Tag: NFL

Crosby missed the final two games of the 2025 season despite his desire to play out the season for the 3-14 Raiders, who placed him on injured reserve.

Crosby subsequently underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January.

The five-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Ravens in March after seven seasons with the Raiders and 69.5 sacks (third in franchise history). In exchange, the Raiders were set to receive two first-round picks in exchange.

Concerns about Crosby’s injury were ultimately the cause of the Ravens reneging on the deal.

The pass rusher is expected to be good to go around training camp in July, though concern is likely to linger until then.

While Crosby wasn’t away from the Raiders for long, he’s returned to a vastly new team.

Las Vegas has restocked its roster, adding No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, along with veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins, with one of them set to take snaps from former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.

Klint Kubiak will be Crosby’s fourth full-time head coach since he was drafted in 2019.

Rob Leonard will be Crosby’s fourth full-time defensive coordinator.

And the defense is loaded with new faces such as fellow pass rusher Kwity Paye and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. Before he can truly get into the mix with his new running buddies, Crosby has to heal up.

Then his journey back to the Silver and Black should be complete after one heck of an offseason.

“This has been a long road to recovery,” Crosby said. “It’s probably the longest rehab I’ve been through, but ultimately it’s been the best by far and we’re not even to the finish line. … I’m real close, but I’m at that point where I forget. I need to relax a little bit. That’s kind of been the biggest battle right now because I’m almost back to being out there.”

Replacing Myles Garrett, swiftly becoming an all-time pass-rushing great, is a task the Cleveland Browns are unlikely to accomplish.

Still, maintaining the team’s defensive prowess in the seasons to come could be in the realm of reality as the Browns’ roster boasts a historical first when it comes to its youthful talent.

Obtained in the Garrett trade with the Los Angeles Rams was Jared Verse, the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’ll join Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Browns the first team to roster defensive rookies of the year from each of the last two seasons since the AP began awarding DROTY in 1967.

The closest such scenario came in 1980, when the Atlanta Falcons celebrated linebackers Al Richardson and Buddy Curry sharing the AP DROTY honor.

“Man, that boy can fly,” Verse, 25, said Wednesday during organized team activities, via Cleveland.com’s Ashley Bastock, of Schwesinger. “Nah, he can work. I like that a lot. I like knowing that with that behind me that I can — I don’t got much to worry about.

“I can play freely because I don’t have to worry if something gets by me. He’s going to be able to handle that. He’s going to be able to clean everything up. So no, that’s the exciting factor there.”

Clowney led the Cowboys with 8.5 sacks last season, one in which Dallas tied for 24th with just 35 team sacks.

Over the previous four seasons, Parsons produced at least 12 sacks per season and led the Cowboys in sacks in each campaign. In 2020, Lawrence was the team’s sack leader.

In 2026, a cast likely to be led by edges Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, rookie first-rounder Malachi Lawrence, James Houston and Sam Williams is aiming to improve upon those numbers while employing an it-takes-a-village approach.

“I really do think it’s more of the unit,” Schottenheimer said. “And that’s what we’re excited about with the depth that we feel that we have.”

On paper, Gary would be the hopeful leader. He was a 2024 Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers and is a 2019 first-round pick acquired via trade this offseason. However, he’s never reached double-digit sacks in a season, and his individual performance last year with the Packers was oddly emblematic of the Cowboys’ team performance.

Gary had 7.5 sacks in 2025, but none after Week 8. That, obviously, includes the final three games of the season, which were after Parsons’ injury. Thus, he struggled aplenty sans Parsons, just like Dallas did.

Malachi Lawrence was a surprising selection at No. 23 overall. Houston, who had eight sacks as a rookie with the Detroit Lions in 2022, hasn’t had that many total in his three seasons since, though he did provide 5.5 last year for the ‘Boys. Williams had just one sack last season in 17 games after missing all of 2024 with an injury. And Ezeiruaku, a 2025 second-rounder, mustered only a pair of sacks in 17 games’ worth of action as a rookie.

The potential is plentiful, but production is lacking and a star is absent.

With Christian Parker joining the fray as defensive coordinator, though, pass rush by committee is offered up with a proven track record. Over the past two seasons, Parker was a defensive assistant for the archrival Philadelphia Eagles, who won back-to-back NFC East titles and Super Bowl LIX in that span. Philly achieved that success by, in part, using a defense in which pass rushers came from all over. Neither of the last two Eagles squads had a pass rusher with more than eight sacks, but pressure was had and so too were wins.

The end result for Dallas in 2026 was a 7-9-1 record with much of the blame laid upon the feet of a defense that was 31st in points allowed.

Remedying those lackluster numbers will be a team effort, including from the pass rush.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has not played since Week 7 of the 2024 season and is on the team’s reserve/left squad list, spoke for the first time since he was placed on the list Dec. 13.

Aiyuk posted a video message roughly 90 seconds long Sunday morning on Instagram, captioned, “IF YOU SCARED JUST SAY DAT [sic]!!”

The 49ers have been opening to trading Aiyuk, but 49ers general manager John Lynch said in April following the 2026 NFL Draft that that the team had no plans to release him “anytime soon.” According to Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan in January, Aiyuk’s relationship with the club broke down after the receiver stopped coming to the team facility and disengaged in communicating with them.

Aiyuk did not provide any details on what’s caused the disharmony, but left a lengthy message in which he didn’t shy away from disparaging the team.

In his full video statement, Aiyuk, 28, said the following:

“We dealing with, ya know like them kids when they don’t get picked for the basketball game at the court, but they the ones that brought the ball, so they like, ‘Alright, you all don’t want to pick me, I’m taking my ball, I’m going home.’ Ass boys. Little-ass boys.

“Or like when your kid, he got this one toy, but he don’t really know how to use it correctly, so somebody else about to pick it up and play with it. And they like, ‘Oh yeah, this s— litty.’ And they like, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, that’s my toy. Ass boy. Little-ass boy.

“Man, stop running from the bill. The bill coming. You scared. They scared. Truth is, they scared. They know how I get. They gonna say, ‘Oh yeah, BA, BA, BA did this, BA did that. BA did, you know that s—, allegedly. Allegedly. But what they not gonna say is, ‘BA suck at football,’ cause they know how I get. And they running from that bill that’s on the way.

“It’s inevitable. It’s coming Stop running. Stop being a female dog. Stop being a little cat. Stop running from the bill.”

Aiyuk’s message comes days after an arrest warrant was issued for him by the Santa Clara County (California) District Attorney’s Office for a misdemeanor traffic violation. The warrant, issued for exhibition of speed, stems from another video Aiyuk posted in December when a clip showed him driving and reaching speeds of more than 100 mph on Santa Clara roads, including near the 49ers’ homefield, Levi’s Stadium.

Over his first two seasons with Denver, Dulcich played in a combined 12 games. He made his way to the New York Giants in during the 2024 season, but played in just nine total games for the Broncos and Big Blue in that campaign.

Eventually heading south to Miami in 2025, Dulcich didn’t play his first game of the season until Week 8 and didn’t see a target until the following week. Over the final nine games of the season, Dulcich tallied 26 catches for 335 yards and a score while averaging 12.9 yards per catch. His sustained production down the stretch resulted in him getting re-signed to a rebuilding Dolphins squad under a new regime.

One of the leaders of the new regime, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, is on the record that he views Dulcich as a breakout candidate.

Though Dulcich’s time last year was spent catching balls from Tua Tagovailoa and Quinn Ewers, it’s his quick chemistry with Malik Willis that’s carried the offseason buzz through organized team activities.

The two are 2020 draftmates, with Dulcich taken 80^th overall and Willis falling to the Tennessee Titans six picks later in the third round. Previoulsy, had shared the same field at the Senior Bowl, Dulcich easily growing to appreciate the strong arm flexed by his quarterback.

“We played at the Senior Bowl together. We had that little connection which was cool, and when you got a great quarterback like Malik, he does a good job of learning everyone’s tendencies really quickly,” Dulcich said. “He knows how you’re going to run a route just because he’s got great football IQ and he’s a great player.”

It’s not arduous to draw parallels between Willis, 27, and Dulcich, 26.

Taken within six picks of each other in the third round of the 2022 draft, Liberty product Willis and UCLA alum Dulcich are each on their third NFL teams, both having showcased enough impressive play in limited opportunities last season to garner larger opportunities with the Dolphins in 2026.

“He could always rip it, so that’s similar,” Dulcich said of how Willis at the Senior Bowl compares to Willis in Miami. “Yeah, that’s the same sort of stuff, and he’s always had that confidence and swagger so yeah, it’s cool.”

In two seasons under Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers, Willis resurrected his career when called on to fill in for Jordan Love.

He signed a three-year, $67.5 million deal to join the Dolphins and captain them through the rough waters ahead, a product of taking on a tidal wave of dead money after releasing Tagovailoa.

Second – or third chances – aren’t foreign for this Dolphins roster, which is facing low expectations from outside the building for the season ahead. That’s fine by Dulcich, the former walk-on looking to walk tall and make the most of his and Willis’ opportunity.

“We got some pieces, man,” Dulcich said. “I’m excited about it. We got guys that can go. I alluded to it earlier, everyone’s hungry and just excited to go out there and fly around and make plays.”

Miami kicks off the 2026 season Sept. 13 at the Las Vegas Raiders.

Denver indeed rolled to a 14-3 record and the AFC’s top seed last season with a quartet of receivers whose utilization ebbed and flowed.

Sutton was a constant, tallying his third 1,000-yard receiving season on 124 targets (74 receptions) on the way to his second Pro Bowl, but Troy Franklin only trailed slightly behind him with 65 catches on 104 targets. Pat Bryant became more involved as his rookie year progressed, averaging six targets over his final five regular-season games, and Marvin Mims Jr. actually tied Sutton for the team lead in playoff targets with 14.

There was unselfishness among them, and Sutton is harping on that theme as Waddle joins the ranks.

Denver paid a steep price for Waddle, packaging three 2026 picks — highlighted by the No. 30 overall selection — to pry the wide receiver and a fourth-rounder away from the Dolphins. It will be well worth it if Waddle and Co. can help third-year quarterback Bo Nix reach the next stage of his maturation.

Waddle profiles as a pass catcher who should make finding completions as easy as possible for Nix. He excels at short and intermediate routes, and despite Miami’s offense taking a downturn at the end of his time there, he ended his five-year Fins tenure with 373 receptions for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns.

His presence, combined with Sutton’s, should guarantee contributors such as Bryant and Franklin easier matchups than they faced last year. It should also help Waddle and Sutton directly, in turn leading to the victories Denver’s incumbent target leader covets over personal glory.

“Courtland is an elite playmaker, so anytime you have a playmaker on the other side of you, it’s just makes it easy,” Waddle said during the same media session. “It’s someone that the defense has to be looking for, and vice versa.”

It’s notable, then, that Ramsey is now the one entering his age-32 season. Similar to Woodson, he’s taken on new defensive roles to make an impact.

Due to injuries elsewhere during his inaugural season with the Steelers in 2025, Ramsey played more snaps at safety than anywhere else for the first time in his 10-year career. He lined up at free safety on 462 plays and in the box for 186 snaps, compared to 367 in the slot and 165 at corner out wide, per PFF.

Ramsey made his eighth Pro Bowl while doing so. He had an interception, doubled his career sack total from three to six, and matched his career-high in tackles with 88.

He’s unlikely to spend the majority of his time at safety again in 2026, nor is he expected to primarily be out wide. The Steelers signed safeties Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage to pair with DeShon Elliott. Joey Porter Jr. has one outside corner spot locked down, and the signing of CB Jamel Dean and drafting of third-rounder Daylen Everette also gives Pittsburgh depth there. Nickel is the assumed home for Ramsey. However, the coaching staff’s comments suggest an openness to moving him wherever a mismatch might be, and the Steelers’ offseason acquisitions make doing so possible without exposing themselves elsewhere.

Ramsey is a natural fit starting off lined up at nickel, closer to the line of scrimmage, where he can make use of his tackling talents. He’s long been one of the NFL’s most physical cornerbacks, having earned a PFF run defense grade of 81-plus in four of the past five seasons.

After spending most of his previous seasons lining up at the boundary, another season not doing so might take an adjustment for Ramsey, but he’s entering an inflection point heading into the second decade of his career.

Most defensive backs don’t string together a ton of standout performances well into their 30s. Woodson was unique in finding magic through a changed role. He made four Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams and won Defensive Player of the Year from age 32-35.

Ramsey, three times an All-Pro but not since 2021, could be in prime position to follow those footsteps.

He possesses the experience and skill set, now combined with some of the main coach who played a part in Woodson’s heroic second act.

“Charles is definitely one of the best, if not the best, ever to play the game,” Ramsey said. “I want to be in the positions he was once in when playing, and then obviously ultimately be in the Hall of Fame one day like he was.

“So, yeah, he’s definitely somebody I look up to. Knowing that I’m around the coaches who he was around in some of his best years is pretty cool.”

Ward’s comments would appear to squash any worries that the five-time Pro Bowler has become disillusioned with Cleveland’s trajectory. Rather than lament the signaling of a potential long-term rebuild while entering his age-29 season with just two playoff trips under his belt, Ward is bought into trying to deliver an expectation-busting 2026 season.

He fits in nicely on a Browns defense that kept Cleveland in countless games last season, a unit that added All-Pro linebacker Quincy Williams in free agency, bolstered the secondary through the draft with second-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and now has 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse to build around as part of the haul for Garrett.

Still, Berry admitted earlier this week that trading Garrett, who the team handed a megadeal just last offseason, was never on his “bingo card.”

Ward has two years left on the extension he signed in 2022 but doesn’t have any guaranteed money remaining. Even if his wish — and Berry’s — is for him to continue with the Browns, Ward’s contract can be moved. Having just seen it with the Garrett trade, he’s fully aware how quickly things can change.

“I could get traded, but I don’t look too much into that stuff,” he said. “It’s the nature of the game. Say I do get traded, for me, wherever I’m at that’s where I’m supposed to be. So if I’m here, I’m supposed to be here. If I go to a different team, that’s where I’m supposed to be. But I love playing for the Cleveland Browns. I want to be here. I’m grateful wherever I’m at, whatever opportunity I get to go play football, that’s what I do.”

For now, he’s a Brown, gearing up for his first professional season sans Garrett but confident in what Cleveland has cooking.

Kupp, who turns 33 on June 15, caught on with his hometown Seahawks last year after being cast off by the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he won 2021 Offensive Player of the Year on the way to a Super Bowl LVI victory.

The Seahawks — nor Kupp at this stage of his career — entered last season with high outside expectations for any sort of similar ending to that Rams one. Winning a Lombardi Trophy is exactly what Seattle went on to do, though, this time with Kupp playing a complementary role to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who likewise achieved the OPOTY-Super Bowl combo.

Kupp did his part, finishing third on the team in receptions (47) and second in receiving yards (593) with two scores. He produced his third and fourth contests of the campaign with 60 or more receiving yards during the playoffs. Against his former squad in the NFC title game, Kupp hauled in a TD and, holding onto a narrow lead with three-plus minutes remaining, made a crucial first-down catch on third-and-7 to avoid giving the ball back to Los Angeles.

Seattle managed not to punt until 31 seconds were left, then held on to advance to Super Bowl LX, where Kupp had six catches and 61 yards on 12 targets, all team highs.

Of course, those contributions mean little to the mission that lies in front of Kupp and the 2026 Seahawks. They can now operate from a standpoint of knowing what it takes, but no catch or play from last season will directly lead to victory this time around. It took Kupp for years to reach another Super Bowl following his first one, and there’s little likelihood he has that many shots at a third still to go.

Not content to ride into the sunset, Kupp instead intends to to make the most of his next chance when Seattle’s new season dawns.

“There’s moments of reflection, right?” Kupp said when asked what goes through his mind as he sees the Seahawks’ championship banners in the facility. “There’s moments of understanding when you see these banners, there’s a story and a lot of blood, sweat and tears behind each of them. So, there’s a respect for what went into those things and what those stand for, and the journey that they stand for, the hardships that were overcome. But also, at the end of that moment of reflection is the period at the end that says, ‘Well, now what?’ Yeah, that’s what it took. This is what that was and now you’re in it and you’re moving forward, and there’s an opportunity to go and be a part of another one.”

Stacking success has long been a problem for the Jags, whose last five playoff runs have all come nonconsecutively — a far cry from the four made postseasons in their first five tries as an expansion team from 1995-1999.

Following that initial flood of success, things dried up. Jacksonville made it to the Wild Card Round during the 2005 season and the Divisional Round in the 2007 campaign before a nine-year postseason drought. An AFC Championship Game appearance during the 2017 season seemed to mark a turning of the corner, only for the Jags to post four straight losing seasons.

The 2022 division title again gave way to playoff-less campaigns, this time two, before Hines-Allen and Co. racked up 13 victories last season — but a wildly successful year that exceeded all expectations still ended with a wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills

Can the Jaguars finally maintain momentum from one season to the next?

Hines-Allen figures to play a pivotal role in their attempt. A two-time Pro Bowler, he’s superb among pass rushers at defending the run and in 2025 led the team in sacks for the fifth time in his career. He also has reason to believe his best is yet to come.

Though he’s collected a respectable eight sacks in each of the past two seasons, his most recent Pro Bowl campaign came in 2023, a 17.5-sack effort during his second year in then-defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell’s system. A big proponent of familiarity breeding success, Hines-Allen foresees a similar leap in his second season under DC Anthony Campanile, who recently coached Jacksonville to its first top-10 ranking in points allowed since 2018.

“I think the sky’s the limit for myself this year,” Hines-Allen said. “Year 2 [in a new defensive system] I feel like is always going to be the biggest jump. Year 1 is really feeling it out. Obviously, you want to be the best player on the field at all times, but there’s going to be a lot of situations where you don’t know if you can make that decision. But going into Year 2 knowing I’ve got the trust of the staff, trust of the players to just go out there and be able to make more plays, just go out there and be a dog. They’re allowing me to flourish in the scheme. (Defensive coordinator Anthony) Camp(anile) is doing a heck of a job on getting everybody schemed up, getting everybody open, having our secondary be a lot more sticky on the back end so we can have an opportunity to go rush.

“I’m excited about this team. I’m excited about my journey. I think when I had 17 (sacks), that was the second year in that system, so for me to have that thought process and that mindset going into Year 2, I feel like I’m a better player than I was a few years ago. I’m really looking forward to this year.”