NFL Player News

According to Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Boston "might have been the most impressive offensive player in the (Browns') spring sessions."

Once training camp gets going next month, the pecking order in the team's revamped WR corps will start to become clearer. While Jerry Jeudy remains Cleveland's No. 1 option at the position, Boston -- who was the 39th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- has a chance to make an immediate mark as an outside receiver, while fellow rookie KC Concepcion (24th overall choice) figures to line up all over the formation. Also in the mix are Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace, but a strong summer on Boston's part could help him earn enough playing time out of the gate to yield fantasy dividends in deeper formats.

As training camp approaches, Mason is slated to reclaim a key role in a Minnesota backfield that also includes Aaron Jones and rookie sixth-rounder Demond Claiborne, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Though the Vikings have yet to declare a starting QB between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, there's continuity elsewhere in the offense, with the team's top two RBs, WRs and TEs from last year back for another campaign. Mason is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 758 yards and six TDs on 159 carries to go along with 14 catches for 51 yards in 16 contests, while Jones carried the ball 132 times for 548 yards and two touchdowns, adding 28 catches (on 41 targets) for 199 yards and a score in 12 games. With Mason and Jones both still around, another RB timeshare -- one that favors Jones in PPR formats -- is in the making for 2026, while Claiborne is a candidate to mix in on passing downs.

Darnold notes that cleaning up his footwork and reducing his turnovers are among his goals heading into the 2026 season, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

In his first year with the Seahawks, Darnold helmed his team's Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, but despite that success the veteran QB acknowledges that there's still work to be done in terms of "continuing to hone in on the deep ball" as well as understanding how he can get better that way by "quieting (his) feet in the pocket." Darnold -- who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 TDs in 17 regular-season games in 2025 -- also points to his 20 regular-season turnovers (14 interceptions and six fumbles lost) as an area that he can improve. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 29-year-old will be working with a pass-catching corps that returns WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed and TE AJ Barner. Following the free-agent departure of RB Kenneth Walker, the team added Jadarian Price in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to bolster a backfield that awaits the recovery of Zach Charbonnet, who's bouncing back from a torn ACL.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer notes that the difference has been "night and day" in terms of Blue's performance during this year's offseason program, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Blue, who the Cowboys took in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, logged just 38 carries for 129 yards and a TD and one catch for five yards in five regular-season games as a rookie. While Malik Davis emerged as Javonte Williams' primary backup last year, Blue will have a chance to compete for that role this summer with Davis, as well as Phil Mafah. Williams remains the team's unquestioned lead back, but if Blue can parlay the speed and explosiveness Schottenheimer has noted he possesses into a larger complementary role, the Texas product could carry fantasy sleeper appeal in 2026.

Dowdle, who signed with the Steelers in March, is set to work in tandem with Jaylen Warren this coming season, Kevin Hutchinson of steelersnow.com reports.

On the heels of back-to-back seasons (one with Dallas and one with Carolina) during which he topped 1,000 rushing yards, Dowdle bolsters a Steelers backfield that saw Kenneth Gainwell depart via free agency this offseason. It remains to be seen how the carries/targets will be divided between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, but the two players' different skill sets could lead to a "thunder and lightning" approach utilizing Warren's shiftiness and quickness and Dowdle's bruising style. Also in the mix for complementary touches are 2025 third-rounder Kaleb Johnson and versatile rookie Eli Heidenreich, with added context regarding Pittsburgh's backfield approach set to arrive once team drills commence in training camp.

Jones, who dealt with a sore shoulder during the 49ers' spring program, threw passes this week at Tight End University, an event hosted by teammate George Kittle (Achilles), David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reports.

The fact that Jones was out there throwing this week suggests that Brock Purdy's top backup should be good to go come training camp. Though there was some speculation this offseason that Jones could be on the move, he'll remain a valuable insurance policy at QB for the 49ers, on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which Purdy missed eight games, all of which Jones started in his place.

Purdy, who has been participating in this week's Tight End University, an event hosted by teammate George Kittle (Achilles), said that he plans to gather with other 49ers for throwing sessions over the next month prior to training camp, David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reports.

As the coming campaign approaches, Purdy -- who has had time to move past the shoulder and toe issues he dealt with last season -- is set to work with a WR corps that welcomes a trio of key additions in Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and rookie second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling. Also in the mix are returnees Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins and Demarcus Robinson. Meanwhile, Kittle is bouncing back from an Achilles injury, and though the star TE says that he has "a chance" to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers may need to lean more on their key wideouts out of the gate this year while Kittle works his way back into the mix. Purdy is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he threw for 2,167 yards with 20 TDs and 10 picks, while carrying 33 times for 147 yards and three scores in nine games. Looking ahead, the signal-caller's fantasy upside in 2026 hinges largely on avoiding injuries, as well as building strong on-field chemistry with his team's re-tooled pass-catching unit.

The Bengals are spending more time working on their under-center offense more this offseason, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

The Bengals have been slow to adapt the growing trend in the NFL of working under center, and using more play-action from that set-up to initiate explosive plays. It's always been Burrow's preference to work out of the shotgun and survey the field, but the evidence suggests that the Bengals, while being successful in that format, are leaving explosive plays on the table as a result.

Barkley spoke this offseason with retired running back Todd Gurley, who played for the Rams at the same time as new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, NFL.com's Bobby Kownack reports.

Mannion is overhauling the Philadelphia offense, including new terminology, while head coach Nick Sirianni shifts to a more hands-off, executive role. That could always change if things don't go well early in the season, but it nonetheless sounds promising for Barkley in light of his disappointing 2025 campaign in a stagnant offense. Of course, he's not the only one who will need to adjust to a new scheme, with fantasy results partially depending on how QB Jalen Hurts and the offensive line respond to Mannion's changes.

Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Henry has "run every scheme throughout his career" but will still need to adjust to terminology changes under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Henry and other Ravens have expressed excitement about Doyle's scheme, with the 32-year-old running back telling reporters this offseason that "change can be good," and "everything is new, so we're all just trying to learn." Quarterback Lamar Jackson and wide receiver Zay Flowers made stronger comments during the offseason program, both praising Doyle for originality/creativity. The Ravens lost some key pieces of their running game this offseason, namely C Tyler Linderbaum and FB Patrick Ricard, but they also improved at the guard spots and still have a strong core of veteran standouts on both sides of the ball. Henry finished second in the league in rushing yards each of his first two seasons in Baltimore, and after a red-hot finish to the 2025 season, he's again going in the second round of most fantasy drafts.