Josh Reynolds Leading Jets’ WR2 Battle
The Jets overhauled their offense this season, replacing Aaron Rodgers with Justin Fields under center and parting ways with three other starters: WR Davante Adams, TE Tyler Conklin, and RT Morgan Moses.
Adams’ departure, though expected, still left the Jets with an unclear hierarchy in their wide receiver room behind 2022 first-rounder Garrett Wilson.
Enter veteran wideout Josh Reynolds, who arrived in New York on a one-year, $2.75MM contract in March. He will be looking to bounce back in 2025 after missing nine games last year due to a finger injury and wounds sustained in a Denver shooting.
Based on his performance this spring, Reynolds seems poised to carve out a consistent target share in the Jets’ offense. He is “the clear-cut leader for the WR2 job” in New York after an impressive offseason,” according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Reynolds outplayed fellow veterans Allen Lazard and Tyler Johnson during spring practices, positioning for first-team reps during training camp.
Of course, that could quickly change once pads and contact are introduced later this month. Reynolds could also see expanded competition from the Jets’ younger wide receivers, including recent draft picks Malachi Corley and Arian Smith.
The team will be hoping that Corley, a 2024 third-rounder, can establish himself in the pros after a disappointing rookie year, while its investment of a fourth-round pick in Smith this April indicates that offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand has a vision for him, as well. Third-year wideouts Xavier Gipson and Irvin Charles will also be working hard during training camp to upgrade their roles after spending most of the 2024 season on special teams.
Lions Expecting Midseason Return For DT Alim McNeill
The impact of the Lions’ 2024 injuries will extend into this season with multiple players sidelined well into the regular season.
One such case is fifth-year defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who suffered a torn ACL in December and missed the team’s last three regular-season games as well as the playoffs. He is not expected to return to the field until “late October or November,” according to senior team writer Tim Twentyman.
2024 was the second year in a row during which McNeill struggled with injuries. He missed four games in 2023 with a knee sprain, but managed to recover by the postseason. Now, the 2021 third-rounder is set for a third consecutive season with 14 or fewer appearances.
The Lions will not rush McNeill back to the field after making a sizable financial investment in the 25-year-old last fall. However, the team will be hoping that he can live up to that four-year, $97MM extension by finishing the 2025 season fully-healthy. That will allow him to build into 2026, when he has $19.85MM of fully guaranteed salary, per OverTheCap, and ensure he remains in Detroit through 2027, when he has a $3MM injury guarantee that will vest into a full guarantee next March.
In the meantime, the Lions will have to find a way to fill the roughly 70% snap share McNeill occupied when healthy over the last three years. Detroit retained Levi Onwuzurike and added depth in Roy Lopez and Raequan Williams this offseason, but rookie Tyleik Williams, selected with the No. 28 pick in April’s draft, might have been the team’s biggest move to prepare for McNeill’s absence.
Williams was considered to be an early second-round talent, but Lions were not on the clock again until the 60th pick. By then, he likely would have been selected by another team. Knowing that McNeill would be sidelined to start the season, the Lions opted to prioritize Williams in the hopes that he could bolster the defensive line as they await McNeill’s return.
Steelers Among Teams Interested In WR Tyler Boyd
Veteran wide receiver Tyler Boyd said over the weekend that he would “absolutely” like to sign with the Steelers, and apparently, the interest is mutual.
The Steelers have been in touch with Boyd this offseason, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show, but the veteran receiver has been unsatisfied with the financial offers from Pittsburgh or any other team.
“The word on the street is that all the offers [Boyd is] getting, they’re not very good offers, as in money-wise, so he’s going to play it out,” said Kaboly during a recent episode of the Kaboly + Mack podcast. Kaboly suggested the same was true regarding whatever discussions the Steelers have had with Boyd, whether they have included a formal offer or just more general conversations about potential compensation.
There are other available receivers like Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen with better recent track records than Boyd, so he may have to wait for them to find a landing spot before another team meets his demands. He earned just under $2.4MM in Tennessee last year, per OverTheCap, for the worst full-season performance of his career with just 39 receptions for 390 yards. He also went the entire season – 16 games, eight starts, and 635 snaps – without finding the end zone, an unfortunate career-first, causing him to miss out on $2.1MM of available incentives.
Now, Boyd may have to consider a veteran minimum salary of $1.255MM with additional money available via incentives, and unlike his deal with the Titans, his next contract may not include any guaranteed money.
Steelers Receiving T.J. Watt Trade Interest; Extension Remains Goal
The Steelers’ willingness to trade one star defender could inspire attempts to acquire T.J. Watt amid his contract standoff with the team.
Multiple teams have been exploring trading for Watt since he skipped Pittsburgh’s mandatory minicamp earlier this month, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who added that “sources believe outside team interest is likely to increase given today’s trade.” Schefter also noted that “Pittsburgh hasn’t shown any willingness to deal Watt so far,” and 10 minutes later, that was confirmed by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
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“The Steelers have no intention of trading star pass rusher T.J. Watt and their focus remains on extending Watt’s contract, per sources,” wrote Pelissero. That aligns with virtually every other report regarding the situation, which have expressed confidence that the two sides will come to an agreement before the season.
It is easy to see why the Steelers want to hold onto Watt, who ranks second in the NFL with 30.5 sacks since 2023. All of the team’s offseason moves, especially their signing of Aaron Rodgers, indicates their intention to try to compete in 2025, but dealing Watt would be a critical blow to their pass rush.
However, the Steelers are planning to draft a quarterback early in the 2026 draft, which could be part of a broader organizational reset. The team’s success under Mike Tomlin has consistently positioned their top pick in the back half of the first round, making it difficult to acquire a top quarterback prospect. A sizable offer for Watt could draw Pittsburgh’s attention if they believe it will help them land a franchise signal-caller in 2026.
A number of edge rushers have been traded in the last few years, but none have merited a first-round pick (or equivalent value) since the Broncos dealt Bradley Chubb in 2022. The Steelers should be able to get at least as much for Watt, even considering his contract demands, based on his age and the Hall of Fame-caliber resume he has compiled. But they seem to have little desire to hear such offers until and unless they have exhausted every possible path for an extension.
Dolphins Seeking TE, CB Trade Acquisitions
After sending Jonnu Smith to the Steelers this morning, the Dolphins are exploring a trade for a new tight end with multiple teams, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The team is also interested in adding help at cornerback after parting ways with Jalen Ramsey in the same deal, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald.
Smith was not only Miami’s starting tight end in 2024; he led the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns with 884 receiving yards that trailed only Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins will be expecting bounce-back years from Hill and Jaylen Waddle to boost their passing offense, but Smith’s departure leaves the tight end room without a clear starter.
Currently, their most experienced player at the position is veteran Pharaoh Brown, who has started 18 games in the last two years (and a total of 54 in his seven-year career), but topped 200 receiving yards in a season just once. 2023 undrafted free agent Julian Hill has carved out a robust snap share as a blocking tight end, but he only has 18 career catches for 148 yards. Rounding out the group are Hayden Rucci, Tanner Conner, and undrafted rookie Jalin Conyers, none of whom have proven themselves in the NFL.
As a result, the Dolphins are looking elsewhere to bolster their tight end group, with Raiders tight end Michael Mayer named as an early potential target. The 2023 No. 35 pick is a player that “Miami has had their eye on…for a while,” according to Kelly, who noted that Mayer had “some on and off-field challenges” in his first two years in Las Vegas. He has missed nine games since being drafted with an average of fewer than 20 yards per game.
However, the Raiders have “no interest” in moving Mayer, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, with a major role expected for him this season. Despite the addition of Brock Bowers last offseason, Mayer maintained a 63% snap share as the team’s’ inline tight end when healthy with Bowers spending a majority of his time in the slot.
If Mayer is unavailable, another tight end to monitor is Kyle Pitts, according to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. He drew trade interest earlier this offseason that was not rebuffed by the Falcons, indicating their potential willingness to part ways with the former No. 4 pick.
No details have emerged regarding the Dolphins’ pursuit of cornerback help, though the team has been in touch with multiple available veterans this offseason. The free agent pool is deeper at cornerback than it is at tight end, so the Dolphins may prioritize the latter position in a trade and use their newfound cap space to add a corner.
Contract Details: Metcalf, Chubb, Joseph
D.K. Metcalf‘s four-year, $132MM extension with the Steelers is “really a two-year commitment,” according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
The 27-year-old’s deal only includes $60MM in guaranteed money, made up of a $30MM signing bonus and $30MM in guaranteed salary over the next two years, per OverTheCap. After 2026, he has no guaranteed money with his financial security instead tied to roster bonuses – $6.5MM in 2027 and $5M in 2028 and 2029 – all due on the third day of the league year. That will force the Steelers to make a decision on Metcalf’s future early in the offseason for the last three years of his deal.
The earliest potential split will be the 2027 offseason. The Steelers can release Metcalf before his roster bonus is due with just $18MM of his signing bonus prorations as dead money. As a result, Metcalf will have to produce in Pittsburgh, and he seems to know it. The star wide receiver added a smiley face to his signature on the page of his contract including the 2027 roster bonus language (and only that page), per Graziano.
Here are a few other contract updates from around the league.
- Nick Chubb‘s deal with the Texans includes $1.5MM in guarantees, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with a $575k signing bonus and $925k in guaranteed salary. The veteran running back can earn another $425k in per-game roster bonuses over the course of the season with $25k available for each appearance.
- Lions safety Kerby Joseph received fully guaranteed money into the third year of his recent contract extension. $1.26MM of his 2027 salary is fully guaranteed at signing, per Graziano. The contract also includes more guaranteed money that vests early in the 2026 and 2027 league years, according to OverTheCap.
- The Seahawks once again made Michael Dickson the highest-paid punter in the NFL with a base value of $16.2MM over four years, or $4.05MM per year. The deal also includes $10.2MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, with a maximum value of $16.7MM.
NFL Cancels 2025 Supplemental Draft
The NFL has cancelled its 2025 supplemental draft, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
This marks the fifth time in the last six years the league has scrapped the supplemental draft. It was instituted in 1977 to offer an alternative path to the NFL for players who were ineligible for the main draft in the spring. Typically, that group includes players who were academically ineligible or had other off-field issues.
The supplemental draft uses a bid system to assign players. Teams can bid anywhere from a first- to a seventh-round pick; if they win, they are awarded the player and forfeit their pick in the same round in the next year’s main draft.
Players also have to apply to join the supplemental draft pool, but few do. During the last supplemental draft in 2023, only two players were available to be selected, and neither was.
Since the talent pool for the main draft dwarfs that of the supplemental, teams rarely make bids in the supplemental draft. The last selection was safety Jalen Thompson in 2019, who the Cardinals drafted with a fifth-round bid. They gave up their fifth-rounder in 2020, but Thompson, who started nine games as a rookie and 72 over the last six years, certainly seems to have been worth it. However, there have only been 46 players selected in the entire history of the supplemental draft.
As noted by Justis Mosqueda of SB Nation, the emergence of professional spring football leagues and NIL payments in college have thinned the supplemental talent pool even further, meaning the NFL will likely continue their trend of cancelling the event.
Dolphins Will Not Relent On Trading Jalen Ramsey
The Dolphins are still planning to trade disgruntled cornerback Jalen Ramsey, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Miami’s standoff with the nine-year veteran has dragged on since April, when the team declared its intention to trade Ramsey after reported disagreements with head coach Mike McDaniel. No deal has materialized, in no small part because Ramsey is owed $23.2MM in guaranteed money this year. Complicating matters further is his reported desire to stay on the West Coast.
Still, Breer believes that the Dolphins and Ramsey are “past the point of no return,” and as a result, he expects a trade to “happen on the doorstep of camp.”
But assessing Ramsey’s potential destination is little more than a guessing game at this point. The Raiders, Panthers, and Vikings are not pursuing the three-time All-Pro, while the Rams are the only team that has publicly expressed interest.
A reunion with Sean McVay would not be a shocking outcome to this situation, but the Rams are not the only team in Los Angeles. The Chargers also fit Ramsey’s West Coast wants, and general manager Joe Hortiz was the Ravens’ director of college scouting when Baltimore tried to trade up for Ramsey in the 2016 draft. Unlike the Rams, however, neither reports nor comments from team personnel have linked Ramsey to the Chargers.
The Falcons could also look into acquiring Ramsey after their failed pursuit of Jaire Alexander. Ramsey’s contract will be an obstacle for a cap-strapped Atlanta front office, but as training camp approaches, the Dolphins may be willing to eat some money to finally put an end to this saga.
Patriots Deploying Marte Mapu At LB
Patriots defender Marte Mapu spent most of the team’s spring practices as a linebacker, according to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, signaling a potential role change headed into training camp.
At 6-foot-3 230 pounds, Mapu has the size and athleticism to drop into coverage or blitz from the second level. He was listed as a safety in college but primarily played out of the slot with a secondary role in the box. During his first two NFL seasons, he played 313 snaps in the box, 221 as a free safety, and 100 in the slot, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Mapu will have to compete with Jack Gibbens and Jahlani Tavai for the backup linebacker jobs behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, who took first-team reps in the spring, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Gibbens signed with the Patriots this offseason after starting his career under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. That should give him a strong chance at making the roster, but only $300k of his $1.3MM deal is guaranteed, per OverTheCap.
Tavai, meanwhile, is recovering from a calf injury suffered in OTAs. That may threaten his roster odds, according to Volin, but he still has $2.1MM of guaranteed salary across the next two seasons that could discourage the Patriots from releasing him.
The Patriots could also choose to carry all five linebackers knowing that Mapu can also provide depth in the secondary if needed.
Vikings To Use Dallas Turner As Off-Ball LB?
The Vikings traded up in the first round for Dallas Turner last year, but his usage did not reflect the team’s apparent excitement about his talent.
Turner only played 300 defensive snaps as a rookie, notching three sacks and three tackles for loss across 16 games with a core role on special teams. He was blocked by the stellar play of the Vikings’ edge duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for 23.5 sacks and 36 tackles for loss while both playing more than 80% of the team’s defensive snaps. Both Greenard and Van Ginkel earned Pro Bowl recognition and Defensive Player of the Year votes for their efforts, so their snap shares are unlikely go to down by much, if at all.
As a result, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores may have to show some creativity to get Turner on the field, which may include some time as an off-ball linebacker, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
“Identifying where Turner is lining up – and how much he’s contributing from an off-the-ball starting point — is a major question worth examining in the coming months,” wrote Lewis after the Vikings wrapped their spring practices.
Turner’s 6-foot-3, 247-pound frame is undersized for an NFL edge defender, but he has excellent size for a linebacker with the requisite movement skills to work from an off-ball alignment. His bigger challenge will be adjusting to the visual and mental processing in the middle of the field after spending virtually all of his career as an edge defender. Turner’s athleticism can be used to attack downhill, but his discipline and vision in coverage and run fits will be key.
It’s also important to note that teams like to experiment in spring practices, which are not necessarily indicative of what will happen in the season. Turner’s off-ball activities could be a step towards a hybrid role in 2025, or it could be an effort to give him some experience at a new position so he can line up there in case of emergency.