NFL Player News

With Panthers having chosen Bryce Young with the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Dalton is expected to serve as the rookie's backup this coming season, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.

Dalton, who signed a two-year deal with the team in March, brings plenty of NFL starting experience to the table, but given the Panthers' significant investment in trading up to land Young, the 35-year-old seems destined to work in a reserve role in 2023 while mentoring the team's young signal-caller. If the 5-foot-10, 204-pound Young struggles at all out of the gate or suffers any injuries, Dalton provides the franchise with a reliable insurance policy. However, for the time being, the 2011 second-round pick, who started 14 games for the Saints in 2022, is off the fantasy re-draft radar.

Keenum and Davis Mills are expected to compete for the backup job after Houston selected C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Either Keenum or Mills could be the Week 1 starter, but in the long term, the position belongs to Stroud. Keenum -- who backed up Josh Allen in Buffalo last season -- was expected to help guide a young quarterback when he signed a two-year deal during the offseason, and that role should remain the same in 2023.

Mills will remain on the roster after the Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In theory, either Mills or Case Keenum, who was added during the offseason, could start Week 1, but neither is viewed as a long-term answer at the position. The temptation to make Stroud the Week 1 starter will be great, but so will the patience to make sure the Ohio State product is ready. A new head coach and offensive coordinator means the old offense that Mills led is not an important factor for head coach DeMeco Ryans, as he evaluates the rostered quarterbacks. If Stroud isn't under center Week 1, it's a safe bet that he'll eventually take over at some point during the season.

The Colts selected Richardson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, fourth overall.

Richardson is raw as a passer and has mechanical work ahead to improve his accuracy, but the Florida product will only turn 21 in May and is not unusually raw for a player his age. If Richardson can make improvements to his skill set then the results could be uniquely explosive, because athletes of his caliber just do not happen very often. At 6-foot-4, 244 pounds Richardson is massive for a quarterback, yet his 4.43-second 40-yard dash indicates speed that would make most wide receivers jealous. Richardson only completed 53.8 percent of his passes in 2022 and his nine interceptions were too much for just 327 attempts, but even if Richardson never improves as a passer he should prove a top-two rushing threat at quarterback. It's not clear whether Richardson might start over veteran Gardner Minshew in Week 1, but the Colts will presumably give Richardson a chance to compete for the opportunity.

The Texans selected Stroud in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, second overall.

For much of the pre-draft process, Stroud was considered a candidate to go first overall, and it's difficult to identify ways he could have played much better at Ohio State. This selection gives the Texans a credible franchise quarterback prospect, and one who will perhaps jumpstart the Houston passing game after throwing 85 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions over the last two years. Stroud (6-foot-3, 214 pounds) is not a big quarterback and is unlikely to run much at the NFL level, but his pocket movement is adequate and his quick release allows him to pose as a big-play threat as a passer.

The Panthers selected Young in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, first overall.

There was plenty of intrigue as to which direction the Panthers would go after giving up a haul to move into the first overall slot. C.J. Stroud and even Will Levis were bandied about as legitimate candidates to go to Carolina, but the team landed on the decorated signal-caller out of Alabama. Young for his own part is a bit of a polarizing prospect. His production as a two-year starter was prolific, and the film shows him to be a decisive and accurate quarterback with next-level anticipation. That said, Young being a success in the NFL would be somewhat unprecedented. He's often compared to Kyler Murray in terms of stature, but while Murray was a prolific runner at Oklahoma, that wasn't much of a calling card for Young (185 total rushing yards in two seasons as the starter). At 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds with average arm strength on deep passes, there's reason for concern that the speed and physicality at the next level will prevent him from reaching his ceiling. As for his fit in Carolina, the Panthers are jumpstarting a rebuild with Young at the forefront. With DJ Moore gone, Young won't have the type of loaded receiving corps he became accustomed to in Tuscaloosa. Andy Dalton was signed this offseason and will likely fill a mentor role while Young gets ready to take over as the starter as early as Week 1. Young's redraft value is murky as of now given the team context and the questions about his transition to the NFL, but he's certainly on the radar as an early pick in dynasty and is likely a QB2 to target in superflex formats.

Herbert's shoulder is roughly 75 percent healed, but he is still a few weeks away from beginning light throwing, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Herbert underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in late January and has been rehabbing since. He may miss OTAs, as the team is likely to play it safe with its franchise quarterback, but there is little concern that he'll be ready for the start of training camp. In the meantime, Herbert and the Chargers have been in talks on a long-term extension.

Jackson has agreed to a five-year deal to remain with the Ravens.

Jackson's previously uncertain status for the coming season has now gained clarity, with the team confirming that the star QB is slated to ink a five-year agreement (worth $260 million, with $185 million in guarantees, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) with the franchise that drafted him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Earlier this offseason, Jackson -- who the Ravens placed their $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag on -- had requested a trade, but he's sticking with the team after all. Now past the sprained PCL that ended his 2022 campaign, the 26-year-old is poised to continue to helm a Baltimore offense that bolstered its pass-catching corps earlier this month by signing veteran wideout Odell Beckham.

Jackson and the Ravens have agreed to terms on a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Terms of the pending deal have yet to be reported, but after Jackson requested a trade earlier this offseason, his future with the Ravens appeared cloudy. Now, just hours before the 2023 NFL Draft, Baltimore's franchise signal-caller is slated to remain with the team, with a long-term extension now in place, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.

Rodgers participated in an optional workout with the Jets on Thursday, one day after the deal sending him from Green Bay to New York became official.

Under the terms of the trade, the Jets received Rodgers, a first-round pick (No. 15 overall) and a fifth-round pick (No. 170) in this week's draft in exchange for selections No. 13 (Round 1), No. 42 (Round 2) and No. 207 (Round 6), plus a conditional second-rounder in 2024 that can become a first-rounder if the QB logs 65 percent of New York's offensive snaps this season. Rodgers, who re-worked his contract in order to help facilitate the deal, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, noted in his introductory press conference Wednesday that he's planning to attend most of his new team's voluntary workouts, and the veteran signal-caller quickly made his first on-field appearance with the Jets on Thursday. Though Rodgers hasn't specifically committed to playing beyond the 2023 campaign, indicating that he's focused on the present, comments he has made suggest that he's open to the idea. "They definitely gave up some picks for me to be here," the 39-year-old acknowledged, "so this isn't like one-and-done in my mind."