Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off a disappointing 2023 rookie season, in terms of both usage and fantasy production. He ranked 41st among WRs in targets and 48th in PPR points. But he'll be operating in a new offense this year and is a candidate to take a big leap forward in his second season. It makes him a potential post-hype value in 2024 fantasy drafts.
Coming out of OTAs, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic says that he'd call Van Jefferson the Steelers' No. 2 WR "right now." He added that the answer certainly isn't clear yet. "To be honest, you can throw [Quez] Watkins, [Cordarrelle] Patterson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Marquez Callaway and Denzel Mims in there as well," Kaboly writes. Notably, he didn't include Round 3 rookie Roman Wilson in that group. Kaboly also says he expects the team to "add a legit No. 2" before the start of the regular season.
The Chiefs have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Mecole Hardman, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hardman, of course, closed out 2023 with his original team after washing out on a one-year free-agent contract with the Jets. He's still heading into just his age-26 season.
There's a definite drumbeat starting over Saints utilityman Taysom Hill getting more work in the 2024 offense. Hill says new OC Klint Kubiak has brought a "really clear, distinct vision" for the offense, which has included new stuff. "It's weird to say after seven years of doing what I've been doing, that I'm being asked to do things that I've never done before. But I think that is exciting," he said this week, according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell.
Lions Jack Campbell endured a disappointing first season, considering the team drafted him 18th overall and made Campbell a starter before the middle of the year. But it sounds like he might be ready to rebound with a big Year 2. DC Aaron Glenn began speaking of Campbell's improvement even before the team hit the field for spring workouts. It has reportedly showed in the LB's play as well, including 2 INTs off Jared Goff in Tuesday's minicamp practice. Campbell seems to be trending toward more of a full-time role in 2024.
Niners first-round pick WR Ricky Pearsall has been getting first-team action during OTAs, thanks at least in part to WR Brandon Aiyuk's absence. Multiple reports have Pearsall performing well, showing good route-running and hands. (We credited him for the same in his prospect profile.) Pearsall might have a shot at the team's No. 3 WR role, although the 49ers recently re-signed WR Jauan Jennings to a two-year contract with $15.4 million in total money and nearly $8.5 million in guarantees.
Jets fourth-round rookie RB Braelon Allen "has been one of the biggest standouts during OTA practices," according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Rosenblatt calls Allen the "clear frontrunner" for the No. 2 job behind Breece Hall, "especially because of his emergence as a legitimate option as a pass-catcher. That's especially noteworthy for Allen, who got little credit for his receiving ability coming out of Wisconsin. He totaled 49 catches across three starting seasons and averaged a mere 5.6 yards per catch.
The 49ers and RB Christian McCaffrey have agreed to a two-year extension averaging $19 million per year, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It makes McCaffrey the league's highest-paid RB and keeps him signed with San Francisco through the 2027 season. McCaffrey will be 31 when this deal expires.
Cardinals RB James Conner turned 29 in May, which tends to be a dangerous age for RBs according to our aging-curve research. But Conner has shown no signs of decline. In fact, his 80.0 rushing yards per game last year were a career high and ranked fourth league-wide behind only Kyren Williams, Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Chubb. Conner also excelled in advanced rushing metrics, ranking top-12 among 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt, yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and Pro Football Focus rushing grade.
Colts TE Jelani Woods dealt with recurring injuries to both hamstrings throughout last year. He hurt one last offseason and then the other when attempting to return during the season. He didn't play a single game in 2023. But Woods focused on strengthening his hamstrings, quads, and hips this offseason and believes he's solved the problem.
The Commanders have released K Brandon McManus. The move comes less than a week after reports of a lawsuit two flight attendants filed against McManus alleging sexual assault during a team flight when McManus played for the Jaguars. Washington had signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million deal just this offseason -- opting to add him instead of bringing back 2023 kicker Joey Slye.
SI.com's Jake Arthur says "it was quite clear that Trey Sermon is the next man up at running back" coming out of recent Colts OTAs. That followed voluntary sessions RB Jonathan Taylor missed for personal reasons. Arthur adds that RB Evan Hull "appeared to get the initial looks" as passing-down back ahead of RB Tyler Goodson.
The Vikings are signing WR Justin Jefferson to a four-year extension, according to NFL Network. The $140 million deal includes $110 million in guarantees and will make him the highest-paid non-QB in the league.
ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reports that Giants TE Darren Waller is expected to announce next week whether he'll play this season -- and that "people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire." The team has a two-day mandatory minicamp starting on June 11. Waller's expected to deliver his decision ahead of that.
The Dolphins and WR Jaylen Waddle agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension with $76 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That's a significantly bigger deal than Texans WR Nico Collins just got. Waddle is now one of the five highest-paid WRs in the league. The $76 million guaranteed is the third-largest total for a WR in NFL history, behind only A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who also got new deals this offseason. Waddle is now signed with Miami through the 2028 season.
The Packers gave RB Josh Jacobs a big four-year, $48 million deal in free agency. But HC Matt LaFleur suggested on Wednesday that the team might stick with a RB-by-committee approach this season.
The Texans and WR Nico Collins agreed to a three-year, $72.5 million extension with $52 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The deal keeps Collins in Houston through the 2027 season. His $24.2 million average annual salary ranks seventh among WRs, in between DeVonta Smith and D.K. Metcalf.
Packers WR Christian Watson spent eight hours testing his troublesome right hamstring at the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health this offseason. The testing revealed that the root cause of the issue was a muscle imbalance in his legs. Watson believes he's made significant progress toward solving the problem.
Lions HC Dan Campbell called WR Jameson Williams the team's most improved player this offseason. “We’re two practices in (to OTAs) and if you said, ‘Give me one player that is the most improved from that start to finish in that time,’ and Jamo would be that guy right now,” Campbell said. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.” Campbell added that Williams' game has improved "everywhere."
Rams RB Kyren Williams is expected to be sidelined until training camp with a "foot issue," HC Sean McVay said. “It’s nothing to worry about. He’ll be ready to go for training camp, but there’s a little issue when he was training, and [I’ll] kind of just leave it at that," McVay added. "But nothing to be concerned about. ... He’ll be ready to roll and be a consistent producer for us this year.”
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