NFL Player News
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Dillon Gabriel QB | CLE
Browns' Dillon Gabriel: Future uncertain
Gabriel completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 937 yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions over 10 games in 2025.
Gabriel, a third-round pick in 2025, was part of the Browns' quarterback carousel during his rookie season. He was thrust into the spotlight when he took over for Joe Flacco in Week 5 and went 1-5 as a starter. His tenure was marked by short passes, as Gabriel averaged a league-low among qualified quarterbacks with 5.1 yards per attempt. He often looked out of his depth and was eventually replaced by Shedeur Sanders for the final seven games of the season. All three quarterbacks were hamstrung by an unexciting group of wideouts. Following the end of the regular season, the organization fired head coach Kevin Stefanski -- but curiously retained general manager Andrew Berry -- which leaves Gabriel's future with the team uncertain. A new coach will certainly want to address Cleveland's glaring need for a starting quarterback and possibly backups.
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Mark Andrews TE | BAL
Ravens' Mark Andrews: Closes season with two catches
Andrews caught two of three targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Steelers. He finished the season with 48 catches for 422 yards and five touchdowns on 70 targets, adding 10 rushes for 48 yards and a score.
Andrews' quiet finish to the season mirrored his mostly disappointing 2025 campaign, in which the tight end saw a drop in receptions, yards and touchdowns from last season. Despite the relatively down year, the veteran is clearly a part of the Ravens' plans for the future, as he agreed to a three-year extension in early December. With that said, teammate Isaiah Likely is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, yet it is unclear whether Baltimore will make an effort to resign him. His potential departure could mean an uptick in work for Andrews, as the two capped each other's potential this season in a rocky year for the Ravens offensively. The 30-year-old will look to get back to his normal level of production next season as a key part of the Ravens' offensive attack.
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Sterling Shepard WR | TB
Buccaneers' Sterling Shepard: Effective in complementary role
Shepard secured 39 of 53 targets for 371 yards and a touchdown while adding four rushes for 19 yards across 13 games during the 2025 regular season.
The veteran posted his highest reception and receiving yard totals since 2020 thanks to the Buccaneers' host of wide-receiver injuries this season. However, Shepard recorded a scant 2-10-0 line on three targets after Week 12, and he wound up not seeing the field at all in the final four games of the campaign. The string of absences likely brings Shepard's tenure in Tampa Bay to a close, as he'll turn 33 in February and will be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.
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Mekhi Blackmon CB | IND
Colts' Mekhi Blackmon: Bounces back after ACL tear
Blackmon finished the regular season with 64 tackles (50 solo), including 1.0 sacks, along with seven defensed passes (including two interceptions) over 17 games.
Blackmon didn't play at all for the Vikings in 2024 while recovering from a torn ACL. He was acquired by the Colts in late August and stayed healthy throughout the campaign, appearing in all 17 of Indianapolis' contests and making 11 starts. Blackmon finished fifth on the Colts in total tackles and tied for third in defensed passes, establishing himself as a key part of the team's defense. He'll be in the final year of his rookie contract next season.
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Kameron Johnson WR | TB
Buccaneers' Kameron Johnson: Primarily used as returner in '25
Johnson finished the 2025 regular season having brought in four of seven targets for 64 yards and a touchdown while recording 685 kickoff-return yards and 291 punt-return yards over 17 games.
Johnson saw exponentially more opportunity than in his rookie 2024 season, when he'd appeared in only five games and recorded 22 all-purpose yards (11 rushing, 11 punt return). The Barton product was able to stick on the final 53-man coming out of camp and benefitted from injuries to multiple receivers to record his first regular-season receiving statistics as a professional, all in Week 6 against the 49ers. However, Johnson saw only one snap from scrimmage over the final four games of the season as the wide-receiver corps regained full health, but he was able to maintain a fairly consistent role as a returner. Johnson is no guarantee to be on the roster in 2026, but his pathway to sticking will likely once again come via his special-teams contributions.
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Jalen Redmond DL | MIN
Vikings' Jalen Redmond: Shines in second campaign
Redmond tallied 62 tackles (33 solo), including 6.0 sacks, five defensed passes, a forced fumble and two recovered fumbles over 17 games during the 2025-26 regular season.
After starting just two of the 13 regular-season games in which he appeared as a rookie, Redmond made 15 starts in 17 contests this season. The undrafted Oklahoma product earned the role with a strong campaign that included 6.0 sacks -- fourth-most on the Vikings. Redmond is slated to be an exclusive rights free agent, and he'll almost certainly be back with Minnesota next season, perhaps with a much-deserved multiyear contract in tow.
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Tez Johnson WR | TB
Buccaneers' Tez Johnson: Shows flashes in rookie season
Johnson brought in his only target for 17 yards and rushed once for five yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He finished his 2025 rookie campaign with 28 receptions for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 44 targets while adding seven rushes for 22 yards across 16 games.
The 2025 seventh-round pick saw more work than expected as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan all dealt with injuries, helping Johnson to gain some value reps early in his NFL career. He logged snap rates of between 57 percent to 73 percent in seven straight games from Week 6 to Week 13. Johnson's workload faded down the stretch as the receiving corps got healthy, but he made a solid first impression and should compete for reserve snaps in 2026.
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Jalen McMillan WR | TB
Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Abbreviated '25 due to injury
McMillan brought in his only target for 11 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He finished the 2025 season with 12 receptions for 178 yards on 15 targets and one carry for one yard across four games.
A neck injury suffered in the preseason ended up wiping out most of McMillan's second NFL season, as the wideout didn't make his 2025 debut until Week 15. He did post a 100-yard effort in Week 17 against the Dolphins, however. McMillan should have no restrictions for OTAs and could wind up in the No. 3 WR role if Chris Godwin can't come to terms on restructuring his contract and gets lets go by Tampa Bay.
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Harrison Smith FS | MIN
Vikings' Harrison Smith: Notches two pickoffs in 2025-26
Smith finished the regular season with 54 tackles (37 solo), including 1.0 sacks, 10 defensed passes (including two interceptions), a forced fumble and a recovered fumble over 15 games.
Smith missed Minnesota's first two games due to an illness but proceeded to suit up for each of the team's final 15 contests. While he finished with the lowest tackle total of his 14-year career, Smith did tie for the Vikings lead with 10 defensed passes, marking the seventh time he's reached double digits in that category in a regular season. Smith has hinted that he's leaning toward retirement -- if that's the case, he'll conclude his career with six Pro Bowl berths and two All-Pro selections.
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Sean Tucker RB | TB
Buccaneers' Sean Tucker: Quiet finish on offense
Tucker rushed four times for minus-4 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He also returned three kickoffs for 57 yards.
Despite his forgettable finish to the season, Tucker rushed for a career-high 320 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 carries while adding an 8-34-1 receiving line and a career-high 597 kickoff return yards across 17 games. He logged only 36 more rush attempts than in 2024 despite the fact that Bucky Irving missed seven games due to foot and shoulder injuries. However, Tucker became a preferred red-zone option down the stretch with 24 touches. He will presumably have an inside track on the No. 2 role in the backfield next season with Rachaad White expected to depart in free agency.