Saints TE Foster Moreau is a full participant in OTAs and no longer needs treatment for his cancer, according to Pro Football Talk. It's been a remarkable recovery since he announced he'd been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma just two months ago. Moreau has since inked a 3-year, $12.2 million deal with New Orleans, where he reunites with QB Derek Carr. Moreau figures to be behind TE Juwan Johnson in the target pecking order, but his role will be worth monitoring this summer.
49ers QB Brock Purdy (elbow) is expected to resume throwing sometime next week, HC Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. Purdy continues to make steady progress in his return from UCL surgery on his throwing elbow. Barring a setback, it's looking like he'll be ready to go for training camp. GM John Lynch called Purdy "the leader in the clubhouse" for the starting job earlier this offseason. We'll see if he can hold off Trey Lance (and Sam Darnold?) this summer.
Bears WR Darnell Mooney is sidelined for OTAs this week. He's still working back from the left ankle injury he suffered last November. HC Matt Eberflus said Mooney is "progressing" but didn't provide any other details. We'll see when Mooney is able to get back on the field. But he's not an intriguing fantasy pick in a run-heavy Bears offense that added WR D.J. Moore this offseason.
Browns RB Jerome Ford "appears to have a clear path to winning the No. 2 running back’s job," The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes. Cleveland let RB Kareem Hunt walk and didn't make any significant additions to the RB room this offseason. That leaves Ford with only John Kelly, Nate McCrary, and Hassan Hall to beat out for that No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Ford didn't register an offensive touch as a rookie last year but averaged 24.1 yards on 30 kick returns. He was a fifth-round pick in last year's draft after breaking out for 1,319 rushing yards and 19 TDs as a senior at Cincinnati. The 5’11, 210-pounds clocked a 4.46-second 40 time at the Combine. We don't expect Ford to have any standalone fantasy value behind a healthy Nick Chubb. But he's one injury away from a significant role.
Texans WR John Metchie is missing OTAs with a strained hamstring, HC Demeco Ryans said. Metchie is on the "right path" and should be ready for training camp, Ryans added. Still, the missed reps aren't ideal after Metchie missed his entire rookie season with leukemia. We'll see when he's able to get back on the field.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers strained a calf in Tuesday's OTA session, CBS' Josina Anderson reports. "It’s considered minor as of now. The anticipation is he should be back fairly quick," Anderson adds. It doesn't sound like this will have any impact on Rodgers' 2023 season, but we'll keep an eye on the 39-year-old.
Multiple Dolphins beat writers singled out RB Devon Achane as a standout at OTAs this week. "Lost count of Achane's explosives," insider Travis Wingfield tweeted. The Miami Herald's Daniel Oyefusi noted that Achane was "very active in the passing game." And the rookie "got rave reviews from teammates," according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. These are pad-less practices in May, but it's still encouraging to hear that Achane is off to a strong start. We'll be looking for clues on exactly how much volume the 188-pounder will handle this season.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson participated in Wednesday's OTA session. As ESPN's Jamison Hensley points out, it's Jackson's first time on the field since suffering a season-ending knee injury on December 4. With that injury -- and his contract situation -- behind him, Jackson can now focus on learning new OC Todd Monken's offense and building chemistry with new WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham. His Underdog ADP has spiked into Round 3 since he signed his extension at the end of April.
Jon Machota of The Athletic gave an update on the health of Cowboys RB Tony Pollard. “From everything I’ve heard, I think Pollard will be fully healthy by the start of the season,” Machota said. “They might ease him in during training camp.” Pollard suffered a left fibula fracture on January 22, but Dallas showed some confidence in the 26-year-old by applying the franchise tag in March. Pollard is routinely drafted as a top-8 fantasy RB.
Saints TE Juwan Johnson said he’s been watching film of former Patriots WR Julian Edelman. Let’s allow Johnson to explain. “I know the type of role I’ll be doing and (Derek Carr) loves those routes," he said at OTAs. Johnson went on to call Edelman "one of the best at those choice routes, short-game routes.” No disagreement here. While the Saints recently signed TE Foster Moreau, there's still a path for Johnson to deliver as a top-15 fantasy TE. Alvin Kamara remains a suspension risk. And it’s tough to trust the health of Michael Thomas.
Per reporter Cameron Wolfe, Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle “intentionally put on weight” over the offseason. The third-year WR was already stout at a listed 5’10, 182 pounds. Waddle owns 179 career catches — a number only five WRs have topped across their first two NFL seasons. Waddle profiles as a fringe WR1 for 2023.
Jets RB Breece Hall (ACL) is running off to the side of OTAs. It's another step forward as he works back from last October's torn ACL. GM Joe Douglas recently called Hall a "possibility" for Week 1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on the 2nd-year RB's progress. A healthy Hall is a good bet for RB1 production, especially with Aaron Rodgers now under center for New York.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (foot) was on the field for the start of OTAs on Monday. He's expected to be "eased back into action this summer" after undergoing Lisfranc surgery in November. Bateman has struggled to stay on the field through two NFL seasons, missing 16 of 34 games. But he's flashed when healthy and remains an intriguing prospect. We'll be keeping a close eye on the Ravens offense this summer after they made an OC change to Todd Monken and added Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers to the WR corps.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos are releasing K Brandon McManus. He spent the past nine years in Denver, converting 81.4% of his career FG attempts. McManus has been especially valuable from deep. He hit 23 FGs from 50+ yards away over just the past three seasons. McManus has also missed just 9 extra-point attempts for his career. He is coming off his third-worst FG rate (77.8%), which ranked 29th in the league. We'd still bet on the 32-year-old landing another opportunity. We'll see who Denver turns to at the position.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs is not attending this week's OTAs. He also skipped April's minicamp. These are "voluntary" workouts -- and Diggs is an eight-year veteran. But it's a noteworthy no-show after Diggs got in QB Josh Allen's face near the end of the playoff loss to the Bengals. We'll see if Diggs shows up to next month's mandatory minicamp. For now, we're not moving him in the 2023 WR Rankings.
Jaguars OC Press Taylor gave his early impressions of WR Calvin Ridley at OTAs. "I've been really impressed with Calvin,” Taylor said. “I've watched every snap Calvin's played in the NFL, just like a lot of our guys have. So we're very confident in the player we're getting.” Taylor also praised Ridley’s preparation and work ethic. Meanwhile, beat writer John Shipley wrote Monday that Ridley’s off to a great start in Jacksonville. “Ridley simply moves differently than any other wide receiver on the field,” Shipley observed. “The pacing and tempo in his routes, the quickness of his feet, and his ability change up his approach to routes even when he isn't getting the ball all stand out.” Fantasy drafters certainly expect Ridley to rebound quickly, as his current Underdog Fantasy ADP stands at WR17. See where he slots in our 2023 WR rankings.
A contract adjustment seems to be ending the offseason tumult for Chargers RB Austin Ekeler. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the team is adding "close to $2 million in incentives" to the final year of Ekeler's contract and that the RB is "staying." Ekeler, of course, requested a trade earlier this offseason over discontent with his contract. He's still set to hit free agency next March. But there should now be no question about Ekeler's 2023 status. His ADP slipped some through the dispute, but Ekeler never got consistently outside of Round 1 in best ball drafting. He sits well within that range in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst is recovering from sports hernia surgery, per HC Frank Reich. Hurst will sit out OTAs until further notice, but we’ll let you know when he’s back on the field. There’s a lead TE job waiting for him when he returns to 100%. The 30-year-old (in August) inked a 3-year deal with $13 million guaranteed in March.
49ers QB Trey Lance has made a "substantial jump" this offseason, according to private QBs coach Jeff Christensen. Lance recently worked with Christensen alongside Patrick Mahomes. “I said, ‘Watch this. Watch what he does here,’” Christensen said. “It was something I was telling him to do that he wasn’t quite doing. And then he saw Patrick apply it perfectly. And I think that visual buy-in, that mental buy-in, helped him past that mental hump. And to his credit he just kept getting better." Lance has adjusted his throwing motion and made improvements in accuracy, spin rate, and delivery time, according to Christensen. We'll get a glimpse at the new-look Lance when the 49ers open OTAs this week.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup admits that he struggled last season returning from his January 2022 ACL tear. "I was thinking too much,” Gallup said. “My knee was feeling sore, and it was just different. Last year at this time, I couldn’t walk. It’s different now. I feel springy again. It just feels different.” Gallup posted career lows last year in yards per game (30.3), yards per catch (10.9), and yards per route (1.0). We're buying a bounce back for the 27-year-old this season. But he still sits outside the top 50 in the WR Rankings after the Cowboys added WR Brandin Cooks earlier this offseason.
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