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Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Signs Rookie Deal

June 4th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Ely Allen

While the day was filled with snippets of Shedeur Sanders‘ reps at Browns Organized Team Activities today, the real news happened off the field as third-round rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel signed his rookie contract, according to a team announcement. No contract details have been released.

With Deshaun Watson dealing with injury and the quarterback room consisting of only a 40-year-old Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on his third team in as many years, the Browns were constantly linked to a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While many assumed that that quarterback would in some way or another end up being Sanders, a historically strange slide led to five other passers hearing their names called before Sanders. One of those names was Gabriel’s, which came at No. 94 overall.

After six years playing college football (three at UCF, two at Oklahoma, and one at Oregon), Gabriel only got better and better, even after a left clavicle injury ended his time with the Knights. Overall, Gabriel proved to be an elite producer who could protect the ball and score with his arm or his legs. He went 46-17 as a starter with the Knights, Sooners, and Ducks, showing an impressive ability to pick up new systems quickly and effectively.

That, contrasted with Sanders, who has worked under the same offense under the same coach since high school, could be a reason that Gabriel’s name has been seeing much more run in recent days as a contender for a role as QB1 or 2. One of the latest reports we’d seen saw Gabriel seemingly looking like the QB2 behind Pickett. The lefty seems to be making quick progress as he learns his fourth new offense in five years.

There will still be plenty of time for Gabriel to challenge Pickett or for Sanders to challenge them both or even for Flacco to get back in the picture. Regardless, Gabriel can now get his mind off contract negotiations and put all his efforts into football.

Gabriel is only the third Browns rookie to put pen to paper so far. Here’s how the rest of the draft class is looking:

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/25

June 4th, 2025 at 7:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves across the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Gill becomes the 13th wide receiver on the Browns roster. While that certainly seems like a lot, keep in mind that the Browns need to run drills for four quarterbacks and some receivers aren’t able to participate at the moment. An undrafted receiver out of Fresno State last year, Gill spent the last two months of the season on the Browns’ practice squad.

The Eagles add another undrafted rookie to their group in Adeyi. The speedy, diminutive wideout spent his final two collegiate seasons at Sam Houston State. He had 30 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown, with another score on the ground. He returned punts for the Bearkats in 2024, as well.

Jaguars To Sign OLB Dennis Gardeck

June 4th, 2025 at 1:12pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars are continuing to round out their 2025 squad by signing former Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Gardeck spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Arizona, totaling 96 appearances and 17 starts, though his production has been somewhat inconsistent. 13.0 of his 17.0 sacks came in 2020 and 2023; last year, he posted 3.0 sacks and six tackles for loss in seven games last season before landing on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

The 30-year-old is the second addition to Jacksonville’s pass rush in as many days; the team reunited with veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot on Tuesday. He may play a more versatile role along the Jaguars’ defensive line, but the 232-pound Gardeck is purely an edge defender. Along with 2023 fifth-rounder Yasir Abdullah, Gardeck will provide depth behind former first-round picks Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.

Gardeck has put together a solid career for a former Division II college player. He signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted rookie out of Sioux Falls University and quickly established himself as a core special teams contributor. Gardeck eventually worked his way into Arizona’s OLB rotation in 2020 and impressed with 7.0 sacks in just 94 defensive snaps. He took a step back across the following two seasons with just 1.0 sack and three tackles for loss, but reemerged in 2023 with 6.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss.

In Jacksonville, Gardeck will likely continue in a rotational role on defense while remaining a mainstay on special teams, where he’s played 1,874 snaps in his career.

The Jaguars waived 2024 fifth-rounder Keilan Robinson in a corresponding move, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The former Alabama and Texas running back appeared in six games as a rookie with 51 of his 56 snaps coming on special teams.

Lions To Sign OL Trystan Colon

June 4th, 2025 at 10:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Dealt a blow via Frank Ragnow‘s retirement before age 30, the Lions have now lost two of their starters from a top-shelf 2024 offensive line. Kevin Zeitler‘s free agency defection (to the Titans) brought the first development here.

The Lions have options at center, considering their draft moves and Graham Glasgow‘s versatility, but they are adding another piece in the wake of the Ragnow news. Detroit is bringing in Trystan Colon, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes. The parties agreed on a one-year deal.

Spending the past two seasons with the Cardinals, Colon started 11 games in that span. The veteran interior lineman spent the first three seasons of his career with the Ravens, stopping over with the Jets during the 2023 offseason. He will now be expected to at least land a job as a swing backup with the Lions.

The Cardinals used Colon primarily at right guard in 2024, re-signing him (on a one-year, $1.75MM) after initially bringing in the former UDFA in just before the 2023 season started. The Jets had cut Colon, after dangling him in trades, that year. Colon made four starts for the 2023 Cardinals, who used him on 315 snaps at left guard. Although Colon has center experience (from his time in Baltimore), his first-string NFL duty has primarily come at guard.

Colon, who follows defensive tackle Roy Lopez with this Arizona-to-Detroit move, graded impressively during his part-time run as an Arizona starter last season. Pro Football Focus slotted the Mizzou alum 18th overall among guard regulars. Granted, Colon barely saw enough snaps to qualify as such. But the Lions will take a flier on a 27-year-old blocker in light of the Ragnow news.

Ragnow had been the Lions’ top center for six seasons, shifting from guard one year into his career. Replacing a four-time Pro Bowler will not be easy for the Lions, but they did add interior O-linemen in the second and fifth rounds, selecting Tate Ratledge (Georgia) and Miles Frazier (LSU). Ratledge earned All-American acclaim in 2023 and ’24 and started during the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship season. Glasgow has extensive experience at both guard and center, logging starts at each position in Detroit and Denver, while the Lions have also begun cross-training Ratledge at both spots this offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/25

June 3rd, 2025 at 9:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:

Denver Broncos

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: TE Mitch Van Vooren

Prieskorn is a 6-foot-5, 255-pound rookie out of Ole Miss who initially signed with the Lions after the draft. He was waived on May 12 and now lands in Denver, where he will likely serve as depth during training camp with a slim chance of making the 53-man roster. Prieskorn recorded 850 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 receptions over his final two seasons in college.

Almost a decade after he announced a seventh-round draft pick (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero), Van Vooren will make the jump to the NFL himself. The former St. Norbert tight end will be the latest Division III college player to ply his trade in the pros.

Saints Officially Place Derek Carr On Reserve/Retired List

June 3rd, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints officially placed Derek Carr on the reserve/retired list, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The move formalizes Carr’s retirement, which was originally announced on May 10. The Saints were waiting until after June 1 to process the transaction so they could spread the $50.132MM in dead money across two years.

$19.207MM of that will hit the books in 2025, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, cancelling out most of the initial savings from Carr’s departure. The Saints should see a net increase in 2026 cap space despite the remaining $30.925MM in dead money.

Dumping Carr’s contract is a major step forward for the Saints, whose heavy use of void years has severely limited their financial flexibility. They are currently projected to be over the 2026 salary cap, per OverTheCap; Carr’s retirement will ease that burden, though additional moves will be required to become cap-compliant.

Moving on from Carr also makes the Saints’ QB room one of the least expensive in the league. Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler both have multiple years remaining on their rookie deal, and second-round pick Tyler Shough will be on a cost-controlled contract through 2028 once he puts pen to paper. New Orleans also signed undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers to a three-year, $2.965MM deal with no guaranteed money.

Today’s move will also officially open up a spot on the Saints’ 90-man roster, allowing them to add more depth as the team progresses through OTAs.

Jaguars To Sign DE Dawuane Smoot, WR Trenton Irwin

June 3rd, 2025 at 4:49pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Dawuane Smoot left Jacksonville for a 2024 Buffalo deal, but as the Bills have retooled at defensive end once again, a reunion will come to pass. The Jaguars are bringing Smoot back, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Now 30, Smoot will join a new Jaguars regime but be part of a familiar position group. Smoot profiles as a rotational rusher behind starters Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Additionally, the Jaguars are signing wide receiver Trenton Irwin as part of a continued overhaul at the position. Wide receiver David White Jr. was waived to make room on the roster, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Smoot appeared in 11 games (four starts) for the Bills in 2024, typically lining up off the edge with some snaps as an interior rusher. The Jaguars will be hoping he can return to his previous form that yielded 22.5 sacks from 2019 to 2022, but the 30-year-old has only recorded 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in the last two years.

Irwin is a former undrafted free agent who spent the first six years of his career in Cincinnati. He only saw seven targets in his first three seasons, but emerged as a rotational contributor in 2022 and 2023, catching 40 of his 55 targets for 547 yards and five touchdowns across those two seasons. In 2024, however, Irwin fell to the bottom of the Bengals’ depth chart and was not re-signed after the season.

The 29-year-old Irwin is the Jaguars’ most experienced receiver by a considerable margin, so he could quickly carve out a role in Liam Coen‘s new offense. Leading receiver Brian Thomas Jr. will continue as the team’s WR1 with No. 2 pick Travis Hunter primarily joining him on offense. Dyami Brown‘s $10MM contract indicates he’ll earn a strong target share as well. Irwin will likely have to compete with 2023 sixth-rounder Parker Washington for tertiary targets, though Washington’s youth and strong finish to the 2024 season may give him a leg up.

White signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie out of Eastern Carolina in 2024 but missed the season after tearing his ACL during spring practices.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

49ers Waive T Nicholas Petit-Frere, Place WR Trent Taylor On IR

June 3rd, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have not yet brought in D.J. Humphries, despite spring reports to the contrary, but they will also take another tackle out of the equation ahead of minicamp. San Francisco waived recent addition Nicholas Petit-Frere on Tuesday.

A three-year Titans starter, Petit-Frere has now been cut by two teams this offseason. No one claimed the former third-round pick on waivers after his Tennessee exit, and without sufficient service time to pass straight to free agency, the young right tackle will head back to the wire.

San Francisco also placed wide receiver Trent Taylor on IR. Although teams now regularly activate players from IR, a placement on the injured list now will end Taylor’s season. Barring an injury settlement and subsequent return, Taylor is out of the picture for the 49ers in 2025. In a corresponding move, the team signed wide receiver Malik Knowles. Taylor suffered a back injury, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

When the 49ers added Petit-Frere post-draft, they also signed one-year Titans left tackle Andre Dillard, who spent last season with the Packers. Dillard joins Spencer Burford as swing tackle options for the Niners. The team had shifted Burford from guard to tackle, giving the former inside starter reps behind the likes of Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz and the since-departed Jaylon Moore. Petit-Frere, 25, will look for another landing spot.

Petit-Frere beat out Dillon Radunz for the Titans’ RT job as a rookie in 2022, but his chances of stopping a revolving door at the position worsened in 2023 after a gambling suspension preceded a season-ending injury. The Ohio State product returned from injury to start 10 games last season, but he had arrived before respected O-line coach Bill Callahan. The elder of the two Callahans in key Titans positions now has 2024 first-round pick JC Latham at RT, after the Titans signed Dan Moore Jr. to man the blind side.

Taylor, 31, rejoined the 49ers in April 2024 and toggled between the practice squad and active roster last year. Though, the veteran receiver/return man played in just two games. The 49ers gave him a reserve/futures contract in January. Taylor spent four seasons in San Francisco to start his career, arriving during the Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch regime’s first offseason in charge. The former fifth-round pick served as a slot player and 49ers punt returner in that span, missing all of the 2019 Super Bowl LIV season due to injury. Taylor resurfaced in 2020 before moving to the Bengals (2021-22) and Bears (2023).

Patriots Sign First-Round LT Will Campbell

June 3rd, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first of this year’s tackles chosen now has a contract. The Patriots and Will Campbell agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Chosen fourth overall, Campbell will be attached to a lofty fully guaranteed pact ($43.66MM). New England will have a fifth-year option on this contract, covering the 2029 season. This deal leaves Travis Hunter as the only top-10 pick unsigned.

The full guarantee on Campbell’s contract already ranks fifth among LTs, trailing only Andrew Thomas, Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley and Christian Darrisaw. Campbell’s No. 4 draft position this year calls for a substantially higher number than last year’s No. 4 choice (Marvin Harrison Jr.) received — at $35.37MM. The player Campbell has vowed to protect, 2024 No. 3 overall choice Drake Maye, will also see his LT’s terms outdistance his considerably. Maye is tied to a four-year, $36.64MM accord.

Although Cam Ward‘s No. 1 draft slot has not caught up with the monster payments the pre-rookie-scale era brought No. 1 QB choices, Campbell’s AAV and full guarantee have passed the final pre-rookie-scale No. 4 draftee (Trent Williams). The future Hall of Famer signed a six-year, $60MM Washington deal in 2010; that pact came with $26.38MM fully guaranteed. Campbell is the first rookie-deal O-lineman to surpass those terms in the rookie-scale era.

Moving beyond financials, the Patriots will have Campbell (barring injury) in their Week 1 lineup at left tackle. This comes after an ill-fated 2024 plan backfired, as a handful of options — free agent signings, low-end trade acquisitions and a waiver claim — took turns at the marquee O-line spot. The first of those options (Chukwuma Okorafor) left the team after one game. The Pats regrouped at tackle in Mike Vrabel‘s first offseason in charge, adding Morgan Moses to man the right side and targeting Campbell in Round 1. Although the Pats pursued Dan Moore Jr. and Cam Robinson for the blind side, Campbell and Moses will give Maye a better tackle setup compared to the makeshift configuration 2024 brought.

A consensus All-American at LSU, Campbell certainly performed like an elite LT in college. He still carried question marks heading into the draft. Specifically, scouts often criticized his lack of arm length. Campbell’s arm length measured 32.68 inches at the Combine, which falls short of the 33-inch point teams target with tackles. Oddly, Campbell then measured an even 33 inches at LSU’s pro day. Regardless of Campbell’s arm length, the Patriots were linked to the elite SEC blocker for months.

The Patriots have been unable to find a steady LT option since Nate Solder‘s lengthy tenure. Solder, who had succeeded long-running Tom Brady blind-sider Matt Light, left for a monster Giants contract in 2018. New England did well to land Trent Brown in a pick-swap trade with San Francisco that year, but its first-round pick that weekend — Isaiah Wynn — did not establish himself as a long-term option there. The Vrabel-Eliot Wolf pair will hope Campbell can do so, as his performance will be central to Maye’s development.

Lions C Frank Ragnow Retires

June 2nd, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

Frank Ragnow‘s playing days have come to an end. The Pro Bowl center has informed the Lions he plans to retire, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Ragnow was away from the team during OTAs, but not as a result of a contract dispute. Instead, the 29-year-old was contemplating his options while weighing the possibility of continuing his career against the numerous injuries he has dealt with in the NFL. Health concerns led to today’s decision, which is now official.

“These past couple of months have been very trying as I’ve come to the realization that my football journey is ending and I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” Ragnow wrote on Instagram Monday. “I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m feeling good but I’m not and it’s time to prioritize my health and my family’s future. I have given this team everything I have and I thought I had more to give, but the reality is I simply don’t.

“I have to listen to my body and this has been one of the hardest decisions of my life. The Lions organization has been absolutely incredible throughout this process and I can’t emphasize enough how grateful I am for this team and all the fans.” 

An injury limited Ragnow to four games in 2021, but he managed to suit up for either 15 or 16 games during each of the past three seasons. This included playing through a pectoral injury last season. The former first-rounder earned a Pro Bowl nod every year in that stretch, bringing his career total to four. Ragnow earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, and he matched that feat over both of the past two campaigns. He operated as a Lions’ starter upon arrival, later becoming a key piece during a rebuild that saw the O-line play a pivotal role. But for the first time in seven years the team will be without his services.

Ragnow drew middling PFF evaluations during his rookie season as a guard, sliding to center ahead of his second season. Since then, he ranked among the league’s best at the center spot. The Arkansas product finished no worse than sixth for qualifying centers in terms of overall grade (with the exception of his brief 2021 season, when he earned a mark of 86.7 in his limited action). Expectations would have remained high moving forward, and two years remained on Ragnow’s contract. Now, though, his attention will turn to his post-playing days.

Detroit has veteran Graham Glasgow in place as an option to handle first-team center duties. The 32-year-old has spent much of his career at both guard spots, with that being the case for the majority of his two Lions stints. In 2018, though, Glasgow did operate as the team’s starting center before Ragnow took over that role. Glasgow also served as a Broncos center starter in 2022, replacing an injured Lloyd Cushenberry after Quinn Meinerz had taken Glasgow’s right guard spot. Another option at the center position would be second-round rookie Tate Ratledge. Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo notes both Ragnow and Ratledge have taken center reps this spring.

The Lions managed to keep a number of depth options in place along the offensive line this offseason, but right guard Kevin Zeitler departed in free agency. Today’s news means multiple moves will need to be made along the interior ahead of the 2025 campaign. Expectations will remain high for Detroit’s offense in no small part due to the play of the team’s O-line. That unit will nevertheless be notably different with Ragnow no longer in the fold.

After exceling on his rookie pact, Ragnow landed a 2021 extension. Only three centers have since surpassed the AAV of Ragnow’s extension ($13.5MM), an indication of the center position’s market but also his value to the Lions. After 100 combined regular and postseason appearances, Ragnow will depart the NFL with roughly $57MM in career earnings.

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