NFL Player News

General manager Chris Ballard said Monday that Walley is at the end of his rehab for the ACL tear he suffered in August of 2025, JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site reports.

Walley was unable to play at all last year after tearing his ACL during training camp, but there's optimism he'll be back to full strength when training camp begins in 2026. With veteran starting corner Kenny Moore seeking a trade away from Indianapolis, the team could be in more need of Walley's services when the new season starts than it thought it would be.

The Colts are targeting a return to football activities during training camp in July for Buckner (neck), JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site reports.

Following a one-game return in Week 16 versus the 49ers, Buckner underwent surgery to address a neck injury he sustained in Week 9 at Pittsburgh last season. Per general manager Chris Ballard, Buckner is now in a good spot, and there's hope he'll be able to practice when training camp starts up in Indianapolis this summer. If available, he projects to play a major role on the interior of the Colts' defensive line in 2026.

General manager Chris Ballard said Monday that Shrader (knee) will kick with the team during training camp in July, JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site reports.

Shrader tore the ACL in his plant leg when he was run into on an extra-point attempt in Week 5 of the 2025 season versus the Raiders, but he appears to be progressing well in his recovery. Per Ballard, he recently made a 54-yard field goal during a workout. He performed well as Indianapolis' starting kicker last year before suffering the season-ending injury, making 13 of his 14 field-goal attempts and all 14 of his extra-point tries over five games, but Blake Grupe, who signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Colts in March, will be tough competition for the club's starting kicker job this summer.

The Cowboys aren't sure if Pickens will participate in the offseason program after they ended negotiations on a long-term contract, but the team is optimistic he'll sign his franchise tag before Week 1, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Pickens likely was hoping for a multi-year deal with a signing bonus larger than his $27.3 million franchise tag. The Cowboys are hoping he'll respond to their direct approach, having informed agent David Mulugheta last week that they don't want to discuss a long-term contract and hope Pickens will play under his tag. For now, Pickens isn't technically under contract and thus can't be fined for missing practices or meetings. If he were to remain unsigned at the start of the regular season, he'd then miss out on $1.52 million each week until he signs and reports to the team. In the meantime, trade rumors are sure to swirl, especially given that this announcement comes on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pickens would have to sign his franchise tag to facilitate a trade, with any team acquiring him then having until July 15 to hammer out a long-term contract. That said, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones gave the impression that he expects Pickens to eventually sign his tag and play for the team in 2026.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said Wednesday that Pickens will play out 2026 under the franchise tag, with no negotiations toward a long-term deal, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.

It's unusual for a team to make this kind of announcement, especially with nearly three months remaining before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to negotiate contracts. Pickens hasn't signed his tag and thus can't be fined for missing team activities. The tag is worth $27.3 million, which means he'll miss out on around $1.52 million per week if he declines to sign before the start of the regular season. Pickens hasn't made public comments on the situation, but it's probably safe to say he isn't thrilled.

Judkins (ankle) was spotted in uniform and rehabbing at the start of Cleveland's voluntary minicamp Tuesday, Dylan Feltovich of USA Today reports.

Judkins' exact participation level is difficult to determine, with Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland reporting that the 2025 second-round pick participated in on-field activities in some capacity, while Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports that he monitored practice from a side field. In any case, Judkins' activity level during spring figures to be largely limited to rehab work as he recovers from surgery undergone in late December to address a dislocated right ankle. Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Judkins projects as the leader of a backfield that also houses Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall, all of whom are second-year pros.

Sanders started Cleveland's first 11-on-11 team period at voluntary minicamp Tuesday, though he rotated reps with fellow QBs Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Sanders is firmly in the mix in Cleveland's quarterback competition, though there isn't necessarily much information to glean from the chronology of team drills at this stage in the offseason. That said, new head coach Todd Monken did note that "[t]he plan was to have [Sanders] have a few more reps, but to let Deshaun [Watson] and [Sanders] both have reps with the ones." Monken's comments essentially confirm assumptions that Sanders is entering spring workouts as the favorite for No. 1 QB reps over Watson, while Gabriel ranks closer to No. 3 on the depth chart, though things stand to be fluid given the ongoing nature of this positional competition. Across eight regular-season appearances (seven starts) as a rookie, Sanders completed 57 percent of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven TDs and 10 INTs.

The Vikings waived Hutchings (undisclosed) with a non-football injury designation Tuesday.

Hutchings went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2024 and has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL contest.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst confirmed Tuesday that Tom (knee) underwent surgery this offseason to repair a partially torn patellar tendon, Dominique Yates of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Tom popped up on the injury report with a knee injury in December and ended up missing the Packers' final four contests of the 2025 season, including their wild-card loss to the Bears. The right tackle has started all 46 games in which he's appeared over the last three regular seasons.

Edwards (lower leg) said Tuesday that he's progressing in his rehab from a fractured fibula and is aiming to be ready for Week 1, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.

Edwards suffered the injury in Chicago's wild-card win over the Packers back in January. "I will push as hard as I can to move it as quickly as possible, but I also want to be smart about it, too," Edwards said. "I'll be ready when it's time to go." After starting all 17 regular-season games in each of the previous three seasons, Edwards dealt with injuries in 2025 and made just 10 regular-season starts before his postseason injury.