Browns Sign DE Julian Okwara
Julian Okwara will play for a third career team in 2025. The veteran edge rusher signed with the Browns on Monday, per a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Browns Leaning Toward Travis Hunter Over Abdul Carter?]
Okwara spent his first four years with the Lions. The former third-round pick made 38 appearances with Detroit, but only four of those were starts. His highest workload came in 2021 with a 40% snap share; Okwara notched five sacks that season, which remains his personal best.
The 27-year-old landed a futures deal with the Eagles last winter, but he was ultimately among the team’s final roster cuts. Okwara quickly found a new home with the Cardinals, though, signing to their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster in September and remained there the rest of the way. In all, Okwara made 13 appearances with Arizona in 2024, playing one third of the team’s defensive snaps.
That usage rate translated to just one sack and four quarterback pressures, which helps explain why Okwara remained on the open market this deep into free agency. The Notre Dame product will turn his attention to landing a roster spot during the summer as the Browns aim to add depth behind Myles Garrett along the edge. Za’Darius Smith was traded away midway through the 2024 campaign, creating a vacancy in the starting lineup. Former Bucs first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka signed a one-year deal in free agency, and the Browns still have the likes of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Alex Wright in the fold.
Okwara will now join that group as he looks to carve out a role for himself. The Browns entered Monday with roughly $19.5MM in cap space, and this deal will no doubt check in near (or at) the veteran minimum. Cleveland could still look to make further moves before the draft as a result.
Isaiah Simmons To Visit Packers
After two seasons with the Giants, Isaiah Simmons could soon be on the move. The veteran defender is visiting the Packers today, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. 
Simmons entered the league with the Cardinals, but during his three seasons in Arizona he struggled to carve out an effective full-time role at safety or linebacker. The former No. 8 pick was traded to the Giants in August of 2023 for a seventh-round pick, a sign of how far his stock had fallen during the early portion of his career. Simmons handled a part-time defensive role during his debut season in New York, making a mark in several statistical categories along the way.
That allowed the Clemson product to land another Giants pact, although the decision to replace defensive coordinator Don Martindale with Shane Bowen led to Simmons competing for the starting slot role in training camp. In the end, he saw sparse usage there and at other spots en route to a snap share of only 17%. While Simmons also chipped in on special teams, his inability to lock down a regular role anywhere on defense has helped inform his lengthy stay on the open market.
The 26-year-old had not been linked to any potential free agent landing spots prior to today’s report. Simmons will of course not be an expensive target for the Packers should today’s visit produce an offer. Green Bay has over $31MM in cap space, so a contract being worked out before the upcoming draft would not significantly affect the team’s plans for the remainder of the offseason.
The Packers used a second-round pick to select Edgerrin Cooper last year, adding him to a linebacking corps which also includes Quay Walker (who is the subject of a pending fifth-year option decision) and Isaiah McDuffie (who was re-signed on a two-year deal last month). Simmons could look to join that group in the event he were to sign with Green Bay, although an agreement could also pave the way for work at safety or in a special teams-centered role.
Jets To Host DT Mason Graham
The Jets’ pre-draft work will include a top-30 visit with one of the most highly touted defenders in the 2025 class. D-tackle Mason Graham will head to New York tomorrow, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
Graham has long been regarded as the top defensive lineman available in this month’s draft, and to no surprise he has generated plenty of attention. The Michigan product has already met with the Patriots and Saints, and, more recently, the Browns and Raiders. Each of those teams are set to select in the top 10; the Jets currently own pick No. 7.
New York has done extensive work on Graham, Rapoport notes. The team formally met with the first-team All-American at the Combine, then had dinner with him the night before Michigan’s Pro Day. Coupled with this upcoming visit, that will give first-time general manager Darren Mougey and Co. plenty of information to work with when weighing their options in the first round. It remains to be seen if Graham will be available when the Jets are on the clock, given the connections made between him and teams like the Jaguars (set to pick fifth overall) and those which have previously hosted him.
Several options could be on the table for New York, a team which is known to be high on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. Offensive tackle Armand Membou is also firmly on the team’s radar, and the Jets could look to trade down if the Missouri product is unavailable. Whether or not Graham is still on the board by that point will of course influence Mougey’s decision to move down the order or which prospect he selects if New York stays put at No. 7.
The Jets’ defensive interior will again be anchored by Quinnen Williams in 2025. The former third overall pick is attached to a $24MM-per-year deal, and he will remain atop a D-line depth chart which has seen plenty of turnover this offseason. Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas and Leki Fotu each departed in free agency, while New York has added Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart and Jay Tufele on the open market. As the 2024 Outland Trophy winner, Graham would be expected to take on a key role right away within that group in the event he were to be selected by the Jets.
Browns Could See Significant Cap Relief Due To Insurance Policy On Deshaun Watson’s Contract; Latest On QB’s NFL Future
The Browns have added Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett to their quarterback room this offseason, and the club may still select a rookie passer in this month’s draft. Deshaun Watson has performed poorly during his Cleveland tenure, and with his 2025 availability in doubt, it is eminently possible that he will not play another down for the club.
Recent comments made by Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam – the first time anyone within the organization publicly admitted the historic and controversial Watson acquisition is a failure – further reinforce that possibility, as ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi writes. Of course, because of Watson’s contract – which was recently restructured for immediate salary cap relief – even a 2026 release with a post-June 1 designation would create a dead money charge of nearly $81MM without any cap savings.
As such, Oyefusi says Watson could stay on the Browns’ roster for the remainder of his thru-2026 deal, though any decisions in that regard will not be made for at least another year. Haslam said the team needs to determine Watson’s health status before making a call, and in the meantime, the 29-year-old passer is rehabbing his Achilles tear.
While the current financial picture related to Watson’s contract looks bleak, there is a real possibility that the situation will improve. We had previously touched on the insurance the club had taken out on Watson’s contract, and as Oyefusi reiterates, the insurance policy allowed Cleveland to obtain cap relief for 2024 after Watson missed 11 games due to injury in 2023. Likewise, the team has realized a small credit for the time Watson missed in 2024.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds further context. According to Florio, Watson’s deal contains an addendum that allows the team to recover over $58MM for an injury occurring between the start of the 2024 offseason program and the start of the 2025 offseason program (Watson sustained his season-ending Achilles tear in October 2024 and suffered a second tear in January 2025, and both occurrences fall within the addendum’s timeline). Most of the potential recovery (over $44MM) stems from Watson’s fully-guaranteed salary of $46MM for 2025.
In other words, if Watson is unable to play in 2025, and if the Browns’ prospective claim against the insurance policy is successful, Cleveland could get back over $44MM in cash with a corresponding credit to its cap sheet. Given the stakes involved, though, the insurance carrier may well attempt to find an exclusion or exception that would justify denial of the claim.
Assuming Watson does not engineer a dramatic turnaround to become a quality starting quarterback for the Browns, he will become a free agent at some point in the relatively near future. When that happens, he may not find another NFL opportunity.
Per Oysefusi, executives and agents from around the league have said it is possible that no team will bring Watson on board, even if he is completely healthy.
“If released, I don’t see anyone picking him up,” one NFC executive said. “And then, down the road, the question will be, will he take low-QB money? Would he even be motivated to play at that point?”
A prominent agent offered a different take, saying, “[t]he league is forgiving with quarterbacks that have exhibited high-level talent. There is a shortage of good QB play. That’s why I think a team could take a chance on him if he proves healthy. Some owners could have a problem with that because of the past, but not all.”
The agent makes a fair point, but it has been a few years since Watson has exhibited high-level talent. So while the Browns’ search for their next long-term quarterback and a way out of their now-infamous contractual misstep are the more pressing storylines, it is fair to wonder if Watson has already taken his last snap.
Tom Brady’s Arrival Increased Pete Carroll’s Raiders Interest
Joining the Patriots months after Pete Carroll‘s ouster, Tom Brady later led the team to a last-second win over Carroll’s Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. The decades-long NFL presences are now working together in an attempt to revitalize the Raiders, with each carrying significant personnel say in a setup that also includes ex-Brady college teammate/Buccaneers coworker John Spytek as GM.
Carroll agreed to join a team that finished 4-13 in 2024. More importantly, the Raiders had become a chaotic operation in recent years. Counting interim leaders, Carroll is the team’s fifth head coach this decade. The team also fired Dave Ziegler after less than two years on the job and then canned Tom Telesco, despite the ex-Charger GM’s Brock Bowers selection, after one season. This instability did not make the Raider job especially appealing to Carroll.
While the 73-year-old coach wanted to return to the NFL, he would not have done so merely to take any available job. The Raiders were not previously near the top of Carroll’s list of return destinations, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore notes. Brady being approved as Raiders minority owner changed the equation for the former Jets, Patriots and Seahawks HC, who said the retired QB’s addition “shifted my thought about what this opportunity was about.”
This job does not feature Carroll installed as a final-say presence in the Raiders’ building. The current Raiders party line points to the three power brokers collaborating, though given how much Mark Davis has praised Brady and involved him in personnel matters, it would not shock if the inexperienced front office presence holds that hammer. In Brady, Davis has a decision-maker who does not have to worry about operating through self-preservation, seeing as he is an owner rather than a top executive or coaching staff presence. This provides Brady stability, and he has been at the heart of the Raiders’ top moves this offseason.
“It brought somebody with football acumen into the organization at the top level,” Davis said of Brady’s role. “Somebody that wasn’t going to be on a five-year contract or a 10-year contract. This was a lifetime deal.”
Although the Raiders could not close deals on Ben Johnson or Matthew Stafford, they came up with a Carroll-Geno Smith reunion. Spytek certainly could owe his GM opportunity to Brady, his Michigan teammate and someone who overlapped with the future Hall of Famer’s three-year Tampa stay. Spytek is now, by a considerable degree, the lowest-profile part of the Raiders’ power trio. It will be interesting to see the level of input Spytek carries, as Carroll spent 14 years holding the anvil in Seattle and Brady has been one of the more hands-on ownership presences — by design — in recent NFL history.
Spytek and Carroll will run the day-to-day operations, Bonsignore adds. Brady also wants the Raiders to make substantial commitments to analytics and game management. They will attempt to do so during the tenure of a historically old head coach.
Set to turn 74 in September, Carroll will soon become the oldest HC in NFL history. He has a three-year deal, which is shorter than standard coaching contracts, to stabilize this Raiders operation. Brady will play a central role in Carroll’s Las Vegas tenure, being perhaps the lead figure in determining if it will work out. But the 14-year Seahawks HC agreed to join a division housing Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh due in part to Brady’s arrival.
“I didn’t know how he would be to work with,” Carroll said. “I just competed against him and listened to him over the years and had great admiration and respect. But he is really grounded in his mentality, and that’s what makes him so valuable to us, because we can draw from that.“
LSU WR Kyren Lacy Passes Away At 24
10:07pm: Harris’ apparent suicide took place in a vehicle as he was being pursued by authorities, according to a Harris County (Texas) Sherriff’s report (via ESPN.com). A female family member called police and indicated Lacy discharged a firearm into the ground during a verbal argument Saturday night. Lacy then fled the scene in a vehicle, according to the police report.
Authorities’ pursuit of Lacy ended after a car accident, according to the report, which indicates officers approached the vehicle to retrieve him. Lacy was then found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound; emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
10:28am: Former Louisiana and LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy passed away last night, as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. Lacy was just 24, and according to WBRZ 2, he died by suicide.
Lacy’s size (6-3, 212) and route-running acumen made him an intriguing professional prospect. After playing the 2023 slate in the shadow of Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers, Lacy made the most of his chance to take on WR1 duties for LSU in 2024. In his final collegiate season, he hauled in 58 catches for 866 yards and nine TDs, and he was on track to hear his name called at some point during this month’s NFL draft.
His draft stock took a major hit as a result of his alleged involvement in an accident that left a 78-year-old man dead and injured several others. Although the vehicle Lacy was said to be operating did not make contact with the other vehicles involved, prosecutors say Lacy was passing several vehicles in an area where passing was not permitted. A car in the oncoming lane abruptly braked in order to avoid a collision, and the car behind them swerved left into oncoming traffic to avoid rear-ending the first vehicle. That car then collided head-on with the car that Lacy was allegedly attempting to pass. Lacy then allegedly drove around the crash and fled the scene, failing to stop and render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash. He declared for the draft two days later (via Fox8Live.com).
Lacy turned himself in about a month after an arrest warrant was issued, and he was released on a $151K bond. Per WBRZ 2, a grand jury was scheduled to start hearing evidence in Lacy’s case Monday. He was facing charges of negligent homicide, hit-and-run, and reckless operation of a vehicle. His attorney had argued that another driver, not Lacy, caused the fatal accident.
We at PFR offer our condolences to Lacy’s friends and family, as well as the friends and family of Herman Hall, the man who was killed in the collision. We also offer our best wishes to those injured in the accident.
Brandon Graham Open To Return?
Longtime Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham announced his retirement in March, but he recently indicated that he hasn’t fully closed the door on returning to the NFL.
“I’m 90 percent retired,” said Graham in an interview with NFL Network’s Kay Adams, suggesting that he is open to resuming his playing career.
“The 10 [percent] is how much I want to continue to train the way I’m training,” he explained. “I’m training to look good, training for a game is different, but I haven’t really changed that yet.”
Graham mentioned feedback from other retired NFL players who told him to maintain his fitness regimen even after he stops playing. Tellingly, Graham said that he is focused on “making sure that when I do retire, I’m staying in the habit of that.” He also hinted at the potential for a television gig as a commentator or analyst.
However, Graham walked back his initial comments and stopped short of stating his intention to return to the NFL.
“That 10 percent is just in case, but I doubt it because I try to be a man of my word and I don’t want to have to play that back-and-forth stuff,” said Graham. “I’m just going to accept it and just move on, get ready for what’s next.”
Graham turned 37 years old on April 3 after 15 seasons in the NFL, all with the Eagles. He suffered a torn triceps in November that sidelined him until the Super Bowl, in which he re-tore his triceps. The prospect of rehabbing his arm again was one of the motivators for Graham’s retirement, along with his desire to spend more time with his family.
Adams speculated that Graham would be open to returning to the Eagles for a Super Bowl run next season. He declined to confirm or deny that possibility, only saying, “We ain’t there yet.”
Latest On NFL’s Proposed ‘Tush Push’ Ban
The Packers’ controversial proposal to ban the ‘tush push’ was the subject of intense debate at league meetings at the beginning of April, leading to a postponement of a formal vote on the measure.
Packers team president Mark Murphy said that the NFL’s competition committee was “pretty strongly in favor” of the proposed ban, according to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, though the league’s full 32-team voting body was evenly split. Discussions surrounding the rule change have expanded to include other instances of pushing or pulling ballcarriers, not just “immediately at the snap,” as Green Bay’s proposed language currently reads. That would be a more substantial shift, representing a return to pre-2005 rules banning all pushing of ballcarriers, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
Murphy said that the Packers are going to look at the league’s previous language and expressed optimism that the revised rule will pass, according to NBC Sports’ Michael David Smith.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated his support for a broader proposal, saying it “makes a lot of sense in many ways.”
“There are a lot of plays where you see people pushing or pulling somebody that are not in the tush push formation that I think do have an increased risk of injury,” Goodell said (via Kahler). “So I think the committee will look at that and come back in May with some proposals.”
Multiple teams expressed reservations about the seemingly-targeted nature of the rule change, per Kahler. Only two teams – the Eagles and the Bills – used the tush push more than five times in 2024, though Bills head coach Sean McDermott emerged as a surprising voice in favor of the ban. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni remained a vocal opponent of Green Bay’s proposal after originating the play in 2022.
The Packers cited player safety as one of the primary reasons for their proposal, setting off a debate about the injury risks associated with the little-used ‘tush push.’ It accounted for just 0.28 percent of all plays in 2024 without any significant injuries occurring in that small sample size.
NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills presented information on potential injury risks at the Combine and league meetings in Florida, saying (via Kahler) “It’s not if but when a catastrophic injury occurs.” Sills shared projected injury data based on modeling of the play, and medical consultants have echoed concerns about the potential of a major injury resulting from the play, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Unsurprisingly, Murphy backed Sills, arguing that “the nature and the makeup of the play really does lend itself [to injury]” given the force of so many players concentrated on a single point. Other teams are less convinced by the injury data, but warned that the league could regret a decision not to ban the tush push if a major injury does occur.
Murphy believes that a broader proposal will sway at least the eight teams required for the measure to pass. The Packers are expected to present their revised language at the next set of league meetings in May, setting the table for an official vote of all 32 teams.
Dak Prescott Close To Full Health
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott expressed confidence about his recovery from last year’s season-ending hamstring injury during a recent appearance at the Children’s Cancer Fund gala, per ESPN.
“If I had to play a game today, I definitely could do that,” said Prescott, adding that he’s still building up for the physical attrition of a full NFL season.
Prescott went down in November with a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon that required surgical repair. Initial updates on his rehab were positive and projected a return for organized team activities in May. Prescott recently confirmed that estimation, saying that he would participate in OTAs in some capacity.
“I’m getting close to where I want to be. I don’t want to put a percentage on it,” he said. “I know we’ve got team activities coming up, imagine myself being involved in some sort if not all.” Dallas’ offseason program begins on April 14, followed by rookie minicamp in early May and OTAs in late May/early June.
Prescott is still focused on the long haul, as he enters the first year of a four-year, $240MM extension he signed last September.
“I just understand my age, what I’ve had, what I’ve went through, it’s about being my best in the fall,” he explained. “So I’m not rushing anything, but I’m where I want to be.”
Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jets, Patriots, Seahawks Host EDGE Mykel Williams
Mykel Williams‘ pre-draft itinerary is becoming quite busy. After meetings with the Cardinals, Saints and 49ers surfaced, the Georgia edge defender prospect will run his meeting count toward 10.
The Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jets, Patriots and Seahawks have also brought in the first-round talent for “30” visits, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. Listed as the No. 22 overall prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, Williams is among the latest in a wave of Georgia defender prospects considered a safe bet to be a first-round pick.
[RELATED: Panthers Showing Interest In Williams]
The Bulldogs sent five defenders (Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Lewis Cine) into the 2022 first round and saw two more (Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith) go in Round 1 in 2023. Both the Bulldogs’ 2024 first-rounders (Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims) came on offense, but this year will introduce another wave of Bulldog defenders to the NFL masses on Day 1 of the draft. Williams joins hybrid linebacker Jalon Walker and safety Malaki Starks as first-round candidates.
Williams spent each of his three years at Georgia, earning second-team All-SEC honors in 2023 and ’24. A former five-star recruit, Williams did not quite live up to expectations in Athens. He did not eclipse five sacks or 10 tackles for loss in a season, though he was a regular on three Georgia defenses — including a national championship-winning 2022 group. An ankle injury hindered Williams’ play in 2024. Still, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound rusher’s size and athleticism has him squarely on the first-round radar. Unlike Walker, Williams is a pure edge rusher who will not enter the NFL with questions about his best positional fit.
The Bucs have been mentioned as a team that could still target an edge rusher despite their Haason Reddick signing. Tampa Bay has needed consistent help from non-edge players to produce sacks in recent years. Barring an unexpected blockbuster trade, Dallas has Micah Parsons anchoring a D-end contingent that houses a returning Sam Williams, 2024 second-rounder Marshawn Kneeland and Dante Fowler, who rejoined the team after a year in Washington. DeMarcus Lawrence left for the Seahawks, who cut Dre’Mont Jones as part of their latest cap purge. The team still rosters Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Uchenna Nwosu, who has seen back-to-back injury-shortened seasons lead to a reworked contract.
Neither the Jets nor Patriots appear in range for Williams, as the AFC East squads both hold top-10 picks. A trade-up move could conceivably be in play, though both can use these meetings to gather intel on Williams as a potential future opponent as well. The Pats reunited Mike Vrabel with Harold Landry last month but could still use another edge defender. The Jets split with Reddick to wrap a tumultuous partnership but still feature starters Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald.