The Browns have agreed to a 4-year, $56.75 million extension with TE David Njoku, NFL Network reports. The deal includes $28 million guaranteed and makes him the league's 5th highest paid TE by annual average. Njoku looks like a 2022 breakout candidate and sits inside the top 15 of our dynasty fantasy football rankings.
Saints HC Dennis Allen told reporters Thursday that WR Michael Thomas "isn't ready yet," according to John Hendrix of SI.com. Allen added that he expects to have Thomas back in time for training camp. That kind of report on a veteran this time of year is often not a big deal, but Thomas missed all of last season with an ankle injury that dates all the way back to Week 1 of 2020. So we'll consider him high risk at least until he's back on the field -- and probably even after that.
Cowboys WR James Washington had a walking boot on his left foot at team OTAs Wednesday, according to multiple reports. The team refused to reveal Washington's specific injury, but Pro Football Talk says multiple outlets point to tendinitis. Washington called it "nothing serious, more precautionary" afterward, according to SI.com. The wideout added that he expects to be back soon. With Michael Gallup coming of an ACL tear, we'll be interested to track Washington's status leading up to training camp. There figure to be some early-season targets available in Dallas.
The Falcons announced Thursday that LB Deion Jones will miss the entire offseason program after undergoing shoulder surgery. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the team does expect Jones to be ready for the start of training camp. Assuming no setbacks in his rehab process, this may not be such a big deal for the 7th-year veteran. The most significant question on Jones is whether he makes it to the regular season on Atlanta's roster.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan still believes QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be traded. "I expect at sometime, most likely, he’ll be traded but, who knows,” Shanahan said of the veteran passer. “That’s not a guarantee. It went on hold when it (surgery) happened. When he’s healthy we’ll see what happens.” Carolina and Seattle make the most sense as potential landing spots. But this has the potential to drag out for months.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire revealed on the Arrowhead Addict podcast that he missed a bunch of time last offseason after undergoing gallbladder surgery in early March. "My gall bladder completely stopped working," CEH said. "I was down to about 160 pounds... I didn’t run, didn’t do anything all the way up until [OTAs] and was still dealing with stitches and recovery over the course of the summer.” That can at least be partly to blame for Edwards-Helaire's underwhelming 2021 campaign. This will actually be his 1st full offseason with the Chiefs, and Edwards-Helaire says he's "completely healthy." He added, "This offseason is gonna be perfect for me to do the things I need to do to have the season I feel like I should have." There remains plenty of fantasy appeal here -- largely because of the offense CEH is operating in. And he's cheaper than ever, with a 7th-round ADP in FFPC best-ball drafts.
Patriots TE Jonnu Smith is soaking up all the reps he can get in OTAs after missing time last offseason. “My [2021 offseason] was choppy and I missed some quality time here. I recognize how valuable that time is. I’m here to take advantage of that," Smith said Monday. After inking a 4-year, $50 million deal with New England last year, Smith's 2021 campaign was a disaster. He turns just 27 in August, though, and is at least worth keeping an eye on this summer.
Commanders WR Curtis Samuel is participating in this week's OTAs. That's notable because he was available for only 84 snaps all last season due to a lingering groin injury that required offseason surgery. “I’m great," Samuel told reporters Tuesday. "Y’all saw me flying around out there." Samuel faces added target competition with the arrival of 1st-round rookie WR Jahan Dotson. But Washington gave him a 3-year, $34.5 million contract with $23 million guaranteed last offseason, so we're expecting him to be a significant part of the offense -- barring injury.
The Cardinals have agreed to a deal with former Chiefs RB Darrel Williams, according to Jordan Schultz. Williams delivered double-digit PPR points 9 times from Week 4 on, including 4 outings of more than 15.5 points (Top-12 level). A Week 5 hip injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire helped boost Williams' role, and a December shoulder injury for CEH allowed Williams to star in Week 17. He looks like the best bet to back up James Conner in Arizona, with better size than Eno Benjamin and no less receiving upside. Rookie Keaontay Ingram is also in the competition for roles.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor confirmed on Tuesday that WR Tee Higgins (shoulder) is on track to be ready for training camp. Higgins underwent surgery to repair his left labrum in March and is doing rehab work at this week's OTA sessions. We'll continue to monitor his progress, but Higgins is fine to draft at ADP in early best balls.
The Ravens on Tuesday announced a contract agreement with CB Kyle Fuller. The 30-year-old starting 10 games with the Broncos last season but saw his playing time dwindle late in the year. He spent nearly all of the previous 6 seasons starting for the Bears. Fuller should compete for the 3rd corner spot in Baltimore this summer, which can be a fantasy-relevant role for deeper IDP leagues.
ESPN's John Keim writes that the touch count "should remain high" for Commanders RB Antonio Gibson this season but that "his usage could vary weekly." That comes after the team drafted Alabama RB Brian Robinson in Round 3, an addition that has elicited multiple comparisons to former Panthers RB duo DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Keim specifically highlights Robinson's power and short-yardage potential. That could vulture goal-line touches from Gibson, who has racked up 18 TDs on the ground through 2 seasons. Add the return of J.D. McKissic, and it's easy to see the risk factors on Gibson's 2022 workload. His best-ball ADP has dipped significantly since the NFL Draft. We'll see where he settles as summer approaches.
The Colts on Tuesday announced the signing of RB Ty'Son Williams. The former Ravens RB failed to take over the top backfield spot when given the opportunity early last season in Baltimore, winding up 5th on the team in carries. With the Colts, Williams figures to compete with Phillip Lindsay for a spot on the game-day roster -- barring further additions at the position. The 2 look like similar special-teams prospects. That could be a key area to determining who sticks on the roster.
Falcons beat writer Jeff Schultz of The Athletic calls LB Deion Jones "almost certain" to leave the team as a post-June 1 cut this year. Schultz cites cap relief in 2023 as the primary reason to make such a move, rather than keep the veteran around until next season. Trading Jones at that point would help the team's cap situation even further, but it's tough to imagine another team taking on the bloated salary for a non-edge LB. We'll see, of course, whether this actually comes to fruition. And the decision (either way) should come well before most IDP leagues are drafting for 2022. One reasonable reaction now, though, would be to move 2nd-round rookie LB Troy Andersen up your dynasty fantasy football rankings.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said RB Rashaad Penny is resting a slight hamstring issue. We’d typically avoid posting about a minor injury in May, but we’re talking about Rashaad Penny here. If he misses significant time in OTAs, we’ll let you know. Following the addition of Kenneth Walker, Penny looks like just a depth option in fantasy.
Per beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams QB Matt Stafford “won’t throw much, if at all, through voluntary spring workouts.” Rodrigue points out that Stafford had an injection in his throwing elbow over the spring, so a conservative offseason approach is wise. The 34-year-old will enter his 14th season in the league this fall.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is looking to play this season at 215 pounds -- up about 15 pounds from last season. The added weight is aimed at keeping Mitchell healthier after he dealt with knee, rib, concussion and shoulder issues as a rookie last year. We've seen plenty of RBs lose burst and speed after packing on pounds, though, so Mitchell will be worth watching closely this summer.
Patriots RB James White (hip) was on the field for voluntary workouts late last week, according to NESN's Zack Cox. White is returning from last September's season-ending hip surgery that had him "bedridden for months," per Cox. It's still unclear when White will be cleared for full-team work, but it at least looks like he's trending toward being available for the start of the season. If healthy, White is the favorite for pass-catching duties in New England's backfield.
Per beat writer Joseph Person, the Carolina coaching staff has “kicked around the idea” of giving Christian McCaffrey more slot snaps. During his injury-riddled 2021, McCaffrey played only 12 snaps out of the slot (4.6%). So there’s room for a bit more work inside. Regardless of where he lines up, however, the former All-Pro will remain busy as a pass-catcher. Current projections peg McCaffrey for over 100 targets.
The Colts have agreed to a 2-year deal with QB Nick Foles, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Foles most recently played for the Bears but previously played under then-OC Frank Reich with the Super Bowl-winning Eagles. His Indianapolis role under HC Reich will obviously be to back up new Colts QB Matt Ryan.
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