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.
AFC Front Office Updates: Bengals, Bills, Jets, Dolphins
Last week, we noted that former Patriots southeast area scout Josh Hinch would not be returning to New England in 2025. Now we know why as Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com reports that Hinch will be joining the Bengals in 2025.
It’s assumed that Hinch will be stepping into the role vacated when Christian Sarkisian departed to serve as the general manager at Northwestern University. Hinch spent some time with the XFL and AAF alternative football leagues before working with the Buccaneers in the NFL. He’s spent the last four years in New England’s scouting department.
Cincinnati will also add Tyler Ramsey as a scout, per Stratton. A Seattle native, Ramsey spent 12 seasons in the Seahawks’ scouting department, starting as a personnel intern and working his way through promotions to scouting assistant and area scout. He spent three years after with the Panthers, starting as a national scout before getting promoted to assistant director of pro personnel. Ramsey was let go by Carolina a little over a year ago.
Here are a few other front office updates, all coming out of the AFC East:
- Stratton also noted that the Bills have hired Mk Collins as their new player personnel coordinator, citing the updated position on her LinkedIn page. After completing a training camp internship with the Rams in 2023, Collins served four months as the assistant director of recruiting and personnel at Cornell before joining North Carolina as a player personnel analyst and, eventually, a scouting assistant. Stratton tells us that the position was open because former player personnel coordinator Andrea Gosper has been promoted.
- The Jets are bringing Bird Sherrill back to the NFL for a front office role, according to Graham Hall of 247Sports. Sherrill had previously spent six years with the Lions, starting as a scouting assistant before being promoted to a scout. Sherrill arrived in Gainesville alongside Billy Napier in 2022 and served as the Gators director of college personnel.
- Lastly, the Dolphins have hired Rachael Kaplan as the team’s new football analytics staff assistant, per ESPN’s Seth Walder. Kaplan previously worked an internship with the Buccaneers. She entered a submission into this year’s NFL Big Data Bowl and earned an honorable mention in the competition.
Titans Rumors: Sneed, Latham, Restrepo
The Titans’ investment in former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed really failed to deliver dividends in 2024. After sending a third-round pick to Kansas City for the 28-year-old defender, Tennessee only saw five games out of Sneed before a quad injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. What’s worse is that Sneed played poorly in those five contests, grading out as the team’s worst defender, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If he had played enough games, his defensive grade would’ve been the worst for any cornerback in the league, per PFF.
What’s even worse, Sneed was involved this offseason in a civil trial stemming from an incident that led to an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. Sneed was accused of being involved with shots being fired at the plaintiff which struck his vehicle. An unnamed associate was also included in the allegation.
The civil case was ordered to mediation today, according to Paul Kuharsky, as Sneed’s attorney argued that “the alleged acts, if any, were performed by John Doe without any assistance, encouragement, or direction by L’Jarius Sneed.” Sneed will still see a grand jury date at some point in the future for the criminal side of the case.
In the meantime, head coach Brian Callahan spoke on Sneed’s recovery to reporters, per Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt. Callahan claimed that Sneed is progressing as expected and is in a good spot. That being said, the team is still having to work to manage his workload through practices, and there doesn’t appear to be a timeline yet for his return.
Here are a couple other recent rumors coming out of Nashville:
- Callahan also spoke on the fitness of second-year right tackle JC Latham, per Wyatt. Latham’s weight was a noted issue at times during his rookie season, but he seems to be turning things around in Year 2. According to Callahan, Latham “really committed himself to getting his weight at the range that he needed to get it to.” Callahan went on to say that Latham “looks great, he’s in great shape, he’s moving really well.”
- Lastly, one could have assumed as much, but new Titans quarterback Cam Ward confirmed earlier reports from Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports that he advocated for the team to sign his favorite target with the Hurricanes, Xavier Restrepo, after he fell out of the draft. In the video provided by AtoZ Sports Nashville, Ward claims to have advocated for Restrepo to every team that talked to him throughout the draft process.
AFC East Notes: Jets, QBs, McDonald, Pats
With Aaron Rodgers out of New York, the new quarterback on the block is Justin Fields. Fields will be backed up by veteran Tyrod Taylor, who hasn’t held a full-time starting role since his time in Buffalo in 2017. Past that, though, the Jets have two inexperienced options to compete for that QB3 role.
Adrian Martinez and undrafted rookie Brady Cook will be the two competing for that job. Martinez spent time at Nebraska and Kansas State before going undrafted in 2023. He spent an offseason as a rookie with the Lions but failed to stick around for the regular season. He did play in the United Football League in 2024 for the Birmingham Stallions, leading the team to a championship victory while earning the league’s MVP award and leading the league in rushing yards.
Cook was a three-year starter at Missouri, compiling a 20-5 record in his last two seasons with the Tigers. He’s efficient at limiting turnovers and displayed some decent mobility as a rusher in college.
What’s interesting is that, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, neither player is likely to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Costello predicts that the team will only hold two quarterbacks (Fields and Taylor) on the roster, and the winner of the Martinez-Cook battle will likely be assigned to the practice squad.
Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the AFC East:
- Staying in the realm of quarterbacks, after trading away Joe Milton to Dallas, the Patriots were in need of a QB3 of their own to work behind Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs. Enter undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge. Wooldridge will be an older rookie at 25 years old after spending three years at Fresno State and four at Louisiana. One reason for the extra years was injury; he suffered a Lisfranc injury one season and dealt with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder last year. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the toughness and determination that kept him going through those injuries to earn the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year is exactly what landed him an NFL opportunity and could keep him in the league for years to come.
- The Jets liked what they saw out of defensive end Will McDonald in his sophomore campaign as he notched 10.5 sacks. They will hope to see him improve another part of his game in 2025 after he reportedly gained 15 pounds in order to help him set the edge, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. Jermaine Johnson is coming off an Achilles tendon tear and was seen at Organized Team Activities this week working with trainers off to the side, according to the staff at NFL.com. With a training camp return for Johnson still up in the air, New York may need to lean on McDonald early in the upcoming season.
Colts Owner Jim Irsay Passes Away At 65
The Colts reported this evening that team owner and CEO Jim Irsay passed away in his sleep earlier today. Irsay was 65 years old at the time of his passing and is survived by his three daughters. 
Irsay started his employment with the Colts when the franchise was still in Baltimore, but his history with the team reaches back a bit further. When he was 12 years old, Irsay’s father, Robert Irsay, became the owner of the Colts. The elder Irsay had originally purchased the Rams for $12MM but made the move (in 1972) to swap franchises, tax-free, with then-Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom, who had been desiring an exit from Baltimore due to stadium issues and disagreements with city officials.
With his father in charge, the younger Irsay spent his free time helping the team as a ball boy or by answering phones in the ticket office. Once he graduated from SMU in 1982, he immediately joined his father’s staff in an official capacity, getting oriented in all aspects of football operations and administrative work. In 1983, he joined the personnel department breaking down film and scouting college prospects, and only a year later, after the team moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis, he became the youngest general manager in NFL history at 24 years old, in addition to being named vice president of the team, as well.
Irsay held that role for 11 years, with the team winning one division title and making three playoff appearances during his tenure as GM. When his father suffered a stroke, Irsay’s titled changed to senior executive vice president, general manager, and chief operating officer as he took over operations for his father. After his father died two years later, Irsay became the youngest team owner in league history at 37 years old, following a legal battle for ownership with his stepmother.
From the day Irsay took over to now, the Colts have the sixth-most wins in the NFL while also winning 10 division titles, making the playoffs 18 times, making two Super Bowl appearances, and winning one Lombardi Trophy. Irsay certainly developed a reputation as an outspoken owner during his time at the helm, and he took a hands-on role with the Colts often. A few personnel controversies arose during Irsay’s tenure, with the Jeff Saturday storyline being among them in recent years. Though, his father proved a far more controversial figure during his time running the franchise.
Irsay’s life did not come without its strife, though. In addition to his father, Irsay joins his brother, Thomas, and sister, Roberta, in death. Roberta died in a car accident when Irsay was only 12 years old. Thomas died just two years after their father passed away. Irsay, himself, suffered from an addiction to painkillers, which led to an arrest and a six-game suspension in 2014.
Before his death, Irsay’s brother suffered from mental illness. This drove Irsay to create Kicking The Stigma, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about mental health disorders and removing the shame and stigmas often associated with such conditions. He also donated $3MM to Indiana University for a research institute that would study mental health and the associated stigmas. That charity also extended beyond his family as Irsay hosted galas and donated millions to Indiana University’s cancer research in support of his team’s former head coach Chuck Pagano.
With his passing, the team’s ownership is likely to fall to his children in the same fashion that he received it. His eldest daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, currently serves as vice chair and co-owner of the franchise. She also ran day-to-day operations while Irsay was in rehab following his arrest. Irsay-Gordon has been with the team for 21 years, getting promoted to vice president in 2008 before being named to her current role.
Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, Irsay’s other daughters, also serve as a vice chairs and co-owners. Foyt has been with the team since 2007, has a degree in sports marketing, and worked for the NFL as part of the team that helped bring NFL games to London. Jackson joined the team in 2010 as vice president and has been leading most of her father’s mental health initiatives. The three Irsay daughters have been labeled for some time as “the next generation of Colts ownership.”
We at Pro Football Rumors extend our sympathies to Irsay-Gordon, Foyt, Jackson, and the rest of the Irsay family in the wake of his passing.
Tush Push Fallout: Eagles, Lurie, Packers, NFL, Odds, Safety, Rewording
We saw earlier today that the Packers‘ proposal to ban the Eagles‘ notorious tush push play fell two votes short of the necessary 24 votes to pass. As the day continued, we saw some minor reports following the failed proposal.
For instance, Dianna Russini tells us that four high-ranking front-office officials were under the impression that the league used Green Bay to push the proposed rule change due to their lack of a principal owner. The thought being that, by using Green Bay, other team owners would be able to put their support behind the proposal without any singular owner being targeted by those who oppose it.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seemed to agree with this sentiment, believing that the league was attempting to influence the vote. He particularly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for advocating for the ban, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
Here are a few other notes from the initial fallout of the failed proposal:
- Lurie’s speech attempting to keep the proposal from passing was reportedly described as both extremely emotional and passionate and fact- and data-based. According to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the impassioned intensity of the speech was due to an internal feeling within the franchise that the Eagles faced an uphill battle and believed the proposal would indeed be passed.
- We had mentioned briefly in recent weeks that the Packers were resubmitting the proposal with broader language in an attempt to gain more supportive votes, going beyond the QB sneak terminology to include any offensive player “pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” According to Russini, multiple sources believe the new phrasing alienated some teams and ended up actually hurting the odds of the proposal being passed.
- In his impassioned speech, Lurie made some questionable assertions, per Russini, the most notable of which being that the tush push is “the safest play in the history of the game” and claiming that “whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on (the league’s) quarterbacks.” He doubled down on this in his attacks on Goodell and Vincent, citing that he had spoken to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills about the play extensively, according to Wickersham.
Lions Sign First-Round DT Tyleik Williams
The Lions have already been busy signing members of their seven-man draft class. Today they inked their largest contract of the group, agreeing to terms with first-round defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. 
Williams spent four years at Ohio State, appearing in 51 total contests. Despite not being a starter as a freshman, Williams flashed incredible potential in the defensive line rotation, notching five sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. His contributions dropped in his sophomore season, but he became a full-time starter in his third year. As a starter for the Buckeyes, Williams logged 5.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed in his junior and senior seasons.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 330 pounds, there’s hope that Williams can command multiple blockers when he’s playing at his best. He uses his pre-snap intelligence and imposing frame to stack blockers on the line and disrupt running lanes, making him an outstanding asset for a team that already fielded a top-five rush defense in 2024.
Because of injuries along the defensive line, the Lions were frequently linked to defensive line prospects, though it was more often defensive end prospects, since the team returns both D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill. The team also re-signed former second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike to a one-year deal. Because of this there may not be an immediate role for Williams in Detroit, but the rookie will surely be counted on moving forward.
Williams is the sixth drafted rookie to sign their initial four-year contract in Detroit, leaving only Georgia offensive guard Tate Ratledge, who was selected in the second round. Here’s a breakdown of the team’s 2025 draft class:
- Round 1, No. 28: Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57 (from Rams through Panthers and Broncos): Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)
- Round 3, No. 70 (from Jaguars): Isaac TeSlaa (WR, Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 171 (from Cowboys through Patriots)*: Miles Frazier (G, LSU) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 196 (from Buccaneers): Ahmed Hassanein (OLB, Boise State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 230 (from Cardinals through Panthers and Broncos): Dan Jackson (S, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 244: Dominic Lovett (WR, Georgia) (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/25
Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB J.J. Russell
- Released: LB Milo Eifler
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Gregory Junior
- Waived: CB Kaleb Hayes
Houston Texans
- Released: G Jerome Carvin, DE Kingsley Jonathan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Michael Barrett, DT Laki Tasi
- Waived: LB Wesley Steiner
Russell heads to Arizona after three seasons in Tampa Bay. So far, with his time in the league, Russell has improved upon his contributions as a player each season. In three years with the Bucs, Russell made four starts and logged 49 tackles.
Tasi arrives in Vegas via the league’s International Player Pathway program. The Australian native is a former rugby player of Samoan descent. The Raiders’ website lists him as a defensive lineman, but Tashan Reed of The Athletic noted that he was being utilized on offense today, as well.