Commanders Sign TE Anthony Firkser
The Commanders have added some reinforcement at tight end. The team announced that they’ve signed veteran TE Anthony Firkser. To make room on the roster, the Commanders cut WR Ja’Corey Brooks.
Washington will represent the seventh team of Firkser’s career. The 2017 UDFA spent his first season bouncing around the NFL before he landed a gig with the Titans ahead of the 2018 campaign. He ended up spending four seasons in Tennessee, hauling in 106 catches in 58 games (three starts). His best showing came in 2020 when he hauled in 39 receptions for 387 yards and one touchdown.
Since his Titans stint ended after the 2021 season, Firkser has been on a tour of the league. He’s since had stints with the Falcons, Patriots, Lions (twice), Jets, and Chiefs. He’s coming off a 2025 campaign that he mostly spent in Detroit, where he caught eight passes for 53 yards.
The 31-year-old will face an uphill battle to make Washington’s 53-man roster. The Commanders seem set with their grouping of Chig Okonkwo, John Bates, and Ben Sinnott, but Firkser could potentially push for a spot as a fourth TE and special teamer.
Brooks joined the Commanders as a UDFA ahead of the 2025 season. He spent the majority of his rookie year on Washington’s practice squad, including a stint on the injured list. He was retained via a reserve/futures contract back in January.
Eagles Release DE Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham‘s latest stint with the Eagles has come to an end, but it might not take long for the defensive end to work his way back on the roster. Zach Berman of The Athletic reports that the Eagles have released the 38-year-old.
[RELATED: Eagles DE Brandon Graham To Play In 2026?]
However, Berman describes this as a “procedural” move. Graham inked a one-year deal last October that ended his temporary retirement. That pact was set to expire on June 3 unless the two sides worked out a new deal. A contract apparently didn’t come to fruition before the deadline, resulting in today’s release. Berman notes that Graham is still interested in returning to Philly for another season.
Graham has logged 215 appearances (106 starts) during his career, all of which has been spent with the Eagles. Since being selected in the first round of the 2010 draft, the defensive lineman has tallied 79.5 sacks and 128 tackles for loss. He’s also won a pair of championships with the organization.
The veteran saw a reduced role in recent years, culminating in a 2024 campaign where he earned a 19% snap share, the lowest of his career. Graham decided to hang up his cleats following that season, but he was coaxed out of retirement last October as the Eagles navigated injuries to their pass-rush corps. Despite 2025 representing Graham’s age-37 season, he still managed to compile three sacks and two tackles for loss in nine games.
The Eagles don’t currently have the need for excess edge depth. Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt will once again lead the unit, and the front office reinforced the position with their trade for Jonathan Greenard and signing of Arnold Ebiketie. Graham was used a bit at defensive tackle in 2025, so that multi-positional versatility would work in his favor when it comes to a potential return. When you also consider his veteran leadership, it’s easy to imagine the Eagles eventually re-signing Graham, even if he’s only guaranteed a very limited defensive role.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/2/26
Today’s draft pick signings:
Miami Dolphins
- LB Jacob Rodriguez (second round, Texas Tech)
- WR Caleb Douglas (third round, Texas Tech)
- TE Will Kacmarek (third round, Ohio State)
- WR Chris Bell (third round, Louisville)
- EDGE Trey Moore (fourth round, Texas)
- LB Kyle Louis (fourth round, Pitt)
- S Michael Taaffe (fifth round, Texas)
- WR Kevin Coleman Jr. (fifth round, Missouri)
- G DJ Campbell (sixth round, Texas)
- EDGE Max Llewellyn (seventh round, Iowa)
The Dolphins have finally gotten around to inking most of their draft class to rookie contracts. The team isn’t done, however. The team’s two first-round picks, OT Kadyn Proctor and CB Chris Johnson (plus fifth-round TE Seydou Traore) remain unsigned.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Markees Watts
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Derrick Graham
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DL Jalen Logan-Redding
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: LB Kobe King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: S Makari Paige
49ers Sign S Ashtyn Davis
The 49ers have added some veteran depth to their secondary. The team announced that they’ve signed safety Ashtyn Davis to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the team has waived running back Jermar Jefferson.
The 2020 third-round pick out of California spent the first five seasons of his career with the Jets, where he alternated between full-time starter and part-time backup. Davis started 16 games between his first two professional campaigns, including a 2021 season where he tallied 62 tackles, three passes defended, three forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions.
Between 2022 and 2024, Davis was limited to only six starts, and he spent that 2022 campaign completely out of the defensive rotation (13 defensive snaps in 14 games). He still managed to contribute on special teams, and his 957 ST snaps over that span outpaced his 491 defensive reps.
Davis joined the Dolphins via a one-year, $3MM deal last offseason, and he had one of the most productive seasons of his career. He started 12 of his 15 appearances, finishing with a career-high 65 tackles to go along with four passes defended and an interception. Despite the uptick in snaps, Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance, ranking him 82nd among 91 qualifying safeties.
The 49ers return much of their safety depth from last season, including Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha, and Marques Sigle. Jason Pinnock left via free agency, so Davis could soak up some of those leftover snaps. He’ll be competing with the likes of Derrick Canteen, Patrick McMorris, and Jalen Stroman.
Jefferson caught on with the 49ers just last week. The 26-year-old has seen time in 11 career games, collecting 129 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 26 touches.
Broncos Give Patrick Surtain $5MM Raise
In September 2024, Broncos superstar Patrick Surtain inked a four-year, $96MM extension and became the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback by average annual value. That deal will not kick in until this year, but the Broncos are already giving Surtain a pay bump.
Denver will hand Surtain a $5MM raise for 2026, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He will have a chance to earn another $5MM with a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection. Surtain will have to make the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, not as an alternate, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
Surtain entered the day fourth at his position in guarantees, fifth in average annual value and sixth in total money. Fellow cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner,Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. have all signed massive extensions over the past year-plus, leading to Surtain’s drop in the financial pecking order. Recognizing his importance to their team, the Broncos are upping Surtain’s pay in an act of good faith. His base salary will climb from $7.632MM to $12.632, per Tomasson.
Surtain entered the NFL in 2021 as the ninth overall pick, one selection after the Panthers made Horn the highest-drafted corner in the class. While Horn has enjoyed a successful career, Surtain has turned into one of the game’s elite players. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder has made the Pro Bowl four times and earned three All-Pro selections (two first-team nods and a second-teamer). In his most impressive accomplishment, Surtain took home Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, during which he tied a career high with four interceptions and allowed a measly 58.9 passer rating on 62 targets.
Surtain missed three games with a pectoral tear and saw his INT total drop to one last year, but he held passers to an awful 54.1 completion percentage and 66.6 rating on 61 targets. It went down as yet another Pro Bowl/All-Pro season for Surtain, whose history suggests he will earn the extra $5MM in incentives that are now available to him in 2026.
Dolphins Sign WR Jalen Reagor
Wide receiver Jalen Reagor‘s career has not gone according to plan, but another team will give the former first-round pick a chance. The Dolphins announced they have signed Reagor to an undisclosed deal and waived safety/linebacker Jordan Colbert with a failed physical designation.
Owners of the 21st selection in the 2020 draft, the Eagles chose Reagor and left fellow receiver Justin Jefferson on the board. It quickly became apparent general manager Howie Roseman made a mistake. Jefferson, who went 22nd overall to the Vikings, has been one of the premier wideouts in the league throughout his career. Reagor, on the other hand, has never put it together in stints with the Eagles (2020-21), Vikings (2022, when he was teammates with Jefferson), Patriots (2023) and Chargers (2024). He has totaled just 86 catches and four touchdowns in 64 regular-season games.
After an eight-game, seven-catch 2024, the Chargers brought Reagor back for a second year last season. However, the 5-foot-11, 197-pounder ended up among the Chargers’ final cuts in late August. While they re-signed Reagor to their practice squad, they released him for good in October. He didn’t get into any games in 2025.
Last season’s Chargers had a more talented receiving corps than the Dolphins’ current group, which could give the 27-year-old Reagor a better chance to earn a roster spot. The rebuilding Dolphins traded No. 1 option Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos for three draft picks, including a 2026 first-rounder (which became cornerback Chris Johnson), leaving them with no proven starters. Along with Reagor, they have given short-term free agent contracts to Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert and Terrace Marshall. Holdover Malik Washington, third-rounders Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, and fifth-rounder Kevin Coleman Jr. are also among the pass catchers in the mix.
Reagor’s pact with the Dolphins will reunite him with pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo, who held the same position in Philadelphia in the receiver’s last year with the team (2021). While Reagor set career highs in catches (33) and touchdowns (two) then, he has not approached those modest numbers in any season since.
Colts Sign Fourth-Rounders Jalen Farmer, Bryce Boettcher; Draft Class Under Wraps
The Colts signed their two fourth-round picks, guard Jalen Farmer and linebacker Bryce Boettcher, to their four-year rookie deals on Tuesday. General manager Chris Ballard now has all eight members of the team’s 2026 draft class under contract.
Farmer, the 113th overall selection, began his college career at Florida in 2022 but transferred to Kentucky two years later. After seeing little playing time with the Gators, the 6-foot-5, 318-pounder became a two-year starter at right guard as a member of the Wildcats. Farmer possesses bulldozing skills as a run blocker and could eventually turn into an NFL starter, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
If he is going to emerge as an immediate starter in the pros, Farmer will have to beat out Matt Goncalves. As a third-round rookie in 2024, all of Goncalves’ snaps came at the tackle spots during a 17-game, eight-start season. It was a different story last year, as he lined up at right guard in 15 of his 16 starts. Pro Football Focus ranked Goncalves’ performance a solid 31st among 79 qualified guards. He could conceivably shift back to right tackle, where the Colts lost longtime starter Braden Smith to the Texans in free agency. Jalen Travis, a fourth-rounder in 2025, is the current favorite to take over for Smith.
The Colts were without a first-rounder thanks to last November’s Sauce Gardner blockbuster, leaving No. 54 overall as their top choice. They used that pick on former Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen, but that didn’t stop them from adding another LB, Boettcher, at No. 135.
The athletic Boettcher could have played professional baseball as an outfielder with the Houston Astros, who drafted him in the 13th round in 2024, but decided to stick with football. The former defensive back will enter the NFL off a pair of second-team All-Big Ten years at Oregon, where he was particularly effective last season. Over 15 games, Boettcher tallied a conference-high 136 tackles (5.5 for loss), two forced fumbles, a sack and an interception en route to first-team All-America honors.
Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt, the Colts’ starting linebackers last season, are no longer on the roster. While Allen and free agent addition Akeem Davis-Gaither are the front-runners to replace them, Boettcher could at least contribute in a depth/special teams role in 2026.
Now that they have all of their picks under wraps, here is a look at the Colts’ group of rookies:
- Round 2, No. 53 (from Steelers): C.J. Allen (LB, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 78: A.J. Haulcy (S, LSU) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 113: Jalen Farmer (G, Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 135 (from Steelers)*: Bryce Boettcher (LB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 156: George Gumbs (EDGE, Florida) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 214 (from Steelers)*: Caden Curry (EDGE, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 237 (from Steelers): Seth McGowan (RB, Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 254*: Deion Burks (WR, Oklahoma) (signed)
Illinois Efforts To Allow Publicly-Owned Bears Stadium In Chicago Falls Short
JUNE 2: Late on Sunday, the Illinois state legislature adjourned for the spring with a last-minute attempt at passing a new ‘megaprojects’ bill falling short, as detailed by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. As a result, Arlington Heights and Hammond remain the two potential Bears destinations at this point. Cronin points to this latest development as the next in a long line of indications that the franchise’s next home will end up being built across state lines in Indiana.
MAY 31: The state of Illinois is not letting the Bears leave Chicago without a fight.
Earlier in May, the Bears released a statement explaining that they no longer saw a path to staying in the city and naming Chicago suburb Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana as the two finalists for the team’s new home. But the Illinois legislature is launching a last-gasp effort that would give municipalities in Cook County – which includes Chicago and Arlington Heights – to create a stadium authority to finance and lease a new arena to the Bears. The team would foot the bill for construction, but not property tax, as the stadium and the land it sits on would be owned by the municipality.
“They would essentially pay for the stadium, enter an agreement with the municipality — could be any municipality — and the municipality would open the building,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham (via Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times), who represents part of the South Side neighborhood of Chicago. He has led negotiations with the Bears and introduced this latest bill for a publicly-owned stadium in what he sees as a “common model” around the NFL.
Legislators are still working on hammering out the language of the bill, and time is of the essence. As in the NFL, June 1 is a key date in the Illinois Capital. Bills voted on after June 1 must be supported by 60% of the legislature if they take effect within a year. The Bears are looking to finalize their decision in the coming months, so the state must act quickly to approve this bill and give the team an alternate path to staying in Chicago.
This might be Chicago’s last chance to keep the Bears in the city. Arlington Heights will remain in play either way, but it is 30 miles northeast of Soldier Field, which is roughly the same distance from the proposed Hammond site in Indiana. If this bill can get approved by the legislature and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago would still to go through the prescribed process of creating a stadium authority and working out a deal for the Bears to build and occupy – but not own – a new stadium in the city.
It seems unthinkable that the Bears could be headquartered anywhere but Chicago. But the city has refused to offer public funds for a stadium, and a bill that would have offered substantial tax breaks passed the general assembly but not the state senate. Cunningham’s legislation offers a middle route in which the Bears pay for the stadium but face no tax bill since it will be publicly-owned.
Giants Release K Jason Sanders
The list of Giants kickers has shrunk from three to two. The team announced on Tuesday that veteran Jason Sanders has been released.
New York’s efforts to find a Graham Gano replacement have included a number of moves. One was the signing of Sanders in March. The former Dolphin missed all of 2025, something which hindered his market value. Sanders collected $300K guaranteed from the Giants on his one-year deal, so that amount will now represent a dead cap charge.
As a result of today’s move, the Giants’ kicking competition will consist of Ben Sauls and Dominic Zvada. Sauls made three appearances as part of New York’s rotation at the position last year, connecting on each of his eight field goal attempts and all seven of his extra point tries. Zvada signed with the Giants this spring as an undrafted free agent, and he and Sauls represent an inexperienced duo vying for the full-time gig. New York has similarly opted for youth at the long snapper position with Ben Mann the only current option on the roster following Zach Triner‘s Monday release.
Sanders enjoyed a strong seven-year run in Miami. The former seventh-rounder reached or surpassed a 90% success rate on field goals three times during his Dolphins tenure. Overall, Sanders has converted 84.6% of his field goals and all but nine of his 268 extra point attempts over the course of his career. It will be interesting to see if the 30-year-old manages to line up a new gig in time for training camp or if he remains unsigned well into the summer.
Today’s release represents the corresponding move to make JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s signing official. The veteran wideout was one of three additions at that position which were lined up yesterday in the wake of a successful workout. Smith-Schuster will spend the summer competing for a roster spot, while Sanders will now attempt to find a new home elsewhere in the NFL.