HEADLINES

DE Bryce Huff Addresses Eagles Departure

July 7th, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

Things did not go according to plan for Bryce Huff in 2024. The high-priced free agent addition was present for only year with the Eagles, spending time in and out of the lineup before being among the team’s healthy scratches for the Super Bowl.

In all, Huff managed just 2.5 sacks in 12 games as an Eagle. Despite having two years left on his $17MM-per-year contract, it came as little surprise when a trade was worked out to send him to the 49ers. The 27-year-old will reunite with Robert Saleh as a result of the swap, something he anticipated last summer.

“If I’m being 100% honest with you, I wanted a trade like fairly early on,” Huff said during an appearance on The SFNiners podcast (video link). “And just ’cause of how things went in Philly, I knew pretty early on it wasn’t a fit.

“There’s a plethora of things that went down. I don’t wanna get into specifics. Being in the league for five years, I kinda knew what it felt like to be in a good situation… I kind of knew where it was headed fairly early on into the season, probably even training camp if I’m being honest.”

Scheme fit was seen as a potential issue for Huff in Philadelphia, although he handled a similar workload with his second career team as he did during his final year with the Jets. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio noted the wrist injury which required surgery and led to missed time as a key factor in Huff’s underwhelming production. He predicted a return to form will take place in San Francisco, where Huff will again work with Saleh (who took his former 49ers DC gig after the two were together during his Jets head coaching stint).

In San Francisco, Huff will be used as a third-down specialist, a role he thrived in with New York. The former UDFA will look to earn snaps as part of a rotation including Nick Bosa, Yetur Gross-Matos and first-round rookie Mykel Williams. If things play out as team and player hope, the 49ers’ decision to take on the remainder of Huff’s pact will prove to be an effective one and a repeat of his situation from last summer will be avoided.

Latest On Titans’ QB Situation

July 7th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cam Ward has not officially won the Titans’ starting quarterback gig yet, but it remains the expectation that will be the case this summer. Beyond this year’s No. 1 pick, Tennessee has a number of interesting decisions to make.

Returnee Will Levis saw some time with the first-team offense during spring practices, and he is thus a candidate to win the starting gig at training camp. More realistically, though, the former second-rounder is in line to begin the campaign as Tennessee’s backup. Trade rumors have swirled in Levis’ case, but new general manager Mike Borgonzi has insisted no efforts were made before or during the draft to move him.

Team reporter Jim Wyatt notes Levis can be penciled into the QB2 spot (pending a summer push on the part of an interested team to work out a trade). That would leave Ward in place to operate as Tennessee’s starter, with his development playing a central role in the team’s 2025 success. The Titans have two other passers in place entering training camp in the form of Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle.

Allen has familiarity with head coach Brian Callahan given their time spent together in Cincinnati. The 32-year-old has only made 18 appearances (and 10 starts) during his career, so he profiles as a No. 3 option at best. Wyatt notes Allen received more reps during the spring than Boyle, pointing to him having an advantage for the third-string gig. Presuming Boyle finishes the summer fourth on the depth chart, he will be a prime candidate to find himself amongst the team’s roster cuts.

Plenty of time remains for the pecking order at the quarterback spot to change, of course. How the four signal-callers fare during padded practices will make for one of the Titans’ top summer storylines. As things stand now, though, few surprises (if any) with respect to the depth chart should be expected.

Dolphins Acquire TE Darren Waller From Giants

July 7th, 2025 at 4:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 7: The deal is now official, per an announcement from the Dolphins. Sirius XM’s Howard Balzer notes Waller is still on the reserve/retired list at this point, but that will of course change in the near future. Miami was at the roster limit entering Monday, but with the Jalen Ramsey and Smith swap for Minkah Fitzpatrick also officially taking place, activating Waller should not require a corresponding move.

JULY 1: The Dolphins have taken an unexpected route to find a new veteran tight end. A trade agreement is in place with the Giants for Miami to acquire Darren Waller, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Waller is coming out of retirement to head to Miami. New York still held his rights, requiring this swap to take place. The former Pro Bowler only intended to resume his playing career if he could do so with the Dolphins, Pelissero adds. That will indeed be the case. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Miami will receive Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2026.

Acquired via trade from the Raiders, Waller faced high expectations upon arrival with the Giants. The former sixth-rounder wound up only playing one season in New York, however. Retirement was brought up on more than one occasion, and last June Waller officially decided to hang up his cleats. That move – which came in the wake of a frightening health episode in November 2023 – created cap savings for the Giants but the team did not deal away his rights at any point. Two years remained on Waller’s contract at the time of his retirement, but Pelissero notes he will ink a restructured pact heavy on incentives as part of this trade.

Providing details on that point, Schefter adds this will be a one-year deal worth up to $5MM via incentives. Waller will now aim to provide his new team with a veteran pass-catching option in the wake of Jonnu Smith being dealt to the Steelers yesterday. The Dolphins were in the market for a tight end as a result, but this move is certainly not the one many would have expected.

In addition to health issues, Waller cited a waning passion for the game when addressing his decision to retire. That is of course commonplace for many around the league when they elect to hang up their cleats, but it seemed to confirm Waller would not be eyeing a return. With one exception clearly being made in the case of the Dolphins, however, he is now set to play a ninth NFL campaign.

Miami’s depth chart at the TE spot consisted of veteran Pharaoh Brown along with Julian Hill, Hayden Ricci and Jalin Conyers. Each member of the latter trio entered the league as an undrafted free agent. Expectations will be limited in their cases as a result, but it will be interesting to see how this Waller experiment unfolds in 2025.

Latest On Dolphins, CB Rasul Douglas

July 7th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins have, as expected, moved on from cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The trade which sent him to Pittsburgh also included the departure of tight end Jonnu Smith.

Miami has already filled the TE vacancy by acquiring the unretired Darren Waller. As for the cornerback spot, however, it remains to be seen who will be brought in to help compensate for Ramsey’s departure (and, to a lesser extent, the earlier release of Kendall Fuller). The Dolphins have been linked to a few options still on the market, including Rasul Douglas.

The 29-year-old has been connected to a few suitors so far, Miami being among them. Douglas does not foresee a return to the Packers this summer, but any number of other teams could look to sign him ahead of training camp. The Dolphins will be worth watching on this front, but nothing is imminent at this time.

Finances are a key reason why that may change somewhat soon. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes team and player have not been too far apart with respect to contract terms when they have been in contact with each other. As a result, he predicts a Douglas deal could still be worked out at some point this summer.

After being traded from the Packers to the Bills in 2023, Douglas operated as a full-time starter for Buffalo. The former third-rounder totaled 87 tackles and 13 pass deflections during his time there, although that spell included four touchdowns and a 122 passer rating allowed in coverage last season. Still, Douglas would offer Miami an experienced option on a cornerback depth chart filled with younger contributors.

The likes of Stephon Gilmore – who recently confirmed he intends to play a 14th NFL season – along with Mike Hilton, Asante Samuel Jr. and James Bradberry are also on the market at this point. Douglas is known to be a potential Miami target, with the same being true of Samuel and Bradberry. The Dolphins currently have nearly $14MM in cap space, so a one-year investment in Douglas or another veteran should be feasible. It will be interesting to see how the team’s summer free agent approach takes shape.

PFR Originals: Giants, Evans, Bourne, Washington, Raiders, Allen, Colts, Dean

July 7th, 2025 at 11:10am CST by Adam La Rose

Here is a breakdown of PFR’s latest originals:

  • Recapping Giants’ Offseason: Sam Robinson kicked off the 2025 edition of the Offseason in Review Series by detailing the Giants‘ moves. Both Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are still in place ahead of what will be a make-or-break season for the pair. Russell Wilson is set to begin the campaign atop the QB depth chart, but the play of first-round rookie Jaxson Dart if/when he sees the field will be critical in determining if the current regime remains in place next season.
  • Exploring Evans Extension: Mike Evans is one of many key veterans the Buccaneers have managed to retain over time. Only one year remains on the six-time Pro Bowler’s contract, though, so another Tampa agreement could be in store. Rory Parks looked into what a fourth contract could look like in this case. Evans, who will be 32 by the start of the season, has managed 1,000-plus yards in each of his 11 years with the Bucs. Another short-term pact would help continue his highly effective partnership with Chris Godwin and ensure a free agent departure does not take place during the waning stages of his career.
  • Detailing Top Cap Charges: Per usual, quarterbacks and edge rushers dominate the league’s financial landscape in terms of cap charges. I listed the top 25 cap hits on offense and defense for 2025, a year in which some movement on that front could still take place. Veterans like Terry McLaurin and T.J. Watt could see their respective cap figures for the coming year drop if extensions are worked out in advance of Week 1. Nevertheless, most NFL teams will carry on with a similar financial setup to the one which has been in place for several years.
  • Previewing Bourne Release: Kendrick Bourne drew interest leading up to the 2024 trade deadline, and the Patriots have made a number of receiver additions this offseason. As a result, his roster spot may be in jeopardy. Ely Allen explored a potential Bourne release. The 29-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, but a release would create over $6MM in cap savings for New England team looking to surround Drake Maye with a new-look receiving corps.
  • Discussing Washington Trade: The Steelers will once again have Pat Freiermuth in place for 2025. Part of their Jalen Ramsey trade resulted in fellow tight Jonnu Smith being acquired as well, however. With that tandem in place, Darnell Washington could be deemed expendable. Ben Levine profiled the 23-year-old as a potential trade candidate. Two years remain on Washington’s rookie pact, so a team interested in adding him would have a cost-effective depth piece. Pittsburgh could, of course, elect to keep him in place as a run blocker with the potential to take on a larger role in the future.
  • Summarizing Raiders’ Offseason: Not for the first time since their move to Vegas, the Raiders cleaned house on the sidelines and in the front office. Sam recapped the moves which included Pete Carroll being hired as head coach as a part of a regime also featuring general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady. The team’s trade for quarterback Geno Smith and decision to draft Ashton Jeanty sixth overall will give Vegas a number of intriguing new faces on offense in 2025.
  • Looking Into New Allen Deal: Zach Allen enjoyed a career year in 2024, and it could earn him a raise. Sam broke down the 27-year-old’s candidacy for an extension coming off his 8.5-sack campaign. One year remains on Allen’s deal, but the market for defensive linemen capable of producing against the pass has surged in recent years. Known to be on the Broncos’ radar for a new pact, he could be in line for a payday in the near future.
  • Tracking Longest-Tenured HCs, GMs: The 2025 hiring cycle resulted in seven new head coaches being brought in. Many of the longest-tenured staffers remain with their current teams, however. I looked into the new pecking order in terms of head coaching tenures, while Sam did the same with general managers. On the latter front, four new faces are in place for the coming season while 15 GMs hired in 2020 or earlier are still with their respective teams.
  • Reviewing Colts’ Offseason: For much of the Colts‘ offseason, the quarterback position represented the team’s central talking point. Daniel Jones was brought in as competition for former No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson, and the winner of the contest for the QB1 gig will be worth watching for. Given the death of owner Jim Irsay, though, the transition to his three daughters – in particular Carlie Irsay-Gordon – will be critical in shaping the franchise’s direction. Sam recapped Indianapolis’ moves ahead of what will be a crucial season for Richardson but also head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard.
  • Profiling Dean As Cut Candidate: While Evans is a logical target for a new Buccaneers pact, this summer could of course see notable players released ahead of the campaign. Ely wrote about one of them in the form of cornerback Jamel Dean. In six years with Tampa Bay, Dean has racked up 63 starts and won a Super Bowl. However, the team has invested heavily at the CB spot in recent drafts, and moving on from the 28-year-old this summer (with two years remaining on his pact) would create nearly $13MM in cap savings.

Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin Arrested

July 7th, 2025 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 7: An updated version of Hoyt’s story cites the arrest report in this case. Turpin was pulled over late Saturday night for traveling 97 mph in a 70 mph zone. The marijuana and an unholstered pistol were then found while police searched the vehicle. Turpin was released shortly after being booked on Sunday.

JULY 6: Cowboys receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin was arrested and booked into Collin County Jail on Sunday, per court records.

Turpin faces a pair of misdemeanor charges: possession of marijuana (totaling less than two ounces) and unlawful carrying of a weapon, as detailed by Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. Neither the Cowboys nor the NFL have issued a statement at this time.

A 2018 arrest on a assault charges led to Turpin being dismissed from TCU midway through his senior season. That brought an end to a productive college career, during which he flashed potential as a receiver but especially in the return game. After going undrafted, the 5-9, 153-pounder saw time in numerous football leagues during a span which included earning USFL MVP honors. Turpin’s showing there earned him an opportunity with the Cowboys.

The 2022 campaign saw Turpin receive a Pro Bowl selection for his strong production as a kick and punt returner. The 28-year-old was a standout in that regard once again last season, totaling over 1,600 All-Purpose yards and leading the NFL in kick return average (33.5). Those figures led to a first-team All-Pro nod and came about as Turpin also took on an increased offensive role (31-420-2 receiving statline).

Team and player agreed on a three-year deal in March, and the pact’s base value of $13.5MM marks a notable raise from Turpin’s initial contract. Incentives are present which could yield another $4.5MM in compensation if his offensive role and production continue to increase. Dallas has a new WR2 in the form of George Pickens, and expectations will be high for both he and CeeDee Lamb. Turpin could nevertheless be in position for another strong season in 2025 presuming this arrest does not lead to any missed time.

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Still Prepared To Hold Out During Regular Season

July 6th, 2025 at 10:36pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve heard it before; the Bengals do not typically give out third contracts to veterans. The exceptions they did make were on the defensive line, with players like Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, but they just can’t seem to get across the finish line with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. On a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke down the latest on the extension negotiations between the two parties.

Back during voluntary workouts Hendrickson had expressed that things were starting to get personal. These sentiments seem to be echoed by the team’s most recent first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, who told the media that the Bengals prioritize winning contract arguments over winning games. Regardless, Hendrickson returned to the table in recent weeks, and the two sides have been communicating as they work towards an extension. While that’s all good news, it hasn’t yet led to Hendrickson putting pen to paper.

Per Fowler, Cincinnati wants desperately to get this done. They came into the offseason with the goal of extending its three stars. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins enjoyed their impressive new contracts together all the way back in March when a joint announcement delivered the news of both players’ extensions. Three and a half months later, and the team is still chipping away at that third star.

The big hurdle here, according to Fowler, appears to be structure. When structuring extensions, Cincinnati doesn’t typically spread guaranteed money evenly throughout the contract, preferring instead to focus guarantees mostly in Year 1 of the new deal, usually in the form of the signing bonus. This makes it easier for the team to back out of a long-term deal early without having to shoulder the burden of excessive dead money.

Teams that operate in this fashion are part of the reason we’ve seen a push from players who desire fully guaranteed contracts. As we saw in the recent NFLPA’s collusion grievance arbitration ruling, though, the NFL appears to be highly motivated to steer the league away from full guarantees.

Hendrickson feels as if he’s earned more long-term security, and it’s going to be hard to disagree. The 30-year-old appears to be aging like fine wine. After a quiet first three years in New Orleans, in which he only accumulated 6.5 sacks, Hendrickson exploded in a contract year with 13.5. The breakout season led him to Cincinnati on a four-year, $60MM deal, and he rewarded his new team with a new career-high 14.0 sacks. Only eight sacks in 2022 qualified that season as a “down” year for Hendrickson before he rebounded with another new career-high 17.5 sacks in 2023 and repeated that total in 2024.

After his first 17.5-sack season, Hendrickson held out in an effort to put pressure on the team’s front office for an extension. When a deal wasn’t reached, the Bengals added a one-year, $21MM extension to his contract to effectively kick the can down the road to this offseason, giving them a bit more time to work towards a deal. Hendrickson has made it clear this offseason that he has no intention of playing for the Bengals on his current contract. The one additional year will, apparently, not work a second time.

Hendrickson also threatened back in May that he was prepared to hold out into the regular season, if that’s what it takes. According to Fowler, he is still very willing to follow through on that threat. Hendrickson is looking for big money. for sure, but more importantly, he wants big money in multiple years. After putting forth his best seasons in Years 7 & 8 of his career, he wants the Bengals to have faith that he’ll be able to deliver into the later years of his contract.

Release Candidate: Jamel Dean

July 6th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean has enjoyed an impressive career in Tampa Bay. Since the team drafted him out of Auburn in the third round of the 2019 draft, Dean has been a consistent, impactful presence in the Buccaneers’ secondary, starting 63 games in 82 appearances while recording eight interceptions, 52 passes defensed, and 313 tackles. He even won a Super Bowl in his second year with the team. Even so, it stands to reason that Dean’s time in pewter and red (and occasionally Creamsicle orange) could reasonably come to an end.

To begin with, injuries have been starting to impact the 28-year-old lately. Now, Dean has never played every game in a season, missing at least two games each year, but 2023 saw Dean miss four games with neck, knee, and ankle issues and 2024 saw Dean miss five games, including four straight, with a hamstring issue and a knee injury. Ultimately, it’s understandable to a degree, given the nature of the sport, but as Dean’s salary ($12.5MM in 2025 and $13MM in 2026) and cap hit ($15.14MM in 2025 and $15.78MM in 2026) continue to increase each year of his second contract, those missed games hurt that much more.

That brings us to our second point to this theory. Dean’s second contract — a four-year, $52MM re-signing in 2023 — features a potential out after the 2024 season that would have allowed the team to terminate the deal with only $6.85MM of dead money and $8.29MM of cap savings. Now that we are post-June 1, that potential out looks even more tempting as it would leave Tampa Bay with only $2.28MM in dead money and $12.85MM in cap savings.

In order to cut a starter like Dean, though, they should be confident that they can replace him. That makes it interesting, then, to go back and see that the Buccaneers utilized two Day 2 picks on second-round Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison and third-round Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish.

Morrison was garnering plenty of first-round buzz before suffering a season-ending hip injury in mid-October. His film from his freshman and sophomore campaigns — showing fluidity, vision, and big play ability — was enough to land him in the second round. Parrish is an extremely quick and twitchy cornerback with balance and physicality that help him play much bigger than his actual size. When matched up against the Heisman-winning, No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter this season, Parrish limited the two-way player to only three catches for 26 yards and no touchdowns.

If all that’s been laid out here comes to pass, and the Buccaneers part ways with the veteran of six years, Dean should be fine. He’s only two years removed from having earned a significant second contract, and at 28, he still has plenty of tread on his tires. Not to mention, any team lucky enough to have a hole at cornerback and a healthy chunk of available cap would be getting a cornerback who has never ranked lower than 26th (he averages around 16th over six seasons) in Pro Football Focus’ position rankings (subscription required).

The Buccaneers may very well intend for Dean to see his contract through, or perhaps they may even restructure the deal or extend him on new terms. He’s been a consistent, impactful presence and could be for years to come in Tampa Bay. But should the team want to improve its cap space from an admittedly already healthy $26.63MM, per OvertheCap.com, to $39.48MM, moving them from 14th in the NFL to fourth, this would be a potential option.

Extension Candidate: Mike Evans

July 6th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Despite missing three full games due to injury in 2024, Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans completed his mission of topping 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons in the NFL. The six-time Pro Bowler and franchise icon is entering the final year of the two-year, $41MM contract he signed in March 2024, and he therefore profiles as an obvious extension candidate.

However, prior to putting pen to paper on his current pact, Evans appeared to be on track to hit the open market, and he considered the Chiefs and Texans to be viable destinations if he had become a free agent and left Tampa. So, while it is difficult to imagine Evans in anything other than a Bucs uniform, he has at least entertained the notion in recent history.

That reality, combined with his age (he will turn 32 next month) and the Bucs’ heavy investment in the WR position could lead Evans elsewhere in 2026. Indeed, Tampa Bay re-upped Chris Godwin on a three-year, $66MM deal before free agency opened this year, and the club surprised many by adding Ohio State standout Emeka Egbuka in the first round (No. 19 overall) of this year’s draft. Jalen McMillan was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft, and he flashed as a rookie, securing 37 catches for 461 yards and eight scores.

On the other hand, newly-extended GM Jason Licht has made a habit of retaining his own talent. And, with the Bucs firmly in the midst of a competitive window, there is certainly an argument to be made for retaining Evans, who has continued to be productive into his early 30s. 

That is especially true in light of the fact that Godwin has operated primarily in the slot since becoming a full-time starter in 2019 (outside of Dave Canales’ one-and-done season as offensive coordinator in 2023). Egbuka likewise spent most of his college career working out of the slot, so even with multiple high-end contracts and premium draft picks populating the wide receiver depth chart, Evans’ skill set as a dangerous boundary target is hardly redundant.

Plus, the use of void years in Evans’ current deal will force the Bucs to eat over $13MM in dead money if he is not on the roster next year. When talking about possible Olympic participation in 2028, Evans said he would likely be retired by that point, which suggests he plans to keep playing for at least the 2026-27 campaigns. As such, a two-year add-on would make plenty of sense for both sides, and as the Bucs presently sit in the top half of the league in terms of cap space ($26.53MM), they seemingly have the flexibility to make it work (although quarterback Baker Mayfield may be eyeing a new contract and substantial raise next year). 

Regardless of where his next contract comes from, Evans stands to add considerably to his ~$134MM in career earnings, which positions him in the top-15 among active non-quarterbacks. He also has an excellent chance to bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy over the next several years.

Although he is currently in 24th place on the all-time receiving yards list (12,684), Evans can quickly catapult up that index of luminaries if he can sustain what has become ordinary output for him. By the time the 2027 season is in the books, it would not be surprising to see him in the top-five in terms of receiving yards (Isaac Bruce presently sits at No. 5 with 15,208) and receiving touchdowns (Marvin Harrison Sr. and his 128 TDs are in fifth place in that regard, while Evans leads the way among all active players with 105 receiving TDs).

In addition to his tremendous 17-game average triple-slash of 85/1,284/11, Evans has never played in fewer than 13 games in a season. There have been no reports of extension talks yet, but one would imagine that Licht & Co. are at least giving it some thought.

Patriots Felt Need To Lock Down LS Julian Ashby In Draft

July 6th, 2025 at 8:54pm CST by Ely Allen

It’s not too often that a long snapper is drafted in the NFL. While the numbers are slightly skewed based on players in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s who would play other positions and also long snap, there have been, at most, 19 long snappers technically selected in the NFL draft, including two players drafted at other positions who transitioned to long snapper. So, what would’ve led the Patriots to make such a pick in the waning moments of this year’s draft?

Tyler Schmitt (drafted in 2008) is considered the first pure long snapper to be drafted, and since him, only nine pure long snappers have been drafted from 2015 to today. Of those nine, only one is still on a team today — Blake Ferguson (2020) could make it two, but he’s still a free agent at the moment. That player was also the first of those nine, Joe Cardona, whom the Patriots selected in 2015. Cardona had been New England’s longest-tenured player and was made a team captain last year after also being made the highest-paid long snapper in the NFL.

New head coach Mike Vrabel came into New England set to overhaul the team’s roster. ESPN’s Mike Reiss puts the turnover ratio at nearly 50:50. That included the release of Cardona just a year after his big payday. Cardona has since rebounded, signing with the Dolphins just a week and a half later. To replace him, the team drafted Julian Ashby out of Vanderbilt, just one round after drafting Miami (FL) kicker Andy Borregales. With the Patriots having drafted punter Bryce Baringer two years ago, they are the only team in the NFL with three drafted specialists. But why draft Ashby?

Ashby transferred to the Commodores after four seasons at Furman. Vanderbilt special teams coach Jeff LePak saw Ashby as a true specimen. In addition to his ability to consistently snap with velocity and accuracy, at 6-foot-1 and 231 pounds, Ashby has a unique athleticism for the position that he amplifies with work ethic and a team-first approach, per LePak. His ability to consistently deliver in a way that gave the other specialists ample time to work with helped elevate the Commodores kicker and punter, as well.

While the Patriots could’ve taken their chances vying for Ashby’s signature as an undrafted free agent, having worked him out privately, Ashby worked out privately for nine other teams and took a pre-draft visit to Chicago. While there don’t seem to be any reports detailing exactly which teams were including in the nine that worked him out, one would assume that at least one of them stood between the Patriots’ 251st pick and their 257th pick, forcing them to pull the trigger early instead of making Ashby Mr. Irrelevant.

Regardless, New England landed its guy, and though, as we pointed out before, only one long snapper drafted from 2015 to now is still playing in the NFL, the fact that that long snapper was drafted by the Patriots may be a good sign for Ashby. Ashby, Borregales, and Baringer will form a young specialist trio of drafted pedigree in 2025 and, potentially, if they prove to be worth that pedigree, for several more years to come.

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