NFL Player News
-
Caleb Williams QB | CHI
Bears' Caleb Williams: Participates in OTAs
Williams (wrist) has been participating in the Bears' ongoing organized team activities, Alyssa Barbieri of USA Today reports.
Back in January, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported that Williams was spotted with a cast on his right wrist while attending a USC-Wisconsin men's basketball game after undergoing a minor offseason elective procedure to remove a cyst. Since then, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has moved past the issue and appears to be practicing without limitations. As a rookie, Williams threw for 3,541 yards, with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 17 games to go along with 81 carries for 489 yards. In his second season as a pro, it's reasonable to expect improvements from the USC product, with a new offensive-minded head coach at the helm (Ben Johnson), a re-tooled offensive line on hand and a pair of promising young playmakers (TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden) having been added to the mix via the draft.
-
Anthony Richardson QB | IND
Colts' Anthony Richardson: Ready to compete with Jones
Richardson (back) participated in Wednesday's practice session during the Colts' ongoing voluntary organized team activities, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
A back issue sidelined Richardson for the final two games of the 2024 regular season, but the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has moved past the injury, which puts him in a position to compete with free agent addition Daniel Jones for the Colts' No. 1 QB job. Per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, coach Shane Steichen previously noted that Richardson and Jones will split first-team reps in practices and into training camp, with Steichen indicating that "really, it's going to come down to who's the most consistent, who's the most productive," in terms of who will emerge as the team's starter.
-
Shane Buechele QB | BUF
Bills' Shane Buechele: Participating in OTAs
Buechele (neck) participated during OTAs on Tuesday.
After having to spend the entire 2024 season on Buffalo's injured reserve list due to a neck injury he suffered during the preseason, Buechele is back in shape for football activities during offseason workouts. He'll compete with Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White to be second in the Bills' quarterback pecking order behind Josh Allen in 2025.
-
Mason Rudolph QB | PIT
Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Opens OTAs as No. 1 QB
Rudolph operated as Pittsburgh's top quarterback during Tuesday's opening OTAs practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports.
Rudolph spent the 2024 campaign in Tennessee before reuniting with the Steelers on a two-year, $7.5 million contract early in free agency, and he currently appears comfortable as the leader of a quarterback room that also houses rookie sixth-rounder Will Howard and former Dolphins third-stringer Skylar Thompson. While Rudolph boasts familiarity with coach Mike Tomlin and has played at a capable level with Pittsburgh in the past, he faces the challenge of adapting to a new scheme under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, as well as building chemistry with new top wideout DK Metcalf, who was absent from Tuesday's practice. The Steelers remain linked to free agent Aaron Rodgers through rumor and speculation, but nothing official has yet materialized beyond the veteran having visited with the team in March.
-
Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Giants' Russell Wilson: Remains entrenched atop depth chart
Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Thursday that Wilson will take the team's first-team reps to begin OTAs and is expected to start Week 1, Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic reports.
Wilson remains in relatively clear position to kick off the 2025 regular season under center for New York after inking a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the team in March. The Giants' offseason approach is shaping up to be far less of a quarterback competition than the selection of Jaxon Dart in the first round of April's draft, at 25th overall, might indicate. Carroll speculates that Wilson's one-year deal positions him as a clear bridge quarterback for 2025, while Jameis Winston's two-year contract gives New York another established veteran as starter insurance for 2025 and a player capable of acting as either competition or a backup for Dart down the line. If Wilson is able to capably pilot Daboll's offense and keep New York relatively competitive, at least in line with expectations, he figures to retain a strong grip on the No. 1 gig, but it also wouldn't take more than a handful of early-season duds for pressure to mount.
-
Joe Burrow QB | CIN
Bengals' Joe Burrow: Enjoying healthy offseason
Burrow said "I feel great" at practice Wednesday after playing with a ligament injury in his right wrist throughout the 2024 campaign, adding that "this is the best I've felt in the offseason," Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.
This time last offseason, Burrow was recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist and working to be cleared for full contact. That wrist most noticeably hampered him early in 2024, but even by Cincinnati's regular-season finale Burrow was still listed on the injury report due to both wrist and knee issues. "Just like with any ligament injury, it's going to take a while to come back," Burrow said, but he acknowledged that "it's better this time of the year than it was last time at the same time." Despite battling those lingering injuries, Burrow managed a resurgent 2024 season to the tune of a 71 percent completion rate (460 of 652 attempts), 4,918 passing yards and a 43:9 TD:INT -- career-high marks across the board. In addition to his physical wellness, Burrow will have the benefit of an offseason without any of his major playmakers on offense holding out. With all of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and TE Mike Gesicki having been inked to multi-year extensions, the Bengals offense boasts an amount of long-term stability it lacked this time last year.
-
Jake Haener QB | KC
Saints' Jake Haener: Injures oblique at practice
Haener sustained an oblique strain at practice Wednesday that is expected to sideline him multiple weeks but leave him ready for the start of training camp in late July, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
A 2023 fourth-round pick who suited up for eight games last season, Haener boasts the longest tenure in the NFL of the Saints' quarterback room. With his participation in the team's three-way contest for the Week 1 starting job now on pause until potentially as long as training camp, increased reps are up for grabs for rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough and 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler throughout OTAs. Hunter Dekkers, an undrafted free agent who started for Iowa State in 2022 before playing in junior college in 2024, also could push for some opportunities at OTAs with Haener unavailable.
-
Dak Prescott QB | DAL
Cowboys' Dak Prescott: Moving well at OTAs
Prescott (hamstring) took part in on-field drills during the Cowboys' second day of organized team activities Tuesday and moved well while throwing passes to wide receivers, including new teammate George Pickens, Calvin Watkin of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Prescott said he's "just not cleared for contact" but can otherwise "pretty much do it all" and is "feeling great" in his recovery from hamstring surgery undergone last November. While the Cowboys will continue to take a cautious approach with Prescott's recovery, the veteran quarterback said in April that his right hamstring tear has improved to the point that he feels confident he could suit up for a game, if theoretically needed. The addition of Pickens, whom Dallas traded for in a deal with Pittsburgh in early May, provides Prescott with a playmaking No. 2 receiver option capable of opening things up for superstar CeeDee Lamb, significantly boosting the outlook of the Cowboys' passing offense. While his return to full health remains crucial, Prescott currently looks well positioned to bounce back in 2025 within new head coach Brian Schottenheimer's offense.
-
Cam Ward QB | TEN
Titans' Cam Ward: Splitting reps evenly with Levis
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Tuesday that Ward and Will Levis have split practice reps evenly throughout Phase 2 of the team's offseason activities, Turron Davenport of ESPN reports.
Callahan said Tennessee's quarterback reps "will probably change a little when when we get to the next phase of OTAs and there's some 7-on-7 [drills]," while also noting that Ward's selection at No. 1 overall and Levis' status as an incumbent starter haven't been the cause of any conflict at practice. Some amount of competition with Levis figures to be beneficial for Ward, who is still in the early stages of acclimating to a new offense and building chemistry with Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Treylon Burks (ACL) and Van Jefferson. Callahan said it would be premature to name a starter at this stage of the offseason, but it would nonetheless be surprising if it takes Ward long to earn a dominant share of first-team reps. The Titans are slated to conduct six OTAs between May 27 and June 5 before kicking off a three-day mandatory minicamp June 12. Ward may be able to push for increased reps during those dates, but the most pivotal period of his rookie development will occur during training camp and the preseason. Regardless of whether Levis remains on Tennessee's roster or draws trade interest, it seems like a sure thing that Ward will start the Titans' regular-season opener against Tampa Bay.
-
Deshaun Watson QB | CLE
Browns' Deshaun Watson: Out of walking boot
Watson (Achilles) has been out of his walking boot for several weeks and was throwing to teammates at the Browns' facility Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.
Watson had a second surgery on his Achilles on Jan. 9 after aggravating the injury. He's not expected to be ready for the start of the season, and he isn't projected to compete for the starting job even when he is capable of retaking the field. Nevertheless, Cabot described Watson as having made "excellent progress" in his recovery.