NFL Player News

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley wants the offense to "run through Herbert," according to Hayley Elwood of the team's official website.

Formerly the Rams' defensive coordinator, Staley figures to primarily focus on the other side of the ball, yet he clearly understands that Herbert is his most important player by a mile. The fifth overall pick from the 2020 draft set an NFL rookie record with 31 passing touchdowns, also adding five additional scores (and 234 more yards) on the ground. Herbert will again have Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and RB Austin Ekeler at his disposal this season, while Jared Cook is replacing Hunter Henry (Patriots) as the top tight end. Perhaps most important, the Chargers added three new starters for the offensive line, signing center Corey Linsley and LG Matt Feiler before using a first-round pick on Northwestern LT Rashawn Slater. The unit may need some time to gel, but it's the best collection of blocking talent the Chargers have put together in years. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi couldn't have asked for a better situation, getting his second shot as an OC after a respectable stint with the Lions in 2014-15.

Carr may be facing a make-or-break season in 2021, with the Raiders likely to consider a change at quarterback if they miss the playoffs again, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Rumors percolated this offseason regarding the Raiders' desire to seek a replacement under center, despite Carr's career highs for passing yards (4,103) and yards per attempt (7.9) in 2020. The team finished 10th in points scored and 30th in points allowed, so it was no surprise to see the front office ultimately make addressing the defense more of a priority. Carr is back as the starter, but he doesn't have any guarantees remaining on a contract that runs through 2022, and backup Marcus Mariota could eventually make starts if the Raiders are mediocre or subpar again.

Michael Giardi of NFL Network suggests that "a legit competition is on tap" this summer between Jones and incumbent starting QB Cam Newton.

Citing Newton's uneven 2020 campaign, as well Jones having held his own over the course of the Patriots' OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Giardi believes that the No. 15 overall pick in this year's draft has a chance to push his veteran counterpart in the coming months. That said, the rookie is slated to head into training camp behind Newton on the depth chart and still has some ground to make up if he's to vault into an immediate starting role. For his part, Mike Reiss of ESPN.comsuggests that the Newton/Jones competition "could be one of the NFL's most compelling training camp storylines."

Trask was quick to pick up coach Bruce Arians' offensive system during the Buccaneers' offseason program, Carmen Vitali of the team's official site reports. "Yeah, it's not easy when you're going against our defense," said Arians. "He has seen a multitude of coverages and blitzes, so I'm really impressed. Having worked with guys for the first time in this offense, he's at the top of the list as far as the learning curve and he's throwing the football really well."

The rookie second-round pick thus far has made an impact on anyone who's worked with him, with Scott Smith of the team's official site reporting during OTAs that quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich had both taken note of how coachable and studious Trask was from Day 1. The Florida product is expected to have at least two seasons to operate under Tom Brady, which is about the highest caliber of apprenticeship going for a developing signal-caller. While Trask is likely to find reps at a premium during training camp with four quarterbacks present, he should see his fair share of playing time during the Bucs' three preseason games.

Blough likely will remain in a No. 3 role to open the 2021 campaign, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

The Lions let incumbent No. 2 QB Chase Daniels walk this spring, only to replace him with another high-priced backup in former Green Bay quarterback Tim Boyle. However, with Boyle only under contract for one season, Blough -- who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the league year -- could be in the mix for the backup role behind Jared Goff next summer.

Boyle is the odds-on favorite to earn the backup quarterback job behind Jared Goff, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

With Chase Daniel no longer on the roster, Boyle and David Blough are the top depth options for Detroit at quarterback. Since Boyle is being paid like a top-10 backup quarterback while Blough is making near the league minimum, it's no surprise that Boyle is considered the favorite for the No. 2 role, especially after the former Green Bay signal-caller drew consistently positive reviews throughout spring workouts.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy reiterated during a recent appearance on "The Cris Collinsworth Podcast" that Fields will open the regular season as the Bears' No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton, Jelani Scott of NFL.com reports. "Andy is our starter," Nagy told Collinsworth. "Again, I can't predict anything. You know how it goes. There's so many things that can happen between today and that Week 1, but Andy is our starter and Justin's our No. 2. And we're going to stick to this plan."

After the Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, many speculated that the rookie would get the chance to open the season as the team's starting signal-caller. Based on Nagy's comments, Fields doesn't sound like he'll even get the chance to compete for the No. 1 role, assuming Dalton remains healthy throughout training camp and the preseason. Dalton's underwhelming track record as a starter in Cincinnati and Dallas in recent seasons along with the fact that he's playing on an expiring contract means he's unlikely to sit atop the depth chart all season, but Fields may have to wait for Dalton to falter before getting an opportunity.

Burrow (knee) said Tuesday that he's aiming to be 100 percent healthy by the time training camp arrives in late July, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Burrow estimated that his surgically repaired left knee was at about 85 percent during this week's minicamp, and he said he experienced no setbacks during any of the Bengals' nine OTA sessions during the offseason. He still has some work to do to get prepared for training camp, but even if he has some limitations in the Bengals' initial practices, he looks well on track to be available for the Week 1 matchup with the Vikings on Sept. 12.

Over the last two days of the Patriots' mandatory minicamp, Jones has been following 2020 starter Cam Newton in the team's QB rotation, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

Also in the team's signal-caller mix are third-year player Jarrett Stidham, as well as veteran Brian Hoyer, but at this stage Newton remains atop the depth chart while Jones -- the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft --gets acclimated to the Patriots' offensive system. Down the road, Jones figures to push Newton for the top job, but how quickly he'll be ready to supplant the incumbent remains to be seen.

Lawrence didn't take part in 11-on-11 drills Monday due to a minor hamstring issue that coach Urban Meyer had decided to take precautions with, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

It doesn't sound like Lawrence would have been in danger to miss had it been a game day, especially considering he still took part in the 7-on-7 portion of the session. He still has plenty of offseason to prepare but likely will aim to miss as little as possible as he gets acclimated to the top level of football heading into his rookie season.