Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey Prefers Trade To West Coast?
With minicamps wrapped up around the NFL, player movement is set to quiet down until training camps begin next month. In the case of Jalen Ramsey, therefore, his post-Dolphins future could remain uncertain for several weeks. 
Team and player have mutually decided to part ways in this case, with a falling out between Ramsey and the coaching staff driving the decision. The 30-year-old has been on the trade block for months, and since June 1 Miami has been in position to facilitate a trade with preferable cap consequences. Little movement has taken place, though, as a small number of suitors have been connected to a Ramsey pursuit.
[RELATED: Raiders Not Pursuing Dolphins CB In Trade]
The Cowboys, Panthers and – most recently – Raiders have each come off the list in terms of potential landing spots for the seven-time Pro Bowler. The Rams, by contrast, have been a team to watch throughout the Ramsey sweepstakes. Head coach Sean McVay has made it clear Los Angeles is interested in a reunion, something which stood in stark contrast to the team’s stance on Jaire Alexander. The latter signed with the Ravens earlier this week, taking one high-profile cover man off the market. Ramsey remains as a notable option still available deep into the offseason.
During a Friday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (video link), ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on this situation. To little surprise, Schefter predicts the Ramsey trade will take place in time for the start of training camp in mid-July. In terms of a landing spot, he added the three-time All-Pro’s preference appears to be a West Coast team. In addition to the Rams, that would obviously leave the Chargers as a potential suitor.
Ramsey spent considerable time with the Rams, helping to lead the team to victory in Super LVI. A return to McVay and Co. would thus come as no surprise. The Bolts, by contrast, have not yet been mentioned as an interested party regarding Ramsey. They have been busy at the CB this offseason, adding the likes of Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste in free agency. Tarheeb Still enjoyed a strong rookie campaign, and he is in line to remain a key member of the Chargers’ secondary in 2025 and beyond.
With Asante Samuel Jr. still unsigned, though, the Bolts could stand to make another move in the secondary this offseason. General manager Joe Hortiz has over $27MM in cap space to work with at this point, meaning the Chargers would be able to absorb the $21MM in remaining guarantees on Ramsey’s pact with more ease than many other teams (including, to a small extent, the Rams). It will be interesting to see if a strong push emerges in the near future connecting Ramsey to Los Angeles’ AFC franchise.
Until and unless that happens, the Rams will no doubt remain the favorite in this case. Finances will be key in facilitating a Ramsey swap, and the Dolphins’ willingness to retain money will go a long way in determining the value received in return. With his intentions regarding a destination fitting what many already expected, the big-ticket trade target will continue to be linked to a return to his second career team.
Browns Eyeing QBs In 2026 NFL Draft?
The quarterbacks room in Cleveland is currently a bit overcrowded as four new faces vie for the starting job vacated by an injured Deshaun Watson. Veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco seem to be in the lead for the starting gig, but each are on only a one-year deal, and there’s a chance only the winner may get to stay on the roster. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both hold promise, but they’re likely competing for backup roles at the moment. 
Perhaps, after the 2025 NFL season, Watson will be back to full health, and the team will hold on to him so he can play out the final year of his historically terrible contract. Or maybe the team will re-sign the veteran who wins the starting job to a second deal. There’s also a chance that one of Gabriel or Sanders develops into a starter and becomes the quarterback of the future. ESPN’s Tony Grossi has a different idea in mind, though.
In a recent Q&A for TheLandOnDemand.com, Grossi posited the possibility that the Browns could dip back in the 2026 NFL Draft for a new quarterback. On its surface, the claim seems ridiculous after watching Cleveland selected two rookie quarterbacks in this year’s draft, but Grossi makes some compelling arguments.
First, he points to the draft compensation received from Jacksonville in return for the rights to draft Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall draft pick. In that trade, the Browns got some valuable 2025 pick swaps, but the big kicker was Jacksonville’s 2026 first-round pick, giving Cleveland two Day 1 picks next year. Seeing as both teams combined for seven wins last season, there’s a decent chance both picks could be fairly high, though each team will obviously be hoping for improvement.
The second point he brings up is the fact that the quarterbacks in the 2025 draft were widely seen as an overall lackluster group with only No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward being viewed as a player who would’ve been among 2024’s first-round passers in talent. In contrast, the class of 2026 is widely expected to be a much more talented group of passers for quarterback-needy teams.
We’ve covered this a bit already with our early look into the class’s quarterbacks shortly following the draft. A lot of eyes are on Texas’ Arch Manning, but even if he stays in school for another year, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Miami’s Carson Beck, and several others all give the draft class a chance to provide a much stronger group of passing prospects than we saw this past year.
So, if the 2026 class produces a litany of talented passing options that the team rates higher than it did Gabriel and Sanders, and the Browns hold two first-round picks, it certainly doesn’t seem impossible to think that Cleveland might use one of those two picks to take a flyer on a first-round quarterback. This approach might include them moving forward with three young quarterbacks and no veteran options, or one of the rookies from this year might be the odd man out if the Browns keep a veteran and one of the 2025 rookies to compete with their theoretical first-round passer.
Of course, this is all speculation. There’s every chance in the world that the Browns could unlock something in Pickett or see the version of Flacco that led them to the playoffs two years ago and be perfectly happy with them for a year or two while Gabriel and Sanders develop into reliable starting options. There’s every chance Gabriel or Sanders decide not to wait that long and emerge as the quarterback of the future in Cleveland by September. If none of these things happen, though, and the 2026 draft class is as impressive as anticipated, it’s hard to imagine that the Browns would be able to pass on using one of their two first-round picks to improve the quarterback position.
Release Candidates: Shelby Harris, Ogbo Okoronkwo
For the Browns, a key talking point through training camp and the preseason will of course be the team’s quarterback competition. Other position battles will be taking place this summer, though, and the defensive line will be a position group to watch. 
Cleveland has free agent addition Maliek Collins set to occupy a starting role along the interior after he inked a $20MM deal to join the Browns. Having selected Mason Graham fifth overall in this year’s draft, it can also be safely assumed the All-American will be counted on as a key contributor early and often in his career. 2024 second-rounder Mike Hall is another defensive tackle attached to a rookie contract in Cleveland’s case.
Given the nature of the Browns’ depth chart along the D-line, Shelby Harris could find himself on the outside of the roster bubble. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson writes Harris is in danger of being cut this summer (subscription required). Jackson also notes that the same is true of veteran edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo.
Harris has spent time with four teams over the course of his NFL career. The 33-year-old played for the Seahawks in 2022 after being acquired as part of the Russell Wilson trade. That was followed by a free agent deal with the Browns. Harris has logged 31 games and 20 starts to date in Cleveland, and his snap share jumped from 42% in 2023 to 59% last year.
In spite of that workload, the Browns’ moves along the defensive interior this spring would leave Harris lower on the depth chart in the event he were to be retained. One year remains on the former seventh-rounder’s contract. If the Browns were to release or trade him, they would see $1.68MM in cap savings while incurring a slightly lower dead money charge.
Okoronkwo has also been in Cleveland for the past two years. After showing potential with the Texans in 2022 (five sacks, 17 QB pressures) the former fifth-rounder joined the Browns to operate as a complementary option to Myles Garrett. Over the course of his time with the team, however, Okoronkwo has only totaled five starts (each of them coming late last season after Za’Darius Smith had been traded away). In all, he has managed 7.5 sacks.
Garrett is still in the fold for years to come thanks to his new market-resetting deal. The Browns also have recent draftees Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire in place as No. 2 and 3 pass rush options along the edge. As a result, Jackson notes Okoronkwo, 30, could find himself on the outside looking in. That comes as little surprise given a report from April which stated he was among the players Cleveland was shopping in a potential trade.
Just likes Harris, Okoronkwo is a pending 2026 free agent. None of his scheduled base salary for the year is guaranteed, but the Oklahoma product is owed a $1.5MM option bonus on August 30. That represents a logical deadline for a decision to be made on keeping him in the fold or moving on. In Okoronkwo’s case, a release or trade would yield $3.67MM in cap savings while generating $1.95MM in dead money.
As things stand, the Browns have just over $18MM in cap space. That figure can and will change once final roster cuts are made, and Harris and Okoronkwo are among the notable names to watch with respect to a potential parting of ways in the near future.
AFC Staff Updates: Chargers, Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Ravens, Patriots
The Chargers announced two promotions and two new hires earlier this month in their front office. In the scouting department, Mike Jasinski was promoted to national scout, Jaylen Bannerman-Oden was promoted to area scout, and Kevin Weidl was hired as a national scout. In analytics, Maya Harvey was hired as a football systems developer.
Jasinski has been with the Chargers since 2018, when he joined the team as a combine area scout after recruiting roles at Purdue and Northwestern. In two years, Los Angeles promoted him to an area scouting role, in which he covered the northeast area for two years and the plains area for the past three. The son of Titans pass game coordinator & cornerbacks coach Tony Oden, Bannerman-Oden entered the NFL as a video intern and external scouting game charter for the Browns in 2020. He joined the Chargers the next year as a pro scouting/operations intern and worked two years after that as a scouting assistant before getting promoted to college & pro scout last year.
Weidl reunites with second-year general manager Joe Hortiz, coming from Hortiz’s old team in Baltimore. Weidl ended an eight-year stretch with the Ravens, in which time he served as a southeast/southwest area scout for four years and a southeast/midwest area scout for the other four. Before arriving in Baltimore, Weidl spent 10 years with ESPN Scouts Inc.
Harvey earns her new job after working as a fellow for the Chargers during the final year of her computer science degree program (with a concentration on human computer interaction) at Stanford last year. In addition to her computer science background, Harvey was an athlete for the Cardinal, lettering all four years in beach volleyball.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the AFC:
- The Texans were the other team to make multiple additions in the month of June. In the front office, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mack Marrone has joined the staff as a scouting and administration assistant. The son of Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone, Marrone debuts in the NFL after finishing a collegiate playing career as a linebacker at Colgate. The second addition in Houston was Will Stokes who joins the analytics department as a football data analyst, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Stokes worked last summer as a football data analyst with the Commanders.
- Jon Dykema can’t seem to keep away from the NFL. Four months after leaving the Lions to serve as Michigan State’s executive senior associate athletic director and assistant general counsel, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reports that Dykema is expected to be hired by the Jaguars. His role in Jacksonville is not year known, but his 14 years in Detroit were spent as the team’s director of football compliance.
- Per Stratton, the Colts have promoted Greg Liverpool III to midlands area scout. He began in football working recruiting internships throughout his education at Coastal Carolina and served internships for the Colts doing operations during training camps in 2021 and 2022 and for the NFL Scouting Combine in 2022. In 2023, he joined Indianapolis in a full-time role, serving as a scouting assistant until this promotion.
- The Ravens have hired Ramon Ruiz away from Rutgers, according to Zenitz. Most recently serving as the Scarlet Knights director of recruiting, Ruiz has reportedly been a key contributor to head coach Greg Schiano‘s turnaround of the Rutgers football program, helping the team to winning records in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 12 years. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds that Ruiz’s title with the team will be player personnel assistant.
- Lastly, ESPN’s Seth Walder tells us that the Patriots have hired Max Mulitz as personnel analytics coordinator. Mulitz came to the NFL as a full-time intern in the Eagles’ data research department in 2015. Three years later, the Dolphins hired him as a football analyst and promoted him to manager of coaching analytics after just a year. He held the position for four seasons before parting ways with Miami in March. Mulitz joins Ekene Olekanma as the second analytics hire for New England this month.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/20/25
Today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Houston Texans
- Waived: LS Tucker Addington
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: G Tremayne Anchrum
- Waived: TE Kevin Foelsch
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Jayden Price
- Waived: CB Travion Fluellen, RB Xazavian Valladay
Addington’s placement on the waiver wire comes as a corresponding move to cornerback Damon Arnette‘s signing. Addington was presumed to be Houston’s starting long snapper after they allowed Jon Weeks to depart in free agency. That presumed role will now be assigned to Austin Brinkman. With Weeks and Addington gone, the undrafted rookie out of West Virginia is the only long snapper left on the roster.
Kansas City and New Orleans each announced corresponding moves to recently announced signings, as well.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/20/25
Friday’s lone draft pick signing:
New England Patriots
- S Craig Woodson (fourth round, Cal)
With Woodson now on the books, running back TreVeyon Henderson is the only member of New England’s draft class which has not yet signed. A deal for the latter may not be coming any time soon, of course, given the precedent set earlier this spring for second-round picks receiving fully guaranteed deals and the logjam which now exists for players picked during that round.
Bengals CB Josh Newton In Line For Starting Role?
Mike Hilton remains unsigned deep into the offseason, leaving the Bengals in line for a new starting slot corner. The team appears set to turn to an internal option to take over first-team duties on the inside. 
Hilton was a mainstay in the secondary during his Cincinnati tenure (2021-24), totaling 64 appearances with the team. As the 31-year-old searches for his next team, the Bengals will spend training camp looking to replace his production. The top candidate to do so at this point is Josh Newton, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes (subscription required).
Newton joined the Bengals as a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. Expectations were relatively low as a result, but with the team dealing with several injuries in the secondary he took on a notable role. Newton wound up logging a defensive snap share of 44% while also contributing regularly on special teams. A step further in usage could be in store depending on how training camp plays out.
Over the course of the campaign, Newton posted one interception along with seven pass deflections. The 24-year-old endured his struggles in coverage, though, being charged with an opposing passer rating of 94.7 and four touchdowns allowed as the nearest defender. Middling PFF evaluations from his rookie campaign leave plenty of room for improvement in Year 2.
Cincinnati has the likes of Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner in place as outside corners. Dax Hill – who transitioned from safety to corner last offseason – is also in the fold, and he hopes to recover in full from his ACL tear in time for training camp. When healthy, however, the former first-rounder is unsure of where he will line up in the secondary. Until the unit is at full strength, it will be difficult to glean how new defensive coordinator Al Golden wants to arrange his cornerbacks.
In any case, Dehner notes Newton has drawn strong reviews for his work so far this offseason. The TCU product’s performance in camp will thus be worth watching closely as he vies for a full-time starting gig.
Vikings, Josh Metellus Discussing Extension
JUNE 20: While a mutual interest exists for an extension agreement in this case, no timeline is in place. Alec Lewis of The Athletic notes it is unclear at this point whether or not Metellus will have a new deal in hand by the start of training camp (subscription required). The Vikings have been busy on a number of other fronts so far this offseason regarding extensions, and it will be interesting to see if this winds up being the next pact taken care of.
JUNE 10: After the Vikings agreed to an extension with tight end Josh Oliver earlier today, it would appear that safety Josh Metellus is next in line for a long-term pact. The impending free agent eschewed a minicamp hold-in as he awaits a resolution on his contract, although he’s been sitting out the faster-pace seven-on-seven drills, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
[RELATED: Vikings, TE Josh Oliver Agree To Extension]
Metellus all but said that he hopes to stick in Minnesota for the long haul, and he acknowledged that his camp has discussed a new contract with the Vikings front office. The defensive captain was also quick to disregard his limited workload during OTAs and minicamp.
“That’s part of the process right now,” Metellus said (via Seifert). “I mean, the coaches in front office, everybody understand, you know, situation I’m here. I’m building that chemistry my new teammates and the old teammates, and I’m here being the same guy I am all the time. So you guys know me. It ain’t nothing change.”
It’s still a promising development that the two sides have apparently engaged in extension talks. We heard back in February that the front office could consider an extension for the veteran safety, but we haven’t heard anything definitive until now.
A former sixth-round pick, Metellus has evolved into one of the Vikings’ most dependable defenders. He had a breakout campaign when he started 17 games in 2023, and while he had a bit less responsibility in 2024, he still put up big numbers. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with 103 tackles, five passes defended, and a pair of interceptions. The Michigan product surely wouldn’t warrant a contract that sniffs the top of the positional market, but the two sides could find common ground when it comes to contract term.
With Camryn Bynum no longer in the picture, the Vikings aren’t as deep at safety as they once were. Harrison Smith will continue to lead the unit, but Metellus’ “limited” status would mean more reps for the likes of Jay Ward and Theo Jackson.
Raiders Not Interested In CB Jalen Ramsey
One of the major cornerback dominoes recently fell with Jaire Alexander electing to join the Ravens. That leaves Jalen Ramsey in place as a high-profile cover man still available via trade. 
It has long been known Ramsey and the Dolphins will pursue a parting of ways this offseason. With the calendar having flipped to June, a trade is much more feasible for the team from a cap perspective. However, Ramsey is still on the books with Miami and the list of teams known to be interested remains rather short.
The Rams have been named on more than one occasion as a potential landing spot for Ramsey. The three-time All-Pro played 63 combined regular and postseason games for Los Angeles and was a member of the Super Bowl LVI-winning team. Head coach Sean McVay has spoken about pursuing a reunion, but over the past month no indications of progress have emerged on that front.
In the meantime, few updates to this situation have taken place. The Panthers are among the teams which can be ruled out as a landing spot for the seven-time Pro Bowler. It appears the same is also true in the case of the Raiders. Ramsey is not a target at this point, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes.
While things could of course change during the summer, that update points to Ramsey winding up with the Rams or another, currently unknown, suitor. At the age of 30, interested parties will be hesitant about trading away draft capital in addition to taking on the remaining guarantees (totaling roughly $21MM) in his scheduled 2025 compensation. A release could garner consideration in the event Ramsey – who was an excused absence from mandatory minicamp – were to remain on the Dolphins’ roster deep into the summer.
The Raiders have over $36MM in cap space at the moment, so they could afford a high-priced acquisition such as Ramsey. Unlike in past years, the team could be prepared to make a splash late in the offseason, and many have specifically pointed to the cornerback spot as one which could be of interest regarding an addition. Vegas’ setup in the secondary is yet to be determined given the number of new faces in place, but Ramsey should not be expected to become one of them.
Ryan Bates Uncertain To Make Bears’ Roster
The Bears showed persistent interest in Ryan Bates, inking the veteran offensive lineman to an offer sheet in 2022. Two years later, a trade was worked out with the Bills which sent him to Chicago. 
Upon arrival in the Windy City, Bates was unable to secure a starting spot along the interior of the offensive line. His ability to do so this time around is essentially non-existent given the Bears’ offseason moves up front. In addition, Bates may not be a lock to survive roster cuts this summer.
A 53-man projection from Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic notes that Bates will be among the linemen competing for a depth role during training camp (subscription required). The 28-year-old suffered shoulder and elbow injuries during his Bears debut last fall, and the ensuing recovery process resulted in only three games played. Bates has one year remaining on his deal.
Cutting the Penn State product would create $3.5MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of only $500K. The Bears have nearly $15MM in cap space at the moment, but finances will no doubt play a role in the decision to keep or move on from Bates. He will spend camp competing for a depth spot alongside the likes of Doug Kramer, Ricky Stromberg, Chris Glaser and Jordan McFadden. Each member of that group is younger than Bates, who has 76 appearances to his name but only 21 starts in that time (most of them coming with the Bills from 2021-22).
After O-line play was an issue for 2024, the Bears made a concerted effort to upgrade the interior of the line in particular this spring. Trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson were worked out in short order, and Chicago made a big-ticket free agent addition in the form of center Drew Dalman. As as result of the subsequent extensions signed by Thuney and Jackson, all three blockers are under contract for the next three seasons. Unseating any of them would be a tall order in Bates’ case, but even securing a backup role at guard and/or center could prove to be challenging.