Meniscus Injury To Sideline Cardinals DT Kaleb Proctor; Latest On CB Garrett Williams
As the Cardinals transition to Mike LaFleur as head coach, they retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis from the Jonathan Gannon period. Rallis’ unit has notable question marks along the defensive line, as the jury is still out on recent first-rounders Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson.
Arizona, which lost Calais Campbell in free agency, made another investment in the position early in the fourth round by selecting Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor. The No. 104 overall pick, though, may not be healthy when the the Cardinals open their season. LaFleur said (via Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer) Proctor suffered a torn meniscus during OTAs.
LaFleur did not rule out this being a season-ending injury. Proctor, among a handful of players from this draft class to not yet sign a rookie contract, was a consensus Division I-FCS All-American in 2025. He finished with nine sacks to become the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year. He was the first FCS player drafted this year.
The Cardinals saw Nolen run into multiple injuries derailing his rookie season. A calf injury suffered during offseason workouts sidelined the 2025 first-rounder until Week 8, and he suffered a season-ending knee injury two months later.
Nolen, who underwent surgery late last season, played just six games as a rookie. Robinson, meanwhile, finished his second season as Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded interior D-lineman (among 127 regulars). Campbell rejoined the Ravens in free agency, though the Cardinals did bring back Roy Lopez after his Lions season. The team also signed Andrew Billings and Jonah Williams (not the two-year Arizona RT), but Proctor was the only D-lineman the team drafted this year.
Elsewhere on the Cardinals’ defense, Garrett Williams is rehabbing an Achilles tear suffered in Week 16. Arizona’s primary slot cornerback over the past three seasons, Williams played 10 games in 2025. He underwent surgery late in the season and is on track to return by Week 1, LaFleur added (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban).
Williams is expected to be back during training camp, per LaFleur, who places Week 1 as a realistic goal. This would be a welcome development for all parties, as Williams — a 2023 third-rounder — has logged at least a 75% snap share on defense over the past two seasons. The Syracuse product, who ranked as PFF’s No. 3 overall corner in 2024, is entering a contract year. The Cards do not much in the way of known commodities at corner, so having Williams back to open the season would be a nice bonus as Rallis attempts to revive a defense that ranked 31st last season.
Giants Optimistic Malik Nabers Will Be Ready For Week 1
Giants No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers remains in recovery from the torn ACL and meniscus he suffered last September. It has been a difficult rehab for Nabers, who required a second surgery – a cleanup procedure – in mid-April. While Nabers is still sidelined, Giants bigwigs are optimistic he will be ready when they open their season against the Cowboys on Sept. 13.
“I still think he’ll be fine Week 1,” general manager Joe Schoen told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports on Monday. “So we’ll see. He’s trending in the right direction. Again, these things take time, so it’s not instant. Every patient is different.”
Head coach John Harbaugh took a similarly positive tone Wednesday, saying (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic) that Nabers is making “really good progress.” Harbaugh added he is “very hopeful that he’ll be back soon.” In Harbaugh’s estimation, Nabers is 70 to 80 percent through his rehab.
Nabers’ absence is the most glaring in the Giants’ receiving corps, but he isn’t their only wideout on the shelf. Darius Slayton is on the mend from core-muscle surgery, and the team saw Gunner Olszewski go down with a season-ending Achilles tear during practice on May 29. Scrambling for healthy bodies, the Giants reunited with Odell Beckham Jr. and also brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios during a June 1 shopping spree. Those modest signings came a few months after the Giants added Calvin Austin and Darnell Mooney on the open market. They also traded up 31 picks to draft Malachi Fields in the third round (No. 74 overall).
Schoen admitted to Epstein that the Giants’ new-look WR group does not have a “true No. 1 alpha” with Nabers out, but he believes “there’s enough to go.” It is clear, however, that Nabers is the best player of the bunch. After going sixth overall in the 2024 draft, Nabers dazzled during a Pro Bowl rookie year in which he caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Last season’s injury, which he incurred in quarterback Jaxson Dart‘s first career start, limited him to four games. Nabers will be a little under a year removed from it when Week 1 arrives, and the Giants are hopeful he will be on the field for the first meaningful game of the Harbaugh era.
Pats Not ‘Exploring’ Stefon Diggs Reunion; TE Addition Possible
Although the Patriots released wide receiver Stefon Diggs in March, the four-time Pro Bowler was reportedly open to a new deal with the team as of mid-May. As expected, though, the Patriots went on to acquire wideout A.J. Brown from the Eagles a couple of weeks later. With Brown now the leader of a crowded receiving corps, Diggs will probably have to look elsewhere.
When head coach Mike Vrabel met with reporters Wednesday, he downplayed the chances of the Patriots re-signing Diggs, saying (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald), “Right now, I don’t think that that’s something that I think we’re exploring, but I would never say no.”
Diggs gave the Patriots strong production in what ended up as the only season of his three-year, $63.3MM contract with the team. In his return from the torn ACL he suffered in 2024 with the Texans, Diggs stayed healthy and led the Patriots in receptions (85), targets (121) and yards (1,013). He also caught four touchdowns, helping the Pats to a remarkable one-year turnaround in which they went from 4-13 to 14-3.
New England advanced all the way to Super Bowl LX, but the team couldn’t overcome Seattle in a 29-13 loss. The Patriots gave Diggs the ax a few weeks later and opened up $16.8MM in cap space at the cost of $9.7MM in dead money. At the time, Diggs was facing strangulation and assault charges for an alleged incident with his former personal chef. He was found not guilty in early May, though the league has continued to review the matter. It is unclear if he will face any discipline.
While the 32-year-old Diggs may be the best receiver left in free agency, Vrabel noted the Patriots are “happy” with the options they have. Beyond Brown, the club has expensive free agent pickup Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins,2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism in its top seven. Hollins and Williams are “near-locks” for roster spots, according to Kyed. On the other hand, Boutte has come up as a trade candidate. He is reportedly open to a change of scenery, but the fourth-year man claims he is still content in New England.
“I wouldn’t mind being here,” Boutte said this week (via Chad Graff of The Athletic): “I do want to be here.”
With Brown and Doubs playing on big-money deals, Boutte is not in good position to sign an extension as he heads into a contract year, Graff notes. At the same time, Graff does not believe the Patriots are so well off at the position that they would give Boutte away for a late-round pick. Meanwhile, Douglas is reportedly on the roster bubble and might lose his spot to Chism, who could be the Patriots’ kick returner.
Although another agreement with Diggs appears unlikely, the Patriots may be in the market for tight end help after losing Julian Hill to an undisclosed injury. They brought in the former Dolphin on a three-year, $15MM pact in free agency, but he abruptly went on season-ending IR on June 1.
Asked about a potential tight end addition, Vrabel said (via Kyed), “I think that’s somewhere where we’d have to address.”
The Patriots have a clear-cut No. 1 tight end in Hunter Henry. They also drafted Eli Raridon in the third round this year. CJ Dippre, Jack Westover and undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin round out the group, but they could have company soon.
Colts’ Daniel Jones Increases Offseason Participation; Alec Pierce Could Miss Start Of Training Camp
JUNE 10: Pierce’s surgery came after an unsuccessful PRP injection, per Mike Chappell of FOX 59. Asked when he could return, Pierce said, “Kind of somewhere in there I should be back right before the season or ready to go sometime during camp, whether that’s the beginning of the end.”
JUNE 9: Daniel Jones has continued to make progress while recovering from the Achilles tear which ended his debut Colts season. An increase in his level of practice participation has taken place recently.
Jones has been able to take part in seven-on-seven drills in OTAs lately, as detailed by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). That marks the next step after he was limited to individual work earlier this spring. 11-on-11 participation will need to wait until training camp, but the latest developments are encouraging.
“To get him out there in seven-on-seven was huge, to get him in the fold, running plays with the guys,” head coach Shane Steichen said of Jones’ recovery. “We’ll keep that trend going, probably through the end of OTAs and then, obviously, get him into team stuff at training camp. It’s spring, we don’t play for a while, so we’ve got to be smart with his injury. But he’s making great progress.”
Jones received the transition tag in March to ensure he would not be able to test the market. Shortly thereafter, a two-year, $88MM deal was worked out. The 29-year-old will be counted on to replicate his impressive performances from before the injury as the Colts aim to end their playoff drought. The play of the team’s offense will be key to those efforts, and wideout Alec Pierce‘s availability will be critical.
Pierce – who landed a four-year, $114MM pact to stay with the Colts – underwent ankle surgery this spring. No missed time in the regular season is expected in his case, but a limited workload during the summer may be coming. Steichen said on Tuesday (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star) it is possible Pierce could remain sidelined during the beginning of training camp next month. A return to practice in time for Week 1 would still be anticipated even in that event, but any setbacks in recovery could prove to be impactful on a Colts receiving corps which no longer has Michael Pittman Jr. in the fold.
Jones will also be able to participate in seven-on-seven drills during mandatory minicamp, Steichen confirmed today (h/t Fox59’s Mike Chappell). Anything beyond that will not take place until padded practices during the summer, but his recovery continues to head in a positive direction.
Jonathan Taylor Wants To Be ‘Colt For Life’
Thanks to the four-year, $64MM extension he signed last month, the Dolphins’ De’Von Achane leads all running backs in contract value. With fellow stars Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor also looking for extensions this summer, Achane might not sit atop the mountain for long.
Speaking about his future on Wednesday, Taylor told reporters he wants to re-up with the Colts before the season. The three-time Pro Bowler has informed management of that (via Mike Chappell of FOX 59).
“I’d love to be a Colt for life,” said Taylor, who has thrived in Indianapolis since the former Wisconsin standout entered the NFL as a second-round pick in 2020.
In 2023, the last time Taylor angled for new contract, negotiations between him and the team became so contentious that he requested a trade that July. Nothing materialized before the season, and Taylor wound up beginning the year on the PUP list as a result of an ankle injury. After the Colts did not receive any firm offers for Taylor while he was on the shelf, the two sides finally hammered out a three-year, $42MM extension in early October.
At the time of signing, Taylor placed third among RBs in average annual value and fourth in fully guaranteed money ($26.5MM). He’s now seventh in AAV and ninth in guarantees. With the 27-year-old Taylor still among the league’s elite backs, he is in line for another raise.
Taylor dealt with injuries in each year from 2022-24 and missed the equivalent of a full season (17 games), but his health bounced back during a full campaign in 2025. The 5-foot-10, 226-pound workhorse led the league in carries (323), finished third in yards (1,585; his fourth 1,000-yard season) and scored nine touchdowns on the ground. Taylor also found the end zone twice as a pass catcher and logged career highs in receptions (46) and yards (378).
The Colts got a couple of important tasks done earlier in the offseason when they made pricey commitments to quarterback Daniel Jones (two years, $88MM) and wide receiver Alec Pierce (four years, $114MM). Taylor still stands out as the best offensive weapon Indianapolis has, which should increase his chances of landing his own multiyear deal sometime soon.
Bills’ Michael Hoecht Uncertain For Camp
Seven months since he tore his Achilles last November, Bills outside linebacker Michael Hoecht participated in individual drills at minicamp Tuesday (via Sal Capaccio of WGR 550). That’s a good sign for Hoecht as training camp approaches, though it is uncertain if he will be ready by then.
“[The athletic trainers and medical staff] really don’t want me to put timelines on it, but I’m going to put as much effort, I can’t put a timeline onto it, but I can put as much effort as possible into it,” Hoecht said last week (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN).
Hoecht indicated the ultimate goal is to be on the field when Buffalo’s season kicks off in Houston on Sept. 13. Heading into the second season of a three-year, $24MM contract, the former Ram should play a notable role in the Bills’ defense if he is healthy. Hoecht’s first year in Buffalo went down as a disappointment, and his injury wasn’t the lone culprit.
Just four days after Hoecht signed with the Bills in March 2025, the NFL hit him with a six-game suspension for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances. The ban prevented the 28-year-old from debuting until Week 8, but he made an immediate impact in a 40-9 blowout victory in Carolina. After forcing a fumble and registering 1.5 sacks against the Panthers, he chipped in another half-sack in a 28-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 9. However, Hoecht suffered his injury that afternoon, limiting him to just two games in 2025.
As the Bills transition to a 3-4 base defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, Hoecht is a key figure on their pass-rushing depth chart. Barring setbacks in his recovery, Hoecht and second-round rookie T.J. Parker will slot in behind starting OLBs Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb. The Bills brought in ex-Chief Mike Danna in free agency to add more depth, while Javon Solomon and Andre Jones will also compete for reserve spots. Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa – members of last year’s team – are among remaining free agent possibilities, but the Bills have not shown public interest in re-signing either player.
Elsewhere in the Bills’ LB corps, Dorian Williams is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but head coach Joe Brady is hopeful he will be good to go for camp (via Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News). Like Hoecht, a healthy Williams could carve out an important role, especially considering the Bills have not re-signed Shaq Thompson or Matt Milano in free agency.
While Williams has come off the bench in 28 of 50 career games, the fourth-year pro may start alongside Terrel Bernard in the middle of the Bills’ defense in 2026. As things stand, their only other choices are fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Joe Andreessen (primarily a special teamer), Keonta Jenkins, free agent pickup Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, 2024 undrafted free agent Jimmy Ciarlo and 2026 UDFA Theron Gaines.
Ravens DL Calais Campbell Expects To Retire After 2026
Four years after his first Ravens stint ended, defensive lineman Calais Campbell reunited with the team in free agency earlier this spring. Campbell expects the one-year, $5.5MM contract he signed to go down as his last in the NFL.
Discussing his future on Tuesday, the soon-to-be 40-year-old said (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN): “I always tell myself — and this year I feel it as strongly as ever — that this is probably going to be my last year. I know I said that last year and the year before, but I genuinely meant it at the time. I always tell myself to play well enough to be able to get a job again if I want to. If I go out there and perform to the level I want to play, I’m probably going to have to turn somebody down next year. That’s the ideal scenario. As of right now, I’m playing this year as if it’s my last year.”
As Campbell noted, he will likely field offers in 2027 if he continues to stand out this year. Then a member of the Cardinals, Campbell indicated last August that 2025 would be his final season. However, things changed after the potential Hall of Famer showed no serious signs of slowing down in the 18th year of his career. He completed his third straight 17-start season and notched 43 tackles (nine TFL), 16 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks and two pass deflections. Campbell’s performance impressed Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 23rd among 127 qualifying interior D-linemen.
Also a former Jaguar, Falcon and Dolphin, Campbell revealed the presence of Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver influenced his decision to return to Baltimore.
“Weave has been my favorite coach,” the six-time Pro Bowler said. “He’s probably the main reason why I came back here.”
Weaver, who spent the previous two seasons as the Dolphins’ D-coordinator, is beginning his third stint with the Ravens. He played for them from 2002-05 and then held multiple roles on former head coach John Harbaugh‘s staff from 2021-23. Weaver was the assistant defensive line coach for all three of those years, and Campbell was in the fold for two of them.
As Campbell enters what he expects to be his last season, the 2010s All-Decade Team member will have a chance to continue climbing up a couple of all-time lists. Campbell has played 278 games, leaving him five away from passing Jim Marshall for most ever by a defensive lineman. He also has 125 sacks, which ranks 34th in league history. Recording at least six sacks in 2026 would vault him into the top 30.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert ‘Had Other Opportunities’ In Free Agency
A few days after free agency opened in March, tight end Dallas Goedert re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year, $7MM guarantee. Goedert is now poised to play a ninth straight season in Philadelphia, but the career-long Eagle heard from other teams during his brief trip to the open market.
“I was able to test free agency a little bit,” he said Tuesday (h/t: Josh Alper of PFT). “Had opportunities to go elsewhere. Nothing was a better opportunity than I thought I could have here. Being able to play in the same place for nine years is special. It would’ve had to be something really drastic to have me try to sign somewhere else.”
Just as Goedert wanted to stay in Philadelphia, it was in the team’s best interest to re-sign him. Not only did Goedert remain a key part of the Eagles’ offense in 2025, but losing him would have negatively affected their cap situation. The Eagles would have taken on $20.49MM in dead money had they failed to re-sign Goedert. Hoping to prevent that, the Eagles and Goedert agreed to push back the void date on his contract on multiple occasions. Doing so bought them enough time to hammer out a new deal.
An Eagle since they chose him in the second round of the 2018 draft, Goedert now ranks fifth in franchise history in catches (409), tied for ninth in touchdowns (35) and 14th in receiving yards (4,676). He has accumulated those numbers despite missing time in every season since 2019. The 31-year-old played 15 of 17 games in 2025 and piled up 60 catches for 591 yards and a team-leading 11 scores, which set a single-season franchise record for his position.
The Eagles are likely to lean on Goedert as an important cog in their passing attack again this year, especially after trading receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots. They also drafted a potential heir apparent in second-rounder Eli Stowers, giving new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and quarterback Jalen Hurts a pair of gifted pass catchers at the position. That wasn’t the case last year, as backup tight ends Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson combined for just 16 receptions. Calcaterra has since joined Goedert in re-signing with the Eagles, who also added blocking specialist Johnny Mundt in free agency, while Granson left for Tennessee.
Todd Monken: Browns’ QB Competition To Continue Into Training Camp
The Browns have split first-team reps at the quarterback position this spring, with new head coach Todd Monken preferring to have a clearly-defined starter in place by the end of June’s minicamp. Instead, the competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders is set to continue.
“I’m not going to name a No. 1,” Monken said on Tuesday (via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) when speaking about the timeline for a decision. “I shouldn’t say that. Chances are I will not. Now, once we get to the fall, we’ll have to dissect the reps how we see fit. I just don’t see it after the way Shedeur’s played and the way Deshaun’s played. They both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start.”
Barring a surprise turnaround in the next day or two, Cleveland’s minicamp – and thus all spring offseason work – will wrap up without any clarity at the QB spot. Sanders took over first-team duties late in his rookie season, but Watson has managed to recover from the pair of Achilles tears which kept him sidelined through the 2025 campaign. Both passers face the possibility of a high draft investment next April, but for now attention will be focused on their performances in camp.
Watson is on the books for one more season as things stand, with his most recent restructure setting up a widely expected post-June 1 release in 2027. However, the much-maligned trade acquisition is open to staying in Cleveland beyond this season. Watson, who will turn 31 early in the coming campaign, has totaled just 19 appearances over the course of his Browns tenure.
Sanders was initially seen as the favorite with respect to the Browns’ QB1 gig in 2027. Watson has, however, more recently pulled into the lead. Questions about the involvement of ownership on this front have dated back to the blockbuster swap (and fully guaranteed extension) that brought Watson into the fold, and they will no doubt continue if the ex-Houston Pro Bowler finds himself atop the depth chart in Week 1.
Sanders fell to the fifth round of last year’s draft and did not take any first-team reps during training camp as Cleveland sorted through a logjam of passers. The trades sending Kenny Pickett, and then Joe Flacco, out of the organization led to a brief starting stint for fellow 2025 draftee Dillon Gabriel. That was followed by Sanders closing out the season with seven starts. The 24-year-old has drawn praise from Monken and Co. so far, and his rookie contract runs through 2028.
Last week’s Myles Garrett trade added further to Cleveland’s draft capital in 2027 and beyond. Whether or not a Day 1 QB selection is pursued next April will surely be influenced in large part by the play of Watson and Sanders, but the pecking order between those two will not be settled until the summer.
G Joel Bitonio Retires
Joel Bitonio‘s future remained uncertain throughout the 2026 offseason. Another Browns contract remained something the team was open to, but the decorated guard has elected to hang up his cleats at the age of 34.
“Truthfully, as time passed and my career kept going, there was never a point where I could envision myself in a different uniform,” Bitonio said in a statement on Tuesday. “Wearing that orange helmet and being part of this franchise – from getting drafted to signing three contracts – I felt a loyalty to the Browns, and it gave me a sense of pride to represent a fan base who is consistently loyal to us. I started the job here, and once I got to a certain point, I knew I wanted to finish the job in Cleveland.
“Now that job is finished. After 12 seasons of wearing No. 75 in brown and orange, I have officially decided to retire.”
For multiple years, retirement has been a talking point in Bitonio’s case. The seven-time Pro Bowler managed to play out the entirety of his three-year extension signed in 2021, and he agreed to delay the void date on his expiring pact in February. Remaining on the open market well into the spring, Bitonio could have easily explored his options with respect to other teams. To no surprise, though, he has chosen to end his playing career after playing exclusively in Cleveland.
A second-round pick in 2014, Bitonio immediately took on a starting role during his rookie season. He remained a fixture at the left guard spot through this past season, performing as one of the league’s best interior blockers along the way. The Nevada product was a Pro Bowler every year from 2018-24, and he earned an All-Pro nod (second-team on three occasions, first-team twice) during the first five seasons of that stretch.
Partnering with Wyatt Teller over a seven-year period, Bitonio was a key figure on one of the league’s top interior offensive lines for much of his career. Teller departed in free agency, adding him to the long list of blockers from 2025 who are no longer in place for Cleveland. The team kept the door open to a new Bitonio deal, but his retirement will leave a challenging vacancy to fill moving forward as the Browns proceed with a completely revamped O-line.
In all, Bitonio totaled 180 combined regular and postseason appearances, starting every one of them. His NFL tenure will come to an end after he amassed just over $107MM in career earnings.