NFL Player News

Browns head coach Todd Monken said Wednesday that Judkins (ankle) has looked confident and explosive at OTAs, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Judkins has been a full participant in spring practices by all accounts, despite suffering a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula in Week 16 last season. Year-after results have often been poor for players with similar injuries, but most of them (including Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin) suffered damage lower down their leg/ankle. Judkins' injury was higher up on the ankle, which seemingly helped him avoid significant ligament damage and set up a rehab process that's not as tricky as Godwin's (or Cam Skattebo's). Monken is pleased with Judkins' progress this offseason, but the Browns' new head coach did qualify his statements to a degree, telling reporters, "we'll just see when [Judkins] gets the pads on."

Coach Shane Steichen said this week that Jones (Achilles) is expected to participate in 11-on-11 drills when training camp begins next month, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Jones, who suffered an Achilles' tear Dec. 7 last year, has been been working in the seven-on-seven portions of practice, and per Boyd, the QB asked about about moving on to 11-on-11's during the team's minicamp this week. On that topic, coach Shane Steichen noted, "we want to be super smart with him...I mean, could he potentially do it (11-on-11)? Yeah, probably. He probably could, but we're not going to do that right now." In any case, Jones' recovery remains on track, and assuming no setbacks this summer, he'll continue to work toward being ready to go for the Colts' Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Ravens, with the signal-caller's eventual participation in team drills representing a major milestone toward that.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that Mahomes (knee) should "be able to do some things in camp," Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Reid also said Mahomes is "on course to get ready for camp", though "the healing process has to keep taking place." It's mostly coach-speak, but overwhelmingly positive, which meshes with previous favorable reports on Mahomes' rehab from mid-December surgery to repair ACL and LCL tears. He's been limited to individual drills and 7-on-7s at OTAs, allowing Justin Fields to take first-team reps.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday that he thinks Rice (knee) will be ready for the start of training camp, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports. "I think [Rice] will be," Reid said. "He gets out [of jail] next week. We'll see where it goes. He'll be back up here and working."

Rice is recovering from arthroscopic surgery in a Dallas County jail, with a scheduled release date of June 16 (Tuesday). He had the minor procedure in May to remove loose debris from his right knee, shortly before he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating probation with a positive THC test. The Chiefs seemingly expect Rice to be back at full strength before Week 1, but there is still risk for an NFL suspension in response to his recent probation violation. Reid mentioned that Rice has been able to rehab in jail while maintaining contact with Chiefs head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, per Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com.

Olave has been limited to individual drills at OTAs after undergoing treatment for a blood clot in January, Matthew Paras of Nola.com reports.

"[Olave] hasn't been able to do the team activities obviously throughout OTAs," said Saints coach Kellen Moore. "The blood clot was related to not participating in team and some of those things." For his part, Olave told reporters that it took only a week to feel normal again when he first got treatment for the blood clot back in January (missing Week 18 in the process). It's apparently a longer process to get clearance for full practice participation, with Olave saying, "I just put my best foot forward, (and am) just trying to do everything right so I can be healthy at the beginning of the year."

Miami signed Brewer to a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The deal makes Brewer one of football's highest-paid centers. He has missed just one game since signing with the Dolphins as a free agent in 2024, and the team is obviously counting on him to continue to be a reliable fixture on its offensive line for the long term.

Sharar did not participate during OTAs due to a hamstring injury, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Mike LaFleur said Wednesday that Sharar will be ready to go for training camp in July, so it doesn't seem to be a serious concern at this point. As the Cardinals' minicamp wraps up, rookie undrafted free agent Stephen Dix could see an uptick in practice reps during Sharar's absence.

Coach Mike LaFleur said Wednesday that Nolen (knee) is trending towards being ready for training camp in July, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Nolen underwent surgery in December to repair a torn meniscus, so a return for training camp seems like a reasonable timeline. As long as he remains sidelined during practice, PJ Mustipher could see more work with the first-team defensive line.

Coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Horton (shin) is expected to return to the practice field during training camp, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Macdonald said that "it's all positive" with Horton. He evidently isn't quite ready for football activities just yet, but it doesn't sound like Horton has suffered any true setback in his recovery. Until he's back to full strength, Jake Bobo is a candidate to see increased work as minicamp continues.

Epenesa (undisclosed) signed with the Eagles on Wednesday.

Epenesa reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Browns in late March, but Cleveland ultimately backed out of the deal following his physical. He now appears to have moved past whatever issue was uncovered, as he's been brought in by the Eagles. The 2020 second-round pick from Iowa appeared in 16 regular-season games for the Bills last year, recording 32 total tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and four passes defensed, with two interceptions. Now in Philadelphia, Epenesa will likely operate as one of the team's top reserve edge rushers during the 2026 season.