NFL Player News

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, fifth overall.

Tagovailoa was arguably the most polarizing player in this year's draft. The Alabama product might have been the first overall pick if not for his lengthy and concerning injury history that includes surgeries on both ankles as well as a serious hip injury suffered in November. Much has been made of his recovery from the hip injury, but as evidenced by the selection here, the Dolphins are confident that he will be their quarterback of the future. When healthy, Tagovailoa is a difference-maker at quarterback. He has remarkable anticipation and accuracy and has enough mobility to make plays outside the pocket. Some may question whether his gaudy production would have been the same if he didn't have an NFL-caliber receiving corps at his disposal, but the film shows that he wasn't simply propped up by the talent around him. The next question is whether Miami plans to "redshirt" him in 2020 to let him fully recover and learn behind Ryan Fitzpatrick or get him behind center right away.

The Bengals selected Burrow in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, first overall.

As has long been expected, the Bengals nabbed the Heisman Trophy winner to be their quarterback of the future. Burrow is coming off a historic season at LSU in which he threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to an undefeated season culminating in a national championship. He completed 69.7 percent of his passes and averaged 10.76 yards per attempt as well. As for his transition to the next level, Burrow is mature at 23 years old with an excellent feel and understanding of the game. He may be near his ceiling in terms of his physical development and his arm strength is not considered elite. However, Burrow's ball placement and accuracy are unmatched in this class and he checks all the boxes sought by a team looking for its franchise quarterback. Burrow figures to start right away and will have a strong core of skill players around him, highlighted by A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon.

Jackson is aiming to run less and rely more on his arm moving forward, he said during a video conference with the Ravens on Tuesday. "We're going to have even more receivers...We're going to be pretty good. I don't think I'll be running a lot," Jackson said.

Jackson's video call covered plenty of ground, including his focus on the mental aspects of the game during the offseason considering the physical limitations in place due to COVID-19. The reigning MVP also alluded to a style change in the future in which he leans more on his weapons in the passing game and lets his running backs take the brunt of the rushing workload. Jackson's athleticism makes him a nightmare to defend, but his career longevity will be extended if running is less of a staple in his game. He had 176 rushing attempts in 2019, which was nearly 70 more than the next highest number of rushes by a quarterback.

Prescott's franchise tag number has been recalculated to $31.4 million, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Reports on the value of the tag have been all over the place, and we finally get an official number now that the signing period for restricted free agents has ended. The Cowboys would've been looking at a smaller salary if they'd used the non-exclusive option instead of the exclusive tag, but that would've allowed Prescott to sign an offer sheet with another team, whereas the exclusive tag is exactly what it sounds like. The two sides have until July 15 to reach agreement on a long-term contract, with recent reports suggesting progress has been made.

Prescott is making progress in contract discussions with the Cowboys, but it isn't clear if he'll participate in the voluntary, virtual offseason program, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Cowboys franchise-tagged Prescott in mid-March and reportedly resumed long-term contract negotiations with the quarterback in late March. The two sides still have plenty of time to reach an agreement before the July 15 deadline, and there might be a bit less pressure now that spring practices aren't part of the equation. The Cowboys do have a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, but offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is a holdover from 2019 and figures to retain the core elements of his scheme.

General manager Bob Quinn said Stafford (back/hip) would be a full participant if the Lions were able to start their offseason program next week, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Technically, the Lions will start their program April 27, but it will all be virtual work for the foreseeable future. The unusual offseason is arguably less of a problem for the Lions that it will be for many other teams, considering Stafford, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and all the key wide receivers and tight ends are holdovers from the 2019 squad. Stafford missed the final eight games of last season due to multiple small fractures in his back, eventually making a full recovery this winter/spring without undergoing surgery. He also had a lingering hip injury, which wasn't deemed serious enough to require a medical procedure.

Goff will be working without running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Brandin Cooks in 2020, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

The Rams released Gurley -- who eventually signed with the Falcons -- and traded Cooks to the Texans this offseason. Out of the backfield, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson (ankle) should serve as Options 1A and 1B in some order. Meanwhile, barring another transaction this offseason, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds will be the team's wideout trio, while Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett handle tight-end duties. Goff himself has put up at least 4,600 passing yards both of the past two seasons while compiling a 54:28 TD:INT during that stretch. No matter how the skill positions look in the fall, Goff figures to succeed in an offense put together by coach Sean McVay.

The Texans acquired another wide receiver (Brandin Cooks) for Watson on Thursday, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After shipping out DeAndre Hopkins last month, Houston's receiving corps was a bit short-handed, even with the addition of Randall Cobb soon after. Following the trade for Cooks, Watson now has a more well-rounded group, with the oft-injured Will Fuller (sports hernia) and Kenny Stills still on board. Cooks has four 1,000-yard seasons under his belt but also has concerns with concussions, as he suffered the fifth of his career in 2019. Still, the Texans have done OK in their effort to restock the weapons at Watson's disposal.

The trade of DeAndre Hopkins leaves Watson with Will Fuller and Kenny Stills as Houston's top two wide receiver targets, Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins had become a crutch for the offense and rarely missed games. He topped the team in terms of catch and target share (29.3 and 28.8 percent, respectively). Watson and Hopkins were an elite combination, one that will be hard to replace. In steps the oft-injured Fuller and also Stills, both considered deep threats that are not near the franchise wideout that Hopkins had become. The Texans could add a wide receiver in what is considered a strong draft class for the position, but Watson has lost a security blanket and will need to adjust.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Mayfield is the starting quarterback, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

This is not surprising news, but the addition of free agent Case Keenum, who has history with Stefanski, caused minor rumbling following Mayfield's 2019 season in which he threw nearly as many interceptions (21) as touchdowns (22). "I believe in Baker Mayfield, he's our starting quarterback. He's a young player that I think we've all seen glimpses of this kid being a really good player," Stefanski said. The offense in 2019 was dysfunctional under former head coach Freddie Kitchens, but Stefanski has made moves to change the attack in 2020. The addition of a fullback (Andy Janovich) and a second tight end (Austin Hooper) suggests a pivot from the wideout-focused offense of 2019.