NFL Player News

Young appears primed to benefit from improved surroundings on offense Year 2, with the Panthers adding names like wide receiver Diontae Johnson and guard Robert Hunt in free agency, David Newton of ESPN reports.

Young is coming off a completely forgettable rookie campaign, having completed just 315 of 527 pass attempts for 2,877 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 16 regular-season games. He surpassed 200 yards in just five of those contests. A real part of the blame must fall on Carolina's mediocre offensive personnel and scheme, and things already appear to be improving under new head coach Dave Canales. Trading for Diontae Johnson provides Young with a versatile and trustworthy No. 1 target, after a rookie year in which his only reliable wideout was a 33-year-old Adam Thielen. Inking Hunt to a massive-five year deal ought to provide Young, who was second in the league last season with 62 sacks, with more reliable protection for the foreseeable future, and the signing of Damien Lewis to a four-year deal locks up both guard positions. Expect the Panthers to do more to help Young in April's draft, where they will first pick in the second round at No. 33 overall.

Cousins (Achilles) said Wednesday during his introductory news conference with the Falcons that he's "optimistic to be full speed at practice" by the end of the offseason program in June, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Considering Cousins suffered a torn right Achilles' tendon Oct. 29 during a Week 8 win at Green Bay, he may be hard-pressed to be completely healthy once Atlanta completes mandatory minicamp. More realistically, he'll be able to handle most of the first-team reps during training camp and even get some run in the preseason as he transitions to the third team of his career. When he's healthy, Cousins will have ample skill talent at his disposal in the form of running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wideout Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. All four players have exactly one campaign with at least 900 yards from scrimmage, which should help Cousins dabble with 4,000-plus passing yards like he did seven times in eight seasons from 2015 through 2022.

Flacco agreed to terms Wednesday with the Colts on a one-year contract worth up to $8.7 million, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Flacco's deal reportedly includes $4.5 million guaranteed. The reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year is coming off an impressive showing with Cleveland last season, and he's now slated to replace Gardner Minshew as the top backup to second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder). All expectations in Indianapolis are that Richardson will be ready for training camp and fully cleared well ahead of Week 1, but Flacco makes for a capable backup should he be required to take the field during the 2024 season. Even if Richardson maintains health all season, Flacco should at least make for a valuable mentor for the young signal-caller.

Rudolph agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Titans on Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

In Tennessee, Rudolph should be the favorite to open the 2024 season as the Titans' No. 2 quarterback over Malik Willis, given the former's solid showing with Pittsburgh late in the 2023 campaign. The Titans are likely to give second-year signal-caller Will Levis (foot) every chance to prove he's the franchise long-term answer under center, but Rudolph at least represents an experienced insurance policy behind the young quarterback. Rudolph led the Steelers to three consecutive wins to close out the regular season, before the team suffered a wild-card playoff loss at the hands of Buffalo.

The Raiders released Garoppolo (suspension) on Wednesday.

Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, Las Vegas also cut Hunter Renfrow, with the moves set to save the Raiders more than $19 million against their salary cap. Garoppolo thus is free to sign with another team, but wherever he lands, the veteran quarterback will be forced to sit out the first two games of the 2024 season due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy. With Garoppolo no longer in the mix for Las Vegas, Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew now sit atop the depth chart at quarterback.

Rypien agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Bears on Wednesday, pending a physical, Larry Mayer of the team's official site reports.

Rypien has made four starts and appeared in 10 games over the past four seasons, split between the Broncos and Rams. He has a 4:9 career TD:INT and will likely compete with Tyson Bagent for the backup role, be it behind Justin Fields or a rookie quarterback from the 2024 NFL Draft.

DeVito will face competition from free-agent pickup Drew Lock for the top backup job behind starting quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) in 2024, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

According to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com, Lock is receiving a one-year, $5 million deal, an investment that likely signals that the Giants are counting on him to win the No. 2 role over DeVito, a 2023 undrafted free agent. As a rookie last season, DeVito enjoyed a brief stretch in the spotlight following Jones' season-ending ACL tear, but he was replaced by a healthy Tyrod Taylor under center to close out the campaign. As it stands, DeVito could compete with Lock for the No. 2 role this offseason, but it's also possible the Giants add another name to the quarterback room in April's draft, where they hold the No. 6 overall pick.

Mullens looks set to work as the top backup in 2024 to Sam Darnold, who agreed to a one-year deal with Minnesota on Monday, Christian Gonzales of NFL.com reports.

With Kirk Cousins (Achilles) moving on to the Falcons, Mullens and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall are currently the Vikings' only options at quarterback behind Darnold, though the team could further bolster the position in free agency or through the 2024 NFL Draft. Now heading into the final year of his contact and having spent the last two seasons as a backup for Minnesota, Mullens could be cut with the Vikings taking on only $375,000 in dead money, but the team may see value in a veteran quarterback who's already familiar with the present offensive scheme.

Jackson is getting help in the backfield via Derrick Henry, with whom the Ravens agreed to terms on a two-year, $16 million contract Tuesday, Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports.

Jackson will form one of the league's most dangerous backfield tandems by allying with the 30-year-old, two-time rushing champion who spent the last eight seasons in Tennessee and could now finally give Baltimore a sledgehammer in the rushing game to complement the reigning MVP's elusiveness. The pair of Jackson and Henry could give the Ravens a new-look rushing attack finally capable of pushing the team over the edge, with big-play threat Keaton Mitchell (knee) providing a complementary boost. Meanwhile, J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) is scheduled for free agency, while Gus Edwards is scheduled to sign with the Chargers. Jackson tallied career-high marks with 3,678 passing yards and 8.0 yards per attempt in 2023 to go with 29 total touchdowns and 821 rushing yards. Henry, meanwhile, rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns on 280 carries this past season.

The Commanders' recent contract agreement with Marcus Mariota suggests Howell may be on the trade block, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

The other interpretation, which seems less likely, is that the Commanders will let Howell compete with Mariota for the starting job rather than drafting a quarterback early this April. The team owns the No. 2 overall pick, with most reports to date suggesting Washington will select either UNC's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels. There was a point in 2023 when it looked like the Commanders might have found their franchise QB in Howell, but he then had a 4:12 TD:INT over the final seven games of the regular season while completing only 57.7 percent of his passes for 5.4 yards per attempt. Washington went 0-7 during that stretch. The 2022 fifth-round pick ended up starting all 17 games, but only because backup Jacoby Brissett suffered a hamstring injury in practice shortly after being promoted to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. Howell should have suitors if the Commanders decide to trade him, given that he has two years left on his rookie contract and averaged 278.3 passing yards and 1.7 TDs over the first 10 games of 2023. That said, the best he can likely hope for is a shot to compete with another player for a starting job.