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Player Notes

  • Part of three-way job battle
    Coach Sean Payton has made it clear Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are competing for the starting QB job, ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold reports.

    Advice: Payton said Thursday that Nix is "farther along" than most rookies would be at the same juncture, citing Nix's intelligence and NCAA QB record of 61 starts as likely explanations for his ability to learn the Denver offense quickly. The rookie first-round pick opened Thursday's practice with the starters, but Payton downplayed the significance afterward, mentioning that Stidham got more first-team snaps Tuesday and Wilson took the majority Wednesday. Payton said all three are doing well so far and expressed confidence that the Broncos have a good QB room, though he also used the term "orphan dogs" to describe the trio of Nix, Stidham and Wilson. Rotowire.com Friday, 8:33 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    48th
  • Richardson says he won’t change playing style
    Anthony Richardson said he won’t change the way he plays in 2024.

    Advice: Richardson described his season-ending 2023 shoulder injury as unlucky. “I don’t think there’s any way I could’ve avoided what happened to me. Just a regular, routine tackle,” Richardson said. “I tried to brace myself for the fall and my shoulder just did what it did. … People see me, I’m a big quarterback, so they always think, ‘He wants to run the ball. He wants to be physical, and that is what’s going to get him hurt.’ That’s not the case.” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Richardson has been “pretty smooth” during OTAs. Richardson has been seen throwing the ball more than 60 yards in Colts OTAs following a careful rehab of the surgically-repaired AC joint injury that sidelined him for most of his rookie campaign. He had 23 rushes over three full games before going down in Week 5 against Houston, scoring four times on the ground.

    Rotoworld Friday, 8:18 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    5th
  • Caleb Williams struggling vs. CHI defense in OTAs
    The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg reports Caleb Williams and the Bears offense has struggled during OTAs.

    Advice: Bears beat writers have reported plenty of Williams’ passes hitting the ground, difficulties getting set for plays, and constant pressure on the rookie from the Chicago defense. Greenberg said Williams was “under pressure while his receivers (which didn’t include Rome Odunze or Keenan Allen) tried to get open. There were a few just-missed interceptions. Sometimes, Williams couldn’t even get passes off as the secondary used its space advantage in the red zone to shut down receivers. We saw a lot of screen passes, many of which turned into scores. Occasionally, the offense struggled to line up or get a play off.” Hopefully a full summer of practices against a tough Bears defense will prepare Williams — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft — for live action competition starting with the Titans in Week 1. Rotoworld Friday, 7:05 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    17th
  • Expects to be ready by Week 1
    Jones (knee) said Thursday he anticipates starting Week 1, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

    Advice: Jones has been participating in 7-on-7 drills at OTAs and said "I don't have any doubt about it" when asked whether he'd suit up to take on the Vikings in Week 1. Additionally, he's already shed his knee brace in workouts, and all signs are that his recovery from a right ACL tear is proceeding smoothly. Jones signed a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason, but that may not give him significant job security if he logs an uninspiring 2024 campaign given both his injury history, and his terrible start to the 2023 season. It may not even be out of the realm of possibility that Drew Lock pushes for the Giants' starting gig, should he log a strong offseason. Rotowire.com Thursday, 12:50 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    38th
  • Chiefs prioritize pushing the ball downfield
    Patrick Mahomes said "[Andy Reid] is really pushing us to push [the ball] down the field” in OTAs.

    Advice: Mahomes has relied on short-to-intermediate passing over the last three years, culminating in a career-low 6.9-yard aDOT in 2023. The team refocused on the downfield passing game this offseason by adding speed to the wide receiver corps and featuring deep-ball passing in OTAs. Mahomes is reportedly honing his connection with free agent signee Marquise Brown. According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, nearly half of Mahomes’ Wednesday passing attempts traveled 20-plus yards downfield. Rotoworld Thursday, 10:59 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    3rd
  • Deshaun Watson (shoulder) throwing every other day
    Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Deshaun Watson is throwing every other day as he continues to rehab from last year’s shoulder injury.

    Advice: Stefanski said Watson “looked like himself to me” when asked about his recovery, adding that he’s “making great progress.” Watson underwent season-ending surgery last season to repair a fracture in his shoulder and played in just six games as a result. Watson said earlier that he’s already throwing at full speed, and GM Andrew Berry expects him to be ready for the start of the season, but we’ll see how things play out closer to training camp. Previous reports of Watson’s recovery have been mostly positive, giving us little reason to believe he won’t be ready by the start of the season. Jameis Winston will start in place of Watson should he miss any time. In addition to Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who suffered a season-ending hip injury last December, has been present at OTAs but is not participating as he continues his recovery. Rotoworld Thursday, 6:31 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    20th
  • Drops weight over offseason
    Jackson said Wednesday that he dropped weight over the offseason in an effort to be more agile in 2024, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

    Advice: Jackson was listed at 215 pounds last season and 225 during the 2022 season. Earlier this month, Jackson indicated he was closer to 205 pounds, but it's unclear if that's his intended playing weight. An even more elusive Jackson would be dangerous to opposing defenses, and adding Derrick Henry and getting Mark Andrews back to full health after his season was derailed by a broken ankle could make the Baltimore offense even more lethal in 2024. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 7:28 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    4th
  • Geno Smith getting ‘good grasp’ of new offense
    Seahawks QB Geno Smith said he feels he has “a really good grasp” of the team’s offense under new OC Ryan Grubb.

    Advice: ESPN’s Brady Henderson relayed Smith’s sentiments on learning the offense. Smith said “I feel like I’m a dropback passer and I feel like this is a dropback offense...” New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb came over from the same position with the University of Washington where he was also quarterbacks coach to Michael Penix. Smith is entering his third season with the Seahawks and has had a semi-rejuvenation for his career in Seattle. Grubb’s offense under new head coach Mike Macdonald will be a change of pace from the previous regime under Pete Carroll. Sam Howell is the backup for now with Smith under contract for two more seasons. Rotoworld Wednesday, 4:12 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    27th
  • Dropped by Jets
    The Jets waived Suits on Wednesday, John Pullano of the team's official site reports.

    Advice: Suits was picked up by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in early May, but the team has since decided to cut the 24-year-old quarterback loose. In his final collegiate season, the Houston Christian product threw for 1,919 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 283 pass attempts. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 12:22 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    760th