Panthers To Hold Competition At LT, C
The Panthers lost Ikem Ekwonu to a torn patellar tendon in a wild-card round defeat to the Rams in January, adding left tackle to their list of needs entering the offseason. General manager Dan Morgan has made notable additions at the position since then, having picked up Rasheed Walker in free agency and drafted Monroe Freeling with the 19th overall pick.
Appearing on NFL Network on Tuesday, Morgan revealed Walker and Freeling will compete to open the season as the Panthers’ starting left tackle (via Michael Baca of NFL.com).
“In terms of Monroe (Freeling), he’ll compete with Rasheed (Walker),” Morgan said. “We were lucky to get him in free agency, another guy we think highly about, a veteran who’s played a lot of games in this league. We feel like we have a lot of optionality there and looking forward to seeing those guys compete.”
The Panthers brought in Walker on a $4MM base deal, a surprisingly low amount for a 26-year-old with significant starting left tackle experience. Walker was Green Bay’s full-time choice on the blind side from 2023-25, during which he made 48 starts. Now entering a second straight contract year, Walker will have a chance to boost his stock, but he will have to beat out Freeling.
Although Carolina was a widely predicted mock draft landing spot for Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman or tight end Kenyon Sadiq, it prioritized tackle over those two positions in the first round. The Panthers had more interest in Thieneman than Sadiq, according to Joe Person of The Athletic, but Freeling won out (Sadiq was already gone by then). Despite only making 17 starts in college, the former Georgia Bulldog saw his stock skyrocket during the pre-draft process. Morgan called Freeling “a franchise left tackle” on Tuesday. Even if he loses the battle to Walker this summer, the Panthers at least regard Freeling as their long-term solution at the position.
As is the case at left tackle, the Panthers are set to stage a competition at center, Person reports. Cade Mays had a career season during a 12-start 2025 for the Panthers, but they did not retain him in free agency. A few hours after Mays joined the Lions on a three-year, $25MM agreement, the Panthers added Luke Fortner on a modest pact worth up to $4.75MM. Fortner has amassed 44 starts in a four-year career divided between Jacksonville and New Orleans, but he will have to fend off rookie Sam Hecht for the No. 1 role in Carolina. The Panthers spent a fifth-rounder on Hecht, who was a two-year starter at Kansas State. Hecht earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season.
While it is up in the air who will start at left tackle and center, the rest of the Panthers’ 2025 front five could begin next season intact. Right tackle Taylor Moton and the guard tandem of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis remain in the fold on pricey contracts.
Bears Could Still Add Pass Rusher; Team Was High On CB Colton Hood
The Bears entered the 2026 draft with a major pass rushing need, and our mock draft predicted Chicago would address that need in the first round. However, the team did not use any of its seven picks on a pass rusher, so as Albert Breer of SI.com writes, it would not be surprising to see the Bears fortify their Montez Sweat-fronted EDGE contingent with a veteran at some point in the near future.
There are still a number of recognizable names on the market, including players like Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa, Von Miller, and Haason Reddick. We recently heard Clowney is drawing interest, though it is presently unclear which teams are considering him. As Breer observes, Clowney fits the mold of the long, rugged pass rusher that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen favors, and Jordan and Allen spent a number of years together with the Saints. Either of those players could be a fit for Chicago, even if (as Breer suggests) such a deal might not come together until we get closer to training camp.
Meanwhile, the team will continue to evaluate Dayo Odeyingbo, whose first season with the Bears was cut short by a torn Achilles. Through eight games in 2025, the former Colt recorded just one sack, and 2024 fifth-rounder Austin Booker – another key piece of Chicago’s pass rushing plans last season – missed time due to injury as well. Booker ultimately posted 4.5 sacks in 10 games, and the Bears tallied the fifth-fewest sacks in the league.
That led to the speculation that GM Ryan Poles would add a true pass rushing talent this offseason, but that has not happened yet (although Poles did at least explore the possibility of acquiring Maxx Crosby from the Raiders). Despite winning the NFC North and narrowly missing a trip to the NFC championship game in 2025, the Bears finished in the bottom-10 in terms of both total defense and scoring defense, so an established EDGE player or two would surely help spur another deep postseason run.
Poles did authorize eight-figure contracts for safety Coby Bryant and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore in free agency, and he further fortified those positions in the draft with S Dillon Thieneman (No. 25 overall) and DT Jordan van den Berg (No. 213). According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears believe they got a steal in both players, as they did not expect Thieneman to fall to them and think van den Berg was one of the most talented DTs in his class (his sixth-round status notwithstanding).
Fowler says Chicago was also interested in cornerback Colton Hood, whom the Giants selected with the No. 37 choice. If Thieneman was unavailable, as the Bears thought he would be, Hood may have been the selection at No. 25.
Bears Add S Dillon Thieneman At No. 25
The Bears will walk out of the first round with a safety prospect. Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman is heading to Chicago via the No. 25 overall pick.
Thieneman arrives after the Bears lost their 2025 safety starters — Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker — in free agency. The Patriots signed Byard, who reunited with ex-Titans HC Mike Vrabel, while the Steelers added Brisker. The Bears did bounce back by signing Coby Bryant, and they will pair him with Thieneman — the first safety chosen in Round 1 by Chicago since Mark Carrier went sixth overall in 1990.
That is quite the lengthy stretch, though the Bears had used Round 2 (Brisker) to address the position in Ryan Poles‘ first offseason in charge. DC Dennis Allen will attempt to mold Thieneman alongside Bryant, handpicked to play in his system like Byard was as a 2025 free agent.
Thieneman follows Caleb Downs as the second safety off the board. They were the only two selected Thursday night, with Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Arizona’s Treydan Stukes remaining on the board entering Day 2.
Sitting 16th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, Thieneman transferred from Purdue to Oregon in 2025. He intercepted six passes as a freshman Boilermaker in 2023 and grabbed two more picks last season at Oregon. Thieneman completed the impressive feat of becoming a two-time AP All-American, being named to the third team in 2023 and second team in ’25. He finished with a combined 210 tackles during his two Purdue seasons, adding 96 at Oregon last year.
The Ducks deployed Thieneman in the box, in the slot and as a pure safety last season. He showed high-level instincts and quality speed in coverage in helping the Ducks to the CFP semifinals, and the Bears will have the opportunity to determine how they want to use the former Big Ten chess piece.
Chicago lost breakout corner Nahshon Wright in free agency (to the Jets), but the NFC North champions return CB regulars Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon to go with former starter Tyrique Stevenson. Thieneman gives the Bears four first- or second-round picks at safety, with Bryant — a 2022 Seahawks fourth-rounder — the only former Day 3 pick projected to start in the Windy City secondary.
Cowboys Rumors: Styles, Bain, Safeties
The Cowboys are entering the draft with a pair of first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20), but they might not land two players they deem worthy of first-round selections. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, executive vice president Stephen Jones revealed that they have only given first-round grades to 12 players (links via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS).
Owning multiple firsts may give the Cowboys the ammunition to move up for one of their favorite prospects, but Jones does not anticipate vaulting into the top five. He said doing so is not a possibility for the Cowboys. That jibes with a report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who writes that the Cowboys are more likely to make a “small move up” than do anything drastic.
The Cowboys do not appear willing to surrender the 20th pick to climb the board. If anything, they could trade down from 20 to replenish Day 2 capital, per Graziano. The Cowboys traded their second-rounder to the Jets in last November’s Quinnen Williams blockbuster, leaving a 72-pick gap from No. 20 to their next selection (No. 92).
As of Wednesday morning, Jones said the Cowboys had not many any calls about trading up. Doing so has been a rarity for Dallas, which Graziano notes has not gone up in Round 1 since 2012. But the team is “exploring” what it would cost to move up a few spots for Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles if he lasts into the back half of the top 10, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. Drafting Styles should give the Cowboys a desperately needed off-ball linebacker upgrade. It was a glaring weakness entering the offseason, but it has gone unaddressed thus far.
Edge defender and safety are also among the areas the Cowboys could strengthen in the draft. As expected, two of this year’s top safety prospects – Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren – have caught their attention, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports relays. Having already added two new safeties (Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke) to one edge defender (Rashan Gary), the Cowboys regard the latter position as the greater need, ESPN’s Matt Miller reports. However, they do not see Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. as a fit in rookie coordinator Christian Parker‘s 3-4 defense. Bain is unlikely to make it to 12, but if the Cowboys trade up, it does not appear he will be the target.
Steelers Host Germie Bernard, Spencer Fano, Vega Ioane
Set to pick 21st overall in this year’s draft, the Steelers have been busy hosting potential first-rounders in the past couple of days. The Steelers visited with Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano on Monday, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. They met with Penn State guard Vega Ioane on Tuesday, Pryor adds.
Bernard is more of a long-shot first-rounder than either Fano or Ioane, who look like shoo-ins to come off the board on Day 1. There is a chance Bernard will still be available when the Steelers are on the clock at No. 53 in the second round. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks the 6-foot-1, 206-pounder as the 50th-best prospect available, contending he should turn into a solid slot receiver in the pros.
Bernard would begin his career as a complement to the Steelers’ starting receivers, D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman. The team is lacking strong auxiliary options behind the two 6-foot-4 targets, making receiver a position of interest heading into the draft.
Bernard began his college career at Washington, but he found another gear after transferring to Alabama in 2024. He averaged 57 catches, 828 yards and just under five touchdowns per season in his two years with the Crimson Tide. Bernard formed a nice connection in 2025 with quarterback Ty Simpson, a speculative fit for the Steelers in this year’s draft. While the Steelers are not expected to take Simpson, the second-rated signal-caller in this class, he could be tempting if they still do not have an answer on 2025 starter and current free agent Aaron Rodgers‘ future by then. Perhaps there is a scenario in which Bernard and Simpson reunite in Pittsburgh in the next couple of weeks.
Whether Rodgers or someone else is under center for the Steelers in 2026, he could play behind a more talented group of blockers if the team addresses the unit early in the draft. The Steelers lost starting left guard Isaac Seumalo to the Cardinals in free agency, and they are likely to reject left tackle Broderick Jones‘ 2027 fifth-year option by the May 1 deadline. With multiple question marks up front, Pittsburgh is eyeing a couple of premier O-line prospects in Fano and Ioane.
Fano was a three-year starter at Utah, where he mostly played right tackle. A unanimous All-American in 2025, the 6-5, 311-pounder also has the talent to serve as a plug-and-play guard in the pros, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Jeremiah ranks Fano as the 13th overall player in the class, while he checks in at No. 8 on Brugler’s list. The two are similarly high on Ioane (Jeremiah places him 11th, Brugler has him 12th), who is considered the best guard in the draft. Acquiring Fano or Ioane may be unrealistic for Pittsburgh unless it trades up, which could be a possibility for a club with a league-leading 12 picks. The Steelers’ haul includes three third-rounders and two fourths.
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman may be other prospects to watch for the Steelers in the first round, according to Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. Proctor is not expected to fall past the Lions at pick 17. If that is the case, the Steelers would have to move up for him.
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, S Dillon Thieneman To Enter 2026 NFL Draft
Oregon no doubt breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when quarterback Dante Moore announced he’d stay in school in 2026. However, a Ducks team that went 13-2 in 2025 and contended for a national championship will lose other key contributors. That includes tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman. Both players will enter the 2026 NFL Draft, Pete Thamel of ESPN reports.
Sadiq, a three-year veteran at Oregon, broke out as Moore’s favorite target in 2025. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior paced Ducks pass catchers in receptions (51) and touchdowns (eight), and he finished second in yards (560). After leading college football tight ends in TDs, Sadiq earned First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors.
While the draft is still over three months away, Sadiq looks like a good bet to come off the board in the first round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Sadiq as the ninth-best prospect and No. 1 tight end in the class, writing that “he’s nearly impossible to match against because of his quickness and size.”
Meanwhile, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, “NFL teams believe [Sadiq] has the talent to be a top-10 pick.” That’s rare for the position, as Kyle Pitts (fourth overall pick, 2021), Kellen Winslow II (sixth, 2004), Vernon Davis (sixth, 2006), T.J. Hockenson (eighth, 2019), Eric Ebron (10th, 2014) and Colston Loveland (10th, 2025) are the only tight ends who have gone inside the top 10.
Thieneman may have to wait longer than his teammate to hear his name called in April, but he’s still a projected top 50 selection, Thamel notes. Kiper ranks Thieneman third among draft-eligible safeties, trailing only Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Pitt’s Kyle Louis, while Brugler lauds the junior’s “man-coverage skills and run-stopping ability.”
Thieneman is firmly on the NFL radar after an impressive three-year run divided between Purdue and Oregon. As a Boilermaker, he earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third-team All-America honors in 2023 after piling up 106 tackles and six interceptions. Thieneman didn’t intercept any passes in a 104-tackle sophomore campaign, but he added 96 more tackles and another two INTs in his lone season with Oregon in 2025. The 21-year-old was a first-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection with the Ducks. That stellar performance boosted his stock heading into the draft.