Jets WR Denzel Mims got an early start with personal trainer Chad Marr in Texas this offseason. "He was here so early he was training with my major league ball players," Marr told the New York Post, adding that the football players don't normally join his sessions until after the Super Bowl. "Denzel was here long before that." Marr says Mims has added muscle while also slimming his frame after losing "quite a bit of size" amid bouts with food poisoning and COVID-19 last year. "It's really hard to come back from all of that during a season," Marr said. "We spent a considerable amount of time, about six weeks, just making him feel good." The trainer (of course) says Mims will "just tear it up" this year. We'd obviously expect his personal trainer to project such things for his client. And after catching just 31 passes through his 1st 2 NFL seasons, Mims has to prove he's worth any fantasy attention. He's a near-free shot to take as a dynasty stash or deep-league watch player, though. We'll see what coaches have to say about the wideout as we get into team workouts and then training camp.
The Colts are signing CB Stephon Gilmore to a 2-year deal, according to multiple reports. The move lands Indy's defense the top remaining corner on the market and a guy capable of performing as 1 of the top cover men in the league. Gilmore hasn't been much of an IDP factor throughout his career, though, and shouldn't be counted on for worthwhile fantasy numbers in his new spot.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Cardinals have yet to make a contract offer to QB Kyler Murray. Murray's camp, meanwhile, recently pulled their proposal off the table. Murray is set to make just $5.5 million in 2022. "I do not expect Murray to play on that number, which brings the possibility of a holdout into play if things don't change," Pelissero adds. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation. Murray carries some added risk in fantasy drafts until it's resolved.
The Cardinals re-signed WR A.J. Green to a 1-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Green enjoyed a small bounce-back in 2021, posting a 54-848-3 line in 16 games. He ranked 57th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 54th in yards per route run among 90 WRs with 50+ targets last year. Arizona has 156 targets available with the offseason departures of WR Christian Kirk and RB Chase Edmonds. But if WR DeAndre Hopkins has a healthier season and WR Rondale Moore's role expands, Green is unlikely to significantly beat last year's 92 targets. He's an unexciting pick in early fantasy drafts.
Per Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks have re-signed QB Geno Smith to a 1-year deal worth $7 million. It’s a nice sum for Smith, who Rapoport says has “a chance to push for starter reps and more" this summer. Of course, Seattle added Drew Lock last month, and there’s no question that they could spend an early pick on a rookie passer. The Seahawks hold 8 picks, with 3 in the top-41.
The Packers signed WR Sammy Watkins to a 1-year deal. It's worth "up to" $4 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. We'll wait to see all the details of the contract, but it's clearly a cheap deal that doesn't guarantee Watkins a big role. The 28-year-old was phased out of Baltimore's offense during the 2021 season, finishing with just 27 catches for 394 yards and 1 score. He's finished with fewer than 700 receiving yards in 6 straight seasons. Watkins finds plenty of opportunity in Green Bay's current WR corps -- although the Packers are likely to add to the position in the draft later this month.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne said he's "85-90%" recovered from last August's Lisfranc injury to his left foot. He's still limited in some of his weight-room work but is doing "the majority of the stuff" in Jacksonville's offseason conditioning program. Etienne expects to receive full clearance by training camp. We'll keep a close eye on his health this summer -- as well as how he'll be deployed in new HC Doug Pederson's offense.
Stephen Holder of The Athletic writes that TE has been a “focus” of the Colts’ “pre-draft preparation.” Jack Doyle retired in March. Mo Alie-Cox returned on a 3-year deal last month, but he hasn’t played more than 55% of the snaps in a season (2021). Second-year man Kylen Granson brings a receiving profile but stands just 6’2 and caught only 11 passes as a rookie. Holder noted that Indy relied heavily on 2 TE sets last year, while OC Marcus Brady returns for another season. The Colts are currently slated for 7 picks in the 2022 draft, with the first selection on tap at 42nd overall.
The Raiders and QB Derek Carr agreed to a 3-year, $121.5 million contract extension, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That makes Carr the league's 5th-highest-paid QB and keeps him in Vegas through the 2025 season. WR Davante Adams is signed through 2026. Carr has finished between QB13 and QB16 in each of the last 3 seasons and has upside beyond that in 2022.
The Falcons on Tuesday announced that they have signed TE Anthony Firkser. The former Titan never reached 40 receptions in a season across 4 years with Tennessee, and actually saw his receptions per game and yards per catch dip in 2021. We're not expecting fantasy significance from Firkser in Atlanta, where #2 TE Hayden Hurst finished just 37th at the position in PPR scoring last year.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins had surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder in March, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Higgins is expected to be ready "well before training camp," so this shouldn't be an issue for his 2022 outlook.
Chargers TE Donald Parham has signed his exclusive-rights tender, meaning he'll be back with the team for the coming season. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Parham is "healthy and expected to compete for the starting tight end job." Parham's 2021 season ended with the scary concussion against the Chiefs on Dec. 16. We'll be watching to see what role he's expected to fill this season, but it's tough to imagine he truly has a shot at the top job after the Chargers guaranteed $8 million of TE Gerald Everett's 2-year deal.
Texans HC Lovie Smith says he's a fan of QB Davis Mills. "If you look at all of my comments about Davis, I am a believer in him and what he's going to do," Smith said Monday, according to NFL.com. "If you just go back and look at the plays that he made, throwing the ball downfield last year, so many good things that he did, and that's as a rookie." Smith also sounds confident in Mills leading the 2022 offense. "The improvement that you see from year one to year two is normally a big improvement, and that's what we're gonna get from him." Words don't necessarily mean commitment, of course. And we'll see whether Houston adds a QB at any stage of the upcoming NFL Draft. But combine Smith's comments with what had to be considered an impressive debut for a 3rd-round pick in a bad offense, and we're betting Mills leads Houston's offense for at least the coming season. He's available very late in early fantasy football drafts and not highly rated in dynasty right now.
Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins was killed after being struck by a dump truck in South Florida early Saturday morning. He was there working out with some Steelers teammates. The 15th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Haskins would have turned 25 in May.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that RB Melvin Gordon is "in discussions with the Ravens on a potential deal." Rapoport adds that Baltimore "still has a need at RB." That bit is interesting because it could either be Rapoport's quick-hand assessment of the situation (many of which can be lacking) -- or it could be a belief by the Ravens that he's been fed by a source. We're certainly not adjusting any fantasy outlooks until such a signing actually happens. But if Gordon does join the Ravens, it would obviously be bad news for J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. It would also seem to lower Gordon's ceiling vs. other potential landing spots -- though might be similar to Denver in that category. A Gordon signing could also signal a Baltimore plan to lean further back to the run than we might have expected, following a significant shift toward the pass with their 2021 offense.
The Texans have agreed to a 2-year extension with WR Brandin Cooks. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Houston will pay Cooks just less than $20 million per season through 2024. Clearly, this means he's not going anywhere in trade (at least this offseason). Cooks finished 21st among PPR wideouts last season and is going much lower than that in early 2022 fantasy football drafts.
The Bills and WR Stefon Diggs have agreed to a 4-year, $104 million extension with $70 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Tyreek Hill is the only WR with more guaranteed money in his contract. This extension tacks on to Diggs' old deal and keeps him under contract with Buffalo through the 2027 season. Diggs will be 34 at that point, so he's basically tied to QB Josh Allen for the rest of his career.
The Falcons on Monday agreed to a 1-year deal with LB Rashaan Evans. A 2018 first-round pick of the Titans, Evans never lived up to that billing. Although he started 11 of the 12 games he was available for last year, Evans' playing time dipped to 60%. He might find himself competing with Mykal Walker for the #2 LB role in Atlanta, after Foye Oluokun left for Jacksonville in free agency. But there's also still room for the Falcons to add a better prospect in the NFL Draft.
The Eagles traded the 16th, 19th and 194th overall picks of this month's draft to the Saints in exchange for the 18th, 101st and 237th overall picks, plus a 2023 1st-rounder and a 2024 2nd-rounder. The big takeaway here is that New Orleans is evidently higher on the top of this year's class than Philadelphia. The Saints now have 3 of the first 49 picks of this year's draft. The Eagles still hold the 15th and 18th overall picks -- plus a pair of 1st-rounders next year. That's notable because next year's QB class looks much stronger than this year's. "The Eagles' actions this offseason continue to suggest that while they like quarterback Jalen Hurts, they're not married to him as the long-term starter," ESPN's Tim McManus writes.
The Dolphins traded WR DeVante Parker and a 2022 5th-round pick to the Patriots for a 2023 3rd-rounder. Parker was on the outs after Miami traded for WR Tyreek Hill and signed WR Cedrick Wilson. In New England, Parker will battle for outside snaps with WRs Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. Parker has the most raw talent of that trio but has mostly disappointed since the Fins selected him 14th overall in the 2015 draft. Also hurting Parker's 2022 fantasy outlook is that the Patriots ranked 28th in pass rate and 27th in situation-neutral pass rate last year. They figure to throw more in QB Mac Jones' 2nd season, but this will still likely be a run-leaning offense.
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