Eagles’ Makai Lemon Suffers Hamstring Injury; Training Camp Return Expected
Makai Lemon was recently injured during spring practices. The rookie Eagles wideout is expected to be fully healthy in time for the summer, though.
Lemon is currently dealing with a soft-tissue injury, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP reports. Teammate Quinyon Mitchell clarified (via The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena) this is a hamstring issue. Per Shorr-Parks, this year’s No. 20 pick will not participate further in OTAs. A return in time for training camp is anticipated, however.
Lemon spent the pre-draft process as one of the consensus top wideouts on the board. Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson were both selected in the top 10, and the Rams’ decision to take quarterback Ty Simpson 13th led to a longer-than-anticipated wait in Lemon’s case. The Steelers looked into a move up the board, but in the end the draft’s hosts remained in place at the No. 21 slot.
That opened the door for Philadelphia to swing a trade and draft Lemon 20th overall. The USC product will be counted on to operate as a key figure on offense early and often in the NFL. Lemon represents one of several new faces on an Eagles WR depth chart which has undergone a number of changes this offseason. Monday brought about the expected news of A.J. Brown being dealt from Philadelphia to New England.
With Brown no longer in the fold, DeVonta Smith will be tasked with remaining a focal point in the passing game. Meanwhile, free agent addition Marquise Brown and trade acquisition Dontayvion Wicks will serve as important options on that front as well. The same will be true of Lemon, provided he can recover in full ahead of training camp and avoid any other setbacks with respect to injuries over the coming months.
2026 will mark the beginning of the post-Brown era for Philadelphia. The team will also have a new offensive coordinator (Sean Mannion) in the fold as better consistency and efficiency is sought out. Lemon is set to miss a small portion of non-contact practices in the near term, but he should manage to carve out an important role for himself upon returning to the field as part of a revamped pass-catching group.
Saints, Alvin Kamara Have Yet To Discuss Pay Cut
Through free agency and the draft, and now into spring practices, Alvin Kamara‘s Saints future has remained unclear. Discussions on a pay cut could take place as New Orleans makes a decision in this case, but no talks on that front have occurred so far.
Kamara recently attended the team’s facility even though he typically works out individually during OTAs. No strife has emerged between team and player to date despite the looming possibility of a reduction in pay or a move ending the nine-year veteran’s tenure in New Orleans. Kamara’s contract has yet to be brought up with respect to direct talks involving general manager Mickey Loomis.
“I haven’t had any conversations in regards to that, so I don’t know,” Kamara said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell) when asked if he has talked with the team about a potential pay cut so far this offseason. “I think there’s a time and a place for everything. If that conversation comes up, then I’ll have an answer for you when it comes up.”
As things stand, Kamara is owed $11.5MM for 2026. The nine-year veteran’s scheduled cap charge is $10.45MM, a reasonable figure for many running backs but one complicated by the free agent signing of Travis Etienne. Once the former Jaguar inked a four-year, $47MM deal on the open market, questions were asked about whether or not Kamara would be retained. Loomis has acknowledged finances represent a key factor in the decision, which does not have a firm timeline.
With the calendar having flipped to June, cutting or trading Kamara has become more feasible from a cap perspective. A trade in particular would yield $3.38MM in cap savings in 2026 along with $11.13MM next season (the first void year on the five-time Pro Bowler’s deal). Kamara is preparing for his age-31 season, whereas Etienne is 27.
Despite that age gap and the value of the investment made in Etienne this spring, the possibility has been raised that Kamara could agree to a restructure and remain in place at a reduced rate. If no arrangement can be made on that front, a reunion with Sean Payton in Denver could be something to watch for over the summer. For now, though, this situation remains a cordial one.
“On my side, I feel no pressure,” Kamara added. “There’s no beef or no bad blood, I don’t think. I’m doing what I do every year: working. And whatever decisions that got to be made, they’ll be made.”
Browns Expected To Retain Denzel Ward
JUNE 6: When speaking to the media on Saturday, Ward confirmed (via Fowler’s colleague Daniel Oyefusi) he wants to remain in place with the Browns. Despite the fact he is no longer teammates with Garrett for the first time in his NFL career, Ward can be expected to stay in Cleveland for a ninth season.
JUNE 1: The Browns agreed to trade longtime face of the franchise Myles Garrett in a stunning blockbuster with the Rams on Monday. It is unlikely the Garrett trade will start a fire sale in Cleveland, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Veteran cornerback Denzel Ward is one player who is expected to stay put, Fowler reports.
Considering Ward’s relationship with Garrett, it will be interesting to hear his opinion on the trade (if he offers one publicly). Back when Garrett asked out of Cleveland in February 2025, Ward said: “[The request] has a huge impact, honestly. I want to play with Myles Garrett.”
Ward got his wish for 2025 after Garrett quickly backed off his trade request to sign a contract extension. The pact could have kept Garrett in a Browns uniform through 2030, but the rebuilding club will now replace the future Hall of Famer with Jared Verse and add significant draft capital in the process.
There is an obvious drop-off from Garrett to Verse, which is certainly not a knock on the latter. In his two seasons in the NFL, Verse has collected Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and a pair of Pro Bowl nods. The budding star should give the Browns a productive defender who is five years younger than Garrett and much less expensive. So, while Ward may prefer to play with Garrett, Verse is no slouch.
Like Garrett and Verse, Ward has enjoyed a decorated career. Since the Browns took Ward fourth overall in 2018,, the Ohio native and former Ohio State Buckeye has gone to five Pro Bowls. Despite intercepting a career-low one pass over 15 games in 2025, he earned Pro Bowl honors for the third straight season. The 29-year-old has started 107 of 110 games as a Brown, deflected 104 passes and picked off 18. If he remains in Cleveland for a ninth year in 2026, Ward will continue to start opposite Tyson Campbell.
Contractually, Ward is under wraps through 2027 on the five-year, $100.5MM extension he signed in 2022. The Browns restructured it earlier in the offseason to reduce Ward’s cap hit by $2MM, but he is still due to count $30.89MM this year. While dealing Ward would save the Browns $17.43MM in spending space this season, they would take on $13.46MM in dead money and another $18.69MM in ’27. The Browns are already set to spread $40MM-plus in dead cap from the Garrett trade over the next two years. They will also incur a combined $86.2MM charge from 2027-28 if they designate quarterback Deshaun Watson a post-June 1 release next offseason.
Dolphins Announce Front Office Hires, Promotions
WIth new leadership taking over in Miami, there have been several changes in the Dolphins front office. The team officially announced its new hires and promotions this week, and though several have been covered on the site already, we’ll go over the new information.
Starting with one of the previously reported new additions to the Dolphins staff, we knew back in January that former Green Bay staffer Venzell Boulware was expected to follow new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami, but we didn’t know in what capacity. Boulware has been named the Dolphins’ new director of pro scouting. Boulware first got his start with the Packers as a training camp intern following a semester at Georgia Tech as a player personnel assistant. After a year as a scouting assistant in Green Bay, Boulware spent the last three years as a pro scout and will be returning to South Florida where he spent his final year as a college athlete as a guard for the Hurricanes.
Another new hire is Shaun Herock, who has been named the team’s new senior personnel executive. The veteran front office staffer is heading into his 38th year of NFL experience. Starting with the Falcons in 1989, Herock joined the Packers in 1994 and worked his way from college scout to director of college scouting in his 19-year stint in Green Bay.
Herock then spent seven years as director of college scouting for the Raiders, serving as interim general manager before heading to Cleveland to work as a scout and national scout over three years. He’s served as an advisor for his old teams in recent years, working as a senior personnel advisor in Vegas from 2022-24 and a senior college scouting advisor in Cleveland last year.
To kick off the promotions in Miami, Matt Winston has been elevated from director of college scouting to director of player personnel. Formerly a college scout covering the Midwest region, Grant Wallace will fill the vacated director of college scouting role. Scouting assistants Owen Hartman and Dylan Mabin have been elevated to college scouts, and the last new hire is Jack Schneider, who joins the team as a pro scout.
Winston joined the Dolphins in 2009 after a college scouting internship with the Dolphins and a year as the director of football operations at FIU. Over 17 years with the team, Winston has progressed from player personnel assistant to college scout for the southwest region to national scout to assistant director of college scouting before reaching his most recent position in 2022.
Wallace joined the team as a scouting intern in 2015, following the conclusion of his playing career as a wide receiver at Yale. He earned promotions to player personnel assistant and player personnel scout over the next two years before working the past eight seasons as a college scout focusing on the midwest area.
Mabin, a former NFL cornerback with stints in Las Vegas, Minnesota, New Orleans, and Atlanta, turned to the scouting career track two years ago when he joined the Dolphins as a scouting assistant. Hartman joined the year after, following his tenure as the director of football operations at Marist University. Schneider joins the team after spending four years as a recruiting assistant at Boise State.
In operations, the Dolphins have promoted Brandon Shore from senior vice president of football and business administration to executive vice president of football operations and Max Napolitano from senior director of football administration and strategy to vice president of the division. Shore started with the team as a football administration assistant in 2010 and has spent the past 16 years working his way through responsibilities in human resources, finances, and legal affairs. Shore is a respected member of the front office who was included in the team’s efforts to find a new general manager.
Napolitano started as a business analyst with the team in 2014, working his way through the business analytics office over the past 12 years. He works closely with Shore in matters related to the team’s salary cap and plays a key role in player contract negotiations and compliance with the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
DT Keeanu Benton On Steelers’ Extension To-Do List
Coming into the offseason, the Steelers had their eyes on extensions for five players, kicker Chris Boswell, pass rusher Nick Herbig, tight end Darnell Washington, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. With deals done for Boswell, Herbig, and Washington, Pittsburgh has set its focus on Porter as its next priority, per Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, then Benton will have his opportunity.
Aside from Boswell, all of the above players were selections from Omar Khan‘s first draft as general manager of the Steelers. Benton was the team’s third-round selection out of Wisconsin, where he had made a name for himself as a disruptive force along the Badgers defensive line. Thanks to an early-season injury to veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Benton was put into a heavy share of the rotation early into his rookie campaign. By the time Heyward returned from injury, Benton had worked his way into a starting role.
After starting nine games in Year 1, Benton earned an even bigger role for his second season. In 14 starts in 17 game appearances, Benton showed good instincts for deflecting passes, totaling eight through two years and even nabbing himself an interception in 2024. And, while 16 quarterback hits over that time showed his ability to get into the backfield, he didn’t seem to be able to finish the play, only totaling two sacks and three tackles for loss through two campaigns. As a full-time starter in 2025, Benton seemed to finally put it all together, setting career highs with 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and 51 total tackles.
Benton doesn’t offer much in terms of run defense, but he has routinely shined as an interior pass rusher throughout his career. Seeing him hit his stride last year has to give the Steelers some comfort that he’s delivering on his collegiate potential, but he may not be a three-down lineman just yet. The team had drafted Derrick Harmon out of Oregon in the first round last year, but that likely has more to do with the team’s star interior defender, Heyward, turning 37 a month ago.
If the Steelers like what they’re beginning to see out of Benton with his production last year, extending him now could help keep things solid along the interior for whenever Heyward finally decides to hang up his cleats. Benton has finally begun to cash in on the pass rushing potential he’s shown his whole career, and though Porter is the priority at the moment, Benton may want to start practicing his signature with how efficiently Pittsburgh has been tackling this offseason.
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Close To Practicing
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby is nearing a return from offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
“I’m at the point where I’m almost there, but I forget that I need to relax a little bit, so that’s kind of been the biggest battle right now,” Crosby said at Raiders OTAs (via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden).
The seven-year veteran has been present at spring practices, but he is only participating in calisthenics with his teammates before continuing his rehab with team trainers. He declined to set a clear timeline on his return, but indicated his recovery process has been better than last year, when he was coming back from arthroscopic surgery to repair a severely sprained ankle.
Crosby, 28, is considered somewhat of an iron man in the NFL, a rare defensive lineman who almost never leaves the field. He commanded a snap share of at least 94% over the last four years for a total of 3,869 snaps across 61 games, or 63.4 snaps per game.
After two major injuries in back-to-back years, the amount of tread on his tires has become a concern – and may have been a factor in the Ravens’ controversial decision to back out of a trade for the five-time Pro Bowler. Crosby declined to comment on that situation, calling it “water under the bridge,” but admitted that he has carefully managed his workload during his rehab.
“This has forced me to have to take a step back in certain areas and not run 8,000 yards on the field every single day,” Crosby added.
Whether or not that will translate to the season remains to be seen. He has expressed renewed motivation following the scuttled move to Baltimore, and that will only increase if the Raiders’ heavy offseason investments – headlined by new head coach Klint Kubiak and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza – can turn the team around right away. If Crosby is suddenly playing for a playoff contender for the first time in five years, it will be difficult to get him off the field as long as he can play.
QB Brendan Sorsby Preparing For Supplemental Draft
JUNE 6: The NCAA has denied Texas Tech’s appeal to reinstate Sorsby’s eligibility, per ESPN, an expected development considering the nature and extent of his gambling infractions. Receiving an injunction in his pending lawsuit against the NCAA is now Sorsby’s only path to playing college football this year.
JUNE 3: Brendan Sorsby has not given up on playing college football for Texas Tech this year, but barring an unlikely injunction to preserve his NCAA eligibility, the 22-year-old quarterback seems headed for the NFL’s supplemental draft.
If Sorsby elects to go pro this year, he will have to first apply for the supplemental draft by June 22. The NFL will review his situation – extensive sports betting during his college career and subsequent treatment for a gambling addiction – and decide if he can enter.
The league has rarely rejected players in this process, though the extent of Sorsby’s infractions will draw close scrutiny given heightened attention around sports leagues’ connection to gambling. He has admitted to placing more than 9,000 bets worth over $90K in total, per Justin Williams of The Athletic, including at least 40 bets on the Indiana football team while he was a member.
Sorsby could be forced to accept a suspension as a condition of his entrance into the draft, as was the case with Terrelle Pryor in 2011. That is unlikely to scare off interested teams; a late-July supplemental draft would have him joining his new team in training camp and minimize any expectations for his rookie year.
Teams will be doing their homework on Sorsby on and off the field. He will have a shortened pre-draft process between July 5 and July 12, a span that will include a pro day in Dallas and likely some private workouts with specific clubs, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Assessments of Sorsby vary, but evaluators inside the NFL are already impressed by his arm with one executive rating him higher than Rams No. 13 pick Ty Simpson. Some area scouts even have him graded higher than Texas’ Arch Manning, per Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports.
That has created some lofty projections for Sorsby’s potential supplemental draft slot. The supplemental draft uses a complicated lottery and bidding system, but essentially, the team that selects Sorsby will give up a corresponding pick in the same round of next year’s draft. Already seen as a likely 2027 first-rounder, a strong 2026 campaign at Texas Tech could have vaulted him into top-10 status.
Teams who are unlikely to pick that high – Breer mentions the Steelers and the Colts – might take a discounted shot on a high-level arm talent. Others who were planning to add a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft could opt for a more immediate option, especially if they were already interested in Sorsby after his two standout years at Cincinnati. The result would likely be a late first- or early second-round pick, both Breer and Pauline note.
Sorsby’s off-field situation remains fluid and the biggest X-factor in his future. Teams will need to be convinced that he has put his sports gambling issues behind him as he enters a league that will not hesitate to punish him for a recurrence of the same infractions. Some clubs may be scared off entirely, but time and time again, the NFL has proven that talent, especially at the quarterback position, typically gets the benefit of the doubt – and then some.
Bucs, QB Baker Mayfield ‘Not Anywhere Close’ To Extension
The clock is ticking on a contract extension for Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. Entering the last year of his deal, Mayfield told reporters on Friday that he and the team are “not anywhere close” to an agreement (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Mayfield added that he has set a negotiating deadline for the start of training camp in late July.
“Would love to be here long term but as of right now that’s not exactly the case,” Mayfield said. “But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I’m still gonna be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself. “
Mayfield entered the NFL in 2018 with the Browns, who drafted the Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner first overall in a class that included four other first-round signal-callers: Sam Darnold (No. 3, Jets), Josh Allen (No. 7, Bills), Josh Rosen (No. 10, Cardinals) and Lamar Jackson (No. 32, Ravens). After an up-and-down four years with the Browns, Mayfield’s stock dropped further in a half-season in Carolina in 2022. The Panthers had both Mayfield and Darnold on their roster that year, but neither panned out for them. They waived Mayfield in late December, and he went on to finish the season with the Rams after they claimed him.
Mayfield’s performance improved in Los Angeles, where he made four starts filling in for an injured Matthew Stafford. However, with Stafford entrenched as the Rams’ top QB, it was obvious Mayfield would have to look elsewhere if he wanted a chance to start in 2023. That led him to Tampa Bay on a one-year, $8.5MM pact, which turned out to be a steal for general manager Jason Licht.
Mayfield beat out Kyle Trask for QB1 duties and went on to set career highs in completion percentage (64.3), yards (4,044) and touchdowns (28, against 10 interceptions) over 17 starts. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time and led the Buccaneers to a 9-8 record and an NFC South title. They crushed the Eagles in the wild-card round, 32-9, but bowed out the next week in a 31-23 loss to Detroit in the divisional round.
Convinced Mayfield was their answer under center, the Buccaneers prevented him from leaving in free agency with a three-year, $100MM extension in March 2024. Once again, he exceeded expectations in the first season of the accord. Although Mayfield tossed too many picks (16), he made up for it by establishing new career highs in completion rate (71.4), yards (4,500), TDs (41) and passer rating (106.8). Mayfield made his second straight Pro Bowl, and the Buccaneers went 10-7 on their way to another division title. However, they could not get past the Jayden Daniels-led Commanders in a 23-20 wild-card round loss at home.
The Buccaneers were the clear favorites to win the NFC South entering 2025, and it looked as if they would coast to the crown during a 6-2 start. Mayfield was drawing MVP hype then, but a slew of injuries took their toll on the team in the second half of the season. The Buccaneers lost seven of their last nine and finished 8-9, which tied the Panthers and the Falcons for the best record in a bad division. But the Bucs lost the tiebreaker to the Panthers, who represented the NFC South in the playoffs.
After Mayfield completed 63.2% of passes for 3,693 yards, 26 TDs and 11 picks during his third straight 17-start year in 2025, he will work with yet another new O-coordinator this season. The Buccaneers fired Josh Grizzard and replaced him with former Falcons OC Zac Robinson. He will be Mayfield’s fourth play caller in as many years in Tampa Bay, which had Dave Canales in place during the signal-caller’s first season there.
Licht made it known last summer that the Buccaneers wanted to extend Mayfield. While that still hasn’t happened, it remains a top priority for the team. Last July, the Buccaneers guaranteed $30MM of Mayfield’s $40MM salary for 2026. A new deal should come at a higher price, especially with the salary cap continuing to skyrocket. Eleven quarterbacks are averaging over $50MM per year. The leader, the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, is earning a league-high $60MM per annum.
Prescott was 31 years old when he signed his extension, a four-year, $240MM pact with $231MM in guarantees. Mayfield is the same age now as Prescott was when he re-upped with Dallas in September 2024. That doesn’t mean Mayfield will do as well on his next contract, but as someone who ranks just 16th at his position in AAV, a raise is clearly in order. Thanks to Mayfield’s self-imposed deadline, the Buccaneers are running out of time to make it happen.
NFL Mailbag: Browns, Garrett, Rams, Donald, Brown, Steelers
This week's PFR mailbag touches on some of the most impactful developments from a busy week around the NFL. The Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown trades, the possibility of an Aaron Donald return and the Steelers' pass rush outlook are addressed.
Stephen asks:
Did the Rams give up too much for Myles Garrett? Do you like this move for the Browns?
I wasn’t surprised that it wound up being the Rams who landed Garrett (although I also wasn’t expecting him to get traded on Monday, to be fair). The price hurts from Los Angeles’ perspective, but that was always going to be the case when acquiring a future Hall of Famer.
Bears Moving Toward Indiana Relocation
The Bears have called the state of Illinois home since they began play in 1920, but they now have one foot out the door. Their board of directors voted to advance stadium development at a to-be-determined site in Hammond, Ind., chairman George McCaskey and president and CEO Kevin Warren announced in a joint statement.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” McCaskey and Warren said. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
The Bears, who will soon leave the 102-year-old Soldier Field for a new stadium, identified Hammond and Arlington Heights, Ill., as potential sites for a domed facility earlier in this process. In an announcement on May 21, they claimed the city of Chicago does not have a “viable site.” Their chances of at least staying in Illinois would have improved had the Senate voted to approve a proposal to give tax breaks for megaprojects of $100MM or more. However, that bid fell short before the Senate adjourned on May 31.
While it appears the Bears will end up in Hammond, which is approximately 35 minutes from Chicago, it isn’t a fait accompli, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports. “Illinois can still get back in the race,” a source told Cronin. Meanwhile, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “There is more work to do but barring anything very strange, it’s a done deal.”
For his part, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is already spiking the ball. In a celebratory statement, Braun announced (via WSBT CBS 22): “Hoosiers, help me welcome the Chicago Bears to our great state! We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before.”
If the Bears leave for Indiana, they would join the Colts as the state’s second NFL franchise. The Colts would welcome them with open arms.
“We’re happy for the Bears and wish them the best in their stadium initiative,” the Colts stated Friday (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star). “We also hope this will mean great things for community and economic development for our fellow Hoosiers in northwest Indiana.”
Hammond is within 75 miles of Chicago, which means the Bears already have the marketing rights there.