NFL Player News

Woodside signed a one-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday.

Woodside was selected by Cincinnati in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft and will return to the team after stops with the Titans and Falcons. The Toledo product has made spot appearances in 13 games over the past four seasons, completing four of seven pass attempts for 34 yards and an interception.

Browning signed a two-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday.

Undrafted back in 2019, the QB spent two years on Minnesota's practice squad and then two seasons on Cincinnati's. Browning finally got his shot in 2023, winning the No. 2 QB job for the Bengals and eventually replacing an injured Joe Burrow (wrist) for the final seven and a half games of the season. Browning played surprisingly well down the stretch, with 15 total TDs (three rushing) and seven turnovers (all INTs) while leading all qualified passers in completion percentage (70.4) and ranking fifth in yards per attempt (8.0). The 28-year-old's status as an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason essentially locked him into staying with the Bengals, and the two-year deal now sets him up to be a restricted free agent after 2025. His solid performance in 2023, combined with 2-3 more years of team control, could make Browning a trade target for QB-needy teams, though there haven't been rumblings of interest this spring.

The Jets are trading Wilson to the Broncos for a late-round pick swap, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

The Jets will give up the 256th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and receive pick No. 203. They'll also hold some of Wilson's salary, with the 24-year-old scheduled for $5.45 million in guaranteed compensation for the final year of his rookie contract. This could give Wilson a shot to compete for a starting job, depending on what the Broncos do in the upcoming draft. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are the other QBs on Denver's roster, with Stidham the favorite to start Week 1 if no early draft pick is added to the room.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Thursday that Watson (shoulder) has been making throws of up to 40 yards, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

While not quite willing to guarantee that Watson will be ready for the regular-season opener, Berry did confirm that's the expectation and said the Browns are "pretty optimistic" about the QB's rehab process so far. Watson spoke with reporters Tuesday, mentioning that the team medical staff favors a cautious approach that would see him wait until training camp before returning to full practice participation. The 28-year-old thus figures to be limited during OTAs, giving free-agent additions Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley more chances to throw to the team's top receivers. The Browns traded for WR Jerry Jeudy in March and still have WRs Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore as well as TE David Njoku. There's also a strong chance of improved blocking this season, after 2023 saw the Browns lose their top three OTs to season-ending knee injuries. Watson is the biggest variable though, perhaps more so because of his disappointing 2022-23 performance than the ongoing rehab from Nov. 21 surgery to repair a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder.

Watson (shoulder) said Tuesday he's already resumed "throwing full speed" but that he's uncertain how large a workload he'll handle during OTAs and minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Watson clarified that certain members of the Browns' medical staff are in favor of a more conservative approach to the quarterback's recovery from right shoulder surgery, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, which would have him wait until training camp to fully practice. Still, Watson is confident he'll be available for the Browns' season opener, and there appears to be no real worries about his Week 1 status. In case Watson misses part of the offseason, or struggles during the fall, Cleveland can lean on experienced backups Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.

Jones noted Monday that he hasn't had any setbacks in his recovery from Nov. 22 surgery to address a right ACL tear, Darryl Slater of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The report adds that Jones says he's past the neck issue that he dealt with last season prior to hurting his knee, indicating that it was just a stinger. At this stage, the QB is throwing and intends to participate in spring practices in some fashion, with Jones adding that he's aiming be fully cleared for the start of training camp. When healthy, Jones is in line to reclaim his starting role for the Giants, who added fellow signal-caller Drew Lock in free agency and also have Tommy DeVito in the roster. Moreover, it's possible that the team adds depth at the position in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Watson, who is bouncing back from shoulder surgery he underwent Nov. 21, noted Thursday he has no doubt that he'll be ready for the Browns' season opener, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Per Cabot, Watson resumed throwing as of March 19, with the quarterback acknowledging that his recovery process is "day to day" and that he plans to "to take it one step at a time." In the coming months, part of that process will involve load management, with Watson expressing confidence that he'll be ready and in top form in advance of Week 1. That said, Watson figures to be eased back into the mix once the Browns resume on-field activities, a scenario that should result in newcomers Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley seeing added signal-caller reps until Watson is deemed ready to practice without limitations.

GM Andrew Berry noted recently that the Browns could proceed cautiously this offseason with Thompson-Robinson, who is bouncing back from a season-ending hip injury, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

"We always want to be cautious and mindful of our guys coming back from injury concerns," Berry noted last Tuesday. Though the hip issue that landed Thompson-Robinson on IR last December didn't require surgery, the QB has still been undergoing rehab of late, and with the Browns having added Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley in free agency, the team can afford to proceed deliberately with both Thompson-Robinson and Deshaun Watson (shoulder). As a fifth-round rookie last season, Thompson-Robinson drew three starts, but he has a very narrow path to playing time in 2024.

Watson (shoulder) recently said on his QB Unplugged podcast that he's "in a great spot" and has "plenty of time to ramp up the throwing sessions," per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

Watson is believed to have resumed throwing in mid-to-late March, after undergoing surgery Nov. 21 to repair a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder. He'll presumably be absent/limited throughout OTAs and minicamp but may be ready for full participation when the Browns open training camp in late July. While a fully guaranteed contract ensures Watson will get another shot as the starter despite his disappointing performances in 2022 and 2023, the Browns prioritized QB depth this offseason by signing experienced backups in Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley. They also upgraded their receiver group, trading for Jerry Jeudy and then signing him to a three-year extension.

Heinicke took a pay cut in March to stay with the Falcons, reducing his $5 million base salary to $1.21 million, ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reports.

He also converted a $1.32 million roster bonus to a signing bonus and agreed to remove the $40,000 per-game roster bonuses from his contract. He's left with $2.53 million in real-money compensation for the second and final year of his deal, with a $4.53 million cap hit. Heinicke is in excellent position for the backup QB role behind Kirk Cousins, after Desmond Ridder was traded to Arizona for Rondale Moore in mid-March. The Falcons still have time to bring in competition, but it may not be a priority given that Heinicke's track record suggests he's qualified for the second spot on the depth chart. They'll at least need to bring in a camp arm or two, seeing as Cousins and Heinicke are the only QBs on the roster at the beginning of April.