Draft Rumors: Visits, Green, Nolen, RBs
As the 2025 NFL Draft continues to draw nigh, teams are beginning to do their due diligence on each prospect, including hosting several for visits.
A perfect example of this saw the Saints host a bevy of Longhorns for a dinner last night, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The list of Texas prospects included possible first-rounders cornerback Jahdae Barron and wide receiver Matthew Golden as well as defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and quarterback Quinn Ewers.
The Saints weren’t the only team to spend time with Ewers yesterday, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Both the Jets and Raiders sent staffers to meet with the 22-year-old in Austin prior to the team’s pro day. Ewers has several visits planned following today’s pro day, as well, including meetings with the Cowboys, Colts, and Raiders, again, in early April.
Another potential Longhorn first-rounder, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, has also reportedly set up a number of visits following today’s pro day, per CJ Vogel of On Texas Football. Bond apparently has top-30 visits scheduled in the next month with the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Rams.
Here are some more rumors concerning the 2025 NFL Draft:
- East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. is making the rounds, as well. After previously meeting with New Orleans, Revel reportedly visited the Texans on Friday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Revel is attempting to make a speedy recovery from a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season after only three games. He’s reportedly on track to be ready to return in time for training camp.
- One of Revel’s top competitors at the position in this year’s class, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, is set to meet with the Raiders, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Johnson has already met with the Falcons and reportedly met with the Cardinals already, as well.
- Already having met with the Saints and Falcons, Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is set to meet with several other franchises, per Wilson. One of the top tackle options in the class, Conerly has visits planned with the Texans, Eagles, Commanders, Bengals, and Bears. Wilson adds that, at the NFL Scouting Combine, Conerly already formerly met with the Texans, Jets, Titans, Patriots, Raiders, Commanders, and 49ers.
- Marshall’s pro day garnered a few more visitors than usual today, thanks to the presence of potential first-round pass rusher Mike Green. According to Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, while several teams sent personnel to check Green out, the Falcons sent most of their front office as well as head coach Raheem Morris. Pauline adds that the Commanders also held a significant presence at the pass rusher’s pro day.
- Due to the draft being more deep than top-heavy, there are several prospects who receive a wide range of opinions on when and where they’ll go in the draft. According to Matt Miller of ESPN, though, no player has a wider range than Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Transferring within the conference from Texas A&M for the final year of his collegiate career, Nolen had a strong, consensus All-American season with the Rebels, totaling 48 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss. Despite the impressive performance, Miller claims that “teams are torn on (Nolen’s) lack of refined pass-rush moves,” resulting in projections from the top 10 all the way back to the second round.
- Last year was the second time in the three years that we saw no running backs taken in the first round of the draft. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, we could see two running backs hear their names called on Day 1 of the event this year. A running backs coach told Schultz that “there’s no way (Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty) falls outside the top 15-20 picks.” Jeanty has been projected in multiple mock drafts to both the Raiders at No. 6 overall and the Cowboys at No. 12. While the position is deep, with players like Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State’s duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Miami’s Damien Martinez, and several others, it’s North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton who may have played himself into the first round with Jeanty. Schultz claims that a personnel director told him the only thing Hampton needed to do in order to go in Round 1 was run in the 4.4’s at the combine, and Hampton ran a 4.46. He may not get taken as high as Jeanty, but he should still be considered a first-round candidate come the end of April.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/25
Today’s minor moves in the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: G Royce Newman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed ERFA tender: T Kadeem Telfort
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Robert Rochell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: CB Sam Webb
New England Patriots
- Waived: LB Curtis Jacobs, T Caleb Jones, LB Andrew Parker Jr., G Lecitus Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR River Cracraft
Washington Commanders
- Signed: G Trenton Scott
Commanders Sign WR Michael Gallup
4:25pm: Unsurprisingly for a player making an NFL comeback, Gallup will sign with the Commanders on a one-year veteran minimum contract worth up to $1.335MM, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. With six accrued seasons, his base salary will be $1.17MM, indicating that the deal includes $165k in incentives, though full contract details have not yet been reported.
12:38pm: Add another ex-Cowboy to Dan Quinn‘s Commanders roster. After making a visit to Washington early in free agency, Michael Gallup signed with the Commanders on Thursday.
Gallup visited the Commanders last week and scheduled a Seahawks meeting as well, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Gallup will make his comeback attempt for a team rostering a few former Cowboys. Noah Brown is among them, as the ex-Dallas wideout re-signed with Washington last week.
The Commanders’ receiver room is becoming crowded. Beyond the two former Cowboy cogs, the team traded for Deebo Samuel and re-signed K.J. Osborn. Third-round pick Luke McCaffrey is going into his second season. Gallup could add an interesting piece to the Commanders’ Terry McLaurin support stable, but he had trended downward before a 2024 retirement.
Signing with the Raiders after becoming a Cowboys cap casualty, Gallup did not end up playing in Las Vegas. He instead stepped away from the game before training camp. While this did give Gallup a year to rest up — well after an ACL tear came to define his career — his recent exit may provide an uphill battle regarding a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster. But Gallup has shown a gear Brown and the other batch of tertiary options in Washington have not.
Gallup posted an 1,107-yard season with the Cowboys, moving into four-digit territory (his only such season) in 2019. This came before the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb. Still, Lamb’s arrival did not diminish Gallup’s role too much. Despite Dak Prescott going down early in the 2020 season, Gallup totaled 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns. These two seasons enticed Dallas to re-sign Gallup on a five-year, $57.25MM deal in 2022. Dallas re-signed Gallup rather than keep Amari Cooper for a third season; that became the wrong decision, as the former third-round pick could not live up to his midlevel WR deal.
A December 2021 ACL tear sidetracked Gallup, who missed eight games that year due to multiple injuries. Although Gallup returned in Week 4 of the 2022 season, he has not flashed the same form since the setback. After catching 39 passes for 424 yards and four TDs in 2022, the 6-foot-1 wideout totaled just 418 yards and two scores in 2023. This prompted the Cowboys to move on, as big-ticket Lamb and Prescott paydays loomed. Gallup will look to recapture some of his pre-injury form, and he is running out of chances.
Samuel will be in position as Washington’s No. 2 receiver next season, leaving McCaffrey, Osborn and the ex-Cowboys to vie for auxiliary roles. Gallup brings success in the past and impressed the Commanders at last week’s visit in order for the NFC runner-up to circle back and greenlight a comeback opportunity.
Commanders, Deebo Samuel Agree To Reworked Deal
No immediate Deebo Samuel extension followed his Washington arrival, separating this trade of a 2019 second-round wideout from the trades involving D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown. Samuel will be assured of a nice 2025 payout, at least.
Samuel’s near-$17MM base salary will become fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds $3MM in incentives will be attached to this revised agreement. That said, not too much has changed here; that may be more notable than any updated guarantee.
Metcalf agreed to a four-year, $128MM extension upon being traded to Pittsburgh. The ex-Seahawk joined Samuel in entering the NFL in the ’19 second round, and while Metcalf does not have a first-team All-Pro honor on his resume like the ex-49er does, he has been a more consistent player since each signed second contracts during 2022 training camp. Samuel saw injuries and modest performances ding his trade value, making the Commanders’ add more of a flier. Trade cost also separated this swap from the Steelers-Seahawks exchange, as Seattle obtained a second-round pick for Metcalf.
Samuel, 28, receiving guarantees early is not especially notable; as a vested veteran, he would have secured them shortly before Week 1. Remaining in a contract year, however, is key here. The Commanders may well look to evaluate their trade acquisition’s fit alongside Terry McLaurin, who joins Metcalf in having a more consistent career. Samuel’s best work has bettered both, but it has been a while since the versatile playmaker has made top-flight contributions.
Accumulating 1,770 scrimmage yards in 2021, Samuel powered the 49ers’ passing attack during Jimmy Garoppolo‘s final full season as the team’s starter. Samuel did improve on his 2022 dud with a 12-touchdown 1,117-yard 2023, but he struggled again in 2024. The 49ers moved on from Samuel after the near-$24MM-AAV player totaled just 670 receiving yards last year. The Commanders providing an extension now would not exactly be called for, given the South Carolina alum’s unreliability and potential durability concerns.
Still, Washington has secured what should be a substantial WR2 upgrade after being unable to provide McLaurin with a quality complementary option throughout the former third-rounder’s run. Samuel will give Jayden Daniels an interesting inside option, and the presence of Austin Ekeler may ensure not many handoffs go on Samuel’s odometer (202 career carries) this season. For now, though, the Commanders will wait and see on their trade asset’s post-2025 future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/25
Tuesday’s minor transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: C Doug Kramer
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: DE Pat O’Connor, TE Shane Zylstra
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: DT Zachary Carter
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Tim Jones
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: T Landon Young
- Signed: OL Will Clapp
New York Giants
- Signed: OLB Victor Dimukeje
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: CB Bryce Hall
Washington Commanders
- Signed: T Foster Sarell
Clapp returns to the Big Easy after three seasons away from the team. Clapp has enjoyed more opportunities to start with the Chargers and Bills over the past three years after only starting seven of 34 game appearances in New Orleans. He’ll likely serve as a reliable backup to Erik McCoy who has missed 19 games in the last four seasons, including 10 last year.
Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil: Texans Prioritized Other Players For Extensions
One of the more notable moves during the opening stages of free agency was the trade sending Laremy Tunsil from the Texans to the Commanders. The move came as a bit of a surprise, especially as Tunsil represented one of Houston’s only reliable lineman following a 2024 campaign where C.J. Stroud finished second in sacks.
While speaking with reporters today, the lineman revealed that the Texans’ decision was financially motivated. Tunsil said the Texans were prioritizing extensions for younger players, making his lucrative contract untenable.
“Pretty much, they’re just trying to keep the young guys together,” Tunsil said (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook). “It’s as simple as that … They drafted some young guys, and they hit on every draft pick. They’re trying to keep those guys together, so I fully understand … It’s no hard feelings. At the end of the day, it’s a business. I don’t take anything personal. It’s no hard feelings against the Houston Texans.”
Tunsil is plenty familiar with switching teams, as the lineman was once traded from Miami for a pair of first-round picks. Still attached to a three-year, $75MM deal, the lineman’s trade package in 2025 was highlighted by a second- and third-round pick. Tunsil was still productive during his age-30 season. He continued his three-year run as a top-20 offensive tackle via Pro Football Focus, and he finished this past year ranked 10th in pass rush win rate.
While Houston couldn’t budget for his impending cap hits, the Commanders were more than happy to take him on to their squad. With no remaining guaranteed money on his contract, the Commanders will still likely have to budget for some kind of extension with the veteran, although the team was surely preparing for that when they made the trade.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/25
Today’s minor transactions:
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: RB Ronnie Rivers
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: DE Jalyn Holmes
Commanders To Re-Sign DL Clelin Ferrell
The Commanders continue to retain many of their own free agents. The latest addition to the list is defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell, who is re-signing with the organization, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It’s a new one-year contract for the veteran, per ESPN’s John Keim.
Ferrell joined Washington last offseason, inking a one-year deal with the organization. The veteran ended up appearing in 14 games (10 starts) for his new squad, collecting 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks while getting into more than 40 of the Commanders’ defensive snaps.
The 27-year-old only ranked 110th among 199 qualifying edge defenders on Pro Football Focus’ leader boards, but he was closer to league average in previous stops. The fourth-overall pick in 2019, Ferrell struggled to live up to his draft billing while playing with the Raiders, but he still finished his four-year tenure with 10 sacks. He spent the 2023 campaign with the 49ers, where he started all 17 games.
Following the Commanders’ surprising run to the NFC Championship Game, the team has put in an effort to re-sign many of their free agents. On defense, the team has retained cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, linebacker/special-teamer Nick Bellore, and D-line cog Sheldon Day.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/25
Friday’s minor NFL moves after a busy week of transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Simi Fehoko
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Keith Taylor
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Kendrick Green
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Kenny Yeboah
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: S M.J. Stewart, T Zachary Thomas
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: DT Larrell Murchison
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: WR Dee Eskridge
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
New York Jets
- Signed: P Austin McNamara
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Kylen Granson, LS Charley Hughlett, LB Patrick Johnson, RB Avery Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Cody White
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: P Jack Browning
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: C Corey Levin
Washington Commanders
- Signed ERFA tender: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Commanders To Add OL Nate Herbig
The Steelers’ brother tandems are thinning out, as the Herbigs will go by way of the Watt pair on the roster. Nate Herbig is heading to Washington on a one-year deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.
A 30-game starter during his career, Herbig was to open last season as Pittsburgh’s starting center. But a shoulder injury ended Herbig’s season before it could begin. While this opened the door for rookie Zach Frazier, Herbig will leave for another opportunity.
Also rostering outside linebacker Nick Herbig, the Steelers employed Nate for two seasons. They used him in 17 games (two starts) in 2023, though the older of the Herbig brothers enjoyed more prominent roles elsewhere. The Eagles used Nate Herbig as a 17-game starter from 2020-21, while he started all 11 games he played for the 2022 Jets.
The Commanders are planning on moving the former UDFA into the guard mix, Fowler adds. Washington has Tyler Biadasz locked in at center and Sam Cosmi entrenched at right guard. The team signed Nick Allegretti from the Chiefs in 2024, pairing him with ex-Kansas City teammate Andrew Wylie at RT. Laremy Tunsil is taking over at left tackle after this week’s trade.
Displaced LT Brandon Coleman could loom as a swingman, while the Commanders also brought back interior swing Michael Deiter and fellow backup Trenton Scott on Thursday night. Herbig, 26, is dropped into a crowded situation.
That said, Herbig was on track to at least play in front of Frazier to open the 2024 Steelers’ season. Pittsburgh placing him on IR (with a torn rotator cuff) before setting its 53-man roster nixed that path, and Frazier is now the team’s surefire center starter after going off the 2024 draft board in Round 2. The Steelers still have the Heyward brothers, but Derek Watt‘s retirement coming as the Steelers’ two Edmundses disbanded leaves them with only the DL-TE tandem after Nate Herbig’s Friday move. Two years remain on Nick Herbig’s rookie deal.