Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reveals the Cowboys were among the other teams that chased EDGE MAXX CROSBY before he headed to Baltimore: The Las Vegas Raiders leveraged the highest bidders to squeeze maximum draft capital out of the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes, leaving the Dallas Cowboys disappointed but ultimately justified in their decision to bow out. Dallas…

AROUND THE NFL Two of the NFL’s lesser brands will meet in Canton to start the season – but each team does have a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.  Joseph Person and Doug Haller of The Athletic: The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will kick off the 2026 NFL preseason this summer with…

AROUND THE NFL Fewer teams are playing tag as Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com gives us the 2026 tally: From 2015-24, the NFL saw five or more franchise tags placed on players each of those offseasons. A total of five tags were used the past two years. The deadline to tag players in 2026 passed Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Only…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  DETROITThe Lions have broken up the tandem of RBs JAMYR GIBBS and DAVID MONTGOMERY – at Montgomery’s behest.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com: The Detroit Lions are breaking up Sonic and Knuckles. The Lions have agreed to trade running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans in exchange for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a…

AROUND THE NFL It used to be 4.6 in the 40 was fast for a linebacker.  At the 2026 Scouting Combine, it was below average.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine was the fastest in history. Average 40-yard dash times were faster than ever in seven of the eight position groups, with blazing 40…

AROUND THE NFL The NFL was thrilled when an arbitrator ruled that the NFLPA could not publish their report card on each of the 32 member clubs.   So, about a day after it was sent to the players, the grades were leaked with the Dolphins again on top in the eyes of the team’s players and…

AROUND THE NFL It seems like this might be the draft where the abundant NIL money is keeping CFB stocked while limiting the options in a subpar NFL Draft. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: College football players who are good enough to turn pro are increasingly choosing to stay in college, where their NIL paychecks can rival…

AROUND THE NFL Gunnar Rivers is going to North Carolina State.  Eli Lederman of ESPN.com: Four-star quarterback Gunner Rivers, son of NC State legend and eight-time NFL Pro Bowler Philip Rivers, has committed to the Wolfpack, he announced Monday on social media. Rivers is ESPN’s No. 11-ranked pocket passer and No. 142 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle.…

AROUND THE NFL Ben Solak of ESPN.com ranks all the positions in the market – free agent and draft.  At the top – EDGE RUSHERS Here are my rankings for the strongest and weakest positions for this offseason, weighing both free agency and the draft. 1. Edge rusherGood year to need … any sort of edge rusher at allBad…

AROUND THE NFL Here are the opening over-under win totals for 2026.  We put some in green where we would take the over, and red for unders: Here are the season win totals for all 32 NFL teams: Over/under 10.5Baltimore RavensBuffalo BillsDetroit LionsGreen Bay PackersKansas City ChiefsLos Angeles ChargersLos Angeles RamsPhiladelphia EaglesSan Francisco 49ersSeattle Seahawks 9.5Chicago BearsCincinnati BengalsDenver…

AROUND THE NFL The NFL is headed for even more money in the next wave of television deals.  John Ourand of Puck: /a year and a half ago, as the NBA was negotiating with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC on what would amount to a 150 percent increase in the annual value of its media rights, no…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST  DALLASTodd Archer of ESPN.com with the thoughts of new DC Christian Parker: Christian Parker, the Dallas Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, is walking into a unit that finished last in the NFL in points per game allowed (30.1) and 30th in the league in yards per game allowed (377). The Cowboys have needs at every…