NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic has been watching QB CALEB WILLIAMS and the rest of the Bears:

Here are five lingering questions as the Bears approach their summer break.

1. How often will Caleb Williams get the best of the Bears defense this summer?

OTAs and minicamp went as expected from the rookie quarterback — several learning experiences against a veteran, confident defense, but he also had his highlights.

Everything ramps up in training camp, especially during padded practices when the pass rush is at a higher level. The goal for both sides of the football is to do everything to get Williams ready for Week 1.

“I didn’t come in necessarily with the expectation to be and seem like a 13-year vet,” Williams said Thursday. “I came in to work, to work my tail off, show the guys that I’m here, I’m working my tail off, I’m progressing and trying not to make the same mistake again. That’s the biggest thing, day in and day out, is trying not to make the same mistake over and over and learn from them.”

Avoiding repeated mistakes will be a focal point, like it often is for rookies. Williams seemed to handle the ebbs and flows of being a rookie quarterback well during the spring. There were tough sequences that ended with defensive players celebrating. He often bounced back. Can he keep doing that in July and August, and can he string together more successful drives in camp than the Bears’ QBs before him? It’s not a high bar, but this defense is stout.

2. What should the level of concern be with the offensive line?

The starting five offensive linemen never lined up together in OTAs and minicamp with the media present. Right guard Nate Davis was only in team drills for a couple of series. Left tackle Braxton Jones wasn’t on the field the final two days of minicamp. Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton rotated at center.

The only constants were left guard Teven Jenkins and right tackle Darnell Wright.

Eberflus has spun the situation, specifically at right guard, to note the depth and options they have. It’s true to a point — Matt Pryor received a lot of reps this spring at three spots, Bates can play guard, they have better options than last season at center. So maybe the Bears will be in better shape if someone gets hurt, but what about the top line?

It’s still hard to feel confident about Davis’ availability. Jones has to stay healthy, too. And who is going to be the starting center? The sooner those things are worked out in camp, the better. The last thing the Bears want is a leaky offensive line to hinder Williams’ development. His quick release and his receivers’ ability to get open quickly will help, but too many rookie quarterbacks have had to start their careers getting hit too often. The Bears have seen it firsthand and won’t want Williams to join that list.

3. Are D-line reinforcements on the way?

It’s not that the defensive line struggled at all. But it still seems like the position group that could use a veteran. Defensive end Jacob Martin might be someone to watch this summer. He got some reps when Montez Sweat wasn’t in team drills. And he has 18 career sacks.

If Martin has a strong showing in camp, and rookie Austin Booker gets up to speed quickly, maybe the Bears won’t have a big need at defensive end. Dominique Robinson is another option and he figures to be a key player on special teams.

But Yannick Ngakoue, among other vets, remains unsigned. The Bears could also add a veteran three-technique tackle to join Gervon Dexter. You can talk yourself into Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Booker as impact players, Martin as a reliable rotational player and DeMarcus Walker as off to a better start.

Outside of Sweat and Andrew Billings, there are still plenty of question marks for a group that needs to improve its pass rush.

4. What are the roster battles to watch?

Two years ago, the Bears entered camp with double-digit roster spots available. In 2024, with a deep and talented roster, maybe a few lockers are up for grabs.

“I think you can really hone in on the battles,” Eberflus said about what it means to have most of the 53 already decided. “We still have a few spots of course. The roster’s never perfect and it’s never finalized, but we’ll be looking at that as we go.”

We’ll have a roster projection next week, but only a few positions have room on the depth chart. Special teams will be critical, and how Richard Hightower builds his kickoff coverage and return units with the new rules will play a role. Rookie running back Ian Wheeler could make a push. The last wide receiver, linebacker and defensive backs are still to be determined. And the offensive line will be a competitive group.

Recent draft picks like Robinson and Velus Jones Jr. could stick with the team for a third season in large part because of the new kickoff rules. Offensive tackle Larry Borom, who’s been with the team since 2021 and played multiple spots, will compete to make it to Year 4 in Chicago. We’ll also be watching safety — Jonathan Owens is the new No. 3, setting up a roster battle among Elijah Hicks, Adrian Colbert and Tarvarius Moore.

5. How will the organization handle the attention that comes with ‘Hard Knocks’?

Eberflus’ message has been heeded from the players we talked to last week. They are going to try to embrace the idea of fans around the country knowing what’s going on at Halas Hall.

“It shows that we got something brewing here,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “Everybody wants to see what’s going on, and just really being yourself out there, not doing too much but just showing up to work and just showing the world what we’re about here.”

Still, it will be an adjustment. Cameras will be everywhere. Some players will have to set aside time if they’re chosen for interviews. It’ll be something else on Eberflus and Poles’ schedule. And then after the show airs, there will be questions about what we saw.

Nothing should be more of a distraction than what the Bears had to deal with last fall, with coaches exiting and losing seven of their first nine games. The veterans should be prepared for it. But it’s still new and has never been on the Bears’ summer to-do list.

“Obviously, we’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing there,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “But definitely something cool to have as we grow older and eventually when we’re all done with this game (it’s) kind of something to look back on for our kids and grandkids and so, yeah, definitely gonna take advantage of it and soak that all in.”

GREEN BAY

Eagles and Packers fans visiting Sao Paolo shouldn’t wear green on the streets or the game?  Jack Baer of YahooSports.com:

A curious rumor started spreading on Thursday, with the source being the mouth of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs.

During an appearance on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Jacobs was asked what he was most excited about for the Packers’ scheduled season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil. His answer wasn’t exactly what the NFL and Brazil would have wanted to hear.

The two-time Pro Bowler, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers in March, claimed he had been told that people would not be allowed to wear green and that the area was dangerous enough that players would potentially have to stay off the streets unless they were in armored vehicles.

“They said that the part of Brazil that we’re going to, you can’t even wear green at … I guess something to do with the gangs and stuff.”

They said ‘We’re not going to Rio.” They told us it’s one of those places where they probably won’t even let us leave … They probably gonna have, like, armored vehicles following us. I said ‘Bro, why are we out here? Why are we here?’

They was like ‘Just pack black and white colors,’ because they were like ‘When you come here, we don’t want no mishaps.’

Given that the Packers and Eagles are two of the three NFL teams that use green as a primary color, scheduling them to play in a place where you can’t safely wear green would be quite odd indeed.

The basis of Jacobs’ claims boils down to soccer rivalries, as Arena Corinthians, where the game will be held, is home to Corinthians, a red-wearing club whose mortal enemies of Palmeiras wear green. There is a considerable history of violence between the two fan bases.

However, NFL spokesperson Michael Signora responded the next day via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg and did his best to debunk Jacobs’ claims. Signora reportedly said, “You will see a stadium full of fans wearing the green of the Eagles and the green of the Packers.”

He also added that Jacobs’ claims were “not true” and “discussion of the color green is related to soccer,” with no impact on the NFL game.

Per a Brazilian community of Eagles fans on X, the origin of that misinformation might be a joke made by a Corinthians representative when the game was initially announced, saying in jest that the teams should avoid wearing green. The Inquirer also notes that São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes made a similar joke about the jersey colors at a recent press conference.

Jacobs apparently got the message, posting, “Damn I was misinformed. Sorry Brazil see you soon.” on his Instagram story Friday.

With all that hopefully put to rest, kickoff is still scheduled for Sept. 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET in São Paulo.

It’s all about Corinthians and Palmeiras.

Jeff Neiberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer with more:

Yes, you can bring your green Philadelphia Eagles jersey to São Paulo, Brazil, and, yes, you can even wear your green Eagles jersey inside Corinthians Arena.

Despite what you may have read online, and despite what you may have heard from Josh Jacobs, whose voice gave credence to the rumors considering his Green Bay Packers will be playing against the Eagles Sept. 6 in Brazil, “you will see a stadium full of fans wearing the green of the Eagles and the green of the Packers,” NFL spokesperson Michael Signora said Thursday. That came in response to a request for comment about what Jacobs said on the podcast of former Eagles defensive end Chris Long.

Jacobs, a running back who signed with the Packers this offseason, said on Long’s podcast that green was not allowed to be worn in “the part of Brazil we’re going to,” saying it had “something to do with the gangs.”

The topic of green being barred started as soon as the Eagles were announced as the first of the two teams heading to Brazil for the NFL’s first game there.

The arena is home to São Paulo’s Corinthians soccer team. Its crosstown rival, Palmeiras, wears green, and the Derby Paulista (English translation: Derby of São Paulo) is one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport. There is an informal ban on wearing green for soccer games in the stadium, though sometimes it’s formal. Corinthians striker Jo was once fined for wearing green cleats.

But “discussion of the color green is related to soccer” and will have no impact on the NFL game, Signora said.

Plus, wearing green inside Corinthians Arena as Palmeiras does isn’t unprecedented. The stadium hosted the opening ceremony for the 2014 World Cup and Brazil’s 3-1 victory over Croatia in the opening match. And while Brazil’s national team wore bright yellow, there were plenty of Brazilian fans in the crowd wearing the green that makes up a majority of the South American country’s flag.

Jacobs also said players would likely not be able to leave the hotel and would travel in armored vehicles.

In response on Friday, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown wrote on X before deleting the post, “The million dollar question is … IF WE CAN’T GO ANYWHERE OR WEAR A CERTAIN COLOR … Why Are WE GOING ?”

Signora denied Jacobs’ claims, saying “it’s not true.”

The X (formerly Twitter) account of a Brazilian community of Eagles fans suggested the jersey controversy started as a joke when a Corinthians representative suggested the teams avoid wearing green, and São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes even joked about the jersey colors at a recent press conference.

“It’s well known that, as this is a separate event, Corinthians and their supporters will respect the team and its visitors like any other event,” the Brazilian Eagles community wrote on X. “We will also make sure to treat the stadium like our own home.”

Regarding the security concerns, the account wrote: “São Paulo is a vast metropolis, one of the largest in the world. Like many other big cities, it faces social inequality and crime. Any foreigner should be mindful of this, just as someone from a small town in the USA would need to be cautious when visiting cities like NY or LA. This doesn’t mean you’ll be targeted for wearing green. However, like any big city, there’s a risk of being mugged if you’re not careful with your belongings or surroundings.

“Telling players not to wear green is unnecessary and the ‘gang references’ reinforces stereotypes that only escalates prejudice.”

As for what jerseys the teams will actually wear on the field? That’s still unknown.

It is technically an Eagles home game, so they will have their choice between green or black. The team has not yet made a decision.

For the record, Corinthians wears black and white.

The Brazilian soccer season is on a different pace than the European September to May.  More like April to November, so very much ongoing in September.

Corinthians is winless in their last four meetings with Palmeiras with one draw.  The teams meet for the first time in 2024 on June 29.

Palmeiras has won Brazil’s Serie A the last two seasons, with Corinthians a distant 13^thlast year.

MINNESOTA

Will the Vikings go with rookie QB J.J. McCARTHY in 2024?  Cody Benjamin ofCBSSports.com:

The Minnesota Vikings traded up to spend a top-10 pick on J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft, securing a potential long-term replacement for the departed Kirk Cousins. But with spring practices nearly complete, all signs point to veteran Sam Darnold entering 2024 as the Vikings’ starting quarterback.

Darnold, the ex-New York Jets castoff, signed just a one-year, backup-level contract in free agency. But the former No. 3 overall pick took nearly all of Minnesota’s first-team reps during the minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs) open to reporters, per ESPN.

Not only that, but Vikings coaches have been openly and privately cautious about granting McCarthy too much responsibility as a rookie, according to The Athletic: “They want to take this slow,” Alec Lewis reports. “To help him develop confidence. To allow him to try throws, make mistakes and learn. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff believe that’s the best path to long-term success, and everyone seems on board.”

Behind Darnold, who has 56 career starts under his belt, McCarthy has been more prone to take third-string reps at open practices, ESPN notes, with veteran backup Nick Mullens typically assigned No. 2 duties. The Vikings also have 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall on the offseason roster at the position.

This harks back to the sentiment seeping from within Vikings headquarters immediately following the draft: While Minnesota clearly likes McCarthy’s upside as a long-term fixture of the franchise, and in fact might have a ready-made supporting cast to ease his transition to the NFL stage, the team would rather take its time developing Cousins’ successor, especially with Darnold in tow as low-risk, high-reward insurance.

“The Vikings don’t view Darnold simply as someone they can play if McCarthy isn’t ready for Week 1,” Kevin Seifert reported in May. “It’s more accurate to understand him as a player the Vikings believe they can compete with as McCarthy moves through an organized developmental plan that prioritizes his long-term future. … Does that mean the Vikings have ruled out McCarthy as their Week 1 starter? Of course not. But they want his ascension to be organic — based on his own aptitude and readiness — rather than forced by a lack of alternatives.”

Could training camp and preseason turn the tide and rewrite September’s plans? Only time will tell. For now, the safe bet is the Vikings will lean on the veteran arm, at least initially.

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

It’s a wrap for TE DARREN WALLER.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Darren Waller’s made his long-anticipated decision, and he’s played his last down.

After months of contemplation, Waller has informed the Giants that he is retiring following eight seasons played, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday, per sources informed of the situation.

“I’ve decided to retire from the game of football,” Waller later wrote on Instagram. “To God: what a journey, and thank you. We took it way farther than I ever could have imagined! So grateful for all the ppl I’ve been able to connect and create memories with along the way. We still got plenty more life left to live. Love you all. Peace.”

It was a decision that’s hung over the New York Giants tight end — and the franchise — since March, when Waller told Dan Duggan of The Athletic that he was planning on making a decision “pretty soon.” Among the reasons Waller mentioned as to weighing his future were being fully invested in continuing to play and also lingering health issues.

“We have great respect for Darren as a person and player,” the Giants said in a statement on Waller retiring. “We wish him nothing but the best.”

As a resolution lingered, it likewise seemed more and more that Waller, who went through a publicized divorce with WNBA player Kelsey Plum and subsequently released a head-scratching music video this year, would not return.

Waller, a one-time Pro Bowler, played for the Ravens, Raiders and Giants, finishing his tenure with 350 receptions, 4,124 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in 86 games.

Acquired by Big Blue ahead of the 2023 campaign, Waller’s early returns were good, with reports that he and Daniel Jones had a quick chemistry, and it showed in their preseason debut together. However, the season didn’t play out that way, with Waller missing five games and hauling in just one touchdown on 52 catches for 552 yards.

It’s an unceremonious end to what was a wonderful tale written by the 31-year-old.

An inspirational story having overcome a battle with drug addiction, Waller began his NFL career with the Ravens as a 2015 sixth-round pick before multiple suspensions for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. However, he triumphantly returned, becoming one of the game’s elite tight ends during his time with the Raiders, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2020.

Having turned in a combined 18 receptions and two touchdowns in his first three seasons played (he missed all of 2017 due to suspension) from 2015-2018, Waller burst upon the national radar in 2019. Having been released by the Ravens during the 2018 season, he was quickly signed by the Raiders, but played in only four games.

In his second season in Silver and Black, Waller caught 90 balls for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns, which led to a four-year, $30 million deal. A favorite of then-quarterback Derek Carr, Waller shined in 2020 — the Raiders’ first season in Las Vegas. He hauled in 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.

Waller was held to 11 games in 2021 due to an ankle injury, but he still signed a three-year, $51 million extension in 2022, with the $17 million annual value remaining tops among TEs through his retirement.

However, he played in just eight games in 2022 for the Raiders, this time due to a hamstring injury, and was traded to the Giants the following offseason, with hamstring issues continuing to plague him in Gotham.

Waller was due to count for $14.08 million against the Giants’ cap this year. In his place, Daniel Bellinger will likely step in to the starting TE role with New York having also added Jack Stoll and drafted Theo Johnson out of Penn State.

The Giants saw it coming reports Ian Rapoport:

@RapSheet

With the thought that Darren Waller would potentially retire, the #Giants drafted Penn St’s TE Theo Johnson with 107th pick. They were prepared, and now it’s reality.

PHILADELPHIA

WR A.J. BROWN doesn’t mind when the younger Eagles WRs talk trash.  Josh Alper ofProFootballTalk.com:

One rite of the offseason is rookies finding a way to fit in with their new teammates and Eagles first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell’s approach involved wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Brown said Mitchell had been quiet since joining the team, so it surprised him to hear Mitchell say “hey, that route was trash” during a recent practice. The surprise wasn’t an unpleasant one, however. Brown said he liked seeing that from the rookie and that he appreciates the difference between the young player and established Eagles like Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

“Having these young corners who talk a little, it’s fun,” Brown said, via Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal. “That gets practice going. I want somebody to talk noise to me. Slay and James, those guys are chill, laid-back, good guys. But you can’t really talk trash to them. They’re just going to do their job and say, ‘I got you,’ or something like that. The young guys are hungry. That’s good.”

Brown added that Mitchell now has to back up his talk on the field and the Eagles defense will be in good shape if he walks the walk as well as he talks the talk.

WASHINGTON

PK BRANDON McMANUS leaves the Commanders with a parting gift.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

When the Commanders abruptly released kicker Brandon McManus, less than a week after a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault came to light, a question emerged regarding his contract.

Half of his $1.5 million signing bonus had been paid. The other half was due on Friday, June 7. Would the Commanders stiff McManus and force him to fight for the money, or would they pay him and move on?

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Commanders paid the money that was owed to McManus. (The Commanders declined comment on the matter, citing their policy of not discussing contract details.)

And so McManus received $1.5 million from the Commanders, and he never actually played in a game. He’ll get to keep that money, along with whatever he makes elsewhere. If he makes anything elsewhere.

He might be regarded as untouchable until the pending case is resolved, especially since he could eventually face a suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy. Depending on how the case plays out, his career might be over.

McManus spent 2023 with the Jaguars. The assault allegedly happened on a flight from Jacksonville to London, based on the lawsuit filed by two Atlas Air flight attendants. McManus has denied the allegations.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

http://TMZ.com with more details on the cardiac arrest of Chiefs DE BJ THOMPSON, including an important role played by PK HARRISON BUTKER:

Kansas City Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder says Harrison Butker is a hero … revealing on Friday the kicker helped save a teammate who was having a medical emergency on Thursday.

Burkholder told a roomful of reporters that just moments after BJ Thompson suffered a sudden seizure during a special teams meeting at the Chiefs’ practice facility … it was Butker who raced out to get aid.

Burkholder said Butker “immediately ran toward the training room” to make staffers aware of the situation … allowing the professionals to rush to the scene before things got dire.

Burkholder said despite Thompson going into cardiac arrest, he and his staff were able to get the 25-year-old defensive end to come back using CPR and one AED shock.

The former fifth-round pick was then transported to a nearby hospital … where Burkholder said he’s now doing much better.

“He’s alert,” the Chiefs official said. “He’s awake. He’s coming through quite well.”

Burkholder added that, as of now, they don’t know what caused the situation … although he reiterated, “He’s headed in the absolute right direction.”

– – –

WR RASHEE RICE with his first comments since his crash in Dallas.  ESPN.com:

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice gave his first public remarks about his tumultuous offseason Saturday, saying his focus is to “mature and continue to grow.”

Rice, 24, spoke to reporters Saturday while participating in a youth football camp in Kansas City along with fellow Chiefs wideouts Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore.

Rice was arrested in April following a multiple-vehicle car crash in Dallas, and he also is a suspect in a separate incident in an alleged assault at a Dallas nightclub in May.

He said Saturday he is working to improve as a person.

“I’ve learned so much from that,” he said. “All I can do is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me.”

Rice, who has taken part in offseason practices with the Chiefs, said he has leaned on his teammates for support in the wake of the two incidents and is focusing on the future.

“Accidents and stuff like that happen, but all you can do is move forward and walk around being the same person, try to be positive so that everybody can feel your love and your great energy,” he said.

Rice was arrested this spring in Dallas and charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury for his involvement in a six-car crash on a freeway. Police have alleged that Rice was racing another vehicle at high speeds and was traveling as fast as 119 mph shortly before the crash.

He is being sued in Texas for more than $1 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages by two people who say they were injured in the crash.

Dallas police also are investigating an alleged May 6 assault at a Dallas nightclub in which Rice is reportedly a suspect. Police have since said that the man who was injured in the assault has asked police not to file charges. The investigation is ongoing.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic believes the Steelers are looking to upgrade their receivers room:

Who is WR2?

Right now I’d say Van Jefferson, but to be honest, you can throw Watkins, Patterson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Marquez Callaway and Denzel Mims in there as well. Yeah, it’s not a good situation, and the Steelers know that. It would show a lack of awareness and urgency if they don’t add a legit No. 2 before the season starts. And I think they will.

And a couple more from Kaboly:

Russell Wilson is unquestioned QB1

There has been a lot of talk nationally about how Wilson will be pushed by Justin Fields for the starting quarterback job. Forget for a moment that the Steelers pursued and signed Wilson before they even made a run at Fields, suggesting they preferred Wilson to run new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense. Fields was a fallback plan, and a pretty good one, when Kenny Pickett decided he wanted to move on from the organization.

Wilson was entrenched as QB1 for the past three weeks and did absolutely nothing to suggest that three minicamp practices, 16 or so training camp practices and two preseason games (the starters likely won’t play in one of the three) will change that.

2. Wilson’s arm talent

The first thing that jumps out about Wilson is his leadership, followed by his work ethic and overall likability, at least from afar. Yeah, his diminutive stature is in there somewhere as well.

But as far as tangible football traits, the guy still has the arm talent from when he played for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has big hands (I shook his hand, or maybe he shook mine first), and that helps explain the zip and the accuracy he showed in OTAs, whether it was a dump-off in the flat or a deep ball to Quez Watkins. Who knows whether that will translate to the regular season, but remember how many open receivers Pickett missed on a routine basis last year? I don’t see that happening with Wilson.

10. Loving Arthur Smith

Maybe it is the newness, or maybe it is deeper than that, but every player I’ve talked to about Smith loves his offense. Of course they are going to say that, but this is more than typical. It’s the way he’s able to create favorable matchups with formations and schemes. Lots of teams have talented players on both sides of the ball, but the goal is to find a matchup you can exploit. Whatever Smith has done so far has convinced offensive players he can do that, or at least do it better than the last guy.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

DE WILL ANDERSON on what the Texans expect in 2024.  Josh Alper ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Texans are in a very different position than they were at this point last year.

Few people were projecting them to win the AFC South and win a playoff game as the offseason program wound down in 2023, but that’s exactly what happened thanks in large part to the contributions of a number of rookies. Quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson starred on the field while DeMeco Ryans proved to be the right choice as a first-time head coach on the sideline.

Their presence would make the Texans a favorite for another playoff run on their own, but adding the likes of Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter to the roster has pushed the bar even higher heading into the 2024 season. Handling the change in expectations has been a frequent talking point around the team as a result and Anderson’s view is that the team will be able to do it because they expect even more from themselves.

“Of course you’re going to see stuff like that, but I think it’s very important that we keep the main thing the main thing, and the main thing right now is just us being able to control what we can control,” Anderson said, via Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com. “And that’s everybody showing up for workouts, everybody making sure that they’re honing in on their playbook and everybody coming to practice, competing and having fun, so when the season comes, we can go out and compete and win games, and we can focus on getting to the ultimate goal, which is the Super Bowl. But for right now this offseason, we just want to keep building that team chemistry and making sure that nobody’s expectations are higher than the expectations that we have for ourselves.”

The Texans pulled off a remarkable turnaround in 2023, but that doesn’t guarantee anything for 2024. Anderson’s answer suggests they know that and that there’s still a hunger for growth that could make for an even more successful run this time around.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

EDGE VON MILLER no longer needs a knee brace.  Michael Baca of NFL.com:

What cannot be seen will hopefully soon be forgotten for Von Miller in 2024.

Miller revealed at Bills organized team activities this week that he’s finally been able to practice without a brace on his right knee for the first time since suffering a major injury that hampered his 2023 season.

“I have continued to grind and continued to work on my knee,” Miller said, via the Democrat & Chronicle. “Everything revolves around my health and how my knee is feeling. So far I’ve been practicing without a knee brace and that’s something I could not do last year. So I know during the season once you get in the mix and the games, I should be able to go.”

Miller suffered the season-ending knee injury on Thanksgiving Day in 2022. He began the 2023 season on the PUP list as he continued to rehab the catastrophic injury, which included an ACL tear and damage to his meniscus. But the eight-time Pro Bowler struggled upon his return, producing just three tackles while being held sackless across 12 regular-season games (258 snaps).

Miller remained unproductive on the stat sheet during Buffalo’s playoff run, which featured more injuries to the Bills defense. The season culminated in a one-score loss to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round — a game in which the Bills failed to sack Patrick Mahomes even once — but Miller saw a silver lining toward the end of his year as it pertained to his knee, and hopes it serves as a jumping-point going into 2024.

“My last three games of the season — Miami, Pittsburgh, Kansas City — were my best games of the year,” he said. “I hate that it waited all the way to that point but that’s what it took. So I’ve been trying to use that to springboard into this season.”

For an esteemed pass rusher with 123.5 career sacks to his name, Miller’s on-field absence was a surprise to most. Yet, coming back from such a major injury would be tough for anyone, let alone a 13-year veteran playing in his age-35 season.

A healthier and more confident Miller would be a godsend for a Buffalo squad that lost several notable players on defense, including Leonard Floyd, the team’s 2023 sack leader, longtime safety tandem Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, and cornerback Tre’Davious White.

The Bills still possess a strong defensive line which portends to be the force that maintains order on defense in 2024. Miller, who signed a six-year, $120 million deal with the Bills in 2022, is growing confident he can be a viable pass rusher on that unit as he finally puts his knee injury in the rearview.

MIAMI

Mike Florio is worried that WR TYREEK HILL has become underpaid – and here he offers a solution:

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill has been trying to get a revised contract since the end of the 2023 season. A string of new deals for other players has complicated that process, culminating in teammate Jaylen Waddle getting $28.25 million per year in new money and Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson pushing the bar for all non-quarterbacks to $35 million per year.

Hill is under contract for three more years. He’s due to make $19.765 million in 2024, $22.935 million in 2025, and $45 million in 2026. That’s $87.7 million in existing obligations, an average of $29.23 million per year. The 2024 salary is fully guaranteed.

The final year of $45 million was aimed at artificially bumping the new-money average on the two-year-old contract from $25 million to $30 million. The key to making Hill happier with his contract situation could be to move that remaining money around.

The simplest approach would be to make it $29.23 million in each of the next three years, with the first two years fully guaranteed.

That would get him past Waddle in annual average (sort of), and it would make the meaningless final year of the existing contract meaningful.

And if Hill insists on having a higher average at signing, another phony year or two could be stapled onto the back end of the contract.

However it works out, Hill wants something to be done. The Dolphins could, in theory, tell him that his current contract is only two years old, and that he’s expected to honor it as written. On one hand, that could result in Hill being difficult in 2024, like he apparently was (at least privately) during his final year with the Chiefs. On the other hand, Hill might realize that it will become a rough look for him to have complained his way out of Kansas City before complaining his way out of Miami.

The best outcome would be to find a way to shuffle Hill’s cash to get him more this year, and to give him a way to spin his situation as something more than $25 million per year in new money, since the $45 million due in 2026 was and continues to be phony and fake.

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CB XAVIEN HOWARD is on the street – and stuff like this is not good for any hopes of a new contract.  ESPN.com with a law suit over some sordid behavior:

Former Miami Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard sent a male teenager a sexually explicit photograph of the teen’s mother because she refused to get an abortion, a new court filing alleges.

The allegation was made Thursday in a lawsuit filed last year by a woman who is not the teenager’s mother. The woman who filed the suit accuses Howard, 30, of secretly recording them having sex and sharing the recordings with others. She says Howard also shared, without consent, sex tapes she had agreed to make.

Attorneys for the woman want the teenager, who is now 18, added as a plaintiff against Howard, who was released this offseason by the Dolphins in a money-saving move and is a free agent. The teenager is the son of another woman who attorneys say also had a relationship with Howard and was recorded having sex with him. That woman has not sued Howard.

“Xavien Howard operates by intimidation and force. Where he goes, destruction follows, and the lives of two individuals have been irrevocably altered because of him,” attorneys Cam Justice and Adriana Alcalde wrote in their filing.

“Mr. Howard denies the claims and looks forward to prevailing in a court of law,” Howard’s attorney, Ted Craig, said in a statement.

In the original lawsuit, filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe, a woman says she dated Howard for several months in 2022. A few months after they broke up, she received an Instagram message from a woman who said Howard had sent her sexually explicit videos of himself having sex with various women, including Doe.

That woman told Doe that Howard had sent her the videos because she spurned his sexual advances. In April 2023, another woman contacted Doe, saying Howard had also sent her videos because she too had spurned his advances.

Doe said she consented once to Howard recording their sexual activity but that other videos were done secretly without her consent.

In the latest filing seeking to add the teen as a plaintiff, he says that in September 2022, his mother and Howard were fighting over her refusal to have an abortion. The woman says Howard is the child’s father. The attorneys say Howard texted the teenager a photograph of his mother engaging in sex “in his ongoing crusade to debase and humiliate” the woman and caused “severe emotional distress” to the teenager.

“Howard’s conduct was outrageous [and] went beyond all boundaries of decency,” Justice and Alcalde wrote in their filing.

The suit is requesting damages in excess of $50,000. No criminal charges have been filed.

Howard played eight seasons with the Dolphins, who drafted him out of Baylor in 2016. He intercepted 29 passes in 100 games and has been selected to four Pro Bowls.

Howard’s production declined the past two seasons as he dealt with injuries. He played through groin injuries in 2022 and was limited to 13 games in 2023 because of hip and foot injuries.