Fautanu said he was unsure if the move to left tackle would be permanent, but given the current situation with Broderick Jones and his neck injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if Fautanu played on the left side for most of the season. The team’s decision not to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option has also likely led to the decision to explore a new option at left tackle, and the selection of rookie Max Iheanachor in the first round of this year’s draft allows that flexibility. Fautanu has allowed two sacks on 663 career pass-blocking snaps, but will face a tougher challenge lining up on the left side.
Jones was in uniform and participated in warm-ups, but according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, he did not take part in any team drills. Jones is still working his way back from a neck injury that required a fusion surgery in March. Jones recently suffered a setback in his recovery, which likely factored into the team’s decision to decline his fifth-year option, but his presence at OTAs, even in a limited capacity, is an encouraging sign.
Speaking with Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Loomis declined to commit to keeping Kamara on the roster for this upcoming season. Kamara, who will turn 31 in July, is expected to lose significant work to free agent signee Travis Etienne, and the Saints are reportedly interested in adjusting his $10.4 million cap number if they do opt to keep him. Kamara is in the final year of his deal and has missed 13 games over the last three years. He had one of his worst seasons as a pro in 2025, totaling 657 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown while averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per touch. It sounds like there’s still a lot to be figured out here, but it’s worth noting that Kamara is on record saying he “couldn’t be happier” about having Etienne on the roster. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him and the Saints come to an agreement that satisfies both sides for this upcoming season, but those discussions don’t appear to have taken place.
After signing a one-year deal with the team over the weekend, Rodgers is officially back in Pittsburgh for the start of next season. The 42-year-old signal-caller was “one of the first guys in the building,” according to Pryor, and will be on the practice field for the first day of practice. Rodgers helped lead the Steelers to a 10-6 finish last season, providing adequate play at the position to keep the offense on schedule despite being more of a dink-and-dunk passer. We wouldn’t expect Rodgers to air it out any more than he did last year, but the addition of Michael Pittman gives him two solid receivers to work with along with Pat Freiermuth at tight end.
According to Breer, Alexander is comfortable in his current position and “wanted to see the building of the 2026 team through.” Alexander has been with the Chargers since 2024 and previously served as the Jets’ director of player personnel (2019-2023). He’s risen through the ranks since first joining the Ravens in 1999 as a pro personal assistant, and could field more offers for future GM openings if the Chargers have a strong season in 2026.
Fantasy managers will want to tuck this away in the memory bank for later. Harris said that “just based on last year’s late-season production,” he would give the edge to Davis, but said the team has confidence in second-year backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah as well. Davis is a fifth-year veteran of the league who has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, surviving multiple training camp cuts and stints on the practice squad to remain with the team. Last season, Davis rushed 52 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and has a career rushing line of 90-411-3. His limited ability in the passing game could work against him while Blue and Mafah attempt to secure the RB2 role for themselves, but Davis could prove to be the early-season handcuff for Williams in fantasy.
The deal is fully guaranteed for the first three seasons before a semi-team option occurs in year four, bringing $821,574 in guarantees in 2029. Cisse has every opportunity to carve out a significant role in his rookie year after the team retooled its secondary the previous two offseasons.
The completely guaranteed deal also includes a fifth-year team option due to his draft capital and a $11.598 million signing bonus. Iheanachor should immediately enter the starting lineup on the blind side of whichever quarterbacks starts under center for the Steelers, with the odds-on favorite still veteran Aaron Rodgers.
Wharton missed eight games in 2025 fresh off a $45 million contract extension and reportedly underwent surgery in early May on his neck. While it sounds like the PUP list is a near certainty, sources confirmed that the expectation is for Wharton to play at some point in the 2026 season.
Boutte has been the subject of offseason trade talks and could soon be on the verge of getting replaced if the Patriots acquire A.J. Brown from the Eagles in the coming weeks. Boutte, 24, is in the final year of his rookie contract and caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns last season. He has served primarily as a field stretcher for the Patriots over the last two seasons, and had the highest ADOT (17.5) of any pass catcher on the team last season (min. 30 targets). We’ll see if Boutte reports when mandatory activities begin.
Perhaps more notable is Fowler’s report that Monken’s offensive concepts are things Watson “has run in the past and been his best at.” The drumbeat is steadily growing louder for Watson, who has gained steam in recent weeks as the preferred option to open 2026 as the Browns starter. Watson is in the final year of the record-setting contract he signed in 2022 and is also returning from a torn Achilles that he initially suffered in 2024 and later re-ruptured, which sidelined him for all of 2025. Watson has struggled as a starter with the Browns, throwing for 3,365-19-12 in 19 games while leading them to a 9-10 record. Watson and second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders figure to be the team’s top two options at the position whenever the team decides on a starter. But early reports continually point to Watson getting the first crack at the job.
Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud describes Irving as “the chair” of what looks to be a running back by committee with Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker. We’ll see what the price range settles in as for Irving, but it’s hard to imagine him as a top-40 pick based on the past week of updates. The story quotes OC Zac Robinson as saying “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider believes the position is no mistake as veteran guard Ben Powers enters the final year of his contract in 2026. Casey could be groomed as a long-term replacement for Powers if he demonstrates enough to the Broncos in his first season.
Obviously Smith’s fantasy value took a huge hit with the addition of Kenneth Walker. But they also added Emari Demercado and moved up in the fifth round to draft Emmitt Johnson. Per Newell, “It all means Smith faces an important training camp. He’s a seventh-round pick, so the team doesn’t have a great amount invested in him if it does choose to move on.” Smith barely got a chance to run the ball last year, which was damning on its own considering how poor the running back room was, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he was a non-factor this year. He’s not a must-hold in dynasty formats.
It should be mentioned that the Raiders are one of the teams that have kept tabs on Najee Harris this offseason — it’s possible that they bring in a veteran back to compete with Washington ahead of the season. But it’s hard to not draw the conclusion that McFadden does from the current depth chart. It’s not like Dylan Laube has done anything at the NFL level either.
Ben Johnson has been quoted as saying ‘We’re not getting a rookie’ when talking about Jones, which feels like a bit of a giveaway that it could be even sooner than Week 11. Jones will have to beat out veteran Garrett Bradbury to win the role, but the drumbeat is that it will happen sooner rather than later.
Johnson, who was acquired from the Bills in March, has two years remaining on his contract and only $1.175 million of guaranteed money left. It’s not surprising that he’s seeking a new deal, though he’s not exactly guaranteed to get one.
Rourke missed all of last season recovering from an ACL tear. He’ll battle Adrian Martinez for the third quarterback job. It’s possible that the 49ers trade Mac Jones — who is in the final year of his contract — at some point before the deadline if they’re able to get a big return for him. Rourke is worth monitoring in large superflex leagues given how often Kyle Shanahan has elevated quarterbacks.
Sure, it’s not like Jaylin Lane or Luke McCaffrey did much in this offense last year, and Deebo Samuel remains an unsigned free agent as we blurb this. Chig Okonkwo probably profiles as the second option after Terry McLaurin at this point, but Williams garnering a real role wouldn’t be surprising in light of how the depth chart currently looks.
He also throws out the Falcons and Rams as “interesting landing spots.” It sounds like a potential return to New England is being tethered to the potential of an A.J. Brown trade, and with that feeling inevitable at this point, Diggs would then move on to the next part of his list if he wasn’t able to return to New England. Diggs has had a very quiet free agency to this point.
It’s not surprising given that Young hasn’t exactly delivered a full stretch of excellent play at any point in his first three years, despite showing real flashes in some games last year. The Panthers front office has largely talked about a Young extension as an idea or something to talk through rather than a certainty. They did pick up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, so there’s no rush. It’s not surprising that the Panthers haven’t committed to Young yet — they surely hope a better supporting cast this year will help make the decision easier for them next offseason.
Aaron Rodgers’ return has left the Steelers with a four-quarterback room of Rodgers, Rudolph, 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard, and 2026 third-rounder Drew Allar. Presumably the Steelers wouldn’t want to move on from Howard or Allar on their rookie contracts, which naturally leads to the idea of Rudolph’s roster spot being in jeopardy despite him likely being the backup with the highest floor. These things sometimes just work themselves out via injury, but if everyone makes it to the end of the preseason healthy, the Steelers will probably have to move on from someone rather than carrying four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.
As Schefter notes, this is the second time these two teams have faced each other on Thanksgiving in the past three years. The game will be played in Detroit as the first of the usual three-game setup on Thanksgiving. With both teams eying an NFC North title, this game will almost certainly have considerable playoff implications. It will also be another installment in Ben Johnson’s grudge match with his former team.
Best ball bros are officially frothing at the mouth to stack this contest, not that they needed another reason to draft players from two of the best offenses in the NFL. As Jordan Schultz notes, the Bengals have traveled to Baltimore for a primetime game in each of the past four seasons. Now they get to host a matchup that could determine the fate of the AFC North.
This is one of two games being played on Christmas, which is the Friday of Week 16. The Packers beat the Bears in Week 14 of the 2025 season before losing their final four regular season contests, one of which was an overtime loss to the Bears. They were then bounced from the playoffs by Chicago in the Wild Card Round. Their Christmas matchup will have major playoff implications and could even determine the winner of the NFC North.