Texans Hosted Denzel Boston, Malachi Lawrence
With the draft a week away, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston continues drawing plenty of interest. Boston visited the Texans earlier this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Texans also met with UCF edge defender Malachi Lawrence, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.
Boston and Lawrence are potential first-round picks who appear to have second-round floors. In his latest ranking of 2026 prospects, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com places Boston 27th and Lawrence 46th. As owners of the 28th and 38th overall picks, the Texans could come away with one or both of those players in the first two rounds.
Boston would be another notable receiver investment for the Texans, who drafted the Iowa State tandem of Jayden Higgins at No. 34 and Jaylin Noel at No. 79 last year. The rookies combined for 67 catches, 817 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. Houston also counts star No. 1 receiver Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell among its options, though the latter’s status is up in the air after a gruesome knee injury cost him all of last season.
Unlike the 5-foot-11 Noel and the 5-10 Dell, all of Boston, Higgins, Collins and Hutchinson stand 6-3 or taller, which would give quarterback C.J. Stroud a handful of big targets. The 6-4, 209-pound Boston took advantage of his size at Washington, where he established himself as a sure-handed red zone weapon. Boston posted a 3.1% drop rate in college and averaged 63 catches, 858 yards and 10 TDs per season from 2024-25.
The Texans already have an all-world pass-rushing duo in Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, but they were intrigued enough with Lawrence to meet with him. Houston is hardly alone in that regard, as half of the league’s 32 teams held visits with Lawrence before Wednesday’s deadline. After combining for 27.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks from 2023-25, Lawrence upped his stock at the Combine in February. The 6-4, 253-pounder ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, which ranked second among edge defenders. He also placed second in the 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump (via PFF College).
Lawrence would begin his career in a depth role in Houston, which saw Anderson and Hunter record respective defensive snap shares of 66.79% and 70.07% in 2025. Anderson and Hunter are under Texans control for the next two years, but the former is likely to stick around for longer on a record-breaking extension. Hunter landed a massive deal of his own last month, though it may be his last with the Texans. He will be 33 when the pact expires. The Texans could develop Lawrence as a replacement if they draft him and he shows he is worthy of a promotion to a starting job by 2028.
Chargers Not Discussing Quentin Johnston Trade; No Decision On Fifth-Year Option
With just one year left on his rookie contract, Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston surfaced in trade rumors in early March. A deal has not materialized over a month later, though, and general manager Joe Hortiz revealed that he is not shopping Johnston.
“There’s a lot of rumors out there on Twitter,” Hortiz said Thursday (via Kris Rhim of ESPN). “And I can tell you this, I have made zero calls about Quentin, and I’ve had zero calls regarding Quentin.”
Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh were not in the organization when the Chargers chose Johnston 21st overall in the 2023 draft. But the two “have always been enamored with Johnston’s upside,” Rhim writes. That seems to bode well for Johnston sticking around for at least another season, though it is unclear if the Chargers will green light his fifth-year option by the May 1 deadline. Signing off on it would entitle Johnston to a fully guaranteed salary of $18.1MM in 2027. The Chargers have not made a decision on it yet, Hortiz said.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Johnston joined the Chargers after starring at TCU, but his rookie season was rocky. He struggled with drops and finished with a disappointing 38 receptions, 431 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. While Johnston combined for five absences over the past two seasons, including three in 2025, his numbers have taken a leap since Hortiz and Harbaugh grabbed the reins in 2024. The 24-year-old caught 55 balls for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games in his first season playing for Harbaugh. He followed that up with another eight-TD showing, which led the team for the second straight year, and hauled in 51 passes for 735 yards.
Johnston’s production has been closer to respectable than great, which is why exercising his fifth-year option is not a slam dunk. In spending second-round picks on Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris, the Chargers continued to invest heavily at receiver in the past two drafts. They also used a “30” visit this spring on potential first-round wideout KC Concepcion, which suggests they are open to spending another high pick on the position in this year’s draft. If that happens, the Chargers may be less inclined to keep Johnston around on an expensive salary in 2027. Barring a trade, though, Johnston should continue as one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s favorite targets next season under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Seahawks Host DE Dante Fowler
Eleven years since the Jaguars took him third overall in the 2015 draft, defensive end Dante Fowler has suited up for five teams. Now a free agent after his second stint with the Cowboys, Fowler could join a sixth franchise. The Seahawks hosted Fowler on Thursday, per the league’s transaction wire.
An agreement with the Seahawks would reunite Fowler with defensive coordinator Aden Durde. They previously overlapped in Atlanta (2020) and Dallas (2022-23). With Durde as the Cowboys’ defensive line coach, Fowler combined for 10 sacks as a rotational player over two years.
Fowler exited the next offseason to join the Commanders, with whom he enjoyed a 10.5-sack outburst. It was the second double-digit sack effort for Fowler, who piled up a personal-best 11.5 with the Rams in 2019. The 10-year veteran has amassed 58.5 sacks over 159 games (58 starts).
Returning to Dallas after a successful season in Washington, Fowler inked a one-year deal worth up to $8MM in March 2025. Fowler wound up playing all 17 games for the fourth straight season and picking up 11 starts – his most since 2020. Despite that, Fowler was only on the field for a little over 32% of the Cowboys’ defensive plays. He finished the season with 15 tackles, 10 QB hits, three sacks and three pass deflections. While those aren’t gaudy numbers, Pro Football Focus nonetheless ranked the 31-year-old’s play an impressive 21st among 119 qualifying edge defenders. PFF assigned Fowler an overall grade of 77.6, the highest of his career and a ways above his second-best mark (72.0 in 2019).
As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks boast an excellent roster, but they could stand to add more pass-rushing options via free agency, the draft or both routes. The Seahawks have not replaced Boye Mafe, whom they lost to the Bengals in free agency. Fowler could pick up some of Mafe’s slack in Seattle, where he would rejoin former Cowboys teammate and fellow veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence.
DE A.J. Epenesa Visits Dolphins
Free agent defensive end A.J. Epenesa temporarily came off the market when he agreed to sign with the Browns on March 18. Eleven days later, the Browns called off the one-year, $5MM deal as a result of a failed physical. Epenesa has not landed anywhere since, but he visited the Dolphins on Thursday (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network).
A second-round pick from Iowa in 2020, Epenesa spent the first six years of his career with Buffalo, one of Miami’s AFC East rivals. Although Cleveland was not comfortable with Epenesa’s health, he has appeared in no fewer than 14 games in each season.
Aside from a 13-start 2024, Epenesa has typically worked in a rotational role. While he totaled just 2.5 sacks and logged a defensive snap share around 30% over 28 games in his first two seasons, Epenesa put together three straight six-sack years and averaged 10 QB hits from 2022-24.
After playing a career-high 55.43% of defensive snaps two years ago, his lone 17-game season, the number dropped to 44.6 over 16 contests in 2025. Working as a backup behind Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa, Epenesa picked up 37 tackles, nine QB hits and 2.5 sacks. He also recorded the second two-interception season of his career and deflected four passes. Epenesa has averaged approximately five PDs per year since 2022.
After Epenesa and Bosa hit the open market last month, the Bills brought in former Dolphin Bradley Chubb to join Rousseau as their top edge defenders. Chubb led the Dolphins with 8.5 sacks in 2025, but they released him in a cap-cutting move. Looking for complements to Chop Robinson, the Dolphins have brought in Josh Uche and David Ojabo on inexpensive deals. Depending on how his visit went, Epenesa could be a candidate to join them.
Cardinals Exercise LT Paris Johnson Jr.’s Fifth-Year Option
When the Cardinals selected Paris Johnson Jr. sixth overall in the 2023 draft, he was expected to establish himself as a core figure on offense. That has proven to be the case, and his Arizona tenure will continue beyond next season.
To no surprise, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports the Cardinals will exercise Johnson’s fifth-year option. The move will ensure Johnson remains in the fold through at least 2027. A fully guaranteed salary of $19.07MM is in store for that season, although a long-term extension carrying a much larger price tag can be anticipated in this case. GM Monti Ossenfort has since confirmed the news (h/t ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss).
[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Johnson handled right tackle duties as a rookie, but the decision to move on from veteran D.J. Humphries created a vacancy on the blindside. As expected, that resulted in the Cardinals moving Johnson to the left side with free agent signing Jonah Williams taking on the right tackle spot. That setup was in place for the past two years, but Williams remains unsigned deep into free agency. A new RT starter will be in place for 2026. The Cardinals could address the position with the third overall pick in the draft next week, though trading down is a possibility. Regardless, Johnson will be counted on in his current capacity for the foreseeable future.
A former Ohio State standout, Johnson was Ossenfort’s first pick atop the Arizona front office. Ossenfort traded from third to 12th and then back up six spots to select Johnson. The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder has begun his NFL career with 43 straight starts. However, his only 17-game season to date came as a rookie. He missed three games in 2024 and another five last year, which he ended on IR as a result of a knee injury.
Before spraining his PCL, Johnson played every snap during the Cardinals’ first 12 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson’s performance a solid 23rd among 84 tackles. Now committed to Johnson for at least two more seasons, the Cardinals are confident he will continue to serve as an offensive cornerstone.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Titans QB Cam Ward Expected To Participate In Minicamp
Cam Ward did not undergo surgery after suffering an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder during the Titans’ Week 18 contest. His recovery has of course been monitored closely since then, and progress continues to be made.
The Titans recently began their offseason program as one of the teams with a new head coach in place. Ward has been present while continuing his rehab, and no setbacks have been encountered. As long as that remains the case, 2025’s first overall pick will be able to participate in spring workouts.
“He’s been out there,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said on Thursday (via ESPN’s Turron Davenport). “I’m sure you’ve seen the videos of him throwing. He looks good.”
Ward is on track to take part in minicamp next month. Provided all goes well in that regard, he will be positioned for a full workload in training camp this summer. Ward’s health is obviously paramount to the Titans’ efforts to bounce back from a 3-14 2025 campaign. His presence was a key factor in Brian Daboll‘s decision to join Robert Saleh‘s coaching staff during this year’s hiring cycle, and a full stretch of acclimating to Daboll’s offense would set Ward up for a Year 2 jump.
Things did not go according to plan for Tennessee on offense last season, and it came as little surprise when Brian Callahan was fired midway through the campaign. Better play across the board will be required, including from Ward’s supporting cast but also the signal-caller himself. Ward will turn 24 next month, and his ability to develop into a franchise passer will be critical in determining the Titans’ level of success under Saleh. Reinforcements via the draft are forthcoming after Borgonzi and Co. made several big-ticket defensive additions on defense.
Bringing in notable defensive prospects will no doubt be a goal for next week’s draft, but Ward figures to have new faces around him when he is next on the field for full-team work. That is set to take place shortly.
49ers Host WRs Omar Cooper Jr., KC Concepcion
49ers general manager John Lynch recently indicated the team is likely to make at least one draft investment at the receiver position. A number of first-round options have received a look.
Omar Cooper Jr. spent the deadline for top-30 visits meeting with San Francisco, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. That completed a busy pre-draft process in his case. Cooper has visited numerous teams recently, and the Indiana product is one of several receivers with a strong chance of being selected during the middle or late stages of the first round. The 49ers own pick No. 27.
San Francisco also hosted KC Concepcion on a visit earlier this week, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. By means of a strong one-and-done showing at Texas A&M, Concepcion established himself as a first-round option for many teams. He has also received widespread interest leading up to the draft, so it comes as little surprise the 49ers have taken part in a top-30 visit as well. Denzel Boston is another WR prospect San Francisco has taken a close look at.
Free agent additions Mike Evans and Christian Kirk are set to top the depth chart for 2026. With Brandon Aiyuk unlikely to play again for the 49ers and Jauan Jennings set to sign elsewhere on the open market, though, adding depth via the draft would be a reasonable approach from Lynch and Co. On the other hand, receiver is not considered as much of an immediate need as other positions, so spending a first-rounder in that regard could leave the team thin elsewhere.
The 49ers have a second-round selection as well as four picks in the fourth round. Using one of those on a depth WR prospect could of course be in store, but the team will have done its homework on Day 1 options when on the clock Thursday night.
Teams Medically Red-Flagged CB Jermod McCoy
Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy is one of the biggest X-factors in the 2026 draft class.
His tape from 2023 and 2024 show a first-round cornerback with sticky, physical coverage and plenty of ball production (16 passes defended, six interceptions). But a torn ACL in January 2025 sidelined him for his third season, depriving scouts of another year of film to evaluate. That would be especially important after McCoy’s breakout 2024, as opposing teams would have been able to offer new challenges in 2025.
McCoy only participated at the bench press at the Combine, preferring to wait until his pro day for the rest of his testing. That seemed to pay off, as a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and strong vertical and broad jumps boosted his stock with a month until the draft. Not only did he show that he was fully recovered from his ACL tear, but his numbers cemented assessments of his high-end athleticism and seemed to lock him into a first-round pick.
However, teams have medically red-flagged the 20-year-old for a potentially degenerative knee condition, per EssentiallySports’ Tony Pauline. This could take him off some boards entirely, while others may drop his grade by a half or full round. This could result in a similar fall to Will Johnson‘s in 2025, when the projected first-rounder was not selected until the third round.
However, as Pauline notes, “medical opinions differ team by team since there is no central body to govern a physical.” Some clubs are willing to tolerate more injury risk than others, especially if they see McCoy as a potential lockdown cornerback
Giants Have Received Calls About No. 5
With one week remaining until the opening round of the draft, calls amongst teams will no doubt pick up. Movement near the top of the board could involve the Giants.
New York is currently slated to select fifth overall. The team has been mentioned as one to watch with respect to a move down the board, something which will of course only be feasible if a strong enough trade market exists. Things on that front can change over the coming days, but interest is being shown from potential suitors for the Giants’ top pick.
GM Joe Schoen said (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post) calls have been made recently with teams sending out “feelers” about the fifth overall selection. Interest to one extent or another is always present leading up to a draft, and in 2026 teams have indeed inquired about the No. 1 pick even though its fate has long been known. The number of teams prepared to move out of a premium spot in a class defined by its depth rather than its star power will make for a key storyline over the coming week.
If the Giants remain in place, they will have a number of intriguing options to choose from. Running back Jeremiyah Love has been named as a strong consideration, but even if the Notre Dame star is available the team could look to add on defense. ESPN’s Adam Schefter predicts (video link) preference will ultimately been shown for safety Caleb Downs or linebacker Sonny Styles. Both Ohio State standouts would be expected to make an immediate impact upon arrival and serve as a mainstay for several years.
Positional value will be put to the test in the opening stages of this year’s draft. Each member of the Love-Downs-Styles trio plays in a spot not weighted as heavily as quarterback, offensive tackle, receiver, edge rusher or corner when it comes to contract value or draft investments. That factor will no doubt be a major consideration as teams lower in the Day 1 order contemplate a move up the board. The Cowboys have emerged as a potential team to watch on that front, with a trade from No. 12 into the top five frequently mentioned as a possibility.
The Giants’ second pick is No. 37. Schoen indicated (via Dunleavy) he is confident a trade down from that spot can be worked out. The early and middle portions of Day 2 regularly include trading up and down the board, so it would come as no surprise if Schoen elected to add more picks for later in the event at that point. His preparation for No. 5 will continue, but a trade moving New York out of that spot could become tangible if a strong market develops in the near future.
NFL To Begin Training Replacement Referees; NFLRA Negotiations Ongoing
The expiration of the current CBA between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association continues to loom. A gap remains between the parties, and as expected efforts to prepare replacement officials are underway.
The league sent a memo to its teams on Wednesday stating the onboarding process of replacements has begun. “Several” officials have now completed background checks with the league, as detailed by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Training sessions – online and in person – are set to begin on or around May 1, he adds.
The CBA between the league and current referees is set to expire on May 31. In the absence of an agreement, replacement officials will be used during offseason work and training camp. Teams will be asked to offer feedback on the performance of the replacements while plans are made for the regular season.
“The league remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement with the NFRA but will be prepared in the event no agreement is reached prior to the expiration of the current agreement on May 31, 2026,” an earlier memo from senior VP of officiating Perry Fewell reads (h/t Tom Pelissero of NFL Network).
Earlier rounds of negotiations between the parties did not yield much in the way of progress. The NFL has offered a six-year contract carrying an average pay increase of 6.45% while attempting to bring about several changes to the structure of officiating. Longer probationary terms, a larger offseason period for training and prioritizing in-game performance over seniority for playoff assignments have proven to be key factors from the league’s perspective and have emerged as sticking points in negotiations.
A new set of talks recently took place, as noted by Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport. Those negotiations were productive, Seifert reports. Further talks are expected to take place prior to the May 31 deadline. Multiple owners who serve on committees were personally involved in recent negotiations, and Pelissero adds Jerry Jones was among them. The Cowboys owner has supported the NFL’s position on matters such as performance-based pay and more offseason training. It will be interesting to see if those factors and others see movement in the near future. Otherwise, replacement officials will be present for spring and summer practices.