The “we’ll see” from Stefanski yesterday wound up being “no.” In other words, Falcons mandatory minicamp will be the Tua Tagovailoa show. Penix is a more realistic candidate to be ready to go in training camp. However, ceding these reps to Tagovailoa will probably put the veteran quarterback in the lead of their upcoming battle heading into camp. It feels likely that both quarterbacks will get a shot at some point, barring Tagovailoa turning back the clock a few years.
Most of the league-wide scuttlebutt on Sorsby as coaches get in front of microphones for the first time since it was announced he’ll try the supplemental draft has been negative or tepid. Todd Monken told reporters earlier in June that “I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road,” when asked about Sorsby. Today, Aaron Glenn pretended he didn’t know what gambling was and Brian Schottenheimer said he has no opinion on Sorsby. We’ll see where he ends up, but it sure doesn’t look like it will be Cleveland.
TeSlaa looks to be penciled into the three-wide set next to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown. It’s hard to understand how TeSlaa will generate much in the way of targets — he sure didn’t last year when he was on the field — but the Lions could have a good enough offense that TeSlaa finds his way on the WR4 radar this year either way. TeSlaa notched six touchdowns on 27 targets last year.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Cowboys are “exploring running back help” ahead of the summer as the team looks to add to a relatively talent-bare backfield led by Javonte Williams. White impressed with his physique but was one of the worst running backs in football in 2024 before being phased out of the Raiders offense in 2025. Even if he signs with Dallas, White, 26, will have little chance to make the team or see consistent usage in what should be a pass-heavy Cowboys offense in 2026.
Titans beat writers last week sounded the alarm on Ward’s inaccuracy during OTA sessions. It’s an extension of major accuracy issues Ward had during his rookie year with the Titans. Ward in 2025 ranked 32nd out of 35 qualifying QBs in completion rate over expected, frequently sailing intermediate and short-area passes over the heads of his pass catchers in a dysfunctional Titans offense. Saleh said as a member of the 49ers coaching staff he saw Brock Purdy miss some passes in offseason practices so he is not worried about Ward’s issues. Purdy in 2025 was the NFL’s second most accurate passer behind Drake Maye.
Legette, who faded into WR3/4 territory last season in the run-heavy Carolina offense, has appeared more interested in the details of being a professional wide receiver over the past few months, according to Young and head coach Dave Canales. “[Legette] is putting in the time in the playbook,” Canales told reporters this week. “He’s busting his butt on the field, working on little technical skills.” Legette had a meager 35 receptions for 363 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season. He’ll remain a potential trade candidate this summer after the Panthers selected Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round of the 2026 draft.
The 15-year veteran has spent the entirety of his career wearing the black and gold in New Orleans but chose to test free agency heading into 2026. After a rather slow market through June, the two sides agreed to meet to discuss a return to the Saints. Saints beat reporter Matthew Paras reported late Monday that the two sides have made progress on a potential deal that would see the franchise’s all-time sacks leader return, but no other outlet has reported an impending agreement. The soon-to-be 37-year-old likely wouldn’t be in line for a robust snap rate should he return to New Orleans, but there is something to be said of the leadership and proven track record he would bring back to a familiar roster.
Sorsby has been the subject of numerous legal battles within the NCAA ranks amidst a betting scandal this offseason. It appears as if he has decided to move on from the cyclone he created in favor of trying his hand at the professional level. The NFL will need to approve his eligibility first and foremost before a supplemental draft would be held, during which teams would submit blind bids for any approved players. That number would stand at one, if Sorsby is approved, but it provides an interesting wrinkle to an otherwise lackluster quarterback draft class in an offseason with no shortage of quarterback-needy teams. Teams would bid on Sorsby with associated draft picks in the coming draft, sorted by round. A winning team would then forfeit that round’s pick in the following draft.
This one certainly slipped through the cracks. Harvey reportedly “hasn’t done much team work in OTAs but has been practicing,” according to Evans. While we don’t know when Harvey underwent the surgery, it presumably occurred shortly after the loss to the Patriots, so we would expect him to be at the tail end of his recovery. The second-year back totaled 896 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in his rookie season, but he will face competition for touches this season with J.K. Dobbins returning and rookie Jonah Coleman now added to the mix. In games that both Harvey and Dobbins played in last season, Harvey averaged just 7.9 opportunities per game compared to the 17.9 opps/gm he saw in games he missed, with Dobbins handling the majority of the rushing work. Hopefully Harvey will be good to go when training camp kicks off next month, but this will be something worth watching until we have received word that he is fully healthy and ready to go.
Jacas is the only second-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft who remains unsigned. The former Illinois pass-rusher was dealing with a hamstring injury throughout the draft process, and according to Reiss, NFL teams that evaluated Jacas during the pre-draft process discovered a torn labrum and a stress fracture. The injury that reportedly caused him to miss OTAs and minicamp was a knee procedure. During his four-year college career, Jacas played in 50 games, racking up 27 tackles and 35.5 TFLs. He’ll eventually sign his rookie deal and report to the team, but it doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere close to suiting up. We’re still waiting for a clear report from the team on a timeline for Jacas’ return.
After staying away from the team during voluntary workouts, Pickens is officially in the facilities and “is expected to attend mandatory minicamp this Tuesday, Wednesday, [and] Thursday,” per Machota. The Cowboys franchise tagged Pickens earlier this offseason, but the star receiver is still hoping to secure a long-term deal before the start of this season, although the Cowboys have said they don’t intend to negotiate with him ahead of the July deadline to sign tagged players to multi-year deals. In his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens enjoyed a career year, totaling 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — all of which were career-highs. His decision to report to minicamp is a good sign, although that could simply be out of a desire to avoid being fined for his absence. How much he participates in practice over the three-day period will be worth watching as the week unfolds.
Pearce is in the middle of an ongoing legal situation stemming from a February arrest that resulted in him being charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor. The 22-year-old pass-rusher recently entered a pre-trial intervention program that can result in all charges being dismissed if he meets the conditions of the program, and the league is reportedly “closely monitoring all developments” with Pearce. We don’t yet know if the league plans to hand down a suspension to Pearce, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some disciplinary action was taken after everything is resolved in his case.
Last year, WR Parker Washington took home the honor, and while Washington has been really good again this year, as has QB Trevor Lawrence, Thomas’ showing at mandatory minicamp puts him in the lead. Per Shipley, Thomas was creating separation as a route-runner and winning over the middle of the field against the Jaguars’ top available cornerbacks. There are only so many touches to go around, but Thomas could end up being a best ball bargain at his current WR31 ADP.
Penix participated in the Falcons’ OTAs last month and was splitting first-team reps with Tua Tagovailoa, but the third-year quarterback has not yet been cleared for 11-on-11 sessions. With the Falcons starting minicamp this week, we’ll soon have an answer on whether or not he’ll be cleared or be forced to wait until training camp to try and return to the field. Penix is nearly seven months removed from surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of last season, so it wouldn’t be surprising doctors said it was too early for him to return for 11-on-11’s. If he’s unable to go, Tagovailoa would get all of the reps with the first team offense, which could position him well ahead of the QB battle that’s expected to take place in training camp if Penix is healthy.
Nix is expected to have a role at the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, but Payton seems confident that his QB1 will be ready for training camp after undergoing a cleanup procedure on his ankle in late April. How much work Nix does in minicamp is to be determined, but he continues to trend in the right direction with training camp just over a month away.
Tippmann, 25, started all 17 games at right guard for the Jets last season, allowing 29 pressures and six sacks while earning a PFF blocking grade of 66.0. The former second-round pick has become a staple along the Jets’ offensive line, missing just one game in his three-year career while appearing on over 1,000 snaps in each of the last two seasons. Tippmann’s new deal includes $34.9 million in guaranteed money and will keep him under contract through the 2030 season.
After a strong showing in the 2026 UFL season, where he racked up a league-high 641 yards and three touchdowns on 29 receptions. The former fourth-round pick hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2020 and appeared in only two regular-season games after bouncing around the league for six seasons. Butler joins a relatively deep receiver room in Denver and should be considered a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
Per Jackson, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp “offered clues” about Monken’s use of motion and how he plans to “hunt mismatches in the quick passing game and use misdirection to create space and passing lanes for the quarterback.” That said, Jackson also believes that either TE Harold Fannin or fellow rookie WR Denzel Boston will be the “leading receiver.” It remains to be seen whether Monken will actually dial up a high target volume for an X-receiver like Boston. He featured WR Zay Flowers, who Concepcion has been likened to, as the top target-earning wide receiver with the Ravens. If Concepcion only gets a few designed looks per game, it will be tough for him to produce reliably in fantasy. If he can be more than that, even while earning targets behind Fannin while Boston stretches the field, Concepcion can return FLEX value in his first season.
Gall really dug into Ward’s play and coach Robert Saleh’s qualified responses on the matter. We’ll spare you the details on the latter subject, but it is safe to say that Gall is displeased with both parties. Per Gall, Ward “frequently” overthrew receivers downfield and found it hard to complete passes in the flats, especially checkdowns to the right side of the field. Keep in mind that the Titans are installing a new offense, and Saleh did say that Ward fared well on the unscripted plays, so there is at least something positive here. The Titans retake the field next week for mandatory minicamp. Hopefully, Ward delivers a bounce-back performance then.
Kirchner spent the last 16 seasons working for the Seahawks alongside the Vikings’ recently hired GM Nolan Teasley. Kirchner spent the last seven seasons as the Seahawks’ vice president of player personnel and “is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top talent evaluators.” The Vikings also hired Andrew Healy as an assistant general manager. He previously served as the Browns’ vice president of research and strategy and will now serve as the team’s secondary football executive.
Noel has been “making waves” in organized team activities and mandatory minicamp and has “all the makings of a second-year breakout,” running as the first-team offense’s primary slot receiver. Koch believes WR Tank Dell (knee) could face a slow ramp-up process and will likely play on the outside most of the time, rather than in the slot. The Texans’ sixth-round rookie WR Lewis Bond is apparently Noel’s only real competition for the slot role, which is to say, he has almost none. If Noel can carry this momentum into training camp, he has a chance to return FLEX value, or more, this season.
McCarthy fielded questions from reporters after practice on Tuesday and was asked about Heidenreich at the very end. McCarthy kept things short, but complimentary, saying Heidenreich is an instinctive, natural football player with an excellent skill set, who has had a tremendous start. The Steelers’ coach adds that Heidenreich has “picked up the offense” and has “positional flexibility.” Notably, the Steelers are listing him with an RB/WR designation on their team website. Heidenreich has a long way to go before becoming fantasy-relevant, but McCarthy’s words are encouraging.
Per Shipley, Washington is now “in a full-time role on offense,” and believes the Jaguars are ready to let him “take his chance and run with it.” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said earlier this offseason that he wants to “unlock” Washington’s post-catch potential. Recently, he celebrated Washington’s ability to line up out wide, in the slot, run routes at all three levels and his improvements in reading coverages pre-snap. Last season, Coen employed three-wide receiver sets at the league’s third-highest rate (70.9 percent). If he does so again, the offense might be able to produce usable fantasy stat lines for Washington, WR Brian Thomas Jr. and WR Jakobi Meyers. If Coen shifts even 5-10 percent toward two-wide receiver sets, things could get slightly volatile. We should learn more in training camp. Stay tuned.
The knee issue began bothering Landry in December, and cost him a couple of games. It remained a problem throughout the Patriots’ failed Super Bowl run, but across the Patriots’ full season, Landry still ranked second on the team with nine sacks. Reiss notes that Landry, 30, still projects as the starter, so this does not sound like an overly serious issue.
Reports from mid-May indicated that the Buccaneers might use a running back committee, including Gainwell and incumbent RBs Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. It seems as though a two-player backfield may be taking shape, with Irving slated for 1A duties ahead of Gainwell. Sources tell Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds that Gainwell “has quickly picked up” OC Zac Robinson’s playbook and is excelling as a receiver out of the backfield. As a runner, he has demonstrated the requisite speed to hit the edge in wide zone and an ability to see the cutback lanes, while also proficiently running between the tackles. Gainwell and Irving have reportedly gotten along “fantastically.” A friendly, split backfield could be in play this season.