NFL Player News

San Francisco GM John Lynch said Sunday that Williams (knee) is expected to be back for training camp, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Williams tore the ACL and lateral meniscus in his right knee during the 49ers' Week 9 win over the Giants. Lynch acknowledged that the 2025 first-round pick might take longer than fellow defensive end Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL about 1.5 months earlier in late September, to recover. Williams tallied 20 tackles and 1.0 sacks over nine games as a rookie.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said Sunday at the NFL's league meetings that he expects Bosa (knee) to be ready for training camp, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports

Bosa suffered a torn right ACL during Week 3 last season and underwent successful surgery in late September. The 28-year-old has been trending in a positive direction since the beginning of the offseason, and it would be a significant boost for San Francisco's defense if he's ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. In the four seasons before 2025, Bosa logged 53.5 sacks over 64 regular-season games.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn said in an interview with NFL Network there's "no doubt about it" that Smith will be the team's starting quarterback.

Smith was traded from Las Vegas to New York on March 10, when Justin Fields (knee) still was on the roster following an injury-shortened season as the Jets' starting quarterback. Fields then was dealt to the Chiefs on March 16, leaving Smith as easily the most experienced QB on the Jets' roster ahead of Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook. Glenn also said in his interview about Smith, "It means to have a bona fide starter come in and lead this offense to where it needs to go." During his lone season with the Raiders, Smith completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards and a 19:17 TD:INT. That was the third-worst TD:INT of the 35-year-old's career, behind only his first two seasons when he previously started for the Jets in 2013 and 2014. Smith was a journeyman backup before finally getting another chance to be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks from 2022 to 2024. He totaled 71 touchdowns to 35 interceptions as the starter in Seattle, and he completed at least 65 percent of his passes in each season as the QB1.

Browns GM Andrew said Sunday at the NFL's league meetings that he's hopeful Judkins (ankle) will be on the field "in some form or fashion" this spring, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Judkins underwent successful surgery to address a dislocated right ankle in late December, and he's expected to be active for training camp in late July or early August. Berry's comment reaffirms this expectation for the 2025 second-round pick, who accrued 827 yards on 230 carries over 14 regular-season games last year. As one of the teams that hired a new head coach after the 2025 regular season, the Browns are eligible to begin offseason workouts April 6. Judkins is in line to be the lead rusher in a room that currently includes fellow second-year backs Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch told reporters Sunday that he is "hopeful" that Kittle (Achilles) will be available for Week 1 of the 2026 season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Lynch noted that Kittle is progressing well in his recovery from a torn right Achilles that he suffered in the 49ers' NFC wild-card win over the Eagles in January. Working in Kittle's favor is the fact that he suffered a clear tear near the soleus muscle higher up the Achilles, which typically takes less time to rehab, but whether the veteran tight end is available for the start of the regular season ultimately will come down to his participation in training camp in July and August. Jake Tonges (foot) would be slated to serve as the Niners' TE1 to open the 2026 season if Kittle is not ready to return by then.

Bullard signed a one-year deal worth a maximum of $2.5 million with the Cowboys on Saturday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Bullard spent the 2025 season in New Orleans while serving in a rotational role along the defensive line. He logged only 325 defensive snaps -- his lowest since 2022 -- and he may play in a similarly limited fashion in 2026, given the Cowboys' investment in their defensive line in the last two offseasons.

Harris (Achilles) plans to meet with the Raiders next Thursday, April 2, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Harris met with Seattle on Wednesday -- his first reported visit of free agency. He's six months removed from the Achilles tear that ended his 2025 campaign in Week 3, with not much hope of returning to Los Angeles after the Chargers signed Keaton Mitchell. The Seahawks might offer Harris an opportunity to compete for a starting job, whereas he'd merely provide depth behind Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas. Regardless of where he signs, the 28-year-old Harris will face a difficult path back to fantasy relevance, rehabbing from an injury that's notoriously tough on running backs.

Buffalo re-signed Hamlin (pectoral) on Friday.

Hamlin appears to be fully recovered from the pectoral injury that caused him to miss the final 13 games of the 2025 campaign, as he practiced in full and was a candidate to return from IR in advance of the Bills' loss to the Broncos in the divisional round. Across five regular-season appearances last year, Hamlin handled just five defensive snaps. The soon-to-be 29-year-old looks primed to handle a similar reserve role during the 2026 campaign.

Malone (ankle) visited the Bucs on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The 26-year-old edge rusher appeared in nine regular-season games for the Falcons last season, operating primarily on special teams, before he was placed on injured reserve in November. Malone has made 58 career regular-season appearances across four seasons, producing 59 tackles (32 solo), including 3.0 sacks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Browns don't intend to trade Garrett, who agreed to restructure his contract earlier this week.

Schefter was told that the Browns are "100 percent not trading" the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. That won't necessarily stop other teams from calling, especially after Garrett's contract restructure fueled trade rumors. The restructure did a few different things with bonuses, including pushing back the dates for large option bonuses to be exercised in 2026-28 -- an adjustment that makes it easier to spread Garrett's dead-cap charge across two seasons in the event of a trade. The Browns reportedly plan to keep him for now, but perhaps with the knowledge that another losing season could lead to Garrett asking out. He publicly requested a trade less than 14 months ago, in February of 2025, before signing a four-year extension in March of 2025.