Packers To Keep Sean Rhyan At Center
The Packers are planning to keep fifth-year offensive lineman Sean Rhyan at center moving forward, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said this week.
Rhyan, 25, finished the 2025 season as Green Bay’s starting center following a season-ending injury to Elgton Jenkins. The team parted ways with Jenkins in the offseason and signed Rhyan to a three-year, $33MM extension, effectively guaranteeing him a starting job in 2026.
The 2022 third-round pick lined up exclusively at left tackle at UCLA and converted to right guard in the NFL. Rhyan held the starting job for the entire 2024 season and retained it heading into 2025. However, he was benched in Week 5 after allowing 10 pressures and committing three penalties across the previous three games, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Packers’ offensive line injuries kept him in the mix at both guard spots until Week 10, when he took over at center. He surrendered 17 pressures and zero sacks to close out the year, though he still earned low pass blocking grades from PFF.
“When we lost Elgton [Jenkins], he stepped up and just kind of took control of it,” Stenavich said. “There were mistakes, for sure, but as we progressed through the season, he just kept getting better and better and better.” The fifth-year coordinator noted that Rhyan is likely best at center and praised his ability to handle the pre-snap duties of the position.
“It was good to watch him out there take command of the offense, making the calls and getting us set up front,” Stenavich added.
In other Packers offensive line news, general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky) that right tackle Zach Tom underwent knee surgery in the offseason. The 27-year-old dealt with an oblique injury early in the year and later suffered a partially torn patellar tendon that ended his season. Gutekunst did not provide a timeline for Tom’s surgery or return, but previous reporting indicated that he would undergo the procedure shortly after the season ended with a six-month recovery period.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/5/26
Only one NFL team finalized a 2026 draft pick signing on Wednesday:
Denver Broncos
- TE Dallen Bentley (seventh round, Utah)
Bentley was the second-to-last pick in the draft, leaving him one spot away from the Mr. Irrelevant title that went to new teammate Red Murdock instead. His four-year rookie contract is worth just over $4.5MM, per OverTheCap, though the only guaranteed portion is a roughly $123k signing bonus.
Travis Hunter To See More Time At CB, Will Be ‘Full-Go’ By Training Camp
The Jaguars traded up during last year’s draft to select Travis Hunter, believing that his ability to contribute on both sides of the ball was worth giving up a future first-round pick. But a torn LCL cut his rookie year short and raised questions about his future as a two-way player.
Jacksonville, though, is undeterred. Hunter is “set to play both sides of the ball” in 2026, general manager James Gladstone said on the Rich Eisen Show, adding that he expects “an uptick in corner usage.”
“That’s not to say anything impacts his availability and usage on offense,” Gladstone continued. “It just means that cornerback usage will increase.”
Across his seven appearances in 2025, Hunter played 324 snaps on offense, good for 46.3 per game and a 67% snap share. He lined up for 162 snaps on offense, or 23.1 per game and a 36% snap share. Among Jacksonville’s currently-rostered players, he ranked third in outside cornerback snaps last year despite his abbreviated season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Jaguars let Greg Newsome depart in free agency and did not make any major additions at cornerback in the offseason, so there should be more snaps available for Hunter in 2026. The current positional room has one clear boundary starter in Montaric Brown with Jourdan Lewis expected to remain the team’s primary slot corner. Jarrian Jones spent time in both spots last year amid injuries to Hunter and Lewis, but may stay in a versatile backup/dime role this season with Hunter eating into his time on the outside.
“He wants to play both ways,” Gladstone said when asked about Hunter’s desires. “That’s his dream, and we’ll look to support that in the best way we can.” He added that the team is focused on “winning football games” and believes that Hunter’s two-way abilities are the best way to accomplish that.
Hunter’s return timeline from last year’s injury remains unchanged. He will be a limited participant in the Jaguars’ offseason program with the expectation of being “full-go” by training camp, Gladstone said.
WR Stefon Diggs Found Not Guilty On Assault, Strangulation Charges
MAY 6: The conclusion of Diggs’ trial will turn attention back to the league’s investigation into the allegations, which remains ongoing.
“We have been monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the Personal Conduct Policy,” said an NFL spokesperson (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). As a result, teams may wait to get an update on any potential discipline before signing Diggs. However, his acquittal could encourage one to forge ahead knowing that he would forfeit his salary and pay back prorations of his signing bonus for any games missed due to suspension.
MAY 5: A Boston jury acquitted Stefon Diggs on assault and strangulation charges Tuesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. This stemmed from an alleged December 2025 incident, with accusations coming from a woman who had worked for the veteran wide receiver.
Diggs, 32, is a free agent after the Patriots cut him one season into a three-year agreement. While Diggs could still be subject to NFL discipline under the league’s personal conduct policy, this verdict should certainly help him land another opportunity ahead of the 2026 season.
A woman, Mila Adams, who had served as a Diggs personal chef accused the Pro Bowl receiver of assaulting her and testified in the jury trial Monday. Diggs was facing a charge of felony strangulation or suffocation as well as a charge of misdemeanor assault and battery.
Adams was allegedly working as a private chef for Diggs when a financial dispute arose. In a police report, she alleged Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom and, as the dispute continued in-person, “smacked her across the face.” Adams then claimed Diggs “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck” and that she feared she may pass out as a result. Diggs denied Adams’ claims, pleading not guilty in February, and is now legally in the clear.
Diggs did not testify in the trial, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who notes no visible injuries were present on the accuser’s body when she filed a police report. No photos were taken following the alleged incident. Diggs’ lawyers argued the woman’s claims of an assault were not credible, and the high-profile NFLer’s side won out.
The Patriots moved Diggs’ three-year, $63.5MM contract off their payroll in March, signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal worth $68MM ($35MM fully guaranteed). The Pats made a bigger commitment to the four-year Packers contributor, and they have been closely linked to A.J. Brown. No agreement is in place, and we last heard the sides were apart on terms — as the Pats are not believed to have put a first-rounder on the table yet. But New England is widely believed to be the frontrunner for the Philadelphia wideout, who is expected to be traded after June 1 for cap purposes.
Diggs will be looking for a fifth NFL team and fourth club in four years. The Bills traded their previous No. 1 receiver to the Texans in April 2024, and after removing three years from his contract, Houston did not re-sign him following a midseason ACL tear. Diggs rewarded the Patriots, leading the team in receiving (with 1,013 yards) and scoring four touchdowns to help Drake Maye‘s MVP push — which ended in a close runner-up finish. The Pats rode to Super Bowl LX with Diggs as their top target but decided to move on before a $6MM guarantee was due March 13.
Joining Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel and DeAndre Hopkins in the 30-something wing of free agent receivers, Diggs should be able to generate interest. A deal coming together, especially with the pass catcher not coming off injury like he was in 2025, in the near future — now that a contract would not affect a team’s 2027 compensatory formula — would not be difficult to envision now that this legal matter is in the past.
Saints To Work Out QBs Kyle Trask, Easton Stick
The Saints are exploring their options for veteran quarterback depth. Easton Stick and Kyle Trask are both set to try out for the team at their rookie minicamp, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough took over as the Saints’ starting quarterback midway through his rookie season, with 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler demoted to backup. The pair of young passers are set to return in those roles this year, but with just three combined seasons in the NFL, New Orleans may prefer a more experienced player for the third-string job.
The team already signed former Jets first-rounder Zach Wilson to a veteran minimum deal this offseason. His 33 career starts are more than Shough and Rattler combined, though none have come since 2023. Stick and Trask have less playing experience, but they have spent just as much time in the league.
Stick, 30, was a fifth-round pick by the Chargers in 2019. He only appeared in one game (and attempted one pass) across the first four years of his career, but started four games in 2023 with Justin Herbert sidelined by season-ending surgery. Stick played surprisingly well, but Los Angeles went winless in his starts. He has not seen the field since and spent last year with the Falcons.
The Buccaneers saw some starting potential in Trask, who they selected with a second-round pick in 2021. He spent two years behind Tom Brady with virtually no playing time, and he did not inspire enough confidence to earn a shot at the starting quarterback job after Brady’s retirement in 2023. Instead, Tampa Bay transitioned to Baker Mayfield, who played all but a handful of snaps across the next two years. The Bucs released Trask during final roster cuts last season; the 28-year-old took Stick’s spot on the Falcons’ practice squad in November when he was promoted to the active roster.
The Saints will also be hosting former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo at rookie minicamp, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. He boasted a 89.9% field goal conversion rate from 2019 to 2023, but lost the job in 2024 after going 24 for 35 (73.5%) to start the season. Koo appeared in one game for the Falcons and five for the Giants, making six of his nine field goals and just two of five from beyond 40 yards.
He could still offer some competition to Charlie Smyth, who took over as the team’s kicker midway through last season. He converted 12 of his 16 field goal attempts and all 13 of his extra points, a solid performance for the Northern Ireland native in his first regular-season action.
Panthers Were Focused On Tackle Help In Round 1
Sometimes draft boards falling in certain ways lead teams to make best-player-available picks, thus leaving some need areas after taking a player at a fairly well-stocked position. Although the Panthers were regularly mocked tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 19, the team was focused on filling a position that appeared fortified.
The Panthers ended up with Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling at No. 19, after the Jets chose Sadiq 16th overall. Carolina does not appear to have pivoted after New York’s Sadiq pick, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tabbing the NFC South team as having a “tackle or bust” first-round mindset.
The team was interested in Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Lomu as well, Fowler adds, but it clearly valued Freeling higher than the latter. Lomu went off the board to the Patriots at No. 28, being the last of nine first-round O-linemen chosen in this draft. We had heard a run on O-linemen was likely around the middle of the first round, though the Panthers’ participation proved interesting.
Our Adam La Rose covered this issue in his most recent PFR mailbag, but the Panthers now have a crowded tackle group. The team returns longtime RT Taylor Moton and has LT Ikem Ekwonu on a fifth-year option. Although Ekwonu is not expected to be available to start the season, the team signed Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal worth just $4MM. Jauan Jennings‘ situation notwithstanding, Walker’s market underwhelmed to the greatest degree during this year’s free agency period.
Walker had worked as a three-year Packers starter at left tackle, rising from a seventh-round pedigree. High on most free agent rankings lists (including ours), the David Bakhtiari replacement started 48 games from 2023-25 and loomed as the Panthers’ clear-cut Ekwonu stopgap piece. The 25-year-old blocker, however, was arrested on a gun-related charge in January. A potential suspension certainly could have impacted his market, and he may need to try again in 2027. The Freeling pick certainly points to Walker, as Adam noted, being a one-year Panther.
The Freeling selection could make Walker a trade chip as well. All of Freeling’s Bulldogs starts came at left tackle, separating him from most of the top tackles in this year’s class (as Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa and Blake Miller primarily played RT in college). Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranked Freeling 22nd in this class, slotting Proctor 24th and Lomu 30th. Miami chose Proctor at No. 12, narrowing Carolina’s focus at the position.
Carolina’s Freeling pick also signals Ekwonu may be on the move as a 2027 free agent. Stopping the Panthers’ yearslong carousel at left tackle as the No. 6 overall pick in 2022, Ekwonu expressed interest in an extension last year. In December, a report indicated a 2026 extension for the NC State product would be a Panther priority. Unfortunately for the previously durable blocker, a patellar tendon tear sustained in the wild-card round represents bad timing. Ekwonu, 25, will likely need to display good form coming off the major knee injury. And the Panthers will be developing a cheaper option while he does so.
It could be possible for the Panthers to retain both Ekwonu and Freeling beyond 2026. Moton is entering an age-32 season, and no guaranteed money remains on the 10th-year RT’s deal beyond this year. Freeling being a long-term RT option, with Ekwonu eventually returning to the blind side, may be a path the team considers. For now, though, the Panthers have an interesting setup at tackle. While Walker and Moton figure to start the season at those spots, Carolina’s 2027 configuration figures to look different.
Dolphins Hire Jaguars’ Josh Scobey For Front Office Role
Josh Scobey relocated to Jacksonville after 12 years in Arizona’s front office, but the running back-turned-exec is on the move again.
The Jaguars and Scobey parted ways recently, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, and CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz notes the Dolphins are hiring the veteran staffer. Scobey, 46, had been working as a senior personnel executive with the Jags.
The Dolphins are hiring Scobey as their assistant director of player personnel, according to InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton. Scobey, who played running back for the Cardinals in the 2000s, climbed the ladder to director of college scouting by 2022. But the Cardinals’ Steve Keim firing led to a separation from some of his top lieutenants, something that is commonplace around the league as new regimes take over.
This Jags departure comes at a similar point compared to Scobey’s Cards exit, as the AFC South team — like Arizona in 2023 — hired a new GM. The Cardinals moved on from Scobey in 2024, a year after their Monti Ossenfort hire. The Jags, who had hired Scobey in Trent Baalke‘s final year in charge, will bid farewell a year after hiring James Gladstone as GM.
Scouting changes mostly occur after the draft, with contracts for these positions generally expiring then. A host of turnover will take place around the league’s scouting staffs. Scobey will join Jon-Eric Sullivan‘s staff in Miami. Gladstone’s regime is parting with another scouting-side staffer, with Wilson adding the team is moving on from pro scout Rory Segrest. The latter had been an assistant D-line coach in Jacksonville prior to a move to the scouting ranks. Like Scobey, Segrest was hired under Baalke.
Nathan Peterman Books Broncos Tryout
Nathan Peterman is best known for some rough performances as a Bills starter, but the veteran quarterback has managed a long career as a reserve option. The experienced quarterback has secured another opportunity.
Although Peterman was out of the NFL last season, 9News’ Mike Klis notes he secured a tryout at the Broncos’ rookie minicamp this weekend. The Broncos return their top three QBs from 2025, having re-signed third-stringer Sam Ehlinger, but recent Bo Nix news points to Denver needing a third healthy option for its offseason program.
Nix underwent a follow-up ankle procedure recently and likely will not be full go until training camp. Limited OTAs participation appears on tap for Denver’s starter, putting Jarrett Stidham in position to take first-team reps in spring workouts. Peterman, 32, was last with the Falcons, who carried him on their practice squad throughout the 2024 season.
The 2017 fifth-round pick has been with five teams in his career. The Raiders, Bears and Saints also rostered him at points. Sean Payton was not in New Orleans during Peterman’s cameo with the team (during the 2024 offseason). The Broncos have not officially announced their UDFA class, but no QBs are believed to be part of that group. Thus, Peterman will have a chance to work at the team’s rookie camp soon.
Peterman has five career starts; just one has come since his Buffalo tenure ended in 2018. He spent three-plus seasons with the Raiders; that covered most of Jon Gruden‘s second HC stay with the team and the Rich Bisaccia interim stint. The Bears added Peterman in 2022 and used him at a rather key point on their timeline. Chicago sat Justin Fields for Week 18 of the 2022 season, and the Peterman start resulted in a loss that clinched Chicago the No. 1 overall pick — which the team dealt to Carolina in the Bryce Young swap. Peterman returned to the Bears in 2023 but caught on with the Falcons the following year.
The Broncos have carried two QBs on their active roster, for the most part, during Payton’s tenure. But Nix’s ankle issue and Ehlinger’s $1MM guarantee creates a natural assumption they will go with three active-roster passers in 2026. A fourth QB as a practice squad stash may be overkill, but that would appear Peterman’s ceiling if he is to stick with the team for offseason work. This also may merely be for the rookie camp, with the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson noting the team had been targeting a veteran QB to throw passes to rookies at that multiday gathering. It nonetheless represents an opportunity for a player who has crafted a longer-than-expected career than his career 4:13 TD-INT ratio would suggest.
Jon Runyan Jr. On Track To Keep Giants’ Left Guard Job?
Jon Runyan Jr. came up as a cap-casualty candidate, and while the Giants made other such moves to free up cap space this offseason, their two-year left guard starter remains on the roster.
It should not be considered a lock Runyan stays for a third season, but The Athletic Dan Duggan views the veteran as the frontrunner for the LG job. With the Giants set to plug No. 10 overall pick Francis Mauigoa in at RG, a competition is on tap for Runyan’s post. But Runyan has more experience than his competitors.
[RELATED: Examining Giants’ Positional Experiments With Top-10 Draftees]
New York made a mid-offseason move to add another ex-John Harbaugh Baltimore charge, signing Daniel Faalele to a one-year deal. Faalele will be tied to just $1.4MM, per Duggan, who adds the deal includes $688K guaranteed. The Giants, though, also added veteran interior lineman Lucas Patrick. The recent Bengal signed for one year and $1.49MM, Duggan adds; only $262K is guaranteed.
These moves came after the Giants bowed out of the Alijah Vera-Tucker sweepstakes, allowing the Patriots to sign the ex-Jets starter (for three years and $42MM). The team did not view the Zion Johnson, David Edwards, Isaac Seumalo and John Simpson prices as aligning with their talent levels. Although Mauigoa was a college right tackle — and sits as the likely Giants Jermaine Eluemunor RT successor — the Miami product became New York’s big 2026 guard investment.
While Runyan’s contract (three years, $30MM) signifies a much bigger commitment, no guarantees remain on the deal — one authorized during Brian Daboll‘s HC tenure. Harbaugh is running the show now, with GM Joe Schoen — who authorized the Runyan contract — seeing his power greatly reduced. Although Runyan (79 career starts, including 29 as a Giant) is the most proven option the Giants have at guard, the team could save $9MM in cap space by cutting or trading him.
A team taking on Runyan’s full $9MM base salary may be difficult to envision, but prime guard starters are valuable. An injury elsewhere could certainly make Runyan an attractive trade chip, as Faalele — due to his two-year Ravens starter run — would profile as the top challenger. Patrick, 32, has made 65 career starts but may be a more logical swing backup — as he has seen extensive time at both guard and center — at this stage of his career. The Giants could also carry Runyan’s contract even if he loses the position battle or ask him to take an ill-timed pay cut, thus creating depth at a position the team has struggled to staff for many years.
The team also re-signed Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu. Neal received no guarantees after an unremarkable rookie-contract showing, while Ezeudu is guaranteed $410K. Ezeudu will also have a chance at guard, per Schoen (via SNY’s Connor Hughes). Mauigoa’s status as the near-certain RG starter will leave a crowded competition for the other starting spot. Runyan may need to fend off four challengers. This full group may not all make Harbaugh’s first 53-man Giants roster, though practice squad spots will be available. That said, Neal and Ezeudu’s tackle experience could make them swing options there as well.
Pro Football Focus ranked Runyan 65th among guards last season and 58th in 2024, though the advanced-metrics site has never viewed the former Packers sixth-rounder as a top-35 option at the position. That did not stop Runyan, even in a crowded 2024 guard market, from fetching a $10MM-per-year deal. Like fellow potential cut Devin Singletary, Runyan has survived (Singletary accepted a pay cut to stay). Unlike Singletary, though, Runyan saw the Giants make a major addition at his position in the draft. New York’s LG competition will be one to monitor once OTAs begin.
Bucs GM: Team Seeking Long-Term Future With Baker Mayfield
MAY 6: While Licht has not confirmed talks are underway or a timeline on an extension goal — be it before Week 1 or before the 2027 free agency period — ESPN’s Adam Schefter voiced an expectation during an NFL Live appearance (h/t JoeBucsFan.com) an extension will come to pass between the Buccaneers and their fourth-year quarterback.
The team intends to extend Mayfield, per Schefter, pointing to a deal being completed by September. The Bucs have deviated from their strategy of letting players play out contracts, having extended core performers Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2024. Mayfield did not receive that priority in 2023, though the QB was reestablishing his value that year, but may well secure the top spot in Tampa Bay’s contract queue this offseason.
MAY 4: The Buccaneers do not have a history with long-term quarterback partnerships. No one has started more than six years with the franchise at the game’s premier position.
The team’s longest-tenured starting QB is Vinny Testaverde, a former No. 1 overall pick who left in free agency in 1993. Trent Dilfer was also a six-year Buc, leaving in 2000 as a free agent after an injury-shortened 1999 season. Doug Williams lasted five years, but a messy dispute with ownership led to the future Super Bowl MVP’s 1983 exit. Super Bowl XXXVII starter Brad Johnson played four seasons with the team.
Although Ryan Griffin never started a game in Tampa, he is technically the longest-tenured QB in franchise history — at seven years (2015-21). Baker Mayfield is contracted for one more season — which will be his fourth in Tampa — but the club has designs on moving the former No. 1 pick into position to become its longest-tenured quarterback.
Rumblings about a Mayfield extension emerged at multiple points this offseason, and while negotiations do not look to have begun, GM Jason Licht said during a WDAE appearance (h/t Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) the quarterback’s situation is “at the forefront of our minds.” Licht added “nobody here wants Baker playing for any other team.”
Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM deal includes a $39.98MM cap number for 2026. The Bucs made the decision to guarantee $30MM of Mayfield’s 2026 compensation last summer, providing security for a player who has rejuvenated his career during his time in Florida. Two void years are on the contract; if the Bucs do not extend Mayfield by the start of the 2027 league year, they would owe $30.15MM in dead money in 2027.
That number approaches the penalty the Bucs received on their 2023 cap after Tom Brady‘s second retirement. Mayfield arrived in the wake of the three-year Bucs QB1’s decision, with the team staying away from a big-ticket investment due largely to the Brady dead money. Mayfield joined the Bucs on an incentive-laden contract that provided only $4MM in base value. After a bounce-back 2023 season, Mayfield signed his three-year deal on the eve of the ’24 free agency period.
Mayfield then posted better numbers under Liam Coen in 2024, throwing 41 touchdown passes and completing 71% of his throws. The QB regressed last season, seeing his yards per attempt fall from 7.9 in 2024 to 6.8 in ’25; Mayfield also completed just 63% of his passes. The Bucs, though, trudged through an injury-plagued season that featured extensive missed time from skill-position players — including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving — and O-linemen. The Bucs, who replaced OC Josh Grizzard with Zac Robinson this offseason (with input from their quarterback on the hire), are ready to give Mayfield another chance.
While the Licht-era Bucs have regularly had key starters play out contract years and re-signing them either before or during the following free agency period, it would be a bit surprising to see Mayfield not extended before Week 1. The 31-year-old passer would be an attractive UFA in 2027 were the Bucs to pass on an extension.
Tampa Bay currently has Mayfield on a wildly team-friendly accord, with his AAV checking in 16th among QBs. The Colts giving Daniel Jones a two-year, $88MM deal probably will factor into Mayfield’s Bucs negotiations. While only two teams — the Packers (Aaron Rodgers) and Cowboys (Dak Prescott) — have authorized $50MM-per-year extensions for QBs past their 30th birthdays, Mayfield will be a candidate to at least come in above Jones on his next contract.
Sam Darnold‘s camp will be taking notice of how the Bucs and Mayfield proceed. Although the Bucs would have a franchise tag at their disposal if they are unable to extend Mayfield, that pricey number along with the $30MM-plus dead cap figure — in the event the former Heisman winner does ultimately relocate next year — arms the fourth-year Tampa Bay starter with some leverage ahead of his talks. It will be interesting to see what numbers emerge once serious discussions begin.