5 Key Stories: 6/15/25 – 6/21/25
As the wait for the opening of training camps around the league begins, a number of high-profile situations remain unresolved. That will likely remain the case for several weeks, but one major free agent move defined the past few days. In case you missed any of the top developments from this week, here is a quick recap:
- Alexander Chooses Ravens: With no trade or pay cut agreement being reached with the Packers, Jaire Alexander hit the open market upon being released. The two-time Pro Bowler drew immediate interest to no surprise, and in short order he decided on his second career team. Alexander had not been heavily linked to the Ravens upon becoming a free agent, but not long after former Louisville teammate Lamar Jackson publicly endorsed adding him, Baltimore did just that. Alexander will play on a one-year, $4MM pact with another $2MM available via incentives – a far cry from what he was originally owed but a deal which allows him to test the market next spring. The oft-injured cover man’s preference appeared to be a reworked Packers agreement, but in the absence of guarantees on a pay cut he elected to start over on a new team.
- Ramsey Landing Spots Becoming Clearer? Jalen Ramsey is still with the Dolphins at this point, but nothing has changed with respect to a trade being expected. The list of teams not pursuing him continues to grow, something which is bringing his potential landing spots into greater focus. The Rams have long been known as an interested party in this situation, and they are joined by the Chargers as a team to watch. A Friday report stated Ramsey would prefer being dealt to the West Coast, with the two Los Angeles franchise being listed as destinations. The Bolts had not previously been linked to the 30-year-old, but it will be interesting to see if they partake in a bidding war with the Rams during trade talks with the Dolphins.
- Guarantees Holding Up Steelers’ Watt Negotiations? Along with a number of other notable edge rushers, T.J. Watt is in talks for a new deal. He and the Steelers have a mutual desire to remain together past 2025, but a raise is in store on a third contract. To little surprise, it appears the matter of guarantees are a sticking point in negotiations. Making another massive investment regarding locked in compensation for Watt, 30, could be a trickier decision on Pittsburgh’s part now compared to when the team made him the league’s highest-paid pass rusher in 2021. That negotiation process took well into the summer, whereas this time around an agreement in time for training camp is the goal.
- Mosley Retires: On his 33rd birthday, C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL. A Butkis Award winner and two-time national champion at Alabama, the linebacker entered the league with high expectations. Mosley enjoyed a productive five-year stint with the Ravens, collecting four Pro Bowl nods. He then reset the LB market with an $85MM Jets deal, a pact which did originally yield the desired results (with only two games played from 2019-20). Mosley was a productive starter when healthy in New York, but few were surprised when he was released this offseason. The five-time second-team All-Pro intended to continue his career, but his attention will now turn to his post-playing days.
- Second-Round Rookies Seeking Fully Guaranteed Deals: Players selected in the first round of the NFL draft have long seen their four-year pacts guaranteed in full. A new precedent was set this offseason when the No. 33 (Carson Schwesinger, Browns) and 34 (Jayden Higgins, Texans) selections received full guarantees for every year of their respective deals. Fellow round two draftees are understandably waiting to sign in the hopes of receiving the same terms. That includes Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who came off the board 40th overall. Locking in all of his contract would mark a notable jump compared to last year’s selection in that slot. Nearly every other member of the 2025 draft class is on the books by now, but it could take until training camp (or longer) for agreements covering the remaining rookies to be worked out. A resolution to the second-round stalemates will be key in that regard.
Daniel Faalele, Andrew Vorhees Leading Ravens’ G Competition
Four of the Ravens’ stating offensive linemen from 2024 are set to return. One of those is Daniel Faalele, whose first full-time season as a guard came last year. 
The 25-year-old Australian struggled as a tackle, but a move inside produced an uptick in PFF grade. Pass protection in particular showed improvement, although after ranking just 45th in overall evaluation amongst qualifying guards Faalele certainly has room to continue developing in the final year of his rookie season. Entering training camp, he is in line to remain Baltimore’s right guard starter.
Head coach John Harbaugh said this week (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) Faalele is in the lead for a first-team guard role. That comes as little surprise, given his 1,100-plus snaps during the regular season at the RG spot. As for the other guard position – vacated when Patrick Mekari departed in free agency – Harbaugh noted Andrew Vorhees is the favorite at this point.
That is also an expected update, since Vorhees entered spring practices as the top candidate to replace Mekari. The former seventh-rounder missed his entire rookie season while rehabbing an ACL tear, but he was healthy in time for the start of the 2024 campaign. Vorhees was Baltimore’s left guard to begin the season, but a Week 3 ankle injury cost him his starting gig. Mekari’s expected departure created a vacancy, one which Vorhees (or a group of challengers including returnee Ben Cleveland) will aim to fill during training camp.
In other offensive line news, Harbaugh provided an injury update on Emery Jones. The third-round rookie has been dealing with a shoulder injury, and Harbaugh noted (via Zrebiec) he is likely to miss the beginning of next month’s training camp. Jones – whom the team intends to use as a tackle before potentially trying him at guard – should be available at some point this summer, though. By the time he is healthy, a clear frontrunner may have emerged for both guard spots with the swing tackle role being the next to be determined.
Malachi Corley’s Jets Roster Spot Uncertain
Malachi Corley was in position to occupy at least a rotational role in the Jets’ during his rookie campaign. Instead, he proved to essentially be a non-factor. 
2025 has seen the Jets bring in a regime other than the one which drafted Corley, a factor which often carries considerable weight in roster decisions. The 23-year-old made only nine appearances as a rookie, with his most memorable moment coming in a Thursday night game in which he prematurely dropped the ball and nullified what would have been a touchdown. Corley never managed to carve out a role, and he has been unable to do so this spring.
While dealing with an undisclosed injury, the Western Kentucky product has missed considerable time during the offseason (including the Jets’ recent minicamp). As a result, Corley is behind in terms of his acclimation to new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand‘s scheme. Between the missed reps, his lack of connection to the new decision-makers and his underwhelming rookie season, ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes Corley does not have a clearly defined role at this point, adding his roster spot is not a lock.
“There’s a plan for him, and we’re going to make sure that we try to utilize him to what he can do best, and we’ve seen that in college,” head coach Aaron Glenn said. “Hopefully, he gets well soon, and we get a chance to utilize his skillset.”
Corley did not showcase a strong route-running ability in college, but he was dynamic with respect to yards after the catch. A role as a gadget player on offense and/or as a returner would be sensible as a result, but the New York’s third-rounder from last April will need to impress during training camp to solidify a roster spot. The Jets’ WR depth chart no longer includes Davante Adams, although Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Josh Reynolds and fourth-round rookie Arian Smith are in place. Xavier Gipson is in position to round out the receiver room but he could also handle return duties, something which would make it more challenging for Corley to lock down a spot.
The latter is attached to his rookie contract for the next three years, meaning he will provide the Jets with a cost-effective depth option provided he survives roster cutdowns. Unless Corley can return to full health in time for training camp and play his way into a defined role, though, he will face an uncertain future.
Browns Rookie LB Carson Schwesinger Likely To Start
For much of the 2024 NFL season, it seemed like off-ball linebacker was not going to be an offseason need for the Browns. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Devin Bush, and Jordan Hicks finished the year graded as the seventh-, ninth-, and 11th-best linebackers, respectively, in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Yet, somehow, there’s a decent chance that a second-round rookie will be starting at the position in 2025, per ESPN’s Tony Grossi. 
First off, we need to address the occurrences that led to the Browns needing to select UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of Day 2 of the draft. Owusu-Koramoah’s best campaign of his young career came to an early end when a neck injury landed him on injured reserve. While he avoided a career-altering injury, he’s expected to miss a portion of this upcoming season and may take a while to get back to full speed and strength.
Bush, after having an uncharacteristically impressive season, was set to return on another one-year deal. Unfortunately, his NFL future remains in question as he spends some time in court dealing with charges of simple assault and harassment. The six-year veteran was arrested days after the draft, but with the team using such a high pick on Schwesinger, there’s certainly a possibility that they were aware of the soon-to-come legal situation.
Even with Bush back in the fold, though, Grossi posits that Hicks and Schwesinger will be the two linebackers on the field most often in 4-2-5 formations. Whenever third linebackers are on the field, Grossi believes it will be a battle between Bush, Mohamoud Diabate, Jerome Baker, and Winston Reid for those snaps.
Coming out of Oaks Christian (CA) without a recruiting ranking, Schwesinger passed up a partial scholarship with Bucknell in order to walk on at UCLA. After redshirting his freshman year, he earned a scholarship and appeared in all 13 games his redshirt freshman year. Most of that season and the subsequent one were spent on special teams, though he did record 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in limited time on defense. As a redshirt junior, Schwesinger earned a starting role and filled the stat sheet with 136 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
What he lacks in natural strength and technique, he makes up for in vision and tenacity. Schwesinger is quick to recognize and diagnose plays as they develop, watching the quarterback’s eyes and finding his lane of attack throughout the play. His effort takes him from sideline to sideline, and he doesn’t miss many tackles.
The same mentality that took him from walk-on to special teamer to starter to second-round pick is expected to take him to NFL starter, as well, at least to open the season. Things could change as camps progress and when Owusu-Koramoah eventually gets healthy, but for now, Schwesinger is likely to be working with the first-team defense after failing to garner a single scholarship offer just four years ago.
Titans Make Front Office Changes
Earlier this month, the Titans announced several changes to their front office staff. The team’s senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt detailed a number of promotions and new hires that pertain to the areas of staff that we cover.
To start, we already reported on Tennessee’s hiring of former Pitt director of college scouting Alex Kline, but at that time, we were unaware of what role on staff he would end up playing. Wyatt tells us that Kline will serve the Titans as a scouting assistant in 2025. He’ll be joined in the position with fellow new hire Geo Leins. Leins also originally came out of college with recruiting roles at Campbell, UCLA, Wake Forest, and NC State. He debuted in the NFL in 2023 as a scouting assistant with the Dolphins but heads now to Nashville.
The only other new hire in the scouting department is Jack Turner. After operations internships with Wake Forest and the Chiefs, Turner found an operations job at Davidson College. He left for a recruiting internship, again with the Demon Deacons, before getting a recruiting analyst job at Michigan. He’ll work his first full-time job in the NFL as an NFS scout for the Titans.
The scouting department also saw five promotions with Tennessee elevating Jon Salge to director of player personnel, Kevin Turks to director of pro personnel, Mike Boni to assistant director of college scouting, Kalan Reed to college scout, and Keenan Agnew to pro scout.
Salge is entering his 20th season with the Titans. Starting with the team as a scouting assistant, he’s worked his way up through the ranks as a college scout before eventually being named director of college scouting, a role he’s held for the past eight seasons. Turks joined the team in 2015 as a pro scout following time in Chicago as a scout and director of pro personnel. He was promoted after three years to assistant director of pro personnel in Tennessee and was invited to participate in the league’s Front Office & General Manager Accelerator program in 2023.
Boni, like Salge, also has 19 years of NFL experience but only has eight with the Titans. After coaching attempts at the high school and Division III college levels, Boni turned to scouting in 2006 spending a year as pro personnel administrator and a year as college scouting administrator with the Bills. In 2008, Boni departed for Arizona, working as an NFS scout to start for two years before seven as an east area scout. He started with the Titans in 2018 as a college scout before moving up to national scout in 2019, a role he held for five years before being named senior national scout last year.
Reed is a former cornerback whom the Titans actually made Mr. Irrelevant in 2016. A career-ending neck injury brought his playing career to a close, but in 2023, he joined the team that drafted him as a personnel scout after an NFL Legends fellowship. Agnew joined the team last year as a scouting assistant following the conclusion of his playing career at Southern Illinois. He’s the son of Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew and the brother of Jets pro scout Ray Agnew III.
Lastly, the analytics department also saw two promotions as Rob Riederer was named director of game management & strategic initiatives and Erin Psajdl Davis was named football research & development coordinator.
After his collegiate playing career, Riederer started with the Titans as a scouting assistant, working his way up to pro scouting coordinator at one point. Last year saw a shift in focus as Riederer was named assistant director of football strategy. His newfound career in analytics has paid off with this promotion. Psajdl Davis joined the team last year as a data analyst. She started in the NFL in the same role with the Texans for two years before spending the 2023 season as a data scientist with the Chiefs. Unlike her first two position changes, this move up will keep Psajdl Davis with the same team.
Latest On Browns’ RB Depth Chart
After finishing 29th in the NFL last year in rushing yards, the Browns made a concerted effort this offseason to getting younger in their running backs room. In fact, Cleveland doubled down in the draft, using two of their seven picks on the position, becoming the first team in NFL history to draft two running backs and two quarterbacks in the first five rounds of any draft in the Common Draft Era. 
Last year’s group was abysmal. Third-year back Jerome Ford led the team with 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games, six of which were starts. The phenomenal receiving contributions he showed in 2023 (44 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns) effectively disappeared as he shouldered the main responsibility of being the primary rusher.
An aging Nick Chubb, 29, struggled in his return from a brutal knee injury. In eight starts through the middle of the season, Chubb failed to reach 60 rushing yards in any one game and scored in just two. His 3.3 yards per carry were the worst of his career; in contrast, before last year, he had never had a season with fewer than 5.0 yards per rush in his career. The third leading rusher was D’Onta Foreman. Also 29, Foreman’s 232 yards, zero touchdowns, and 3.3 yards per carry were among the worst numbers of his career.
Ditching the two 29-year-olds, the Browns only return Ford and Pierre Strong from last year’s diverse crop. Strong, 26, is the old man of the group, but his best season (2023) only saw 63 carries for 291 yards and a touchdown. Now Ford and Strong will be joined with a much younger duo as Cleveland welcomes second-round Ohio State rookie Quinshon Judkins, 21, and fourth-round Tennessee rookie Dylan Sampson, 20. Both Judkins and Sampson were higher draft picks in their respective draft than Ford (a fifth-round pick) and Strong (also a fourth-round pick, but 127th overall while Sampson was No. 126).
Judkins doesn’t add too much versatility in size to the room. Ford and Pierre both hover around 5-foot-10 or -11 and around 210-215 pounds, while Judkins adds a bit more size at just over 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds. Sampson brings a bit more diversity as a smaller 5-foot-8, 200-pound back.
In terms of production, Judkins brings consistency, never recording fewer than 1,000 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in his three years at Ole Miss and Ohio State, despite only spending one season as a full-time starter. His best season came in his freshman year, though, when he recorded 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns in just six starts (13 games). Sampson brings a flashy scoring ability after breaking out in his third year with the Volunteers. His 1,491 rushing yards in his only season as a full-time starter doesn’t quite match Judkins’ freshman campaign, but his 22 touchdowns beat any of Judkins three years.
In running style Judkins and Sampson seem like a perfect fit. Judkins runs with more of a decisive, one-cut style, attempting to get to his top speed by the time he hits the second-level defender. He’s not afraid of lowering the shoulder for contact with his strength and balance making him difficult to bring down. Sampson plays with a bit more quickness and agility, finding his desired angle and cutting with speed. He certainly fights for every yard, but rather than lowering the boom, he’s more effective when he’s using small cuts and shakes to avoid getting hit head on to eke out a couple more yards.
In a recent Q&A for TheLandOnDemand.com, ESPN’s Tony Grossi claimed that Judkins will be the planned starter moving forward with Sampson as the top backup. He points to Ford’s recent pay cut this offseason as evidence of a reduced role for the 25-year-old. Plus, his receiving abilities could become more useful in an RB3 role. While there is still plenty of time before the regular season for the depth chart to get shaken up, at the moment, it looks like youth will lead the way in the Browns’ rushing attack in 2025.
Elijah Moore Not Likely To Land On Bills’ Roster Bubble
Brandon Beane gave a notable post-draft interview taking exception to radio criticism of his team’s wide receiver depth chart. The Bills may not have a true No. 1-level wideout post-Stefon Diggs, but they did do some work at the position this offseason.
Buffalo signed Josh Palmer early in free agency, and while the ex-Charger’s contract details revealed a more team-friendly structure (three years, $29MM) than initial reports indicated, he will be expected to play a central role in an attack that will see heavy involvement from Keon Coleman and the recently extended Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel remains on the team as well, as the ex-Panther is tied to a guaranteed 2025 base salary ($6.91MM).
After the draft, though, the Bills made a modest investment in a fifth wideout. They signed Elijah Moore to a one-year, $2.5MM deal that came fully guaranteed. That figure would not make Moore bulletproof on cutdown day, but Moore does not appear in danger of being a quick cut. The ex-Jets and Browns contributor is “close to a lock” to land on the Bills’ 53-man roster, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes, adding that Samuel will be a lock to make the team.
Moore landing in Buffalo is interesting given the QB hands the former second-round pick has been dealt. Arriving in New York a round after the Jets chose Zach Wilson, Moore ended up in Cleveland as Aaron Rodgers (feat. then-GM Joe Douglas) pieced together a depth chart that included ex-Packer wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. The Browns did not have a reliable quarterback targeting Moore, as it turned out, with Deshaun Watson becoming a spectacular trade bust. Cleveland slogged through a 3-14 2024 season, and Moore did not generate too much free agency interest.
The Browns still applied a rarely used UFA tender to Moore before the late-spring deadline. This came before Cleveland’s Diontae Johnson signing, but the Browns’ Moore move ended up pertaining only to the 2026 compensatory formula after the slot weapon’s Bills signing. Moore is part of an interesting Buffalo receiver depth chart that now includes three slot types (along with Shakir and Samuel), while Palmer has some slot experience as well. Despite this heavy commitment to inside playmakers at the position, it appears the Bills — who did not re-sign Amari Cooper and saw Mack Hollins sign with the Patriots — are prepared to roster Moore and use him as a tertiary option.
ESPN’s Open Score metric ranked Moore 22nd in separation in 2021 and 37th in 2023. His other two seasons, marred by Wilson (and a clash with the Jets’ staff) and then the Browns starting four QBs, brought much worse rankings here. But the Ole Miss alum still produced 538 yards in 11 rookie-year games and then a career-high 640 in a mostly sluggish (pre-Joe Flacco) Browns attack in 2023. Going from this collection of QBs to Josh Allen could give the Bills an interesting weapon and provide Moore with a chance to boost his value for a 2026 free agency bid, though how the Bills divvy up playing time and targets to their bevy of slots — in an offense that also features receiving tight end Dalton Kincaid — will be an interesting subplot to follow.
Jawaan Taylor Not Certain To Retain Chiefs’ Starting RT Job; Latest On Team’s LG Battle
Jawaan Taylor carried considerable value as a 2023 free agent. Ranked third on PFR’s FA list heading into that league year, the four-season Jaguars right tackle starter fetched a player-friendly contract from a Chiefs team that paid up to replace Andrew Wylie.
The Chiefs gave Taylor a four-year, $80MM deal — one that brought an important date in March 2024. A rolling guarantee structure meant that if Taylor was on Kansas City’s roster by mid-March of last year, his 2025 base salary would become fully guaranteed. The Chiefs did not see Taylor justify the cost in 2023, but they were in no position to cut or trade him after one season. As a result, they are on the hook for his $19.5MM salary this year.
[RELATED: Josh Simmons Expected To Be Full Training Camp Participant]
Tackle issues hounded the Chiefs last season. Their tightrope walk to Super Bowl LIX featured four LT starters, as the team’s post-Orlando Brown Jr. setup there received more attention. Taylor has remained mostly healthy, and the former second-round pick made 19 starts for the AFC champions last season. Of course, Taylor has not played especially well in K.C. His 14 penalties last season ranked second in the NFL; that showing came after a 2023 season that featured Taylor being whistled for five more infractions (17) than anyone else that year.
Kansas City’s undoing in Super Bowl LIX brought worse optics compared to the team’s blowout loss in Super Bowl LV, as the latter matchup involved backup options at both tackle positions. The Chiefs had no injury issues up front against the Eagles, but their line endured an onslaught against a defense that did not blitz in the game. As a result of this rout, the Chiefs invested heavily at tackle by giving Jaylon Moore a two-year deal worth $30MM and then drafting Josh Simmons in Round 1. These moves may end up affecting Taylor.
Despite the lofty salary guarantee, Taylor could lose his starting RT job. The seventh-year blocker should not be considered a lock to retain it, per The Athletic’s Michael Silver. A scenario in which Simmons commandeers the Chiefs’ starting LT post and Moore earns the RT gig is in play. That would stand to provide an upgrade for the Chiefs, though both imports come with questions. Simmons fell to No. 31 because of a patellar tendon tear and character issues, while Moore did not grade well in limited duty in San Francisco. But Taylor’s struggles, which have also involved scrutiny on his alignment and phantom false starts, may point the Chiefs to preferring Moore take over at RT immediately — rather than after a cap casualty-based Taylor release in 2026.
The Chiefs also traded their most accomplished O-lineman, Joe Thuney, to the Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick. They are giving 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, whom Andy Reid quickly benched after he had won the job over Wanya Morris during training camp, an opportunity to replace Thuney at left guard.
Although Thuney drew a tough assignment by switching to tackle as the team’s emergency solution amid a string of failed options, he earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2022 and ’23. The Chiefs will need to brace for a significant step back at guard, though they will obviously hope improvement at tackle will help offset this.
The player who filled in for Thuney after his in-season move to LT, Mike Caliendo, is also competing for the left guard spot, Silver adds. A 2022 UDFA, Caliendo made six starts at guard last season and played in 17 games as a Chiefs backup in 2023. Suamataia did play 31 snaps at guard following his tackle demotion, but the former BYU tackle standout being given such a quick hook at his primary position and being asked to replace an All-Pro will be an interesting dynamic to follow as the Chiefs attempt to join only the early-1990s Bills as teams to book four straight Super Bowl berths.
Path Emerging For Evan Neal To Regain Giants Starting Job
A midseason ankle injury in 2023 moved Evan Neal out of the Giants’ starting lineup, and the former top-10 pick’s hopes of regaining his starting right tackle job did not produce a serious charge last summer. As a result, the Giants admitted partial defeat on their former No. 7 overall investment by greenlighting a much-rumored position change.
Neal is now a guard, and he took plenty of reps inside during the team’s offseason program — which wrapped this week. Although the Giants could well use the same starting five O-linemen they did in 2024, Neal is expected to be heard from during final training camp on a rookie contract.
The Giants re-signed Greg Van Roten, giving him a slight pay bump (one year, $3.25MM) to return. But the journeyman guard is heading into an age-35 season. A scenario in which the team’s primary 2024 right guard serves as Neal insurance has also emerged. Neal took plenty of reps at left guard during the offseason program, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, as the team managed Jon Runyan Jr.‘s return from two ankle surgeries. Once Runyan returns, the LG job is his. Van Roten’s RG job, however, should be considered in play for Neal, Duggan adds.
Giving Neal extensive work opens the door to the Giants preferring him to win the right guard gig, with Van Roten — who received $2.45MM guaranteed — in place in case the Alabama alum cannot stick the landing on his position change. Such aims have not reached desired conclusions for the Giants in the past, however. The team had hoped 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu would win a starting guard job in 2023, but that did not take place. (Ezeudu remains on Big Blue’s roster as a backup option, but O-line drafting has not been this regime’s forte.) Neal fared poorly as a right tackle and brought injury risk during his first three seasons, leading to the team predictably declining his $16.69MM fifth-year option.
Van Roten started all 17 games for the Giants last season and the Raiders in 2023. The Giants made the interesting move of importing the right side of the 2023 Raiders’ O-line last year, signing both Eluemunor and Van Roten. The latter, however, did not arrive until training camp — when it became clear Neal’s route back to RT had stalled. Pro Football Focus assigned Van Roten a mid-pack grade among guard regulars (42nd) in 2024.
Neal returned to the lineup at right tackle during the second half of last season, as the Giants kicked Eluemunor to LT as a belated post-Andrew Thomas solution. PFF graded Neal 58th (out of 81 qualified options) at tackle last year. That marked a step up from 2022 and ’23, when the advanced metrics site viewed Neal as the NFL’s second-worst tackle. Thomas (once he returns from Lisfranc surgery) and Eluemunor are entrenched at tackle, and James Hudson is now the swingman. Neal is returning to a position he has not played since his freshman year at Alabama; he was a 13-game RG starter for the Crimson Tide in 2019. Some viewed guard as his eventual destination, though the Giants resisted this position change for years.
As the Giants attempt to make the starter-to-bullpen-like Neal switch, they may also be readying Van Roten for potential swing duty. The 2012 UDFA, who stopped through the CFL for two seasons, took some first-string center reps during minicamp, Duggan notes in a separate piece. Mostly a guard as a pro, Van Roten took 138 center snaps last season and logged 159 there for the 2022 Raiders. Former second-round pick John Michael Schmitz has not established himself as a reliable presence just yet. If Neal supplants Van Roten at RG, the latter would stand to be the first option to replace Schmitz — PFF’s 36th- and 28th-ranked center, respectively, in 2023 and ’24 — falters this year.
Brian Daboll said (via the New York Post’s Zach Braziller) Neal has transitioned well inside thus far, though O-line competitions do not truly take shape until pads come on in training camp. This will be a storyline to follow in New York, as Braziller adds the Giants hope a Mekhi Becton– or Ereck Flowers-like rejuvenation at guard can commence. Both players earned themselves $10MM-per-year contracts after guard conversions. After a poor tackle career, Neal looks to have a big opportunity to boost his value ahead of a 2026 free agency bid.
Tom Brady Preferred Raiders Avoid Signing Sam Darnold
With the Vikings electing to hand the reins over to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold predictably departed on the open market this offseason. The latter wound up taking a three-year deal with the Seahawks to assume starting quarterback duties. 
Before that took place, Darnold was linked to a number of potential suitors as the top signal-caller in free agency. The Raiders were among the teams which made a notable move under center this spring, trading for Geno Smith once it became clear he and the Seahawks were not close on extension terms. Darnold’s predecessor is now on the books with Vegas thanks to the new regime which is overseeing the franchise.
That setup includes head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady. Once the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s ownership bid was approved, he immediately took on a notable role within the organization. Brady has been heavily involved in a number of Raiders decisions this offseason, and to little surprise that includes the acquisition of a new starting quarterback.
On that note, Mike Silver of the Athletic reports Brady did not support Vegas signing Darnold in free agency (subscription required). 2024 saw the former No. 3 pick enjoy an impressive run with the Vikings up to the team’s regular season finale and wild-card loss. Darnold nevertheless secured $100.5MM on his Seattle pact, one which contains a potential out as early as next March. Instead of making a similar investment, the Raiders traded for Smith and extended him on a two-year, $75MM pact.
That move will give Vegas short-term stability under center as the team looks to compete in the AFC West beginning in 2025. At the age of 28, Darnold is six years younger than Smith but the latter has experience working with Carroll dating back to their time together in Seattle. A productive reunion between the two would help a Raiders offense which finished 29th in scoring last season.
Of course, Carroll and Spytek were heavily involved in the decision to trade for Smith and thus settle the QB spot for the time being. The fact Brady preferred not to go the Darnold route was no doubt something which carried considerable weight, though, and it will be a factor in evaluating how the Raiders’ approach winds up playing out.