| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITIf Dan Campbell doesn’t seem as excitable as usual this year, there is a reason. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Lions head coach Dan Campbell is famous for his coffee consumption, but even Campbell has his limits. Campbell revealed in an interview with Brad Galli that he has cut down on his caffeine intake — which has been estimated at over 1,000 mg a day, equivalent to a full 12-cup pot of coffee — after Brett Fischer, the Lions’ director of player health and performance, urged him to get a medical checkup. “Our guy Fish told me, take this blood test, they’ll check all your levels,” Campbell said. “A couple things came out of it, I changed a couple things, and yes, I did back down on caffeine. It’s not a gallon, it’s a half a gallon now a day. We’re good.” Campbell is still drinking more coffee than most people, but not as much as he had been previously. “Most of the time it goes well into the evening, and I’m one of those weird people, I can chug a cup of coffee right before I go to bed,” Campbell said. Campbell has no plans to change his highly caffeinated style of coaching, but if he suddenly gets conservative on fourth downs, we know why. |
| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSThe Giants are taking a flier on RB NAJEE HARRIS, once the workhorse of the Steelers. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com: The New York Giants have signed free agent running back Najee Harris to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday. Harris worked out for the Giants on Monday. Coach John Harbaugh liked what he saw and heard despite the veteran coming off a torn Achilles last year. “He looked good in the workout,” Harbaugh said Monday. “You know, he’s not back 100%. He’s not in football shape yet. So, if we are able to do something, it’ll be a process. “But that would be a guy that has got a lot of experience. He’s a decorated vet. And with those guys, generally, you just have to kind of see where they’re at when you get them. And sometimes it works out great. Sometimes it’s just OK, and other times it doesn’t work out. But based on the workout, I would say we feel like he’s got a shot. We’ll just have to see how it goes.” Harris knows he’s not quite in game shape but said he’s “ready to get back” following last year’s season-ending injury. “Am I fully in football shape? No, I just got my pads today,” Harris said Tuesday. “There’s a difference between getting in shape and in football shape because it’s hard to replicate pads in the offseason other than just putting it on and going out there and work. So, can I go out there and run some plays? Of course I can. But am I where I want to be, like [where] Najee wants to be at? No, probably not. “It’s not going to take a long time. It doesn’t take a long time for me to get in shape. I take that seriously. I’m committed to that.” The addition of Harris comes after the Giants waived running back Dante Miller with an injury designation. Miller hurt his groin in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings and is expected to miss time. In a corresponding move, the Giants released veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. Harris joins a backfield that has Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. at the top of the depth chart. The Giants also have veteran Devin Singletary in the mix along with Eric Gray and undrafted rookie Damon Bankston. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| NEW ORLEANSRB ALVIN KAMARA left joint practice with the Cowboys yesterday, but it’s not too bad according to Nick Underhill: Nick UnderhillAlvin Kamara avoided a major knee injury. Didn’t tear anything. Will be out for a few weeks, per source |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOThe 49ers offense struggled in joint work with the Chargers on Tuesday. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: The 49ers’ offense wasn’t up to par in their joint practice against the Chargers’ defense on Tuesday. That’s the word from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who said afterward that he was disappointed in the offense’s performance. “Honestly, I don’t think it was our best day,” Purdy said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Feel like fundamentals and stuff were just a little off and whatnot. . . . Just feel like we could have came out with a little bit more chip on our shoulder offensively.” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan also wasn’t thrilled with how his offense looked. “I liked it a little more at first, and then didn’t like it as much later,” Shanahan said of the offense. “I thought we struggled a little bit in the move-the-ball periods. Didn’t score in the two-minute [drill]. So there were some ups and downs, but I didn’t really like how we finished today.” The 49ers will meet the Chargers in a preseason game on Thursday night. |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVERA look at DT ZACH ALLEN who will have a new partner or two on the interior pass rush this season. Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com: If things go right this season for Denver Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen, he might have to rename his dream beach house. Allen, who earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2025 and became only the second player to have 40 quarterback hits in back-to-back seasons (joining three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt), has joked about calling his future oceanside residence the “John Franklin-Myers House” because of all the help Franklin-Myers provided him, allowing Allen to accumulate punishment on opposing passers. Allen has gone from a player who had two sacks in his first two NFL seasons combined with the Arizona Cardinals to a foundational player on a Super Bowl hopeful, someone the Broncos deemed important enough to give a four-year, $102 million extension to last summer. But he’s also at the nexus of one of the Broncos’ few offseason questions: Who will replace Franklin-Myers and help Allen do what he does best? Franklin-Myers, who played a little more than 500 snaps in each of the past two seasons, signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency and is just one of two starters from the AFC Championship Game not on this Broncos roster in training camp (linebacker Dre Greenlaw being the other). “It’ll be a little different this year,” Allen said after a recent practice. “But we still have our guys, our room is still our room, we’re still putting in the work, we still have big goals. D.J. [Jones], Malcolm [Roach], [Eyioma Uwazurike], young guys like Tyler [Onyedim] and Sai’vion [Jones], there’s no reason our standard shouldn’t always be our standard.” Allen and Franklin-Myers consistently created discomfort to the point of making Allen the answer to a rather intriguing trivia question. It was Allen, not any of the league’s elite edge rushers, who led the league in quarterback hits in 2025. His 47 led by a healthy margin, as he was the only player credited with more than 40. That’s a long way from being a former third-round pick who thought he was doomed after injuries and a position switch early in his career. “I thought I was getting cut — people saying ‘this kid’s a bust’ or whatever, but the NFL thing is like a math problem, you’ve [got] to figure it out,” Allen said. “You can have great people around, telling you the right things and helping you — like [Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph] has been so big for me — but in the end what you put into it is going to come out. … Discomfort can open your eyes, and my eyes were really open.” Allen dishes out discomfort for quarterbacks in a defense that has led the league in sacks in each of the past two seasons. And Joseph watched his journey from the beginning. “I was with Zach from his rookie year to now, and he’s gotten bigger and stronger over time, he’s played the run game better [and] his rush I.Q. has gotten better,” Joseph said. “… That’s the toughest thing for players when they have success. Can they go back to the drawing board and improve? “If you’re not improving in this league, people are going to catch you … He’s one of those special guys [who] doesn’t want to get caught.” The Broncos want to help continue that by finding a successor for Franklin-Myers on their 3-4 front. They have three former third-round picks vying for the role opposite Allen. Emerging are Uwazurike (2023 fourth-round pick) — who missed his rookie season due to a gambling suspension — Sai’vion Jones (2025 third-round pick) and Onyedim (2026 third-round pick). Uwazurike, who started the preseason opener in Atlanta, has consistently drawn raves for his progress from a bit player last season. “I’ve seen a guy who changed his body,” Joseph said of Uwazurike. “He’s always been a big man, but he’s leaned out and he’s moving very well. … He’s changed his body and now he’s a different player. He’s always wanted it, always been a run stopper for us and [now] he’s a pass rusher.” Onyedim has shown quickness at the point of attack in practice while his length (an offensive tackle-like 81⅜ inches) can help him shed blockers on the interior. Like Uwazurike, Jones has gained more power in the offseason. Whoever wins Franklin-Myers’ old role will be tasked with taking attention off Allen. Unlike edge rushers, who usually rush in the quarterback’s peripheral vision, Allen is in the middle of the pocket. He said he’d like to continue to pile up wins and QB hits next to his new running mate. “Sure, I’d like those to be four sacks a game,” Allen said. “But if you beat the guard right away and the quarterback sees you clearly, that ball’s out. … So, a QB hit means you got there in time, that I’m productive, it means I’m helping Nik [Bonitto] and our edge guys … and I hope it helps us win, because that’s probably the number we all care about the most.” The Broncos also hope the new sidekick can help the All-Pro manage his snaps. Allen topped 80% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in his first two seasons with the team, with more than 900 snaps each year — an astounding number for an interior defensive lineman. Denver was slightly more judicious last season, when Allen played 797, and the team is trying to find a balance between keeping him rested and maximizing his impact. “He has tremendous stamina, so play 38 looks like (play) eight, play 60 still looks like eight,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “So that’s a big asset at a position where it’s hard.” |
| LAS VEGASQB KIRK COUSINS protects the no contact status of his red practice jersey. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins found himself in the middle of another practice skirmish during Tuesday’s joint workout with the Texans. Nothing reached the level of his tussle with teammate Maxx Crosby earlier this summer, but Cousins was upset for similar reasons. He said after the session that “my elbow got hit” when Texans defenders closed in on him in the pocket and that sparked his response. “I’ve got some scars from some hits in real games where helmets go into armpits and things, and it ruins your season,” Cousins said, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So, I was just asking [Crosby] to just stay off the arm, and I had to remind the Texans as well.” Cousins was wearing the typical red jersey signifying that no one should contact the quarterback and he wondered why that’s the case given how often it seems to happen. “I might as well just take the red jersey off because you’re playing with, sometimes, an understood rule that if it’s not understood, then what are we doing?” Cousins said. That’s a fair question, although it might not be the most pressing one as the Raiders work to figure out when Cousins will give way to first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEThis, as we go to press, from Dan Leahy of YahooSports.com: Trade: Giants deal OL Daniel Faalele to JaguarsThe 26-year-old Faalele is on his way to Jacksonville in exchange for an undisclosed late-round 2027 draft pick. Faalele was the Ravens’ fourth-round pick in 2022. He played his first four NFL seasons in Baltimore and started every game at guard over the past two seasons. Faalele signed a one-year deal to join the Giants in April, reuniting with John Harbaugh. He will now head to the Jaguars, who are dealing with injury issues on their offensive line as RG Patrick Mekari (back) and RT Cole Van Lanen (knee) could miss the start of the season. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDMike Reiss of ESPN.com with a long look at how the Patriots are responding to the Super Bowl loss hangover: By April, the Patriots were a much different team, a result of being aggressive spenders in free agency for a second straight year. Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs was a big catch and given a four-year, $68 million free agent deal after the team released 2025 leading receiver Stefon Diggs. At outside linebacker, veteran Dre’Mont Jones (three years, $36.5 million) was prioritized over retaining pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (career-high 7.5 sacks in 2025), in part because Jones is a sturdier option against the run. Veteran safety Kevin Byard, who led the NFL with seven interceptions in 2025 with the Chicago Bears, was considered a coup and the reason the Patriots elected not to re-sign starter Jaylinn Hawkins (now with the Ravens). Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker also was brought aboard (three years, $42 million), which led to a trade of starting center Garrett Bradbury (1,072 snaps played) to the Bears and 2025 third-round pick Jared Wilson sliding over to replace him. Fullback Reggie Gilliam (three years, $10.8 million) was another early signing, which highlighted the desire to become a tougher, more physical team in the run game and on kickoff returns — roles in which Gilliam excelled with the Bills. After what seemed like a successful free agency, the Patriots were preparing for the NFL draft when the discourse surrounding the team and its head coach took a turn. On April 7, the New York Post published pictures of Vrabel and The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury resort in Arizona, appearing to show the two, who are both married, embracing and holding hands days before the NFL spring league meetings. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14. One week later, Vrabel addressed reporters for the first time, calling it a “personal and private matter” and saying, “I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players.” As part of the fallout, Vrabel was away from the team on April 25, the third and final day of the NFL draft, as he said he was beginning the process of seeking counseling. The Patriots made six of their nine overall selections that day with the coach absent. They aren’t relying on major contributions from their draft class, as Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu (first round, No. 28), Illinois outside linebacker Gabe Jacas (second round, No. 55) and Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon (third round, No. 95) currently project as top backups and Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty (fifth round, No. 171) as a core special teams player. Vrabel’s situation lingered throughout May before the Patriots made headlines once again — this time trading for Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles’ star wide receiver. Speculation of a trade had been stirring for months, but it was officially announced June 1. The Patriots sent their 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to deliver Maye a clear-cut No. 1 target and address perhaps the top deficiency on the roster. Brown, who grew up a Patriots fan, instantly shifted the energy around the team with his arrival. Smiling at the interview dais, he famously said, “Obviously, I know this ain’t heaven, but it’s close to it.” Offensive tackle Morgan Moses, New England’s oldest (35) and longest-tenured player (13th season), sounded optimistic that the Patriots can turn the page on last season and build with new additions. “You live and you learn. What we did last was successful, but obviously, we didn’t walk off with the [Lombardi] Trophy like we wanted to,” he said. “You gotta learn how to lose before you can win. I think we’ve digested that well over the offseason and coming together, adding new pieces.” WITH PLENTY OF new faces in the locker room, Vrabel sought to continue what worked well in 2025: building a team identity. On Aug. 4 in the Patriots’ new 160-seat auditorium, he stood in front of his players and talked about oranges and how the fruit relates to what he wants the 2026 Patriots to ideally become. Yes, oranges. Vrabel explained: When an orange is squeezed, everyone knows what it creates. So, when the Patriots are in the juicer, such as in a competitive game in a pressure-filled fourth quarter, can they become a team that oozes the ingredients most important to Vrabel? “Whatever you squeeze is what you are. That’s you. He’s trying to pull that out of us,” veteran punter Bryce Baringer said. “He made the analogy if someone squeezes an orange, watermelon juice isn’t going to come out. So, when we’re squeezed, we have to be that team; it needs to be those four pillars of our identity.” The four pillars haven’t changed since last season: effort and finish; ball security and disruption; details, techniques and fundamentals; and making great decisions. But a significant number of the players hearing Vrabel’s message have changed. Unlike most other conference champions, the Patriots have turned over nearly half their roster to create a rare mix: a significantly different team despite entering the 2026 campaign carrying the AFC’s bull’s-eye. Of the 91 players on the current roster, 43 weren’t with the team last season. In comparison, of the 90 players currently on the Seahawks’ roster, 25 weren’t with the team last season. Furthermore, the Patriots lost 14 players who started at least one game for them last season. The Seahawks lost only five. If that holds in the regular season, it would be the fourth-most starters lost by a reigning AFC/NFC champion in the past decade, behind the 2020 Chiefs (20), the 2024 Eagles (19) and the 2017 Patriots (16), according to ESPN Research. With such turnover, it’s no wonder Vrabel said he told the 2026 team the same thing he did the 2025 team at this time last year: The goal is to earn a role, build a team and prepare to win. “I don’t think the messaging will be much different. It’s got to be consistent,” Vrabel said. “We have to be able to build each and every year, to start over and figure out the things that we do well, what we like and what the players have confidence in. And we have to be able to push the envelope on some things that we weren’t very good at last year.” In total, the Patriots have lost players who started a cumulative 104 games last season — third most among the past 20 Super Bowl teams, behind the 2022 Eagles (116) and the 2020 Chiefs (105). Neither the 2022 Eagles nor the 2020 Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl the following season, which might be an ominous sign for New England. But at the same time, what makes the Patriots’ roster turnover unique is that most of it was by choice. “We were very honest in our evaluations with what we needed even though we had a successful season last year,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “We were able to target and acquire some of the guys we coveted.” The new and improved roster was built in Vrabel’s image, which according to Wolf means “physical, tough, play through the whistle, block for the guy without the ball and who are great teammates.” “[Vrabel] espouses that every single day; it’s real and not just something he says. He wakes up every morning and thinks about this identity, and that permeates through the building,” Wolf said in late July. “We all think that way now. We’re not going to bring in guys that don’t fit those characteristics or guys we don’t think can improve in those characteristics. It’s made our job easier on the scouting side.” SINCE PURCHASING THE PATRIOTS in 1994, Robert Kraft has often said his expectation entering a season is to make the playoffs because anything is possible at that point. The 2001 New England team that shocked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI was the perfect example. Until Kraft noted a more recent occurrence in a July appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.” “If you make the playoffs, like we saw last year, no one would have predicted [the Patriots to have been in the Super Bowl],” he said. The Patriots have acknowledged making it to Super Bowl LX put them ahead of their own projection in Vrabel’s first year as head coach. An MVP-worthy season from Maye and an improved defense was aided, in part, by playing a fourth-place schedule. The Patriots went 14-3 while playing the weakest schedule in the past quarter decade in terms of opponents’ combined records. Their 17 opponents (counting each divisional opponent twice) went a combined 113-176, for a .391 win percentage. Since 1980, New England was just the fourth team to play a schedule against teams that had a combined winning percentage of less than .400 and the first since 1999, when both the Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars did it. In 2026, the Patriots will face the league’s sixth-hardest schedule based on opponents’ 2025 winning percentage. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), meanwhile, rates the schedule more favorably (23rd). Among the primary challenges are having seven of the first 11 games on the road. “You got something to chase, and I think that’s one of the best things about experiencing it,” Maye said of the heartache surrounding the Super Bowl, after which he had acknowledged receiving a pain-killing injection in his right throwing shoulder. “We have to be even better because our standard from last year, if we just play the same way, we won’t make it there.” The FPI, which is a measure of team strength meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward for the rest of the season, doesn’t currently view the Patriots as likely to make it back. New England is ranked 14th overall and seventh in the AFC, behind the Bills (2), Ravens (3), Los Angeles Chargers (7), Chiefs (9), Cincinnati Bengals (12) and Houston Texans (13). Vrabel said he has yet to use those types of rankings as motivation for his team. Others view the Patriots among the elite with cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who is still negotiating a contract extension, headlining the defense and Maye — runner-up for the NFL’s 2025 Most Valuable Player Award — running the offense. The quarterback enters his third pro season and second in coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense, which will prove critical for his growth. “Drake should have won the MVP last year,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said. “You add A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to what they already have … and with Vrabes, he’s one of the best coaches in football when it comes to X’s and O’s, techniques and the winning formula. For my money, he’s the best there is.” Former NFL executive Pat Kirwan, who visited Patriots training camp as part of his work on SiriusXM NFL Radio, said, “Most of the spring we all talked about, ‘Well, Buffalo is going to take the [AFC East] division back.’ I would be real careful about that one.” How the Patriots respond to their standing as defending AFC champions, along with good fortune in terms of injuries, will be among the key factors. That’s what Patriots Hall of Fame wide receiver Troy Brown remembers about the 2002 campaign — the season the Patriots had turned from lovable underdogs to not-ready-for-the-bull’s-eye AFC standard-bearer — and how it caught some off guard. “There were things that were taken for granted, almost that we would be back in the Super Bowl again without realizing what the process was on that. That probably came with some immaturity, and it proved much more difficult than we thought it would be,” Brown said of a 9-7 campaign in which the team didn’t qualify for the playoffs. “You can play a team that is 0-6 and you’re going to get their best shot. That’s just the way it is.” The present-day Patriots have talked about the importance of responding to that challenge. Now, they aim to prove it with actions. Marcus Jones, the slot corner and return specialist, believes they have the right mix in the locker room to deliver. “I feel like it’s been a great response. We feel we need to prove more and more every single day,” he said. “There’s nobody in the building that thinks about complacency.” |
| THIS AND THAT |
| 2027 DRAFTNick Baumgardner of The Athletic gives us his top 25 prospects for the 2027 Draft: 1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio StateThe top mutant in a class that could be filled with them, Smith has been college football’s best player for at least the last two years and enters the season atop of one of the most talented wide receiver prospect groups we’ve seen in a minute. Smith (6 feet 3 inches tall and 225 pounds) is gigantic, jumps nearly 40 inches, has topped 23 mph on the GPS and has the agility of a man 40 pounds lighter. Nobody’s perfect, but give Smith some time — he’s still only 20 years old. 2. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre DameAn outstanding blend of size and athleticism at 6-2, 197, Moore’s on-field movement can remind one of Denver Broncos star Pat Surtain II. That’s not all, though, as his football IQ in space is also top-notch. Moore forced 10 incompletions, had seven pass breakups and five picks as a sophomore last year, while emerging as one of the most complete defenders in America. 3. Dylan Stewart, edge, South CarolinaStewart (6-5, 245) moves like a big wide receiver. A complete athlete with length and massive hands, he can line up pretty much anywhere along the defensive front and has enough quicks to stand up and move in the box. Still just 20, Stewart has electric potential and has yet to scratch the surface as a pass rusher. 4. Cam Coleman, WR, TexasIn any other year, Coleman would be getting the Jeremiah Smith treatment. No one is as refined as the Ohio State star, but Coleman’s potential as a 6-foot-3, 210-pound, do-everything game-wrecker is tantalizing. As he moves from Auburn to Texas, where he’ll play alongside a more talented quarterback (and supporting cast), expectations are rightly sky high. 5. Colin Simmons, edge, TexasSimmons doesn’t have Stewart’s measurables, but he more than makes up for it with pass-rush savvy. The 6-3, 255-pound junior is already closing in on Will Anderson Jr.’s SEC career sacks record (34.5; Simmons is 14 away). He has answers for every punch a tackle throws at him, and he’s only getting stronger. 6. Sammy Brown, LB, ClemsonSome linebackers call themselves “sideline-to-sideline players,” but Brown lives it. With 4.41-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical, Brown (6-2, 235) — a former high school running back (and an accomplished prep wrestler) — is a true three-down linebacker. He has the ability to run with just about anyone on the field. He’s a legit front-seven X-factor. 7. Charlie Becker, WR, IndianaThe most unheralded member of Indiana’s 2025 national championship offense, Becker made only 34 catches last year, but his performance throughout the College Football Playoff opened eyes. At 6-3, 207, Becker has tremendous top-end speed and body control. He’s a versatile receiver who can work from anywhere — and has zero career drops entering his junior year. 8. Trevor Goosby, OT, TexasGoosby (6-7, 315) might be a frustrating evaluation for some, as his pass sets and footwork can be inconsistent. But his blend of size and athleticism — he weighed 280 pounds in high school and moves like he still does — is tantalizing. Goosby is still a young player, but he has the potential of an NFL starter at left or right tackle. Something to watch: Goosby reportedly could miss the start of the season because of a bone bruise in his knee. 9. Nick Marsh, WR, IndianaMarsh (6-3, 213) is another big-bodied target with speed and freaky athleticism. An X receiver who possesses enough quicks to work from anywhere, Marsh forced 28 missed tackles last year while playing at Michigan State. He can really separate in the open field. Like Coleman, a move to a better offense could bring on a breakout year. 10. Arch Manning, QB, TexasAs with every prospect, you have to watch a player’s growth throughout the course of a season. Manning (6-4, 230) had a shaky first half of 2025 but was a different player down the stretch, and he remains a tremendous young prospect. His blend of arm talent, athleticism and size remains unmatched in this class. Just like the next guy on our list, another quarterback, he’d have been a first-rounder had he declared for the 2026 draft. 11. Dante Moore, QB, OregonMoore’s mind was his greatest asset last season, from his ability to stay calm in pressure situations on the road to the maturity shown by deciding to stay in school. Indiana wasn’t the only team to expose some of Moore’s hiccups late last season, but like Manning, one more year of time on task should iron out the little things. Both of these QBs should be in the top-five discussion throughout the year. 12. Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole MissAn explosive athlete who is lethal in space, Lacy forced 85 missed tackles as a sophomore last season. The 5-11, 210-pounder is a sudden cutter who runs with power and twitch, attacking space like a great punt returner. A three-down prospect with soft hands and good vision between the tackles, Lacy could be a household name this year. 13. Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSUWith a massive 6-6, 238-pound frame, Green runs routes like a giant receiver who can sink, bend and adjust to off-target throws mid-stride. A very fluid athlete, he made 12 contested catches last year and was dangerous after the catch. He has to get stronger, but his ceiling is very high. 14. Tae Johnson, S, Notre DameA big-bodied safety with long arms and serious range, Johnson (6-2, 197) can get to footballs most players his size have no chance on — he had four picks and three pass breakups as a sophomore last year. Though he could be a more consistent run defender, he has serious hybrid potential as a deep safety. 15. Kade Pieper, iOL, IowaA two-time winner of the Solon (Iowa) Beef Days Hay Bale Toss, Pieper, who will move from guard to center this season, is Iowa’s most athletically impressive run blocker since Tyler Linderbaum. This ranking might be a touch high to start out for Pieper, who has plenty to prove when facing power over the ball. But he could be Iowa’s next star lineman. 16. KJ Bolden, S, GeorgiaWhenever a true freshman safety earns a start for Kirby Smart, people take note. Bolden pulled that off in 2024 and hasn’t looked back. The 6-foot, 190-pounder doesn’t have Johnson’s size, but there isn’t a smarter safety in this class. A terrific run fitter with length and the “clutch” gene, Bolden is a high-floor prospect. 17. Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, AlabamaAn acrobat in the air, Coleman-Williams (6-0, 175) is built like former Alabama star and 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith. His adjustments to off-target throws as a long receiver can be spectacular. He’s skinny and drops too many easy ones, but his playmaking ability is too good to ignore. 18. Trevor Lauck, OT, IowaLauck (6-5, 314) allowed just six pressures (and zero sacks) as a sophomore left tackle last year. A terrific athlete at his size, he can pull, screen block and bend with smaller edge rushers. Not unlike Goosby, however, he’s still working out some youth-related hiccups. 19. Will Echoles, DT, Ole MissA versatile interior force, Echoles (6-2, 309) can play any gap between the tackles and is quick enough to be a heavy end in an odd scheme. He’s a terrific run defender who finds the ball out of his area. Echoles (30 run stops last year) plays with tremendous effort and contact balance inside. 20. Jelani McDonald, S, TexasAnother mutant of a safety, McDonald (6-2, 194) is a big, long, fast former high school quarterback/receiver with great hybrid potential, on the front or back end. He needs to be better with his run angles and route identification, but his athletic ceiling is very high. 21. Yhonzae Pierre, edge, AlabamaPierre (6-3, 248) shows terrific burst and flexibility off the edge. But his effort is the real X-factor, as Pierre’s relentless approach to every rep can be difficult for offensive linemen to endure over the course of a game. If he shows more of a pass-rush plan in 2026, he’ll shoot up draft boards. 22. Jadan Baugh, RB, FloridaBuilt like an old-school running back, Baugh (6-foot, 228) attacks defenses much more like his modern contemporaries — right down to the ability to hurdle guys mid-stride. A patient runner who is extremely hard to tackle, Baugh has burst and balance that make up for his lack of elite speed. 23. CJ Carr, QB, Notre DameAn effortlessly smooth athlete with intriguing arm talent, Carr is a relentless competitor who has great playmaking instincts and a high ceiling. Athletically, he’s like a stronger version of former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy — a quick mover in the pocket who can rip the ball from a number of arm slots. Nearly everything about his game needs more refinement, but Carr has first-round traits. 24. Ashton Hampton, CB, ClemsonA huge cornerback prospect, Hampton (6-3, 204) was extremely disruptive as a sophomore last year, forcing eight incompletions and breaking up six more passes. He reminds me a bit of former Penn State corner Joey Porter Jr., with his physicality on the outside. We do need to see more production here, though. 25. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma StateWith ideal size and terrific arm talent, Mestemaker (6-4, 211) as a sophomore last year at North Texas was one of college football’s most confident passers. A very good athlete with a calm throwing motion and great feet for his age, Mestemaker displayed a fearlessness over the middle in Eric Morris’ offense that led to a record-breaking year. If he backs it up at Oklahoma State, he’ll soar up draft boards. Rest assured, the QBs will go higher in the draft than 10, 11, 23 and 25. And keep an eye on Mestermaker. |
| MOST OVERPAIDThis from Garrett Podell of CBSSports.com: In the NFL, respect is earned, but players truly feel the love when the compensation starts flowing. The average NFL career length is 3.5 years, but those who can make it further can potentially procure generational wealth. However, things can sometimes go south in the NFL after guys are paid, whether due to injury, age, or some other unforeseen circumstance. That type of development can lead to a player being overpaid for expected production that isn’t being realized on the field. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the NFL’s most overpaid players at every offensive and defensive position entering the 2026 season. Quarterback: Deshaun WatsonContract: Five years, $230 million fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million contract, fully guaranteed, is the worst contract in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns inked him to that deal after trading a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, a 2022 fourth-round pick, a third-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024 in exchange for the three-time Houston Texans Pro Bowler and a 2024 sixth-round pick. The high-level play in Houston that enticed Cleveland to make that deal occurred before his off-field legal issues surfaced, resulting in a league-issued suspension that kept him out for the entire 2021 season and the first 11 games of 2022. When he’s played in his limited 19-start tenure as the Browns’ starting quarterback, he’s been one of the NFL’s worst, ranking in the bottom five in the NFL in multiple efficiency metrics among the 50 quarterbacks who have thrown 500-plus passes since 2022. There may never be an NFL contract this depressing for generations to come. Running back: Jeremiyah LoveContract: Four years, $53.02 million fully guaranteed The Arizona Cardinals set up 2026 third overall pick running back Jeremiyah Love to end up on a list like this simply by selecting a running back with the third overall pick. First-round pick contracts are assigned by draft slot, which means Love is locked into $53.02 million fully guaranteed over the life of his four-year rookie deal. While his collegiate accomplishments of leading college football in rushing touchdowns (35) and scrimmage touchdowns (40) across his final two seasons at Notre Dame are great, that’s not enough to earn more guaranteed money than some of the NFL’s best. Love now earns more guaranteed money on his rookie contract than every other running back in the NFL, including 2025 NFL scrimmage yards leader Bijan Robinson ($51.56 million of his three-year, $66.75 million deal) and three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs ($51.47 million of his three-year, $67.5 million deal). Those two plus three-time Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor ($39.02 million of his two-year, $44 million deal) reset the running back market from an average per year salary perspective this offseason, but Love still possesses more guaranteed money than all three of them. He needs to be a generational running back in order to live up to his lofty draft status and the money that comes with it. Most guaranteed money, current RB contracts Guaranteed MoneyJeremiyah Love (ARI) $53.02 millionBijan Robinson (ATL) $51.56 millonJahmyr Gibbs (DET) $51.47 millionJonathan Taylor (IND) $39.02 millionSaquon Barkley (PHI) $36 million Wide receiver: Chris Godwin Contract: Three years, $66 million with $44 million guaranteedChris Godwin’s three-year, $66 million extension is aging like spoiled milk. He has missed a combined 18 games over the last two seasons, eight of which came in 2025, when he registered career lows in catches (33) and receiving yards (360) while producing the second-fewest receiving touchdowns of his career (two). He is set to make a whopping $22 million in guaranteed salary this season and barring a miraculous turnaround in his age-30 season, Godwin won’t be playing out the final year of his deal in 2027 when Tampa Bay can save $13.7 million by releasing him. Tight end: Cade Otton Contract: Three years, $30 million with $20 million guaranteedTampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton’s extension kicks in this season, but the Buccaneers are still awaiting a breakout from the 27-year-old. With Mike Evans missing a career-high nine games last season because of various injuries, Otton did not step up as the next big-bodied target for quarterback Baker Mayfield, with just 572 yards receiving and a career-low 1 receiving touchdown on 59 catches. His guaranteed money protects him from being a cap casualty in 2026, but Otton will need to have a big year in the coming season. Offensive tackle: Dan Moore Jr. Contract: Four years, $82 million with $50 million guaranteed The Tennessee Titans reeled in Dan Moore Jr. to be 2025 first overall pick quarterback Cam Ward’s blindside protector in free agency a year ago, and he was an absolute disaster. Moore allowed eight sacks in 2025, tied for the seventh-most in the NFL, while surrendering 46 quarterback pressures, the second most in the NFL and just one behind Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele’s league-leading 47. Out of the 84 offensive tackles graded by Pro Football Focus in 2025, Moore’s 61.9 offensive grade ranked 57th. Only three more years to go. Interior offensive linemen: Aaron Banks Contract: Four years, $77 million with $27 fully million guaranteed Aaron Banks’ sack rate wasn’t terrible, just three allowed in 312 pass-blocking snaps, but he did surrender 23 quarterback pressures in 2025. Pro Football Focus handed Banks a 56.5 offensive grade, which ranked 55th out of the 79 qualified offensive guards they graded. However, that’s not quite the production you’d like to see out of the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid guard in terms of average per year salary at $19.25 million. Banks is also currently dealing with knee tendinitis that flares up whenever he performs football movements, so he’s been sidelined during training camp with no return date in sight. General manager Brian Gutekunst’s recent, aggressive approach to free agency is a breath of fresh air for long-time Packers fans, but this deal may have been a whiff. Defensive tackle: Alim McNeil Contract: Four years, $97 million with $28 million fully guaranteed Alim McNeil showed enough promise early on in his career in order to earn a massive four-year, $97 million contract with $28 million fully guaranteed and $55 million guaranteed for injury. However, he’s been unable to stay on the field of late, a common theme for the Lions’ defense these days, missing a combined 14 games since 2023. In 2025, his 52.5 defensive grade ranked 89th out of 127 interior defensive linemen grades by Pro Football Focus. McNeil’s career-high 5.0 sacks came back in 2023, and he’s accumulated just 4.5 across the last two seasons. Detroit needs much more out of McNeil with three years remaining on this albatross. Edge rusher: Jonathan GreenardContract: Four years, $98 million with $50 million in new guaranteesPro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard’s 2025 season with the Minnesota Vikings ended with shoulder surgery, but the Philadelphia Eagles decided he was still worth trading a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 third-round to Minnesota in exchange for Greenard and a 2026 seventh-round pick. The Eagles promptly extended him on a four-year, $98 million deal that amounts to $60 million in new money over two years. That $30 million average per salary is tied for the ninth-highest among edge rushers, along with recently departed Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and his four-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. However, Greenard has yet to suit up in training camp with his new team because he landed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a pectoral strain sustained during weightlifting. Given how closely the pectoral and shoulder muscles are connected in the human body, that raises some cause for concern. Especially when factoring in how his performance dipped in 2025 following consecutive seasons with 12-plus sacks in 2023 and 2024. Greenard racked up a career-high 12.5 sacks to go along with 48 quarterback pressures on a 12.8% quarterback pressure rate in his last season as a Houston Texan in 2023. In his first season as a Viking in 2024, he produced a career-high 80 quarterback pressures in addition to 12.0 sacks on a 15.9% quarterback pressure. rate. His sack totals fell off a cliff over 12 games last season, as he generated just 3.0 sacks and 47 quarterback pressures at a career-high 18.1% pressure rate. Philadelphia is banking on a return to health and that 2025 quarterback pressure rate as signs of things to come for the 29-year-old, but the wait is still on to see him at Eagles training camp. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told reporters he’ll miss “a good bit of camp.” It’s also uncertain if he’ll even be ready for Week 1. Linebacker: Jamien SherwoodContract: Three years, $45 million with $30 million guaranteedJust last offseason, the New York Jets extended Sherwood on a deal that gives him a $15 million average per year salary. That deal is tied with Devin Lloyd of the Carolina Panthers and Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs for the seventh-highest APY at the linebacker position. He struggled to make much of an impact in 2025, registering a 65.7 defensive grade, which ranked 36th among 88 linebackers graded by Pro Football Focus. The Jets seemingly acknowledged this deal as a mistake after signing Demario Davis away from the New Orleans Saints on a two-year, $22 million contract this offseason. There’s still time for Sherwood to turn things around on this deal, but it needs to happen this season. Cornerback: Marlon HumphreyContract: Five years, $97.5 million with $39.957 million guaranteed Marlon Humphrey is now on the wrong side of 30, fresh off a struggle-filled 2025 season. He registered a 50.1 PFF defensive grade, which ranked 103rd out of 112 qualified cornerbacks in 2025. In Stathead’s defensive passer rating metric, Humphrey’s 84.6 ranked 42nd among 138 players with at least 50 passes thrown their way last season. That’s simply not good enough when having the 10th-highest average per year salary ($19.5 million) at the cornerback position. Safety: Kerby JosephContract: Four years, $85 million with $36.1 million guaranteed Kerby Joseph’s league-leading nine interceptions in 2024 earned him his current contract, which makes him the third-highest-paid safety in the NFL, but that deal is in danger of aging poorly in a hurry. Joseph missed the final 11 games of the 2025 season with what the Detroit Free Press calls “a degenerative condition in his knee.” The Free Press also reported that Joseph is unlikely to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season because of the injury. If he can’t figure out how to heal his knee injury, this contract could sink Detroit’s contention hopes. |
