NFL Player News

Ahead of training camp, offensive coordinator Nick Caley notes that said he's seen Stroud take a leap this offseason, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle reports.

"There was a lot of progress that C.J. and the offense made last year," said Caley, who enters his second year as Houston's offensive coordinator. "We continued to get better from the start of the season to the end of the regular season and just continued to make progress from week to week. So we're going to continue to build on that. It's a new year. C.J. has done a great job out here. Looks good. Locked in." During the 2025 regular season, his third campaign with the Texans, Stroud -- who had his fifth-year contract option picked up in April -- threw for 3,041 yards with 19 TDs and eight picks in 14 games to go along with 48 carries for 209 yards and a rushing score. Looking ahead, he'll look to rebound from a forgettable four-interception outing in his team's divisional-round postseason exit last season, while working with a pass-catching corps that continues to feature WRs Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins, along with TE Dalton Schultz. The Texans also traded for RB David Montgomery this offseason and added TEs Foster Moreau and Marlin Klein with the goal of establishing a more effective ground game to help balance out the team's offense, per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

Whyle "took significant snaps with the starters" during OTAs and seems to be in line for the Packers' No. 3 tight-end role, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Whyle wasn't able to make Tennessee's season-opening roster last year and subsequently joined Green Bay's practice squad. He was eventually signed to the active roster after Tucker Kraft (knee) was lost for the season but didn't make much of an impact on offense, catching just five passes on six targets for 36 yards and a touchdown. Kraft recently stated that he expects to be ready for Week 1, and Luke Musgrave (undisclosed) is likely to take the No. 2 tight-end job, but Whyle currently appears to have a good chance of making the roster as the No. 3 tight end. That wouldn't necessarily portend fantasy-relevant production, though it would put him in line for meaningful snaps if Kraft and/or Musgrave needed to miss time.

Arnold (shoulder), who faces felony charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, appeared at a hearing Thursday in Tampa, Fla., ESPN.com reports.

Per the report, Arnold was ordered held without bail until a pretrial detention hearing, which is scheduled for Monday. In a statement, the Lions said they were aware of the cornerback's situation but declined to comment "out of respect for the ongoing legal process." Arnold, who the team selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, recorded 31 tackles and an interception while playing in eight games in 2025 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic suggests that Concepcion will line up all over the formation in the Browns' re-tooled WR corps, as the team looks for "the best ways to utilize his explosiveness."

It remains to be seen which QB will be throwing Concepcion the ball come Week 1, but whether that's Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders, the 2026 first-rounder out of Texas A&M should have a chance to make an immediate impact this season alongside top returning WR Jerry Jeudy and rookie second-rounder Denzel Boston. Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace also are in the mix, but Concepcion's projected role/upside make him an intriguing fantasy option regardless of the outcome of the team's looming signal-caller competition.

According to Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Boston "might have been the most impressive offensive player in the (Browns') spring sessions."

Once training camp gets going next month, the pecking order in the team's revamped WR corps will start to become clearer. While Jerry Jeudy remains Cleveland's No. 1 option at the position, Boston -- who was the 39th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- has a chance to make an immediate mark as an outside receiver, while fellow rookie KC Concepcion (24th overall choice) figures to line up all over the formation. Also in the mix are Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace, but a strong summer on Boston's part could help him earn enough playing time out of the gate to yield fantasy dividends in deeper formats.

As training camp approaches, Mason is slated to reclaim a key role in a Minnesota backfield that also includes Aaron Jones and rookie sixth-rounder Demond Claiborne, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Though the Vikings have yet to declare a starting QB between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, there's continuity elsewhere in the offense, with the team's top two RBs, WRs and TEs from last year back for another campaign. Mason is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 758 yards and six TDs on 159 carries to go along with 14 catches for 51 yards in 16 contests, while Jones carried the ball 132 times for 548 yards and two touchdowns, adding 28 catches (on 41 targets) for 199 yards and a score in 12 games. With Mason and Jones both still around, another RB timeshare -- one that favors Jones in PPR formats -- is in the making for 2026, while Claiborne is a candidate to mix in on passing downs.

Darnold notes that cleaning up his footwork and reducing his turnovers are among his goals heading into the 2026 season, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

In his first year with the Seahawks, Darnold helmed his team's Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, but despite that success the veteran QB acknowledges that there's still work to be done in terms of "continuing to hone in on the deep ball" as well as understanding how he can get better that way by "quieting (his) feet in the pocket." Darnold -- who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 TDs in 17 regular-season games in 2025 -- also points to his 20 regular-season turnovers (14 interceptions and six fumbles lost) as an area that he can improve. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 29-year-old will be working with a pass-catching corps that returns WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed and TE AJ Barner. Following the free-agent departure of RB Kenneth Walker, the team added Jadarian Price in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to bolster a backfield that awaits the recovery of Zach Charbonnet, who's bouncing back from a torn ACL.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer notes that the difference has been "night and day" in terms of Blue's performance during this year's offseason program, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Blue, who the Cowboys took in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, logged just 38 carries for 129 yards and a TD and one catch for five yards in five regular-season games as a rookie. While Malik Davis emerged as Javonte Williams' primary backup last year, Blue will have a chance to compete for that role this summer with Davis, as well as Phil Mafah. Williams remains the team's unquestioned lead back, but if Blue can parlay the speed and explosiveness Schottenheimer has noted he possesses into a larger complementary role, the Texas product could carry fantasy sleeper appeal in 2026.

Dowdle, who signed with the Steelers in March, is set to work in tandem with Jaylen Warren this coming season, Kevin Hutchinson of steelersnow.com reports.

On the heels of back-to-back seasons (one with Dallas and one with Carolina) during which he topped 1,000 rushing yards, Dowdle bolsters a Steelers backfield that saw Kenneth Gainwell depart via free agency this offseason. It remains to be seen how the carries/targets will be divided between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, but the two players' different skill sets could lead to a "thunder and lightning" approach utilizing Warren's shiftiness and quickness and Dowdle's bruising style. Also in the mix for complementary touches are 2025 third-rounder Kaleb Johnson and versatile rookie Eli Heidenreich, with added context regarding Pittsburgh's backfield approach set to arrive once team drills commence in training camp.

Jones, who dealt with a sore shoulder during the 49ers' spring program, threw passes this week at Tight End University, an event hosted by teammate George Kittle (Achilles), David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reports.

The fact that Jones was out there throwing this week suggests that Brock Purdy's top backup should be good to go come training camp. Though there was some speculation this offseason that Jones could be on the move, he'll remain a valuable insurance policy at QB for the 49ers, on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which Purdy missed eight games, all of which Jones started in his place.