The Athletic's Nick Kosmider suggests that the Denver Broncos could target a running back in the upcoming draft that specializes in catching the ball out of the backfield after they targeted their RBs with passes on 51 of 203 early down passes early in games in 2024, which led the league. However, Denver ranked 25th in expected points added per play when targeting their RBs with short passes early in games. Javonte Williams, who had a career-high 70 targets last year, is now in Dallas, and Jaleel McLaughlin's target share and efficiency dropped in his sophomore season. The Broncos need a RB more capable of carrying a heavy workload -- Williams led the team in 2024 with 8.2 carries per game, the lowest in the NFL -- but they might not be searching for a RB in this year's draft who will routinely carry the offense on the ground.

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Miami quarterback Cam Ward thinks he has "solidified" himself as the top overall pick in April's NFL draft after his Pro Day on Monday. Ward worked out in front of more than 90 NFL team staffers, including a full contingent from the Tennessee Titans, who have the No. 1 overall pick. "They finally got to see me throw in person. That should be all they need to see. But at the end of the day ... I'm going to be happy whatever team I go to. I'm just trying to play football," Ward said. In his lone season with the Hurricanes in 2024, Ward set single-season records for passing yards, completions, passing touchdowns and completion percentage and became the all-time FCS and FBS leader in passing TDS with 158. If Ward is taken by Tennessee first overall, he will almost certainly start in Week 1 after Will Levis, a former second-rounder, was benched last year in favor of Mason Rudolph.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) said on the Up & Adams Show that the team hasn't told him that he's the starting QB going into the 2025 season this fall, and he's "happy they didn't." The Vikings reportedly told free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers that they aren't considering signing him, which essentially sent the message that the team is moving forward with McCarthy, a first-rounder last year, as their starting QB, even though he missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason. The Vikings are still expected to add a veteran signal-caller after losing both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones in free agency, but it won't be someone that pushes the 22-year-old McCarthy for the starting gig. Something could change once the Vikings begin offseason workouts, but for now, all signs point to McCarthy starting in Week 1 this fall.

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The New Orleans Saints announced on Monday that they re-signed safety Ugo Amadi to an undisclosed one-year deal. Amadi will return to New Orleans for a third year in 2025 after racking up a career-high 65 tackles (52 solo), his first two career sacks, six tackles for loss and seven passes defensed in 11 games (five starts) in 2024. The 27-year-old got some run late in the year out of the slot when Paulson Adebo broke his leg, and he was able to deliver for a Saints defense that really struggled last year. At the very least, Amadi will have a chance to compete for a similar role in the Big Easy in training camp this summer, but he's unlikely to emerge as a fantasy weapon in IDP leagues. The former fourth-rounder (132nd overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 out of Oregon has 208 total tackles (164 solo), two sacks, 12 tackles for loss, one interception, 22 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in six seasons.

The Chicago Bears announced on Monday that they signed free-agent cornerback Nick McCloud to an undisclosed one-year. McCloud spent the 2024 season with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, compiling a total of 25 tackles (14 solo) in 15 games (five starts). The 26-year-old saw more action on defense with the G-Men in seven games (five starts), as he didn't start a single game in eight games played with the Niners. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame before eventually joining the Cincinnati Bengals for his rookie campaign in 2021, when he played in just two games. Expect McCloud to be competing for a depth role in the secondary as well as a role on special teams for the Bears in training camp this summer. He has 96 career tackles (69 solo), 1.5 sacks, one interception, 10 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his four NFL seasons.

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The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that they re-signed defensive tackle Mike Pennel to an undisclosed deal. Pennel will return to Kansas City for a third year after playing in 17 regular-season games (seven starts) and recording 25 tackles (10 solo), a career-high three sacks and a forced fumble. The 33-year-old veteran only appeared in three regular-season games for the Chiefs in his first year with the team. Pennel will now return to Kansas City in a rotational role on the interior of their defensive line as a rotational player, which means he won't be on the fantasy radar in IDP formats. In his 11 seasons in the NFL, Pennel has recorded 231 tackles (127 solo), only five sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 17 QB hits, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 138 regular-season games (25 starts).

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The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran free-agent tight end Eric Saubert to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to Seahawks.com's John Boyle. Saubert, originally a fifth-round selection (174th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 out of Drake, will now join his eighth NFL team as he heads into his ninth year in the league. The 30-year-old spent last year with the San Francisco 49ers, where he caught 11 of 14 targets for 97 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (three starts). Saubert will remain in the NFC West and will serve as a backup behind Noah Fant and A.J. Barner in Seattle, leaving him virtually no fantasy appeal. Barring injuries to Fant and Barner, expect Saubert to mostly factor in on special teams. His best season came back in 2022 with the Denver Broncos, when he caught 15 of 24 targets for 148 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (six starts).

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New England Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf said last month that the team would take the "best player available" in the upcoming NFL draft with the fourth overall pick and doubled down on the statement again on Sunday during the team's annual draft party for season-ticket holders. The Patriots could still need a starting left tackle to protect second-year quarterback Drake Maye when the draft kicks off in April, which would make it a tough decision to pass on the likes of Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter. If New England doesn't take the best player available at No. 4 overall and goes with need, the pick could very well be LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell. According to sources, the Patriots like Campbell despite his short arms, and they think that Hunter is the best player in the draft at both cornerback and receiver.

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The Athletic's Matt Schneidman is predicting that the Green Bay Packers break their 22-year streak and take Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft for the first time since 2002. According to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was the only GM present at a private workout for McMillan last week. He's listed at No. 7 on Dane Brugler's to-100 list, so the Packers would have to trade up within the first round to snag him. If Green Bay doesn't go after McMillan, they could wait until later in the draft and take Texas' Matthew Golden, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka or Missouri's Luther Burden III. Schneidman thinks the Packers go receiver regardless in Round 1, and it would make sense with Christian Watson (knee) expected to miss around half of the 2025 season.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua said on the "Join The Lobby" podcast that he would like to retire from the NFL at the age of 30. It would mean that the 23-year-old (24 in May) pass-catcher would have six or seven more years of football left in him. After being selected in the fifth round (177th overall) in 2023, Nacua has been lights-out his first two professional seasons with a combined 184 catches on 266 targets for 2,476 yards and nine touchdowns in 28 regular-season starts. Barring an injury, he should be an elite receiver in the NFL for years to come, especially now that Cooper Kupp is no longer in L.A. Nacua did miss five games in the first half of the 2025 campaign due to a knee injury, but on a per-game basis, he was even more productive for fantasy managers. Even with Davante Adams essentially replacing Kupp, Nacua should be a target hog and a strong WR1 target in fantasy drafts.

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Veteran free-agent defensive lineman Leki Fotu (knee) signed an undisclosed deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, a source told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hamstring and knee injuries limited Fotu to just two games (one start) with the New York Jets in 2024. The 26-year-old was taken by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 NFL draft in the fourth round (114th overall) out of the University of Utah. In his four seasons with the Cardinals, the defensive tackle had 89 tackles (42 solo), 3.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, seven QB hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 56 games (21 starts). Fotu will most certainly continue to be a rotational defensive lineman on the interior and will be competing for a 53-man roster spot this summer in training camp in Vegas.

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The Los Angeles Chargers re-signed free-agent safety Tony Jefferson to an undisclosed one-year deal on Monday, sources told FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. Jefferson did not play at all in 2023 but came out of retirement to join the Chargers last year and had 27 tackles (17 solo) in eight regular-season games (four starts). The 33-year-old veteran could very well retire after the 2025 season, and he certainly won't be a lock to make the 53-man active roster out of training camp this summer. The 10-year veteran defensive back has played for five different teams in his NFL career and has a total of 519 tackles (387 solo), 9.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, 20 QB hits, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 24 pass breakups, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 121 regular-season games (71 starts). Jefferson won't be anywhere near the IDP fantasy radar.

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Free-agent TE Eric Saubert (49ers) signed with the Seattle Seahawks Monday, March 24. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

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Free-agent S Tony Jefferson (Chargers) agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers Monday, March 24, according to sources. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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The New England Patriots officially matched the Las Vegas Raiders' offer sheet to bring back linebacker Christian Elliss on Monday, a source told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's not a surprise that the Patriots matched the Raiders' offer for the 26-year-old, who broke out with a career year in 2024 for the team. The former undrafted free agent out of Idaho played in 16 games (five starts) last year in his first full season in New England and stood out with 80 tackles (42 solo), 1.5 sacks, five QB hits, his first career interception, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The Patriots officially re-signed Elliss to a two-year deal, so he's now under contract with the Pats through the 2026 season. While Elliss may not be an every-day starter for new head coach Mike Vrabel in 2025, he should maintain a key role in the middle of the field.

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There are a ton of moving parts with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins' situation this offseason, but SI.com's Albert Breer writes that Cousins could waive is no-trade clause after April's NFL draft. Breer believes Cousins wants to avoid the situation he found himself in with the Falcons last year when he was blind-sided by the Falcons' decision to select Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. Before accepting any potential trade, the 36-year-old veteran has signaled to interested teams that he wants to wait until after the draft to pick his new team. Breer has heard that Cousins' camp would be amenable to working out the particulars of a trade before the draft on the contingency that a team willing to trade for him wouldn't take a QB in the first round. The Falcons are willing to make Cousins the highest-paid backup in the league, but a trade still seems more likely to happen. The Browns are the most probably landing spot.

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Free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a "safe bet" to eventually sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source told Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. After being told that the Minnesota Vikings are moving forward with last year's first-rounder, J.J. McCarthy (knee), as their starter in 2025, Rodgers spent more than six hours visiting with the Steelers last Friday. The New York Giants have also been mentioned as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer, but it's seen as highly unlikely. So if the 41-year-old three-time MVP doesn't decide to hang up his cleats, signing with Pittsburgh is the most likely scenario. Rodgers would have a nice receiver duo of DK Metcalf and George Pickens if he goes to the Steel City, but a WR duo of Davante Adams/Garrett Wilson didn't elevate the Jets to a playoff team with Rodgers at the helm in 2024. At best, Rodgers would be a midrange QB2 in fantasy in 2025 in Pittsburgh.

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Free-agent safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder) is visiting with the Carolina Panthers on Monday, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 26-year-old was a starter for the Indianapolis Colts for the last five years, totaling 300 tackles (225 solo), 1.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 10 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 21 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 66 games played (62 starts). Despite rupturing the right labrum in his shoulder in Week 1, Blackmon managed to play 16 games for the Colts in 2024. He was set for offseason surgery, so it's unclear when exactly he'll be ready to work out this offseason with his new team. Despite already adding plenty of pieces to what was a terrible defense last year, the Panthers are still searching for more talent in their secondary.

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Free-agent DT Mike Pennel (Chiefs) agreed to an undisclosed contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, the team announced Monday, March 24.

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The Tennessee Titans signed former New England Patriots and Washington Commanders kicker Joey Slye to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to agent Glenn Schwartzman. Slye signed with the Patriots last year and beat out Chad Ryland for kicking duties. The 28-year-old then went 26-for-33 on his field-goal attempts (6-for-9 from 50-plus yards) and 25-for-26 on his extra-point tries in 17 games played. The Titans will be the sixth team that Slye has kicked for in his NFL career after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2018. He has a career 81.7 percent success rate on his field-goal attempts in 95 games played. He's currently the only kicker on Tennessee's roster, but it wouldn't be a surprise for the Titans to bring in competition for training camp this summer. Slye is unlikely to be much of a fantasy option in 12-team leagues this fall.

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