NFL Player News

The Redskins didn't use the franchise tag on Cousins this offseason, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.

On Tuesday, the deadline came and went for the Redskins to tab Cousins with the franchise tag for a third consecutive year. Ultimately, the $34.5 million cap hit was too much for the team to stomach and likely spurred its front office to agree to terms on a trade Jan. 30 to bring Alex Smith into the fold as the starting quarterback moving forward. Cousins will thus have the pick of the litter regarding his next home. QB-needy teams like the Vikings, Broncos, Jets and Cardinals have all been linked as possible suitors for Cousins, who passed for at least 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons as the full-time starter in Washington.

Lynch likely will remain with the Broncos in 2018, but his presence on the roster won't stop the team from seeking an upgrade at quarterback, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

Broncos general manager John Elway pointed out that the team hasn't really had a chance to evaluate Lynch, a 2016 first-round pick who has completed 79 of 128 passes (61.7 percent) for 792 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in five career games. He's also taken 18 sacks and fumbled four times, displaying a glaring lack of awareness in the pocket. The Broncos might be fine with keeping Lynch around, but they presumably hope he'll be the clear backup behind a proven veteran starter. Trevor Siemian (shoulder) may be available for trade during the offseason.

Savage (concussion) posted last week on his personal Twitter account that he's shed 17 pounds during the offseason.

After losing the starting quarterback job to first-round pick Deshaun Watson following a disastrous showing Week 1, Savage reclaimed the No. 1 gig in early November following Watson's season-ending ACL tear. In his second turn as starter, Savage did little to assert himself as anything more than a backup-level NFL talent, finishing the campaign with a 5:6 TD:INT ratio and a 56 percent completion rate while averaging 6.3 yards per attempt across eight outings. Savage was sidelined for the final three weeks of the season while recovering from a concussion, but the expectation is he'll enter spring workouts without any limitations. It remains to be seen to which team Savage will report to OTAs, as the 27-year-old will hit free agency March 14 and may not re-sign with Houston.

Keenum could draw interest from the Broncos, Browns, Cardinals and Vikings, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

With the Vikings shaping up as the early favorites for Kirk Cousins, it won't come as any surprise if Keenum is forced to find a new team. In addition to the franchises mentioned above, the Jets and Bills figure to be in the market for quarterbacks. Keenum will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins March 14.

Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said Wednesday that Tannehill (knee) is expected to serve as the Dolphins' starting quarterback in 2018, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. "Ryan is going to be our starting quarterback, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," Gase said. "I think that when we get back out there in spring and get going, I just know it's going to be really good to have him back."

While he didn't rule out the possibility of selecting a quarterback at No. 11 overall in April's draft, Gase did suggest that Tannehill would remain the favorite to start Week 1 even if such a scenario came to be. The Dolphins' cap situation likely prevents them from making a run at any of the top quarterbacks available in free agency, and the team may not view any of the options besides Kirk Cousins as a clear upgrade on the incumbent. The team expects Tannehill to be a full participant in its offseason program following mid-August 2017 surgery to repair a torn left ACL. The lack of guaranteed money in his contract means Tannehill's status with the Dolphins will be a year-to-year proposition. Meanwhile, the team is believed to be fielding trade offers for top wideout Jarvis Landry, who has consistently been Tannehill's favorite target since entering the league in 2014.

Bradford was able to ski last week, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer suggested the quarterback's left knee is still considered degenerative, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Bradford's ability to serve as the Vikings' backup quarterback during the playoffs doesn't seem to lessen the long-term concern regarding a left knee that required ACL repair surgery in both 2013 and 2014. While he did bounce back with a solid campaign in 2015 and the best year of his career in 2016, the 30-year-old quarterback aggravated his knee last season, eventually having arthroscopic surgery in early November. Now set to hit free agency, Bradford likely will field offers for a starting job, but his medical history will make it tough to land a contract with significant guaranteed money beyond 2018. The Vikings probably prefer to sign Kirk Cousins or Case Keenum, leaving Bradford to seek employment with one of the other QB-needy teams in the league. The Cardinals, Jets, Bills, Broncos and Browns come to mind as potential suitors.

Hackenberg could lose his roster spot this offseason, ESPN.com's Rich Cimini reports.

The Jets likely will re-sign Josh McCown or add another veteran, in addition to taking a close look at the top available quarterbacks in the upcoming draft. Given that he's yet to attempt a pass in the regular season and hasn't been able to pass Bryce Petty on the depth chart, Hackenberg is unlikely to enter OTAs any higher than third in the pecking order at quarterback. The 2016 second-round pick was awful in limited preseason action the past two years, completing 59 of 121 passes (48.8 percent) for 531 yards (4.4 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Petty may also find himself on the chopping block this offseason.

Cousins isn't expected to receive the franchise tag, Kimberley A. Martin of The Washington Post reports.

Redskins senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Williams said that Cousins is "a free agent for sure." There was some thought the team might use the franchise tag and then work out a trade, but such a move would severely restrict Washington's flexibility in the early stages of the free agency period. The Redskins and Chiefs have agreed on a trade for Alex Smith, who should take over as Washington's starting quarterback once the transaction becomes official at the start of the new league year March 14. Cousins will have a shot at the largest contract in NFL history, with the Vikings, Broncos and Jets likely at the front of the line for his services.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane reiterated Wednesday that the team has no plans to cut Taylor before he's due a $6 millioin roster bonus March 16, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. "Tyrod is on our roster right now and that's the plan," Beane said. "We're just taking it day by day. We're trying to get better everywhere, so we're looking at every position including quarterback, but Tyrod did a lot of good things for us. So I'm not really worried about the [roster] bonus."

Earlier in the offseason, it seemed the veteran was as good as gone following an up-and-down 2017 campaign, highlighted by some surprise wins that featured some special plays by the mobile quarterback, with other games sprinkled in where his limitations as a passer were exposed. However, the front office's tune has started to change lately, with one rational line of thinking saying the Bills will keep Taylor and draft a young quarterback -- the team has two first-round picks -- to work behind him until that player is ready to take over the reins of the offense. This all said, the Buffalo brass has proven in short time that it likes to mess with the recipe, so trading Taylor to another team can't be ruled out. In any case, it's looking increasingly likely that the team isn't going to simply cast Taylor away.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said Wednesday that Watson remains ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and believes the quarterback will be available in some capacity for Organized Team Activities, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

O'Brien's comments align with what he has said multiple times earlier in the offseason with regards to the franchise signal caller's recovery. While it remains to be seen if Watson will be a full participant in workouts by the time OTAs draw to a close, there seems to be little doubt about the 22-year-old gaining clearance for training camp, much less the start of the upcoming season. While the Houston staff could scale back Watson's involvement in the run game coming off a major surgery, his penchant for producing splash plays downfield make him one of the higher-upside fantasy options among quarterbacks.