April 2016 4for4 Player News Articles

QB Brian Hoyer has agreed to terms with the Bears.

It's strange that Hoyer didn't sign with a team that's more QB-needy than the Bears, but clearly he didn't have much of a market for his services if he's willing to sign a one-year deal worth "only" $2 million.

The recoveries from season-ending injuries for Seahawks players Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham have gone as planned but it remains too early to establish a set timeline for their return, coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday.

“Everything’s going well, yeah,” Carroll said during the team’s annual pre-draft press conference. “Everything’s really in good shape. It’s just when they push to get back we are going to have to see what the timeline is, you know, so we can tell. It’s going good.”

Rawls suffered a broken ankle during a win at Baltimore on Dec. 13 while Graham suffered a torn patellar tendon in the win over Pittsburgh on Nov. 29.

While Carroll was vague about a timeline Tuesday, the team general feeling is that each could be ready for the beginning of the season — particularly Rawls, whose injury has a shorter timeframe for recovery — but that each might not participate much in the pre-season.

Our injury expert, Russell Manalastas, is fairly confident about Rawls being ready at some point in training camp, but predicts that Graham will be limited (at best) in Week 1 since it takes a while to recover from a torn patellar tendon. The tight end position is deep this year, so there is no reason to reach for Graham when there are plenty of good options available.

The Broncos are signing TE Garrett Graham to a 1-year deal, source said.

Graham caught 49 passes for 545 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games playing for HC Gary Kubiak in 2013. That works out to 10.3 PPG (in PPR formats), which equates to low-end TE1 numbers. He'll compete with Virgil Green for targets.

A federal appeals court has ruled that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady must serve a four-game Deflategate suspension imposed by the NFL, overturning a lower judge and siding with the league in a battle with the NFL Players Association.

"We hold that the Commissioner properly exercised his broad discretion under the collective bargaining agreement and that his procedural rulings were properly grounded in that agreement and did not deprive Brady of fundamental fairness," the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a 2-1 decision in New York.

The NFLPA and Brady can petition for a re-hearing in front of the same panel then the entire 2nd Circuit Court or take their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. They would have to request a stay of Brady's suspension during the appeal.

The NFL has the option to implement the full suspension or attempt to reach a settlement and avoid further appeals.

The Angry Tom Strategy lives! Barring a successful appeal (unlikely), Brady will have to serve the four-game suspension in 2016. His ADP is currently in the 8th round, but is likely to take a hit as early drafters learn the news. Savvy owners can scoop up Brady in the 10th or 11th round, draft a backup in the later rounds (Tyrod Taylor?) and then enjoy Brady's production from Week 5 on.

Giants general manager Jerry Reese said this week he hopes wide receiver Victor Cruz will be "full-go" by training camp.

Cruz is on board with his boss's optimism, telling NJ Advance Media he feels he is back to full strength as he continues to rehab the rare calf injury that cost him the entire 2015 season.

"I'm feeling great. Workouts have been going amazing. Each day, it gets better and better," Cruz said on Friday afternoon while making an appearance during a free children's health screening seminar here in his hometown at the Boys and Girls Club.

"I'm excited to continue to train, continue that pattern, and see where it takes me. ... I'm 100 percent. I feel good. No injuries, no ailments, nothing hurts, no pain."

Cruz has not played in a game since October of 2014, when he suffered a right patellar tear. And his comeback attempt never materialized last year, as a series of false starts with a nagging calf injury eventually led to season-ending surgery without the former Paterson Catholic star playing a down.

Rueben Randle is gone, which opens up 90 targets in the passing game. If Cruz is fully healthy he should be fantasy relevant, but everyone knows that Odell Beckham is the star of this show.

All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman and the Washington Redskins have agreed to a five-year deal that could be worth as much as $75 million, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday.

The contract will include a guaranteed $50 million, according to the NFL Network, the most ever paid to a cornerback.

Norman's agent, Michael George, confirmed the deal with The Associated Press without providing parameters of the signing.

The Redskins owned the #13 fantasy defense last year and the addition of Norman should improve a pass defense that yielded the 8th-most passing yards in 2015.

One Dolphins official said the past coaching staff didn’t use tight end Jordan Cameron to his strengths and expects that to change.

New HC Adam Gase has a history of utilizing his tight ends. Julius Thomas averaged 4.0 catches for 47 yards and 0.89 touchdowns in 27 games under Gase from 2013-14. Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller combined to produce 87 catches for 878 yards and eight touchdowns last season while Gase was the OC for the Bears. Cameron is turning 28 in August and is two seasons removed from his 80-917-7 breakout season in Cleveland. It's possible that he recaptures that magic in a larger role with Gase calling the shots.

On Monday, coach Mike Mularkey mentioned the addition of RB DeMarco Murray could mean more blocking assignments for TE Delanie Walker.

The idea had already crossed Walker's mind.

“I am pretty sure,’’ Walker said. “When you have a threat like that, and you have a tight end threat, if I am on the field at all times blocking and running routes, I think that gives us a mismatch on the field. Defenses won’t know what is going on, and that just gives you another opportunity to put points on the board.”

The Titans were 13th in pass % (percentage of pass attempts of total called plays), and that number is likely to fall with the addition of DeMarco Murray. Tennessee was 27th in total plays, so there is plenty of room for improvement. The team will have to run more plays if Walker hopes to see the same workload.

Panthers announced Wednesday that the team has rescinded the non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman.

We don't cover a lot of IDP news, but this is a major story and will certainly affect at least two fantasy defenses in 2016. Norman is considered one of the best cornerbacks in the game and wherever he lands there will be fantasy implications, especially for opposing receivers.

Giants re-signed TE Larry Donnell.

Donnell will compete with second-year TE Will Tye, but we give the edge to Tye. Tye essentially took over as the Giants’ starter in Week 8, and was the #13 tight end in standard formats from that point on. From Week 9 to Week 17, he had the 10th-most targets at his position.

Wide receiver Breshad Perriman participated in running drills for the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, which was the biggest news of the first day of the team's offseason conditioning program.

The workout session was closed to the media, but the Ravens released video and photos that showed Perriman in full stride running alongside safety Terrence Brooks, cornerback Sheldon Price and safety Matt Elam.

Perriman, Baltimore's first-round pick a year ago, is the Ravens player who has the most to prove this offseason. He didn't play a snap in the regular season because of a sprained posterior cruciate ligament.

Due to the opportunity in the Ravens' receiving corps, Perriman looked like a nice sleeper prior to his injury. Since then, the Ravens signed Mike Wallace, while Steve L Smith is back and Kamar Aiken emerged as a viable WR2, so Perriman is not guaranteed starter's snaps even though he brings speed and size to the receiving corps.

RB Ronnie Hillman and Broncos have agreed on 1-year contract, per NFL source.

Hillman should serve as C.J. Anderson's primary backup given the way that the Broncos leaned on Anderson down the stretch and through the playoffs (15.6 carries in his final five games).

Donte Moncrief (foot) might take a little time, but not a long term concern.

Moncrief is still working his way back from a late-season foot injury, but should be fine for training camp. He finished his second season with 64 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns, but his numbers were a bit depressed due to the midseason loss of Andrew Luck. In seven games with Luck, Moncrief averaged 4.6 catches 50 yards and 0.71 TD (on 7.7 targets per game), which extrapolates to a 73-802-11 season. Fantasy-wise, that’s about what Michael Crabtree scored as the #19 receiver in standard formats. With Andre Johnson out of the way, Moncrief’s playing time and targets should increase a bit. He’s a serious threat to break out in his third season.

The day has arrived when Keenan Allen rejoins teammates for the start of the Chargers’ voluntary workout program. Phase one of a nine-week regimen features two weeks of strength and conditioning. Allen will be a full participant Monday, the injury that ended a banner season mid-breath well behind him.

He lacerated his kidney Nov. 1 on that touchdown in Baltimore.

The ailment ended his season but not before eight games from which he can build.

“Just try to dominate,” Allen said, “knowing that I can dominate the league like I did last year for those eight games. Hopefully, I can come back and do that for a full 16. … I feel 100 percent. I have no aches, no pains. The kidney healed up really well. I’ve just been working. Ready.”

Allen racked up 67 catches for 725 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, so he was on pace for a 134-1550-8 season prior to lacerating his kidney. At the halfway mark, he was the #7 receiver in standard formats and #4 in PPR. He garnered 11.1 targets per game, but that number could decline a bit since Antonio Gates sat out four of those games. However, Allen saw 30 targets in three games with Gates, and in the third game (five targets), he only played 60% of the snaps due to the injured kidney. Given his usage, the fourth-year receiver a threat to finish as a WR1 in 2016.

Last month, Bears G.M. Ryan Pace said that former West Virginia receiver Kevin White, the 2015 seventh overall pick who missed all of his rookie season after having a titanium rod inserted in his tibia, needed only the “mental confidence to go full speed.” White apparently has found it, and then some.

Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tells a story that starts with White recently supervising two of his younger brothers in receiver drills and that ends with White challenging best friend Devon Blake to a footrace.

White, who had been cleared to run and who once upon a time routinely lost to Blake, blazed to a win so easy that he turned to Blake to taunt him halfway through the run.

White, who spent the entire year on the shelf with a severe case of shin splints and/or some sort of leg injury, should have a big role in 2016. He was starting to practice before the end of the season but landed on injured reserve since he wasn’t in game shape and there was no really point in rushing him back in what became a lost season for the Bears. He was the #7 overall pick in the 2015 Draft and the bottom line is that the Bears need him.

Tony Romo on rehab: "I can throw fully. I've been throwing fully here for a good week and a half, two weeks. It's been good."

In his last 34 non-injury games, Romo has averaged 253 yards, 2.2 touchdowns and 0.7 interceptions, which equates to 17.8 points per game. That would extrapolate to the #12 QB last year, so if he stays healthy and maintains that production, he should return good value given his early ADP (QB18).

Pennsylvania Solicitor General Bruce Castor said the attorney general's office will take another look into Bills running back LeSean McCoy's alleged involvement in a bar fight with two off-duty police officers in February.

“I think it’s completely accurate to say LeSean McCoy and anyone else allegedly involved in this incident are not totally cleared,” Castor said to CBS Philly.

The Philadelphia district attorney declined to prosecute, but the state attorney general will take another look at the case. McCoy is not completely out of the woods at this point.

Percy Harvin told the Bills he is retiring, per source.

The Bills were holding out some hope that Harvin would return in 2016, but it looks like the soon-to-be 28-year-old has other plans.

The Tennessee Titans have traded the No. 1 pick in the draft to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster trade.

Tennessee will send the top selection along with its fourth- (No. 113) and sixth-round (No. 177) picks this year to the Rams in exchange for Los Angeles' first-round pick (No. 15), two second-round selections (Nos. 43 and 45) and a third-round pick (No. 76) in 2016. The Titans also will get the Rams' first- and third-round picks in 2017.

With the trade, the Rams now have the ability to draft the quarterback of their choice and make a splash as they settle into Los Angeles after leaving St. Louis this year.

The Titans now own nine selections in the 2016 draft, including six of the top 76 picks in the draft.

Sam Farmar reports that the Rams plan to draft QB Carson Wentz with the #1 overall pick.

It's a steep price to pay, but will be worth it if Wentz turns out to be the franchise quarterback that the Rams obviously believe he is. With the quarterback position already set, the Titans will have plenty of firepower to fill roster holes in the draft.

Appearing on Tuesday's edition of NFL Network's NFL HQ, NFL Media's Albert Breer added context to the recent photographic evidence that Lacy has succeeded in slimming down via workouts with P90X founder Tony Horton in Los Angeles.

Breer described Lacy's transformation as a "remarkable" redistribution of weight from his midsection to his shoulders and arms.

"I know the people around Eddie Lacy really feel like the Packers are going to be happy," Breer added, "with what they see when Lacy reports for the offseason program next week."

Teammate Datone Jones also stopped by NFL HQ on Tuesday, joking that he's "kind of jealous" of Lacy's results over the past two months.

In his first two seasons, Lacy posted back-to-back top 8 finishes in both standard and PPR formats. In 2015, he finished 25th and 32nd, respectively, struggling both with his health and staying out of Mike McCarthy’s doghouse. His playing weight was a major topic of conversation all year, and it appears that both he and the Packers are serious about a significant weight loss program as he heads into a contract season. McCarthy confirmed at the Combine that Lacy was working out with P90X creator Tony Horton. If this plan works -- and it sounds as if it has -- the talented runner has a good chance to return to the top 10 at his position.

Browns Josh Gordon's petition for reinstatement from his indefinite drug ban has been denied by the NFL, a league source told cleveland.com.

He can apply for reinstatement later in the year.

PFT: Per source, Josh Gordon can apply for reinstatement August 1.

We'll know more in August, but we wouldn't recommend anyone hold their breath waiting for word that Gordon will play in 2016. It doesn't help that Gordon has reportedly moved in with known partier Johnny Manziel.

LeGarrette Blount re-signed with the Patriots this morning.

Related players: Dion Lewis

Blount will probably be the "2" in a 1-2 punch with Dion Lewis. In the six games in which they both played, Lewis averaged 11.0 touches (5.3 rec) for 84 yards and 0.66 TD, which extrapolates to high-end RB1 numbers both PPR and standard formats. Meanwhile, Blount averaged 16.3 touches for 80 yards and 1.0 TD in the six games that Lewis also played. Blount slipped down the stretch, averaging 13.4 carries for 51 yards and 0.20 TD in his final five games with Lewis sidelined. James White, Donald Brown and Brandon Bolden figure to compete, but this is shaping up to be a Lewis/Blount backfield.

There's a reason why Roger Goodell hasn't reinstated Josh Gordon yet, and it has to do with a recent misstep that has muddled the process for Gordon.

The suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver, who missed the entire 2015 season after testing positive for alcohol, failed an NFL-administered drug test last month, sources have told FOX Sports.

Gordon's sample, which was collected in early March, tested positive for marijuana and dilute, according to a source informed of the results of the test. The source added that both the "A" and "B" samples collected were positive for marijuana and dilute. Though the level of marijuana was below the 35 nanograms per milliliter required for a positive test, the diluted sample is considered a positive test.

This development is a red flag for Gordon but it doesn't necessarily mean he will miss yet another season. He applied for reinstatement in February and, if all went well, could have been reinstated within 60 days. However, the league has said Goodell wasn't required to make a decision within that timeframe and it's clear now the positive test has at least given him and the experts who evaluate Gordon's case pause.

The article leaves open the possibility that Gordon won't be punished for another failed drug test, but it's hard to believe that the league will ignore yet another misstep. Even though the test was below the 35 nanogram threshold, the presence of the dilute is an automatic positive test. Gordon and his fantasy owners wait in limbo.

Sources: Bills RB LeSean McCoy not expected to face NFL discipline for his role in nightclub altercation. NFL investigation still ongoing.

Related players: Karlos Williams

This is obviously great news for McCoy owners (not so much for Karlos Williams owners), as McCoy should be fully available for the 2016 season. Last year, McCoy finished #17 in standard formats and #19 in PPR, but was a low-end RB1 in both formats on a per game basis since he only played 12 games. He averaged 19.6 touches for 98.9 total yards per game, and should continue to see that type of workload as he enters his age 28 season. He's been going in the early 4th round in recent drafts, but his ADP should climb into the 3rd if he manages to avoid charges and suspension this summer.

Running back Tim Hightower is re-signing with the New Orleans Saints, according to a source.

The two sides met last week and have agreed to initial terms on a new contract.

Hightower, 29, has had a difficult path in the NFL and was out of football for several years after tearing his ACL in 2011. He was cut twice by the Saints this season before being re-signed in the middle of the year as a late-season replacement for the injured Khiry Robinson.

Filling in for the injured Mark Ingram, Hightower racked up 456 total yards and four touchdowns in the final four games. He'll serve as the handcuff for Ingram in 2016.

Vikings receiver Charles Johnson said on Thursday he broke a rib last September against San Diego, while trying to come back for a ball that San Diego's Steve Williams intercepted. Johnson said it took him until the Vikings' win over the Chicago Bears on Nov. 1 – during which the receiver made a critical 34-yard catch – to feel like he could play while managing the injury. "You can't sneeze, you can't move, laughing hurts," Johnson said. "But it's all good now."

This helps to explain his extremely disappointing production after a hot finish to the 2014 season. With Mike Wallace out of the way, Johnson should have a chance to compete for starter's snaps now that he's fully healthy.

Ravens WR Breshad Perriman is still working with the training staff with the offseason program starting on April 18.

General Manager Ozzie Newsome said the team is getting good reports from the training staff, but coach John Harbaugh said that Perriman remains short of full participation at this point.

“He’s running, but to what percentage, I don’t know,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website.

Perriman is expected to be able to participate in at least some portion of the offseason program and the earlier the better for his chances of being a contributor after a lost rookie year, the story said. The team recently signed Mike Wallace as another potential deep threat, something the team didn't have last year. It's possible that the Wallace signing has more to do with Perriman's potential absence than people realize.

The Jaguars continue to be one of the teams to watch in 2016, in part because they have a high-end passing game that few noticed in 2015. Guys like quarterback Blake Bortles and receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are heading into their third NFL seasons, and things continue to look up for the offense, and for the rest of the team.

“All of the receivers have been in our locker room at some point this offseason,” Bortles said Monday, via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. “It’s been cool to see them work together and talk through some stuff as well. The chemistry is continuing to grow, not only on the field, but off the field as well — in the weight room and in the locker room. That builds trust. It’s a special room of receivers that are all super talented.”

Bortles hoped to add to the chemistry by being present and available.

“I tried to stay here a little bit more,” Bortles said. “Most of the guys are here, which is good so we can go over stuff together.”

Robinson and Hurns were already pretty good fantasy WRs last year as the Jags played from behind in a lot of their games. But the offense continues to grow together and the Jags passing game could be one to look for in fantasy drafts this summer.

Andy Dalton is back to zipping the ball. He’s got no restrictions with his throwing thumb; he’s got one visit under his belt to passing specialist Dr. Tom House last month, and after watching two of his most established targets leave via free agency he got one back with a Super Bowl ring and knows Pro Bowlers A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert are already here.

“It would be tougher if it was my first or second year, but this is year six,” Dalton says Monday from Dallas of his revamped receiving corps. “It’s easier for me now than early on in my career. That is going to be fun. We’ve got these guys from the start; we’ve got to get them exactly where we want them to be.

The two guys who lockered next to him and meant so much to the passing game won’t be here two weeks from Monday when the Bengals gather for offseason workouts. Wide receiver Marvin Jones turned down at least the same $40 million to go to Detroit and Mohamed Sanu got No. 2 money in Atlanta when a No. 4 role loomed in Cincinnati.

This past season Jones and Sanu represented 28 percent of Dalton’s yards and 16 percent of his touchdowns, the story said. In the wake of their losses the Bengals signed Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell who will move into the number-two slot opposite of Green.

That means the Lions are looking for the supporting cast at WR to step up. Golden Tate will be featured prominently alongside Marvin Jones, and Detroit has acquired former Jet Jeremy Kerley to man the slot.

But there will be opportunities behind those guys. And it appears the Lions are anticipating T.J. Jones to take advantage of them.

"We really expect him to come forward and be a little bit more of a prominent threat," coach Jim Caldwell said.

Jones was a sixth-round pick of the club in 2014, but experienced nerve pain following shoulder surgery that offseason and never played a down. He caught passes in four of the final five games including a 29-yard touchdown in a Week 16 win against San Francisco. Caldwell went on to say Jones return ability and scat-back ability, where he can catch screens and take off and go.

Running back Ronnie Hillman is an unrestricted free agent after wrapping up the contract he signed as a Broncos third-round pick in 2012. Mike Klis of KUSA reports that the Broncos recently reached out to Hillman to express their interest in bringing him back for a fifth season with the team.

Hillman led the Broncos in rushing during the regular season with 863 yards and started 10 games ahead of C.J. Anderson, who wound up as the team’s leading rusher during the playoffs.

Anderson signed a four-year offer from the Dolphins that the Broncos matched, but Hillman’s market hasn’t been nearly as active. The story went on to say there was a report last month of Packers interest in Hillman, but nothing has materialized. The Broncos currently have Juwan Thompson and Kapri Bibbs on the depth chart with Anderson. With all kinds of questions at QB, it makes sense the Broncos want to have a very good running game. However from a fantasy angle, we'd be looking at a similar situation as last year with both backs likely being involved in the offense.

At some point over the next couple of weeks, the Ravens are expected to finalize their deal with running back Trent Richardson. When they do, they’ll add another name to one of their deepest positions.

Running back Justin Forsett, who is recovering from a broken arm suffered in November, remains the presumptive starter. Behind him is Buck Allen, who had 867 yards of total offense and three touchdowns last year as a rookie; 2014 fourth-round pick Lorenzo Taliaferro, who has struggled with injuries but has looked promising in limited opportunities; Terrance West, who showed glimpses of potential last year; and Terrence Magee. Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, soon could join that list.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at the NFL scouting combine in February that the team would go with the hot hand at running back.

Unless the Ravens make a bigger splash at the position at some point, Forsett and Allen are still expected to enter training camp atop the depth chart, the story said. That would leave Taliaferro, West, Magee, Richardson and any other back the Ravens bring in competing for one or two available jobs. Forsett had an excellent 2014 season before falling a bit last year, and then was lost for the season with a broken arm. Allen took over and was impressive at times but made some mistakes as well.

It looks like Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy won't be facing charges for his alleged role in a bar brawl with off-duty police officers in February.

The Philadelphia district attorney is expected to announce McCoy will face no charges related to the brawl, which took place in a Philadelphia nightclub on Feb. 7, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane.

The story went on to say Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams defended the ongoing investigation back at one point, saying "My only goal is to get it right, not fast. The last thing we need is a rush to judgment." According to FOX Sports NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the decision will leave some people notably displeased as several off-duty police officers suffered multiple injuries in the altercation. McCoy could still suffer some sort of punishment from the NFL for the incident, but this is going about as well as could be expected for McCoy owners at this point.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco will start working with wide receiver Mike Wallace once he’s back on the field and says that he expects the partnership to be a fruitful one for the Ravens in 2016.

“I plan on him having a huge impact,” Flacco said, via the team’s website. “I think he’s a talented guy. He can run, he can catch, he can do a lot of things. I’m planning on him coming in here and having a big impact on our football team and helping us win a lot of games.”

When Wallace signed with the Ravens, he cited Flacco as the biggest reason why he wanted to come to Baltimore after being released by the Vikings. The Ravens lacked a deep threat after Torrey Smith moved on and rookie Breshad Perriman couldn't get on the field last year.

The last time we saw Joe Flacco, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback was limping off the field after tearing his ACL in Week 11 against the Rams.

The Ravens went on to finish 5-11, their first sub-.500 record since they made Flacco their starter as a rookie back in 2008, and Flacco got started on a rehab process that he hopes will have him ready to start training camp on time.

Saturday, he offered an update on his progress after taking a few leisurely jump shots at teammate Torrey Smith’s charity basketball game, according to the Ravens’ website:

“I can’t complain,” Flacco said. “I’m getting better and better each week. “To be honest with you, I believe [I’m on track for training camp], but it’s not like I’ve been told a timeline or anything like that. I can’t really say one way or another.

“I can tell each week that by the end of the week I’m feeling sore and I’m hurting, and by the next Monday I’m feeling better than I did last Monday.”

Scott Chandler, the tight end for the Bills for several years who spent 2015 in New England, could be done with football after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week.

Chandler was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2007 draft. He spent 2007 and 2008 with San Diego (though he was on IR for the '08 season) before landing with the Dallas Cowboys in 2009, spending two seasons bouncing back and forth between the practice squads and active rosters of the Cowboys and Giants before ultimately landing with the Buffalo Bills late in the 2010 season.

He wound up spending four more years with the Bills, ultimately catching 181 passes for 2,112 yards and 17 touchdowns during that stint. He then landed with the New England Patriots for the 2015 season, playing No. 2 to Rob Gronkowski for most of the year and filling in for Gronk as the No. 1 tight end when he missed time. He caught 23 passes for 259 yards and four scores.

Chandler wound up needing knee surgery at the end of the season, though, and according to this Twitter post from his wife, Alissa, that surgery may end his career.

The Broncos continue to explore a potential trade for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who met with general manger John Elway at Elway's Denver home on Thursday, an NFL source confirmed.

The meeting was held on the day Kaepernick's $11.9 million salary for next season became guaranteed, which eliminated the possibility that the 49ers would release him; he carries a $15.9 million cap hit for next season with about $19.3 million in dead money. But the team has given Kaepernick's agents permission to seek a trade, meaning other teams are allowed to speak with him directly.

Right now the Broncos have just Mark Sanchez as a possible starting QB candidate. We're a long way from Week 1, and with a very good defense to build around, one would think the Broncos would look to upgrade over Sanchez, who can be a serviceable backup.

Stevan Ridley wrote a heartfelt goodbye message to the Jets and let the football world know his next destination: Detroit.

“New York, I hate that I couldn’t do more for you this past year, but the opportunity ya’ll gave me after my injury to do what I love the most … I can never put a price on,” the free-agent running back posted on social media Friday.

A former third-round pick of the Patriots in 2011, Ridley’s promising career in New England was derailed by ball security issues and a torn ACL he suffered during the 2014 season.

One would think Ridley would have a chance to take over the role left by Joique Bell as a between-the-tackles rusher on the Lions. Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick remain from last year, but are similar in playing style - pass catching backs with outside speed.

Victor Cruz is a Giant enigma and a wild card all wrapped into one. And there won't be any clarity until he steps on the field and proves (in a real game) he can play at an NFL level.

The Giants can use Cruz at full strength, but have no idea what to expect from him this season, if anything at all. Cruz has devolved from a Pro Bowl wide receiver to a complete unknown on a roster short on proven wideouts. If he returns at anywhere near his old form, the cries for a No. 2 receiver are overblown. If he doesn't, you have to wonder what the Giants are doing this offseason having not addressed the position.

The Giants offense would be greatly improved with Cruz playing aside Odell Beckham Jr., except his return is not so simple. Cruz has missed most of the past two seasons, first with a torn patellar tendon and then a calf muscle that needed to be cemented back down. Even the Giants aren't sure what to make of him at this point.

"I think you have to wait and see where he's going to be at honestly," offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said on Friday when the Giants assistants met with the media 10 days before the start of their offseason workout program. "He's coming off a situation with the other issue with the calf. Until we know exactly what he's physically capable of doing, we really are going to be hard pressed to say exactly, 'Hey this is the role he will fill.'"

The results to this point with Cruz are promising, the story said. He's been rehabbing and making progress while working hard in New Jersey. There is optimism within the Giants building that he can return, in some capacity for this season. The Giants lost Rueben Randle to the Eagles in free agency.

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has a challenge most coaches would only wish for. He has three starting running backs in his backfield. On the other hand, he has the unenviable task of dividing one football multiple ways.

“It’s my job to get them the ball enough because they can all do different things,” Arians said.

With Chris Johnson re-signing with the Cardinals in March, the backfield tandem of David Johnson, who’s entering his second season, and Andre Ellington became a trio. All three have started for the Cardinals. All three have rushed for at least 581 yards in a season.

But with David Johnson's emergence in the final five games last year after Chris went down with a fractured tibia, he’s established himself as the Cardinals’ feature back.

“David’s earned the right now to be the bell cow,” Arians said. “Everybody’s got to take it from him. But Chris ran for 800 (yards) and probably would have had 1,200 had he stayed healthy. Andre can break the game open.”

David Johnson finished with 581 yards in his rookie season, 442 of which came in the final five games -- the third most in the NFL during that span. Chris Johnson had 814 yards, fourth most in the league at the time he went down. David Johnson is poised to be one of the top fantasy backs in drafts this summer, but will likely lose some work to Chris Johnson and even Ellington on third down. However, Ellington has struggled to stay healthy over the last few years.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans might not like LeVeon Bell's sense of humor.

The running back tweeted he was "moving on" from football on Friday morning, a statement that smelled like an April Fools' Day prank from the beginning. But Bell let the tweet stew for nearly two hours before confirming the prank.

Bell left the line hanging so long some checked with a Bell rep to ensure the joke was nothing more. Shortly after 11, Bell tweeted, 'LOL!!! some fell for it, some didn't ... but anyways, APRIL FOOLS!'