NFL Player News

New England released Ricci on Monday.

Ricci didn't log any action last season after having been cut by the Browns at the end of training camp, but he resurfaced in the league via a reserve/future contract with the Patriots in early February. Now, the 28-year-old tight end will have to look elsewhere in the NFL for another chance at a depth role.

Andrews (knee) was waived by the Patriots on Monday.

The 2023 fourth-round pick from Troy missed all of the Patriots' 2024 campaign due to a knee injury sustained in early August. However, he was let go without an injury designation Monday, implying he's fully recovered from the issue. Andrews appeared in 16 games (one start) for New England in 2023, logging 120 total snaps (70 on offense, 50 on special teams).

McMillan is part of a crowded WR room that just added Emeka Egbuka with the 19th overall draft pick.

One might assume no concerns about job security for a 2024 third-round pick who scored seven TDs over the final five weeks of his initial NFL regular season. Unfortunately for McMillan, there's a chance Egubka proves to be the superior player, and not much chance of Mike Evans or Chris Godwin (ankle) getting benched. Of course, it's also possible the concerns prove unfounded and McMillan cements himself as a quality starter, with Egubka either brought along slowly or getting most of his snaps when Evans/Godwin miss time. There does seem to be a lot of overlap between McMillan, Godwin and Egubka in terms of relative strengths and weaknesses, whereas Evans is a different animal altogether, largely running downfield routes on the perimeter.

Watts (neck) was released by the Steelers on Monday and will discontinue playing football.

Watts sustained a neck injury in Pittsburgh's final 2024 preseason game, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, and it has been determined by team doctors, medical experts and Watts' representatives that it is in his best interest to end his NFL career. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas and did not appear in a regular-season game for the Steelers.

Evans will participate in Denver's rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Pelissero mentions that Evans has recovered after missing the entire 2024 season due to a ruptured patella tendon. Prior to the injury, Evans appeared in 34 regular-season games for the Bengals after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His contributions in Cincinnati came mostly on kickoff returns and as a pass catcher out the backfield.

Molden (knee) said Monday he is recovering from offseason surgery undergone to repair a right meniscus tear and expects to be fully healthy for training camp, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

Molden said he's already recovered from the broken left fibula he suffered back in December, but he's been limited at voluntary OTAs due to his offseason knee surgery. The veteran safety inked a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Chargers in February after having tallied a career-high 75 total tackles across 15 regular-season appearances in 2024. He also had seven passes defensed, including three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries last season.

McCormick is expected to compete for a depth role behind rookie sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

McCormick has presumably recovered from the ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve to finish the 2024 season. Prior to getting hurt, McCormick filled in capably as a starter, rushing for 64 yards in Week 13 and 78 yards in Week 14. The 24-year-old running back likely will slide down a couple pegs on the depth chart following the additions of Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and veteran Raheem Mostert in free agency. McCormick may be competing for a roster spot with Zamir White, who was sidelined by a quadriceps injury to finish the 2024 season.

Pickett has been joined in Cleveland's quarterback room by rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, whom the Browns drafted in the third and fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively.

Cleveland's quarterback depth chart now runs five players deep, including Deshaun Watson, who isn't expected to be available for the beginning of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles. After trading for Pickett on March 10, the Browns signed the 40-year-old Joe Flacco on April 11, then drafted Gabriel out of Oregon and Sanders out of Colorado. Sanders was viewed as a likely first-round pick before surprisingly dropping in the draft, so he has more immediate upside than the typical fifth-round draft pick. Pickett may be able to thread the needle and win the starting job as a far younger option than Flacco but one with more experience than Sanders or Gabriel, but even in that scenario, Pickett would likely be on a short leash with no shortage of available alternatives under center.

Flacco will face additional competition from rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, whom the Browns drafted in the third and fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively.

Deshaun Watson isn't expected to be available for the beginning of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, but Cleveland now has four potential Week 1 starting options in Flacco (signed April 11), Kenny Pickett (traded for March 10), Gabriel out of Oregon and Sanders out of Colorado. Even if the 40-year-old Flacco wins the job initially in camp, it likely won't take long until Cleveland turns to one of the three younger options, who possess significantly more long-term upside, especially because Sanders was viewed as a likely first-round pick before surprisingly dropping in the draft.

White is expected to compete for a depth role behind rookie sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Jeanty's expected to take on a workhorse role out of the gate, and free-agent signing Raheem Mostert is better suited to playing in pass-catching situations than White, who has just 21 catches through three NFL seasons. White has presumably recovered from the quadriceps injury that sidelined him after Week 11 in 2024, but he's unlikely to meaningfully challenge Jeanty for early-down work considering White averaged just 2.8 yards per carry in 2024. Sincere McCormick (ankle), Dylan Laube and Chris Collier also will compete for roles in Vegas' backfield.