Kitselman spent two seasons as an Alabama backup before transferring to Tennessee in 2024. In his two seasons with the Volunteers, Kitselman caught 48 passes for 554 yards and six touchdowns, intriguingly averaging 1.42 yards per route run. Both the NFL’s Lance Zierlein and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler celebrate Kitselman’s size (6’5/251) and willingness as a run blocker. He is not an elite athlete and may be best suited to backup duties at the pro level. He’ll battle for a TE3 or TE4 roster spot with Tyler Conklin, Zach Horton, and Thomas Gordon.
His market is starting to pick up steam now that we’re close to clearing the compensation pick portion of proceedings. The Dolphins, per Barry Jackson, also reportedly have interest in Jennings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him signed before the week is out after his initial market went cold.
Burton visited with the Browns ahead of the draft last week and inks a contract today. He profiles as their fullback this year. There’s no need to be excited about the 34-year-old, but signing a fullback does indicate the Browns should remain committed to the running game this year.
Barnett (6’4/316) is a durable, ascending interior prospect who started games at tackle before kicking inside to right guard, logging 750 snaps in 2025 with a well-rounded developmental profile. His 9.54 RAS highlights elite athletic traits for the position, pairing outstanding short-area quickness with the ability to execute reach blocks, climb to the second level and mirror interior rushers in pass protection. Barnett allowed just a 1.5 percent pressure rate with one sack across 410 pass-block snaps, showcasing balance and recovery ability. He flashes the raw strength and functional length to generate movement in the run game, but his 3.5 percent run-block blown block rate and inconsistent sustain skills point to a player still learning to consistently translate traits into finishing power. Barnett’s tape shows a mauling mentality and competitive demeanor, though he must better harness his leverage, hand placement and play strength to fully unlock his athletic upside. His experience across multiple positions and durability (48 career games) further boost his projection as a scheme-diverse option with developmental upside. There’s certainly room to inch in to the Bears roster as a UDFA, this is a good fit for the “Vanilla Gorilla.”
Roberts (6’5/333) is a hulking, power-based interior presence with a 7.83 RAS and a massive 333-pound frame. Roberts’ 2025 campaign featured a strong 87.5 pass block grade with just two total pressures allowed across 201 pass-blocking snaps, showcasing his ability to anchor and absorb power when his technique is dialed in. His game is built on size, grip strength, and the ability to wall off defenders at the point of attack, flashing shock in his hands and the raw power to displace when he wins early in reps. However, Roberts’ processing speed and average athletic profile (5.26 forty, limited testing explosiveness/agility) shows up when asked to handle quick interior movement or late-developing pressure looks. He can struggle to react to stunts and blitzes, with his pad level rising and base narrowing, leading to balance issues and late losses against quicker defenders. Despite those concerns, Roberts’ durability, SEC pedigree, and physical tools give him a developmental pathway as a depth interior lineman. Given the interest in him around the league, Roberts likely has a pretty solid chance to compete for a roster spot with the Eagles.
He visited with the Texans before the draft. Emerson tore his Achilles before the start of last season, so his age-26 season will likely yield a one-year prove-it deal. Emerson has the talent to be an NFL starter if he’s fully recovered, so his decision might come down to playing time and guaranteed money.
Lucas (6’5/256) brings NFL-caliber size and length to the edge, but his 2025 production profile (42 tackles, six havoc plays, 3.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks) reflects an inconsistent translation of traits to impact. He generated 25 pressures on 238 rushes (10.5 percent pressure rate) with just one sack created, underscoring his inability to consistently convert disruption into finishes. Lucas flashes inside/outside rush versatility with long-arm power and occasional chop-rip counters, yet his rush sequencing and anticipation remain underdeveloped. His get-off and pad level are inconsistent, often leading to stalled rushes and late reactions versus both pass sets and zone flow. Lucas projects as a traits-based project with rotational upside, but he’ll need significant refinement in burst timing, hand usage, and pass-rush plan to carve out a consistent NFL role. The Lions are a nice landing spot for any UDFA EDGE prospect given how things have gone on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson the last few years.
“Normally, you have to project that,” Payton said of Coleman, the 109th pick in the 2026 draft out of Washington. “A lot of these guys, in college, maybe the protection plan’s different or limited. So you have to develop that, and that’s fine, but (Coleman’s) frame is such that, when you see him, he does a really good job in blocking pressure looks.” Denver front office officials and coaches have been effusive in their praise for Coleman. Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt compared Coleman favorably to JK Dobbins, who will return tot he Denver backfield in 2026. “We really like his run style, his ability between the tackles as a finisher,” Burckhardt said. Coleman’s tough running style — he produced a sky-high 71 percent of his college rushing production after first contact — could force Payton to use the rookie early in the 2026 season. Coleman will be a popular late-round fantasy stash this summer.
Kansas City traded up to take Johnson with the 161st overall pick in the draft, adding the Nebraska product to a revamped backfield alongside free agency splash signing Ken Walker III and Emari Demercado. “He’s a juke button, he has very good feet, vision, feel, and he’s very good out of the backfield,” Nutt said of Johnson, 22, who had a 100th percentile college dominator rating at Nebraska along with a 99th percentile college target share. Arrowhead Pride’s Ron Kop, Jr. said the rookie is “projected to be the immediate backup to Walker in the lead-back role, but don’t be surprised if Johnson earns his way onto the field on pass downs or in other situations.” Johnson, who had 1,823 total yards in 2025, is a good candidate to catch major redraft stream this summer.
It could be a sign that the Steelers want an answer about whether Rodgers will play in 2026 sooner rather than later. The mercurial veteran once again let the NFL Draft come and go without commitment to another NFL season, and the Steelers used a third round pick on Penn State QB Drew Allar. Allar could be an insurance policy in case Rodgers retires in the coming months. The right-of-first-refusal tender will force Rodgers, 42, to “accept a 10 percent raise off last year’s salary, which would pay him about $15 million this season, and the Steeelrs also now will have the right to match any offer sheet he would sign with another team,” according to Schefter. “As another condition of the tender, Rodgers would only be able to sign with the Steelers once training camp begins.” Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that he expects Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh for another season under center, this time in the offense of his former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
This should put to bed any rumors that McVay was caught off guard by the Rams taking Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 draft. “They wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested,” Simpson told ESPN Radio on Monday. Simpson said he was told by members of the Rams organization not to tell anyone the team was interested in taking him as an heir apparent to Matthew Stafford, who will start for LA in 2026 and possibly 2027. That McVay hosted hours-long top-secret meeting with Simpson likely means he’s fully bought into the rookie as the future of the Rams. Simpson, 23, could spend his first two NFL seasons on the bench, however.
After playing behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta for the past few years, Allgeier signed a two-year deal with Arizona worth $12.25 million this offseason, hoping to function as the lead back. There’s vanishingly little chance of that coming to pass after the Cardinals used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Notre Dam RB Jeremiyah Love. “The Cardinals went ahead of took [Love] I think to the surprise and disappointment of Tyler Allgeier,” Schefter said. Arizona’s backfield is shaping up to be messy for fantasy purposes. James Conner is still in the mix, and with the big-bodied Allgeier profiling as a solid short yardage and goal line option, it remains to be seen how big Love’s role will be. Love, at worst, should get much or all of the backfield’s pass-catching involvement in 2026.
The deal includes a $187,500 signing bonus and appears to simply be a depth move. MVS spent time with the 49ers and Steelers last season, catching 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The veteran speedster has bounced around to four different teams since parting ways with the Chiefs after the 2023 season and hasn’t caught more than 17 passes at any of his stops. He’ll likely be battling to earn a roster spot in camp and carries little fantasy value.
The once-longest-tenured head coach stepped away from the Steelers following the 2025 season and will now take his personality and skills to the booth, joining NBC’s Football Night in America. The network also announced that the entire crew will hit the road every weekend in 2026, meaning the show will be live at the location of Sunday Night Football throughout the season. “I’m excited about just sharing my passion for football,” Tomlin said as part of the announcement.
McCormick spent time with the organization in 2025, starting the regular season on their practice squad. He did not play a snap for them before bouncing around to three other teams’ practice squads to end the season. He joins Jordan James, Kaelon Black, and Isaac Guerendo behind starter Christian McCaffrey.
The Eagles selected Smith with the 30th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The fourth-year linebacker has totaled 10.5 sacks and 10 TFLs in his first three seasons with the team while racking up 91 tackles, and was instrumental in the team’s Super Bowl championship run, where he totaled four sacks in four postseason games. Smith is now under contract through the 2027 season and could be in line for an extension before his new deal is up if he’s able to string together a breakout campaign in 2026.
Carter is one of two Eagles players to have his fifth-year option picked up this offseason, with LB Nolan Smith also having his option exercised. Carter has been a disruptive force for the Eagles since being drafted by them in 2023. The former ninth overall pick has tallied 13.5 sacks and 25 TFLs in 43 career games, and earned Second-team All-Pro honors in 2024. He has also been named to back-to-back Pro Bowls. The decision to pick up Carter’s option means he will remain under contract with the Eagles through the2027 season.
MVS spent time with the 49ers and Steelers last season, catching 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The veteran speedster has bounced around to four different teams since parting ways with the Chiefs after the 2023 season and hasn’t caught more than 17 passes at any of his stops. He’ll likely be battling to earn a roster spot in camp, but if he does end up with the Cowboys, we wouldn’t expect him to be anything more than a role player with virtually no fantasy value.
Akers logged just nine snaps for the Seahawks in 2025, per PFF, and did not garner a touch. The veteran running back has become a journeyman in the league since being traded from the Rams to the Vikings in 2023. Akers has made multiple stops to other teams over that span, including returning to the Vikings in both 2024 and 2025. He’ll turn 27 this offseason and could land somewhere with a chance to compete for a roster spot this offseason, but his days as a viable fantasy option continue to appear long over.
Just days after trading for Wilson, Saints GM Mickey Loomis said Wilson is getting “a one-year trial” and that the team “will see how it goes” before making any decision to extend him. Wilson has totaled 12 sacks 50 career games since being drafted seventh overall by the Raiders back in 2023. The Saints’ decision to acquire him was a low-risk/high-reward move, as they hope Wilson can become the best version of himself for very little cost to the team this upcoming season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported shortly before the start of Day 1 of last week’s draft that Pickens would be signing his franchise tag. Now, it appears that is not the case. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said last week that the team would not have negotiations with Pickens for a long-term deal this year, but it’s possible that Pickens and his team may take their time to see if a deal can still be reached. There’s not much we know here other than Pickens hasn’t signed his tag, but with the deadline to sign tags still over two months away, Pickens has plenty of time to see if the Cowboys are willing to budge and ink him to a new deal rather than force him to play on the one-year tag. If he does play on the tag, Pickens would earn a guaranteed $27.3 million.
The Bengals have until May 1st to decide if they want to exercise Murphy’s fifth-year option or let his current contract expire at the end of next season. Murphy, who has totaled 8.5 sacks in 47 career games with the Bengals, had the best season of his career in 2025 and is “just starting to scratch the surface,” per Tobin, but whether or not they want to commit $14.475 million to him to retain him in 2027 is something the team isn’t sure of. We’ll know by the end of this week if Murphy’s option is exercised, but if not, he’ll likely need a breakout season in 2026 if he hopes to sign a long-term deal with the Bengals in the offseason.
The Bills seem committed to the idea that Coleman, who was the subject of trade talks earlier this offseason, can still live up to the potential that made him the 33rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Coleman has struggled to hit the mark thus far in his career, catching 67 passes for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 career games, and was a healthy scratch for parts of last season due to some off-field disciplinary issues. Beane said he believes Coleman’s “best year is yet to come here in 2026.” We’ll see how that plays out, given the recent additions of D.J. Moore and Skyler Bell this offseason.
Cancey is now under contract for the Bucs through the 2027 season. The fourth-year tackle has totaled 11.5 sacks in 29 career games with the Buccaneers, but appeared in just three games last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 against the Texans. Cancey has generated 81 pressures in his career, per PFF, and earned a 64.5 pass rush grade in 2024.
Vrabel missed the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft to spend time with his family and is seeking counseling after reports emerged alleging a relationship with former NFL reporter Dianna Russini. The veteran head coach is not expected to face any disciplinary actions from the league and is presumably back operating in his normal role.