teams in nine games as a rookie, Surratt was waived before his sophomore season, rebounding with the Jets. He made five starts while playing in all 17 games last year, but he’s only got 37 total tackles in his four-year career.
K Graham Gano, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Potential Cap Casualties
According to OvertheCap.com, the Giants are 30th in the NFL in 2025 with only $5.95MM of cap space and dead last in the NFL with an effective cap deficit of $4.51MM. Obviously, New York needs to clear up some salary cap space, and Dan Duggan of The Athletic suggested that kicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches could end up being cap casualties. 
Gano, 38, has been with the Giants since 2020 earning two separate three-year extensions for a combined $30.5MM, but he’s only played 18 of a possible 34 games in the past two seasons. A knee injury sidelined Gano for nine games in 2023 while a groin issue held him out of seven contests last year. Along with these injuries have also come some inaccuracies. Gano missed six of 17 field goal attempts in 2023, with two misses coming from inside the 30-yard line. While he improved a bit last season, going nine for 11, one of those misses was again from inside 40 yards.
Gano is under contract for the next two years, but his current contract has a potential out built in that makes the dead money of his contract fairly manageable. Cutting him now would leave the team with $2.5MM of dead money and $3.17MM of cap savings; a post June-1 designation would improve those numbers to $1.25MM of dead money and $4.42MM of cap savings.
In order to cut Gano, though, the team needs somebody who can replace him. They haven’t brought in any kicking competition this offseason, though they did sign Jude McAtamney to a reserve/futures deal in January. Still, there are plenty of veteran options on the free agent market if the Giants want to pursue more experienced kickers like Nick Folk, Matt Prater, or even Justin Tucker. Younger options, such as Michael Badgley, Eddy Pineiro, Cade York, Zane Gonzalez, and Austin Seibert, are available, as well.
Unfortunately for Nunez-Roches, a similar depth issue does not exist. New York brought in veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter as free agents this offseason and spent a third-round pick on Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander. The interior defensive line depth of the team does not preclude the Giants from letting Nunez-Roches go if he can’t contribute in a meaningful manner, and unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that he can.
Despite starting 15 games for the team in 2024, Nunez-Roches has not been a stout defender at his position. He doesn’t produce a ton of pressure — only two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits last year — and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the 99th-best interior defender in the NFL last season out of 118 qualifying players, which was only a slight improvement over his grading from last year (115th out of 130 interior defenders). The Giants reportedly admire his leadership, but if this summer shows that the team can get by with players like Robertson-Harris, Ledbetter, and Alexander around star interior defender Dexter Lawrence, that may not be enough to keep Nunez-Roches around.
Nunez-Roches is headed into the final year of a three-year, $12MM contract. Cutting him, pre- or post-June 1, would only result in $1.43MM of dead money and $3.6MM of cap savings.
Without some competition to make him expendable, Gano might end up surviving cap cuts. Cutting Nunez-Roches, though, could end up being an easy decision if the three newcomers make it clear that he’s not needed.
AFC South Notes: WRs, Anderson, Sneed
Three receivers in the AFC South are facing big seasons for different reasons in 2025, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks and Texans wideout John Metchie all are looking to have impactful 2025 campaigns in order to improve their prospects for the future.
Ridley returns to Tennessee as the team’s leading receiver from 2024, but he’ll be in a much-improved receiving corps this season. He’s been joined by veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson and rookies Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo as targets for No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Volin argues that, with Ridley being 30 years old, the Titans may feel comfortable moving on from Ridley in favor of their several other options in the future. Even with a post-June 1 designation, cutting Ridley would not save them any cap space this year, but if Ridley can’t prove to be a worthy asset in 2025, his contract provides a potential out that could limit his dead money to $8.02MM and increase the team’s cap savings to $18.73 for 2026, should they cut him.
After Tennessee made the decision to decline Burks’ fifth-year option, it’s certain that the 25-year-old will be headed into the final year of his rookie contract. Through three seasons, Burks has struggled mightily with injuries, missing 24 of a possible 51 games. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that he may not make it through the offseason. With the lack of production, the influx of new talent, and only $2.66MM in cash owed to him this year, Burks could face long odds of making the roster in 2025.
Metchie, unfortunately, faces similar challenges. Metchie’s health issues stem, initially, from a surprising diagnosis of leukemia that halted his rookie season before it even began. In two years since returning to the team, though, Metchie has failed to make much of an impact, despite injuries to his teammates providing plenty of opportunities for him to do so. Like Burks, Metchie is now heading into the final year of his rookie contract and dealing with an influx of new talent like veteran Christian Kirk and Day 2 rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Metchie, a Day 2 pick himself, will need to tap into the potential that got him drafted that high in order to ensure his roster status for the 2025 NFL season.
Here are a couple other rumors from around the AFC South:
- Former No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. is not yet eligible for an extension, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about it. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year told reporters recently that he “most definitely” wants to remain in Houston for the rest of his career. With 18.0 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, and 41 quarterback hits through two seasons, one would imagine that the feeling is mutual. The Texans will have to wait until he completes his third season of NFL play, though, until they can extend their young pass rusher with the contract that he desires.
- Two days ago, we reported that Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was progressing well in his rehabilitation but noted that there wasn’t yet a timeline for his return. There doesn’t appear to have been any new information, but Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt told fans in a mailbag yesterday that “the plan is to have him ready to go for the fall.” So, it seems Sneed will continue his recovery work for the remainder of the summer with plans to be back, hopefully, in time for training camp.
Patriots Rumors: Moses, LG, UDFAs
At 34 years old, Morgan Moses is still playing at a level that garners the three-year, $24MM deal he signed with the Patriots. If he’s able to play out the entirety of his contract, he’ll be 37 years old when he hits free agency again; for reference, the oldest offensive tackle currently in the NFL is Trent Williams at 36.
One usually doesn’t make it this long in the NFL without a couple of bumps and bruises along the way. After only playing eight games as a rookie, Moses played in every game of every season for eight straight years. His past two seasons in Baltimore and New York, though, saw him miss three games apiece as Father Time starts to catch up to him. After missing two games early last year, Moses reportedly played through a grade 2 MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for several weeks.
Moses was reportedly “given a clean bill of health” from the Jets’ medical staff before free agency, and according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, that came following some offseason knee surgery. As he comes back from surgery, Moses has not been participating in full-team drills at practice. Still, he’s been plenty involved despite not practicing, mentoring rookie first-round tackle out of LSU Will Cambell, who it’s presumed will be starting opposite him in Week 1.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of New England lately:
- Last season, the left guard position became a major question for New England as Cole Strange missed all but the team’s last three games with injury and the Patriots fluctuated between Michael Jordan and Layden Robinson in his absence. Even when Strange returned from injury, he filled a need at center instead of returning to left guard. So far in early practices, that uncertainty has remained. With free agent signing Garrett Bradbury taking the center job, Strange can move back to left guard. So far, Strange has shared the position with free agent addition Wes Schweitzer, and undrafted free agent Jack Conley out of Boston College, per Reiss. Robinson is currently not a full participant, but he, too, could end up competing for the job. It’s early, but there are several potential options for the team at that position.
- While we did cover a couple of the Patriots’ top undrafted earners (Eastern Washington wide receiver Efton Chism III and UC Davis running back Lan Larison) when they announced those signings, Reiss provided some info on a few more that we were not aware of at the time. Per Reiss, Alabama tight end C.J. Dippre earned the highest guaranteed total ($264K), followed by Chism ($259K), North Carolina defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie ($218K), Larison ($175K), Cal Poly edge rusher Elijah Ponder ($115K), Conley ($110K), and Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr. ($95K).
Cowboys Potential Trade Destination For CB Jalen Ramsey?
Much of the news on the potential trade situation for Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey has already been reported. Essentially, Ramsey is looking to depart from South Beach, a potential return to the Rams has gained traction, but the Dolphins’ unwillingness to retain some of Ramsey’s salary has stalled things at the moment. 
Yesterday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler claimed to have spoken to someone in the Cowboys organization who suggested that they might not be done adding players through trades this offseason. In a video provided by Brandon Loree of SB Nation, Fowler used that experience to suggest that Dallas could be a team to watch in the bidding for Ramsey, supporting that assertion by pointing out the three trades the Cowboys have already made for players on rookie contracts this offseason and saying the team could make a fourth trade on the veteran cornerback.
The connection feels like quite a bit of a stretch. The Cowboys have, in fact, made four trades this offseason already, acquiring quarterback Joe Milton and wide receiver George Pickens on offense and linebacker Kenneth Murray and cornerback Kaiir Elam on defense. While Fowler is right that the Cowboys have certainly been active on the trade market, one could argue that that might make them less likely to make another trade, considering they surrendered three draft picks in this past draft and already gave up a third- and seventh-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027, as well. Dallas may not be willing to part with much more draft capital, especially whatever Ramsey will demand.
Cowboys Insider for WFAA Ed Werder voiced his own skepticism of Fowler’s assertion, stating his belief that the idea of trading for Ramsey has not “even been a topic of discussion within the Cowboys (organization) at this time.”
Cornerback had been identified as a position of need for the Cowboys this offseason. With DaRon Bland‘s injury and a down year for Trevon Diggs, nickelback Jourdan Lewis was the only bright spot of the group in 2024, and Lewis departed for Jacksonville in free agency. Still, Bland is sure to bounce back in a full year in 2025; he was still plenty good even after coming off of injury last season. And, while Diggs’ disappointing season coming off his own injuries is concerning, we’ve seen him play at a Pro Bowl level in years prior.
Even if injuries continue to doom the room, Dallas’s offseason moves of trading for Elam and drafting East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel in the third round should bolster the team’s confidence in the position a bit. That’s not to say that Dallas should be totally disregarded as a potential trade suitor for Ramsey, but at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence to support that theory.
Browns Rookie QBs Likely To Receive Fewer Reps In OTAs
As the Browns look forward to Organized Team Activities, head coach Kevin Stefanski reflected on what he’s seen thus far in the team’s offseason program. According to ESPN’s Tony Grossi, Stefanski seemed to indicate that the narrative that all four quarterbacks will be competing for the starting job is losing steam. 
Technically, Cleveland rosters five quarterbacks. Incumbent starter Deshaun Watson remains under contract with the Browns, but there’s a decent chance he won’t be available in 2025. The 29-year-old’s lackluster 2024 campaign ended when he suffered an Achilles tendon tear, and when news of a second Achilles tear surfaced in January, his availability for next season immediately came into question. He can’t be entirely ruled out, though, as we saw reports this week that Watson had shed his walking boot and resumed throwing.
That being said, Watson will not be a factor during the remainder of the team’s offseason program. The four passers participating this summer are veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. With so many low-dollar contracts involved, one would think that he starting job is up for grabs and anyone’s to take. That doesn’t appear to be the case, per Stefanski’s comments.
When asked how reps will be divided among the four, Stefanski gave the impression that it will not be done with an even 25 percent split. “It’s not going to be that way,” he told reporters. “The big thing for us is making sure we give the guys enough reps that they need, making sure they have enough for both learning the system and developing and for us to evaluate them.”
It looks like the veterans, Flacco and Pickett, will get the majority of the reps, and Gabriel and Sanders will need to make up for their lack of playing time with virtual reality technology via the team’s new virtual walk-through room. It seems the virtual reality trend, made popular by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, is extending its reach. Daniels adopted the practice at LSU and made its implementation a requirement for any team that drafted him. As a result, Daniels turned in one of the greatest rookie seasons we’ve seen out of a quarterback, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and taking Washington to the NFC Championship.
The Browns will count on this technology now to help bring their rookies up to NFL speed. “VR can be a big tool, especially for young players,” Stefanski said. “It’s really dependent on the player, how they like it. That’s something we’ll definitely be working with the next three weeks.”
Stefanski didn’t give a timeline for when the team will make its decisions. Grossi points out that two-day joint practice sessions with other teams serve as crucial practices for Stefanski’s decision-making, and the Brown will get two such sessions before their preseason games with the Panthers and Eagles. He did say, though, that the staff would make a plan for training camp based on what they see in the next month or so.
At the moment, it seems Flacco’s experience gives him the edge. The 40-year-old passer has 17 seasons of NFL play under his belt, has won a Super Bowl, and has successful experience as the starting quarterback in Cleveland’s system. From there, the next few weeks will be crucial for Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders to establish themselves and gain ground in the position battle.
Panthers Part Ways With DPP Cole Spencer, Scout Robert Haines
One of several teams making front office changes in the wake of the NFL draft, the Panthers have reportedly parted ways with director of player personnel Cole Spencer and long-time college scout Robert Haines, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
Starting his football career in football operations and coaching at Eastern Illinois, Spencer entered the NFL as a scouting intern for Washington in 2010. A year later, he was promoted to a regional scouting role, and he spent the next eight years scouting the northeast, midwest, and southeast regions. He spent his last two years in Washington as a national scout. Spencer left the Football Team to join the Panthers in 2021 as director of college scouting. Carolina promoted him to director of player personnel in 2023.
A local product, Haines has been with the Panthers for all 22 seasons of his career. He first started in Carolina with the team’s video department. In 2005, he moved into the personnel department as a college scouting assistant, getting promoted to pro scouting assistant in 2007, combine scout in 2008, and regional scout in 2010. For 11 seasons, Haines covered the northeast area (the source of Boston College product Luke Kuechly) before moving to the southeast area in 2021. In the final three seasons of his career, Haines served as a national scout.
While no announcements have been made as of yet, Person adds that the Panthers intend to “absorb” these positions internally with no immediate plans to replace Spencer or Haines. This means their responsibilities could end up just falling to existing personnel like director of college scouting Jared Kirksey and assistant director of college scouting David Whittington.
Chiefs Promote Mike Bradway, Chris Shea To Assistant GM
This offseason saw the Chiefs lose assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi as he earned his first general manager role with the Titans. In the wake of Borgonzi’s exit, Kansas City made a number of promotions, using two of them to fill Borgonzi’s vacated role, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. 
The assistant general manager role will now officially be shared by Mike Bradway and Chris Shea. Bradway joined the organization in 2018 after 10 years in the Eagles front office. He made a lateral move to join the team his father, former Jets general manager Terry Bradway, worked for from 1992-2000, accepting the assistant director of personnel position. In 2020, he shared the assistant director of player personnel role with current Bears general manager Ryan Poles, getting promoted to director in 2021. He’s served the last three seasons as senior director of player personnel and is now a step closer to following in his father’s footsteps of landing a general manager job.
A licensed attorney in the state of New York, Shea has worked in football for 34 years, starting as a coach in minor roles at Boston College and Harvard before shifting to recruiting in a return to Boston College, where he earned his Bachelors. He also spent time as an operations/equipment intern in the Panthers’ inaugural season. While earning his law degree at Hofstra, Shea returned to the NFL, serving as a pro personnel assistant for the Jets then a scouting consultant for the Cowboys. For a short time after, Shea worked for the NFL Management Council, focusing on player grievances and litigation.
In 2008, Shea return to a front office role, joining the Dolphins and serving as player personnel coordinator, player personnel administrator, and eventually, assistant director of pro personnel. Utilizing his scouting and legal experience, Shea coordinated scouting, legal, salary cap management, information technology, and analytics efforts for the Dolphins. He then joined the Eagles as director of scouting administration/strategic management in 2015 before changing his focus from strategic management to personnel scout for the two following seasons.
Shea joined Bradway in his leaving the Eagles for Kansas City in 2018. He served three years as football operations counsel and personnel executive, three years as vice president of football operations/team counsel, and last year as senior vice president of football operations and strategy. Based on their different areas of expertise and experience, it looks like Bradway will focus more on the scouting side of things as assistant GM while Shea focuses on a litany of areas ranging from salary cap management to analytics in his role as assistant GM.
In addition to the promotions of Bradway and Shea, the Chiefs saw two slightly more nominal promotions as Tim Terry and Ryne Nutt both were elevated to vice president of player personnel. Terry and Nutt were already in position as directors of player personnel with Terry’s focus on pro personnel and Nutt’s focus on college scouting. While the promotions aren’t likely to change their responsibilities with the team, the title change probably serves as an opportunity to give each staffer a substantial raise.
The Chiefs also reportedly hired Dru Grigson to serve in the role of senior college/pro scouting executive. The son of Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Grigson will rejoin an NFL front office after seemingly sitting out the 2024 NFL season following his parting of ways with the Cardinals, where he last worked as player personnel director.
Lastly, Breer reports that the Chiefs have promoted Marc Richards from football research analyst to director of football research and development. Richards previously worked in the NBA in the strategic planning group in basketball operations for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He joined the Chiefs in his prior role in 2022.